Science & Spirituality Conference June 14-19, 2018 (Thursday-Tuesday) A one of a kind event in North America! NANAIMO, Vancouver Island VANCOUVER ISLAND CONFERENCE CENTER 101 Gordon Street, Nanaimo BC Join us for one of the best conferences in 2018, with five of the top world pioneers, brightest minds, leaders, authors and teachers in the field of science and spirituality – Gregg Braden, Dr. Bruce Lipton, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Lynne McTaggart and Lee Carroll – for an extraordinary life-changing event. Almost all will present a full day workshop of their own, in addition to a special two-day keynotes, presentations, panels and Q&A’s! You will hear the latest groundbreaking information, experience, practice and receive tools to implement in your day to day life and spiritual path evolution, increasing awareness and expanding consciousness.
Information & Registration: www.kryon.com/SSC
www.shalohaproductions.com BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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ROOTS IN THE BEAUTY OF THE LIVING EARTH
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“forest bathing” lately? It’s a way of being deeply present, in a forest, bathing in the aerosols, fresh air, and subtle emanations of the greenwoods. There are books on it now, too! The forests are our ancestors by many millions of years, and their genius makes us possible. Forests teach us, feed us in various ways, and model “how to live.” See some new books on this theme on page xxx. AVE YOU BEEN
BRANCHES
OF LIGHT News & Reviews from
Banyen Books and Sound {{ ISSUE 52 }} Spring~Summer~Fall 2018
! Publisher ~ Editor Kolin Lymworth
! Design Laura Duncan Good Look Graphics laura@goodlookgraphics.com
Covers Fiona Gamiet Articulate Design adgamiet@gmail.com
! On the Cover Hellebore, or “Lenten Rose,” a traditional medicinal whose blooms can last a month
! The Banyen Folk Purchasing: Marina Gingrich & Anusha Fernando (books +) Karen McMahon & Nick Nolet (music, arts, tools, gifts, gems, beauties +) Receiving & Shipping: Dylan Phillips & Evan Macleod with guest artist Samuel Romero
Accounting & Admin: Annie Wang & Jenny Chu Events, Publicity & E-News: Jacob Steele, Carly Laughlin & Viti Spinelli Web-Huntress: Alethea Lymworth In the Store, at Your Service: Cynthia Champagne, Fleur Choy, Michael Galloway, Sky Goodwin, Layla Habib, Terri Lynn Haines, Bokudo Holy, Caroline Janeesha Lightbody, Alethea Lymworth, Brandy Mackintosh, Leanna Manning, Tom Oakley, Levi Shulman & Chris Turpin
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UBSCRIBE—at our website homepage or in the store—to our monthly e-news, Blossoming, which also highlights many upcoming events. Listen to podcast/interviews of lively teachers on our website: see “Interviews.”
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yoga and meditation supplies, as well as excellent natural fibre clothing, candles, crystals, smudge and incenses, altar statues, essential oils & aromatics, glowing salt lamps, musical instruments and sound healing tools, body care magic, artcards, jewelry, calendars, and much more. ANYEN NOW OFFERS
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HANK YOU FOR RECEIVING
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gifts and resources we at Banyen work hard to offer with clarity and love. We delight in curating and warming the welcoming oasis and meeting place and crossroads that Banyen is. So... PLEASE BE IN TOUCH and let us know if there are ways we can do it better: complaints, suggestions, orders, and strokes of genius are welcome! We humans are just making it up as we go, waking up as loving artful creatures, breath by breath. Let’s enjoy doing that together, in smart new/old ways.
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n a new book coming in July called Order of the Sacred Earth, Kristal Parks writes:
I spent my days walking in the forest, sitting by streams, watching and listening. Mostly listening. After about two years, nature and silence taught me this: At the core of all that exists, in every blade of grass, howling coyote and quivering aspen leaf, there exists an energy and vibration of joy, not unlike a giggle. Take a tree, for example. They do talk but veeeery slowly. Like a good lover, they take their time so you just have to wait patiently... Trees don’t talk with words or sounds but they do communicate if you wait and listen long enough. What they herald is a mischievous, wild, and ecstatic joy. !
HOW TO ORDER BY MAIL FROM BANYEN You can phone us toll-free, fax, mail, or email us. We can tell you on the spot what’s in stock and ready to ship today. You can also visit our website, banyen.com, “browse the shelves” and shop securely 24/7.
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B RANCHES
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is published each May and November by
Banyen Books and Sound 3608 West 4th Avenue Vancouver, B.C. V6R 1P1 Canada
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in this issue... 5 8 9 9 10 11 14 15 15 16 18 19 20 20 21 23 23 24 24 24 25 26 27 27 28 29 29 30 30 30 31 32 33 34 35 35 36 36 38 39 39 40 41 43
Banyen’s Events ) ) ) Music on CD Art, Creativity & Music Poetry, Writing & Stories Yoga & Hindu Traditions Buddhism & Zen Tibetan Buddhism Taoism & Chi Energetics Healing & Medicine Healing Energies & Herbs Bodywork & Movement Food & Healing Addiction & Recovery Inspiration & Self-Help Psychology & Dreams Aging & Elders Jungian Psyche Mythos The Heart of Religion Meditation Western Teachers & Teachings Dying & Grieving Transpersonal Psychology Entheogens/Psychedelics Shamanism & Ritual Native Medicine Wicca, Magick & Pagan Paths Christian & Jewish Sufism, Islam & Rumi Astrology & Tarot Metaphysics & Philosophy Transmissions & Revelations Business, Work & Money Ecology, Community, Politics Eco-Philosophy Earth Energies & Eco-Design Gardening & Permaculture Nature as Teacher & Healer Conscious Evolution ) ) ) Science, Brain/Mind & Gaia Family & Parenting Women & Men Relationships & Sex Index of Authors & their titles Our Banyen lotus by a review means that title is our “Editor’s Choice.”
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yoga & meditation supplies, incenses, herbs, candles, singing bowls, and calendars, too.
banyen.com Signup to receive “Blossoming” our monthly e-news & events flash. Click “OUR LATEST REVIEWS” to see lots of new title reviews filtered by subject area.
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The Miracle is always Within There are miracles inside everyone just waiting to appear, and the stepby-step guidelines in Shortcut to a Miracle will bring them to life. The principles are universal, but the application is individual — based within. Start from where you are and learn to head towards a richer, fuller, more rewarding life filled with wondrous opportunities as you allow the miracles to transform your life. “It has been said that in order to be a realist we must believe in miracles. Miracles are a fact of life . . . Shortcut to a Miracle will help anyone understand the central place of the miraculous in every human being.”
— LARRY DOSSEY, MD Author of Prayer is Good Medicine
Originally published in 2005, the authors have over 40 years of experience as students and teachers of the Science of Mind philosophy. Trade Paperback 320pg ISBN: 9780875169002 $15.95
DeVorss Publications www.devorss.com • 800-843-5743
CORTES ISLAND & VANCOUVER, BC 250 935 6576 | HOLLYHOCK.CA Programs in Wellness, Creativity, and Leadership
Request a FREE CATALOGUE or pick one up at BANYEN Books & Sound BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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VASANT LAD - AYURVEDA
FACES OF THE GODDESS
THURS, MAY 24 I 6:30-8PM FREE @ BANYEN
MOVE YOUR DNA
MAY 19 - 20, 2018 @ VPL, CENTRAL BRANCH
SUN, MAY 27 I 11:30AM-1PM FREE @ BANYEN
SUN, MAY 27 I 6:30-8:30PM @ STANLEY THEATRE
VAIDYA VASANT LAD and other renowned leaders in the field of Ayurveda present at Vancouver’s International Ayurveda Conference.
DANIELLE BLACKWOOD launches The Twelve Faces of the Goddess: Transform Your Life with Astrology, Magick, and the Sacred Feminine.
KATY BOWMAN, author of Movement Matters, presents on the science, ecology, and nature of movement.
DR. SHEFALI, bestselling author of The Conscious Parent and The Awakened Family, speaks live in Vancouver.
PLANT COMMUNICATION
MATT KAHN
THE WISDOM OF TREES
THE POETRY OF HAFIZ
YARROW WILLARD, herbalist & Harmonic Arts co-founder, presents on communication & relationship building with plants and nature.
MATT KAHN, spiritual teacher, author, & intuitive, presents on Everything is Here to Help You: A Loving Guide to Your Soul’s Evolution.
DIANA BERESFORD-KROEGER, visionary naturalist, presents a Talk, Q&A + Screening of Call of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees.
PETER BOOTH, a leading translator & interpreter of Hafiz of Shiraz, offers an evening of poetry and insight from the great mystical poet.
MINDFUL OF RACE
YOUR SOUL’S GIFT
LEOPARD WARRIOR
WED, SEPT 19 I 6:30-8PM FREE @ BANYEN
FREEING DAVID MCCALLUM
WED, SEPT 26 I 6:30-8PM FREE @ BANYEN
RUTH KING, international teacher in the Insight Meditation tradition, launches Mindful of Race. “Essential, wise, and heartfelt.”– Jack Kornfield
ROBERT SCHWARTZ, author of Your Soul’s Plan, offers insight into the purpose & meaning of our lives. Plus a Hollyhock Retreat, SEPT 7-9.
JOHN LOCKLEY, respected shaman, shares wisdom from the Xhosa tradition of South Africa at a Banyen talk. Plus a workshop, SEPT 22-23.
KEN KLONSKY launches the book which tells of how he and Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, worked to help free a wrongfully convicted man.
THURS, JUNE 7 I 6:30-8PM FREE @ BANYEN
FRI, AUG 3 I 6:30-8PM FREE @ BANYEN
FRI-SAT, JUNE 8 & 9 @ UNITY OF VANCOUVER
THURS, AUG 16 I 6:30-8PM FREE @ BANYEN
SUN, JUNE 10 I 7PM @ UNITY OF VANCOUVER
DR. SHEFALI
FRI, JULY 20 I 6:30-8PM FREE @ BANYEN
NEW EVENTS ARE ADDED ALL THE TIME!
STEVEN HALPERN
STEPHEN JENKINSON
SUN, OCT 14 I 10AM-4PM @ UBC ASIAN CENTRE
FRI, OCT 19 I 7PM @ UNITY OF VANCOUVER
STEVEN HALPERN, composer & sound healing pioneer, presents a concert with Q&A. Plus a Sound Healing Workshop on SEPT 29.
STEPHEN JENKINSON, founder of the Orphan Wisdom School, speaks on his book Come of Age: A Case for Elderhood in a Time of Trouble.
MARK NEPO, NY Times bestselling author, speaks on the power and spirit of community in our lives & world. Plus a workshop, OCT 20.
FRI, SEPT 28 I 7:30PM @ UNITY OF VANCOUVER
MARK NEPO
Visit www.banyen.com to keep current with event details and updates. Join Banyen’s monthly e-mail newsletter Blossoming, and find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Event details may be subject to change.
Some Curious, Unusual and Refreshingly Uncategorizable
New Books and Other Lovely (These in late addition to all the 170 other titles reviewed in this issue!)
You may have noticed that in some months there are a LOT of lively, sparkling author and teacher events at Banyen. If you sign up for Blossoming, our monthly e-news (signup on our website or in the store), you will see the whole range of them. And lately we now have a number of excellent podcasts (audio interviews) as well on the website under “Interviews.” Check them out.
The oasis or watering hole or meeting place that is Banyen offers a spectrum of ways to “connect” —with great books and ideas, with healing tools, energy, practices, and people— and with life and yourself. Don’t forget, if you’re in Vancouver, we’re open generous hours and you can sit and read or meditate all day if you like—or listen to music as you wish. Then drop in to Aphrodite’s next door for a piece of pie and chai! The well is open… have a drink of “time for just being.” Now, here’s the thing: There are lots of wonderful and deeply interesting new books and objets d’art at Banyen this spring, and I’m going to just riff on about some of them (warning: some of these are unusual, quirky, and/or provoking). Check on the website for more info on most of them:
The French Art of Not Giving a Sh*t is subtitled “Cut the Crap
and Live Your Life.” It’s by Fabrice Midal, founder of the Western School of Meditation and longtime student—and biographer-- of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. “What I call “not giving a shit” corresponds to the well-known shikantaza, or just sitting. You abandon all your projects. You are just there where you are.” s
Older and Wiser: Classical Buddhist Teachings on Aging, Sickness, and Death features three teachers of different Buddhist traditions commenting on selected discourses of the Buddha. Embodying the teachings in this way, we find that even in our elder years it is still very possible to find ease and joy, even while dealing with the inevitabilities of aging, sickness, and death. s Sanctuary: A Meditation on
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning is subtitled
“How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter.” This surprisingly invigorating process of clearing out unnecessary belongings can be undertaken at any age or life stage. Her radical and joyous method helps families broach sensitive conversations and makes the process uplifting. Along the way readers get a glimpse into life in Sweden and also become more comfortable with the idea of letting go. s Creating Luminous Spaces
is subtitled “Use the Five Elements for Balance and Harmony in Your Home and in Your Life.” Real stories of how the elements impact our lives are included with space clearing exercises, meditations, and practical ways to shape an environment to enhance well-being. s
Home, Homelessness, and Belonging by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel draws on her life as a Zen Buddhist priest whose ancestors labored as slaves in Louisiana. She explores the tension between oppression— based on race, religion, ability, class, orientation, gender, and other “ghosts of slavery”—and finding home within our own hearts. s
Ending the Search is subtitled “From Spiritual Ambition to the Heart of Awareness.” Dorothy Hunt takes the stress out of spirituality and points us toward the ever-present Heart of Awareness that is at once our most essential nature and the true home we long for… “You might ask yourself right now, ‘Am I the reader, or is reading simply happening?’” s The Art of Losing Control: A
Philosopher’s Search for Ecstatic Experience, by Jules Evans. “One reason for our lack of vision, I suggest, is that in the decades ahead we see the prospect of climate change. And that frightens us, so we look to the past. But perhaps ecstasy has a role to play in healing our connection to the planet and altering our relationship to nature. Let’s find out…” s
The Rough Patch: Marriage and
the Art of Living Together, by Daphne de Marneffe, offers the wisdom and tools to penetrate the fog and darkness of marital discord and make one’s way into the clear light of a renewed connection. “It’s natural that we look to our intimate partner to soothe us, replenish us, and help us relax. Yet we repeatedly confront the reality that it takes effort to be a skilful and sensitive partner who can collaborate in the creation of a soothing and replenishing relationship.” s
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Medieval Thymes All Purpose Purifying Essential Oil Remedy Spray “infuses a restorative
life force into your breath.” The medicinal aroma (from clove bud, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus, rosemary, thyme, and myrrh) “will clear your mind and enlighten both your physical and auric bodies.” s
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Things at Banyen Relaxus Chocolate Bath Bomb is a thick, luxurious cacao caress for the skin. Nothing but cocoa powder, Coconut milk powder, vanilla oil, and baking soda… gently bubbling in a hot bath. s
Colour Energy’s Aromatherapy Holy Grail Body Butter is a popular silky body butter safe for use from head to toe. “Ideal for use on bottom of the feet.” It’s formulated from essential oils of frankincense, myrrh, lemon, turmeric and cloves in a base of mango butter and coconut oil. Colour Energy also offers a Holy Grail Bath & Body Oil with the same essential oil mix in a blend of hempseed, avocado, and coconut oils. s
We offer a number of lovely organic body care items from Fat and the Moon, a crueltyfree line from California: Sage & Rose Face Mist and an organic Deodorant (will blow your mind how good it is), and Hella Highlights, two make up products, one golden called Glow Sun Glimmer and one silvery called Beam Moon Shimmer. s The Pamela Colman Smith Commemorative Tarot Set is a box containing two books, The Artwork and Times of Pamela Colman Smith and The Pictorial Key to the Tarot in a new format. As well, it includes The Smith-Waite Centennial Edition Tarot Deck reproduced from the original 1909 deck. Overall, a lovely deck plus classic books on the history and use of the Tarot. Also available separately is a stand-alone SmithWaite Tarot Deck in a metal box. s
Also in the Tarot vein, The Gaian Tarot: Healing the Earth, Healing Ourselves by Joanna Powell Colbert is a beautiful 78-card contemporary and mythical Tarot set. Gaia (Mother Nature) is the primal Greek goddess said by ancients to have given birth to the sky, sea, mountain, and all of creation. “Gaian spirituality understands that humans, plants, anmals, stones, and stars are all inextricably linked—when one strand is pulled, the entire web ‘quivers.’ ” s
We also offer a varied selection of velvety Tarot Bags, with different designs, from $7 to $16, designed to carry your oracle decks in an auspicious, personal way. s
Lailokens Awen, based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, offers a unique handcrafted line of loose and stick incenses (examples: Moon Goddess and Horned God among others), as well as spell candles and bath salts—all made with intention and love by a Druid with 25 years experience. Check them out. s
Intrinsic Hope: living courageously in troubled times, by Kate Davies, offers a powerful, liberating, and positive approach to life based on having a deep trust in whatever happens. As Vicki Robin writes in her foreword, “She transmutes hope for the future into trust in ourselves and relationship with whatever comes. We become sturdy and peaceful rather than anxious and stuck. The practices she suggests turn our attention to this presence, out of which we again rise and rise to occasions large and small. We need intrinsic hope in these challenging and unpredictable times.” s Neruda: The Poet’s Calling by Mark Eisner, skillfully captures
The Never-Ending Present:
The story of Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip is an immensely pleasurable read, full of anecdotes, info and lyrical insight. It’s a book for those who have always loved the Hip—and for everyone else. As Downie said at that last show watched by millions, “Everyone is invited. Everyone is involved.” s The Bhakti Coloring Book:
Deities, Mandalas, and the Art of Playful Meditation is a lovely book published by Sounds True. As Shiva Rea says, this is “a treasure for all ages, providing an accessible way to realize the power of yogic art to transform consciousness from the heart of the bhakti tradition. These interactive visual meditations and illuminating descriptions are a profound portal of discovery for both the beginner and the longtime seeker.” s Invest Like You Give a Damn: Make Money, Change the World, Sleep Well at Night is “the investment guide for everyone with a pension or portfolio, no matter how modest.” —Joel Solomon, author of The Clean Money Revolution. Sustainable and Responsible Investing (SRI) pioneer Amy Domini says this book is “a masterful argument for why and how investors can and should use their voice.” s
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Pablo Neruda’s life and many passions: for poetry, people, love… This extraordinary account of Neruda’s life is not just for readers of poetry—it will tempt even those who don’t normally read poetry to dive into the magic of Neruda. s
And coming this July, watch for Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action by Matthew Fox, Skylar Wilson & Jennifer Listug. The question addressed in this book might be After Religion, What? Or, How can we now build a conscious community that gives us a sense of our common sacredness and purpose? That question is explored and answered by essay contributors including Mirabai Starr, Brian Thomas Swimme, Adam Bucko, and David Korten, but the essence of the Order of the Sacred Earth is a common vow we all will make: “I promise to be the best lover and defender of Mother Earth that I can be.” s To live means to die with every heartbeat and with the next one to be born anew: with every breath to breathe out what is old and to breathe in what is new. This demands courage, the courage to let go. Growing is dying into great aliveness. —Brother David Steindl-Rast
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Music on CD BAMBOO FOREST by Deuter
$21.50, CD. New Earth Music. 60 minutes
On Deuter’s Bamboo Forest, the pieces expand in spirit and the soul of the bamboo flute creates a wider musical experience than ever before. Perfect for meditation, relaxation and the healing arts. On Bamboo Forest some of the pieces are Shakuhachi solo, while in others I have expanded the spirit and the soul of this bamboo flute to include a wider musical experience. It is really an art to create sound with the Shakuhachi, and because of that, because it’s so free there is a very wide spectrum in the sound. You can change it, you can alter it, you can stretch it, you can push something, you can be very forceful or you can be incredibly soft and sweet. You have to be totally immersed in the moment to play it. There is hardly any instrument that creates such a silent mind, a quiet mind, a space of meditation. With Bamboo Forest I share a piece of my soul with the listener and hopefully it translates to a similar experience of silence and relaxation.
The Shakuhachi is a Japanese flute that has been used for hundreds of years in Zen as a meditation practice. Each of these 5 holed flutes is a unique instrument that, through the richness of its sound and
M U S I C I S T H E A R T O F LIVING great overtone structures, calms the mind of player and listener. This recording was originally released as Flowers of Silence.
TRUST IN THE HEART by Krishna Das
$23.95, CD. White Swan. 74 minutes
With Trust in the Heart, Krishna Das has woven together what is perhaps his most stripped-down, elegantly uncompromising collection of recordings. The carefully crafted simplicity of its delivery is powerful. On this album, all music was recorded in a live studio setting with KD’s leading vocals accompanied by all musicians at once. It is a return to the roots of kirtan, a collection of prayers and chants that would feel equally at home being sung in a temple as being cranked up on a car stereo on a cross-country sojourn, with melodies that recall both American rock as well as traditional Indian influences. In addition to “Namoh”, a prayer to his Guru, there are long-form prayers to the Guru (“Guru Puja”) and the Divine Mother (“Devi Chant”), as well as 2 new Hanuman Chalisas and a supercharged Mahamantra that features Krishna Das’s daughter, Janaki, on vocals alongside him. It is an album rich with beautifully understated performances and stunning moments. KD is joined by the usual suspects—Arjun Bruggeman on tabla, Mark BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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Egan on bass, Genevieve Walker on violin, David Nichtern on guitar, John McDowell on percussion and keyboards, Nina Rao on kartals, and Noah Hoffeld on cello. With Trust in the Heart, Krishna Das offers, with his voice stronger than it has ever sounded, a perfect space for that mysterious elusive divine presence to manifest within our selves. And his authenticity and humility in this offering allows us an opportunity to easily tune into that presence as well. As I try to find that love within me more intimately, I find it all around me reflected in the hearts of all I meet. The Heart of the Universe holds us all within itself. May we always Trust in the Heart.
YOGA: ON SACRED GROUND by Chinmaya Dunster
$21.50, CD. New Earth Music. 65 minutes
In Yoga: On Sacred Ground, Chinmaya Dunster’s plaintive violin, guitar and flute bring to life music that ranges from relaxing to invigorating as each successive track corresponds to a different chakra. Excellent not only for yoga practice, this is music anyone can enjoy! Yoga is like an art form, with the asanas and the chakras as its poetic expressions. This one hour of music is my personal illustration of those poetic expressions. I have composed it with two complimentary aims. Firstly, to provide music to accompa-
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F ny the practice of Hatha Yoga. Recognizing that each person has their own unique routines for this, I have included both music that is invigorating for more dynamic moments, and relaxing for the stiller ones (and for those who include pranayama and/ or a form of meditation in their practice). Secondly, the seven tracks aim to evoke and stimulate the subtle energies of the seven chakras, details of which are given in the sleeve notes for each of the tracks… I have explored other forms of movement-based meditation such as Osho’s dynamic meditations, Tai Chi, landscape gardening… Reconnecting with Yoga philosophy in the making of this CD has been a great pleasure for me, one that I hope you will find reflected in the music.
“The body is just like a musical instrument. It has to be rightly tuned; only then will the higher music arise out of it. If the very instrument is somehow not in right shape and order, then how can you imagine, hope, that the great harmony will arise out of it? Body is a veena, a musical instrument.” ~Osho from “Yoga the Alpha and Omega”
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ART & WRITING
has so famously used to bear witness to the infinite value of life. “A maker of monumental works of calligraphy that incorporate but far transcend tradition and founder of international activist organizations like Plutonium Free Future and World Without Armies, Kaz is legendary. With unassuming yet indomitable energy, he has used his imagination to confront global problems like disarmament and climate change. His simple, clear, positive, non-hectoring tone (no doubt a result of his lifetime study and groundbreaking translations of Zen Master Dogen) will give you the feeling that a Ten Millennium Human Future is possible if only we will roll up our sleeves and get to work manifesting our vision of a peaceful world. This book could not have come at a better time.”— Norman Fischer, author of What Is Zen? Plain Talk for a Beginner’s Mind
Resonating, Regenerating Music RESONANCE
by Peter Kater
$21.50, CD. New Earth Music. 60 minutes
Pianist Peter Kater’s music has enchanted and opened many of us over the years. On Resonance, his front-and-center grand piano is set within a brooding, trance-porting landscape of synth, gongs, chimes, and sampled strings. This music emerged within a three month period of deep inquiry and reflection. It was born of the fire and ashes of self-dissolution and self-discovery; of a deep longing for connection and sustained intimacy and a powerful surrender into and acceptance of what ‘is’. There is love and there is fear. There is light and there is darkness. And as we learn to embrace all of our selves and all of each other, we nurture the experience of grace and compassion and a deep loving and passionate peace. Throughout our life’s experience, within ourselves and each other, we share a deep RESONANCE with all that exists.
“Through this reflective music, Kater creates an atmosphere that allows the mind and spirit to withdraw from the harried world. The eight exceptional tunes on Resonance are a guide, a channel if you will, to a new beginning. The music allows for us to discover our sense of beauty, our compassion, and our love for others. This is truly music of the spheres.” —RJ Lannan Peter Kater has been a leading innovator of contemporary instrumental music for over three decades. See also his single CD sampler, Meditation Music of Peter Kater.
Poetry, Writing & Stories HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY
RE.GENERATIONS
The Spiritual Vision of the Beats edited by Robert Inchausti
by Liquid Bloom
$22.95, CD. White Swan. 74 minutes
$22.95, paper. Shambhala. 195 pages
With Re.Generations, producer Amani Friend re-envisions his Liquid Bloom music into a fresh immersive experience of spiritual wanderlust. The album dances the listener across eclectic soundscapes, drawing on Peruvian ritual songs, Persian flute, Spanish flavours, classical cello, nature spaces, and lyrical meditative guidance. Innovative collaborations with artists Poranguí, Deya Dova, Arsen Petrosyan, Numatik and many others seamlessly, soulfully transport you to healing, to feel a primal connection to Earth—and be inspired to dance, meditate, practice yoga, do shamanic ceremony, or be creative in any number of ways. Nourish your soul with some of the world’s most sacred sounds.
Tracks include: Sacred Blessing Fire Gathering Ensename Resonant Migration
Art & Creativity CREATIVE ALCHEMY
Meditations, Rituals, and Experiments to Free Your Inner Magic by Marlo Johnson $23.95, paper. Chronicle. 192 pages, colour illustrations
Creativity guru Marlo Johnson guides readers through 88 transformative meditations, rituals, and experiments designed to foster personal growth through the power of conscious creation. Featuring dreamy marbled-paper interiors and a refreshing combination of down-to-earth practical instruction and insightful spiritual guidance, this gem of a book is perfect for anyone looking to break out of old habits and unleash their true creative potential. Each page has a “meditation,” a “ritual,” and an “experiment”. Do you feel out of touch with your inner magic? This guide can help you get it flowing again. It is designed to teach you how to wake up and create everything you do with more passion, excitement, success, and authenticity. Whether you are an artist, or would just love to achieve a more fluent and profound level of creativity in your work and life, this book is for you. Put simply: This is a tool for the joyful liberation of your most amazing and magical self.
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Jaguar Dreaming Emerging Heart Ecstatic Grounding Roots of the Earth Ceremony of the Heart
PAINTING PEACE
Art in a Time of Global Crisis by Kazuaki Tanahashi
$33.95, paper. Shambhala. 224 pages
Kaz Tanahashi’s dramatic art, which takes traditional Asian calligraphy in strikingly modern directions, has been widely praised and exhibited throughout the world. But for Kaz, that art has always been in service of a higher good: it has been his own way of bearing witness to peace in a world overcome by war, division, and strife. Here, in a deeply personal work, Kaz provides an account of how he came to be such an artist and how the work of activism continues to progress in his life. Awakening is to realize the infinite value of each moment of your own life as well as of other beings, then to continue to act accordingly.
This book is the record of a life spent acting accordingly: Through his prose, poetry, letters, lyrics, and art, Tanahashi provides an inspirational account of a what it’s been like to work for peace and justice, from his childhood in Japan to the present day. Included are fascinating vignettes of the seminal figures who refined his views—among them Daniel Ellsberg, Gary Snyder, Mayumi Oda, and Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido—as well as thirty full-colour, striking examples of the art he BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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Here’s a cool! exploration of Beat spirituality—seen through excerpts from the writings of the seminal writers of Beat Generation themselves. It’s been said that Jack Kerouac made it cool to be a thinking person seeking a spiritual experience. And there is no doubt that the writers he knew and inspired—iconic figures like Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Gary Snyder, and Michael McClure—were thinkers seeking exactly that. In this re-claiming of their vision, Robert Inchausti explores the Beat canon to reveal that the movement was at heart a spiritual one. It goes deeper than the Buddhism with which many of the key figures became identified. It’s about their shared perception of an existence in which the Divine reveals itself in the ordinary. Theirs is a spirituality where real life triumphs over airy ideals and personal authenticity becomes both the content and the vehicle for a kind of refurbished American Transcendentalism. This consistently surprising treasury of excerpts from the writings of such figures as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs, but also of lesser-known Beats, is arranged in a way that gives a shape and significance to their spiritual quest. Here be rich earth stuff! If you can show your mind it reminds people that they have got a mind. If you can catch yourself thinking, it reminds people they can catch themselves thinking. If you have a vivid moment that’s more open and compassionate, it reminds people that they have those vivid moments. —Allen Ginsberg
Included are Kerouac’s dialogues with Ginsberg and Burroughs on writing as a form of religious resistance and revelation, along with accounts of their experiments with psychedelics and visionary practices, including meditation. This is considerably more than a collection of Beat spiritual writings. It’s a kind of introduction to Beat spirituality, presented systematically in the Beats’ own words. Discipline alone will not get one into the territory of “free and easy wandering”…
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One’s lesser talents may lead to success in craft or business, but then one might never find out what one’s more playful capacities might have been. —Gary Snyder
LET THE WHOLE THUNDERING WORLD COME HOME A Memoir by Natalie Goldberg
$22.95, paper. Shambhala. 192 pages
Here’s a moving and clear-looking memoir on being in love with your life even when life brings illness, from longtime Zen practitioner and renowned writing teacher Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones. When Natalie learns that she has CLL, a potentially fatal form of blood cancer, she is plunged into the world of hospitals, doctors, and medication. While trying to find a footing in this new and strange world, her partner, Yu-kwan, is also diagnosed with cancer. The cancer twins, as Natalie calls herself and Yu-kwan, must each now navigate their own illness while somehow trying to stay in love and heal. When you go through extreme sickness, when everything you know and lived is tossed out the window and glass shatters… this too is part of life. Don’t give up. Pay attention. We have to make ourselves larger to include the inconceivable.
As the title expresses, Let the Whole Thundering World Come Home is so much more than a cancer memoir. Through a direct and grounded narrative, Natalie illuminates a path through illness: that we need to be in love with the life we have, to embrace the dark and the light in our life. For Natalie, writing and painting represent the light, and her cancer takes her deeper into her art practices. Balanced with a Zen practice that helps her to face death, this book is a moving meditation on living life in full bloom. “With alert stillness infused with intention, Natalie Goldberg meets mortality head-on. Beautifully written, this is a book about love, loss, and down-to-the-marrow courage.” —Wendy Johnson, author of Gardening at the Dragon’s Gate “This riveting and deeply honest book is for all of us. It opens up the road of diagnosis, dying, and life in a way no other book I have read does. It is a powerful narrative of truth and rawness that will touch and teach us.”—Joan Halifax, author of Being with Dying
REVELATIONS OF THE AQUARIAN AGE by Barbara Hand Clow
$22.50, paper. Bear & Company. 310 pp.
This contemporary spiritual and erotic thriller reveals esoteric teachings on Jesus and Mary Magdalene, holy relics, sacred sexuality, and art. Barbara Hand Clow (also author of The Pleiadian Agenda and The Mayan Code) continues the story from Revelations of the Ruby Crystal. Shortly after his wedding at his family’s ancient castle in Tuscany, sophisticated and mysterious Armando Pierleoni reveals his richly symbolic painting of the love between Jesus and Mary Magdalene to his bride Jennifer. Deeply affecting all who view it, the alchemical portrayal leads Armando,
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P O E M S, F A I R Y T A L E S & Y O G A
Robert Bly: The Wisdom of Fairy Tales
Poems for Difficult Times
MORE THAN TRUE
TEN POEMS FOR DIFFICULT TIMES
The Wisdom of Fairy Tales by Robert Bly
by Roger Housden
$25.99, cloth. New World Library. 122 pp.
$34.00, cloth. Picador. 168 pages
Proving how poetry can really help us live, Roger Housden has spent twenty years creating poetry collections that meet the changing needs of readers. Housden has a knack for choosing poems that resonate and writing about them in ways that prompt smiles of agreement, nods of appreciation, and wows of insight.
Award-winning poet and author of the internationally best-selling Iron John, Robert Bly revisits a selection of fairy tales and examines how these enduring narratives capture the essence of human nature.
You may never have read a poem in your life, and yet you can pick up a volume, open it to any page, and suddenly find yourself blown into a world full of awe, dread, wonder, marvel, deep sorrow, and joy… Poetry not only matters; it is profoundly necessary. Especially in times of darkness and difficulty, both personal and collective. To read or write poetry is a powerful, even subversive, act, and it is one small thing we can do that can make a very big difference.
Ten Poems for Difficult Times is the seventh volume in Housden’s popular Ten Poems series of gift book anthologies. In addition to Roger’s insightful and connective commentary, the book features poems by W.W. Merwin, Wenell Berry, Ellen Bass, Maggie Smith, William Stafford, and more. While the poems here, in Ten Poems for Difficult Times acknowledge “the Sorrow everywhere” (Jack Gilbert’s A Brief for the Defense) and that “the world is at least fifty percent terrible, and that’s a conservative estimate” (Maggie Smith’s Good Bones) they also highlight the many and diverse ways a poem, a turn of phrase, a beautifully expressed direction of our attention can turn grief to grit, anger to action, and pain to perseverance. Poetry can give a human face to our collective struggles and remind us that this human world is not only broken, it is beautiful. That is what the poems in this volume do. There’s a headstone in a Long Island graveyard—the one where Jackson Pollock is buried—that I think encapsulates the value and necessity of poetry in a world of sorrows: ‘Artists and poets are the raw nerve ends of humanity. By themselves they can do little to save humanity. Without them there would be little worth saving.’
A resonant gift for those suffering, this is also a friend-of-depth for the nightstand of any thinking, feeling human being. Among Roger Housden’s many other books are Dropping the Struggle and Keeping the Faith without a Religion.
JAPANESE DEATH POEMS
Written by Zen Monks and Haiku Poets on the Verge of Death compiled by Yoel Hoffman $19.95, paper. Tuttle. 368 pages
“A wonderful introduction the Japanese tradition of jisei, this volume is crammed with exquisite, spontaneous verse and pity, often hilarious, descriptions of the eccentric and committed monastics who wrote the poems.” —Tricycle: The Buddhist Review Although the consciousness of death is, in most cultures, very much a part of life, this is perhaps nowhere more true than in Japan, where the approach of death has given rise to a centuries-old tradition of writing jisei, or the “death poem.” Such a poem is often written in the very last moments of the poet’s life. And if this were your last afternoon, what would you say, what would you give? Hundreds of Japanese death poems, many with a commentary describing the circumstances of the poet’s death, have been translated into English here, the vast majority of them for the first time. Yoel Hoffmann explores the attitudes and customs surrounding death in historical and present-day Japan and gives examples of how these have been reflected in the nation’s literature in general. The development of writing jisei is then examined, from the longing poems of the early nobility and the more “masculine” verses of the samurai to the satirical death poems of later centuries. Zen Buddhist ideas about death are also described as a preface to the collection of Chinese death poems by Zen monks that are also included. Finally, the last section contains three hundred twenty haiku, some of which have never been assembled before, in English translation and romanized in Japanese. A last fart: are these the leaves of my dream, vainly falling
—Kyo’on
A journey of no return: the wanderer’s sack is bottomless.
—Kyoshu
Today, then, is the day the melting snowman is a real man.
—Fusen
Jennifer, and their friends on a contemporary journey into the esoteric mysteries of divine marriage, sacred sexuality, the Black Madonna, and the transformative power of holy relics. The group of friends—Jennifer’s journalist brother Simon, his mystical wife Sarah, Jungian analyst Lorenzo, exotically beautiful and insightful Claudia, and Armando and Jennifer—discover past-life connections and the power of sacred sex as a path to the divine. They explore how the Knights Templar collected the bones of the Jesus family from the Talpiot tomb in Jerusalem and eventually placed them
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Spitting blood clears up reality and dream alike.
—Sunao
When it comes—just so! When it goes—just so! Both coming and going occur each day. The words I am speaking now—just so! —Musho Josho
in reliquaries throughout the world— including within the Medici Chapel in Florence and in the Four Corners region of the American Southwest. When Armando’s magical painting of Jesus and Mary Magdalene goes on display in the Medici Chapel and is viewed by thousands, the painting’s power coalesces with Aquarian vibrations to trigger a mass kundalini rising within the Chapel, activating the sacred bones in the reliquaries. The activated bones enable the Light to flow into the world, awakening Christ Consciousness around the globe. BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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What has endured through human history are the stories. They are amazing trees of sound that grow inside the human memory and are fed by some longing for intimacy with others. The stories examined here are fed by the praise of the group after the last word of the story is spoken. These stories are full of information; they belong to us all.
Few forms of storytelling have greater power to captivate the human mind than fairy tales, but where do these tales originate, and what do they mean? Robert Bly has been asking these questions throughout his career. More Than True looks at six tales that have stood the test of time and have captivated the poet for decades—The Six Swans, The Frog Prince, The Lindworm, The Dark Man, One-Two Man, and The white Bear king Valemon. Drawing on his own creative genius, and the work of a range of thinkers from Kirkegaard and Yeats to Freud and Jung, Bly turns these stories over in his mind to bring new meaning and illumination. Sometimes fairy tales are stories of incidents, supernatural or otherwise, told and retold, in which the psyche is trying to communicate what it knows, trying to slip something past the guards of the dictator ego, embroidering it, adding elements, altering original effects, until it finally reveals some complicated truth that the fundamental imagination has wanted to see embodied for a long time. So the psychological genius, who might have been an observant shaman or rebel priest or wise woman of the tribe, not only had to convey some important idea—for example, the stages in development of the psyche—but also had the problem of making the stages clear, while creating incidents so vivid, so astounding, so colorful, so amusing, so obscene, so satisfying to the rebellious mind, that these incidents would not be forgotten… Somehow, the old King and the golden-haired Princesses and the dangerous high-crested dragons with evil tempers have resonated for centuries in the unconscious mind. These Princesses and dragons are folded buds that, after several thousand years of development in language, have begun to unfold in the conscious mind, and this book is an attempt to help with the later opening, so that the conscious mind may receive the fragrance of the old stories, tales told centuries ago by male and female geniuses.
Along with illustrations of each story, the book features some of Bly’s unpublished poetry, which peppers his lyric prose and offers a look inside the mind of an American master of letters in the twilight of his singular career.
Yoga & Hindu Traditions YOGA & PSYCHE
Integrating the Paths of Yoga and Psychology for Healing, Transformation, and Joy by Mariana Caplan $21.95, paper. Sounds True. 196 pages
ence, and trauma studies, and she does so with an accessible voice that offers handson practices. —Don Hanlon Johnson, from his foreword
Through original research, clinical findings, Caplan’s own experiences, and actual practices, Yoga & Psyche takes us on an indepth exploration of this emerging new terrain. From approximately two hundred studies, we developed the following propositions:
Has yoga improved your health and expanded your awareness, but emotional and relationship issues continue to challenge you? Have you found psychotherapy helpful, yet yearn for further spiritual discovery? With Yoga & Psyche, Mariana Caplan explores how these domains of transformation complement each other, laying the groundwork for a new merging of the two.
1. The Western psychologist can benefit from insights, practices, and research on yoga.
Even among the most dedicated of followers, neither yoga nor psychology alone offers a complete approach to integrated psychological and spiritual transformation. As Mariana explains, yoga by itself “does not heal relational wounds, increase self-esteem, enhance communication, reveal or change self-destructive patterns, or end addictions.” While Western psychology does address these problems, by itself psychology “can’t offer the contentment, joy, and life-altering experiences that yoga and other spiritual practices can.” It’s easy to see how either path alone can lack something crucial, and how both—when integrated—can generate something remarkable, fresh, and uncommonly beneficial…. She also elucidates how yoga and psychology can be informed by the related fields of somatics, neurosci-
4. There is a new field emerging in which a variety of methods that integrate yoga and psychology can be created, researched, and implemented.
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2. The Western practitioner of yoga can benefit by integrating the larger yogic perspective of breathwork and meditation, as well as somatic psychology, neuroscience, trauma research, mindfulness, and other developments in Western psychology. 3. The long-term integration of these two fields offers the practitioner the possibility of becoming fully embodied — for the consciousness and intelligence that are ordinarily associated with the mind to become awakened throughout the whole body.
Among the other books by Mariana Caplan are Eyes Wide Open and The Guru Question.
