Diana, Herself

An Allegory of Awakening

By: Martha Beck

Narrated by: Martha Beck

Maybe, once or twice in your life, you’ve experienced a surge of destiny so strong it made you believe in miracles.

Such bolts from the blue seem to hit when weariness or ill fortune have plowed through the ground of reason, breaking it up so magic can take root. What follows is so perfect that to call it accidental defies belief. Diana Archer is an absolutely—mathematically!—average woman, living an unremarkable life, when destiny reaches her. Without quite knowing how or why, she finds herself leaving everything familiar and moving into a world where miracles are commonplace, where her supposed flaws become her salvation, and where each person’s story is everyone’s.

In this exuberant allegory, best-selling memoir and self-help author Martha Beck takes listeners into the wild parts of the world and the human psyche. The story of Diana, Herself helps every listener chart a course for awakening to greater joy, adventure, and purpose.

It feels almost magical to Diana Archer—out-of-work store clerk, former foster child, and bearer of multiple psychological diagnoses—when she’s pulled into the orbit of world-famous life coach and reality TV star Roy Richards. Together, Diana and Roy embark on the latest in his series of “conquests”, surviving a month in California’s trackless Sierras Oscuras National Forest.

It’s in the forest that their quest devolves into disaster—and the real magic begins. Lost, alone, and dying, Diana is taken under the trotter of a benevolent spirit animal (or is it a projection of her perennially troubled mind?) who promises to take her home. But ”home“ proves to be a place much more mysterious than Los Angeles. Awakening is the goal, Diana learns, and bewilderment is the method.

As the first volume of the three-part Bewilderment Chronicles proceeds, Diana will undergo a transformation that will change her irrevocably and just possibly save the world. Let the enchantment begin.

©2016 Martha Beck (P)2023 Martha Beck

I am changed.

This book is magic. It is now my favorite allegory on why we are here and who we can be.

The lesson 👍

Great job reading your book, Marty! I can’t wait for the one on creativity to come out in January

I was gripped through all of it. Couldn’t wait to listen on and sad when it was over.

I just feel different after listening to this. Not exactly sure how, but for sure different. It is not subtle and most of what I heard Id heard before but the story telling locked it all in for me. Never once got bored. And now all is slightly different for me. Well done, Martha Beck- one of my greatest teachers.

such a powerful read!

I would encourage anyone to read this. it changed my perception and is a beautiful tool of self discovery

The allegorical tale was great

Live the arc of the story and the way Diana wakes up!! Good story to mull over for my own lack of awakening