From the editorial and some of cusotmer reviews, I had high expectations for this book. But this book didn't meet my expectations even half way. What Guy Finley wants to stress has been succenctly pointed out from time immemorial by quite a few authors: Ramana Maharshi, the anonyous authors of "the upanishads", the mystic poet Kabir, the brilliant Rjaneesh, and the erudite Englishman, Douglas Harding, etc.

The best prayer is total surrender, total surrender to God's will who has no will. If you want a transformation, turn around and turn inwards. Guy Finley strsses these in a very roundabout way. You will do well to read the brilliant book by Douglas E. Harding, "Look for Yorself". Doglas Harding writes with great clarity, and his English style is impeccable and captivating. I hope Guy Finlay reads this book; it will induce him to improve his writing skills

Love and best wishes.

Like all of Guy's books, this one is well worth anyone's time to read. It helps us to understand why our lives are the way they are. Since we are actually "praying" for something in each moment of our lives (most of the time without knowing what we are asking for) - Guy's exercises to increase our self awareness are not only helpful, but necessary, if we ever hope to have a different kind of life than we do now. In this book, Guys says that "response is request" - we are actually requesting something from life, by the way we respond to an event. That's why it's so important to be aware of yourself in each moment. This is a wonderful book, that has been very helpful to me. If you like the ideas in this book, you may also like books by Vernon Howard, J. Krishnamurti, James Allen, and Maurice Nicoll.

Guy Finley's new book, The Lost Secrets of Prayer: Practices for Self-Awakening, is one of those special books that will last a lifetime. Each rereading will yield new awareness and understanding of the nature of true prayer.

Finley explains that the suffering in our lives results from being "wrongly invested in some relationship . . . "; for mistaking something "as being permanent that was only temporary." He says the "essence of this book is about awakening within yourself to yourself . . .. "

His emphasis throughout the book is on turning within for understanding and awareness of the spiritual energy that resides in each of us.

Finley says that, although most of us don't realize it, we're all engaged in continual prayer. He maintains that hoping or expecting that something will, or will not, happen, is a form of prayer. Most of us "don't know how to request what we really need," often because we don't understand what our true needs are. The key, Finley says, is to ask God to give you what He knows you need. The basic prayer is "asking God to remove the veils from your eyes."

Each chapter of The Lost Secrets of Prayer ends with special lessons for self study. The final chapter presents more than 100 helpful maxims to aid in the journey to self-awakening, such as "Life is not asking you questions--it is giving you the answers!"

Finley is the founder of Life Learning Foundation and author of several international best sellers on self-development. He has guested on numerous radio and TV talk shows.

Readers won't find rote or one-size-fits-all prayers in The Lost Secrets of Prayer. Those seeking to awaken their souls, however, will find the spiritual guidance for which they've been searching.

I first read Guy Finley's "The Lost Secrets of Prayer" about a year ago. I didn't really undrestand alot of what he was talking about but I tried doing some of the exercises he recommended. A few months later I read the entire book again and got a little more understanding do to the fact that I was getting some insight into the exercises I was doing. A few more months went by and I read the book again. Two weeks later the impact of one of the exercises hit me like a ton of bricks. I was insulted by a collegue of mine that caused me great anger. I went outside to walk in the cool breeze when I remembered one of Guy Finley's exercises that I was suppose to be doing. It is during one of these angry moments that we are suppose to be doing the exercises but it is precisely these moments that make it the most difficult to do. I forced myself to "look" at the anger, to try to seperate myself from those "waves" that were battering me around when I actually "saw" what I was intended to see. At that very moment my life was completely changed forever. I began laughing at the incredible insight that I had gained and at the blindness that had left me. After many months of trying the exercises I finally had a breakthrough. It wasn't until then that I fully understood the book and its purpose. If this book does not change your life it is because you didn't do the exercises with the deepest of sincerity and a true desire to discover your inner self no matter how ugly it may appear. Guy Finley has walked the path of Self Knowledge and is trying to lead others. It is a very difficult path, one that takes time and patients. Unless you're ready to dedicate yourself to the practice of Self Knowledge a true understanding of the book will remain hidden.

This book gives you the answer to your problems. I would also recommend the book An Encounter with A Prophet as a companion book.