The Human Potential Movement (HPM) arose out of the social and intellectual milieu of the 1960s and formed around the concept of cultivating extraordinary potential that its advocates believed to lie largely untapped in all people. The movement took as its premise the belief that through the development of "human potential", humans can experience an exceptional quality of life filled with happiness, creativity, and fulfillment. As a corollary, those who begin to unleash this assumed potential often find themselves directing their actions within society towards assisting others to release their potential. Adherents believe that the net effect of individuals cultivating their potential will bring about positive social change at large.

Roots

The movement has its conceptual roots in existentialism and humanism. Its emergence is linked to humanistic psychology, also known as the "3rd force" in psychology (after psychoanalysis and behaviorism, and before the "4th force" of transpersonal psychology—which emphasizes esoteric, psychic, mystical, and spiritual development). Some commentators consider the HPM synonymous with humanistic psychology. The movement is strongly influenced by Abraham Maslow's theory of self-actualization as the supreme expression of a human's life.

Some sources credit the name "Human Potential Movement" to George Leonard.

Relationship to other fields

The human potential movement is sometimes categorised under the broader umbrella of the New Age movement. HPM distinguishes itself ideologically from other New Age trends by an emphasis on the individual development of secular human capabilities—as opposed to the more spiritual New Age views. However, some participants rarely make this distinction, and some who embrace the ideas of the human potential movement also tend to embrace more spiritual ideas within the New Age movement.

Christopher Lasch notes the impact of the human potential movement via the therapeutic sector:

The new therapies spawned by the human potential movement, according to Peter Marin, teach that "the individual will is all powerful and totally determines one's fate"; thus they intensify the "isolation of the self."

The HPM in many ways functioned as the progenitor of the contemporary industry surrounding personal growth and self-help.

Authors and essayists

Michael Murphy and Dick Price founded the Esalen Institute in 1962, primarily as a center for the study and development of human potential, and some people continue to regard Esalen as the geographical center of the movement . Aldous Huxley gave lectures on the "Human Potential" at Esalen in the early 1960s, and some people consider his ideas as also fundamental to the movement.

George Leonard, a magazine writer and editor who conducted research for an article on human potential, became an important early influence on Esalen. Leonard claims that he coined the phrase "Human Potential Movement" during a brainstorming session with Murphy, and popularized it in his 1972 book "The Transformation: A Guide to the Inevitable Changes in Mankind". Leonard worked closely with the Esalen Institute afteward, and in 2005 served as its president.

Notable proponents

William James (1842–1910), an early proponent

Fritz Perls (1893–1970)

Aldous Huxley (1894–1963)

Carl Rogers (1902–1987)

Viktor Frankl (1905–1997)

Viola Spolin (1906-1994)

Joshua Loth Liebman (1907–1948)

Abraham Maslow (1908–1970)

Alan Watts (1915–1973)

Harvey Jackins (1916–1999)

Alexander Everett (1921–2005)

George Leonard (1923–2010)

Stan Dale (1929–2007)

Michael Murphy (b. 1930)

Werner Erhard (b. 1935)

Marilyn Ferguson (1938–2008)

Jean Houston (b. 1937)

Fernando Flores (b. 1943)

Anthony Robbins (b. 1960)

See also

Personal development

Notes

References

Salerno, Steve (2005). ''SHAM: How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless''. New York: Random House. ISBN 1-4000-5409-5.

Category:Personal development

es:Movimiento del potencial humano fr:Potentiel humain ja:人間性回復運動

{{infobox person|name	Jean Houston
Occupation	Teacher, Lecturer, Speaker, Researcher in Human Capacities, Philosopher
Nationality	American
Fields	Cross-cultural mythology and spirituality, dimensions of human potential, social artistry
Influences	Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Margaret Mead, Joseph Campbell}}

Dr. Jean Houston (born 10 May 1937) is an American scholar, lecturer, author and philosopher who has helped pioneer and motivate the human potentials movement. As a teacher and visionary thinker, Dr Houston holds conferences and seminars with social leaders, educational institutions and business organizations worldwide. She has worked in over 40 cultures and 100 countries, helping leaders maintain cultural uniqueness as their countries become part of the global community. As an author, Houston has written or co-written nearly 30 books. She has been an advisor to political leaders and to UNICEF and, since 2003, has worked with The United Nations Development Group training leaders in the new field of Social Artistry.

