Growing Up Psychic: From Skeptic to Believer
Michael Bodine
$16.95 QP, 9780738719610, Llewellyn Publications, www.llewellyn.com

This memoir by Michael Bodine, a professional psychic consultant whose clients have included celebrities and major corporations, tells how he came to terms with his psychic gift and sums up what he has learned and what he believes about being psychic.

From his years growing up in a dysfunctional family, through his wasted teenage years as an alcoholic and drug-addicted womanizer, he details his slow acknowledgement of his gift and its central, redeeming importance in his life, and culminates with an account of an investigation of spirit invasions that led him to finally embrace his gift.

The book is not so much about the author’s journey from skepticism to belief as it is about his moving from denial and rejection to full acceptance of his abilities. He is most critical of his own nature that caused him to waste a portion of his life, and goes into detail about his out-of-control years and battles with substance abuse, hitting rock bottom, and slow recovery.

Although Bodine, who comes from a family of psychics, including his famous sister, Echo, includes only a few of his psychic experiences, some of the confrontations on the spirit level are quite harrowing, especially his communication with an entity he first accepts as a friend and guardian spirit, but who develops a persona that is a reflection of his own worst destructive teenage self.

Growing Up Psychic is not a how-to book about developing psychic ability, but it does show that the ability, once recognized and accepted as natural, can be a part of everyday life and become a valuable service that can aid others. – Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.

Supercharged Taoist: An Amazing True Story to Inspire You on Your Own Adventure
The Barefoot Doctor, Stephen Russell
$15.95 QP, 9781401925291, Hay House, www.hayhouse.com

The author of Supercharged Taoist, a high-energy, world-traveling, ex-hippie Englishman who calls himself the Barefoot Doctor, has studied and taught aikido, yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, Taoism, shamanism, baby massage, healing, and drumming.

This book, his thirteenth, is an account of his meetings with an impressive array of remarkable men and women from a wide variety of backgrounds, all of whom in some way became his teachers and helped him shape his spiritual path. The book is divided into 12 chapters, so his journeys become, in effect, his personal 12-step program toward enlightenment. Some of his teachers were well known, such as R. D. Laing, who, Russell says, “made it safe to explore the realms of my own psyche that I would have never dared to look at otherwise” and who showed him how to cast aside illusions about the world and “be real.”

Another teacher was Scott Mac Hardy, a mountain man concerned about what the human race was doing to the planet. Russell taught Mac Hardy tai chi in exchange for Mac Hardy teaching him how to be a mountain man.

After making a climb to Wheeler Peak in the Sangre de Cristo range, Russell notes that spending years working on a project is similar to climbing a mountain—when you finally get to the peak, you can’t stay very long to enjoy it—which leads him to the conclusion that “the journey getting there is probably far more significant, and making your way down on the other side is most likely where the truly valuable learning can be done.”

This jauntily written book enhances the theme of remaining open to everyone you meet because, no matter how unlikely it may seem at first, they may become your teachers. However, Russell says that his ultimate hope is that his book will encourage people to tune in to their own inner guru, “the guiding voice that instructs you every step of the way, sometimes acted out for you in the guise of actual teachers who come along, sometimes just within you on the inner planes.” – Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.

Goddess to the Core: An Inspired Workout to Maximize Your Fitness, Beauty & Power
Sierra Bender with Jeff Migdow, M.D.
$21.95 QP, 9780738715032, Llewellyn Publications, www.llewellyn.com

Goddess to the Core is a wonderfully presented workshop-style text that is written in a holistic and inspiring manner. Sierra Bender has channeled her deep knowledge of healing and transformation as well as her hands-on experience from her successful retreat, Boot Camp for Goddess, into an easily accessible book. It is geared toward women to help them speak their truth. She has developed “Four Body Fitness,” which is not merely physical fitness, but rather fitness that encompasses the whole person on multiple levels.

The book can be read straight through, successively engaging the different bodies—spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical. In this way it works from the inside out. It can also serve as a deeper focus on one of the bodies. Each chapter stands on its own and is multidimensional, incorporating different healing elements such as an expository text, medical reflections by Dr. Jeff Migdow, an assessment quiz, and yoga postures.