THE BHAGAVAD GITA
A Guide to Navigating the Battle of Life a new translation and commentary by Ravi Ravindra $25.95, paper. Shambhala. 302 pages
“All there is is Krishna.” Upon hearing this famous and enigmatic line from the Gita’s seventh chapter
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F L E X I B L E, F I E R C E & A W A K E
Yoga for Aging Flexibly
mind of the student: he has surely listened so well to Krishna that the words fairly sing (after all, it is a “song”) in one’s being, touching both heart and mind! I particularly appreciated too the several footnotes that opened up the fullness of meaning of so many of the Sanskrit words in the original text. It is a work to be lived with, to be turned to again and again, as it speaks to the core of one’s being.” —Joy Mills, Former President of the Theosophical Society in America
LIVING YOUR YOGA
Finding the Spiritual in Everyday Life, 2nd Edition by Judith Lasater $19.95, paper. Rodmell. 172 pages
If you think that you have to retreat to a cave in the Himalayas to find the enlightenment that yoga promises, think again. In this second edition of Living Your Yoga, Judith Lasater stretches the meaning of yoga beyond its familiar poses and breathing techniques to include the events of daily life—all of them—as ways to practice. This edition includes three new chapters (Relaxation, Empathy, and Worship), a full index, and new interior and cover designs. Using the time-honored wisdom of the Yoga Sutra and the Bhagavad Gita to steer the course, she serves up off-the-mat practices to guide you in deepening your relationships with yourself, your family and friends, and the world around you. Chapters focus on Discipline, Letting Go, Self-Judgment, Perspective, Courage, Compassion, Control, Fear, Patience, Attachment and Aversion, Suffering, Greed, Service, Success, and other qualities. Each chapter concludes with a specific “practice” for that quality, “Other Practice Suggestions,” and “Mantras for Daily Living,” single phrases to evoke that quality.
Buddhism & Zen A FIERCE HEART
Finding Srength, Courage, and Wisdom in Any Moment by Spring Washam
$22.95, paper. Parallax. 176 pages, illus.
Spring Washam is a founder of the East Bay Meditation Center, one of the most diverse and accessible Dharma centers in the United States. In A Fierce Heart, Washam shares her contemporary, unique interpretation of the Buddhas 2,500-year-old teachings, with short chapters that get to the heart of mindfulness, wisdom, loving kindness, and compassion.
I can’t be greedy and grateful at the same time... Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it nonharming?
Inspiring and practical, she blends her heartfelt knowledge of an ancient tradition with her life experiences as a daughter, sister, partner, mother, friend, and yoga practitioner and teacher. The result: a new yoga that beckons you to find the spiritual in everyday life. A yoga teacher since 1971, Judith Lasater has written Relax and Renew: Restful Yoga for Stressful Times and other books. “She is a well-seasoned yogini, who writes from personal experience on how to use the events of daily life as yoga poses for the mind and the heart.” —Patricia Walden, Yoga Journal
YOGA FOR HEALTHY AGING
Jack Kornfield says, “We must shed the past over and over again…” There is an intelligence that supports us as we move from rhythmically from one stage of life to the next. The universe moves and dances, and we shift and dance to the same rhythm… Navigating our way through the shadows is where we reclaim our own light. It’s in the shadows and the darkness that we learn who we truly are. All our experiences have value. The most painful ones are grist for the mill, sacred compost. Our suffering, past and present, allows us to open, and thus to grow. It’s all part of the healing process… It’s time to let go of everything that is holding us back. We can no longer run from ourselves; Pandora’s box has been opened and now we all have to dance in the dark. We’re all in the underworld now, so trust that your fierce heart will lead the way.
A Guide to Lifelong Well-Being by Baxter Bell & Nina Zolotow $33.95, paper. Shambhala. 320 pages, 8x11, b/w photos
Everyone would like to age as heathfully as possible and now numerous studies confirm what many yoga preactitioners have known for a long time: yoga practice has a remarkable impact on physical and mental health—and spiritual well-being—as you grow older. Yoga for Healthy Aging is the definitive resource on how to use yoga to foster your physical, mental, and emotional health for a lifetime. The authors--both popular and respected yoga teachers (one of whom is a family physician) provide readers with a yoga toolbox for healthy aging that includes poses, breathing practices, meditation, and yoga philosophy. They then offer you a safe, real-world yoga program to suit your particular needs. These short yoga practices were developed in consultation with scientific and medical experts on aging, and allow you to focus on maintaining overall physical health and/or addressing target problem areas, such as digestion, cardiovascular health, or anxiety. The authors conclude with instructions for practicing several different forms of conscious relaxation and meditation, all of which will set you up for a lifetime of emotional and spiritual well-being. This book includes over 200 instructional photos. “All the yoga in the world will not stop us from getting older, but it can help us approach the journey with more grace, agility, and assuredness. Baxter Bell and Nina Zolotow show us how in Yoga for Healthy Aging. Conversational style and gentle humor make their comprehensive medical knowledge and yoga teaching wisdom easily accessible to everyone—from beginning students to advanced teachers. And I love that they’ve given us concrete ways of celebrating who we are—instead of dreading what we fear we’ll become—with each passing decade. A true gift for all ages.”—Linda Sparrowe, author of The Woman’s Book of Yoga & Health
when he was a boy, Ravi Ravindra embarked on a journey to understand its deep meaning. The search led him far beyond the tradition from which the text originally arose to an exploration of world mystical wisdom, including Zen, Christianity, Yoga, and particularly the teachings of J. Krishnamurti and G. I. Gurdjieff. Dr. Ravindra’s fresh prose translation with wide-ranging commentary is the fruit of that lifelong process. It stands out from the many other versions with its assertion that the Bhagavad Gita is at heart a universal guide to navigating the battle of life
Woven throughout the book are stories from the author’s life, family, and ancestors, along with many soulful, heartfelt stories from all over the world. Washam’s teachings focus on social action, multiculturalism, and youth, making the Dharma welcoming to as large and wide a community as possible. Anyone who has suffered will benefit from the life-saving teachings of this charismatic teacher. Her humor, enthusiasm, and energy are a balm.
required of each and every one of us. It is through that navigation, he shows, that we can discover and connect with the Krishna deep within ourselves: the Eternal Witness who is above the battle, and who is, ultimately and joyfully, all there is.
WHY BUDDHISM IS TRUE
Holding the body, neck, and head erect and motionless, with gaze fixed on the tip of the nose, not looking in any direction, steadfast in the view of dwelling in the Vastness, with a calm spirit from which fear has been driven out, with a mind under control and a heart absorbed in Me, a yoga should sit steadily devoted to Me. Thus practicing yoga, with the mind controlled, the yogi finds the supreme peace of Nirvana which abides in Me. —Bhagavad Gita
The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and New in Enlightenment Paperback by Robert Wright $23.00, paper. Simon & Schuster. 336 pp.
“Ravindra’s book speaks so splendidly (yes, with a radiant splendor) to the heartBRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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A single moment of mindfulness leads to another moment of mindfulness. This universal truth becomes the rallying cry of our practice on behalf of all being everywhere. It’s this truth that motivates the hero and the great bodhisattvas in the world. It’s time to take a stand for all life on Earth.
Robert Wright famously explained in The Moral Animal how evolution shaped the human brain. The mind is designed to often delude us, he argued, about ourselves and about the world. And it is designed to make happiness hard to sustain.
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F But if we know our minds are rigged for anxiety, depression, anger, and greed, what do we do? Wright locates the answer in Buddhism, which figured out thousands of years ago what scientists are only discovering now. Buddhism holds that human suffering is a result of not seeing the world clearly— and proposes that seeing the world more clearly, through meditation, will make us better, happier people. In Why Buddhism is True, Wright leads readers on a journey through psychology, philosophy, and a great many silent retreats to show how and why meditation can serve as the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age. At once excitingly ambitious and wittily accessible, this is the first book to combine evolutionary psychology with cutting-edge neuroscience to defend the radical claims at the heart of Buddhist philosophy. With bracing honesty and fierce wisdom, it will persuade you not just that Buddhism is true—which is to say, a way out of our delusion—but that it can ultimately save us from ourselves, as individuals and as a species. As Morpheus says to Neo [in The Matrix movie], “I can only show you the door. You’re the one that has to walk through it.” This book is an attempt to show people the door, give them some idea of what lies beyond it, and explain, from a scientific standpoint, why what lies beyond it has a stronger claim to being real than the world they’re familiar with.
SECULAR BUDDHISM Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World by Stephen Batchelor
$22.95, paper. Yale. 296 pages
New in Paperback
As the practice of mindfulness permeates mainstream Western culture, more and more people are engaging in a traditional form of Buddhist meditation. However, many of these people have little interest in the religious aspects of Buddhism, and the practice occurs within secular contexts such as hospitals, schools, and the workplace. Is it possible to recover from the Buddhist teachings a vision of human flourishing that is secular rather than religious without compromising the integrity of the tradition? Is there an ethical framework that can underpin and contextualize these practices in a rapidly changing world? In this collected volume of Stephen Batchelor’s writings on these themes, he explores the complex implications of Buddhism’s secularization. Ranging widely— from reincarnation, religious belief, and agnosticism to the role of the arts in Buddhist practice—he offers a detailed picture of contemporary Buddhism and its attempt to find a voice in the modern world. Stephen Batchelor is a teacher and scholar of Buddhism. He trained as a monk for ten years in traditional Buddhist communities and now presents a secular approach to Buddhist practice. The author of the bestselling Buddhism without Beliefs, he lives near Bordeaux, France.
F REAL LOVE
The Art of Mindful Connection by Sharon Salzberg
New in Paperback
$22.50, paper. Picador. 320 pages
Real Love will help you to truly engage with your present experience and create deeper love relationships with yourself, your partner, friends and family, and with life itself. Senior meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg encourages us to strip away layers of negative habits and obstacles, helping us to experience authentic love based on direct experience, rather than preconceptions. The how of this book is based on a tool kit of mindfulness techniques and other practices cultivating lovingkindness and compassion that I have been teaching for over forty years. Mindfulness practice helps create space between our actual experiences and the reflexive stories we tend to tell about them (e.g., “This is all I deserve”). Lovingkindness practice helps us move out of the terrain of our default narratives if they tend to be based on fear or disconnection. We become authors of brand-new stories about love. There are meditations, reflections, and interactive exercises designed to be suitable for anybody. They outline a path of exploration that is exciting, creative, and even playful… The meditations in particular area meant to be done more than just once—over time, practicing them will create a steady foundation in mindfulness and lovingkindness in our lives.
With positive reflections and practices, Sharon teaches us how to shift the responsibilities of the love that we give and receive to rekindle the powerful healing force of true connection. By challenging myths perpetuated by popular culture, we can undo the limited definitions that reduce love to simply romance or passion, and give the heart a much needed tune-up to connect ourselves to the truest experience of love in our daily lives. The book is divided into four sections, each addressing a distinct experience of “real love”: love for the self, love for another individual, love for all beings, and love for life itself. Working from the inside out, the first step on the journey is to learn to love yourself… And it is only when we are truly engaged with present experience that we not only are able to feel more connected to our own core selves, but also to those around us. Among Sharon Salzberg’s other books are Lovingkindness and Real Happiness.
TOUCHING THE INFINITE A New Perspective on the Buddha’s Four Foundations of Mindfulness by Rodney Smith
$22.95, paper. Shambhala. 282 pages
Rodney Smith is a respected mindfulness teacher who also wrote Lessons from the Dying and Stepping Out of Self-Deception. Awakening manifests through the application of mindfulness to four areas: body, feelings, mind, and dharmas. Buddhists of all the traditions share this principle found in the Satipatthana Sutta,
BUDDHISM & ZEN
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Buddha’s Original Teachings
THE BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS ON SOCIAL AND COMMUNAL HARMONY
An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi $24.95, paper. Wisdom. 216 pages
In a world of conflict and strife, how can we be proactive— not reactive—makers of change? The words of the Buddha have inspired readers for thousands of years, and can still today teach us how to skillfully handle the inevitable conflicts we face. Collected here for the first time are the Buddha’s teachings on conflict resolution, interpersonal and social problem solving, and building harmonious relationships. Each selection is drawn from the Pali Canon, the earliest record of what the Buddha taught. Divided into ten thematic chapters, The Buddha’s Teachings on Social and Communal Harmony covers the breadth of cultivating harmony, including chapters on: u Dealing with Anger u Good Friendship u Settling Disputes u Establishing an Equitable Society and more. A concise, informative introduction precedes each chapter, guiding the reader toward a deeper understanding of the texts that follow. The Buddha’s Teachings on Social and Communal Harmony allows even readers unacquainted with Buddhism to grasp the significance of the Buddha’s approach to creating and sustaining social and communal peace. Taken as a whole, these texts bear eloquent testimony to the breadth and intelligence of the Buddha’s teachings, and point the way to an ancient yet ever-vital path. Students and seekers alike will find this systematic presentation indispensable. Translated by the acclaimed scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, this text belongs on the bookshelf of anyone looking to bring peace to the world. The Buddha grounds the basic types of right action, such as abstaining from killing and stealing, on a course of moral reflection by which one places oneself in the position of others and decides how to act after considering how one would feel if others were to treat oneself in such ways… This principle is succinctly expressed by a verse in the Dhammapada: “All beings tremble at violence, all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill or cause another to kill.”
THE SUTTANIPATA
An Ancient Collection of the Buddha’s Discourses, Together with Its Commentaries translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi $101.99, cloth. Wisdom. 1612 pages
The latest volume in the Teachings of the Buddha series translates the most ancient layer of the Buddha’s teachings, a text that matches the Dhammapada in its concise power and its centrality to the Buddhist tradition. Celebrated translator Bhikkhu Bodhi illuminates these verses and their canonical commentaries with elegant renderings and authoritative annotation in this landmark volume. The Suttanipata, or Group of Discourses is a collection of sermons by the Buddha that includes some of the most popular suttas of the Pali Canon, such as the Loving-Kindness Sutta and the Rhinoceros-Horn Sutta. The suttas are primarily in verse, though several are in mixed prose and verse. The Suttanipata contains discourses that extol the figure of the muni, the illumined sage, who wanders homeless completely detached from the world. Other suttas, such as the Discourse on Downfall and the Discourse on Blessings, establish the foundations of Buddhist lay ethics. The last two chapters—the Atthakavagga (Chapter of Octads) and the Parayanavagga (The Way to the Beyond)—are considered to be among the most ancient parts of the Pali Canon. The Atthakavagga advocates a critical attitude toward views and doctrines. The Parayanavagga is a beautiful poem in which sixteen spiritual seekers travel across India to meet the Buddha and ask him profound questions pertaining to the highest goal. The commentary, the Paramatthajotika, relates the background story to each sutta and explains each verse in detail. The volume includes numerous excerpts from the Niddesa, an ancient commentary already included in the Pali Canon, which offers detailed expositions of each verse in the Atthakavagga, the Parayanavagga, and the Rhinoceros Horn Sutta. The translator provides a long, insightful introduction, a guide to the individual suttas, extensive notes, a list of parallels to the discourses of the Suttanipata, and a list of the numerical sets mentioned in the commentaries.
which has been expounded upon since the time of the Buddha himself. Rodney Smith challenges us to hold this teaching up against our own experience, and in doing so to discover the inherent interconnection of all Four Foundations. They are revealed to be a sequential path leading the practitioner from the world of form to the joyous perception of the formless. The Four Foundations of Mindfulness BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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thus serve as a road map for any genuine spiritual path. Notice how often your mind drifts to a different location than your body. What is behind this drift into fantasy? Is it the pain of being where you are? Call yourself back by saying, “Here or nowhere,” and be willing to open completely to the discontentment that this moment contains. The more you are willing to embrace this mo-
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ment completely regardless of content, the more you will find that discontentment cannot uproot your location, and the more joy will be available.
“Thoughtful and provocative, Rodney’s words free us from the self-clinging inherent in so many of our received ideas about dharma. Especially helpful are his many meditational thought experiments that bring his message home.” —Norman Fischer, coauthor of What is Zen? “Rodney Smith shares the beautiful fruits of his many decades of devoted practice of the Buddha’s teachings. Touching the Infinite freshly unpacks the instructions on touching the true nature of reality through developing an intimate relationship with the living components of our own direct, moment-to-moment experience. Seekers of system updates for dharma in the 21st century will find much fulfillment in this book, which has been written from the heart in a voice that is delightfully creative.”—Dzogchen Ponlop, author of Rebel Buddha
THE TRUTH OF THIS LIFE
Zen Teachings on Loving the World s It Is by Katherine Thanas $22.95, paper. Shambhala. 134 pages
“The truth and joy of this life is that we cannot change things as they are.” The import of those words can be found beautifully expressed in the work of the woman who spoke them, Katherine Thanas (1927–2012)— in her art, in her writing, and especially in her Zen teaching. Fearlessly direct and endlessly curious, Katherine’s understanding of Zen was inseparable from her affinity for the arts. She was an MFA student studying painting with Richard Diebenkorn, the preeminent Californian abstract painter, when she met Shunryu Suzuki, author of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, in the sixties. Soon thereafter she decided to drop painting to dedicate herself to Zen, which she did for the last forty years of her life. In these essential teachings taken from her dharma talks given at the Santa Cruz Zen Center between 1996 and 2008, her love of art and literature shine through in her elegant prose and her vast references, from poets William Stafford and Naomi Shihab Nye to the Zen teachings of Dogen and Robert Aitken. Ranging on subjects from the practice of zazen to the meaning of life, Katherine urges us to “develop an insatiable appetite for inner awareness, to become proficient with this mind.” This slim volume is an important contribution by a well-loved and revered teacher. A good way to study the conditions in which we want things to appear or to not appear is through working with pain, the sensation of burning, throbbing, hot, stretching, tearing—however it is arising for you. What happens when consciousness dares to enter this throbbing, burning sensation? When you enter the shape of pain, you go past the shape in your mind; you go past the aversion and fear in your mind. This direct experience lacks aversion and fear. There is simply direct knowing. When a part of consciousness isn’t holding out, saying, “Oh, do I have to do this?” your whole being is hot, throbbing, on the verge. It’s on the threshold because you have entered the shape of pain in your mind. That experience goes beyond the appearance and nonappearance of conditions. You’re right on the margin, where your authentic life actually exists.
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B E I N G W I T H P A I N, U N B I N D I N G T H E L I G H T
Joan Halifax on the Edge
Being with Pain, Being Free
STANDING AT THE EDGE
THE NEST IN THE STREAM
Finding Freedom Where Fear and Courage Meet by Joan Halifax
Lessons from Nature on Being with Pain by Michael Kearney $21.95, paper. Parallax. 172 pages
$34.99, cloth. Picador. 282 pages
This concise and inspirational book for anyone dealing with chronic or acute pain is by a long time palliative care doctor who is greatly inspired by Native American wisdom and the natural world. This heartfelt and moving book, with a touching foreword by Joanna Macy, is a celebration of impermanence and what it means to be awake, alive, and connected to the world. We are not alone here. We are invited back into the pulsing give and take of life itself. If we dare to be real with what we feel, we rediscover the larger being we live within, and enter once more the Great Reciprocity at the heart of the universe. —Joanna Macy, from her foreword
The Nest in the Stream is an encouraging and inspiring book for the times we live in. Michael Kearney, a physician whose day job is alleviating the pain and suffering of others, shows that how we live with our pain matters hugely, as it affects our quality of living and our capacity to find healing for ourselves, for others, and for our world. Drawing on engaged Buddhism, the indigenous wisdom of Native American and Celtic spirituality, and the powerful teachings he gained by observing nature, Kearney presents a new model for resilience and self-care. I end this book by describing my daily practices to share what helps me to come into deep connection and to a peaceful way of being with my pain… feel free to try them, and take what works and discard what doesn’t. What matters is that we each have our own ways of coming regularly and reliably into deep connection with other-than-human nature, with others, and with ourselves; it matters that we are willing to feel whatever pain we are feeling; and it matters that we know we can release our pain to the flowing through of the deeper stream for the sake of all beings.
The Nest in the Stream offers a way of being with pain that is infused with mindfulness, openness, compassion, and deep nature connection that encourages us to act for the freedom and welfare of all. It will appeal to those whose everyday occupation involves dealing with pain, such as healthcare workers, environmental activists, or those working on the front lines of trauma, but it will also be of interest to everyone who longs to live in our wounded world with an open heart. What this looks like in practice is that I begin by paying attention to the breath, to the sensations of the breath stream, which allows me to experience the flow of inner nature connection. It means honoring whatever pain I am feeling just then, by letting it be as it is, not trying to change it in any way. It means opening to the pain with the inhale, and for just a few moments, lingering with the felt-sense of the pain in my body, however I am registering it. Then—and this is especially challenging for me—to means unconditionally releasing the pain, letting it go with the exhale, to the bigger, deeper flowing through.
UNBINDING
The Grace Beyond Self by Kathleen Dowling Singh
$33.95, cloth. Wisdom. 271 pages
Unbind yourself from the causes of suffering and step into grace—an accessible guide for everyday mystics. A spacious and sophisticated unfolding of one of Buddhism’s subtlest foundational teachings—the truth of dependent origination—is here offered in a poetic, warm, and utterly intimate voice. Kathleen Dowling Singh offers lyrical reflections on timeless truths and easeful contemplative exercises accessible to anyone, opening the door of insight to all. Drawing gently on the language and teachings of Buddhism, Unbinding invites everyday mystics from all traditions or none to encounter the sacred and experience grace themselves. Singh shows how illusions of ego obscure our true, unbounded nature and trap us in suffering—and helps the reader move ever more deeply into living from gratitude, wisdom, and love. If you do not yet have a daily practice, I invite you to consider establishing one. If we long for awareness beyond “self,” a daily meditative practice is essential. We can’t think our way to awakening… I hope you, the reader, will accept each invitation to pause… I hope you’ll follow your own heart’s direction to pause, to savor and cultivate that with which you resonate. It is in the pausing and looking that Unbinding can become more than informational for you. It can become transformational—deepening realization and expanding view.
“Beautifully written, Unbinding inspires the reader to let go, to let be.” —Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Love “Unbinding tells the simple and most profound story of the journey to freedom, from being bound by the ego to living in grace, unbound. Kathleen Singh shows us the many ways we imprison ourselves, through habits, attachments, cravings, while she gives us the teachings that can free us, open us to awe and gratitude. Here is ancient mystical wisdom told in the language of today, showing how every moment we are limitless, present in truth. Listen to this heart song that calls us home.” — Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Sufi teacher and author of Spiritual Ecology Also by Kathleen Dowling Singh are The Grace in Ageing and The Grace in Dying.
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Joan Halifax has enriched thousands of lives around the world through her work as a humanitarian, a social activist, an anthropologist, and as a Buddhist teacher. Over many decades, she has also collaborated with neuroscientists, clinicians, and psychologists to understand how contemplative practice can be a vehicle for social transformation. Through her unusual background, she developed an understanding of how our greatest challenges can become the most valuable source of our wisdom—and how we can transform our experience of suffering into the power of compassion for the benefit of others. Halifax has identified five psychological territories she calls Edge States—altruism, empathy, integrity, respect, and engagement—that epitomize strength of character. Yet each of these states can also be the cause of personal and social suffering. In this way, these five psychological experiences form edges, and it is only when we stand at these edges that we become open to the full range of our human experience and discover who we really are. Recounting the experiences of caregivers, activists, humanitarians, politicians, parents, and teachers, incorporating the wisdom of Zen traditions and mindfulness practices, Standing at the Edge is a powerful guide on how to find the freedom we seek for others and ourselves, it is a book that will serve us all. When we learn to recognize the Edge States in our lives, we can stand on the threshold of change and see a landscape abundant with wisdom, tenderness, and basic human kindness. At the same time, we can see a desolate terrain of violence, failure, and futility. Having the strength to stand at the edge, we can draw lessons from places of utter devastation—the charnel grounds—of refugee camps, earthquake-destroyed areas, prisons, cancer wards, homeless encampments, and war zones, and at the same time be resource by our basic goodness and the basic goodness of others. This is the very premise of coming to know intimately the Edge States: How we develop the strength to stand at the edge and have a wider view, a view that includes all sides of the equation of life. How we find life-giving balance between oppositional forces. How we find freedom at the edge. And how we discover that the alchemy of suffering and compassion brings forth the gold of our character, the gold of our hearts.
“An important, thorough book. Halifax covers every angle of our interactions with compassion, even willing to tread on its dark side. As I read I found myself excited, inspired, nodding my head at its clear truth. Written in precise, beautiful prose, this is not an abstract tome—it’s backed by Halifax’s years of experience, close observation, and honest scrutiny. This needs to be read by everyone so we have a new language for love.” —Natalie Goldberg, author of The Great Spring “A clearly written labor of love, a deep and detailed plunge into the positive as well as the difficult aspects of active engagement in the world of suffering. She weaves in illustrative examples, relevant research from neuroscience and social psychology, and, most importantly, practices that can be taken up to help all of us, no matter where in this troubled world we work, to restore much-needed balance, kindness and sanity, both for ourselves and those we serve.”—Jan Chozen Bays, author of Mindfulness on the Go
THE LIGHT THAT SHINES THROUGH INFINITY Zen and the Energy of Life by Dainin Katagiri
$22.95, paper. Shambhala. 228 pages
A Zen Buddhist perspective on the universal flow of cosmic energy and how to incorporate that energy into one’s life and spiritual practice—from one of the most revered figures in American Zen. From ancient times, the people of Asia have developed spiritual, medical, and martial art traditions based on the flow of universal energy as the life force (sometimes called chi). The teachings of Buddhism have acknowledged and incorporated this cosmic energy, which enlivens everything and interconnects everything yet depends on the impermanence of everything in order to function. Katagiri Roshi refers to it as the rhythm of life, and he suggests that connecting to the universal energy is essential to awakening, to dharma transmission, and to spiritual life in general. This book, assembled from his recorded talks, compiles a broad range of the master’s Zen teachings as they relate to the idea of energy, in a way that applies directly to spiritual practice. It’s divided into 5 parts: Life Force and Life, Practice and F S P R I N G, S U M M E R, F A L L 2 0 1 8
Enlightenment, Body and Mind, Wisdom and Compassion, Peace and Harmony. It’s full of autobiographical bits and stories that bring the teaching to life and that convey some of Roshi’s spirit. I think the maturing of human life is like a persimmon ripening. When the persimmon fruit becomes red, it is still hard, but it tastes good. If you leave the fruit on the tree, it becomes soft and perfectly sweet. But the ripe persimmon doesn’t stay on the branch. It drops on the ground, and all its guts come out. That persimmon is never going back to the branch. It is free, liberated. That is total perfect maturity—Buddha.
Dainin Katagiri Roshi (1928-1990) was founding abbot of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center. He is author of several other books, including Returning to Silence and Each Moment is the Universe.
CALMING THE FEARFUL MIND A Zen Response to Terrorism by Thich Nhat Hanh
$22.95, paper. Parallax. 160 pages
In a time of terrorism and uncertainty, how can any of us feel truly safe? In Calming the Fearful Mind, Thich Nhat Hanh examines the roots of terrorism and fear, showing how both can be overcome through compassion and an open heart. He teaches that we will only be safe when we acknowledge our real enemies, not other human beings, but our own ignorance, discrimi-
F nation, fear, craving, and and violence. With clarity and gentleness, he offers step-by-step instructions for calming the mind and looking deeply into our own misperceptions. Only with the practice of compassion, deep listening, and mindful communication can terrorism be transformed and uprooted. Calming the Fearful Mind offers key teachings designed to help heal the misunderstanding, fear, and hatred that divide us as individuals, groups, and nations. An invaluable book for anyone who has wondered how to deal with anger and the desire for retaliation, Calming the Fearful Mind takes Thich Nhat Hanh’s signature mindfulness practices and reveals how they can help us address our most challenging and most deeply rooted fears. The roots of terrorism are misunderstanding, fear, anger, and hatred. They cannot be located by the military. Bombs and missiles cannot reach them, let alone destroy them. Only by calming our mind and looking deeply will we have the insight to identify the roots of terrorism. Only with the practice of compassion, deep listening, and restoring communication can terrorism be transformed and uprooted. Our enemy is never another person. Our enemy is the wrong perceptions and suffering within him, within her. When a doctor sees a sick person, she tries to identify and remove the sickness in the patient. The role of a doctor is not to kill her patient, but to cure the illness within him. It is the same with a person who has suffered so much and who has made us suffer—the solution is not to kill him but to try to help him out of his suffering. This is the guidance we receive from the Buddha, Jesus, Moses and Muhammad; this is the wish of our spiritual teachers. It is the practice of understanding and love. Without understanding, you cannot love.
Among Thich Nhat Hanh’s books are No Death, No Fear and Creating True Peace.
Tibetan Buddhism MEDITATION SAVED MY LIFE A Tibetan Lama and the Healing Power of the Mind by Phakyab Rinpoche, with Sofia Stril-Rever
$23.00, paper. New World Library. 254 pp
Meditation Saved My Life is a moving first-person account of the mind’s innate healing abilities. In 2003, Tibetan lama Phakyab Rinpoche was arrested, imprisoned, and tortured by Chinese officials bent on uprooting Tibet’s indigenous religion. Although Rinpoche escaped his captors and fled to New York, his ordeal left him with life-threatening injuries, including gangrene of the ankle. At Bellevue Hospital, doctors gave Rinpoche a shocking choice: accept leg amputation or risk a slow, painful death. However, an inner voice prompted him to try a non-western cure—meditation. Struggling with this diagnosis, Rinpoche heard an inner voice say, “Cutting is not curing.” He rejected the surgeons’ advice and sought counsel from the Dalai Lama. His Holiness answered with one question: “Why do you seek healing outside of yourself?” The book chronicles Rinpoche’s re-
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Women of Wisdom
THE COURAGE TO LOVE THE WORLD Discovering Compassion, Strength & Joy Through Tonglen Meditation by Pema Chodron
Book & CD
$34.50, 4 CDs. Sounds True. 4.5 hours
In The Courage to Love the World, Pema Chodron shares her most recent teachings on tonglen, a revered Tibetan Buddhist meditation for connecting with our own suffering and that of others. While it may seem counterintuitive, Pema teaches that by welcoming suffering, we are able to transform it as we overcome our fear of pain and dissolve the armour of self-protection around our hearts. “Breathe in for all of us and breathe out for all of us,” teaches Pema. “Use what seems like poison as medicine, as a path to compassion for all beings.” Pain, loss, shame, sadness—suffering is an unavoidable part of being human. The practice of tonglen offers us a way to transform our relationship with suffering—our own and that which is all around us. In The Courage to Love the World, beloved teacher Pema Chödrön shares insightful and heartfelt stories about tonglen, along with direct instruction and guided practice. Recorded on retreat with an intimate group of students, this four-part series presents: u Pema’s step-by-step guidance in the formal practice of tonglen u The importance of becoming a “Modern-Day Bodhisattva”—awaken your heart and be of benefit to beings u The practice of “compassionate abiding” in everyday life u Q&A with retreat participants addressing the most common questions that arise with practice u Tonglen as a practical skill for survival in today’s world The practice of tonglen is one of bravery. It takes courage to develop a new relationship with suffering.
Now, each of us can immerse ourselves in this ancient Tibetan practice for cultivating kindness and compassion under the guidance of one of our most beloved teachers. Among Pema’s books are When Things Fall Apart and How to Meditate.
WISDOM RISING
A Journey into the Mandala of the Empowered Feminine by Tsultrim Allione $35.99, cloth. Scribner. 352 pages
One of the first American Buddhist nuns and recognized as an incarnation of the Mother of Tibetan Buddhism, Lama Tsultrim has a unique perspective on female strength and enlightenment. In Wisdom Rising, she shares from a deep trove of personal experiences as well as decades of practice as one of the core teachers of the mandala of the five dakinis. Dakinis are a type of Buddhist female spirit comprised of five families, each with a set of unique qualities, as well as an encumbered pattern or emotional block that gets in the way of its brilliance: u Buddha dakini—ignorance to the all-encompassing wisdom u Vajra dakini—anger to the mirror-like wisdom u Ratna dakini—pride to the wisdom of equanimity u Padma dakini—craving to the wisdom of discernment u Karma dakini—envy to the all-accomplishing wisdom. As a Buddhist nun, Tsultrim yearned to become a mother, renouncing her vows so she could marry and have a child. When she subsequently lost her first child to SIDS, she was overcome with grief… and once again found courage through Buddhist female role models and meditations, and, using the mandala of the dakinis, she transformed her pain into faith. Tantric Buddhism developed the mandala as a meditational tool for transformation—a map for integration and wholeness. And through the mandala of the five dakinis, we learn how to embrace the fierce feminine energy of the dakinis. Rather than trying to remove or repress their patterns in our lives, you will instead discover how to transform them into wisdom through meditation, sound, visualization, and other practices. Both practical and inspiring, Wisdom Rising offers a powerful gateway of awakening for men and women alike into the deep feminine. “Our most essential work is awakening the sacred feminine. In her timely and groundbreaking book, Lama Tsultrim shows us a pathway that transforms emotions into illuminating wisdom, and empowers us to bring healing to our world. These teachings are medicine for our times—please read and let them free your heart.” — Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance “A stunning call to women to trust our bodies and beings to manifest the energy, vision, and spirit to heal and transform these terrible times. A book full of wisdom, experience, stories, dakinis, mandalas, practices, and possibility.” — Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues Also by Tsultrim Allione is Feeding Your Demons.
sponse: a three-year journey to heal through an extraordinary program of thousands of hours of meditation and rigorous training in Tsa-Lung yoga. Living in a small studio in Queens, this Tibetan spiritual leader was able to repel the infection, rebuild his anklebone, and restore full mobility. Upon hearing of his unprecedented BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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recovery, the Dalai Lama told Rinpoche to tell his story, a personal journey of healing through meditation and yogic discipline that is an example for the world. My first gurus were the sky, the rivers, the trees, the animals, the mountains, and the plants. I deciphered the language of the universe long before I learned how to read
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and write. I only studied the alphabet at the age of thirteen, when I became a monk. By then, without the distorting screen of the mind and its interpretations, I had already been introduced to the secret essence of all things… Even if the Buddha is not present, Those whose mind is healthy can hear the sky, The mountains, and the trees Teaching the dharma.
As his mentor the Dalai Lama told him, “You have within you wisdom that will give you the strength to heal.” In Meditation Saved My Life, Rinpoche shows us that we all have great healing powers that lie dormant within us.
HOW TO ENJOY DEATH
Preparing to Meet Life’s Final Challenge without Fear by Lama Zopa Rinpoche $53.95, paper. Wisdom. 440 pages, 2 colour inserts
Lama Zopa has long envisioned a practical book to inform students of how to help loved ones have a beneficial death. How to Enjoy Death has been compiled from years of Rinpoche’s teachings and has been lovingly edited by Venerable Robina Courtin. Here Lama Zopa provides detailed advice on how best to prepare ourselves to face the inevitable end of our own and our loved ones lives with courage, grace, and a mind free of fear. When suddenly one day one of your loved ones dies and you don’t know what to do to help, you’ll feel so confused, so lost. This made me think that knowing how to help others at the time of death is such important education to have. By providing the right support, the right environment, you can help your loved one die peacefully, with virtuous thoughts, and thus have a good rebirth.
With great care, Rinpoche explains what to do in the months, weeks, and days that precede death, as well as how to handle the moment itself and the mantras, prayers, and meditations that must follow the death of a loved one. All of the practices one needs to be prepared to face death are handily included between the covers of this thoroughly pragmatic volume, making this an essential reference for Tibetan Buddhist practitioners, caregivers, hospice workers, or chaplains. This limited edition book includes: u 16 full color images, including the Wheel of Life, Buddha Shakyamuni, and more u 2 pull-out cards printed with mantras requested specifically by Lama Zopa Rinpoche u The full text of essential prayers and rituals u 2 ribbon page markers to mark common practices and keep place in your process u Beautiful and durable faux leather flexible cover u 2-color interior to help you navigate the different practices. Finally there is the clear light, like dawn in autumn. This is appearing, but there is also the wisdom understanding emptiness… The vision of clear light is totally empty of existing from its own side… While you are holding the mind in this, have another tiny part of your mind look at how your I appears… There’s a way that we usually believe in the I, the self; there’s a certain feeling, a way that we view it…
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You have to be very skillful, very careful. So, slowly, within the state of the clear light vision, try to check up on this I, this self. Concentrate on that.
TRAINING IN TENDERNESS
Buddhist Teachings on Tsewa, the Openness of Heart That Can Change the World by Dzigar Kongtrul $19.95, paper. Shambhala. 128 pages
Here’s a little guide to cultivating tsewa: the loving warmth of heart from which the awakened mind arises—from the popular Buddhist teacher and author of The Intelligent Heart. The Tibetan term tsewa is difficult to define, but it can be translated, according to Dzigar Kongtrul, as “an open heart, a tender heart, or a warm energy that we express and receive in relation to others, especially those closest to us.” This is his compact guide to developing this wonderful quality in yourself—it’s a quality that leads not only to a transformation in our attitude toward ourselves and those around us, but that we can actually use to heal the world. According to Buddhist teaching, tsewa is, along with the perception of nonduality, one of the two elements of the heartmind of enlightenment known as bodhicitta. Learning tsewa can be challenging, Rinpoche teaches, but if we want to be truly happy, there’s no alternative, for tsewa is the purest and deepest form of happiness. The other kinds of happiness that we seek are more superficial. They don’t mean much if we lack the joy of an open heart. The good news is that we all have the capacity for it, and it’s a habit that can be cultivated. “Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche is one of the most highly qualified people I know… I am hopeful that Rinpoche’s new book will help many of us get to know and make the best of our own warmth of heart. May Training in Tenderness help to heal the anxiety and polarization of our world!” —Pema Chödrön, author of When Things Fall Apart “Let this gem of a book be your faithful guide and companion in opening your heart to others. It unlocks the door to that most precious human quality of all: unconditional tenderness for all beings.” —Matthieu Ricard, author of Altruism and Happiness
Taoism & Chi Energetics THE TAI CHI SPACE
How to Move in Tai Chi and Qi Gong by Paul Cavel
$26.95, paper. Aeon. 122 pages, b/w illustrations
This pictorial guide with supporting text is the first of its kind, illuminating the fundamentals of the arts of tai chi and qi gong through metaphor and visuals that are easy to understand. Beginning students will learn basic principles in a simple format, while experienced stylists will discover nuances that
shed light on the secrets of deep, internal, and energetic training that powers the well-documented health and healing benefits of the arts. The whole rib cage and external musculature of the body drops as the spine rises upwards. The organs sink down in the torso; The fluids sink down through the legs to the feet; qi sinks deeper into the earth, and your root becomes internal.
With 120 original illustrations, this book is designed to teach the fundamentals that drive and underpin internal arts training at all levels and stages of development, not a form. Each of the 42 principles, portrayed as images and accompanied by brief explanations, are aimed at conveying how internal arts techniques function in ways that help you embed them and feel them come alive in your flesh—regardless of the specific systems, styles or forms you train. The images Paul offers can shorten the process of transmitting information, enhance our learning and awaken our bodily intelligence. This way of teaching requires a very deep level of understanding of the material and, indeed, of human nature itself. Paul obviously has both. —from the foreword by Dr. Michael Mettner
THE TAO OF IMMORTALITY
The Four Healing Arts and the Nine Levels of Alchemy by Mantak Chia & William Wei Explaining the evolution and core of the Universal Healing Tao system, Master Mantak Chia and William U. Wei offer a condensed approach to the Inner Alchemy practices taught to Master Chia by his first Taoist Master, Yi Eng, more than 60 years ago. Beginning with the basic principles called the Five Enlightenments, the authors explain each of the nine levels of Inner Alchemy and their more than 240 formulas, including simplified versions of the Microcosmic Orbit, the Inner Smile, Sexual Alchemy exercises for men and women, Fusion of the Five Elements practices, Kan and Li Alchemy, the Sealing of the Five Senses, and Star and Galaxy Alchemy. They explore the Four Healing Arts that encompass the nine levels of Inner Alchemy—Living Tao practices for transformation of your emotional body, Chi Nei Tsang practices for transformation of the physical body, Cosmic Healing practices for transformation of the energy body, and Immortal Tao practices for transformation of the spiritual body—all aimed toward the survival of consciousness in a self-aware vessel. They also offer simplified versions of the other core practices, such as Iron Shirt Chi Kung, Bone Marrow Nei Kung, and Wisdom Chi Kung, to help you easily integrate Inner Alchemy and Universal Healing Tao practices into your daily life. Providing a primer not only on the founBRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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THE WISDOM OF THE TAO Ancient Stories that Delight, Inform, and Inspire by Deng Ming-Dao
$24.95, paper. Hampton Roads. 144 pp.
“Paul Cavel is a gifted teacher who is able to embody the arts and break them down into easy-to-follow steps. I have seen him help others build extraordinary energetic foundations in their bodies. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn or deepen the internal principles that give shape to tai chi and qi gong forms.” —Bruce Frantzis, author of Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body
$49.95, paper. Inner Traditions. 416 pages, colour illustrations
dational practices of the Universal Healing Tao System but also a condensed guide to the esoteric practices of Inner Alchemy, Master Chia and William U. Wei show how these exercises were designed to increase longevity, providing you with enough time to master the more advanced spiritual techniques and ensure the survival of consciousness beyond death. A student of several Taoist masters, Mantak Chia founded the Healing Tao System in North America in 1979. He is the director of the Tao Garden Health Spa and the Universal Healing Tao training center in northern Thailand and is the author of 50 books, including Inner Smile, Cosmic Fusion, Sexual Reflexology, and The Multi-Orgasmic Man.
