Cygnus summer 2016 by Cygnus Community Review

www.cygnusreview.com

Summer 2016, Issue 2

Cygnus Review HEAL YOUR BODY, FEED YOUR SOUL, FREE YOUR MIND, LOVE YOUR PLANET

A VIEW FROM THE INSIDE ❖ Expert

views on Spiritual Emergency and Permaculture

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE

Brett Moran encourages you to listen to the voice within

THE REAL SITE OF CAMELOT Graham Phillips reveals the true location of King Arthur’s Court ❖

Learning from

Nature’s Rhythms

Connect with the Celtic Wheel of the Year

JEAN HAINES Life often has a way of leading us in new directions without us even realising what is happening. Call it fate, destiny, or luck, but I found myself writing a new book aimed in a totally different direction from anything I have ever written before. My previous bestselling books on how to paint in watercolour were gaining me recognition in ways that I had not expected. It may be hard for friends who know me now to believe that I started life as a very shy person. I had little self-confidence and I definitely had no feeling of self worth. So I have to admit that years ago I could never have imagined myself standing on a stage in front of hundreds of strangers to give a talk. Or see myself travelling all over the world to give presentations on my painting techniques without any feelings of stress. I never imagined my life would be like this at this age. But it is and it is wonderful. All because I have shared my way of using painting to enjoy life, and thus overcome the obstacles thrown in my path. Like many people, I have faced many hiccups in life and each time I have turned to my art as an escape. When I paint I feel relaxed and happy. This carefree feeling comes across when I am working in colour. I use colour to lift my mood on a daily basis, and I wanted to help others feel the same way. Peaceful, calm and more confident from the quality time they take to spend relaxing using my painting techniques. I do feel that painting for a few minutes each day can be likened to meditation or yoga. You don’t have to be talented, gifted, or a master artist to enjoy my new book. All you need is the will to try. Perhaps as a reader you are looking for something new, or you are going through something in life that is upsetting you. Maybe you are facing an illness or someone you know is ill. Perhaps your life is just so busy that you find it hard to relax at all when you do have free time. Paint Yourself Calm is a way of life as much as a

‘Over the years I have learnt that painting is therapeutic. It does calm the soul’ hobby. It is about finding quality “me” time to allow your mind to re-energise. I find people often put themselves at the bottom of the priority list in things they need to do each day. I know from experience that even a ten minute colour escape can do wonders for the soul. I have been guided to write this new

BOOK REVIEWS publication by life experiences of my own, and others, who helped me to reach this point in my life as an artist and author. I am aware that readers of my previous instructional art books have discovered that painting with watercolour is a truly magical and enjoyable experience. But I have also been receiving many more messages letting me know that I was changing readers’ lives. They felt far more relaxed. More importantly my painting exercises were helping them either face or overcome traumatic hurdles in their lives. My calming techniques were helping them find a temporary escape or release from what was troubling them. I have heard endless stories of how reading my books and using my ideas have helped patients deal with cancer, for example, or bereavement. Readers and followers of my art style have been able to overcome stress and so much more. Painting has changed my life for the better. It is richer. I am calmer. I deal with problems so much more easily. In fact, I believe I see problems as far smaller these days than I used to years ago. And through my teaching workshops I am meeting people who are letting me know my way of painting is helping them in so many life-changing ways. I know that when I paint I feel differently. Whatever has been happening I can change my mood or calm down simply by moving a brush. I want others to feel the same way. Over the years I have learnt that painting is therapeutic and calms the soul. I do believe painting is a tonic that everyone can enjoy. No matter what age you are, no matter how healthy you are. No matter what you are going through. Painting this way is for everyone. And anyone. ❖ And so, this new book is about just that. It shows you how to “Paint Yourself Calm”. I do paint myself calm, and I would love others to as well.

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TITLE in the spotlight ENSO MORNING: DAILY MEDITATION GIFTS by Jacob Watson

THE ARTIST’S WAY FOR RETIREMENT by Julia Cameron

Every morning Jacob Watson, an interfaith minister and spiritual teacher, would meditate and walk outside, and after a while he received the gift of these brief meditations, which he would then share with his colleagues. There are more than 160 of them here. They are calm and peaceful; they use images from nature and the landscapes of coastal Maine; and they are expressed with an intense poetic sensitivity. We too can make the most of these letters in the morning, to set the tone of the day and to set a calm mood. They will increase our appreciation of life in all its complexity and beauty, and we too can share them with those around us.

Twenty-five years ago Julia Cameron wrote The Artist’s Way, which put countless people in touch with their own creativity. Now she is 65 and, while much is different and she is an Elder, the same principles apply: the basic tools are the Morning Pages, writing memoir, having a weekly Artist’s Date, and walking for twenty minutes twice a week without distractions. The book is structured in twelve sections covering twelve weeks. Julia has a vast amount of experience to guide us through this daunting time of life. Most of us are looking for meaning and, because she has aged too, she can use all her experience to coax us to be creative even in our retirement. Paperback, RRP £12.99 ❖ Code: 260231 Cygnus price: £8.99

Paperback, RRP £13.99 ❖ Code: 260145 Cygnus price: £10.99

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PAINT YOURSELF CALM by Jean Haines

There are many of us who just don’t do art, for whatever reason. The beauty of this book is that it coaxes us into painting for therapeutic purposes and takes away the pressure of any self-judgment for what we create. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. It is large format and rich in stunning illustration (of course). The author was a painter first, then she became a painting teacher and now she is teaching calm through painting. When you become fully absorbed in an activity – and painting is a supreme example of this – your mind becomes much quieter. Paperback, RRP £15.99 ❖ Code: 260146 Cygnus price: £11.99

COLOUR & LIGHT IN WATERCOLOUR by Jean Haines

This is a new edition of Jean Haines’s first and bestselling title. We have included it for people who want to go a little bit deeper into painting and learn more skills and techniques. Just like Paint Yourself Calm, this is also large format and full colour. It’s not intended for absolute beginners but there are certainly no concepts or requirements that make this impenetrable to someone new to watercolour painting. Paperback, RRP £15.99 ❖ Code: 260145

Cygnus price: £11.99

THE ARTIST’S WAY by Julia Cameron

The original and greatest – this is the book that started it all. The Artist’s Way provides a twelveweek course that guides you through the process of recovering your creative self. It has changed thousands of lives with its simple techniques. Most importantly it engages with the inner critic, which disables us so profoundly in our perfectionist western culture. Paperback, RRP £14.99 Published 1995 ❖ Code: 090849 Cygnus price: £11.99

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A WELCOME FROM ADAM GORDON

CYGNUS CLASSICS BOOKREVISITED REVIEWS

We are doing our best to keep the Cygnus flame alive and thriving, for all of us! ‘A question or a pull quote from ‘What the letter the Cygnus in here in Community this style, means to us.’ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx?’ I stumbled cheerfully into this role at the Cygnus Review but I can’t help thinking that destiny, or whatever it likes to be called, had a considerable role to play in the process. I started working for Watkins Media on a part-time, freelance basis in September and at almost the same time Cygnus joined the Watkins Media family. I had been involved with Cygnus from the outside for years and it made perfect sense to join the project. There are just a few things I want to say. Firstly, I am very much aware of keeping the Cygnus flame alive and thriving. I have known Geoff and Ann Napier (and their sons) for a long time and always felt close to what they have been doing. Ann was an amazing person; she was always the heart and soul of Cygnus (I know Geoff agrees with that!) and I am always conscious of what she would do and what she might be thinking. This is a guiding principle for me still. Cygnus is a sister company now, amongst others, to Watkins

Publishing and Watkins Bookshop, and there are many benefits from this arrangement. Vicky, Geoff and I are, though, highly aware of our responsibilities towards the spirit of Cygnus, what it stands for, and, more than anything, what its members expect of it and what they give to it. The Cygnus members are an amazing group of people. I get messages from you that take my breath away with their kindness, selflessness and spiritual awareness. I don’t think another group of people exists which is so single-mindedly focused on the spiritual path. You teach us what to include, how to proceed, and you provide invaluable guidance. You are such a wise and sensitive bunch. We want to present you with materials which stimulate you, guide you, and get you ever closer to your spiritual destination, wherever that might be. We are seekers just like you, and whatever your path, I hope you find this Review supportive. Like

you, we are looking for signposts. It can be tough – it’s the lucky few who find one book, CD, or DVD which helps them reach enlightenment in one go. For the rest of us, it’s a chapter here, or a phrase there. We can remember a book we read twenty years ago, and suddenly it makes sense. Or it’s a recommendation from someone we are sitting next to in a talk or a meeting. It all builds. There’s a community around you that wishes you well, knows who you are, and is happy to offer support. All we really hope for is that Cygnus can also contribute as part of that community.

