BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 2 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! YES,YES, LIFE!LIFE! -MAYMAY WWEE BBEE JJOINEDOINED IINN TTHEHE GGREATREAT HHEARTEART ! l CONTENTS ELCOME to our latest ANYEN HAS OFFERED a 5 Upcoming Banyen Events Wissue of Branches of Breal “gathering of the 6 New Music Light! You’ll find here 223 ways” since 1970, and we 7 New Videos BRANCHES OF LIGHT reviews of new books, continue to morph and 8 Art, Creativity & Music News & Reviews from 8 Poetry, Writing & Stories Banyen Books and Sound music, videos, audios— learn how best we can serve 10 & the Hindu Traditions gems among the latest new the deep learnings and 12 & ISSUE 39 Fall-Winter-Spring 2011-2012 releases in all our fields, earth-loving harmony we 15  17 & Chi Energetics Publisher & Editor from healing arts, new sci- humans need as we mature 17 BodyMind Healing Kolin Lymworth ence, body-mind explo- into a sustainable, responsi- 18 Healing Energies / Herbs  Managing Editor & Production ration, ecology and com- ble planetary stewardship. 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BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 4 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! BANYEN’S UPCOMING EVENTS !

TALK & COOKING VEGETARIAN • TALK & Digniti Records & Banyen present TALK & ~2012~ COLLECTIVE BOOKSIGNING Discover the richness PERFORMANCE DON MIGUEL RUIZ BOOKSIGNING AWAKENING Tues. Nov. 8 of a plant-based diet Sat. Nov. 19 ...with special Tues. Jan. 10 An Overview of the 6:30-8 pm with celebrated chef & 7:30 pm musical guest $18 7 pm at Stars in 2012 author JOSEPH Evening Lecture by Free at BANYEN Unity Church KUBA OMS UNITY, 5804 OAK FOREST. Co-written 5840 Oak St. ROSE MARCUS, In the tradition ST. tkts at BANYEN with Vesanto Melina, $49-$99 +s.c. Evolutionary Astrologer and author of Cooking Vegetarian has of the Toltec, a Insights into Evolutionary Astrology been completey revised Tickets at BANYEN Nagual (shaman) with new raw food recipes, tips on See review p. 30 guides an individual INTRO TALK & THE ENNEAGRAM how to develop flavour, and meals for to personal freedom. BOOKSIGNING RUTH SHELL is a health and healing. Don Miguel Ruiz, Sun. Jan. 15 counsellor and author of the cd set Mindful author of the best Free 11:30-1 at WRITING & HEALING selling The Four Enneagram: 9 Medi- INTRO TALK BANYEN BOOKS This experiential presentation by Agreements, com- tations for Personal Transformation Sun. Nov. 13 SHERRY DUGGAL bines old wisdom 11:30-1:00 will explore how we can with modern insights, which he TALK THE RED BOOK Free at BANYEN tap into our creativity, using the written word as shares in an authentic & access- Tues. Jan. 17 Vancouver psychothera- a medium of expression. able way. His latest book, The 5th 6:30-8:00 pm pist GAIL LYONS Agreement, is new in paperback. Free at BANYEN demystifies Carl Jung’s TALK THE ANIMAL Red Book, his inner mys- tical journey. & BOOKSIGNING MESSENGER TALK & FINDING YOUR OTHER HALF Wed. Nov. 16 What if the animals were put on earth BOOKSIGNING DECODING YOUR DES- 6:30-8 pm as part of a grander plan to bring Thurs. Nov. 24 DECLAN KERR’S TALK & Finding Your Other Half TINY Keys to Humanity’s Free at BANYEN opportunities for humanity to learn the BOOKSIGNING nature of compassion, service, oneness, 6:30-8 charts the wonders of Spiritual Transformation pm Sun. Jan. 22 and unconditional love? intimate and loving rela- Free 11:30 -1 at TANIS HELLIWELL SHIRI JOSHUA will share teach- Free at tionships when we decide will introduce her new book BANYEN BOOKS ings from the consciousness of animals BANYEN to find ourselves. and will lead a meditation and from A Course in Miracles. “to raise your frequency to TALK & CHILDHOOD UNDER that of the New Earth so THE COMPASSIONATE that you can be a co-creator TALK & BOOKSIGNING SEIGE: How Big Business DIET How What You Eat Can in this grand adventure.” BOOKSIGNING Mon. Dec. 5 Targets Children Change Your Life & 7:00 pm JOEL BAKAN, Thurs. Nov. 17 TALK & ENLIGHTENMENT AIN’T Save the Planet FREE at VPL, author of the award- 6:30-8 pm BOOKSIGNING WHAT IT’S CRACKED UP Artist, author, ecolo- Alice MacKay Free at BANYEN winning film and gist, and founder of Room, Vanc. Thurs. Jan. 26 TO BE internationally best- Free 6:30-8 at Author DR. ROBERT North America's largest Central Library selling book The Seating is limited BANYEN BOOKS K. C. FORMAN says organic cereal company, Corporation, will Nature's Path Organics, traditional spiritual ideas See review at talk on his new book Childhood ARRAN STEPHENS banyen.com are giving seekers a has been at the cutting edge of the Under Siege. This book exposes wrong and frustrating impression organic food movement for decades. the widespread exploitation of about spiritual enlightenment. children by profit- seeking corporations, THE ELECTRIC JESUS TALK & FILM & SPIRITUALITY TALK & Join Kundalini Yoga teacher and and society’s failure The Healing Journey of SCREENING BOOKSIGNING RAM RUNG a Contemporary Gnostic Sun. Nov. filmmaker to protect them. He Fri. Jan. 27 KAUR (Martina Comstock) then offers a hopeful RealitySandwich.com and 20 Free 6:30-8 at Evolver co-founder for a special presentation of her vision for change. 11:30-1:00 BANYEN BOOKS JONATHAN TALAT short films and discussion Joel will also com- Free at PHILLIPS discovers visionary ways around the themes of longing, ment on the ‘Occupy Movement’ BANYEN bridging and transcendence. to help our planet in crisis. that is happening worldwide. A Tale from... INTRO TALK & DOULA CELTIC HARP 1001 NIGHTS PERFORMANCE BOOKSIGNING RENEE TAYLOR explains the role STORYTELLLING PATRICIA SERENO Sun. Jan. 29 Join NAOMI STEINBERG for this & PRESENTATION of the Doula (labour coach) before EVENING A journey of the enchanting evening of storytelling. Tues. Dec. 6 Free 11:30 -1 at and after childbirth, and the use of pre Tues., Nov. 22 inner landscape. Naomi will be telling a Fairytale 6:30-8:00 pm BANYEN BOOKS and post natal acupuncture 6:30-8 pm Adventure (for grownups) from 1001 Free at BANYEN TALK & Nights entitled “Gul’nar of the BARBARA HAND CLOW BOOKSIGNING Sea.” Naomi is a professional sto- THE TAO OF SOUND and Gerry Clow ryteller and the Executive TALK & Tues. Feb. 7 With revised Acoustic Sound Healing for the Director of The Vancouver BOOKSIGNING Free 7pm at and updated Society of Storytelling. Thurs. Dec. 8 21st Century VPL versions of “She swam up from the deep to 6:30-8:00 pm FABIEN MAMAN, the founding WORKSHOP Alchemy of see how it was that the moon Free at BANYEN father of vibrational sound healing, Sat. Feb. 11 Nine Dimensions and hung from the night’s neck.” will demonstrate the pro- $50 9:30-12 at Awakening the found impact acoustic CAN. MEMORIAL WORKSHOP Planetary Mind (for- An Evening of Kirtan with sound has in balancing CENTRE FOR PEACE Sun. Dec. 11 merly Catastrophobia). SHANTALA! and harmonizing our sub- Tkts at BANYEN 1:00-5:00 pm Sun. March 4, 2012 7:00 pm tle fields, chakras, Sacred Space TALK & A FUTURE TO St. Mark’s Church and physical bodies. Studio (4 doors BOOKSIGNING BELIEVE IN 108 1805 Larch St. (at 2nd ave.) Fabian developed the now famous from Banyen) Thurs. Mar. 29 Reflections that Could Tickets $20 at BANYEN/$25 at door technique of using tuning forks on Tkts at BANYEN acupuncture points. Assisted by Terres Free 6:30-8 at Transform the World CD Release Tour for JAYA! Unsoeld, a senior instructor in the BANYEN BOOKS Vancouver author and SHANTALA weaves Benjy’s Indian classical Tama-Do tradition. World teacher singing and instrumentation with Heather’s soar- ALAN CLEMENTS presents “an ing vocals in a freshly original, soul-stirring and Visit www.banyen.com for iconoclastic blend of radical cultural profoundly moving way. FULL EVENT DETAILS & UPDATES commentary, edgy political punditry Shantala have performed & recorded with & to subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter and provocative life-inquiry, a field Krishna Das, Deva Premal & Miten, and Jai Uttal. ...plus now you can follow us on facebook! guide for revolutionaries, designed to liberate the human spirit.”

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 5 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! CHANTING, CHAKRA BRAINWAVE HARMONIZING !

Music on CD with light and blessings radiating from your heart to every living thing and then Deva & the Ecstasy of Chant returning to your heart to be reabsorbed. SHAKUHACHI WATER Finally you allow the entire vision to PASSWORD dissolve into space, and you rest in the Tranquil Sounds of the Zen Bamboo Flute by Deva Premal peace that remains... by Riley Lee $17.98, CD. Sounds True. 1 hour 6 minutes The comforting compassion and fierce $17.98, CD. Sounds True. 64 minutes The soulful blend of Deva Premal’s enchanting voice with wisdom encoded in her mantras are quali - Listen to the essence of water reflected Europe’s best jazz musicians results in a musical “transporta - ties innate to all of us. We see that we too in music, from a master of the craft… tion.” Deva Premal and Miten, the world-renowned singers of may be of benefit to all beings, for as long as space endures. In the tradition sacred music, began their journey into love and music in of the Zen bam - 1990 when they met at Osho’s ashram in . Since then boo flute, a master they have introduced millions of Westerners to the beauty does not actively and power of Sanskrit mantras. CHAKRA BRAINWAVE seek to imitate the As Deva expresses it, “Mantras are passwords that transform HARMONIZER sounds of na - the mundane into the sacred.” Thus the artists have named this Balances Brainwaves and Chakras ture—instead, he mantra album Password . Deva and Miten pioneered the mantra by Jonathan Goldman & Andi Goldman creates music that genre with the release of their album The Essence in 1998. $18.95, CD. Spirit Music. 56 minutes speaks to us in the Password represents a shift in direction for the duo, with the in - This recording by these sound healers is a same voice as the troduction of Danish producer RajRishi, who brought the cream musical first— a soundscape designed to si - natural world. As the first Westerner to at - of Copenhagen’s jazz players into the mix. The result is a sub - multaneously bal - tain the rank of Grand Master of the Deva Premal, stantial, musically refined album with sublime arrangements of ance the chakras shakuhachi flute, Riley Lee has gained in - Miten and Manose ancient mantras , complementing Deva’s radiant vocals. Also fea - and brainwaves . ternational acclaim for his ability to express tured is Manose, the ever-present bansuri maestro from . Using Synchro- the meditative mind as music. Deva and Miten’s mission is the creation of the sacred, of music born out of medi - Sound, the ad - With Shakuhachi Water Meditations , Lee tation with a longing to nourish and enhance the experience of the silent, peaceful, vanced sonic tech - brings you ancient and modern composi - blissful space within us. They see their music as a spiritual practice, hence, this music nology developed tions that capture the essence of our ex - transcends the concept of “entertainment”, inviting the listener beyond the stress and by Healing Sounds perience of water —from the expansive concerns of “the daily whirled” into a flowing and a flowering of being. pioneer Jonathan sense of peace that comes from listening to Goldman and the rhythm of the surf, to the serenity that KIRTAN NATION Andi, his psy - we feel when we gaze out over a mirror- chotherapist wife, this recording features sa - smooth lake. This is a melodic, soothing al - by Various Artists $19.95, 2 CDs. Sounds True. 2 hours 30 min. cred sounds and sonic frequencies that bum, perfect for meditators, healing practi - A kirtan nation has no borders, no army, and no govern - work on both the body and its energy sys - tioners, and anyone seeking deep ment. It is a place where all are welcome as citizens of the tem . This CD balances and aligns both relaxation. universal heart, and the only coin of the realm is sacred brainwaves and chakras at the same time sound. creating a deeply harmonic listening experi - Join the brightest stars of kirtan for over two hours of ence. CLASSICAL REIKI bliss-infused devotional music , featuring the angelic vocals On Chakra Brainwave Harmonizer , based by The Reiki Orchestra of Deva Premal, the soulful resonance of Krishna Das, the joyous passion of Snatam on information in their book of $15.95, CD. Paradise Music. 60 minutes Kaur, the enchanting purity of Wah!, and many more, including Sean Johnson and the Sound , sacred sounds were combined with This lovely album features 12 specially Wild Lotus Band, Steve Gold, Donna De Lory, Daphne Tse, Diana Rogers, Suzanne psycho-acoustic frequencies to create a composed and orchestrated 5- minute Sterling, Jai Uttal, David Newman, Shantala, and Dave Stringer! No passport is re - safe, effective recording for attuning one’s pieces ideally quired—all are welcome in Kirtan Nation , joined together at the heart . deeper being, as well as resonating and timed for Reiki Disc One consists of studio tracks and Disc Two has the live tracks. Sweet and love- aligning with another person. treatments. filled, with the rhythm of sunshine... All the sounds on The Harmonizer are Vaughan Jones You have sung to me of the ways of union specifically created to induce the and his Reiki of the god and the goddess, experience of harmony and enhance the Orchestra per - space and time, personal and impersonal, balancing experience, and every sound was form gentle and energy and form, infinite and finite. created with the energy and intention of healing composi - You have sung the song love… We trust that the energy of love tions that are also of being at home in the universe. which has manifested throughout this project, will shine through to you as you refreshingly good —Shakti singing to Shiva in the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra for massage, yoga, listen. meditation and aromatherapy. Great by itself, yet even better with head - The Reiki Orchestra are a group of RAS phones (they describe precisely how to find English classical musicians who have come by Snatam Kaur and use an inexpensive signal splitter so together to perform uplifting and inspira - $18.95, CD. Spirit Voyage. 1 hour 8 minutes two people can listen at the same time on tional music suitable for treatments, relax - Ras translates as the “Sublime Essence of God’s Name.” headphones), “ The Harmonizer ” includes ation or meditation . By playing on real in - On this release from Snatam Kaur, one of the most popular chakra tones, sacred vowel sounds, bija struments, they capture an orchestral sound of the new spiritual musicians in the world today, you can feel mantras, Pythagorean tuning fork, sonic with the natural vibrations and energy of a that sublime essence in every note. Snatam’s voice is open entrainment frequencies, and much live performance. and filled with such a deep and abiding heart-centered long - more—with extensive liner notes on the The group consists of a full string section ing for the divine, it is palpable. As with her other albums, creation and uses of this “high-fidelity” at - complimented by flutes, oboes and an English Ras offers a series of sacred hymns/chants drawn from the Sikh scriptures and gurus, tunement recording . horn with the complimentary sounds of vibra - all inspired by their original teacher, Yogi Bhajan. More info: www.healingsounds.com. phone, glockenspiel and harp. Snatam Kaur’s voice is artfully blended with Manose’s flute, Benji Wertheimer’s Tracks include: Shimmering, The Eternal esraj, Thomas Barquee’s keyboard, Simone Selle’s guitar and Sat Nam Singh Tide, Paradise Garden, The Space Between, Ramgotra’s tabla . Reflections, Inner Light, Healing Breath, Produced and arranged by Thomas Barquee, this album marks their tenth year of musi - Towards the Dawn, Celestial Chimes, As If cal collaboration in Snatam’s recordings and is truly a tribute to the journey that their mu - One Person Awakening, and Shimmering sic has taken over this time. Snatam Kaur’s music travels the globe, and with this album it is (Reprise). clear that it will continue to reach further corners as new listeners hear and fall in love with the sweet nectar of her voice. Among her other popular albums are The Essential Snatam Kaur and Anand Bliss . SONGS OF TARA Devotional Music to the Goddess of Holiness the Dalai , Her Eminence chants, and praises to help us connect to the Liberation Jamyang , Dechen Shak-Dagsay, energy of this swift and heroic goddess. It in - featuring Various Artists Nawang Khechog, cludes modern and traditional devotions to $17.98, CD. Sounds True. 1 hour 9 minutes Deva Premal, Green Tara, who leaps to our aid when we Tara is known in Tibet as “She Who Wah!, Chloe are in need, and White Tara, who offers Liberates”—a compassionate Goodchild, and longevity so we may have more time to serve who delivers us from fear and protects us others. others in this world, as well as the complete from harm. Now Tibetan spiritual leaders Songs of Tara is a Tibetan Homage to the 21 Taras . and devotional artists come together in meditative collec - celebration of this beloved “Mother of all ...You then go on to experience your tion of mantras, Buddhas”—featuring tracks from His own form as the enlightened form of Tara,

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 6 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! MUSIC & VIDEOS !

Elemental Texture “The Flute of the Infinite...”

FROM NIGHT TO THE EDGE OF DAY THE STILLNESS INSIDE A Collection of Lullabies from the Middle East The Meditation Music by Azam Ali by Paul Horn $16.95, CD. Six Degrees. 52 minutes $17.98, CD. Sounds True. 59 minutes The “beyond words” vocalist first heard as part of the world In 1968, Paul Horn slipped into the Taj Mahal with his duo Vas, Azam Ali has broken new ground, both as a new silver flute and a tape recorder—and created an impro - mother and a dream-weaving singer. On her solo release, visational masterpiece that would signify the birth of a From Night to the Edge of Day , Azam performs unique and new genre in music. With a rare ability to capture in mu - gorgeous renditions of various lullabies from the Middle sic the essence of sacred space, Horn went on to record a East. The power and beauty of these songs transcends cul - landmark series of albums in noted spiritual sites across tural boundarie s and results in an album that is both achingly beautiful and accessible. the globe. On The Stillness Inside , this four-time Grammy nominee shares for the Some of these enchanting Turkish lullabies were written specifically for Azam and her first time his favorite compositions for the exploration of the sacred interior that son, Iman. The music is exquisite with its gentle acoustic melodies and Azam’s hynoptic each one of us holds within. vocals. It will transport you to that ancient village square in Turkey. The music, woven by Paul writes in his heartful liner notes: an all-star cast of supporting artists, exudes Middle Eastern yearning and textures. My experiences with Maharishi and with meditation created a whole new life. My In an endeavor to cultivate a more enlightened perspective, I chose to include value system changed—and with it my music and everything else in my life. Each day I lullabies from different regions of the Middle East, with a special focus on the ethnic meditated morning and evening. I became more centered within myself. Meditation has minorities… through this creative process I had the honor to work with some of the been the single most important tool that I have found. It has supported every aspect of greatest musicians from the Middle East who are all dear friends of mine, each of whom my life, inner and outer… taught me a great deal about the importance of building a bridge of understanding Meditation is a technique , not a religion or philosophy. It is a quiet experience through our children despite the conflicts suffered by our people. After all, it is in these whereby we begin to settle down, release stress, and allow feelings of peace and well- simple ways that love, devotion and are perpetuated in our world. being to arise… Among Azam Ali’s other sweet albums are Portals of Grace and Feast of Silence (as I have found music to be a beautiful way to begin this inner journey… part of Vas). So get comfortable, set the mood, close your eyes, and let the music take you on a journey—an inner journey. WIND, ROCK, SEA & FLAME Included on The Stillness Inside are Paul’s favourite cuts from a number of legendary Music for Healing, Deepening, albums: Inside the Great Pyramid, Inside the Cathedral, Inside the Taj Mahal, Traveler, and Sanctity and Love Inside the Potala Palace . by Peter Kater $19.95, CD. Point of Light. 62 minutes TIBETAN DREAM JOURNEY Creating music for the healing arts has long been a pas - by Nawang Khechog sion for Peter Kater. This tender and beautiful recording $17.98, CD. Sounds True. 60 minutes combines some of his favorite elements including piano, Universal love, kindness, and compassion are some of cello, soprano saxophone, acoustic bass, warm synth pads the highest wonders that we can find in this world. With and whale song painted gracefully on a spacious flowing canvas of love. His grand pi - Tibetan Dream Journey, master flautist Nawang Khechog ano at the heart of it is magnificent and touching. presents an album that expresses these timeless spiritual values in the serenity of music. His heart-flute sails the Aloha au ia ‘oe is Hawaiian for “I love you.” If you talk to some of the local spirit as if high among the sparkling snowpeaks of the Hawaiians they’ll tell you that Aloha means “unconditional love” or “the common breath of life that we all share.” Aloha is an energy field that pervades the amazingly . beautiful islands called Hawaii... Inspired by the practice of Tibetan dream yoga, as Life is a vital network of energies and beings, connected and pulsating within a well as the dream of all Tibetan people for peace and common reality and experience. It feels like being loved by nature and part of the freedom, Nawang offers Tibetan Dream Journey . These 11 original compositions are environment. The air or “wind” takes on a quality of thickness and substance where founded upon his sublime flute melodies, enhanced by gentle percussive explorations you feel it connecting you by its soft touch to the distant hills and the clouds. The water and contributions from musicians including Ty Burhoe, James Hoskins on cello, and or “sea” takes on the attributes of silk and softness and becomes even more “alive.” You Deborah Schmit-Lobis on keyboards. One cut features a universal compassion chant feel the distant sun or “flame” warming you, caressing you from millions of miles away. in the ’s voice . And the Earth of “rock” nurtures and holds the foundation for our existence and blesses When we humans become more kind, caring, loving, and non-harming, all living us with bountiful fruits and vivid colors. It is the experience of being part of something beings will have more security and experience greater well-being. And of course, we greater than ourselves and transcendent of our separate egos. will be more kind, gentle, and in harmony with mother earth. I recorded this music as a way of acknowledging and giving thanks for the profound This spacious and soothing album is perfect for meditation, bodywork, yoga, t’ai beauty that is available to us on this Earth . And to communicate and share my chi, and deep relaxation. experience with as many people as possible in the hopes that it will nurture, heal and Among Nawang Khechog’s other albums are Tibetan Meditation Music and Music as inspire others as it has me. Medicine . He is also author of the book Awakening Kindness .

New Videos 2012 heralds the birth of a regenerative WHAT ON EARTH? mathematicians, geometers and educators planetary culture where collaboration re - Inside the Crop Circle Mystery from around the world converges on south - places competition, where exploration of by Suzanne Taylor ern England each summer when the circles 2012 TIME FOR CHANGE psyche and spirit becomes the new cutting $21.95, DVD. New on appear. Here, they paint pictures of the cre - Evolve to Solve New on edge , replacing the sterile materialism that Mighty Companions. DVD ative genius being expressed in the farm - directed by João Amorim has pushed our world to the brink. 81 minutes + 1 hour of bonus features lands as they try to make sense of why the $21.95, DVD. Beyond Words. DVD 2012: Time for Change is a teaching tool as The crop circles and pictograms mysteri - crop formations are being delivered and 85 minutes + 140 minutes of interviews well as a piece of propaganda masquerad - how the world can ignore such wonders . 2012: Time for Change presents an opti - ously appearing worldwide but most inten - ing as a somewhat slick, somewhat street, sively in England are This documentary explores many possibil - mistic alternative. Directed by João feature documentary. The secret purpose of ities and presents them openly. No stone is Amorim, the film getting more amaz - 2012: Time for Change is to get you to look at ing, intricate, and left unturned—the film accepts for instance follows Daniel your world differently, and to begin to par - that there are hoaxers and even follows some Pinchbeck, author awesome each year. ticipate in a conscious movement toward They turn up of them as they go about the process of cre - of the best - personal and social transformation. ating circles. No explanation is put forward selling 2012: The overnight, no Among the visionaries featured in this film one knows where as the “correct” one, and it’s left up to the Return of are Sting, David Lynch, Paul Stamets, Shiva viewer to wonder… What on Earth? Quetzalcoatl , on a they come from, Rea, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Buckminster the energies with - Throughout the film Taylor meets and quest for a new Fuller, Dennis McKenna, Bernard Lietaer, speaks to a number of people including re - paradigm that in - in them have as - Dean Radin, and Terence McKenna. tounding properties searchers and investigators as well as people tegrates the archa - The film itself is 85 minutes, plus the who have had experiences with crop circles ic wisdom of tribal (as shown in this DVD offers 140 minutes of extended in - film), and yet why either when visiting them or when circles cultures with the terviews which include: have appeared in their own fields . There is scientific method. don’t we hear more about them? ! Gilberto Gill: From Personal Transforma - With breathtaking crop circles as her a lot of passion for the topic here—some As conscious tion to Planetary Transformation have spent many years investigating the sub - agents of evolu - backdrops (lots of awesome views from the ! Penny Livingston-Stark: Regenerative Design air), storyteller Suzanne Taylor engages ject including Taylor herself and it shows. tion, we can redesign post-industrial soci - ! Nassim Haramein: The Science of Con - And you get a crash course in sacred ety on ecological principles to make a with an array of people who devote much sciousness of their lives to exploring this unexplained geometry which might actually light up world that works for all . Rather than break - ! Interviews with 2012 experts. your brain, too! down and barbarism as many people fear, phenomenon . This “croppie” community of View trailer at 2012timeforchange.com. visionary artists, scientists, philosophers, See WhatOnEarththeMovie.com

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 7 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! DANCING, MANDALAS & MUSIC-HEALING !

Art, Creativity & Music If the most exciting artmaking one can hope to encounter is an exploration of Music & Sound as Medicine the furthest reaches of the imagination— DANCING ON THE EARTH then Robert Venosa must surely rank Women’s Stories of among the luminaries of our era… HEALING AT THE SPEED OF SOUND Healing through Dance Venosa paints the astral imagery of How What We Hear Transforms Our Brains and Our Lives edited by Johanna Leseho inner space and acknowledges the From Music to Silence and Everything in Between & Sandra McMaster polarities of both light and shadow… His by Don Campbell & Alex Doman $22.95, paper. Findhorn. crystalline goddesses, effulgent landscapes $30.00, cloth. Penguin. 263 pages 220 pages, colour photos and liquid skies strike a deep chord Based on over a decade of new research, Don Campbell, au - The essays in this dynamic compilation because they seem to resonate with our thor of The Mozart Effect , and Alex Doman, an expert in the are a testament to dance as a healing art. yearning for dreams, visions and sacred practical application of sound and listening, show how we can Widely interdis - knowledge. And Venosa’s painting also use music—and silence—to become more efficient, productive, ciplinary in na - reveals an astonishing affinity with sensory relaxed, and healthy. textures and translucent forms—his ture and written Sound is everywhere—it is as much a part of our lives as the air by women imagery literally enfolds you with its magical power. we breathe and the food we eat. But until now we haven’t dancers from properly considered the health values of sound. around the As Terence McKenna writes in the book, world, they illus - “To submit oneself to the muse, without Each chapter focuses on a single aspect of everyday life, providing advice, exercis - trate a rich array caveat or precondition, is the agenda of es, wide-ranging playlists, and links so readers can use the music they love to create of dance prac - the arts, yet how many artists can step be - the perfect soundtrack for any goal or task from waking up to bedtime. Also includ - tices, cultures, yond their own fears and uncertainty to ed are “Sound Profiles”—brief stories showing how real people creatively tap the pow - and disciplines actually do this? Venosa is one such artist. er of sound to improve their own and others’ lives. and show how He has been there and knows the territory Sound nutrition is the core value of the book... There has never been a book on this expressive that he paints.” music and sound with so many multisensorial possibilities. Don and Alex offer therapy can be “Robert Venosa’s art truly captures the guidelines that can literally turn on our ears and eyes, that can teach us to compose a both empower - imprint of a spiritual force; each painting sonically nutritious day by raising our awareness of the sound effects that tune up our lives... Designed to enhance creativity, this book coaxes us all to listen outside the box, ing and exhila - so alive, seeming to breathe, pulsate and to create a unique sound landscape suited to our lives and families... rating . The women’s narratives all share a stare back at you, challenging the viewer to deep appreciation for the connection be - also reach their highest potential.” —Carlos Listen, listen, listen. — from the preface by Julia Cameron tween mental, spiritual, and physical di - Santana Combining the joy of music with the strength of science, Healing at the Speed of mensions, offering dance as a transforma - More info: visit www.venosa.com. Sound opens the door to a full, rich, and truly harmonious life. tive power of renewing and rebuilding that To access the nearly one hundred active links to music, video, and downloads that bond. Both personal and professional, the help support the advice and practices in this book , and that show how others use the stories weave a vivid tapestry of lived experi - THE MANDALA BIBLE inspiring force of music in their lives, visit www. healingatthespeedofsound.com . ences and insights, balance, and a commu - The Definitive Guide to nity healed by dance. Using Sacred Shapes CHAKRA FREQUENCIES The title, Dancing on the Earth , speaks by Madonna Gauding Book Tantra of Sound & CD to the desire and need to connect with our $19.95, paper. Firefly. by Jonathan Goldman & Andi Goldman bodies by finding that which grounds us 400 pages, 6x6, colour illustrations throughout $21.50, Book+CD set. Inner Traditions. and brings us to our center... Each of the Mandalas are symbols of wholeness that 196-page paperback + audio-CD authors offers both a different form of reflect the symmetry of natural forms, the Previously published as Tantra of Sound and now dance as well as a different perspective on cycle of time with an accompanying CD, Chakra Frequencies is a movement and its relationship to healing... and the circle sound healing jewel. “The nonverbal, visceral, experiential of community. As both ancient spiritual masters and modern quantum physi - nature of movement makes it a language They can be cists acknowledge, the universe is vibration. Through sound and of the heart, a language that cannot be found in cul - its ability to communicate with our chakras and subtle body, we put entirely into words .” This is the power tures around can tune in to the primal vibrations of the universe for greater of dance—the power to connect us to our the world and harmony in relationships; physical, emotional, and spiritual hearts, to teach us to “listen” beyond the throughout healing; expanded consciousness; and planetary oneness. words to that which we feel, to “listen” to history. our emotional world and the sensations of In this guide, sound-healing pioneers Jonathan and Andi Goldman reveal specific This com - ways the voice can resonate the physical and subtle bodies, including our body in motion. —from the prehensive introduction 7 sacred vowel sounds and 7 powerful bija mantras that can balance book intro - and align the chakras. Providing exercises using breath, tone, Contact improv, trance dance, dancing duces the mantras, and seed sounds , the authors show how to practice sound the Goddess, women’s ritual dances—these reader to the healing both individually and with a partner to reach deeper emotion - and other dance traditions and their medi - many different forms a mandala can take , al levels, enhance communication, reduce stress, achieve inner balance, cine are evoked in this moving book. from ancient Hindu mandalas to the intri - and create harmony with those around you as well as the whole planet. cate patterns of Native American sand The accompanying 60-minute CD offers correct pronunciation and paintings and Celtic knotwork. It also pro - Jonathan examples of the bija mantras, sacred vowels, seed sounds, and vocal ILLUMINATUS vides practical information on how to use a Goldman exercises in the book as well as recordings of Pythagorean tuning by Robert Venosa, mandala to nurture spiritual health and forks, crystal bowls, Tibetan singing bowls, and Tibetan bells , provid - with text by Terence McKenna well-being. ing fine resources for beginning a personal or partnered healing sound practice. $68.00, cloth. Robert John. The Mandala Bible is organized in three Everyone, including those without any previous musical talent or training, can do the 232 pages, 11x11, colour images throughout sections: the first describes the mandala exercises we offer. You will discover that we all have the extraordinary ability to use Robert Venosa (1936–2011) was one of in spiritual traditions, the second section self-created sound as a transformational tool. One of our purposes in this book is to help the legendary visionary artists of our time. explains how to work with mandalas, and empower you with the use of your own voice to create powerful shifts and changes Illuminatus is a the last section is a workbook with over 80 within yourself and with others. retrospective of beautiful mandala illustrations for color - Jonathan Goldman is the author of several books, including Healing Sounds as well Fantastic ing and meditation. as several music CDs, such as 2013 Ecstatic Sonics . Info: healingsounds.com. Realism painter The Mandala Bible describes Hindu man - Robert Venosa’s dalas, Buddhist mandalas, Christian man - celestial, mytho - dalas, Celtic mandalas, and Native Poetry, Writing & Stories with poems by the logical, futuris - American sand painting mandalas. Also in - seventeenth- and tic, surreal, oth - cluded are meditations and visualizations; eighteenth-century er-worldly art. how to create a ; and material HAIKU masters Basho, This is Venosa’s on mandalas and colour healing, spiritual An Anthology of Japanese Poems Busson, and Issa, most impressive healing, and creativity. translated by Stephen Addiss, and going all the book so far—a Mandalas can be seen in the labyrinths of with Fumiko & Akira Yamamoto way up to the late far-reaching se - medieval churches, as ancient decoration $23.00, cloth. Shambhala. 184 pages twentieth century quel to his earli - and in jewelry. Swiss psychologist Carl Jung On the surface to provide a survey er visionary col - used mandalas as an aid to psychological of petal-covered water— of haiku through lections, Manas Manna and Noospheres. understanding. For centuries Buddhist frogs’ eyes the centuries, in all Those familiar with his work, as well as monks have painted intricate mandalas —Fusei its minimalist glory. those exploring it for the first time, will find only to sweep them into the sea—the circle This celebration of what is perhaps the The translators his visions exciting and inspirational—a of life. The Mandala Bible is an enlighten - most influential of all poetic forms takes have balanced mythology for our times. ing introduction to this universal symbol. haiku back to its Japanese roots, beginning faithfulness to the

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 8 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! POETRY, WRITING & CRAZY WISDOM !

Japanese with an appreciation of the unique RIPRAP spirit of each poem to create English ver - AND COLD MOUNTAIN POEMS Real Life, Crazy Wisdom sions that evoke the joy and wonder of the by Gary Snyder New in originals with the same astonishing econo - $17.95, paper. Counterpoint. my of language. An introduction by the 96 pages Paperback A REAL LIFE translators and short biographies of the po - In 1958, Gary Snyder’s first book of po - Restoring What Matters: Family, Good Friends, ets are included. Reproductions of wood - ems, Riprap , was published in a beautiful pa - and a True Community block prints and paintings accompany the perbound edition by Ferenc Maté poems. stitched Japanese- $29.00, cloth. Norton. 285 pages style. Around that Ferenc Maté writes like a really sane, happy friend who knows Flea bites— time Snyder pub - how to enjoy life. He points out, in his conversational style, that while counting them, she nurses lished his translations our obsession with goods and gadgets had led us to neglect true her baby of Chinese poet Han- and lasting joys: our health, creativity, self-reflection, and, most —Issa Shan’s Cold important, the time we spend with one another. In A Real Life , Mountain Poems . Ferenc Maté’s impassioned, humorous prose challenges us to Seeing that I’m old Thus was launched rethink the meaning of “success” and reevaluate how we live, even the mosquito whispers one of the most re - work, eat, play, love, and raise our children. closer to my ear markable literary ca - —Issa Why do we live the way we do? Why do we strive? For what? For whom?... The reers of the last cen - solution to a better life involves no hardship: all we need to do is lead a better life. This tury. Earth poet, beat simply means doing work that offers true pleasure and security; eating and playing in a Charcoal fire— poet, Zen poet, Gary way that yields health and sensory gratification, and having relationships that bring us my years dwindle down joy, trust, loyalty and satisfaction. just like that Snyder’s incisive vision and —Issa resonating voice have been His eye-opening observations and startling truths remind us of the forgotten guiding “stonepiles” to gen - pride and joy of independence, self-sufficiency, neighborliness, friendship, work - erations of backcountry ing with our hands, natural benefits of physical labor, and irreplaceable rewards of SONGS OF KABIR mystics as well as town - face-to-face human contact . His book will not only reinvigorate even the most disillu - mouse riverkeepers, not to sioned but also convince the most technology-obsessed to give the mall and gadgets a by Kabir, translated by Arvind Krishna Gary Snyder mention governors and po - Mehrotra rest and get a real life. ets. It is an honour to see A few chapter titles give a taste: $16.00, paper. New York Review. 106 pages this seminal collection back in print—with a Sunday, Lovely Sunday The poems of Kabir (1398–1518) are beautiful cover, too. A Man’s Neighborhood is His Castle among the literary and spiritual treasures of The True Cost of a Thing the world. A de - Pressure of sun on the rockslide Honor Thy Vegetable Garden votional or Whirled me in a dizzy hop-and-step Let Us Play bhakti poet, he descent, How Do You Hug an Electronic Friend? was born in Pool of pebbles buzzed in a Juniper With his wife and son, Ferenc works the Maté vineyards surrounding the 13th century Benares (now shadow, friary they restored in Italy. Word is they make one of the world’s best Brunello wines. Varanasi) into a Tony tongue of this-year rattlesnake flicked, low-caste Hindi I leaped, laughing for little boulder-color family of coil— CRAZY WISDOM SAVES THE WORLD AGAIN weavers who Pounded by heat raced down the slabs to written & performed by Wes ‘Scoop’ Nisker had recently the creek $27.50, DVD. More Than Sound. 90 minutes New on converted to Deep tumbling under arching walls and “Scoop” Nisker is a mindfulness meditation DVD Islam. He is said stuck teacher and a standup comedian of the dharma to have lived for Whole head and shoulders in the water: (who’s on first?). His radio voice was iconic in the 120 years. Stretched full on cobble—ears roaring Sixties in California, and his motto still is “If you don’t Kabir’s author - Eyes open aching from the cold and faced like the news, go out and make some of your own.” ship has tradi - a trout. On this DVD, recorded live at Berkeley’s Freight tionally been as - —from Riprap and Salvage Coffee House, Nisker offers comic monologue with signed to a * original songs exploring the human condition and the joys and whole body of devotional songs that go be - I settled at Cold Mountain long ago, sorrows of living in the modern age. yond the usual divisions of caste and creed, Already it seems like years and years. Friends! Earthlings! Humans! Who are we, why are we here, and how did we get into challenging social division and freely min - Freely drifting, I prowl the woods and the mess we’re in? Is there any hope for us and our species? gling Muslim and Hindu motifs, to advocate streams Scoop reveals the secrets of the Big Bang and anti-matter, explores the issues of war, and celebrate individual unity with the divine. And linger watching things themselves. species extinction and global warming, and exposes the true heart of the The songs of Kabir offer a poetry of pas - Men don’t get this far into the mountains, spiritual movement. He places today’s news in the context of biological evolution sion and paradox, full of earthy metaphors, White clouds gather and billow. and all of human history, thereby offering us the relief and laughter that only vast riddling questions, and ecstatic riffs . Thin grass does for a mattress, perspectives can bring. This is comedy for the rest of us . I’m waiting for the ferry, The blue sky makes a good quilt. Enjoy “The Subatomic Shuffle,” “Trickster Universe,” “Big Brained Animal,” But where are we going, Happy with a stone underhead “Growing Up Absurd,” “The Boomer’s Song,” several of Scoop’s timeless newscasts, And is there a paradise anyway? Let heaven and earth go about their Besides, changes. and much more. “His performance, laced with his original songs, manages to make suffering a knee- What will I, who see you everywhere, —from Cold Mountain Poems slapper. He delivers Zen zingers with Borscht Belt timing.” — New York Times Do there? Among Gary Snyder’s other books are I’m okay where I am, says Kabir. “Scoop’s show is not just crazy. It is wisdom, exactly the kind we need today . It The Gary Snyder Reader and Turtle Island . Spare me the trip. points to satiric truths about science, the American empire, and the humanoid condi - Also available is a hardcover of Riprap and These new translations by Arvind tion. Also, the show is very, very funny.” — Lawrence Ferlinghetti , poet Cold Mountain Poems which includes a CD Krishna Mehrotra, one of India’s finest “Brilliant, original, consciousness expanding, profound, mysterious and very funny. of Snyder reading the poems. contemporary poets , bring out the rich - Oh, the audacious joy of crazy wisdom! What more could you ask?” — , ness, wit, and power of a mystic poet whose Buddhist teacher and author voice of the heart has been embraced by Hindus, Sufis, and Sikhs. THE WRITE START Yogi man, this one’s for you. A Guide to Nurturing Writing From sand writing (emerging writers), Storytellers (beginner The ones who clambered onto boats at Every Stage, from Scribbling and chalkboard play writers), and Scholars (more experienced Drowned in mid-river. to Forming Letters and Writing Stories to memory games young writers). The author includes lists of Those who boarded no vessel by Jennifer Hallissy and letter-writing materials that will spark children’s enthusi - Went safely across... $20.50, paper. Shambhala. kits, this book is asm and boxes offer further ideas to help It’s the same rope ties us all, 160 pages, 2-colour throughout built around fifty- encourage children to write at home. Though some appear bound hand and foot Discover creative ways to introduce your two inventive activi - Based on her experience working with And others free... child to the world of letters and set him or ties and games that hundreds of parents and children as a pedi - Now, says Kabir, her up for writing success with this treasure family members can atric occupational therapist, Jennifer I see the world. What a bag of tricks it is! trove of smart ideas. Whether your child is a do together . Each Hallissy offers a wealth of information on The songs of this extraordinary poet, pre-writer who is just starting to practice activity includes in - ways to instruct your child in the basics of philosopher, and satirist, who believed in a grasping a pencil or crayon, or a beginner structions, a list of writing and to support your young writer personal god—and in whose riddling work he writer who is starting to string together let - materials and spe - at home . Parents or teachers looking for les - often debunks both and Islam— ters, words, and sentences, The Write Start cific suggestions to tailor the project to son ideas will find the worksheets and cus - have been sung and recited by millions offers information and activities that will your child’s learning level , including varia - tomizable prompts in the “Templates” sec - throughout North India for five centuries. help your child develop a love of letters. tions for Scribblers (pre-writers), Spellers tion useful.

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 9 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! STORIES & THE JEWELS OF YOGA !

