Category: Reviews

The Buddha’s Apprentice at Bedtime

by Administrator, posted in Books, Buddhism, Reviews

There is a lot to be said for a children’s books that entertains and educates both children and adults. So buckle in because I have a lot to say about “The Buddha’s Apprentice at Bedtime: Tales of Compassion and Kindness for You to Read with Your Child – Delight and Inspire” by Dharmachari Nagaraja.

The collection was inspired by the Jataka Tales, traditional stories offering guidance and wisdom which are believed to have been told by Buddha himself. The stories are focused on explaining the eight great principles that underpin Buddhism, known as the Eightfold Noble Path. “The Buddha’s Apprentice at Bedtime” also gives a brief overview of Buddhism, ideas of how to work with the stories and storytelling, and introducing meditation to children, if you’re so inclined.

However before you think Nagaraja brought us a book that is all work and no play, let me set your mind at ease. “The Buddha’s Apprentice at Bedtime” is filled with adorable and charming tales. You and your child won’t feel as if you’re being beat over the head with some sort of overbearing Buddhist message when reading these stories. Like the best children’s tales, there are lessons to be learned, but I wanted you to know it wasn’t some sort of indoctrination text. What it IS, is filled with stories of monkeys wearing high heels, beautiful horses mastering fear, little boys battling water serpents, tree spirits savings goats, and a Queen of monkeys teaching humans what it truly means to be a leader.

Monkeys with desserts and heels. Love it!

Last we’ve got to talk about the illustrations. “The Buddha’s Apprentice at Bedtime” is full color and fully illustrated. The art so adorable! I did a couple of scans that don’t do it justice, but you’ll at least get the idea, and the idea is that the art is fantastic! The book credits Sharon Tancredi with commissioned artwork. I’m not sure if that means we should be crediting Tancredi for all the magic the art imbues into the book or not, but the illustrations are a big part of what makes “The Buddha’s Apprentice’s at Bedtime” a great book.

Did I choose it for the spirit? Nope. I loved the goats and the camel.

And that’s what Nagaraja has given us; a really great book.

Crystals and Sacred Sites

by Administrator, posted in Books, Magic/Occult, Reviews

I know it seems like I’m always super excited and gushing, but how excited was I to be given the opportunity to review the newest book by Judy Hall, the author of “The Crystal Bible”? The answer is, jumping up and down excited because as you may remember, I love minerals and gemstones. Judy Hall’s new book, “Crystals and Sacred Sites: Use Crystals to Access the Power of Sacred Landscapes for Personal and Planetary Transformation” does not disappoint.

Hall posits an intriguing theory. If you know the crystal or crystals associated with a location, you can align yourself with, connect with, and visit sacred locations. (Although I don’t see why you couldn’t use this for any location.) This means you learn about predictable locations such as Stonehenge and Glastonbury, but also unexpected spots like Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota and Lake Louise, Banff, Alberta Canada.

“Crystals and Sacred Sites” is oversized and entirely in full color. The images of the crystals are beautiful. This book is informative, thought provoking, and attractive. It’s equally at home on a shelf in your study or out on an end table as a picture book. “Crystals and Sacred Sites” is a welcome addition to category of books on crystals.

A diminished example of the beautiful work in Hall's book.

Goddess Guide Me

by Administrator, posted in Products, Reviews

A couple of friends of mine took me on a birthday field trip to Northshire Books in Manchester, VT. While there I found a hidden gem; a used copy of “Goddess Guide Me: The Oracle That Answers Questions of the Heart” by Amy Zerner and Monte Farber. It was published in 1992 by Fireside Books, a subsidiary of Simon and Schuster.

This is a truly unique oracle compared to others I’ve seen. It’s a cardboard book and each page is divided into three parts; a top, middle, and bottom. When the pages are together, they form beautiful images of goddesses from around the globe. That’s thanks to Amy Zerner who is known for her fabric paintings.

The divided page represents Head, Heart, and Home. There’s text on each section. The head is about mental qualities attributed to each goddess. The heart focuses on purely emotional qualities attributed to each goddess. The home section focuses on the type of physical actions associated with each goddess and reminds you that emulating those actions can help you attain your goal.