Early Years

Dr. Houston was born May 10, 1937, in New York City, to Mary Todaro Houston, of Sicilian American descent, and Jack Houston, descended from Sam Houston of Texas. Jack Houston was a comedy writer who developed material for stage, television and the movies. His work required him to move frequently, and the young Houston experienced life in many places, attending over 20 schools by the time she was 12. She also met many celebrities through her father. After the breakup of her parents' marriage, she spent her teen years in New York City. Houston participated in many school and outside activities, coming in contact with a number of the personages who at that time resided in New York. As president of a group of school journalists, she met both Helen Keller and Eleanor Roosevelt during this period, but it was an accidental encounter that would bring her into contact with the man who would become the greatest influence on the young scholar. While walking her dog near her own home, Houston literally ran into Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French philosopher and Jesuit priest whose revolutionary ideas of spirituality were quite beyond his time. The two became friends, though Houston knew him only as "Mr. Thayer," and they would walk together regularly, conversing on subjects that helped form an insatiable thirst for ideas and an openness to spirituality that would serve Houston for the rest of her life.

Education and Early Career

While earning her BA from Barnard College, Houston became involved in acting and combined her efforts to earn an academic degree with a stage career, spending most of her spare time in theaters and enjoying a measure of success as an actor. When the time came to make a decision for a life path, however, Houston found herself choosing to further her studies into the human mind. She subsequently earned a Ph.D. in psychology from Union Graduate School and a Ph.D. in Religiion from the Graduate Theological Foundation. While participating in a government sanctioned research project on the effects of LSD (before such research was banned), Houston became acquainted with Dr. Robert Masters, a writer and a researcher into the varieties of human behavior and potentials. The two married in 1965 and soon became known for their work in the Human Potential Movement. They are considered to be among the movement's principle founders. Together they established The Foundation for Mind Research. Houston's early work in LSD research led her to a deeper awareness of the potentials of the human mind. She became a regular lecturer on college campuses, encouraging students to seek their potential without the use of drugs. Further research into the human mind and capacities led to associations with many high achieving people as she and Masters sought a better understanding of characteristics that led to greatness. Among many others, she worked closely with Carl Jung, Buckminster Fuller, and Aldous Huxley. During the years of NASA moon landings, she worked with returning astronauts, including Edgar Mitchell, to help them uncover details of what they saw in space.

Academic Career

Dr. Houston lectured in Psychology and Philosophy at Hunter College and taught at Marymount College. She has guest lectured at a number of universities, including [http://www.ucsc.edu/ The University of California at Santa Cruz">The University of California at Santa Cruz">[http://www.ucsc.edu/ The University of California at Santa Cruz. During this period, Houston began an association with the anthropologist Margaret Mead that would last until Mead's death and included periods during which Mead lived in Houston's home. Through Margaret Mead, Houston began to work in cultures around the world and expanded her knowledge of societies and cultural ethos. Another strong influence on Houston's work came from her association with mythologist Joseph Campbell. Houston worked closely with Campbell on his PBS television series. This work increased her understanding of and appreciation for the role of mythology and storytelling on societies. She had first become impressed by Campbelll and his work as a young girl, when she read Campbell's groundbreaking work on world mythologies, The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

Controversy

By the 1990s, Houston was well known for her work as a writer, lecturer, and human potentials researcher. During the Clinton presidential years, Houston was invited by Hillary Clinton to work with her in The White House as an advisor while Ms. Clinton was writing her own book, It Takes a Village. Drawing on methods she had developed to help people access wells of their own knowledge, Dr. Houston suggested an imaginary meeting between Clinton and Eleanor Roosevelt, one of the historical figures Ms. Clinton admired. This visualization was aimed at tapping into Clinton's own inner wisdom. While no actual attempts were made to contact spirits and no dead people were harmed in this process, the politically fired media frenzy that resulted when the practice was reported as a seance led to an immediate redirecting of Dr. Houston's career. However, the weight of Houston's accomplishments up to that time, and the reputation she had established, allowed her to survive this temporary setback.