Ms. Bender draws on many different healing modalities and schools of thought to guide women to break free from suppressive conditioning and instead embrace themselves as empowered, liberated, and healed. Her approach opens up the truth and enables healing for those aspects that have been injured. The beautiful result of this effort is claimed to have multigenerational results. Four generations before and after the woman who is courageous enough to undertake the process of healing will heal as well. That might be the most compassionate thing a woman can do both for herself and her family lineage. – Victoria Holmberg, www.victoriaholmberg.com, New York, N.Y.

Ashtanga Yoga: The Intermediate Series (Anatomy and Mythology)
Gregor Maehle
$26.95 QP, 9781577316695, New World Library, www.newworldlibrary.com

This is the second book about Ashtanga yoga by the very accomplished German health practitioner Gregor Maehle. In this, Ashtanga asanas are explored in depth for those craving more than just the poses.

Gregor’s extensive background in history, comparative religion, philosophy, and Indology, combined with his solid understanding of anatomy and years of advanced yoga practice with masters in India are blended with a techno tone as he references “logging on” to an object of contemplation, such as meditation. The subject matter is intense by virtue of complex layering of comprehensive information (anatomy + history + relationship to the divine + chakras + energy levels + Sanskrit + precision). Gregor presents this as matter-of-factly as possible and promotes the practical side of becoming proficient in the intermediate series as the masters have passed down over time. He also stays in reality by acknowledging obvious historical contradictions in the writings themselves (the treatises), rather than trying to cover them up, excuse them, or dismiss them altogether.

Part 1 describes the roots of yoga: the power of the Sanskrit foundation and why it should not be deviated away from, and the rich mythology of each asana, which provides a story of how each pose was realized

Part II addresses the physical practice covering such topics of “Unnecessary Pain” versus “Necessary, Karmic Pain,” and the primary body parts relevant to the Intermediate Series: spine, sacroiliac joints, the hips and shoulders and respiration.

Part III, complete with photos of either Gregor or his wife, Monica, of the four connective sections before and in between the three essential sequences of the Intermediate Series postures. – Allyson Gracie, Gotham City Pilates, New York, N.Y.

Connecting to the Power of Nature
Joe H. Slate, Ph.D.
$14.95 QP, 9780738715667, Llewellyn Publications, www.llewellyn.com

Connecting to the Power of Nature views the natural world as a gateway to self-empowerment. It outlines and explains a number of simple rituals to connect the reader with aspects of nature that enhance the ability to increase self confidence and allow one to manifest desired goals. Its eleven chapters offer procedures for working with the power of trees, forests, plants, sand, water, rocks, quartz, clouds, and the night sky. The author, a licensed psychologist, is a university professor emeritus of psychology and a founder of the International Parapsychology Research Foundation. His previous books for Llewellyn include Psychic Vampires and Beyond Reincarnation.

Underlying the psychological focus of the rituals is the understanding that nature is an actively responsive force that will mirror and enhance the intent one creates. The five-step program with forest, for example, involves formulating goals, whether seeking personal insight or simply experiencing serenity; selecting a forest, preferably with a partner or group; walking while sensing the forest’s energies and forming goal-related images; listening to any unspoken messages from the forest; and concluding with a ritual of recognition and confirmation. Similarly the Pebble and Pond program involves stating a goal, selecting and studying a pebble, interacting with it while voicing an affirmation, tossing the pebble into the water and noting the symbolism of the ripples and sinking pebble, and concluding with a ceremony of affirmation. The final chapter draws from the previous ones and sets up a seven-day discovery and empowerment plan: Tree Leaf Empowerment, Cloud Empowerment, Sand Engagement, Pebble Representation, Seed Potential, Global Evolvement, and Multipurpose Empowerment.

Throughout the book the author gives examples of the way his rituals have aided situations faced by students and clients and traces the development of his own relationship to the natural world and his present concern about it. The simplicity of the rituals, together with the reassuring tone with which they are presented, makes the book of particular interest to those who are newcomers to the experience of conscious interactions with nature. – Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.

