Stark Raving Zen

Life coach Sweetland (The Fascinated Observer) recounts in this gripping memoir the “spontaneous shamanic initiation” she experienced during a road trip from Minnesota to New Mexico. Sweetland begins by explaining she had a troubled childhood, during which her mother suffered from mental health problems and her father was an alcoholic, before briefly discussing her underwhelming veterinary career and retreat into compulsive shopping. After embarking on her trip, Sweetland begins to hear voices, receive channeled texts, and have visions that lead her to see the world “through the eyes of a child.” She takes inspiration in an 1850 photo of a pair of sisters who claimed to be mediums, as well as her study of tarot, and slowly feels herself experiencing different realms: “I crashed through the glass into deep space while the awesome sound of a cosmic gateway shattering reverberated throughout the universe.” While those looking for Zen wisdom may find the focus on signs, fate, and Sweetland’s life story disappointing, her writing conveys the joy and terror of mystical experience. Sweetland’s surrender to unbidden visions will appeal to believers in mediums and channeled wisdom. (Self-published)