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Enchiridion
Personally, I am no Stoic, nor do I agree with their view of the world. They split things into those that we have power over and those that we don't, and such a belief does not vibe well with the concept that we create our own realities (every single thing about them) and that we have power over every aspect of this Creative Process through our thoughts, beliefs and emotions. Also, Stoics view the body as base, slavish, and as something we have no power over. I can't agree with any viewpoint that looks down on the body in such a manner when I hold the opinion that the body is a perfect reflection of one's Inner Being. Welp, I guess that's what is to be expected when a New Ager reads ancient Greek Stoicism.
Enchiridion is a short work, so I only found a few good quotes in it:
"If then you desire (aim at) such great things, remember that you must not (attempt to) lay hold of them with a small effort; but you must leave alone some things entirely, and postpone others for the present." - Pg. 12
"Men are disturbed not by the things which happen, but by the opinions about the things . . . when, then, we are impeded or disturbed or grieved, let us never blame others, but ourselves, that is, our opinions." - Pg. 14
"It is the act of an ill-instructed man to blame others for his own bad condition; it is the act of one who has begun to be instructed, to lay the blame on himself; and of one whose instruction is completed, neither to blame another, nor himself." - Pg. 14
"On the occasion of every accident (event) that befalls you, remember to turn to yourself and inquire what power you have for turning it to use." - Pg. 16
"Remember that it is not he who reviles you or strikes you, who insults you, but it is your opinion about these things as being insulting. When, then, a man irritates you, you must know that it is your own opinion which has irritated you." - Pg. 22
"When you have decided that a thing ought to be done and are doing it, never avoid being seen doing it, though the many shall form an unfavorable opinion about it. For if it is not right to do it, avoid the thing; but if it is right, why are you afraid of those who shall find fault wrongly." - Pg. 35
"These reasonings do not cohere: I am richer than you, therefore I am better than you; I am more eloquent than you, therefore I am better than you. On the contrary these rather cohere: I am richer than you, therefore my possessions are greater than yours; I am more eloquent than you, therefore my speech is superior to yours. But you are neither possession nor speech." - Pg. 39
"The condition and characteristic of an uninstructed person is this: he never expects from himself profit (advantage) nor harm, but from externals. The condition and characteristic of a philosopher is this: he expects all advantage and all harm from himself." - Pg. 41
"If you are negligent and slothful, and are continually making procrastination after procrastination, and proposal (intention) after proposal, and fixing day after day, after which you will attend to yourself, you will not know that you are not making improvement, but you will continue ignorant (uninstructed) both while you live and till you die." - Pg. 43
Despite my overall view of Stoicism, there are some major similarities between Stoics and the view that we each control our own reality. The most apparant one is that Stoics and "Intenders" both place great importance upon monitoring and directing the contents of our minds above all else. Stoics do not believe that by doing so you directly affect the reality around you, but rather you finally take control of the only thing you actually have control over. When you find yourself reacting negatively to the circumstances of the world around you, turn inwards and tend to your own opinions and the contents of your own mind.
I believe Epictetus and the channelled entity, Abraham, would offer the same advice. There is also the similiarity of Oneness, in which the Stoics see all the world as connected, physically and spiritually, yet this Oneness is viewed by physical beings as many separate parts. That sounds quite "New Age" to me. In the end, I think that Epictetus and the Stoics do offer numerous philosophical insights, perhaps not on how the world truly is, but rather, on how we should react to what we experience in this world.