Writing the Divine: Experience 33 Lessons for Divine Guidance
Sara Wiseman
$16.95 QP, 9780738715810, Llewellyn Publications, www.llewellyn.com

TV shows such as Medium and Ghost Whisperer are bringing the subject of spirit communication to a wider audience. As more customers begin searching for information about the other realms, it’s important to remember that dialogue with out-of-body entities was not invented by New Agers. Sara Wiseman points out that 13th century poet Rumi channeled, as did Jesus. (“Channeling is a direct connection to the Divine that is a two-way communication between the person channeling and the Divine. Channeling may be received as a voice, sound, word, music, image, picture, diagram, vision, sign, synchronicity, or other.”)

The rise of spiritualism at the turn of the prior century brought an air of sensationalism with it that pushed channeled communication into the hidden and dangerous world of the occult. As it emerges from that world, Wiseman and other authors are addressing the need for sanity and responsibility. (“... the most important ground rule you can set in channeled writing is that you’ll use it only to receive Divine guidance for the Highest Good.”)

Part One of the book weaves Wiseman’s personal story with her philosophy about communication with the other side. Part Two contains the 33 spiritual lessons that Wiseman channeled through from spirit guide Constance. Constance’s voice is encouraging, lucid, and compassionate. The lessons are reasonable, creative, and full of both insight and guidance. This is a good one.

Consider displaying it with Helen Schucman’s A Course in Miracles, Debra Lynne Katz’s You Are Psychic, and works by Doreen Virtue, Esther and Jerry Hicks, and Jane Roberts (all of whom are referenced by the author). – Anna Jedrziewski, www.spiritconnectionnewyork.org, New York, N.Y.

Haiku: An Anthology of Japanese Poems
Stephen Addiss, Fumiko Yamamoto, and Akira Yamamoto
$18.95 HC, 9781590307304, Shambhala Library, www.shambhala.com

A perfect gift for fans of this spare, lovely form of poetry, Haiku features the poems of Basho, Issa, Masaoka Shiki, and more, presented in three themed sections: “The Pulse of Nature,” “Human Voices,” and “Resonance and Reverberation.” Illustrated with black and white woodcuts that enhance the delicate simplicity of the content, Haiku would display beautifully with giftware such as tea sets, bamboo chimes, and other Asian merchandise. – Janine DePaulo, New Age Retailer, Bellingham, Wash.

The Cauldron of Memory: Retrieving Ancestral Knowledge & Wisdom
Raven Grimassi
$17.95 QP, 9780738715759, Llewellyn Publications, www.llewellyn.com

The cauldron is a symbol of regeneration, renewal, and integration; in The Cauldron of Memory, it’s also the symbol of the ancestral heritage that resides within each person. The goal is to find one’s inner cauldron, to become its keeper, and thus be able to achieve a balance between material and nonmaterial reality. The central ideas of the book are that all dimensions of existence share a resonance that connects them; we all exist in a web of interlaced energy patterns of past, present, and future; and what your spirit longs for already resides within you.

In order to reach what lies deep within, Grimassi, an authority on pre-Christian religious concepts and author of books on witchcraft, Wicca, and Neo-Paganism, uses bardic tales of the quest along with a series of rituals that advance the reader through various stages of inner development using archetypes and symbols such as the ancestral stone, the sacred tree cord, the serpent encounter, the Crone, and the crossroads. Working with the serpent, for example, connects with DNA energy at the molecular level; the ancestral stone evokes the sacredness of the natural world and its function as a shamanic doorway. – Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.

Symbols, Art, and Language from the Land of the Dragon: The Cultural History of 100 Chinese Characters
Ni Yibin
$50 HC, 9781844838493, Duncan Baird/Sterling Publishing, www.sterlingpublishing.com

Steeped in ancient culture, tradition, and exacting stylistic standards, Chinese calligraphy is not only an art form but also tells the story of how Chinese culture developed. Symbols, Art, and Language from the Land of the Dragon delves into the origins and evolution of 100 of these complex characters, ranging from representations of natural features, such as “stone” and “sea,” to more abstract concepts, such as “love” and “peace.” Color pictures of Chinese art, full-page depictions of some characters, and a red satin cover make this coffee table-sized book a visual feast. – Janine DePaulo, New Age Retailer, Bellingham, Wash.