ENTANGLED mately find the free - The Eater of Souls: A Novel “Story is a Medicine. . .” dom to be who we re - by Graham Hancock ally are, and allow $20.50, paper. Disinformation. others do the same. 435 pages, French flaps OUR SECRET TERRITORY This was Patañjali’s Graham Hancock has spent decades re - The Essence of Storytelling original intention searching and writing some of the most am - by Laura Simms when he penned his bitious nonfiction in - $15.95, paper. Sentient. 186 pages legendary sutras. But vestigations into Our Secret Territory is composed of revelations from the life of when a text is over ancient civilizations a world-famous storyteller including extensive travel and pro - 2,000 years old, impor - and wisdom. jects spanning thirty years. It helps readers understand the tant things can get lost Entangled uses all of power of storytelling as a profound and unique art form com - in translation. For to - Hancock’s skills and bining modern solo theater, spoken literature, spirituality, day’s yoga student knowledge to propel and direct oral tradition akin to ancient ritual. looking to take their practice “off the mat and a fantasy adventure The book is shaped with stories, poems, and a continuous, into the world,” Nicolai Bachman presents with page-turning ap - unfolding fairytale that weaves in and out of a life of experi - The Path of the Yoga Sutras . peal. ences: rescuing ex-child soldiers from a devastating war; work - By organizing the sutras into 51 core Entangled is a time- ing with epic singers, Native American storytellers and Tibetan meditation masters; concepts that support the Western stu - slip novel alternat - telling tales to Roma mothers and children; and saving a zoo in Northern Romania. dent in germinating and blossoming these ing between present- This is a unique combination of personal story, myth, memoir, and fairytales that potent “seed” teachings, Bachman has day California, will interest anyone involved in storytelling as performance; those us - created a breakthrough tool for integrat - Brazil, and prehistoric Spain , with two ing narrative in healing, business, or education; peacemakers and hu - ing yoga philosophy and practice , whatev - teenage female protagonists living 24,000 manitarians; writers; anyone seeking a deeper spiritual practice; and er your level of experience. years apart who must come together to avert those hoping to understand the psychology of personal memoir, myth Drawing on his years of practicing and an incredibly bloodthirsty takeover of the and symbol, and how communities are affected by the stories we tell . teaching yoga, Bachman shares clear and insightful commentary to expand your per - human race. Storytelling provides an immediate relief from self-preoccupation and spective on each concept. With reflective Entangled is the first book in a trilogy re - Laura Simms stress. In this way it is entertainment at its most meaningful. It is a means lating the story of an unrelentingly evil mas - of urging us into the underworld of presence and wisdom. questions and suggested “ actions” to be taken, he then offers practical ways to ter magician named Sulpa who is on the “Story is a medicine. Laura Simms is a great medicine woman and Our Secret loose and determined to destroy humanity. help refine our behaviors and beliefs in Territory is the means through which she works her magic for each of us and on behalf each and every area of our life. Leoni, a troubled teen from modern-day of the future.” —Deena Metzger, author of Writing for Your Life , and Ria, a young woman who “Nicolai’s book brings the ancient and of - Born in a Jewish family in Brooklyn, Laura Simms later became a Buddhist, and per - ten arcane classical teaching of Patanjajli’s lives in Stone Age Spain, meet in a parallel forms in the tradition of great storytellers throughout the ages. The New York Times has dimension outside the flow of time to stop Yoga Sutras into the 21st century as an accessi - called her “a major force in the revival of storytelling in America.” Visit her at ble and down-to-earth guide to everyday life.” Sulpa’s spectacular, deadly materialization www.laurasimms.com . of the modern world. Central to Sulpa’s —Richard Rosen, Yoga Journal plan is the destruction of the Neanderthals, Also by Nicolai Bachman is The FIRESIDE TALES OF THE TRAVELLER CHILDREN Language of Yoga . who here are spiritually superior beings by Duncan Williamson, edited by Linda Williamson with telepathic and healing powers. $18.95, paper. Birlinn. 206 pages Entangled rides a growing wave of interest In this treasure trove of oral storytelling, “you can feel the SACRED JEWELS OF YOGA in parallel dimensions and imaginary words, the gestures, and the voice drawing you in, building the Wisdom from India’s Beloved Scriptures, worlds and will have immediate appeal to tale and enclosing you in its magic and apparently effortless readers of Philip Pullman, Stephen King, art—and guile!” —Duncan Smith, The Scottish Storytelling Teachers, Masters, and Monks Neil Gaiman, and Kate Mosse, among oth - Centre compiled & edited by Dave DeLuca ers. But Entangled has the added merit of Duncan Williamson (1928–1970) was a Scottish traveller $16.50, paper. New World Library. 182 pages being grounded in solid anthropological who went on to become one of Britain’s master story-tellers . In 1893, Swami Vivekananda spoke to an and scientific research. Hancock calls on his During his lifetime he was acclaimed as ‘the greatest English- audience of 7,000 at the first Parliament of years of research into cutting-edge issues, speaking storyteller’ and ‘the national monument of British sto - World’s Religions in including the “Neanderthal Enigma,” the rytelling.’ Fireside Tales of the Traveller Children , his first book, Chicago. Ever since, nature of consciousness, the many worlds reveals this artistry and mastery in all its glory . This new edition is edited by his wife, the West has been interpretation of quantum physics, parallel Linda Williamson. fascinated—and con - realms, time travel, and near-death and out- Fireside Tales is narrated with an intense commitment to generations of the travel - fused—by India’s of-body experiences. ling people, who used animal fables, wonder tales and splendid horror stories to instill spiritual and reli - “Hancock brings his journalistic acuity to in their children moral judgment and a knowledge of right and wrong. At every cor - gious philosophies. a wonderful story of good and evil, redemp - ner the technical skill of the narrator is revealed, his ingenious mixture of conversa - This is perhaps more tion and destruction, that spans vast epochs tion and action, frequent change of pace, use of the first person—all attributes of the true than ever today, and multi-dimensions. Readers interested born storyteller which compel attention, where tension and excitement are at fever when millions prac - in secret histories and alternative realities pitch throughout. With a universality that can relate to every reader, this book rep - tice the asanas (pos - will happily devour it .” —Daniel resents one of the great collections of traveller stories . tures) of yoga with Pinchbeck, author of 2012: The Return of The son, grandson and great grandson of nomadic tinsmiths, basket makers, pipers little understanding Quetzalcoatl and storytellers, Duncan Williamson became known as one of the world’s finest oral of the discipline’s Among Graham Hancock’s other books are storytellers, with over 3,000 stories committed to memory. Also available are his auto - philosophical underpinnings. In this com - Fingerprints of the Gods and . biography, The Horsieman and Land of the Seal People , his collection of pendium, Vedanta teacher Dave DeLuca shapeshifter/silkie tales. presents 166 writings that reveal the heart of Indian religious philosophy. Beautiful ALEPH passages from the Upanishads, the by Paulo Coelho Given that his world includes clairvoy - response is curiously practical and distant: Bhagavad-Gita, the Yoga Sutras, the $27.95, cloth. Crown. 269 pages ance, Divine Energy, and time-travel, “reopening old wounds is neither easy nor Bhakti Sutras, the Astavakra Samhita, and In his most personal novel to date, Paulo Paulo’s is not the usual existential crisis. particularly important. The only justifica - the Srimad Bhagavatam are presented, Coelho returns with a remarkable journey His present-day troubles, in fact, can be tion is that the knowledge acquired might along with teachings by two of the most of self-discovery. Like traced to betrayals during a previous in - help me to gain a better understanding of revered masters of the modern era, Sri the main character in carnation that took place during the the present.” Although the novel requires Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda . his much-beloved Inquisition. When he encounters Hilal, a ample suspension of disbelief, there’s no With the discernment of a great communi - The Alchemist , Paulo gifted young violinist who is the very woman better author to serve such a work than cator and the understanding of a devotee, is facing a grave crisis Paulo loved five hundred years before and Coelho. DeLuca offers readers an inviting way to be - of faith. As he seeks a the woman he betrayed in an act of cow - gin or deepen their own understanding. path of spiritual re - ardice so far-reaching that it prevents him Yoga & the Hindu Traditions This anthology is meant to give lovers newal and growth, he from finding real happiness in this life, to - of yoga a reference book in which they decides to begin gether they initiate a mystical voyage will be able to easily find cherished again: to travel, to ex - through time and space, traveling a path THE PATH OF THE YOGA SUTRAS passages from some of the most revered periment, to recon - that teaches love, forgiveness, and the A Practical Guide to the Core of Yoga yoga scriptures and commentary in nect with people and courage to overcome life’s inevitable chal - by Nicolai Bachman India’s history . Because yoga is one of the oldest living religious words, and because the landscapes lenges. $15.95, paper. Sounds True. 272 pages Complications arise from their shared ex - over the millennia it has had so many around him. Setting One of the great gifts of the yogic path is different and even contradictory perience in off to Africa, and then to Europe and Asia The Aleph: “the point at which that it returns us to a life of simplicity, even meanings, I wanted to present yoga’s most via the Trans-Siberian Railway, he initiates a everything is in the same place at the same as we go about our lives in a world of grow - important source scriptures and teachings journey to revitalize his energy and passion. time .” Given the couple’s history, Paulo’s ing complexity. Through practice, we ulti - in the clearest and most accessible way

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 10 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! YOGA: AWAKE IN THE WORLD !

possible: in one-page passages where ening their awareness to this connective en - readers can experience for themselves the Loves Love Again ergy readers can learn to embrace and de - original and highest intent for the word, velop a higher level of intimacy, the heart of the wisdom, and the practices of yoga. tantra. Stiles explains this path of practice BE LOVE NOW with grace, structure, and clarity—a com - The Path of the Heart New in prehensive Tantra Yoga curriculum (wisely YOGA ANATOMY by Ram Dass & Rameshwar Das Paperback reminding us of the need for a real teacher, Your Illustrated Guide to Postures, $16.50, paper. HarperCollins. 256 pages however)—in book form. Movements, and Breathing Techniques, From Harvard psychologist and psychedelic apostle to a “It is refreshing to find a book on Tantra with genuine depth! Tantra Yoga Secrets is 2nd Edition country temple in the Himalayas where he fell in love with an invaluable manual for students ready to by Leslie Kaminoff & Amy Matthews Spirit through his guru, Ram Dass’s “grist for the mill” has been progress beyond yoga postures to expand - $21.95, paper. Human Kinetics. precious to many seekers on the path. His 1971 book Be Here Now sparked a generation’s spiritual renaissance (it’s still a ed states of awareness . Tantra Yoga spiritu - 256 pages, 7x10, 300+ colour illustrations alizes every aspect of life; Tantra Yoga Secrets See inside every yoga pose! With clear, great read ); his next book Still Here explored the dimensions of shows you how.” —Linda Johnsen, author expert instruction and full-colour, de - conscious aging. And now, with the help of Rameshwar Das, of Daughters of the Goddess tailed anatomical he’s written Be Love Now . Other titles by Mukunda Stiles include drawings by A more contented and sweeter soul in his elder years (he lives in Structural Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda Yoga Sharon Ellis, Yoga Maui), Ram Dass explores the path of the heart, the way of bhakti, or Therapy . Anatomy depicts devotion, through many firsthand and traditional stories and teach - the most common ings. With lots of personal reminiscences, and evocations of the “ins- asanas to provide a and-outs” of “the path,” of “becoming One with the Love,” Ram deeper under - Dass’s big, engaging heart—and his curiosity-mirroring psycholo - AWAKE IN THE WORLD standing of the gist’s mind—offer a unique medicine for souls with a bhakti bent . Teachings from Yoga and structures and There are chapters lovingly woven around themes such as “Excess Buddhism for Living an Ram Dass principles under - Baggage,” “To Become One,” “Darshan,” “Guides,” “Remover of Engaged Life lying each move - Darkness,” “The Way of Grace,” “A Family Man,” and a final chapter, by Michael Stone ment and of yoga “The Lotus Rises from the Mud,” which offers a loving tour—with photos—of some $20.50, paper. itself. of the great Saints and teachers of India . Overall, a feast of “tales of the path of the Shambhala. 186 pages From breathing heart,” shared in the seasoned voice of an old spiritual friend. In these essays, Toronto yoga teacher to standing poses, see how each muscle is I have been feeling this book coming full circle on my spiritual journey. It’s been Michael Stone teaches the essentials of used, how slight alterations of a pose can en - taking me back to the amazing beings in India that originally inspired me, exploring the mindfulness and hance or reduce effectiveness, and how the heart connections that opened me to the Spirit on my first journey there, and bringing it yoga practice, ex - spine, breathing, and body position are all all together with where I am now, deepening in love… It’s my way of sending love out plaining that the fundamentally linked. into the world. practices of yoga Whether you are just beginning your “There is no one better than Ram Dass to transmit the essence of ‘Eastern’ religion and meditation journey, have been practicing yoga for and philosophy to Westerners. He has made the journey and from the depth of his are not about es - years, or are a yoga instructor, Yoga Anatomy Joy and Wisdom he shares with us the journey of so many great Beings .” —Krishna caping reality but will be an invaluable resource—one that al - Das, Kirtan Wala about living fully lows you to see each movement in an en - Tune in with Ram Dass through his online satsang community at ramdass.org . in the here and tirely new light. now , opening to The Second Edition includes over 30 our experience, new illustrations and asana variations and and gaining ac - LOVE, SERVICE, DEVOTION, cess to stillness vinyasas; new chapters on the muscular AND THE ULTIMATE SURRENDER and skeletal systems; completely revised New on within the flow of Ram Dass on the Bhagavad Gita life. chapters on asana analysis; a quick-find by Ram Dass CD There is nothing holy or religious muscle index; and expanded information $99.00, 10 CDs. Sounds True. 12 hours on breathing and the spine and discussion about Yoga theory or practice. These The Bhagavad Gita is a gem so precious in India that teachings are most alive in the gardens, of bandhas (breathing “locks”). many regard it not as a volume of sacred verse, but as a liv - Leslie Kaminoff is a recognized expert alleys, and ravines where those who ing manifestation of the Divine. In the summer of 1974, may not even know they are yogis are and teacher in anatomy, breathing, and at the fledgling Institute in Boulder, Colorado, bodywork. He is the founder of The challenging the status quo both some say that a minor miracle occurred: the reawakening internally and externally. This is not a Breathing Project, New York City’s premier of the Gita’s living presence, as it unfolded in a series of wisdom teachings led by practice that thrives in temples or yoga studio dedicated to the teaching of in - Ram Dass. With Love, Service, Devotion, and the Ultimate Surrender, you are in - commercial studios. This is a path for dividualized, breath-centered yoga practice vited to experience these legendary gatherings . those seeking freedom from the and therapy. He currently practices yoga The tale of the warrior Arjuna and his divine friend Krishna serves as metaphor for psychological and cultural therapy, teaches anatomy, and advises vari - the recurring dilemmas that we encounter as we spiral into the depths of our spiritu - entanglements of mind and body. ous yoga schools on the anatomy content of al journey. In these sessions, Ram Dass illuminates the Gita’s essential verses with in - The essence of yoga and Buddhist prac - their national certification programs. sights spanning many traditions , from Rumi’s ecstatic poetry to Basho’s koans, from tice is opening the heart—our own and the devotional chant to monastic silence, from Sri Ramana’s self-inquiry to Saint Paul’s de - heart of the world. When votion to Christ. we regularly practice TANTRA YOGA SECRETS The destination? A new perspective on the “hinges” all spiritual seekers must face opening our heart to the Eighteen Transformational Lessons to again and again: If it’s all Divine perfection, why bother with the search at all? Is it pos - world, we are pushing our Serenity, Radiance, and Bliss sible to awaken without a teacher or guru? If I’m conscious and kind, why not indulge practice to a deeper lev - by Mukunda Stiles in all of life’s pleasures? Since everyone suffers and dies, will my compassion ultimate - el—one that benefits not $28.75, paper. Weiser. ly matter? only us but our communi - 364 pages, b/w illustrations With irrepressible love and intellect (and a good dose of skillful mischief), this ty . In Awake in the World , The practice of Tantra Yoga is considered epic meeting with Ram Dass yields new answers with every revisit, like a lifelong friend Michael Stone Stone eloquently argues for by many to be the highest and most rapid that comes to meet us at each turning of our journey. the importance of partici - path to enlight - This 12-hour odyssey with Ram Dass into his timeless of the Bhagavad Gita pation in communities in enment. Based Naropa sessions includes: ways that further justice and minimize on interactions ! Karma yoga—, dharma, service, sadhanas harm to all human beings . When we inte - with his own stu - ! Jnana yoga—inquiry, the critical mind, the koan grate a committed yoga practice with com - dents, Master ! Sacrifice and mantra—trappings and benefits of ritual and form munity-based inquiry, we create something teacher ! Renunciation, purification—ashtanga yoga, kundalini, the chakras, austerities, the bigger than we experience alone on the Mukunda Stiles “witness,” desire, sexual energy mat. offers 18 lessons ! Devotion and the guru— bhakti (“devotion”), surrender, siddhis (“powers”), Maharajji Stone’s blend of in Tantra Yoga, ! Death and dying—What is born, what dies? How do you live in the present moment? methods and clinical psychotherapy prac - a practice of tice gives this book a subtlety and accessibil - transformation - ity not often encountered. al self-healing in Tantric Practice,” “Healing with Prana and and better orgasms, increased stamina, and ec - “Just as yoga postures open the body, these which we can Emotional Energy Expression,” stasy, the real Tantra aims to awaken essays awaken the mind, revealing, in elegant deepen aware - “Transforming Sensuality into Prana,” Kundalini, the dormant potential force (of and lyrical prose, our unbreakable connec - ness of our bod - “Initiation and Spiritual Awakening,” “Signs higher intelligence) in the human personality. tion to every part of this ailing world.” — ies, their energy of Kundalini,” “God/dess Consciousness,” The Tantra tradition includes a vast Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine forces, and the connections to the natural and “Tools for Tantra.” range of practical teachings leading to the Also by Michael Stone are The Inner world around us and those we love. Among While many movements today describe expansion of human consciousness and Tradition of Yoga and Yoga for a World Out these 18 lessons are “The Energy Body and tantra as a sexual practice promising longer the liberation of primal energy . By height - of Balance .

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 11 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! YOGA & MINDFULNESS !

Restful, Gentle Yoga

THE YIN YOGA BOOK RELAX AND RENEW The Philosophy and Practice of Yin Yoga, Revised Edition Restful Yoga for Stressful Times by Bernie Clark by Judith Hanson Lasater $18.95, paper. White Cloud. $26.95, paper. Rodmell. 256 pages, b/w illustrations throughout 256 pages, 8x11, The Yin Yoga Book provides an in-depth look at the philoso - b/w photos & illustrations phy and practice of Yin Yoga. Three points of view are pre - Experience the rest of your life with sented: those of the Yogis in India, the Daoists in China and restorative yoga, the supported poses the medical and scientific researchers in the West . The book and breathing practices that will help you offers a look inside the deepest and most ubiquitous tissues of heal the effects of chronic stress. In the body, the connective tissues, and explores what happens Relax and Renew , the first book exclusive - to these tissues as we practice Yoga. ly devoted to this work (with over 100 Clark’s fascinating and comprehensive book is divided into photos to show you the way), you’ll find: ! three sections: (I) What is Yin Yoga; (II) The Benefits of Yin In-depth guidance in Basic Relaxation Yoga, including discussions of anatomy, the energy body, and Pose (Savasana), the heart of restorative the heart and mind body; (III) The Practice of Yin Yoga, in - practice, as well as the Centering Breath cluding illustrated descriptions of 30 Yin Yoga asanas (poses). ! A general restorative sequence that ex - Several flows are offered with different themes: flows for the spine and hips, and flows plores backbends, an inverted posture, a to increase energy movement to the kidneys and liver. Throughout the book over 200 twist, cooling forward bends, and a varia - pictures and drawings are used to help illustrate the technical points presented as well tion of Basic Relaxation Pose (Savasana) as to clarify the practice . ! Sequences for busy days, including a fif - Yin Yoga has the same goals and objectives as any other school of yoga; however, it di - teen-minute practice, yoga at your desk, rects the stimulation normally created in the asana portion of the practice deeper than and the Totally Invisible Relaxation pro - the superficial or muscular tissues (the yang tissues). Yin Yoga generally targets the con - grams for back pain, headaches, insomnia, jet lag, and breathing problems nective tissues of the hips, pelvis, and lower spine. ! A special section for women during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause Suitable for almost all levels of students, Yin Yoga is a perfect complement to the ! A guide to props: what they are, where they go, how to fold and roll blankets, and around- dynamic and muscular (yang) styles of yoga that emphasize internal heat, and the the-house alternative resources: lengthening and contracting of our muscles . ! Where to find a yoga teacher, as well as recommended books, magazines, websites, “A quick glance at the chapter headings gives a clue of the breath of what’s offered: newsletters, audio programs, props, and yoga vacations. Prana, Bioelectricity, Chakras, Cognitive Therapy, Meridians, Bones and Cartilage… Judith Lasater, a physiotherapist, has also taught yoga since 1971. President of the there is something interesting here for just about everyone.” —Sarah Powers, from the California Yoga Teachers Association, she is author of several books about yoga thera - foreword. For more info: yinyoga.com . peutics, including Yogabody and Living Your Yoga .

Buddhism say, ‘You don’t have to get caught by your Driving, Look Deeply into Food, Gratitude exploration of what kindness truly means anger, do you? Do you really want to act at the End of the Day, A Media Fast, Your and the simple steps to realize its effects im - on that anger? Do you really want to be Tongue, and Look Up! If you’ve boxed mediately. She reveals that kindness is not SOLID GROUND angry?” It’s a very powerful practice to “mindfulness” into just sitting meditation the sweet, naïve sentiment that many of us Buddhist Wisdom for Difficult Times have a conversation with yourself out times, this lovely book will open your eyes. assume it is, but rather an immensely pow - by Sylvia Boorstein, Norman Fischer loud . You’ll be surprised at what good “In a brilliant, practical, and elegant way, erful force that can transform individual & Tsoknyi advice you can give yourself if you would Bays has answered the question most fre - lives and ripple out, changing and im - only listen! —Norman Fischer $14.50, paper. Parallax. quently asked by students of meditation, proving relationships, the environment, 134 pages, French flaps Filled with humor and personal stories, ‘How do I bring this practice into my daily our communities, and ultimately the Drawn from a program in San Francisco Solid Ground offers specific teachings for life?’ Here is a jewel box of insightful, world . Readers will learn specific tech - sponsored by the Shambhala Sun concrete situations as well as a way to ex - wise, beautiful, and compassionate ways to niques for cultivating forgiveness; turning Foundation and the plore the larger questions of finding equa - do so .”—Jack Kornfield, author of A Path compassion into action; practicing speech California Institute of nimity in difficult times. with Heart that is truthful, helpful, and loving; and Integral Studies, “This warm, welcoming, and wise book in - much more. Solid Ground is a live - vites us to practice mindfulness now, right in When we fan even the smallest ember of ly, topical book that HOW TO TRAIN A WILD the midst of life. The weekly exercises are il - kindness, she teaches, we begin to over - offers guidance on ELEPHANT luminating, immensely practical, and come our own fears, doubts, and personal how to respond to And Other Adventures fun.”—Diana Winston, UCLA Mindful attachments—and tap an endless source of the individual crises in Mindfulness Awareness Research Center, co-author of gentle strength that is always available to us. that inevitably arise by Jan Chozen Bays Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice With her graceful writing and six guided in all of our lives as $16.00, paper. Shambhala. 230 pages of Mindfulness meditations on CD, this beloved medita - well as to the politi - A growing body of research is showing Also by Jan Chozen Bays is Mindful Eating tion teacher empowers readers to en - cal, economic, and that mindfulness can reduce stress, improve (Book + CD ). hance The Force of Kindness in their own social challenges soci - physical health, and spiritual practice . ety is currently facing. improve one’s over - Among ’s other works The issue of difficulty in life is at the very all quality of life. Jan THE FORCE OF KINDNESS are Lovingkindness and Faith . essence of Buddhism. The first noble truth Chozen Bays, MD— Change Your Life with Love could certainly be translated as “life is full of physician and Zen and Compassion difficulties.” And the remaining noble Book teacher—has devel - by Sharon Salzberg WISDOM WIDE AND DEEP truths could be seen as Buddhism’s analysis oped a series of sim - & CD A Practical Handbook for Mastering of our difficulties and of a path to working $14.95, Book+CD set. ple practices to help Jhana and Vipassana with them. Celebrated Buddhist teachers Sounds True. us cultivate mindful - 96-page paperback + 60-minute CD by Shaila Catherine Sylvia Boorstein (her talk was called ness as we go about Distill the great spiritual teachings from “Greet This Moment as a Friend ”), $22.50, paper. Wisdom. 456 pages our ordinary, daily around the world down to their most basic is an extended in - Zoketsu Norman Fischer (his is “ Suffering Wisdom Wide and Deep lives . Exercises in - principles, and one troduction to an in-depth training that em - and Possibility ”), and Tsoknyi Rinpoche clude: taking three thread emerges to phasizes the applica - (whose talk was called “ Upgrading Our deep breaths before unite them all: kind - tion of concentrated Practice ”) use their unique, diverse wisdom answering the phone, noticing and adjust - ness. In The Force of attention to profound to address the immediate and practical con - ing your posture throughout the day, eating Kindness , Sharon and liberating insight. cerns in our lives and to explore the most mindfully, and leaving no trace of yourself Salzberg, one of our basic and profound questions of Buddhism: With calm, tranquili - after using the kitchen or bathroom. Each most respected the difficulty of life in general and how we ty, and composure es - exercise is presented with tips on how to Buddhist authors and can work with that and ameliorate it. tablished through a remind yourself and a short life lesson meditation teachers, practical experience One way to deal with anger and other connected with it . offers practical in - of jhana or deep con - strong emotions is to talk to yourself. Among the 53 exercises in this book (all struction on how we centration, medita - Somebody in you knows how to practice extensively road-tested at the author can actually cultivate gently. Take a minute and have a little tors are able to halt monastery, Great Vow, in Oregon) are kindness . the seemingly end - conversation with yourself; I think it’s Notice Trees, Rest Your Hands, Study good if you speak out loud. The part of Through her stories, teachings, and guid - less battle against hin - Suffering, Listen Like a Sponge, Mindful you that knows can talk to your ego and ed meditations, Sharon takes readers on an drances, eliminate

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 12 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! BUDDHISM !

Huynh was born in central Vietnam Jack Kornfield and the Buddha in 1968 during the THE BUDDHA IS STILL TEACHING The presentation of these teachings begins with Tet Offensive. Her Contemporary Buddhist Wisdom teachers who focus on right understanding and mother was New in selected & edited by Jack Kornfield mindfulness, then moves on to the heart of compassion Vietnamese; her and forgiveness. Next are ways to work with obstacles, father was an un - $20.50, paper. Shambhala. 286 pages Paperback and illuminated passages on impermanence, healing, known U.S. sol - When the Buddha set in motion the wheel of death, emptiness, karma, and liberation. The teachings dier. Raised in Dharma, he knew that the teaching he gave was inex - conclude with Dharma in daily life, engaged Buddhism, Vietnam by her haustible—that every future generation would find its and a series of modern texts on meditation practice. grandmother, she own skillful ways to convey it to the Contributors include Ajahn Chah, Joko Beck, Sylvia came to the U.S. hearts and minds of those ready to Boorstein, Tara Brach, Pema Chödrön, the Dalai in 1985, earned hear. “ Dedicated to the generation of Lama, Ram Dass, Mark Epstein, Norman Fischer, teachers who have so beautifully car - two college de - Natalie Goldberg, Joseph Goldstein, Dilgo Khyentse, ried the lamp of the Dharma to the grees, graduated Jack Kornfield, Noah Levine, Stephen Levine, Sakyong from medical school, and began working as West ,” The Buddha Is Still Teaching is testimony Mipham, Sharon Salzberg, Suzuki Roshi, Robert Thurman, a doctor. As a nun, she has integrated to the fulfillment of that promise today. The se - Thich Nhat Hanh, Thondup, and others. Western and Eastern medical traditions and lections it contains, from today’s most highly re - Jack Kornfield garded contemporary Buddhist teachers, bring In this simple volume, you will find beautiful invocations of has learned the healing power of mindful the Dharma eloquently to life for us in our own generosity; celebrations of courage; and practices to quiet the awareness and nondiscrimination. Ordained by Zen master Thich Nhat time, place, and culture . They demonstrate that two and a half mind, transform difficulties, and liberate the spirit. You will even find some words spoken by Gandhi and Martin Luther King that Hanh, who gave her the name “Dang millennia have done nothing to diminish the freshness of the echo those of the Buddha. Nghiem” (adornment with nondiscrimina - Buddhist teachings, or their universal applicability to our lives. tion), she finally experienced her own heal - ing. With humor, insight, and an irrepress - A LAMP IN THE DARKNESS The practices in this book are not positive thinking, ible sense of joy, Sister Dang Nghiem’s Illuminating the Path through quick fixes, or simplistic self-help strategies. They are story offers clarity and guidance for any - Difficult Times powerful tools for doing “the work of the soul.” With one who has dealt with suffering and loss. by Jack Kornfield regular practice, these teachings and meditations en - It’s a fine dharma book, too ! $19.95, Book+CD set. Sounds True. able you to compost your difficulties into guiding light “While our pain, and Sister Dang 248-page hardcover + 1-hour CD Book for the journey ahead. Join Jack Kornfield as your trust - Nghiem’s, may seem insurmountable, this When the path seems dark and we & CD ed guide and friend as you explore: engaging book offers us tangible reasons stumble with pain and loss, how can !Shared Compassion—a guided practice for planting and means to transform our suffering and we make our way with courage and dignity? “Inside the seeds of compassion and opening the heart to all benefit others.” —Grace Jill Schireson, au - each of us is an eternal light that I call ‘the One Who that life brings thor of Zen Women Knows,’” writes Jack Kornfield. “Awakening to this wis - !The Earth Is My Witness—a meditation to establish dom can help us find our way through pain and suf - firm footing in the midst of darkness, centered by a fering with grace and tenderness.” For anyone seeking steady witnessing presence BUDDHA ! The Practice of Forgiveness—what Jack calls “the only medicine answers during a time of trial, he offers A Lamp in the Darkness , photographs by Jon Ortner, that can release us from the past and allow us to truly begin a book-and-CD program filled with spiritual and psychological introduction by Jack Kornfield anew” insights, hope-giving stories, and special guided meditations $34.00, cloth. Welcome Books. ! The Temple of Healing—a guided visualization to meet your for skillfully navigating life’s inevitable storms. 156 pages, 8x9, colour photos own inner healer Go to the mirror. Look at your face. You will see someone Jack Kornfield provides the historical in - ! Equanimity and Peace—a meditation for maintaining balance who looks older than you looked several years ago, although troduction for photographer Jon Ortner’s and acceptance regardless of the situation inside you don’t feel any older. This is because it is only your Buddha , a Just as it is certain that each life will include suffering, explains body that has aged. The timeless awareness through which you magnifi - Kornfield, it is also true that in every moment there is the possi - see your body is the one who knows. Your body is only a cently il - temporary vessel for this awareness. It is a physical container for bility of transcending your difficulties to discover the heart’s eter - the undying consciousness of the one who knows. nal freedom. lustrated tea-table book BRINGING HOME THE DHARMA !The Near Enemies of Awakening: Attachment, Pity, about the Awakening Right Where You Are and Other Obstacles “one who by Jack Kornfield !Spiritual Maturity is awake.” ! $27.95, cloth. Shambhala. 279 pages Sex Lives of the Gurus The 175 ! If you want to find inner peace and wisdom, you Drugs and Spiritual Practice color pho - ! don’t need to move to an ashram or monastery. Your Even the Best Meditators Have Old Wounds to Heal tographs ! life, just as it is, is the perfect place to be. Jack : Developing a Steady, Concentrated Mind. depict Kornfield, one of America’s most respected Buddhist Bringing Home the Dharma also includes some well- Buddha teachers, shares this and other key lessons gleaned tuned yet simple meditation practices for awakening statues all from more than forty years of committed study and our Buddha nature—our wise and understanding over the East, accompanied by verses from practice. heart—amid the ups and downs of our ordinary dai - the Dhammapada . The book’s design is ly lives . Bringing Home the Dharma brings together a bou - noteworthy, with a vibrant orange satiny cov - “One of Western Buddhism’s wise elders, Jack quet of Jack’s shorter, topical writings from a variety er (inspired by the design of Buddhist Kornfield harvests a lifetime of experiences to create a masterful, of sources. None of them have been published together in a monks’ robes) stamped with a gold foil lotus. clear, and moving picture of the human mind and heart.” — book before . The result: a jewel of useful wisdom here and now In the 25 centuries since the Buddha in our lives. Norman Fischer “Jack Kornfield brings to life a way to understand and cultivate lived, his profound teachings and path have Topics include how to cultivate loving-kindness, compassion, guided and enlightened millions of lives. joy, and equanimity; conscious parenting; spirituality and sexual - mindfulness, compassion, lovingkindness, and true wisdom that The Buddha also has inspired some of the ity; the way of forgiveness; and committing ourselves to healing penetrates to the core of what liberation is all about.” —Jon most beautiful and magnificent artistic the suffering in the world. Kabat-Zinn ! A few chapter titles give a feel for it: Among Jack Kornfield’s many other titles are A Path with creations ever produced by humanity. Jon ! Make Your Heart a Zone of Peace: Dharma and Politics Heart and The Wise Heart . Ortner’s photographs of these extraordi - ! Perils, Promises, and Spiritual Emergency on the Path nary works of art grace this volume . From the hundreds of rare Laotian Buddhas fill - ing the Pak Ou Caves to the colossal gold distraction, and facilitate a penetrative insight meticulous discernment, analysis, and con - HEALING and gem-encrusted Maha Muni Buddha of into the subtle nature of matter and mind. It templation of reality as it is actually occur - A Woman’s Journey from Doctor to Nun Mandalay, the Buddha’s wisdom, compas - was for this reason the Buddha frequently ex - ring, and learn how to sustain an in-depth by Sister Dang Ngheim sion, and serenity are vividly present. horted his students, “Develop concentration, examination of the nuances of mind and $14.25, paper. Parallax. 120 pages Simple but powerful verses from the teach - one who is concentrated understands things matter to unravel deeply conditioned pat - “Sister Dang Nghiem’s life story gives us the ings of the Buddha accompany the pho - as they really are.” terns that perpetuate suffering. This is a courage and inspiration to do what she strives tographs, making it a useful “book of hours” Wisdom Wide and Deep follows and ampli - profoundly practical guide, a fully detailed to do everyday: to be the peace we long to see for times of deep reflection. fies the teachings in Shaila Catherine’s ac - manual for the mind sure to become a trust - in our own lives and in the world.” —Elizabeth Back in print with a stunning new cover, claimed first book, Focused and Fearless: A ed companion to many inner explorers. Lesser, author of Broken Open this is a wonderful gift for practicing Meditator’s Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, Shaila Catherine has been practicing This extraordinary story takes the reader Buddhists as well as anyone simply looking and Clarity . Readers here will learn to how meditation since 1980, with eight years of from Saigon, to the California coast, to a for an added measure of beauty and peace achieve this profound insight into the accumulated silent retreat experience. monastery in southwest France. Huong in her or his life.

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 13 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! BUDDHISM & ZEN !

someone who Thich Nhat Hanh – Seeds of Love should be, or will be, or was PLANTING SEEDS Planting Seeds offers insight, concrete activities, and something. But we Practicing Mindfulness with Children curricula only sense ourselves as being something by Thich Nhat Hanh that parents and educators can apply in school settings, in their local communities or at home, in a way that is through doing and the Plum Village Community; something such as illustrated by Wietske Vriezen meaningful and inviting to children . The key practices presented include mindful breathing and walking, invit - thinking, feeling, $25.95, Parallax. 238 pages, Multimedia acting, or Planting Seeds: Practicing ing the bell, pebble meditation, the Two Promises or eth - Learning ical guidelines for children, children’s versions of suppressing. And Mindfulness with Children is the fruit doing can never Kit Touching the Earth and Deep Relaxation, eating medita - of decades of devel - arrive at simply, tion and dealing with conflict and strong emotions. Also opment and innovation in the Plum peacefully being . Village community’s collective prac - included are the lyrics to the songs on the enclosed CD “Ajahn Sucitto takes one of the most es - tice with children. Based on Thich Nhat Hanh’s that summarize and reinforce the key teachings , as well sential of all Buddhist teachings and illumi - thirty years of teaching mindfulness and com - as a chapter on dealing effectively with conflict in the classroom or nates it with depth, perspective, and clarity. passion to parents, teachers, and children, the difficult group. His teachings offer an immediate and book and enclosed CD covers a wide range of “Saturated with a deep respect and sensitivity for children and straightforward vision of Dharma, like a contemplative and fun activities parents and families, a veritable cornucopia of ideas, exercises, activities and lamp in the darkness.”—Jack Kornfield, au - Thich Nhat educators can do with their children or stu - resources for anyone interested in mindfulness in education or in thor of Teachings of the Buddha Hanh dents . They are designed to help relieve stress, parenting… Practical ways to nurture a foundation in mindfulness increase concentration, nourish gratitude and and heartfulness in children and those who care for them.” —Jon & confidence, deal with difficult emotions, touch our interconnec - Myla Kabat-Zinn, coauthors of Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work FIRE MONKS of Mindful Parenting tion with nature, and improve communication. Zen Mind Meets Wildfire YOUR TRUE HOME awareness ; how to transform our relationships at the Gates of Tassajara The Everyday Wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh through love, presence, and deep listening; and how by Colleen Morton Busch by Thich Nhat Hanh, edited by Melvin McLeod to practice peace for our world and caring for the $30.00, cloth. Penguin. 256 pages, 16 colour photos $20.50, paper. Shambhala. 384 pages earth. The true story of how five monks saved Inspiring, joyful, and deeply insightful, this book of - Something to Believe In Tassajara, the oldest Zen Buddhist fers daily contemplations and words of wisdom from Mindfulness is something we can believe in. To believe monastery outside of one of today’s most important spiritual teachers . in mindfulness is safe, and not at all abstract. When we Asia from wildfire, Thich Nhat Hanh is, with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, drink a glass of water and know that we are drinking a glass Fire Monks is a strik - the best-known Buddhist teacher in the world, and his of water, mindfulness is there. When we sit, walk, stand, or ingly well-crafted teachings have touched millions. breathe, and know that we are sitting, walking, standing, or chronicle interweav - These powerful and transformative words of wis - breathing, we touch the seed of mindfulness in us, and after ing the unfolding dom, drawn from the works of this bestselling and pro - a few days, our mindfulness will grow quite strong. events, personal sto - lific author, touch all aspects of our lives, from the personal to Through Thich Nhat Hanh’s great brilliance, ably woven to - ries, fire lore, and the global, and reflect the great themes of Thay’s teachings: how gether into a book of readings for each day of the year by Melvin Zen teaching. It’s a the practice of mindfulness brings joy and insight into every mo - McLeod, this book presents these profound themes in short page-turning medita - ment of our lives; how to transcend fear and other negative emo - teachings that are practical yet powerful, and will uplift and in - tion on fire, wind, tions; how we can heal our inner wounds with gentleness and spire your day. water, and earth, and a wonderfully de - FIDELITY open communication, and practicing forgiveness, grat - tailed portrait of How to Create a Loving Relationship That Lasts itude, and appreciation. Tassajara practitioners as they came face- by Thich Nhat Hanh Deep listening is necessary in order to truly be there to-face with fire and themselves . $14.50, cloth. Parallax. 139 pages for the person we love. In the person we love, there is Zen master and author of the classic Zen What does healthy intimacy look like? Zen master suffering we haven’t yet been able to see. Someone who Mind, Beginner’s Mind , Shunryu Suzuki Thich Nhat Hanh answers questions on passion, for - can understand our suffering is our best friend. We want Roshi established a monastery at Tassajara to be someone who can understand the suffering of giveness, straying, and more with compassion and in - Hot Springs in 1967, drawn to the location’s sight in Fidelity , his most comprehensive writing yet others. To understand, we must listen deeply… “Let’s listen to each other .” “ Let’s be there for each beauty and seclusion. Deep in wilderness . on intimacy and healthy sexuality other .” We need to say these simple things . Otherwise, the east of Big Sur, the center is connected to If a couple doesn’t practice mindfulness and does not union of two bodies becomes very monotonous after a time. the outside world by a single unpaved road. try to understand their own and each other’s suffering, Fidelity is written for committed couples, those in new The remoteness that makes it an oasis also they won’t go far… Without understanding and love, sex makes it particularly vulnerable. If fire en - is empty. relationships, and those wanting to build a strong founda - tion for a future relationship . In addition to addressing everyday chal - ters the canyon, there is no escape. Looking at a Buddhist sutra, “The Net of Attachment,” he lenges, Thay shows how traditional Buddhist teachings on attachment, Over 2000 wildfires, all started by a single shows how to build strong loving relationships. Fidelity offers con - deep listening, and loving speech help energize and restore our rela - lightning storm, blazed across California in crete advice on dealing with conflict, staying attentive, fostering tionships. June 2008. With resources stretched thin, firefighters advised residents at Tassajara to THE LONG ROAD TURNS TO JOY feet is an opportunity to live in the here and evacuate early. Most did. A small crew stayed A Guide to Walking Meditation, now. Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us to enjoy each behind, preparing to protect the monastery Revised Edition step and each breath in order to regain peace in when the fire arrived. by Thich Nhat Hanh difficult moments. The simple practice of walk - But nothing could have prepared them $10.95, paper. Parallax. 112 pages, 6x4, b/w photos ing with attention and mindfulness can bring for what came next. A treacherous shift in One of the few books focused completely on the spirit of prayer into our everyday life. This weather conditions prompted a final order mindful walking and walking meditation , this book will appeal to anyone who would like to to evacuate everyone, including all firefight - revised edition of the bestselling title (nearly get more out of walking, from long-time medi - ers. As they caravanned up the road, five se - 80,000 copies sold to date) includes over 30 per - tators to those who are just looking for a way to nior monks (four men, one woman) made cent new material— including new walking med - make their walk around the block more mean - the risky decision to turn back. Relying on itation poems and practices—and provides a practical and in - ingful. their Zen training, they were able to re - spirational introduction to this important practice . This lovely small book features photographs of walking medi - main in the moment and do the seemingly Written in Thich Nhat Hanh’s clear and accessible style, The tation from around the world as well as a foreword by Robert impossible—to greet the fire not as an en - Long Road Turns To Joy reminds us that we “walk not in order to Aitken, author of Taking the Path of Zen . emy to defeat, but as a friend to guide . arrive, but walk just for walking.” Touching the earth with our We are, after all, walking beings—so we may as well get good at it! Fire Monks pivots on the kind of moment some seek and some run from, when life and death hang in simultaneous view. Drawing on TURNING THE WHEEL OF TRUTH say about these topics? Here is an accessible words come alive and reveals how the text’s the strength of community, the practice of Commentary on the Buddha’s look at the Buddha’s First Discourse, wisdom can inspire our own liberation. paying attention, and the power of an open, First Teaching which contains the foundation for all fur - Without awakening, it’s as if we are flexible mind, the Tassajara monks were able by Ajahn Sucitto ther Buddhist teaching. driving on and on without getting to remain in the moment and act with startling $21.00, paper. Shambhala. 226 pages Ajahn Sucitto offers a new translation of anywhere. The truth of the matter is that, speed and clarity. Buddhist teachings like the eightfold this revolutionary teaching , known as The rather than driving we’re being driven . “This is an exciting and heartwarming path, the four noble truths, and karma per - Discourse That Sets Turning the Wheel of And this drive goes through lifetimes. read—exciting because wildfire is unpre - vade Buddhist literature—but how often Truth . He then walks us through the text, of - It turns out that the driver of this whole dictable and dangerous, and heartwarming do we read what the Buddha himself had to fering engaging and practical point-by- traveling show (or samsara) is the sense of because this is the first honest account I point commentary that makes the Buddha’s being a permanent self or soul, of being have read of the simple, unadorned

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 14 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! TIBETAN BUDDHISM ! courage you find in American Zen commu - nities.” —Norman Fischer, author of Sailing The Dalai Lama’s Journey Home: Using the Wisdom of Homer’s Odyssey to Navigate Life’s Perils and Pitfalls MY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY New in My Spiritual Journey provides a vivid and moving por - “If you have ever harbored a doubt about trait of the Dalai Lama’s life journey that is personal in by the Dalai Lama Paperback the efficacy of meditation in the real world, & Sofia Stril-Rever tone but universal in scope. He explores three phas - this book will give you a vision of enlighten - $17.50, paper. HarperCollins. 278 pages es or commitments of his spiritual life—as a human ment-in-action that will inspire you.” —Peter Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin being, as a Buddhist monk, and as the Dalai Lama — Coyote, author of Sleeping Where I Fall Gyatso is known to the whole world as The Dalai Lama. each of which has made him more dedicated to ex - My Spiritual Journey is not a conventional memoir. ploring and teaching human values and inner happi - Tibetan Buddhism Instead, it uses previously unpublished materials and ness, promoting harmony among all religions, and recent interviews to bring readers a message that en - advocating for the civil rights and well-being of the compasses suffering, success, and hope. Memories, Tibetan people. SMILE AT FEAR stories, anecdotes, and ideas are gathered together — At the age of two, Tenzin Gyatso was identified as the A Retreat with Pema an affirmation of common humanity by one of the fourteenth reincarnation of the first Dalai Lama. Since Chödrön on Discovering Your most revered men on earth. then, his life has been on a trajectory few can imagine. Radiant Self-Confidence For the first time and in his own words, the Dalai Lama Some see him as a living Buddha and moral authority, others by Pema Chödrön, charts his spiritual journey from his boyhood days in rural identify him as a “god-king,” while still others see him in political New on terms as either a hero or a counterrevolutionary. In My Spiritual with Carolyn Rose Gimian CD Tibet to his years as a monk in the capital city of Lhasa, to his life $34.00, 4 CDs. Shambhala. in exile as a world leader and symbol of peace. Journey, we see into his personal struggles, his courage, his 4.5 hours New on laughter, and his compassion. $34.00, 2 DVDs. Shambhala. DVD A PROFOUND MIND fered to help broaden awareness of this essential doc - 4.5 hours Cultivating Wisdom in Everyday Life trine and its usefulness in living a more meaningful We all have fears, but when we look close - by the Dalai Lama, edited by Nicholas Vreeland, af - and happy life. ly at them, we discover that behind each terword by Richard Gere So... the root of our unhappiness is our falsely held fear resides a basic view that we possess any true or enduring substantial fear of ourselves. $25.95, cloth. Doubleday. 148 pages A main difference between Buddhism and other re - reality. But, says Buddhism, there is a way out of this We’re afraid to look ligions is its understanding of our core identity. The dilemma. It lies in recognizing our true identity: the one at our habitual styles existence of the soul or self, which is central in differ - that lies beneath our falsely held conceptions of an of thinking and be - ent ways to Hinduism, , Christianity, and Islam, enduring personal self . having because we is actually denied in Buddhism. Even further, belief in While the Dalai Lama offers a full presentation of might not always like a “self” is seen as the main source of our difficulties in his teachings on these key philosophical points for what we see. life. Yet a true understanding of this teaching does not contemplation, he also shows readers how to bring Ironically it is this lead one to a despairing, cynical worldview with a sense these teachings actively into their own lives with rec - fear of honest self-re - that life has no meaning—far from it, a genuine understanding ommendations for a personal practice. It is only by actually liv - flection that keeps us leads to authentic happiness for an individual and the greatest ing these teachings that we allow them to bring about a genuine trapped in patterns source of compassion for others. transformation in our of ourselves and our lives. of stress and discon - In 2003 and in 2007, the Dalai Lama was invited to New York A Profound Mind offers important wisdom for those committed to tentment. Here is a vision for moving be - bringing about change in the world through developing their own yond this most basic fear to discover the in - to give a series of talks on the essential Buddhist view of self - , is now of - spiritual capabilities, whether they self-identify as “Buddhist” or not. nate bravery, trust, and joy that reside at the lessness. A Profound Mind , the result of those talks core of our being. In this recorded retreat, Pema Chödrön TOWARD A TRUE KINSHIP OF FAITHS the task of all people with an aspiration to spiritual per - shares teachings inspired by the book Smile How the World’s Religions Can Come Together fection to affirm the fundamental value of compassion. at Fear , which was written by her teacher by His Holiness the Dalai Lama In this way we can truly develop a deep recognition of Chögyam Trungpa. She and her teaching as - $17.00, paper. Doubleday. 188 pages the value of other faiths, and on that basis, we can cul - sistant, Carolyn Rose Gimian, also share $39.00, 4 CDs. Crown. 4 hours, abridged tivate genuine respect. practices they received from Trungpa With a now unprecedented familiarity among the In one of the few books actually written by the Dalai Rinpoche for courageously meeting our - world’s many cultures, the Dalai Lama explains how Lama—not based on interviews or public talks, the selves in the present moment , including: the essential task of humanity in the 21st century is Dalai Lama also explores where differences between ! The Windhorse Practice: a three-step med - to cultivate peaceful coexistence . religions can be genuinely appreciated without serving itation on awakening confidence In Toward a True Kinship of Faiths , the Dalai Lama as a source of conflict. The establishment of genuine ! Spiritual Warrior training for meeting life shows how the challenges of globalization can also harmony is not dependent upon accepting that all re - with courage and compassion move us to a deeper plane where nations, cultures, ligions are fundamentally the same or that they lead ! Meditation instruction for calming the and individuals connect through their shared human to the same place . Many fear that recognizing the val - mind and developing concentration. nature . All major religions confront the same perennial ques - ue of another faith is incompatible with having devotion to the “Chögyam Trungpa’s Smile at Fear teach - tions; each have distinct forms of expression. But this marvelous truth of one’s own. The Dalai Lama profoundly shows how a sin - ings offer powerful dharma encouragement diversity of insight has the potential for inspiring dialogue which cere believer can, with integrity, be a pluralist in relation to oth - to awaken our own fearless and wise heart.” can enrich everyone’s pursuit of wisdom. All faith traditions turn er religions without compromising commitment to the essence —Jack Kornfield to compassion as a guiding principle for living a good life. It is of their own faith.

