Grace, Gaia, and the End of Days: An Alternative Way for the Advanced Soul
Stuart Wilde
$15.95 QP, 9781401920067, Hay House, www.hayhouse.com

In his latest book, Grace, Gaia, and the End of Days, author Stuart Wilde describes the Aluna, the mirror world to this one that lies just beyond the Matrix and the Morph, a nine-dimensional space that became a teacher for Wilde and many others. Based on the information obtained from there, he feels that Gaia has been so inundated by ghouls and other dark forces that the End of Days will come as a cleansing for the planet. With the help of a power called the Solar Logos, he says, this cleansing will become a form of renewal where the children and many of the “warm” souls will survive. (Wilde writes that only 6% of the people in the Western world are warm beings with a soul—the rest are all “human devils pretending to be normal.”)

It is intriguing that Wilde sees humanity as moving sideways to attain spiritual growth rather than ascending upwards. He writes eloquently about attaining grace through generosity, tenderness, and respect, sharing personal stories about his spiritual experiences and offering suggestions to assist readers with their own spiritual growth.

At the end of the book, he describes the first time he experienced the Morph and writes about ghouls and their origins. Also included is a short chapter by Khris Krepcik in which he explains a lot about the “Matrix and the Human Soul.”

Susan LosCalzo, Lofty Notions, Rutherfordton, N.C.


Rabbit’s Song
S. J. Tucker and Trudy Herring
$16.95 HC, 9780979683473, Magical Child Books, www.magicalchildbooks.com

S. J. Tucker (of the albums Blessings and Sirens) co-authored this children’s book with Trudy Herring. Rabbit’s Song is a children’s tale about the Trickster god and his quest to teach mankind the lessons of humor and joy by selecting representatives from the animal kingdom. Along the way, he rules out animals with claws, sharp teeth, and no sense of humor, instead choosing Raven, Crow, Coyote, and Rabbit help him teach lessons to the heart of Man. He explains why each of the four were chosen and how they will all work together toward the common goal of explaining the way of laughter. Rich, colorful watercolor illustrations by W. Lyon Martin will fascinate young children and are printed on recycled paper.

Lois A. Rogalski, Miss Lois’ Curiosity Shoppe, Benton, Ky.


Nessus the Centaur
Henry Hollenbaugh
$12.95 QP, 9780981452333, Alondra Press Publishing, www.alondrapress.com

Nessus the Centaur is a novel about past lives, but this isn’t your usual past life. After sustaining a head injury, protaganist Jonathan Nestus is convinced he was Nessus the Centaur in a past life, but has trouble convincing his girlfriend, Daphne, that he really was a centaur, a creature with a human torso and the lower anatomy of a horse. The characters book-within-a-book, A Short History of the Centaurs, is intended to impress Daphne, not only with his literary skills but also with his knowledge of his past life. He is also trying to impress her with his non-existent wealth. As often happens with past lives, the present repeats the past—as Nessus, he was bent on impressing the love of his life, Dejanira, who unfortunately happened to be human and off limits to a lovesick centaur.

Author Henry Hollenbaugh is obviously well-versed in Greek history and mythology. His explanations of interspecies breeding and the evolution of strange half-human, half-beast creatures such as the centaur, minotaur, and satyr will make readers wonder if this is really a novel or a lesson in ancient history and biology.

Those with a background in Greek history and mythology will find the book fascinating, while readers without this background may be a bit confused at times. But the author has a unique style of writing that brings Greek mythology into the 21st century with his characters using contemporary dialogue and comments.

Nessus the Centaur provides an entertaining twist on past lives with a lot of interesting information about mythological creatures. It’s definitely a fun read, best suited for readers interested in past lives, Greek history, and mythology.
 
Arlene Shovald, Ph.D., Fresh Start Therapies, Salida, Colo.


The Akashic Experience: Science and the Cosmic Memory Field
Ervin Laszlo
$16.95 QP, 9781594772986, Inner Traditions/Bear & Co., www.innertraditions.com

Ervin Laszlo, editor of World Futures and founder and president of the think tank Club of Budapest, is the author of 83 books. Several of them, including Quantum Shift in the Global Brain, Science and the Akashic Field, and Science and the Reenchantment of the Cosmos, examine the Akashic field and the nature of Akashic experiences. He explains that the Akashic field is a deeper reality known and used throughout human history but set aside in our modern, limited Cartesian sense of reality. It is “a field of quantum holograms, a kind of superconducting cosmic medium,” a superhologram that “carries information on all things that exist, and that ever existed,” and that allows us in a nonlocal manner to “have contact and communication beyond the reach of our eye and ear.” The Akashic Experience gathers together firsthand accounts from 20 authorities ranging “from artistic visualizations and creative insights to nonlocal healings, near-death experiences, after-death communications, and personal past life recollections.”

The book is divided into four parts and includes contributions from such authorities as Stanley Krippner, Swami Kriyananda, Eric Pearl, Stanislav Grof, Edgar Mitchell, and Larry Dossey. Part One, “Living the Experience,” includes six firsthand accounts. Part Two, “Working With the Experience,” offers eight accounts of practical applications. Part Three, “Researching the Experience,” gives four accounts looking closely at their conditions and effects; and Part Four, “Reviewing and Assessing the Experience,” examines their meaning and life significance. Readers will find this book to be an absorbing introduction to the nature and character of the deeper reality of Akashic fields.

Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.


Tales of a Modern Sufi: The Invisible Fence of Reality and Other Stories
Nevit O. Ergin
$14.95 QP, 9781594772702, Inner Traditions, www.innertraditions.com

In common with many other traditions, the Sufis use stories and tales to illuminate aspects of inner truth. These include the Nasrudin anecdotes that produce a smile but have deeper significance, or the tales from 1001 Nights, in which stories and fables can be read as metaphors for aspects of the spiritual journey. The stories in Tales of a Modern Sufi are of a darker hue, in which “the ordinary and the extraordinary collide and interact and in which it is often difficult to differentiate between the two,” leading the reader to “a different perception of time and space where reality becomes possibility, creation is a potentiality, and life a hallucination.”

Nevit Ergin is the translator of Rumi’s Divan-I-Kebir (The Works of Shams of Tabriz) as well as coauthor of The Forbidden Rumi and The Rubais of Rumi. His stories here deal with confrontation, the mystery of death, and the illusion of life. One character may try to bury his own corpse, while another thinks he finally sees Nothingness, but is told he didn’t see it and has to take himself “out of the way first” by living a normal life and suffering like everyone else. But another character learns that “as long as we don’t know death, we also don’t know life,” and that all we know about life is “incomplete, an imperfect perception.” The Foreword, by Coleman Barks, says that the fables are “for unlearning! For the mature human imagination,” and that they contain “a terrifying courage and loneliness.”

Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.

Reincarnation Beliefs of North American Indians: Soul Journeys, Metamorphoses, and Near-Death Experiences
Warren Jefferson
$15.95 QP, 9781570672125, Native Voices, www.bookpubco.com

While belief in reincarnation can be found in the faiths and cultures of many people the world over, Native Americans aren’t usually the first that come to mind for that belief. Yet many accounts of reincarnation, soul journeys, and shamanic journeys to the Otherworld can be found in historic documents from the last two centuries recording the history and culture of Native Americans. Jefferson has collected a number of these myths, legends, and personal anecdotes to illustrate Native American beliefs that were later subjugated by Christianity and Christian mission schools but continued to thrive in private. The comprehensive volume also includes sections on the nature of reality independent of any specific belief system, a comparison of Native American religions with other world religions, and the role of shamans and medicine men in Native American culture.

Jayne Denker, Dragon-Droppings.com, Caledonia, N.Y.


Energy Healing for Dogs: Using Hands-On Healing to Improve Canine Health and Behavior
Nicole Wilde
$19.95 QP, 9780981722726, Phantom Publishing, www.phantompub.com

Energy Healing for Dogs gives the reader a solid grounding in basic energy healing. Nicole Wilde explains what is meant by the term “energy,” how to develop awareness of its presence in oneself, and how to use it for healing. Wilde does not suggest that reading the book and practicing with a few dogs will make you a master healer, but explains that by “working through the exercises in the book, you will be able to do basic energy work with dogs.”

Part I explains what energy is, how it works, and how it benefits dogs. Wilde says healing energy “does not come from the healer, but flows through the healer, just as water flows through a garden hose,” and that as the energy flows, the energy field of the recipient synchronizes to match that of the healer’s. Part II shows how one prepares for energy work by becoming a clear channel, grounding and shielding oneself, and troubleshooting. Part III takes the reader step-by-step through appropriate procedures for conducting a healing session, stressing that as one directs the healing, one must hold the thought that the energy is sent for the dog’s highest good rather than for a specific ailment. Part IV moves to other steps, including distant healing, using color, working with shelter dogs, and doing other experiments with energy. 

Although written primarily for those who have never been involved in energy healing, the book can also be recommended as a pleasant, upbeat reminder of the basics for those more experienced in the field.

Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.


Healing and Transformation Through Self-Guided Imagery
Leslie Davenport
$15.95 QP, 9781587613241, Celestial Arts/Tenspeed, www.tenspeed.com

Leslie Davenport has excellent qualifications for the subject matter in this book, as she is a pioneer in using guided imagery in psychotherapy and integrative medicine, having taught guided imagery at five hospitals and used it in private practice. Make that a “modern day” pioneer, since guided imagery has been around for thousands of years. Davenport brings this valuable skill back throughout her book, showing the reader how they can incorporate it into their life.

The book is an easy read, with 11 fascinating case studies documenting the validity of self-guided imagery, and worksheets to assist the reader in using the lessons. The reader is also directed to the author’s website (www.lesliedavenport.com) where free scripts and other information can be downloaded. Professionals in the field of mental health will benefit with some fresh ideas and the lay reader will find the do-it-yourself instructions easy to follow.

Always one to “try it out,” I followed the author’s instructions for self-guided imagery when dealing with a situation involving a “pompous” man and to my surprise (and I might add, amusement) what came up was an image of a chicken coop filled with hens. A “cocky” rooster entered and the hens weren’t affected at all by his pompous behavior, leading me to ignore the behavior of the pompous man I was dealing with. And it worked!

Arlene Shovald, Ph.D., Fresh Start Therapies, Salida, Colo.