Confucius from the Heart: Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World
Yu Dan
$22.00 HC, 9781416596561, Atria Books, www.simonandschuster.com

In 2006, Yu Dan, a professor at Beijing Normal University, became a media sensation in China when she gave a seven-day series of television lectures titled The Analects of Confucius. Drawing from her knowledge of Chinese classics, her personal insights, and a rich variety of fables, folk tales, and anecdotes, she was able to present the ancient classic as timely by correcting misunderstandings about what Confucius meant and showing how he is especially relevant to modern-day society.

Her scripts were compiled into a book that sold 10 million copies in one year. Confucius from the Heart is now available in a lively English translation that keeps the flow of the original, clarifies sections that might otherwise have been confusing to a Western reader, and in general makes clear that you don’t have to be Chinese to benefit from the wisdom and advice in this book.

The book is divided into six parts, or Ways: Heaven and Earth, Heart and Soul, the World, Friendship, Ambition, and Being. Each part is focused on one aspect of individual development essential for a worthwhile life. “The Way of Heart and Soul,” for example, cautions that one should be enthusiastic in action but cautious in speech, and “The Way of the World” stresses that cultivating one’s moral character is the first step toward taking responsibility for the nation and society.

All the parts ultimately stress that true harmony includes the entire natural world and a willingness to follow its rhythms. The author comments that the simple truths presented “will help us develop our inner hearts and souls and allow us to make the right choices as we go through life’s journey.” – Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.

The Ghost Hunter’s Survival Guide: Protection Techniques for Encounters with the Paranormal
Michelle Belanger
$16.95 QP, 9780738718705, Llewellyn Publications, www.llewellyn.com

Encounters with ghosts are quite common, and in general nonthreatening, writes Belanger, yet should be approached in a practical way, as some spirits can be quite harmful if the ghost hunter doesn’t know what he’s doing. The Ghost Hunter’s Survival Guide provides an extensive amount of practical advice on how to deal with invasive entities from the spirit world.

Belanger, a medium and paranormal investigator, as well as author of several books including The Psychic Vampire Codex and Haunting Experiences, approaches ghost hunting in a down-to-earth manner that takes the spookiness out of the supernatural. Belanger says that ghost hunting is an activity that anyone can master once certain basic matters are clarified. These include understanding the nature of the haunting and becoming familiar with the four approaches useful to resolving hauntings: magical, psychic, religious, and skeptical. Any one or a combination of these may be necessary in any particular case.

For example, the author stresses the importance of looking for what may well be practical causes or simple psychological problems before approaching a haunting as an example of true ghostly activity. Other hauntings, however, may very well be caused by non-human entities, some of which function with values other than those of human beings, and therefore cannot be reasoned with. She adds that in certain circumstances ghosts have as much right to their space as the living do, in which case a compromise rather that a clearing may be in order.

The Ghost Hunter’s Survival Guide covers shielding, psychic cleansing, warding, clearing spirits, and the use of objects for protection against hauntings—Belanger makes clear that “the items themselves are not the real source of power ... the item itself is a focus of interest and belief,” adding that the item does not have to be religious in nature as long as it is meaningful to the people involved.

Framed around the stages of an actual ghost hunting, this Survival Guide is broken into chapters covering one phase each of the investigation. Sure to be of interest to anyone curious about paranormal phenomena and investigation, the book imparts a clear understanding of how to deal with almost any situation. – Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.

The Witch’s Coin: Prosperity And Money Magick
Christopher Penczak
$17.95 QP, 9780738715872, Llewellyn Publications, www.llewellyn.com

This is a perfect post-holiday book. As people face a stack of credit card bills and post-celebration, dark-of-winter doldrums, a discussion of what prosperity really is and how it can be achieved will be very appealing. The author’s answers, while not a magic panacea, will move readers back onto the road of hopefulness and self-determination. (“The secret is the paradox of simultaneously being focused on your goal, putting all the necessary energy into manifesting it, but not being attached to the outcome. It’s the mix of will and surrender.”)

