If you’ve tried NLP, visualization, or any of the other popular self-improvement methods but haven’t gotten the results you hoped for, consider changing your handwriting.

Vimala Rodgers has developed an unusual technique for self transformation that depends upon what she calls "the transformational power of the letters of the alphabet." According to Rodgers, the way we form letters reveals a great deal about our self-image. "Your handwriting is an intimate portrait of how you see yourself," she claims, and switching to a new sort of letter shaping can clear away old patterns and bolster our better and more desirable qualities.

Transform Your Life Through Handwriting is not just a book about penmanship. The first of Rodgers’ Five Noble Truths is "there is no such thing... as good or bad handwriting." The focus here is not on making your handwritten notes more legible, but about enhancing your life with this readily-available tool.

This kit, which includes 2 CDs, a 97-page guidebook, a blank journal, and 26 practice cards, is a greatly expanded version of Rodgers’ earlier book, Your Handwriting Can Change Your Life. The guidebook that comes with Transform Your Life Through Handwriting is neatly arranged and can serve as a full course in itself; the companion CDs, however, add valuable dimension and insight to the concept.

The Vimala system does require practice, but it is not the mindless repetition of alphabet letters we practiced in grade school. Rodgers explains each letter as it is presented, along with its corresponding soul quality, element, gender, gemstone, animal, and guardian protector. She also gives us a 'declaration of intent' for each letter, to be used rather like a mantra as we practice forming the new shapes and thought patterns.

While denying that she is a graphologist, Rodgers guides us through an examination of our handwriting, pointing out the personality traits that can be determined from the slant, the margins, the size, and the shape of our scribbles. She then explains how the Vimala letters address all aspects of spiritual and emotional perception and progress. The letter H, for example, is one of the author’s favorites. She says it represents dynamic self-expression; when properly drawn, it is fire ("...to blaze a path through life...") and its protector is the angel of courage.

Transform Your Life Through Handwriting is a do-it-yourself course that anyone can master using this inexpensive kit. It seems to me that it would also be an excellent choice for a book club or self-improvement study group. However it is used—whether by individuals or like-minded friends—Transform Your Life Through Handwriting will certainly increase your understanding of yourself and of others.