Testimonials and Reviews for A L.I.F.E. Blueprint
"This is the book I’ve been waiting for... the one to get the topic of spiritually off the New Age shelves and out to the spirituality curious, non-religious mass market. Her story is so much like our stories.
Readers interested in building the life of their dreams can take this 'interior' designer seriously. She’s not a crystals and flowers-in-her-hair woman. She’s you and me."
Barbara Tavres
Bay Area Marketing Manager,
BORDERS BOOKS
"You’re going to like this book. I guarantee it!"
George Zimmer - (Yes, the George Zimmer)
Chm. & CEO
THE MEN’S WAREHOUSE
A L.I.F.E. Blueprint
Diana Cornelius
(Reviewer - Rev. Marie D. Jones)
2002 One Mind Publishing
ISBN: 0970212402
Spirituality Designed for the Non-Religious. A professional interior designer teaches powerful & inspirational tools to redesign our inner spiritual life.
Associate Reviewer Rev. Marie D. Jones writes:
There are a zillion spiritual books on the market that document someone's journey from traditional, organized religion to a more personal moment of awakening of spirit & self-enlightenment. Rarely does a book in this category have a new & interesting angle, but Diana Cornelius' A L.I.F.E. Blueprint: Spirituality Designed for the Non-Religious does just that, serving up a delightful & empowering read that both illuminates & inspires. Using her background as an interior designer, the author realizes that the spiritual quest is much like doing over your house or a specific room, & this makes a wonderful metaphor for the shifting of consciousness that she herself experiences along her own spiritual path.
From her teenage years spent going to her local church just to befriend a popular girl with a cute older brother, to her growing desire to find her own spiritual path, to her painful divorce from a man who refused to let her be herself, & an often intimidating new life as a single woman, Diana Cornelius shares her struggles & joys, her hopes & her fears as she comes in contact with guides & signals from a Universe bent on directing her towards her true path -- including a powerful paranormal event that literally changed the course of her entire life in one night.
Once she gives in to the growing evidence of this newly remodeled life awaiting her, strange & awesome events occur with greater & greater frequency, pushing her towards enlightenment & self-actualization, especially after she discovers the teachings of Ernest Holmes & The Science of Mind. As her concept of religion changes into a concept of personal spirituality, she begins to understand God not as the old man with beard of childhood days, but as L.I.F.E. itself (the acronym is revealed in the book -- no spoilers here!).
The book is divided into four sections, the first being the author's personal story, which is told with warmth, wit & honesty. This sets the stage for the following three sections, all of which are largely devoted to spiritual & metaphysical concepts, ideas, exercises & examples from which the reader can glean wisdom & inspiration. What is really fun about the structure of the book is the way the author uses interior design terminology to describe the spiritual process -- from the Preliminary Plans of the first section, through the Design Development stage of coming up with a personal life plan, to the Plan Check stage where approval is sought, to the final Blueprint Submitted stage, where the spiritual journey culminates with the official stamp of approval.
Filled with New Thought & metaphysical concepts, including the Five Step Prayer used in Religious Science churches, & plenty of modern physics research that correspond with her spiritual understandings, Diana Cornelius' A L.I.F.E. Blueprint is a perfect tool for encouraging personal introspection, authenticity & awareness, & should be on the bookshelf of anyone who desires to design or just remodel their own spirituality -- & create an interior that reflects the truth about who they are.
Publication Date: July 10, 2002
Local author writes a spiritual book for those not tied to a particular religion
By Clyde Noel
Town Crier Staff Writer
There is a lot of interest today in transformation. People are no longer willing to accept that their lives are dishonest shams, miserable, boring or unhealthy.
Personal stress is exacerbated by our complex lifestyles, and it's not unusual to see people take jobs they hate, simply because the employer offers good company benefits.
Los Altos publisher One Mind Publishing has introduced a book by Diana Cornelius that covers a new way to look at these problems through spirituality and its significance in today's society.
"A L.I.F.E. Blueprint" looks at spirituality through God as a Living Infinite Force of Energy (L.I.F.E.). It's the author's belief that spirituality is essentially who we are and what we contribute to our life as we live it.
Cornelius feels that spirituality has become abused and overused. It is not the same as religion, and no one has to be a religious person in order to be spiritual.
However, for people who rarely go to church, getting a grasp on spirituality could be challenging.
"I never had a doubt that there was a God. I just didn't feel close to God," Cornelius states in her book. "It somehow felt right to me that some power created the universe and everything in it. I still had a lot of trouble, though, when it came down to what God was, did, or looked like."
