Housecleaning in preparation for the move into their new home, Marla figures her hubby won’t notice if his dust-collecting Buddha statue goes missing. As luck would have it, he does notice that it is missing and inquires about it. Avoiding the truth, Marla searches from one New Age shop to the next trying to find an appropriate replacement, but to no avail. What she finds instead is a six-week course on “how to attract a cascade of abundance” in her life—a timely transition since she is seriously contemplating getting out of the matchmaking business. Marla, completing the course, learns that she has the gift of healing and pursues certification in Reiki. But if Marla wants to achieve her goal to follow this energy of “helping to heal others,” she has got to find a way to reach the one person who “clashes with her spiritual world”: her beloved husband.
Martenson’s recent read is a wild adventure into the spiritual realm. Her approach to storytelling is nothing less than pure candidness. Martenson’s spiritual journey to self-discovery is broad and covers topics such as percussion therapy, cupping, leech therapy, talking boards (i.e., Quija) and communicating with spirits, ritual candles, pendulums, crystals, astral projection, channeling, bhajan, and darker aspects of the spirit world (i.e., demons)—just to name a few. Martenson’s tell-it-as-it-is approach to describe her experiences is a mix of skepticism and belief. Martenson weaves in plenty of comedy amid the seriousness of her healing journey, especially in connection with her “unbelieving” husband. On the flip side, there are enough bizarre situations that may leave readers scratching their heads in disbelief. Regardless, Martenson’s intriguing memoir keeps to a steady flow of capturing one unexpected situation after the next. Her narrative is not limited to the spiritual since she spends a good deal of time talking about the importance of food and how it affects a person’s overall well being. At the close of her book, Martenson includes an appendix filled with healthy recipes and prayers for meditation.
Thought provoking, eye opening, and downright hilarious, THE BUDDHA MADE ME DO IT is an appealing read, intended for women who are either on self-discovery quests, or are just plain curious about all things spiritual.
~Written by Anita Lock for IndieReader.