Penczak draws on basic psychological common sense, energy work, and Universal Law. The subtleties of the writing contain very sophisticated, but clearly communicated, metaphysical philosophy. The book is dense with information about many subjects (chakras, astrology, Feng Shui, spells, potions, etc.) that serious practitioners will find useful, but it is written in a manner to provide easy access for beginners. (“Nature is both bountiful and dangerous. When we think we are entitled to something, we stop working.”) There are also many esoteric teachings hidden within discussions of more mundane matters. The astute reader will learn much.

Depending on your customer base, I would consider displaying this one with books from the financial world (Suzie Orman, Warren Buffett, Donald Trump, etc.) rather than with “abundance” books. – Anna Jedrziewski, www.spiritconnectionnewyork.org, New York, NY

Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path
Mariana Caplan
$18.95 QP, 9781591797326, Sounds True, www.soundstrue.com

Eyes Wide Open will be a valuable resource for customers who are looking for more than “quick-fix” spirituality. The author describes it as “an attempt to go deep into the labyrinth of the spiritual path, to consider the possibility of a truly integrated, embodied, psychospiritual transformation.”

The book begins with an overview of spirituality in Western society and a discussion of the spiritual pitfalls that exist within it. Subsequent topics include developing a healthy and flexible mental posture, the psychology of ego, self-deception on the spiritual path, crisis as opportunity, integration and non-rejection, the subjugation of women and feminine power, and the value of embodiment. Overall, this is a thorough, academic study written without pretension or hype. Both the organization and the language of the book make it very accessible to a large audience.

Be aware that readers will have a broad range of reactions to this book. Customers who are seekers still looking through the rose-colored glasses of early spiritual/metaphysical awakenings will be disappointed by the challenges to their self-proclaimed enlightenment. Customers with a strong psychological foundation who want to explore the “new spirituality” will probably be grateful for a map through the minefields of that ideology. Customers who have been disillusioned or betrayed in their search for inner growth may have their lives changed for the better, or perhaps, they will only reinforce their anger and sense of injustice. It’s probably best to be on record as neutral with regard to this one unless it is a customer that you know very well. You will, however, be providing a valuable service by positioning it where customers will find it. – Anna Jedrziewski, www.SpiritConnectionNewYork.org, New York, N.Y.

Emotional Wisdom
Mantak Chia and Dena Saxer
$14.95 QP, 9781577316121, New World Library, www.newworldlibrary.com

This book details three easily attainable Taoist practices: The Six Healing Sounds, The Inner Smile, and Releasing One Emotion. Taoist Master Mantak Chia was taught The Six Healing Sounds when he was only 15. After years of study in both Eastern and Western healing/energy traditions, he has elaborated on that original teaching. Co-author Dena Saxer, a Chia-trained Taoist instructor, has contributed wisdom from her intuitive practice. The result is an ancient instruction that has been modernized and enhanced by newer teachings and personal insight.

The mix of energy work, psychological insight, and nutrition makes this an especially valuable tool. The authors meet the reader on familiar ground and slowly add advanced material, rather than overwhelming the reader with complex material. The book is a very “comfortable” tool.

Chia and Saxer have co-authored two other books, Taoist Ways to Transform Stress into Vitality and Chi Self-Massage. Chia has also created one of the most extensive collections of writings about Taoist energy practices in existence. The writing runs the gamut from introductory teaching to very advanced techniques. Emotional Wisdom will be a good book to use to introduce Chia to your customers. Many of them will be interested in reading more.

Consider displaying this with books on energy healing or with books about nutrition and color therapy. It will also work well displayed with books about stress reduction. – Anna Jedrziewski, www.spiritconnectionnewyork.org, New York, N.Y.

Kundalini Rising: Exploring the Energy of Awakening
Various authors
$19.95 QP, 9781591797289, Sounds True, www.soundstrue.com

This book is comprised of 24 essays about the kundalini experience. As the idea of kundalini moves increasingly into the mainstream consciousness, it is being taught (often by teachers with limited experience) to people who have little understanding of its effects. This book seeks to answer questions for people without in-depth esoteric/metaphysical training, filling a void that has, until recently, been largely ignored.