Mystery School

In 1984, Houston began teaching a seminar based on the concept of the ancient Mystery Schools, specialized trainings available to seekers of knowledge and the advancement of spirituality. In Houston's modern day version, seekers experience teachings on many levels and participate in experiential processes designed with the authority of the years of Houston's research and expertise into human potentials.

Social Artistry

Through her work in cultures around the world, Houston developed methods to spark cultural awareness and pride and to use these forces to help rejuvenate cultures. Always working with an eye toward what the human and society could be, Houston developed the concept of approaching social developement and progress the way an artist approaches a work of art. This technique, Social Artistry, represents a new model for leadership. Houston, working through the United Nations Development Group, has been training leaders through this modality since 2003. Under the direction of Monica Sharma, then Director of Leadership and Capacity Development for the UN, Houston traveled to developing nations throughout the world bringing Social Artistry techniques to leadership groups. As of 2011, Social Artistry trainings and projects are ongoing in a number of countries and new leaders are being trained on a constant basis. This work is supported through The Jean Houston Foundation.

Publications

Books by Jean Houston (Partial List)

''Mystical Dogs: Animals as Guides to our inner Life'' Inner Ocean Publishing (2002) ISBN 1930722133

''Jump Time: Shaping Your Future in a World of Radical Change'' Sentient Publications (2nd Ed. 2004) ISBN 1591810183

''The Passion of Isis and Osiris: A Union of Two Souls'' Wellspring/Ballantine (1998) ISBN 0345424778

''A Mythic Life: Learning to LIve our Greater Story'' HarperSanFrancisco (1996) ISBN 0062502824

''Manual for the Peacemake: An Iroquois Legent to Heal Self'' (with Margaret Rubin) Quest Books (1995) ISBN 0835607097

''Public Like a Frog: Entering the Lives of three Great Americans'' Quest Books (1993) ASIN B0026SIU0G

''The Hero and the Goddess: The "Odyssey" as Mystery and Initiation'' Ballantine Books (1992) ISBN 0345365674

''Godseed: The Journey of Christ'' Quest Books (1988) ISBN 0835606775

''A Feminine Myth of Creation'' (with Diana Vandenberg, in Dutch) J.H. Gottmer (1988) ISBN 9025721184

''The Search for the Beloved: Journeys in Mythology and Sacred Psychology'' Tarcher (2nd Ed. 1997) ISBN 0874778719

''The Possible Human: A course in Extending Your Physical, Mental, and Creative Abilities'' Tarcher (2nd. Ed. 1997) ISBN 0874778727

''Life Force: The Psycho-Historical Recovery of the Self'' Quest Books (2nd. ed. 1993) ISBN 0835606872

Books with Robert Masters

''Mind Games'' Doubleday (1972) ISBN 0385286503

''Listening to the Body: The Psychophysical Way to Health and Awareness'' Delta (1979) ISBN 0385285779

''The Varieties of Psychedelic Experience'' Park Street Press (2000 edition) (1966) ISBN 0892818972

Film and television appearances

Dalai Lama Renaissance documentary.

Nightline Face-Off: Does God Have a Future?" ABC Nightline program March 2010. With Deepak Chopra, Sam Harris, and Michael Shermer.

References

External links

Houston's official website

Video of Jean Houston with the Dalai Lama during filming of the documentary "Dalai Lama Renaissance"

Jean Houston MP3 audio - from ''Shift in Action'', sponsored by Institute of Noetic Sciences

Jean Houston's article on Skeptics Dictionary

Category:1937 births Category:Living people Category:Transpersonal psychologists Category:New Thought writers Category:People associated with the Human Potential Movement

Name	Marc Gafni
Birth name	Marc Winiarz
Birth place	Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Nationality	American
Other names	Mordechai Gafni, Mark Gafni, Mordechai Winiarz, Mordechai Winyarz
Website	http://www.marcgafni.com/ }}

Marc Gafni (born 1961) is an American author and former Modern Orthodox rabbi, who was once associated with the Jewish Renewal movement. He is no longer associated with the movement after ongoing personal and theological controversies. In 2004 and 2005 articles in Haaretz, he is described as promoting a balance between the erotic and the ethical in Judaism. He is best known for his teachings on the relationship between spirituality and eroticsm, and his claim that all failure of ethics result from a collapse of Eros. Eros is defined by Gafni in his teaching as interiority, presence, yearning and interconnectivity. He also is described as promoting the integration of the feminine godhead with the masculine godhead through their integration in the lived life of every individual. He has referred to this process as Yichud.