THE POWER OF “When we ask a question,” she suggests, liberation.” —Pema Chödrön, author of oral teachings he gave “our mind is engaged yet open. The process Taking the Leap to this group at the out - AN OPEN QUESTION New in The Buddha’s Path of inquiry protects us from our tendency to Info: thepowerofanopenquestion.com. set of the retreat . The Paperback to Freedom reach static conclusions. Instead, we can re - teachings are brought by Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel spond to uncertainty and change with in - to life by Gen quisitiveness and a sense of wonder.” Her $18.95, paper. Shambhala. 114 pages HOW TO PRACTICE Lamrimpa’s warmth, Asking challenging questions leads to book guides us on a provocative, playful, humor, and extensive and spiritually enriching journey of con - SHAMATHA MEDITATION personal experience as powerful insights. That’s the premise of this The Cultivation of Meditative Quiescence first book by templation that could last a lifetime. a contemplative recluse. by Gen Lamrimpa, An invaluable, practical Buddhist teacher Life is full. In fact, life is so touching, translated by B. Allan Wallace curious, sad, exciting, scary, and guide for those seeking Elizabeth Mattis- $17.95, paper. Snow Lion. 148 pages bittersweet it’s almost unbearable at times. to develop greater at - Namgyel (the wife of Stabilizing the mind is the basis of all Tibetan Buddhist But as human beings, we need to ask tentional stability and ourselves: “ Must we turn away from life’s forms of meditation. Gen Lamrimpa gives us master Dzigar clarity , this work will be of considerable inter - fullness?” To turn or not to turn—to stay an invaluable practical guide to do this. In est to meditators, psychologists, and all others Kongtrul). How do open—this is the question . And this kind How to Practice Shamatha Meditation he we find a resting who are concerned with the potentials of the of questioning takes us deep into the heart draws from his extensive personal experi - human mind. place in a world that of personal inquiry and shows us how to ence as a contemplative to guide the reader is complex and al - Gen Lamrimpa (1934–2004) was a close fully embrace our humanity. through the many stages of meditation, and disciple of the Dalai Lama. He lived in med - ways changing? How “A bold, playful, and invigorating book the many obstacles that arise along the way. itative solitude in the mountains high above do we practice spiri - about the Buddha’s most important and In 1988, Gen Lamrimpa, a Tibetan monk Dharamsala, India, where he gained a repu - tuality beyond the subtle teachings … As we read, we walk with and contemplative, led a one-year retreat in tation for his deep experience of the “stages limits of blind accep - her through the world of experience, look - the Pacific Northwest, during which a group of the path” practices. He was renowned as tance and doubt? Elizabeth proposes that ing clearly without reaching conclusions. of Western meditators devoted themselves to an accomplished practitioner of meditative we access our deepest intelligence through We understand emptiness as a continuous the practice of meditative quiescence stabilization and tummo (psychic heat) as asking these kinds of questions. discovery: we see life full of possibility for (shamatha). This book is a record of the well as other tantric meditations.

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 15 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! REBEL BUDDHA’S NATURAL PERFECTION !

REBEL BUDDHA a guide to a revolution of mind Bön / Buddhist Tibetan Practices by Ponlop $17.95, paper. Shambhala. 212 pages AWAKENING THE SACRED BODY Book your energetic centers to allow the natural human qualities of love, compassion, joy, and equanimity to The rebel within you already knows how Tibetan Yogas of Breath and Movement & DVD to break free of fear and unhappiness. This by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche bloom. These practices, which bring the mind and rebel is the voice of $23.95. Hay House. 125 pages + DVD breath together with specific body movements, can your own awakened Awakening the Sacred Body brings the ancient art of help you connect to your inner wisdom and achieve a mind. It’s your rebel Tibetan breathing practices to the mainstream. Tenzin relaxed yet aware state of mind. buddha—the sharp, Wangyal Rinpoche outlines the theory This is the traditional Bön way of progressing on the clear intelligence and process of two powerful medita - path: reading or hearing the teaching, reflecting upon that resists the status tions—the Nine Breathings of what you have read or heard, and then bringing what quo. It wakes you up Purification and the Tsa Lung move - you have understood directly into your meditation from the sleepy ac - ments—that can help you change the way practice. ceptance of your you think, feel, and experience the world. Tenzin Rinpoche is dedicated to preserving the an - day-to-day reality The simple methods presented in cient teachings, arts, sciences, language, and literature of Tibet. and shows you the Tenzin Wangyal Awakening the Sacred Body and on the accom - Among his other titles are Tibetan Sound Healing and Healing power of your en - Rinpoche panying DVD focus on clearing and opening with Form, Energy, and Light . lightened nature . It’s the vibrant, insightful THE TIBETAN YOGAS OF BODY, doorways to happiness, contentment, better health, energy that compels you to seek the truth. SPEECH AND MIND and ultimately liberation . These three doors of body, Dzogchen Ponlop guides you through by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche speech, and mind are viewed as the pathways to en - the inner revolution that comes from un - $19.95, paper. Snow Lion. lightenment in all the major spiritual traditions of leashing your rebel buddha. He explains 230 pages, photos & line drawings Tibet. In fact they are seen as the only tools that we how, by training your mind and under - In his conversationally toned presentation, Wangyal have for progressing on our spiritual journeys. But first standing your true nature, you can free Rinpoche clearly shows us how, no matter where we are or we need to learn how to work with them. yourself from needless suffering. He pre - what we are doing or how stuck we feel in our pain, our “This book makes the infinite profundity of the sents a thorough introduction to the more positive qualities are always accessible to us through ‘Great Perfection’ amazingly accessible to the mod - and ar - essence of the Buddha’s teachings our body, speech, and mind. Rather than always searching ern reader . With integrity and deep fidelity to these gues that, if we are to bring these teachings for happiness outside ourselves, we are shown how to look pinnacle teachings, Tenzin Wangyal shows us in very fully into our personal experience, we must from a wider perspective and see the constantly present practical ways how we can touch our own depths and go beyond the cultural trappings of tradi - opportunity for reflection and connection with the joyful unlock the peace, confidence, warmth, and joy that lie tional Asian Buddhism. formless truth that is our authentic nature, and that can lead to the within us all, just beneath the surface.” —Reginald Ray, author of We all want to find some meaningful joy and peace inherent in us all. Touching Enlightenment truth about who we are, but we can only Tenzin Wangyal draws on a vast system of knowledge to show Recognized as one of the few Bön masters now living in the find it guided by our own wisdom—by our the many ways that body, speech, and mind can be utilized as West, Wangyal Rinpoche is also author of The Tibetan Yogas of own rebel buddha within. Dream and Sleep . “Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche shatters TIBETAN SOUND HEALING support you to become kind and strong and clear and old myths and sweeps away cultural bag - awake. gage, presenting the essence of the Seven Guided Practices to Clear Buddha’s teachings in a fresh, contempo - Obstacles, Cultivate Positive Qualities, Book The Bön healing tradition invokes The Five Warrior rary voice . With uncommon clarity and au - and Uncover Your Inherent Wisdom & CD Syllables—”seed” sounds that bring us to the essential thority, he offers a new vision for the future by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche nature of mind and release the boundless creativity of Buddhism that is at once shocking and $14.95, Book+CD set. Sounds True. and positive qualities that are fundamental to our nat - hopeful. This is a small book with a big mes - 100-page paperback + 71-minute audio-CD ural consciousness. Through the medicine of sound, sage that is timely and important.” —Pema One of the world’s oldest unbroken spiritual tradi - practitioners learn to clear obstacles on the level of Chödrön, author of When Things Fall Apart tions is that of the Bön people of Tibet, whose teach - the body, the energetic and emotional dimensions of Dzogchen Ponlop (born in 1965) is one ings predate the arrival of Buddhism. These traditions being, and the spiritual consciousness. Through this of the foremost meditation masters of his have survived political persecution and upheaval integrated book and CD learning program, Tenzin generation in the and thanks to the efforts of a handful of dedicated such as Bön Rinpoche gives users the tools to access wisdom and compas - schools of Tibetan Buddhism. His books in - lineage holder Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Now with Tibetan sion and use the vibration of sacred sound to cultivate the heal - clude Mind Beyond Death . Sound Healing , practitioners can connect to the ancient sacred ing power within the body’s subtle channels . sounds of the Bön practice —and through them, activate the Lama and Bön meditation master Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche is healing potential of the natural mind. renowned for his gift of rendering ancient texts in a warm and BUDDHA STANDARD TIME It is my sincere desire that this simple and elegant practice of clear way to his Western readers. With Tibetan Sound Healing , he the Five Warrior Syllables, which is based on the highest reveals the secrets of Bön sacred syllables and invites us to join Awakening to the him in sound to purify the body, connect with our inherent per - Infinite Possibilities of Now teachings of the Tibetan Bön Buddhist tradition of which I am a lineage holder, will benefit many beings in the West. Please fection and completeness, and to awaken spiritual virtue. by Lama receive it with my blessing, and bring it into your life. Let it $27.99, cloth. HarperCollins. 212 pages We’re all given the same 24 hours a day. We can spend our time feeling hurried and neuroscience, Surya Das shares real world NATURAL PERFECTION Transcending the Tibetan context or harried, over - examples, practical exercises, and essen - ’s Radical Dzogchen even the confines of Buddhist tradition, whelmed by chores tial techniques . The pace and pressure of by Longchen Rabjam, Longchen Rabjam delivers a manual full of and demands, dis - today’s “whirled” can feel relentless. Yet, he translated by Keith Dowman practical wisdom. Natural Perfection is a tracted and burned says: $22.50, paper. Wisdom. 336 pages shining example of why people have con - out… or we can awak - As you progress through the book, you Dzogchen, or the “Great Perfection,” is tinued to turn to the traditions of Tibet for en to “Buddha will find your notions of time and self considered by many to be the apex of spiritual and personal transformation and Standard Time,” the undergoing a change… In Buddha Tibetan realization. Keith Dowman’s illuminating realm of timelessness Standard Time you will come to realize Buddhism, and translation of this remarkable work of wis - where every choice, that, in spite of your hectic days, you have Longchen dom provides clear accessibility to the pro - every action, and much more time than you think. In fact, Rabjam is the found path of Dzogchen in the here-and- you have all the time in the world. every breath can be most celebrat - now. one of renewal and “Das (founder of the Western Buddhist ed of all the “Natural Perfection is a translation of a key infinite possibilities. Teachers Network) is a media-savvy sort of saints of this re - work by Longchenpa, the most important Buddha Standard modern-day lama. Buddha Standard Time markable tradi - exponent of Dzogchen. Dowman offers the Time shares one of the great realizations of suggests we have fallen out of step with the tion. Natural reader the essence of Dzogchen stripped of Buddhism, an insight that anyone can learn essences of natural time. Written with un - Perfection pre - any cultural trappings. Dowman’s radical to apply. The minutes and hours of our days usual clarity and directness, this work ad - sents the radi - Dzogchen is—like ’ Zen—dis - do not simply march from future to present dresses itself effectively to the needs of cal precepts of tinguished by its transcendence of the to past. Rather, each moment is intersected modern readers and should appeal both to Dzogchen, other aspects of Buddhist practice .” — by a fourth dimension. By learning to live in individual seekers and practicing Western pointing the Buddhadharma this dimension—Buddha Standard Time— Buddhists.” —Library Journal way to absolute “Keith Dowman has produced a straight-for - we reduce the amount of stress in our lives Surya Das, one of the most accessible liberation ward English rendition of this extraordinary and find greater focus, fulfillment, creativi - Western Buddhist teachers, has trained in from concep - text. I hope this book may bring the realization ty, and even wisdom. the Dzogchen tradition. Among his other tual fetters , and leading the practitioner to a of the nature of things, just as they are, to all be - Drawing on Tibetan Buddhism and oth - books are Awakening the Buddha Within state of pure, natural integration into one’s ings.”—Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche, er great wisdom traditions, as well as on and Buddha Is As Buddha Does . true being. founder of the Dzogchen Community

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 16 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! TAOISM, CHI & HEALING WISDOM !

Taoism, Chi cells to repair and renew the body . With profound yet simple exercises, this book & the Martial Arts Mantak Chia’s Chi Practices provides a guide to tap our innate healing abilities by showing that healing is a basic GONG FOR SELF-HEALING KARSAI NEI TSANG part of human nature. It offers a beautiful Awaken Your Inner Healing Therapeutic Massage for the Sexual Organs vision of how cells house the very power Power with Movement by Mantak Chia of the universe , and provides step-by-step & Self-Massage $18.95, paper. Inner Traditions. 160 pages, 189 b/w illustrations instructions to help people find their own by Lee Holden Our sexual organs play a key role in our physical and emo - way of linking Soul to Cells. $19.95, DVD. tional health. Many emotional traumas and stresses are stored Healing occurs in the manner of Creation: Cell by cell Sounds True. 52 minutes in the pelvic region in the form of tension in the muscles, liga - New on Shimmering No treatment or drug can ments, and tendons and imbalances in the meridians and or - DVD gans, resulting in an accumulation of toxins and energetic knots Coursing through the molecules match the body’s own aston - Stirring the waters to life. ishing capability to heal itself. In Chinese and tangles. Freeing the jing chi of the sexual organs—a pow - medicine, the gentle practice of qi gong al - erful source of healing energy—Karsai Nei Tsang helps to re - Filled with thought-provoking stories and lows us to consciously solve physical and emotional blockages in the photographs, free of jargon, and thorough - activate the body’s nat - pelvic area through massage, meridian clear - ly grounded in Hawkes’s decades of experi - ural healing intelli - ing, and detoxification . ence in laboratory science and practical, gence and direct vital Illustrating complete sexual organ massages for women and for hands-on healing, Cell-Level Healing invites energy to the places in men, this book guides you through the techniques of Karsai Nei you to explore your intrinsic powers of need of restoration Tsang—including necessary detox preparations and the underlying transformation and regeneration to attain and repair. Chi Nei Tsang principles—and shows you how to release knots and new levels of spiritual and bodily health. On Qi Gong for Self- tight muscles (including the hip, buttock, and thigh muscles), unrav - “Quite simply the whole exciting truth Healing , acclaimed qi Mantak Chia el nerve and lymphatic tangles, dissolve toxins and sediments, and in - about how and why our consciousness is key gong master Lee crease blood flow to the pelvic area. to our physical health and well-being.” — Holden presents an Addressing common problems associated with our sexual organs, this practice Christiane Northrup, author of Women’s accessible step-by-step can be used to treat impotency, frequent and difficult urination, painful menstruation, Bodies, Women’s Wisdom training video for ovarian cysts, menopause symptoms, painful intercourse, and low libido. It is also ef - “This remarkable book provides the read - using time-honored techniques to alleviate fective in alleviating back pain and sciatica, improving the body’s alignment, strength - er with a poetic and visual text on self-heal - your existing health challenges and amplify ening the pelvic floor, balancing the hormones, and increasing general vitality. ing and demonstrates how science and spir - your resistance to illness and injury. Join Among Mantak Chia’s many other books are Sexual Reflexology and The Multi- ituality need not be opponents but can him to learn: Orgasmic Man . serve as allies in the reader’s transforma - ! Effortless qi gong stretches to clear stress tion.” —Stanley Krippner, author of and tension, allowing healing qi to flow COSMIC DETOX Extraordinary Dreams freely through your body’s energy channels A Taoist Approach to Internal Cleansing ! Acupressure points along your body’s by Mantak Chia & William Wei meridians to clear stagnant energy and re - $18.95, paper. Inner Traditions. AYURVEDIC CURATIVE CUISINE 176 pages, colour illustrations move blockages—especially effective for FOR EVERYONE Long known by Taoist masters, the body has an innate ability preventing illness by Light Miller to heal itself, an ability that is hampered by toxins in the food ! Flowing movement practices to draw en - $27.50, paper. Lotus Press. 480 pages we ingest and energy blockages that arise from illnesses and ob - ergy from the world around you to coun - Ayurvedic Curative Cuisine for Everyone stacles in our lives. These blockages transform the body’s ener - teract fatigue and boost your immune sys - contains 370 easy-to-make recipes with in - gy rivers into a polluted and stagnant swamp—the root of de - tem. credible flavour. This generative disease as well as premature aging. Lee Holden has emerged as one of to - cookbook is unique Revealing the detoxification and rejuvenation practices of day’s most accessible and accomplished in its presentation of the Taoist sages, Master Mantak Chia and William U. Wei teachers of qi gong in the West. On Qi Gong food history, certain show how to reactivate your body’s self-healing abilities by gradually and safely ex - for Self-Healing , he presents easy-to-learn foods for specific pelling accumulated toxins through fasting, mono diets, and cleansing the nine open - practices that will help you relieve pain, conditions, preven - ings of the body. Using the practices of chi self-massage and healing sounds along with clear stress and tension, and harness your tive foods, food com - natural recipes for herbal tonics and cleansing flushes for each of the openings and body’s unequaled capacity for self-restora - bining, food energet - their related organs, the authors explain how to balance and purify the body’s inter - tion. Includes a 40-page illustrated study ics, tastes, body types, nal environment through colonic cleanses, acid and alkaline foods, urine therapy, dry guide . what foods go well to - skin brushing, ear candling, and energized water. Concluding with a 14-day total-body Note: These exercises are also included gether, and what cleansing program, Cosmic Detox offers tools to keep our energy rivers clean and in Lee’s Qi Gong for Health and Healing body systems are af - flowing, preparing the body for higher-level Taoist practices as well as enabling training course. fected. These are healing of our emotional and spiritual bodies . easy, delicious and healthy recipes with no Mantak Chia, world-famous Inner Alchemy and Qi Gong master, has written many previous knowledge of Ayurveda needed to books, among them Chi Self-Massage and Taoist Cosmic Healing . NATURAL CHI MOVEMENT produce outstanding results. Accessing the World of the Miraculous This cookbook was designed in such a way that anyone in the Western world can by Tienko Ting Natural Chi Movement guides modern BodyMind Healing, Ayurveda $21.50, paper. North Atlantic. seekers in embracing their spiritual nature keep themselves and their families healthy 265 pages, b/w illustrations and accessing the boundless potential of en - & Chinese Medicine without having to study Ayurveda. The modern world is largely focused on ergy. Doing so, says Ting, can also help ad - the physical—on the appetites and senses, dress global problems from health-care to CELL-LEVEL HEALING on doing and hav - ecology. With 23 illustrations, the book The Bridge from Soul to Cell ARCHETYPAL ACUPUNCTURE ing—which can draws on Chinese history, philosophy, and by Joyce Whiteley Hawkes Healing with the Five Elements blind us to the spiri - medicine, as well as from the author’s own $17.00, paper. Beyond Words. by Gary Dolowich tual realm. In work with spiritual energy. Natural Chi 158 pages, colour photos $22.95, paper. North Atlantic/Frog. 309 pages Natural Chi Movement is an exploration into the nature After a shattering near-death experience, The Chinese model of the Five Elements Movement, Tienko of spiritual energy and how to access and Joyce Hawkes left her career as a biophysicist (wood, fire, metal, earth, and water) and Ting articulates a use it for vibrant health and optimal well and embarked on a the Twelve Officials theory of life that being . Written in a simple, lucid style, study of indigenous (the organ systems unites the physical Natural Chi Movement sheds much-needed healing practices. that comprise the map and spiritual worlds. light on the nature of the energy that makes Living and working of traditional Chinese This ancient form of up all life, opening up a world of extraordi - with priests and medicine) has been chi activation ex - nary healing for everyone. shamans in the applied as a system of tends back to “Tienko is that rare breed of teacher Philippines, South medicine for three Bodhidharma, the renowned thirteenth- who doesn’t tell you what to do or what to India, and Bali, she ex - thousand years to bal - century Zen master. think, a healer who recognizes that all plored the previously ance chi, the vital Ting suggests there is nothing to learn or healing comes from within …This book will uncharted territories force of the body. master; each of us—and every living thing— not ask you to believe anything. The truth is that divide biology Archetypal Acupuncture is a product of the merging of physical and always much simpler than that. Natural Chi from spirituality—and discovered that emo - explains to both spiritual energy, already endowed with the ca - Movement is as close to the source as you will tional, mental, and spiritual feelings can acupuncturists and the general public how pacity to thrive and heal. Activation of our ever experience, and what awaits you is have a profound and positive impact on to work with these maps of energy and use chi is the component to wellness that most nothing less than the opportunity of a life - our bodies at the cellular level . them to diagnose physical illness, resolve of us have been missing. It is the essence of time.” —William Spear, author of Cell-Level Healing shows how our emotional imbalances, and navigate the the practice of Natural Chi Movement . Made Easy thoughts change the functioning of our stages of life .

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 17 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! HEALING ARTS, ENERGY & BREATH !

Living with Cancer Pranic Breath Practices

EMBRACE, RELEASE, HEAL THE POWER OF PRANA An Empowering Guide to Talking Breathe Your Way to Health and Vitality About, Thinking About, by Master Stephen Co & Eric Robins and Treating Cancer with John Merryman by Leigh Fortson $15.95, paper. Sounds True. $17.95, paper. Sounds True. 436 pages 187 pages, b/w photos After her third cancer diagnosis in three years, Leigh The hectic pace of our days can drain our supply of life force Fortson was given few options by her doctors and little hope. energy, or prana, leaving us tired and worn out. To help us op - For weeks, she mourned the life she thought she was los - timize our energetic health, Master Stephen Co shares The ing—until she was introduced to an idea that changed Power of Prana . This one-of-a-kind book teaches us a potent se - everything: Our thoughts and emotions influence every ries of practices known as the Nine Energizing Breaths. These cell in our body . This revelation gave her the hope that simple exercises—which can be completed in just ten minutes would begin her journey to becoming cancer free and more a day —combine breath retention, muscle tension, and basic joyful than she’d ever been before. postures to clear out energetic blockages and enhance the flow of prana throughout Embrace, Release, Heal shares her inspirational story and the body. the fruits of her research in one empowering book. Created to help anyone whose Although prana is always all around us, stress, strong emotions, and various other life has been affected by cancer, this in-depth resource offers interviews with both factors keep us operating at a ‘subsistence level’ of pranic intake. The Nine Energizing allopathic and integrative medical experts; remarkable accounts from people who Breaths help shift us to a level of abundance by stimulating our nervous system in ways transcended “terminal cancer” and are now thriving, snapshots of progressive treat - that maximize our absorption rate of this vital force. ment techniques ; and insights into other key factors that can affect well-being—in - Drawing on his vast knowledge of energy medicine, yoga, and martial arts––as well cluding thoughts, emotions, and diet. as his experience as an engineer, healer, and parent––Master Co shares expert guid - A good creed to keep in mind: “Cancer is a word, not a sentence.” I believe this, and ance on other topics: I hope to take it at least one step further by suggesting that cancer is an opportunity not ! The key role of your 11 chakras in maintaining your health and longevity only to live life fully, but also to empower ourselves to heal on every level. ! Simple diet and lifestyle tips for keeping your energy pure “Leigh Fortson has journeyed through territory where many will eventually go—the ! Advanced practices and meditations that infuse the highest quality of prana deep into land of cancer. She has returned a very wise woman whose insights will empower any - your body, and more. one with this diagnosis. The stories and interviews are full of hope and meaning.” — “Thousands of my students who use these practices not only report increased sta - Larry Dossey, author of The Science of Premonitions mina, but also greater emotional balance, mental clarity, and youthfulness,” teaches “At last! In Embrace, Release, Heal we have testimony that proves that the healing of can - Master Co. With practical wisdom and straightforward advice, The Power of Prana will cer involves the psychosomatic network of energy, mind, and spirit. Leigh Fortson is so help you breathe your way to health and vitality—and ensure that you have energy courageous, not only for surviving her ordeal but also for standing up to the cancer docs for all your life’s activities . who were shocked by the independent thinking and bold decisions that led to her recov - Stephen Co is a personal student of Grandmaster Choa Kok Sui and a senior in - ery. This is a gripping, compassionate, and well-researched exposé that I hope will revolu - structor at the World Pranic healing Organization. tionize cancer treatment.” —Candace Pert, author of Molecules of Emotion POWER BREATHING FIGHTING CANCER Prana Practices for Health and Vitality New on A Nontoxic Approach to Treatment by Master Stephen Co CD by Robert Gorter & Erik Peper $19.95, 2 CDs. Sounds True. 2.2 hours, 20-page study guide $25.95, paper. North Atlantic/Frog. 368 pages, b/w photos & illustrations Prana is the universal life force that sustains us on every lev - Fighting Cancer describes the Gorter Model, an integrative, el. On Power Breathing , Master Stephen Co teaches you a series nontoxic approach to cancer treatment that mobilizes the of simple breathing exercises to normalize health imbalances, immune system. It was developed by Robert Gorter, MD, combat stress, and “keep your personal energy tank clean and PhD, who in 1976 recovered from Stage IV testicular cancer full.” This complete audio program guides you through the es - by using nontoxic treatment and no chemotherapy or radia - sential practices taught in Master Co’s book The Power of Prana . Here, he leads you tion. Based on self-experience, extensive research, and step-by-step into: ! decades of clinical practice , the treatment consists of sup - The Nine Energizing Breaths —The core practices for building pranic strength, bal - porting the immune system using fever therapy (hyperther - ance, and healthy flow in each chakra center ! mia), inoculation with immune cells, the use of the botanical The Ten-Minute Daily Practice —Concentrated energy-building for busy schedules ! mistletoe ( Viscum album )—the single most commonly pre - Meditation on Twin Hearts —A powerful meditation on lovingkindness that gener - scribed anti-cancer medication in much of Europe—supportive nutrients, and diet ates highly-purified prana through the heart and crown chakras ! and lifestyle changes. Dissolving Into the Light Meditation —A yin meditation that enhances your con - Organized into three parts, Fighting Cancer presents a clear overview of the mod - nection to your higher soul and its divine energy ! el, the research behind it, and strategies for strengthening natural immunity . Revitalizing Meditation —A purifying meditation that uses three types of prana to Emphasizing stress reduction and minimizing toxic exposure, the authors provide cleanse and replenish the physical and energy bodies. practical guidance for patients: questions to ask doctors after diagnosis and advice for Grandmaster Choa Kok Sui’s Pranic Healing has helped thousands achieve better evaluating options, gathering information, and getting second opinions. Included are health, mental clarity, and longevity. Now, with Power Breathing , you have access to this powerful testimonials from patients—most of whom have outlived their prognosis potent, energy-based healing paradigm. and, in some cases, achieved complete and sustained remission. “In a thoughtful manner, Robert Gorter and Erik Peper offer cancer patients new eye, are more ing where your boundaries are weakest options that are useful adjuncts to conventional treatment... This is a book every pa - than just defens - ! How to signal the world that you are tient should read.” —Ken Pelletier, author of New Medicine: Integrating Conventional es—according to ready for success and prosperity and Cyndi Dale, these ! Special guidance for healers, sensitives, “spiritual borders” and people whose work regularly expos - Dr. Dolowich’s goal is to revitalize these tra - Healing Energies, are our soul’s way es them to strong emotional forces ! ditional teachings for the modern world— Healing Herbs of communicating Balancing intimacy and separation in re - and in the process bring East and West to - to the universe lationships and parenting. gether. Through an archetypal approach to what we do and Setting healthy energetic boundaries for Chinese medicine , he shows how we can gain ENERGETIC BOUNDARIES don’t want to ex - yourself will take some work, but the fresh insights into the roots of illness while How to Stay Protected and perience in life. effort is well worth it. Every stage of the uncovering a positive vision of wellness and Connected in Work, Love, With Energetic work increases your exposure to light and the healing process. The book draws on case and Life Boundaries , this joy and decreases your exposure to sources of negativity and exhaustion. histories, spiritual poetry (especially Rilke by Cyndi Dale renowned intu - and Rumi), classic sources such as the I $17.95, paper. Sounds True. itive and energy- “Strong and flexible energetic bound - Ching, and examples from contemporary 296 pages, b/w illustrations medicine expert aries allow us to share who we truly are with culture in order to bring the elements alive . Here’s a new book from the author of presents a definitive guide for maintaining the world,” teaches Cyndi Dale. Filled with Individual chapters explore the interface of The Subtle Body and The Complete Book of this essential aspect of our health and per - insights, practical guidance, and easy-to- Eastern and Western medicine, Chinese nu - Chakra Healing . sonal integrity, including: learn techniques, Energetic Boundaries is ! merology, spiritual aspects of the elements, Just as our physical body is protected by Our four energetic boundaries—how an indispensible tool for staying protect - archetypal patterns in popular culture, and our skin, our psyche and spirit have “ener - they function, and techniques for ed and connected in every aspect of life — strategies for cultivating a life in harmony getic boundaries ” that keep out harmful in - strengthening each one in our relationships, career, and on our ! with the rhythms of nature fluences. These boundaries, invisible to the Self-diagnosis instructions for determin - spiritual journey.

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 18 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! CRYSTALS, HERBS & ENERGY-HEALING !

Crystal Wisdom The New Herbal Medicine

THE EIGHT CRYSTAL ALLIANCES THE BOREAL HERBAL The Influence of Stones on the Personality Wild Food and Medicine Plants of the North: by the Group of 5 A Guide to Harvesting, Preserving, $32.00, paper. North Atlantic. and Preparing 364 pages, 7x9, 50 colour photos by Beverley Gray Uncovering the hidden relationship between the human $44.95, paper. Aroma Borealis. and mineral kingdoms, the book addresses the deep vibra - 440 pages, 8x11, colour photos tional energies contained within stones that can influence Here is a beautiful guide to identifying and using north - our etheric bodies and, consequently, the other bodies we ern plants for food and medicine. Whether you’re hiking in are made of—mental, emotional, and physical. The authors, remote areas or gardening in your backyard, this easy-to- all lithotherapists ( stone healers ) at the Medicine Buddha use handbook will help you recognize and use 55 common Mandala Institute in Montreal, Canada, present eight mag - wild plants that have extraordinary healing properties . netic groups of “geometric alliances,” eight types of hu - With The Boreal Herbal you can learn how to soothe pain with willow, staunch bleeding man personality classified along energetic principles linking human nature with with yarrow, treat a urinary-tract infection with bearberry, and create a delicate and uplift - minerals . The personality and stone types are: ing skin cream from sweetgrass. Also included are dozens of healthy and delicious recipes, ! Cubic (rational and organized) including Wild-Weed Spanakopita, Dandelion Wine, and Cranberry-Mint Muffins. ! Hexagonal (efficient) The Boreal Herbal features: ! Monoclinic (feeling-emotional) ! Profiles of dozens of herbs, berries, and trees found in the northern boreal forest: in - ! Quadratic (situational) cluding information on their habitat, harvest times, medicinal applications, as well ! Rhombic (sympathetic, empathetic, and serving others) as food uses, cosmetic uses, and spiritual uses ! Triclinic (vacillating between conflict and harmony ! Full-colour photographs and botanical illustrations of each plant for easy ID ! Trigonal (realistic) ! How to gather and preserve wild plants ! Buddhic (here-now, spontaneous, creative, non-conventional, freedom-loving, ! More than 200 recipes: teas, tinctures, powders, flower essences, topical treatments, rebellious, but level-headed). beverages, jams and jellies, baked goods, soups, entrées, and much more Whether you are a professional healer or just beginning your journey with crystals, ! Safety tips for harvesting and using edible and medicinal wild plants, including in - this book will help you find out which alliances relate to your personality and dis - formation on calculating dosage and plant-specific cautions cover the stones that will enhance your health, self-knowledge, and spiritual growth . ! A resource section for people interested in starting up a non-timber forest-products With beautiful images from the Lux Aeterna archive, case histories, and detailed lists business of stone qualities, The Eight Crystal Alliances shows us how to use the power of these sa - ! Botanical and medicinal glossaries, and handy reference charts. cred objects in our personal lives and careers as part of our journeys of spirit. “This is not a book. It is a prayer. It is a psalm. A great guide to green blessings in green ways written by a true wise woman .” —Susun Weed, author of the Wise Woman Herbal series THE POCKET BOOK OF STONES “A treasure chest of information about the world’s largest ecosystem… It goes way by Robert Simmons beyond a list of uses for herbal enthusiasts, to an art form that just might redefine $16.95, paper. North Atlantic. herbals into the future.” —Terry Willard, Clinical Herbalist 384 pages, 5x5, colour photos Beverley Gray is a boreal herbalist, aromatherapist, and natural health product for - This edition of The Pocket Book of Stones , featuring a handy mulator. She owns the Aroma Borealis Herb Shop in Whitehorse, Yukon. lay-flat binding, was created in response to demand from WISDOM OF THE PLANT DEVAS readers for a more portable metaphysical crystals guide Herbal Medicine for a New Earth than the author’s Book of Stones . It is an ideal introduction by Thea Summer Deer to stones and their energies for those who are new to the field, as well as being an invaluable reference for well- $17.95, paper. Bear & Company. 224 pages, colour illustrations throughout versed readers. Every entry contains a vivid colour photo Each plant has a story to share with us, a healing story to guide and quick-look list of keywords, elemental and chakra cor - us in trying times, a spirit medicine for the New Earth that is respondences, plus the beneficial physical, emotional, and spiritual qualities of each presently unfolding. Herbs are some of the most powerful allies mineral, crystal, or gemstone. we have for these transitional times—we just need to learn how Author Simmons also provides a description of each stone, including scientific data to listen as they share their knowledge with us. and the story of each stone’s spiritual and healing qualities, as well as recommenda - In Wisdom of the Plant Devas , Thea Summer Deer reveals a tions for other stones that combine harmoniously with it. The scientific information new dimension of herbal medicine, one where the plant’s spir - offered welcomes those not yet familiar with crystal energies by providing a familiar it is consulted for guidance and healing beyond the physical . Examining the botany, frame of reference and also broadens the knowledge of those who come to stones pri - modern and traditional uses, history, and folklore of 13 special herbs, such as rose - marily for spiritual purposes. A comprehensive index cites the healing qualities and mary, uva ursi, and datura, she shares divinations and messages from their devas, or emotional and spiritual qualities of all the stones in the book. This affordably priced plant spirits, explaining how these stories carry the herbs into our lives, letting them edition makes an ideal gift for any rock-lover. work their magic on us. “There is no one any better, any deeper, and more knowledgeable, and more heart- Exploring herbal medicine from an energetic perspective, she reveals that by com - filled with the Wisdom of Stones than Robert Simmons.” —Robert Sardello, author of muning with the deva of a plant, we can call on the plant’s physical, psychological, and Love and the Soul . spiritual medicine and guidance—without ingesting it or even being in its presence. Detailing the sacred space of a Medicine Wheel Garden, whether in a backyard or our imaginations, she connects us with the devas and empowers us to seek our own an - . Drawing from the materi - ENERGY HEALING ergetic self-care swers with their much-needed spiritual guidance and divinatory advice. Creating a al she teaches at Dr. Andrew Weil’s The Essentials of Self-Care Multimedia bridge between botanical medicine and plant spirit medicine, she shows how by Center for Integrative Medicine, Dr. by Ann Marie Chiasson coming into community with the devas and co-creating with the world of nature , we Learning Chiasson presents a comprehensive suite of $99.95. Sounds True. can gain tremendous insights to help heal our hearts, our minds, and our spirits and Kit movement, meditation, breathing, and 5 CDs, DVD, 25 reference consciously evolve as together we birth the New Earth. touch-based techniques to improve your cards, 107-page workbook Thea Summer Deer is a clinical herbalist, singer-songwriter, midwife, and childbirth health and enhance your vitality. True wellness begins at the energetic lev - educator. el. As traditional healers have known for Working with energy doesn’t require any thousands of special gifts—in fact, we do it unconsciously years—and as all the time. With Chiasson’s guidance, follow instruction using audio, video, refer - ings, and large-scale modern medi - you’ll first learn to become aware of ways ence cards, and an illustrated workbook, healing-and-learning cine is begin - that the life force moves in your body and Dr. Chiasson’s Energy Healing provides in- events continue to at - ning to recog - affects your physical and emotional state. depth training in 28 potent practices to ac - tract and help many nize—our Then with step-by-step guidance in a wide tivate your ability to sense and direct subtle people. symptoms and spectrum of practices, you’ll learn how to energies in the body—a comprehensive Dreamhealer Heal health chal - consciously affect the energy flow to clear training course in energetic self-care . Yourself continues lenges can be - stagnant energy, boost vigor and resiliency, from where Adam’s gin first as im - and correct potential health problems at first DVD, balances in our the source—before they take root in your DREAMHEALER HEAL Dreamhealer energy field. physical body. YOURSELF New on Visualizations , leaves So what can “A regular energy-healing practice be - narrated by DVD off—continuing to we do to enhance the health of our subtle comes increasingly important, especially as Adam Dreamhealer guide you in your healing program. body? With Energy Healing , Dr. Ann Marie we grow older and must look to energy $21.95, DVD. Dream Healer. 75 minutes Complete with 11 new dynamic visual - Chiasson presents a complete training sources outside the body to maintain our Adam is the young Vancouver-based izations it complements, though doesn’t re - course in medically sound practices for en - health,” teaches Dr. Chiasson. With easy-to- “dreamhealer”, whose books, personal heal - peat, the 14 general visualizations present -

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 19 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! BODYWORK & MOVEMENT ! ed in the first DVD. provide, millions are Dreamhealer Heal Yourself finding measures of The Anatomy of Movement also features Adam present - peace and positive ing material about healing energy through and self-improvement— mindful breathing THE ANATOMY OF STRETCHING such as the fat-burner visu - practices. In this Your Illustrated Guide to Flexibility and Injury alization for weight loss. An book, Stanislav Grof, Rehabilitation interview with Dr. Bruce Adam Neil Douglas-Klotz, by Brad Walker Lipton, Dr. Edgar Mitchell Dreamhealer Sharon G. Mijares, $27.95, paper. North Atlantic/Frog. and Adam is also included. Sonia Gilbert, 192 pages, 8x11, colour illustrations A closing meditation with amazing music Sheldon Kramer, Ilse The multiple stresses of contemporary life—whether from Galalisa Star is led by Adam . Middendorf, Michael from excessive sports play, overwork, or overuse of technol - Among Adam’s other titles are The Path of Sky, Puran Bair, and ogy—are increasingly taking a toll on the body. Symptoms the Dreamhealer and Dreamhealer Books 1 & 2. other well-known experts and international range from muscle soreness and pain to pinched nerves to workshop leaders take up a wide range of potentially more permanent disabilities, including serious Western, Eastern, and Middle Eastern body injuries. One safe, quickly productive way to address THE HEALING INTELLIGENCE OF breathing practices , describing the histori - the problem is through a simple therapy that can be done ESSENTIAL OILS cal development of these techniques and anywhere, anytime, and without special equipment: stretch - The Science of Advanced Aromatherapy philosophies, and providing examples of ing. This new edition of Brad Walker’s bestselling book presents 135 unique stretch - by Kurt Schnaubelt modern practices, stories of healing, and ing exercises designed to help repair the body and make it more flexible, fit, and $22.50, paper. Inner Traditions. specific exercises for application. relaxed. 240 pages, 8x10, colour photos “… shows us what a profound tool for The book begins with clear, detailed descriptions of important principles of anato - Exploring science’s new biological under - well-being, healing, and creativity our my and physiology, the benefits of stretching, different forms of stretching, rules to re - standing of essential oils and their advan - breath can be when used consciously… member, and how to stretch properly. It also focuses on the kinds of stretches that are tages over syn - this book is highly concentrated —a lot most helpful in the alleviation or rehabilitation of specific sports injuries. Organized thetic drugs, comes through in each short chapter.” — by body part, The Anatomy of Stretching presents stretching exercises in a uniform aromathera - AHP Perspective style accompanied by full-color anatomical illustrations. What makes this book dif - pist Kurt “Breathing is taken for granted in today’s ferent is how it is able to take you inside the body and show you both the primary Schnaubelt re - busy world, yet it is vital to all sentient beings. and secondary muscles in action during the stretching process . veals how the The Revelation of the Breath approaches the Equally useful for fitness fans, pro or amateur athletes, coaches and personal train - effectiveness topic from a variety of perspectives, all of ers, and healthcare practitioners, this new edition contains 20 new stretches; expand - of essential them contributing toward an appreciation of ed physiology and anatomy information; a revised numbering system that makes the oil treatments one’s breath not only for survival but for stretches easier to reference; and a helpful chart describing the top five stretches for stems from transformation. I suspect that readers of this each sport and sports injury. our common incredible book will never breathe in quite biochemical the same way again.” —Stanley Krippner and cellular THE ANATOMY OF EXERCISE & MOVEMENT Sharon Mijares is a practicing psycholo - For the Study of Dance, Pilates, Sports, and Yoga heritage with gist and university teacher. plants . He ex - by Jo Ann Staugaard-Jones plains how essential oils preserve a plant’s $27.95, paper. North Atlantic. complex natural life-supporting and im - 192 pages, 7x10, colour illustrations PAIN RELIEF WITH TRIGGER POINT “Awareness of movement potential,” says author Jo Ann mune-building qualities, developed SELF-HELP Staugaard-Jones, “is key to a healthy body and injury pre - through millions of years of interaction with by Valerie DeLaune vention.” animals and humans. The Anatomy of Exercise & Movement serves as a $34.00, paper. North Atlantic. . In ten chap - Reviewing recent research in molecular, bridge between biomechanics and exercise 336 pages, 8x10, colour illustrations ters, color-coded for easy reference, the author covers all of cellular, and evolutionary biology, he shows Trigger points—tender, painful knots the major muscle and joint areas, including the spine; core how the multilayered activity of plant that develop in muscles and tissues—are a region; shoulder; elbow; wrist and hand; and hip, knee, and essences helps maintain the integrity of our common cause of chronic pain. With more ankle/foot joints. Most importantly, each chapter contains genetic code—the reason why pathogens than a quarter of all strengthening and stretching exercises for all of the cannot develop resistance toward essential North Americans above areas. oils as they do with antibiotics and antivi - suffering from vari - Developed as a handbook, is an accessible re - rals—making essential oils a more effective The Anatomy of Exercise & Movement ous types of daily source for anyone who would like to know more about his or her body, how it moves, and sustainable form of treatment for a va - chronic pain, it’s es - and what can be done to improve that movement. The more than 275 high-quality, riety of health problems. timated that these four-color anatomical drawings and the broad scope of muscle and joint groups make Laying to rest old arguments over essential hyper-irritated this one of the most important guides to the moving body on the market. A helpful oils’ alleged toxicity and whether they can be hardened masses ingested or used undiluted, Schnaubelt pre - “Myths” page at the end of each chapter debunks many of the misunderstandings are the primary and rumors about fitness that have circulated over the years . sents simple recipes and protocols for treat - cause of pain 75 ing and preventing common ailments, such percent of the time. as colds, flu, herpes, and candida, as well as Sustained self- HARMONIZING YOUR it is the only one that features self-treat - for pain management . Offering new essen - treatment is by far ment for craniosacral therapy . tial oil treatment opportunities for hepatitis, CRANIOSACRAL SYSTEM the most effective trigger point therapy. Pain Self-Treatments for Improving The book begins with a description of osteoporosis, liver detoxification, and the Relief with Trigger Point Self-Help helps you the craniosacral system and its relationship prevention of UV damage and melanoma, he Your Health understand and then treat your condition , by Daniel Agustoni to other body systems. Awareness and per - shows how essential oils can also ameliorate leading to rapid, effective, and lasting pain ception exercises cover breathing tech - the debilitating side effects of chemotherapy $22.95, paper. relief. With full-color photos and illustra - North Atlantic/Frog. niques and methods for sensing the parts and other cancer treatments as well as how tions throughout, it explains the physiology of the body and its craniosacral rhythm. even home use of essential oils for relaxation 138 pages, 7x9, colour photos of trigger points and teaches you how to: Harmonizing Your Craniosacral System: Self- The quality of touch and exact finger and or skin care can help build one’s immunity ! Locate your trigger points and understand hand positions are discussed, and detailed and overall well-being. Treatments for Improving Your Health offers “referred pain” exercises developed instructions are provided for each self- Kurt Schnaubelt is also the author of ! Prevent trigger points from forming by to promote healing, treatment involving the sacrum, iliosacral Advanced Aromatherapy and Medical making simple lifestyle changes, practic - joints, connective tissue, head, and facial Aromatherapy . body awareness, ing proper body mechanics, and address - and relaxation. The bones . Illustrated with 105 full-color pho - ing nutritional deficiencies book’s techniques tographs and 9 black-and-white anatomical ! Bodywork, Movement Treat trigger points by applying pressure are based on the drawings, the book concludes with helpful and doing simple stretches principles of cran - information about professional cran - & Somatics ! Understand common pain conditions for iosacral therapy, a iosacral therapy treatments, terms and def - each area of the body. hands-on approach initions, and an alphabetized summary of THE REVELATION OF THE BREATH Written for anyone wishing to successful - that works gently self-treatments. A Tribute to Its Wisdom, ly treat his or her own pain, the book is also with the spine, “Offers a powerful and wise prescrip - Power, and Beauty an invaluable reference for any health-care skull, sacrum, and tion for self-healing through gentle cran - edited by Sharon Mijares provider whose patients suffer from either connective tissue in iosacral exercises that boost the body’s en - $27.50, paper. S.U.N.Y. 284 pages chronic or acute pain. the body to release ergy, enhance tissue and organ function, Faced with stresses from daily news, rela - Valerie DeLaune is an acupuncturist and pain and tension. Simple to perform, the and stimulate the immune system. Read tionships, health, and financial conditions, certified neuromuscular therapist who exercises can be done either sitting or lying this book and reclaim power over your and unsatisfied with the temporary and side- teaches trigger point workshops through - down, and each can be completed separate - health and your destiny.” —Bruce Lipton, effect-riddled relief that pharmaceuticals out the U.S. ly or as a unit. The book is unique because author of The Biology of Belief

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 20 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! REIKI & FOOD !