TITLE in the spotlight THE RADIANCE SUTRAS by Lorin Roche, PhD

GOD’S BLUEPRINT by Christopher Knight

This thought-provoking book brings new evidence to the God Debate, attempting to question our thinking about the usual explanations of existence. He argues that the gap between the “God” and “non-God” lobbies is not so great, and suggests that our “why” questions can be observed within a scientifictheological model. He discusses the scientific evidence, presenting the idea of an intelligent engineer of our universe, with humanity representing a glorious experiment which continues to develop and which involves us all. Paperback, RRP £14.99 ❖ Code: 250347 Cygnus price: £9.99

Adam

MEET THE TEAM Publisher

Etan Ilfeld

Editor

Geoff Napier

Co-Editor

Adam Gordon

Customer Care

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TESTIMONY OF LIGHT by Helen Greaves

This book will fascinate anyone interested in the concept of life after death. It contains scripts of the telepathic communication Helen Greaves experienced with a close friend who died in 1965. Three weeks after Sister Frances died, Helen Greaves became aware of her friend’s soul and her mind and knew she had something to say, so she picked up a pen and started to write. The scripts give detailed descriptions of where Sister Frances was now living ‘a little patch of garden which is

This is a book to treasure. The original text of the sutras is more than 1300 years old, part of the ancient Sanskrit tantras, and Lorin Roche has devoted 40 years to their study. He now presents his life’s work, a contemporary interpretation of the meditations known as Vijnana Bhairava Tantra. In part one each verse is presented in Sanskrit script, phonetic western text, and also in Lorin Roche’s English translation which expresses his profound experience of the work in a poetic interpretation. Part two looks closely at important Sanskrit words, unpacking new depths of meaning to concepts students of the sutras may already be familiar with such as Bhava and Nidra, and the book ends with advice on ways to engage with the sutras. Here are pages to contemplate quietly at home, share in a meditation group or read to a yoga class. Timeless inspiration. Paperback, RRP £18.99 ❖ Code: 260148 Cygnus price: £13.99

bright with golden flowers’ – her conversations with others around her, and the insights she now had into the life she had spent on earth. These unusual scripts show that the death of the body may just be a passing to a new place. Paperback, RRP £9.99 Published 1969 ❖ Code: 090921 Cygnus price: £7.49

THE UNTETHERED SOUL by Michael Singer This modern classic came out quite a few years ago, and

has become one of the most influential spiritual books. Our members have been clamouring for quite some time for us to include this in the Review, so here it is! What makes it a New York Times bestseller? It’s something about the feel of the text. It’s like Satsang, like sitting with a spiritual master as they gently discourse across the course of a spiritual retreat. There’s something special about it; it doesn’t deal in high concepts but after a few chapters it dawns on you that you have learned something without being especially aware of the process. It comes from a deep place of spiritual wisdom. Paperback, RRP £16.99 ❖ Code: 260150 Cygnus price: £12.99

THE O MANUSCRIPT by Lars Muhl

This European bestseller includes real places and real events, yet what counts more is the spiritual truth. He covers the Magdalene and the Cathars, so it’s kind of Holy Blood/Da Vinci Code, but it’s written in such an intimate way. It feels like someone who is trying to make sense of all the messy stuff in his own life, and trying to explain the Wonder of it all. I am most of the way through but I can’t wait to finish it. Genuinely unputdownable, it feels like one of those stories that might just help you break through. It can be compared to Paolo Coelho, but to me it’s more personal and somehow more likely to lead us to heal our own lives, just as Lars Muhl did his. Paperback, RRP £16.99 ❖ Code: 231206 Cygnus price: £10.99

THE LAW OF LIGHT by Lars Muhl

If the O Manuscript contains the memoir, this is the distilled teaching. Presented as an elegant hardback, it dances around the words of Yeshua, or Jesus, as he became. The teachings here are deep and it takes time to get your head around them, but it certainly relates closely to Kabbalah. Muhl concludes by looking at the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet shared with Aramaic, which in the mystery traditions are richly laden with significance. It’s profoundly refreshing to learn from the words of Jesus, free from two thousand years of institutional accretion. Hardback, RRP £10.99 ❖ Code: 260149 Cygnus price: £7.99

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INNER TRANSFORMATION

HEALTH AND WELLNESS TITLE in the spotlight THE ALLERGY SOLUTION by Dr Leo Galland

LIVING AN INSPIRED LIFE by Dr Wayne W. Dyer

You are reading this because you have chosen to read about this book, it is calling you to be inspired. The message here is that we can all acknowledge the ultimate calling to connect with our spiritual essence, what Dr Dyer calls In-Spirit. This is what puts us in touch with inspiration. We can all be inspired, all the time, and it is not just something reserved for odd moments or for artists and gurus. He explains how we choose everything from our physical body and parents before birth, to all aspects of our own inner picture throughout life. We can choose to connect with inspirational people and to be aware of habits that trap us In-Ego, so we can be the ones who live as inspiration to others. The positive style of Dr Dyer’s writing carries the reader through material that is not new, but presents concepts in a fresh – and inspirational – way. Paperback, RRP £10.99 ❖ Code: 260201 Cygnus price: £7.99

THE AHA! FACTOR by Mariana M. Cooper

MINDFULNESS by Christophe André

In meditation we withdraw, step back from the frantic outside world into an inner land, with mindfulness we intensify our presence in the moment. This unique book is much more than another guide towards achieving those goals of refuge, calm and awakening; beautifully illustrated, it has the power to take us deep into peaceful places. Christophe André has chosen classic paintings by some of the great masters and through them he encourages the reader to quietly contemplate the inner meaning of small details such as a ray of sun, a magpie in the snow, the solidity of wood. This is a book to own and love, to constantly return to when occasions occur in life that the deeper meanings of these great paintings reflect. Already hugely successful in France, this series of 25 lessons is a work of art in its own right. Paperback, RRP £16.99 ❖ Code: 260204 Cygnus price: £13.99

MIRROR WORK by Louise Hay

Anyone new to Louise Hay’s work will find this a great place to start exploring her philosophy. Mirror Work is a 21-day course, a step-by-step guide to self-transformation the Louise Hay way. That means affirmations, daily positive selftalk, meditations (also available as audio downloads), and much more, all drawn together in 21 chapters, each with a daily theme. Every chapter is compact, and designed to be practised each morning in front of a mirror. During the day every glimpse in the mirror becomes a reminder to repeat the affirmation and revisit the lesson. The themes cover familiar territory for Hay followers: building self-esteem, loving yourself and your inner child, healing relationships, and overcoming fear, now all brought together in an easy to follow programme. Paperback, RRP £9.99 ❖ Code: 260202 Cygnus price: £6.99

THE SOUL’S AGENDA by Michelle Stevens

This is a book that started as a blog. In 2012 Michelle Stevens began sharing the channelled messages she had been receiving since childhood. She believes that guidance, tools, and support are available to us all, at all times. The messages included here aim to expand our awareness of this, and they offer a lovely reminder of all those things we actually know already but are constantly forgetting to remember. There is plenty of good solid advice here in bite size portions, which can help us all in our quest to live a more satisfactory life. The only slight irritation for some could be the constant repetition of ‘Dear One’ which tends to shift the mood of the book from wise advice from a distance to slightly over-personal lectures. But other readers may of course like the way this style implies a closer link to the guides. Paperback, RRP £12.99 ❖ Code: 260203 Cygnus price: £8.99

TITLE in the spotlight

There are ways of getting what you desire but it seems sometimes that we can only be taught them in a vague fashion. We all know about intuition but again our image of it is of something elusive, hard to grasp, and even unpredictable. However, The Aha! Factor describes in a precise fashion how we can utilise what she calls the Energetic Communication System to receive the answers to our prayers. Mariana describes in detail all sorts of ways of using our psychic powers and she also passes on an invaluable list of 101 signs which indicate that our Aha! Factor is “tuned in and turned on”. Clearly written, this book has a palpable inspirational energy which left me enthused about trying out the exercises and finally exerting some control over how I live my life. Paperback, RRP £10.99 ❖ Code: 260229 Cygnus price: £6.99

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10 REASONS YOU FEEL OLD AND GET FAT by Dr Frank Lipman

It’s great to have a book which addresses the health issues confronting ageing and which is so direct and straightforward. The author is a medical doctor and his previous titles include bestseller The New Health Rules. There are stories that make the journey more fun, and lists that make processing the information much easier. He also includes recipes at the back, which fit in with a week-by-week nutritional plan, plus both exercises and yoga sequences which have been formulated by highly qualified third-party contributors. All in all this is perfect for anyone who wants to take on the spectre of middle age and enjoy many more decades of healthy life. Paperback, RRP £10.99 ❖ Code: 260208 Cygnus price: £7.99