Cornelius is not religious. Her early years in the Protestant church left her feeling uneasy and puzzled at the idea of "supposedly being born in sin because everybody was."
She says, "Spirituality is the essence of who you are and what you bring into your life. The essence of your spirituality is how you choose to give yourself to others."
"A L.I.F.E. Blueprint" clearly explains the many techniques for expressing spirituality. It's easy to understand because the author provides a narrative account of her own life - starting as an insecure teenager going to church with her friend, Helen, to a marriage resulting in two sons, and finally, after 25 years, a divorce.
Cornelius says any of life's discontents can lead to bigger questions: "Why am I here?" "What is my purpose in life?" "Is this all there is?" There is only one answer to these questions: It is time to make a connection to something larger than your life and "What do I want?"
Cornelius provides five steps to spirituality through nonreligious prayer: Declaration, Unification, Intention, Gratitude and Release, with 20 seconds of real sincerity behind the words expressed in each step.
"Where you pray and how you pray is up to you," Cornelius says. "Prayers can be done in silence or at any decibel level you wish. ... If you're concerned that someone might hear you and think you're nuts, say your prayer in the car with all the windows rolled up. That's where I do all my primal screams."
The book provides many valuable ideas for spiritual and personal growth. Cornelius has the wisdom of the elder generation, with firsthand knowledge of what it takes to enjoy life.
Many of the ideas can provide a spiritual dimension without the need for a church affiliation.
The 210-page book, which retails for $14.95, is available from One Mind Publishing, P.O. Box 3925, Los Altos 94024.
Publication Date: July 16, 2002
Interior decorator talks about spiritual journey
Cupertino resident writes, publishes a 'spiritual' boo
By Melinda Latham
Staff Writer
Diana Cornelius's philosophy for living is written on her kitchen wall—"Celebrate life. Be kind and say thank you."
For Diana, life doesn't just refer to existence on Earth. In her self-published book, A L.I.F.E. Blueprint: Spirituality Designed for the Non-Religious, Diana takes her interior decorating philosophy and applies it to the self, encouraging people to look at their own design and embrace LIFE, or the Loving Infinite Force of Energy.
"I would like to think that we all came here with no agenda," Cornelius said. "But somewhere in our DNA we have a LIFE blueprint, and our unknown goal in life is to reconnect with that LIFE blueprint."
Cornelius says she began to connect with what LIFE had in store for her when she had a paranormal experience in 1992.
"I believed I had literally been 'touched' by something miraculous," she says in her book.
Diana says she started on a spiritual journey of sorts after her experience. In her book, she describes how she left her husband of 25 years in order to discover her spiritual self.
She says that while her husband was a wonderful man and her married life was great, she felt a need to move on.
After moving out, Cornelius says she experienced the happiest time of her life, when she began to connect with herself. She spent time learning more about spirituality through reading, personal experience and "wise counselors."
Recently, Cornelius decided she wanted to share her spiritual self-discovery with others and help them on the way to finding their "blueprint."
She created a presentation, "Whose house are you living in? Discovering your spirit's interior design."
Cornelius wanted to give something to people that they could have to take with them and use after hearing her presentation. She began to write a pamphlet. The pamphlet turned into a book.
In A L.I.F.E. Blueprint, Cornelius discusses what led her to "remodel her own interior," the things she has learned and how she has come closer to the divine. The book also explains how readers can grow closer to their spirituality and find how LIFE works in their lives.
Cornelius says she keeps spiritually connected to LIFE by meditating, practicing yoga and surrounding herself with positive things. Her advice to others who are seeking to be spiritual without religion—"Read my book. Be alone, connect with nature and be with people who nurture your soul."
Date: July, 2002
The book certainly made me reevaluate my life and priorities, and remember the importance of following your heart, soul, and intuition. I think your book is equally valuable as a spiritual 'starting point' for some, and as a spiritual 'check up' for others. It is no small accomplishment to reach so many levels of experience and I believe you will touch many lives beause of this all encompassing approach.
Jeff MinneryIndependent Journalist
Date: July 25, 2002
"Usually, when I hear people speak about God or higher power, I glaze over. The few times I have ever picked up a book on spirituality, I just flipped through it. I started to read your book and your voice was clear. I found myself reading page by page and going back to certain parts and rereading them. When I got to Loving Infinite Force of Energy I could really relate to that. I feel like a traveler on the beginning of a new journey."
Patty Peters,
personal testimonial.
Aberdeen, New Jersey.