The book begins with professor and poet Dorothy Walter’s account of her search for spiritual growth and her own kundalini awakening. Her account is followed by 23 more teachings by individuals sharing both their experiences with the kundalini energy and their knowledge about the awakening process. The discussion topics include the role of kundalini in the therapeutic applications of yoga practice, kundalini pathology, neurophysiological findings associated with spiritual practices, and psychic phenomena as a by-product of the kundalini process. Contributors include yoga instructors, best-selling authors, M.D.’s, Ph.D.’s, psychologists, a specialist in “spiritual emergency,” neuroscientists, sustainable living consultants, software developers, and, of course, spiritual leaders.

The potential audience for this book is very broad. The attractive cover will help to draw customers’ attention to it. It will work well in a display of yoga books and products, as well as with books about Eastern spirituality. – Anna Jedrziewski, www.SpiritConnectionNewYork.org, New York, NY

The Force Is with Us: The Higher Consciousness That Science Refuses to Accept
Thomas Walker
$15.95 QP, 9780835608671, Quest Books, www.questbooks.net

The Force Is with Us shows how the existence of the paranormal and the “force” behind it (a higher energy that gives shape to our lives) have been investigated and shown to be valid through scientific research—even though the proof has been denied by conservative elements of the present-day scientific community.

Using the scientific method to test and verify hypotheses, researchers have proven the existence of clairvoyance, telekinesis, precognition, ESP, the afterlife, the human energy field, and remote healing, but “scientism”—the established scientific belief system—blinds itself to the proof and tries its best to blind the public to it as well.

The Force Is with Us covers the background and investigations into a variety of paranormal phenomena in a clear and well-written manner, then reveals extreme and unscientific measures that have been employed to discredit these phenomena, such as ignoring test results, falsifying data, and character assassination, and why these denials continue to occur. A final chapter draws paranormal activities together as aspects of higher consciousness and offers anecdotal evidence from many sources that establish the heart, rather than the brain, as the true center of this consciousness. – Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.

Spirit Animals: Unlocking the Secrets of Our Animal Companions
Stefanie Iris Weiss
$14.95 HC, 9780811868433, Chronicle Books, www.chroniclebooks.com

“[A]nimals are spirit teachers that dwell in our unconscious mind, waiting for us to discover them,” writes Weiss, and individuals and their spirit animals choose one another. Spirit animals, she explains, are different from totem animals, as they each have distinct characteristics and are available as needed.

This compact volume dedicates one page of text for each animal, 40 animals in all; the entries include a brief statement that sums up the animal’s strength or purpose, followed by descriptions of its personality and real-world behavior, cultural and historical information of significance, and suggestions on how the animal may help the reader spiritually and practically, along with an illustration that suggests a quality of the animal. Two companion animals with similar or complementary traits are also described.

Spirit Animals can be used as an aid to meditation to call a spirit animal, or can be used as an oracle, with the reader flipping the pages until compelled to stop at the entry that will teach the reader something about herself. – Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.

In the Face of Fear: Buddhist Wisdom for Challenging Times
Barry Boyce, Editor
$15.95 QP, 9781590307571, Shambhala, www.shambhala.com

Boyce, editor of the Shambhala Sun, has assembled an anthology of 33 essays reflecting on how to cope with many problems that face us today. The book is divided into six parts, each containing four to six essays from contributors such as Sylvia Boorstein, the Dalai Lama, Pema Chodron, Thich Nhat Hanh, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and Jack Kornfield.

The first two parts show how to break through denial and develop the awareness to look at things as they are. Parts three and four deal with how to transform difficulties into opportunities for awakening and how to face fear and create a balance with fearlessness. The last two parts suggest how one may work more skillfully and effectively with money, employment, and family, assuring that it’s not necessary to change who we are once we understand the true nature of our minds and hearts and are able to embrace awareness and wisdom, love, and compassion.

Taken together, the selections make clear that we do not have the power to banish change, loss, or pain from our lives, but we can change the way we react, and by doing so we can then change the way we experience, understand, and deal with difficulties. As all the contributors note, we have always had the freedom to choose how we experience the world, to the benefit of ourselves as well as to those around us. As one contributor says, “Dropping our story line is critical in being aware of what is actually happening in the present moment.” In the end, we may finally come to realize that if we are simply willing to accept and reflect on the natural flow of life and death, there is then really nothing we have to fight or reject. – Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.