GET YOUR LIFE BACK by Mary Heath

Allergies are this author’s speciality. In his working life he has stumbled across them everywhere, some obvious, some obscure. This comprehensive look at the modern phenomenon of allergies will appeal to all those suffering from symptoms the doctors can’t seem to pin down. Dr Galland describes some of the many cases he has treated, like the rock musician who developed an allergy to the nickel in his guitar strings, and the nightshade allergy where a combination of aubergine, tomato and tobacco hospitalised a woman. Close study of this book might lead one to see allergies everywhere, responsible for everything that’s wrong with us, but read with a balanced approach it offers a tremendous amount of useful information. Everyone can benefit from working to achieve a more balanced immunity through attention to nutrition and lifestyle, especially those plagued with asthma, eczema, sinusitis and other classic symptoms of allergic reaction. Paperback, RRP £12.99 ❖ Code: 260205 Cygnus price: £8.99

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This is the perfect book for people like me who crave a course book, who benefit from a curriculum with a weekly programme of daily lessons. After all, you can always let the routine go for a day or two – this does not invalidate the process! It’s printed in classic workbook format, with plenty of space to make your own notes, and is thoroughly interactive. If there’s a hint or an observation in a certain chapter, you can use that as a point of departure for further spiritual exploration. The author has been a yoga teacher for more than thirty years and a mental health professional for most of her working life. Paperback, RRP £9.99 ❖ Code: 260207 Cygnus price: £12.99

HOW TO BE WELL by Abby Wynne

A review on the inside cover calls this “not a self-help book, but a self-care book”. It’s about wellness, rather than stress. It looks at positive states. It’s health as in relationships and spiritual practices, rather than nutrition and supplements. The language and concepts are delightfully simple. She talks about social media and mobile phones as modern inventions that can sap the energy from your life. This is an ideal book if your life feels generally out of whack, but you have nothing specifically wrong, except that you need to revitalize and reassess. There are many exercises that are drawn from her shamanic practice. The author is based in Dublin. Paperback, RRP £10.99 ❖ Code: 260206 Cygnus price: £6.99

BREATHE AND RELAX TO OVERCOME STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION by Mary Heath

This is the companion CD to her book. It primarily consists of two Pranayama-based breathing exercises, plus a 25 minute creative visualization. The author takes us through the exercises herself and, as ever, it’s great to hear a non-American voice on an experiential CD. She’s very skillful and the background music is calming and luminous. It’s an invaluable addition to her wonderful workbook. She is well-versed in all the therapeutic paradigms and you feel in very safe hands. One CD, RRP £9.99 inc VAT ❖ Code: 260209 Cygnus price: £7.99

BRETT MORAN

dreams of achieving more and most of us want to better ourselves and live more fully, but many never take the leap or make the move. Perhaps they don’t believe they can do it or simply feel lost and confused, ruled by their negative self-talk and society’s rules, so they never change and belittle those who do.

Waking up is a personal journey for each of us. No two paths are the same, but the process of awakening is exactly the same for everyone. The first thing you’ll usually need to face is quite often the thing you’ve been avoiding the most. You! It may be something small, like paying more attention to the negative thoughts in your head, or re-evaluating the people you hang out with and how you spend your free time, or something more major, like ditching the job that’s tormenting you, leaving a loveless relationship or taking a leap of faith, finding your purpose and following your dreams. And if you’re not sure why you’re feeling stuck in life, or which way to go, then paying close attention to those little nudges you feel, the little voice whispering in your ear, or the gut feeling trying to steer you in a new direction is the start of your wake-up call. I heard that voice when I was smoking crack but I laughed it off. I felt those gut instincts to change when my daughter was born, but I ignored them and followed the crowd. These warning signs are always appearing before us, trying to help us wake up, make better choices, and create an easier and more fulfilling life. We just need to pay attention and tune in to them. As you start to look within and take new actions towards your chosen path, you’ll find that one small change can lead to gigantic breakthroughs and that all of the challenges and obstacles are tests to help you grow and succeed. Suddenly, life becomes a game and starts to feel really epic again! You have more energy and passion, you feel free and light, and the adventure becomes almost effortless. The dramas and negative patterns seem to fade out of your life and your days become more enjoyable and productive.

GEOFF WELCOME NAPIER

It’s about doing your own thing... Some people fear this change so much that they never escape the rat race and repeat the same negative patterns year after year, even though they hate them. Instead of asking, ‘What if there is another way to live my life?’, they defend their negative behaviours and stay slaves to their critical thoughts. They spend their whole lives fighting themselves, convincing themselves they are right or moaning about the system, battling with cruel and unwanted thoughts, or making the politicians, immigrants or the weather take the blame for their unhappiness. In the end, they’re the only ones losing out, and often become jealous and bitter towards those who achieve more with their time here, and hating others and talking behind their backs.

A word of warning

When you finally decide enough is enough and make the decision to get more from life and follow your heart, then the people around you will change too. Everybody secretly

❖ As you take control of your life and choose to get more from it, you may also experience others judging you negatively for it, but don’t let this stop you; just smile and keep on moving. This is your life and it means you are on the right track and breaking the mould!

WAKE THE F*CK UP by Brett Moran

This is an important book. This is a voice that needs to be heard. If you think you need to knuckle down, if you can feel that your bliss is just around the corner but still out of reach, this is the book for you. Brett was in prison and about to do a drug deal, when he stumbled upon a book of meditation in the library there. Not many of us experience such a dramatic turning point, but on the other hand it might not be drugs that are holding us back. Brett has the sense and good grace not to call drugs bad, but the brief pleasure they give just won’t get you there, just isn’t enough. We all have our own self-destructive habits and negative tendencies; Brett shares the techniques he used to make his life more fulfilling, and his story will inspire you to do the same. Paperback, RRP £10.99 ❖ Code: 260210 Cygnus price: £6.99

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Many years ago, soon after Ann & I moved to Carmarthenshire, I began to experience strange sensations throughout my body, mostly during the night. It felt like I was in a microwave. My whole body buzzed or hummed for between a few minutes to a few hours. It was difficult to sleep and I just lay there, trying not to toss and turn and wake Ann up. Finally one night we realised neither of us could sleep for the same reason.

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We speculated regularly, but no theory seemed satisfactory. We tried all sorts of things to resolve the issue, but we were definitely not in control. What should we do? Go to the doctor? Seek therapy? Since it didn’t seem to be doing us any harm, we accepted it as one more of life’s mysteries and allowed it to flow through us, even though we had no mental framework to explain what was happening to us.

So, we took the label in our minds which read “potential illness” and replaced it with “normal human experience”. Then we went with the flow. Our bodies can be used, if we have given permission at some level, to give energy for the highest good, where it is needed urgently. Ann and I did not need to realise that we were part of a larger universal process that did not need to be named at the time - just our offer to submit to the process was enough. These and many other subjective experiences can easily be misunderstood or can lead to great distress. On some occasions they can even be misdiagnosed as mental health issues if health professionals are pushed into making a diagnosis. You see, if their training does not include the possibility of bodily transformation by the spirit, how else can they label what they see? They see something happening that the personality sitting in front of them cannot control and does not understand, plus it’s causing them distress. The solution: Medicate them to suppress the symptoms. The medicated and numbed patient has been “stabilised”. Job done, next patient please! In this issue we are introducing you to several titles that will shed more light on this bewildering area. Something like 1 in 4 of the people you will meet today will have had the label “Mental Health Issues” stuck on them, so this is not a fringe subject, and it is time we reconsidered our “labels”.

This is such a large subject that we cannot deal with it all in one or two issues, so we have decided to find guides to introduce you to this, and other, Cygnus topics. These “curators” will be hosting special pages on our website, keeping you up to date with breaking news items, forthcoming events, sources of reliable information and, of course, introducing you to the most helpful titles that you can buy - from Cygnus.

The two pages overleaf contain articles written for you by our first two curators, who are hosting hubs on their specialist subjects. These are Spiritual Emergency, hosted by Catherine Lucas, and Practical Spirituality/Living Sustainably, with our guide Maddy Harland. Have a look on our website. Feel free to share links to these pages with your friends. Please tell us what other Cygnus Hub Pages you would like us to create. Celebrate the Cygnus 25th Anniversary with us at the One World Festival 1st -7th August. Can you believe it? We began preparing the first issue of the Cygnus Review in the summer of 1991. Come and celebrate with us and with possibly the largest gathering of Cygnus members all in one place. Cygnus has been given a marquee for talks and workshops by Cygnus authors and members at this week-long festival in Somerset. There are still some spaces for authors, workshop leaders and especially volunteers. Please contact Geoff Napier at geoff@cygnus-books.co.uk for more details. In addition to the One World programme of 300 free talks and workshops, we will have daily Cygnus Café gatherings, and in the evenings a Cygnus Candlelight Cinema film. Throughout the Festival we have also set aside a Cygnus networking space so members interested in particular topics can meet up at prearranged times. The rest is up to you! Imagine meeting a room full of NHS workers who all happen to be Cygnus members... when you thought you were the only one!

