The Architecture of All Abundance: Seven Foundations to Prosperity

by Lenedra J. Carroll

Book Overview

Winner of NAPRA's 2001 Nautilus award for excellence, Architecture of All Abundance is a beautifully written spiritual memoir tracing the path of Lenedra Carroll, mother and manager of popular singer and writer Jewel. Navigating the shark-infested waters of the entertainment industry, recovering from life threatening health problems, and rebounding from business failure, the author has pioneered innovative principles for buoding success in the material...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1577312457
• ISBN13: 9781577312451
• Release Date: February 2003
• Publisher: New World Library
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.2" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Beautiful and inspiring!

The Architecture of All Abundance is one of the most beautiful books I have read in a long time! It left me feeling tremendously inspired on a personal level and motivated me to get more connected again to my spiritual side. The book also gave me hope regarding the corporate world. Lenedra Carroll is doing such positive work for the world, and I believe her company is a real leader in terms of the spiritual focus it holds in its day-to-day operations. To me, this book should be a "must read" for anyone in a leadership position, and it is a "must read" for anyone seeking inspiration in their personal life. The book is beautifully written, and all the personal stories and examples included in the book help to make Ms Carroll's practices seem possible for anyone to apply to their lives.

A lyrical, engaging, and wise journey

Beautifully written, evocative, and so full of simple but heretofor elusive (for most of us) truths that you'll want to re-read every page 2 or 3 times to let the wisdom and import sink in and be absorbed.I read this book last October, and again this month, and it lost nothing in the repetition. It actually became more valued as well as validating.Ms. Carroll has some advantages over most of us in that she has long familiarity with, surety of, and accessibility to her inner guidance system (perhaps universal guidance system is more appropriate?). She also had the sense and early discernment to ask questions that revealed the nature of things, and a number of magical experiences that motivated her to seek more generative paradigm of the world. The structures she's created (for creating a successful life in the material world) are impressive and really define "beyond win-win".

More than a self-help book

I'm not generally one for books of this nature (I usually enjoy fiction over nonfiction), but this book was fascinatingly plain. It dealt with everything I knew was familiar, yet was written in such a way that I was able to see 'everyday' as extraordinary. Knowing something of the content of the book before I bought it, I was afraid it would be too hokey and corny. I was also afraid it would be a book someone wrote to ride on the coattails of her daughter's (Jewel) success. It was nothing of the sort. Once I read this book, I saw where the source of inspiration in Jewel's music and poetry came from. Her mother, Lenedra, is a powerhouse of wisdom and gentleness. Not to mention eloquence! This book was very, very well written. The words are intelligent, coherent, and thoughtful.Lenedra's prose is delightful. She offers her wisdom through insights and observations, never once taking up any pretention that she knows every solution to every problem. It's not a 'how-to' book to a successful, balanced, and happy life. On every page she emphasizes the answers, along with problems, are all there within our grasp, and offers her insights on how to see and follow through with the solution to our woes.Her advice is simple, loving, nurturing and very wise, and she brings a unique and fresh approach to age old adages. Every story she shares, every notion she brings up, it's all stuff we've already heard, but really registered. The difference is you can feel from her words that she lived and learned the lessons firsthand, and that alone makes for a more engaging read. I also love that she never asserts solutions are beyond our own grasp, that answers are blessed only by aloof deities. Her words are powerful yet gentle, and place emphasis on the beauty of human courage. This book centers around human goodness, not humanity's failings.This book is a nice, thick read. I've taken a good long time to read through it, reading only a few pages here and there, but the book keeps drawing me back to read more. This is one of those books you keep going back to, and I can see myself returning to it again and again during my lifetime. Each time your return to the pages of this book, you'll find yourself forming new insigts and opinions of your own on the subject matter. It's one of those books that will never grow old, because the subject matter regards a lifetime's worth of experiences.Truly refreshing. This is a much needed book, emphasizing the stillness and quiet of life to find solutions, which is a ready welcome into our hectic modern day society.

Genuine and Useful Information

I saw a negative review for this book in one of the national rag magazines, saying this book is destined for the "remainder pile." Don't believe it! Ms. Carroll approaches New Age concepts from just about every useful angle: through anectode, personal experience, poetry, the sciences, and her own high-level business experience. Between these approaches, SOMETHING is bound to get through to you, no matter what you've read, heard, or ignored in the past. Be prepared to give yourself a chance to get accustomed to her writing style, and do not dismiss the book with, "Oh, here's Jewel's mother trying to make a buck," - otherwise you'll be cheating yourself out of a great opportunity. Her writing is full to say the least - I enjoyed having to consult my dictionary from time to time - but the ideas she presents are worthy of nothing less. I consider this book one of my personal bibles to be consulted again and again. I lent this book to a friend who read 2 chapters, and hated it. But by the time she finished the book (so something must have registered with her), I couldn't wrestle the thing out of her hands. Trust the process and read.

Sparking New Thought

Every once in awhile a book, like a movie, touches you. You feel a kinship. Something inside responds. Memories are awakened, and emotions come forth.The Architecture of All Abundance stirred my soul, my being. It made me say "yes", I can re-think, re-fine and re-imagine my life. I felt Ms. Carroll as a friend. One who reached out, took me by the hand and shared some very intimate, important nuggets of her wisdom. Take a walk with her, you will enjoy the journey.