June 2nd, 2004
The Way of the Wizard
by Deepak Chopra
From
Booklist
Chopra is big. His message about attaining joy and fulfillment by recognizing
the mind-body connection has struck a chord that's reverberated beyond New Agers
into the general public. Still, he basically has only one message, leaving him
no choice but to try to jazz it up with each successive book. Recently, Chopra
ventured into the world of fiction with mixed results. This time, he blends a
bit of folklore into his "lessons" about 20 principles for reintroducing magic
into one's life. Invoking the Camelot legends and using Arthur and Merlin (also
the focus of his novel, The Return of Merlin [Je 1 & 15 95]) as metaphors for
the eternal seeker and inner wisdom, Chopra gives readers the tools to find the
enchantment in their own lives. He did this succinctly and plainly in his recent
best-seller, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success (1995); here, unfortunately,
the jaunt through Camelot obscures the basic message rather than enhancing it.
Nevertheless, Chopra is a brand name by now--demand will be heavy. Ilene Cooper