In The Second Coming, a short book that blends memoir and self-help, author and psychologist Sandra Diaz, Ph.D., discusses her spiritual journey while offering insight on how to live a loving, God-centered life.
As a child, Diaz embraced the religion of her parents, but left Catholicism behind while in college, preferring the pragmatic materialism of science to the intangible world of pieties and devotions. However, in her 30s, the author had a number of powerful, lucid dreams involving Jesus. So vivid were these dreams that Diaz began to question the nature of reality and slowly came to believe that there may be more to this world than was dreamt of in her practical philosophy.
Greatly influenced by artist and contemporary spiritual teacher Glenda Green, Diaz covers such topics as the Beatitudes of the New Testament, how to manifest one’s desires by aligning with the will of the Almighty, and the benefits of Transcendental Meditation. All of this for Diaz is a way to increase awareness of all that is seen and unseen, to experience what many call Christ Consciousness.
Although there are some awkward phrases and missing words running throughout the text (e.g., “I wanted [sic] know if I were just making it all up or if I really did see God, Christ, and heaven.”), Diaz is, overall, an intelligent observer and writer. Her counsel to use ”innocent perception [rather than judge], when you describe” a person or situation, is wise and astute. Her discussion on developing a sacred heart, “the source of power that God created within each of us,” offers a fresh spin on how to lead a divine life. These and other insights suggest that the book’s flaws are mostly technical copyediting problems.
While these shortcomings detract from Diaz’s interesting dream experiences and her compassionate take on spirituality, fans of Jerry and Esther Hicks, Wayne Dyer, and A Course in Miracles may still find The Second Coming a thoughtful and well-intentioned book.