❖ Remember, Cygnus supporters are offered a 20% discount off the conference fee, just quote CYG20. There are additional savings if you participate as a Cygnus Volunteer or speaker. tel: 01273 279439 www.oneworldcamp.com

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CATHERINE G. LUCAS approach, embracing not only mind and body, but spirit as well.

During a healing crisis we can change our perspective at any moment we choose. We can buy into the story ‘this diagnosis is for life’ or we can buy into ‘this diagnosis means there is healing work to do’. Simply how we choose to frame our experiences, the lens we choose to see them through, can and will make all the difference.

Ursula’s Story

Ursula had been written off by the medical profession. She has been forcibly held under the Mental Health Act, sectioned, and she has been held down by four staff, wielding needles, injecting her with anti-psychotics. She has been hospitalised ten times in all. She could easily have ended up withdrawn, not being able to function socially, not able to work, not able to sustain an intimate relationship. Instead, Ursula is now living a fulfilling and fulfilled life: married, a loving partner, a gorgeous little daughter, making a contribution to her community through her work, writing and speaking. Ursula has turned her life around because of a choice she made: the choice to focus on healing and growth, not on illness and symptoms. We can only reframe our experiences as Ursula and others have and see them from this broader, more

COPING WITH A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS by Catherine G. Lucas

Parallel Perspectives positive, more healing perspective, if we know such an alternative is available. Like the optical illusion, we will only look for and see the parallel image if someone says it is there. Otherwise we won’t even know, we won’t even think, to look for it.

Embracing Mind, Body and Spirit

The information I share comes from the transpersonal field, ‘trans’ meaning ‘beyond’ the personal. The transpersonal is a model or worldview which goes beyond everyday reality, beyond ordinary experience to encompass a wider understanding of the cosmos. This is an holistic

This is Catherine’s latest book, and it reflects developments in the fields of psychiatry and health care. It’s not as wideranging as In Case of Spiritual Emergency; it doesn’t range across the religious traditions, but focuses more upon practical therapy options. It does though still contain stories of crisis and healing, written in a very straightforward and calming manner. There is an excellent resource section at the back. Paperback, RRP £9.99 ❖ Code: 260211 Cygnus price: £6.99

MADDY HARLAND

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When we’re looking for the deeper meaning, we need to turn our attention to the bigger picture. The transpersonal offers us this bigger picture. It has long provided a far greater, deeper understanding of the causes of mental distress than conventional psychiatry seems able to. And so, in our search for deeper meaning, we find ourselves turning to a field which acknowledges the mystery of life, which allows for the numinous, which allows for suffering to be a vehicle to healing and growth: the transpersonal field.

Awakening of consciousness

Today, we are being called as never before to respond to the global crisis we are facing across every sector of society. We are being called as never before to wake up, to wake up to a new level of consciousness, a higher level of consciousness, a level of consciousness which can respond creatively to our global crisis. My book is based on the premise that a mental health crisis is an opportunity to do just that, to wake up to our true self. ❖ Extracts from Coping with a Mental Health Crisis. Catherine will be introducing news, events and new books that shed more light into the matters of mental health and spiritual re-birth on our website. www.cygnusreview.com IN CASE OF SPIRITUAL EMERGENCY by Catherine G. Lucas

Catherine underwent a spiritual emergency around 30 years ago and this and other experiences led her to the work outlined in this book. It covers many spiritual and religious traditions, from Yeshe Tgogyal in Tibetan Buddhism, to St Teresa of Avila in Christianity and Ramana Maharshi in Hinduism. With the decline in everyday interest in religious practice, people no longer know that there are ways of getting through mental crises and emerging in a place of spiritual awakening. Paperback, RRP £9.99 Published 2011 ❖ Code: 210708 Cygnus price: £7.49

I am never happier than when I am out on the land in all seasons, observing the cycles of nature, growing plants or appreciating wild species, foraging responsibly, and feeling the grace of being alive at this time. I want to share this pathway to health and happiness with as many people as possible. The more we appreciate and celebrate the natural world, the more we will seek to not only conserve but to regenerate it. This way of life has a spiritual context – it is a ‘Medicine’ that will ultimately heal the Earth. Permaculture is a toolkit to help you live a greener, more creative lifestyle. It is all about understanding the elements that make up your life and organising them so that you can create cycles of abundance rather than ‘sinks’ where energy pours away. Permaculture is based on observing Nature and decoding natural principles. It is both intuitive and a process of design. It is also very powerful! We can apply this form of creative thinking to our gardens, and this is often the context in which permaculture is best understood, i.e. organic, perennial, and no-dig edible gardens that are full of biodiversity and food. Permaculture, however, goes beyond the garden fence as natural principles and intelligent design can be applied to how we design or eco-retrofit our homes, renewable, money saving technologies, how we interact in our local community, or our local economy. Permaculture can also influence how we design enterprises, whether they are a private business or a charity. Natural principles are adaptable. The only limits in applying them are our imaginations! I have tested this out for myself by growing a permaculture garden over two decades, designing a company, and being part of a wonderful educational charity at the Sustainability Centre in

life are not those who are wrathful and unkind, they are those who work from the heart and communicate the power of love in whatever they do. They are discriminating – able to see the truth of situations – and also able to acknowledge the good and hold the possibility of transformational change.

The Art of Creative Living with Permaculture Hampshire. I have used permaculture to help design all three projects. It has been invaluable. Permaculture is not all about design, however. Its framework is based on three ethics: Earth care, people care, and fair shares. They are not exclusive to permaculture, of course, but they provide a tangible form of navigation through life. They also ensure kindness in action. The people who have had the greatest impact on me in the course of my

It is therefore my honour and pleasure to share with you this book by one such person, Glennie Kindred. It comes from the sincerity of her heart and engages us with practical, nurturing actions that can help us to connect on a deep level with nature, navigate the pathways to right thinking, and allow us to live a more constructive, abundant and creative life.

About Maddy Harland

Maddy Harland is editor and cofounder of Permaculture magazine - practical solutions beyond sustainability, and Permanent Publications, a publishing company dedicated to regenerative, ecological solutions. She helped set up the Sustainability Centre in Hampshire, once a military base, now a thriving learning centre, and is a co-founder of Gaia Education which developed the Ecovillage Design Education course endorsed by the UN. Maddy is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and is a Visiting Knowledge and Exchange Fellow at the Institute of Theological Partnerships at Winchester University.

LETTING IN THE WILD EDGES by Glennie Kindred

In this beautifully illustrated book, Glennie inspires us to celebrate the bounties of our wild native plants and find a richer relationship with the natural world around us. Season by season, we are shown how to grow and manage native edible and medicinal plants in our gardens or on the wild edges of the land. Included are foraging tips and many recipes for making kitchen medicines and delicious food from our finds. By letting the wild native plants into our lives, Glennie helps us to reconnect with our rich herbal heritage and explores many different ways to mark and celebrate the seasons, especially outside on the land, which support our ability to adapt and grow for the benefit of the Earth and ourselves. Wonderful! Paperback, RRP £14.95 ❖ Code: 230711 Cygnus price: £10.99

FIND YOUR LOCAL CYGNUS CAFÉS B77 BA1 6RA BA6 9TH BA20 1UR BH10 BN3 5QJ BN7 3EU BN16 BN21 BS35 2AE BS7 8QH CA10 1NZ CB1 CF72 CH4 CH63 CH65 9AQ CR0 CR3 6HY CV32 CV32 CW11 3ZH DE72 DN9 DT9 3NL DY7 6HF EN10 8RU EX31 EX31 FY8 GU3 1JH GU5 9QH HR2 KT11 KW14 L23 1XQ L25 LA1 LE6 OHB LE10 LE67 LL46 2PU LL55 3EY M33 3PU MK14 NE28 6RL NE66 NN6 0NT OX29 6SS PL1 PO18 8PJ RD12 RH19 3TQ RH17 SA1 6BG SA31 1BS SP2 7HG SP8 5JQ SS3 SS11 8DU ST3 1PQ ST5 2JQ SW2 2RR TA1 4EP TD14 TF8 7LS TN11 9JN TN27 0EY TR20 TS12 1AE TQ12

