SPIRITUALITY IN THE NINE INSIGHTS IN JAMES … · words and seal up the book until the end ... My Life Partner and Soulmate ... thank Mrs. Janti and Mr. Durga for giving me such a

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SPIRITUALITY IN THE NINE INSIGHTS IN JAMES REDFIELD’S

THE CELESTINE PROPHECY

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN FINAL PAPER

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

Brigitta Yulielza

Student Number: 091214046

ENGLISH LANGUANGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2016

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

み1蹄を:酵申 1翠Ⅲl鞭 :・中

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STATEⅣIENT OFヽVO駆 'S OIIIGINALITY

I honestly declare that this final paper, lvhich l liave u,ritten, does not contain the rvork or pafis

of the work of other people, except those citecl in tire quotations and rel'erences, as a scientific

paper should.

Yogyakarta, July 14, 201 6

BRIGr0

‐Ａ

柁

IV


LEPIBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI nRYA ILⅣ 質IAHUNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEDlIS

Yang bertanda tangan di baivah ini, saya mahasislva tinir,elsitas Sanata Dhanna

Nama ; Brigitta YulielzaNornor Mahasisr.r,a : 091214046

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan UniversitasSanata Dhanr-ra karya ihniah saya yang berjudril

SPIruTUALITY II{ TffE,ry?7Y"E TI{SIGTITS IN JAMES ITEDI.-IELI},S

TI{E CELESTII{E PROPHECY

beserla perangkat vang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian, saya memberikan kepada

Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dhanna hak untuk menl4mpan, tr-rengalihkan dalarn bentukmedia lain, mengeloianya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, rnendistribusikan secara terhatas, danmemplubikasikamrya di inten-ret atau rnedia lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu mintaijin kepada salra maupun rnembcrikan royalti kepacia saya selama mencantllmkan nalxa saya

sebagai penulis.

Dernikian pelnyataan ini saya briat dengan scbenarnya.

Dibuat di YogyakartaPada tanggal 1l{ Ju.l.i 2016


vi

“ And those who have insight will

shine brightly like the brightness of

the expanse of Heaven, and those who

lead the many to righteousness, like the

stars forever and ever.

But for you, Daniel, these

words and seal up the book until the end

of time. Many will go back and forth,

and knowledge will increase.”

DANIEL 12:3-4


vii

This Final Paper is dedicated to:

My Lovely Parents

Petrus Sukirdi Joyopurnomo

and

Victoria Dwi Herwanti Setyaningsih Joyopurnomo

My Great Younger Brothers

Antonius Puguh Prasetyo Joyopurnomo

Hillaryus Ranggapaqsi Gumilar Joyopurnomo

Alexander Bancar Cakradara Joyopurnomo

My Life Partner and Soulmate

Yoshua Apriandi Wongsokenongo


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I want to express my gratitude to the super power God Almighty for giving me the

chance to look down on myself that I can finish this final paper. Blissful universe surrounds me

make me sure that nothing can beat me harder than my thought and my own self. To James

Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy for the great novel, I cannot say enough how blissful I am to

read it.

I believe that there is no such a thing like coincidence in this great universe and being the

only daughter of Petrus Sukirdi and Victoria Dwi is the best thing in my life. Through them I

learned a lot of life. Their support and never ending love bring me to the point that all is well,

everything is good and I will be okay afterall. The super cool great brothers Puguh, Rangga,

Alex teach me how to be a real big sister. Mom, dad, brothers, I thank for all their prayers and

everything happened in my life and they have my heart always.

God helps those who help themselves but God did not forget to bring the angel’s hands to

me. I thank Ms. Yuseva for the little bright light in the middle of the darkness. She set the fire in

me again, for supporting and believing in me. Drs. Barli Bram, M.Ed., Ph.D. for being my

sponsor, I will never forget the kindness, patience and guidance while I finish this final paper. I

also would like to dedicate my deepest gratitude all the PBI lecturers and staffs for making this

possible to do and I have nothing but my utmost salute to them.

I also would like to thank my friends for life Key, Anne, Arum and her baby. I Thank

them so much for never giving up on me when I lose hope to begin again. Bromo 4 crews, the

lovely one Tiara Tibut to be my partner in crime, Mbak Viona as my favorite big sister, Shinta,

Helen, Tika, Uwi, Thalia, Mbak Dita, Olive, Memet, Lice, and Rissa. Thank to Pungki, Titus,


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Titin, Cipong, Alex, Dion who support and give me courage to finish this final paper. I also

thank Prabarini Dwi Pangestu S.Pd., Anggi Kristiawan, S.Pd., and Wahyu Perwitasari S.Pd. to

be my proofreaders during this final paper writing.

This paper is a long journey and process of learning my own spirituality. I thank my

spiritual teacher for introducing me how to do the meditation and handle my own thought. I

thank Mrs. Janti and Mr. Durga for giving me such a beautiful and peaceful place to do my

meditation. Tutu Club USD ballet, Bailamos Dance School, Rumah Maguwo traditional dance,

ketjilbergerak, Bienalle Jogja Family, @delight.yk customers and everyone who make my life so

colorful, they crossed my life to give meaning.

I express my gratitude to God that Yoshua Apriandi comes into my life, right place and

time. I thank for the beautiful life journey for these seven years of love and blessing. We still

have a lot of jobs to make this world to be a better place to live. May the Force be with us.

Brigitta Yulielza


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE……………………………………………………………………………….......... i

APPROVAL PAGE ..…………………….……………………………………………………. ii

ACCEPTANCE PAGE …………………………………………………………………........ iii

STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY………………………………………….………..iv

PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ……………………………… ……………………... v

MOTTO PAGE …………………………………………………………………………………. vi

DEDICATION PAGE …………………………………………………………………………. vii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS …………………………………………………………………… viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………………………………………………... x

ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………………………………… xii

ABSTRAK ……………………………………………………………………………………. xiii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study ………………………………………………………… 1

B. Approach of the Study …………………………………………………………… 6

CHAPTER II: DISCUSSION

A. Theories of Spirituality ……………………………………………………………. 9

B. Review of the Nine Insights……………………………………………………….. 14

C. Spirituality Dimensions through the Nine Insights ………………………………... 23


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D. Biographical Analysis of the Correlation between the Author and the Story………34

CHAPTER III: CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

A. Conclusions …………………………………..……………………………………...37

B. Suggestions ………………………………………………………………………….38

REFERENCES ………………………………………………………………………………….39

APPENDICES

Appendix 1. Summary of the Novel …………………………………………………………... 40

Appendix 2. Biography of James Redfield ……………………………………………………..44


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ABSTRACT

Yulielza, Brigitta. (2016) Spirituality in The Nine Insights in James Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy. Yogyakarta: English Language Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Eduacation, Faculty of Teachers Trainings and Education, Sanata Dharma University.

This final paper analyzes James Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy. In this paper, the writer analyzes how the spirituality is experienced through the Nine Insights by the main character through his adventure. The adventure itself is a chronicle of his journey from the USA to Peru in search of the missing Insights that purportedly contained sacred teaching of spirituality.

The aim of the study is to see the spirituality in the Nine Insights. The problem formulation for this study is “How is the spirituality being representated in the Nine Insights in James Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy?”

The writing of this final paper utilized biographical approach and the method used is library study. The novel The Celestine Prophecy is the main source of the writing of this final paper and other supporting references about spirituality in terms or theory in the forms of books, journals, and Internet or library based sources are also important.

Based on the analysis, the writer concluded that there are nine different dimensions of spirituality; Transcendent Dimension, Meaning and Purpose in Life, Mission in Life, Sacredness of Life, Material Values, Altruism, Idealism, Awareness of the Tragic, and Beneficial Manifestations of Spirituality, which are embeeded within the Nine Insights in which the main character is involved in the search. It is suggested that other researchers may analyze the characteristics changes occurred to the main character after he learned the Insights.