Biography

Gafni, also known as Mordechai Gafni, Mark Gafni, Marc Winiarz, Mordechai Winiarz, and Mordechai Winyarz, was born to Holocaust survivors in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Gafni was educated at Modern-Orthodox yeshivas in the New York area. In the 1980s, while attending Yeshiva University, Gafni worked with Jewish Public School Youth, an organization providing Jewish social clubs in public schools. In 1988, Gafni also worked as a Rabbi in Boca Raton, Florida. After making aliya in the 1990s, Gafni served as rabbi of the West Bank settlement of Tzofim. When Gafni moved to Israel he hebraicized his name. "Winiarz," Polish for "vintner," is related to the Hebrew word "" - grape, thus the name "Gafni". In the late nineties he opened the Bayit Chadash spiritual center in Jaffa. Gafni advocated bringing eros back into Jewish practice.

He was ordained as a rabbi by Shlomo Riskin of Efrat. He also received rabbinical certification from the Chief Rabbinate of the State of Israel, and from Rabbi Gershon Winkler. Riskin has since expressed his intent to withdraw his rabbinical ordination because Gafni went beyond the bounds of Orthodoxy; when Gafni heard of Riskin's wishes, he wrote a letter returning Riskin's semicha.

Gafni holds a D.Phil from Oxford University. The university approved his thesis, titled ''The theology of acosmic humanism: Mordechai Lainer of Izbica'', in April 2008 and it was formally granted in July 2008.

Gafni has been married multiple times and has three children from his marriages.

Recent work

In 2008, after a two-year personal retreat, Gafni co-founded iEvolve. Gafni also teaches at the Shalom Mountain Wisdom School and the Pacific Coast Church. Gafni recently co-founded the publishing company Incorrect Inc. Gafni is a scholar in Residence at the Integral Institute, and the Director of the Integral Spiritual Experience. In 2009, Gafni and his partner Mariana Caplan founded the Center For World Spirituality.

Writing

He has written a series of bestselling books on the subjects of Judaism, eroticism and spirituality. His book ''Soul Prints'', is his major book on his teaching of Unique Self and was the subject of a PBS special. His book "The Mystery of Love" is his major work on Holiness and Eros. His Hebrew book, "Uncertainty", is about reclaiming Uncertainty as a spiritual value. His Hebrew book "Certainty" is about re-defining certainty, from certainty of dogma, to core certainty of self, from 'It is true' to 'I am True'. ''Who is afraid of Lilith? Rereading the Kabbalah of the Feminine Shadow'', a book Gafni cowrote with Ohad Ezrachi, was described by the publisher as offering "the much-needed perspective of the male feminist viewpoint."

His books were published by ''Simon and Schuster''. He released an audio lecture series in 2004, entitled "The Soul Prints Workshop: Wisdom Teachings from the Kabbalah Illuminating Your Unique Life Purpose". He released a second audio series in 2005 entitled, "On the Erotic and the Holy, The Kabbalistic Tantra of Everyday Life". Both audio series are published by Sounds True.

Controversy

Gafni has been accused of sexual improprieties in the past. New allegations surfaced in 2006 after three women accused Gafni of sexual harassment. Within a few days of the allegations, Gafni both left his position at Bayit Chadash in Israel and left Israel. The ramifications of the accusations, how they were addressed, and Gafni's subsequent removal from Bayit Chadash, contributed to its closure. Once in the United States, Gafni sent a remorseful letter to his congregation, causing his former supporters to express regret. Gafni, on his personal website, later explained that the letter was to cool the controversy and was not an admission of fault; Gafni maintains that the allegations are untrue.

In July 2008, an article published in the magazine Catalyst, a publication for which Gafni himself had written anonymously, attempted to counter earlier accusations, in particular the claims of harassment by the three women and of sexual predation, citing new evidence including recovered emails and lie detector tests. The article also quotes former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson as supporting Gafni's contention that the allegations of harassment and predation are untrue, and that the relationships were mutual and consensual. Gafni has a collection of evaluations on his website, including polygraph results, which he claims corroborate his position that the allegations of sexual impropriety were false and for character evidence.