Birmingham, Tamworth Avon, Bath Somerset, Glastonbury Somerset, Yeovil Dorset, Bournemouth Hove, East Sussex East Sussex, Lewes West Sussex, Littlehampton Eastbourne South Glos, Thornbury Bristol, Bishopston UK Cumbria, Penrith Cambridge UK Rhondda, Pontyprith Cheshire, Chester Wirral, Chester Cheshire, Ellesmereport Surrey, Croydon Surrey, Caterham Warwickshire, Leamington Spa, Lillington Warwickshire, Leamington Spa Cheshire, Sandbach Derbyshire, Derby South Yorks, Doncaster Dorset, Sherbourne Staffordshire, Stourbridge Herts, Cheshunt Devon, Barnstable Devon, Barnstable Lancashire, Lytham, St Ann’s Surrey, Guildford Surrey, Shere Herefordshire, Mordiford Surrey, Cobham Thurso Merseyside, Liverpool, Thornton Merseyside, Liverpool, Woolton Lancashire, Lancaster Leics, Newtown Linford Leics, Hinkley Leics, Coalville South Gwynedd, Theatr Harlech North Gwynedd, Dinorwig Manchester, Sale Bucks, Milton Keynes Tyne & Wear, Wallsend Northumberland, Alnwick Northants, Earls Barton Oxfordshire,Witney Plymouth West Sussex, Bosham Berkshire, Bracknell East Sussex, East Grinstead West Sussex, Whiteman’s Green Swansea Carmarthenshire, Carmarthen Wiltshire, Salisbury Dorset, Gillingham Essex, Southend Essex,Wickford Staffs, Stoke-on-Trent Staffs, Newcastle-under-Lyme London, Streatham Hill Somerset, Taunton Berwickshire, Eyemouth Ironbridge Kent, Hildenborough Kent, Ashford Cornwall, Port Isaac Cleveland, Saltburn Devon, Newton Abbot

Jo Greaves Jay Jacobs Colin Simmonds Suzy Langdon Georgie Fox Jess Wingate Lauren Dowse Annette Seaman Valerie Abl Mrs Maggie Jeffery Martin Harvey Patricia Kidd Penny Brown Louisa Mills Lynn Alexander Carol Carter Barbara Hendy Valerie Williams John Sleeman Maria Reece Sarah Orchard Karl Grey David Steare Sandra Edwards Niki Cassar Suzanne Taylor Monique Elton Mrs Viv Easton Lynne Clement Simone Qualter Vali Drummond Linda Sewell Averil Clother Mary Hartnett Fiona Shepheard Sue Massey Pamela Langley Catherine Hunt Debra Davis Anne Booth Cheryl Colpman Maria Lamburn Maria Lamburn Rosemary Plunkett Nikki Brown Christine Peek Anthea Jackson Linda Bing Cindy Gumm Ann Kader Kathryn Bingham Ms Debbie Lewis Judy Sharp Judy Sharp Matthew Rayner Dorothy Morris Mrs Letty Rowan Jan Coppins Pauline Poole Jan Westall Nathan Smallman Rosemary Stephenson Clare Suart Robin Littman Maggie Cole Romella Jones Liz Wright Sylvia Nichols Anthia Tounsend Kathryn Luczakiewicz Carol Courtier

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jo.greaves@talktalk.net jay_jacobs@sky.com colin.sadhu@gmail.com suzysoo62@hotmail.co.uk blessgeorgie123@gmail.com info@tolcentre.com laurenreddance@gmail.com annetteseaman@gmail.com valerie@talentshift.co.uk maggiejeffery2@hotmail.co.uk m_harvey@phonecoop.coop kiddbriggle@btinternet.com penelopebsnell@gmail.com onemidglam@gmail.com lynnalexander@talktalk.net carolcarter100@btinternet.com reiba106@ntlworld.com angelicgreetings2u@yahoo.com jjsleeman@aol.com maria@mariareece.co.uk longman.sarah@googlemail.com karlgrey@hotmail.co.uk david.steare@ntlworld.com sandra579@btinternet.com mail@nikicassar.com suzanne@auraveda.co.uk moniqueelton@aol.com easton866@btinternet.com lynneclement@hotmail.com simonequalter@yahoo.co.uk hapivali7@gmail.com lindasewell@hotmail.co.uk averilann68@gmail.com maryhaertnett@live.com fionashepherd18@googlemail.com suemassey60@yahoo.com pamelalangley@hotmail.com info@therelaxationroom.co.uk reikidebra@hotmail.co.uk withane.anne@googlemail.com cheryl@cherylcolpman.co.uk galeritonic@googlemail.com galeritonic@googlemail.com rosieglow3@icloud.com nikki-nutrimed@hotmail.co.uk christinepeek23@gmail.com antheajackson@hotmail.co.uk puffl@hotmail.co.uk cinjken420@hotmail.com hutt1944@yahoo.co.uk office@thehamblinvision.org.uk judysharp123@gmail.com judysharp123@gmail.com 2humphreystreet@gmail.com dorothy_morris@hotmail.com coppins_janet@yahoo.co.uk papoole36@gmail.com jan.westall@btconnect.com nathan.smallman@btinternet.com rosemary@celestiallighthealers.com clare@suart.com Robin@resource-me.com rebecca66south@hotmail.com cariadtherapies@outlook.com e_lizwright@hotmail.com shakracentre@gmail.com info@saltburnwellbeingcentre.co.uk carolcourtier@msn.com

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DOGMA-FREE ZONES FOR HEART-TO-HEART CONTACT

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London, Ealing Herts, Abbots Langley Worcs, Evesham Worcs, Malvern West Midlands, Wolverhampton Yorkshire, York UK North Yorks, Scarborough North Yorks, Selby North Yorks, Whitby

Christina Tett Susan Rose Elizabeth Payne June Walters Jas Bassi Helga Imisson Helen Marriott Val Turner Daphne Wright

If you want to share some quality time with other openhearted and open-minded fellow Cygnus members, search out one of the Cafés on these two pages. You will be most welcome! Meanwhile, here are some comments from some of the Cafés:

South Devon Cygnus Café

“I’m writing to let you know what a pleasure it’s been starting our fledgling South Devon Cygnus Café. I’d waited some months for someone else to start one, then thought I’d give it a try! We began with four like-minded souls who met at my house and we felt an instant affinity which, having walked this ‘path’ alone for so long, was wonderful! The following Cafés were held at others’ homes with one or two more people joining each time, and last week eight of us were able to meet at a beautiful community room which one of us had access to. Our groups are informal with no structure, but somehow it always ‘works’! We may discuss challenges we are facing and get inspirational and positive feedback, or share spiritual insights which others enlarge upon or just enjoy. It’s very special and I don’t think I’m the only one who leaves feeling energised and nourished! So although I describe myself as a ‘reluctant co-ordinator’ I’m actually really glad to have had the chance to connect with like-minded souls who have very generously said we’ll organise the Cafés together so that it’s not at all daunting. My advice to anyone else thinking of starting one is - do it, you won’t regret it! With love, Carol Courtier”

Bath Cygnus Café

A number of Café coordinators in the South-West have just shared a meeting with the Bath Cygnus Café. It was a great experience to share the wonderful atmosphere that has developed in this group. To begin with, we spoke about how their group had been organised, how it had developed and what they had gained from these meetings. They have been meeting now for 17 months. They come together now every fortnight, because once a month just wasn’t enough for them - it was not frequently enough to benefit from what they feel they receive during the meetings. “We find these meetings a

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guinevere006@yahoo.co.uk stevenpackwood@gmail.com elizabethann.payne@tiscali.co.uk mpower4you@gmail.com Info@jasbassi.com helgaimisson5@gmail.com info@fountainscourt.com valdert@btinternet.com dwright05@hotmail.com

sanctuary and a support in our daily lives, that’s why we want them more frequently. Together we decided we would each put £5 into the pot to cover the costs of refreshments and room hire. This is ample and from time to time we send a donation to contribute towards the costs of running the Cygnus Café Network.” Here are some more of their comments: “I have grown to feel safe in the open, non-judgemental, non-dogmatic space the group strives to provide. As I share what is real and true for me, I can allow others to do the same. In this time of letting go of old forms, old ways that don’t work anymore, I feel many of us are urgently wanting a platform for our authentic expression. This, in essence, is simply an attempt to bring spirit down to earth to create new, necessary forms. I find the group provides this healing space. My very best wishes, Nicolette.” “This group for me has become a heart-centred, unconditionally loving, safe space to explore our innermost thoughts, feelings and spirituality.” Gislain “What I like about this way of meeting without dogmas and beliefs, it frees us to appreciate and recognise the wisdom of each others’ backgrounds.” Tom, Bath We see we are all in the same boat. “The holistic nature of Cygnus and its underlying intention enables me to network with like-minded people in an environment where it is safe to be open and authentic. Oh, and I love books! Thank you Cygnus.” Maggie,Thornbury. Why not look up a local group today or give me a call on 01285 762 982 if you want to know how to start a Cygnus Café in your own town or village? ❖ Geoff Napier

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SPIRITUAL BALANCE

CYGNUS CANDLELIGHT CYGNUS NAMECANDLELIGHT CINEMAS OF WRITER XXXXX CINEMAS

SMILING MIND by Jane Martino and James Tutton

RADICAL AWAKENING by Amoda Maa

The goal of the Cygnus Candlelight Cinemas initiative is to create and demonstrate a new demand for transformational films. Jean-Paul Martinez, a Cygnus member, knows many other filmmakers like himself who are making such films. So he and his network are developing an international network of 1000 informal cinemas in village halls, pubs, and schools. These can be gathering spaces for all who want to see and share what is possible.