Keywords: spirituality, spirituality dimensions, The Celestine Prophecy


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ABSTRAK

Yulielza, Brigitta.(2016). Spirituality in The Nine Insights in James Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Tugas Akhir ini menganalisa pada pembahasan novel karya James Redfield yang berjudul The Celestine Prophecy. Penulis menganalisa spiritualitas yang dialami melalui sembilan insight yang ada dalam novel ini. Novel ini adalah suatu cerita petualangan yang membawa sang tokoh utama dari Amerika Serikat ke Peru dalam pencarian naskah kuno yang dianggap sakral dan mengandung ajaran hidup yang hakiki

Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah melihat spiritualitas yang terkandung dalam insights di cerita ini. Terdapat satu rumusan masalah pada penulisan tugas akhir ini, yaitu “Bagaimana spiritualitas dapat dipresentasikan melalui sembilan insights yang terdapat dalam novel The Celestine Prophecy?”

Penulisan penelitian tugas akhir ini menggunakan pendekatan biografi dan metode yang digunakan dalam penulisan tugaas akhir ini adalah studi pustaka. Novel yang berjudul The Celestine Prophecy merupakan sumber utama dalam penulisan tugas akhir ini. Adapun sumber –sumber lain berupa beberapa buku teori spiritualitas,pengertian tentang spiritualitas, jurnal, dan informasi – informasi penting baik dari perpustakan maupun internet juga menunjang penulisan tugas akhir ini.

Berdasarkan analisis yang penulis lakukan dalam penulisan tugas akhir ini hal utama yang bisa penulis simpulkan adalah adanya sembilan dimensi spiritualitas dalam kisah petualangan yang dialami karakter utama melalui representasi insights dalam novel ini. Kepada peneliti berikutnya, penulis menyarankan untuk menganalisa adanya perubahan karakter yang terjadi pada sang tokoh utama setelah ia mmpelajari kesembilan insights tersebut hingga selesai.

Kata kunci : spirituality, spirituality dimension, The Celestine Prophecy


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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter is a collaboration of two parts. They are the background of

the study and the approach of the study. In the first part, background of the study,

the writer explains the main topic and the reason in choosing the topic. The first

part contains the problem formulation, the objective of the study, benefits of the

study and also the definition of particular terms that are used in this final paper.

The next part is the approach of the study. In this part, the writer will define the

approach and method used in the study.

A. Background of the Study

According to Lombardi (2010), “literature represents a language or a

people: culture and tradition. It introduces us to the new world of experiences”

(p.7). On the other hand, literature can be a media to express feelings, ideas,

thought, and even personal experience in life. By reading literary work, people

can get the author’s ideas and thought. Therefore, by analyzing the intrinsic and

extrinsic aspects of literary work, the reader will have a deeper understanding of

the topic.

The writer chose this novel, The Celestine Prophecy, as the subject of the

analysis because the writer is interested in human life’s spirituality. Due to the fact


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that literature works are the mirror of human’s life and their society. There is a

hidden message also that appears in the form of spirituality aspects in James

Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy. This novel is a combination of the author’s

personal experience and perspective in the form of a fiction adventure novel.

The story is about a fiction adventure or journey of spirituality. The story

took place in Peru, a country in South America. Here, the main character was in a

search of the truth about the insights while trudging the vastness of rainforest, the

splendor of old Mayan ruins, the solitudeness of a remote Catholic mission, and

the sinister of a military detainment. The time of the story is in the dawning of the

21st century. The main character “I” went from the USA to Peru to seek for an old

ancient manuscript containing the vital truths of how human life could change for

good. In Peru, he must face a chase by the government and church agents who

wanted to suppress the manuscript. However, his fate also took him to the hands

of the people who helped him along the way where finally he managed to obtain

all Nine Insights of the manuscript and go back to the USA to spread the

messages.

The story here can also be initially perceived as a medium for the author to

share his personal belief since the author experienced the spiritual transformation

of life through his career and expression in the form of writing. The sense of

spirituality itself can be stemmed from several factors such as personal wish of the

writer, a sense of what is happening on the real world, or in a much heavier side,

presence or loss (Swinfen, 1984). The author expressed a lot of personal belief

and ideas that he wanted to share to anyone who reads the book.


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This is a great fiction adventure where the main character can find many

adventurous and challenging events with the people that bring us to Spirituality.

James Redfield as the author is an experienced scholar in the realm of spirituality

and his education influenced him significantly on his works especially this one,

The Celestine Prophecy. He was raised in the rural Southern United States in a

Methodist Christian family with closely bonded and loving community life. Even

during the earlier age, he already experienced an urge to seek for a higher

spirituality level that would provide him with answers to the questions of life that

he always possessed. James Redfield has a bachelor’s degree of Sociology from

Auburn University and known as scholar of Eastern spirituality such as Taoism

and Zen Buddhism. He further continued his study in the field of counseling as

the master degree and worked for several years as a counselor for abused

adolescents. After several years, he finally began to write this story, in January

1989, and finally published it in 1997.

James Redfield describes the writing process as full of trial and error but

nonetheless he found it full of gifts. He believed that the process of writing itself

was, in his own belief, assisted by such events, coincidences, and insights that he

himself wanted to personally share through the story. This event further reassured

him that this work of literature is not merely a fiction but can serve as a tool to

help his readers develop a higher quality or understanding of their life.

Furthermore because of his working experience and lecturing time, he combines

knowledge and experience in writing his works (thecelestinejournal.com, acessed

2015). He is a well known spiritualist and also known as a follower of Eastern


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Philosophy, Taoism, Zen Buddhism, and New Age movement. Redfield is also

the writer of The Tenth Insight, The Secret of Shamballa, The Twelfth Insight:

Holding The Vision and also The Celestine Vision web journal.

Based on the background of the study the writer proposed a problem

formulation as the following “How spirituality is represented in The Nine Insights

in James Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy? “. Meanwhile, the objective of the

subject of the study is to see how the spirituality in The Nine Insights are

presented in James Redfield’ The Celestine Prophecy.

Spirituality nowadays becomes so important because humankind evolution

stops to the era that people only can get their physical need. Routine makes people

become less peacefully. Studying spirituality gives some benefits to those who

search peace and tranquility to their life. In this study, the writer stated some

benefits. The benefits of this study are; first, it helps the writer understands the

knowledge deeper about spirituality through appreciating the work of literature,

especially from James Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy both from the work of

the author itself and also from the supporting theories and approaches used to

analyze this work.

The story itself was represented by embedding the author’s spiritual belief

into a fiction work that styled like a fiction adventure work. It emphasizes on a

storyline where the main character is caught in dangerous adventure to recover an

ancient manuscript that holds a secret of human’s spiritual transformation. It is an

acceptable point of view to see this story as an example of “fiction adventure”


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genre. It is easy to say so since the author chose a rather realistic occurrences and

events to be one of this story’s focal points. However before further discussion to

the adventure of the main character, it should be first understood what is meaning

of “adventure”.

According to Merriam-Webster, adventure is an “undertaking usually

involving danger and unknown risks”. Based on the term provided in which

adventure is stated to be unexpected journey that mostly happened to the main

character, it could be an easy way to denote that when an author needs to share the

ideas of spirituality through literary work. D'Ammassa (2006) stated that

adventure can be a journey taken from the main character from the story who

struggling to get what he wants through dangerous and risky events (p.47).

Adventure in the story “The Celestine Prophecy” is also serving more or not the

same way with how some of the scholars mentioned above view the adventure

itself. Here, the adventure serves as some sort of belief for the main character, but

the most interesting issue to note is that the spirituality is experienced by the main

character in a way that at first seemed unintentional and accidental. Here, the

ending of the tale of the narrator, whose name was unknown, was a realization

that the journey of his spirituality belief have changed several aspects of his life in

specific and the whole humankind in general and he wanted to seek more about

the secret from the ancient manuscript. The main character was being taken in a

journey from one insight to another. The Nine Insights provide a background for

different adventure to the main character and further serves as a personal goal to

be shared with other people.


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To avoid misunderstanding and ambiguity, as well to obtain a clear

understanding on this study, it is important for the writer to give a clarification of

the terms. According to Snyder (2009), spirituality is a “search for the sacred”.

