"It’s rare to encounter the memoir of a personal journey such as this which is so successfully aligned with spiritual and psychological insight. Kindred Light, the author of this remarkable tour-de-force, gifts readers with insights wrested from decades of struggle and work upon herself. " Pacific Book Review
Exalted Quest Reviews
Check out the back story. The author, a supremely articulate and gifted storyteller, grew up in a setting of uncondi-tional love (from her mother) and ‘no-love’ (from her father.) Undaunted, she achieved a measure of academic and business success, obtaining an M.B.A. and making her mark as a manager. She falls for a simpatico achiever, Don; in tropical vacation settings, and in Northern California, the couple enjoy a whirlwind romance and the best that life has to offer. When the dust clears, they seem to have it all: a beautiful home, beaucoup material comforts, and – icing on the cake – adorable twin girls.
Kindred Light’s demons, however, are never far from home. Her rock – her mother – dies. Her husband is abusive. All of which reminds her that love is precarious, that she may be undeserving, that it can easily be torn from her. She abuses alcohol to cope with her demons. After three DUI convictions, she loses her home, her husband, her car, and the custody of her children. She is sentenced to six weeks in jail. She begins the long uphill climb toward recovery and life in jail, then in rehab.
The narrative is punctuated by gorgeous islands of insight and reflections on love, parenthood, strength and loss. Her descriptions of raising her children glow with intense feeling; the descriptions will bring readers to tears. (One of her many Herculean tasks is guiding one of her children through gender reassignment. Another is negotiating the obsta-cle course of single parenthood and shared custody.) It is unusual for a writer in a single book to display and share insights in both the spiritual and interpersonal realm – Exalted Quest does this, and does it masterfully.
The keys to the kingdom are laid out for all to see. Despite the frequent allusions to her ‘higher self’ and to her ‘Sir Ego’, there is nothing supernatural nor mystical about this woman’s achievements. Her intelligence shines through on every page, in each reflection, aphorism, and nugget of personal insight.
She finds the right teachers, including an inner guide, accessible teachings from books including The Untethered Soul, and Autobiography of a Yogi, and loving caring helpers along the way. Her enthusiasm for the work of Marianne Williamson, and for A Course in Miracles, is not only infectious but justified. Kindred Light’s lifetime of work on herself paid off and will motivate like-minded readers as well. In the author’s words, “Forgiveness is the cure for victimhood.”
The writer practices what she preaches. She is a yogi, and a yoga instructor, serving as a consultant to non profit busi-nesses in Northern California. If you will read only one self-help book – or one memoir – this year, make it Exalted Quest. The writing is intelligent, passionate, ultimately convincing. Here is the story of a woman who pulled herself up, a story which will give every reader insight into their own lives."
- Pacific Book Review
Trigger Happy Reviews
Full Pacific Book Review
"There exists within each of us the ability to solve any problem. We are born with a universal knowledge and the inherent ability to tap into it at any time. So, why do we suffer so much in trying to decide right from wrong?
Along with this divine wisdom? We are all born with an instinct for the physical body to survive. Author kindred light calls these two forces the Wise One and Sir Ego in her book, Trigger Happy, Transcend Your Triggers, Transform Your Life, Kindred Light lends her depth of knowledge to how we can unknowingly self sabotage, by surrendering to our triggers, and how we can transcend our suffering by tapping into the divine love waiting to be find within ourselves.
The central idea of Trigger Happy is that there is a natural push and pull between two aspects within us, which Kindred Light names Sir Ego and the Wise One. Each of us is embodied by these two opposing forces and our suffering is the result of a lack of cooperation between the two.
Sir Ego keeps us alive by encouraging us to act according to our materialistic needs. Kindred Light describes her ego as our soul that has become identified with the body. The ego interfaces with the material world and believes it is separate from all other people, the natural world and the Creator who created it.
The Wise One is our higher spiritual self, the self that exists in pure love and understands that all things are interconnected. It will be easy to accuse Kindred Light of being idealistic and to dismiss her ideas as hippie hoopla. Doesn't the promise of infinite love and universal wisdom sound too good to be true, but continue reading from Trigger Happy and this isn't the impression at all you get from the book's author.
For example, Kindred Light writes, "My ex husband is not consciously aware of all the love and forgiveness I've offered to him as part of my own healing. He has not received it yet. But it waits for him in eternity, and for the time when he can accept it. What is apparent to me is that he no longer triggers me and then I somehow have much more power in the relationship."
Throughout Trigger Happy, Kindred Light relates her personal story of overcoming trauma, her enthusiasm and trust, her attitude of I made it through this and so will you lends a sense of realism. Through her own journey of reconciling and connecting Sir Ego and the Wise One, she discovers her ability to forgive unconditionally, and with that, an infinite capacity for love.
Kindred Light is not a stereotype. She is humble and accepting within her inner peace, and above all, you trust her intentions to teach. If Trigger Happy were a class, it would just be described more as a lecture than workshop. The few exercises Kindred Light does offer encouraged the learner but does not provide a roadmap to enlightenment. Kindred Light explains that it has to be this way that learning to hear the Wise One is a personal journey, which can be attained in as many unique ways as there are people in this universe. Listening to the Wise One is a lesson in trusting our inner voice, trusting the divine and universal knowledge within each of us.
Trigger Happy is a beautiful book with a lot of potential to do good for a reader who is receptive to these ideas. It is a kind book, humble yet encouraging, even if you do not yet believe in yourself, within these pages, here is a teacher who believes in you."
Full Hollywood Book Review
"In the modern world, the idea of self improvement has become more and more of a powerful movement than was previously thought necessary. Self Help delves into several areas of our lives from health, (both physical and mental), to finances, careers, and even spirituality. The need to improve that improve ourselves to find happiness, joy, or contentment is a growing movement that has shown in our darkest moments, in the most harsh or crucial moments of adversity, hope and self improvement can push us to gain a new understanding of ourselves while gaining the things we are searching for in life.
In author Kindred, Lght's Trigger Happy the author hones in on the inner conflicts, which reside within us all and prevent us from finding the true inner happiness and peace we always seek. Through a series of self examinations and exploring the steps the author has found to battle these inner conflict, the book hopes to help readers improve upon their own mental and spiritual health in a way which allows us to find our own inner guides and engage with things like our relationships and connecting with our higher selves in order to find the miracles that can occur on the earthly plane.
The author did an amazing job of finding just the right balance of spirituality insight with the steps needed to approve upon oneself. The way the author was able to hone in on these improvements to their own life was great to see, as it showcased the ways in which these steps can work for the reader as well.
Everything from toxic relationships to addiction and more come into play, and the author's the author's personal connection to these steps, and the reader is able to feel the emotional and spiritual ties that brought the author to these self-realizations. The honesty and depth of the author's writing felt powerful as the book progressed, and the chemistry the author found between the grounded self and the higher self was so fascinating to read about.
This is the perfect book for those who enjoy nonfiction reading, especially those who enjoy self-help style books, which deal with spirituality and mental health as well as self improvement. The author really did an incredible job of honing in on the connection between what is referred to as the divine essence, alluding to the importance of spirituality and energy has on our self help journey.
The relatability of the darker aspects of doubt and destruction, which resides within us all were aptly discussed, and showcase how important taking these steps in our lives is thoughtful, engaging in a beautiful symphony of hope within the struggle of life, author Kindred Light's Trigger Happy is a must read self-help and spiritual book.
The authenticity and captivating writing style blended well with the imagery and personal stories that helped elevate the lessons the author imparted within the book, and readers will feel a deep connection, both emotionally and spiritually as they take in these lessons for themselves."