Taoism is an ancient Chinese philosophy that emphasizes living in harmony with the universe, the nature of things. It is a tradition that has become widely respected in Europe and North America over the past fifty years—largely through its core text, the Tao Te Ching. The Wisdom of the Tao is filled with over 140 stories that are thousands of years old. They express great truth by fusing anecdotes with philosophy. The stories are frequently humorous, ribald, irreverent, or sarcastic—but they always speak to great and universal truths. Here are stories that lead people to: u Flow with life u Live from the heart u Develop an openness to possibilities u Live in balance u Drop expectations u Embrace acceptance u Leave lists behind : ) The wisdom here fills a universal need. We need stories. They help us make sense of who we are and how we got here. They keep us sane as we try to absorb our experiences, our aging, and our emotions. Stories help us visualize the future by taking the messages of yesterday and helping us get tomorrow right. Penumbra asked the Shadow: “Once, you were moving. Now, you’ve stopped. Once you sat. Now you’re standing up. Why are you so unstable?” The Shadow said: “I must wait before I can follow! Then I have to wait and wait to follow some more! I am like the scales that depend on a snake or the wings that depend on a cicada. How would I know why that is? Or how would I know why it is not?”
Healing & Medicine TOTAL LIFE CLEANSE
A 28-Day Program to Detoxify and Nourish the Body, Mind, and Soul by Jonathan Glass $31.50, paper. Inner Traditions. 434 paghhes, 8x10, charts
Integrating the ancient wisdom of yoga, Ayurveda, and Traditional Chinese Medicine with naturopathic principles and contemporary nutritional science, Jonathan Glass presents a practical 28-day program, divided into four cycles, designed to initiate and maximize detoxification of your body, mind, and spirit from the harmful
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effects of the modern lifestyle. Glass reveals the interconnectedness of what we consume, both mentally and nutritionally, emphasizing that cleansing of the body alone will offer only a temporary solution if we do not also apply the same cleansing principles to our thoughts and actions. He provides delicious plant-based smoothie and meal recipes, step-by-step instructions to resolve blockages and stagnation in the physical or emotional body, including tips on liver health and healthy elimination, guidance on how to cleanse the proliferation of toxic thought patterns in the mind, as well as outlining a supportive Karma/ Forgiveness cleanse ritual to detoxify the spirit. He explains how the soul is encased in five coverings, known as Koshas, and details how to harmonize all five Koshas through a plant-based diet, exercise, yoga, breathing techniques, and meditation/introspective practices. Cleansing is the art and process of making health-enhancing dietary and lifestyle changes that reboot our natural potential for vibrant well-being… As Seneca said, “As long as you live, keep learning to live.”
Citing wisdom from teachers he has revered over the years and sages past and present, as well as teachings from the Vedas and other ancient texts, Glass reinforces that how we eat, think, and live directly impacts our health in body, mind, spirit, and our relationships. He also shows how the principles of the Total Life Cleanse inherently support the environment. By empowering you with a new way of thinking, seeing, and being, the Total Life Cleanse program allows you not only to heal yourself by changing your life patterns but also to heal others, as we foster a deeper connection to the life that surrounds us and ultimately the universe.
DANCING WITH CANCER
Using Transformational Art, Meditation and a Joyous Mindset hto Face the Challenge by Judy Erel
$21.95, paper. Watkins. 194 pages, 7x9, b/w & colour illustrations
Dancing with Cancer focuses on the creation of a positive and proactive mindset with which to face the specific challenges and stages of cancer. It combines the author’s own experience of using what she calls Thought Work (including creative self-expression, healing energy work and meditation) with conventional cancer treatment in order to connect her intentions for healing to the everyday reality of a diagnosis of incurable bone-marrow cancer. The book offers guidance and inspiration not only to cancer sufferers as they undergo the various stages of treatment but also to those supporting them, enabling them to understand better the experience of the cancer patient as well as the possibilities of mindbody empowerment. Part I allows the reader to gain inspiration and reassurance from Judy’s personal cancer story, as well as put into practice her Thought Work suggestions,
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HEALING ARTS & HERBS
Mindful Medicine
healing your life and body is about versus waging a war against cancer. She guides us and shows us the path to healing and how to awaken our body to the joy of life and understand the value and wisdom of our consciousness.” —Bernie Siegel, author of Love, Medicine and Miracles
Know When Drugs Are Necessary, When Alternatives Are Better— and When to Let Your Body Heal on Its Own New in by Andrew Weil Paperback $22.49, paper. Little, Brown. 304 pages
Too many of us are taking too many drugs—and it’s costing us our health, our happiness, and our lives. Prescription drug use in North America has increased tenfold in the past 50 years, and over-the-counter drug use has risen just as dramatically. In addition to the dozens of medications we take to treat serious illnesses, we take drugs to help us sleep, to keep us awake, to keep our noses from running, our backs from aching, and our minds from racing. Name a symptom, there’s a pill to suppress it. Modern drugs can be miraculously life-saving, and many illnesses demand their use. But what happens when our reliance on powerful pharmaceuticals blinds us to their risks? Painful side effects and dependency are common, and adverse drug reactions are America’s fourth leading cause of death. In Mind over Meds, the people’s doc Dr. Andrew Weil alerts readers to the problem of overmedication, and outlines when medicine is necessary, and when it is not. Dr. Weil examines how we came to be so drastically overmedicated, presents science that proves drugs aren’t always the best option, and provides reliable integrative medicine approaches to treating common ailments like high blood pressure, allergies, depression, and even the common cold. With case histories, healthy alternative treatments, and input from other leading physicians, Mind over Meds is the go-to resource for anyone who is sick and tired of being sick and tired.
GUT
The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ (Revised Edition) by Giulia Enders
$19.95, paper. Greystone. 272 pages
In this updated edition of a worldwide bestseller, Giulia Enders reveals the secrets and science of the digestive system—including new research on the connection between the gut and the brain. This cheeky up-close and personal guide to the secrets and science of our digestive system reflects the huge research now into our gut’s microbiome, as well as the intense investigations of the links between the gut and the brain.
In my opinion, however, people still do not ask enough questions about their medications, and that also contributes to the problem. Taking a drug just because a doctor says so is never a good idea. Always try to understand why you need it.
Among Andrew Weil’s other books: Fast Food, Good Food and Spontaneous Happiness.
ATTENDING
What an extraordinary organ the gut is. It accounts for two-thirds of our immune system, extracts energy from sandwiches and vegetarian sausages, and produces more than twenty unique hormones.
Medicine, Mindfulness, and Humanity by Ronald Epstein $23.00, paper. Scribner. 288 pages
The first book for the general public about the importance of mindfulness in medical practice, Attending is a groundbreaking, intimate exploration of how doctors approach their work with patients. From his early days as a Harvard Medical School student, Epstein saw what made good doctors great—more accurate diagnoses, fewer errors, and stronger connections with their patients. This made a lasting impression on him and set the stage for his life’s work—identifying the qualities and habits that distinguish master clinicians from those who are merely competent. The secret, he learned, was mindfulness.
For too long, the gut has been the body’s most ignored and least appreciated organ, but it turns out that it’s responsible for more than just dirty work: our gut is at the core of who we are. Gut, an international bestseller, gives the alimentary canal its long-overdue moment in the spotlight. With quirky charm, rising science star Giulia Enders explains the gut’s magic, answering questions like: Why does acid reflux happen? What’s really up with gluten and lactose intolerance? How does the gut affect obesity and mood? Communication between the gut and the brain is one of the fastest-growing areas of medical research—on par with stem-cell research. Our gut reactions, we learn, are intimately connected with our physical and mental well-being. Aided with cheerful illustrations by Enders’s sister Jill, this beguiling manifesto will make you finally listen to those butterflies in your stomach: theyre trying to tell you something important. “Our gastrointestinal tract is not only the body’s most under-appreciated organ, but ‘the brain’s most important adviser.’” —The Guardian
Attending means showing up, being present, listening, and accompanying patients when it matters most. Attending is also a moral imperative by being attentive, doctors not only provide the best care, they also honor each patient’s humanity.
Drawing on his clinical experiences and current research, and exploring four foundations of mindfulness—Attention, Curiosity, Beginners Mind, and Presence— Dr. Epstein introduces a revolutionary concept: by looking inward, health care practitioners can grow their capacity to provide high-quality care and the resilience to be there when their patients need them. The commodification of health care has shifted doctors focus away from the healing of patients to the bottom line. Clinician burnout is at an all-time high. Attending is the antidote. With compassion and intelligence, Epstein offers a crucial, timely book that shows us how we can restore humanity to medicine, guides us toward a better overall quality of care, and reminds us of what matters most. “Attending is the book every medical caregiver needs to strengthen their minds and harness their resilience to care for others—and every patient needs to understand how doctors think. This is a work of heart and head, a beautiful synthesis of inner wisdom and hard earned scientific empirical findings that point the way to proven methods for improving the lives of both giver and receiver of medical care. With clear explanations, captivating stories, and well-described challenges and approaches to their solutions, this book is exactly what the field of medicine needs.”— Daniel Siegel, MD, author of Mind and The Mindful Brain “It is hard for me to imagine a doctor reading it and not immediately recognizing, taking to heart, and implementing its messages in any number of different ways, being so commonsensical, clear, innately transformative, and healing. And it is equally hard for me to imagine that it will not energize all of us, when we find ourselves in the role of ‘the patient,’ to demand greater mindfulness from our care-givers across the board, and know what we mean by that.” —Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Full Catastrophe Living which include revelatory questionnaires and journaling, creative exercises (such as drawing healing mandalas) and guided meditations. Part II gives a more detailed description of the Thought Work tools, including instructions for setting healing intentions, for using mindful breathing and for cultivating an attitude of gratitude, as well as meditations for a range of cancer situations and step-by-step instructions for creating artworks. Throughout the book are examples of Judy’s own transformative
THE TELOMERE EFFECT
A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer by Elizabeth Blackburn New in Paperback & Elissa Epel $23.50, paper. Grand Central. 395 pages, b/w illustrations
artworks, which she offers along with the reminder that any creative self-expression can be healing—it is not the outcome but the physical process of doing that matters, enabling multi-level transformation. “Self-induced healing is not a lucky spontaneous event. It takes courage and the willingness to change yourself and your life so your body gets the message. The wisdom and knowledge that Judy has learned from her experience with cancer can be our guide and coach. She has learned what BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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Why do some sixty-year-olds look and feel like forty-year-olds and some fortyyear-olds look and feel like sixty-yearolds? While many factors contribute to aging and illness, Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn discovered a biological indicator called telomerase, the enzyme that replenishes telomeres, which protect our genetic herit-
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age. Drs. Blackburn and Epel’s research shows that the length and health of one’s telomeres are a biological underpinning of the mind-body connection. They and other scientists have found that changes we can make to our daily habits can protect our telomeres and increase our health spans (the number of years we remain healthy, active, and disease-free). The Telomere Effect reveals how Blackburn and Epel’s findings, together with research from colleagues around the world, cumulatively show that sleep quality, exercise, aspects of diet, and even certain chemicals profoundly affect our telomeres, and that chronic stress, negative thoughts, strained relationships, and even the wrong neighborhoods can eat away at them. Drawing from this scientific body of knowledge, they share lists of foods and suggest amounts and types of exercise that are healthy for our telomeres, mind tricks you can use to protect yourself from stress, and information about how to protect your children against developing shorter telomeres, from pregnancy through adolescence. And they describe how we can improve our health spans at the community level, with neighborhoods characterized by trust, green spaces, and safe streets. “A revolutionary set of findings that can transform the way we live our lives, shaping the very health of our cells by how we use our minds.”—Daniel Siegel, author of Mind “Gives us… with exactly the practical level of detail we need, the long and the short of a new science revealing that how we live our lives, both inwardly and outwardly, individually and collectively, impinges significantly on our health, our well-being, and even our longevity. Mindfulness is a key ingredient, and importantly, issues of poverty and social justice are shown to clearly come into play as well. This book is an invaluable, rigorously authentic, and at its core, exceedingly compassionate and wise contribution to our understanding of health and well-being.” —Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Full Catastrophe Living
Healing Energies, Healing Herbs PACIFIC NORTHWEST MEDICINAL PLANTS
Identify, Harvest, and Use 120 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness by Scott Kloos
$37.50, paper. Timber. 414 pages, colour photos
Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants combines two trends: foraging and natural medicine. This comprehensive guide is accessible to everyone, from beginners seeking reliable advice to experienced practitioners on the hunt for new information. Readers will find plant profiles, colour photographs, step-by-step instruction for essential herbal remedies, and seasonal foraging tips. This indispensable guide to finding, harvesting, and using wild plants is for readers in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, northern California, and British Columbia. May the plants be agents of healing, teaching, and guidance for you in the same way that they’ve been for me. Open yourself to the wild. The plants await. Take a moment to listen. They are calling.
With superb photographs, helpful illus-
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trations, and a strong sewn binding, this field guide may last your lifetime—and your kids’ too. “This authoritative and heartfelt field guide to Pacific Northwest medicinal plants will spend more time in the field or kitchen than on your bookshelf!”—Robin Rose Bennett, herbalist, author of The Gift of Healing Herbs “This is a very complete and up to date book featuring 120 of the most important medicinal plants growing from northern California to Alaska. Written from the heart, this book covers growth habit, plant identification, geographical distribution, medicinal uses, sustainability, preparation, cautions, and wildcrafting.” The Oregonian
CANNABIS PHARMACY
The Practical Guide to Medical Marijuana—Revised & Updated by Michael Backes
$29.95, paper. Little, Brown. 320 pp, illus
The most comprehensive book available (so far) on treating illness and disease with medical marijuana, The Cannabis Pharmacy (this revised edition is updated with about 15% new material, including the latest information on varietals, delivery and dosing, and treatable conditions) appears at a time when medicinal cannabis dispensaries are all over Vancouver and regulated cannabis will be legal in Canada in 2018. As medicinal cannabis grows in popularity and legality, there is a demand for clear, easy-to-follow information for the layperson based on the latest sound medical and evidence-based research. The medical and research communities are only just beginning to discover and investigate what their patients have known for decades… Intended as a guide for patients and their physicians, the book explains what has been recently learned and what has been rediscovered about the uses of the cannabis plant as a medicine… I would also say that cannabis is one of the best examples of a safe and effective botanical remedy that is underutilized and still largely misunderstood by many conventional practitioners. —from the foreword by Andrew Weil, MD
Written by an expert in the field, Cannabis Pharmacy identifies which cannabis strains are most effective for treating different conditions, describes how to prepare the appropriate strain for use and how best to administer the preparation, and specifies the recommended dosage for different strains and conditions. Also included is a guide to treating the symptoms of some 60 specific ailments and illnesses, including headache, irritable bowel syndrome, the side effects of certain cancer treatments, and many more. It would be great if patients and physicians felt as comfortable discussing the potential use of cannabis as they do discussing an herbal medicine such as Echinacea… The prejudice and hysteria surrounding this subject may be fading, but the truth about cannabis as a medicine is more interesting and complex than anyone could have imagined.
Whether the reader is an existing medical cannabis patient who wants to learn more about his or her treatment or a self-medicator with no access to professional help, Cannabis Pharmacy provides clear and useful information.
Energy Body & the Chakras
CHARGE AND THE ENERGY BODY The Vital Key to Healing Your Life, Your Chakras, and Your Relationships by Anodea Judith $22.50, paper. Hay House. 336 pages
We all know what it’s like to have a charge about something. It’s a feeling of excitement, fear, sexual arousal, or irritation. But what we don’t currently know is how to use charge for the behaviors we want to create. Charge is a word for the basic life force running through us. This force is crucial if we are to meet the challenges of difficult situations, heal past wounds and traumas, and manage the stress of modern life. Even more, it is essential for understanding how to master your own life force and become all you can be. This book makes an important contribution to the growing field of Energy Medicine, by looking at charge as the interface between mind and body, and the missing ingredient in Mind-Body healing. It brings the reader into a deep intimacy with their own life force, as well as an understanding of how charge runs their relationships, their children, their clients, and patients. It examines how we can become overcharged or undercharged and how to bring about balance through practices of charging and discharging. Each chapter gives simple exercises to put these principles into practice. Renowned teacher, somatic therapist, best-selling author, and advanced yoga teacher, Anodea Judith, addresses all this and more in her groundbreaking book on mastering the life force. Taken from her decades of teaching on the subject and her doctoral work in Mind-Body medicine, this book contributes something entirely new to the literature on healing self and others. “Charge and the Energy Body takes you on a beautiful journey through the subtle energies that animate your body. Based on a lifetime of curiosity and creative exploration, it will help you understand your own workings, the forces that propel those you love, and how to stabilize and harmonize the energies within you and beyond you. I recommend it highly.” —Donna Eden, author of Energy Medicine Among the other books by Anodea Judith are Eastern Body, Western Mind and Wheels of Life: A User’s Guide to the Chakras.
CHAKRA HEALING FOR VIBRANT ENERGY
Exploring Your 7 Energy Centers with Mindfulness, Yoga, and Ayurveda by Michelle Fondin $20.99, paper. New World Library. 204 pp
Though chakra meant little to the author in 1999, when she was in her 20s and diagnosed with thyroid cancer, it became a fundamental aspect of her healing. Fondin explored the fifth chakra, which included the thyroid gland. She came to understand previous illnesses and psychological circumstances in ways that explained and helped her heal. Fondin, a teacher, healer, and author known for plain-spoken explanations of Eastern practices here puts the power of chakras in the hands of readers, whether they are facing a particular illness or interested in optimizing everyday wellbeing. In a program that can be used for a seven-day intensive healing or a lifetime plan for maintaining peak wellness, readers learn to balance each of the seven chakras through diet, breath, meditation, and yoga asanas. Spiritual, energetic, and physical in nature, chakra healing epitomizes the proven power of utilizing every aspect of the mind, body, and spirit. I will give you the tools to balance the seven main chakras, with one chapter devoted to each chakra. For each of the chakras I provide descriptions of pranayama (breathing) techniques and yoga poses. You can check out demonstrations of all of these on my YouTube channel. While healing your chakras, practice these poses once in the morning and once in the evening. I have also included dietary recommendations, a guided meditation, thoughts to ponder for the day, and other areas to explore for emotional and spiritual healing, with practices such as prayer, visualizations, and chanting. I also offer suggestions for taking your energetic healing a step further through work with colors and gems: you can wear the color of the chakra you’re healing, and carry with you throughout your day the crystal or gem associated with that chakra. Through these practices you can heal your chakras in seven days… Or you can take seven months and dedicate your practice to one chakra for each month. Or you can go at your own pace, spending more time on certain chakras than others, as needed… See what healing practices call to you most, and try those first. If you let it, your intuition will guide the way.
RENEGADE BEAUTY
Reveal and Revive Your Natural Radiance by Nadine Artemis
$33.95, paper. North Atlantic. 432 pages, colour photos
Nadine Artemis invites us to rethink conventional notions of beauty and wellness, to abandon established regimes and synthetic products, and reveal our “renegade” beauty—a practice of doing less and allowing the elements and the life force of Nature to revive the body, skin, and soul so that the natural radiance of our own beauBRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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ty can shine through. This lovely, engaging book explains how our ancestors lived deeply rooted in and reliant on nature, though now we have lost our connection with the elements that once sustained us. She examines why and when we withdrew from the natural world around us, and the devastating health, emotional, and cultural problems that resulted. Along
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the way, she reviews historical definitions of beauty from ancient Egypt to Plato, the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods, and the Golden Mean. Beauty is everyone’s birthright as a blessing of nature. It is the effervescent insignia of the divinity in our souls. Beauty endures with time. It cannot be pursued, purchased, or put on. Tending to Beauty is simple; step into it and liberate it from vogue inclinations, marketing madness, and artificial facades.
Anyone stuck in perpetual loops of new products, facials, and dermatologist appointments will find answers as Artemis introduces the energizing elements of sun, fresh air, water, the earth, and plants. She invites readers to ditch their regimes and simplify their routines as she leads us on a joyful journey of cellular rejuvenation. Tackling common beauty complaints, she offers practical botanical, microbial, and dietary suggestions to rejuvenate the cells, reenergize health, and allow beauty to bloom. She draws on current nutrition research to advise us about which foods are health sustaining and which should be avoided. As we shift toward chemical free and environmentally safe self-care products, this book is a comprehensive guide for anyone who wants to simplify their self-care routine, discover their own radiant beauty, and take their health into their own hands. “Renegade Beauty poetically explores the ways we can harmonize with nature’s healing gifts and natural rhythms. A beautiful and unique book that offers far more than the beauty routine you might expect!” —Anthony William, author of Medical Medium Also author of Holistic Dental Care, Nadine Artemis is the creator of Living Libations, a line of botanical health and beauty creations—the purest on the planet.
LUMINOUS LIFE
How the Science of Light Unlocks the Art of Living by Jacob Liberman
$20.99, paper. New World Library. 210 pages, b/w illustrations
Early in his optometric career, Dr. Liberman experienced a sudden, significant, and lasting improvement in his vision during a meditative experience. This seemingly inexplicable event led him to question standard medical beliefs and practices, to clinically investigate notions of light and color therapy, and even to wonder if our fundamental ideas about life are flawed. Take for instance the idea of presence. Despite popular belief, attaining presence is not about thinking or trying to be here now. Rather, it is a naturally occurring state that arises when our eyes and mind, triggered by light, focus on the same place at the same time. In response to light’s invitation and guidance, our eyes begin an intricate dance of aiming, focusing, tracking, and teaming. Though we often relate presence to attention, it has no tension associated with it. This is why presence is so rare. When our physical eyes (which receive 80 to 90 percent of our life experience) are not aligned with our “mind’s eye,” it is impossible to experience presence or oneness. Synthesizing his 45 years of pioneering research, Dr. Liberman offers a truly new approach to experience presence. If we stop trying to be present and instead tap into our breath, align our eyes and mind congruently, and respond to life’s
F invitations, presence finds us. Presence is what arises when we embrace all that life (and light) has to offer. When we stop searching, we start finding. By looking less, we see more.
The importance of light is easily observed in the ways plants position themselves towards it and the way numerous animals are guided on migratory journeys that put GPS technology to shame. Liberman shows how humans hinder this inherent navigational system with thought, worry, and fear. Then, drawing on quantum physics, neuroscience, spiritual traditions and years of clinical research, he details simple practices including vision, “color homeopathy,” and attention-focusing exercises and practices that are practically effortless yet profoundly effective. These ways of “looking less, seeing more” affect transformation that, like his own vision improvement, is rapid, significant, and permanent.
Bodywork & Movement JUST BREATHE
Mastering Breathwork by Dan Brulé
$22.00, paper. Scribner. 206 pages
Hailed by Tony Robbins as the “definitive breathwork handbook,” Just Breathe will teach you how to harness your breath to reduce stress, increase productivity, balance your health, and find the path to spiritual awakening. Big meeting jitters? Anxiety over a test or taxes? Hard time focusing? What if you could control your outcomes and change results simply by regulating your breath? In this simple yet revolutionary guide, world-renowned pioneer of breathwork Dan Brulé shares the Breath Mastery technique that has helped people in more than fifty countries reduce anxiety, improve their health, and tap infinite stores of energy. Just Breathe reveals the truth that elite athletes, champion martial artists, Navy SEAL warriors, first responders, and spiritual yogis have always known—when you regulate your breathing, you can moderate your state of well-being. So if you want to clear and calm your mind and spark peak performance, the secret is just a breath away. I hope you will actually practice, because the proof is in the pudding. The breath is the closest thing I have found to a magic wand, but what we get from the practice depends on what we put into it. The best thing we can put into it is passion and enthusiasm and a bit of time every day to practice. One of the things I have learned is that when we are feeling angry, it is because we are generating the energy of anger. When we experience sadness or fear, it is because we are generating the energy of sadness and fear. We create our experience of reality in life. And if you are ready to create love and peace and joy and inner freedom, or excellence in any field, then the breath is ready and waiting to serve you.
Breathwork gives you the tools to achieve benefits in a wide range of issues including: managing acute/chronic pain; helping with insomnia, weight loss, attention deficit, anxiety, depression, trauma, and grief; improving intuition, creativity, mindfulness, self-esteem, and leadership; and much more.
B R E A T H I N G, B O D Y & R E L E A S E AGING BACKWARDS
CranioSacral / Myofascial Bodywork
New in 10 Years Younger and Paperback 10 Years Lighter in 30 Minutes a Day by Miranda Esmonde-White
THE BREATH OF LIFE
An Introduction to Craniosacral Biodynamics by Cherionna Menzam-Sills, Sills
$24.95, paper. Random House. 288 pages, 7x9, colour photos
This ground-breaking guide, from Montreal-based stretch and bio-mechanics trainer Miranda Esmonde-White, helps us understand how aging happens in our cells and how to maintain and repair those cells—and roll back joint pain and muscle loss at any age—through gentle, scientifically designed “anti-aerobics” workouts based on Classical Stretch and Essentrics, developed by the author and star of PBS’s Classical Stretch series. The human body is designed to function for the full length of life—and with gentle, full-body flexibility and strengthening exercises we can look and feel vibrant and active at any age, and well into our senior years. After all, the body is the world’s most efficient self-healing machine. And yet, remarkably, many of us neglect the single most important system in the body—the one that makes all the others work—our muscles. The old adage of “use it or lose it” is true, but Miranda’s fitness and anti-aging breakthrough has come from understanding that how you use it is all-important. You need to strengthen and stretch all 650 muscles in the body in a balanced way that enhances overall strength, posture, cardiovascular health and mobility; eliminates joint pain; and burns calories. This book tells why and shows how, in “The Eight Age-Reversing Workouts,” with stepby-step photos and clear descriptions that explain the finer points. The typical message we get as we age is that we can move less and should take it easy—exactly the wrong advice. Surprisingly, fitness enthusiasts often do as much harm to their bodies as people living sedentary lives. Ligaments are virtually ignored by most exercises routines and yet joint health is essential in order to remain active. With Aging Backwards we can slow or prevent the onset of many afflictions, and often reverse their symptoms. I will explain how the ESSENTRICS technique not only reconnects you with your body’s innate strength and grace on a daily basis but also reconnects you with the joyful pleasure of movement in every aspect of your life, increasing your energy, smoothing and firming your skin, and bringing a sparkle back into your eyes.
Working with the Spiritual Consciousness of the Body by Mary Mueller Shutan We are not our pain or our disease, nor are we defined by our limitations, restrictions, or the labels given to us. We are a whole body, a consciousness, and a spiritual being. As a holistic, interconnected being, our emotions, beliefs, physical pain, past traumas, and even imbalances created through spiritual isBRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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$31.95, paper. North Atlantic. 302 pages 7x10, 62 b/w illus. & photos
Cherionna Menzam-Sills draws on her extensive background in pre- and perinatal psychology, embryology, bodywork, Continuum Movement, and other somatic therapies—as well as years of working with her husband, biodynamics pioneer Franklyn Sills— to present this accessible introduction to the meditative healing practice of craniosacral biodynamic therapy (CSBT). This book offers a personal journey of embodied enquiry into each element of biodynamic session work, using meditative explorations, personal descriptions, and illustrations to convey the essence of biodynamics. It emphasizes breathing and body awareness exercises that help the practitioner become more attuned to her own body so that she can create an effective relational field with her client. An essential guide for new practitioners, students, and clients—as well as a valuable reference for experienced practitioners—this book illuminates the path toward the intelligent formative forces of the mysterious presence called “the breath of life” and its transformative power for health and wholeness. A much needed preparatory book about this increasingly popular gentle-touch therapy it brings the key concepts up to date, reflecting the evolution of Craniosacral Biodynamics instigated by Franklyn Sills. “Have you ever read a book where Goldilocks serves as a metaphor for parasympathetic comfort and ease? With lightness and depth alike, embracing the fluidity and harmony of the feminine, Menzam-Sills weaves interpersonal neurobiology and insights into the polyvagal theory, elaborates on the social nervous system and trauma resolution, and includes a multifaceted review of the biodynamic principles with their baseline of reconnecting to health. A must for all practitioners.” —Bhadrena Gemin, founder of the International Institute for Craniosacral Balancing, Switzerland
LIVING PAIN FREE
Healing Chronic Pain with Myofascial Release--Supplement Standard Medical Approaches with Simple, Effective Exercises You Can Do Yourself by Amanda Oswald $25.95, paper. North Atlantic. 239 pages, 7x9, colour photos
An essential self-help guide to treatment of chronic pain based on myofascial release This indispensable self-help guide is for anyone suffering from chronic pain (any of us, really) and struggling to understand why standard medical approaches have failed them. Taking a mindbody approach, the book clearly and simply explains how chronic pain develops, and why an understanding of fascia—the main connective tissue in the body—is the key to restoring pain-free movement and health. Author and myofascial release expert Amanda Oswald informs readers about the role of fascia in chronic pain and empowers them to help themselves through simple and effective self-care techniques, stretches, and exercises. If you want to help rehydrate your fascia, in tandem with your self-help activities, stretches, and exercises, then you should drink 1.5 to 2 liters of water a day. Water is the important fluid here…
If you do not believe me, try it for 10 days in combination with releasing your fascia. You may pee a lot at first, but this is because your dehydrated tissues cannot absorb all of the water you are putting into your body. However, as you stretch and release your fascia more, gradually your tissues will retain more of the fluid. As they do, you will start to feel better. You will feel less tired, and more energized. Your body will work more efficiently to detoxify itself and it will start to feel like it is moving well, more fluidly.
Living Pain Free is a must-read for anyone experiencing chronic pain from conditions including migraines and headaches, repetitive strain injury (RSI), jaw (TMJ) pain, frozen shoulder, neck and back pain, chronic pelvic pain, scar tissue, and systemic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and myofascial pain syndrome. It will also benefit anyone interested in understanding chronic pain from a myofascial perspective.
THE BODY DEVA
$21.50, paper. Findhorn. 205 pages, illus.
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The holding patterns that develop from fascial restrictions are learned behaviors, and as these are unlearned, so the body can unwind. As this happens, both physical and emotional restrictions are released. This is myofascial unwinding. This process of unwinding and change has been described as removing layers, like peeling an onion. As each layer is uncovered, or rather re-discovered, people feel a regression through the stages of their symptoms, until they reach the original pain that started it all. They are often surprised by the familiarity with which they can greet their old pain and then let it go.
sues are held within our physical form. By accessing them through the physical body with the body deva—the spiritual consciousness of our human body—we can heal the continuum of mind, body, and spirit. Understanding this is the true key to healing. In this step-by-step guide to understanding and working with the body deva, the consciousness of your body, Mary Mueller Shutan explains how our bodies hold the traumatic energies, emotions, physical is-
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sues, and restricting beliefs that cause us pain and feelings of disconnection. She details how to make contact and dialogue with your body deva to heal a variety of issues, from physical pains to ancestral and past life patterns to limiting ideas about what we can accomplish in this world. By working with the body deva, she shows how we can discover the reasons why our pain, beliefs, or imbalances developed and resolve them to heal mind, body, and spirit, every layer of our being. She explores
F how to work with the archetypes, labels, limiting beliefs, and myths that underlie our unique history and reasons for being. Shutan also examines how to work with the body deva to heal spiritual patterns through the physical body, including techniques of ancestral healing, past life healing, and karmic resolution. By learning to dialogue with the body deva, you can understand who you are on the deepest levels. You can learn why your pain and imbalances came to be and what lies unhealed within you. You can evolve beyond the limitations and restrictions in your body and your life and evolve into greater health, connection, joy, and consciousness. There is nothing more powerful than the experience of understanding what our body wants and needs to feel whole. I invite you to discover the body deva, the consciousness of your physical body
WHAT YOUR ACHES & PAINS ARE TELLING YOU
Cries of the Body, Messages from the Soul by Michel Odoul $21.50, paper. Inner Traditions. 192 pages, b/w illustrations
Our body speaks. Physical complaints--allergies, fever, sore throat, inflammation, cysts, backache, migraines, sinus problems, sciatica, dizzy spells, and even cancer—are all signs of deep tensions inside of us are seeking expression. This is why, given the same genetic foundation, one individual develops a specific illness while another remains in good health. Drawing on 20 years of experience and several thousand individual consultations with patients, Michel Odoul provides “proof” of the clear correspondences between emotional and mental tensions and specific ailments. The author reveals how every illness or trauma is a signal of incredible precision: The part of the body affected pinpoints what your inner being is trying to tell you and what you need to work through emotionally. Providing a reference grid of body-mind connections, he explains, for example, how skin conditions reflect difficulties with aggression from the outside world and knee problems indicate inflexibility or tension in relationships. He shows not only how each side of the body has specific meanings and connections to emotions, relationships, and family but also how the upper and lower halves of the body have specific connections--together forming four quadrants with unique Yin-Yang balances, where Yin represents emotional issues and Yang represents action/inaction. He also explores the role of the meridians of Chinese medicine in distributing emotional and mental energy throughout the body. No one has ever taught us how to make sense of pain…This is the coded language that we are going to learn to decipher in this book. And because it doesn’t seem right to simply fire off indications that if it hurts in such and such a spot then it has such and such a meaning, I explain why it works that way… In the second part of this book I conduct a “house inspection,” providing a simple explanation of the role of each part and organ of the body. Finally, I show what effects are produced by what causes. In
BODYWORK & NUTRITION other words, I will provide you with a key to the symbolism of the body’s messages.
The author shows that we can learn to see physical ailments not as something caused by chance or fate but as a message from our heart and soul. By releasing the energies and patterns they point to, we can return to a state of health and forward movement on our path through life.
Food & Nutrition THE END OF HEART DISEASE The Eat to Live Plan to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Joel Fuhrman
$19.99, paper. HarperCollins. 430 pages
The bestselling author of Super Immunity and The End of Diabetes presents a scientifically proven, practical program to prevent and reverse heart disease, the leading cause of death in North America—coinciding with the author’s new medical study revealing headline-making findings. An expert in the science of food, Dr. Fuhrman speaks directly to readers who want to take control of their health and avoid taking medication or undergoing complicated, expensive surgery, the two standard treatments prescribed today. Dr. Fuhrman’s “Nutritarian” plan begins with the food we eat. He focuses on a high nutrient per calorie ratio, with a range of options for different needs and conditions. He shows us what to remove and what to add to our diets for optimum heart health, provides menu plans and recipes for hearthealthy meals and snacks, and includes helpful questions for doctors and patients. By understanding heart disease and its triggers, Dr. Fuhrman gives us the knowledge to counter-attack this widespread epidemic and lead longer, healthier lives. A food is good or not so good on the basis of the amount of fiber, phytochemicals, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and other (yet to be discovered) nutrients it contains in proportion to its number of calories… Consuming nutrient-rich foods is the critical secret explained in this book that will help you lower your cholesterol and protect yourself from heart disease.
What I call “standard” medical care is ending. Doctors can no longer effectively— or ethically—treat patients with medications without discussing the power and absolute necessity of nutritional interventions… Since heart disease and stroke are now the leading causes of death worldwide… This information is of vital importance and impacts every man, woman, and child. It should be taught in our schools.
“Dr. Fuhrman clearly lays out how a healthy enough diet can not only be cheaper and safer than pills and procedures for heart disease and high blood pressure but, critically, more effective.” —Michael Greger, author of How Not to Die
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Cooking for Vibrant Clarity
SIMPLY VIBRANT
All-Day Vegetarian Recipes for Colorful Plant-Based Cooking by Anya Kassoff $35.00, cloth. Shambhala. 336 pages, 7x10, colour photos
Here’s a colorful take on whole foods cooking—everyday dishes that are seasonal, clean, and nourishing, from the author of the popular The Vibrant Table. With everyday recipes inspired by the seasons and practical preparations, Anya Kassoff leads the way to colourful, internationally-flavored foods that delight the tastebuds and the eyes. This book offers a modern way to eat—breaking the boundaries between sweet and savory with intuitively nourishing foods. Start your day with Creamy Steel Cut Oats with Rainbow Chard and Pine Nuts, throw together a rainbow-colored salad for lunch or make black rice sushi for a quick snack, and later, feed your sweet tooth and your body with Sweet Potato Chocolate Brownies. I like to take a lighter, mostly plant-based approach to cooking, avoiding the heavy-handed use of cheese, eggs, flours, and sugar and depending more on fresh herbs and spices. Although most recipes in this book are vegan, I sometimes call for ghee, eggs, or cheese in a few of them, whether for flavor or for texture. In many cases, however, those ingredients are optional and can be replaced with a plant-based alternative… I hope these recipes will stay with you and become yours through your very own ever-evolving cook’s intuition.
This is fresh, fun, delightful whole food. Spring Vegetable Black Rice Pilaf, Daikon Radish Pad Thai, Honey-Miso Delicata Squash, Healing Squash and Chickpea Soup, Coucous-Stuffed Collard Greens in Coconut Curry Sauce, Asparagus Fries, Mango Cashew Cream Pudding with Vanilla and Lime, etc. !
EVERYDAY AYURVEDA COOKING FOR A CALM, CLEAR MIND 100 Simple Sattvic Recipes by Kate O’Donnell & Cara Brostrom $39.95, paper. Shambhala. 344 pages, 7x9, colour photos
Eat your way to increased energy, balanced emotions, and an overall state of calm and relaxation. In Ayurvedic medicine there are said to be three main energies that affect our mind: u sattva, the state of contentment and calm; u srajas, the state of reactivity and excitability; and u stamas, the dull, slow, and stagnant state of mind. The good news is that there are direct ways of bringing these states into balance through what we eat. The recipes in this book are simple, seasonal, and delicious, while bringing the traditional foods of Ayurveda into the modern kitchen. Everyday Ayurveda Cooking for a Calm, Clear Mind uncovers the true potential of food to heal not only our bodies, but our minds too. “Building on her achievement with The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook, Kate O’Donnell turns her focus onto the modern mind, exhausted by overstimulation. This new cookbook lays out in tasty detail how a healthy diet can promote lucidity and how unwise food choices can compromise mental acuity. Using recipes whose ingredients and preparation methods have been adapted for today’s conditions, O’Donnell offers friendly and detailed guidance to all who are willing to expand their culinary capabilities in a mind-improving fashion.” —Dr. Robert Svoboda, Ayurvedic physician and author of Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution
PLANT-STRONG
His Aggregate Nutrient Density Index ranks the nutrient value of many common foods on the basis of how many nutrients they deliver to your body for each calorie consumed. It’s eye opening!
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Discover the World’s Healthiest Diet --with 150 Engine 2 Recipes by Rip Esselstyn $20.95, paper. Grand Central. 292 pages, 16 pages colour photos
Think a Plant-Based Diet Can’t Save Your Life? Think Again! In 2005, firefighter Rip Esselstyn convinced his entire firehouse to eat a plant-based diet, and his bestseller The Engine 2 Diet inspired thousands to do the same. Now, in PlantStrong, Rip provides the 36 most powerful facts that prove, once and for all, that a plant-based diet can save your life. Do you want to: u Prevent cancer, heart attacks, stroke, and Type 2 Diabetes? Eat plants! u Have stronger bones than milk could ever give you? Eat plants! u Enjoy a good sex life? Eat plants! u Avoid dangerous carcinogens and contaminants? Eat plants!
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u Lose weight and look great? Eat
plants! Not only does Rip arm you with every fact you need to win any argument you could ever have with a meat eater, he also presents 150 delicious new Engine 2 recipes to feed your newly plant-eating friends. From pizzas to burgers, from casseroles to cakes, from soups to nuts, you’ll find everything you’ll need to become a healthy-cooking virtuoso. So here’s the deal: Animal proteins and plant proteins are both complete. The difference is that the composition and proportion of the amino acids in animal protein are higher in the sulfur-containing amino acids, which in excess may be harmful. On the flip side, plant proteins have a healthier composition and balance of essential amino acids, one that has been elegantly balanced by nature in a way that inherently protects us from inflammation and tumor growth. In addition, plants come with added gifts such as fiber, phytonutrients, and antioxidants. All of which are sorely missing in meat. So the next time someone questions you on the dangers of eating a plant-based diet that is “lacking” or “incomplete” in protein, let that person know you have found the mother source of protein, and it’s spelled P.L.A.N.T.S.!
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Addiction & Recovery THE ONLY LIFE I COULD SAVE A Memoir by Katherine Ketcham
$25.50, cloth. Sounds True. 236 pages
Katherine Ketcham devoted four decades to researching and writing about addiction—but none of that prepared her for what she would face in her relationship with her own son Ben. The Only Life I Could Save is a raw and moving memoir of heartbreak, healing, and profound transformation. This book is not about Ben and his addiction journey, nor is it about the ‘demon’ that I lived with in my mind for all those years. This book is about the Big Know-It-All Who Realizes She Doesn’t Know a Damn Thing. Except this one daunting truth—the only life I can save is my own.
In these pages, Katherine Ketcham brings you hard-earned wisdom about the impact of addiction on families, the relationship between spirituality and recovery, and what she deems the most important lessons of faith, hope, acceptance, and forgiveness. For parents and siblings, educators and counselors—all of us who have been witness to the disease of addiction— here is a hope-giving book that places special emphasis on the healing side of the story: living in recovery with the support of a loving community. “Drugs were a means to an end for me. I was extremely unhappy in my own skin. I was coping with the death of my best friend. I was dealing with my spiritual deficiencies and my grief, my guilt and my shame, trying to heal myself. It was only when I came to the realization that I was using drugs as a means to fill up this hole inside, to find some meaning in life, that I was able to figure things out. Philosophy, bigger, ideals, the truth, and the good—that’s what allowed me to get and stay sober.”
“A must-read for anyone who wants to know what to do (and not to do) to help a loved one recover from addiction.” —William Moyers, author of Broken
THE CRAVING MIND by Judson Brewer
$19.95, paper. Yale. 230 pages, b/w illus.
