What Cygnus Means

Holding the bead is the braid, stringing together the wisdom of life’s events. It is the golden thread that weaves itself between the stories.

The Cygnus Review is just such a source of inspiration. Turning the pages of the magazine is like walking into a spiritual library: take your pick, there’s so much to offer. Perhaps you have a Cygnus cafe near you? Space to share stories, end chapters and start new ones? To share events that can flow and grow rather than become secret and solidified. Some stories are too big, too overwhelming to share. I most always carry a notebook, which can hold all that I cannot contain or

THE WELL-LIVED LIFE

by Dr. Gladys McGarey

explain, at least for that moment. My earliest memory of being asked “What do you want to do when you leave school Mary?” was to answer “I want to mess about with pens and paper, words and pictures”. A joy in my life has been to tell a story within the pages of a book, my book. The title came first, and the content followed. It is entitled “Real LifeIt’s Just a Fairy Story”, presented in two halves - a complete fairy story followed by the main characters’ conclusions on looking back upon the journey that turned their worlds inside out, losing everything to find all that is ever needed. There is artwork created by both myself and my granddaughter, all hand drawn. If you would like more information feel free to email me at mmitmountains@ gmail.com. We can’t sell the book through the Review unfortunately.

Explore the books offered through the Cygnus Review, and others to nurture your curiosity, to strengthen the resolve to create for our world a forthcoming story of unrestrained loving action for the benefit of all. The future is not set in stone, it is waiting for our outstretched open hearts to reach into the field of possibilities and become what we already know we are. We are creation’s own story.

With LOVE the Energetic, Eternal, Expanding Vibration of Life Mary

The subtitle sums this up best: A 102-Year-Old Doctor’s Six Secrets to Health and Happiness at Every Age. Who wouldn’t want to benefit from the guidance of someone who has lived that long? Even though the author is a (still practising) doctor, this isn’t really a health book or a book about longevity; it’s a book of life-lessons and advice on living from someone who has done a lot of it. The secrets aren’t a huge revelation. Some of them include Everything is Your Teacher, All Life Needs to Move and Spend Your Energy Wildly. However the book is crammed with stories and other examples that illuminate what she is talking about and these really uplift and encourage us. So this book is a lovely gentle read that will make us more positive about life and about finding contentment.

256pp, 223 x 144 mm, Hardback, 2023, RRP £16.99

❖ Code: 330265 ❖ Non-Member Price: £13.32 ❖ Member Price: £11.99

EAT FOR ENERGY by Ari Whitten

This is a promising addition to the treatment options for sufferers of chronic fatigue, ME and anyone who has seriously low energy. The author, once a sufferer himself, has spent years studying the subject, delving into the suggested remedies to prove to himself that they do or don’t work, and has become an authority on the subject. He relates his findings that this kind of fatigue starts at cell level with the mitochondria, our energy generators, and how various areas of our lives are affecting their ability to function properly. He writes fluently and makes all the science accessible. He also tells us where we’re going wrong and how to make changes that will make a profound difference, from looking at our fat to muscle ratio, our gut health, blood sugar and nutritional toxicities, hormone imbalances and more. This is a thorough, science and evidence-based programme.

368pp, 229 x 152 mm, Paperback, 2023, RRP £13.99

❖ Code: 330217 ❖ Non-Member Price: £9.98 ❖ Member Price: £8.99

Healing Therapies For Long Covid

by Vir McCoy

The first thing to stress about this book is that the author is not a medical doctor and doesn’t have academic medical training. He is a teacher and healer. There are though 25 pages of references so he has clearly researched this thoroughly. He has suffered from long Covid himself. He covers both pharmaceutical and alternative approaches to the condition and it seems as far as I can tell that he doesn’t have any specific “agenda” in his whole approach to healing from this nasty illness. So, this seems to present a fairly broad approach to long Covid with advice and guidance that I am sure you could use for other illnesses. Of course he does tend towards the “alternative” but that’s only part of the broad spectrum. Amongst his suggestions are homeopathy, breathwork, lymph drainage exercises and gut biome restoration.