REIKI FOR LIFE program, Esselstyn’s patients began to im - The Complete Guide to Reiki Practice for Forks Over Knives! prove dramatically, and twenty years later, Levels 1, 2 & 3 they remain free of symptoms. by Penelope Quest Complete with more than 150 delicious $21.00, paper. Tarcher/Putnam. 320 pages FORKS OVER KNIVES recipes, this book explains the science be - A comprehensive handbook, Reiki for Life written & directed by Lee Fulkerson hind the simple plan that has drastically contains everything readers need to know $34.50, DVD. Virgil Films. changed the lives of so many heart-dis - about the healing 96 minutes + bonus features eased folks—forever . It will empower read - Forks Over Knives examines the claim ers to take control of their heart health. art of Reiki. This New on that most, if not all, of the degenerative You arteries at the age of ninety ought practical guide DVD covers all points : diseases that afflict us can be controlled, to work as efficiently as they did when basic routines, de - or even reversed, by rejecting animal- you were nine. My nutritional program is tails about the based and processed foods. The major storyline in the strict, and allows no shortcuts… If you do what I ask, your disease is history. Rather power and poten - film traces the personal journeys of pioneering re - searchers Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell than detour around it, squish it with a tial of each level, balloon or brace it open with a wire special tech - Esselstyn (authors of The China Study and Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease respectively). bracket—either of which is just a niques for en - temporary angina-relieving procedure— hancing Reiki Dr. Campbell, a nutritional scientist at Cornell, found that my program can prevent disease practice, and in the Philippines the wealthier children, who were eating altogether, or stop it in its tracks. helpful direction relatively high amounts of animal-based foods, were much more likely to get liver cancer. Dr. Esselstyn, a surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, found that many of the diseases he rou - “One of the most outstanding projects in on the use of health research of the past century. It’s rele - Reiki toward spiri - tinely treated were virtually unknown in parts of the world where animal-based foods were rarely consumed . vant, it’s caring, it’s innovative, it’s extreme - tual growth. ly well executed and it’s very, very useful.” Penelope Quest also compares the origins These discoveries inspired Campbell and Esselstyn, who didn’t know each other yet, to conduct several groundbreaking studies. One of them took place in China and is still —T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., author of The and development of Reiki in the West and China Study the East, revealing methods specific to the among the most comprehensive health-related investigations ever undertaken. Their re - search led them to a startling conclusion: degenerative diseases like heart disease, type “Pioneering research demonstrating that original Japanese Reiki tradition. Suitable the progression of even severe coronary for beginners, experienced practitioners, 2 diabetes, and even several forms of cancer, could almost always be prevented—and in many cases reversed—by adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet . heart disease can often be reversed by mak - and teachers alike, this book: ing changes in diet and lifestyle.” —Dean ! The filmmakers travel with Drs. Campbell and Esselstyn on their separate but simi - explains what Reiki is and how it works; Ornish, M.D., author of Dr. Dean Ornish’s ! lar paths. The idea of food as medicine is put to the test . Cameras follow “reality pa - gives detailed instruction in First and Sec - Program for Reversing Heart Disease ond Degree techniques; tients” who have chronic conditions from heart disease to diabetes. Doctors teach ! illustrates how to perform Reiki on your - these patients how to adopt a whole foods plant-based diet as the primary approach to self, as well as others; treat their ailments—while the challenges and triumphs of their journeys are revealed. ! advises on how to become a Reiki Mas - Forks Over Knives utilizes state of the art 3-D graphics and rare archival footage. The ter/teacher; and film features leading experts on health, examines the question “why we don’t know,” and THE SIMPLYRAW LIVING ! includes special advanced methods for tackles the issue of diet and disease in a way that will have people talking for a long time. FOODSDETOX MANUAL working with Reiki. A book titled Forks Over Knives is also available as an official how-to companion by Natasha Kyssa Complete with illustrations and a useful to the documentary film . More info: forksoverknives.com. $19.95, paper. Arsenal Pulp Press. 192 pages section of resources, Reiki for Life is a must- The modern world is a toxic place, and have for the tens of thousands of Western FORKS OVER KNIVES we’ve all become less healthy because of it, seekers ready to learn about this fast-grow - The Plant-Based Way to Health whether it is ing healing practice. edited by Gene Stone from the air that “What an incredible work—it is a must $16.95, paper. The Experiment. we breathe or for all Reiki people.” —Mari Hall, director 214 pages, two-colour illustrations the foods that of the International Association of Reiki What if one simple change could save you from heart dis - we eat. Natasha ease, diabetes, and cancer? For decades, that question has Kyssa is a raw Food, Nutrition & Healing fascinated a small circle of impassioned doctors and re - foods chef and searchers. Now, their research is making headlines in the lifestyle coach, hit documentary Forks Over Knives . Their answer? Eat a and her compa - CANDLE 79 COOKBOOK whole-foods, plant-based diet—it could save your life. ny SimplyRaw Modern Vegan Classics from New York’s This book is a stand-alone companion to the film of the helps people im - same name. Premier Sustainable Restaurant prove their In his book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease , Dr. by Joy Pierson, Angel Ramos health and well- Caldwell Esselstyn explained how eating meat, dairy, and oils injures the lining of our & Jorge Pineda being by inte - blood vessels, causing heart disease, heart attack, or stroke. In The China Study , Dr. grating simple, $34.00, cloth. Ten Speed. Colin Campbell revealed how cancer and other diseases skyrocket when eating meat 240 pages, 8x10, 50 colour photos natural-based and dairy is the norm—and plummet when a traditional plant-based diet persists. And Continually rated as one of the best vegan guidelines into their current lifestyles. more and more experts are adding their voices to the cause: restaurants in the United States, Candle 79 There is nothing else you This informative and useful manual out - . is at the can do for your health that can match the benefits of a plant-based diet lines Natasha’s twenty-eight-day detox pro - This accessible guide provides the information you need to adopt and maintain a forefront of gram, which includes only raw and “living” plant-based diet. Features include: a movement foods (i.e., those that have been lightly ! Insights from the luminaries behind the film—Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. John McDougall, to bring ele - steamed ). It is a gentle, effective method to The Engine 2 Diet author Rip Esselstyn, and many others gance and cleanse the body of toxins and to provide ! The many benefits of a whole-foods, plant-based diet—for you, for animals and the sophistica - optimal nourishment for healing. The au - environment tion to vege - thor believes that we can heal ourselves nat - ! A primer on crafting a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole tarian cui - urally to mend the damage done to our grains, including tips on transitioning and essential kitchen tools sine. Not bodies due to unhealthy environments and ! 125 recipes from 25 champions of plant-based dining—from Blueberry Oat Break - only is its improper food choices. fast Muffins and Sunny Orange Yam Bisque to Garlic Rosemary Polenta and Rasp - fare local, Raw diets have become all the rage lately, seasonal, berry-Pear Crisp—yumm... and Natasha believes that proper digestion, organic, essential for one’s health and vitality, can be and sustain - greatly improved by an all-raw diet. This able, but it PREVENT AND REVERSE who have fol - manual, which includes 135 recipes as well is also so flavorful and satisfying that cus - HEART DISEASE lowed Dr. as plenty of guidelines and background in - tomers—vegan and omnivore alike—are The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Esselstyn’s pro - formation , follows a proven approach to constantly asking for recipes to cook at Nutrition-Based Cure gram, including better health, natural weight loss, increased home . This collection answers that call, with by Caldwell Esselstyn a number of pa - vitality, and healthy lifestyle changes. simple yet impressive recipes for Chickpea $21.00, paper. Avery. 308 pages tients in his orig - Natasha Kyssa is a former international Crepes, Ginger-Seitan Dumplings, Live Based on the groundbreaking results of a inal study who model who has been a raw and living foods Lasagna, Chocolate Mousse Towers, twenty-year nutritional study by Dr. had been told by vegan for almost twenty years. At the age of Cucumber-Basil Martinis, and more. Esselstyn, a preeminent researcher and clin - their cardiolo - forty-seven, she leads an active lifestyle and Expanding the horizons of vegan fare with ician, this book illustrates that a plant- gists that they trains daily, including rock climbing, long appetizers, soups, salads, mains, brunches, based, oil-free diet can not only prevent had less than a distance running, hiking, skiing, yoga, pi - desserts, cocktails, and wine pairings, and stop the progression of heart disease year to live. lates, and cycling. She attributes her Candle 79 Cookbook invites every home cook but can also reverse its effects . The proof Within months strength, well-being, and youthfulness to to make truly green cuisine. lies in the incredible outcomes for patients of starting the her raw and living foods diet.

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 21 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! RAW FOOD & MAKING MIRACLES !

THE ART OF RAW FOOD programs, and have Delicious, Simple Dishes for Healthy New from Caroline Myss helped many peo - Living ple open their by Jens Casupei & Vibeke Kaupert hearts and minds in $45.00, cloth. North Atlantic. THE POWER OF PRAYER good ways. Now, in 300 pages, 8x9, 140 colour photos Guidance, Prayers, and Wisdom for New on Your Ultimate Raw food is for everyone, say the authors Listening to the Divine CD Calling , he has of one of Denmark’s bestselling cookbooks, by Caroline Myss brought together and they $24.95, 3 CDs. Sounds True. 3.5 hours brief quotes from make a com - “All prayers are heard and answered,” says Caroline Myss. his work (and from pelling case Can that be true? As you come to understand the original his heart), which for that role of prayer in personal transformation, have been set beau - claim. you begin to realize that it could be no oth - tifully within full Equally at er way. On The Power of Prayer , Caroline page colour pho - home on the Myss invites you to experience prayer at its tographs and natural collages. The result is coffee table deepest level—as a direct channel into union with God. “ When we a strikingly colourful format, brimming or in the pray from a place of inner stillness, our thoughts and words be - with—you guessed it—inspiration! kitchen, The come sacred ,” Myss explains, “and we can hear the answering call of I’ve put together this book because I Art of Raw Caroline Myss heaven.” Join her to begin a revolution in the way you pray , as you know without any doubt that inspiration Foo d fea - explore: can be cultivated and be a driving force tures gor - ! How and why we pray—moving beyond the stage of “petition prayer” to a place of throughout life, rather than showing up geous four- true openness to guidance from a higher source every now and then and just as color photography and delicious yet ! How humility allows us to bypass the ego and connect directly to the divine mysteriously disappearing, seemingly simple raw food recipes as well as a back - ! The transformational journey—why a willingness to sacrifice the familiar and enter independent of our desires. ground on the benefits of a raw food diet . the unknown puts you on the path of grace Inspiration is for everyone! It isn’t Jens Casupei and Vibeke Kaupert, raw food ! Prayers for healing, for the morning and evening, navigating difficult times, and ex - reserved for high-profile creative geniuses enthusiasts with a flair for style as well as a panding your capacity to act from a place of love. in the arts and sciences—it’s inherent in passion for healthy living, introduce readers There comes a point in our lives when we are called to pray—when we see that our Divine birthright. to the good (raw food), the bad (processed our rational minds cannot make sense of the mystery of life and we realize that we As you read each of the entries within food), and the ugly (how processed food need another way . With The Power of Prayer , Caroline Myss offers new insights into the these pages, you’ll find specific can make you feel). Sixty pages of informa - most important tool available to us on our spiritual journey—and for calling upon the suggestions for living in-Spirit. I’m offering tion on health and diet are followed by 260 grace that will never fail to guide and shelter us. you a blueprint through the world of pages of mouth-watering recipes. Among Caroline Myss’s other books are Anatomy of the Spirit and Sacred Contracts . inspiration—your ultimate calling. I have added beautiful pictures of every Among Wayne Dyer’s other titles are The dish in the book so you can see how NAVIGATING HOPE Power of Intention and Change Your Thoughts—Change Your Life . exquisite raw food can be. My objective is How to Turn Life’s Challenges New on to inspire you and arouse your curiosity; to into a Journey of Transformation awaken your desire to try raw food, which by Caroline Myss CD will give you tremendous vitality in your $19.95, 2 CDs. Sounds True. 2.5 hours CLUTTER BUSTING body... Even people with very little kitchen We know that hope is a powerful ally in challenging Letting Go of What’s Holding You Back experience have told me how much fun times—but can we consciously “practice” hope and learn to by Brooks Palmer they have had and how easy it was for On , Caroline them to follow the recipes. rely on it as a constant guide? Navigating Hope $15.50, paper. New World Library. 215 pages Myss helps us turn life’s difficulties into a voyage of trans - Piles of junk in garages and closets, In 140 recipes , the authors cover break - formation. With her trademark blend of down-to-earth “stuff” on desks, items unused for years, fast (Delicious Buckwheat Porridge); shakes practicality and inspired mysticism, she offers an “itinerary masses of unan - and smoothies (Orange and Blackcurrant for the soul” to help us thrive in the face of uncertainty and swered email, Shake); soups (Light and Fluffy Pepper transition. clothing never Bisque); main dishes (Chili Sin Carne); This wholly original two-CD program empowers listeners to: worn, useless gifts soups, dips, and patés (Olive Tapenade); ! Celebrate the positive in our lives with genuine gratitude that collect dust— desserts (Pineapple Carpaccio with Berry ! Tap into the wisdom of history, our “wise cosmic elder” all these things, Coulis); snacks (Quetzalcoatl Chocolate); ! Create a support team of companions and collaborators to keep us on course says Brooks and sauces and dressings (Sunflower and ! Invoke “the grace of illumination”—sacred counsel that emerges from trust and in - Palmer, come Beetroot Sauce). A terrific introduction to tegrity. weighted with guilt the world of raw foods for any newcomer, “Familiar ground is being swept away right in front of our eyes,” explains Caroline and have a suffo - The Art of Raw Food offers plenty of diverse Myss. “But let us remember that a rising tide of hope lifts all humanity.” Navigating cating effect on and unique recipes for every occasion. Hope is her response to the growing need for guidance amidst life’s storms, one that the soul. In this in - addresses both our inner landscape and our outer circumstances. sightful book, Inspiration & Self-Help Among the many titles by Caroline Myss are Anatomy of the Spirit and Sacred Palmer shows how Contracts . to get rid of the things in our lives MAKING MIRACLES that no longer serve us. By tossing out these to readers through the book publisher’s Create New Realities for Your Life certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that unneeded items, we are also eliminating miracles are normal and starting to unfold website. and Our World their negative influences and freeing up in your life. In addition, by Lynn Woodland Making Miracles encourages energy. readers to begin their own local miracle- $18.50, paper. Namaste. 198 pages Grounded in science and metaphysics, Loaded with inspiring anecdotes and This is a book about consciousness, time, Making Miracles invites readers to bypass making study groups based on the infor - practical tips, Clutter Busting is based on quantum science, and God, all woven into a notions of a fixed reality and the presumed mation and exercises in the book . A free the premise that your things are not sa - study guide for this is available at namas - series of practical, boundaries of space and time (boundaries cred, but you are . The book explores such tepublishing.com. personal experi - that science is showing to be permeable be - fundamental topics as the false identities ments in miracle- yond our wildest imaginings) to create the we assume through clutter, the fear of making. It goes far life they long for, and at the same time change those junk piles represent, the ad - beyond current reach out in loving compassion to every YOUR ULTIMATE CALLING dictive nature of holding on to objects, how teachings on the law other reader, wherever they happen to be 365 Ways to Bring Inspiration clearing clutter makes room for clarity, and of attraction and will in space/time. into your Life much more. With Palmer’s upbeat and sweep readers up in The book discusses in 30 detailed chap - by Wayne Dyer compassionate guidance, you’ll find your - a collaborative ex - ters everything readers will want to know $10.95, paper. Hay House. 365 pages, colour self clearing the way for new things to come periment that push - about how to create miracles in their lives. Your mind knows that you’re in a into your life. es the boundaries of Every segment of the book builds upon the Universe that has a creative, organizing Clutter Busting takes us through actual human potential . next, beginning with the introduction. Intelligence supporting it, and you know sessions of clutter busting and shows how Each chapter ends with an exercise For now, without that it flows through you. the stagnant energy can be freed . These quite understanding how, imagine your and/or an experiment in miracle-making. * stories of people’s lives transformed will mind is transcending the fluid boundaries The exercises prepare the reader for the If you practice gratitude as opposed to have you finally getting rid of that junk. of time and space to connect with every experiments, while the experiments take maintaining an attitude of entitlement, “According to professional ‘clutter mind that has in the past, and will in the the reader beyond time and space into un - you’ll automatically extend inspiration buster’ and stand-up comedian Palmer, future, read these words... charted territory to see what is possible . A wherever you go. when people get rid of stuff they don’t It doesn’t matter what you perceive. Just companion CD of these exercises and ex - Wayne Dyer’s inspirational teachings have need, they also remove impediments to a imagine what it would be like if you felt periments, read by the author, is available come forth in many books, audio and video happy life. Hanging onto things is a way to

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 22 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! INSPIRATION & PSYCHOLOGY !

David Spangler’s Soul Education Mark Nepo’s Stories of the Heart

APPRENTICED TO SPIRIT AS FAR AS THE HEART CAN SEE The Education of a Soul Stories to Illuminate the Soul by David Spangler by Mark Nepo $30.00, cloth. Riverhead. 303 pages $17.50, paper. HCI. 246 pages This powerfully personal story recounts the extraordi - $28.99, 4 CDs. Simon & Shuster. nary forces that introduced David Spangler to the spiri - 4.5 hours, unabridged tual realm, and “showed him around.” This fascinating, Stories carry the seeds of our humanness. They help us, refreshing read will gently revise many favorite illusions teach us, heal us, and connect us to what matters. In As Far of what the spiritual life is all about. As the Heart Can See , poetic philosopher and storyteller David Spangler has always had an intuitive under - Mark Nepo (author of The Book of Awakening ) bares the standing that our physical world is only one small part of stories of his heart, his dreams, and the myths of our an - the universe. For as long as he can remember, this vi - cestors as guides for enriching our depths. These stories sionary and spiritual teacher has been psychically aware about “staying awake and staying close to what is sacred” of a spiritual world existing alongside the physical one. go straight to the heart . In 1965, when he was studying bio - Each story has a life of its own that simply chemistry at , used me to become known again in the Spangler chose to leave college and fol - world. Like roots finding water, we always wind up moving toward what low an inner spiritual calling. Soon after, he encountered an extraor - sustains us. dinary presence, which he named “John,” and which over the next Following each of the 45 stories are three forms of invitation to quarter-century would be his colleague and mentor, assisting him in further the conversation: journal questions, table questions, and exploring the “inner worlds” of the spirit . No ordinary teacher, John meditations . The questions, whether reflected upon in a journal or was Spangler’s guide to comprehending the sacredness within us, and Mark Nepo discussed in deeper conversation with friends or family, are meant to David Spangler he helped build partnerships with the spiritual worlds. John tutored lead the seeker down unimagined paths and back into life; the med - him in some of the most basic mysteries of life and the nature of the itations are meant to ground the learning. These stories and parables about univer - human spirit. sal concepts and themes offer a poet’s sensuality and a philosopher’s sensibility to In Apprenticed to Spirit , Spangler recounts how he met John and how John showed personalizing the journey of the human experience in the world. him the way to develop a spiritual intelligence—what Spangler calls “a mind of the “This book is like a door that opens only one way. When you open it, you become soul”—and to integrate it into everyday life. Such a development, John said, is impor - more than you were, and there is no going back. These stories will free you to move tant for enhancing a person’s creativity and bringing his spiritual energy into focus. closer to your own dream of yourself and live more authentically, more joyfully, and Spangler learned to think with his soul and embarked on the apprenticeship to un - more passionately than before. More than just a book, As Far As the Heart Can See is an derstanding the sacredness of our world and of the realms beyond ours—a journey exquisitely written invitation to live your real life.” —Rachel Naomi Remen, author of that continues to this day. This book is the absorbing memoir—generously sprinkled Kitchen Table Wisdom with guidance of the highest order—of one man’s journey to understanding how we “What happens when a poet writes a book of stories about how to live, how to love, can learn to lead lives of greater blessing and to be sources of blessing and service for how to heal and grow and find our distinct purpose? For me, each word became a step - the world as a whole. ping stone on a path through the woods. And not only that: a host of helpers, teach - Among David Spangler’s other books are The Laws of Manifestation , Incarnational ers, cheerleaders, and friends popped off the pages of this charming and wise book Spirituality , and The Subtle Worlds . A pioneer of the Findhorn community, he is now to lead me out of the stuck places and into freedom .” —Elizabeth Lesser, author of director of the Lorian Center for Incarnational Spirituality: www.lorian.org. Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow avoid change, says Palmer, and he trains With her trademark insight and accessi - Psychology, Therapy Once we can be present, then we can readers to clean out work and home bility, Gawain highlights the transformative help in many ways. Another premise of this spaces, as well as their heads . Indeed, power of bringing the light of awareness to & Dreams approach is that each of us contains what Palmer’s discussion of the psychological as - every aspect of the self—intuitive wisdom has been called brilliant sanity. The pects of clutter (it’s both an addiction and a and rationality, power and vulnerability, contemplative approach suggests that our WHAT REALLY HELPS most basic nature is open, clear, and punishment) makes the book unique.” — peacemaker and warrior. The gist is that ac - Using Mindfulness & Compassionate Library Journal knowledging all aspects of one’s personali - compassionate. Within all states of mind are Presence to Help, Support, the seeds of these qualities that we can offer “Clutter Busting literally changed my life. ty—including both the light and dark and Encourage Others to each other. Not only can we offer our Brooks’s gentle yet firm voice inspired me facets—leads to a more satisfying, integrat - by Karen Kissel Wegela own resources to others, we can also help to act, to widen my eyes and take a fresh ed experience of life. $18.95, paper. Shambhala. 239 pages other people to tap their own richness. look around—and undo pockets of clutter, Reader exercises put teachings on sub - Drawing on her experience as a psy - Here is a book that provides answers, and not only in my closet and the trunk of my jects including creativity, the world as mir - chotherapist and longtime student of that will be of special interest to helping car but also in my heart.” —Marc Lesser, au - ror, relationships, childrearing, money, Buddhism, Karen professionals—as well as to anyone who thor of Less health, and transforming the world to per - Wegela offers wants to make a positive difference in the sonal, practical use . Together they com - clear, practical ad - lives of people they care about. prise a comprehensive map to growth, ful - vice on the art of Wegela is also the author of fillment, and heightened consciousness. The Courage LIVING IN THE LIGHT helping others . to Be Present . Follow Your Inner Guidance to Create a I understand, better than ever now, that Despite our good New Life and a New World 25th “living in the light” involves traveling into intentions to help, Anniversary Edition the darker places within ourselves, and we often hold back by Shakti Gawain & Laurel King shining the light of consciousness into because we don’t THE ART OF UNCERTAINTY $16.50, paper. New World Library. 256 pages them so that we can truly love and express know what to say How to Live in the Mystery of Life Personal growth pioneer Shakti Gawain all that we are. or do—and we and Love It has been mentoring readers toward optimal On this amazing human journey of sometimes find by Dennis Merritt Jones ours, the strongest guiding force we have living for three that our best at - $17.50, paper. Tarcher/Penguin. decades. Her is right within us. We gain access to it tempts to help end 277 pages, French flaps books are vital through our intuitive sense, our “gut up making things The Art of Uncertainty is an invitation to the classics that not feelings” about what is right and true for worse. What are reader to consider its essential message: learn - us. The development of our relationship only broke the best ways to provide emotional support, ing to love the un - with our inner guidance is what this book ground for peers guidance, or encouragement to the people known by staying is all about. such as Tolle, in our lives? present in the mo - Williamson, Among Shakti Gawain’s other books are Wegela’s core message is that in order to ment . If the diffi - Chopra, Dyer, and Creative Visualization and The Path of be truly helpful to others, we need to devel - culties of recent Ruiz but continue Transformation . op greater awareness, kindness, and com - years have taught to empower suc - passion for ourselves. Only then we can ex - us anything—par - ceeding genera - tend these qualities to the people we’d like ticularly those who tions of seekers to help. What Really Helps highlights the use “did everything and teachers. of mindfulness, or learning to become fully right” and still saw Living in the Light present in the moment. When we learn how it all fall apart—it’s introduces read - to be fearlessly and compassionately pre - that none of us has ers to a powerful new way of life: that of sent, we find that we are better listeners, as much control listening to one’s own and relying and we are wiser about what actions to take over our lives as we on it, as a guiding force . and what guidance to give others . believe.

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 23 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! FLOURISHING & AGING !

What if we could learn how to be at peace ment in life and not just for workplace suc - step-by-step tech - make the best use of the dreams. Readers with uncertainty, with “I don’t know,” and cess; and how corporations can improve niques, and illus - will learn to remember dreams, keep a embrace the possibility that the future is full performance at the same time as they raise trations enable dream diary, start a dream group, and have of mystery, excitement, and unlimited op - employee well-being. Included are interac - readers to “cap - psychic dreams. portunity? What if we discovered that a new tive exercises to help readers explore ture” their My emphasis is on the practical: on paradigm can be more fulfilling, more re - their own attitudes and aims . dreams, and then giving you hands-on, dreams-on, warding, and more peaceful than what we Also by Martin Seligman are Authentic put them to work . experience. Every chapter contains have known? Living in the I don’t know and Happiness and Learned Optimism . It shows how to exercises you can do to deepen your loving it is an art form we can all master , turn negative understanding. Try the exercises and see and The Art of Uncertainty is a friendly and dreams into posi - what happens . Learn from your own useful guidebook. tive ones, so that experience as well as mine... You’ll get BEYOND BLAME the most out of this book if you’re actively The illusion (and desire) to which most Freeing Yourself from the Most nightmares be - come a thing of remembering and recording dreams as of us are attached is that we have control Toxic Form of Emotional Bullsh*t you read it. over much of what occurs in our lives. In by Carl Alasko the past, and to make recurrent dreams actuality, we have control over very little move on. Instead of offering standard de - Joe Friedman trained as a therapist with $18.50, paper. Tarcher/Penguin. 319 pages the Philadelphia Association (founded by beyond our next breath and thought. The This new book from the author of scriptions of dreams, it gives the necessary good news is, our next thought is the point techniques to become an authority on and R.D. Laing), and has worked with individu - of entry wherein lies our inner peace. Emotional Bullshit reveals why no one is to als and couples for over 20 years. blame—but “Masters throughout the ages have taught everyone’s ac - Midlife Passages us to come to the edge of our current belief countable. system and take a leap of faith beyond the According to & Elder Wisdom known. The Art of Uncertainty not only of - psychologist Carl fers us a clear road map to the edge, but Alasko, blame is makes the leap with us . If you are ready to such an intrinsic The Joys and Gifts of Aging expand your vision of a life worth living, this part of human is a book you will want to read.” —Gay behavior that Hendricks, author of The Big Leap many of us are COMPOSING A FURTHER LIFE Also by this author is The Art of Being . not ever aware of The Age of Active Wisdom what we’re do - by Mary Catherine Bateson ing—or the nega - $17.95, paper. Crown. 272 pages FLOURISH tive effect it is From the author of Composing a Life , Composing a Further A Visionary New Understanding of having on our re - Life explores a new stage of the life cycle, “Adulthood II,” Happiness and Well-being lationships . In Beyond Blame , he guides created by unprecedented levels of health, energy, time, and by Martin Seligman readers in recognizing the destruction that resources—of which we have barely begun to be conscious. $29.99, cloth. Simon & Schuster. 348 pages blame may be causing in their lives—and in Mary Catherine Bateson sees aging today as an “improvisa - Flourish , psychologist Martin Seligman’s putting an end to it once and for all. tional art form calling for imagination and willingness to first book in ten years, presents his dynam - In this book, the fullest treatment ever learn .” Here she relates the experiences of men and ic new concept on this complex subject, Alasko reveals that women—herself included—who, upon entering this second of what well- the need to assign blame when something adulthood, have found new meaning and new ways to con - being really is . bad happens stems from a very deep desire tribute, composing their lives in new patterns. Traditionally, we all share to “see justice done.” Bateson engages a diverse range of new elders in open-ended, in-depth conver - the goal of psy - Understandable when a grave crime has sations : a retired Maine boatyard worker who has become a silversmith and maker of chology has been committed, but it can become a dan - fine jewelry; an African American woman who explores the impor - been to relieve gerous habit if we attempt to use blame to tance of grandmothering, and many others. human suffer - change something or someone in our This book presents each of us—at any age—with an exhilarating ing, but the world . Indeed, the weapons in blame’s ar - challenge to think about and approach our later lives with the full goal of the senal—criticism, accusation, and punish - force of imagination, curiosity, and enthusiasm. At the same time, it Positive ment—can only push people away from Mary Bateson speaks to us as members of a larger society concerned about the world Psychology one another, and result in deadened mar - that our children and grandchildren, born and not yet born, will in - movement, riages, unending tension at work, and chil - herit. As adults find themselves making the choices that will affirm and complete which Dr. dren who avoid communicating with their the meaning of the lives they have lived, they can play a key role , contributing their Seligman has parents. perspectives and their experience of adapting to change. In our day, wisdom is no led for fifteen This book helps readers untangle the longer associated with withdrawal and passivity but with engagement with others and years, is about layers of blame that may exist in their re - the contribution that Bateson calls “active wisdom.” actually raising lationships and offers a step-by-step “One of the wisest people on the planet has written one of the finest books on the the bar for the human condition. Flourish method for replacing blame with what later years of life. Rich in conversation, insight, and personal discovery, she explores builds on Dr. Seligman’s game-changing Alasko calls Positive Accountability , a very the ‘Age of Active Wisdom’ in ways that defeat all stereotypes of ageism.” —Jean work on optimism, motivation, and char - effective approach to asking for what you Houston, author of A Mythic Life acter to show how to get the most out of need without using criticism or accusation. life, unveiling an electrifying new theory He also introduces readers to the Law of I FEEL GREAT ABOUT MY HANDS of what makes a good life —for individuals, Personal Limitations, a radical method for And Other Unexpected Joys of Aging for communities, and for nations. shifting your attitude toward the mistakes, edited by Shari Graydon In a fascinating evolution of thought and errors, and offensive behaviors of those $22.95, paper. Greystone. 264 pages practice, Flourish refines what Positive around you—and your own! With wisdom and humour, forty-one remarkable women Psychology is all about. While certainly a The road out of blame is not quick or over 50 revel in the joys of aging in I Feel Great about My part of well-being, happiness alone doesn’t easy, but as Alasko shows in this book, it is a Hands . give life meaning. Seligman now asks, What road that must be traveled if we hope to Nora Ephron struck a chord with I Feel Bad about My Neck . is it that enables you to cultivate your tal - achieve truly loving, fulfilling relationships. Women’s advocate Shari Graydon set out to counter the sup - ents, to build deep, lasting relationships posed downhill slide–inspired grief by inviting notable with others, to feel pleasure, and to con - women from across Canada—all over 50—to provide an al - tribute meaningfully to the world? In a THE DREAM WORKBOOK ternative perspective. word, what is it that allows you to flourish ? The Practical Guide to Understanding I Feel Great about My Hands is a collection of stories, es - “Well-being” takes the stage front and cen - Your Dreams and Making Them says and poems embracing the changes, discoveries and wis - ter, and Happiness (or Positive Emotion) Work for You dom that come with age . This colourful anthology includes: becomes one of the five pillars of Positive by Joe Friedman ! Gemini award–honoured funnywoman Mary Walsh on playing a “big, loud, opinion - Psychology, along with Engagement, $20.95, paper. Carroll & Brown. ated old bag” Relationships, Meaning, and 158 pages, 8x10, colour photos ! Celebrated poet Lorna Crozier’s hilariously graphic “My Last Erotic Poem” Accomplishment—or PERMA , the perma - Helping readers explore the world of the ! Val Napoleon, an adopted Gitksan member of Cree heritage applying Aboriginal trick - nent building blocks for a life of profound dream, this book offers a primer on the ster tales to modern attitudes about aging fulfillment. great “thinkers” on dream theory (Freud, ! Shari Graydon herself focusing her “face-half-unwrinkled” attention on the hands With implications for education, eco - Jung, Hillman, Boss...), describes how that have helped her nurture life and express creativity and joy. nomics, therapy, medicine, and public poli - dreams have been used and seen in other Royalties from the book will benefit Media Action, an organization dedicated to cy—the very fabric of society— Flourish tells cultures, explores the ability to be con - challenging the under-representation and sexualization of women in the media. inspiring stories of Positive Psychology in scious during dreams (lucid dreaming), “I applaud these fine women for trying to resolve and accept the dilemma of aging action, including how the entire U.S. Army and discusses how to use dreams to travel that affects us all, and doing so with such humour and poignancy. A wonderful read.” is now trained in emotional resilience; how through time and space. Case histories, —Karen Kain innovative schools can educate for fulfill -

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 24 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! DREAMING, THE JOYOUS BODY & SYMBOLS !

Jungian, Archetype discusses it from the perspective of a belief in the inherent potential good of the & Shadow Work New from Clarissa Pinkola Estés! Shadow and its ability to assist us in our quest for self-actualization. NIGHTS BY THE WALL UNTIE THE STRONG WOMAN If there is anything I hope you gain from A Guide to Dreams, Dreamwork, and Blessed Mother’s Immaculate Love this book, it is the simple realization that Profound Self-Knowing for the Wild Soul life is not out to get you and that the by Barbara Black Koltuv by Clarissa Pinkola Estés shadow is your guide to a better life. $20.50, paper. Nicolas Hays. 118 pages $27.95, cloth. Sounds True. The necessity for the confrontation with Jungian analyst Barbara Koltuv evokes the 374 pages, colour illustrations the Shadow has been known by all cultures in image of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem as a $29.95, 4 CDs. 4 hours, adapted all times and recorded in their myths and leg - place of dreams “Call her Our Lady, La Nuestra Señora, Holy Mother— ends. Robertson draws from stories of real and soulful or one of her thousands of other names,” says Dr. Estés. people’s lives, from the Bible, fairy tales or dreamwork. At “She wears hundreds of costumes, legends, modern fiction and the work of the Wall, we of - dozens of skin tones, is patroness of depth-psychologist C.G. Jung as well as his fer our prayers deserts, mountains, stars and oceans . own experiences . His writing is intimate, ac - to God, and at Thus she comes to us in billions of im - cessible and his insights and wisdom are con - the Wall, if we ages, but at her center, she is the Great veyed in anecdotal and easy-to-understand listen closely, Immaculate Heart.” language with clarity and depth. With Untie the Strong Woman —her we can hear the Darkness may simply be the unknown, voice of God first major book since Women Who Run with the Wolves —Clarissa where light has never had an opportunity within us. Clarissa Pinkola Pinkola Estés invites us to reconnect with “the fierce and loving to shine. When analysts Estés Blessed Mother who is friendly, but never tame—she who flies to our aid when the road is long and our hearts are broken, ever ready to Also by Robin Robertson is The work with pa - Beginner’s Guide to Jungian Psychology . tients to unrav - rekindle the inner fire of our creative souls.” el the meaning Her richly soul-textured book illuminates Our Lady through blessings, images (in - in dreams, they cluding lovely colour devotional art she has woven herself ), and narrative, including: Mythology & Symbolism are merely act - ! Stories of connecting with the Blessed Mother, including “Meeting the Lady in Red” ing as a conduit—a Wailing Wall—between and “Untie the Strong Woman” the patient and the hidden voice waiting to ! Blessed Mother’s many images from around the world, including “Litany of The Moth - THE BOOK OF SYMBOLS be heard within the soul. Through our er Road: A Chant of Her Incandescent Names”; “A Man Named Mary”; and “The Reflections on dreams we can connect to the God within Marys of Mother Africa” Archetypal Images ourselves; we can come to know our whole ! The wild side of her love, including “Massacre of the Dreamers: The Maiz Mother”; by the Archive for Research Self in a complete and truthful way. Simply “Holy Card of Swords Through the Heart”; and “Guadalupe is a Girl Gang Leader in in Archetypal Symbolism writing down dreams, and allowing them Heaven.” $43.95, cloth. Taschen. to matter, opens a sacred pathway to inner The Blessed Mother is often ‘Friend to the friendless one’ and Mother to all—yet too 808 pages, 7x10, 750 colour images awareness . many of us have been estranged from her for far too long. A 13-year labour of love from the leg - In Nights by the Wall , Dr. Koltuv shares her endary Archive for Research in Archetypal Untie the Strong Woman opens a channel to this sacred and nurturing force—”break - Symbolism wisdom, knowledge, and insight into ing through walls that have held us back from her presence, and instead, inviting us dreamwork . In her more than forty-five (aras.org), The to shelter under her starry green mantle.” Book of Symbols years of practice, Dr. Koltuv has learned that Also available, in her own voice, in an adapted 4-hour, 4-CD audio program. wholeness and healing come through a combines origi - deep spiritual connection to the Self within. nal and evoca - It is her hope that this book will help people THE JOYOUS BODY tive essays about particular sym - find that meaningful connection by work - Myths and Stories of the Wise New on Woman Archetype bols with repre - ing with their dreams. By sharing her own CD dreams and those of her clients, she shows by Clarissa Pinkola Estés sentative images how important dreams and dreamwork are $69.95, 6 CDs. Sounds True. 6 hours from all parts of in the experience of intimately knowing The Joyous Body is Part Three of “The Dangerous the world and all and healing the Self . Old Woman” audio trilogy. eras of history. Clarissa Pinkola Estés invites you to join her and The highly read - Dreams are a gift from God and treated the Dangerous Old Woman “at the fireside” once able texts and al - as such, soulful dreamwork brings most 800 beauti - integration, healing, and joy. Dreams are again for the third volume of her work on the arche - the heart’s knowledge and the guiding type of the wise woman. This six-session program fea - ful full-color words of the soul. They give us a symbol tures original stories, poems, and psychological commentary on the challenges, images come together in a unique way to system and a personal soul language by remedies, and ancient knowings of the holy female body, “that which is not a dumb convey hidden dimensions of meaning. which we can know and become our most servant but a divine fellow traveler and consort.” Each of the c. 350 essays examines a given authentic self. It is the nature of the saplings to quake in the winds; hesitant, learning to hold their symbol’s psychic background, and how it Also by Barbara Black Koltuv are The own places. But, the older trees, with their years of testing and being tested, they are the evokes psychic processes and dynamics. Book of Lilith and Solomon and Sheba: ones who, whether in the long stern winds or misty gales, sway the most. Less a Etymological roots, the play of opposites, Individuation and Inner Marriage . bouquet of tentative trembling first-time buds, now much more the leaf-perfumed hips of paradox and shadow, the ways in which di - a hundred wide women dancing—these old ones, regardless of form, sway, by heart, to verse cultures have engaged a symbolic im - the music that thunders through them. age—all these factors are taken into consid - eration. THE SHADOW’S GIFT A few of the many highlights: ! Authored by writers from the fields of Find Out Who You Really Are Bones: Listening for the Creation Song ! psychology, religion, art, literature and by Robin Robertson Archetypal personification: La Anciana , The Midwife Exemplar ! On the 10,000 Kinds of Beauty, on Ageless Beauty and True Self Love comparative myth, the essays flow into $19.50, paper. Nicolas Hays. ! each other in ways that mirror the psyche’s 182 pages, b/w illustrations Archetypal personification: Old Woman Truth, The Old Woman as “The Original” unexpected convergences . There are no When the obligation to become whole is “Las Barbas Platas , The Great Silverbeards: Making Peace with the Body” ! pat definitions of the kind that tend to col - laid upon an individual, the first task he Storyteller’s Story: “The Such-Lovely” ! lapse a symbol; a still vital symbol remains must undertake is Overcoming body shame ! partially unknown, compels our attention to confront his La panocha, the vulva ! and unfolds in new meanings and manifes - Shadow. The The Old Scar Washer, “Little Clay Pot” ! tations over time. Rather than merely cate - Shadow’s Gift: On remarkable life emerging from the midst of the wound ! gorize, The Book of Symbols illuminates how Find Out Who You Add-on and removable parts ! to move from the visual experience of a Really Are is Archetypal Personification: La Alma ; The Soul as Pilot; The Visionary ! symbolic image in art, religion, life, or about the Memoria, Sabiduria , and other concepts that allow a woman to sing despite bad in - dreams, to directly experiencing its per - Shadow con - juries and still fly free ! sonal and psychological resonance . tained in each of Táncoló Nagymamák, The Dancing Grandmothers ! The Book of Symbols sets new standards for us, and why we On how when one is cruelly cut-down, one can grow back ! thoughtful exploration of symbols and their must each join On the duty of the old to live on to test the young ! meanings, and will appeal to a wide range with our shadow , Taking joy in teaching. of readers: artists, designers, dreamers and the archetype of dream interpreters, psychotherapists, self- darkness and evil, twists its true meaning into a destructive, The Shadow is a paradox. While it initial - helpers, gamers, comic book readers, reli - in order to be - counter-evolutionary force. Owning and in - ly appears to us as loathsome and despica - gious and spiritual searchers, writers, stu - come whole. This heroic process is crucial tegrating our shadow allows its transforma - ble, it actually contains all our future poten - dents, and anyone curious about the power as the projection or denial of the Shadow tion in both the world and us. tialities for development. Robin Robertson of archetypal images.

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 25 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! MEDITATION, TM & THE DIAMOND HEART !