A leading neuroscientist and pioneer in the study of mindfulness explains why addictions are so tenacious and how we can learn to conquer them. We are all vulnerable to addiction. Whether it’s a compulsion to constantly check social media, binge eating, smoking, excessive drinking, or any other behaviors, we may find ourselves uncontrollably repeating. Why are bad habits so hard to overcome? Is there a key to conquering the cravings we know are unhealthy for us? This book provides groundbreaking answers to the most important questions about addiction. Dr. Judson Brewer, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who has studied the science of addictions for twenty years, reveals how we can tap into the very processes that encourage addictive behaviours in order to step out of them. He describes the mechanisms of habit and addiction formation, then explains how the practice of mindfulness can interrupt these habits.
C R A V I N G, D E T O X & S E L F-H E L P Weaving together patient stories, his own experience with mindfulness practice, and current scientific findings from his own lab and others, Dr. Brewer offers a path for moving beyond our cravings, reducing stress, and ultimately living a fuller life. Fascinating! This is science at its best. We can learn to ride the waves of wanting by surfing them. First, by RECOGNIZING that the wanting or craving is coming, and then RELAXING into it. Since you have no control over it coming, ACKNOWLEDGE or ACCEPT this wave as it is; don’t ignore it, distract yourself, or try to do something about it. This is your experience. Find a way that works for you, such as a word or phrase, or a simple nod of the head (I consent, here we go, this is it, etc.). To catch the wave of wanting, you have to study it carefully, INVESTIGATING it as it builds. Do this by asking, “What does my body feel like right now?” Don’t go looking. See what arises most prominently. Let it come to you. Finally, NOTE the experience as you follow it. Keep it simple by using short phrases or single words. For example: thinking, restlessness in stomach, rising sensation, burning, etc. Follow it until it completely subsides. If you get distracted, return to the investigation by repeating the question, what does my body feel like right now? See if you can ride it until it is completely gone. Ride it to shore.
Inspiration & Self-Help HEART THOUGHTS CARDS A Deck of 64 Affirmations by Louise Hay
BREAKING THE CYCLE OF OPIOID ADDICTION Supplement Your Pain Management with Cannabis by Uwe Blesching
This beautifully designed deck of 64 powerful affirmations and spiritual meditations from Louse Hay (bless her soul, may she rest in peace) will help you meet your day-to-day experiences with love and peace. The 4” x 4” cards are a convenient size for placing around your home, car, workplace, or anywhere you will see them often. Spread the joy by offering some to friends and family. Meditate on a different card each morning and bring its positive energy into your day. Know that no matter what is going on in your life, no matter how difficult things may be, at the very center of your being you are safe and you are whole. You always will be. Each card is double sided. For example, on one side is I LOVE and ACCEPT myself
$21.95, paper. North Atlantic. 200 pages
Here’s an evidence-based guide to using cannabis to enhance pain relief safely, effectively, and economically while reducing the risks of opioid addiction. Opioid addiction has exploded to epidemic proportions in North America. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death, with over 40,000 opioid overdose deaths a year in the US). In 2012, 259 million prescriptions were written for opioids—more than enough to give every American adult their own bottle of pills— and it’s increasing. Uwe Blesching, author of the best-selling Cannabis Health Index, clearly and thoroughly lays out the overwhelming benefits of using cannabis—not only to reduce human dependence on opioids—but also to manage the craving and withdrawal symptoms of opioid addiction, and especially to address the pain that leads to drug use and addiction in the first place. Citing statistics showing that states allowing legal access to cannabis have seen a 25% drop in opioid-related deaths, Blesching explains how precision applications of cannabis can alleviate the mental and emotional aspects of pain by modulating numerous neurotransmitters and their emotional counterparts. He presents a convincing case for the powerful benefits of cannabis in reducing the risks of addiction and overdose, for cutting monetary costs, and for restoring a
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And on the other side is Look in the mirror and say, “I LOVE AND ACCEPT MYSELF EXACTLY AS I AM.” When I accept all of myself, I AM WHOLE AND HEALED.
Louise Hay wrote the great bestseller You Can Heal Your Life and many other books as well.
THE HIDDEN SCHOOL Return of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman
in the eternal present. Along the way, you’ll encounter remarkable characters and brushes with mortality as you explore the nature of reality, the self, death, and finally, a secret as ancient as the roots of this world. Awaken to the hidden powers of paradox, humor, and change. Join Dan as he discovers the hidden powers of paradox, humor, and change. “Dan’s new book is a must-read journey of transformation. Few other books so skillfully combine story and substance as this Peaceful Warrior adventure.” —Tony Robbins Among Dan Millman’s other books are The Four Purposes of Life and The Life You Were Born to Live.
JUDGMENT DETOX
$23.50, cards. Hay House. 64 colour cards, 4x4, boxed
Judson Brewer is a thought leader in the field of habit change, having combined nearly 20 years of experience with mindfulness training with his scientific research therein. He is Director of Research at the Center for Mindfulness and associate professor in Medicine and Psychiatry at UMass Medical School. His 2016 TED talk has been viewed over 5 million times!
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sense of balance and control to those who struggle with pain. “Bringing keen insights into cannabinoid integrative health, Uwe Blesching turns attention to opioid substitution and pain management, introduces a very helpful three-pronged scheme to divide up cannabis by chemotypes, and helps the reader to sort out why to opt for one cannabis chemotype over another. This is a helpful guide for patients and their advocates as well as clinicians.” —Sunil Kumar Aggarwal, MD
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New in Paperback
$19.99, paper. Scribner. 288 pages
The Hidden School reveals a book within a book, a quest within a quest, and a bridge between worlds. In this long-awaited conclusion to the Peaceful Warrior saga, Dan Millman takes readers on an epic spiritual quest across the world as he searches for the link between everyday life and transcendent possibility. Continuing his journey from Way of the Peaceful Warrior, Dan moves from Honolulu to the Mojave Desert, and from a bustling Asian city to a secluded forest, until he uncovers the mystery of The Hidden School. While traversing continents, he uncovers lessons of life hidden in plain sight—insights pointing the way to an inspired life
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Release the Beliefs that Hold You Back from Living a Better Life by Gabrielle Bernstein
$34.99, cloth. Scribner. 240 pages
From bestselling author Gabrielle Bernstein comes a clear, proactive, step-by-step process to release the beliefs (aka judgments) that hold you back from living a better life. This six-step practice offers many promises. Petty resentments will disappear, compassion will replace attack, the energy of resistance will transform into freedom and you’ll feel more peace and happiness than you’ve ever known. I can testify to these results because I’ve lived them. I’ve never felt more freedom and joy than I have when writing and practicing these steps. My commitment to healing my own relationship to judgment has changed my life in profound ways. My awareness of my judgment has helped me become a more mindful and conscious person. My willingness to heal these perceptions has set me free. I have been able to let go of resentments and jealousies, I can face pain with curiosity and love, and I forgive others and myself much more easily. Best of all, I have a healthy relationship to judgment so that I can witness when it shows up and I can use these steps to quickly return to love. The Judgment Detox is an interactive six-step process that calls on spiritual principles from the text A Course in Miracles, Kundalini yoga, the Emotional Freedom Technique (aka Tapping), meditation, prayer and metaphysical teachings. I’ve demystified these principles to make them easy to commit to and apply in your daily life. Each lesson builds upon the next to support true healing. When you commit to following the process and become willing to let go, judgment, pain and suffering will begin to dissolve. And the miracles will keep coming. Once you begin to feel better you start to release your resistance to love. The more you practice these steps, the more love enters into your consciousness and into your energetic vibration. When you’re in harmony with love, you receive more of what you want. Your energy attracts its likeness. So when you shift your energy from defensive judgment to free-flowing love your life gets awesome. You’ll attract exactly what you need, your relationships will heal, your health will improve and you’ll feel safer and more secure. One loving thought at a time creates a miracle. Follow these steps to clear all blocks, spread more love and live a miraculous life.
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INSPIRATION & JOURNALS
YOUR HOLINESS
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Messy, Magnificent, Enchanted
Discover the Light Within by Debbie Ford
$28.50, cloth. HarperCollins. 189 pages
With an introduction by Marianne Williamson and a foreword by Arielle Ford, this is a recently discovered unpublished work by the beloved teacher Debbie Ford in which she reflects on the astonishing holiness that resides in each of us. On the fifth anniversary of her death and written during her long battle with cancer, Your Holiness is a thoughtful and poignant exploration of the godliness that resides in all of us. Infused with her trademark frank honesty and keen insight, it is a blueprint for recognizing and accepting our “light within.” Debbie combines motivational prayers with deeply personal stories about her own spiritual journey—how she struggled and eventually found her internal faith—and translates her experience into a practical path. Inspiration is magical, ever-present, and unlimited—you only have to tap into it. You don’t have to become inspired. You are inspired. Beyond all limitations of human life, inspiration is the emanating force of the universe. It lives vibrantly in the present moment, when you are connected to God and know yourself and God as one, when you step outside your intellect, your mind, your emotions, and your ego. Inside your ego structure, you can be excited, motivated, and even driven, but that is not inspiration. Inspiration comes from the invisible world, bringing spirit into matter. You just have to reach up and pull it down.
Engaging and accessible, clear and unwavering, philosophical yet practical, Your Holiness is a gift to the soul that both guides and nourishes. At a time when so much in our world feels uncertain and suffering is widespread and persistent, Debbie’s voice grounds us in the here and now while delivering a timeless and empowering message of relentless love and strength.
THIS MESSY, MAGNIFICENT LIFE A Field Guide by Geneen Roth
$32.99, cloth. Scribner. 202 pages
From the beginning, Geneen Roth (author of Women, Food & God) was told she was too sensitive, too emotional, too curious, too intense, and too big. Yet gaining and losing weight for decades did not improve her self-worth or reduce other people’s criticisms. When her struggle with food ended—and didn’t change anything except the size of her thighs—she kept trying to fix other broken parts of herself with therapy, intensive meditation retreats, and rigorous spiritual practices. Yet it was only when Geneen stopped trying to change or fix herself that she was at last able to feel at home in her mind, body, and life. Now, she shares the wisdom of giving up “the Me Project,” and finding the freedom, peace and power that await us just beyond it. With humor and “Me too” compassion, This Messy Magnificent Life explores the personal beliefs, hidden traumas, and social pressures that shape not just women’s feelings about their bodies, but also their confidence, choices, and relationships. This provocative and sometimes laugh-out-loud look at the imperfect path women take to step into their own power, presence, and ownership is based on the author’s personal journey and her decades of work with thousands of women. At some point (it looks like this is it), therapy meets spirituality and fixing ourselves meets the realization that there is nothing more to fix. There are always going to be challenges in this di-
THE ENCHANTED LIFE
Unlocking the Magic of the Everyday by Sharon Blackie $19.95, paper. Anansi. 356 pages
Enchantment by Sharon Blackie’s definition, is a vivid sense of belongingness to a rich and many-layered world, a profound and whole-hearted participation in the adventure of life. It is an attitude of mind which can be cultivated: the enchanted life is possible for anyone. It is intuitive, embraces wonder, and fully engages the mythic imagination but it is also deeply embodied in ecology, grounded in place and community. Taking as her starting point the inspiration and wisdom that can be derived from myth, fairytales, and folk culture, Irishwoman Sharon Blackie offers a set of practical and grounded tools for enchanting our lives and the places we live. Ultimately, to live an enchanted life is to pick up the pieces of our
mension of body-personality: plane flights will be missed, people will reject me, and whatever thrilled me last year will disappoint me this year. Just when I think I’ve got it all together, an earthquake occurs. Someone dies. I get ill. When I take myself to be the sum of what happened to me as a child or is happening at this very moment, I can never get it right for very long. When I take myself to be the unending always-forgiving space in which the drama is unfolding, I am already always fine. Finally we have to fall on the sword of knowing what we know and stop pretending that we don’t know it. Until that moment—and I seem to be a slow learner because it took decades of therapy and spiritual practice to get me here—we act like children who are stuck on the wrong planet, in the wrong bodies, with the wrong families, and we spend our time searching for more, better, loving parents and ever more creative/addictive ways out. And when we forget, we can gently remind ourselves that even that from which we want to be saved most of all—death itself—is just closing our eyes.
Roth embraces everyone’s unique and often unsung potential and shows us how to be open, curious, and kind with ourselves; how to say no to people and ideas that hold us back; how to let go of grudges and anxieties; how to pick ourselves up after setbacks; how to say a resounding yes to the world; how to move from fixing ourselves to finding ourselves; how to find joy in the ordinary; and how to experience the extraordinary right here and now in our bodies. With a foreword by Anne Lamott, This Messy Magnificent Life is a compelling and often quirky look at what it means to be an imperfect but unapologetic woman living a (mostly) magnificent life. bruised and battered psyches, and to offer them the nourishment they long for. It is to be challenged, to be awakened, to be gripped and shaken to the core by the extraordinary which lies at the heart of the ordinary. Above all, to live an enchanted life is to fall in love with the world all over again. This is an active choice, a leap of faith which is necessary not just for our own sakes, but for the sake of the wide, wild Earth in whose being and becoming we are so profoundly and beautifully entangled.
“A master of her craft, Blackie weaves beautiful threads of folklore, psychology, history, philosophy, and much more into this remarkable work, reminding the reader of the magic inherent in all of our lives, whether we live in the suburbs, the city, or a remote wind-swept island. Enlightening as it is poetic, The Enchanted Life is a fable for our modern times. I will walk differently through our world after reading this book, paying attention to what is alive, which, if you look closely, Blackie shows us, is absolutely everything.” —Emily Urquhart, author, Beyond the Pale
Journals for Being / Writing
LOST CONNECTIONS
PRACTICE YOU
a journal by Elena Brower
$19.50, paper. Sounds True. 160 pages, 7x9, colour illustrations
Here’s a sacred text of your own design. When the way forward seems uncertain, where can we turn for guidance we can trust? For yoga luminary, meditation teacher, and artist Elena Brower, the answer has always been close at hand. Whenever I’ve needed direction, strength, or centering, I’ve so often turned to my own journals. Why? Because many of the answers we seek are found within ourselves.
Practice You is a portable sacred sanctuary to record our flashes of insight, find our ground, create and clarify our goals, and bear witness to our own evolution. With more than 150 beautiful pages of questions, teachings, inspiring imagery, and plenty of space to write, draw, and reflect, this journaling adventure guides us into nine compelling portals to our highest ways of living. You are invited to come home to yourself. To your radiance. Your ritual. Your courage. Your clarity. Your power. Your purpose. Your strength. Your softness. Your adaptability. Your acceptance. Your endurance. Your excellence. –Elena
Now, for those compelled to the pen and page, Elena invites us to Also by Elena Brower, the beautiful yoga workbook The Art of gather our own wisdom through writing, self-inquiry, and reflection. Attention.
MAY CAUSE HAPPINESS
A Gratitude Journal from the Teachings of Brother David Steindl-Rast by David Steindl-Rast
$18.50, paper. Sounds True. 128 pages, 2-colour printing
Psychology & Dreams
Through his books, the viral website gratefulness. org, and his appearances, David Steindl-Rast has shared the blessings of the thankful heart with millions. With this uncommon journal, he invites us to find greater depth and joy amid our daily challenges and burdens. These visually inspiring pages invite us to spark our own thankfulness when feeling weary or numb, transform our dismissible moments into fresh delights, dance with both the light and dark we encounter, and merge with the stream of the natural world. It is an invitation to experience the joys of gratitude each day through contemplative writing, drawing, and reflection—there is plenty of room, among Brother David’s gems, to write or draw as you wish, making this journal deeply your own.
Most people’s glorious gates of perception creak on rusty hinges. How much of the splendor of life is wasted on us because we plod along half-blind, half-deaf, with all our senses throttled and numbed by habituation. How much joy is lost on us! How many surprises we miss! It is as though Easter eggs had been hidden under every bush, and we were too lazy to look for them. But it need not be so. We can deliberately pay attention each day to one smell, one sound that we never appreciated before, to one color or shape, one texture, one taste to which we never before paid attention.
“The mystic is not a special kind of human being,” writes Brother David, rather, “every human being is a special kind of mystic.” No matter how ordinary we might feel, May Cause Happiness is sure to do just that, as it opens portals to the extraordinary within and all around us to be revisited again and again. Brother David’s TED Talk “Want to Be Happy? Be Grateful” has been viewed by over 1.5 million and inspired the creation of this book.
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F S P R I N G, S U M M E R, F A L L 2 0 1 8
Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression — and the Unexpected Solutions by Johan Hari $35.00, cloth. Bloomsbury. 304 pages
From the author of Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, here’s a radical new exploration of… What really causes depression and anxiety—and how can we really solve them? Journalist Johann Hari suffered from depression since he was a child and started taking antidepressants when he was a teenager. He was told that his problems were caused by a chemical imbalance in his brain. As an adult, trained in the social sciences, he began to investigate whether this was true—and he learned that almost everything we have been told about depression and anxiety is wrong. Across the world, Hari found social scientists who were uncovering evidence that depression and anxiety are not caused by a chemical imbalance in our brains. In fact, they are largely caused by key problems with the way we live today. Hari’s journey took him from a mind-blowing series of experiments in Baltimore, to an Amish community in Indiana, to an uprising in
F Berlin. Once he had uncovered the real causes, they led him to scientists who are discovering very different solutions--ones that work. I started to see depression and anxiety as like cover versions of the same song by different bands. Depression is a cover version by a downbeat emo band, and anxiety is a cover version by a screaming heavy metal group, but the underlying sheet music is the same. They’re not identical, but they are twinned.
Hari is a bracing and fluid writer; he researched widely and deeply. And Big Pharma will not like his conclusions. Depression and anxiety might, in one way, be the sanest reaction you have. It’s a signal, saying—you shouldn’t have to live this way, and if you aren’t helped to find a better path, you will be missing out on so much that is best about being human… Depression, I realized, is itself a form of grief—for all the connections we need, but don’t have… Many of us are homeless in the West today… You have to turn now to all the other wounded people around you, and find a way to connect with them, and build a home with these people, together… We have been tribeless and disconnected for so long now. It’s time for us all to come home… We need to stop trying to muffle or silence or pathologize that pain. Instead, we need to listen to it, and honor it. It is only when we listen to our pain that we can follow it back to its source—and only there, when we can see its true causes, can we begin to overcome it.
Just as Chasing the Scream transformed the global debate about addiction, Lost Connections will lead us to a very different understanding of depression and anxiety--and show how, together, we can end this epidemic.
SOLITUDE
In Pursuit of a Singular Life in a Crowded World by Michael Harris
$19.95, paper. Doubleday. 272 pages
Governor General’s Award winner Michael Harris explores the profound emotional and intellectual benefits of solitude, and how we may achieve it in our fast-paced world. The capacity to be alone—properly alone— is one of life’s subtlest skills. Real solitude is a contented and productive state that garners tangible rewards: it allows us to reflect and recharge, improving our relationships with ourselves and, paradoxically, with others. Today, the zeitgeist embraces sharing like never before. Fueled by our dependence on online and social media, we have created an ecosystem of obsessive distraction that dangerously undervalues solitude. Many of us now lead lives of strangely crowded loneliness—we are ever-connected, but only shallowly so. Award-winning author Michael Harris examines why our experience of solitude has become so impoverished, and how we may grow to love it again in the frenzy of our digital landscape. Solitude is an optimistic and encouraging story about discovering true quiet inside the city, inside the crowd, inside our busy and urbane lives. Harris guides readers away from a life of ceaseless pings toward a state of measured connectivity, one that balances solitude and companionship. Rich with true stories about the life-changing power of solitude, and in-
PSYCHOLOGY & DREAMING
Trauma & Resilience
TRAUMA-SENSITIVE MINDFULNESS
Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing by David Treleaven $36.50, cloth. Norton. 238 pages
From elementary schools to psychotherapy offices, mindfulness meditation is an increasingly mainstream practice. At the same time, trauma remains a fact of life: the majority of us will experience a traumatic event in our lifetime, and up to 20% of us will develop posttraumatic stress. This means that anywhere mindfulness is being practiced, someone in the room is likely to be struggling with trauma. At first glance, this appears to be a good thing: trauma creates stress, and mindfulness is a proven tool for reducing it. But the reality is not so simple. Drawing on a decade of research and clinical experience, psychotherapist and educator David Treleaven shows that mindfulness meditation—practiced without an awareness of trauma—can exacerbate symptoms of traumatic stress. Instructed to pay close, sustained attention to their inner world, survivors can experience flashbacks, dissociation, and even re-traumatization. This raises a crucial question for mindfulness teachers, trauma professionals, and trauma survivors everywhere: How can we minimize the potential dangers of mindfulness for survivors while leveraging its powerful benefits? Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness offers answers to this question. Part I provides a review of the histories of mindfulness and trauma, including the way modern neuroscience is shaping our understanding of both. Through grounded scholarship and wide-ranging case examples, Treleaven illustrates the ways mindfulness can help— or hinder—trauma recovery. Part II distills these insights into. five key principles for trauma-sensitive mindfulness Covering the role of attention, arousal, relationship, dissociation, and social context within trauma-informed practice, Treleaven offers 36 specific modifications designed to support survivors’ safety and stability. The result is a groundbreaking and practical approach that empowers those looking to practice mindfulness in a safe, transformative way. “In his groundbreaking exploration of meditation and trauma, David Treleaven looks at this issue through multiple lenses, drawing on current research about the physiology and psycho-neurology of unprocessed trauma, and shining a light on the potential impact of a well articulated, popular, and highly regarded form of mindfulness meditation called Vipassana, or Insight meditation. This is essential and fascinating reading for meditation teachers, mental health practitioners, and all those who have suffered from trauma and want to engage on a meditative path in a wise and healing way.” — Tara Brach, author, Radical Acceptance
NURTURING RESILIENCE
Helping Clients Move Forward from Developmental Trauma —An Integrative Somatic Approach by Kathy Kain & Stephen Terrell $25.95, paper. North zAtlantic. 304 pages
Here’s an introduction and practical, integrated approach for therapists working with people (both adults and children) who have been impacted by developmental trauma and attachment difficulties. Kathy Kain and Stephen Terrell draw on fifty years of their combined clinical and teaching experience to provide this clear road map for understanding the complexities of early trauma and its related symptoms. Experts in the physiology of trauma, the authors present an introduction to their innovative somatic approach that has evolved to help thousands improve their lives. Synthesizing across disciplines—Attachment, Polyvagal, Neuroscience, Child Development Theory, Trauma, and Somatics—this book provides a new lens through which to understand safety and regulation. It includes the survey used in the groundbreaking ACE Study, which discovered a clear connection between early childhood trauma and chronic health problems. For therapists working with both adults and children and anyone dealing with symptoms that typically arise from early childhood trauma—anxiety, behavioral issues, depression, metabolic disorders, migraine, sleep problems, and more—this book offers fresh hope. Kathy Kain has been practicing and teaching bodywork and trauma recovery for thirty-seven years. A senior trainer in Somatic Experiencing, she teaches therapists about the physiology of traumatic stress through her popular program “Touch Skills Training for Trauma Therapists” and is principal author of Ortho-Bionomy: A Practical Manual. terwoven with reporting from the world’s foremost brain researchers, psychologists and tech entrepreneurs, Solitude is a beautiful and prescriptive statement on the benefits of being alone. Also by Michael Harris is The End of Absence: Reclaiming What We`ve Lost in a World of Constant Connection.
12 RULES FOR LIFE
An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan Peterson
$34.95, cloth. Random House. 408 pages, b/w illustrtions
What does everyone in the modern world need to know? Renowned psychologist BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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Jordan Peterson’s answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines some hard-won truths of ancient tradition with stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research. So why not call this a book of “guidelines,” a far more relaxed, user-friendly and less rigid sounding term than “rules”? Because these really are rules. And the foremost rule is that you must take responsibility for your own life. Period. —from the foreword by Norman Doidge,
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F author of The Brain’s Way of Healing
Humorous, surprising and informative, Dr. Peterson tells us why skateboarding boys and girls must be left alone, what terrible fate awaits those who criticize too easily, and why you should always pet a cat when you meet one on the street. What does the nervous system of the lowly lobster have to tell us about standing up straight (with our shoulders back) and about success in life? Why did ancient Egyptians worship the capacity to pay careful attention as the highest of gods? What dreadful paths do people tread when they become resentful, arrogant and vengeful? Dr. Peterson journeys broadly, discussing discipline, freedom, adventure and responsibility, distilling the world’s wisdom into 12 practical and profound “rules for life.” 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos shatters the modern commonplaces of science, faith and human nature, while transforming and ennobling the mind and spirit of its readers. Peterson can take the most difficult ideas and make them entertaining. This may be why his YouTube videos have had 35 million views. “Grow up and man up is the message from this rock-star psychologist who grew up in northern Alberta in the 1960s. Formerly a Harvard professor, now at the University of Toronto, Peterson retains that whiff of cowboy philosophy and twirls ideas around like a magician.” —Melanie Reid, The Times “You don’t have to agree with [Peterson’s politics] to like this book for, once you discard the self-help label, it becomes fascinating. Peterson is brilliant on many subjects… So what we have here is a baggy, aggressive, in-your-face, get-real book that, ultimately, is an attempt to lead us back to what Peterson sees as the true, the beautiful and the good—i.e. God. In the highest possible sense of the term, I suppose it is a self-help book… Either way, it’s a rocky read, but nobody ever said God was easy.” —Bryan Appleyard, The Times
LLEWELLYN’S COMPLETE BOOK OF LUCID DREAMING
A Comprehensive Guide to Promote Creativity, Overcome Sleep disturbances & Enhance Health and Wellness by Clare Johnson $39.95, paper. Llewellyn. 456 pages, 8x10
A lucid dream is a dream in which you become aware you are dreaming. It’s a powerful opportunity to explore the unfathomable depths of reality, solve problems, create new possibilities, and take charge of your own healing and happiness. This book provides a range of practical techniques, artistic activities, and guided visualizations to help you bring the creativity and super-conscious awareness of lucid dreaming into your life. u Explores the most up-to-date dreaming techniques along with fascinating insights into dream ethics and the nature of consciousness u Sleep has emerged as a popular topic among the wellness community, and dreaming continues to touch and inform people who desire deeper understandings of their inner lives u Includes techniques for dealing with certain sleep disturbances, tips for integrating dream wisdom into everyday
F life, and expert opinions from leading dream experts. Includes tips on how to get and stay lucid, cutting-edge advice from leading dreamers, techniques for using lucid dreams to assist with sleep disturbances and overcome nightmares, and ways to integrate lucid creativity for healing and mindfulness in daily life. Clare Johnson is the vice president of the International Association for the Study of Dreams.
Aging & Elders COME OF AGE
The Case for Elderhood in a Time of Trouble by Stephen Jenkinson $25.95, paper. North Atlantic. 388 pages
In his landmark provocative style, Stephen Jenkinson, author of Die Wise, makes the case that we must birth a new generation of elders, one poised and willing to be true stewards of the planet and its species. Come of Age does not offer tips on how to be a better senior citizen or how to be kinder to our elders. Rather, with lyrical prose and incisive insight, Stephen Jenkinson explores the great paradox of elderhood in North America: how we are awash in the aged and yet somehow lacking in wisdom; how we relegate senior citizens to the corner of the house while simultaneously heralding them as sage elders simply by virtue of their age. Our own unreconciled relationship with what it means to be an elder has yielded a culture nearly bereft of them. Meanwhile, the planet boils, and the younger generation boils with anger over being left an environment and sociopolitical landscape deeply scarred and broken.
Taking on the sacred cow of the family, Jenkinson argues that elderhood is a function rather than an identity—it is not a position earned simply by the number of years on the planet or the title “parent” or “grandparent.” As with his seminal book Die Wise, Jenkinson interweaves rich personal stories with iconoclastic observations that will leave readers radically rethinking their concept of what it takes to be an elder and the risks of doing otherwise. Part critique, part call to action, Come of Age is a love song inviting all of us to grow up, before it’s too late. Getting older is inevitable, becoming an elder is a skill… The sages seem to be departing. Elections enthrone Change, that’s all. The tribal lines deepen. And there’s the weather, and the waters… In a time like this, contemplation tethered to the troubled world is courageous. Contemplative sorrow: that’s the kind that is willing to learn the trouble of its time in a way that principled anxiety is not. Contemplation worthy of the troubled time: that is something to bequeath to the young among us. Unvanquished give-a-shit: that is something the old among us might be nourished to see. Trade faith and hope for a stranger love of life, one that befriends the darkening sky by learning it. We might yet craft an eloquence that serves the terrible beauty we are about to bequeath to the young. Consequence, after all, is the true companion of grown ups.
A G I N G, J U N G A T H E A R T
AGING WITH WISDOM
Reflections, Stories & Teachings by Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle
$24.50, paper. Monkfish. 206 pages
Drawing deeply on her own experiences as well as stories and studies about aging from other cultures, Hoblitzelle explores the ways that readers can nourish their inner lives and spirit even as their bodies’ age and facilities diminish. Hoblitzelle stresses the reflective nature of the aging process: noticing how the body changes can provide space for reflection on life’s gifts and challenges, and aging often brings family members together, creating an opportunity to heal broken relationships. My assumption is that, with the inevitable diminishments of age, the inner life calls. The more resilient our spiritual life—whatever form it takes—the greater our inner resources for handling whatever comes our way. The elder stage of life is a time for consolidating, reflecting, and diving deeply into the realms of spirit we may or may not have had the time or inclination to pursue until now.
She offers seven guidelines to being attentive to the gifts that grow more valuable with age: spiritual orientation, practice of silence, practice of mindfulness, practice of stopping, finding the sacred in the commonplace, meditation, and the practice of gratitude. She also shares the stories of six “wayshowers,” individuals whose stories illustrate aging with compassion. This heartfelt book invites inspiring reflections on finding beauty in aging, facing death with dignity, and rejoicing in earthly blessings. Olivia has put together a medley of sincere personal reflections, poetry, scriptures from different spiritual traditions, and insights of ancient and contemporary sages… As we age, grow ill, and face death, are we suffering more than we need to? Wisdom is the insightful seeing and understanding that enables us to face joy and sorrow—and go beyond both. For me, this collection of writings is a Yogic Manual: words designed to help awaken the wisdom that lies dormant in each and every one of us. Dear reader, you are in very good hands, indeed. —Larry Rosenberg, from the foreword
Jungian & Archetypal Psychology NOTES ON WATER
An Aqueous Phenomenology by David Appelbaum
With subtle wit, provocative language, and wisdom gleaned from myth, science, and religion, David Appelbaum sees in water the key to harmonious living, oneness with nature, and perception of the essential. Ultimately, Notes on Water is about the journey of surrender to the forces of vitality and spirituality. BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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Gypsy Dreams & Soul
An Archetypal Memoir by Marlene Schiwy
$24.95, paper. Caitlin Press. 272 pages
Who is to say that the outer stories of our lives are more important than the images that haunt our imagination? What if memoir could capture the vital pulse of our inner lives and track the mysterious affinities and longings we so often feel? From earliest childhood Marlene Schiwy was enthralled by colourful gypsies that filled her imagination and fantasy. As a young woman she created skirts with laces, embroideries, and beadwork that expressed the darkly shimmering mystery of those gypsies and wondered why they kept appearing in her dreams. The gypsy’s life has appeared in the pages of my journal, my own “book of secrets,” for decades… In Gypsy Fugue, I have hoped to bring all of my own voices together… Perhaps we are weeping, the Gypsy woman and I, because we know that the book of secrets contains the story of her inner life, her deep song… And the book of secrets contains a knowledge lost to modern culture. Ancient knowledge of blood and instinct, of something only darkly divined but so essential in our cerebral, disembodied times. Locked inside the wooden box, it reminds me of Psyche’s quest to bring back the treasure box containing the beauty of the knowledge of life and death from the underworld… Even now I am humming the melody of the dream. The gypsy landscape stretches out before me, calls me toward an ever-receding horizon.
Gypsy Fugue invites readers on a journey they will never forget. The author travels to Rajasthan, the original home of the Roma. In France, she joins thousands of Gypsies in Les Saintes Maries de la Mer during the annual Roma gathering to honour their patron Saint Sara. She embarks on her own Camino pilgrimage in Spain, birthplace of flamenco and deep song, then faces her mother’s shocking, wrongful death just days after her return. The music of Bach, the psychology of Jung, folktales, poetry, and alchemy keep her company as she meanders through a gypsy territory rich in colour, music, and dance. Running through the book is the scarlet thread of Marlene’s gypsy dreams. This book celebrates fantasy, yearning, and the strange unbidden passions that lie inside our souls. As we explore this gypsy landscape, what opens before us is a whole new way of imagining our lives.
THE DREAM OF THE COSMOS A Quest for the Soul by Anne Baring
$49.95, paper. Archive Publishing. 616 pages, b/w illustrations
The Dream of the Cosmos is the story of a multi-layered quest to understand the causes of human suffering and to reconnect with a deeper reality than the one we inhabit in this physical dimension of experience. It seeks to answer the questions: “Who are we?” and “Why are we here, on this planet?” It is offered to those who are looking for something beyond the superficial values of our culture, who may be disillusioned with religious and secular belief systems as currently presented and who question political values which are deeply mired in the pursuit of power. It is written with two voices: one the voice of a personal quest (Anne Baring is a Jungian analyst) and the other which explores the historical and psychological causes that have brought into being our present view of reality.
Aging with Wisdom is that invaluable guide to the inevitable (if we’re lucky) process of aging with dignity and grace. Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle is a writer and dharma teacher. Her first book, Ten Thousand Joys & Ten Thousand Sorrows: A Couple’s Journey Through Alzheimer’s won many awards.
$22.95, paper. Monkfish. 192 pages
GYPSY FUGUE
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Thanks to that spark of consciousness, we can begin to comprehend the stupendous creativity of the life process in which all our lives are embedded… It seems we are immersed in a sea or field or web of energy that is co-extensive with the immensity of the visible universe and the most minute particles of matter. The world we experience is like a minute excitation on the surface of that infinite cosmic sea. The astounding discoveries of quantum physics tell us that we are literally bathed in a sea of light, invisible to us, yet permeating every cell of our being, every atom of matter… If the Cosmos is alive, intelligent and the ground of our own consciousness, what might be its Dream? Surely it is for us to become protectors rather than exploiters of life on this planet and to awaken to the intelligence of the mysterious energy that animates and sustains every element of the phenomenal world. And what might be our greatest longing, our greatest wish? Surely it is to know that our lives have meaning and value in relation to a dimension of reality that is slowly revealing itself to us as we make new discoveries.
“Anne Baring has devoted her life to humanity’s recovery of the anima mundi – the soul of the world, and indeed its own soul. The Dream of the Cosmos is the climax of that quest, the fruit of a lifetime of thought and feeling, learning and vision. It is the story of a dramatic personal journey, but also an attempt to confront the greatest issues facing our time. Every page breathes her moral passion, her love of beauty, her spiritual aspiration, her deep care for the Earth. Above all, Anne Baring calls for a fundamental transformation in the way human beings live on this Earth and with each other. It would not be too much to say that this book is a cri de coeur from a place deep in the collective psyche that carries not only our past but our future. The Dream of the Cosmos pulses with the fierce tenderness and grave urgency of love for an infinitely precious new being struggling to be born.” —Richard Tarnas, author of Cosmos and Psyche “Anne Baring is one of the great pioneers on the Divine Feminine of our time. The Dream of the Cosmos is the consummation of her life’s work, twenty years in the making. It is a masterpiece that will last a long time and deserves to be read by all seekers and anyone interested in the birth of a new civilization out of the chaos of our time.” —Andrew Harvey, author of The Hope and Radical Passion
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F Water softens earth to muck, makes a dense fog of heaven, and slakes the inner inferno. It heals all and moves on, a life itself, quickening, dynamic, repeating itself, filling all cavities. It challenges form, despises unevenness, and begs us to mirror it as it does us. The quest for the origin of things is in imitation of water. I ask, as does the child, because I have thirst and need to drink… To drink from these waters is opposite from those of Lethe, the river transmigrating souls drink from who forget their past lives. For these waters trickle up from the undying core of meaning, and to drink them again (like a cure) is to remember the delight of well-being. Please you drink.
“This is masterly, original work, filled with life, requiring and deserving repeated readings: a philosophical, cosmological, always poetical and phenomenologically-lived accounting of our beginnings and our ends, both large and small.” —Chris Bamford, Editor in Chief for SteinerBooks “As William Blake found ‘a world in a grain of sand,’ in this brilliant book David Appelbaum discovers the universe in a drop of water. Drawing on mythology, nature, and science, he combines a poet’s appreciation with a philosopher’s discernment to explore the universal element of water and its resonances, reaching rare depths of understanding. Those in search of meaning will benefit greatly from allowing the words of this accomplished author to flow like the liquid he loves into their minds and hearts.” —Jeff Zaleski, editor and publisher of Parabola
LIVING AN EXAMINED LIFE Wisdom for the Second Half of the Journey: a 21-Step Plan for Addressing the Unfinished Business of Your Life by James Hollis
$18.50, paper. Sounds True. 124 pages $28.95, 4 CDs 4 hours
How do you define “growing up”? Does it mean you achieve certain cultural benchmarks—a steady income, paying taxes, marriage, and children? Or does it mean leaving behind the expectations of others and growing into the person you were meant to be? If you find yourself in a career, place, relationship, or crisis you never foresaw or that seems at odds with your beliefs about who you are, it means your soul is calling on you to re-examine your path. Sooner or later, we are each called to face what we fear, respond to our summons to show up, and overcome the vast lethargic powers within us. This is what is asked of us, to show up as the person we really are, as best we can manage, under circumstances over which we may have no control. This showing up as best we can is growing up. That is all that life really asks of us: to show up as best we can.
With Living an Examined Life, James Hollis offers an essential guidebook for anyone at a crossroads in life. Here this acclaimed Jungian analyst and author guides you (he suggests reading one chapter at a time only and digesting it] through 21 areas for self-inquiry and growth, challenging you to: u Recover Personal Authority—how to stop living in response to the expectations placed on you u Choose Meaning Over Happiness— why seeking truth instead of entertaining distractions ultimately leads to greater fulfillment
J U N G, M Y T H, S O N G & B E I N G u Exorcise the Ghosts of the Past That
Bind You—how the voices that haunt you can lead you to grow u Bestow Love on the Unlovable Parts of You—recovering the guiding force concealed in your Shadow u Construct a Mature Spirituality—the five essential elements of integrating meaning and mystery into your life u Seize Permission to Be Who You Really Are—the challenge of fully showing up for your life With his trademark eloquence and insight, Dr. Hollis offers Living an Examined Life to inspire you toward a life of personal authority, integrity, and fulfillment. It is my hope that this book will be a tool to recover your respect for that which abides deeply within. You will not be spared disappointment or suffering. But you can know the depth and dignity of an authentic journey, of being a real player in your time on this turning planet, and your life will become more interesting, taking you deeper than ever before.
“This book is an extraordinary gift to all of us grappling with the ‘second half of life’—free of all platitudes and false comforts, but full of sustenance, humour, and tools for navigating the journey.” —Oliver Burkeman, columnist for The Guardian
Mythology FLIGHT OF THE WILD GANDER Explorations in the Mythological Dimension - Selected Essays 1944-1968 by Joseph Campbell
New in Paperback
$24.99, paper. New World Library. 256 pp
In these essays written between 1944 and 1968, the renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell explores the individual and geographical origins of myth, outlining the full range of mythology from Grimm’s fairy tales to American Indian legends. Originally published in 1969, The Flight of the Wild Gander describes the symbolic content of stories: how they are linked to human experience and how they—along with our experiences—have changed over time. Throughout, Campbell explores in his learned and lively way the function of mythology in everyday life and the forms it may take in the future. Included are some of Campbell’s first groundbreaking essays: “Bios and Mythos” and “Primitive Man as Metaphysician,” both of which examine the biological basis and necessity for story and mythology, and establish mythology as a basic function or fact of nature. The essay “Mythogenesis” turns from the natural and biological to the cultural and historical—“the rise, flowering, and decline of a mythology, treating of a single American Indian legend and the circumstances of its origin, as well as the personal experiences of the visionary, the old medicine man through whose memory it has been preserved.” Drawing evidence to support his case from virtually every branch of human knowledge, these essays well embody Joseph Campbell’s lifelong passion, the complex of universal myths and symbols that he called humankind’s “one great story.” Among Joseph Campbell’s other books are The Hero with a Thousand Faces and Myths to Live By. BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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A SONG IS A ROAD Songs for Healing and Community by Michael Meade
New on CD
$19.95, CD. Mosaic. 65 minutes
A Song is a Road offers a collection of traditional songs used by Michael Meade and Mosaic at healing retreats and community-building events. Each of these songs began somewhere long ago and each remains a timeless road that can open up new territories for the human heart and soul. These are songs of longing, grief and praise; they are chants in the old sense of enchantments that can take us to places we might not be able to go otherwise. In troubled times a song can be a living road that can take us home, take us to healing places in the heart and territories where the soul can grow.
