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Card and Book Sets I’ve had a couple treasures cross my desk recently that I thought I should share during the holiday seasons. As fun approaches to the spiritual paths of many traditions, they seem useful for reminding us — amidst the coming gift giving — what our many holidays are really all about. In short, they can help to remind of spirit. HEALING MYTHS, HEALING MAGIC reviewed by Sheila Warnke
Our minds and bodies, which Dr. Epstein believes are so interwoven that he refers to them as bodymind, are profoundly influenced by the myths we accept without question. All that we encounter in life is filtered through our belief system and categorized according to the truth we hold about that experience. When we become ill, whatever healing specialist or doctor we consult will likewise label our experience as seen through the lens of that particular practitioner or modality. Our response to illness or disease is directly linked to whatever belief we have about it.
MY FATHER’S VOICE reviewed by Arlene Arnold,
This novel explores what happens when the woundedness of one generation is passed on to the next generation. Angelo Mann’s great love for his son gives him the impetus to end that cycle of pain. In order to do that, he must discover himself. This inward journey takes him on an outward journey of synchronicity, scientific discovery, political and religious intrigue, and life-changing decisions.
AFTER THE ECSTACY, THE LAUNDRY reviewed by Mirra Lee
Over the years, he has lived with, taught, and befriended Zen masters, meditation teachers, lamas, nuns, monks, priests, swamis, and leaders of Jungian and transpersonal psychology. In interviews for this book, many of these people shared intimate, personal, rarely made public details of episodes of enlightenment and/or grace. In addition, Kornfield shares liberally from his own vast spiritual experiences. I read this book during a period of CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) relapse when my brain synapses weren’t connecting as well as they should/could be, but I still found myself earmarking page after page after page — to the point that the book is three-quarters turned-down corners!
THE LITTLE WIZARD reviewed by Steve McCardell
Certainly for children, and probably for adults, a great deal is no doubt passed along subconsciously. That may seem a lot to say about a children’s book, but there is tremendous detail in Ms. Bergsma’s art: a frog, for instance, writes a partial message on a paper pad while a knot symbol below subtly suggests a yin-yang union. In the text, truths of synchronicity are opened; trust is enforced in one’s inner answers; and wisdom takes form as a dragon bringing out the powers in the story’s small hero. Maybe most importantly, a child’s (and this adult’s) belief in magic is encouraged.
CHRISTMAS STORIES FROM THE KINGDOM reviewed by Boston Carter
This is a 92-page, manuscript-style book chock full of lovely illustrations on every page, so you may either want to grab your colored pencils or leave it as it is. It contains eight Christmas tales, told in a classic mystical tradition. The stories originated from Ms. Stanley's work, and are suitable for people of all ages: adults, children, and young people. She wrote the stories so that each one represents a different type of emotional enactment of our deeper issues, and each of the stories carries a gift of knowledge on that deeper level.
THE WOMAN'S BOOK OF SOUL reviewed by Mirra Lee
Thoele says, "The Woman's Book of Soul can be used in a number of ways — as a meditation guide, a daily friend, or the answer to a specific question. " She shares her own stories and those of other women, illustrating the continuous journey toward selfhood and the enhancement of personal power through women's wisdom that all of us women experience in some form throughout our lives. Her style is compassionate, personal, and heartfelt.
SOUL STORIES reviewed by Mirra Lee
This book expands on Zukav’s theories of multisensory perception (what we used to call "psychic" abilities — now more accurately labeled as "intuition," "nonphysical reality," and "nonphysical teachers"), utilizing stories of real people, real events, and real experiences to depict specific examples of his teachings, including both his own life stories and those of a host of other people he’s known/met along the way.
HEAVENLY PEACE reviewed by David A. Young
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If there were one most valuable truth we could learn to grasp in our lifetime that enabled us to reach our highest potential, perhaps it would be this: Deep within us, we all possess the unlimited capacity to heal ourselves. In his book Healing Myths, Healing Magic, Donald Epstein, internationally known founder of Network Spinal Analysis and the author of The 12 Stages of Healing, guides us through a fascinating journey about cultural healing myths and the true nature of illness as an expression of the soul.
Among the metaphysical novels available today, My Father’s Voice is part of the cream that rises to the top. As always, Alan Cohen presents spiritual principles in a down-to-earth fashion; yet, in this case, the story is as intriguing as the spiritual perspective.
Jack Kornfield is one of the most influential Buddhist teachers in the West and is cofounder of two of the leading meditation centers in the United States. He is also author of the best-selling books A Path with Heart (one of the core texts in American Buddhism) and Buddha’s Little Instruction Book.
As in her first book of this series, called Dragon, Jody Bergsma pulls together fantastic art and myth in her sequel, The Little Wizard. What amazed me in her first work amazes me again, and that is the depth offered children who are introduced to her words. Ms. Bergsma is adept at drawing together archetypal images and truths, presenting them simply and powerfully in a way that can thrill young children while making easy essays for scholars.
Shamanic psychodramatist Patsy Stanley has written and illustrated a coloring book of children’s Christmas stories that takes us into a mystical world where "there lived boxkeepers, crones and many others."
This book reflects the best of the daily meditations extrapolated from Ms. Thoele's three bestsellers, The Woman's Book of Confidence (1992), The Woman's Book of Courage (1996), and The Woman's Book of Spirit (1997). This collection was first published under its current title in 1998 and has been reissued this year in a new paperback edition.
I read Gary Zukav’s first book, The Dancing Wu Li Masters (about quantum physics through lay eyes), about the time it first came out in 1979, and his second one, The Seat of the Soul (published in 1989), when he was being featured last year on Oprah. Both books made a great deal of sense in my life at each time, so when I saw Soul Stories on the review shelf at The New Times, I grabbed it.
A few seconds into my initial listening to its first track, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," I sensed that Heavenly Peace was not going to be a typical Christmas album, and as the rest of the album unfolded, that first impression became ever more deliciously validated. The multi-layered vocals on the song, in their interplay with the violin solo, alert listeners that they are in for some groundbreaking music, period, let alone a singular contribution to the seasonal literature.
It's time to complete your last year's New Year's resolution. You know, whatever it was you said you'd clean or organize and just didn't get to - yet. Now is the best time to get in gear; after all, your best motivator is just around the corner: company is coming! Just keep in mind that wonderful feeling you'll feel once you are able to walk through an organized house, get in an organized car, or look for a computer file and find it within a few seconds!