Don’t Be an Idiot, READ Idiot.
So, this isn’t a typical review for a witchcraft blog, but I just loved this book too much not to review it. I love Laura Clery, I’m a huge fan of her videos. I wasn’t going to get her book, because I’m not into self-help books. But this is like a self-help-memoir-letter that sucks you in and spits you out feeling like your soul has been to the dry cleaners, you’re all clean and fresh and crisp.
My Star Rating for Idiot:
Is Laura Clery an Idiot?
She certainly used to be! But, who isn’t when they’re spending everyday on drugs? And before you get all mad at me for being insensitive: I am an addict, so I know how idiotic people can be when they’re high. I’ve been clean for about five years now. I did not go through AA or anything, because the program didn’t work for me. But it worked for Laura, and works for many, many people everyday. So before I move any further, if you are an addict and need help, I encourage you to seek out your local AA. You can’t know if it will work unless you try it.
So, is Laura Clery an idiot? No. Not anymore. She was, and this was an amazing retelling of her life. I have to say that you can tell Laura isn’t a writer. The chapters are too long, and she tends to hop around a bit. She’s not a bad writer, but as a writer, I can tell she isn’t one. That’s okay though. Her authenticity and raw voice makes up for it. The content makes up for the poor construction. So, bandaid has been ripped off, and I can move onto the good stuff. I’m a huge fan of Laura Clery, so it pains me to criticize her like that, but I must remain authentic and be honest with you guys.
id·i·ot
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/ˈidēət/
a stupid person.
a person of low intelligence.
Laura Clery has proven that she was not stupid, she just made poor choices. Wit is a sign of intelligence- I don’t know who said that, but my father once told me that and since he’s really intelligent, I stick to it. Ipso facto, Laura Clery is not a stupid person. She was a troubled person. She was a lost soul. This story takes you through her life, from her happy, albeit weird, childhood, to her first experiences with drugs, and to her rock bottom. I thought my rock bottom was low, living in a tent in the woods, but that was nothing compared to being chased out of a house by your boyfriend’s girlfriend leaving you in the middle of LA with no friends, no family, and no place to go. So, yea, she’s had it hard. But equally drastic a difference between us, she is now living in Beverly Hills making a shit load of money. It balances out, right?
Why Idiot?
This book is not for idiots, because I fear they will misinterpret the message Laura is trying to communicate. I think this book is for the following:
- addicts
- anyone who is troubled spiritually, emotionally, etc.
- victims of abuse, as well as survivors/thrivors of abuse
- anyone who doesn’t know what to do with their life
- anyone who knows what they want, but doesn’t know how to get there
- anyone who wants to know Laura Clery’s life story
This book is for us Witches, too!
I found so many parallels in Laura’s story, so I can’t help but feel a connection to this book (hence why I’m reviewing a non-occult book on my blog). The thing is, the answer to her incredible life is mystical, and therefore it does fit on my blog! So this book is also for witches, pagans, and every other person that ascribes to the Law of Attraction, and lives by the power of Gratitude.
Laura Clery’s Magical Life
She spent a huge part of her life partying, drinking, drugging. She struggled to stay sober. She almost lost her husband because he relapsed and tried to detox off of benzo’s cold turkey (>>>btw that’s lethal. If you are addicted to valium, Xanax, or any other benzodiazepines, please don’t quit cold turkey. Get yourself to a rehab facility to chemically detox so you don’t die<<<).
All in all, she has been through the ringer. So what got her to her house in the Hills? The Law of Attraction. Yes! score one for witches baby! She specifically states in her book “I don’t think this is magic”. Well, Laura, hate to break it to you, but if you’re visualizing what you want and expressing gratitude as if you’ve already achieved it, that’s magic. That’s the law of Attraction, a law upon which magic works. So yea, her life is literally magical.
I mean, if getting paid to sing about your VAGANA isn’t magical, I don’t know what is.
Another reason I think Laura Clery’s book review is fitting for my blog is because she empowers the witch’s idea of a woman. She’s all about female empowerment, without being feminist, she’s a vegan, and she knows and acknowledges the power of the mind. So, yea, ’nuff said.
Peeing in Public, Shitting in a Hot Tub.
This section is actually going to be an assortment of my favorite quotes, but I wanted to make this a headline and couldn’t figure out a better place for it. I do want to say that I have the audiobook, and while I’m certain of the words, because I listened to the clips multiple times to make sure I noted them down right, I might get punctuation wrong. It’s setting off my OCD anxiety not knowing if it’s exact, so the least I can do is let you guys know I did my best lol. And, yes, she claims she pissed in public. She didn’t actually shit in the hot tub- her friend did, then handed her the turd. So Laura held a turd, and threw a turd, in a hot tub. Like I said, she was a fucking weird kid. Makes me love her all the more lol. #nocontextforyou #buythebook #justdidthat
…we are constantly in a state of either love or fear, and these states control the choices we make and the way we live…
…you’re an artist. You make art. Stay in the action and out of the results.
It sounds really cheesy, but those affirmations are what lifted me over the edge. I swear by them. I had such a rigid self image before, and the only things that could break the cycle of self hate were intentional, affirming, statements. I have been depressed, anxious, and suicidal for much of my life, and this is what has turned it around for me.
The only thing I can recommend is to visualize. For the record, I’m not saying this is magic, I’m saying that a shift in your focus from what you don’t want to what you do want is more powerful than we can ever imagine, and it works in mysterious ways.
Virtual Assistant Witch Wilson 