The Complete Guide to Crystal Chakra Healing: Energy Medicine for Mind, Body, and Spirit
Philip Permutt
$19.95 QP, 9781906525538, CICO Books, www.cicobooks.com

A refreshingly straightforward and simple, yet comprehensive, introduction to the use of crystals in the art of healing, this book is ideal for those just starting the practice. Permutt, author of The Crystal Healer, describes each chakra and its corresponding stones, explaining how different crystals can enhance, align, and heal the body’s seven main energy centers. A plethora of information, including physical, mental, and emotional symptoms of blockages; the attributes of more than 100 crystals; and techniques and practical exercises for healing are enhanced by full-color pictures of crystals, as well as illustrations that help make the exercises easy to understand.
– Janine DePaulo, New Age Retailer, Bellingham, Wash.

The Last Wild Witch
Starhawk with illustrations by Lindy Kehoe
$18.95 HC, 9781890931599, Mother Tongue Ink, www.wemoon.ws

The Last Wild Witch is the first children’s book by Starhawk, a writer and activist recognized as a leading voice in modern earth-based spirituality. This tale serves as a reminder that too much perfection and orderliness can be disheartening and that a little wildness is a very good thing. The story begins in a perfect town governed by perfect rules. Nearby is the last magic forest, in which lives the last wild witch, a gentle, grandmotherly lady who brews herbs and leaves and berries in her magic cauldron. Every now and then a west wind brings the fragrance of the brew and a song from the woods to the children of the town, and a bit of the wildness enters into them.

Assisted by its abstract, childlike illustrations, this story tells how the children escape from the perfect town and save the magic forest from destruction in such a way that the townspeople discover how to enjoy and embrace a bit of wildness for themselves. The story is not so much told as invoked, with phrases that circle and repeat, noting in the end that at night, “when the wind came out of the west, carrying wildness with it, everyone gathered to dance and sing all night long with the deer and the rabbits and the birds. And they weren’t even tired in the morning.” – Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.

The Rock People
Sue Valiquett (writer) and Kate Lazuka (illustrator)
$16.95 HC, 9780615280714, Rock People Press, www.therockpeople.net

This book for young readers contains two overlapping stories. The first is of a little girl named Nae-Nae who, while at the beach near her family’s vacation cottage, discovers stones with faces weathered into them. Some appear happy and content, while others look worried and sad. Nae-Nae shows the rocks to her mother, who then tells her the legend of the rock people and their faces and the message they bring to humans—to live gently with the Earth. The next day Nae-Nae returns to the beach, and seeing all the different expressions on the stones, now understands what they mean.

The book is illustrated with photographs, many of the rock people’s faces. The pictures showing the girl traveling to the cottage and discovering the stones are in black and white, while those illustrating the legend are in color.

The Rock People will appeal both to young children and to their parents. It is a story to read aloud because a number of the words could be beyond a child’s vocabulary. The scenes with the stone faces, together with their simple but important message, will make many readers eager to head out and find their own rock people. – Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.

Threshold: The Crisis of Western Culture
Thom Hartmann
$25.95 HC, 9780670020911, Viking Penguin, www.penguin.com

The “threshold” of this volume’s title is, according to Hartmann, a crisis of culture that faces all of humanity to either become a truly balanced society or to descent into chaos. The crises, Hartmann writes, occur in three main areas: the environment, the economy, and the population.

Threshold is an elegant analysis of the origin of these crises and an examination of societies that have faced similar situations successfully or unsuccessfully. Hartmann, a former psychotherapist, current award-winning talk show host, and author of 19 books, concludes that in order to see our way through our current situation, we must recover an authentic culture of democracy that returns to the vision of Thomas Jefferson and the democracy practiced by the Iroquois Confederacy. Confronting the environmental and economic storms of the coming century will, he says, require a comprehensive approach “that covers the environment, commerce, population control, energy, politics, the empowerment of women, and a dramatic reevaluation of how we power our society.”

The title also refers to thresholds in a hierarchy or pyramid of human needs, including physiological, safety and security, social and family, relationship, intellectual, self-actualization, and spiritual, as outlined by psychologist Abraham Maslow.