Bibliography

Books

A Certain Spirit; {Vadai} Re-Defining Certainty. Hebrew, Modan Publishers, 1999

A Uncertain Spirit, {Safek} Reclaiming Uncertainty as Spiritual Value, Hebrew Modan Publishers, 1999

''Soul Prints: Your Path to Fulfillment'' (Paperback - January 29, 2002)

''The Mystery of Love'' (Paperback - March 16, 2004)

''The Erotic And The Holy: Kabbalistic Tantra for Everyday Living'' (February 2006)

''Seelenmuster'' (Paperback - June 1, 2002)

Gafni and Ohad Ezrachi. ''Who is afraid of Lilith? Rereading the Kabbalah of the Feminine Shadow'' (Modan Publishing House - 2005)

Audiography

''The Soul Prints Workshop: Wisdom Teachings from the Kabbalah Illuminating Your Unique Life Purpose'' Sounds True (2004)

"The Erotic and the Holy: The Kabbalistic Tantra of Everyday Life" Sounds True, 2005

References

External links

Marc Gafni's personal web site

Category:20th-century rabbis Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:Children of Holocaust survivors

he:מרדכי גפני

:''For the British photographer, see Julia Margaret Cameron.''

name	Julia B. Cameron
birth date	March 04, 1948
birth place	Libertyville, Illinois, U.S.
residence	New York City, New York, U.S.
nationality	American
known for	''The Artist's Way''
education	Georgetown University, Fordham
occupation	Teacher, Author, Filmmaker, Playwright, Journalist
spouse	Martin Scorsese, Mark Bryan
children	Domenica Cameron-Scorsese
website	The Artist's Way
footnotes	}}

Julia B. Cameron (born March 4, 1948 in Illinois) is an American teacher, author, artist, poet, playwright, novelist, filmmaker, composer, and journalist. She is perhaps most famous for her book ''The Artist's Way'' (1992). She also has written many other non-fiction works, short stories, and essays as well as novels, plays, musicals, and screenplays.

Biography

Julia Cameron was born and raised in a Chicago suburb, and grew up Catholic. She started college at Georgetown University, then transferred to Fordham. She started her journalism career at the ''Washington Post'', then moved on to ''Rolling Stone''.

She met Martin Scorsese when interviewing him for ''Rolling Stone''. They married in 1975 and divorced in 1977; Cameron was Scorsese's second wife. They have one daughter, Domenica Cameron-Scorsese, born in 1976. Cameron and Scorsese collaborated on three films. Cameron's film, ''God's Will'', is based on the Cameron-Scorsese marriage and divorce, portraying a divorced, self-centered show business couple who die unexpectedly and end up fighting in heaven over what will happen to their daughter.

A review of Cameron's memoir ''Floor Sample'' states that Cameron "reveals the dark side of her privileged life: her descent into alcoholic blackouts and drug-induced paranoia as well as descriptions of her bouts with psychosis." In 1978, reaching a point in her life when writing and drinking could no longer coexist, Cameron stopped the drugs and alcohol, and began teaching creative unblocking, which propelled her to fame after she published the book based on her teachings, ''The Artist's Way''. She states creativity is an authentic spiritual path.

Cameron has taught filmmaking, creative unblocking, and writing. She has taught at The Smithsonian, Esalen, the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, and the New York Open Center. At Northwestern University, she was writer in residence for film. In 2008 she taught a class at the New York Open Center, ''The Right to Write,'' named and modeled after one of her bestselling books, which reveals the importance of writing.

Cameron has lived in Los Angeles, Chicago, Taos, and Washington D.C., but now lives in New York City.