This statement is based on his Positive psychology approach. He furthermore

stated that spirituality leads to “finding purpose and meaning to life.” Buddhist

proponents believed in a thing called “Bhavana” which means “development” or

“cultivating”, a suitable theory since this book was greatly influenced by Eastern

spirituality likewise. There are other types of spirituality based on different ideas

or principles but the writer will only base this writing on spirituality as a means of

development and self transformation according to the book The Celestine

Prophecy.

B. Approach of the Study

In identifying and analyzing a literary works writer needs literary approach

to help the writer finishes the problem formulation. The selected approach can be

analyzed from the point of view of nature, function and value. There are several

types of approach used in literature. According Rohrberger and Woods, there are

5 kinds of approach. They are formalist approach, biographical approach,

sociocultural-historical approach, mythopoeia approach and the psychological

approach.

This study uses Biographical approach. This approach can help the writer

to formulate a solution for the problem formulation. The writer chose this

approach because of the fact that this book presented how the author tried to


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incorporate his personal experience, belief, and point of view to the characters in

the book and how this book also presented tenets of spirituality in The Nine

Insights towards the reader of this book.

Therefore in order to analyze this work thoroughly, the writer will

incorporate the approach of biography to understand how the writer is

incorporating his belief into the story and how the belief itself is shown

The method used in the study is library study. Two kinds of sources are

used; they are the primary and the secondary sources. The primary source is The

Celestine Prophecy novel. The secondary sources are books and articles on

theories and reviews used in the analysis. The study is conducted in several steps.

The first step is to select a literary work that was going to be analyzed. The second

step was the technical reading of the novel as fundamental step before turning to

further analysis. The third step is to find relevant references about insight,

spirituality, and fiction adventure literature in journals, books, papers, and motion

pictures.

The reading is conducted to gather important data; particularly those

dealing with the character I, the Narrator of the story. The next step is deciding

the topic to be discussed. Additionally, the writer concludes the analysis into one

problem formulation. The next step after formulating the problems related to the

topic and finding the appropriate approach employed in the analysis is finding the

secondary sources related to the topic or problems that would be analyzed. In this

step, the writer finds the secondary data from some books and online references as


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stated above. The next step is answering or analyzing the problem formulation. In

this step, the writer tries to answer the problem formulation by using the primary

and secondary data.

Here, the writer applies the theories and reviews from the secondary data

to the story of the primary data. In the analysis, the writer focuses on the

character ‘I” in The Spirituality in The Nine Insights and by observing his

attitudes, actions, behavior, conversations, or other’s opinion towards him. Then,

the writer gives some explanations on his character clearly. Afterwards, the theory

of objective and spirituality are used to answer the problem formulation.

The last step is to conclude the study of the novel. In this step the writer

concludes the important points of the analysis as the result of the analysis.


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CHAPTER II

DISCUSSION

This chapter deals with theories and analysis of the details within each

insight as well as context of the primary data. This chapter is divided into two

sections. The first section constitutes a review on related theories, in which those

concepts fundamental to further discussion on the object of this study are explored

concisely. This section comprises the important concepts on theories of spirituality

and biographical approach. The second section of this chapter provides the

analysis of each insights of the novel.

A. Theories of Spirituality

Spirituality comes from the main word of spirit that means “breath”

“Spiritus” in Latin. In the early 15 century it also means, "The clergy," also

"ecclesiastical property; things pertaining to the Church," from Middle French

spiritualite, from Late Latin spiritualitatem (nominative spiritualitas), from Latin

spiritualis. Meaning "quality of being spiritual" is from circa 1500; seldom-used

sense of "fact or condition of being a spirit" is from 1680s. An earlier form was

spirituality in late 14 century. (www.etymonline.com, January, 2014)

Spirituality in the broad context can be defined as “Of, relating to,

consisting of, or having the nature of spirit; not material; supernatural”


10

(thefreedictionary.com/spiritual). This definition clearly implies that spirituality

deals with immaterial or intangible thing. In a further attempt to define

spirituality, Waaijman (2002) declares that spirituality is:

In some ways it aims to recover the original shape of man, the image of God. To accomplish this, the re-formation is oriented at a mold, which represents the original shape: in Judaism the Torah, in Christianity Christ, in Buddhism Buddha, in the Islam Muhammad (p.105).

Based on this statement, it is also implied that spirituality is a means in which

humankind try to reconnect with a higher power.

McGuire (1997) suggests that most spiritual seekers dabble and

experiment with an array of choices rather than make a permanent commitment to

one set of teachings or beliefs. Often, the church and religious organizations do

not provide the type of guidance those interested in spirituality is wishing to

obtain. In modern day setting, spirituality involves a variety of interests in

mysticism, and experimentation with unorthodox beliefs and practices.

Spirituality may draw from a variety of sources where one is able to pick and

choose from a wide range of alternative philosophies, including Christian

mysticism, Eastern philosophy, Native American teachings, Neo Pagan rituals,

and Gnosticism, among others.

About spirituality in literary work, Kandinsky and Sadler (1977) states that

“With cold eye and indifferent mind the public regards the work. Connoisseurs

admire ‘technique,’ as one might admire a tight-rope walker, or enjoy the painting

quality,’ as one might enjoy a cake. But hungry souls go hungry away” (p. 25).


11

On the other hand, the art of the heart, he writes: “there is another art . . .

but it possesses also an awakening prophetic power which can have far-reaching

and profound effect” (p. 26).

This is the art of the spiritual life, which is, says Kandinsky, a form of

cognition—a way of knowing—that translates our complex movement toward

what is above and beyond us into the simplicity of understanding. Kandinsky’s

comments apply to all forms of art, not just painting but literature too.

Kandinsky explained the rise of modern literature, with its rejection of

materialism and realism, as a result of the “overthrow of old values in a time of

change” (p.27):

When religion, science and mortality are shaken . . . and when outer supports threaten to fall, man withdraws his gaze from externals and turns it inwards. Literature, music and art are the most sensitive spheres in which this spiritual revolution makes itself felt. They reflect the dark picture of the present time and show the importance of what was at first only a little point of light noticed by the few. (p. 33)

In the relation with how the spirituality will be presented in the book, the

writer will elaborate it through the 9 basic tenets or dimensions of spirituality

according to David Elkins. Elkins (1988) states that there are 9 dimensions which

are forming the single concept of spirituality and the dimensions he proposes are;

1. Transcendent Dimension

Transcendent dimension is a belief of a higher entity that encompasses the

whole universe or any form of belief from an individual towards a divine being

which is omnipotent and invisible. This dimension also interacts with the


12

condition where a certain individual can experience a “peak experience” or

“trance” or any other sorts of terms used to describe the state of connection

between human to God. The Christians for example, certainly have a fitting tales

of how the Apostles were able to conduct miracles through the companionship of

God-send Holy Spirit.

2. Meaning and Purpose in Life

This dimension deals with how human should be able to find a greater purpose

and meaning of their life. The process might differ from one another but basically

it is all the same in the sense of finding a higher meaning or purpose in life. The

Hindu believes about the concept of incarnation, samshara, and about a general

life cycle that every single creature must undergo before that creature can fully

understand the meaning of life.

3. Mission in Life

This dimension believes that every single life is a mission with a certain

objective must be done or a certain destiny that must be fulfilled. The individuals

who were bound within a spiritual conclave must have the motivation to finish the

task. We can compare this to the concept of life as a cross that must be borne by

Christians and that as a Christian, the person must be able to motivate himself to

be able to do so


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4. Sacredness of Life

Sacredness of life deals with how everything created by God is to be respected

and cherished. This tenet even must be practiced outside the conclave of a certain

religion and that there shall be no more dichotomy or separation between sacred

and secular, holy and worldly, but there must be an understanding that everything

has holiness or sacredness within and entitled to such respect.

5. Material Values

An individual with high level of spirituality will cherish material abundance

but will not dwell on it as the sole purpose of his life. This person will respect and

value worldly things properly but will also bear in mind that the most precious gift

is spiritual and eventually heavenly gift. The Christians perceive this as how they

will treat money or wealth not as possession but merely as means to share or help.