240pp, 228 x 151 mm, Paperback, 2023, RRP £14.99

❖ Code: 330226 ❖ Non-Member Price: £10.55 ❖ Member Price: £9.50

12 Essential Oils Of The Bible

by Karin Opitz-Kreher and Johannes Huber

Here’s another book from Earthdancer (see Shilajit) and like all their books it covers a mainstream subject in a slightly oblique way. There are 33 different oils mentioned in the Bible and here are 12 that the authors consider to be the most important, including frankincense and myrrh (of course) as well as cassia, myrtle, hyssop and others. The book is printed in colour and there are many photographs of the relevant plants. Each entry quotes the relevant Bible entry, gives a history of the use of that plant, describes its properties and gives suggestions for its use. It’s not a big book but every entry gets straight to the point and there is also general information on oils. On one level it is a book of essential oils but knowing they have been used in sacred settings on such a long-term basis gives them an extra resonance and perhaps even energetic power.

96pp, 191 x 146 mm, Paperback, 2023, RRP £12.99

❖ Code: 330266 ❖ Non-Member Price: £9.44 ❖ Member Price: £8.50

SHILAJIT by Wolfgang Windmann

I must admit that I hadn’t heard of Shilajit before I received this book, but it’s published by Earthdancer, a well-established and trusted alternative publisher of books usually translated from German, and that led me to read the book much more thoroughly. It’s a resinous substance that oozes out of the rocks and is mainly found in the Himalayas. There is a long tradition of its use in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine as well as in Russian folk medicine. It is widely available though in this country. The book is short but deeply researched and is packed with diagrams and photos of Shilajit in its natural state. It’s a well-known adaptogen that contains many antioxidant, cellprotecting and vitalizing components, and the author has more than thirty years’ experience with it.

160pp, 190 x 147 mm, Paperback, 2023, RRP £12.99

❖ Code: 330249 ❖ Non-Member Price: £9.44 ❖ Member Price: £8.50

SUPER POWERED IMMUNITY by

Michelle Schoffro Cook

The subtitle of this book sums it up succinctly: Natural Remedies for 21st Century Viruses and Superbugs. After Covid (and there have been other large-scale threats to our health) everyone wants to be in a strong position to avoid the worst of any future threats – which we know will come. This book gets on with it and discusses all the different natural substances we can use to maintain strong immunity. The most relevant chapters are: Food and Nutrients, Herbs and Essential Oils, Probiotics and Fermented Foods and Mushrooms. There are short entries about the science behind each substance, plus wise advice on how best to apply them. There are no illustrations but the book doesn’t need them: it’s a great book to have if you are concerned about your immunity and want to stay strong in a natural and non-invasive way.

176pp, 229 x 152 mm, Paperback, 2023, RRP £12.99

❖ Code: 330252 ❖ Non-Member Price: £9.44 ❖ Member Price: £8.50

FACIAL REFLEXOLOGY FOR EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING

by Alex Scrimgeour

I have to say, this book doesn’t look promising, but actually it’s really quite wonderful. It describes the Vietnamese facial reflexology practice of Dien Chan, which the author also suggests you could combine with Qigong and Chinese Medicine. The author is British and trained with a wise master in the backstreets of Saigon. The book is also very highly praised by Daniel Reid, a leading Western teacher in the Chinese Taoist arts. It feels empowering and it’s full of simple illustrations showing the various points on the face to use plus line drawings of other positions to take up. Finally there are also 24 exercises in the book. A lot of the teaching involves issues around the Vagus nerve, which is a big thing right now. Everything described seems quite accessible and the text is an entertaining mixture of western and eastern techniques.

320pp, 229 x 152mm, Paperback, 2023, RRP £14.99

❖ Code: 330222 ❖ Non-Member Price: £10.55 ❖

Member Price: £9.50

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