Meditation attention-deficit disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Meditation: the Real Goods “Transcendence is the best-ever book on BE THE CHANGE Transcendental Meditation: accessible and How Meditation Can substantive, engaging and scientific, practi - Transform You and New in MEDITATION FOR BEGINNERS cal and profound. A very enjoyable read the World Paperback 10th Anniversary Edition New on that can change your life, for good.” — by Ed & Deb Shapiro, by Jack Kornfield CD David Lynch foreword by Robert Thurman $19.95, 2 CDs. Sounds True. 2 hours $14.95, paper. Sterling. 352 pages On Meditation for Beginners , trusted teacher Jack Western Spiritual Teachers Here’s a jewel of a book. Two teachers sat Kornfield uses clear language and step-by-step guid - down with many leaders of meditation prac - ance to show you how to start—and stick with—a daily & Teachings tice in today’s meditation practice . In this beginner’s course, Jack in - world—and lis - troduces you to the “Insight” tradition of meditation that DIAMOND HEART BOOK 5 tened— and have has helped practitioners throughout the ages cultivate Inexhaustible Mystery conveyed the re - profound inner calm and a lasting capacity for happi - by A.H. Almaas ness. Join him to discover: sults to the rest of $21.50, paper. Shambhala. 336 pages ! The measurable benefits of meditation for your physi - us. It’s a “blos - This is the last of the five-volume cal and emotional health soms ripening Diamond Heart series of transcribed and ! How to use breathing, posture, and attention to enter the meditative state into sweet fruit” edited talks given ! Simple and effective strategies for dealing with distractions, “busy brain,” and other kind of antholo - by A.H. Almaas to common challenges gy— a treasury of inner-work ! How meditation can help you deepen compassion, find healing through forgiveness, heartfelt advice groups in from many of and dissolve your fear of death ! California and the greatest sea - Four guided meditations that will serve as the foundation for an ongoing practice: Colorado in use your breath, physical sensations—and even difficult emotions—to create tran - soned and real - the1980s. ized meditators . quility and lovingkindness. Inexhaustible With his gentle delivery and ability to translate ancient practices for modern audi - Meditation is enjoying a renewed surge of Mystery consists of popularity, penetrating public conscious - ences, Jack Kornfield has become one of the most accessible and sought-after teachers 13 talks about the ness as never before. Be the Change exam - for helping first-time meditators get their start. You can begin meditating today—in purity and cre - ines the transformations wrought by this an - just the time it takes to listen to Meditation for Beginners . ative dynamism cient (and freshly honed) practice through Jack Kornfield, a founder of the Insight Meditation Society, teaches meditation (and of reality given the wisdom of extraordinary luminaries, in - teachers of meditation) at the Spirit Rock Center in California. His books A Path with by Almaas to stu - terwoven with text from Ed and Deb. The Heart and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry (among others) are seasoned guides to the dents of the words of these spiritual leaders from all perils, promises, and experiential terrain of the spiritual path. Diamond disciplines and walks of life will surprise, MEDITATION Approach . Delivered with humour, love, enlighten, and inspire readers to begin and delight, the talks discuss issues and ex - An In-Depth Guide their own meditation practice —and per - periences that arise after years of sincere by Ian Gawler & Paul Bedson haps create the foundation for a new and commitment to the inner journey . Even if more harmonious age. $19.50, paper. Tarcher/Penguin. you are new to spiritual work, the beauty of 394 pages, French flaps Be the Change includes wisdom from lu - Almaas’s teaching is that he impacts the Meditation is increasingly recommended for relaxation, minaries such as the Dalai Lama, Marianne reader’s soul in whatever way is appropriate for enhancing relationships and well-being, to increase per - Williamson, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ram Dass, to that soul’s needs in the moment. This formance in sports and business, for personal growth, and to Byron Katie, the , Jack Kornfield, loving intelligence in the unfolding of re - assist healing. Introducing mindfulness-based stillness med - Krishna Das, Joel & Michelle Levey, Jean ality is one aspect that Almaas explores in itation, Ian Gawler and Paul Bedson explain how to build a Houston, Kitaro, Jill Purce, Gay & Kathlyn the talks on creative dynamism. daily meditation practice. The authors also show how med - Hendricks, Joan Halifax, Thomas Keating, Almaas deconstructs teachings from mys - itation can be used to work with our emotions, aid healing, Gangaji, Mingyur Rinpoche, Gabrielle tical Christianity to help illuminate the manage pain, or as a spiritual practice . Roth, Rabbi Zalman Schachter, Wavy Gravy, truth of spiritual poverty, which is a doorway Meditation is a path we can pursue and refine throughout and many more. to experiencing the purity of reality. Be pre - our lives. Drawing on modern science as well as ancient Eastern traditions and the au - This miracle train, where the engine is pared for a wild ride, for through Almaas’s thors’ own extensive personal experience as practitioners and teachers, this guide of - the great heart of all spiritual teachers, transmission, you might indeed experience fers the techniques and understanding needed to explore meditation practice deeply. visionaries, and poets throughout the the dizzying and paradoxical freedom of It is also an invaluable resource for meditation teachers from all backgrounds. world from all times, the kind and skillful spiritual poverty—the emptiness of self—as Both authors have studied with a number of eminent teachers, including Sogyal engineers are Ed and Deb, and the cars you are impacted through reading. Rinpoche and Osho, and they offer much good advice. An introduction covers the you ride in so comfortably are the In a final chapter, Divine Quintessence, spacious realization of all the great meaning and history of meditation, and the following chapters explore the steps in - Almaas shares more recent realizations meditators who carry you along. —Robert volved: preparation, relaxation of the muscles, mindfulness, and stillness. These chap - from his inner journey . The dynamism of Thurman, from his foreword ters are followed by a section that discusses applying the techniques to mind-body med - reality means that there is no particular icine, pain management, affirmation, intention, contemplation, and spirituality. An Also by Ed and Deb Shapiro is Your Body condition that is the final state of enlight - appendix provides working definitions of meditation, and an extensive bibliography of - Speaks Your Mind (book & CD). enment. There is no end-point to the inner fers resources for those who wish to deepen their studies. The techniques covered here journey: the mysteries of reality continue to are described so clearly that anyone who reads the book will be able to learn them. reveal and express themselves through our Bedson spent time in India learning from masters at a Tibetan monastery, and TRANSCENDENCE individual consciousness. Hence the title, Gawler, diagnosed with swiftly fatal osteogenic sarcoma at the age of 24, overcame his Healing and Transformation through Inexhaustible Mystery. painful disease through meditation and lifestyle change and has remained cancer-free Transcendental Meditation Almaas has written a number of other since 1978. by Norman Rosenthal books, of which Diamond Heart Book One Regardless of religious beliefs or life situations, any reader would benefit from the $30.00, cloth. Tarcher/Penguin. 303 pages and The Inner Journey Home a re the most Mindfulness-Based Stillness Meditation (MBSM) techniques clearly outlined here. In this definitive book on the scientifically widely read. proven health and stress-relieving benefits of Transcendental Meditation, a psy - Disorder (SAD), brings us the most impor - ing a silent mantra, or nonverbal sound, to chiatrist and re - tant work on Transcendental Meditation attain a profound state of aware relaxation. THE GURU QUESTION searcher explores since the ’s Science of Alongside interviews—where figures like The Perils and Rewards why TM works, Being and Art of Living . Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Martin of Choosing a Spiritual Teacher what it can do for Transcendence demystifies the practice Scorsese, Russell Brand, Laura Dern, by Mariana Caplan, you, and how to use and benefits of Transcendental Moby, and David Lynch openly discuss foreword by Robert Thurman it for maximum ef - Meditation for a general audience who their meditation—Dr. Rosenthal draws $16.95, paper. Sounds True. 402 pages fect. may have heard about the method but do upon experience from the lives of his pa - In The Guru Question , Mariana Caplan Norman not necessarily know what it is, how it is tients and a wealth of clinical research gives us a unique and much-needed guide Rosenthal, a twen - learned, or what they stand to gain, physi - amassed on TM over the past generation for deciding whether we need a dedicated ty-year researcher cally and emotionally , from achieving tran - (340 peer-reviewed published articles ). mentor to help illuminate our path to at the National scendence. Dr. Rosenthal clearly and prac - He provides the fullest and most accessi - awakening—and if so, how to navigate the Institute of Mental tically explains the basic ideas behind ble book ever on the broad range of bene - deep complexities of the guru-disciple re - Health and the Transcendental Meditation: It is a nonreli - fits of this remarkably simple practice, from lationship . celebrated psychiatrist who pioneered the gious practice that involves sitting comfort - relief of anxiety, stress and depression to For those seeking a teacher worthy of study and treatment of Season Affective ably for twenty minutes twice a day while us - new hope for those experiencing addiction, their trust and devotion, or anyone who has

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 26 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! GURUS & TEACHERS !

Gangaji Uncovers the Treasure Two (Extra) Ordinary Teachers

HIDDEN TREASURE PSYCHOMAGIC Uncovering the Truth in Your Life Story The Transformative Power of Shamanic Psychotherapy by Gangaji by Alejandro Jodorowsky $29.00, cloth. Tarcher/Penguin. 206 pages $29.95, paper. Inner Traditions. 292 pages In Hidden Treasure , American spiritual teacher Gangaji While living in Mexico, Alejandro Jodorowsky became fa - uses the telling of her own life story to help readers un - miliar with the colorful and effective cures provided by folk cover the truth of their own . healers. He realized that it is easier for the unconscious to un - To more fully examine your story, you derstand the language of dreams than that of undress it. You see inside it. The book’s rationality. Illness can even be seen as a physi - continuing deconstruction of my story and the cal dream that reveals unresolved emotional teaching story is support for the continuing and psychological problems. deconstruction of your story. Psychomagic presents the shamanic and Antoinette (Toni) Roberson Varner was genealogical principles Jodorowsky discov - given the name Gangaji by her teacher Sri ered to create a healing therapy that could H.W.L. Poonja in 1990. Before that meet - Alejandro use the powers of dreams, art, and theater to empower individuals Gangaji ing, she had pursued many paths to enlightenment. Brought up in Jodorowsky to heal wounds that in some cases had traveled through generations . the 1950s in the racially divided South, she married young and had a The concrete and often surreal poetic actions Jodorowsky employs are daughter. Following the dissolution of her first marriage, she moved to Northern part of an elaborate strategy intended to break apart the dysfunctional persona with California and immersed herself fully in the spiritual culture that was flourishing whom the patient identifies in order to connect with a deeper self. That is when true there—but all her efforts to achieve lasting fulfillment ultimately fell short. In the transformation can manifest. wake of her disillusionment, she made a final prayer for help. In 1990, the answer to A judge whose vanity was ruling his every move was given the task of dressing like a her prayer came unexpectedly, taking her to India and to the meeting that would tramp and begging outside one of the fashionable restaurants he loved to frequent change everything. There on the banks of the river Ganges, she met Poonja, also while pulling glass doll eyes out of his pockets. The lesson for him was that if a tramp known as Papaji, who opened her mind to the eternal presence of being. can fill his pockets with eyeballs, then they must be of no value, and thus the eyes of others should have no bearing on who you are and what you do. Taking his patients Absolute silent awareness overflows with simple, fulfilled absolute love. Objects—people, directly at their words, Jodorowsky takes the same elements associated with a nega - nature, emotions—may or may not appear. Objects are not needed and they are welcomed. and The joy of this full silence is uncaused and unlimited. Always here, always tive emotional charge and recasts them in an action that will make them positive discovering itself. It is the treasure, and it is hidden only when we refuse to keep quiet enable them to pay the psychological debts hindering their lives. and find out who we are . “Jodorowsky is a brilliant, wise, gentle, and cunning wizard with tremendous depth of imagination and crystalline insight into the human condition. Psychomagic is neces - In Hidden Treasure , Gangaji guides readers to the realization that once they can uncover sary reading for all who long to shock the world into awakening.” —Daniel Pinchbeck, and speak the truth about themselves, deep and lasting contentment is entirely possible. author of Notes from the Edge Times Other titles by Gangaji are The Diamond in Your Pocket and Open, Unprotected and Alejandro Jodorowsky is the filmmaker who made the legendary El Topo and The Free . Info: gangaji.org. Holy Mountain . An innovative psychothera pist living in Paris, he is also author of The Way of Tarot and The Spiritual Journey of Alejandro Jodorowsky . THE GREATEST DISCOVERY Insights and Guided Meditations for WAKING TO ORDINARY LIFE the Direct Experience of Freedom New on by Lalitha Thomas by Gangaji CD $18.75, paper. Hohm. 220 pages $69.95, 6 CDs. Sounds True. 6 hours Waking to Ordinary Life speaks directly to the Have you ever felt that you’ve yet to be fully and truly false presumption that our relationship to the Divine, alive? That just beyond reach, there might be something to Spirit, somehow precludes a simple life based in human ma - far more vast, immediate, and real? “What you’ve sensed turity, dignity and kindness toward others. It casts unrelenting was the ‘absolute You’ beckoning,” teaches Gangaji, “the light on how clear-cut spiritual practice actually is, if only we boundless awareness and love that is your true nature.” have the courage to choose it. This courage, the author states, With The Greatest Discovery , a word-by-word, moment- means squarely facing the unconscious or destructive habits by-moment journey into awakening , she invites us to answer that call to this ecstatic we’ve used since childhood to keep us comforted, and to get us expanse of being. through the day. Lalitha challenges and guides her readers in When hearing Gangaji for the first time, many listeners—even those who’ve prac - how to work with this denial mechanism, and how to pay at - ticed self-inquiry on their own for years—describe a “direct transmission” of infinite tention to the body’s innate wisdom which consistently signals and loving consciousness. It sounds “mystical,” but as Gangaji often says, she is just an us, yet is generally overridden. ordinary person. So what’s happening? “We can grow up!” she exclaims, demonstrating what this means for the practition - We create suffering when we come to believe that we are the waves and weather of er on any spiritual path. Waking to Ordinary Life is derived from recent talks and con - our physical, emotional, and mental turmoil—but who we really are is the ever-present versations Lalitha, a teacher in the Western Baul tradition, has held with her stu - and immutable water. dents and those interested in spiritual practice, making its message fresh, accessible And by simply inquiring into these inner obstacles in the presence of others—and and real . Her many examples bypass heady concepts and pretty words, and bring the sharing each step thought-by-thought— Gangaji creates a heart-centered attunement reader down to earth where messy relationships, greed and cancer must be handled. that lofts us into the profound experience that her listeners describe . Overall, the book emphasizes that merely understanding the nature of mind, and The Greatest Discovery marks a unique new offering from Gangaji. First, it’s a con - how mind creates neurosis, does not dispel the neurosis. For that, consistent, accu - centrated distillation of her current core teachings on dozens of real-life issues, in - rately-directed effort (i.e., practice) is required. Paradoxically, the author asserts that cluding nine guided practices . But more than that—these intimate meetings are meant such effort may actually consist in relaxing, especially the habits of self-hatred. Her to be an immersive journey to spark the direct experience of awakening as you listen, … wise counsel encourages simple daily practice for the purpose of infusing this knowl - answer the call, … and embark on your own adventure into spiritual discovery. edge into the body, and thus affecting one’s behavior on every level. The bottom line Gangaji is an American-born woman dedicated to sharing the path of freedom is to rest in the unadorned truth. through direct self-inquiry, as taught by Ramana Maharshi and Sri H.W.L. Poonjaji. “If you have spiritual guts, then there are priceless treasures here that no serious Among her books are The Diamond in Your Pocket and You are That . practitioner can afford to miss. It is deeply wise and the wisdom is grounded, practi - cal, accessible, useful immediately.” —Red Hawk, author of Self Observation been frustrated by should consider making a commitment to In a time when a distrust of authority has EVOLUTIONARY ENLIGHTENMENT their experiences a spiritual teacher been proven to be a healthy trait, we tend to A New Path to Spiritual Awakening with a spiritual ! The path of the conscious learner—how be justifiably suspicious of those who present by Andrew Cohen, teacher, Caplan of - to retain your power and autonomy while themselves as gurus and spiritual masters. foreword by fers a candid, prac - accepting a mentor’s authority Drawing upon her knowledge as both a $27.50, cloth. Select. 240 pages tical, and daringly ! Tips for the wounded seeker—the valuable scholar of mysticism and lifelong practition - In Evolutionary Enlightenment Cohen re - personal examina - lessons we learn from our encounters with er of spiritual traditions, Mariana Caplan defines spirituality for our contemporary tion of the student- false teachers helps readers develop the discernment that world-—a world characterized by exponen - teacher dynamic , ! Spiritual scandals and predatory gurus— is crucial when seeking an authentic tial change and an ever-expanding appreci - including: guidance for avoiding the inherent pitfalls teacher—and reveals the immeasurable re - ation for the processes of evolution. Based ! Are you ready to in the student-teacher relationship wards that can come from having a trustwor - on 25 years of groundbreaking work as a be a student? If ! How to recognize the inner light of divin - thy guide on the spiritual path. spiritual teacher and the editor-in-chief of and when you ity as it manifests in the imperfect human Also by Marian Caplan is Eyes Wide Open: the award-winning EnlightenNext maga - guise of your teacher—and yourself. Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path . zine, Cohen has synthesized an original

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 27 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! NEAR-DEATH & THE TRANSPERSONAL ! path, practice, and the Infinite are “One”; and philosophy Practically we have a new mind, always Loving, Dying & Grieving focused entirely fresh. on aligning your - Being in the pause, I become infinite! self with what he It separates two worlds. I leave the limited A BEAUTIFUL DEATH calls “the evolu - world Facing the Future with Peace tionary im - And enter Boundlessness, through total by Cheryl Eckl pulse .” melting $17.50, paper. Flying Crane. 294 pages His message is The whole being is calm - a constant Cheryl Eckl is unexpectedly forced to host life’s most un - simple, yet pro - sparkle... welcome guest when her husband, Stephen, is diagnosed found: Life is I move in direct contact with life, in a with terminal cancer and given a few short years to live. evolution, and permanent present. In A Beautiful Death , her powerful insights, moving story , enlightenment is Ilie Cioara wrote 16 books describing the and unerring guidance show that we all have the inner re - about waking up practice of Self-knowing using all-encom - sources to face death, and the future, with peace. In fact, to this funda - passing Attention. Like Ramana Maharshi she says, when we are properly prepared this experience, mentally creative or Krishnamurti, his is a simple message of while rarely easy, can be profoundly beautiful. impulse as your own deepest, most authen - discovering our inner divine nature A Beautiful Death is a compassionate and honest ap - tic self—so that you can play an active role through the silence of the mind. proach to death as an integral part of life—how to think in creating the future. The Silence of the Mind is the first in a about it, talk about it, and prepare for it . Eckl helps us Change is a constant—and seems to be tetralogy by Ilie Cioara to be published by overcome our fear and avoidance of painful end-of-life is - increasing. Technology is accelerating, O Books. Soon to follow: The Wondrous sues as she gently takes us by the hand on a transformative journey through loss and globalization is making the world more and Journey into the Depth of Our Being, Life is unspeakable grief. In her sensitive and deftly written work, you’ll explore five liberat - more complex, and the pace of life seems to Eternal Newness and I Am Boundlessness . ing steps for facing death, whether your own or a loved one’s. You’ll learn how to give be speeding up every day. fully, nurture yourself and your loved ones, and open to the intensity of sorrow so you While many popular forms of contempo - Dying, Near-Death can rise up strengthened for your tomorrows. Above all, you’ll find the comfort you rary spirituality offer ways to feel better in & Grieving need to embrace whatever the present brings with grace, confidence, and peace. the face of overwhelming change-—to dis - “A truly beautiful account of a truly beautiful death.” —, author of Grace cover greater equanimity, detachment, or and Grit compassion—Andrew Cohen says that NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES change is not something to be avoided, or The Rest of the Story: What They Teach NOE merely tolerated, but an essential aspect of Us about Living, Dying, A Father-Son Song of Love, Life, reality that needs to be consciously em - and Our True Purpose Sickness, and Death braced. by P.M.H. Atwater Through his five fundamental tenets for by Phil Wolfson $23.95, paper. Hampton Roads. 270 pages living an enlightened life, Cohen encour - $24.95, paper. North Atlantic. Real-life stories of out-of-body experiences, 332 pages, b/w photos ages you to wholeheartedly participate in encountering a In this affecting multi-layered story of a family dealing the process of change as your own spiritu - special light, with catastrophic illnesss and the aftermath, Phil Wolfson al practice . greeters from the recalls his adolescent son’s four-year struggle with afterlife, life re - leukemia and his untimely death at almost seventeen views, tunnels, and years of age after a failed bone marrow transplant. THE SILENCE OF THE MIND 360-degree vision- The story is presented from three perspectives. Using jour - by Ilie Cioara —are all part of nals and recollection, Noe’s father Phil recalls the events $18.95, paper. O Books. 145 pages this intriguing look chronologically. His son’s chemotherapy journal offers a Ilie Cioara was a Romanian who died in at near-death expe - stricken teenager’s private view of illness, his wrestling with 2004. His message is original and unique, as riences (NDEs) by such enormous stress while striving to live within the framework of “normal” expecta - he never travelled one of the world’s tions for adolescence. The third perspective derives from the author’s realization that to India and never noted researchers, his intimate relationship with Noe continues after death. Channeling his son’s spirit, the belonged to any P.M.H. Atwater. author writes in his place, sharing with readers a near-adult view of living with illness and traditional Atwater shares her losing the battle to survive it. school. By practic - amazing findings, Emotional knowledge that comes of the shattered heart is wisdom based on the purest ing the silence of based on her ses - connection of all, between child and parent. It is my intention, through this book, to the mind, through sions with more than 4,000 adults and chil - make that bond palpable. an all-encompass - dren, and over 40 years of research. Noe reveals the inner world of familial love as well as discord, Noe’s own re - ing attention , we Atwater examines every aspect of the markable coping , and the extraordinary stress Noe’s illness had on his younger broth - discover and fulfill near-death phenomenon : from firsthand er. It describes the quest for emotional and spiritual support through therapy, con - our innermost po - accounts of survivors experiencing flash tact with renowned alternative healers, and the use of the drug MDMA for tential of becoming forwards, waking up in morgues, and devel - enhancing relationships . With poignant descriptions of an assisted dying process—a one with the divine oping psychic abilities, to stunning cases of doctor father helping his son through the hopeless and physically tormented end to spark that lies dor - groups experiencing NDEs together. his young life—Noe serves as a guide to families in crisis, or anyone experiencing the mant within us. Atwater offers statistics from her findings to inevitable challenges of life’s deepest relationships . Wolfson’s words move beyond a A silent mind allows the senses to show the distinctive common patterns that model for bereavement to offer a reminder of love‘s transcendence despite the enor - perceive things as they are. Through people experience, as well as the common mity of our suffering. silence, the mind in its totality had aftereffects and how it changed their lives. become an immense mirror in which the Near-death and other transformative outside world was reflected... states take us to the edge then push us over. Transpersonal Psychology they all lead If any reaction of the mind surfaced, it They are that part of the recreative process to one essen - disappeared immediately in contact with that ensures we advance as a species. They tial question: the sparkle of impersonal Attention. A constitute a biological imperative that strips MEDITATION & PSYCHOTHERAPY Can I be state of quiet and all-encompassing joy away whatever hinders the advancement A Professional Training here in this characterized me in all circumstances, and spread of . They Course for Integrating Book moment? whether pleasant or painful. My behavior free us to be who we are. Mindfulness into Clinical Using her was that of a simple witness, perfectly & CD Practice R.A.I.N. aware of what was happening around me, She also explores the physiological and spiritual changes that result from near- by Tara Brach (recogni - without affecting my all-encompassing $79.95, 8 CDs. Sounds True. 8.5 hours state of peace. death experiences and looks at the connec - tion, accep - tions between the NDE experience and Created for mental health professionals tance, inves - The Silence of the Mind interweaves “mir - what is often called “enlightenment.” Near and illuminating to anyone interested in tigation, and ror-poems” with prose explorations, fol - Death Experiences provides a glimpse of not the core techniques, practices, and insights non-identification) technique, a four-part lowed by a fascinating account of his own only what lies beyond the veil of our tempo - of Buddhist psychology, this experience- process that helps us learn how to stop run - learning journey , including two years hid - ral existence, but points to what—or who— focused audio learning program helps us ning away from our tangled emotions and ing horizontally in an attic, receiving lessons we really are and what we are meant to be. find our way back to natural presence, a start to lovingly face them, we’ll investigate from “the larger world”—and that was just “Well grounded in the science of the place where peace and our deep love for life and unblock the beliefs that cause suffering. the beginning. field, it covers much more than near-death, grows. Guiding us through meditations and The Power of Emptiness and is a compendium of wisdom about the There are many skillful means that we can practices on mindfulness, lovingkindness, The mind is completely silent, we are nature of consciousness that is well worth use to train ourselves and our clients to be - forgiveness, allowing, and more, Brach attentive - a clear consciousness, your time.” —Stephan Schwartz, author of come aware, teaches Brach, a psychothera - shares key tools and expert insights for All meanings, boundaries disappear - us Opening to the Infinite pist and meditator of more than 30 years. But moving through this liberating process so

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 28 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! IN-DEPTH JOURNEYS !

Judith Blackstone Entheogens / Psychedelics

THE INTIMATE LIFE Psychonautical Reflections Awakening to the Spiritual Essence in Yourself and Others by Judith Blackstone $16.95, paper. Sounds True. 328 pages PSYCHEDELIC HEALING This is a book about making contact—with yourself, your The Promise of Entheogens for partner, and everything around you—at the deepest level Psychotherapy and Spiritual Development possible. The basis for this connection is what Dr. Judith by Neal Goldsmith Blackstone calls fundamental consciousness—what we all $19.95, paper. Inner Traditions. are in our essence. In The Intimate Life , this innovate 224 pages, b/w illustrations teacher and psychotherapist shares 17 relational practices Banned after promising research in the 1940s, ’50s, from her unique approach to embodied spiritual awaken - and ’60s, the use of psychedelics as therapeutic catalysts is ing known as the Realization Process . Offered to help us re - now being rediscovered at prestigious medical schools, late “core to core” with compassion, understanding, and joy, such as Harvard, Johns Hopkins, NYU, and UCLA. The Intimate Life explores: Through clinical trials to assess their use, entheogens !Attuning to Unified Consciousness—how have been found to ease anxiety in the dying, interrupt to let go of our conditioned and behaviors to foster spiri - the hold of addictive drugs, cure post-traumatic stress dis - tual maturation order, and treat other deep-seated emotional distur - !Overcoming boundary problems— how to embrace the paradox of bances. To date, results have been positive, and the idea oneness and separateness of psychedelics as powerful psychiatric—and spiritual— !Awareness, emotion, and physical contact—the three main pathways medicines is now beginning to be accepted by the medical community. of interpersonal connection Exploring the latest cutting-edge research on psychedelics, along with their use in Judith !The spiritual essence of sexuality— spiritual exercises that apply uni - indigenous cultures throughout history for rites of passage and shamanic rituals , Blackstone fied consciousness to sexuality to enhance pleasure, liberate the body’s Neal Goldsmith reveals that the curative effect of entheogens comes not from a chem - subtle energy, and more. ical effect on the body but rather by triggering a peak or spiritual experience. He pro - To genuinely love other people is one of the central ideals in every spiritual tradition. vides guidelines for working with entheogens , groundbreaking analyses of the con - It’s also one of our greatest challenges. Here is a transformational guide to becoming cept—and the process—of change in psychotherapy, and, ultimately, his own story of “lovers of life” and experiencing the fuller potential of our intimate relationships. psychedelic healing. “Our spirituality flowers as we bring love alive in our lives. In The Intimate Life , Judith To maximize psychological growth, don’t get distracted by the pretty, dancing visuals. Blackstone guides us in how to release resistance to authentic contact and how to re - Breathe and go deeper. alize our inherent oneness with all beings. Her teachings are lucid, powerful, and Examining the tribal roots of this knowledge, Goldsmith shows that by combining wise—this book is a gem!” —Tara Brach, author, Radical Acceptance ancient wisdom and modern research, we can unlock the emotional, mental, and spir - itual healing powers of humans as catalyzed by these unique and powerful tools, pro - THE REALIZATION PROCESS viding an integral medicine for postmodern society. “Psychedelic Healing is full of knowledge and wisdom, psychologically sophisticated, A Step-by-Step Guide to Embodied New on Spiritual Awakening and up-to-date. Written bravely and with open eyes, this is an important, mature by Judith Blackstone CD book.” —Jeremy Narby, author of The Cosmic Serpent $69.95, 6 CDs. Sounds True. 6.4 hours It is possible to live more deeply, more intimately THE ACID DIARIES in touch with yourself and with the world around A Psychonaut’s Guide to the History and Use of LSD you. It is possible to experience your interconnec - by Christopher Gray tion with everything, even as you express your own $19.95, paper. Inner Traditions. 272 pages utter uniqueness. All it takes is a subtle inner at - Near age 60, Christopher Gray took, for the first time in tunement to your own body and mind. With The years, a 100-microgram acid trip. So extraordinary, and to his Realization Process , Dr. Judith Blackstone shares for surprise so enjoyable, were the effects that he began to take the first time a complete audio training course in her original method for embod - the same dose in the same way—quietly and on his own— ied spiritual awakening, through a series of transformational exercises taught here once every two to three weeks. step by step . In The Acid Diaries , Gray details his experimentation with At the heart of this work is what she calls fundamental consciousness—a primary di - LSD over a period of three years and shares the realization mension of being that is the basis of both our individual sense of self and the tran - that his visions were weaving an ongoing story from trip to trip, scendence of our separateness. This is not something we can grasp conceptually; we revealing an underlying reality of personal and spiritual truths. need to touch it directly. Following the theories of Stanislav Grof and offering quotes As fundamental consciousness, we pervade both the subject and the object of from others’ experiences that parallel his own—including those of Aldous Huxley, experience. We move from imagination to actuality—to truly see, truly touch, truly hear. Albert Hofmann, and Gordon Wasson—he shows that trips progress through three For the past 25 years in her psychotherapy practice, Dr. Blackstone has developed stages : the first dealing with personal issues and pre-birth consciousness; the second with meditative practices for attuning to fundamental consciousness in oneself and in oth - ego-loss, often with supernatural overtones; and the third with sacred, spiritual, and even ers. On The Realization Process , she guides you through beginner and advanced ver - apocalyptic themes. sions of these practices, including the core breath technique for accessing the body’s Pairing his experiences with an exploration of psychedelic use throughout histo - central energetic pathway; seeing, hearing, and moving with fundamental conscious - ry and the early use of LSD for therapeutic purposes, Gray offers readers a greater un - ness; attuning to the three qualities of fundamental consciousness (awareness, emo - derstanding and appreciation for the potential value of LSD not merely for spiritual tion, and physical sensation); and relational exercises for healing and growth in inti - development. mate partnerships. What we need now are the diaries of explorers. We need many diaries of many Highlights: explorers so we can begin to get a feeling for the territory. —Terence McKenna ! Undoing the “holding patterns” that impede spiritual realization “The best insider’s portrait of the psychedelic journey I’ve ever found ; the writing ! The subtle core—your entryway into fundamental consciousness is stunningly beautiful in its effervescent candor. The Acid Diaries is an exceptionally hon - ! The maturation of the ego est and unguarded book.” —Christopher Bache, author of Dark Night/Early Dawn ! How to stabilize and expand your spiritual awakening Christopher Gray (1942–2009) was well known for his involvement in the 1960s with ! Following your body’s energetic “circuitry” as a path to deeper embodiment. Situationist International and as Swami Prem Paritosh, disciple of Osho. that we can open and allow our lives to un - lovingkindness THE RELIGION OF AYAHUASCA Christianity and in - fold, moment by moment . ! The alchemy of self-compassion and how The Teachings of the Church digenous “Mindfulness can strengthen our atten - it can help in our relationships with others of Santo Daime Amazonian prac - tion, awaken compassion and empathy, and ! Why we don’t have to believe our by Alex Polari de Alverga tices of expand our acceptance of our own inner thoughts—the transformative power of $19.95, paper. Inner Traditions. use, , states,” teaches Brach. Meditation and self-inquiry 296 pages, 8 pages of b/w photos and healing, the Psychotherapy draws on the strengths of ! “Touch and go,” an approach for gently In search of something to restore his spir - Santo Daime mindfulness meditation and the practice disarming the energy of trauma itual connection to life after his release from church provided of modern therapeutic methods to help ! A new model of psychotherapy that em - captivity as a political prisoner in Brazil, Alex Alverga with an al - clear the emotional blocks holding us back. phasizes the client/therapist relationship Polari de Alverga had a transformative en - ternative to his disil - Highlights: as an unfolding partnership. counter with Padrinho Sebastiao Mota de lusionment with ! How we all can awaken from the trance of Also by Tara Brach are Radical Acceptance Mela, one of the two revered founders of modern society. His unworthiness using mindful awareness and and Meditations for Emotional Healing (2 CDs) Santo Daime. A potent synthesis of quest for spiritual

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 29 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! GRATITUDE - FOR THE NEXT SEVEN GENERATIONS ! initiation eventually led him deep into the cation in the heart of the rainforest to Mapiá, one of the Shamanic Journeys Amazon rainfor - spiritual centers of Santo Daime, where he est, the moun - became a teacher and leader of the Daime tains of Mexico, community. THE HOLLOW BONE North America, The Religion of Ayahuasca is a story of a A Field Guide to Shamanism and at a meeting classic spiritual encounter comparable to by Colleen Deatsman with the Dalai the Tibetan Saint ’s search for his $18.95, paper. Weiser. 188 pages, b/w photos Lama in India, teacher Marpa. It is also an intimate ac - Shamanism is the oldest living path of spirituality and heal - For the Next 7 count of the genesis of an important reli - ing, dating back tens of thousands of years, yet many people Generations fol - gious tradition from its modest beginnings don’t know what it is or are confused about the practice. In lows what hap - in Brazil to its growth throughout the The Hollow Bone , shamanic teacher Colleen Deatsman unveils pens when these world , offering an inside look at the spiritu - the mysterious world of Shamanism as it is still practiced to - wise women ally centered village of Mapiá—a model for day all around the world. unite. Facing a communities in the 21st century—and at Deatsman explains how shamanism is not a religion with a world in crisis, the religious leader who helped create it. doctrine, dogma, or holy book. Rather, it is a spirituality root - they share with Providing insight into the spiritual path the ed in the idea that all matter has consciousness and that ac - us their visions of healing and a call for Daime offers, Alverga’s tale reveals the new cessing the spirit in all things is part of what keeps the world change now, before it’s too late. depths of Being made available through the in balance and individuals healed and whole. These elder women’s beautiful, craggy sacred use of ayahuasca. The Hollow Bone examines shamanism’s history, its core beliefs, and how it is faces eloquently evoke their backgrounds, None can forget the beautiful simplicity practiced all around the world. It includes a glossary of terms, resources for find - be they from Alaska, Africa, Tibet, Mexico, of the hymns, rising above the forest and ing and working with shamanic teachers, and over two dozen rare photograph s and Brazil, etc. They speak with heart, and their momentarily hushing the chatter of illustrations showing the magnificent range of shamanic tools, rituals, practitioners, ritual ways and lovely ceremonial clothes monkeys and the cries of the birds. This and traditions. reflect a beautiful and important coming- remarkable human community sings and together. This is a what-is-shamanism book, rather than a how-to-practice shamanism book. It dances its heart out for the love of God illuminates what is often considered to be a mysterious path. Events in Brazil include sharing a Santo and Goddess deep in the deepest forest of Daime ritual and in Mexico sharing the “little the world. Theirs is a song of universal This comprehensive introduction answers many frequently asked questions such as: ones,” an ancient mushroom ritual. The sea - brotherhood and compassion, respect for What is shamanism? Where is it practiced? What are the beliefs and understandings in - soned words and huge hearts of these elder nature, and good will toward all creatures. herent to shamanism? Who are the shamans? What do shamans do? Can anyone train medicine women make the film shine . —from the foreword by Stephen Larsen to be a shaman? Where can I learn more? This film documents their unparalleled Alex Polari de Alverga is currently a “Read this book as soon as you can—and ‘ see the soul of the world in every rock, journey and timely perspectives on our hu - padrinho (spiritual father) in the spiritual stream, bird, and cloud .’” —Nan Moss and David Corbin, author of Weather man journey, “in these times.” community of Mapiá. Shamanism Grandmothers’ Mission Statement: “We, the International Council of 13 Shamanism & Ritual LIGHTNING IN MY BLOOD Indigenous Grandmothers, represent a A Journey into Shamanic Healing & the Supernatural global alliance of prayer, education and by James Endredy healing for our Mother Earth, all her $19.50, paper. Llewellyn. 212 pages inhabitants, all the children, and for the LIVING IN GRATITUDE Join shamanic practitioner James Endredy on a bizarre, next seven generations to come . We are A Journey That Will Change brutal, and exhilarating excursion into realities that few deeply concerned with the unprecedented Your Life people have had a chance to explore. Whether it’s discov - destruction of our Mother Earth and the by Angeles Arrien destruction of indigenous ways of life. We ering how to dream with the Lords of the Underworld or believe the teachings of our ancestors will $21.95, cloth. Sounds True. learning to fly with the help of his eagle nagual , outwitting light the way through an uncertain future. 275 pages a soul-stealing sorceress in Veracruz or conversing with the We look to further our vision through the If the only prayer you say in your whole spirit of an ancient dwarf king, these vivid firsthand ac - realization of projects that protect our life is “thank you,” that would suffice. — counts chronicle Endredy’s mystical experiences while diverse cultures: lands, medicines, Meister Eckhart living and working with fifteen indigenous cultures in language and ceremonial ways of prayer What would happen if you made grati - North and South America, Hawaii, and Mexico . and through projects that educate and tude your focal point for one full year? With Endredy’s amazing, arduous, and sometimes life-threat - nurture our children.” Living in ening shamanic initiations and lessons illustrate the inter - See forthenext7generations.com . Gratitude , connectedness of all life, the importance of being humble enough to laugh at your - self, and the need to respect and learn from nature and her children. Angeles Arrien THE FIFTH AGREEMENT invites us to cul - I have divided the stories into chapters around the concept of medicine. “Medicine,” A Practical Guide to Self-Mastery tivate the power in the shamanic world, is not the taking of a pill. Medicine can be anything that of deep appre - promotes healing, enhanced awareness, and increased perception, such as ceremony or by Don Miguel Ruiz ciation so that it ritual, the sunshine, a plant or animal, a sacred site, an initiation, dreamtime, and yes, & Don José Ruiz New in becomes our even a story... $14.00, paper. Amber-Allen. Paperback foundation for “James Endredy carries the old tradition of sacred storyteller, which he shares in a 248 pages daily living. masterful way. His writing takes you into his experience so you feel a part of what he Since 1997, Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Integrating the speaks, what he feels, what he learns about and sees. He offers down-to-earth expla - Agreements has transformed the lives of mil - latest findings nation of the medicine ways so readers can apply the practical teachings in their lions of people around the world with a from social sci - own lives .” —Tom Pinkson, author of The Shamanic Wisdom of the Huicho l simple but pro - ence with sto - Also by James Endredy is Ecoshamanism . found message. ries, prayers, Now Ruiz and his teachings, and son, Don Jose Ruiz, collaborate on this practices from cultures and traditions With a chapter devoted to each month, Angeles Arrien is a cultural anthropolo - sequel, The Fifth spanning the globe , she presents a 12- readers will steep themselves in “the moth - gist and renowned teacher whose books in - Agreement . month plan for really “appreciating the er of all virtues,” exploring: clude and The Four-Fold Way The Second It provides the world,” starting “at home,” in ourselves. ! How to overcome habitual tendencies to - . Half of Life foundation for ward envy, comparison, and narcissism We need not settle for our present breaking thou - disconnection from the healing, life- ! Acknowledging our “blessings, learnings, sands of “limiting affirming, and uplifting mercies, and protections”—the four por - FOR THE NEXT 7 GENERATIONS agreements you human experience of tals to the grateful heart 13 Indigenous Grandmothers have made with gratitude. By engaging with ! How gratitude boosts the immune system, Weaving a World that Works New on yourself, with other the perennial wisdoms, we fosters creativity, mends relationships, and directed by Carol Hart DVD people, with life it - are reminded of our natural even improves financial well-being $27.50, DVD. Beyond Words. capacity to feel and self.” With The Fifth Agreemen t you recover ! Journaling exercises, perennial and in - 85 minutes express gratitude. Through all the power of your authenticity, which is In 2004, thirteen Indigenous conscious and sustained digenous wisdoms, and universal prac - who you really are when you are born . Angeles Arrien . Grandmothers from all four corners of the practice over a period of tices for every season and situation The five agreements are: time, we can discover The practice of offering gratitude bestows world, moved by their concern for our plan - ! et, came together at a historic gathering, Be Impeccable with Your Word again how gratitude and all its related many benefits. Anger, arrogance, and jeal - ! qualities—thankfulness, appreciation, ousy melt in its embrace. Fear and defen - where they decided to form an alliance: The Don’t Take Anything Personally ! compassion, generosity, grace, and so siveness dissolve. Gratitude diminishes bar - International Council of Thirteen Don’t Make Assumptions many other positive states—can become riers to love and evokes happiness, keeping Indigenous Grandmothers . This is their sto - ! Always Do Your Best integrated and embodied in our lives. alive what has meaning for us. ry. Four years in-the-making and shot on lo - ! Be Skeptical, But Learn to Listen.

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 30 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! SHAMANISM, WICCA & MAGICK !