6. Altruism

Altruism is about global brotherhood which transcends outside mere blood ties

or kinship. This dimension is about how a person must watch one another to

prevent others from experiencing suffering or pain. The concept is how human

must treat each other with kindness and love in which these two things will lead

them to a commitment of caring attitude towards those in need.


14

7. Idealism

Idealism is about hope and trust towards a better future or a better life quality.

This dimension deals a lot with positive mental attitude inside a person and how

the person will be able to manifest it in daily life.

8. Awareness of the Tragic

The realization that tragedy is a part of human existence is one of the

dimensions and this tenet deal with how every single tragic event such as deaths,

sufferings or sicknesses is a path towards a better understanding of life and in

turns also enhance one’s spiritual joy, knowledge, or comprehension

9. Beneficial Manifestations (Fruit) of Spirituality

This dimension is how spirituality is meant to be the fruit of life and it is

supposed to be seen through the effect of spirituality in the life of the person. This

effect will be seen on how the person relates to himself, to others, to the universe,

or the life itself.

B. Review of The Nine Insights in The Celestine Prophecy

In this section, the writer will discuss how the insights were used as the

means of showing the spirituality intended by the writer. "The Manuscript", as all

the characters call it, has no official statement of The Nine Insights. In the book,

people who have read the Manuscript talk about the insights, but never state them


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directly. One meta-insight is that different individuals are drawn to specific

insights. One insight may appear distinct and if so, the individual may come to

serve the development of human consciousness by teaching or by facilitating

others' assimilation of those insights.

The insights, although never explicitly defined, will be classified into

several types based on the main value of each insight respectively.

1. Critical Mass

The First Insight stated that coincidences happen by a larger purpose in life.

”The Manuscript predicts, she went on, that once we reach this critical mass, the entire culture will begin to take these coincidental experiences seriously. We will wonder, in mass, what mysterious process underlies human life on this planet. And it will be this question, asked at the same time by enough people, that will allow the other insights to also come into consciousness-because according to the Manuscript, when a sufficient number of individuals seriously question what’s going on in life, we will begin to find out. The other insights will be revealed... one after the other.” (p.8)

People have the option of acknowledging them and acting accordingly or

ignoring them. One should be aware of the little happenings in life that happen

and they happen for a purpose; as a guiding signpost for events in life to come.

One has to be aware of the “coincidences” in one’s life. There is a new kind of

spiritual awakening happening all around. It is a collective experience of mankind

and a journey ahead where they are led forward by mysterious coincidences. The

humanity is at a point in the developmental history of human consciousness where

development will accelerate. The major evidence for this is the increased number

of meaningful coincidences people are noticing in their lives.


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2. The Longer Now

In the Second Insight stated that the people should be aware that mankind

has evolved continually and will continue to do so. Change sweeps across

mankind. The people have graduated from collectively to more mature and

spiritually aware states and in a technological revolution where they have been

seeking material security and comforts. This state is evolving as they are

continually asking questions to themselves if it is correct or not. They are asking

questions about the purpose in life. With these number of mass thinking and

continues questioning and searching, will continue to evolve towards a better

spiritual state.

“The Manuscript,” he said, “says that at this point we began the preoccupation from which we are awakening now. We sent these explorers out to bring back a complete explanation of our existence, but because of the complexity of the universe they weren’t able to return right away.” (p.25)

People will experience a heightened understanding of world history and

human evolution. While this technological preoccupation was an important step in

our evolution and has brought in a lot of benefits, our awakening to life’s

coincidences is opening us up to the real purpose of human life on this planet, and

the real nature of our universe. The insight believed that they should keep

themselves open and should be ready to receive.


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3. A Matter of Energy

In the Third Insight, it believed that the humanity should be aware that all

living things have energy fields such as other people, the plants around, animals,

or any living being. It has energy and humanity can train them to see it. People

can focus the energies on the things they want and vice-versa.

“Wil didn’t reply, appearing to be lost in thought, so I pulled out the translation and found where I had stopped reading. From there, the Third Insight elaborated on the nature of beauty, describing this perception as the one through which humans would eventually learn to observe energy fields. Once this occurred, it said, then our understanding of the physical universe would quickly transform.For instance, we would begin to eat more foods which were still alive with this energy, and we would become conscious that certain localities radiatemore energy than others, the highest radiation coming from old natural environments, especially forests. I was about to read the final pages when Wil suddenly spoke.” (p.63-64)

With every attempt to focus their energy into a particular direction or

being, they not only create an environment conducive for such an act but also

influence other energy systems to make it happen. They should be aware that they

are not living in a material world and materialistic universe, but in a universe of

dynamic and sacred energy.

4. A Struggle for Power

In the Fourth Insight, the writer believed that human beings and all living

things are energy.

“Try to integrate the Fourth Insight fully,” Wil continued. “See how it fits together with what you already know. The Third Insight showed you that


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the physical world is actually a vast system of energy. And now the Fourth points out that for a long time we humans have been unconsciously competing for the only part of this energy we have been open to: the part that flows between people. This is what human conflict has always been about, at every level: from all the petty conflict in families and employment settings to wars between nations. It’s the result of feeling insecure and weak and having to steal someone else’s energy to feel okay.” (p.89)

What people express to other people and what people receive from others

is energy. Little do they know that there is such a great source of energy for the

Earth. They are failing to recognize our potency in channelizing our energies or

receiving them from other sources. They should be aware that they live on others

energies as much as they give them. They all are so cut off from our own energies

and end up feeling low and depressed. Sometimes they try to gain energy

aggressively and this upsets others energy balance. When they dominate others by

way of talking or actions, they are in fact seeping their energies and creating an

imbalance. They are competing for more energy for ourselves at the expense of

others and are therefore creating conflicts.

5. The Message of the Mystics

The Fifth Insight deals about human behavior. They should realize that our

behavior is because of the control they try to assert on others.

”We must face up to our particular way of controlling others. Remember, the Fourth Insight reveals that humans have always felt short of energy and have sought to control each other to acquire the energy that flows between people. The Fifth then shows us that an alternative source exists, but we can’t really stay connected with this source until we come to grips with the particular method that, we, as individuals, use in our controlling, and stop doing it-because whenever we fallback into this habit, we get disconnected from the source” (p.121).


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In this insight, human should realize that the real cause of tension,

restlessness, anxiety, troubles and mental conflicts are because of the mental

dramas they unleash on others or receive from them. They should realize that

these negative energies and control dramas do not help them or others. When they

are connected with our inner selves, our insecurities, feelings of violence, stress,

and all the negative emotions are wiped out. A sense of well being, lightness, and

brightness is felt, which is best described as love, pure love.

In fact, competition is unnecessary because subtle energy exists in

abundance. In particular, they can acquire more by eating plants which have high

energy levels. (And they can ensure that the plants have high energy levels by

paying attention to them, by giving them energy.) This is the essence of mystical

experience. The goal of mystical practice - and practice of the lessons of The

Celestine Prophecy - is to get and remain connected with the energy.

6. Clearing the Past

The Sixth Insight deals with how human being, in order to be in a state of

love with the world on a regular basis, have to let go of patterns of behavior they

developed to take energy from others. First, they have to become aware of our

"control dramas" and break our controlling habits.

“Each of us must go back into our past, back into our early family life, and see how this habit was formed. Seeing its inception keeps our way of controlling in consciousness. Remember, most of our family members were operating in a drama themselves, trying to pull energy out of us as children. This is why we had to form a control drama in the first place. We had to have a strategy to win energy back. It is always in relation to our fancily members that we develop our particular dramas. However,


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once we recognize the energy dynamics in our families, we can go past these control strategies and see what was really happening” (p.127).

There are four control patterns or ways of causing others to give us energy,

two actively demanding energy, two passively creating conditions in which

energy is sent. "Active" control dramas include intimidation and interrogation -

asking questions and then picking apart the answers. "Passive" control dramas

include aloofness - creating an air of mystery that entices others to send energy--

and "poor me"--creating a sense that if others don't provide energy, something

awful will happen to the controller.

