October 4, 2007 Issue
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Classified Chestnut Hill Local Don't Miss an Issue, Tell us what you see or Winner of Two |
Writes ‘spiritual self-help book’
Betsy Otter Thompson, 71, has come home. After 25 years in Los Angeles, the Wyndmoor native and author is living just a block away from her childhood home. She returns with a lifetime of experiences and her newest book, The Mirror Theory — The Way to Inner Peace, Resolution and Transformation. When she first arrived in L.A. to pursue an acting career, Thompson was experiencing a very difficult time in her life. She had been through two rough divorces, was extremely poor and struggling to survive both emotionally and financially. Hurt and blaming others for her situation, she was full of anger and pain. Thompson prayed for guidance. She clearly describes exactly what happened to her shortly thereafter: “An energy came into my life. It was the presence of light, and I knew it was the light of reason.” She explains that from that moment, her life completely changed. The energy became a voice, and she listened closely to the voice. Within two months, she was working as the executive assistant to Alan Horn, the Chairman and CEO of Castle Rock Entertainment, and was beginning to take responsibility for her life. When her boss moved to Warner Brothers to become President/COO, she followed him. Her office days began at 8:30 a.m. and did not end until after Horn went home. These were long, high-pressured days, but Thompson enjoyed the excitement for 18 years. Her role as executive assistant was thrilling as it allowed her to leverage her BFA from the University of Pennsylvania; she even served as the curator for Horn’s art collection that was housed in his three homes. Evenings and weekends, however, were spent writing. She listened to the energy that had come into her life. “My writing is an interpretation of this energy. It is a gift, no different from any other gift.” Just as musicians hear the notes and artists envision beautiful images, Thompson cannot fully explain how she creates her work. She does clarify that her writing improved and evolved as she got better at listening to the voice and applying what she heard. Deeply inspired by Helen Schulman’s A Course in Miracles, Thompson began to make peace with herself and with others. “When you start taking responsibility for your life, everything changes.” She began to redefine her purpose and instead of looking outside for solutions, she looked within. By engaging in this reflective process and listening to the voice that was now present in her life, she started the decade-long process of writing The Mirror Theory. The philosophy that emerged is the basis for her spiritual self-help book. Thompson describes it thusly: “Everyone we encounter is an emotional mirror of our love or the lack of love we express. Any dissatisfaction we feel only comes from not looking at ourselves in an honest way.” As she describes this philosophy, Thompson glows with her positive attitude and enthusiasm for these concepts. “Once you realize that is it you who controls this, you realize that you are in a position of power.” She explains that when you apply the Mirror Theory, it is as though a shield has been put up around you so the negative energy or emotions that you have not given to others will just bounce off this shield when they show negativity towards you. Thompson uses Jesus and his interactions with his relatives as a vehicle with which to illustrate her Mirror Theory. In the book, Thompson tells stories of how Jesus’ family members experience their own personal journeys. Each relative takes on a central theme such as envy, blame, anger or humility. These people include his headstrong mother, envious brother and controlling grandmother. Each chapter is written in a question-and-answer format. The book can be read cover to cover or serve as a reference book since each chapter is complete within itself and revolves around one specific theme. Thompson’s hope is that the book can serve as a practical guide to everyday problems such as parent-child struggles, insecurity, personal boundaries and self-esteem. Raised an Episcopalian, Thompson no longer belongs to an organized religion. She emphasizes that the book is not about Christianity but rather one that tells the story of a family who lived long before Christianity began. Jesus serves as the central character whose humanness is emphasized, though the primary difference between him and others is presented as his willingness to go deeper to discover the essence of who he was. Being raised Christian certainly posed many questions for Thompson about Jesus. As any writer explores the characters within her stories, Thompson answered some of her own curiosity about Jesus and discovered more about herself though the writing process, “Writing the book did awaken me to my own relationships and where I can improve them.” Everything included in the book came from within Thompson. She believes in the purity of the messages she receives and purposely avoids reading books that are spiritually based. “I don’t want to ever feel that what I am writing comes from anyone else’s books. What I write comes from within me.” Her research for the book only came after she wrote it. Her publisher requested she research the existence of Jesus’ family members. She laughs, explaining that since everything for the book came from within, her research was based on what she collected in a few years of Sunday School as a young child. When she did go back and conduct research, she discovered that her findings were almost exactly the same as what she had originally created. The end of each chapter includes questions and worksheets for readers to respond by using their own personal experiences as a guide. The author’s hope is that ideas from each chapter can be brought into the reader’s everyday life in a meaningful way. Now retired from her executive assistant role, Thompson spends her days writing instead of her nights and also enjoys knitting adult and children’s sweaters. Thompson loves being back on the East Coast, close to her children, grandchildren, sisters, nieces and good friends. She relishes the green lushness of the region and looks forward to many years here. The second book in her planned trilogy of self-help spiritual books will be published soon. Titled Walking through Illusion, it explores similar issues, using Jesus’ relationships with his friends to explore the mirror concept. The Mirror Theory, published by Hampton Roads, has sold over 5,000 copies and is available at www.amazon.com. For more information on the book and the author, go to www.betsythompson.com.
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