Bibliography

Nonfiction

''The Creative Life: True Tales of Inspiration'' (Tarcher, 2010)

''The Artist's Way Every Day: A Year of Creative Living'' (Tarcher, 2009)

''Prayers to the Great Creator: Prayers and Declarations for a Meaningful Life'' (Tarcher, 2008)

''The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size'' (Tarcher, 2007; ISBN 1585425710 )

''Floor Sample'' (Tarcher, 2006; ISBN 1-58542-494-3), a memoir

''How to Avoid Making Art '' (2006; ISBN 1-58542-438-2), illustrated by Elizabeth Cameron

''The Sound of Paper'' (Tarcher, 2004; Hardcover ISBN 1-58542-288-6)

''Supplies: A Troubleshooting Guide for Creative Difficulties'' (Tarcher, 2003; Rev&Updtd; edition ISBN 1-58542-212-6)

''Walking in this World'' (Tarcher, 2003; Reprint edition ISBN 1-58542-261-4)

''The Artist's Way, 10th Annv edition'' (Tarcher, 2002; ISBN 1-58542-146-4)

''Inspirations: Meditations from The Artist's Way'' (Tarcher, 2001;ISBN 1-58542-102-2)

''God is Dog Spelled Backwards'' (Tarcher, 2000; ISBN 158542062X)

''God is No Laughing Matter'' (Tarcher, 2000; ISBN 1585420654)

''Supplies: A Pilot's Manual for Creative Flight'' (2000)

''The Artist's Date Book'' (Tarcher, 1999; ISBN 0874776538 ), illustrated by Elizabeth Cameron Evans

''Money Drunk Money Sober'' (Ballantine Wellspring, 1999; ISBN 0345432657)

''The Writing Life'' (Sounds True, 1999; ISBN 1564557251)

''Transitions'' (Tarcher, 1999; ISBN 0-87477-995-2)

''The Artist's Way at Work'' (Pan, 1998; ISBN 0330373196)

''Blessings'' (Tarcher, 1998; ISBN 0-87477-906-5)

''The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life'' (Tarcher, 1998; ISBN 1-58542-009-3)

''Heart Steps'' (Tarcher, 1997; ISBN 0-87477-899-9)

''The Vein of Gold'' (1997; ISBN 0-87477-836-0)

''The Artist's Way Morning Pages Journal'' (Tarcher, 1995; ISBN 0-87477-886-7)

''The Money Drunk'' (1993)

''The Artist's Way'' (1992)

Fiction

''Popcorn: Hollywood Stories'' (Really Great Books, 2000; ISBN 1-893329-12-7)

''The Dark Room'' (Carroll & Graf Pub,1998; ISBN 0-7867-0564-7)

Musicals

''Avalon''

''Magellan''

''The Medium at Large''

Plays

''Four Roses''

''Public Lives''

''The Animal in the Trees''

Poetry

''This Earth'' (Sounds True, 1997; ISBN 1564555496)

''Prayers for the little ones'' (Renaissance Books, 1999; ISBN 1580630480)

''Prayers to the nature spirits'' (Renaissance Books, 1999; ISBN 1580630472

''The Quiet Animal''

Film

"God's Will"

References

External links

Julia Cameron Live, official website for Julia Cameron and her online creativity workshops

The Artist's Way, official web site for The Artist's Way

Julia Cameron video interview Julia Cameron interviewed by her publisher at Tarcher Books

Artist's Way At Work web site, by Mark Bryan

Category:1948 births Category:American dramatists and playwrights Category:American film directors Category:American metaphysics writers Category:American motivational writers Category:American poets Category:American self-help writers Category:American screenwriters Category:American spiritual writers Category:American television writers Category:Female film directors Category:Living people Category:Women screenwriters Category:Women television writers

fi:Julia Cameron sv:Julia Cameron

Name	James Redfield
Birth date	March 19, 1950
Death date
Resting place coordinates
Nationality	American
Ethnicity	Caucasian
Citizenship	United States
Known for	''The Celestine Prophecy''
Alma mater	Auburn University
Occupation	Author, Lecturer, Screenwriter and Film Producer
Footnotes	}}

James Redfield (born March 19, 1950) is an American author, lecturer, screenwriter and film producer. He is notable for his novel ''The Celestine Prophecy'' (1993), which was a novel of the New Age Movement.

Biography

Redfield is best known as the author of the best selling novel ''The Celestine Prophecy''. He grew up in a rural area near Birmingham, Alabama. As a young man, he studied Eastern philosophies, including Taoism and Zen, while majoring in sociology at Auburn University. He later received a Master's degree in counseling and spent more than 15 years as a therapist to abused adolescents. During this time, he was drawn into the human potential movement and turned to it for theories about intuitions and psychic phenomena that would help his clients.

In 1989, he quit his job as a therapist to write full-time, synthesizing his interest in interactive psychology, Eastern and Western philosophies, science, futurism, ecology, history, and mysticism.