Second, they have to "get clear" of their control dramas. They must

understand their parents' control dramas and how these shaped theirs. Then they

must learn what meaning their parents' lives had for them, and how this

determines their own developmental work. The things they would change about

their parents - individually and together - are what they need to work on in their

own lives.

7. Engaging the Flow

The Seventh Insight is the shortest of all insights and the passage also

stated it clearly that the insight is very clear and short. They should be aware that

many of our thoughts and actions are guided.


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“He handed me a small folder. This is the Seventh. It is very short and general, he continued, but it talks about the way objects jump out at us, the way certain thoughts come as guidance. As for the Eighth, you will find it yourself when the time is right. It explains how we can aid others as they bring us the answers we seek. And further, it describes a whole new ethic governing the way humans should treat each other in order to facilitate everyone’s evolution” (p.156).”

They get messages, coincidences, indications and more that they should

heed to for nothing in this life is without a purpose. If they know what the mission

in their life is, they will be guided towards their destiny with dreams, thoughts,

messages, intuitions and more. All these lead to a situation where their intuitions

are synchronized with others and wisdom follows. When they are in touch with

the energy, they need only watch for meaningful coincidences to show us how to

act on them. Their heart and mind will know it, if they are open to receiving such

messages.

8. The Interpersonal Ethic.

The Eighth Insight comes in several pieces. It is the longest insight

available and it deals with some amount of problems.

“Yes, it is about how humans will eventually learn to relate to each other and talks of many things, such as how to project energy to others and how to avoid addictions to people.””There was that warning again. I was about to ask Karla what it meant when Marjorie spoke.“Tell us about the Eighth Insight”, she said.“The Eighth Insight,” Karla explained, “is about using energy in a new way when relating to people in general, but it begins at the beginning, with children” (p.184).”

Children can be raised without control dramas if they have constant,

undivided access to an adult who can give them the energy they need. Children


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should be treated as individuals and should be respected for who they are. True

knowledge should be imparted to children and they should be spoken in the way

they understand best.

Development can be blocked by an "addiction to another person". The

subtle energy has a male and female side. If they can access one and someone else

the other, then for a short time the couple can be filled with energy. But the focus

on the other person eventually cuts each off from the universal energy. The two

begin competing for energy, restarting control dramas. This is the falling-in-

love/falling-out-of-love phenomenon. Everyone who crosses their path has a

message for us. They should give them energy and help them get clear so that they

can accurately deliver the message. Other people's control dramas will break

down if they name them and refuse to play a role in them.

9. The Emerging Culture

In this insight, the humankind is moving towards a spiritually advanced

state. This is happening all over. They should understand that humankind is on a

journey towards living in perfect harmony with each other and nature and their

world will eventually evolve into an Eden-like paradise.

“According to the Ninth Insight, by the middle of the next millennium”, he continued, “humans will typically live among five hundred year old trees and carefully tended gardens, yet within easy travel distance of an urban area of incredible technological wizardry. By then, the means of survival food stuffs and clothing and transportation-will all be totally automated and at everyone’s disposal. Our needs will be completely met without the exchange of any currency, yet also without any overindulgence or laziness.

“Guided by their intuitions, everyone will know precisely what to do and when to do it and this will fit harmoniously with the actions of others. No


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one will consume excessively because we will have let go of the need to possess and to control for security. In the next millennium, life will have become about something else.

“According to the Manuscript, he went on; our sense of purpose will be satisfied by the thrill of our own evolution-by the elation of receiving intuitions and then watching closely as our destinies unfold. The Ninth depicts a human world where everyone has slowed down and become more alert, ever vigilant for the next meaningful encounter that comes along. We will know that it could occur anywhere: on a path that winds through a forest, for instance, or on a bridge that traverses some canyon(p.222-223).

The technological evolution and growth would have propelled man to a

self-sufficient state where there are no worries of livelihood and security. This

kind of technology advancement will move mankind to higher energy states and

more spiritually focused beings. This will lead to a state where the cycle of birth

and death will be ended and the bodies will unite with the spiritual dimension.

The goal of this evolution is to achieve a level of vibration that makes us

invisible to others, perhaps even immaterial. Jesus was the first to do this, and

sporadic individuals continue to do so. (The main character's mentor does so in

the conclusion of the book.) The ultimate goal is for large groups to "crossover"

together in a "general rapture". The Mayans are alleged to have done this.

C. Spiritual Dimensions through The Nine Insights in The Celestine Prophecy

Based on the review above, the writer will try to review the aspects of

spirituality in James Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy using aforementioned

Elkins (1988) theory of spiritual dimensions. The target of the review will be the

events and experiences which the characters underwent in the story.


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1. The Realization of Transcedence

The prevalence of higher power is very imminent in this story. The main

characters experience several instances of an omnipotent presence through so

called mystical or spiritual events like the one that happened to the main

character.

I as the main character experience spiritual connection with higher entity

that he has not known yet and this accord with the concept of Transcendent

Dimension where human believe that there is a higher power above them, which

in turn is called God by humanity. This dimension also emphasis the prevalence

of so called “peak” or “mystical” experiences, just like what the characters

experienced after he was chased by troops following an ambushed trip with

Marjorie and several Jensen’s henchmen. He witnessed one of the henchmen was

shot to death before his eyes and he fled towards rocky precipice and then the

experience was coming unto him.

“I just sat up there for a few hours,” I replied, feeling relieved, I guess.” “What else did you feel?” he asked.I squirmed somewhat, then decided to attempt a description. “It’s hard to describe,” I said. ”I felt this euphoric connection with everything, and this total kind of security and confidence. I was no longer tired.””He smiled. “You had a mystical experience. Many people report them in that forest near the peak.””I nodded tentatively.He turned on the bench to face me more directly. “This is the experience the mystics of every religion have always described. Have you read anything about such experiences?””“Some, years ago,” I said.“But until yesterday it was only an intellectual concept?”“Yeah, I suppose” (p.105).


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After successfully evaded the search, the main character proceed to meet

Father Sanchez for the first time. Father Sanchez then elaborated to him what does

his experience means and the main character then learned about this

comprehension.

The experience was described as a feeling of connection with higher or

transcedent source of energy, just as the Fifth Insight which deals with a higher

source of energy. This experience clearly shows an example of how a

transcendent dimension can connect to human dimension to create such spiritual

experience.

2. The Realization of the Meaning of Life

Some of the characters in this story experienced a stage where they have to

stand back and evaluate the meaning and the purpose of their live by seeing their

past. The main character was guided by Father Sanchez to find and get rid of his

so called “control drama” which is basically a concept of how human wil behave

according to a certain situation and it is based on how this person was raised by

the family.

The character ponders about his life and how he should perceive it based

on what Father Sanchez had described beforehand. He realized his condition by

recalling back about how his parents had raised him. This time, he met with

Father Carl, a friend of Father Sanchez, and has a discussion on the main

character’s life.


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“So how would you express what your parents taught you?””“I’m not sure,” I replied.“What do you think?”“My father thought life was about maximizing his aliveness, his enjoyment of who he was, and he tried to pursue that end. My mother believed more in sacrifice and in spending her time in service to others, denying herself. She felt this is what the scriptures command.””“And you, how do you feel about this?””“I don’t know really” (p.138).

By this moment, the character is still in a phase where he is unaware of

how his upbringing will play a big part in his life. He finally realized it after

Father Carl further explained to him about the relation between his upbringings

and why he was in Peru afterall and this event pararelled with the notion of the

Sixth Insight about finding the meaning of life.

“So my life,” I interrupted, “is about somehow combining the two approaches?”“Yes, for you, spirituality is the question. Your whole life will be about finding one that is self-enhancing. This is the problem your parents were unable to reconcile, the one they left for you. This is your evolutionary question, your quest this lifetime” (p.139).

After this explanation, the character begins to understand the concept of

meaning and purpose in his life. This condition is in accordance with Elkins’s

dimension of meaning and purpose in life, where in any type of spirituality, there

must be a realization of purpose and that a person must strive forward in order to

reach this kind of purpose.