The ancient idea was that a song can carry what words alone fail to express and also that a song can transport us to the otherworld where healing, restoration and renewal can be found. When chanted for a period of time the song itself becomes a ritual that can intensify one’s presence and deepen the soul. In troubled times there is a greater need for community-calling, heart-opening songs that can take us home. As Michael Meade says, “If you know songs of this kind, you are never alone in this world.” For each of the six songs on this CD, Michael offers a story of the origin of the song, and then the song itself, sung by Michael with many other voices—ideal for learning and singing along. Heartfelt thanks to people young and old who have sung these songs and brought healing and harmony to diverse communities throughout the world – Michael Meade
The Heart of Religion ENLIGHTENMENT TOWN
Finding Spiritual Awakening in a Most Improbable Place by Jeffrey Paine
$20.99, paper. New World Library. 234 pp
Why has a tiny old mining town straight out of Gunsmoke or Deadwood—Crestone, Colorado— become home to twenty-five spiritual centers representing nearly all the brand-name faiths of the world? And what does this improbable fact mean? What is going on in this town? “It’s a deliberate act to come here. It’s not like you land here on your way to somewhere else… Crestone’s one renewable resource is disillusioned visionaries.” —Kizzen Laki, mayor of Crestone With the keen eye of a storyteller, the insights of a scholar, and the heart of a seeker, Jeffrey Paine spins a truly unique adventure. He explores Crestone’s wintry, oxygen-thin mountain geography (it’s halfway between Santa Fe and Denver, elevation 8,000 feet at the western foot of the Sangre de Cristo Range); introduces a cast of lovably eccentric characters; and illuminates, through the multiple side-by-side religions, what underlies all faiths. Where to even begin with the motley collection of codgers, Carmelites, monks turned contractors, hitchhiking Hindus,
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F and a rascally Rinpoche who inhabit this “Shambhala of the Rockies.”
Paine deftly weaves together his daily interactions—witty, poignant, perplexing, thought-provoking, and heart-opening— to offer some compelling insights into the nature of contemporary spirituality. In a world marked by fanaticism and fundamentalism, Paine finds in Crestone a remarkable dedication to coexistence, an intolerance for intolerance. Crestone’s amazing spiritual diversity highlights fundamental commonalities in a way that will strike and even inspire believers, agnostics, and searchers of every stripe. This is a book written to be useful to (and entertain) the open-minded of any faith. As well as to the one in five North Americans who say they are spiritual but not religious, who want examples and companionship for going further. For here abstract ideals descend to earth, where they are shown embodied in quirky individuals and amid the raucousness of the common day… This book cannot pretend to mitigate today’s dark turns of events, but its dramatis personae hint at, or more than hint at, how to respond and to live well when circumstances turn adverse. The consolation that, beyond the dictatorship of greed and environmental pillage and alarms of war, there is something else, something better, is a kind of good news, perhaps now more than ever.
Jeffrey Paine is also coauthor of Huston Smith’s memoir Tales of Wonder.
Meditation RELATIONAL MINDFULNESS
A Handbook for Deepening Our Connections with Ourselves, Each Other, and the Planet by Deborah Eden Tull $25.95, paper. Wisdom. 368 pages
A guidebook on how to embody compassionate awareness in all of our relationships—with self, one another, and our planet—in an age of global uncertainty. We all struggle at times with how to bring meditation off the cushion and into the beautiful, dynamic, and messy realm of relationship. At a time when humanity seems to have forgotten our inherent interrelatedness, this book offers an inspiring set of principles and practices for deepening intimacy and remembering the interconnection that is our birthright. Eden Tull interweaves heartfelt personal stories, sharing her journey from seven years as a monastic in a silent Zen Monastery to living and teaching in the megatropolis of Los Angeles and beyond, with teachings and mindful inquiry to help the reader connect personally with the principles of Relational Mindfulness. In a voice that is transparent, vulnerable, and brave, Tull shares possibilities for integrating mindfulness: in a gentle yet powerful tone, she covers topics ranging from balance and personal sustainability to sexuality to conscious consumerism. Relational Mindfulness is based on the simple understanding that the most subtle form of love is attention. While a revolution usually means to evolve and change, this shift is actually a return to a simple and sacred understanding we seem to have forgotten—one we can only remember when we are present.
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TEACHERS OF BEING WELL Western Spiritual Teachers & Teachings
Meditation Rocks
MEDITATION FOR FIDGETY SKEPTICS A 10% Happier How-To Book by Dan Harris
IMMORTAL SELF
A Journey to the Himalayan Valley of the Amartya Masters by Aaravindha Himadra
$35.00, cloth. Putnam. 286 pages
From the author of the bestselling memoir 10% Happier, this book will get you to meditate. Minus the pan flutes. “If you’re like many people, you’re intrigued by the promise of meditation but don’t know how to begin—or you’ve benefited from meditation in the past but need help to get started again. If so, Dan Harris has written the book for you.” —Gretchen Rubin, author of The Four Tendencies ABC News anchor Dan Harris used to think that meditation was for people who collect crystals, play Ultimate Frisbee, and use the word “namaste” without irony. After he had a panic attack on live television, he went on a strange and circuitous journey that ultimately led him to become one of meditation’s most vocal public proponents. Here’s what he’s fixated on now: Science suggests that meditation can lower blood pressure, mitigate depression and anxiety, and literally rewire key parts of the brain, among numerous other benefits. And yet there are millions of people who want to meditate but aren’t actually practicing. What’s holding them back? In Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, Harris and his friend Jeff Warren, a masterful teacher and “Meditation MacGyver,” embark on a cross-country quest to tackle the myths, misconceptions, and self-deceptions that stop people from meditating. They rent a rock-star tour bus (whose previous occupants were Parliament Funkadelic) and travel across eighteen states, talking to scores of would-be meditators—including parents, military cadets, police officers, and even a few celebrities. They create a taxonomy of the most common issues (“I suck at this,” “I don’t have the time,” etc.) and offer up science-based life hacks to help people overcome them. The book is filled with game-changing and deeply practical meditation instructions. You’ll also get access to the 10% Happier app, where you can listen for free to guided audio versions of all the meditations in the book. Amid it all unspools the strange and hilarious story of what happens when a congenitally sarcastic, type-A journalist and a groovy Canadian mystic embark on an epic road trip into America’s neurotic underbelly, as well as their own.
$20.95, paper. Sounds True. 240 pages
In the summer of 2006, Aaravindha Himadra traveled deep into the interior of the Himalayan Mountains to a secret, valley where he lived among the Amartya Masters, a highly reclusive lineage of spiritual mysticism. To answer their invitation, he endured a daunting trip across the rugged, remote mountain peaks, where he eventually came to their protected valley home, a place where our world’s most ancient spiritual truths still exist in wholeness. Immortal Self is a riveting account of Aaravindha’s remarkable journey and his visit to this sacred land. Divulged here for the first time are the teachings of a legendary and secluded spiritual tradition—truths that transcend the illusion of our accepted reality and offer a beacon of hope for all seekers. Here is a transformative story that will invite you to challenge your preconceptions, open your heart, and receive the wisdom that your soul has always known: “When the last obstruction to the Truth of our existence falls, but one power remains—the power of Supreme Love.”
My advice is to experiment with both guided and unguided meditations and see what works. For what it’s worth, I switch back and forth in my personal practice. Go to 10percenthappier.com/access to download the app.
“Say to them, meh priyatma, that to wake from the darkness of ignorance one must first learn to be still, then wait in silence until the great Will rouses the soul to move. Learn from the Great Mother who lives in the earth. See how Her oceans listen to the sky and then give their all to its call. See how Her flower listens to the sun and then blossoms without effort to reveal its hidden glory. She gives Herself willingly, endlessly. In silence, She waits. And when a need arises, the one Mother moves to bring fulfillment to life. Listen in this way before a word is spoken or an act is set in motion.”
STRENGTH IN STILLNESS
The Power of Transcendental Meditation by Bob Roth $29.99, cloth. Scribner. 214 pages
Every day, we face a growing epidemic of stress, one that is damaging our physical and emotional health at younger and younger ages. Billionaire CEOs, moms managing households, college students, people of every race, age, and income all make the same confession: I am so stressed. It is literally killing us. While there is no one single cure, there is a simple practice that dramatically changes how we respond to stress and life’s challenges: the Transcendental Meditation technique. With scientifically proven benefits—improved focus, sleep, resilience, creativity, and memory to name a few—this five-thousand-year-old technique has a clear and direct impact on our very modern problems.
Aaravindha Himadra has been a spiritual teacher since 1999. For more info, visit sambodha.org.
Each time you meditate, even if you mind is filled with a million thoughts, you do settle down toward levels of the mind that are deeper, quieter, more satisfying. And when you do that, the equanimity you experience during meditation naturally comes out to be lived more and more in every moment of your life. And that is a very good description of the zone.
AT THE SOURCE OF BEING
Once a skeptic, Bob Roth trained under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the twentieth century’s foremost scientist of consciousness and meditation, and has since become one of the most experienced and sought-after meditation teachers in the world. Roth saw the profound and practical capabilities of the technique, and as cofounder and CEO of the David Lynch Foundation, he has helped bring TM to more than 500,000 at-risk youth, veterans with PTSD, and women survivors of domestic violence. He also teaches TM to top leaders in government, business, medicine, and the arts. In Strength in Stillness, Roth breaks down the science behind meditation in a new, accessible way. He highlights the three distinct types of meditation—focused attention, open monitoring, and self-transcending—and showcases the evidence that the third, Transcendental Meditation, is the most effective and efficient way to reduce stress, access inner power, and build resilience. Free of gimmicks, mystical verbiage, and over-inflated research studies, Strength in Stillness is a simple and straightforward guide to calming mind, body, and spirit.
“A blueprint to take our mindfulness practice out into every corner of our life. Skillfully weaving practical exercises, personal stories, and illuminating observations, Deborah Eden Tull shows us how we can practice everywhere: personally, relationally, socially, and ecologically. This wise and compassionate book is a wakeup call for our times.” —Diana Winston, author of Fully Present: The Science Art
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Teachings on the Arising of the Awakened State by Eckhart Tolle
$40.00, 5 CDs. Sounds True. 5.75 hours
and Practice of Mindfulness “Eden Tull meets us where we live: in constant interaction with self, other, world. What she offers is ripened now by her engagement with the challenges of a society in crisis. Our work together has generated my great respect for her integrity, deepening my appreciation for this marvel of a book.” —Joanna Macy, author, Coming Back to Life BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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New on CD
If you go about your day trapped in the realm of thinking, it’s difficult if not impossible to free yourself from stress and anxiety—and the interpersonal suffering that goes along with it. But if you’re rooted in the Now, explains Eckhart Tolle, you’re already standing in a place of deep fulfillment. At the Source of Being brings you a five-part intensive retreat with Eckhart Tolle, presenting more than seven hours of in-depth guidance in the central aspects of his simple yet life-changing teaching. Recorded amidst the natural beauty of an Australian rainforest, Eckhart discusses a range of topics including:
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u How our obstacles can become an
opening for spiritual growth
u Attending to the all-pervasive alive-
ness that surrounds us
u The realization of our “formless”
identity
u The only question that matters:
Am I present at this moment?
u The meaning of “saying yes to
u u u u u u u u
what is”—and the art of stating a “high-quality no” Being the space in which things happen That which cannot be threatened Stillness and true relationship Meeting situations with intense consciousness instead of reactivity Eckhart’s personal “self-destruction” story How presence transforms our experience of uncertainty Eroding old habits through the practice of detachment Pre-egoic thinking and the archetype of the Fool
The only true cause of upset is losing yourself in the world or in your mind. Mastery arrives when there is total attention to Being without a secondary motive.
At the Source of Being is rich with insights and inspiration for integrating your “presence practice” into every aspect of daily life. Includes a helpful question-and-answer session with retreat participants.
THE JEWELED PATH
The Biography of the Diamond Approach to Inner Realization by Karen Johnson $29.95, paper. Shambhala. 322 pages
An intimate account of the development of a spiritual tradition and a biography of its creators—told by one of the Diamond Approach cofounders. Since 1976, A. H. Almaas and Karen Johnson have guided the inner work of individuals and groups in the Ridhwan School, which has branches in California, Colorado, and Europe. Their teachings, known as the Diamond Approach, originated from their own experiences of personal transformation, as well as those of their students. Their work has been influenced by the Gurdjieff Work, Sufism, Buddhism, and various forms of Vedic teachings, as well as by depth psychology and scientific inquiry. The Jeweled Path presents the story of how a modern spiritual path emerged as told by one of the founders, Karen Johnson. She depicts the personal experiences that birthed the teaching and furthered its development. Told with humor and intimacy, these profound awakenings amidst the details of ordinary life become the building blocks of a remarkable new approach to human nature and our understanding of reality. It is an expression of the reality behind the teaching, and this will hopefully guard against the mythologies, conjectures, and imaginings that usually occur when the story is told after the characters are long dead. —A.H. Almaas, from the foreword
“A humble, honest, intimate, lucid, and above all astonishing account of the rise of a remarkable teaching. It’s good to find confirmation here that even pure diamonds don’t fall ready-made from the sky; they must be ground and polished in the crucible of the human heart. Karen’s and Hameed’s four-decade journey of
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H E A R T F U L / M I N D F U L, G R I E F & D Y I N G
Effortless, Boundless Leaping
EFFORTLESS MINDFULNESS NOW
Awakening Our Natural New on Capacity for Focus, CD Freedom, and Joy by Loch Kelly $34.50, 4 CDs. Sounds True. 4.5 hours Effortless mindfulness is innovative teacher Loch Kelly’s term for an advanced yet simple form of mindfulness, designed to access a natural, loving flow state in the midst of our daily lives. With Effortless Mindfulness Now, Loch helps us transition from a foundation of basic mindfulness to the skills of effortless mindfulness. His “pointing out” instructions express a highly skillful introduction to “glimpse practices” as he calls them, which flex the muscle of aware awareness directly. Over the course of four transformative sessions, Loch gives practical techniques to step back from thought-centered identity to live from an optimal way of being and doing. With contemporary versions of ancient meditations made newly available, Effortless Mindfulness Now offers ways to shift into natural intelligent awareness with your eyes open at work and in relationships.
Effortless awareness has been described in traditional literature as being so close it cannot be seen, so subtle it cannot be understood, and so good it cannot be believed. With Loch Kelly’s guidance, you learn how awareness can turn around and awaken to this new operating system of heart-mind, to live from a place of natural compassion, joy, and creativity. Meditation training, study, and preliminary spiritual practices are part of the spiritual and meditation lines of development. But you can glimpse awake awareness at any time, regardless of your developmental level. You can awaken with no prior meditation training or spiritual practice. Awake awareness does not go through any developmental process. Whether it is recognized or unrecognized, awareness is always already awake. Ultimately, no ego-identified person can awaken; the one who starts the journey does not arrive. Ego-identification, as who we take ourselves to be, is what we awaken from. Awakening is when awake awareness becomes the primary dimension of our consciousness, the ground of our Being.
Loch Kelly’s book is Shift Into Freedom.
BOUNDLESS AWARENESS
ing attention to the beautiful, encompassing, cohesive nature of awareness itself, as found in your direct experience. Using practical, contemplative exercises and brief meditations, the author guides you along a broad path of spiritual awakening, deconstructing your delusions of self and separation and integrating a concept of existence that is free from the suffering of individual selfhood, but which acknowledges the attachments, traumatic experiences, and emotional pain of being human.
A Loving Path to Spiritual Awakening and Freedom from Suffering by Michael Rodriguez $22.95, paper. New Harbinger. 187 pages
Suffering is part of the human experience, and everyone in the world is seeking relief. But there is something greater, something that we all share, indeed something that we all are, that can alleviate that pain: it is the formless presence—the loving, boundless awareness—at the heart of all experience. This book cuts through the esotericism surrounding spiritual awakening to help you realize your true nature and show you how to integrate that realization into everyday life. In life, there is turmoil and inevitable pain. There is war, hunger, failure, heartbreak, and trauma. We struggle in relationships and with our attachments, thoughts, feelings, and memories, trapped in the prison of psychological self-consciousness. Most of us have been conditioned to believe that we are all separate individuals to whom uncomfortable or upsetting things happen. We feel alone and isolated from the world, and convince ourselves that the beauty, truth, and goodness we long for are out of our reach. Really, it’s this imaginary division that causes us to suffer. Boundless Awareness seeks to relieve this suffering by drawunflinchingly honest and deeply mutual
WHEN SPIRIT LEAPS
Navigating the Process of Spiritual Awakening by Bonnie Greenwell $24.95, paper. New Harbinger. 224 pages
Whether it happens all at once or gradually over time, spiritual awakening is an experience that may be accompanied by great insight, ecstatic bliss, or a mystical infusion of light, love, and vision. But it can be an overwhelming experience, too, leaving “the illumined” searching for answers and understanding. Written by a transpersonal psychologist and non-dual teacher (in the lineage of Adyashanti), this book will help you understand the phenomenon of spiritual awakening. At the heart of most spiritual traditions is the understanding that we are one with all of existence. This realization, also known as spiritual awakening or spiritual emergence, can occur spontaneously, after years of spiritual practice, or through many other portals. Yet many people are not prepared for the ramifications of such a life-altering event. When your perception of yourself and reality has been altered, you may find yourself with more questions than answers. Where can you turn? Based on over thirty years of case studies, as well as the author’s discovery sets a new benchmark in our appreciation of the full potential of spiritual friendship.” —Cynthia Bourgeault, author of The Meaning of Mary Magdalene “For anyone interested in the origins of the marvelous Diamond Approach, here it is. Karen offers an inside glimpse into the DA founders’ passion, truth seeking, and wisdom—a journey that can inspire your own.” —Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart
The point isn’t to adopt non-duality as a philosophy but to live free of all philosophies and conceptual molds, all of which are prisons. Once the pointers in this book have done their work, mainly of erasing the irritating and alienating sense of self-consciousness that makes you feel separate from the world, you forget them so you can live naturally, spontaneously, and integrally again as you did in childhood, but now with the depth and wisdom of a sage.
With this book, you can come to realize your innate perfection as the uncreated light of boundless awareness, and soften into the open, spacious, and unconditionally loving essence of existence. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of pain and attachments, and learn to meet these experiences with a new resilience. Most importantly, you’ll find guidance on how to embody and express this awakening as love, joy, service, and creativity in your daily life. own experiences, When Spirit Leaps explores the why and what of spiritual awakening, revealing how this phenomenon occurs across all traditions, and exploring the various ways it can happen. Including discussions on kundalini energy, meditation, yoga and qigong, breathwork, neardeath experiences, and much more, this inspirational book offers companionship and practical solutions to common challenges along the spiritual path of awakening. With this book as your guide, you’ll gain a deep understanding of the process and different portals of awakening, and find comfort and support in the real-life stories of those who have experienced this shift in consciousness and faced its challenges. No matter where you are on your spiritual journey, this book will help you along the way. “Bonnie Greenwell is a wonderful guide for both the awakening of mind and of your body’s energies. Understanding energy work is an important bridge between the two worlds of infinite awareness and everyday reality, which has not been clearly described, and yet is so important for the unfolding awakening. You will find When Spirit Leaps a gift in navigating the awakening process of body, mind, and spirit.” —Loch Kelly, author of Shift into Freedom
Dying & Grieving HOLDING SPACE
on loving dying and letting go by Amy Wright Glenn $22.95, paper. Parallax. 251 pages, b/w illustrations
This look at the spiritual, emotional, and philosophical implications of end-of-life care offers a clear, intimate voice. As Sharon Salzberg says, “For anyone going through loss, this book will feel like a treasure.” BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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As a hospital chaplain, Amy Wright Glenn has been present with those suffering from suicide, trauma, disease, and unforeseen accidents and has been witness to the intense grief and powerful insights that so often accompany loss. She weaves together memoir, philosophical inquiry, and cutting-edge research on death/dying to chronicle how we, as individuals and as a culture, handle ev-
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erything from grief to mortality. Glenn is also a professional birth doula with a deep and committed mindfulness practice who has thought deeply about the significance of human love and loss. She asks us to embrace the task of being present with what is—through courageous and mindful expressions of compassionate presence—and helps us to accept the fact of our own mortality on a visceral and emotional level, not simply as an intellectual abstraction. Grief isn’t something to manage efficiently. It’s not an illness. There’s nothing pathological about mourning. Furthermore, anyone who has been torn asunder by loss knows that prior normalcy is never regained. Our very bones and sinews are transformed. We are irrevocably changed after the passing of those we love. How could we not be? Yet our transformation need not be one of devastation. While loss is searing in its pain, it can also lead to a deeper appreciation for life’s fragility and wonder. It can lead to growth.
Holding Space concludes by integrating key insights drawn from working directly with the dying into a moving and compelling meditation on the healing power of “holding space” for all involved in caring for the dying, a healing sorely needed in our culture at this time. “This is a beautifully written book about the challenging practice of remaining present—holding non-reactive space—around emotions of grief, sorrow and loss. This practice is brought alive through many touching vignettes from the author’s life and work as a hospital chaplain and as a doula for the poignant transitions of birth and death. I recommend Holding Space highly for hospice workers, religious and medical professionals, and for anyone facing personal loss.” —Jan Chozen Bays, author of Mindfulness on the Go
THE GREEN BURIAL GUIDEBOOK
Everything You Need to Plan an Affordable, Environmentally Friendly Burial by Elizabeth Fournier $20.99, paper. New World Library. 179 pages, b/w photos
The North American way of death still includes average funeral expenses of between $8,000 and $12,000. What’s more, every year conventional burials in the U.S. bury 800,000 gallons of embalming fluid, containing carcinogenic formaldehyde; hundreds of thousands of tons of wood, steel, copper, and bronze caskets; and millions of tons of concrete vaults. There is a better way and Fournier, affectionately dubbed the “Green Reaper,” walks readers through it, step-by-step. With green burial and home funeral basics to legal how and what’s; choices in practices (at home, at sea, etc.); and even detours into examples of celebrity green burials; this is comprehensive and compassionate guidance. The idea of a “good death” has been much discussed. Fournier points the way to good post-deaths, ones that consider the environmental well-being of the planet and the economic well-being of loved ones. This practical guide takes readers through the whole green burial process (including cremation), giving a full range of options to consider. In the past, it would have taken an extensive internet search to gather all the information one might need
F to plan a legal green burial. Not any more. The Green Burial Guidebook has all your searches covered and shares information you may not have even thought of, such as how to lay a loved one to rest in your own backyard. Green burial may seem like an avant-garde choice, but in the not-toodistant past, we would keep our recently deceased loved one at home, buy a casket from the local general store, prepare a resting space in the backyard or churchyard, and then conduct the burial ourselves with some simple reflection and quiet dignity.
“Fournier also offers options, foremost among them an approach that recalls how we’ve mourned from time immemorial. She encourages clients to understand that they can wash and dress bodies for disposition (she will assist); bury bodies in wood boxes or other biodegradable containers (green burial); inter bodies or cremains on property they own; and act as their own funeral director.” —Portland Monthly
Transpersonal Psychology ADVICE NOT GIVEN
A Guide to Getting Over Yourself by Mark Epstein $35.00, cloth. Putnam. 204 pages
New from renowned psychiatrist and author Mark Epstein (Thoughts without a Thinker, etc.)… Our ego, and its accompanying sense of nagging self-doubt as we work to be bigger, better, smarter, and more in control, is one affliction we all share. And, while our ego claims to have our best interests at heart, in its never-ending pursuit of attention and power, it sabotages the very goals it sets to achieve. In Advice Not Given, Epstein reveals how Buddhism and Western psychotherapy, two traditions that developed in entirely different times and places and, until recently, had nothing to do with each other, both identify the ego as the limiting factor in our well-being, and both come to the same conclusion: When we give the ego free reign, we suffer; but when it learns to let go, we are free. With great insight, and in a deeply personal style, Epstein offers readers a how-to guide that refuses a quick fix. Using the Eightfold Path, eight areas of self-reflection that Buddhists believe necessary for enlightenment, as his scaffolding, Epstein looks back productively on his own experience and that of his patients. While the ideas of the Eightfold Path are as old as Buddhism itself, when informed by the sensibility of Western psychotherapy, they become something more: a road map for spiritual and psychological growth, a way of dealing with the intractable problem of the ego. Epstein brings a Buddhist sensibility to therapy and a therapist’s practicality to Buddhism. Speaking clearly and directly, he offers a rethinking of mindfulness that encourages people to be more watchful of their ego, an idea with a strong foothold in Buddhism but now for the first time applied in the context of psychotherapy. This book is my attempt to be useful. Its advice can be used by anyone—each in his or her own way. As the Buddha made clear in his own advice on the matter, the Eightfold Path is there to be cultivated. Just as no artist makes work identical to any
PSYCHOLOGY SHINES
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Ken Wilber on The Big Picture
THE RELIGION OF TOMORROW
A Vision for the Future of the Great Traditions - More Inclusive, More Comprehensive, More Complete by Ken Wilber
New in Paperback
$39.95, paper. Shambhala. 816 pages
As the world’s religions increasingly lose followers, Integral philosopher Ken Wilber asks how humanity can evolve future religions that have discarded their dying forms, while retaining the changeless truths upon which they were founded. Exoteric religions have lost influence primarily because their myths are simply untenable to many people today. The only hope lies in the “inner teachings” of the great traditions, the goal of which is an Awakening to the Ultimate Reality that is every being’s True Nature. But for these traditions to attract and inspire modern men and women, they must incorporate the extraordinary number of scientific truths learned about human nature in just the past 100 years—about the mind and brain, emotions, and the growth of consciousness—that the ancients were simply unaware of and thus unable to include in their meditative systems. Using Buddhism as an example, Wilber demonstrates how his comprehensive Integral Approach—which is already being applied to several world religions—can avert a “cultural disaster of unparalleled proportions”—the utter neglect of the glorious upper reaches of human potential by the materialistic postmodern worldview. This is humanity’s one and only discovery of something that, once experienced, individuals almost unanimously claim to be an ultimate Reality, an Absolute Truth, the most real and most certain experience that they have ever had. This is the precious jewel that we must not let perish… This is the Truth that we must not let die.
In his final “Conclusion: The Evolution of Nonduality,” he writes: Take your seat as ever-present I AMness (opening onto Suchness), this present utterly obvious feeling of being you, and ride it into the future, bringing your own specific, unique, one-of-a-kind gifts and talents with you, therein to work on transmuting this earth into a radiant heaven of outrageous love and foolishly offered-everywhere kindness. Rest in both the timeless Being of your ever-present Self and the raging urgency of evolution’s unfolding Eros as it races through the world of Becoming, recognizing that your Being and Becoming, your Emptiness and Form, your Eternal Thusness and your temporal Eros, is Spirit’s own way of continuing to realize more and more of its own true Self and real Condition in and through the only vehicle it could ever use to do so: You.
Wilber’s most sweeping work since Sex, Ecology, Spirituality is an impassioned call for wholeness, inclusiveness, and unity in the religions of tomorrow.
INTEGRAL BUDDHISM: AND THE FUTURE OF SPIRITUALITY by Ken Wilber
$19.95, paper. Shambhala. 164 pages
What might religion look like in the future? Our era of evolution in social consciousness and revolution in science, technology, and neuroscience has created difficulties for some practitioners of the world’s great spiritual traditions. How can one remain true to their central teachings while also integrating those teachings into a new framework that is inclusive of ongoing discoveries? Taking the example of Buddhism to explore this key question, Ken Wilber offers insights that are relevant to all of the great traditions. He shows that traditional Buddhist teachings themselves suggest an ongoing evolution leading toward a more unified, holistic, and interconnected spirituality. Touching on all of the key turning points in the history of Buddhism, Wilber describes the ways in which the tradition has been open to the continuing unfolding and expansion of its own teachings, and he suggests possible paths toward an ever more Integral approach. Now is absolutely the time that the world’s core religions should get serious about updating their fundamental dogmas and dharmas and gospels—that it has been over a thousand years, at least, since virtually all of them added significant ideas and practices to their main teachings… The result is a spiritual framework that “transcends and includes” the central teachings of the Traditions, including the old but also adding a significant amount of new material that is fully compatible with the old, but that, in essence, brings it up to date in the modern and postmodern world.
This work is a precursor to and condensed version of Wilber’s The Religion of Tomorrow. I offer the following suggestions for ways to return spirituality to the central and fundamental place it has had in human life for most of our existence on earth, although it has, for the last few hundred years, increasingly been losing respect. May this help you locate your own faith (atheistic or agnostic, and theistic or nontheistic) in this wondrous, amazing, mysterious, miraculous place we call the Kosmos. other, no person’s development will look or feel the same as anyone else’s. We are all coming from different places and we all have our own individual work to do, but it is safe to say that a willingness to engage with the principles of the Eightfold Path will, at the very least, give wise counsel in a confusing world. As hesitant as I have been to offer meditation as the solution to anyone’s problems, rethinking the Eightfold Path has allowed a Buddhist perspective BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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to merge with my psychotherapeutic one. The bottom line is this: The ego needs all the help it can get. We can all benefit from getting over ourselves.
Entheogens / Psychedelics HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MIND
What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan $37.00, cloth. Penguin. 480 pages, 2 colour diagrams
When author Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. Thus began his adventure into the experience of various altered states of consciousness, along with a dive deep into both the latest brain science and the thriving underground community of psychedelic therapists. Pollan sifts the historical record to separate the truth about these mysterious drugs from the myths that have surrounded them since the 1960s, when a handful of psychedelic evangelists catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research. An elegant blend of science, memoir, travel writing, history, and medicine, How to Change Your Mind is a triumph of participatory journalism. The true subject of Pollan’s “mental travelogue” is not just psychedelic drugs but also the eternal puzzle of human consciousness and how, in a world that offers us both struggle and beauty, we can do our best to be fully present and find meaning in our lives. “After 50 years underground, psychedelics are back. We are incredibly fortunate to have Michael Pollan be our travel guide for their renaissance. With humility, humor, and deep humanity, he takes us through the history, the characters, and the science of these “mind manifesting” compounds. Along the way, he navigates the mysteries of consciousness, spirituality, and the mind. What he has done previously for gardeners and omnivores, Pollan does brilliantly here for all of us who wonder what it means to be fully human, or even what it means to be. —Thomas Insel, MD, former director of National Institute of Mental Health “At the center of Pollan’s story is the greatest conundrum of all–– why should substances that have been so beneficial to so many people, be the focus of crazy criminal penalties? Why, indeed.” —Errol Morris
A REALLY GOOD DAY
How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life by Ayelet Waldman $22.00, paper. Knopf. 256 pages
Here’s a revealing, courageous, fascinating, and funny account of the author’s experiment with microdoses of LSD in an effort to treat a debilitating mood disorder, F S P R I N G, S U M M E R, F A L L 2 0 1 8
F of her quest to understand a misunderstood drug, and of her search for a really good day. When a small vial arrives in her mailbox from “Lewis Carroll,” Ayelet Waldman is at a low point. Her mood storms have become intolerably severe; she has tried nearly every medication possible; her husband and children are suffering with her. So she opens the vial, places two drops on her tongue, and joins the ranks of an underground but increasingly vocal group of scientists and civilians successfully using therapeutic microdoses of LSD (doses of 10 micrograms, about one tenth of a typical “dose” —so sub-perceptual one hardly notices it during the day. As Waldman charts her experience over the course of a month—bursts of productivity, odd sleep patterns, a newfound sense of equanimity-—she also explores the history and mythology of LSD, the cutting-edge research into the drug, and the byzantine policies that control it. Drawing on her experience as a federal public defender, and as the mother of four teenagers, and her research into the therapeutic value of psychedelics, Waldman has produced a book that is eye-opening, often hilarious, endearingly honest, and a highly engaging combo of solid research and self-experiment. And yet here I am, feeling hopeful and optimistic. Is it microdosing with LSD that has allowed my newly plastic brain to wiggle its way out from beneath its typical fog of negativity?... When I told my children that over the last month I had been experimenting with a medication for my mood, they were not surprised. They had sensed that something was different. To them, the experiment was a resounding success. My younger daughter said, “You’ve been much happier. You’ve been controlling your emotions. Like, when you’re angry you’re super-chill.”… My older son’s response was especially sweet. “I’ve noticed a change, for sure. You’ve been kind of playing around in a way you haven’t before. You’re more funny and lively. There’s been a lot of things we had to deal with that were stressful, but you didn’t scream or yell.”… I have felt different and I have been different. Whether it’s the microdose, or the placebo effect, over the past month I have had many days at the end of which I looked back and thought, That was a really good day.
THE NEW PSYCHEDELIC REVOLUTION The Genesis of the Visionary Age by James Oroc
$24.95, paper. Inner Traditions. 466 pp.
Here’s a bold exploration of modern psychedelic culture, history, and future. After the deaths of Jerry Garcia, Timothy Leary, and Ken Kesey, it appeared that the psychedelic revolution of the 1960s had finally been suppressed. But the opposite was occurring, evident in the popularity of transformational festivals like Burning Man and BOOM!, the media coverage of ayahuasca use, and the growing number of celebrities and Silicon Valley billionaires readily admitting the benefits of their personal use of entheogens. Along with the return of university research, the revival of psychedelic philosophy, and the increasing
PSYCHEDELICS & SHAMANISM popularity of Visionary Art, these changes signify a widespread psychedelic cultural revolution much more integrated into the mainstream than the counter-culture uprising of the 1960s. Speaking from the heart of this new [r] evolution, James Oroc explores 21st-century psychedelic culture through three of its main post-1960s architects: chemist Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, mycologist-philosopher Terence McKenna, and visionary artist Alex Grey. Examining their work in depth, he also explores the work of DMT researcher Rick Strassman, MAPS founder Rick Doblin, consciousness researcher Stanislav Grof, new visionary artists such as Amanda Sage and Android Jones, and others. He investigates the use of microdosing in extreme sports, the transformed understanding of spirituality that arises from the psy-trance festival experience, and the relationship between the ego, entheogens, and toxicity. He also presents a History of Visionary Art from its roots in prehistory and antiquity, to Ernst Fuchs and the Vienna School of the Fantastic, to contemporary psychedelic art and its importance to visionary culture. Exploring the practical role of entheogens in our “selfie” “po-mo” world, Oroc explains how psychedelics are powerful tools to examine the Ego and the Shadow and induce transpersonal experiences. Building on anthropological evidence for the role of plant-entheogens in the development of human culture, he sees this all as seeding the beginnings of a new Visionary Age. “Compelling, adventurous, and visionary, this book is packed with fascinating and useful information and inspiration. James Oroc is a fine storyteller as he leads us through a twisty tale that is part personal odyssey, part well-researched ramble through the past and present of psychedelic art and culture, and part love letter to humanity and our potential for awakening to the wonder and beauty of life.” — Stephen Gray, author of Cannabis and Spirituality
Shamanism & Ritual ECSTATIC SOUL RETRIEVAL
Shamanism and Psychotherapy by Nicholas Brink
$20.00, paper. Bear & Company. 194 pp.
Sharing the wisdom of shamanic healing, Nicholas Brink creates an accessible link between psychotherapy and the ritualized use of ecstatic trance postures. He explains how ecstatic trance triggers the imagery that allows us to override negative beliefs and retrieve the lost innocence of the soul. He shows us how to broaden healing beyond the resolution of individual emotional and behavioral issues to create harmony in family, community, society, and the world around us. Integrating cognitive behavioral therapy, narrative therapy, and dream analysis, the author provides a unique model for tapping into the universal mind in a way that feels familiar and safe. He illustrates five ecstatic postures for emotional and spiritual growth, moving from finding a place of relaxation in which to strengthen your sense of self to the soul retrieval exBRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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Shamanic Skillbuilding
ADVANCED SHAMANISM
The Practice of Conscious Transformation by James Endredy $22.50, paper. Bear & Company. 256 pp.
In this step-by-step guide to more than three dozen advanced shamanic practices, James Endredy shares the wisdom and techniques he has learned through 30 years of working with shamanic teachers from all over the globe, including Huichol kawiteros, Tibetan lamas, Incan, Mayan, and Tukano shamans, Indian siddhas, the Kanaka Maoli of Hawaii, and elders from many Native American tribes, such as the Seneca, Lenni Lenape, Arapaho, Sioux, Tuscarora, Yurok, Navajo, and Hopi. Endredy offers hands-on instructions for sacred Fire ceremonies, direct shamanic viewing, experiencing shamanic death and rebirth, working with and acquiring healing stones, shamanic lucid dreaming, shamanic healing, and advanced methods for acquiring an animal spirit guide, including how to properly retain its spirit in a sacred bundle or altar and how to use its power responsibly for healing. He provides a meticulous step-by-step approach to working with the five points of attention, a Huichol teaching on sacred awareness and shamanic levels of attention. He also examines the many ways that Psi phenomena and shamanism are linked and their relationship to the scientific concept of quantum entanglement. Showing how quantum physics is the scientific expression of shamanism, the author also explores the biological foundations of spiritual experiences, including the roles of serotonin, dopamine, and opioid transmitters, and the connections between altered consciousness and shamanic states. Integrating modern research with ancient knowledge to provide an enlightened view of shamanism that marries science and spirit, this guide offers authentic shamanic wisdom and techniques to help the solitary practitioner move forward on their shamanic path. An appendix on “Ethics and Shamanic Practitioners” is very timely. All of these practices, even the fundamentals, are absolutely required for my own advanced shamanic students, and my hope is that you will use these exercises and complete all of them to really feel what it is to be a deeply rooted shamanic healer.
Among Endredy’s other books are Lightning in My Blood and Teachings of the Peyote Shamans
JAGUAR IN THE BODY, BUTTERFLY IN THE HEART The Real-Life Initiation of an Everyday Shaman by Ya’acov Darling Khan $24.99, paper. Hay House. 268 pages
Here’s an incredible account of Ya’Acov Darling-Khan’s 30-year journey into the heart of shamanic traditions, containing wisdom from the world’s oldest indigenous peoples and guidance on bringing shamanism back into the modern world for personal and global healing. “Shaman,” which means “intermediary between spirit and the natural world,” is a much over-used word. It is not a title one can give oneself; it is a vocation and a student is traditionally given this “job title” by their elders and teachers at a certain point in their journey. This powerful, candid spiritual memoir is the story of Ya’Acov Darling Khan’s healing journey that has has taken him to the depths of the Amazon, dance studios in New York, the caves of South Wales, to the far North of the Arctic Circle, and beyond. In this fascinating, personal book, Ya’Acov shares how he has had to understand and work through the shadows and pitfalls of this ancient practice and find its contemporary expression in a culture that did its best to destroy it. Ya’Acov shares his experiences of studying with an extraordinary range of Native American and South American teachers, and Gabrielle Roth, and working alongside the Achuar and Sappara peoples of the Ecuadorian Amazon. For thousands of years, shamans have helped their communities to remain in balance with themselves, each other, the natural world, and the spirit world. This beautifully written book is not only a powerful memoir, but a guide book to all those wishing to return to their indigenous roots, and especially “to the many people around the world who are looking to bring in a new dream and a new world.” As we drummed, I entered the realms of the chaos we are living through as a species. I witnessed the turmoil of clashing ideologies and the horrible suffering of innocent peoples, animals and landscapes. Our voices and the rhythms of the drums made a path for me to follow. I saw shamans all around the world doing the same thing. An people, spiritual and practical and political and musical and young and old, and black and white and red and yellow, all in their own ways, their own traditions, carving pathways through the chaos, dreaming and weaving, being and doing what was needed to find a way through… The rituals of everyday shamanism help me to remember the bigger picture of my life and to connect to the bigger powers that shape it. This book is dedicated to the medicine generation and to all those who wish to bring heaven to Earth and aren’t afraid to do the work of facing themselves in order to find themselves.. The harvest of that work is being who we are and giving what we’ve got. There is only one difference, I’ve discovered, between those who keep their dreams in the sky and those who attempt to bring them to Earth. And, as old school as it may sound, that difference is work. Info: schoolofmovementmedicine.com
perience, which leads to the death of dysfunctional beliefs and restoration of your original innocence. The author shows how spirit guides can support us as we achieve the spiritual consciousness of the shaman and recognize the interdependence of all cultures and all living things on the planet. He draws from the research of anthropol-
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ogist Felicitas Goodman, who discovered the power of body postures in the trance experience, postures she believed were used by the tribal shamans of different cultures throughout time. Though the use of shamanic body postures and drumming may seem quite unusual and unexpected in psychotherapy, Brink offers an effective and meaningful transition for bringing
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these tools to the therapeutic setting. — Stanley Krippner, from the foreword
Using three in-depth case studies, Brink shows how these practices can be used to resolve common psychological issues such as agoraphobia, panic attacks, irrational anger, mood swings, obsessive behaviors, and control issues. Ecstatic soul retrieval allows you to find your inner shaman— your ability to heal yourself and, in turn, to contribute to the healing of all life on our planet. Other titles by Nicholas Brink are The Power of Ecstatic Trance and Trance Journeys of the Hunter-Gatherers.
Native American Medicine Ways SACRED INSTRUCTIONS
Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change by Sherri Mitchell
$25.95, paper. North Atlantic. 234 pages
Sherri Mitchell (Weh’na Ha’mu’ Kwasset—She Who Brings the Light) draws from Indigenous knowledge and ancestral wisdom, as well as her experience as a lawyer and activist, to address some of the most crucial issues we face today—including indigenous land rights, environmental justice, and our collective human survival. Sharing the gifts she has received from the elders of her tribe, the Penobscot Nation, she asks us to look deeply into the illusions we have labeled as truth and which separate us from our higher mind and from one another. As we move through these challenging times, we can draw strength from knowing that we are tied to the entire lineage of life. We are loved and supported by generations of ancestors who carried these messages forward to guide us during these times. Their sacred instructions have left us with a map that can lead us back to the humanity and sacred connections that we have lost along the way. Our responsibility during this time is to seek that path and reconnect with the heart-based wisdom that binds us to one another and the rest of creation, all the way back to the beginning of time. If we honor the gift that has been left for us, we will preserve our path forward and heal the wounds of our collective past.