When Redfield self-published his first novel in 1992 (Satori Publishing), the immediate interest from booksellers and readers made ''The Celestine Prophecy'' one of the most successful self-published books of all time. Warner Books bought the rights and published the hard cover edition in March 1994. The book quickly climbed to the #1 position on the New York Times Best Seller List. According to ''Publishing Trends,'' ''The Celestine Prophecy'' was the #1 international bestseller of 1996 (#2 in 1995). The novel spent over 3 years on the New York Times Best Seller List. As of May 2005, ''The Celestine Prophecy'' had sold over 20 million copies worldwide and had been translated into 34 languages. In 1996, the sequel, ''The Tenth Insight: Holding the Vision'' (Warner Books), also became a bestseller. The two books spent a combined 74 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List, making James Redfield the best-selling hard cover author in the world in 1996, as cited in BP Report (January 1997).

In his non-fiction title, ''The Celestine Vision: Living the New Spiritual Awareness'' (Warner Books, 1997), Redfield explored the historical and scientific background of the "emerging spirituality" discussed in his novels. The Celestine series of adventure parables continued in 1999 with the publication of ''The Secret of Shambhala: In Search of the Eleventh Insight'' (Warner Books). In 2002, James joined author Michael Murphy and filmmaker Sylvia Timbers in a collaborative non-fiction work entitled ''God and the Evolving Universe'' (J.P. Tarcher).

The Celestine Prophecy film made its U.S. theatrical (Celestine Films) and DVD (Sony Pictures) release in 2006. Redfield produced and co-wrote the screenplay (with Barnet Bain & Dan Gordon).

James and Salle Redfield are the founders of the Global Prayer Project, a bi-weekly telewebcast which offers guided prayer and meditation.

Redfield's newest offering, "The Twelfth Insight: The Hour of Decision," was published by Grand Central Publishing in February 2011.

Awards

In October 1997, James Redfield was awarded the prestigious Medal of the Presidency of the Italian Senate at the XXIII Pio Manzu International Conference in Rimini, Italy. In the spring of 2000, James joined Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat For Humanity, as the only two recipients of Humanitarian of the Year honors from their alma mater, Auburn University. Two months later, he was honored by the International New Thought Alliance with another Humanitarian of the Year award. In March 2004, James Redfield was honored by the Wisdom Media Group with the World View Award for engaging the discussion on the nature of human existence and for his ongoing efforts and contributions to the bettering of humanity.

Bibliography

''The Celestine Prophecy'' (1993) ISBN 0-446-51862-X

''The Celestine Prophecy: An Experiential Guide'' (1995) co-written with Carol Adrienne ISBN 0-446-67122-3

''The Tenth Insight: Holding the Vision'' (1996) ISBN 0-446-51908-1

''The Tenth Insight: Holding The Vision: An Experiential Guide'' (1996) co-written with Carol Adrienne ISBN 0-446-67299-8

''The Celestine Vision: Living the New Spiritual Awareness'' (1997) ISBN 0-446-52274-0

''The Secret of Shambhala: In Search of the Eleventh Insight'' (1999) ISBN 0-446-52308-9

''God and the Evolving Universe: The Next Step in Personal Evolution'' (2002) co-written with Sylvia Timbers and Michael Murphy ISBN 1-58542-137-5

''The Celestine Prophecy: The Making of the Movie'' (2006) co-written with Monty Joynes ISBN 1-571-74458-4

''The Twelfth Insight: the Hour of Decision'' (2011) ISBN 0-446-57596-8

Sources

"Celestial reasoning." ''People Weekly''. New York: Apr 25, 1994. Vol.41, Iss. 15; pg. 85

McDonald, Marci. "Celestine prophet." ''Maclean's''. Toronto: Oct 10, 1994. Vol.107, Iss. 41; pg. 54

External links

Official Web Site: CelestineVision.com

The Twelfth Insight

Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:American Methodists Category:American writers Category:American screenwriters Category:American film producers Category:Auburn University alumni Category:People from Auburn, Alabama

cs:James Redfield de:James Redfield es:James Redfield fr:James Redfield gl:James Redfield it:James Redfield no:James Redfield pt:James Redfield sv:James Redfield