3. The Awareness of the Mission in Life

This dimension deals with how human should be able to find a greater

purpose and meaning of their life. The process might differ from one another but

basically it is all the same in the sense of finding a higher meaning or purpose in

life. In this story, the main character is placed in the situation where he must be


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able to set himself straight and to embark in a mission in his life. After several

occurences, the main character realized that he was meant to be in Peru afterall

because his mission is to be able to spread the message of the Insights to the outer

world. The premise in this story is that Peruvian government decided that the

Insights are blasphemous and therefore should be kept in discretion and destroyed,

with a strong pressure from conservative Catholic authority to do so.

At the beginning, the character shows doubt about what to do next. This

example can be shown below.

“I still didn’t understand.”“Tell us what you were thinking about when we left you alone earlier,” Father Carl said.“I’m not sure I remember it all,” I said.“Try.”I tried to concentrate. “I was thinking about Wil, I guess, about whether he was close to finding the Ninth Insight, and about Sebastian’s crusade against the Manuscript.””“What else?”“I was wondering about Marjorie, about what happened to her. But I don’t understand how this helps me know what to do” (p.154).

The character expressed confusion and only after Father Carl’s further

elaboration did he become more aware of his mission in life and why he was in

Peru at that time.

“Once you become conscious of the questions active in the moment, you always get some kind of intuitive direction of what to do, of where to go. You get a hunch about the next step. Always. The only time this will not occur is when you have the wrong question in mind. You see, the problem in life isn’t in receiving answers. The problem is in identifying your current questions. Once you get the questions right, the answers always come”(p.149).

This excerpt further elaborates the concept of mission in life dimension

according to Elkins and how it relates closely to the Seventh Insight. It believes


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that any individual with spirituality must advance towards fulfilling certain

mission in his life that will be supportive or necessary in order to attain personal

spiritual gain.

4. The Realization of the Sacredness of Life

This aspect of spirituality deals with how the character was entitled to be

able to see the divine quality in anything he met and that there must be no

separation between sacred and secular, holy and worldly, but there must be an

understanding that everything has holiness or sacredness within and entitled to

such respect.

The first occurrence happened when he stayed in the monastery after being

found by Father Sanchez and he joined the routine of lunch together with the men

of robes there.

“What he was telling me, I reasoned, was that this kind of deliberate appreciation of food was the real purpose behind the normal religious custom of being thankful, with the result being a higher energy absorption of the food.“But taking in food is only first step,” he said. “After personal energy is increased in this way, you become more sensitive to energy in all things ... and then you learn to take this energy into yourself without eating.””I nodded affirmatively.“Everything around us, he continued, has energy. But each has its own special kind. That is why some places increase energy more than others. It depends on how your shape fits with the energy there” (p.111).

He met Father John, who at that point was the one who brought him

further understanding of how energy projection can enhance the quality of the

plant based food, just like what the researchers were doing in Viciente Lodge

before it was shut down by the official. The character leaned how to be able to


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appreciate things, which in this case in form of food, and be able to fully

understand the concept of the Fifth Insight and the concept of Sacredness of Life.

From here, it can be inferred that this excerpt is matched with the concept

of sacredness by Elkins. The character was basically tapping into the inner energy

or sacredness within, in this example, food he ate and then be able to cherish it

and furthermore emphasize the concept that every creation deserves appreciation,

in order to nurture one’s spirituality.

5. The Understanding of Material Values

An individual with high level of spirituality will cherish material

abundance but will not dwell on it as the sole purpose of his life. This person will

respect and value worldly things properly but will also bear in mind that the most

precious gift is spiritual and eventually heavenly gift. The problem faced by the

character here is that there are conflicts of energy, which was caused by greed of

humanity for this so called material value.

The main character had a difficult time to fully grasp the Fourth Insight,

which deals with energy movement and possesion. He was just leaving Jensen and

Marjorie and also recently encountered prof. Reneau. He recalled the event when

they stayed together in a family’s house where he saw that the parents

unconsciously drained their daughter of the energy which caused her to bursted

out in anger.

As the woman and her daughter began serving individual dishes of pie the young girl’s elbow hit my water glass, spilling the water on the table in front


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of me. The older woman rushed over in a rage, shouting at the girl in Spanish and pushing her out of the way.“I am very sorry“, the woman said, wiping up the water.” The girl is so clumsy.””The young girl exploded, flinging the remaining pie at the woman, missing, and splattering pie and broken china across the middle of the table-just as the proprietor returned (p.89).

After this encounter, Wil explains the condition to the character about how

people can push other people negatively or dominating them by manipulating their

energy.

“All that was demonstrated with the Peruvian family. You saw clearly that dominating another makes the dominator feel powerful and knowledgeable, but it sucks the vital energy out of those who are being dominated. It makes no difference if we tell ourselves that we are doing it for the person’s owngood, or that they are our children, and therefore we should be in control all the time. The damage still occurs” (p.88).

The concept of material possesion with spiritual background is prevalent

in Elkins’s dimensions. From the excerpt of the story, we see that because these of

material values are prized and chased by a lot of people. Of course along with

what is written in the story and with what is proposed by Elkins, the means of

attaining these material values are not always respectable or in accordance with

the scripture.

6. The Manifesto of Altruism

This dimension deals with how human must relate to others in which

transcends outside mere blood ties or kinship. It emphasize on about how a person

must watch one another to prevent others from experiencing suffering or pain.

This explains how human must act towards other based specifically with their


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respective relation such as family, spouse, friends, et cetera.This idea splits into

two branches; how to treat children and how to deal with romantic relationship.

The issue of treating children correctly according to the Insights is stated in the

excerpt below;

“How should we view children?”I asked.“We should view them as they really are, as end points in evolution that lead us forward. But in order to learn to evolve they need our energy on a constant basis, unconditionally. The worst thing that can be done to children is to drain their energy while correcting them. This is what creates control dramas in them, as you already know. But these learned manipulations on the child’s part can be avoided if the adults give them all the energy they need no matter what the situation. That is why they should always be included in conversations, especially conversations about them. And you should never take responsibility for more children than you can give attention to” (p.184).

The first aspect is how the character learned to treat children based on the

Eighth Insight. It stated that children deserved the truth and it should be delivered

to them in the manner that they can comprehend. The adult must not hinder from

telling the truth because it will hinder the growth of the children also.

The second phase of the Eighth Insight is on how people should deal with

romantic or platonic relationship. It stated with the condition where the character

experienced a tension caused by so called addiction to others that happened

between him and his love interest, Marjorie. Julia, the other character observed

this disturbance and explained to the main character.

“When love first happens, the two individuals are giving each other energy unconsciously and both people feel buoyant and elated. That’s the incredible high we all call being “in love.” Unfortunately, once they expect this feeling to come from the other person, they cut themselves off from the energy in the universe and begin to rely even more on the energy from each other only now there doesn’t seem to be enough and so they stop giving


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each other energy and fall back into their dramas in an attempt to control each other and force the other’s energy their way. At this point the relationship degenerates into the usual power struggle” (p.191).

These two conditions can be observed by the altruism dimension of Elkins

as the proper or improper way to treat other human. It is stated that human must

help each other in the spirit of sharing and brotherly love, but then it is also stated

that addiction to other people will not be a good thing to practice in this tenet. The

writer believed that each individual has their own personal jouney or spiritual

growth and that sharing means simply as the obligations and must not be an

addiction. Any form of relationship must be based on pure altruism and free from

any means of domination.

7. The Manifesto of Idealism

Idealism is about hope and trust towards a better future or a better life

quality. This dimension deals a lot with positive mental attitude inside a person

and how the person will be able to manifest it in daily life. In this dimension, it

will be described how the character must take the plunge of faith and base his

actions and response to the faith of the insights’ teaching. The Ninth Insight is

about this idea of idealism since this insight contains prophetic and foreseeable

condition which can be achieved if only human beings are willing to study deeper

the spirituality values within the insights.