Sacred Instructions explains how our traditional stories set the framework for our belief systems, and urges us to decolonize our language and our stories. It reveals how the removal of women from our stories has impacted our thinking and disrupted the natural balance within our communities. For all those who seek to create change, this book lays out an ancient world view and set of cultural values that provide a way of life that is balanced and humane, that can heal Mother Earth, and that will preserve our communities for future generations. We are not placeholders in time but guardians of the future. As such, we have the responsibility for dreaming the next seven generations into being. This dreaming is the work of our lives. It is what we were born to do. In order to complete this task, we must join our hearts and minds in a unified prayer. Then, we must breathe life into a collective vision of peace, harmony, and balance, breathing into our hopes and dreams until that vision begins to take form and our future generations are able to walk into it as flesh and blood.
OUT OF CONCEALMENT
Wicca, Pagan Paths & Western Magick
Female Supernatural Beings of Haida Gwaii by Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson
THELEMA
$29.95, paper. Heritage House. 160 pages, 9x10, colour illustrations, French flaps
Out of Concealment presents the origin stories of the Haida Nation through the vibrant depiction of its female supernatural beings. Passed on from generation to generation through oral tradition, these stories are important historical narratives that illustrate Haida values, customs, rituals, and relationships with the earthly and metaphysical realms. It is said that in Haida Gwaii, people recognize these supernatural beings all around them. This book features over thirty full-colour surreal photo collages by Haida artist, performer, and activist Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson. The collages also integrate traditional Haida form-line art by Robert Davidson. Each image is accompanied by insightful, reflective text describing the being’s place in Haida mythology. Among the 33 beings are Foam Woman, Cloud Woman, Cedar Sister, Fern Woman, Moss Woman, Fine Weather Woman, Land Otter Woman, Low Tide Woman, Oil Spill Woman, and Octopus Woman. In his foreword to this magically beautiful book, Wade Davis writes: Ultimately the purpose of this work is to bring back from obscurity narratives that once informed and guided all of Haida existence. It is to allow the young to re-imagine the invisible, to bear witness to the essence of the feminine made manifest in this chorus of Supernatural Beings, dancing Dakinis, as the Buddhist would say, of all the earthly, ocean, and celestial realms. Terri-Lynn’s goal is to allow the viewer to enter what the Irish call the “thin places,” those moments, for they exist in time as much as in space, where the distance between heaven and earth collapses to reveal glimpses of the divine. That liminal space is the very domain of transformation.
$25.95, paper. Llewellyn. 188 pages, illus.
To truly understand the philosophy and practice of Thelema, you need to understand its charismatic founder, Aleister Crowley. Thelema demystifies this enigmatic figure, providing a brief explanation of Crowley’s origins and showing how his thought and work became a paradigm-shifting approach to magick. This book also explores the texts and writings that form the basis of Thelema, and it provides step-bystep instructions for practicing the basic rites and rituals of this often-misunderstood tradition. With this accessible guide, you will also discover the influence of Qabalah, the Golden Dawn, Egyptian deities, Crowley’s personal relationships, sex magick, the Thoth Tarot, Gnosticism, Eastern philosophy, yoga, and much more. On June 1, 1967, Crowley’s unmistakable visage appeared (glaring out at us from between the faces of Indian holy man Swami Sri Yukteswar and sex goddess Mae West) on the album cover of the Beatles’ LP, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band… We could say, “Thelema is a rational religion of sun worship… if you define the word sun as also meaning yourself.” Is it a magical system?... Thelema serves only to enhance, energize, and hybridize whatever philosophical, religious, or magical systems or schools of thought you hold dear. —from the foreword by Lon Milo DuQuette
RITUALS & SABBATS
Out of Concealment encourages readers— both within the Haida Nation and the general public—to see the feminine and the powerful land and seascapes of Haida Gwaii through a worldview where the environment is worthy of respect, not to be dominated or exploited. The book was released to coincide with a larger exhibition of Williams-Davidson’s work at the Haida Gwaii Museum in June 2017. Artist, activist, musician, and formidable lawyer, Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson is a passionate advocate of Haida authority and autonomy. As the legal voice of the Haida Nation since 1995, she has represented her people in the highest courts of Canada. Having worked with the Supernatural Beings intimately for this book, I believe that if they could speak they would express hope that humanity will recognize the supernatural core of its existence, and the inextricable and fragile interdependencies between humans and the land and sea.
An Introduction to the Life, Work & Philosophy of Aleister Crowley by Colin Campbell
Sacred Rites and Seasonal Celebrations by Lady Passion, High Priestess & *Diuvei, High Priest $16.95, cloth. Sterling. 208 pages
A witches’ ritual creates a spiritual atmosphere where magic can happen, and this guide to the most sacred days of the witch year reveals just how that magic comes about. Written by the high priest and priestess of Coven Oldenwilde, this guide outlines the dates, meaning, and ideas behind the eight annual Pagan Sabbats and monthly Esbats which are typically Witches’ study and working meetings. New and would-be Wiccans will also learn sacred etiquette and how to erect an altar, cultivate a powerful magic persona and ritual voice, create a private group, carry out public rituals, and much more. This book vividly describes their ten favorite Sabbat rituals, gatherings, and observances. They also teach: u How to perform a full ritual in detail u Circle etiquette and preparation u How to create an altar and use altar tools u Scripts for covens and groups, spellwork, and more, Herein we give our moving Gardnerian-derived Oldenwilde Ritual Script, which
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will protect you as you grow in magic might and amplify your spell efforts; ritual customs from sources worldwide; creative rite options; monthly Esbat meeting Cakes and Wine serving suggestions; all about seasonal Sabbats, including feast and food magic; and many more pleasurable surprises.
THE BARDIC BOOK OF BECOMING an Introduction to Modern Druidry by Ivan McBeth $35.95, paper. Weiser. 248 pages
The Bardic Book of Becoming is a warm, user-friendly, eclectic introduction to modern Druidry that invites you to take the first steps into the realms of magic and mystery. In this book you will be introduced to the various techniques and practices of a Druid in training. Written by Ivan McBeth, the cofounder of Vermont’s Green Mountain School of Druidry, and Fearn Lickfield, the book incorporates lessons, visualizations, rituals, and magical stories. Many different activities and exercises are included that provide the reader with hands-on learning. Ivan also provides personal stories that demonstrate his own journey from spiritual seeker to Druid. The present moment is the beating heart, home of the Divine, the only true place at the center of creation. Take up your new role as a conscious creator. Become a cosmic spider at the center of your own web—and spin for your life! A Magical Child is a being on a unique, magical adventure—in Jung’s terms, an archetype. It is a psychological personality of great power that is both shared by collective humanity and experienced individually. When you awaken and embody your own Magical Child, your magical adventure unfolds in front of you like a magic carpet. To immerse yourself in it, you must interact with your destiny—in other words, with what appears on your path—as well as you can. Every moment is unique and complete. Forget yourself and dance for your life!
“Ivan fully lived and embodied the Spirit of the Lord of the Dance and the Greening Power of Nature, and his joyous creativity is a testament to the simple wisdom and truth at the core of his beliefs, practices and teachings. I commend Ivan to anyone who would dance with the sun and the moon and the web of the world and find joy there.” —Dr. Patrick MacManaway, co-founder of Circles of Peace “The Bardic Book of Becoming is a book modern Druids have needed for a long time. Deeply visionary, it offers a look into the spirituality of modern Druidic practice and the underlying beliefs and ideas which sustain it. I would recommend this not only to Druids everywhere, but to all those wishing to know more of this growing spiritual practice.” —John Matthews, author of Celtic Shamanism Ivan’s passion was the creation of sacred space, especially stone circles. He was co-responsible for over 25 full-sized stone circles around the world.
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Christian & Jewish Spirituality I AM THROUGH YOU SO I
Reflections at Age 90 by Brother David Steindl-Rast
$26.95, paper. Paulist. 222 pages, photos
Hermit, Zen Christian, spiritual globetrotter, Brother David tells his incomparably rich life story spanning nine decades of his life. This is a beautifully written autobiography with a novel structure: it’s divided into nine sections, one for each decade of Brother David’s life thus far, and each section begins with a reflection on that period of his life followed by a dialogue with Johannes Kaup who is a skilled and sensitive interviewer. Brother David’s humanity and his quiet wisdom flow from every page like a soothing balm, and his gentle advocacy of networks of individuals as the engine of just, social change throws down a practical challenge to all of us. I felt enriched and ennobled as a human being after reading this book: its emphasis on the spiritual ties that bind humankind rather than our differences provides a hopeful counterpoint to the ‘passionate intensity’ of our troubled times. The older I become, the more important this “i am through you so i” becomes for me. When our I passes out of space and time, our relationship with the primeval You remains… And for me, this sentence of “i am through you so i” belongs in a context with Rilke’s stanza: When I go toward you It is with my whole life. [For who am I and who are you If we do not understand each other?] Taken together, these two poetic insights give me more orientation and direction in life than any philosophical and theological discourses.
Brother David Steindl-Rast, born 1926 in Vienna, studied psychology, art, and anthropology. In 1952, he emigrated to the US, joined a Benedictine monastery, and practiced Zen. At present, Brother David serves a worldwide Network for Grateful Living through gratefulness.org, an interactive website with thousands of participants daily from around the world. When not travelling to lectures or as a spiritual teacher, he lives in the US as a hermit. More and more clearly, I see this as my great task: to live in the Now and to continue practicing being present in the Now. This has been my main task and simultaneously a great gift, being able to practice that for so many long decades… We can learn to look at any humble thing and— overwhelmed by surprise—see it burst into being, at this very moment, in the morning freshness of a new beginning.
DANGEROUS MYSTIC
Meister Eckhart’s Path to the God Within by Joel Harrington $40.00, cloth. Knopf. 360 pages, illus.
Meister Eckhart was a medieval Christian mystic whose writings have struck a chord with thinkers as diverse as Heidegger, Merton, Sartre, John Paul II, Matthew Fox, and the Dalai Lama. He is the inspiration for the author Eckhart Tolle’s pen name, and his fourteenth-century quotes have become an online sensation.
C H R I S T I A N S, J E W S & S U F I S Today a variety of Christians, as well as many Zen Buddhists, Sufi Muslims, Jewish Cabbalists, and various spiritual seekers, all claim Eckhart as their own. Meister Eckhart preached a personal, internal path to God at a time when the Church could not have been more hierarchical and ritualistic. Then and now, Eckhart’s revolutionary method of direct access to ultimate reality offers a profoundly subjective approach that is at once intuitive and pragmatic, philosophical yet non-rational, and, above all, universally accessible. This dangerous mystic’s teachings challenge the very nature of religion, yet the man himself never directly challenged the Church. Eckhart’s personal path from conventional friar to professor to lay preacher culminated in a spiritual philosophy that combined the teachings of an array of pagan and Christian writers, as well as Muslim and Jewish philosophers. His revolutionary decision to take his approach to the common people garnered him many enthusiastic followers as well as powerful enemies. After Eckhart’s death and papal censure, many religious women and clerical supporters, known as the Friends of God, kept his legacy alive through centuries, albeit underground until the master’s dramatic rediscovery by modern Protestants and Catholics. Dangerous Mystic grounds Meister Eckhart in a world that is simultaneously familiar and alien. In the midst of this medieval society, a few decades before the Black Death, Eckhart boldly preached to captivated crowds a timeless method, a “wayless way,” of directly experiencing the divine. “A rare combination of sweeping historical narrative, penetrating biography, and profound spiritual elucidation. Joel Harrington elegantly shows why Meister Eckhart is reclaimed as a touchstone of humane holiness in every era—especially ours. This is a book to read, to save, and to give.” ― James Carroll
ing wisdom. Kabalah Yoga brings a new form of awareness to the practice of yoga as a language of the soul, allowing you to journey deep within and discover yourself from the inside out, while tapping into the divine energy of each of the Sacred Shapes. With the explanations, insights, stories, meditations, and photographs in this book, you’ll enhance your practice and improve your life. Audi is an artist, scholar, yoga practitioner, explorer, and true pioneer. With the gift of this book, he is taking us into a path of feeling much more in our movement and breath. Kabalah Yoga encourages us to search inward and be the vessel that holds our soul flame, shining and elevating everything… May we all realize the neshimah (breath) that is breathing us all. May we realize our ko-ach (full potential) as we connect to the ein sof (eternal light) that embraces all life. —Shiva Rea, from the foreword
Sufism, Islam & Rumi THE CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS
New in Paperback by Attar, translated by Sholeh Wolpé $19.95, paper. Norton. 384 pages
Considered by Rumi to be “the master” of Sufi mystic poetry, Attar (who died, in 1220, when Rumi was 12 years old) is best known for his epic poem The Conference of the Birds, a magnificent allegorical tale about the soul’s search for meaning. The poem recounts the perilous journey of the world’s birds to the faraway peaks of Mount Qaf—a mythical mountain that wraps around the earth—in search of the mysterious Simurgh, their king. Attar’s beguiling anecdotes and humor intermingle the sublime with the mundane, the spiritual with the worldly, and the religious with the metaphysical. Reflecting the entire evolution of Sufi mystic tradition, Attar’s poem models the soul’s escape from the mind’s rational embrace. The parables in this book trigger memories deep within us all. The stories inhabit the imagination, and slowly over time, their wisdom trickles down into the heart. The process of absorption is unique to every individual, as is each person’s journey. We are the birds in the story.
KABALAH YOGA
Embodying the Hidden Power of the Sacred Hebrew Letters by Audi Gozlan
$27.95, paper. New Harbinger. 248 pages, 7x10, b/w illustrations
Audi Gozlan, a certified yoga instructor and the founder of Kabalah Yoga (also a Canadian TV show!), offers a book that fuses the practice of yoga with the ancient wisdom of Jewish mysticism, teaching you how to awaken the secret energy of each Hebrew letter in order to enliven your practice and experience the hidden powers of the universe. Kabalah Yoga blends the movement and meditation of Hatha flow yoga with the ancient teachings of Kabalah, incorporating the wisdom of the Hebrew letters, also known as the Sacred Shapes, which are believed by Jewish mystics to be divine templates that contain the creative energy of the universe. This book describes the body, breath, and soul found within each of the Sacred Shapes, and shows that by moving your body into asanas based on each letter of the Hebrew alphabet and meditating on their meaning, you can unlock and embrace their great, empowering, and healBRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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Sholeh Wolpé re-creates the intense beauty of the original Persian in contemThe seven valleys they must cross are: 1.
Valley of the Quest, where the Wayfarer begins by casting aside all dogma, belief, and unbelief
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Valley of Love, where reason is abandoned for the sake of love.
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Valley of Knowledge, where worldly knowledge becomes utterly useless
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Valley of Detachment, where all desires and attachments to the world are given up. Here, what is assumed to be “reality” vanishes.
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Valley of Unity, where the Wayfarer realizes that everything is connected and that the Beloved is beyond everything, including harmony, multiplicity, and eternity.
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Valley of Wonderment, where, entranced by the beauty of the Beloved, the Wayfarer becomes perplexed and, steeped in awe, finds that he or she has never known or understood anything.
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Valley of Poverty and Annihilation, where the self disappears into the universe and the Wayfarer becomes timeless, existing in both the past and the future.
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F porary English verse and poetic prose. In the words of Attar: This book is an ornament for the ages. It offers something for both the high and low. If you came sad and frozen to this book, its hidden fire will blaze and melt your ice. Yes, these verses are magic: They grow more potent with each reading. They are like beauty under a veil that reveals its loveliness slowly.
RUMI’S SECRET The Life of the Sufi Poet of Love by Brad Gooch
New in Paperback
$21.99, paper. HarperCollins. 377 pages
The ecstatic love poems and insights of Rumi, a Persian poet and Sufi mystic born over eight centuries ago, are beloved by millions of readers around the world. He has been compared to Shakespeare for his outpouring of creativity and to Saint Francis of Assisi for his spiritual wisdom. Yet his life has long remained the stuff of legend rather than intimate knowledge. In this breakthrough biography, Brad Gooch brilliantly brings to life the man and puts a face to the name Rumi, vividly coloring in his time and place—a world as rife with conflict as our own. The map of Rumi’s life stretched over 2,500 miles. Gooch traces this epic journey from Central Asia, where Rumi was born in 1207, traveling with his family—who were displaced by Mongol terror—to settle in Konya, Turkey. Pivotal was the disruptive appearance of irascible wandereer Shams of Tabriz, who taught him to whirl and transformed him from a respectable middle-aged Muslim preacher into a Whitmanesque poet of radical intimacy and ecstatic oneness. Their vital connection as teacher and pupil, friend and beloved, is one of the world’s greatest spiritual love stories. When Shams disappeared, Rumi coped with the pain of separation by composing joyous poems of reunion, both human and divine. Ambitious, bold, and beautifully written, Rumi’s Secret reveals the unfolding of Rumi’s devotion to a “religion of love,” remarkable in his own time and made even more relevant for the twenty-first century by this compelling account. “An excellent and accessible introduction to the profound and generous mystical vision of Rumi that will give Western readers a much-needed insight into the true spirituality of Islam.” —Karen Armstrong, author of A History of God “Deftly situating Rumi in the crosscurrents of Persian, Arab, Turkic, and Mongol history, Gooch gives us an indelible portrait of this mystic so crucial to Christians, Muslims, Jews, and modern-day searchers after meaning.” —Fernanda Eberstadt
Astrology, Tarot & Oracles TWELVE FACES OF THE GODDESS Transform Your Life with Astrology, Magick, and the Sacred Feminine by Danielle Blackwood
$25.99, paper. Llewhellyn. 312 pages
In this book, from Danielle Blackwood,
F the astrologer who writes the “Cosmic Weather Report” for Banyen’s e-news each month, you can learn to perform magick according to your Sun sign, Moon sign, ascendant, and all houses in your chart. “Though it is about the goddesses and the feminine found in the archetypes of astrology, mythology, ritual and the magical, it is not a book for women only. It is a book for all on the seeking path—to the realms of their own inner space; all the types are familiar to us, but now we have the language.”—Erin Sullivan, author, astrologer, and teacher In this book, you will learn how to personally connect with the twelve faces of the Goddess through astrology, story, ritual, and guided meditation. As you read about the myths associated with each goddess, you may notice parallels in your own life, which will lead to a deeper and more profound understanding of the archetypal motifs unfolding on your path. In recognizing the mythological themes in your story, you will be inspired to new levels of self awareness and personal empowerment, as well as gaining a renewed sense of realization that your life is a sacred journey, with you as the protagonist. “Looking for a book that seamlessly weaves Goddess spirituality, archetypal psychology, and astrology together into a tapestry of love, magic, and (surprise!) real-world wisdom? The Twelve Faces of the Goddess by Danielle Blackwood is the book you are looking for.”—Anne Newkirk Niven, editor of SageWoman “Danielle Blackwood has crafted a beautiful and smart zodiacal tribute to the Goddess. All too frequently when astrologers present archetypal descriptions of the twelve Sun signs, the signs are unconsciously framed in terms of the masculine psyche and its agenda. In order to eliminate this habit as astrologers, we need the Goddess to speak first, we need her to speak more often, and we need her to speak from her own authority. To this end, Blackwood has contributed something powerful to the field of archetypal astrology.”—Adam Elenbaas, astrologer
TAROT COMPENDIUM by L Scarabeo
$51.95, cloth. Llewellyn. 654 pages, 8x10, colour illustrations
This comprehensive full-color tarot book, edited and compiled by Sasha Graham, focuses on advanced tarot ideas and practices, exploring esoteric disciplines as they intersect with tarot. The authors of this magisterial volume include Giordono Berti, Tali Goodwin, Sasha Graham, Marcus Katz, Mark McElroy, Riccardo Minetti, and Barbara Moore. The path planned and foreseen by Tarot Fundamentals and carried forward by Tarot Experience finds its fulfillment with Tarot Compendium. The most advanced and dedicated aspects of Tarot knowledge are explored throughout its pages, deeply and largely… Writing and reading are truly metaphysical acts. Silent communication. A form of telepa-
ASTROLOGY & ORACLES
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New Oracles: Cards & Guides THE WILD UNKNOWN ANIMAL SPIRIT DECK & GUIDEBOOK by Kim Krans
$49.99, cards. HarperCollins. 63 card deck + 208-page guidebook, giftboxed
The artist behind the groundbreaking bestseller The Wild Unknown Tarot Deck and Guidebook helps seekers of all levels expand their practice of self-discovery with this lovely boxed set featuring an oracle deck and guidebook inspired by real and mythical animals. Artist Kim Krans is helping to redefine the tarot movement. Hand drawn in her detailed and emotionally evocative style, The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck and Guidebook is a work of art that explores the mysteries of the natural world and the animal kingdom. Each of the 63 gorgeous oracle cards captures a stunning portrait of creatures both real and mythical. Divided into five suits structured by the five yogic elements that make up all living things—Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether— The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck and Guidebook includes creatures that roam the field and forest, swim in the oceans and rivers, inhabit deserts and grasslands, and soar through the sky.
THE ENCHANTED LENORMAND ORACLE 39 Magical Cards to Reveal Your True Self and Your Destiny by Caitlin Matthews
$21.95, cards. Watkins. 39 colour cards + 160-page guidebook, boxed
The only Lenormand deck you need, combining unique artwork that captures the magical spirit and deeper meaning of the original historical decks with simple and insightful explanation, a helpful divination sheet for placing spreads and three extra cards to define the seeking self in the modern context. The Enchanted Lenormand Oracle is the classic Lenormand deck for the 21st century, now reissued with a fresh design to showcase the amazing hand-painted card illustrations that guide
The Ether suit holds the seven spirit cards, and represents the seven chakras of the subtle body. From the Peacock who symbolizes inner beauty and reminds us to practice self-acceptance to the playful Dolphin who indicates a profound blessing is headed our way, each animal has been carefully selected for its symbolic potency and the lesson at the core of its nature. Kim’s powerful animal archetypes offer insight into relationships, personalities, behaviors and tendencies and can be used alone or alongside The Wild Unknown Tarot to add a layer of depth to readings. The hand-lettered, illustrated guidebook offers grounded, easy to understand explanations of the cards, a detailed look at the many spreads, practices, and concepts that power the Animal Spirit deck, and deep insight into how each animal helps illuminate our contradictions, our complex natures, and the endless mystery of who we are. Packaged in a keepsake box with a beautiful lifting ribbon, The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck and Guidebook reveals how we are all connected in the complex and wondrous web of life. the diviner in solving problems, learning what the future holds and developing intuition. This deck includes three extra cards (on top of the standard 36) to help define the seeking self: an alternative Man and Woman, to offer choice in the significator (the card representing the client) and also allow for the possibility of same-sex relationships, as well as a Divinator card to represent the diviner. Other updates to bring the deck into a modern context include changing the name of the Cross card to the Crossing, with its symbol of a crucifix replaced by bird wings over a bridge. Stunning hand-painted cards by artist Virginia Lee capture the mystery and charm of Lenormand. Includes a detailed guidebook by renowned cartomancer and seer Caitlin Matthews—a world authority on Celtic wisdom and the Western Mysteries.
MYSTICAL SHAMAN ORACLE DECK AND GUIDEBOOK
by Alberto Villoldo, Colette Baron-Reid & Marcela Lobos
$51.99, cards. Hay House. 64 colour cards + 132-page illus. guidebook, boxed
Legends say that before there was time, before there was language, there were the sacred symbols. The Medicine Wheel, the Curse, the Eagle, Rainmaker, the Sacrifice, the Jaguar, and many others spoke to us intimately. In their countless manifestations, they offered hope, expressed caution, illuminated opportunity, inspired creation, courted power, and shared knowledge. The sacred symbols belong to the realm of archetypes and the collective unconscious, the spiritual common ground shared by peoples modern and ancient. Now, three master teachers and healers—Alberto Villoldo, Colette Baron-Reid, and Marcela Lobos—have brought their wisdom and talents together to offer a doorway into the realm of the sacred symbols with the Mystical Shaman Oracle. When you consult the oracle, you summon power and insight that can help you understand the present, heal the past, and influence the course of your future.
Stay with the image of the card or cards that you choose during a reading. Savor it; let it speak to the depths of your psyche. You will discover that a very primal part of your soul recognizes and responds to these timeless symbols… The symbols present the forces and influences at play and the direction that the energy is moving toward… Each card has three important messages: the Essence, the Invitation, and the Medicine.
SURVIVING DEATH
A Journalist Investigates Evidence for an Afterlife by Leslie Kean
$23.00, paper. Random House. 432 pages
Leslie Kean’s impeccably researched, page-turning investigation reveals stunning and wide-ranging evidence suggesting that consciousness survives death. Here she continues her examination of unexplained phenomena that began with her provocative and controversial UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go on the Record.
This third volume completes the set, along with Tarot Fundamentals and Tarot Experience.
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Truly stunning, gorgeous, subtly textured paintings illustrate these cards. Among the 64 archetypal images on these cards are The Ancient Ones, Eagle, The Hunter, The Journey, Middle World, The Serpent, The Smoky Mirror, Flow, The Circle, The Holy Mountain, Standstill, Beauty Way, Taming the Wind, The Vision Quest, Water, Wild Woman, and The Witness.
Metaphysics & Philosophy
thy. They engage interior space. The moving, intimate, inner thought places. This private innermost space is the providence of a Tarotist. It is where we reach for meaning and engage in exploration into the unknown stretching beyond the borders of a Tarot card… Fate in modern sensibility is the hand you were dealt. It is what you were born with, including things like parents, locations, and physicality. Fortune is understood in the modern sense as innate talents or potentials you have. These talents and potentials can be honed or practiced for enjoyment or career. Destiny is something you carve out on your own using the gift of free will, i.e., personal choice. Tarot and free will are a winning combination as potentials are explored and options weighted so the best possible decisions can be made.
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We can become our own prophets and visionaries. We can converse directly with Spirit, dialogue with the forces of nature, speak with the great archetypes—the ancient gods—without intermediaries. No one needs to stand between the Creator and you, or between you and the great powers of nature.
While exploring the evidence for an afterlife, I witnessed some unbelievable things that are not supposed to be possible in our material world. Yet they were unavoidably
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and undeniably real. Despite my initial doubt, I came to realize that there are still aspects of Nature which are neither understood or accepted, even though their reality has profound implications for understanding the true breadth of the human psyche and its possible continuity after death.
Kean explores the most compelling case studies involving young children reporting verifiable details from past lives, contemporary mediums who seem to defy the boundaries of the brain and the material world, apparitions providing information about their lives on earth, and ordinary people who recount some of the most extraordinary neardeath experiences ever recorded. Kean’s first book, and her credibility as a seasoned
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JUMP GIRL
METAPHYSICS & REVELATIONS
Feminine Psychic Seers
DARK STAR RISING
Magick and Power in the Age of Trump by Gary Lachman $23.00, paper. Penguin. 256 pages
The Initiation and Art of a Spirit Speaker - A Memoir by Salicrow
$25.95, paper. North Atlantic. 300 pages
This is a remarkable life story of growing up psychic and learning to work with Spirit, as told by a medium and psychic seer. Carrying on traditions woven of her Blackfoot and Celtic roots, Salicrow is a natural psychic medium from a family with a long history of profound connection to the unseen world. In this intimate memoir, she tells the story of how she became aware of her gifts as a child, how she was taught and encouraged by her grandmother and father, and how for more than 25 years she has worked as a seer, using the Tarot and Runes as tools to help people communicate with their beloved dead, as well as to contact the guiding spirits who watch over them. As a species we are becoming empathic. People are finding their senses heightened, and they are becoming aware of the emotional and physical pain of others… We have reached the tipping point at which people no longer have a choice of whether they want to be more open. Psychic gifts that have remained dormant for many generations are being awakened. We are becoming more.
Revealing what it feels like to be called to serve in the metaphysical world, she describes her experiences divining the future and revisiting the past, speaking with herself from prior lives, time traveling to do energetic healing work on the planet, learning from the spirits themselves, using kinetic force, continuing to study and hone her skills, and much more. Sali’s story teaches the fundamentals of mediumship, psychic perception, geomancy, spiritual healing, and a basket of other unusual human capacities. We learn of them from the inside out, as they happened to her, and as they manifested in her relationships with family, friends, and clients. To those who have wondered what it’s like to have such talents, this book is an intimate revelation… Reading Sali’s tale opens the mind to a wider, deeper reality, which is both deeply serious and incredibly fun. —from the foreword by Robert Simmons
“Whether one accepts the explicit existence of an afterlife, Sali has demonstrated that the universe is incomprehensibly complex and filled with disembodied thoughtforms and spirits as well as denser life forms. Through the many events on diverse worlds and across multiple dimensions, these entities, in all their vibrations and incarnate states, work toward overall clarification, healing, and personal evolution.” —Richard Grossinger, founding publisher, North Atlantic Books
SISTER OF DARKNESS
The Chronicles of a Modern Exorcist by R.H. Stavis, with Sarah Durand $33.50, cloth. HarperCollins. 270 pages
We may not be able to see them, but they’re always there. Smoke and shadows, ghoulish features or lifelike forms, there are the demons, or what Rachel calls “entities,” that float around us, or even attach themselves to our bodies, feeding off our fears, traumas, and our negative energy. As the world’s only nondenominational exorcist, Rachel has found herself at the crux of the spiritual crossroads of thousands of clients all of whom she’s been able to save by ridding them of their spiritual baggage, and getting at the root causes of their low frequency at the same time. Stavis realized her gift as young child, but for years she pushed it away, wishing for it to disappear. After years of denying her gift for communicating with the spirit world, she turned what she once regarded as a curse into a blessing to help those in need. Stavis has cleansed thousands of tormented people, from small children to musicians, politicians, and everyone in between, quietly performing her work pro bono and in obscurity. In this book, I’ll welcome you not just into my strange world, but into the entire realm of entities, Spirit, frequency, and how they directly affect you. I’ll describe the many levels of entities—and what you might have attached to you right now—and show you what you can do to avoid attracting others… During my exorcisms, I call in Spirit Guides, Master Teachers, angels, my ancestors, even gods and goddesses, all of whom come from and are part of Spirit… You can change your energy—which I also call frequency—to help make a better world. That, in turn, will keep entities from attaching to you—now and for the rest of your life.
A unique look at demonology removed from religious dogma, Sister of Darkness is the true story of Rachel’s journey to becoming an exorcist. Chronicling some of her most extreme and interesting cleansings, the hows and the whys of what she does, and stories of danger and of triumph, Stavis creates a world that is at times frightening, eye-opening, and utterly enthralling.
and well-respected journalist, made people take notice of a topic that many considered implausible. This book will do the same— this time enriched by Kean’s reactions to her own perplexing experiences encountered while she probed the universal question concerning all of us: Is there life after death? British psychologist David Fontana studied the evidence for psi for over thirty
years. “Psychic abilities are a matter of fact, not of belief,” he writes. “What they are and they mean for our view of reality is another matter, but one cannot dismiss them as fiction and yet retain credibility as an unbiased observer.” The reader will encounter the reality of the most refined psychic functioning throughout this book, and by the end will have no questions as to its existence. BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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Within the concentric circles of Trump’s regime lies an unseen culture of occultists, power-seekers, and mind-magicians whose influence is on the rise. In this unparalleled account, historian Gary Lachman examines the influence of occult and esoteric philosophy on the unexpected rise of the alt-right. Did positive thinking and mental science help put Donald Trump in the White House? And are there any other hidden powers of the mind and thought at work in today’s world politics? In Dark Star Rising: Magick and Power in the Age of Trump, historian and cultural critic Gary Lachman takes a close look at the various magical and esoteric ideas that are impacting political events across the globe. From New Thought and Chaos Magick to the farright esotericism of Julius Evola and the Traditionalists, Lachman follows a trail of mystic clues that involve, among others, Norman Vincent Peale, domineering gurus and demagogues, Ayn Rand, Pepe the Frog, Rene Schwaller de Lubicz, synarchy, the Alt-Right, meme magic, and Vladimir Putin and his postmodern Rasputin. Come take a drop down the rabbit hole of occult politics in the twenty-first century and find out the post-truths and alternative facts surrounding the 45th President of the United States with one of the leading writers on esotericism and its influence on modern culture. No conspiracies, no fantasies: a steely eyed work of realism and a triumph of historical journalism written from within a world where most religion chroniclers never tread. Among Gary Lachman’s other fine books are The Secret Teachers of the Western World and Jung the Mystic.
Transmissions & Revelations DISCOVERING YOUR SOUL’S PURPOSE Finding Your Path in Life, Work, and Personal Mission the Edgar Cayce Way by Mark Thurston $22.00, paper. Penguin. 268 pages
The medical clairvoyant Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) left the world a wealth of intuitive readings on everything from health and spirituality to psychology and past lives. Now the most significant teacher of Cayce’s teachings, Mark Thurston, updates and revises his classic book, Discovering Your Soul’s Purpose, to help you use the Cayce teachings in the twenty-first century to find greater purpose in your relationships, career, and overall mission in life. Between 1923 and 1944, Cayce gave more than nineteen hundred readings in which he tried to help people see their life’s purpose. These came to be called the “life readings,” and they form the basis of this book… Cayce went so far as to suggest that it is within the ordinary aspects of life F S P R I N G, S U M M E R, F A L L 2 0 1 8
F that something extraordinary can happen. In other words, making life great does not necessarily mean doing “great things” in the eyes of mainstream society… It’s an adventure in self-discovery and a journey to become the person you were born to be. If you will follow the steps described in this book, you will create for yourself something every bit as valuable as a personalized Cayce life reading! I have been reinspired about how vital it is for people to hear their calling and fulfill the mission for which they were born. That reinspiration has come from working with and being around emerging adults every day at my job teaching at a large public university. The sincerity and depth of inquiry that I see in my students has once again made me aware of just how important this material really is.
SILVER WHEEL
The Lost Teachings of the Deerskin Book by Elen Tompkins $17.95, paper. Head of Zeus. 356 pages, b/w illustrations
A precious treasure of lost Lemurian wisdom is found in the forest. It is a book, clad in worn white deerskin, and within on pages of bark is inscribed a mysterious and glowing script. It is written in the language of the Elven Ones, who so long ago vanished from our world. This is the First Teaching of the Deerskin Book: There are those who will become keystones of the New Earth. Their energy bodies will alter, they will shine, they will become the New Earth. They will receive the initiations that they need for this reconfiguration. This choice is animated by exceptional love for the Earth.
Silver Wheel is an exquisite mandala of wisdom teachings from the Elven realms of Lemuria, that declares the Golden Dawn of a New Earth. It announces the return of the Shining Ones, and guides us into their ancient knowledge, their harmony with the earth and stars. Elen Tompkins received these teachings during her years of shamanic training in the forests of Wales. These beautiful teachings offer navigational tools for the New Earth. They activate our own otherworldly gifts and memories, and our intuitive grace of connection to the elemental and star realms. Your presence is awakening the ancient dormant codes, the sighs of dreamers that sleep within the trees. Crystalline codes of diamond brilliance are passing through you. The Ancient Ones are awakening. The Cedars are firing up once more with their ancient brilliance. They are once more becoming repositories of the galactic code. Their sapphire auras are building, the broken shield is being repaired. All the broken prayers, the eras of neglect. How we have abandoned this mosaic of interdimensional loveliness and its exquisite weavings. How we have torn wide open the subtle veils of the forest that cared for us all. How the forest aura must be restored, so that Planet Earth can hold us in a remembrance of who we truly are.
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ANGELS IN BUSINESS
Angelic Co-Intelligence
Money, Currency, Wealth
THE NEW SIRIAN REVELATIONS
YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE
Glactic Prophecies for the Ascending Human Collective by Patricia Cori
9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence: Fully Revised and Updated for 2018 by Vicki Robin & Joe Dominguez with Monique Tilford
$24.95, paper. North Atlantic. 218 pages, b/w illustrations
In July 1996, during an extraordinary out-of-body journey through the Milky Way and other galaxies, Patricia Cori was reconnected and attuned to a group of interdimensional light beings that she and her many readers came to know, through the first Sirian Revelations transmissions, as The Sirian High Council. During her remarkable mission as their Scribe, she has shared the insights of six-dimensional Sirian Light Emissaries through the books and teachings that have transformed readers over the past decades. Now, twenty years from the date of the first transmission, Cori shares new revelations that affirm the veracity of past prophecies and transmit new visions for the human race as we ascend through the outer reaches of the fourth dimension into new levels of conscious awareness and parallel realities as we prepare for our imminent emergence. Called a “real-life Indiana Jones,” Cori is one of the most well-known and established authorities on multidimensional realities that challenge the status quo. Her messages from distant realms empower readers to look at the dark side, to understand it, but to focus on the light for all humankind and the earth. In this new book, the Sirians once again hold us to our responsibility as guardians of this planet, with sound direction and advice for how to get through these shifting sands of our transition. Their discussions delve into many of the most crucial issues of our time, including the merging of human mind and artificial intelligence, exoplanetary migration from the earth and what that means to planets that will receive us, coming clean about cloning, the care and feeding of the human being, and the slipping of time as we know it. As the struggle between darkness and light is being fought at every level, Cori reminds us to take comfort in the fact that the Sirian High Council foresaw and told us how this time of immense upheaval would be the last phase of our passage out of the darkness and into the light of far more illuminated states of being. Among the other books by Patricia Cori are The Cosmos of the Soul and No More Secrets, No More Lies.
$23.00, paper. Penguin. 328 pages, charts
For more than twenty-five years, Your Money or Your Life has been considered the go-to book for taking back your life by changing your relationship with money. Hundreds of thousands of people have followed this nine-step program, learning to live more deliberately and meaningfully with Vicki Robin’s guidance. This fully revised and updated edition with a foreword by “the Frugal Guru” Mr. Money Mustache is the ultimate makeover of this bestselling classic, ensuring that its time-tested wisdom applies to people of all ages and covers modern topics like investing in index funds, managing revenue streams like side hustles and freelancing, tracking your finances online, and having difficult conversations about money. Whether you’re just beginning your financial life or heading towards retirement, this book will show you how to: u Get out of debt and develop savings u Save money through mindfulness and good habits, rather than strict budgeting u Declutter your life and live well for less u Invest your savings and begin creating wealth u Save the planet while saving money … and so much more! This “bible of voluntary simplicity” is a refreshing guide to helping individuals define their needs and align their psyches and life trajectories accordingly. It may be the only book you ever read on finances that really makes sense to your heart as a human being. In this book, the authors outline their nine-step program for transforming the way we think about, earn, and spend money. Discovering the power of “enoughness”— and knowing how much is enough for you—can help you live more deliberately and meaningfully. Money can cease to be an issue in your life, and you can finally have the intellectual and emotional space to take on issues of greater importance. Many books about money assume your financial life functions separately from the rest of your life. This one is about putting it all back together, so you can embark on the road to financial independence and finally begin to make a life, rather than just make a living. “The distinctions in this book are so empowering, so liberating, and so transformative that the book should be a required text for everyone who has a bank account. This is one of the best and most truthful books you will ever read about money.” —Lynne Twist, author of The Soul of Money
THE ANGELIC ORIGINS OF THE SOUL Discovering Your Divine Purpose by Tricia McCannon
$29.95, paper. Bear & Company. 528 pages, b/w & colour illustrations
Your Soul is a divine light originating within the Angelic Orders of Heaven. The Tibetan Book of the Dead speaks about the seven Lokas, or dimensions, the Soul travels through after death, while the Egyptian Book of the Dead refers to the Soul becoming one with the ever-renewing phoenix. Yet what is the phoenix but a symbol of our own Angelic Twin who resides in the highest realms, the essence of our Soul? In this book, Tricia McCannon explains how to discover the angelic realms where the highest parts of yourself reside and become the catalyst for your own path of ascension. Exploring the Souls angelic origins, the Nine Orders of Angels, and the multi-dimensional landscapes of Heaven, McCannon takes you on the journey each Soul makes as it descends from the higher vibrational realms to arrive in the world of form. Drawing from the perennial wisdom of the Gnostics, Tibetans, Egyptians, Buddhists, Hindus, Hebrew mystics, and the ancient Mystery traditions, she looks at what our ancient ancestors have to say about the nature and history of the Soul. She reveals how, once embodied, the Soul loses its ability to vibrate with the highest celestial levels causing it to forget its purpose. She addresses how our illusion of separation from Divine Oneness arises, causing us to move away from the Light and become wrapped up in the Shadow of fear and suffering. She explains the six stages of Soul Evolution we must pass through to heal the wounds of separation, reawaken to higher vibrations, and remember our Soul’s purpose, the reason your Soul chose this incarnation. McCannon shares stories from those who have returned from the Otherside, tales of revelation, temples of learning, and crystal cities of light. Presenting the great Course Curriculum of the Soul, the lessons we must master to complete our missions on Earth, the author shows that by remembering our divine essence we can move beyond conflict and struggle to embrace the love and joy that reside eternally at the core of our being.