So here’s what you do. “Goddess Guide Me” comes with three 12 sided dice. A purple one for head, a blue for heart, and a black one for home. You roll them and the number tells you how many pages to flip in the book. If you roll a 5 on the purple (head) die, you turn five head pages. In this case, it gets the goddess Freyja. A 9 on the blue (heart) die gets Lakshmi. An 11 on the black (home) die gets Atlantia. That’s totally neat, right?

There is a companion book that comes with it that gives you instructions on using the oracle, insight into the goddesses, and rituals.

“Goddess Guide Me” is an amazing tool that seems as relevant today as I’m sure it was when it was published in 1992. What publisher is going to step up and help make this fantastic oracle set available again?

The Yoga Back Book

by Administrator, posted in Books, Reviews

To all my younger readers, take care of your back. You’ll appreciate the advice when you’re an old lady like me. Due to assorted health issues I can’t really do aerobic exercise so I’ve been doing yoga for a long time. In fact, I started it before the health issues! And yet, damn, my back. I finally started private yoga lessons with a professional teacher/trainer. The new routines have been great!

The horrible truth is, when it comes to our bodies, everything is connected. It took a professional yoga instructor to help me understand that and modify my routines. For you, could I suggest “The Yoga Back Book: The Natural Solution to Freedom From Pain” by Stella Weller?

Weller’s book is an amazing resource. She really explains to you the components of the back and how they work. No stone is left unturned as Weller discusses diet, ergonomics, posture, sleep, and of course yoga. The yoga poses are pretty basic and should be doable by beginners. That said, the more advanced practioner will recognize the importance of these cornerstone poses.

I have to say, I would readily recommend “The Yoga Back Book” to anyone who has back pain issues but also to any beginning yoga practioners.

Perfect Imperfect Spirituality

by Administrator, posted in Books, New Age, Reviews

Have you ever read a book about spirituality and felt like, this is great, in fact it’s wonderful, but how does it work for me? I hate to admit it, but it’s true. I read a lot of spirituality books and I feel like often the authors don’t take into account that the readers have lives; 40 hour a week jobs, children with ballet lessons and soccer practice, birthday parties and barbeques to attend. Maybe we can’t incorporate everything, which often times the authors make you feel like you have to do just that.

Enter “Imperfect Spirituality: Extraordinary Enlightenment for Ordinary People” by Polly Campbell. Here the book opens with a spiritual allegory that I think most of us can relate to, disciplining a child who has misbehaved. In this case a little girl who has managed to climb most of Mt. Bookcase before Mom noticed. When an angry Campbell goes to talk to an upset little girl who opted for forcible removal, before she can start the little girl wants to know if Mom still loves her even when she has bad behavior. Campbell responds that there is nothing the little girl could do to make her not love her. Campbell wonders why she cannot extend the same compassion and kindness to herself. Why instead of forgiveness does she mentally pummel herself for her errors?

Campbell describes learning more about spirituality, applying it, and accommodating it for her lifestyle, all the while dodging raisins flying out of her kid’s nose, doing sing-song rhymes, and dealing with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The traditional spirituality discussed may not be groundbreaking for the more experienced, but Campbell’s unique perspective makes “Imperfect Spirituality” perfect for beginning seekers and seasoned travelers.

Path of the Sacred Pipe

by Administrator, posted in Books, Mythology, Religion, Reviews

As most of you know, I’m a generalist. A jack of all trades and a master of none. Generally the books I read reflect this. I have a grand collection of “Complete Idiot’s Guides” and many “Encyclopedias of” or “Guides to”. However when given the chance to read “Path of the Sacred Pipe: Journey of Love, Power, and Healing” by Jay Cleve, PhD I took it despite its narrow focus. It wasn’t long before I realized there was a whole world around which the pipe is centered.