NAME OF FILM TO GO HERE by Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx THE FAIRY TRAIL

A candle is lit to remind us that we are all part of one source, we all bear that light within us, either side of the screen. The host of the evening introduces the film by telling us a little about the filmmaker and what inspired them to make the film. We watch the film together and then afterwards bring our chairs into small groups and share what the film has revealed in us. We hope that through the means of these films, we can provide a space for you to meet like-minded folk in your locality.

NAME OF FILM TO GO HERE DVD RRP £17.99 by Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

OCCUPY LOVE

This is about a revolution of love, about love in political action. Can revolution be spiritual and does spirituality help revolution? Hopefully this film will encourage a peaceful revolution in all of us. Full of inspiring people demonstrating better futures. DVD RRP £17.99 ❖ Code: D250221 Cygnus price: £14.99

THE HERO’S NAME OF FILM JOURNEY TO GO HERE by Joseph Campbell by Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx While the writings of Joseph Campbell are rarely daunting,

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Amoda invites us to embrace the “oneness” within, reconciling everyday life with spirituality. Her honest and authentic insights will appeal to those searching for a different way of being, in place of life’s usual “fight or flight” struggle. She examines the opportunity of personal transformation that’s accessible within the here and now, and suggests that we are each being called to “give up the small me” to change our relationship to humanity. The idea of non-duality is essential to her if we are to bridge the gap between personal and universal consciousness in an increasingly unstable world. Ultimately, if we can embrace every moment in order to awaken from that dream of separation, we can get closer to the divine essence in our everyday life. Paperback, £9.99 ❖ Code: 260216 Cygnus price: £6.99

THE BOOK OF HO’OPONOPONO by Luc Bodin, Nathalie Bodin Lamboy & Jean Graciet Ho’oponopono comes from Huna, the traditional healing and spiritual shamanism of Hawaii where it was traditionally used to promote reconciliation within communities. One short phrase encompasses the practice of compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude. On the surface this appears to be something very simple, and yet on deeper study it is found to touch many elements of the world’s philosophies, spiritual practices and science, even dreaming. Ho’oponopono can be applied to anything from traumatic past events to minor daily annoyances, it seeks out and breaks negative cycles such as destructive thought patterns and difficult family dynamics with the power to resolve the negative and bring harmony. Paperback, RRP £11.99 ❖ Code: 260217 Cygnus price: £7.49

START HERE NOW by Susan Piver

NAME OF FILM FINDING TO GO HERE JOE “I don’t believe that people areby looking Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx for the meaning of

life, Quisque as much varius as theyscelerisque are lookingnunc for the experience being eget rhoncus. of Aenean alive.” A group of contemporary spiritual teachersadipiscing pay tributeelit. to tristique enim ut ante dignissim. consectetur Josephvitae Campbell, outlining particular his Maecenas image of the Hero’s Mauris libero lacus, velinhendrerit nisi! quis velit Journey. It’sviverra hugely felis. inspirational andluctus beautifully shot, of nisl, volutpat Vestibulum mauris sedfull sem radiant brightluctus colours, delightful dapibus quisand velitincluding nisl. Mauris vitae re-enactments of mythsnisi! and Maecenas stories led libero lacus, vel hendrerit by kids everyday landscapes. also quisinvelit nisl, volutpat viverraIt felis. illustrates the quest via classic movies like Vestibulum luctus mauris sed sem dapibus The Wizard ofluctus Oz and quisStar velitWars. nisl. DVD RRP £16.99, ❖ Code: D220733 Cygnus price: RRP £14.99 £00.00 ❖ Code: 00000000 Cygnus price: £00.00

This little book is almost perfect, as long as you don’t mind it being unashamedly Buddhist. And anyway – mindfulness is Buddhism. If you want to take your practice a bit further in that direction, this book forms a perfect introduction. Susan Piver is a high-profile teacher in America and her teaching here is tolerant and intelligent. She tells stories about how she has failed and how she has picked her life up again. Buddhism is the great technique for helping you start again. She helps you work out which form of Buddhism is best for you. I found this book so inspiring in coaxing me gently to build up a resilient meditation routine. I honestly can’t recommend it highly enough. Paperback, RRP £9.99 ❖ Code: 260215 Cygnus price: £7.49

A glorious little handbag-sized book that is a handy guide to any newbie meditator venturing into the, often complicated, world of mindfulness. To some, the term mindfulness can be quite daunting as its meaning is not always easy to determine, but Jane and James explain all in an accessible and conversational tone. With easy, practical exercises and bite-sized explanations, this book is for anyone interested in starting their journey into mindfulness. The book itself is beautifully designed, with a bold and varying format, which makes each turn of the page a new and unexpected delight. In fact, the only drawback to this gorgeous little blue breath-of-fresh-air is that the text can at times become slightly too small. But if this wouldn’t affect you in a huge way, it is well worth persevering until the end. Hardback, RRP £7.99 ❖ Code: 260218 Cygnus price: £4.99

NOT I, NOT OTHER THAN I by Russel Williams

Our world is full of books on all aspects of spiritual teaching, from the serious academic to the borderline flaky, but now, suddenly, this little book appears like a jewel in the rock-face of inspirational literature. Throughout his long and challenging life Russel Williams has been quietly dispersing his unique teachings to small groups, seeking no recognition or reward, just quietly changing lives. Now, well into his 90s, he has agreed to allow Steve Taylor to put together and publish both the story of his life and the essence of his teachings. A jewel of a book to read from cover to cover, then read all over again. Russel received almost no formal education and there is an immense freshness and clarity of thought here which seems to rise from an uncluttered mind. Paperback, RRP £9.99 ❖ Code: 260214 Cygnus price: £7.49

MORNING MANTRAS

The little book is a team production, a visually attractive compilation of pithy and inspiring quotes put together to energise and inspire. Some are by famous names, others are anonymous, but each quote has its own colourfully illustrated page. Begin on the first page with a photograph of London and the Shard towering above all the other buildings with the words “Reach for what you think is unreachable”, and when you come to the final page you will find the reminder “Don’t be inspired. Be inspirational.” Keep this little book by the kettle to choose a daily thought to ponder over with your morning coffee, or slip it into your bag or pocket for a quick lift at any time of day. You could even cut a page out to make a mini-poster. Paperback, RRP £9.99 ❖ Code: 260219 Cygnus price: £6.99

GRAHAM PHILLIPS convoy of carts out of the collapsing Roman Empire and brought to the relative safety of the isle of Britain. And the capital of Britain at the time in the fifth century was Viroconium – the very site I have identified as Camelot.” So there is more to come!

I have always been a huge fan of Graham Phillips, the English author, non-mainstream historian, and psychic archaeologist. In his latest book – The Lost Tomb of King Arthur – he zeroes in on the historical ruler from Britain in the Dark Ages, who in time became the country’s hero. The fabric of our history is interwoven with vivid legends, and Graham is never content to let them languish uninvestigated. However, in discovering the truth behind them, he does not diminish their poetic power. I interviewed him via email. My first question was whether there were any special circumstances which might have led to the discoveries described in the book. I knew in the past he had been involved in psychic questing with a group of colleagues. However on this occasion he was at pains to stress the conventional nature of his research: “I was able to do what others hadn’t because of the very latest archaeological discoveries made at the ancient city of Viroconium, in the heart of England – the site my research leads me to believe was the historical Camelot.” However, upon closer questioning, he acknowledged that he has also been helped in his quest this time by a series of dreams he’s experienced over the years, which led him to an archaeological site in Shropshire. “It’s really strange, but I’ve had a recurring THE LOST TOMB OF KING ARTHUR by Graham Phillips

There are so many amazing discoveries to be made right outside our front doors. All those Graham has made have not diminished his appreciation for the myths and legends that are so deeply embedded in our psyches. “Not at all”, he said. “What I have discovered shows that the magical stories all had a base in historical fact.” Which is in a way more intoxicating….

