Emir's Education in the Proper Use of Magical Powers

by Jane Roberts

Book Overview

Come along for adventure in a time when the world was new and death was unknown. As his kingdom quickly becomes crowded by people, plants, and animals who live forever, young Prince Emir must discover the answers to some most perplexing questions At the behest of his royal parents, Emir undertakes a difficult journey to discover death, understand the reasons for the seasons, and even figure out what life is all about. A large order for such a small...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0440022754
• ISBN13: 9780440022756
• Release Date: January 1979
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Length: 138 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Child's Introduction to New Age Philosophy

Emir's Education in the Proper Use of Magical Powers is an enchanting book for children, young adults, and adults. It explores the nature of reality, life, and death with poetic grace and humor. The author creates a lovingly made fantasy world where all things have a purpose even before their creation and all children are sacred even after they've grown up. The story begins during the early days of Earth. The king of a brand-new kingdom decides to send his son, Emir, out into the world to learn of its wonders and then to pass his newly acquired knowledge on to their people. At first Emir doesn't want to leave behind his pets and his toys, and travel the world in a boat that might be caught in a terrible storm or sink, but Emir's father insists. He says that it is for Emir's benefit that he sends him. In order to become an adult Emir must learn of the strange and unknown peoples, creatures and plants that inhabit their world and find a solution to the kingdom's problem of overcrowding in order to become an adult. Emir leaves home and has one beautifully surreal adventure after another, meeting with ancient mythological gods and goddesses, surviving a nearly fatal storm, encounters with Conscience and Inspiration, taking part in a parade comprised of historical figures who have yet to be born, even leaving his body temporarily, and finally he returns home with an abundance of wisdom and knowledge. He explains the importance of seasons and that everything must have its season, its time on Earth but that time is not eternal. He bestows unto his people a great gift, death, which makes life only that much more precious. Emir transcends life and death, time and space, and shows us humankind's potential for nobility, courage, compassion, and sacrifice. This book is a wonderful way to introduce children to the concepts of life and death. Author Jane Roberts tells a tale that both simply and eloquently probes the human heart and exposes our potential for greatness. Emir's education is deeply spiritual and philosophical, but never dogmatically religious. It's an open-minded book for open-minded individuals. The story is enriched by the illustrations of Lynne Cherry, whose artwork perfectly captures the cultural diversity of our world while creating a uniquely and superbly rendered vision of a place and time that never existed. This book will appeal to children ten and older, though they may not appreciate its depth and insight, or have the capacity to accept its final message about the necessity of death. As for adults, the text is both comforting and disquieting. As human beings we could learn much from one such as Emir; that faith and logic aren't always contrary, that vulnerability is a form of strength, that inspiration is divine, and that love is eternal. The book is full of personal revelations that will inspire and provoke. Its message is universal and undeniable: We must face our own mortality and yet take comfort in the knowledge that our existen

review of Emir's Education... by Jane Roberts

This is not only for children but for all ages, a different way of looking at things. Interesting and fun.

Emir's Education in the Proper Use of Magical Powers

Once upon a time, when the world was new, there was no death. There were no seasons, and everyone lived in one place, where the weather was perfect for most, although too hot for some, and too cold for others. A world without death, and without changes or places to grow in a friendly environment, soon ceases to be paradise and quickly becomes overcrowded and unfriendly. And that's just what happened in the kingdom in which a small boy named Emir lived. Emir's Education in the Proper Use of Magical Powers, by Jane Roberts, is a charming story for all ages. The king, Emir's father, sent him on a trip to learn the names of all that he saw: plants, animals, lands, and seas. Being a child, and being used to getting his own way by simply stamping his feet and demanding what he wanted, Emir had much more than names to learn. Emir journeys to the Land of the Gods first, then searches for the God of All Life. His personality keeps him from getting the answers he seeks. Unable to admit this, he tells a lie to his people, which makes him even more miserable. Luckily, he has a week in which to come up with the true answer. He sheds his pride and arrogance and seeks help from Conscience and Inspiration, from whom he learns that "all living things must have their own seasons of birth, growth, and returning to the earth." Roberts is the author of the "Seth" books, spiritual classics published in the 1970s. Emir's Education in the Proper Use of Magical Powers, lovingly illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings, is a fairy tale for young and old alike, meant to remind us "to honor the cycles of life, the seasons, and world diversity."

Delightful, whimsical, thought-provoking, allegorical novel.

Emir is a young prince in a brand-new kingdom with some rather serious problems to solve. In his kingdom nothing grows old and always remains the same. At his father's request Emir (a rather self-important young prince) reluctantly undertakes two journeys into lands far beyond his experience. The first is a voyage to the Land of the Gods to invent the names of all the creatures and plants in this brand-new kingdom. Gaining knowledge and confidence in his own powers, Emir then goes in search of the God of All Life for help with the kingdom's growing population problem. Emir fails to obtain an answer from the God of All life and upon his return makes one up, and by doing so invents the first lie. Aided by Conscience and Inspiration, who show him the true answer he needs to help his people, Emir finally understand that every living thing should have its own season of birth, growth, and returning to the earth. Wonderfully enhanced with pen-and-ink illustrations, Emir's Education In The Proper Use Of Magical Powers is a delightful, whimsical, thought-provoking allegory and a treat for the mind and heart of all who read it.

Great book for children

My grandmother gave me this book for my sixth birthday, and I have been grateful ever since. This is the story of a young prince in the time just after the world has been created. Emir is a rather typical little boy (headstrong, selfish, etc.), but he learns some very valuable life lessons over the course of his journeys. While this is a children's book, it probably wouldn't hurt some adults to read it and take its lessons to heart themselves.