SHAMANISM nient to use if one is seeking prayers for Nicki Scully’s Spirit Medicine FOR THE AGE OF SCIENCE: specific occasions, seasons, times of day, Awakening the Energy Body, meals, or milestones . Included is an exten - by Kenneth Smith sive section on the requisites of ritual and PLANETARY HEALING $20.50, paper. Inner Traditions. how to use ritual and prayer to create last - Spirit Medicine for Global Transformation 288 pages, 18 b/w illustrations ing change in your life and in the world. by Nicki Scully & Mark Hallert At a time when consciousness and other A Pagan Ritual Prayer Book is suitable for $19.95, Book+CD set. Bear & Company. aspects of our energetic anatomy are find - all pagans: Druids, Wiccans, solitaries, 276 pages + 60-minute CD of guided visualization ing their way Greek and Norse Reconstructionists, In Planetary Healing , shamanic healer Nicki Book into modern Mystery Cult Reconstructionists, and more, Scully and visionary Mark Hallert reveal how to & CD science, offering perfect petitions or invocations to move beyond feeling helpless and over - Kenneth Smith invoke, embrace, and honor the major whelmed by global crises so we can actively participate in heal - blends tradi - events that make up our lives. ing ourselves, our families, our communities, and the planet. A tional shaman - I anoint you with the red of blood: may natural follow-up to Scully’s Alchemical Healing , this book ism with cut - the blood of life return to you in that serves as a guide to navigate the coming global transformation ting-edge other world. and help co-create a new Golden Age. research in I anoint you with the wet: may the Sharing compelling accounts of shamanic responses to such epic dis - bioenergetics suppleness of water return to you in that asters as Chernobyl, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the and neuro - other world. massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010 as well as tales of personal heal - science to offer I anoint you with the sun: may the warmth of the sun return to you in that other ing, the authors offer initiatory journeys and visualization exercises this user’s world. that empower readers to engage in physical, emotional, spiritual, and guide to the en - I anoint you with a red, moist sun: may environmental healing across time and space . Using shamanic tools ergy body—ex - such as the Heart Breath, Breaking Reality Barriers, and Transforming life return to you in that other world. plaining what it —from Funeral Prayers Fear, individuals can combine their healing intentions with the intelli - is, what its ca - Ceisiwr Serith is the author of The Pagan Nicki Scully gent field of creation to effect tangible change in the world and tackle pabilities are , and how to harness it as a ve - Family and A Book of Pagan Prayer . A pagan & Mark Hallert issues such as pollution-based diseases, natural and man-made disasters, hicle for higher consciousness and height - for over thirty years he currently lives along environmental degradation, and conscious evolution. ened awareness. the seacoast of New Hampshire, where he is Accompanied by a 78-minute CD of a guided visualization ceremony, Planetary For more than 5,000 years, shamans of the Grover Organizer for Nemos Ognios, a Healing inspires readers to explore the frontiers of individual and shared conscious - the Toltec tradition have worked with the grove of the druidic organization Ár ness to achieve transformation at the deepest levels of our being , resulting in a potent energy body, learning its structure and per - nDraíocht Féin. release of healing energy and creativity for ourselves, our children, and our world. ceptual capacities as well as mapping it as an Nicki Scully has been a healer and teacher of shamanism and the Egyptian myster - objective, measurable part of our anatomy. ies since 1983. She is the author of Power Animal Meditations and the coauthor of Drawing from his decades-long involvement Shamanic Mysteries of Egypt and The Anubis Oracle . Mark Hallert is cofounder, with in this tradition and his work in the field of Nicki Scully, of Shamanic Journeys, which specializes in spiritual tours to sacred sites bioenergetics, Smith explains how the ener - THE WOMAN MAGICIAN in Egypt and other countries. gy body shapes our perceptions, determines Revisioning Western Metaphysics from a our state of consciousness, and forms our re - Woman’s Perspective and Experience BECOMING AN ORACLE ality from the infinite possibilities presented by Brandy Williams Connecting to the Divine Source for by our thoughts, feelings, and those around $22.95, paper. Llewellyn. Information and Healing New on us. Illustrating our energetic anatomy and 364 pages, b/w illustrations by Nicki Scully CD its connections to the nervous system, For generations, women have had to $69.95, 7 CDs. Sounds True. chakras, and meridians, he provides step- channel their strength and power into the 6.75 hours + 35-page study guide by-step exercises to awaken the energy role of muse, On Becoming an Oracle , Nicki Scully presents a guided body , expand awareness, and begin con - priestess, or workshop for practicing the spiritual techniques that allowed sciously creating your own reality. earth mother— cultures such as the Greeks, Egyptians, and Mayans to make and always in The purpose of this book, then, is to the shadow of an enduring impact on human evolution. provide the context and means to enable Drawing upon her comprehensive knowledge of global mystical traditions, Nicki you to enhance your cognitive skills of male magicians. Scully has created a training program that synthesizes oracular practices from awareness and learning so that you may This ground - across the world. Using a guided visualization technique called “pathworking,” she time and again revitalize your life, even breaking book brings you into direct contact with the same sacred sites and god-forms that have redefining what that means. Realizing this shatters outdat - served the great prophets and oracles throughout history. Each step of this journey of - quest rests on finding the energized ed notions of fers you the opportunity to master new skills and forge spiritual connections necessary moment of your energized reality. the Western to become an oracle yourself. “Relates the energy body’s dynamics to magical tradi - tion and pre - Oracular tradition is no longer confined to temples and cloisters. This is a time when psychology, physics, sociology, and religion; people from all walks of life are called to serve as beacons of wisdom that our world needs. and it helps to further establish the fields of sents a new par - bioenergetics, Energy Psychology, and adigm that HIGHLIGHTS celebrates and ! What is an oracle? Why we all have the potential for establishing this direct link to Transpersonal Psychology.” —Fred Gallo, author of Energy Tapping empowers the the energy of creation woman magician. ! Pathworking—the powerful practice for opening yourself to experiences in the sub - Kenneth Smith, writing under the name Drawing on thirty years of study and tle realm Ken Eagle Feather, has published several ! The Heart-Breath technique—the first essential step on every oracular journey books on Toltec philosophy, including On personal experience, Brandy Williams ! Visualization practices to call upon Horus, Shiva, Odin, and other god-forms and spir - the Toltec Path and Toltec Dreaming . boldly revisions metaphysics from a fe - it guides for wisdom male perspective. She introduces a new ! Guided inner journeys to sacred oracular sites such as Delphi and Stonehenge Wicca, Pagan Paths Magia Femina—a female-centered explo - ! How to read information from oracular tools such as the Tarot, Nordic runes, and ration of tradition, history, philosophy, sci - scrying bowls & Western Magick ence, culture, theology, and magic —and ! Hours of hands-on training and guided practices for accessing the divine intelli - shares unique wisdom on how to live au - gence and healing power of the oracles. thentically as a woman and as a dedicated Among Nicki Scully’s other titles are Alchemical Healing and The Anubis Oracle . A PAGAN RITUAL PRAYER BOOK practitioner of her craft. by Ceisiwr Serith Williams discusses women’s roles in mag - $22.95, paper. Weiser. 336 pages ic and philosophy throughout history as The fifth agreement is ultimately about together over a period of seven years… From the Fall Equinox and Beltane to cele - well as issues of gender, sexuality, feminism, seeing your whole reality with the eyes of We speak to the reader with one voice, brations of peace and justice, A Pagan Ritual cultural identity, God as divine feminine, and with one heart. truth, without words . The result of Prayer Book offers the Qabbalah, and the evolution of such practicing the fifth agreement is the Don Miguel Ruiz is author of the Toltec more than 700 magical systems as the Golden Dawn and complete acceptance of Wisdom series, including The Four prayers for the rituals modern Witchcraft. yourself just the way Agreements (over 7 years on The New York of life—from the sa - Offering a complete and workable ritual you are, and the Times bestseller list), The Mastery of Love , cred to the mundane. system based on Egyptian cosmology, The complete acceptance of and The Voice of Knowledge . He continues to A companion to Woman Magician invites you to become a everybody else just the share the wisdom of the Toltec through practicing member of the Sisters of Seshat, way they are… the popular A Book In this book, I am workshops and journeys to sacred sites of Pagan Prayer , this the first all-female initiatory magical order honored to introduce around the world. handbook of rituals since the French Revolution. Experience my son, and to present Don José Ruiz was chosen by his father to and prayers is orga - powerful hands-on individual and group Don Miguel Ruiz the essence of the carry on the centuries-old family legacy of nized thematically, initiatory rituals, and help launch this new & Don José Ruiz teachings we delivered healing and teaching. making it conve - order into the greater world.

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 31 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! CELTIC SOUL & CHRISTIAN !

Celtic Spirit Gnosis: Ancient & Contemporary

The Lyric Heart of John O’Donohue ESSENTIAL GNOSTIC SCRIPTURES Texts of Luminous Wisdom From the Ancient and Medieval Worlds—Including the Gospels New in THE FOUR ELEMENTS of Thomas, Judas, and Mary Magdalene Paperback Reflections on Nature by Marvin Meyer & Willis Barnstone by John O’Donohue $21.50, paper. Shambhala. 240 pages $27.00, cloth. Crown. 178 pages was a diverse religious movement of the first mil - Where there is no water, everything is scorched. Where lennium C.E. whose followers sought salvation above all there is water, everything is green and flourishing. Water is the through personal religious experience. Gnostic writings, pro - difference between life and death. duced over a period of more than a millennium and a half, of - In The Four Elements, poetic philosopher John fer striking perspectives on both early Christian and non- O’Donohue draws upon his Celtic heritage and the love of Christian thought. In Essential Gnostic Scriptures , Barnstone his native landscape, the west of Ireland, to weave together a and Meyer have created a translation that brings the Gnostic tapestry of beautifully evoked images of nature. As John ex - voices to us with striking power and beauty, beginning with texts from the earliest plores themes relating to the way we live our lives, he reveals years of Christianity—including material from the Nag Hammadi library—and con - how the energy and rhythm of the natural world—its inno - tinuing all the way up to expressions of gnostic wisdom found within Islam and in the cence and creativity, its power and splendour—hold pro - Cathar movement of the Middle Ages. found lessons for us all . Here is a sealed letter They looped it around Expressed spiritually, each place has its own texture and spirit… Its surface is peopled leaving the world, the soul’s neck by ever different constellations of vegetation, colour and mood. But landscape is not a letter written with truth and sent it to the gate merely extensive, it is also full of opaque depths. The depths of landscape reach down and marked with the seal of life. The soul wisely into eternities of silence and darkness… At their ultimate level they rest again upon the of mighty life. used her finger tender emptiness of the cosmos. Perfect ones wrote it, to mark the open letter. Originating in 1995, these writings are organized now as: and believers insured it. —Songs from the Mandean Liturgy Air: The Breath of God This collection provides fresh translations of some of the most popular and beauti - Water: The Tears of the Earth ful Gnostic texts, with an eye to presenting them as literature, with full appreciation of Fire: At Home at the Hearth of Spirit the aesthetic sense of the original languages of Greek, Latin, Coptic, and Arabic. Stone: As the Tabernacle of Memory. With a foreword written by his brother Pat, this illuminating treasury is a unique col - I have thrown fire upon the world, lection of reflections inspired by the wisdom of this earth. And look, I am watching till it blazes. —Jesus, in the Gospel of Thomas These publications signified the laying of the foundation for the cathedral of thought that he was to become… In order to enter fully into The twenty-one texts included serve as a compact introduction to Gnosticism and the thought-field that John created it is necessary to use these four its principal ideas , as well as representing the greatest masterpieces of that tradition. meditations as the entrance. —from the foreword Among them are new translations of the Gospel of Mary Magdalene and the Gospel of “There are certain threads that run through the work of John Judas—along with many lesser-known texts of profound wisdom and striking beauty. O’Donohue. They manifest themselves with different colours and tex - Willis Barnstone brings his unerring poetic ear to the translations. Marvin Meyer is tures. The form may change for different purposes of rhythm and res - one of the foremost scholars of Coptic and Gnostic studies at work today. onance, but the intention remains constant. It is grounded in human John O’Donohue THE ELECTRIC JESUS vulnerability and the desire, the longing, for a connection to the won - The Healing Journey of a Contemporary Gnostic der of the divine in nature, and human life within it.” —Michael by Jonathan Talat Phillips Higgins, UK broadcaster $20.50, paper. Evolver Editions. Born in 1956, John O’Donohue spoke Irish as his native language and lived in a re - 238 pages, b/w illustrations mote cottage in the west of Ireland until his death in 2008. Among his beloved books This powerful spiritual memoir synthesizes Gnosticism , are Anam Cara and To Bless the Space Between Us . Christ-consciousness , visionary science, and energy work for personal and planetary healing. A CELTIC PILGRIMAGE When Jonathan Talat Phillips experiences a devastating loss WITH JOHN O’DONOHUE as a countercultural media activist, he unwittingly starts on a by John O’Donohue mystical journey marked by underground ayahuasca cere - $19.95, DVD. Sounds True. 54 minutes monies, kundalini awakenings, prankster spirit guides, extrater - restrial encounters at the Burning Man festival, and miraculous In the Irish psyche, landscape has a energy healings that reshape his skeptical worldview. Along the way, he chronicles the unique presence. One of the wonderful New on rise of an international movement that is trailblazing visionary ways to address our cur - insights of the Celtic imagination is that DVD landscape is alive. rent planetary crisis through raised consciousness. To better understand his spiritual journey, Jonathan delves into his own Christian With A Celtic Pilgrimage , you have the opportunity to walk background, discovering the lost rites of the mystery schools. Uncovering secret with Irish poet and philosopher John O’Donohue (author “electric” meanings behind biblical symbols like the Holy Spirit, the Serpent, the of Beauty: The Invisible Embrace and To Bless the Space Dove, and the Tree of Life , he reveals how early Christians utilized a radical initiation Between Us ) through the breathtaking landscape of western process for harnessing divine energy in order to achieve gnosis, direct knowledge or Ireland. Weaving ancient wisdom with personal history experience of the divine. Jonathan suggests that these mystical symbols, which appear and stunning imagery, this documentary reveals the in spiritual traditions across the globe, offer a profound energetic roadmap and al - Ireland that gave rise to the spiritual wisdom of the chemical message for personal transformation, as well as a potential evolutionary shift Celts—and inspired John O’Donohue throughout his remarkable life . for our world. “A pilgrim travels differently,” observes O’Donohue. “Always in a pilgrimage, there Jonathan Talat Phillips is one of the co-founders of Evolver.net and Reality is a change of mind and a change of heart.” With mischievous humour, keen aware - Sandwich , and coordinates the Evolver Spores program with 40+ regional chapters ness, and a poet’s gift for the truth, O’Donohue invites you see the landscape of hosting monthly events. Phillips is an initiate of the International Sufi Order, founder Ireland through his eyes—as a living source of wisdom, beauty, and transformative of the NYC Gnostics, and creator of “The Ayahuasca Monologues: Tales of the Spirit spiritual power. Vine.” Info: www.TalatHealing.com. “Visually stunning and spiritually uplifting, this beautiful film is a treat for the eye, for the heart, and above all, for the soul.” — The Irish Times Also author of Anam Cara as well as beloved audio programs such as Beauty and Wisdom from the Celtic World , John O’Donohue lived from 1958 to 2008. eral” translation. alent cultural terms and ideas. It is there - Based upon the fore fresher, more poignant, more direct, principle of “dy - and more understandable without being a Christian & Jewish Spirituality the authentic words of Jesus? If they are, namic equivalency,” paraphrase. what does it all mean? its purpose is to In addition, the text has with it a read - propel the er’s guide. Each saying of Jesus is accom - THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS Yeshua says, Come into being as you pass away. reader/listener panied by a section that includes Wisdom of the Twin, Second Edition into an equivalent Questions for Reflection , an academic by Lynn Bauman This new translation is surrounded by experience of lan - translation of each saying, and notes deal - $18.95, paper. White Cloud. 176 pages supportive material to help scholars and guage and meaning ing with translation choices. This enables The discovery of the Gospel of Thomas students alike explore these sayings in as the original the student/reader to make discoveries on has created an immense flurry of curiosity depth . Unlike other translations, Lynn Coptic text but in his or her own through suggestions and and speculation. Is the text real? Are these Bauman’s sensitive work is not simply a “lit - English, with equiv -

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 32 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! THE SABBATH, RUMI & ASTROLOGY ! questions for consideration, meditation, mystical relation - and journaling. Rumi & the Soul of Friendship ship with God, this It is clear from a careful reading of intimate memoir il - Thomas that the wisdom tradition it lustrates how chal - expresses is quite different from the one JUST BEING HERE lenging and reward - preserved in the canonical Gospels, and Rumi & Human Friendship ing living this love also extends beyond the conventional by Coleman Barks & David Darling affair can be. wisdom of Israel. In it are strains of $24.95, 3 CDs. Sounds True. Among the other teaching that some see originating as far 2 hours 39 minutes books by the away as Taoist China, Buddhist Tibet, and “What I had thought of before as God, New on “Jungian Sufi” Mazdean Persia in addition to the I met today in a human being.” CD Llewellyn Vaughan- Hermetic, Pythagorean, and Mystery Those were the words of the Persian Lee are Return of traditions of the Greeks, and the local but the Feminine and more important aspects of Jewish wisdom mystic poet Rumi upon meeting the wild dervish Shams and and its nascent mysticism. Tabriz. And out of their friendship bloomed many of the World Soul Jelaludin Rumi’s most inspired verses. On Just Being Here , The Face Before I Bauman brings this important “secret” the acclaimed poet Coleman Barks joins master cellist David Darling in a celebration Was Born . gospel, with its radical view of Jesus as a mas - of friendship—some of Rumi’s most memorable poems on the subject and five of ter of wisdom, to life as a text to be utilized Coleman’s own—illuminated within the interplay of Coleman’s inspired readings and Astrology, Tarot & Divination for contemporary spiritual practice. David’s music. Listen in and let them widen and deepen your senses, like a fresh breeze that invites you to breathe freely and surrender to love in all of its changing guises. Sufis call themselves children of the moment. They want the feel of MOON PHASE ASTROLOGY THE SABBATH WORLD now, cash in the hand, slap .... Mystical poems can also put us in the The Lunar Key to Your Destiny Glimpses of a Different Order of Time radiant moment. They can provide deep relaxation and refreshment. Joe by Raven Kaldera by Judith Shulevitz Miller used to remind people that the way to debarnacle a ship is not to $22.50, paper. Inner Traditions. 352 pages $17.00, paper. Times Books. 288 pages haul it up and scrape them off, but rather to take the ship into a freshwater The Moon’s ever-changing phases offer a Everyone curls up inside a Sabbath at harbor, where the barnacles can gradually loosen and fall off. The region way to deepen our understanding of our na - some point or other. Religion need not be that ecstatic poetry takes us into is that freshwater harbor. We touch a tal Moon sign involved. place of deep being. We begin to let go, to trust. Let’s take a walk. Coleman Barks as well as the Not just the holy day of rest, the Sabbath —Coleman Barks, from the liner notes Moon’s day-to- is also a utopian idea about a less pressured, Coleman Barks is the premier translator of the poems of Rumi into English ( The day influence more sociable, Essential Rumi , etc.) and David Darling is a cellist whose recent CD is the deeply love - on our emo - purer world. ly Prayer for Compassion . tional tides. Where did this Through its 8 notion come phases and its from? Is there RUMI: THE BIG RED BOOK wandering value in with - The Great Masterpiece dance through drawing from Celebrating Mystical Love and Friendship each of the 12 the world one by Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks signs of the day in seven, de - $19.95, paper. HarperCollins. 512 pages Zodiac—from Readers continue to be awed and ignit - the Infant’s spite its obvious New in inconvenience ed by Rumi’s lyrical, deeply expressive po - Moon (the Paperback in an age of con - etry, in volumes such as The Soul of Rumi New Moon in venience? And and The Essential Rumi . Aries) to the what will be lost Rumi: The Big Red Book now collects all the work Rumi Storyteller’s Moon (the Full Moon in if the Sabbath translator Coleman Barks has done on Rumi’s Divani Gemini) to the Prophet’s Moon (the wan - goes away? Shamsi Tabriz (The Works of Shams Tabriz) over the last ing Balsamic Moon in Aquarius)—the In this erudite, elegantly written book, 34 years . This anthology is widely considered to be one of Moon shares its story in 96 different ways. Judith Shulevitz weaves together histories of Persian literature’s greatest treasures. Telling the stories of the heart of all 96 the Jewish and Christian sabbaths, specula - As I put this book together, I felt drawn to revise slightly Moon phase and Moon sign combinations, tions on the nature of time, and a rueful ac - almost every poem, to relineate and reword. So I hope this is a Raven Kaldera explains the creative gifts count of her personal struggle with the day. refreshed collection… and emotional challenges bestowed upon Shulevitz has found insights into the The Islam that Rumi speaks from within is not one that separates us into different those born under each Moon archetype as Sabbath in both cultural and contemporary religions. Amazingly, it is one that celebrates how we can meet in Friendship and sing well as how to nurture the positive traits and sources—the Torah, the Gospels, the One Song… Rumi very consciously made himself and his poetry a bridge between improve—or at least discourage—the nega - Talmud, and the writings of the Apostolic cultures and between religions … tive ones. Exploring the influences each Fathers, as well as in the poetry of William I am often asked why Rumi is currently so popular. I give my lame reasons. The real Moon archetype has on us as it passes, the Wordsworth, the life of Sigmund Freud, and cause is Shams Tabriz, the one so startlingly alive and awake, his face is “what all religions author reveals which Moons are the most the science of neuropsychology. long for.” That is the feel of the depth of their friendship. These poems flow from their difficult, what innate qualities each Moon She tells stories of martyrdom by Jews seamless friendship. And I would make the mystical claim that that is a way of being, of brings out in us, and what we can do to hon - who died en masse rather than fight on the loving, that we can experience eight centuries later, a little taste of, by reading. or each Moon. Including evocative quotes Sabbath and describes the feverish illuminating the nature of each Moon, Rumi was born in 1207 to a line of Islamic theologians on the eastern edge of the Sabbatarianism of the American Puritans. Kaldera shows how to use your natal Moon’s Persian Empire in what is now Afghanistan. To escape the invading Mongol armies of And she counterposes the tyranny of reli - astrological sign and phase to find your Genghis Khan, his family moved west to a town now found in Turkey, where he even - gious law with the equally oppressive tyran - “hidden Moons”—the shadows cast by pass - tually became the leader of a school of whirling dervishes. It was a fateful day in 1244 ny of the clock. Can we really flourish under ing Moons—and predict how current and when he met Shams Tabriz, a wild mystic with rare gifts and insight. The renowned the yoke of communal discipline, as preach - approaching Moons will affect you. scholar Rumi had found a soul mate and friend who would become his spiritual men - ers and rabbis like to tell us? What about be - Raven Kaldera is a Northern Tradition tor and muse. “What I had thought of before as God,” Rumi said, “I met today in a hu - ing free to live as we please? Can we pre - Pagan shaman who has been a practicing as - man being.” serve what the Sabbath gives us—a time trologer since 1984 and a Pagan since 1986. Out of their friendship, Rumi wrote thousands of lyric poems and short quatrains outside time—without following its rules? He is author of several books, including in honour of his friend Shams Tabriz. They are poems of divine epiphany, spiritu - Whatever our faith or lack thereof, this Pagan Astrology and, with Kenaz Filan, al awakening, friendship, and love . For centuries, Rumi’s collection of these verses rich and resonant meditation on the day of Drawing Down the Spirits . has traditionally been bound in a red cover, hence the title. rest will remind us of the danger of letting time drive us heedlessly forward without All religions, all this singing, one song… ever stopping to reflect. We have borrowed these clothes, THE ONLY ASTROLOGY BOOK these time-and-space personalities, from a light, and when we praise, YOU’LL EVER NEED Sufism, Islam & Rumi we are pouring them back in. 21st Century Edition Book & by Joanna Martine Woolfolk Software “Rumi says, ‘Some nights stay up until dawn, as the moon sometimes does for the $24.25, BSW. Taylor Trade. FRAGMENTS OF A LOVE STORY sun.’ Coleman has stayed up all night, and every reader is grateful.” —Robert Bly 504 pages, 9x9, b/w illustrations + CD-ROM Reflections on the Life of a Mystic A great bargain for the price, this new by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee 2011 edition of The Only Astrology Book $21.95, paper. Golden Sufi. 232 pages individual who makes this journey, and what al, heartfelt, and full of the contradictions You’ll Ever Need is full of updated informa - Describing the heartache, confusion and belongs to God? This primary question is dis - the author has endured, demonstrating how tion. The enclosed interactive CD-ROM— passionate love that belong to the mystical cussed in detail, drawing from the author’s the Sufi path is lived today within the heart now MAC and PC compatible!—allows journey, this series of personal writings ex - own experiences and the context of the Sufi and soul of a contemporary mystic . Delving you to cast your chart in minutes just by plores a central paradox: What belongs to the tradition. The featured passages are person - beneath the surface into the heart of the entering the date, time, and place of your

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 33 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! SURFING AQUARIUS & THE NEW TAROT !

Old Saturn Learns to Surf Aquarius New Tarot Tools

SATURN WHO ARE YOU IN THE TAROT? A New Look at an Old Devil Discover Your Birth and Year Cards and Uncover Your by Liz Greene, new foreword by Robert Hand Destiny $21.95, paper. Weiser. 196 pages by Mary Greer A major step in unveiling the truth about Saturn, so long $22.50, paper. Weiser. interpreted as a “malefic” planet, this classic book (first 272 pages, 7x9, b/w illustrations published in 1976 and now reissued) traces the character The tarot cards associated with your birth date and of this most important planet through sign, house, aspect, name form a pattern of personal destiny. They describe synastry, and looks at its role in mythology. The author in - the theme of your life—the challenges and the gifts. In troduces us to Saturn and reveals the face of the Initiator Who Are You in the Tarot? , popular tarot practitioner and whose price is honesty and whose gift is truth . astrologer Mary Greer connects astrology and nu - Saturn’s darker persona is recognized merology to the tarot to create an in-depth personality universally in myth and fairytale. Here, not - profile that anyone can use for self-realization and per - ed astrologer and Jungian analyst Liz sonal harmony. Greene takes a major step in the unveiling Greer takes the reader on a very personal exploration of how the tarot can be used as of the light of reason, presenting a remarkably rich study of the un - a tool for learning more about themselves and others. She helps each individual deter - conscious mind, shedding light on that mysterious, elusive entity that mine exactly who they are among the cast of character s in the major arcana of the tarot. psychology calls the self. And using the minor arcana cards, patterns and habits can be viewed with a fresh look. Saturn symbolizes a psychic process as well as a quality or kind of The book includes: Liz Greene experience. He is not merely a representative of pain, restriction, and ! Detailed instructions, charts, and exercises on how to determine your soul and discipline; he is also a symbol of the psychic process, natural to all personality cards human beings, by which an individual may utilize the experience of pain, restriction, ! How to determine your year card and name card and discipline, as a means for greater consciousness and fulfillment. ! The opportunities and challenges you will face “Liz Greene’s Saturn is one of the key works in the most important single contribu - ! Extensive graphs, charts, and appendices tion of 20th century astrology to the development of astrology: the idea that astrology ! Journaling and exploratory exercises. is not a map of one’s fixed destiny but is a potential map of the unfolding of the au - Who Are You in the Tarot? is a valuable tool for anyone wishing to develop a deeper thentic, higher self.” —Robert Hand, from the foreword understanding of the tarot and how it can be used to interpret one’s strengths, chal - Liz Green is also author of Astrology for Lovers and Relating: An Astrological Guide to lenges, and innermost desires. Living with Others on a Small Plane t. “Her work is always comprehensive, practical, inspiration, and accessible. She is an SURFING AQUARIUS outstanding teacher and practitioner of tarot symbology.” —Angeles Arrien, author of The Tarot Handbook How To Ace the Wave of Change by Dan Furst THE NEW MYTHIC TAROT $24.50, paper. Weiser. 298 pages Book & This hip, savvy book full of optimism and insight into the by Juliet Sharman-Burke & Liz Greene, new is for people who want to make the with cards illustrated by Giovanni Caselli Card Set best of the years ahead by making brave, optimistic choices $29.99, cards. St. Martin’s. in a spirit of community. 78 colour cards + 256-page guidebook, boxed Every 2100 years, life on Earth comes under the influ - From the time of its first publication in 1986, The Mythic ence of a different astrological sign: each “Great Age” Tarot has sold over a million copies in dozens of countries. bringing its own ruling symbols and patterns of meaning, Now, for this 25th anniversary edition, the text has been re - technical innovations, political and social currents, organi - vised, brought up to date and the deck completely re-illus - zational structures, and key ideas. trated by renowned artist Giovanni Caselli. Surfing Aquarius shows how 2012 is the beginning of a The New Mythic Tarot brings together all the elements that spiritual transformation when awakened human beings made the original version such a great deck for all Tarot will create new societies based on Aquarian principles of inventive teamwork and enthusiasts—a deck that depicts the gods and goddesses, empowered service . The book features the 11 Principles of the Aquarian Age: heroes and heroines of the Greek myths and a book that Revolution, Evolution, Unity, Friendship, Transparency, Magic, Comedy, Abundance, helps the reader explore them as familiar archetypal char - Electricity, Brilliance, and Freedom. acters, whose experiences mirror the shifts and patterns of our lives and learnings . Dan Furst describes what life can be like in an Aquarian age: an economy based on The images of the Major Arcana describe both the inner state of the individual at a partic - abundance rather than scarcity, and a spirituality that celebrates union, friendship, ular point in life, and the kind of experiences the individual is likely to encounter in outer life. and love. The book is, above all, a practical guide for those who see that the better we Inner and outer go together because the same individual is at the core of both. As the great understand the opportunities and challenges of our time, and the better we know Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung once wrote, a person’s life is characteristic of the person. which way the wave of change is breaking, the better a chance we’ll have of getting our - This fully revised and updated edition breathes fresh life into this classic work selves and our families safely ashore. and will be welcomed by long-time devotees and new fans alike. This is much more than an astrology book . There is so much great stuff here. Mythic images are spontaneous pictures generated by the human imagination, which de - Dan Furst has been a professional astrologer for 33 years and is also author of Dance scribe in poetic language fundamental, or archetypal, human experiences and patterns of of the Moon . Visit him online at www.hermes3.net. development.

birth into the columnist for Marie Claire and Redbook mag - integrates art, Simply by using Soul Fire as an oracle, computer . Once azines, thoroughly covers sun signs, moon science, and you will begin to understand, first, in your chart is cre - signs, planets, the significance of the 12 zo - spirituality. ways simple yet profound, and then in ated, you are di - diacal houses, and 21st-century projections. This new div - deeper more detailed ways—how every rected to corre - The author gives an easy, logical way to in - ination deck is single system at every level of life reflects sponding pages in tegrate the interpretations of the sun the latest an aspect of life energies at work in your the book to read signs, moon signs, planets, and houses in “medicine” being . Fire, Air, Water and Earth are alive about every detail any given chart, something not easily done from “one of within you as spiritual, mental, emotional of your horo - or often seen in general astrology books . the most bril - and physical processes and cycles. When scope. This edi - “A great bargain for the price, this is liant and cre - you draw cards and consider the readings, tion contains new information on Sun signs, highly recommended for all astrology col - ative minds of your awareness of this will naturally Moon signs, Ascending signs, placements of lections.” — Library Journal our times .” (— grow… Planets in your Houses, latest astronomical Nicki Scully, Each card is a masterpiece, alive with discoveries, and more. author of beauty and meaning. Each pulses with This edition of The Only Astrology Book Alchemical vibrations that can reach your soul SOUL FIRE directly, activating a resonance between You’ll Ever Need still includes detailed infor - Healing ) ALPHA TO OMEGA CARDS the image and you… mation about how to cast your own chart Soul Fire Alpha to Omega includes 82 radi - A New Oracle for Our Times Yet Soul Fire is not just an oracle. It is the old-fashioned way and more important - antly coloured cards, all designed/chan - by Rowena Pattee Kryder the encapsulization of a cosmic world neled by Rowena, plus a book of ly, how to interpret it once you’re finished. $52.75, cards. Golden Point. view. — Gayle Dulcey, from her preface Although this is not the only astrology 82 colour cards + 192-page readings/interpretations for each of the book that your library will ever need, it is paperback book cards in their “Alpha” (creation, action, Soul Fire: Alpha to Omega functions at the still a valuable title that should be strongly Rowena Pattee Kryder’s Book & manifestation) or “Omega” (resurrection, level of the I Ching or high-level Tarots, but considered. Woolfolk, the horoscope magnificent visionary work Card Set consciousness, integration) positions. freshly, deeply, alchemically.

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 34 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! FREQUENCY & PSYCHIC PSYCHOLOGY !

In this time of radical change, Soul Fire Alpha to Omega invites you to an expanded Robert Bruce on Psychic Energy world view. Enter the matrix, Feel the Fire, Air, Water and Earth elements at work ENERGY WORK vitality, energy levels and healing from everyday ail - within you. Know yourself as spirit The Secrets of Healing and Spiritual Growth ments; and increased development of psychic and spir - materializing and awakening in matter… by Robert Bruce itual abilities. Enter the Center $18.75, paper. Hampton Roads. Those feeling “stuck” on a plateau in spiritual prac - Where Flaming Truths 184 pages, b/w drawings tice—from yoga, tai chi and chi gong to kung fu or rei - Ignite Your Heart-Mind Robert Bruce, author of the classic Astral Dynamics , ki—or simply searching for a way to increase their well- And Light Your Path has worked privately as a healer, spiritual consultant being and deeper enjoyment of life will want to To Soul Fulfillment and paranormal researcher for over 30 years, and pro - experience the accelerated spiritual progress made pos - sible by Bruce’s simple method. His step-by-step ap - This unique card deck with a book of vides a free consulting and healing service to the glob - al Internet community. In Energy Work , he describes a proach is Western in orientation and vocabulary, and Readings can help you burn through fears, it incorporates thought form imaging, intention, ele - spark confidence and courage, and shine method that enables readers to enhance their physi - cal health and spiritual practice by providing natural mental properties, self-healing practices and essential light on your path. grounding exercises to encourage safe, rapid results. For more info on Rowena Pattee Kryder’s support for their personal energy systems . Bruce’s method, which can be learned in 30 minutes, delivers such pro - Also by Robert Bruce is The Practical Psychic Self-Defense creative works (they are many!) visit cre - Handbook . Visit him at astraldynamics.com ative-harmonics.org found benefits as improved immune system function; enhanced Metaphysics & Philosophy PRACTICAL PSYCHIC SELF-DEFENSE feel, act, and even how our bodies function. They can HANDBOOK make us unhappy, irritable, confused, sick, unstable, A Survival Guide even crazy. This is why we need practical tools and FREQUENCY by Robert Bruce countermeasures for psychic self-defense, all of which The Power of Personal Vibration $18.75, paper. Hampton Roads. Bruce provides. by Penney Peirce 240 pages, 25 line drawings First published in 2002, The Practical Psychic Self- $17.00, paper. Beyond Words. 272 pages Is everything that goes on in your mind really you? Defense Handbook is now thoroughly revised and up - Perhaps not, says Australian psychic researcher Robert dated with 25% new material . It’s a “survival guide” to We often don’t notice that our spirit, combating the influences of earthbound spirits, de - thoughts, emotions, and body are all made Bruce (also author of the popular Energy Work ). of energy. Everything is vibrating. In fact, Drawing on more than two decades of firsthand re - ranged ghosts, astral snakes and spiders, demonic spir - each of us has a personal vibration that search and experience, Bruce reports that our minds its, and poltergeists. This is a highly anecdotal and communicates who we are to the world are subject to influences from many unseen spiritual comprehensive practical guide to the dark side of the and helps shape our reality. sources. Some of these can influence how we think, psychic universe. In Frequency , Penney Peirce shows you how to feel your personal vibration and work intentionally with energy to transform your life. By learning John Friedlander: Psychic Psychology to find your “home Friedlander and Hemsher present the everyday use - frequency” —the high - PSYCHIC PSYCHOLOGY Energy Skills for Life and Relationships fulness of clairvoyant skills within a big picture where est, most natural per - they explain that we create our reality, but do not con - sonal vibration you can by John Friedlander & Gloria Hemsher $24.95, paper. North Atlantic. trol it; and that the personality—like the soul—is eter - attain—you can maxi - nal and always growing. mize clarity, minimize 356 pages, b/w illustrations This useful guide from two of America’s eminent struggle, and discover If the everyday life of a human weren’t deeply psychics is unique in its focus on individual psychology new talents and capaci - meaningful and enriching, we would never incarnate in and interpersonal relationships. It begins with simple the first place. The opportunity to know oneself more ties. meditations during which practitioners learn how to authentically and more joyfully is present in every breath. Awakening to the recognize their own psychic energy—and also deter - new reality that a higher frequency reveals The final section describes how psychic skills can be mine if that energy is constrained. can help you dramatically improve relation - Psychic Psychology applied in real-world contexts, which are often am - ships, find upscale solutions to problems, shows how to free energy through such tools as biguous and contradictory . The book explores com - and materialize a life that contains every - grounding, clearing psychic enmeshment, and find - mon issues such as dealing with self-doubt without thing you need. Frequency shows you how ing the space from which to respond most openly, resource - jumping to unwarranted, blind confidence and how to commu - . An entire chapter is devoted to ex - to manage your energy “state” so you can fully, and generously to life nicate effectively, with clear boundaries. ploring the specific energies men and women have based on reap the benefits of the life you’re truly John Friedlander has been teaching psychic skills since the their biological differences and helping them to deal with their built for. 1970s and Gloria Hemsher since 1997. They also co-authored own energy and that of the other sex. Peirce describes nine phases of the trans - Basic Psychic Development . formations process: ! Spirit Merges with Body, Emotions, and NAVIGATING THE SEVEN PLANES In these recordings, the author shows seekers how Mind to go up and down the energy scale of the planes just ! OF CONSCIOUSNESS The Frequency of Life Increases in Every Advanced Skills New on as a choir learns to sing the pitches of the scale ac - Way, Everywhere CD curately . In addition, he goes over common psychic ! by John Friedlander The Personal-Collective Subconscious $57.00, 4 CDs. North Atlantic/Frog. 7 hours concepts such as auras and chakras, as well as his Mind Empties unique psychic system that emphasizes interpersonal ! Originally presented as two half-day intensive class - You Retrench, Refortify, Resist, and Re - es, this series of audio CDs offers a clairvoyant explo - relationships and individual psychology and differenti - suppress ration of the seven planes of consciousness as de - ates between male and female psychic energy. ! Old Structures Break Down and Dissolve “Friedlander has mastered the art of sub-planar vi - ! scribed by the Theosophical writers of the early You Stop, Let Go, and Relax into Your twentieth century. Traveling from the first, most subtle bration and travel; by simply receiving his voice and Truest Self energy, with active imagination, you can journey ! plane closest to the divine down through the spiritual, intuitional, You Re-Emerge into the World like the mental, and emotional planes to the densest plane of physical exis - with him through cosmic ranges and realms in your own and Phoenix at the frequency of your own consciousness. John is playful, en - ! tence, Friedlander (co-author of Psychic Psychology ) gently leads lis - Relationship, Family, and Group Experi - teners through a powerful meditative process designed to increase gaged, sincere, wry, profound.” —Richard Grossinger, author of ence Are Revolutionized their awareness and energy. 2013: Raising Earth to the Next Vibration ! Enlightenment Is Grounded in Every Bit of Matter. Centering more on practical, real-world applica - Each chapter has practical “Try This!” PRACTICING YOUR ENERGY SKILLS tions than on esoteric theory, the course begins with exercises for reversing misperceptions, FOR LIFE AND RELATIONSHIPS a series of guided visualizations to help students rec - feeling into a power spot, entering your Meditations, Real-Life Applications, New on ognize their own authentic psychic energy and free body in a deeper way and many more. and More CD themselves from energetic obstructions. The system “Seeing ourselves as energy beings is the by John Friedlander teaches powerful tools such as grounding, break - most important breakthrough of our times. In $85.00, 7 CDs. North Atlantic/Frog. 10 hours. ing psychic blocks, and finding the “energy space” Frequency , Penney Peirce clarifies many of the Designed as both a stand-alone guide and an au - to react positively to life’s challenges. Individual energy principles that have previously been dio companion to John Friedlander and Gloria chapters explore each sex’s unique gender energy. unacknowledged, but which we can now in - Hemsher’s long-awaited book Psychic Psychology , this As students go through the course and deepen tentionally use to keep ourselves healthy and audio recording teaches listeners how to tap their their understanding of psychic energy, they build their skills and improve the realities we live in.” —Richard psychic ability to improve their relationships with their families, gain powerful insights into the nature of reality. Bartlett, author of Matrix Energetics partnerships, workplaces, and wider communities. Also by Peirce is The Intuitive Way .

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 35 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! METAPHYSICS & CHANNELING !

Angels, Aliens, Transmissions hisattvas, Islamic angels, Hindu Apsaras, the mysterious angels of the Jewish Secret Traditions of the West & Revelations , cherubim, seraphim, guardian angels, the angel of death, and others. THE SECRET TRADITION OF THE SOUL DECODING YOUR DESTINY I think I know what draws these being by Patrick Harpur Keys to Humanity’s Spiritual to us. It’s love. It’s as simple as that. It’s $20.50, paper. North Atlantic/Frog. 272 pages Transformation our need. It’s our longing and prayer... In The Secret Tradition of the Soul , author Patrick Harpur ar - by Tanis Helliwell Here are other things that attract: gues that answers to life’s most difficult questions—the mean - $19.95, paper. Tanis Helliwell. 210 pages innocence, wonder, purity of intent, ing of life, the nature of self, and the existence of an after - Decoding Your Destiny is designed as a praise, trust, delight. And prayer. life—can be met by a visionary tradition that runs through roadmap for humanity containing what is Do you want to know more about your Western culture, from Greek philosophy and Renaissance needed to prepare angel? Then ask. It’s as simple as that. Ask alchemy to Romantic poetry and modern depth psychology . for the transforma - for what you want. This hidden tradition, according to Harpur, places our soul at tion of the world as What are angels? What do they look like? the center of the universe and emphasizes imagination, the we know it and to Whom do they choose to visit? Why do they collective unconscious, and an “otherworld” or afterlife; embrace the new appear sometimes and not others, and above all, it teaches us how to know ourselves and how to re - reality. would you recognize one if it appeared be - cover a sense of meaning largely lost today. Currently, the fore you? With great feeling, Burnham of - Harpur shows how this tradition drives the literature of otherworld journeys, from Earth is fers an eloquent report from the place the flights of shamans and the dreams of psychoanalysis to the mystic imagination of experiencing a where earth and heaven meet. A won - Romantic poets and the visions of those having near-death experiences. The Secret quantum jump in drous journey into the world of angels, Tradition of the Soul is the first book to gather together all the threads of the soul its evolution, a this book is a song of praise to life . tradition and weave them into a bigger, clearer picture , presenting a worldview at raising of its “A kind of timeless tour, led by ordinary once ancient and revolutionary. frequency. We people who’ve met angels, and extraordi - Patrick Harpur teaches philosophy to graduate students at Schumacher College in humans, who are nary writers who’ve set down ageless the UK. His articles have appeared in The Hermetic Journal, Gnosis, and Fortean Times . cells in the body thoughts: Milton, Dante, Goethe, of the Earth, must also attune to this Shakespeare, Blake, Rilke, Dostoevsky, THE QUEST FOR HERMES TRISMEGISTUS frequency in order to live on this planet. Swedenborg, and Poe, along with passages From Ancient Egypt to the Modern World This process is in keeping with the natural from the Bible and the Koran.” — L.A. Times by Gary Lachman and spiritual laws on which our world is $27.50, paper. Floris. 247 pages founded. The greatest factor that limits us From the sands of Alexandria via the Renaissance palaces is the collective hypnosis in our everyday THE BOOK OF THEANNA of the Medicis to our own time, this spiritual adventure sto - life about what is real... In the Lands that Follow Death ry traces the profound influence of Hermes By raising our frequency we can see our by Ellias & Theanna Lonsdale Trismegistus—the “thrice-great one”—on the Western own programming and we can change it $18.95, paper. mind . For centuries, his name ranked among the most illus - not only for ourselves, but also for others. North Atlantic/Frog. 366 pages trious of the ancient world. Each person who raises his or her The Book of Theanna contains a collec - Considered by some a contemporary of Moses and a fore - frequency increases exponentially the tion of letters written by Ellias, which he runner of Christ, this almost mythical figure arose in ability for others to do so as well . began transcribing Alexandria during the fourth century B.C. from a fusion of Where have we come from? Where are we from Theanna (for - the Egyptian god and the Greek god Hermes. Master now? Where are we going? These questions merly Sara of magic, writing, science, and philosophy, Hermes was are answered in this encyclopedia of the Lonsdale), his wife thought to have walked with gods and to be the source of the divine wisdom granted unseen world and how it affects us in the and twin soul, short - to humankind at “the beginning .” 21st century. This guidebook includes ex - ly after her death . In The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus , Gary Lachman brings to life the mysterious ercises that readers can apply in their lives . They communicate character of this great spiritual guide, exposing the many theories and stories sur - Topics include humanity’s next evolution - and commune rounding him, and revitalizing his teachings for the modern world . This compre - ary step, cycles of human evolution, other through a sacred im - hensive book covers all aspects of the tradition of Hermes, from the early periods species evolving on Earth and life in our so - pulse that rises from through to modern explorations of Hermetic science as it resonates with altered states lar system. All presented in a clear and ac - the Earth and de - of consciousness. cessible manner. scends from the If the legends about Hermes Trismegistus were true, then practically every sage and “Tanis is a spiritual evocateur and deep Heavens. It is this mystic from time immemorial had looked to the thrice great one as the source of their seer who opens us up to other voices… oth - very current that wisdom. Yet today he is virtually unknown . A faint echo of his influence barely remains er realms.” —Jean Houston, author of The brings forth a path into the Age of Aquaria. when we speak of ‘hermetically sealed jars’, a usage that has trickled down from the Possible Human time when alchemy. of which Hermes Trismegistus was believed to be the founder, was In the course of these writings, Sara jour - Tanis Helliwell is also the author of neys to Heaven and Hell and the vast Lands taken seriously. This seems small acclaim for someone to whom even Plato had to take Pilgrimage with the Leprechauns and other a back seat. in between. She paints vivid pictures of her books. Visit her: www.tanishelliwell.com. encounters in each of these realms. Through centuries of wars, conquests, and religious persecutions, the teachings of Through the teachings she brings ways to the have survived. This is a book for all enquirers who want to re - Corpus Hermeticum break the crystallized shell holding us cover that lost knowledge and awaken a shift in human consciousness. A BOOK OF ANGELS back from ultimate self-love and forgive - Among Gary Lachman’s other books are and Jung the Mystic . Reflections on Angels Past and Present, ness. Waving the smelling salts through and True Stories of How They the words , she discusses illness, karma, the Touch Our Lives dark side, the Lord of Death, Christ, the THE KYBALION of the Hermetic teachings on which it is by Sophy Burnham New in death minds, the scenery of death as well as The Definitive Edition thought to be based. Now the veil is parted. $21.00, paper. Tarcher/Penguin. Paperback the denials and delusions of the recently by William Walker Atkinson, The Kybalion: The Definitive Edition pre - 334 pages, 7x8, French flaps, b/w illustrations dead, the nature of sexuality and power as writing as Three Initiates sents the first full-scale analysis of this This is a gorgeous new edition of the seen from the bracing perspective of the $21.00, paper. Tarcher/Putnam. 312 pages work of practical wisdom. It fea - “golden conjunction of heaven and earth... other side, how to awaken to Truth, and It is one of the most mysterious and hotly tures the complete text of The Kybalion reminding us that more. debated occult works ever written—and with - and the first-ever publication of Atkinson’s there are angels in There is an immense need for Death’s out question the previously unknown post-Kybalion work: every religion” truth to fully reveal itself. What this updat - . most popular and The Seven Cosmic Laws that has sold more ed edition carries is a renewed and re - In an engaging introduction to this widely influential than a million freshed revelation—death is a different unique volume, religious scholar Philip book of arcane phi - copies. death than was ever possible before. It can Deslippe surveys the work’s context, history, losophy of the When Sophy now come forward in a redemptive fashion. twentieth century: and impact (including as a source of spiri - Burnham wrote A Not just another account of life after The Kybalion has tual insight to communities ranging from Book of Angels , she death, nor a channeled book in the usual been credited only to Black Nationalism), and inspired a phe - sense, The Book of Theanna enacts a virtu - to the cryptic provides a biographical sketch of its elusive nomenon. An in - ally unknown and ignored method of spir - “Three Initiates” author, the New Thought pioneer William stant bestseller itual communication to break death’s since its first ap - Walker Atkinson. when it was originally published in 1990, spell with the power and intensity of Love As valuable to new fans as it is to longtime pearance in 1908. this beautiful book not only tells the extra - from across the veil now returned to Earth. readers who crave more knowledge about Debate rages over ordinary true stories of present-day en - Ellias Lonsdale is able to navigate the Atkinson and his work, the identity of the The Kybalion: The counters with angels, but also traces the soul to the past, present, and future in or - illuminates the strange Three Initiates, the Definitive Edition study of angels throughout history and in der to help one connect with the totality and significant history of this long-cher - origin of the book’s different cultures . Burnham writes about and multidimensionality of life. Visit him at ished work. mysterious title and insights, and the nature the powerful male angels, Buddhist bod - www.stargenesiswisdom.com.