“When humans begin to raise their vibrations to a level where others cannot see them”, Julia continued, “it will signal that we are crossing the barrier between this life and the other world from which we came and to which we go after death. This conscious crossing over is the path shown by the Christ.He opened up to the energy until he was so light he could walk on water. He transcended death right here on Earth, and was the first to cross over, to


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expand the physical world into the spiritual. His life demonstrated how to do this, and if we connect with the same source we can head the same way, stepby step. At some point everyone will vibrate highly enough so that we can walk into heaven, in our same form” (p.241-242).

The idea of a complete spiritual transformation that the Ninth Insight

predicted is clearly a form of Idealism like what Elkins stated. Idealism here must

be viewed as a source of hope that will help those who dwell with their spirituality

to deal with the situation and keeping them faithful towards their respected

believe.

8. The Awareness of Tragic within the Insights

The realization that tragedy is a part of human existence is one of the

dimensions and this tenet deal with how every single tragic event such as deaths,

sufferings or sicknesses is a path towards a better understanding of life and in turn

also enhance one’s spiritual joy, knowledge, or comprehension

Dobson looked at me intensely. “The manuscript says that the important thing to understand here is that every aspect of the Medieval world is defined in other-worldly terms. All the phenomena of life from the chance thunderstorm or earthquake to the success of crops or the death of a loved one is defined either as the will of God or as the malice of the devil. There is no concept of weather or geological forces or horticulture or disease. All that comes later. For now, you completely believe the churchmen; the world you take for granted operates solely by spiritual means” (p.23).

This example lead the main character to the understanding of the Second

Insight where the concept of fate or coincidence must be treated with awareness

that tragic occurences happen, but is must be fully realized that though these

occurences seemed devastating or fatal, those can be either averted or if the nature

is inevitable, must be viewed as a precursor that in one way or another, must

happen.


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9. The Fruit of Spiritual Manifestation for The Character

The notion of being able to take personal benefit by understanding spirituality

concept mentioned in the dimension of Beneficial Manifestations of Spirituality.

The character learned to be more spiritually connected and the benefit was

tremendous and even inducing a character trait alteration.

I was convinced. I started the truck and headed to the left, sure of the correctness of my decision. The road was bumpy with rocks and ruts. As I bounced along, my body felt lighter. My weight was centered on my buttocks, and my back and neck were straight. My arms were holding the steering wheel but were not resting on it (p.158).

This dimension is how spirituality is meant to be the fruit of life and it is

supposed to be seen through the effect of spirituality in the life of the person. This

effect will be seen on how the person relates to himself, to others, to the universe,

or the life itself. The character was able to benefit from the newly learned

spirituality stated on the Seventh Insight and turned him from a very anxious and

uncertain person into a more composed and confident character.

D. Biographical Analysis of the Correlation between the Author and the Story

Based on the approach chosen by the writer to analyze this story, there must

be some sort of similarities or clear signs of influence between the story and the

biographical facts of the author of the story. There are several evidences of the

influence that can be found in the novel. The evidences will be presented below.

1. The Career of the Author and the Main Character

The main character has ever worked as a counselor for mental ilness of some

sort before the beginning of the story of The Celestine Prophecy. The evidence

can be found in the excerpt


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Her question took me back again. I recalled the last time I had seen Charlene. She was telling me goodbye at my car. At the time I felt full of new ideas and was departing for my home town to work with severely abused children. I thought I knew how such children could transcend the intense reactions, the obsessive acting out, that kept them from going on with their lives. But as time had progressed, my approach had failed. I had to admit my ignorance. How humans might liberate themselves from their pasts was still an enigma to me (p.11).

Based on the excerpt above, it can be compared with the fact that Redfield

had also worked as a therapist or counselor but for adult in one part of his career

but then he resigned from his job because he wanted to focus on his writing to

share his ideas about human potential cultivation (see Appendix B). Another

excerpt on this matter can be seen below;

“Then things changed?”“I felt that what I was doing wasn’t complete. I was working with emotionally disturbed adolescents and I thought I knew how they could transcend their pasts and stop the acting out that was so self-defeating. I thought I could help them go on with their lives. I finally realized something was missing in my approach.”“Then what?”“I quit” (p.93). ”

Albeit with a slight disimilarity in which the main character resigned from his

job because of disatisfaction, which is not the case in Redfield’s, there is a similar

pattern of a person who has a career but then quit in order to pursue another

purpose.

2. The Education of the Author and the Main Character

The education background is also a source of similarities between the main

character and the author. As we can see from the Appendix B, Redfield is a

graduate of Sociology from Auburn University. It means that the novel should

contain a similarity related to it. The similarity of educational background with the

main character can be seen in the excerpt from the novel below


36

I thought about the effect my grandfather had on me, and told Father Carl about the lake and the mountains. He nodded his head knowingly. “And after you grew up, what happened?””“I went away to college. My grandfather died while I was away.””“What did you study at college?””“Sociology.””“Why?””“I met a professor I liked. His knowledge of human nature interested me. I decided to study with him” (p.92).

From the excerpt above, it is clear that both the author and the main

character underwent same major of graduate level education. It means that the

decision to portray the main character as a graduate of Sociology comes from

Redfields’s own education background


37

CHAPTER III

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

In this chapter the writer provides the result of chapter II, the analysis and

also some recommendation that shall be considered for the next researchers of this

novel. First, the writer answers the problem formulation that stated in the chapter I

and then the next part is the suggestions.

A. Conclusions

The conclusion that can be drawn is that “I”, the Narrator as the main

character in the novel experienced several spiritual occurrences through his

finding of The Nine Insights in Peru. The Nine Insights are; everything has its own

reason and not merely coincidences from the Critical Mass, the next evolution of

human kind in The Longer Now, seeing the beauty of everything of life in A

Matter of Energy, People start to steal other people of their energy in The Struggle

of Power, taking and giving or recharge energy from the nature in The Messages

of the Mystics, knowing the control drama of life started from the family in

Clearing the Past, how to synchronize the set of intuition in Engaging the Flow,

stay connected with everything coincidences and the combination of all insights in

The Interpersonal Ethic, and the last insight is the final finding of the narrator in

Peru is the Emerging the Culture, Human culture will become a spiritual culture


38

when they still need basic human need but more ability to handle human nature.

The writer knows that there are 9 dimensions of spirituality that Elkins formulates

and they are Transcendent Dimension, Meaning and Purpose in Life, Mission in

Life, Sacredness of Life, Material Values, Alturism, Idealism, Awareness of the

Tragic, Beneficial Manisfestation (Fruit) of the Spirituality.

The spirituality is represented in this book through the series of events and

occurences that the main character goes through in the story. The aspects of

spiritual teaching and theory are represented in orderly manner according to the

concept of the Nine Insights. The order of the occurences is arranged so that one

particular insight will lead to another as a requirement. Within the insights in The

Celestine Prophecy novel we learn the dimensions of life.

B. Suggestion

The Celestine Prophecy, a novel by James Redfield, is such a great work

of art with its 246 pages. There are still many other things that can be analyzed

besides using The Biographical approach. The next researcher may use The

Psychological approach to analyze the main character differences before and after

he learned the spirituality form The Nine Insights. The other aspect that can be

analyzed is using formalist approach to know the true meaning of specific insight.

As human being, we can try to grasp the message contained within this story and

we may use it as a guideline on how we should live our life. Spirituality has been

long praised as one of the anchors of humanity which shall be helpful in the times

of need.


39

REFERENCES

Ammassa, D. (2006). Encyclopedia of fantasy and horror fiction. New York : Facts On File.

Contact James Redfield | Author of Celestine Vision Series. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2015, from http://www.celestinevision.com/read-our-story/james-redfield/

Elkins, D., Hedstrom, L., Hughes, L., Leaf, J., & Saunders, C. (1988). Toward a Humanistic-Phenomenological Spirituality: Definition, Description, and Measurement. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 5-18.

Kandinsky, W., & Sadler, M. (1977). Concerning the spiritual in art. New York: Dover Publications.

McGuire, M. (2008). Lived religion faith and practice in everyday life. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Online Etymology Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved November 18, 2015, from http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=spirituality&searchmode=none

Redfield, J. (1994). The Celestine Prophecy. New York: Warner BooksRohrberger, M., & Woods, S. (1968). An introduction to literature. New York: Random House.

