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DREAM-HOUSE reviewed by Steve McCardell
Dream-House looks in on its namesake, a house that is naught but a travelling idea that enters into a family’s mind and takes form as they build it. We watch as a generation passes; that is, as a cycle of life goes by. The child in the home grows up and falls in love, and in time becomes the adult in the home. NEW DIMENSIONS FOR THE CUBE OF SPACE reviewed by Steve McCardell
THE OTHER HAND reviewed by Sonya Lea Ralph
FENG SHUI FOR CHILDREN’S SPACES reviewed by Steve McCardell
One thing I appreciate here is that the author looks at the different stages of a child, and considers the Feng Shui needs of various age groups. She breaks these into three stages: Me, Myself, and I (birth to 18 months); Magician (18 months to three years); and On the Road to Reason (three to six years). She also considers Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and addresses ways to fulfill the various levels within, so that the child need not face struggles by being becoming stuck in an early developmental stage.
TOOTH TRUTH reviewed by Kate Lin
Tooth Truth provides some shocking and disturbing information about the current practice of dentistry. By the end of the book, I could see why Dr. Frank Jerome, D.D.S., states in his introduction, "This book is a warning to every person that there is much danger every time they enter a dental office." The dangers include almost every aspect of dentistry, from treatments recommended to the materials used.
GOD IS NO LAUGHING MATTER reviewed by Paul Fedorowicz,
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This is a cute book for the kids, with simple illustrations and a simple plot. Yet, I don’t mean to deceive: the book helps to fill our need for stories that introduce the basic mysteries to our children, and Dream-House does so subtly.
Those who have studied symbols already know the importance of the esoteric cube. This symbol is used in the Qabalistic text Sepher Yetzirah [Book of Formation] to describe all of creation and how creation comes into being. We see in the cube six faces corresponding to the four directions and above and below; these are all in balance around a center. There are also three dimensions to the cube, and 12 edges connecting the sides. According to teachings of Qabala, these numbers correspond to the seven sacred planets used in traditional astrology (six sacred planets revolving around the sun); the three elements (fire, air, and water, which together beget earth); and the 12 signs of the zodiac. Further, these aspects correspond to the 3 mother letters, the seven double letters, and the twelve simple letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This totals 22, and those studying tarot will immediately see a connection to the 22 cards of major arcana.
Deena Metzger’s novel, The Other Hand, has been called an epistolary masterwork. It is an epistle of the twentieth-century experience in which the central character, Daniella, an astronomer, seeks to reconcile the scientific, imaginative, and spiritual minds. In the form of a letter written to a Catholic cardinal, who was also a Jewish survivor, Metzger carries the reader from the boundary of imagination to daily, living breath. Cardinal Lustigier is both fictional and real. The author connects us to the possibility of our own healing through revealing her complex awareness of light — "as the alphabet of God" — but first we must, like Daniella, descend into the darkness.
Like many other books on the topic, this title is a good introduction to the basics of Feng Shui. It covers such topics as yin and yang; chi and the senses; the five Feng Shui elements; and the ba-gua, which "reveals the emotional communications generated by different parts of a space." But this book also takes an uncommon approach by focusing its efforts on empowering children.
Dentistry has never been at the top of my list of things I would like to learn about in this lifetime. In fact, for most of my life, dentistry has been on a different list: "Things I would prefer not to know." But while ignorance is bliss, ignorance can also be costly. The costs come in the form of declining health and money spent for dental treatments that aren’t in one’s best interest.
Perhaps more than most, I’m always eager to see new publications from Julia Cameron. I consider her to be a muse and mentor, and I've based much of my own support-group work around the creativity issues that she delineates in her seminal book, The Artist's Way. She has since written a number of other books, including the fine Right to Write, which I reviewed in the June 1999 issue of The New Times. Three new books have recently arrived almost simultaneously on bookstore shelves: God is No Laughing Matter: Observations and Objections on the Spiritual Path ($19.95, hardcover); God is Dog Spelled Backwards ($9.95, softcover); and Supplies: A Pilot’s Guide to Creative Flight ($14.95, softcover). I wanted to share with you the first of these.
Books, newspapers, newsletters, magazines: these — including the newspaper that is now in your hands — are ways for us to learn and grow. So what's on the Web for individuals interested in the body/mind/spirit connection? Read on...