Business, Work & Money THE ESSENTIALS OF THEORY U Core Principles and Applications by C. Otto Scharmer
$28.95, paper. Berrett-Koehler. 168 pages
This useful pocket guide for practitioners distills all of the research and materials found in Otto Scharmer’s seminal texts Theory U and Leading from the Emerging Future. This book offers a concise, accessible guide to the key concepts and applications
THE ART OF MONEY
A Life-changing Guide to Financial Happiness by Bari Tessler $22.95, paper. Parallax. 296 pages
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New in Paperback
This is the book your money-savvy best friend, therapist, and accountant would write if they could. It’s the book about money for people who don’t even want to think about money, until that inevitable day comes when we all realize we must come to terms with this thing called money. Everyone has pain and challenges, strengths and dreams about money, and many of us mix profound shame into that relationship. In The Art of Money, Bari Tessler offers an integrative approach that creates the real possibility of “money healing,” using our relationship with money as a gateway to self-awareness and a training ground for compassion, confidence, and self-worth. I have re–examined that toxic and unhelpful idea that “money isn’t spiritual” and learned, instead, to honor money as a bridge between heaven and earth. I have worked with concepts of value, worth, and right livelihood, in profound and practical ways. I have broken through one money ceiling after the next… I have made my money practices my own, through body–based mindfulness, dark chocolate, creativity, and playfulness… And I have become a seasoned guide through the emotional, practical, and psycho–spiritual facets of this thing we call money.
in Theory U. Scharmer argues that our capacity to pay attention coshapes the world. What prevents us from attending to situations more effectively is that we aren’t fully aware of that interior condition from which our attention and actions originate. Scharmer calls this lack of awareness our blind spot. He illuminates the blind spot in leadership today and offers hands-on methods to help change makers BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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Tessler’s gentle techniques weave together emotional depth, big picture visioning, and refreshingly accessible, nitty-gritty money practices that will help anyone transform their relationship with money and, in so doing, transform their life. As Bari writes, “When we dare to speak the truth about money, amazing healing begins.” Bari’s integrative approach to deep money work weaves together emotional healing and real-world practices within the context of each individual’s unique life story. She honors money as a gateway to self-awareness, a path of mindfulness, a bridge between our inner and outer worlds. Her approach is gentle, un-shaming, and playful. “You will create beautiful, creative, meaningful practices and rituals around money.” You’ll certainly find some of my favorite tools, tips, and practices. But I know that creating profound, sustainable change in your money relationship asks us to go far deeper than following someone else’s list of “top ten ways to get your credit card debt under control.” That’s why I won’t define financial maturity, success, or ease for you . Instead, I invite you to define these for yourself, and light a loving path towards them for you to walk.
overcome it through the process, principles, and practices of Theory U. And he outlines a framework for updating the “operating systems” of our educa-
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tional institutions, our economies, and our democracies. This book enables leaders and organizations in all industries and sectors to shift awareness, connect with the
F highest future possibilities, and strengthen the capacity to co-shape the future. Theory U has evolved into a movement in both academic and organizational development programs on a global scale, yet all of the available literature on the subject can only be found in pricier and lengthier (400+ pages) works—putting it beyond the reach of many. Here, for the first time, the movement’s key founder presents the core premise and application of Theory U in a compact format to be used as a simple introductory work to the field of presencing. “A brilliant analysis and description of how we can create new ways of seeing, thinking, and behaving to deal with the new complex, systemic, culturally interconnected problems of today’s and tomorrow’s world. This book provides a new language and teaches us new ways to integrate the insights of the psychology of mindfulness with the sociology of groups and the forces of the political and economic system. It is an incredible tour de force.” —Edgar Schein, MIT Sloan School of Management C. Otto Scharmer is cofounder of the Presencing Institute and the MITx u.lab.
Ecology, Community & Politics DANGEROUS YEARS
Climate Change, the Long Emergency, and the Way Forward by David Orr $25.95, paper. Yale. 300 pages
This gripping, deeply thoughtful book considers the future of civilization in the light of what we know about climate change and related threats. David Orr pulls no punches: even with the Paris Agreement of 2015, Earth systems will not reach a new equilibrium for centuries. Earth is becoming a different planet—more threadbare and less biologically diverse, with more acidic oceans and a hotter, more capricious climate. Yet we are not fated to destroy the Earth, Orr insists. He imagines sustainability as a quest and a transition built upon robust and durable democratic and economic institutions, as well as changes in heart and mindset. The transition, he writes, is beginning from the bottom up in communities and neighborhoods. He lays out specific principles and priorities to guide us toward enduring harmony between human and natural systems. There is a great deal that we do not know, but we do know that the centuries ahead will demand the most extraordinary things of us. They will require leadership at all levels with an improved commitment to fact, data, and logic, that is, science… It will require sacrifice and steadiness of people who must learn how to be good citizens and better neighbors. Around future campfires on the dark nights ahead they will need to remember their histories and recall stories that remind, inspire, energize, and console… We will have to stay put and make the journey to sustainability where we are… We don’t have a choice because business as usual, by which I mean dependence on fossil fuels, economic inequalities, overconsumption, public manipulation, and militarization, will prove fatal to civilization, possibly sooner than later. Finally, the success of the journey to sustainability depends a great deal on how it begins, how it is organized, and whether people
ECOLOGY & COMMUNITY
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Smart Shopping, No Waste
BETTER WORLD SHOPPING GUIDE #6 Every Dollar Makes a Difference by Ellis Jones
$12.95, paper. New Society. 208 pp, 4x6
While we generally try to make our vote count every four years, few of us realize that our most immediate power to shape the world is being squandered on a daily basis. Every dollar we spend has the potential to create social and environmental change. In fact, it already has. The world that exists today is in large part a result of how our purchasing decisions have already shaped it. The Better World Shopping Guide rates hundreds of products and services from A to F so you can quickly tell the “good guys” from the “bad guys” and ensure your money is not supporting corporations who make their decisions based solely on the bottom line. Drawing on decades of meticulous research, this completely revised and updated sixth edition will help you find out which companies actually “walk the talk” when it comes to: u Environmental sustainability u Human rights u Community involvement u Animal protection u Social justice. Small enough to fit in a back pocket or handbag, and organized in a user-friendly format, The Better World Shopping Guide will help you reward the companies who are doing good, penalize those involved in destructive activities, and change the world as you shop! The data is distilled and organized into common product categories including coffee, energy bars, computers, gasoline, clothing, banks, cars, water and more. Also included is a summary of the essential information about particular product categories, profiles of the best and worst companies, practical buying tips and the most useful online resources available. See also The Better World Handbook by the same author.
ZERO WASTE
Simple Life Hacks to Drastically Reduce Your Trash by Shia Su $23.99, paper. Skyhorse. 160 pages, illustrations
Here, from the Vancouver-based blogger of “Wasteland Rebel,” are easy and effective strategies to jumpstart a sustainable, waste-free lifestyle. We have a worldwide trash epidemic. The average American disposes of 4.4 pounds of garbage per day, and our landfills hold 254 million tons of waste. What if there were a simple—and fun—way for you to make a difference? What if you could take charge of your own waste, reduce your carbon footprint, and make an individual impact on an already fragile environment? A zero waste lifestyle is the answer—and Shia Su is living it. Every single piece of unrecyclable garbage Shia has produced in one year fits into a mason jar—and if it seems overwhelming, it isn’t! In Zero Waste, Shia demystifies and simplifies the zero waste lifestyle for the beginner, sharing practical advice, quick solutions, and tips and tricks that will make trash-free living fun and meaningful. Learn how to: u Build your own zero waste kit u Prepare real food the lazy way u Make your own DIY household cleaners and toiletries u Be zero waste even in the bathroom! And more! Be part of the solution! Implement these small changes at your own pace, and restructure your life to one of sustainable living for your community, your health, and the Earth that sustains us all. know in advance that this will be a long and difficult transition—not an afternoon outing—and pack accordingly.
“An extremely valuable look at humanity’s horizon, the challenging millennium ahead and how we might—indeed must— transition to sustainability. Dangerous Years will help us chart the way through the inchoate wilderness of our own making. Destined to become one of the great environmental classics.” —Thomas E. Lovejoy, George Washington University
THE POWER OF RESTRAINT by Pierre Rabhi
$26.95, paper. Actes Sud. 112 pages
The current crisis clearly demonstrates that our model of society has reached its limits and cannot continue to exert its absolute power over the entire world without serious—and in some cases irreversible— damage. The time has come to recognize that our affluent societies have more BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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than enough to meet their essential material needs—provided it is done fairly. The time has also come to question whether we are all, globally, going to live with less, rather than more money. We have the necessary means to do so, provided we accept this as an irrevocable principle of our lives. Rather than causing us to lose heart, this crisis can instead awaken within us unprecedented creative forces so that together, we can construct a satisfying world for heart, mind, and spirit. In the face of a joyless society of overabundance, yet one still afflicted with the material poverty in which so-called developed countries are now mired, “power of restraint” represents a realistic alternative. As a liberating moral and physical force, it
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is a political act of legitimate resistance to this juggernaut that is destroying the planet and isolating the individual. The time has come to break free of these bulimic habits and the constant quest for more and more, a race destined to end in an immense field of ruins. Pierre Rabhi adopted this way of life many years ago; he can share practical steps toward restraint, a measure of well being and equilibrium. He offers us a form of simplicity and gratitude which, as it spreads to our innermost self, gives meaning to our existence, along with a unique sense of lightness: the rewards of restraint.
GLOBAL WARMING AND THE SWEETNESS OF LIFE
A Tar Sands Tale by Matt Hern & Am Johal with Joe Sacco $26.95, paper. MIT. 224 pages, b/w & colour illus.
Confounded by global warming and in search of an affirmative politics that links ecology with social change, Matt Hern and Am Johal set off on a series of road trips to the tar sands of northern Alberta—perhaps the world’s largest industrial site, dedicated to the dirty work of extracting oil from Alberta’s vast reserves. Traveling from culturally liberal, self-consciously “green” Vancouver, and aware that our well-meaning performances of recycling and climate-justice marching are accompanied by constant driving, flying, heating, and fossil-fuel consumption, Hern and Johal want to talk to people whose lives and fortunes depend on or are imperiled by extraction. They are seeking new definitions of ecology built on a renovated politics of land. Traveling with them is their friend Joe Sacco—infamous journalist and cartoonist, teller of complex stories from Gaza to Paris—who contributes illustrations and insights and a chapter-length comic about the contradictions of life in an oil town. The epic scale of the ecological horror is captured through an series of stunning color photos by award-winning aerial photographer Louis Helbig. Seamlessly combining travelogue, sophisticated political analysis, and ecological theory, speaking both to local residents and to leading scholars, the authors propose a new understanding of ecology that links the domination of the other-than-human world to the domination of humans by humans. They argue that any definition of ecology has to start with decolonization and that confronting global warming requires a politics that speaks to a different way of being in the world—a reconstituted understanding of the sweetness of life.
A NEW REPUBLIC OF THE HEART An Ethos for Revolutionaries: A Guide to Inner Work for Holistic Change by Terry Patten
$23.99, paper. North Atlantic. 400 pages
Recasting current problems as emergent opportunities, Terry Patten points out humans’ natural tendency to evolve during periods of acute crisis—and offers creative responses, practices, and conscious conversations for tackling the profound inner and outer work we must do to build an integral and inspiring future. In practical and personal terms, he discusses
F how we can all become active agents of a transformation of human civilization and why that is necessary to our continued survival. Patten’s narrative focuses on two aspects of existence—our dynamic but fractured and threatened world, and our underlying wholeness and unity. Only by honoring both of these realities simultaneously can we make sustainable changes in ourselves, our communities, our body politic, and our planetary life-support system. A New Republic of the Heart provides a comprehensive understanding and inspiring vision for “being the change” in a way that can address the most intractable problems of our time. Patten shows how we can come together in our communities for conversations that matter and describes new communities, enterprises, and forms of dialogue that integrate both inner personal growth work with outer awareness, activism, and service. Patten makes the case that the mounting challenges of our current global crises are being met with an emergent, interconnected revolution that integrates both inner personal growth work with outer awareness, activism, and service. Rather than diagnosing everything that is wrong with our current society, Patten identifies how spiritual and political awakenings are intertwined. He also looks at the range of responses to the crisis—from techno-optimism to ecological activism to survivalism—appreciating the partial truths in them all. This is a practical book for activists seeking to reframe, reanimate, and reintegrate their work for change. “What we have here is possibly the finest example of the making of the possible human, and with this, the development of a possible world.” —Jean Houston, author of A Passion for the Possible “Terry Patten has woven together strands from evolutionary neuroscience, deep ecology, integral theory, and spiritual wisdom to offer a practical path forward out of humanity’s current morass. Fascinating, fast-moving, and heartfelt, this book is a gem.” —Rick Hanson, author of Hardwiring Happiness “Superb, exciting, sane, and enlightening—a social activism that is also personal, emotional, spiritual, ecological, relational, and that points toward the very leading edge of evolution itself.” —Ken Wilber, author of The Integral Vision
Eco-Philosophy THE WORLD-ENDING FIRE
The Essential Wendell Berry by Wendell Berry, selected by Paul Kingsnorth $37.50, cloth. Counterpoint. 351 pages
The writings gathered in The World-Ending Fire are the unique product of a life spent farming the fields of rural Kentucky with mules and horses, and of the rich, intimate knowledge of the land cultivated by this work. These are essays written in defiance of the false call to progress and in defense of local landscapes, essays that celebrate our cultural heritage, our history, and our home. Wendell Berry’s formula for a good
E C O-P H I L O S O P H Y, E C O-D E S I G N life and a good community is simple and
fallen leaves have
BEING SALMON, BEING HUMAN Encountering the Wild in Us and Us in the Wild by Martin Lee Mueller $33.50, paper. Chelsea Green. 344 pages, French flaps
Being Salmon, Being Human examines Western culture’s tragic alienation from nature by focusing on the relationship between people and salmon—weaving together key narratives about the Norwegian salmon industry as well as wild salmon in indigenous cultures of the Pacific Northwest. Mueller directly challenges the four-hundred-year-old notion that other animals are nothing but complicated machines without rich inner lives and that Earth is a passive backdrop to human experience. Being fully human, he argues, means experiencing the intersection of our horizon of understanding with that of other animals. Salmon are the test case for this. Mueller experiments, in evocative narrative passages, with imagining the world as a salmon might see it, and considering how this enriches our understanding of humanity in the process. Being Salmon, Being Human is both a philosophical and a narrative work, rewarding readers with insightful interpretations of major philosophers—Descartes, Heidegger, Abram, and many more—and reflections on the human-Earth relationship. If we were to succeed in passing through this critical transition—and still have a living planet—we could be reborn into a far more comprehensive sense of being human. We could be mature Earth citizens, ready to assume the responsibility that comes with being such flexible, undetermined, endlessly creative, and wise apes… There is no invulnerable place to escape to any longer. The only refuge is the living world itself, in its fragility, its unruliness, its unpredictability, but also its beauty and wonder. Salmon, as the distinct species we know today, have been accepting the responsibility to return from the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans for at least six million years. Six million years equals thirty times the life history of Homo sapiens as a species… And it corresponds to fifteen thousand times the time that has passed since some thinking apes first thought it wise to treat Earth, and all her processes, and all her creatures, as a machine. Given the salmon’s very long sojourn inside this ancient planet, it would seem to be far more parsimonious and precise to think of salmon not as objects, not as commodities, but as elders.
“Here is a philosopher who has learned to think not only with his head but with his whole body. A keenly aware human animal, Martin Mueller dreams himself salmon flesh. Gill slits open along his neck as he glides between mountain streams and the broad ocean currents. His scales glint and ripple in the moonlight, their reflections posing ever more penetrating questions for our species. This is a game-changing culture-shifting book, ethical and eloquent, opening the way toward a more mature natural science—one that’s oriented by our own creaturely participation and rapport with the rest of the biosphere.”—David Abram, author of The Spell of the Sensuous “With this beautiful and important book, Martin Lee Mueller has written a love song to the salmon, and a love song to all life. This book deserves to be read and understood, as an important step in helping us to remember how to love this wonderful planet that is our only home.” —Derrick Jensen, author of A Language Older Than Words pleasingly unoriginal. Slow down. Pay attention. Do good work. Love your neighbours. Love your place. Stay in your place. Settle for less, enjoy it more… This selection is chosen from hundreds of essays written over five decades.
With grace and conviction, Wendell Berry shows that we simply cannot afford to succumb to the mass-produced madness that drives our global economy—the natural world will not survive it. Yet he also shares with us a vision of consolation and of hope. We may be locked in an uneven struggle, but we can and must begin to treat our land, our neighbors, and ourselves with respect and care. As Berry urges, we must abandon arrogance and stand in awe. As Paul Kingsnorth writes in his intro: Soil is the recurring image in these essays. Again and again, Berry worries away at the question of topsoil. This is both a writer’s metaphor and a farmer’s reality, and for Wendell Berry, metaphors always come second to reality. ‘No use talking about getting enlightened or saving your soul,’ he wrote to his friend, the poet Gray Snyder, in 1980, ‘if you can’t keep the topsoil from washing away.’… Here, at the beginning of his 1988 essay ’The Work of Local Culture,’ he describes an old galvanized bucket hanging on a fence post near a hollow, in a wood on what was once his grandfather’s farm. In the bucket, slowly and over many decades, soil is being born: The old bucket has hung there through many autumns, and the leaves have fallen around it and some have fallen into it. Rain and snow have fallen into it, and the BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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held the moisture and so have rotted. Nuts have fallen into it, or been carried into it by squirrels; mice and squirrels have eaten the meat of the nuts and left the shells; they and other animals have left their droppings; insects have flown into the bucket and died and decayed; birds have scratched in it and left their droppings and perhaps a feather or two. This slow work of growth and death, gravity and decay, which is the chief work of the world, has by now produced in the bottom the bucket several inches of black humus. I look into that bucket with fascination because I am a farmer of sorts and an artist of sorts, and I recognize there an artistry and a farming far superior to mine, or to that of any human.
“Read [Berry] with pencil in hand, make notes, and hope that somehow our country and the world will soon come to see the truth that is told here.” —The New York Times
Earth Energies & Eco-Design THE NEW CREATE AN OASIS WITH GREYWATER
Integrated Design for Water Conservation, Reuse, Rainwater Harvesting, and Sustainable Landscaping by Art Ludwig $29.95, paper. Book Publishing Company. 162 pages, 8x11, colour photos
This twentieth-anniversary edition of the world’s best-selling greywater book features a dozen more pages, complete information on the “laundry to landscape” sys-
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F tem, new color plates, extensive revisions to every page, and dozens of new photos and figures. Topics include complete instructions for simple to more complex installations; how to deal with freezing, flooding, drought, failing septic tanks, low perk soil, and conditions in non-industrialized regions; coordinating a team of professionals to get optimum results on high-end projects; and “radical plumbing” that uses 90% fewer resources. If—and when—water really mattered to us, to the point that greywater reuse became not only common sense, but required in building codes, we would be living in a wiser, more locally-resourced and earth-respectful way. It may be, and may need to be, sooner than we’ve been thinking.
ESSENTIAL NATURAL PLASTERS
A Guide to Materials, Recipes, and Use by Michael Henry & Tina Therrien $39.99, paper. New Society. 224 pages, 8x11, b/w & colour photos
Natural plasters made of clay, lime, and other materials mixed with sand are beautiful building finishes. Fun to work with, low-impact, and allowing infinite creativity, they are high performance and provide proven, centuries-long durability. Yet until now there’s been no resource that has pulled together the best North American plaster recipes and howto into one place. Essential Natural Plasters covers it all: u Sourcing and selecting materials, including site-soils u Clay, lime, and gypsum plasters as well as fibers and amendments u Interior and exterior use and specialty plasters such as tadelakt for bathrooms u Preparing substrates, from straw bales and cob to lath and sheetrock u How to set-up a safe, efficient worksite u Mixing, testing, tinting, and applying plasters and plaster repair u Coveted recipes from leading plasterers in Ontario, Vermont, New Mexico, France, and New Zealand. Richly illustrated and deeply researched, Essential Natural Plasters is the must-have resource for owner-builders and professionals.
THE MUDGIRLS MANIFESTO
Handbuilt Homes, Handcrafted Lives by the Mud Girls Natural Building Collective $29.99, paper. New Society. 192 pages, 7x9, colour throughout
In the face of widespread burnout and a world gone crazy, how do we find things to say “yes” to, rather than a resounding “no”? On North America’s West Coast, there’s a group of rebel women who ten years ago chose to break free from a rigged economic and social
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system. They didn’t take to the streets to lobby banks and governments to change their ways—they didn’t have time for that. They had babies to feed and house. They reckoned that if nobody else was going to change the rules to support basic human needs and respect the biosphere, then we are all free to make our own rules. They chose action. They decided to teach themselves how to build houses using the most abundant material on earth— mud. They’d learn by building, gathering skills and allies. They’d have fun, sharing whatever they learned with whoever wanted to come along for the ride. The Mudgirls revolution was born. Part story of rebel women, grassroots self-governance, and community-building, part incendiary political and economic tract, and part practical guide to building natural homes for real people. Mudgirls Manifesto is about respecting the earth, each other, and crafting meaningful lives. A powerful, positive antidote to troubled times. The Mudgirls is an all-women’s natural building collective that formed in 2007 in coastal British Columbia. Founded on the principle of self-empowerment, they champion the use of natural, local, and salvaged materials, human-scaled DIY solutions, inclusiveness, support for mothers, care for children, and fun. They build things and offer workshops that empower people to take back the right to provide themselves with shelter. The Mudgirls have collaborated with over 50 clients and more than 600 workshop participants from all over the world, forging alliances and honing the skills to build homes. Find out more at mudgirls.ca.
Gardening & Farming FRUITFUL LABOR
The Ecology, Economy, and Practice of a Family Farm by Mike Madison $24.95, paper. Chelsea Green. 176 pages, b/w illustrations
As the average age of our farmers continues to rise, we face serious questions about what farming will look like in the near future, and who will be growing our food. Many younger people are interested in going into agriculture, especially organic farming, but cannot find affordable land, or lack the conceptual framework and practical information they need to succeed in a job that can be both difficult and deeply fulfilling. In Fruitful Labor, Mike Madison meticulously describes the ecology of his own small family farm in the Sacramento Valley of California. He covers issues of crop ecology such as soil fertility, irrigation needs, and species interactions, as well as the broader agro-ecological issues of the social, economic, regulatory, and technological environments in which the farm operates. The final section includes an extensive analysis of sustainability on every level. Pithy, readable, and highly relevant, this book covers both the ecology and the economy of a truly sustainable agriculture. Although Madison’s farm is unique, the broad lessons he has gleaned from his
more than three decades as an organic farmer will resonate strongly with the new generation of farmers who work the land, wherever they might live. This book is part of Chelsea Green Publishing’s NEW FARMER LIBRARY series, which collects innovative ideas, hardearned wisdom, and practical advice from pioneers of the ecological farming movement for the next generation. The series is a collection of proven techniques and philosophies from experienced voices committed to deep organic, small-scale, regenerative farming. “Fruitful Labor is a delightful book, full of practical advice and deep thinking about ecology and true sustainability. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in food and farming, but especially for young farmers looking to build their skills while gaining wisdom from someone experienced and respected in the field.”—Ben Hartman, author of The Lean Farm and The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables
LETTER TO A YOUNG FARMER
How to Live Richly without Wealth on the New Garden Farm by Gene Logsdon
$24.95, paper. Chelsea Green. 232 pages
For decades, the self-described contrary farmer Gene Logsdon has commented on the state of North American agriculture. In Letter to a Young Farmer, his final book of essays, Logsdon addresses the next generation—young people moving back to the land to enjoy a better way of life as smallscale garden farmers. It’s a lifestyle that recognizes the beauty of nature, cherishes the land, respects our fellow creatures, and values rural traditions. It’s one that also looks forward and embraces right technologies, including new and innovative ways of working smarter and avoiding premature burnout. Completed only a few weeks before the author’s death, Letter to a Young Farmer is a remarkable testament to the life and wisdom of one of the greatest rural philosophers and writers of our time. Gene’s earthy wit and sometimes irreverent humor combines with his valuable perspectives on many wide-ranging subjects—everything from how to show a ram who’s boss to enjoying the almost churchlike calmness of a well-built livestock barn. Can you imagine what a sea of change would take place in the mad world of money if so many people produced their food in the same spirit with which they now play golf, producing maybe a little more to keep the philosophers well fed?
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The Complete Guide to Year-Round Gardening in the Pacific Northwest by Linda Gilkeson
$29.99, paper. New Society. 352 pages, 7x9, b/w photos & illustrations
Are you itching to start your own garden or improve the yield from the one you already have but feel that gardening is too challenging or time consuming for your busy schedule? Would you like to enjoy fresh, homegrown produce every month of the year? Now completely updated and expanding by master gardener Linda Gilkeson, Backyard Bounty is like having your own master gardener to consult. This encyclopedic reference demystifies gardening, bringing it back to the down-to-earth, environmentally practical activity that anyone can enjoy. Learn about: u Planning your garden and preparing the soil u Organic fertilizers and simplified composting u Growing healthy seedlings, transplanting, easy weeding and mulching u Growing fruit and simple pruning methods u Greenhouses, tunnels, and containers u Organic pest management… and more Packed with a wealth of information specific to the Pacific Northwest, this complete guide emphasizes low maintenance methods, exposes common gardening myths, includes a monthly garden schedule for year-round planting and harvesting, and features plant profiles for everything from apples to zucchini. Excellent for novice and experienced gardeners alike, Backyard Bounty shows how even the smallest garden can produce a surprising amount of food twelve months of the year. Linda Gilkeson is a passionate organic gardener with over forty years of gardening experience. She is a regular instructor in the Master Gardener programs in British Columbia. Berry, fro m the foreword
Nature as Teacher & Healer THE FAERIE HANDBOOK
An Enchanting Compendium of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects by the Editors of Faerie Magazine
Reading this book is like sitting down on the porch with a neighbor who has learned the ways of farming through years of long observation and practice. And Gene Logsdon was the best kind of teacher: equal parts storyteller, idealist, and rabble-rouser. His vision of a nation filled with garden farmers, based in cities, towns, and countrysides, will resonate with many people, both young and old, who long to create a more sustainable, meaningful life for themselves and a better world for all of us. Our ways of degrading the climate are in no way distinguishable from our ways of abusing the land. Because he knows this, he speaks exactly at the intersection of economy and ecology, where the world will or will not be made better. —Wendell
BACKYARD BOUNTY - 2ND EDITION
$43.50, cloth. HarperCollins. 240 pages, 8x10, colour illus.
In this exquisitely alluring anthology, Editor in Chief Carolyn Turgeon and the editors of Faerie Magazine welcome you into an enchanted realm rich with myth, mystery, romance, and abundant natural beauty. Organized into four sections— Flora and Fauna, Fashion and Beauty, Arts and Culture, and Home, Food, and Entertaining— this gorgeous volume offers an array of exquisite vintage and contemporary fine art and photography,
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literature, essays, do-it-yourself projects, and recipes that provide hours of reading, viewing, and dreaming pleasure, along with a multitude of ideas for modern-day living and entertaining with a distinctive fairy touch. Faerie is a vast and diverse place, full of so many different kinds of unusual sentient creatures that to attempt to fully catalogue the wide variety of being who dwell there is nearly impossible. Here is a general guide to some of the most commonly referenced denizens of the fairy world: Brownies and Boggarts, Dwarves, Elves, Fauns, Gnomes, Goblins, Leprechauns, Pixies, Sidhe, Trolls… The best place to find fairies is in an enchanted forest, where one might spy them reclining on velvety mats of soft moss— the woodland equivalent of the chaise lounge—or darting about the silkiest, most fashionable flowers or lolling within the petals to inhale their rich perfume. * This book is for all those girls (and boys). The ones who love fairy tales and full moons and who’d love nothing more than to attend an extravagant tea party in the forest. In lore, a magical ointment rubbed on the eyelids could pierce through fairy glamour and allow a human to see past our own “dull world,” as Yeats called it in The Land of Heart’s Desire—to let it fade away and the fairy world come into view. May this book be your ointment.
THE BIOPHILIA EFFECT
A Scientific and Spiritual Exploration of the Healing Bond Between Humans and Nature by Clemens Arvay $20.95, paper. Sounds True. 182 pages
This book celebrates our interconnection with nature and shows how to deeply engage the natural world wherever you live to dramatically improve your health. Clemens Arvay presents fascinating research, practical tools and activities, inspiring stories, and more in this accessible guide to the remarkable benefits of being in nature. In this translation of the German bestseller, you will learn about: u Biophilia—psychotherapist and philosopher Erich Fromm’s term for people’s love for nature u How nature alleviates pain and accelerates recuperation u Stress reduction in nature u The lessons of the wilderness u Yards and gardens as a source of inspiration, happiness, and health u How landscapes interact with the human psyche u Nature’s influence on the mind, heart, and other vital organs of the body u Meditating in nature to boost attention and concentration. When I would recreate myself, I seek the darkest wood, the thickest and most interminable and, to the citizen, most dismal, swamp. I enter a swamp as a sacred place, a sanctum sanctorum. There is the strength, the marrow, of Nature. — Thoreau
“The biophilia effect happens when we connect with our roots,” writes Arvay. “The biophilia effect stands for wilderness and the conception of nature, for natural beauty and aesthetics, and for breaking free and healing. That is what this book is about.” The Biophilia Effect is your guide to accessing the sacred bond we share with nature wherever you call home.
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YOUR GUIDE TO FOREST BATHING
THE FOREST & THE TREES
The Call of the Forest help heal both planet and human.
Experience the Healing Power of Nature by M. Amos Clifford $21.95, paper. Conari. 175 pages
Forest Therapy is a research-based framework for supporting healing and wellness through immersion in forests and other natural environments. In Japan it is called “shinrin yoku,” which translates to “forest bathing.” Studies have demonstrated a wide array of health benefits, especially in the cardiovascular and immune systems, and for stabilizing and improving mood and cognition. Forest bathing is a gentle, meditative practice of connecting with nature. Simply being present, with all of our senses, in a forest or other wild area, can produce mental, emotional, and physical health benefits. It is a simple, accessible antidote to our nature-starved lives and can inspire us to become advocates for healing our relationships with the more-than-human world. This book is both an invitation to take up the practice of forest bathing and an inspiration to connect with nature as a way to
FOREST BATHING
How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness by Qing Li $27.00, cloth. Viking. 320 pages, colour
Here’s a definitive guide to the therapeutic Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or the art and science of how trees can promote health and happiness. Notice how a tree sways in the wind. Run your hands over its bark. Take in its citrusy scent. As a society we suffer from nature deficit disorder, but studies have shown that spending mindful, intentional time around trees— what the Japanese call shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing—can ease our system, enhance our appreciation, and enrich our wellness. In this beautiful book of “forest browsing”—featuring more than 100 color photographs from forests around the world, including the forest therapy trails that criss-cross Japan—Dr. Qing Li, the world’s foremost expert in forest medicine, shows how
CALL OF THE FOREST
The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees, with Diana Beresford-Kroeger by Jeff McKay
$29.95, DVD. Merit Films. 85-minute feature + 90 minutes of extras
New on DVD
This documentary follows scientist and acclaimed author Diana Beresford-Kroeger as she investigates our profound biological and spiritual connection to forests. Her global journey explores the science, folklore, and restoration challenges of this essential eco-system. Beresford-Kroeger explores the most beautiful forests in the Northern Hemisphere from the sacred sugi and cedar forests of Japan to the great boreal forest of Canada. She shares the amazing stories behind the history and legacy of these ancient forests while also explaining the science of trees and the irreplaceable roles they play in protecting and feeding the planet. Along the way we meet some of the world’s foremost experts in reforestation. Dr. Akira Miyawaki, a worldwide specialist in the restoration of natural forest systems on degraded land, shows us how a native forest system can be planted even in the smallest street corner of Tokyo. Dr. Bill Libby, a pioneer in the field of forest tree genetics, tells us about the impacts of climate change on California’s coast redwood and giant sequoia forests. Since 2002 Andrew St. Ledger, founder of The Woodland League in Ireland, has dedicated his life to restoring native woodlands in Ireland. We are introduced to the Anishinaabe people of Pimachiowin Aki who are working to have 33,400 square kilometers of boreal forest in Canada recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
All of us know from intuition that spending time in nature is of benefit to our health. But only in the last years has science revealed how strong our healing bond with nature really is. Forest air, for example, contains a rich mixture of bioactive substances that trees use to communicate to each other. When we breathe in (this air), our immune system reacts with an increase of natural killer cells that protect us from viruses.
Did you know that spending time in a forest activates the vagus nerve, which is responsible for inducing calm and regeneration?
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Your senses bring you into the present moment, where you can take in all the forest has to offer, welcoming it, letting it settle inside you… Forest bathing is not the same thing as hiking. The destination in forest bathing is “here” not “there.” The pace is slow. The focus is on connection and relationship… Most of us have never learned the art of stillness in nature.
In A Little Book of Forest Bathing, Amos Clifford draws on four decades of wilderness experience to introduce readers to the medicine of being in the forest. Learn about the roots of the practice, the significance of the forest environment, how to deepen your relationship to nature, and how to begin a practice of your own. Practical matters and practicing in urban and suburban environments are also included. “Forest Bathing: How Microdosing on Nature Can Help With Stress. The practice, long-popular in Japan, is gaining traction in North America as a way of harnessing the health benefits of being outdoors.” —The Atlantic forest bathing can reduce your stress levels and blood pressure, strengthen your immune and cardiovascular systems, boost your energy, mood, creativity, and concentration, and even help you lose weight and live longer. Once you’ve discovered the healing power of trees, you can lose yourself in the beauty of your surroundings, leave everyday stress behind, and reach a place of greater calm and wellness. Dr. Qing Li is the world’s foremost expert in forest medicine. A medical doctor at Tokyo’s Nippon Medical School, he has been a visiting fellow at the Stanford University School of Medicine and is a founding member and chairman of the Japanese Society for Forest Medicine, a leading member of the Task Force of Forests and Human Health, and the vice president and secretary general of the International Society of Nature and Forest Medicine. Trees provide food, create medicine, and most importantly, provide life-giving oxygen. Without trees and their ability to capture carbon dioxide, our living breathable atmosphere would cease to exist on our planet. Trees are the most important living organisms on earth, chemically affecting our environment more than anything else, and playing a vital role that sustains all life. Trees are literally the lifeline of the planet and the key to reversing climate change. The Call of the Forest film and movement is a call for massive, global reforestation to reverse climate change. If we could look back in time we would see forests blanketing the continents. But as human society has developed we have lost upwards of ninety five percent of the world’s forests and we continue to lose more than one hundred and forty square kilometres of forest per day. Call of the Forest sounds the alarm by calling for immediate action on a global scale, but at its heart, it is a story of triumph, proposing a simple strategy for each of us to combat climate change by planting trees in our own yards and neighbourhoods. Climate change is happening. What can we do about it? It will start with a shovel and an acorn, but we might just change the world. —Diana Beresford Kroeger
“Diana Beresford-Kroeger and I share a dream. We want people to see the forest and the trees, and the wildlife abounding in wild environments, in fine detail. We want native species to be valued and cultivated one by one for the special place they have in the deep history of the land.” —E. O. Wilson, Harvard entomologist, conservationist and father of modern environmentalism
Or that spending just one single day in a wooded area increases the number of natural killer cells in the blood by almost 40 percent on average? The plethora of information offered here results in a nice self-help and nature-therapy book with many valuable tips and exercises. “Arvay illustrates how we can tap into our inherent connections with nature and become wild once again. And as our bodies, psyches, and souls heal, the world will become a better place for all.” —Marc Bekoff, author of Rewilding Our Hearts BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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THE SONGS OF TREES
Stories From Nature’s Great Connectors by David George Haskell $23.00, paper. Penguin. 304 pages
David Haskell’s The Forest Unseen won acclaim for eloquent writing and deep engagement with the natural world. Now, in The Songs of Trees, he explores the biological networks that surround and include all species, including humans. Haskell repeatedly visits a dozen trees around the world to stop, listen, and look, exploring each tree’s connections with
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webs of fungi, bacterial communities, cooperative and destructive animals, and other plants, and demonstrating how the lives of trees and people are deeply interwoven. Several trees, including a balsam fir in Ontario and an Amazonian ceibo, are located in areas that seem mostly natural, but which are affected by industrial development and climate change. Haskell also turns to trees in places where humans seem to have subdued nature— a pear tree on a Manhattan sidewalk, an olive tree in Jerusalem— demonstrating that wildness permeates every location. Our bodies and minds, our “Science and Art,” are as natural and wild as they ever were… We cannot step outside life’s songs. This music made us; it is our nature… To listen to trees, nature’s great connectors, is to learn how to inhabit the relationships that give life its source, substance, and beauty.
Every living being is not only sustained by biological connections, but is made from these relationships. We have much to learn from trees, says Haskell; they show us how to thrive and participate in nature’s networks. Roots communicate with neighboring fungi and bacteria, sending chemical messages through the soil. Twigs have memories of light, gravity, heat and minerals. Plant cells in leaves use airborne odors to attract caterpillar-eating insects. Haskell pays particular attention to the “songs,” or sounds, that emerge from or surround trees; behind each sound are fascinating stories of how tree lives are joined to other lives. With its deep understanding of the complexity of trees and the way they shape their ecosystems, Haskell’s book will make you look at trees [our elders] in an entirely new way. “Here is a book to nourish the spirit. The Songs of Trees is a powerful argument against the ways in which humankind has severed the very biological networks that give us our place in the world. Listen as David Haskell takes his stethoscope to the heart of nature—and discover the poetry and music contained within.” —Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of Trees
THE SPIRITUAL NATURE OF ANIMALS A Country Vet Explores the Wisdom, Compassion, and Souls of Animals by Karlene Stange
$23.00, paper. New World Library. 280 pp
Vets in rural practice face especially difficult illnesses, physical conditions, and emotional trials. Their work environment is not that of dog and cat vets who see their “patients” in sterile urban offices. Dr. Karlene Stange embraced these difficulties because her work led her to spiritual awareness and even bliss, despite the inevitable losses and horrors. She found that her experience was described in Jungian psychology: animals led her to her anima, her true inner self and what in Latin means “soul,” “breath,” and “life itself.” Case examples from her practice illustrate Stange’s journey to understand the spiritual nature of the animal-human bond. This led her to Buddhist, Christian, Sufi, Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, and pagan teachings. Her evolved understanding offers readers a unique interpretation of our
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love for animals, a compelling tour of spiritual traditions, and, ultimately, a healing and joyful engagement with the creatures with whom we share our planet. We want to help them all. Their spirits touch us and bring us joy. At the same time, we have to make peace with tremendous suffering and our failures. I reached a turning point when I decided to research the world’s religious, scientific, and spiritual teachings about the nonphysical aspect of animals. The quest to understand their spiritual nature became my passion.
As a child, Karlene Stange, DVM, called herself an “animal doctor” before she knew the word “veterinarian.” Today she incorporates acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, and herbal and nutrition therapy in her Rocky Mountain practice, where she drives an average of 100 miles a day attending to animals. All animal transitions happen as they should, sometimes in ways and for reasons we may not understand. We must be grateful for the service and friendship animals provide, and celebrate their lives, honor loving memories, and have no regrets. To dissolve regrets, offer prayers for the departed. All animal spirits return to Source Spirit. All bodies eventually return to the womb of Mother Earth.
BEAR: MYTH. ANIMAL. ICON. by Wolf Storl
$28.95, paper. North Atlantic. 306 pages, b/w illustrations
Since the beginning of human history, bears have been regarded as animals of great power. Ethnobotanist and cultural anthropologist Wolf Storl, who spent years in the wilderness with bears, explores the fascinating relationship between bears and humans, including the history, mythology, healing lore, and biology of this formidable creature. Storl takes the reader from the bear caves of the Neanderthals to the bear-worshipping Siberian tribes of today, from the extinct cave bear to the modern teddy bear. Bears were traditionally seen as a kind of “forest human” under whose shaggy fur a king or a god was hidden, he explains. Vividly illustrating the power of myths and fairy tales to reveal more than scientific treatises about the true nature of beings— especially in the case of bears—Storl restores this magnificent animal to its rightful place at the forefront of the human imagination as well as among the dwellers of the forest. Now let us ponder our brother and sister bear who have accompanied us along our pathway since the Stone Age, who send dreams and inspirations to medicine people and shamans, who give berserkers strength and courage, and who communicate knowledge to healers. I write as an anthropologist and touch upon not only the biological and ecological aspects of the bear’s being but also, and primarily, the ethnological and mythological ones. However, my concern is not simply one of information. I want to focus the bear into our consciousness so that we can dream him back into our hearts.
Among Wolf Storl’s other books are The Untold History of Healing and A Curious History of Vegetables.
Conscious Evolution & Planetary Culture HOW TO BREAK UP WITH YOUR PHONE by Catherine Price
$17.50, paper. Ten Speed. 184 pages
Packed with tested strategies and practical tips, this book is the essential, life-changing guide for everyone who owns a smartphone. Who, me? Is your phone the first thing you reach for in the morning and the last thing you touch before bed? Do you frequently pick it up just to check, only to look up forty-five minutes later wondering where the time has gone? Do you say you want to spend less time on your phone but have no idea how to do so without giving it up
completely? If so, this book is your solution. Award-winning journalist Catherine Price presents a practical, hands-on plan to break up—and then make up—with your phone. The goal? A long-term relationship that actually feels good.
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The second half of the book, “The Breakup,” tells you what to do. It’s a 30day plan designed to help you establish a new, healthier relationship with your phone. Don’t worry—except for one twenty-four- hour period, I’m not going to ask you to be separated from your phone. Instead, I’ve provided a series of exercises meant to smoothly guide you through the process of creating a new, personalized relationship that is both sustainable and makes you feel good.