(n.d.). Retrieved August 14, 2015, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adventure

Snyder, C. (2009). Oxford handbook of positive psychology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Swinfen, A. (1984). In defence of fantasy: A study of the genre in English and American literature since 1945. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Waaijman, K. (2002). Spirituality: Forms, foundations, methods. Leuven: Peters


40

APPENDIX A

SUMMARY

The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield consists of a story that follows

the main character, a middle-aged man, as he travels through the Peruvian

jungles in pursuit of a mysterious manuscript, slowly learning each of the

manuscript's main points, or insights, from strangers he meets along the way.

This is a unique novel about life and living life to its fullest.

The narrator arrives at a restaurant to have dinner with a woman he has not

seen or heard from in six years, only to have her contact him that day. The

woman, Charlene, is speaking to police officers as the narrator arrives because

her briefcase has been stolen. Dismissing the incident, Charlene is excited to

catch up with her old friend and to tell him her real reason for calling. While in

Peru on business, Charlene hears of

a manuscript that predicts a

transformation in human society.

Charlene tells the narrator that she

meets a priest who tells her about

the manuscript, which is divided

into different insights. Charlene

says that the First Insight is about

how a large number of people at the

turn of the century will suddenly

become aware of meaningful

coincidences and a larger purpose to

life.

The narrator is fascinated by

the idea behind this manuscript and


41

decides to go to Peru to investigate. On the plane he meets another man,

Dobson, who has also decided to go to Peru to investigate the manuscript.

Dobson, who is in Peru a few weeks before and sees copies of the first two

insights, explains the Second Insight to the narrator, which consists of a new

awareness and perspective of history. Dobson and the narrator decide to do

their investigation together, so they decide to meet at Dobson's hotel later;

however, the narrator goes straight to his new acquaintance's hotel when he

realizes he is being followed. The narrator arrives at Dobson's hotel just as

gunfire rings out, and Dobson runs off through the streets. The narrator runs,

also, unsure if Dobson is shot or arrested.

While fleeing the danger outside the hotel, the narrator meets a man named

Wil, who wants to help him. Wil tells the narrator that he, too, is a follower of

the manuscript, and that he knows the priest who introduced both Dobson and

Charlene to the manuscript. At this very moment Wil is preparing to leave on

an excursion to search for the Ninth Insight. Wil invites the narrator to

accompany him, promising to help the narrator find a way home if that is what

the narrator later wants to do. The narrator decides to join Wil on his search for

the Ninth Insight.

The first stop on Wil's journey is a place called Viciente Lodge, where the

narrator meets a scientist, Sarah, who teaches him the Third Insight, which has

to do with visualizing the energy field which exists around all living things.

The narrator also briefly meets two people he will meet again, Phil and

Marjorie and witnesses a fight between Sarah and a German scientist, in which

each person is stealing energy from the other, a glimpse into the Fourth Insight.

When on the road again, the narrator sees a man on the side of the road,

who reminds him of an old friend. Wil decides to camp behind the gas station

where this man is broken down so the narrator can talk to this man. The man,

Reneau, is a psychologist whose main interest is interpersonal relationships.

Reneau teaches the narrator about the Fourth Insight, the stealing of energy


42

from other people, and the narrator tells Reneau about Viciente Lodge and the

fight he sees between Sarah and the German.

Wil and the narrator continue their journey to a little village called Cula.

The narrator meets up with Marjorie again and finds himself attempting to save

her when a group of military men invade the town. However, Marjorie and the

narrator are separated later, and Marjorie is arrested by the military. The

narrator continues to hide on a mountain ridge and has a vision of evolution.

Later, he meets a priest on the road who takes him to his mission, where the

narrator learns the Fifth Insight.

Afraid of trouble from the military, the priest, Father Sanchez, takes the

narrator to Machu Picchu and the home of a friend. This friend, Father Carl,

teaches the narrator about the Sixth Insight, that of looking into the past and

clearing control dramas. When word gets to Father Sanchez that his mission is

about to be overrun by the military, Father Sanchez and Father Carl return

while the narrator continues his journey, hoping to find Wil. On the road once

more, the narrator is arrested and put into jail for possessing copies of the

manuscript.

In jail, the narrator meets Pablo, a man who teaches him about the Seventh

Insight, using his intuition to get the answers he needs. By employing this

insight, the narrator foresees his escape from jail with Marjorie, who is being

held in the same jail. When the two escape, they come into contact with

another believer, who takes them to the home of a friend. Here the narrator

meets up with a woman he met on the road, Julia. Julia teaches the narrator the

Eighth Insight, relating to other people and encourages him not to become too

close to Marjorie because it may impede his ability to use the insights. Marjorie

returns to America.

While traveling with Julia to Iquitos, a village where they believe they will

find Wil, the two meet up with Father Sanchez once more. Father Sanchez and


43

the narrator try to reason with Cardinal Sebastian, the church official behind

the government's suppression of the manuscript, while Julia goes off on her

own to try search for the Ninth Insight. Although Father Sanchez and the

narrator fail to persude Cardinal Sebastian, Father Sanchez is able to see a copy

of the Ninth Insight and teach it to the narrator. At the same time, Wil and Julia

steal the Ninth Insight and use it to elude the military. The narrator is not so

lucky, however, and is placed in jail. Shortly before his release, are destroyed

and it is now his responsibility to spread the word of what he has learned in

America.

(The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield)


44

APENDIX B

James Redfield Formal Biography

James Redfield was 43 when he published The

Celestine Prophecy. He has been keenly interested in

human spirituality all of his life. Born on March 19,

1950, he grew up in a rural area near Birmingham,

Alabama. From an early age, he was motivated by a need for clarity about

spiritual matters. Brought up in a Methodist Church that was loving and

community-oriented, he was nevertheless frustrated by a lack of answers to his

questions about the true nature of spiritual experience.

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 troubled clients. All along, Redfield

was forming ideas that would eventually find their way into The Celestine

Prophecy. 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, and history.

Using an adventure parable approach that has been called “part Indiana

Jones, part Scott Peck,” The Celestine Prophecy created a model for spiritual

perception and actualization that resonated with millions of people and focused

on the mysterious coincidences that occur in each of our lives. Disdaining the


45

spotlight himself, Redfield proclaimed in The Celestine Prophecy that each of

us must intuit his own spiritual destiny.

As he writes in The Celestine Vision, his non-fiction title published in

1997, “The actual writing of The Celestine Prophecy occurred from January

1989 through April 1991 and was characterized by a sort of trial-and-error

process. Quite amazingly, as I remembered earlier experiences and wrote about

them, lacing them into an adventure tale, striking coincidences would occur to

emphasize the particular points I wanted to make. Books would show up

mysteriously, or I would have timely encounters with the exact sort of

individuals I was attempting to describe. Sometimes strangers would open up

to me for no apparent reason and tell me about their spiritual experiences.”

After the self-published book was brought to the attention of Warner

Books through a perceptive sales rep, 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 bestsellers list. It remained on that list

for more than three years, joined by The Tenth Insight, which built upon The

Nine Insights revealed in the first novel. The two books spent a combined 74

weeks on the New York Times list, making James Redfield the best-selling

hard cover author in the world in 1996, as cited in BP Report (January 1997).

In October 1997, James Redfield was awarded the highly prestigious

Medal of the Presidency of the Italian Senate at the XXIII Pio Manzu

International Conference in Rimini, Italy. Pio Manzu is a nongovernmental arm

of the United Nations headed up by Mikhail Gorbachev.

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.


46

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). Set in modern day Tibet, Redfield continued the inspiring

journey of The Celestine Prophecy and The Tenth Insight—carrying readers to

a new adventure in a sacred place where truths that can affect all of humanity

await. In 2002, James joined author Michael Murphy and filmmaker Sylvia

Timbers in a collaborative work entitled God and the Evolving Universe (J.P.

Tarcher).

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. The fourth and final book in the Celestine series, The Twelfth

Insight: The Hour of Decision, was published by Grand Central Publishing

(formerly Warner books) in February, 2011.


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