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 36 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! HIDDEN SCIENCE & SACRED ECONOMICS !

THE POWER OF SHAKTI If you believe there is no special 18 Pathways to Ignite the Energy significance to the year 2012, then prepare of the Divine Woman yourself for a guided tour through the most Sacred Economics & the Wealth of Nature incredible scientific mysteries in the by Padma Aon Prakasha modern world, which may be the $23.75, paper. Inner Traditions. rediscovery of an ancient system of THE WEALTH OF NATURE 240 pages, 19 b/w illustrations physics and spirituality that was once Economics as if Survival Mattered Shakti is the life force that ceaselessly widely used and understood, but has since manifests, creates, and activates. Igniting crumbled almost completely into ruin. by John Michael Greer this living power $18.95, paper. New Society. 262 pages Calling upon fascinating areas of alterna - The Wealth of Nature proposes a new model of economics within is the key tive science, Wilcock’s philosophy con - for both men and based on the integral value of ecology. Building on the foun - nects the human species and the rest of dations of E.F. Schumacher’s revolutionary “economics as if women to attain the cosmos, proposing that it is in our union, harmony, people mattered,” this book examines the true cost of con - power to usher in the Golden Age prophe - fusing money with wealth. By analyzing the mistakes of con - and peace. The sied in so many ancient cultures and spiri - fluid intelligence temporary economics, it shows how an economy centered tual traditions . Unlike the doom- and- on natural capital—the raw materials that support human of Shakti en - gloom viewpoints depicted in big-budget flames, empow - life—can move our society toward a more productive rela - disaster films, Wilcock believes that 2012 tionship with the planet that sustains us all . ers, and awakens may be a watermark for when a widespread Our collective refusal to follow the lead of those who urged the life force, joy, acceptance of a greater reality will begin to and organic wis - us to learn how to get by with less has not spared us the occur—and in his book, he lays out many of necessity of doing exactly that. That’s the problem, ultimately, with driving headlong at dom within. the blueprints for such a Golden Age. Uniting the a brick wall; you can stop by standing on the brake pedal or you can stop by hitting the There is excellent science to support the wall, but either way, you’re going to stop. forms of Tantra idea of a global grid. This same geometry Yoga found in The Wealth of Nature suggests public policy initiatives and personal choices that can likely appears in quantum mechanics, the help alleviate the economic impact of Peak Oil. These strategies must address not only Indian, Tibetan, and Aramaic sacred tradi - genetic code, the solar system, the tions, Padma Aon Prakasha reveals how to distribution of galaxies at the largest level, financial concerns, but the issues of resource depletion and pollution as well. activate the power of Shakti by opening and the gas and dust at the far reaches of Examples include: ! the 18 energetic pathways of the Shakti the Universe. Adjusting tax policy to penalize the use of natural nonrenewable resources over re - cycled materials Circuit . The circuit begins with galactic en - * ergy entering the body at the Alta Major ! Placing public welfare above corporate interests We all want to make this world a chakra, located at the back of the head. ! Empowering individuals, families, and communities by prioritizing local, sustainable better place, and we now have a new set solutions Traveling down the pillar of the spine of tools to help us do it. We are not ! Building economies at an appropriate scale. through the root chakra, the circuit passes victims, and we are definitely not alone . through the seven gates of the Grail Womb The Universe may well be a conscious Profoundly insightful and impeccably argued, this book is required reading for any - to link the sacred sexual center and the superbeing, encouraging us to make a one interested in the intersection of the environment and the economy as we enter heart center. From the heart, the energy quantum leap in our own understanding of the twilight of the Age of Abundance. completes the circuit by traveling to the who and what we are—and giving us the “Greer writes with unsurpassed clarity about the predicaments of energy and econo - third eye and back to the Alta Major starting solarsystem-wide galactic energy boost we my mankind faces… This is the must-read book for anyone who wishes to make it point to reveal the all-seeing eye. need to get there. through the coming turbulence .” —James Kunstler, author of The Long Emergency Centered on the womb in women and “Magnificent... There is a tremendous John Michael Greer’s blog The Archdruid Report is one of the most widely cited on - the hara in men, the Shakti Circuit links amount of good science here, much of it line resources dealing with the future of society. His other books include The Long the soul, bodymind, emotions, and new to Western readers.” —Graham Descent and The Ecotechnic Future . chakras to the power and loving wisdom of Hancock, author of Fingerprints of the Gods the Galactic Center . The Power of Shakti in - More info: www.divinecosmos.com. SACRED ECONOMICS cludes the insights and experiences of both Money, Gift & Society men and women as they activate the power Business, Work in the Age of Transition of Shakti and shows that clearing all 18 by Charles Eisenstein pathways of the Shakti Circuit enables us to & Right Livelihood $25.95, paper. Evolver Editions. 466 pages activate our sacred sexual self and find our Sacred Economics traces the history of money from ancient soul mission. LOST AND FOUND gift economies to modern capitalism, revealing how the money system has contributed to alienation, competition, “A new generation of evolutionary guides Unexpected Revelations and scarcity, destroyed community, and necessitated endless is emerging. I recommend Padma Prakasha about Food and Money growth. Today, these trends have reached their extreme— as a genuine spiritual coach who can help to by Geneen Roth transmute what stands in the way of your but in the wake of their collapse, we may find great oppor - $32.50, cloth. Penguin. 208 pages tunity to transition to a more connected, ecological, and sus - awakening. His work holds the light and In , Geneen Roth Women, Food and God tainable way of being. power of change and deep transformation, drew upon her years of teaching about the This book is about how the money system will have to a sort of ‘cosmic’ readjustment that speeds charged connection change—and is already changing—to embody this transi - up a person’s evolutionary process .” — between food and tion. A broadly integrated synthesis of theory, policy, and practice, Sacred Economics Margot Anand, author of The Art of Sexual our inner lives. Now, explores avant-garde concepts of the New Economics, including negative-interest Ecstasy in , Lost and Found currencies, local currencies, resource-based economics, gift economies, and the Other books of Pad Aon Prakasha are she turns her atten - restoration of the commons . The Nine Eyes of Light and The Christ tion to that other Author Charles Eisenstein also considers the personal dimensions of this transition, Blueprint . great secret in speaking to those concerned with “right livelihood” and how to live according to their Western culture: our ideals in a world seemingly ruled by money. Tapping into a rich lineage of conven - conflicted relation - tional and unconventional economic thought, Sacred Economics presents a vision that THE SOURCE FIELD ship with money. is original yet commonsense, radical yet gentle, and increasingly relevant as the crises INVESTIGATIONS Precipitated by the of our civilization deepen. The Hidden Science and Lost Civilizations loss of her and her behind the 2012 Prophecies husband’s entire life Sacred Economics offers a fundamental analysis of what has gone wrong with money; by David Wilcock savings in the Bernie it describes a more beautiful world based on a different kind of money and economy; it explains the collective actions necessary to create that world and the means by which $32.95, cloth. Penguin. Madoff financial scandal, Roth took a hard 536 pages, b/w photos & illustrations these actions can come about; and it explores the personal dimension of the world- look at her own habits—and found direct transformation, the change in identity and being that I call “living in the gift.” In his documentary The 2012 Enigma — parallels between her relationship with food viewed more than two million times—David and money : binge shopping followed by pe - Evolver Editions, a new imprint of North Atlantic Books emerging from the Reality Wilcock exposed riods of budgetary self-deprivation, “treating” Sandwich website/community, promotes a new counterculture that recognizes hu - many great secrets: herself in ways that ultimately failed to sus - manity’s visionary potential and takes tangible, pragmatic steps to realize it. DNA, consciousness tain, and using money as a substitute for science, wormholes, love—among others. As she examined the stargate travel, sacred deep sources of these habits, she faced the around money that pervades our culture , the resources that should, and ultimately geometry, three-di - hard truth about where her “self-protective” dominates our media, and causes us sleep - can, sustain and support our lives. mensional time, the financial decisions had led. She discovered a less nights—regardless of how wealthy or “A compelling, gorgeously written, sear - Mayan calendar, and haunted and compulsive quality in her rela - poor we might be. ing, funny, and utterly inspiring book. You much more. And in tionship with money—and faced with a crisis, As in all her books, Roth’s writing is won’t be able to put Lost and Found down this book, his seminal she needed to find out why. deeply personal and laced with irreverent and when you’ve finished with it, your rela - work, he exposes even Using the tools she developed to unlock humour and hard-won wisdom. Here, she tionship with money will never be the more—and deeper— unconscious patterns around food and di - offers provocative and radical strategies for same.” —Lynne Twist, author of The Soul of and brighter. eting, she examines the crisis of suffering transforming how we feel and behave about Money

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 37 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! ECO-COMMUNITY !

WHAT COMES AFTER MONEY? trees cast over us , from their untapped Essays from Reality Sandwich on ecological and pharmaceutical potential to Activists Spill the Beans Transforming Currency & Community the roles they have played in our cultural edited by Daniel Pinchbeck & Ken Jordan heritage. $21.50, paper. Evolver Editions. 266 pages Trees not only breathe and communi - THIS CRAZY TIME Most people believe that money is organ - cate; they also reproduce, provide shelter, Living Our Environmental Challenge ic and inevitable; we forget that money is medicine, and food, and connect disparate by Tzeporah Berman & Mark Leiren-Young just a tool created elements of the natural world. While cele - $32.00, cloth. Crown. 384 pages, b/w photos to perform certain brating forests’ function and beauty, From one of the world’s most controversial campaigners, functions. But just Beresford-Kroeger also warns what a defor - This Crazy Time is the No Logo of the NEW environmental as computer pro - ested world would look like. Her revolu - movement, a must-read that combines Bill Bryson’s personable grammers drop tionary bioplan proposes how trees can be style and humour with Naomi Klein’s sharp activist research. out-of date tools planted in urban and rural areas to pro - Passionate, inspiring and funny, Tzeporah Berman is inspir - and pick up better mote health and counteract pollution and ing people from all walks of life to get off the sidelines and fight ones as soon as global warming, main taining biodiversity in the good fight—and win. Her book—part manifesto from a they become avail - the face of climate change. leader, part humorous activist memoir from a soccer mom—of - able, we might These 40 interconnected essays draw on fers a wryly honest, behind the scenes, ultimately uplifting switch from bank- storytelling traditions to present an unusu - look at the state of the planet . financed currency ally beautiful work of natural history. A founder of ForestEthics and PowerUp Canada, Berman was instrumental in shap - to a more equi - “I have never read anything quite like ing the tactics and concerns of the modern environmental movement. In her early 20s table method for The Global Forest . It reads like a spinning she faced nearly a thousand criminal charges and 6 years in prison for transferring goods continuum of a mind-altering walk her role organizing blockades in Canada’s rainforest. With and services. As an operating system for so - through the most magnificent forests in ForestEthics she took on Victoria’s Secret with a photo of a chain - ciety, money needs a major upgrade. the world , looking back into the deepest saw-wielding lingerie model, convincing the catalogue manufactur - We have the power to use our possible crannies of not-so-distant human er to stop using paper made from old-growth forests . intelligence and imagination to reinvent history and consciousness while also seeing She then transformed her tactics and sat down with CEOs and po - society’s operating system so that it fulfills ahead into the near future of science and litical leaders to reshape their policies and practices . She partici - humanity’s highest hopes and age-old consequence, with the hair on the back of pated in saving over 12 million acres of endangered forests, including aspirations. If we can develop and one’s neck rising, yet looking forward also Tzeporah Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest, and has campaigned against the de - construct a new economic foundation that with candle glimmers of hope and yearning Berman velopment of Canada’s oil sands. In her new role at Greenpeace she strikes a balance between the gift that cannot be vanquished.” —Rick Bass, is fighting the problem of our time: climate change, including re - exchanges of the archaic past and our author of Winter: Notes from Montana searching the impacts of the Gulf Oil Spill and protesting oil drilling in the Arctic. As modern system of swift global transactions, Diana Beresford-Kroeger is an expert on a concerned mother, her book is an impassioned plea for a better world . we might manifest a magnificent art the medicinal, environmental, nutritional, “Tzeporah Berman has risked life and liberty in what is ultimately the greatest cause: project, an ever-evolving social sculpture, and herbicidal properties of trees. Her gar - the future of this planet. Sad, alarming, witty and bold, This Crazy Time takes us inside together. Such an expression of our collective human genius will benefit our den in Ontario includes more than a hun - the war against those who are so recklessly and ruthlessly destroying the Earth while kin and our descendants, and support the dred types of trees. most of us sleep.” —Ronald Wright, author of A Short History of Progress greater web of life. “If you’ve ever wondered how ordinary people become the extraordinary people who change the world, read this book … Fast-paced, frank and often surprisingly fun - What Comes After Money? offers a wealth ny, This Crazy Time is a primer for a more impassioned world.” —J.B. MacKinnon, co- of alternatives to the current monetary THE LEGACY author of The 100-Mile Diet system. In this anthology of essays drawn An Elder’s Vision for from the popular web magazine Reality Our Sustainable Future Sandwich, 20 visionary thinkers explore by David Suzuki TALES FROM THE SUSTAINABLE UNDERGROUND the roots of the modern economic crisis $17.95, paper. Greystone. A Wild Journey with People and propose diverse solutions : instituting 128 pages, 7 b/w photos Who Care More about the Planet than the Law local currencies; creating reputation or gift If he had to sum up all that he has learned by Stephen Hren economies (based on historical and con - in one last lecture, what would David Suzuki $17.95, paper. New Society. temporary); introducing spirituality into say? In this expand - 240 pages, 50 charts & graphics the equation; and many more. Contributors ed version of the Activists striving for any type of social change often find include economist Bernard Leitaer, media lecture that he de - themselves operating on the fringes of legal and social norms. theorist Douglas Rushkoff, musician Paul livered in Many experience difficulties when their innovative ideas run Miller (a.k.a. DJ Spooky), theoretical physi - December 2009 , afoul of antiquated laws and regulations that favor a big busi - cist Amit Goswami, Larry Harvey (founder Suzuki, one of ness energy- and material-intensive approach. Tales From the of Burning Man), and Peter Lamborn Earth’s eminent el - Sustainable Underground is packed with the stories of just some Wilson (a.k.a. Hakim Bey), Dale Pendell, ders, explains how of these pioneers—who care more for the planet than the Charles Eisenstein, John Michael Greer, we got where we are rules—whether they’re engaged in natural building, permaculture, community de - and many others. today and presents velopment, or ecologically based art . Ride along and meet courageous and inspiring Daniel Pinchbeck is the editorial director his vision for a bet - individuals such as: of Reality Sandwich and cofounder of ter future. ! Solar guru Ed Eaton Evolver.net. Ken Jordan is publisher of The ‘legacy’ in ! Radical urban permaculturists Scott Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew Reality Sandwich and Evolver.net. this lecture is one ! Artist, eco-architect, and intuitive builder Matt Bua. of truthful words about the hard place Equally entertaining and informative, the profiles in this highly original book pro - Ecology, Community & Politics we’re in, but it’s also one of hopeful vide a unique lens through which to view deeper questions about the societal struc - words: our chance—if we take it—for tures that are preventing us from attaining a more sustainable world . By examining “opportunity, beauty, wonder, and such issues as the nature of property rights and the function of art in society, the au - companionship with the rest of creation.” THE GLOBAL FOREST thor raises profound questions about how our social attitudes and mores have con - New in My hope is that we ourselves will emulate Forty Ways Trees David Suzuki and leave legacies in our tributed to our current destructive paradigm. Can Save Us Paperback turn. —Margaret Atwood, from the Tales From the Sustainable Underground is a must-read for sustainability activists in any by Diana Beresford-Kroeger foreword field, or for anyone who wants to learn about more radical forms of sustainability ac - tivities in an entertaining way. $17.50, paper. Penguin. 192 pages In his own lifetime, Suzuki has witnessed Stephen Hren is a restoration carpenter, builder, and teacher who specializes in sus - One of the world’s experts on how trees an explosion of scientific knowledge as well tainable design and passive and active solar heating technologies. He is co-author of chemically affect the environment, as a huge change in our re - The Carbon-Free Home and A Solar Buyer’s Guide for the Home and Office . Canadian Diana lationship with the planet— Beresford-Kroeger is a tripling of the world’s pop - on a mission to save ulation, a greatly increased the planet—one ecological footprint through We must also recognize the limits of sci - from the documentary film based on David newly planted tree the global economy, and a entific reductionism and the need to adopt Suzuki’s life and the Legacy Lecture. at a time. In The huge growth in technologi - a more holistic point of view. Perhaps most Global Forest , she important, we must join together as a single David Suzuki cal capacity. These changes skillfully weaves to - have had a dire effect on species to respond to the problems we face. THE URBAN FOOD REVOLUTION gether ecology, eth - Earth’s ecosystems and con - Suzuki ends by saying that change begins Changing the Way We Feed Cities nobotany, horticul - sequently on our own well-being. To deal with each of us; all it takes is imagination by Peter Ladner ture, spirituality, with this crisis, we must realize that the laws and a faith in the inherent generosity of $18.95, paper. New Society. science, and green of nature have priority over the forces of Mother Earth . 288 pages, 50 charts & graphics medicine to capture economics and that the planet simply can - Visit legacy.davidsuzuki.org for inspiration Our reliance on industrial agriculture the magic spell that not sustain unfettered growth . to start to live your own legacy, including clips has resulted in a food supply riddled with

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 38 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! TRANSITION: THE END OF GROWTH !

Civilization in Transition Community / Consensus / Collaboration

THE END OF GROWTH WALK OUT WALK ON Adapting to Our New Economic Reality A Learning Journey into Communities by Richard Heinberg Daring to Live the Future Now $17.95, paper. New Society. 336 pages, 50 charts & graphics by Margaret Wheatley & Deborah Frieze Economists insist that recovery is at hand, yet unemployment $27.95, paper. Berrett-Koehler. remains very high, real estate values continue to sink, and gov - 262 pages, colour photos ernments stagger under record deficits. The End of Growth pro - In an era of increasingly complex problems, fewer and fewer poses a startling diagnosis: humanity has reached a fundamen - resources to address them, and failing solutions, Walk Out Walk tal turning point in its economic history. The expansionary On takes readers to seven communities around the world trajectory of industrial civilization is colliding with non-nego - where people have walked out of limiting beliefs and prac - tiable natural limits . tices that precluded solutions to major social problems, and Richard Heinberg’s landmark work goes to the heart of the walked on to discover bold new ways to meet their needs. ongoing financial crisis, explaining how and why it occurred, This book is a true learning journey, filled with intimate sto - and what we must do to avert the worst potential outcomes. Written in an engaging, ries and portraits of the people and places the authors came to know through years of highly readable style, it shows why growth is being blocked by three factors: resource working together to transform their communities. The journey begins in Mexico, then depletion, environmental impacts, and crushing levels of debt. moves to Brazil, South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, Greece and the U.S. In India, we meet These converging limits will force us to re-evaluate cherished economic theories people from Shikshantar, a community that is rejecting the modern culture of money, and to reinvent money and commerce. with its emphasis on self-interest and scarcity, in favour of a gift culture based on gen - The End of Growth describes what policy makers, communities, and families can erosity and reciprocity . In Zimbabwe, we discover the capacity people have to adapt and do to build a new economy that operates within Earth’s budget of energy and re - invent new ways of surviving and thriving in the face of total systems collapse. sources. We can thrive during the transition if we set goals that promote human and Through essays, stories and beautiful colour photographs, Wheatley and Frieze environmental well-being, rather than continuing to pursue the now-unattainable immerse us in these communities that are accomplishing extraordinary things by re - prize of ever-expanding GDP. lying on everyone to be an entrepreneur, a leader, an artist. From Mexico to Greece, Richard Heinberg is also the author of The Party’s Over and Peak Everything . A se - from Columbus, Ohio to Johannesburg, South Africa, we discover that every commu - nior fellow of the Post Carbon Institute, Heinberg is one of the world’s foremost peak nity has within itself the ingenuity, intelligence, and inventiveness to solve the seem - oil educators and an effective communicator of the urgent need to transition away ingly insolvable . from fossil fuels. Margaret Wheatley cofounded and led the Berkana Institute, a global foundation that partners with people developing healthy and resilient communities. She is the au - THE TRANSITION COMPANION thor of several books, including Leadership and the New Science, Turning to One Making Your Community More Resilient in Uncertain Times Another , and Finding Our Way . by Rob Hopkins $32.95, paper. Chelsea Green. THE EMPOWERMENT MANUAL 320 pages, 7x9, b/w illustrations A Guide for Collaborative Groups This book seeks to answer the question: “What would it look by Starhawk like if the best responses to peak oil and climate change came $24.95, paper. New Society. not from committees and Acts of Parliament, but from you and 288 pages, 7x9 me, and the people around us?” A Transition Town group involved in preparations for peak For the first Transition Handbook (2008), this was pretty much oil and climate change; an intentional community, founded a speculative question, but with this new book we are able to with the highest ideals; a nonprofit dedicat - draw from what has, in effect, been a four-year worldwide ex - ed to social change—millions of such volun - periment, and attempt to try to put the Transition idea into practice. tary groups exist around the world. These This book is a move away from The Twelve Steps of Transition that underpinned the collaborative organizations have the unique work of Transition initiatives up to this point toward a more holistic, more appropri - potential to harness their members’ ideals, ate model. It imagines the work involved in transforming the place you live from its passions, skills, and knowledge—if they can succeed in getting along current highly vulnerable, unresilient, oil-dependent state to a resilient, more lo - together. The Empowerment Manual is a comprehensive manual for groups calized, diverse, and nourishing place, as a journey . Starhawk With this book, the author has created a highly useful companion on the journey seeking to organize with shared power and bottom-up leadership to toward community resilience. It is rich with stories of ordinary people doing extra - foster vision, trust, accountability, and responsibility . This desper - ordinary things, of tried and tested tools, and offers many of the ingredients you ately needed toolkit provides keys to: may find you need to create this process where you live. ! Understanding group dynamics The way it has been created embodies this sense of collaboration and creativity. ! Facilitating communication and collective decision-making Each of the tools and ingredients was written in draft and posted to the author’s blog, ! Dealing effectively with difficult people. TransitionCulture.org , as well as on the Transition Network’s site. Comments and Drawing on four decades of experience, Starhawk shows how collaborative groups feedback were invited. Transition initiatives around the world were invited to send in can generate the cooperation, efficacy, and commitment critical to success. Her ex - their stories and photos, which abound in this book. tensive exploration of group process is woven together with the story of RootBound— The Transition movement has now spread to more than 25 cities and towns across a fictional ecovillage mired in conflict—and rounded out with a series of real-life case Canada with more joining monthly. studies. The included exercises and facilitator toolbox show how to establish the necessary structures, ground rules, and healthy norms . The Empowerment Manual is required reading for anyone who wants to help their group avoid disagreement and hidden environ - hood gardening, cooking, and compost - disillusionment and become a wellspring of creativity and innovation. mental, economic, ing programs Starhawk is the author of eleven previous books including Webs of Power . A highly and healthcare costs ! Rebuilding local food processing, storage, influential voice for global justice and the environment, she is deeply committed to and beset by rising and distribution systems bringing the creative power of spirituality to political activism. food prices. With ! Investing in farmers markets and commu - only a handful of nity supported agriculture corporations re - ! Reducing obesity through local fresh food Eco-Philosophy, Deep Ecology gies of ancient cul - sponsible for the initiatives in schools, colleges, and univer - tures and modern in - lion’s share of the sities digenous peoples as food on our super - ! Ending inner-city food deserts. DREAMS evidence of alterna - market shelves, we Producing food locally makes people by Derrick Jensen tive ways of under - are incredibly vul - healthier, alleviates poverty, creates jobs, $24.95, paper. Seven Stories. 672 pages standing reality , in - nerable to supply and makes cities safer and more beautiful. Part of the reason that this culture is killing formed by thinkers chain disruption. The Urban Food Revolution is an essential re - the planet is that it ignores, devalues, or de - such as American The Urban Food Revolution provides a source for anyone who has lost confidence monizes messages from those places where Indian writer Jack recipe for community food security based in the global industrial food system and writing comes from, where dreams come Forbes, shaman on leading innovations across North wants practical advice on how to join the lo - from, where so many other impulses and Martin Prechtel, America . The author draws on his political cal food revolution. ideas and beings come from. Dakota activist and business experience to show that we Peter Ladner served two terms on Derrick Jensen’s furthest-reaching book Waziyatawin, and have all the necessary ingredients to ensure Vancouver City Council. He has a special in - yet, Dreams challenges the “destructive ni - Okanagan Indian writer Jeannette that local, fresh sustainable food is affordable terest in the intersection of food policy and hilism” of writers like Richard Dawkins and Armstrong. He draws on the wisdom of Dr. and widely available. He describes how cities city planning. A lifelong gardener, he has Sam Harris who believe that there is no reali - Paul Stamets, author of Mycelium Running: are bringing food production home by: replaced his West Side Vancouver front ty outside what can be measured using the How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World , so - ! Growing community through neighbor - lawn with a thriving food garden. tools of science. He introduces the mytholo - ciologist Stanley Aronowitz, who discusses

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 39 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! BECOMING ANIMAL, ECO-DESIGN ! science’s lack of accountability to the earth, quality in which we, along with the oaks and within the con - practical considerations and design ideas and many more. the spiders, steadily participate. text of 21st-cen - with real life examples . (How do you get a The experience of listening to and com - With audacious vision and luminous tury life? group off the ground? How do you finance municating with nonhumans—including prose, Becoming Animal sets a new bench - Now fully re - it? What about the planning commission? other mammals, other animals, fungi, plants, mark for the human appraisal of our place vised and updat - Where do we put the cars? How have other bacteria, and others; and also beings this cul - in the whole. ed, Creating cohousing groups succeeded?) Concepts ture does not even consider to be living, Cohousing: and “how-to” are illustrated with exten - such as rivers, rocks, mountains, stars, soil, Earth Energies, Architecture Building sive case studies of diverse communities and others; and also beings this culture does Sustainable in Europe and North America . not even consider to exist, such as muses, & Eco-Design Communities is Cohousing communities create unique dream-givers, spirits, and others—is the an in-depth ex - opportunities for designing more sustain - birthright of every one of us. Our culturally ploration of a able lifestyles. Whether urban, suburban, imposed exile from these relationships—this CREATING COHOUSING uniquely rewarding type of housing which is or rural; senior or intergenerational; retro - culturally imposed echo chamber in which Building Sustainable Communities we find ourselves imprisoned—is one of the perfect for anyone who values their inde - fit or new; the authors show how the physi - costs this culture inflicts upon us. by Kathryn McCamant & Charles Durrett pendence but longs for more connection cal structures of cohousing communities $32.95, paper. New Society. with those around them. Written by the lend themselves to a more efficient use of As in his other books, Jensen draws heav - 320 pages, 7x9, b/w photos & illustrations award-winning team that wrote the original resources that make everything from gar - ily from his own life experience living How can we regain the elements of the “cohousing bible” and first brought co - dening to childcare to socializing easier. alongside the frogs, redwoods, snails, traditional village—family, cooperation, housing to North America, this fully-illus - Creating Cohousing puts the “neighbor” birds and bears of the upper northwest, community, and a sense of belonging— trated manual combines nuts-and-bolts back into “neighborhood,” and is an essen - about which he writes with exquisite ten - tial resource for anyone seeking to turn derness . Having taken on the daunting task their cohousing dream into reality. of understanding one’s dreams as a source Durrett and McCamant are architects of knowledge, Jensen achieves the near-im - Home as an Energy Source who introduced the concept of cohousing possible in this brave book. to the U.S. with the first edition of their Among Derrick Jensen’s other books are HOMEOWNER’S GUIDE TO RENEWABLE ENERGY book Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach Endgame and A Language Older Than Words . Achieving Energy Independence through Solar, Wind, to Housing Ourselves . They have designed Biomass and Hydropower over fifty cohousing communities in the by Dan Chiras U.S. and consulted on many more around BECOMING ANIMAL $28.95, paper. New Society. the world. Charles is also the author of The An Earthly Cosmology 352 pages, 7x9, 150 b/w photos Senior Cohousing Handbook: A Community by David Abram Energy bills have skyrocketed in North America, and tradi - Approach to Independent Living . $18.95, paper. tional energy sources can be as damaging to the environment as Random House. 336 pages they are to your pocketbook. The Homeowner’s Guide to Gardening, Farming David Abram’s The Spell New in Renewable Energy will show you how to cut your home energy of the Sensuous (1997) has Paperback costs while dramatically reducing your carbon footprint. & Self-Reliance become an ecological Completely revised and updated, this new edition describes classic. In Becoming the most practical and affordable methods for making significant improvements in THE PERMACULTURE HANDBOOK Animal , he takes us home energy efficiency and tapping into clean, affordable, renewable energy re - Garden Farming for Town deeper into our sources. If implemented, these measures will save the average homeowner tens of and Country “imbeddedness” with thousands of dollars over the coming decades. by Peter Bane the wild, evolving The book starts by outlining the likely impacts of fossil fuel shortages and some world. He suggests we $29.95, paper. New Society. basic facts about energy. It then discusses energy conservation to slash energy bills and 320 pages, 7x9, 8 pages of colour, will not develop those prepare for renewable energy options. Focusing carefully on specific strategies need - 160 b/w charts & graphics “true” relationships ed to replace specific fuels, the book then examines each practical energy option The urban landscape has swallowed vast with nature through available to homeowners : solar hot water, cooking and water purification; space heat; swaths of prime farmland across North political strategy, poli - passive and active solar retrofits; wood heat; passive cooling; solar electricity; wind- America. cy initiatives, or tech - generated electricity; electricity from microhydropower sources; and emerging tech - Imagine how nological break - nologies—hydrogen, fuel cells, methane digesters and biodiesel. much more self- throughs until we first The Homeowner’s Guide to Renewable Energy gives readers sufficient knowledge to hire reliant our com - “apprentice” ourselves to nature. He encour - and communicate effectively with contractors and, for those wanting to do installa - munities would ages us to spend less time at our computer tions themselves, it recommends more detailed manuals. With a complete resource be if thirty mil - screens talking about nature and more time listing, this well-illustrated and accessible guide is an essential resource for those lion acres of in a dialogue with nature . wanting to enter the renewable energy field . lawns were As the climate veers toward catastrophe, made produc - the innumerable losses cascading through HOME SWEET ZERO ENERGY HOME tive again . the biosphere make vividly evident the need What it takes to develop great homes that won’t cost anythng Permaculture is for a metamorphosis in our relation to the to heat, cool or light up, without going broke or crazy a practical way to living land. For too long we’ve inured our - by Barry Rehfeld apply ecological selves to the wild intelligence of our mus - $19.95, paper. New Society. design princi - cled flesh , taking our primary truths from 320 pages, 50+ charts & graphics ples to food, housing, and energy systems, technologies that hold the living world at a Zero energy homes produce at least as much energy as they making growing fruits, vegetables, and live - distance. This book subverts that distance, consume through a combination of energy efficiencies, passive stock easier and more sustainable. drawing readers ever deeper into their ani - design, and renewable energy production. California has adopt - The Permaculture Handbook is a step-by- mal senses in order to explore, from within, ed zero net energy as the new residential standard for 2020; step, beautifully illustrated guide to creat - the elemental kinship between the body many other governments are considering similar policies. ing resilient and prosperous households and the breathing Earth. Developing zero energy homes is the first step towards mak - and neighborhoods, complemented by Owning up to being an animal, a ing all buildings zero energy—a critical step in mitigating cli - extensive case studies of three successful creature of earth. Tuning our animal senses mate change, since buildings account for forty percent of material and energy use farmsteads and market gardens. This com - to the sensible terrain: blending our skin worldwide . prehensive manual casts garden farming as with the rain-rippled surface of rivers, Home Sweet Zero Energy Home is the first practical guidebook that clearly shows how both an economic opportunity and a strat - mingling our ears with the thunder and the zero energy homes can be good, livable, affordable homes . The author identifies all egy for living well with less money. It shows thrumming of frogs, and our eyes with the the pieces of the zero energy puzzle and how they fall into place, and explains how how, by mimicking the intelligence of na - molten gray sky . Feeling the polyrhythmic homeowners and buyers can also take smaller steps towards sharply reducing the en - ture and applying appropriate technolo - pulse of this place—this huge windswept ergy use of existing buildings. Focusing on real costs and savings, this book takes an gies such as solar and environmental de - body of water and stone. This vexed being in-depth look at: ! sign, permaculture can: in whose flesh we’re entangled. Site selection and passive design ! Create an abundance of fresh, nourishing Becoming earth. Becoming animal. ! Insulation, windows, doors, and building materials ! local produce Becoming, in this manner, fully human. Heating and cooling ! ! Reduce dependence on expensive, pol - The shapeshifting of ravens, the erotic Appliances and electronics ! luting fossil fuels nature of gravity, the eloquence of thunder, Financial resources and incentives. ! Drought-proof our cities and countryside the pleasures of being edible: all have their Whether you are a prospective buyer, owner, or developer, Home Sweet Zero Energy ! Convert waste into wealth. place in Abram’s investigation. He shows Home is your complete guide to creating a more comfortable, efficient, environmen - Permaculture is about working with the that from the awakened perspective of the tally friendly home without breaking your back or your bank account. earth and with each other to repair the human animal, awareness (or mind) is not Barry Rehfeld is the founder of the website Zero Energy Intelligence , where he damage of industrial overreach and to en - an exclusive possession of our species but writes about everything you need to know to build, buy, or renovate a home that pro - rich the living world that sustains us. The a lucid quality of the biosphere itself —a duces as much energy as it uses. Permaculture Handbook is the definitive

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 40 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! GARDENING, NATURE & EVOLUTION !

Nature as Teacher & Healer found encounters with the nature spirits. Very nearly lost to us, his precious ac - Gardening Solutions counts of these meetings have been com - PSYCHIC COMMUNICATION piled and are published here for the first THE ORGANIC GARDENER’S HANDBOOK OF WITH ANIMALS FOR HEALTH time . NATURAL PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL AND HEALING An introduction tells Crombie’s fascinat - A Complete Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Garden by Laila del Monte ing life story, including how he was so in - and Yard the Earth-Friendly Way $19.50, paper. Bear & Company. 208 pages strumental in the early years of the edited by Fern Bradley When Laila del Monte was a child grow - Findhorn community in Scotland. $29.99, paper. Rodale. ing up on the Balearic island of Crombie was a wondrous storyteller, a 400 pages, 7x9, 225 colour photos Formentera, she ex - musician, an actor, and an embodiment of With growing consumer awareness about the dangers perienced a special the best of Scottish charm. He was the of garden chemicals, readers can turn to The Organic bond with the ani - wise old man, the grandfatherly figure Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control as mals that were a part children adore, and the magician who the most reliable and comprehensive guide on the gar - of her life. Later, as guides heroes and heroines on their paths den shelf. Rodale has been the leader in organic meth - she became entirely of accomplishment. He was a man of ods for decades, and this thoroughly updated edition focused on her ca - culture who had one foot in this world features the latest science-based recommendations for reer as a flamenco and one foot in the worlds of spirit and battling garden problems. With all-new photos of common and recently introduced dancer, she resisted mystery. pests and plant diseases , you can quickly identify whether you’ve discovered garden those who told her He was a self-taught mythologist, friend or foe and what action, if any, you should take. that her true voca - psychologist, historian and esotericist, No other reference includes a wider range of methods for growing and maintaining tion was as a healer. though his early training had been in an organic garden. The plant-by-plant guide features symptoms and solutions for But when her own science. Though quiet and reserved, he 200 popular plants , including flowers, vegetables, trees, shrubs, and fruits. The insect- health challenges was still a pleasure to be with. He had a and-disease encyclopedia includes a photo identification guide and detailed descrip - jeopardized her dancing career, the healing delightful, even impish, sense of humour tions of damage readers may see. The extensive coverage of the most up-to-date or - energies she received from both her hu - matched by a twinkle in his eyes that was ganic control techniques and products, presented in order of lowest impact to most man and animal teachers raised her con - rarely absent. — David Spangler intensive intervention, makes it easy to choose the best control. sciousness about the important insights Designed to look like an old fairytale Fern Bradley, Barbara Ellis, and Deborah Martin are former editors of Rodale animals have to offer on the state of our book, this is the first compilation of Roc’s Garden Books who coauthored the 1992 edition of this book. physical and emotional well-being . precious encounters with the fairy realm. In Psychic Communication with Animals for His warm and detailed accounts reveal a Health and Healing Laila del Monte reveals world many yearn to learn about. MICROGREENS how the unconditionally loving nature of How to Grow Nature’s Own Superfood animals very often leads them to take on the Conscious Evolution by Fionna Hill physical pains and negative emotional ex - $19.95, paper. Firefly. periences of the human beings in their & Planetary Culture 108 pages, 8x10, colour photos lives. The animals absorb negative emotions The author’s enthusiasm for microgreens, “plants such as guilt, anger, jealousy, and other is - raised from seed that are larger than sprouts and small - sues that stop people from moving forward AWAKENING THE er than ‘baby’ salad greens,” infects you as you read her and reflect these back in their animal be - PLANETARY MIND well-written and comprehensive introduction to the havior. Through her work with countless an - Beyond the Trauma of the Past “superfood” you can grow on your windowsill in a imals suffering from behavioral disorders or to a New Era of Creativity week. A New Zealand-based floral designer, Hill ex - who have been sick or injured, del Monte by Barbara Hand Clow plains how to plant, raise, and harvest crops of deli - learned that the physical healing of the an - $20.00, paper. Bear & Company. cious and highly nutritious microgreens. The book is imals is directly tied to the emotional heal - 352 pages, 76 b/w illustrations informative and accessible , delivering all you need to ing of the people they are close to . Continuing the revelations begun in The know about the ultimate in local eating—making a The stories and situations she shares in Pleiadian Agenda in this completely revised meal of houseplants. It is nicely illustrated as well, with tantalizing photographs of mi - this book demonstrate that learning what and expanded edi - crogreens at every stage, from seed to planting to plate. And there are more than a animals have to teach us about our lives tion of dozen recipes included here along with the chapters on plant care, growing and does not require any magical formula or la - Catastrophobia, preparing the 20 most popular microgreens, including amaranth, mustard, rocket, borious training—it is part of our natural Barbara Hand Clow arugula, beet, kale, radish, wheatgrass, and basil—and involving children in the oper - birthright. We need only to revive our own explains how we are ation. deep intuition to restore this connection. on the cusp of an age Comprehensive instructions explain which containers and growing media to use, how The authenticity and loving nature of del of incredible creative to prepare and sow the seeds, when and how to harvest and how best to store the bounty. Monte’s approach is not only testimony to growth made possible her dedication and amazing abilities but by restoring our lost also shows us the way we can follow the prehistory. practical North American guide to this rev - ! designing and maintaining an eco-yard same path simply and honestly. Examining legendary olutionary practice , and is a must-read for ! making your yard water-wise cataclysms—such as anyone concerned about creating food se - ! understanding basic soil science the fall of and curity, resilience, and a legacy of abundance ! replacing your lawn with tree, shrub, and MEETING FAIRIES the biblical Flood— rather than depletion. flower beds or hardy, low-maintenance grass My Remarkable Encounters and the mounting geological and archaeo - Peter Bane is a permaculture teacher and ! growing vegetables in the eco-yard. with Nature Spirits logical evidence that many site designer who has published and edited Visionary, hopeful and encouraging, Eco- by R. Ogilvie Crombie of these mythic catastrophes Permaculture Activist magazine for over yards is a must- $25.95, cloth. Allen & Unwin. were actual events, she re - twenty years. He helped create Earthaven read for any - 204 pages, b/w illustrations veals the existence of a Ecovillage in North Carolina. one who wants These fascinating meetings with fire and highly advanced global to use environ - water spirits and interactions with the elf maritime culture that dis - mentally sound king are just part of appeared amid great earth ECO-YARDS practices when one person’s re - Barbara changes and rising seas Simple Steps to Earth-Friendly Landscapes they garden, markable encoun - Hand Clow 14,000 to 11,500 years ago, by Laureen Rama whether in a ters with the fairy nearly causing our species’ $19.95, paper. New Society. residential yard realm. extinction and leaving humanity’s collective 226 pages, colour & b/w photos or on the bal - More than psyche deeply scarred . Many urban yards are essentially unpro - cony of a con - 40 years ago Tracing humanity’s reemergence after ductive patches of grass, requiring constant do or high-rise Robert Ogilvie these catastrophes, Clow explains how these attention for no return. Through sustain - apartment . If Crombie, or Roc as events in the deep past influence our con - able, organic landscaping, these small or you’re sick of he was affectionate - sciousness today. Guided by Carl Johan large plots of land can become part of the the backyard ly known, found Calleman’s analysis of the Mayan Calendar, solution to today’s environmental chal - battle, this book himself in she reveals that as the Earth’s 26,000-year lenges. will show you Edinburgh precessional cycle shifts, our evolution is ac - Eco-yards support the vision of a healthy, how to work with nature instead of fighting Botanical Gardens, celerating to prepare us for a new age of abundant planet in which beautiful, richly it, using simple steps that apply practically where, to his great harmony and peace. varied urban yards contribute to restoring anywhere to turn your yard into an eco- surprise, he found himself looking at a She explains how we are beginning a col - the natural ecosystem. This inspiring and friendly sanctuary. faun. The remarkable, life-changing experi - lective healing as ancient memories of pre - practical manual includes clear, easy-to-fol - Laureen Rama is a landscape designer in ence opened up the world of fairies to history awaken in our minds and release our low instructions for: Calgary, Alberta. him, and was the beginning of many pro - unprocessed fear. Passed from generation to

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 41 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! COSMOLOGY: THE UNIVERSE STORY !