We’re never going to break up with our phones unless we think it’s vitally important to do so. That’s why the first half of this book, “The Wake-Up,” is designed to freak you out. It’s a synthesis of how and why our phones are designed to be hard to put down, and what effect spending so much time on them may be having on our relationships and our mental and physical health…
You’ll discover how phones and apps are designed to be addictive, and learn how the time we spend on them damages our abilities to focus, think deeply, and form new memories. You’ll then make customized changes to your settings, apps, environment, and mindset that will ultimately enable you to take back control of your life—both on your phone and off.
The Impossible Conversation
THE IMPOSSIBLE CONVERSATION
Choosing Reconnection and Resilience At the End of Business as Usual by Dean Walker $23.95, paper. Living Resilience. 280 pp
In Walker’s book, it’s a relief to see the situation defined not as a “problem” that can be “solved,” but as a “predicament” that we must live with. Some of the climate scientists quoted by Walker suggest it’s too late to prevent disaster. From now on, we can only grieve what we have inadvertently done: grieve, and live intensely; behave well as we witness the gathering storm. Very few people want to accept this and prefer to persist as if our way of life could continue. Besides, as someone always says just before the attempted conversation dribbles away, “What can one person do?” Walker has some answers, which go less to preventing disaster, than to living with the knowledge of what’s happening. Walker praises reconnection with the deeper self, with other people, and with nature. The (workshop and coaching) project announced by Walker and Carolyn Baker (in The Impossible Conversation) is based on
SAVAGE GRACE
Living Resiliently in the Dark Night of the Globe by Andrew Harvey & Carolyn Baker $18.75, paper. iUniverse.158 pages
In the boldest and most daring book either author has ever written, Andrew Harvey and Carolyn Baker confront us with the life and death reality of the global crisis and the fact that four crucial strategies must be employed not only to survive the dark night, but to inhabit our bodies and our lives with passionate authenticity, honesty, vigilance, community, compassion, and service. These strategies are Reconnection, Resistance, Resilience, and Regeneration. The collapse of this system is now certain. What is also certain is that powerless though we now are to reverse the catastrophe of collapse, we are not powerless to create islands of sanity, rugged compassion, and dignified defiance amid a sea of chaos. How is this possible? By searching our souls in order to answer these questions: u Who do I want to be in this devastating time? u Who must we be together as we navigate the dark night of
the globe?
psychotherapy practice, a grasp of history, and experience in organizational consulting. For readers, their books offer some of the very best ideas for the enlargement of a community that can make the “conversation” more possible. “In The Impossible Conversation, Dean Walker takes the reader’s hand and compassionately asks them to join him in exploring our global crises. He leads us past the realm of climate deniers, cynical corporate and government players and disempowered citizens— to a far more sober, clear and empowered place where we might reclaim our agency, regain access to truth in this PostTruth world and stand for what truly matters. Walker does this by reminding us how we got into these predicaments in the first place. Yes, Walker includes the vetted facts and figures he calls The Sober Data of our predicament, but the main thrust and strength of The Impossible Conversation is that we carry those data and projections into our hearts and discover how to keep our hearts open even when we consider the most challenging aspects of our present and near future. Deep and unprecedented reconnection with self, others, and Earth must be our mission, regardless of the outcome. Distinguishing between “problems” which have solutions and “predicaments” which can only be responded to, Harvey and Baker articulate precisely how we have arrived at this unprecedented juncture and offer strategies of resistance against the fundamental enemies of humanity and the Earth. Such a response demands of us something far deeper than what conventional religions and visions of activism call for—nothing less than living and acting from the Sacred Self, both without illusion and totally committed to compassion and justice even, if necessary, in hopeless situations.
“With Trump, it’s as if the Titanic has hit the iceberg. We are the passengers. The only question before us, and before the whole world, is how we stop the ripping of our hull. The original Titanic sunk due to human arrogance. There is still time for us to save ourselves with the power of humility, resistance and renewal. This book offers a compelling and profound pathway for human survival after hitting the iceberg.” —Jim Garrison, Founder and President of Ubiquity University.
DARK GOLD
“C. G. Jung wrote, ‘The future of mankind very much depends upon the recognition of the shadow.’ In her new book Dark Gold: The Human Shadow and the Global Crisis, Carolyn Baker masterfully sheds light on the dark$18.75, paper. iUniverse. 202 pages ness of both the personal and collective aspects of the Dark Gold: The Human Shadow and the Global Crisis enhuman shadow that, I imagine, would truly give Jung deavors to educate, challenge, and most importantly hope for the future of humanity. To my mind, there is inspire the reader to engage with the shadow as a necesno more important work that any of us could do at the sary first step in both individual and collective healing. It present moment in our history.” —Paul Levy, author of emphasizes and elaborates on the abundant emotional Dispelling Wetiko: Breaking the Curse of Evil and spiritual treasures that invariably issue from shadow “Carolyn Baker’s book shines a light on the many ways exploration and transformation. Dark Gold challenges us to become courageous enough to be accountable and com- the Shadow manifests in our culture. From war and racism, conpassionate enough to love ourselves and the earth community sumerism and New Age spirituality, Carolyn sees through our collective postures of superiority and invites us to do the hard fiercely, even when we feel it will make no difference. work of redemption. At this critical time in our history, we urWe may choose to perceive our predicament as one that repgently need her insights and guidance on how we may indeed, resents the most profound alchemical transformation in the history of uncover the Dark Gold that awaits us.” —Francis Weller, author our species. This will only be possible, however, if we cease repeatof The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work ing, “That’s not who we are,” and instead fall on our knees in heartof Grief break and remorse, crying out from the depths, “Who are we?” The Human Shadow and the Global Crisis by Carolyn Baker
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Science, Brain/Mind, & Cosmology THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD —SO FAR New in Why Are We Here? by Lawrence Krauss
Paperback
$23.00, paper. Atria Books. 336 pages
In A Universe from Nothing, Krauss revealed how our entire universe could arise from nothing. Now, he reveals what that something—reality—is. And, reality is not what we think or sense—it’s weird, wild, and counterintuitive; it’s hidden beneath everyday experience; and its inner workings seem even stranger than the idea that something can come from nothing. In the beginning there was light. But more than this, there was gravity. After that, all hell broke loose.
RESILIENT
S C I E N C E, B I R T H & P A R E N T I N G In an unprecedented work of scientific history, Krauss leads us to the furthest reaches of space and time, to scales so small they are invisible to microscopes, to the birth and rebirth of light, and into the natural forces that govern our existence. His unique blend of rigorous research and engaging storytelling invites us into the lives and minds of the remarkable, creative scientists who have helped to unravel the unexpected fabric of reality—with reason rather than superstition and dogma. Krauss has himself been an active participant in this effort, and he knows many of them well. The Greatest Story challenges us to re-envision ourselves and our place within the universe, as it appears that God does
Resilient Brainfulness
How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness by Rick Hanson
play dice with the universe. In the incisive style of his scintillating essays for The New Yorker, Krauss celebrates the greatest intellectual adventure ever undertaken—to understand why we are here in a universe where fact is stranger than fiction. A universe without purpose, which is the way it is as far as I can tell, is far more exciting than one designed just for us because it means that the possibilities of existence are so much more diverse and far ranging. How invigorating it is to find ourselves with an exotic menagerie to explore, with laws and phenomena that previously seemed beyond our wildest dreams, and to attempt to untangle the knotted confusion of experience and to search for some sense of order beneath… How lucky to have our brief moment in the Sun. Every day that we discover something new and surprising, the story gets even better.
“Accessible, illuminating, and surprising—an ideal guide for anyone interested in understanding our accidental universe.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction
Family & Parenting
$35.00, cloth. Penguin. 304 pages
Rick Hanson is known for his trademark blend of neuroscience, positive psychology, and contemplative practices. And now he’s showing the way to build the very foundation of well-being: Resilience. Today, people feel rattled by political and economic forces, and realize that they need to be able to rely on their own inner guidance systems in order to stay happy and calm. Not simply about weathering negative experiences, Resilient’s groundbreaking program shows you how to harness the power of positive experiences in order to build an unshakeable core. In this succinct guide to lasting happiness, Dr. Hanson has distilled 40 years of clinical work and teaching into the tools that actually work. Each of these 12 tools grows a key inner strength for resilience, allowing you to enter a positive cycle in which resilience creates a sense of well-being, which creates even more resilience, and so on. Developed from his incredibly popular online course called The Foundations of Well-Being, this practical guide is full of concrete suggestions, experiential practices, personal examples, and insights into the brain. It includes effective ways to interact with others and to repair and deepen important relationships. Warm, encouraging, and down-to-earth, Dr. Hanson’s step-by-step approach is grounded in the science of positive neuroplasticity. He explains how to overcome the brain’s negativity bias, release painful thoughts and feelings, and replace them with self-compassion, self-worth, joy, and inner peace. True resilience is much more than enduring terrible conditions. We need resilience every day to raise a family, work at a job, cope with stress, deal with health problems, navigate issues with others, heal from old pain, and simply keep on going. Rick Hanson shows you how to develop twelve vital inner strengths hardwired into your own nervous system. Then no matter what life throws at you, you’ll be able to feel less stressed, pursue opportunities with confidence, and stay calm and centered in the face of adversity. Among Rick Hanson’s other books are Hardwiring Happiness and Buddha’s Brain.
HOW EMOTIONS ARE MADE The Secret Life of the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett
$21.99, paper. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 424 pages, b/w illustrations
Emotions feel automatic to us; that’s why scientists have long assumed that emotions are hardwired in the body or the brain. Today, however, the science of emotion is in the midst of a revolution on par with the discovery of relativity in physics and natural selection in biology. This paradigm shift has far-reaching implications not only for psychology but also for medicine, the legal system, airport security, child-rearing, and even meditation. Leading the charge is psychologist and neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett, whose theory of emotion is driving a deeper understanding of the mind and brain, and what it means to be human. Her research overturns the widely held belief that emotions are housed in different parts of the brain, and are universally expressed and recognized. Instead, emotion is constructed in the moment by core systems interacting across the whole brain, aided by a lifetime of learning. This new theory means that you play a much greater role in your emotionsal life than you ever thought. Are emotions more than automatic reactions? Does rational thought really control emotion? How does emotion affect disease? How can you make your children more emotionally intelligent? How Emotions Are Made answers these questions and many more, revealing the latest research and intriguing practical applications of the new science of emotion, mind, and brain. “A brilliant and original book on the science of emotion, by the deepest thinker about this topic since Darwin.” —Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness
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THE FOURTH TRIMESTER
A Postpartum Guide to Healing Your Body, Balancing Your Emotions, and Restoring Your Vitality by Kimberly Ann Johnson $24.95, paper. Shambhala. 272 pages
A holistic, practical guide to help support women through post-partum healing on the physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual levels. Pregnancy, childbirth, and post-partum offer women some of the most emotionally enriching and satisfying experiences of their life. But many women entering motherhood are shocked at their lack of preparation or awareness about what that actually means for their bodies, minds, spirits, and relationships. Kimberly Johnson, a doula, post-partum recovery expert, and yoga instructor has created a wise and supportive illustrated guide that offers women a roadmap to this very important transition that can last a few months—or even a few years. She draws from her vast professional experience, as well as her own personal experience, and also a number of disciplines including Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, yoga, herbal medicine, energetics, and traditional (folk) remedies, among others, to create a truly rich and holistic guide. The book offers advice for pregnant women on how to prepare their body for birth; how to organize themselves and their households for the best possible transition to motherhood; simple practices to facilitate healing and restore energy; and how to strengthen relationships and aid the return to sex. Johnson also explores the complex and often conflicting emotions that arise post-partum, and explores the profound nature of childbirth and new motherhood. She helps women contextualize their experience and tap into the spiritual opportunities it can provide. F S P R I N G, S U M M E R, F A L L 2 0 1 8
F JOYFUL TODDLERS & PRESCHOOLERS Create a Life That You and Your Child Both Love by Faith Collins
$29.50, paper. Hohm. 268 pages
Imagine a life where your toddler or preschooler is happy to do what you ask, and is able to recover and move on, easily, when disappointed. Imagine getting all of your housework done while your child plays, or happily helps alongside you. And imagine feeling confident in your skills to help young children navigate the waters of social interactions with one another. “These things are possible for both parent and child,” asserts Faith Collins, author of Joyful Toddlers and Preschoolers, “even if a child is extra sensitive, demanding, needy, belligerent, or all at the same time.” Collins is a preschooler teacher, parent coach and mother, who has witnessed such results repeatedly over many years. Her book is a treasury that provides readers with powerful, easy and positive tools to achieve profound harmony in their own families. The focus and unique contribution of this book is the principle of a mutually-responsive relationship. Mutually responsive means that both people respond quickly and positively to each other, even―and especially―when they cannot do what the other person wants. In a warm and easygoing style, the author guides parents and caregivers in establishing and maintaining such relationship with their young ones, creating the basis for discipline, education, socialization and a happier life together. Helping our children to develop the skills of mutually-responsive relationship becomes a game-changer in all parent-child dynamics. When we are aware of what young children need to live a life that’s fulfilling, when we support them to learn to become responsive to us while remaining responsive to their deep needs, and when we attend to our own passions in child-friendly ways, we can truly create a life that we and our children all love.
Additional topics include: u Supporting our children as they learn to control their impulses u Fun, gentle training toward participation in household tasks u Helping them deal with their frustrations and meltdowns in ways that work for everyone u Creating a life that works for kids and parents both. “Filled with practical suggestions, backed by mainstream research, along with the LifeWays/Waldorf understanding of child development. Faith’s recommendations—of pairing high expectations with high levels of warmth—support children in learning the skill of becoming responsive.” —Rahima Baldwin Dancy, author of You Are Your Child’s First Teacher
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F A M I L Y, G I R L S & W O M E N NO-DRAMA DISCIPLINE
Healing our Family
The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child’s New in Developing Mind Paperback by Daniel Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson
THE CONSTELLATION APPROACH Finding Peace Through Your Family Lineage by Jamy & Peter Faust
$22.00, paper. Ballantine. 254 pages, illus.
$54.00, paper. Regent Press. 350 pages, 8x10, b/w & colour illustrations
This book teaches you the frameworks and equips you with the tools to take that journey so you can restore harmony in your relationships. The Constellation Approach is a blueprint for uncovering the sources of unresolved and often long-hidden conflicts so you can take a path toward inner peace. It makes the case that in our times of global division, we can contribute to world peace by finding inner peace through our family lineage. This book is the culmination of Jamy and Peter Fausts’ brave and innovating healing work over the past twenty years. Together and individually, they have helped people heal emotional wounds rooted in many varieties of trauma, neglect, loss, and longstanding family loyalties. Inspired by the teachings of Bert Hellinger, The Constellation Approach combines the practical wisdom of healing traditions from both East and West with the Fausts’ signature understanding of the Soul’s journey. This journey not only will change forever the way you understand the dynamics of families. It also will expand and deepen your experience of authentic love. The Constellation Approach reimagines our conflict-ridden world as being gradually yet boldly transformed by peace – one family at a time.
Key features of the book: u Direct experiences of each of the u u u u u u u u u u
ten key Constellations: Family of Origin Father’s Lineage Mother’s Lineage Siblings Physical Disease and Mental Illness Death War and Conflict Immigration/Migration Religion Relationships
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u Central tenets and concepts of the
Family Constellation and Energy Field models that we use in The Constellation Approach. u Constellation Journeyer stories to help you recognize parts of your own journey. u Soul-level awareness practices of enhancing self-perception, your role within your family, and your current life within the world. u Detailed steps to practice and apply The Constellation Approach to your own family lineage.
“The Artist’s Way for Family Systems Constellations… A work book, an engaging text, a meditation and a path of empowerment, this book is a treasure not only for facilitators of Family Constellations but all helping professionals.” —Francesca Mason Boring, author of Connecting to Our Ancestral Past: Healing through Constellations, Ceremony and Ritual
OVERCOMING YOUR DIFFICULT FAMILY 8 Skills for Thriving in Any Family Situation by Eric Maisel $21.50, paper. New World Library. 208 pp
Many of the difficult people you encounter in daily life can be avoided, but what if they’re family members? What if the difficult person is a parent, a sibling, one of your children, or your mate? In Overcoming Your Difficult Family, life coach and retired family therapist Eric Maisel offers useful strategies for dealing with the people you’re connected to for life, even when they are not cooperative. Dr. Maisel tackles the problematic aspects of families, describing eight vital skills to help you cope with challenging relationships. The book also serves as a unique “field guide” to ten common types of dysfunctional families — authoritarian families, anxious families, addicted families, and more — and how to thrive despite those dynamics. By following Dr. Maisel’s battle-tested advice, you’ll learn to maintain inner peace in the midst of family chaos and create a better life for your whole family. The eight skills—or qualities, or attributes—are smarts, strength, calmness, clarity, awareness, courage, presence, and resilience… I would love to have you think of them as an actual skill set or tool kit that you can employ in any family situation… I also suggest some ceremonies to try to give you stronger ownership of the skills. By ceremony I mean an activity carried out for a particular purpose and performed in a ritualized or formalized way… Creating your own ceremonies to celebrate your skills and growth may make your family life feel less difficult.
“An uber-pragmatic how-to guide on overcoming not just your difficult family but your own internal demons. Through powerful examples, exercises, and tips, Maisel masterfully guides you to cultivate eight pillars of inner strength. Thoughtful, empowering, and practical, this book will help you overcome whatever family pattern may still be holding you back in your life and your relationships!” — Anna Yusim, MD, psychiatrist and author of Fulfilled
The pioneering experts behind the bestselling The Whole-Brain Child now explore the ultimate child-raising challenge: discipline. Highlighting the fascinating link between a child’s neurological development and the way a parent reacts to misbehavior, No-Drama Discipline provides an effective, compassionate road map for dealing with tantrums, tensions, and tears—without causing a scene. Defining the true meaning of the “d” word (to instruct, not to shout or reprimand), the authors explain how to reach your child, redirect emotions, and turn a meltdown into an opportunity for growth. By doing so, the cycle of negative behavior (and punishment) is essentially brought to a halt, as problem solving becomes a win/win situation. Inside this sanity-saving guide you’ll discover: u strategies that help parents identify their own discipline philosophy—and master the best methods to communicate the lessons they are trying to impart u facts on child brain development— and what kind of discipline is most appropriate and constructive at all ages and stages u the way to calmly connect with and communicate love for a child—no matter how extreme the behavior— while still setting clear and consistent limits u tips for navigating your children through the storm to achieve insight, empathy, and repair u twenty discipline mistakes even the best parents make—and how to stay focused on the principles of wholebrain parenting and discipline techniques. Complete with candid parenting stories and playful illustrations that bring the authors suggestions to life, No-Drama Discipline shows you how to work with your child’s developing mind, resolve conflicts, and inspire happiness and strengthen resilience in everyone in the family. “Wow! This book grabbed me from the very first page and did not let go. Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson explain extremely well why punishment is a dead-end strategy. Then they describe what to do instead. By making the latest breakthroughs in brain science accessible to any parent, they show why empathy and connection are the royal road to cooperation, discipline, and family harmony.”—Lawrence Cohen, author of The Opposite of Worry
Women & Men GIRL POSITIVE
How Girls Are Shaping a New World by Tatiana Fraser & Caia Hagel $22.00, paper. Ballantine. 340 pages
Girl Positive showcases the diverse, raw, and no-b.s voices of girls across North America. It draws on the wisdom of young women making positive change in their lives and communities, offer tools for families, friends and educators to assist BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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this empowerment. Taking a cutting-edge view of the cultural, social and political issues facing girls today, Girl Positive looks closely at topics from social media, sexual violence, hyper-sexuality and cyberspace identities to girls transforming the world as leaders and agents of change, Girl Positive offers stories of struggle and victory, and brings to light where today’s girls are finding new paths to empowerment. The authors traveled all over to talk with school girls, college students and young women in their early careers. Interspersed with their narratives is advice and input from experts in media, health, race and gender politics, sexuality, education and leadership. Each chapter also includes a Survival Kit, which offers tips and discussion questions for girls and the adults in their lives. Through Fraser and Hagel’s journey readers will learn how to better equip themselves to support girls (and boys) as parents, friends, educators, mentors and activists. Girl Positive celebrates all girls, illuminates emerging culture and fresh politics, and shows us the future in the making. “This book is about the real, sometimes awkward, essential conversation that can be a life-altering opportunity if we as parents, youth, mentors, teachers and citizens take an honest look at ourselves… The objectification of the female body, the normalization of pornography, and rape language and culture is destroying the self-esteem of our girls and is an insult to the spirit of our boys. This inequality takes a toll on the health of women’s and men’s psyches as well… The human soul has no gender; girls and boys, women and men must come together to build a more just and peaceful society. This is a call to action. Words matter. Actions speak louder. Let’s get moving.” —Sophie Grégoire Trudeau “Timely. Generous. Accessible. Provocative. I hope every teacher, health-care professional, social worker, policy maker and parent will read.” —Michael Kaufman, co-founder of the White Ribbon Campaign (the largest effort in the world of men working to end violence against women)
IF WOMEN ROSE ROOTED The Journey to Authenticity and Belonging by Sharon Blackie $22.95, paper. September. 389 pages, b/w illustrations
This is a uniquely empowering, international word-of-mouth bestseller about wild landscapes, female mythology, and the challenges facing modern women. It is a book for any woman who has ever lost her way and who sees a wasteland at the heart of modern existence and longs to live a more authentic, rooted life once again. Sharon Blackie is a writer, storyteller, and psychologist who lives in the hills of Donegal, Ireland. The title of this book comes from a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke: “If we surrendered/to earth’s intelligence/we could rise up rooted, like trees.” A life-changing journey from the wasteland of modern society to a place of nourishment and connection, If Women Rose
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Rooted has been described as both transformative and essential. Sharon Blackie leads the reader on a quest to find their place in the world, drawing inspiration from the wise and powerful females in native mythology, and guidance from contemporary women who have re-rooted themselves in land and community and taken responsibility for shaping the future. In these times it’s not enough to awaken ourselves, to find our community: the world is in need of restoration, and each one of us is challenged to do the work of collective change… of collective re-enchantment—a re-animation of the Earth. It’s time to become native to our places again… If there is to be change, it will come from us. Right here, where we stand. Women were always the story-givers, the memory-keepers, the dreamers. Listen now to the land’s long dreaming. Do you see what it’s dreaming? It’s dreaming you.
Beautifully written, honest and moving, If Women Rose Rooted is a passionate song to a different kind of femininity, a rallying cry for women to reawaken their natural power – not just for the sake of their own wellbeing, but for love of this threatened earth. If women remember that once upon a time we sang with the tongues of seals and flew with the wings of swans, that we forged our own paths through the dark forest while creating a community of its many inhabitants, then we will rise up rooted, like trees. And if we rise up rooted, like trees … well then, women might indeed save not only ourselves, but the world.
A potent postscript to the book is “The Eco-Heroine’s Journey: A Guide,” which is rich with prompts, questions, and suggestions for “the work ahead.” “Destined to become a classic… Blackie does an admirable job of describing a beautiful, rich, intoxicating, messy, terrifying and ultimately illuminating pathway into the heart of the land and of our own souls.” —SageWoman Magazine
TO BE A MAN
New in A Guide to True Paperback Masculine Power by Robert Augustus Masters $19.50, paper. Sounds True. 289 pages
With To Be a Man, psychotherapist and spiritual teacher Robert Augustus Masters offers this new and deeply insightful guide to masculine power and fulfillment. I’ve got it all—so why am I so dissatisfied with my life? Why am I never happy in my romantic relationships? How do I become more courageous and powerful without becoming that jerk everyone hates?
Masters has helped thousands of men address these issues. And for nearly all of them, he’s found that one solution is clear: we must face our early wounds and the shame that holds us back—and then “bring our head, heart, and guts into full-blooded alignment.” To Be a Man clarifies what’s needed to enter a manhood as strongly empowered as it’s vulnerable, as emotionally literate as it’s unapologetically alive—a manhood at home with truly intimate relationship. This is a true hero’s journey of healing and awakening, connecting the dots of past and present emotionally as well as intellectually, encountering all that we’ve been and are. Along the way, we cultivate an intimacy with everything that we are— high and low, dark and light, masculine and feminine, dying and undying—for the
benefit of one and all. This is the primal odyssey pulsing in every man’s marrow, whether he embarks on it or not.
In this book, readers can explore: * How your past may be dominating your present * Shame in its healthy and unhealthy forms, and how to make wise use of it * How vulnerability can be a source of strength * Emotional literacy—an essential skill for relational well-being * Releasing sex from the obligation to make you feel better * How to disempower your inner critic * Bringing your shadow (whatever you’ve disowned in yourself) out of the dark * Embodying your natural heroism and persisting regardless of fear * What women need from men * Understanding and outgrowing pornography and other addictions * Entering the heartland of true masculine power. If you’ve read your share of popular advice on relationships and being a man— but realize on a gut level that it’s going to take some serious inner work—here’s a great guide to doing it. Among Masters’ other books are Emotional Intimacy and Spiritual Bypassing.
Relationships & Sex REVOLUTIONARY RELATIONSHIPS Unleashing the Power of Mutual Awakening by Patricia Albere
$23.95, paper. Oracle Institute. 236 pages
For millennia, spirituality has been a deeply personal pursuit—monks on mountaintops and yogis in caves. But the world is more social than ever, and interconnectedness is transforming everything, from our family lives to work. Today, we need a spirituality that focuses more on “we” than “me.” In Evolutionary Relationships, Patricia Albere draws on more than four decades of teaching work to introduce a new kind of spirituality called “mutual awakening” that can be explored with a partner. An “Evolutionary Relationship” is one that drives us, challenges us, compels us to grow and evolve. It is a consciously created connection that is formed between two or more people who mutually commit to explore and develop higher states of perception and awareness together. This book shows readers how to find and transform any committed relationship —whether with a spouse, lover, partner, close friend, or family member—into a dynamic engine for mutual evolution. Evolutionary Relationships also contains current research on the psychological, cultural, scientific, and spiritual framework for mutual awakening. Albere builds on the work of esteemed developmental psychologists such as Abraham Maslow, Dr. David Hawkins, and Robert Kegan. She cites visionary futurists such as Barbara Marx Hubbard, and she identifies various levels of relating, explaining how these stages serve different human needs. This book is an experiential journey into a new way of relating and a practical workbook for deepening relationships. It inBRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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URBAN TANTRA
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Tantra & Sunset Sex
Sacred Sex for the Twenty-First Century by Barbara Carrellas $24.99, paper. Ten Speed. 312 pages, 7x9, 45 illustrations
Urban Tantra’s juicy mix of erotic how-to and heart-centered spiritual wisdom from acclaimed sex educator Barbara Carrellas radically updates the ancient practice of Tantra for modern sexual explorers desiring to push past their edge in search of the great cosmic orgasm—and for ecstatic aliveness that “juices” our core and our loving connections. Why is ecstasy important? Why might you want to prioritize the pursuit of ecstasy in your own life?
With more than 100 easy-to-follow techniques for expanded orgasmic states and solo and partner play (as well as more adventurous practices), this in-depth guide— with the author’s theatrical sense of humour—reveals the delicious worlds of ecstasy available to all, including The Erotic Awakening Massage, Breath and Energy Orgasms, Twenty-Minute Tantra, Evolutionary Selfloving, Sex and Healing, Tantric BDSM, and learning how to craft your own tantric rituals. For tantric virgins and curious sex positivists alike—no matter your gender, sexual preference, or erotic tastes, Urban Tantra will expand your notions about pleasure and open you up to new horizons of intimacy and sexual fulfillment. You’ll learn why breath, meditation, movement, and laughter are the building blocks of expanded orgasm, and you’ll learn how to use them to build your own sensual stairway to paradise. You’ll also learn the secrets of exquisite touch and how the way you touch can transform your relationships. Last, you’ll learn how to do all of this in the time you have available in your busy schedule.
This 2017 updated edition includes a new introduction, up-to-date refs and resources, a new take on the possibilities and responsibilities of Tantra in today’s world, plus new and cutting-edge information to reach an expanded community— added information on multi-partner play, practices for asexuals and aromantics, expanded practices for trans and gender nonconforming people, and more. Toward a culture of consent! Any conscious breath can be a transformative breath. Breathing consciously simply means being mindful, aware, and attentive to your breath. Remember, we can only focus on one thought at a time. If we keep our mind full with our breathing, we don’t have the space to think things like “I’ll never come,” “I wonder if they really love me,” or “Did I mail that bill?” Now, I’m not suggesting that you only think about your breath when you have sex. But if you focus on your breath as you might in meditation—that is, using breath as the technique that allows you to actually arrive at the place of meditation—you’ll find you’re well on your way to conscious sex.
A FRENCHWOMAN’S GUIDE TO SEX AFTER SIXTY by Marie de Hennezel
$22.95, paper. Greystone. 199 pages
Here an esteemed French psychologist and therapist explores how women—and men—of a certain age can enjoy love, sex, and desire in their sixties and seventies and beyond. With wit and a touch of irreverence, Marie de Hennezel shows that there is no age limit for erotic joy. Through interviews with countless older French women and men, de Hennezel uncovers a plethora of tips for enjoying a rich and satisfying sex life after age sixty. We must stop looking in the mirror. We must stop seeking reassurance from our partner and build a bond based on intimacy with them instead, which includes physical pleasure.
She suggests that perhaps the most important point is to have a positive self-image—to love yourself—and instead of worrying about wrinkles and other outward signs of aging, to cultivate an inner youthfulness, which, combined with a certain maturity, she says, can be sexier than youth all by itself. It is better to skip the plastic surgery and intense workouts at the gym and focus on sensuality, pleasure, and emotional intimacy instead. Tantra is a sacred sexual practice… Practitioners do not make love to experience intercourse but to enjoy the pleasure and relaxation that arise from the union and fusion of the couple and the alchemy they create.
Other tips for how to keep that certain je ne sais quoi include forgetting about sexual performance, shifting from thinking about the body you have (how it looks in the mirror) to focusing on the body you are (how it feels), and being able to surrender during love and sex. Bringing a sense of humor and a bit of playfulness to the boudoir doesn’t hurt either. Many elders will breathe a sigh of relief with the seasoned wisdom of this book. In an afterword Marie also hears from an old friend who says, “There’s something missing from your book. You need to talk about love, including sexual love, between two people whose health is failing. The ‘pure love’ that bonds a man and woman who know they are going to die, people in a state of ‘absolute poverty, having nothing else to lose when they will soon lose their life.’”
cludes a step-by-step guide to the author’s “Eight Activating Principles” for mutual awakening and a series of proven practices and methods that she has developed to achieve an Evolutionary Relationship with a partner. Evolution is calling us to catalyze and
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embody this next stage of human development. We are being supported to come together beyond ego to reach new potentials for love, creativity, and collective action. We begin to function not as a group of individuals with competing ideas and agendas trying to get something done, but more like a jazz quartet, improvising . . .
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GALAXY KALE
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INDEX OF AUTHORS & THEIR TITLES
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Albere, Patricia.
Cori, Patricia.
Henry, Michael.
Liberman, Jacob.
Roth, Bob.
Evolutionary Relationships . . . . 41
The New Sirian Revelations . . . 33
Essential Natural Plasters . . . . . 35
Luminous Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Strength in Stillness . . . . . . . . . . 25
Allione, Tsultrim.
de Hennezel, Marie.
Hern, Matt.
Liquid Bloom. Re.Generations . 9
Roth, Geneen.
Wisdom Rising . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
A Frenchwoman’s Guide to Sex after Sixty . . . . . . . . . . 41
Global Warming and the Sweetness of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Logsdon, Gene.
This Messy, Magnificent Life . . 21
Letter to a Young Farmer . . . . . 36
Deuter.
Himadra, Aaravindha.
Salicrow.
Ludwig, Art.
Jump Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Salzberg, Sharon. Scarabeo, L.
Appelbaum, David. Notes on Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Artemis, Nadine. Renegade Beauty . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Arvay, Clemens. The Biophilia Effect . . . . . . . . . 36
Attar. The Conference of the Birds . . 30
Backes, Michael. Cannabis Pharmacy . . . . . . . . . . 17
Bamboo Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Immortal Self . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Dunster, Chinmaya.
Hoblitzelle, Olivia Ames.
The New Create An Oasis With Greywater . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Yoga: On Sacred Ground . . . . . . 8
Aging with Wisdom . . . . . . . . . . 23
Madison, Mike.
Editors of Faerie Magazine, the.
Hoffman, Yoel.
Fruitful Labor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
The Faerie Handbook . . . . . . . . 36
Japanese Death Poems . . . . . . . 10
Maisel, Eric.
Enders, Giulia.
Hollis, James.
Gut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Living an Examined Life . . . . . . 24
Overcoming Your Difficult Family . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Endredy, James.
Housden, Roger.
Masters, Robert Augustus.
Advanced Shamanism . . . . . . . . 28
Baker, Carolyn. Dark Gold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Baring, Anne. The Dream of the Cosmos . . . . 23
Barrett, Lisa Feldman. How Emotions Are Made . . . . . 39
Epstein, Mark.
Secular Buddhism . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Yoga For Healthy Aging
. . . . . . 11
Epstein, Ronald.
Jenkinson, Stephen.
Attending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Come of Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Erel, Judy.
Johnson, Clare.
Esmonde-White, Miranda. Esselstyn, Rip. Plant-Strong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Bernstein, Gabrielle. Judgment Detox . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Faust, Jamy & Peter. The Constellation Approach . . . 40
Berry, Wendell. The World-Ending Fire . . . . . 35
Blackburn, Elizabeth. Telomere Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Blackie, Sharon. • If Women Rose Rooted
. . . . . 40
• The Enchanted Life . . . . . . . . 21
Blackwood, Danielle. Twelve Faces of the Goddess . . 30
Blesching, Uwe.
Inchausti, Robert.
Matthews, Caitlin.
Hard to Be a Saint in the City . . . 9
Aging Backwards . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Bell, Baxter.
To Be A Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Advice Not Given . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Dancing with Cancer . . . . . . . . . 15
Batchelor, Stephen.
Ten Poems for Difficult Times . 10
Fondin, Michelle. Chakra Healing for Vibrant Energy . . . . . . . . 17
Ford, Debbie. Your Holiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Fournier, Elizabeth. The Green Burial Guidebook . . 26
Fraser, Tatiana. Girl Positive
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Breaking the Cycle of Opioid Addiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Fuhrman, Joel.
Bly, Robert.
Gilkeson, Linda.
The End of Heart Disease
. . . . 19
Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Lucid Dreaming . . . . . . . . 22
Johnson, Karen. The Jeweled Path . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Johnson, Kimberly Ann. The Fourth Trimester . . . . . . . . 39
Johnson, Marlo. Creative Alchemy . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Jones, Ellis. Better World Shopping Guide #6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Judith, Anodea. Charge and the Energy Body
. . 17
Kain, Kathy. Nurturing Resilience . . . . . . . . . 22
Kassoff, Anya. Simply Vibrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Katagiri, Dainin. The Light That Shines Through Infinity . . . . . . . . . . 13
More Than True . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Backyard Bounty - 2nd Edition . 36
Kater, Peter.
Bodhi, Bhikkhu.
Glass, Jonathan.
Resonance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
• The Buddha’s Teachings on Social and Communal Harmony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Total Life Cleanse . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Kean, Leslie.
Glenn, Amy Wright.
Surviving Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Holding Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Kearney, Michael.
Goldberg, Natalie.
The Nest in the Stream . . . . . . . 13
The Craving Mind . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Let the Whole Thundering World Come Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Kelly, Loch.
Brink, Nicholas.
Gooch, Brad.
Ketcham, Katherine.
• The Suttanipata . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Brewer, Judson.
Ecstatic Soul Retrieval
. . . . . . . 28
Rumi’s Secret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Effortless Mindfulness Now . . . 26
The Enchanted L enormand Oracle . . . . . . . . . 31
McBeth, Ivan.
Real Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Tarot Compendium . . . . . . . . . . 31
Scharmer, C. Otto. The Essentials of Theory U . . . 33
Schiwy, Marlene. Gypsy Fugue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Shutan, Mary Mueller. The Body Deva . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Siegel, Daniel. No-Drama Discipline . . . . . . . . . 40
The Bardic Book of Becoming . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Singh, Kathleen Dowling.
McCannon, Tricia.
Smith, Rodney.
The Angelic Origins of the Soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Touching the Infinite
McKay, Jeff.
The Spiritual Nature of Animals 37
Call of the Forest . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Meade, Michael. A Song is a Road . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Menzam-Sills, Cherionna. The Breath of Life . . . . . . . . . . 18
Millman, Dan. The Hidden School . . . . . . . . . . 20
Ming-Dao, Deng. The Wisdom of The Tao . . . . . . 15
Mitchell, Sherri. Sacred Instructions . . . . . . . . . . 29
Mud Girls Natural Building Collective, the. The Mudgirls Manifesto . . . . 35
Mueller, Martin Lee. Being Salmon, Being Human . . . 35
O’Donnell, Kate. Everyday Ayurveda Cooking for a Calm, Clear <omd . . . . 19
Odoul, Michel.
Unbinding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 . . . . . . . . 12
Stange, Karlene. Stavis, R.H. Sister of Darkness . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Steindl-Rast, Brother David. I Am Through You So I . . . . . . . 30
Steindl-Rast, David. May Cause Happiness . . . . . . . . 21
Storl, Wolf. Bear: Myth. Animal. Icon. . . . . . 38
Su, Shia. Zero Waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Tanahashi, Kazuaki. Painting Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Tessler, Bari. The Art of Money . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Thanas, Katherine. The Truth of This Life . . . . . . . 12
Thurston, Mark. Discovering Your Soul’s Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . 32
What Your Aches & Pains Are Telling You . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Tolle, Eckhart.
Oroc, James.
Tompkins, Elen.
At the Source of Being . . . . . . . 25
The New Psychedelic Revolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Silver Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
The Only Life I Could Save . . . 20
Orr, David.
Khan, Ya’acov Darling.
Dangerous Years . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Oswald, Amanda.
Tull, Deborah Eden.
Brower, Elena.
Gozlan, Audi.
Practice You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Kabalah Yoga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Brulé, Dan.
Greenwell, Bonnie.
Jaguar in the Body, Butterfly in the Heart . . . . . . 28
Just Breathe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
When Spirit Leaps . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Kloos, Scott.
Campbell, Colin.
Halifax, Joan.
Thelema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Standing at the Edge . . . . . . . . . 13
Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants . . . . . . . . . . 16
Campbell, Joseph.
Hanh, Thich Nhat.
Kongtrul, Dzigar.
Flight of the Wild Gander . . . . . 24
Calming the Fearful Mind . . . . . 13
Training in Tenderness . . . . . . . 15
Caplan, Mariana.
Hanson, Rick.
Krans, Kim.
Yoga & Psyche . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Resilient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Carrellas, Barbara.
Hari, Johan.
Urban Tantra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Lost Connections . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Cavel, Paul.
Harrington, Joel.
The Tai Chi Space . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Dangerous Mystic . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Chia, Mantak.
Harris, Dan.
The Tao of Immortality . . . . . . 15
Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics 25
Chodron, Pema.
Harris, Michael.
The Courage to Love the World 14
Solitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Clifford, M. Amos.
Harvey, Andrew.
Your Guide to Forest Bathing . . 37
Clow, Barbara Hand.
The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck & Guidebook . . . 31
Krauss, Lawrence.
Treleaven, David.
Living Pain Free . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Relational Mindfulness . . . . . . . 24
Paine, Jeffrey.
Villoldo, Alberto.
Enlightenment Town . . . . . . . . . 24
Patten, Terry. A New Republic of the Heart . . 34
Peterson, Jordan. 12 Rules for Life . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Phakyab Rinpoche . Meditation Saved My Life . . . . . 14
Mystical Shaman Oracle Deck and Guidebook . . . . . . 31
Waldman, Ayelet. A Really Good Day . . . . . . . . . . 27
Walker, Dean. The Impossible Conversation . . 38
Washam, Spring. A Fierce Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Greatest Story Ever Told —So Far . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Pollan, Michael. How to Change Your Mind . . . . 27
Weil, Andrew.
Krishna Das.
Price, Catherine.
Mind Over Meds . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Trust in the Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
How to Break Up With Your Phone . . . . . . . . . . 38
Wilber, Ken.
Lachman, Gary. Dark Star Rising . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Rabhi, Pierre. The Power of Restraint . . . . . . . 34
Lady Passion,
• Integral Buddhism: and the Future of Spirituality . . . 27 • The Religion of Tomorrow
27
Ravindra, Ravi.
Williams-Davidson, Terri-Lynn.
Savage Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
High Priestess, . Rituals & Sabbats . . . . . . . . . 29
The Bhagavad Gita . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Out of Concealment . . . . . . . . . 29
Haskell, David George.
Lasater, Judith.
Robin, Vicki.
Wright, Robert.
The Songs of Trees . . . . . . . . . . 37
Living Your Yoga . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Your Money or Your Life . . . . . 33
Why Buddhism Is True . . . . . . . 11
Collins, Faith.
Hay, Louise.
Li, Qing.
Rodriguez, Michael.
Zopa Rinpoche, Lama.
Joyful Toddlers & Preschoolers 39
Heart Thoughts Cards . . . . . . . 20
Forest Bathing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Boundless Awareness . . . . . . . . 26
How to Enjoy Death . . . . . . . . . . 14
Revelations of the Aquarian Age
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