http://forgoszel.jugem.jp/?eid=261 ( )

Thin plot doesn't dim the thrill of genuine spiritual discoveryJames Redfield's story-telling skills haven't improved in his third novel since The Celestine Prophecy. Fortunately, his ability to touch the reader's spirit and inspire our higher selves has not lessened, which makes this thin story a tale worth reading nonetheless.Spiritual/metaphysical content: High. Redfield continues to expand on the nine insights detailed in The Celestine Prophecy in 1993. For a quick recap, see Insights from The Celestine Prophecy. His fourth book builds somewhat on those first nine insights by adding twelve "integrations," which extend a few of the original insights by demonstrating practical applications and illustrations that play out in the story line. The first five integrations Redfield calls the foundation to spiritual consciousness. The remaining seven are the "rise to sacred influence." For a quick summary, see Integrations from The Twelfth Insight.The first integration is the principle of synchronicity, which plays a large role in The Twelfth Insight. The idea is that if you consciously expect synchronicity, and stay in a state of “expectant alertness,” events of synchronicity will occur. This spiritual principle rang true for me, along with another of Redfield's favorite quotes from Kant: "Act and be as though how you are dictates that everyone else will be that same way."My take: Redfield's spiritual development has deepened considerably since the nine insights of The Celestine Prophecy--so much so that many of his integrations will leave his original readers bewildered and wondering how the story line has moved from personal growth to international conspiracy theory. Although I understand and agree with the spiritual evolution of his ideas, does Redfield really believe that 144,000 people must work through the twelve integrations to prevent the Mayan prophecy that the world will end in 2012, or is it merely a convenient plot device? Either way, the story is thinly developed and seems over the top.Despite that, Redfield still delivers soul-felt descriptions of spiritual experience that remind me why I started reading new age fiction in the first place. The thrill of spiritual discovery is still there, and The Twelfth Insight is worth reading just to be reminded of that.For more reviews of new age novels, see Fiction For A New Age. ( )

Los protagonistas de La duodécima revelación reciben un pedazo de un antiguo manuscrito que contiene el secreto de la nueva espiritualidad que será revelada a la humanidad durante la segunda década del siglo xxi. El documento sólo está disponible en fragmentos y para entender el significado de su contenido es necesario encontrarlos todos. Este hallazgo, unido a la necesidad de entender el cambio de espiritualidad que se anunciaba ya en las antiguas profecías mayas, y entender el significado que comporta marcarán el inicio de una búsqueda apasionante que los llevará a descubrir el mensaje en su totalidad. A medida que avanzan en su viaje —un recorrido iniciático que los conducirá hasta las profundidades de su alma— se enfrentarán a fuerzas políticas y religiosas extremas que aparecerán a medida que alcancen cada una de las revelaciones espirituales pero también encontrarán guías que los ayudarán a avanzar y a entender lo que sucede tanto fuera como dentro de sí mismos. ( )

I read the first two of these books when they were first published and really enjoyed it. however, this one just doesn't live up to the standard set by the previous books in this series. The book seemed rather muddled, with too much information crammed into the book itself. Warning to those who haven't read the Celestine series: Read the first two first otherwise this one will just leave you feeling confused! ( )

I read the very first "insight" book many years ago, and found it enriching and enlightening. This book was okay, although I have been away from the story for a while. That factor made it difficult for me to get into the book right away - just a heads up to those who have never read any of the Celestine books, or who have not read them for some time. The problem I had with this book is that it tried to cram too much information and even new ideas in only 220something pages, leaving me feeling a bit overwhelmed and unsatisfied. I intend to go back and refresh my memory, and read the novels in order, and see if it improves my understanding. ( )