I was amazed to learn how the whole earth is represented in the Native American’s sacred pipe. By learning about the parts of the pipe, Cleve shares the history, mythology, and modern day beliefs of primarily the Lakota, but also other Native American tribes as well. Not only do you learn about the spiritual, but you learn about the actual nuts and bolts of owning and using a pipe. As you might guess, one doesn’t just stuff any old stuff in there, light it up and go. Cleve discusses what gets used, care and maintenance, and the role the pipe plays in different rituals.

I had never imagined that a book about the Native American sacred pipe would give me a look at the Sun Dance ritual, or an overview of the Medicine Wheel, or stories of White Buffalo Calf Maiden. Cleve truly shows how the sacred pipe is fully woven into the fabric of the Native American culture, and because it is, “Path of the Sacred Pipe” ends up being a surprisingly thoughtful and entertaining read.

Crystals, Jewels, Stones

by Administrator, posted in Books, Magic/Occult, New Age, Reviews

We just got done talking about the 2012 Claude “I’m a Bad Mutha’” Lecouteux’s “A Lapidary of Sacred Stones”. Now we’re going to talk about a reprint of Isidore Kozminsky’s 1922 “Crystals, Jewels, Stones: Magic & Science”, along with what the publisher calls a “preface” but it’s more like a mini book called “Crystals and the New Age” by Stuart Weinberg. What will 1922 Kozminsky be like versus Lecouteux’s 2012 Medieval lapidary? You’ll have to wait to find out because we’re starting with Stuart Weinberg’s “Crystals and the New Age”.

Stuart Weinberg is in a unique position to write about crystals, gems, and minerals. He’s the owner of Seven Stars Bookstore in Cambridge, MA and from the photos provided in the book, Weinberg carries an insane selection of crystals and precious stones. Sadly, I’ve never had the chance to shop there, but it is probably a good thing for my checking account. What’s he’s written is a perfect introduction, not just to Kozminsky’s work, but to the crystal oriented New Age in general.

Weinberg gives you an excellent and efficient introduction to chakras, astrology, and the role crystals can play in them. Then when he gets to channeling you’re given a rundown on Emanuel Swedenborg, Helena Blavatsky, Alice Bailey, Edgar Cayce, and Jane Roberts and Seth. Weinberg wraps things up with a little history of crystals themselves within the New Age movement. How the movement effected the availability of precious stones, what became popular when and how. A topic I feel confident Weinberg can speak expertly on. In fact, I would have loved for that section to have been longer. Could there be a solo Weinberg crystal book in the future? If so, more history on the retail of stones please!

Now it’s time to take a look in the past to see what Isidore Kozminsky felt should go in his book of “Crystals, Jewels, Stones: Magic & Science”.

Kozminsky opens explaining that a sincere attempt has been made to blend modern science with ancient occult philosophies. Obviously this is intriguing to the modern reader because the “modern science” in question is from 1922. Part One is “Crystal and Stones in the Bible and World Mythology”. It’s in here that he discusses “The Most Ancient Science” astrology, the Breastplate of Judgment (which is the rewarding topic of most of the chapters of part one), and stones in mythology. One chapter titled “The Greatest Charms in the World” is about the scarab. As a lady with earrings with scarabs carved into them, I will totally take “The Greatest Charm in the World” title. But enough about the opening act, you totally want to hear “Part Two: Precious and Semi-Precious Gems Arranged in Alphabetical Order”.

Just like I did with Lecouteux’s lapidary, I’m going to look up emerald in Kozminsky’s book. When I do, I’m told to see Beryl. Once I’m at Beryl, listed clearly underneath is Emerald. It gives me loads of alternate spellings and mentions that one of its derivations is through the Latin Smaragdus. (Readers will remember that Emerald was listed under Smaragdus in Lecouteux’s “A Lapidary of Sacred Stones”.) The entry also lists a few emeralds that are notable for their size. Sadly, it’s not very exciting of an entry compared to Lecouteux’s lapidary, but that’s just because I chose Emerald. Diamond has a wealth of intriguing stories as well as factual information.