Hartmann takes a close look at the failures of society, including a chilling first-hand look at the Darfur region of Africa and the experience of the Maori tribes of New Zealand that degenerated into continual warfare and cannibalism, and the successes, including Denmark’s current societal system and the ancient city of Caral, Peru, that was home to a culture that lived in peace for a thousand year before climate change forced its abandonment.

The book also examines the limitations of the band-aid measures our culture is currently employing and discusses the difficult but workable measures that Hartmann feels must be taken to again let America become the model it once was for the world. As one of his subtitles reads, “People Inevitably Get It Right—If They Don’t Destroy Themselves First.” – Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.

Standing with Stones: A Photographic Journey Through Megalithic Britain and Ireland
Rupert Soskin
$40 HC, 9780500051580, Thames and Hudson, www.thamesandhudsonusa.com

Any reader who has ever wanted to visit the megalithic sites of Britain and Ireland, or has already visited such sites, or indeed is the slightest bit curious about ancient standing stones, barrows, cairns, henges, passage graves, and tumuli, will find this book, with its evocative photographs and friendly, knowledgeable text, to be a most welcome introduction to their variety and majesty. The book richly fulfills the author’s purpose “to share photographically the wonder and beauty of our enigmatic prehistoric sites, and to explore some of the questions which somehow never seem to be addressed outside academic circles.” Out of the tens of thousands of possible sites, the author has chosen to explore 103, presented with 248 pictures. In addition to the more familiar sites, such as Stonehenge, Avebury, Silbury Hill, Maeve’s Cairn, Newgrange, Long Meg, Callanish, and Skara Brae, he includes less familiar but accessible ones such as Arbor Low, Mull Hill, Castleruddy, Wayland’s Smithy, Stoney Littleton, Tomb of the Eagles, and Nine Stones.

Reading the accompanying text for each site is like being led by a trustworthy tour guide, which the author has indeed often been. He does not try to drown you in facts but tells you how to get to each site, what to look for while there, and what to keep in mind about it. He advises, for example, that “The most direct approach to Yellowmead (in Dartmoor) is from the car park on the north side of Gutter Tor, but it is also the swampiest and almost impossible to cross without getting your feet wet,” and in Gwynned, Wales, at Moel ty Uchaf, a site situated high on a hill, he advises that it “is one of those sites which is very hard to leave, and I recommend any visitor to wait for the sunset, when the place is simply stunning.” Regarding Bryn Celli Ddu, in northern Wales, he comments on the unusual presence of a monolith in the burial chamber that, because of its shape and texture, could be a fossil tree trunk and that “a tree made of stone would most likely have been seen as a profoundly mystical object, with every reason to be placed symbolically in the heart of a tomb.” All the comments and observations seek to enhance the reader’s enjoyment of the photographs.

This highly recommended book, which also offers a list of further reading and useful websites, concludes its text with a brief essay that lays to rest some misconceptions about the sites and explores their varying significance over the many hundreds of years during which they were of significance to a wide range of tribal communities. – Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.

It’s Never Too Late to Be What You Might Have Been
B.J. Gallagher
$15.95 QP, 9781573443579, Viva Editions, www.vivaeditions.com

B.J. Gallagher is an inspirational author and speaker. In It’s Never Too Late, she covers the whole range of human desires and dreams: meaningful work; improving health; increasing wealth; finding love. While Gallagher gives case histories that serve as examples of how some people have managed to change their lives for the better, she also covers false starts and disappointments along with how the difficulties were surmounted.

The underlying theme is you can achieve your dreams, no matter what your age. You do what you can do, which means taking baby steps before running a marathon. One woman learned to fly an airplane at the age of 54 after listening to her desires. Once she started taking lessons, her family supported her. Gallagher is a firm believer in combining intuition and logic; listening to yourself is step one. Step two is doing the research and gathering the necessary information

Several celebrity examples give spice to the book and echo the other examples of non-famous people. Websites are listed for many of the subjects interviewed in the book should the reader care to learn more. The case history interviews make the readers feel they are listening in on Gallagher’s conversations with her subjects. – Catherine Ferguson, Psychic for Pets and People, www.cfergusonconsult.com, Jersey City, N.J.