Zor is a work of fiction built on the themes of philosophy and spirituality. It features an intriguing character who is a dwarf, and who completely changes a strangers life. A chance meeting turns into a lifelong transformation that causes the main character to completely re-evaluate his life, and along the way causes us to perhaps re-think ours.

During my childhood and teens, I used to read a lot of fiction. In fact aside from school books, that is all I read. The books consisted of various adventures, magic, some mysteries and dramas. Until my early 20’s I used to think, like many other people—especially young ones—that non-fiction was boring. That was of course until I discovered the world of New Age, spirituality, metaphysics and philosophy. When I found my new love, I could not fathom devoting time to reading fiction, when there were all these exciting, mind awakening books waiting for me! Of course today I know that there are some wonderful fiction books, that have great worth and value to expand our consciousness and broaden our imagination. One of these books written by author Ray Clements (J.B.), is Zor: Philosophy, Spirituality, and Science.

Book Background

Zor: Philosophy, Spirituality, and Science was written by Ray Clements (J.B.) and released in the fall of 2010. Ray grew up in rural New Hampshire and attended the cultural melting pot of Boston University in the early 70′s. He graduated with both a major in Business Administration and a concentration in Philosophy and Religious Studies.

Zor is 268 pages, but a small book that is a fun, quick and flowing read. It is divided into 46 chapters, with a short opening and closing. You can learn more at GoToZor.com

Book Content & Personal Commentary

When the pretext for the book is science, spirituality and philosophy, one can almost guarantee that it is going to be a book well worth reading, and that is exactly how I felt after reading Zor: Philosophy, Spirituality, and Science. There is a setting, there is a family, a man, a job and a certain interesting dwarf, but interwoven into all of it, is practical and valuable wisdom for us to take into our lives.

It is very interesting how things come to us. As I mentioned above, I have not made myself available for any fiction reading these days. In addition, if I just judged the book by its cover, which features an alcoholic drink, then I may have been even less open to reading it. But this book was on my path for a reason, and as I read the synopsis, which was as follows, I became very intrigued:

Zor explores the relationship between philosophy, spirituality, and science by asking one simple question; where do you turn when life’s core beliefs become suspect?

That is the dilemma confronting Jonathan Brewster, a middle aged money manager from Boston, whose “chance” meeting with a Haitian dwarf named Zor, spirals out of control. Forced to defend his life in a series of intense debates concerning negative ch’i, emotional addictions, neuron networks, placebos, vipassana meditation, the collective unconscious, laws of attraction, sub-atomic entanglement, Nietzche, metta, God, and happiness; John is reluctantly drawn to a new reality.

Rising above his crisis of conscience he restructures his life for the greater good, only to be challenged by the ultimate betrayal.

All the topics mentioned resonated strongly, as they are all the things that have become a part of my reality today. And based on the synopsis, while many people may not give much emphasis to the mention of a dwarf, for me this was that much more alluring, as I am very drawn to all sorts of magical realities, and immediately thought of a fairytale character, not actually a real man. Well, as it turned out, Zor was a real man—a Haitian that stands just under 5 feet tall. Yes, I clearly understood now the ‘dwarf’ reference, but regardless he still turned out to be magical in many ways, and a character that one cannot help but fall in love with.

I read the book in two sittings and really enjoyed it from beginning to end. As the typical fiction goes, yes there is a major climax or dramatic turning point, but it flows well with what I would say “needed” to happen.

For myself, I found the book a most wonderful and fun review of the many concepts I have become aware of throughout the years and incorporate into my life in various ways today. (You can see the summary of those in the synopsis above.) It was a pleasure to read and exercise my imagination in the wonderful ways that fiction books can allow us to do.

For others, I would say it is the perfect book for someone who is not quite open to all the “major” stuff going on today in the New Age movement—the quantum physics, the metaphysics, spirituality and such—but feels that something is happening. They may feel intimidated as to where to begin on a personal quest for truth, or their spiritual journey. Thus it is a great lead in, as it presents a man who is seemingly happy and yet it is clear there is something so out of balance in his life. He can offer all the excuses he wants for living as he does, but in the end, our heart and soul know the truth. Many people in our society can relate to this, and this is why I definitely recommend this book. It doesn’t matter what point of your journey you are on in fact, it is a sobering (no pun intended if you read the book) awakening to making sure we are honest, authentic and accountable to that which makes the most difference in our lives—ourselves.

Subconsciously, we pursue the ideas that create positive emotions and avoid the ideas that create negative emotions.

Zor, Ray Clements

Reflecting on the quote above, we can see why many of us avoid or justify any topics that make us feel uncomfortable or would force us to change our thoughts, words or actions. This is why I keep coming back to being accountable and authentic because that is ultimately the theme that stands out for me after reading Zor. But how do we stay true to ourselves? How do we not forsake our own happiness for others? How do we not do good things out of obligation, guilt or fear? How do we accept responsibility for all that is in our life? How do we maintain a level of joy and peace throughout our life no matter what happens? The answer that comes to me, to all these questions is consciousness.

This is why I am so passionate about expanding our consciousness at every chance we get, about continuing to evolve, question, ponder and wonder, never becoming stagnant or locking ourselves into a set of fixed beliefs. It all and always comes down to this for me. To be honest with ourselves, we need to be conscious of what is presenting itself in our environment and why. What do we need to learn or remember, and what are we going to do about it. Are we going to react unconsciously or driven by fear, greed, guilt, etc.? Or are we going to rise above, see the bigger picture of it all and act consciously to create an authentic life for ourselves that spills over into every area of our lives? This I feel, is the great art of life that we have the chance to create.

And so with this in mind unravels the story of John Brewster. He thought that for the most part he was set. He had the typical life, a really good life in fact one may say. But something was missing, something was greatly out of balance. Having dabbled in some metaphysical and spiritual things as a young man, now as an older man he became cynical to it all. It just didn’t seem real, didn’t seem practical. And so he “coped” with life as many people do, by filling themselves and numbing the various discomforts and emotional pain with external substances. Whether it is alcohol, food, cigarettes, drugs, television or what have you, so many of us are running away from facing ourselves and being honestly authentic with ourselves. We are so afraid to question, to look at the world deeper, because we do not want to shake or threaten the little security or stability we seemed to have created. When in fact a big shake up may be exactly what we need and the best thing for us, to began to see clearly again, lifting the veils of illusion around us. That is exactly what happened to John Brewster. After his conversations with Zor, he was left needing to re-examine all that he thought was real. I have no doubt that reading Zor and becoming part of the conversations will leave many of us doing the same and freeing ourselves to live the most authentic, rewarding and fulfilling lives ever, while changing the world and making it a better place for all.

You know when you decide to swim with the current instead of against it, life becomes pretty easy.

Zor, Ray Clements

In conclusion, Zor is both a great introduction and starter for anyone wanting to pursue a spiritual journey or examine Universal truths, as it is a fantastic review for those well into their journey who would like to stay sharp at applying what they are learning in the creation of their life. And if there is one thing to remember as we each continue on our life paths, in the words of Zor “Deal, don’t dwell“. May this be the reminder to each of us no matter what situations arise in our lives.

You can get more information on the book, read reviews or purchase your own paperback or Kindle copy from Amazon.com below: