Spiritual Lessons from a Scam

The purpose of this book is to help those who have been victims of scams or other crimes resulting in loss and trauma, as well as the turbulent emotions of grief, anger, desire for revenge, denial, depression, helplessness, hopelessness, and despair. The insights are an outgrowth of our experience of being scammed and left wondering how on earth could we have fallen for something like that. It is also our healing journey from darkness to light. For us, reviewing and applying the principles in this book has resulted in spiritual growth. It has also spawned compassion for the countless other victims of scams. Compassion is equally needed for the perpetrators, for in due time, even if it is in the next life, they will reap what they have sown, and experience the pain that they have inflicted on their victims - unless they have turned from their ways with deep regret and remorse over their actions. The book is not intended to provide comprehensive information on how to avoid scams, which nowadays is readily available. While it does contain basic practical tips, its focus is on spiritual principles. These come mainly from two spiritual traditions - Christianity (supplied by Eva) and Buddhism (supplied by Alex). The spiritual principles from both traditions can help facilitate healing by reorienting the mind from dwelling on the pain, loss, helplessness, desire for revenge, anger, hate, and similar thoughts and emotions to higher perspectives of understanding, forgiveness, gratitude, compassion, and ultimately love, all of which are life-giving and health-conducive. In the context of suffering, this quote is instructive and relevant: "Heartbreak and hope are not mutually exclusive. We can be angry and sad and filled with longing for something we cannot have, and simultaneously we can be grateful for what we've got - aware, for reasons we'd never choose, of what really matters and what doesn't." (Lennon Flowers) The ideas and principles in this book have been applied, and are in the process of being applied by the authors and found to be helpful. If consistently and repeatedly put into practice, we believe that they can also help you, the reader, to begin to free yourself from mental and emotional pain and raise your perspective to higher planes of existence. In closing, may the information shared in this book be of valuable assistance in being protected from a scam and helping those who have been victims of a scam - or suffered other losses and traumas. In addition, may we all discover precious intangibles, which in the long run could far exceed any monetary or physical loss. So let's begin the journey ...