On his rediscovery of the tomb of King Arthur dream since I was a child of the very location my research has now led me to. It’s weird, because I had never been there before in my life.” I then asked him why King Arthur became so closely associated with the Holy Grail. The answer excited me: “In the oldest surviving accounts, the Holy Grail was once kept in Rome. When the Roman Empire fell, many precious items from the city of Rome where taken on a secret

King Arthur is so important to the psyche of this country that, even though this is not spiritual and offers no life guidance, it is important and useful to put this in the Review and inspire our readership to explore the events that happened many centuries ago but happened right on our doorsteps – especially when we live all points west in Britain. Understanding the past helps us to live in the present, and here we are offered a glimpse into a little known period of British history; yet the ramifications still echo in our inner lives today. Paperback, RRP £14.99 ❖ Code: 260220 Cygnus price: £10.99

EILEEN CAMPBELL

BUY BOTH FOR £19.99

So I suppose the big question is: does he think that the gravesite he has suggested will ever be subjected to an archaeological dig? His answer is encouraging: “I am going to make sure that it happens as soon as possible. Otherwise some unqualified treasure hunters will dig it up.” Consequently, although he tells us the site where he thinks King Arthur’s body is buried, he is not specific about the precise details. ❖ There will always be the great archetypal myths though, the stories, which have always inspired people, especially those of us on the spiritual path. It’s satisfying then to know a little bit more about that great hero, who was there right at the start and to whom we owe so much.

THE WISDOM OF AVALON ORACLE CARDS by Colette Baron-Reid

Because so many Cygnus members have such a close connection to the spiritual currents that run through Britain, I thought it would be useful to include this boxed set as a window into both inspiration and divination. It is not so much about Avalon as it manifests physically at Glastonbury, but an inner Avalon, Avalon as an inner landscape of the spirit. Images of features in the natural landscape, indigenous animal life and mythical figures like Merlin and the Lady of the Lake are all included on the cards to provide an immersive spiritual experience of the energetic forces all around us. Card and Book Set, RRP £11.99 inc VAT ❖ Code: 260221 Cygnus Price: £9.99

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“You don’t need to read it all the way through straight off, but one section at a time is fine”, she said.

Eileen Campbell used to be a mainstay of the Mind Body Spirit publishing market over a long period of time. She had a huge influence on many of the books published here in the UK, especially in the eighties and nineties. She started the legendary Arkana imprint, which eventually found a home at Penguin. For over a decade she ran Thorsons at HarperCollins, having joined when it was still an independent. She also ran the Religious Division at HarperCollins, publishing every shade of Christian opinion. Her spiritual history has involved travel through many countries and listening to many eminent teachers, so when she retired from full-time publishing she had much wisdom to pass on through her own teaching and writing. A Woman’s Book of Joy is the first title that’s appeared from her for a few years via a (relatively) mainstream publisher, and when I picked up a copy I was immediately excited to meet her properly. We met in Central London and discussed a variety of spiritual topics. Firstly I asked her about the book’s title. The text itself meant a great deal to me, as a man, so what adjustments did she have to make in addressing it specifically to women? “It’s as applicable to men as it is to women, with one difference: I do think women face a particular challenge in their lives, which maybe, as things are changing, men now face too. But in my experience most women don’t aim too high...Although there have been huge strides forward… so many women say, “I couldn’t do that”. They take less risk. Men are prepared to take more risk. Women aren’t so prepared to make mistakes, whereas actually making mistakes and failing is part of being successful.” Ironically, Eileen played a major role in a very women-led period in publishing. She was the first to pull together a Mind Body Spirit list,

“It’s what drives me, the thought of what I’ve acquired, what I can share. This is what I can do. We are all passing knowledge on. And deep down people are only being reminded of what they already know.”

Creating The Woman’s Book of Joy when she worked at Routledge. They had a wide range of books, including the Collected Works of Jung, and books by scholars such as Zimmer and Joseph Campbell on their list already, as well as classics like the I Ching and the Tao Te Ching, and she added to and developed this list. It’s a period she describes as a “God-given opportunity”. Later on, for five years, she was the only woman on the board of HarperCollins. She carries with her a vast amount of knowledge. In the late sixties and early seventies she sought out many of the now legendary teachers like Chögyam Trungpa, Muktananda, and Per Vilayat Khan. “It was an amazing time”, she recalled, “when it wasn’t always easy to get clear teaching. Now we can all have access to these teachings.” The Woman’s Book of Joy is like a concentrated liquid that needs diluting: you read the separate reflections slowly, phrases stay with you and the teachings expand in your mind to become life lessons. It’s dense and full of points of departure.

Change is difficult, but as time passes, certain blockages seem to move. “It’s a drip drip effect. You have to keep trying.” I told her that I am like a resolution machine sometimes, creating fresh ones as if every day was New Year’s Day. She offered reassurance though: “We are all weak. We are going to trip up, but we get better at things the more we do them. Every day is a new opportunity.” Eileen no longer works in publishing. As well as travelling around the world and talking to small groups of women, she is a passionate organic gardener, studies art, sings in her local choir, and is training in classical Indian music. “We need to make sure we are exposed to everything that lifts the spirit”, she says. Maybe that’s all you can aim to do and the rest will follow. ❖ “The more you try and integrate what you understand intellectually, the more content you feel. It’s like flexing a muscle – the more you try, the easier it gets.” THE WOMAN’S BOOK OF JOY by Eileen Campbell

Each short essay can be used as a point of departure full of crucial guidance and inspiration, which we can apply to our own lives. The text is sprinkled with quotations that can jump-start our new way of living. She herself forged a stellar career in a male world, but she stayed true to her spiritual compass. Paperback, RRP £11.99 ❖ Code: 260222 Cygnus price: £8.99

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DANU FOREST these times in any way that suits us, with contemplation and meditation, with ceremonies and spells, in community or alone, as the rhythms of life guide us, but always we are called to remember one thing.

Across the Celtic world, and in indigenous traditions across the globe, seasonal celebrations have long been used as a way to honour and reconnect with nature and its endless rhythms of life and death; growth and decay to be followed by rebirth and fertility over and over, year upon year. Once in the British Isles our relationship with our landscape was close and intimate. Our lives were physical, closely entwined with the rest of nature without separation, encouraging us to be ‘in our bodies’ and present to each moment, to the immediacy of our lives. Across the Celtic diaspora the divine was considered to be immanent in nature, present in every rock, river, and tree. Had we lived thousands of years ago we would consider ourselves to be continually surrounded by hosts of spirits, everything in the manifest, physical world imbued with its own indwelling souls. Our mortality, the physical limitations of our ephemeral bodies, was another manifestation of this divinity; part of an ever rolling relationship between the self and the all, as we lived as individuals, but returned to this great sea of spirit, to the divine earth upon our deaths in preparation for our eventual rebirth into manifestation once again. In the history of Britain and Ireland we have had many seasonal celebrations, a rich and varied calendar of agricultural and folkloric markers conveying the spiritual wisdom of our ancestors from one generation to the next. From the first farmers in the Neolithic era aligning their stone rows, barrow mounds and circles, to the rise and fall of the solar year, the solstices and equinoxes as well as the rise and fall of stellar bodies, to the later Celtic fire festivals of Imbolc (February 1st), Beltane (May 1st) Lughnasadh (August 1st) and Samhain (October 31st), these festivities have been as much about the psychic needs of the tribe, the society and the emotional and spiritual needs of the individual as

18 18

THE DIVINE SPARK WITHIN

Nature never stands still, movement and change and the ever turning spiral of life and death do not require our belief to have their effects felt upon our souls, but in our surrender to their dance we may find a little comfort, and much beauty, enough to nourish our spirits along the way.