Jose Argüelles - the Next Stage of Evolution Journey of the Universe: Hydrogen to Honey

MANIFESTO FOR THE NOOSPHERE JOURNEY OF THE UNIVERSE The Next Stage in the Evolution of Human Consciousness by Brian Swimme & Mary Evelyn Tucker by José Argüelles $27.50, DVD. Journey of the Universe. $14.95, paper. North Atlantic/Frog. 206 pages, b/w illustrations 58 minutes The noosphere, identified in the early 20th century as intrinsic Ask evolutionary philosopher Brian New on to the next stage of human and terrestrial evolution, is defined as Thomas Swimme about our role as humans in DVD Earth’s “mental sphere” or stratum of human this awe-inspiring universe, and his insights thought. Manifesto for the Noosphere , the final will light up the night skies. As our host, co-writer, and fellow work by José Argüelles, predicts that the noos - traveler, he shares his infectious curiosity about life’s biggest phere will be fully accessed on December 21, questions in the epic Journey of the Universe . 2012—but warns that we will only successfully Using his skills as a masterful storyteller, Swimme connects make this evolutionary jump through an act of such big picture issues as the birth of the cosmos 14 billion collective consciousness among humans on years ago, to the invisible frontiers of the human genome, as Earth. The ascension to the noosphere or well as to our current impact on Earth’s evolutionary dynamics. Through his engaging José Argüelles Supermind (using the terminology of Sri Aurobindo), Argüelles says, and thoughtful observations audiences everywhere will discover the profound role we will be an unprecedented “mind shift” that mirrors the emergence of play in this intricate web of life. life itself on the planet. From the Big Bang to the impact humans have on the planet today, this film is de - Manifesto for the Noosphere is intended to inform and prepare humanity for the na - signed to inspire a new and closer relationship with Earth in a period of growing en - ture and magnitude of this shift. Argüelles brings in the Mayan long-count calendar, vironmental and social crisis . radical theories on the nature of time, advanced states of consciousness, and the Beautifully filmed in HD, our story begins on the Greek island of Samos, birthplace possible intervention of galactic intelligence . He carefully details the role of the of mathematician Pythagoras. Disembarking on the island at dawn, Swimme expertly noosphere in relation to other planetary strata (hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere) guides us on an exhilarating trek through time and space, sharing a wondrous view of as well as the history and nature of the biosphere-noosphere transition and the inter - cosmic evolution as a process based on immense creativity and interdependence. mediary phases of the technosphere and cybersphere. After midnight, he sets sail into the star-lit waters of the Aegean Sea, leaving audiences The successful fulfillment of the circumpolar rainbow bridge experiment somewhere with a sense of wonder at the mystery, complexity and connectivity that permeates the close to the 2012 threshold would inaugurate the Noosphere and establish the initial Earth and universe from the very beginning. stage of envisioning Earth as a work of art. Big science, big history, big story, this one-of-a-kind film was written by Swimme Evolver Editions promotes a new counterculture that recognizes humanity’s vision - and Yale University historian of religions Mary Evelyn Tucker. They weave a tapes - ary potential and takes tangible, pragmatic steps to realize it. Exploring the dynamics try that draws together scientific discoveries in astronomy, geology, biology, ecolo - of personal, collective, and global change from a wide range of perspectives, gy, and biodiversity with humanistic insights concerning the nature of the universe . Evolver Editions is an imprint of North Atlantic Books . The story is also told with breathtaking clarity in the accompanying book written by Swimme and Tucker. TIME, SYNCHRONICITY AND CALENDAR CHANGE The Visionary Life and Work of José Argüelles JOURNEY OF THE UNIVERSE by Stephanie South by Brian Swimme & Mary Evelyn Tucker $27.50, paper. Law of Time. $27.50, cloth. Yale. 178 pages 412 pages, 7x10, b/w photos This book is part of a larger project that includes a doc - There will come a time when the birds will fall from the trees, the umentary film, an educational DVD series, and a website: rivers will be poisoned and the wolves will die in the forests. www.journeyoftheuniverse.org . But then the warriors of the rainbow will appear and save the world. We now have a detailed account of how galaxies and —Prophecy of the Cree Indians stars, planets and living organisms, human beings and hu - One time is ending, but another is just beginning, an entire - man consciousness came to be. And yet... we thirst for an - ly new era in the history of the earth: the noosphere. This is the swers to questions that have haunted humanity from the message of José Argüelles. We are leaving the world of pure sen - very beginning. What is our place in the 14-billion-year his - sory matter, and entering a world of mind and telepathy. In this new world of the noos - tory of the universe? What roles do we play in Earth’s his - phere, time is not what a clock measures, but a factor of synchronicity, and the syn - tory? How do we connect with the intricate web of life on chronization of our minds into ever expanding consciousness. Earth? Time, Synchronicity and Calendar Change: The Visionary Life and Work of Jose Argüelles The great discovery of contemporary science is that the reveals the mystery of one of the most unique visionaries in history. In part two of this universe is not simply a place, but a story—a story in which we are immersed, to which authorized biography, his apprentice Stephanie South leads the reader into the su - we belong, and out of which we arose. pernatural synchronic mystery of José’s life , exploring fourth-dimensional reality This story has the power to awaken us more deeply to who we are. For just as the and awakening the Earth to a new time. Milky Way is the universe in the form of a galaxy, and an orchid is the universe in the South’s previous book, 2012: Biography of a Time Traveler, The Journey of Jose form of a flower, we are the universe in the form of a human. And every time we are Argüelles , reveals this visionary in his formative years. Time, Synchronicity and Calendar drawn to look up into the night sky and reflect on the awesome beauty of the universe, Change opens into the complete range of his life’s work, which is vast and varied, we are actually the universe reflecting on itself. with many implications for the future of our planet . Many thought-provoking re - And that changes everything. flections are offered on the nature of our world and the potential of humanity, as well In Journey of the Universe Brian Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker tell the epic sto - as a thorough examination of what it means to be a cosmic messenger on a planet ry of the universe from an inspired new perspective , weaving the findings of mod - rapidly shifting gears—from the biosphere to the noosphere . ern science together with enduring wisdom found in the humanistic traditions of the “José has played a very important part in humanity in reintroducing and reminding West, China, India, and indigenous peoples. The authors explore cosmic evolution as us as a human species of the sacred teachings—the galactic teachings—the teachings a profoundly wondrous process based on creativity, connection, and interdepen - of our ancestors.” —Flordemayo, Mayan healer-grandmother dence, and they envision an unprecedented opportunity for the world’s people to ad - dress the daunting ecological and social challenges of our times. transforms how we understand our origins and envision our generation, this fear has been responsible Journey of the Universe Science, Brain/Mind, Gaia future. Though a little book, it tells a big story—one that inspires hope for a way in for our constant expectations of apocalypse. which Earth and its human civilizations could flourish together. She shows that by remembering and mov - & Cosmology ing beyond the trauma of our long lost “I cannot imagine a more urgent book to read as we enter this revolutionary mo - ment on the planet. Its message is beyond hope or even faith, it is an illuminated man - past, we bring the era of cataclysms to an THE SHALLOWS end and cross the threshold into a time of uscript, a book of wonder and awe for our time .” —Terry Tempest Williams, author What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains of Finding Beauty in a Broken World extraordinary creative activity . by Nicholas Carr Brian Swimme is also author, with Thomas Berry, of The Universe Story . I suggest the way beyond $18.50, paper. Norton. 280 pages “catastrophobia” is to awaken archaic “Is Google making us stupid?” When intelligence, which I find is encoded in the Nicholas Carr posed that question, he also the centuries by “tools of the mind”— As a universal medium, a supremely Light itself. According to indigenous crystallized one of the great debates of our from the alphabet to maps, to the printing versatile extension of our senses, our traditions, the Light is infused with cosmic time: As we enjoy the Net’s bounties, are we press, the clock, and the computer—Carr cognition, and our memory, the information, and modern science has sacrificing our ability to read and think interweaves a fascinating account of re - networked computer serves as a discovered that photons carry cosmic deeply? cent discoveries in neuroscience. Our particularly powerful neural amplifier. Its information. The Shallows expands his argument into brains, the historical and scientific evidence numbing effects are equally strong. Barbara Hand Clow is a respected ceremo - the most compelling exploration of the reveals, change in response to our experi - Building on the insights of thinkers from nial teacher and the author of The Mayan Internet’s intellectual and cultural conse - ences. The technologies we use to find, Plato to McLuhan, Carr makes a convinc - Code, Alchemy of Nine Dimensions , and Liquid quences yet published. As he describes how store, and share information can literally ing case that every information technology Light of Sex . She lives in Vancouver, B.C. human thought has been shaped through reroute our neural pathways. carries an intellectual ethic—a set of as -

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 42 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! BRAIN/MIND. . .& PARENTING !

the possibilities in life’s plan of continua - tion and to seek a clearer communion with Rick Hanson on Rewiring Your Buddha Brain our own reproductive experience. JUST ONE THING Each practice is grounded in neuroscience and posi - Jeannine Parvati Baker was a midwife, Developing a Buddha Brain tive psychology. The book offers information on why the teacher, and mother of six. She was also au - One Simple Practice at a Time practice is important and how it works, thor of Hygieia: A Woman’s Herbal , another by Rick Hanson guidance for performing the practice, classic in modern/ancient woman-wisdom. $17.50, paper. New Harbinger. 160 pages and additional resources readers can In Buddha’s Brain , Rick Hanson explained the neu - use to delve deeper into that particular roscience underlying meditation and helped readers type of practice. Some of the practices SAFE IN THE ARMS OF LOVE maximize the benefits of mindfulness for greater hap - encourage readers to focus on grati - Deepening the Essential Bond tude for what they have, while others of - with Your Baby piness and peace of mind. Building on the success of Book Buddha’s Brain , Just One Thing presents over fifty sim - fer guidance for taking refuge and slow - by Lisa Rafel, Gary Malkin Rick Hanson & CD ple practices readers can do that can have a dramat - ing down in stressful times. All of the & David Surrenda ic positive impact on their lives . Just one simple prac - practices are designed to gradually $27.50, Book+CD set. Wise Parenting. tice can make big changes in readers’ lives by gradually change the way readers process their emotions and create new 79-page hardcover, 8x8, colour photos increasing readers’ capacity for joy, relaxation, and gratitude. neural pathways for greater happiness and fulfillment. & illustrations + music CD Exquisite, timeless and soothing, Safe in THE ENLIGHTENED BRAIN You’ll learn about your unique “profile of at - the Arms of Love offers babies and parents a New on tention” and which methods best strengthen your The Neuroscience of Awakening CD crucial re - by Rick Hanson focus and concentration . The Enlightened Brain of - source of sup - $69.95, 7 CDs. Sounds True. 8.5 hours fers practical tools for strengthening the neural cir - port during We are inspired by the living example of teachers cuitry of spacious awareness, calm in the midst of the precious who have both penetrating insight and a loving stress, contemplative absorption, resilience, and months before heart. “With modern neuroscience, we’re now be - lasting “ease of well-being.” and after birth. ginning to understand the brain processes that sup - Highlights: Lovingly and port these wonderful qualities of mind,” explains !Knowing your brain—how to tailor psychological thoughtfully Dr. Rick Hanson. With The Enlightened Brain, this growth and spiritual practice to your unique neuro - crafted by mas - neuropsychologist explores how you can activate physiology ter sound heal - these same processes inside your own brain. ! Defeating the negativity bias of your brain by internalizing key er Lisa Rafel, Your thoughts and feelings continually sculpt your brain—for resources composer better or worse. As Dr. Hanson teaches, you can use the power ! Pairing positive experiences with negative material to soothe Gary Malkin, of self-directed neuroplasticity to take control of the evolu - and heal old pain and clinical psychologist Dr. David tionary tendency of your brain to react to life with fear, frus - ! Activating the neural foundations of mindfulness Surrenda, Safe in the Arms of Love enhances tration, and heartache —and return your brain to its natural ! Strengthening the five factors of concentration and deep med - the bonding process that forms the founda - state of calm, contentment, and caring. With simple and potent itative absorption tion of a child’s healthy emotional and spir - practices, he reveals how you can weave positive thoughts and ! Building neural shock absorbers for stable inner peace in a tur - itual development. This CD/Giftbook re - emotions into the fabric of your brain, allowing you to cultivate bulent world minds us that every child is a gift to be the qualities of mindfulness, virtue, and wisdom . ! Using neuroscience to relax the apparent self and take life less welcomed, supported, and embraced . It personally. This new science gives us unprecedented tools to individualize perfectly combines an audio sanctuary with psychological growth and spiritual practice. Also by Rick Hanson is Buddha’s Brain: The Practical essential information to awaken the deep, Neuroscience of Happiness . loving attention that helps babies thrive. This book provides new parents impor - MEDITATIONS FOR HAPPINESS time to experience more joy and ease in everyday tant tools, exercises and guidance about Rewire Your Brain life. He then guides you step-by-step through more the bonding process for both before and af - for Lasting Contentment and Peace than a dozen meditations and exercises including: ter the birth of a baby. It offers essential in - ! A Happiness Trip—explore the many shades of by Rick Hanson formation revealing how healthy attach - $24.95, 3 CDs. Sounds True. 3.5 hours New on positive emotions that relate to your happiness !Gratitude—an antidote to threatening thoughts ment builds a secure emotional Here’s a new audio program from CD and feelings foundation for a child’s entire life . the coauthor of Buddha’s Brain: The ! Taking Refuge in What’s Reliable—root your hap - “From hospital to home, this music should Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and piness in the safe harbors of things you can truly be in every newborn environment. Safe in the Wisdom . Science is now proving that happiness is count on Arms of Love establishes a musical sanctuary far more than a positive feeling that comes and ! Coming Home to Happiness—a relaxing session for that which is truly important—meaning - goes. It’s a skill that you can develop . Bridging neuro-psycholo - to ease your body-mind back to its natural state of ful contact and connection. Beautifully meld - gy with the great contemplative traditions, Meditations for calm and contentment. ing artistry with scientifically proven princi - Happiness brings you a series of practices that allow you to liter - “Emotions come and go, but true happiness endures,” teaches ples, Lisa Rafel and Gary Malkin have ally rewire the neural pathways in your brain to experience deep - Dr. Hanson. With Meditations for Happiness , he helps you build a produced music that can be easily absorbed er and more lasting contentment. foundation of skills for realizing more “happiness” than you by the nervous systems of all.” —Joshua On part one, Dr. Hanson discusses the nature of happiness, its thought possible. Leeds, author of The Power of Sound role in our evolution, how our brains both make us happy and Also by Rick Hanson are the excellent audio programs create suffering, and how we can use and shape our brains over Meditations to Change Your Brain and Stress-Proof Your Brain . THE WHOLE-BRAIN CHILD sumptions about single most powerful mind-altering ing rate, Conscious 12 Revolutionary Strategies to the nature of knowl - technology that has ever come into Conception is an al - Nurture Your Child’s edge and intelli - general use. ternative explo - Developing Mind, Survive gence. He explains The Shallows sparkles with memorable ration into under - Everyday Parenting Struggles, how the printed vignettes —Friedrich Nietzsche wrestling standing personal and Help Your Family Thrive book served to focus with a typewriter, Sigmund Freud dissecting fertility, as well as by Daniel Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson our attention, pro - the brains of sea creatures, Nathaniel a comprehensive $28.95, cloth. Bantam. moting deep and Hawthorne contemplating the thunderous guide to discover - 208 pages, visual line drawings creative thought. In approach of a steam locomotive—even as it ing newfound In this pioneering, practical book, Daniel stark contrast, the plumbs profound concerns about the state meaning in our Siegel, neuropsychiatrist and author of Internet encourages of our modern psyche. sexuality . Mindsight, and par - the rapid, distracted Combining knowl - enting expert Tina sampling of small Family, Parenting, Education edge of myth and Bryson demystify bits of information culture, authors Jeannine Parvati Baker and the meltdowns and from many sources. & Youth! Frederick Baker offer a step-by-step manual aggravation, ex - Its ethic is that of the industrialist, an ethic of fertility awareness, depth psychology, plaining the new of speed and efficiency, of optimized pro - and psychic birth control and interweave science of how a duction and consumption—and now the CONSCIOUS CONCEPTION the five elements—Earth, Water, Fire, Air, child’s brain is Net is remaking us in its own image. We are Elemental Journey and Ether—as tools for discovery in the face wired and how it becoming ever more adept at scanning through the Labyrinth of Sexuality of reproductive challenges. matures . The “up - and skimming, but what we are losing is by Jeannine Parvati Baker Including numerous contributions from stairs brain,” which our capacity for concentration, contem - & Frederick Baker experts in the field, the book investigates a makes decisions plation, and reflection . $29.95, paper. North Atlantic. 416 pages, 8x11 broad range of topics, from the causes of in - and balances emo - With the exception of alphabets and In an age when modern reproductive fertility to the spiritualization of sexuality. tions, is under con - number systems, the Net may well be the technology is moving at a rapid and alarm - Conscious Conception urges us to see all of struction until the

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 43 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! FAMILY & RELATIONSHIP GEMS ! mid-twenties. And especially in young chil - A manifesto for protecting the grace of Relationship & Sexuality married, and divorce rates keep climbing dren, the right brain and its emotions tend childhood, Simplicity Parenting is an elo - as adultery and flagging libido drag down to rule over the logic of the left brain. No quent guide to bringing new rhythms to even seemingly solid marriages. wonder kids can seem—and feel—so out of bear on the lifelong art of raising chil - THE SCIENCE OF TRUST How can reality be reconciled with the control. By applying these discoveries to dren . It’s a book to come back to, to draw Emotional Attunement for Couples accepted narrative? It can’t be, according everyday parenting, you can turn any out - ideas and encouragement from it as your by John Gottman to Ryan and Jetha. Their central con - burst, argument, or fear into a chance to children grow. $46.00, cloth. Norton. 480 pages tention is that human beings evolved in Since the 1970s, John Gottman’s research integrate your child’s brain and foster vital I think you’ll find it very gratifying to egalitarian groups that shared food, child growth . Raise calmer, happier children us - feel your inner authenticity develop as has been recognized for its ability to pre - care, and, often, sexual partners. Weaving ing twelve key strategies, including: you bring more awareness and attention cisely measure in - together convergent, frequently over - ! Name It to Tame It : Corral raging right- to your relationship with your children. teractive process - looked evidence from anthropology, ar - brain behavior through left-brain story - And with this process comes more es in couples and chaeology, primatology, anatomy, and psy - telling, appealing to the left brain’s affini - opportunities to see deeply into who your to predict the chosexuality , the authors show how far ty for words and reasoning to calm children are becoming. long-term suc - from human nature monogamy really is. emotional storms and bodily tension. Payne has worked extensively with North cess or failure of Human beings everywhere and in every era ! Engage, Don’t Enrage : Keep your child American and UK Waldorf schools. relationships . In have confronted the same familiar, inti - thinking and listening, instead of purely The Science of mate situations in surprisingly different reacting. Trust he presents ways. Sex at Dawn exposes the ancient ! Move It or Lose It : Use physical activities ALL TOGETHER a new approach roots of human sexuality while pointing to shift your child’s emotional state. to understanding toward a more optimistic future illuminat - ! Let the Clouds of Emotion Roll By : Guide SINGING IN THE KITCHEN and changing ed by our innate capacities for love, coop - your children when they are stuck on a neg - Creative Ways to Make couples: a funda - eration, and generosity . & Listen to Music Book ative emotion, and help them understand & CD mental social skill With intelligence, humor, and wonder, that feelings come and go. as a Family called “emotional Ryan and Jetha show how our promiscuous ! SIFT : Help children pay attention to the by Nerissa & Katryna Nields attunement,” past haunts our struggles over monogamy, Sensations, Images, Feelings, and $25.95, Book+CD set. Shambhala. which describes a couple’s ability to fully sexual orientation, and family dynamics. Thoughts within them so they can make 253 pages, 7x9, two-colour illustrations + process and move on from negative emo - They explore why long-term fidelity can be 66-minute audio-CD better decisions and be more flexible. tional events, ultimately creating a so difficult for so many; why sexual passion This book, from the folk duo the Nields, is ! Connect Through Conflict : Use discord stronger relationship . tends to fade even as love deepens; why about discovering your musical family—the to encourage empathy and greater social Gottman shows how emotional attune - many middle-aged men risk everything for songs you like to success. ment can down-regulate negative affect, transient affairs with younger women; why listen to, the With clear explanations, age-appropriate help couples focus on positive traits and homosexuality persists in the face of stan - songs you like to strategies for dealing with day-to-day strug - memories, and even help prevent domestic dard evolutionary logic; and what the hu - sing, and the gles, and illustrations that will help you ex - violence. He offers a detailed intervention man body itself reveals about the prehis - ways that music plain these concepts to your child, The devised to cultivate attunement, thereby toric origins of modern sexuality. shapes your fam - Whole-Brain Child shows you how to culti - helping couples connect, respect, and show “Turns everything you thought you ily’s traditions vate healthy emotional and intellectual de - affection. Gottman also explains how to knew about sex on its head… Funny, en - and day-to-day velopment so that your children can lead create emotional attunement when it is gaging, and superbly written , Sex at Dawn life. Full of prac - balanced and connected lives. missing, to lay a foundation that will carry explores the science behind what many of tical advice for the relationship through difficult times . us suspected all along: human beings are making music He encourages couples to cultivate attune - not naturally monogamous.” —Julie more a part of SIMPLICITY PARENTING ment through awareness, tolerance, under - Holland, author of The Pot Book your every day, standing, non-defensive listening, and empa - Using the Extraordinary Power of Less songs to sing and move to, instruments to thy. These qualities, he argues, inspire to Raise Calmer, Happier, make and play, and ideas for family tradi - confidence in couples, and the sense that de - DIVINE SEXUALITY and More Secure Kids tions and community events, this book cele - spite the inevitable struggles, the relationship The Joy of Tantra by Kim John Payne, with Lisa Ross brates the connections music can create is enduring and resilient. by Mahasatvaa Ma Ananda Sarita $17.00, paper. Ballantine. 234 pages and deepen within every family . This follow-up to his 1999 The Marriage $21.95, paper. Findhorn. With too much stuff, too many choices, and You don’t need to know a thing about Clinic offers therapists, students, and re - 192 pages, 7x10, colour photos too little time, children can become anxious, music to get something out of this book. If searchers detailed intervention for working The erotic aspects of Tantra are taught in have trouble with you’re new to singing or playing an instru - with couples, and offers couples a roadmap to this sexual guide that reveals transformative friends and school, ment, this book offers tips and guidelines to a stronger future together. insights and meth - or even be diag - get you started. By the same token, you “As always, John Gottman’s cutting-edge ods for all levels of nosed with behav - might be a classical violinist or a teacher of science and wide-ranging wisdom about rela - experience. Artful ioral problems. elementary school music; this book pro - tionships astounds and inspires. This book images and pho - Now family consul - vides songs, games, and ideas to inspire tells us that the science of love relationships tographs illustrate tant Kim John every family. is well on its way. We really can grasp and tantalizing secrets Payne helps par - Here you’ll find: to bring spice to ! shape our most important relationships .” — ents reclaim for Songs for entertaining a new baby, first songs Sue Johnson, author of Hold Me Tight any sexual experi - their children the for little voices, rounds for when family Among John Gottman’s other books are ence, while the space and free - members are ready to experiment with Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work chapters answer dom that all kids singing a part, songs to modify for any oc - and The Relationship Cure. questions on sexu - need for their at - casion, traditional folk songs, original songs, al anatomy, self- tention to deepen and more. Each song is presented with the pleasure, foreplay, and their individu - lyrics, the chords, and any other fun infor - creative positions, orgasms, and the union ality to flourish . mation that may be helpful. The songs are SEX AT DAWN of sex and spirit. Highlighting sex as a spir - Simplicity Parenting offers inspiration, ideas, also included on a CD so you can learn the How We Mate, Why We Stray, itual and artistic enterprise, this multidi - and a blueprint for change: melody and sing or play along . and What It Means for mensional exploration presents esoteric ! ! Streamline your home environment. Re - Musical games including songs with move - Modern Relationships New in wisdom for anyone looking to improve the duce the amount of toys, books, and clut - ments, dancing, rhythm games, audiation by Christopher Ryan Paperback physical, emotional, and sacred aspects of ter—as well as the lights, sounds, and gen - (leaving words out of a song), and imagi - & Cacilda Jetha love and relationships . eral sensory overload. native play. $17.99, paper. HarperCollins. 420 pages This book liberates the readers from the ! Establish rhythms and rituals. Discover ! Homemade instruments to make—from Since Darwin, we’ve been told that sexual shackles of warped beliefs around sexuality ways to ease daily tensions, create battle- cardboard guitars to small hand drums— monogamy comes naturally to our species. and brings a refreshing vision of sexuality, free mealtimes and bedtimes, and tell if as well as practical tips on starting your in - Mainstream science, love and spirituality as complementary your child is overwhelmed. terested child in learning an instrument. religion and culture facets of one whole. It responds to the ! Schedule a break in the schedule. Establish Also included are tips on how to help your has maintained that many questions which lurk in many intervals of calm and connection in your child to practice (and how not to lose your men and women people’s minds regarding how to have a child’s daily torrent of constant doing. mind when they do!). evolved in families more fulfilling sexual life. It brings dignity ! Scale back on media and parental in - ! Family traditions and community events to in which a man’s to our sexual urges, revealing such desire volvement. Manage your children’s take your musical interests further, from possessions and pro - as a mirror of the divine play of creation. “screen time” to limit the endless deluge seasonal celebrations to all-school sing- tection were ex - There are anatomical revelations, astonishing ways to explore ecstasy and of information and stimulation. alongs and community hootenannies. changed for a Making music with the members of your orgasm, and erotic photos which reveal sex Simplification is often about “doing” woman’s fertility and as an art form. At the back of the book, you less, and trusting more. Trusting that—if family practically guarantees a lifetime of fidelity. But this nar - will find a ‘menu’ where you can look up they have the time and security—children distinct, memorable, warm moments of rative is collapsing. your area of interest and find a meditation will explore their worlds in the way, and togetherness . This book is a celebration of Fewer and fewer or exercise to support your well-being at the pace, that works best for them. the connections that music can make. couples are getting around sexuality and relating.

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 44 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! MINDFUL ER0S & WISE WOMEN !

perts —to provide a thorough, well-rounded This “bible” is picture of what it truly means to be sexually packed with fasci - Mindful Trust: the Heart of Relationship active later in life. nating new infor - The older we get, the more one change mation—from why RIGHT HERE WITH YOU shapes another. A bad back, or prostate dietary fat is not re - Bringing Mindful Awareness into Our Relationships cancer, or a late-life divorce, for example, ally the enemy to a edited by Andrea Miller & the editors of Shambhala Sun influences our mood, self-image, chapter on sex af - $18.95, paper. Shambhala. 220 pages communication with a partner, and body ter fifty and an in - Funny how it all comes down to relationships, eh? This experience, as well as sexual response. novative program benchmark collection of engaging writings (drawn from The Naked At Our Age is not just a book on for ensuring pelvic Shambhala Sun) explores how mindfulness—the practice of sexuality—it’s a book about life force, health and well-be - deepening our moment-to-moment awareness—can help us to about rebounding from life’s challenges to ing during and af - keep on loving. open our hearts, improve communication, end destructive pat - ter menopause. terns, and be more fully present with each other. More info-blog: Naked At OurAge.com . After working Topics in Right Here With You include how to open your with thousands of women who have gone heart and develop loving-kindness for yourself and others, how Women’s Spirituality through this process, as well as to improve communication through mindful speech and deep experiencing it myself, I can say with great listening, noticing and counteracting destructive patterns, and discovering how inti - & Healing assurance that menopause is an exciting mate relationships can become a rich form of spiritual practice. developmental stage—one that, when Chapters and contributors include: THE 12 SECRETS OF HIGHLY participated in consciously, holds • Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh on mindfulness and why it lies at the heart of real love CREATIVE WOMEN enormous promise for transforming and • Psychotherapist David Richo on finding a partner healing our bodies, minds, and spirits on A Portable Mentor the deepest levels . • Author Elizabeth Gilbert on conflict and communication by Gail McMeekin • Psychotherapist and meditation teacher Tara Brach on the power of forgiveness $19.95, paper. Conari. 256 pages, 7x9 Dr. Northrup threads her personal story, • Rabbi Harold Kushner on striving to give love rather than get it This guidebook, meant to be read and illuminating anecdotes, and intimate case • Novelist Jane Hamilton on a marital meltdown—and recovery reread over time as you and your creative histories throughout this handbook. Among • Meditation teacher Susan Piver on the value of heartbreak challenges many other themes, chapters include: ! • Psychologist John Welwood on relationships as a path of personal and spiritual growth. change and blos - How menopause literally rewires the brain, These writings are pithy, personal, and draw you in—very useful! som, is filled triggering a change in priorities ! with stories, wit, How to listen for the wake-up calls inher - DARING TO TRUST and wisdom ent in women’s cyclic nature, from PMS to Opening Ourselves to Real Love and Intimacy from the au - SAD to menopausal symptoms ! by David Richo thor’s inter - How the body adjusts naturally to chang - $17.95, paper. Shambhala. 211 pages views with forty- ing hormones, and how to make person - According to psychotherapist David Richo, all the major re - five women, alized decisions about hormone replace - lationship struggles are fundamentally trust issues, whether among them ment therapy and alternative supplements ! it’s fear of commitment, fear of abandonment, communica - Clarissa Pinkola Prescriptive advice on how to deal with the tion problems, jealousy, or a tendency to be controlling. In Estés, Shakti myths and realities of sexual changes and Daring to Trust, he explores the importance of trust through - Gawain, Chris appearance issues. out our emotional lives: how it develops in childhood and how Madden, Sigrid She also offers comprehensive research- it becomes an essential aspect of healthy adult relationships. Olsen, and Barbara Sher. Authors, busi - based treatment guides for everything from The opposite of trust is not mistrust. It is nesswomen, interior designers, artists, musi - fibroids to depression and a unique plan for despair because we have given up on believing cians, scholars, software tycoons, actors—an insuring long-term health of breasts, bones, that safety and fulfillment are possible. We have amazing team of gutsy, smart, and innovative and heart. lost our hope in fellow humans. Trusting was our women freely shared their creative ups and first need. Perhaps it became our worst fear. In the venture of growing as downs. Gail McMeekin, a career coach, has adults in relationship, it is our finest risk. One of the things we notice when we enter an intimate relationship is that trust is required if it is to woven their stories and perspectives with a HYGIEIA: A WOMAN’S HERBAL myriad of practices called “Challenges” to work. If we never learned to trust others to begin with, we will be by Jeannine Parvati David Richo encourage you to soar to new creative bewildered and notice that we are in over our heads. $23.00, paper. North Atlantic. heights and joy. Richo emphasizes that developing trust in others begins by devel - 248 pages, 9x9, b/w illustrations oping true trust in ourselves—in our feelings, our body, and in our inner voice—and There are three major Gateways through Hygieia: A Woman’s Herbal is an encyclo - he offers practical exercises for exploring and enhancing our sense of trust. His writ - which you are invited to enter on this pedic work covering how specific herbs ing is enlivened by well chosen selections from poetry, literature and Jungian thought, journey: Engaging Your Creativity; Mastering can help with Your Challenges as a Creative Woman; and birth control, and he also draws on his familiarity with Buddhist practice. Actualizing Creative Results: The Power of Topics include how we learn to trust in relationships; why we fear trusting; how to Positive Priorities. Within each Gateway, menstruation, know if someone is trustworthy; what to do when trust is broken; developing trust in there are a series of Secrets—essentials for a menopause, ourselves as the basis for trusting others. successful transition to the next Gateway. pregnancy, “Filled with informative quizzes and fact-based assessments… offers a great deal of childbirth, nurs - “It’s a thundershower of inspiration, a real-world advice governing adult relations, especially regarding modern romance in ing, and much lightning-bolt of vitalizing energy . Every a shifting world.” —Publishers Weekly more. Personal time I sit down with it, I’m lifted up and car - David Richo is also author of the perennially useful How to Be an Adult . stories, dreams, ried away. This book is a perfect rite of pas - and poems en - sage gift for any young woman. And it’s a mir - liven the text . ror to all of us, young and old—a bright, The author is a NAKED AT OUR AGE stories . Joan Price valiantly tackles the topic of shining reflection of what’s possible when we frank, outspoken activist in the need for Talking Out Loud About Senior Sex sex after menopause and beyond—both the believe in ourselves and follow our hearts.” — women to be in charge of their own health, by Joan Price good and the bad. She addresses many keys is - Jan Phillips, author of Marry Your Muse $18.95, paper. Perseus. 386 pages sues related to senior sexuality, including rec - to use natural remedies, and to be less re - Is there sex after sixty? In Naked at Our ognizing and adapting to the way the body liant on the Western medical establishment. Age , sex expert Joan Price answers that ques - changes as it ages, dealing with major health Named after Hygieia, the Greek goddess tion with a re - events, coping with losing your partner, and THE WISDOM OF MENOPAUSE of healing, the book is beautifully and ar - sounding Yes! re-entering the dating game late in life. Creating Physical and Emotional Health tistically designed with black and white Unblinkingly hon - Naked At Our Age gives real-life During the Change drawings and photos, hand-lettered pages, est and painstak - people over fifty a voice to tell stories of by Christiane Northrup and original artwork . And it’s easy to use ingly researched, their past and present sex lives , ask $25.00, paper. Bantam. 816 pages when it comes to finding a particular herbal this book spares no questions, and get straightforward advice Dr. Christiane Northrup, author of remedy for a health issue. detail in address - and information from experts. No topic Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom , is back— For example, it recommends 96 herbs to ing the challenges related to elder sexuality is off-limits. doing what she does so expertly—in a fully help with pregnancy, childbirth, and lacta - and joys of pursu - Women and men—coupled and single, revised and updated 2011 edition of The tion. Some of the herbs include bayberry ing love and sex straight and gay—talk candidly about how Wisdom of Menopause . She shows how (for ovaries and womb troubles), milkwort late in life. their sex lives and relationships have menopause is more than a collection of phys - (to help increase the milk supply of nursing This candid book changed with age, and about how they see ical problems: it is a “ mind-body revolution” mothers), and wild cherry (to help relieve addresses senior themselves, their partners, or their single that offers women the greatest opportunity pain during childbirth). sexuality in all its life. Price presents their personal stories, for growth since adolescence . Northrup pro - Jeannine Parvati was a midwife, teacher, colours—the chal - and follows up with tips from sex thera - vides information to empower women in mother of six children, and also author of lenges, the disappointments, and the sur - pists, health professionals, counselors, sex their choices—from the quality of their rela - Conscious Conception: Elemental Journey prises, as well as the delights and the love educators, and other knowledgeable ex - tionships to the quality of their diet. Through the Labyrinth of Sexuality .

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 45 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 ! INDEX !

Abram, David. Becoming Animal 40 Furst, Dan. Surfing Aquarius 34 O’Donohue, John. A Celtic Pilgrimage with John Addiss, Stephen. Haiku 8 Gangaji. Hidden Treasure 27 O’Donohue 32 Agustoni, Daniel. Harmonizing Your Craniosacral System Gangaji. The Greatest Discovery 27 O’Donohue, John. The Four Elements 32 20 Gauding, Madonna. The Mandala Bible 8 Ortner, Jon. Buddha 13 Alasko, Carl. Beyond Blame 24 Gawain, Shakti. Living in the Light 23 Palmer, Brooks. Clutter Busting 22 Ali, Azam. From Night to the Edge of Day 7 Gawler, Ian. Meditation 26 Parvati, Jeannine. Hygieia: A Woman's Herbal 45 Almaas, A.H. Diamond Heart Book 5 26 Goldman, Jonathan. Chakra Brainwave Harmonizer 6 Payne, Kim John. Simplicity Parenting 44 Amorim, Joao. 2012 Time For Change 7 Goldman, Jonathan. Chakra Frequencies 8 Peirce, Penny. Frequency 35 Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism. The Book of Phillips, Jonathan Talat. The Electric Jesus 32 Symbols 25 Goldsmith, Neal. Psychedelic Healing 29 Pierson, Joy. Candle 79 Cookbook 21 Arguelles, José. Manifesto for the Noosphere 42 Gorter, Robert. Fighting Cancer 18 Pinchbeck, Daniel. What Comes After Money? 38 Arrien, Angeles. Living in Gratitude 30 Gottman, John. The Science of Trust 44 Polari De Alverga, Alex. The Religion of Ayahuasca 29 Atkinson, William Walker. The Kybalion 35 Gray, Beverley. The Boreal Herbal 19 Ponlop, Dzogchen. rebel buddha 16 Atwater, P.M.H. Near-Death Experiences 28 Gray, Christopher. The Acid Diaries 29 Prakasha, Padma Aon. The Power of Shakti 37 Graydon, Shari. I Feel Great about My Hands 24 Price, Joan. Naked at Our Age 45 Bachman, Nicolai. The Path of the Yoga Sutras 10 Greene, Liz. Saturn 34 Quest, Penelope. Reiki for Life 21 Baker, Jeannine Parvati. Conscious Conception 43 Greer, John Michael. The Wealth of Nature 37 Bane, Peter. The Permaculture Handbook 40 Greer, Mary. Who Are You in the Tarot? 34 Rabjam, Longchen. Natural Perfection 16 Barks, Coleman (and David Darling). Just Being Here 33 Group of 5. The Eight Crystal Alliances 19 Rafel, Lisa. Safe in the Arms of Love 43 Bateson, Mary Catherine. Composing a Further Life 24 Ram Dass. Be Love Now 11 Bauman, Lynn. The Gospel of Thomas 32 Hallissy, Jennifer. The Write Start 9 Ram Dass. Love, Service, Devotion and the Ultimate Bays, Jan Chozen. How to Train a Wild Elephant 12 Hancock, Graham. Entangled 10 Surrender 11 Beresford-Kroeger, Diana. The Global Forest 38 Hanh, Thich Nhat. Fidelity 14 Rama, Laureen. Eco-Yards 41 Berman, Tzeporah. This Crazy Time 38 Hanh, Thich Nhat. Planting Seeds 14 Rehfeld, Barry. Home Sweet Zero Energy Home 40 Blackstone, Judith. The Intimate Life 29 Hanh, Thich Nhat. Your True Home 14 Reiki Orchestra, The. Classical Reiki 6 Blackstone, Judith. The Realization Process 29 Hanh, Thich Nhat. The Long Road Turns to Joy 14 Richo, David. Daring to Trust 45 Boorstein, Sylvia. Solid Ground 12 Hanson, Rick. Just One Thing 43 Robertson, Robin. The Shadow's Gift 25 Brach, Tara. Meditation & Psychotherapy 28 Hanson, Rick. Meditations for Happiness 43 Rosenthal, Norman. Transcendence 26 Bradley, Fern. The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Hanson, Rick. The Enlightened Brain 43 Roth, Geneen. Lost and Found 37 Natural Pest and Disease Control 41 Ruiz, don Miguel. The Fifth Agreement 30 Bruce, Robert. Energy Work 35 Harpur, Patrick. The Secret Tradition of the Soul 36 Rumi (Coleman Barks trans.). Rumi: The Big Red Book 33 Bruce, Robert. Practical Psychic Self-Defense Handbk 35 Hart, Carol. For the Next 7 Generations 30 Ryan, Christopher. Sex at Dawn 44 Burnham, Sophy. A Book of Angels 36 Hawkes, Joyce Whiteley. Cell-Level Healing 17 Busch, Colleen Morton. Fire Monks 14 Heinberg, Richard. The End of Growth 39 Salzberg, Sharon. The Force of Kindness 12 Helliwell, Tanis. Decoding Your Destiny 36 Sarita, Mahasatvaa Ma Ananda. Divine Sexuality 44 Campbell, Don. Healing at the Speed of Sound 8 Hill, Fionna. Microgreens 41 Schnaubelt, Kurt. Healing Intelligence of Essential Oils 20 Caplan, Mariana. The Guru Question 26 Holden, Lee. Qi Gong for Self-Healing 17 Scully, Nicki. Becoming An Oracle 31 Carr, Nicholas. The Shallows 42 Hopkins, Rob. The Transition Companion 39 Scully, Nicki. Planetary Healing 31 Casupei, Jens. The Art of Raw Food 22 Horn, Paul. The Stillness Inside 7 Seligman, Martin. Flourish 24 Catherine, Shaila. Wisdom Wide and Deep 12 Hren, Stephen. Tales from the Sustainable Underground Serith, Ceisiwr. A Pagan Ritual Prayer Book 31 Chia, Mantak. Cosmic Detox 17 38 Shapiro, Ed & Deb. Be the Change 26 Chia, Mantak. Karsai Nei Tsang 17 Sharman-Burke, Juliet. The New Mythic Tarot 34 Chiasson, Ann Marie. Energy Healing 19 Jensen, Derrick. Dreams 39 Shulevitz, Judith. The Sabbath World 33 Chiras, Dan. Homeowner’s Guide to Renewable Energy 40 Jodorowsky, Alejandro. Psychomagic 27 Siegel, Daniel. The Whole-Brain Child 43 Chodron, Pema. Smile at Fear 15 Jones, Dennis Merritt. The Art of Uncertainty 23 Cioara, Ilie. The Silence of the Mind 28 Kabir. Songs of Kabir 9 Simmons, Robert. The Pocket Book of Stones 19 Clark, Bernie. The Yin Yoga Book 12 Kaldera, Raven. Moon Phase Astrology 33 Simms, Laura. Our Secret Territory 10 Clow, Barbara Hand. Awakening the Planetary Mind 41 Kaminoff, Leslie. Yoga Anatomy 11 Smith, Kenneth. Shamanism for the Age of Science 31 Co, Master Stephen. Power Breathing 18 Kater, Peter. Wind, Rock, Sea & Flame 7 Snyder, Gary. Riprap and Cold Mountain Poems 9 Co, Master Stephen. The Power of Prana 18 Kaur, Snatam. Ras 6 South, Stephanie. Time, Synchronicity & Calendar Change Coelho, Paulo. Aleph 10 Khechog, Nawang. Tibetan Dream Journey 7 42 Cohen, Andrew. Evolutionary Enlightenment 27 Koltuv, Barbara Black. Nights By the Wall 25 Spangler, David. Apprenticed to Spirit 23 Crombie, R. Ogilvie. Meeting Fairies 41 Kornfield, Jack. Bringing Home the Dharma 13 Starhawk. The Empowerment Manual 39 Kornfield, Jack. Meditation For Beginners 26 Staugaard-Jones, J. Anatomy of Exercise & Movement 20 Dalai Lama. Toward a True Kinship of Faiths 15 Kornfield, Jack. A Lamp in the Darkness 13 Stiles, Mukunda. Tantra Yoga Secrets 11 Dalai Lama. My Spiritual Journey 15 Kornfield, Jack. The Buddha Is Still Teaching 13 Stone, Gene. Forks Over Knives 21 Dalai Lama. A Profound Mind 15 Kryder, Rowena. Soul Fire Alpha To Omega Cards 34 Stone, Michael. Awake in the World 11 Dale, Cyndi. Energetic Boundaries 18 Kyssa, Natasha. SimplyRaw Living Foods Detox Manual 21 Sucitto, Ajahn. Turning the Wheel of Truth 14 Deatsman, Colleen. The Hollow Bone 30 Surya Das, Lama. Buddha Standard Time 16 Deer, Thea Summer. Wisdom of the Plant Devas 19 Lachman, Gary. The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus 36 Suzuki, David. The Legacy 38 DeLaune, . Pain Relief with Trigger Point Self-Help 20 Ladner, Peter. The Urban Food Revolution 38 Swimme, Brian. Journey of the Universe 42 Delmonte, Laila. Psychic Communication with Animals for Lamrimpa, Gen. How to Practice Shamatha Meditation 15 Health and Healing 41 Lasater, Judith Hanson. Relax and Renew 12 Taylor, Suzanne. What on Earth? 7 DeLuca, Dave. Sacred Jewels of Yoga 10 Lee, Riley. Shakuhachi Water Meditations 6 Thomas, Lalitha. Waking to Ordinary Life 27 Deva Premal. Password 6 Leseho, Johanna. Dancing on the Earth 8 Ting, Tienko. Natural Chi Movement 17 Dolowich, Gary. Archetypal Acupuncture 17 Lonsdale, Ellias & Theanna. The Book of Theanna 36 Various Artists. Kirtan Nation 6 Dreamhealer, Adam. DreamHealer Heal Yourself DVD 19 Various Artists. Songs of Tara 6 Dyer, Wayne. Your Ultimate Calling 22 Maté, Ferenc. A Real Life 9 Vaughan-Lee, Llewellyn. Fragments of a Love Story 33 Mattis-Namgyel, Elizabeth. Power of an Open Question 15 Venosa, Robert. Illuminatus 8 Eckl, Cheryl. A Beautiful Death 28 McCamant, Kathryn. Creating Cohousing 40 Walker, Brad. The Anatomy of Stretching 20 Eisenstein, Charles. Sacred Economics 37 McMeekin, Gail. 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women 45 Wangyal Rinpoche, Tenzin. Awakening the Sacred Body 16 Endredy, James. Lightning in My Blood 30 Meyer, Marvin. Essential Gnostic Scriptures 32 Wangyal Rinpoche, Tenzin. Tibetan Sound Healing 16 Esselstyn, Caldwell. Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease 21 Mijares, Sharon. The Revelation of the Breath 20 Wangyal Rinpoche, Tenzin. The Tibetan Yogas of Body, Estés, Clarissa Pinkola. Untie the Strong Woman 25 Miller, Andrea. Right Here With You 45 Speech and Mind 16 Estés, Clarissa Pinkola. The Joyous Body 25 Miller, Light. Ayurvedic Curative Cuisine for Everyone 17 Wegela, Karen Kissel. What Really Helps 23 Myss, Caroline. Navigating Hope 22 Wheatley, Margaret. Walk Out Walk On 39 Fortson, Leigh. Embrace, Release, Heal 18 Myss, Caroline. The Power of Prayer 22 Wilcock, David. The Source Field Investigations 37 Friedlander, John. Navigating the Seven Planes of Williams, Brandy. The Woman Magician 31 Consciousness 35 Nepo, Mark. As Far As the Heart Can See 23 Williamson, Duncan. Fireside Tales of the Traveler Friedlander, John. Practicing Your Energy Skills for Life Ngheim, Sister Dang. Healing 13 Children 10 and Relationships 35 Nields, Nerissa & Katryna. All Together Singing in the Wolfson, Phil. Noe 28 Friedlander, John. Psychic Psychology 35 Kitchen 44 Woodland, Lynn. Making Miracles 22 Friedman, Joe. The Dream Workbook 24 Nisker, 'Scoop'. Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again 9 Woolfolk, Joanna Martine. The Only Astrology Book You'll Fulkerson, Lee. Forks Over Knives 21 Northrup, Christiane. The Wisdom of Menopause 45 Ever Need 33

BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 46 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 BRANCHES OF LIGHT ! 47 ! FALL - WINTER • 2011 - 12 Live your practice Learn about yourself. Be inspired by others.

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