By Clyde Noel

There is a lot of interest today in transformation. People are no longer willing to accept that their lives are dishonest shams, miserable, boring or unhealthy.

Personal stress is exacerbated by our complex lifestyles, and it’s not unusual to see people take jobs they hate, simply because the employer offers good company benefits.

Los Altos publisher One Mind Publishing has introduced a book by Diana Cornelius that covers a new way to look at these problems through spirituality and its significance in today’s society.

“A L.I.F.E. Blueprint” looks at spirituality through God as a Living Infinite Force of Energy (L.I.F.E.). It’s the author’s belief that spirituality is essentially who we are and what we contribute to our life as we live it.

Cornelius feels that spirituality has become abused and overused. It is not the same as religion, and no one has to be a religious person in order to be spiritual.

However, for people who rarely go to church, getting a grasp on spirituality could be challenging.

“I never had a doubt that there was a God. I just didn’t feel close to God,” Cornelius states in her book. “It somehow felt right to me that some power created the universe and everything in it. I still had a lot of trouble, though, when it came down to what God was, did, or looked like.”

Cornelius is not religious. Her early years in the Protestant church left her feeling uneasy and puzzled at the idea of “supposedly being born in sin because everybody was.”

She says, “Spirituality is the essence of who you are and what you bring into your life. The essence of your spirituality is how you choose to give yourself to others.”

“A L.I.F.E. Blueprint” clearly explains the many techniques for expressing spirituality. It’s easy to understand because the author provides a narrative account of her own life - starting as an insecure teenager going to church with her friend, Helen, to a marriage resulting in two sons, and finally, after 25 years, a divorce.

Cornelius says any of life’s discontents can lead to bigger questions: “Why am I here?” “What is my purpose in life?” “Is this all there is?” There is only one answer to these questions: It is time to make a connection to something larger than your life and “What do I want?”

Cornelius provides five steps to spirituality through nonreligious prayer: Declaration, Unification, Intention, Gratitude and Release, with 20 seconds of real sincerity behind the words expressed in each step.

“Where you pray and how you pray is up to you,” Cornelius says. “Prayers can be done in silence or at any decibel level you wish. … If you’re concerned that someone might hear you and think you’re nuts, say your prayer in the car with all the windows rolled up. That’s where I do all my primal screams.”

The book provides many valuable ideas for spiritual and personal growth. Cornelius has the wisdom of the elder generation, with firsthand knowledge of what it takes to enjoy life.

Many of the ideas can provide a spiritual dimension without the need for a church affiliation.

The 210-page book, which retails for $14.95, is available from One Mind Publishing, P.O. Box 3925, Los Altos 94024.