Learning from Nature’s rhythms they have been about reminding us to sow and reap, to look out for the birth of young lambs and to slaughter the livestock to see us through the winter. They also mark the rhythms of the spirits in nature, times when the Otherworld comes close, reminding us of its chthonic effects upon our lives, and the ancestors gather at the edge of our hearing to be remembered. They reveal the seasons of the soul, the ebb and flow of vivifying currents emanating from the divine upon the mortal world. The magical wheel of the year is a mirror for our own internal processes, for the journey of life from the cradle to the grave, and the many births and deaths of the psyche that take place within any mortal span. Honouring these patterns makes us ever more present to their burnishing effects upon our souls, tempering us with wisdom and the grace to know when to savour life at its fullest, and when to let things die and fall away in the knowing that this will always give way to life anew. We may mark

❖ Today few of us connect with the natural world in this way, as a spiritual resource and access point to the divine. After centuries of seeing the earth as mere dirt, something to ascend away from, leaving the physicality of our existence behind, the struggle to become present to our own lives and our own souls gets ever harder, and we see our beautiful goddess earth struggle under the burden of one environmental crisis after another. Yet it does not take much to return to the garden, just a little thought, a little time, a little love. THE MAGICAL YEAR by Danu Forest

Danu Forest is a leading member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. She lives near Glastonbury where she herself leads a Druid grove. This stimulating text, full of stunning drawings and illustrations, takes you through the Celtic Wheel of the Year. It’s a perfect way to get in touch with your own spiritual inclinations, to have fun with your family making crafts and gaining insights from the natural world around you, and ultimately to connect with the energies all around us residing in nature just outside our front door. Paperback, RRP £9.99 ❖ Code: 260223 Cygnus price: £6.99

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GROW YOUR SPIRITUAL BUSINESS by Cindy Griffith and Lisa K. PhD

THE SPACE WITHIN by Michael Neill

I enjoyed this book for the clarity with which it illustrates “insideout understanding”. Neill argues that the only thing between us and our wellbeing is thought, and gives techniques for riding with life’s ups and downs to enable resilience. He invites us to wake up to the creative potential of our inner space, and to see that we can always have peace of mind. Neill says that we were born “in the zone”, and it is only the “drama of thinking” that removes us from that. Reading this book will help you believe in your own wisdom, and come home to your Self and the nurturing space within. It explains some quite profound concepts about our minds in a very concise way. An exciting return from one of our brightest teachers. Paperback, RRP £10.99 ❖ Code: 260227 Cygnus price: £7.99

THE NOTE FROM HEAVEN Githa Ben-David

THE MYSTERY FEAST by Ben Okri

Ben Okri is a Booker Prize winning novelist and an expert storyteller. This is a small book (38 pages) primarily based on a lecture he gave on how to deliver a story. It offers numerous pathways into this magical world, which is so crucial to our imaginative lives. As Okri says: “Stories are the highest technology of being.” He gives 16 pithy notes on storytelling, and concludes with a brief story, about stories. This book makes an inspiring gift. It’s packed with ideas but there are no excess words, and it’s as well-written as you’d expect from a man whose work has been translated into 26 languages. A reminder of the creative potential which resides in us. Paperback, RRP £3.99 ❖ Code: 260226 Cygnus price: £2.99

Sound is vibration and everything was created with sound. As John’s Gospel says, “In the beginning was the Word”. Githa was trained in the Indian tradition, as the pupil of Mangala Tiwari, and this is demonstrated in her use of the chakras and of Indian breathing techniques. There are plenty of exercises throughout the book and there are also audio recordings which you can download from the author’s website. Using the sound you make in your own body is a fun and also a very direct way of engaging in spiritual transformation. You can also use it to release trauma that might be lodged in your body. Githa is a kind and compassionate teacher, and her lessons come from a deep well of experience. Paperback, RRP £12.99 ❖ Code: 260228 Cygnus price: £9.99

Running a successful business and holding spiritual values should not be incompatible, yet many healers, therapists, psychics and others struggle to earn a respectable living through the practice of their skills alone. The authors both have considerable business experience and the book is full of useful tips for anyone either launching a new business or looking to revive and grow an existing one. They remind readers that there is nothing unspiritual about wanting to pay your bills. Having a thriving and profitable business means you are putting yourself in a good position to help and serve others; when you are able to make money it means not only that you can look after yourself, but also that you will always have something to give back. Paperback, RRP £12.99 ❖ Code: 260228 Cygnus price: £9.99

FACING DARKNESS FINDING LIGHT by Steffany Barton

This is about suicide, but at the same time it also offers many fascinating insights into life on the other side. The author is a medium and she uses several case studies to focus specifically on the issue of suicide and how it fits into the bigger picture. There is so much pain around the subject but Steffany offers a coherent message of hope that life goes on and that suicide is most definitely not a failure. Just like life on this side of the veil, love is everything and we can ease the suffering through it. It is well-written, full of anecdotes, and offers healing comfort for all the people left behind. Paperback, RRP £8.99 ❖ Code: 260224 Cygnus price: £6.99

THE GIFT OF AN ANGEL by Wendy Erlick

There’s a great quotation from Cilla Conway on this book, and it sums up my feelings as well: “I don’t normally read books on angels as I find many of them too saccharine, but I found it direct, authentic and sometimes very moving”. This gets it exactly right: it’s down to earth and everyday and for that very reason very inspiring. Her story is well-told and compelling, but the account becomes incredibly useful in the second half of the book when she shows us how we can too get in touch with invisible beings. She discusses the angels and what they specialise in and how we can work with them, but in a refreshingly non-ethereal way. Paperback, RRP £10.99 ❖ Code: 260225 Cygnus price: £8.99

AN EXTRACT FROM PLAY THE FOREST SCHOOL WAY Nature offers us a sanctuary, a place where we can find peace and wonder. It is not limited by time or confined by walls, and even today we cannot control it completely. It is much larger and older than we are, and its rhythms resonate deep within us. Nature is where we are from and where we belong, and our survival is intricately linked to its existence. For children it is the greatest playground of all, with all its diverse structures, smells, textures, its creatures of all shapes and sizes, its abundant plants, some edible, others toxic. Nature offers a myriad of opportunities for risk taking, for a wealth of learning and amazement, and for freedom, separate from the adult world. So why has our society become so disconnected from nature? Along with strangers, increasing traffic and other hazards of the modern world, nature itself is often seen as something alien, a threat to our children. Changes in the way we live, including a rise in risk-averse parenting, as well as an increasing dependence on technology, contribute to an ever-more sedentary, indoor culture that counts increasing childhood obesity as only one of its negative impacts. While some fears may be justified, it’s important to try to readdress these issues. Forest School is one of many grassroots movements around the world that are currently aiming to connect children with nature once more. Now a global phenomenon, Forest School developed in the UK in the 1990s as both an approach to early years learning, initially inspired by the play-based, naturecentred pedagogy of Scandinavia known in Denmark as friluftsliv (‘free open-air life’), and as an evergrowing collection of individual Forest Schools. These range from educational play schemes held in local parks and in mainstream schools, to specialist programmes to help with addiction recovery and social inclusion. The Forest School Association, the independent body representing Forest School in the

UK, has provided the following definition: ‘Forest School is an inspirational process, that offers all learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees.’ This approach draws on, in addition to the Scandinavian outdoor model, the learning theories and playful child-centred pedagogy of thinkers such as Rudolf Steiner and Maria Montessori, and on the naturebased education activities of Kurt Hahn and the British Scouting and Woodcraft Folk movements, among other influences. These views have relevance for Forest School today, with its ethos of therapeutic educational learning that aims to maximize social, emotional and developmental potential by allowing children to manage risk, have more independence in guiding their own learning, achieve goals, be active, play and learn through direct experience within nature. Within this context, a Forest School leader assesses each child’s interests and learning styles and engages with them to facilitate their full learning ability. Outside the confines of four walls, without the distractions of electronic devices and excessive supervision, children can move, explore and discover at their own pace, connecting to the natural world – a place not created by man, that had deep spiritual meaning for our ancestors.

This book offers some fantastic games, crafts and skill-building activities from the Forest School sessions we hold in London and elsewhere, giving children who have not yet had a chance to attend Forest School a taste of what goes on there. And for children who have already discovered Forest School, this is a way of bringing those activities into their outdoor play and learning with you. Of course a book can never be a replacement for the full Forest School experience, which requires repeated sessions with an appropriately trained leader (for more about the principles of Forest School, visit their website at www. forestschoolassociation.org). So we urge children who haven’t already been to try out Forest School for themselves! Above all, this book is about having fun in nature, especially in woodland. However, a Forest School programme aims to stimulate a child’s holistic development – and for this reason we explain the learning benefits of each activity in the book. For example, using a fire steel (under adult supervision of course) is a skill that takes time, focus, patience, persistence and resilience to master. Success can truly empower a child, raising confidence to try new skills and encouraging a healthy approach to managing risk. We never tire of seeing the sheer joy flash across the face of a child who has persevered and finally triumphed in lighting a fire using just a fire steel! PLAY THE FOREST SCHOOL WAY by Peter Houghton & Jane Worroll

Anyone of a certain age will be transported back to their own childhood and want to share this book with their grandchildren. Isn’t this how play used to be before television and computers and our obsession with ‘health and safety’? Although written for parents, teachers and carers, hopefully children will turn the pages and demand the whole family immediately run off into the forest to play. Remember when you used to make a bow and arrows and squelch in mud? Don’t you still yearn to make a journey stick and build a camp fire? Forest School is a grassroots movement aiming to re-connect children with nature (visit their website www.forestschoolassociation.org). Wearing your woodland jewellery while foraging for juicy fruits, use this delightful book to immerse yourself, and the children you care about, in fun learning activities and the joy of outdoor play. Paperback, RRP £12.99 ❖ Code: 260212 Cygnus price: £7.99

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