Here we are at the end. Both books read, both books reviewed. Neither one is better than the other because they both have different things to offer, which I hope my reviews did a little bit to highlight. Sadly, when it comes to the land of studying crystals and precious stones, one really can’t have too many reference books. And I’m not just saying that to make the publishers happy. If you were starting your collection you wouldn’t do too bad having these two books on the shelf.

A Lapidary of Sacred Stones

by Administrator, posted in Books, Magic/Occult, Mythology, Reviews

Now you kids know I’m a gal that loves me some Christopher Penczak. I’m a lady that adores me some Deborah Blake. Yet there is but one writer that elicits a fan girl squeal the way Ol’ Blue Eyes would from the ladies back in the day, and that’s Claude Lecouteux. Yes folks, he’s back, and this time he brought jewelry. Lecouteux…..with jewelry people! Claude Lecouteux’s latest is “A Lapidary of Sacred Stones: Their Magical and Medicinal Powers Based on the Earliest Sources.”

At this point in most of our lives we’ve all thumbed through, or own, at least one book about the properties and/or powers of certain minerals and gemstones. Many of you probably already have a favorite. However with each book it’s about what they choose to include and how they choose to organize the information. Those who know and love Lecouteux know that this book is going to be special, and Lecouteux does not disappoint.

From right in the “Introduction”, “How the Dictionary is Organized”:

I have left the names of stones in classical or Medieval Latin as entries, when they exist, because they do not always correspond to the names of modern mineralogy and many stones remain unidentified, and I am going by the medieval nomenclatures. For stones without specific names, I have created entries of the type “stone + virtue” or “stone + location.”

So to find my birth stone, Emerald, I look under “Emerald” and I’m told to “See Smaragdus”. Once there I find 5 pages of diverse information. For instance the stone was one of the 12 stones found on the high priest Aaron’s breastplate in Exodus 28:15-30. Or, the emerald is used in hydromancy or divination. He mentions the emerald’s appearance in “The Romance of Alexander” and the “Letter of Alexander to Aristotle”.

Hopefully this has given you a little idea as to what to expect inside Claude Lecouteux’s “A Lapidary of Sacred Stones”. A lapidary is an old book on the lore of gems, someone who cuts, polishes or engraves precious stones, or a collector or dealer of gems. Lecouteux has certainly wrote this generation’s lapidary with “A Lapidary of Sacred Stones”. Whether you’re looking for Carniz, Magnet of Fish, or Sun Stone, this book is a keeper!

Next we’ll be examining “Crystals, Jewels, Stones: Magic & Science” by Isidore Kozminsky, that just happens to have “Crystals and the New Age” by Stuart Weinberg along for the ride.

Crystals, Crystals, CRYSTALS!

by Administrator, posted in Books, Reviews

I’ve always loved gemstones and minerals. In school, when given the option, I always took geology because there was always a section on minerals and stones. And volcanoes and plate tectonics are pretty cool too. I was so into all of this that I actually gave my high school geology teacher cash and a shopping list to take to a gem and mineral show she was going to, and in return I got some beautiful fluorite.

When I learned that minerals, crystals, and gemstones had magical associations you can imagine how blown my mind was, that would be very. Like many teenage girls I was big into rose quartz, it was affordable and good with matters of the heart and love. As I matured I got quartz points which I learned how to cleanse and care for, and I took the time to learn about the gemstones that I already owned.

Crystals and gemstones can be lifelong companions, but in order to get the most out of them, you’re going to need some guide books. That’s what we’ll be talking about this week, books about stones and crystals! On Tuesday we’ll be talking about “A Lapidary of Sacred Stones: The Magical and Medicinal Powers Based on the Earliest Sources” by Claude Lecouteux and on Thursday we’ll review the two books in one “Crystals, Jewels, Stones: Magic & Science” by Isidore Kozminsky and “Crystals and the New Age” by Stuart Weinberg.

In order to hold you over until Tuesday, why not check out my review of “Power Crystals: Spiritual and Magical Practices, Crystal Skulls, and Alien Technology” by John DeSalvo Ph.D.?

The Art of True Healing

by Administrator, posted in Books, Magic/Occult, New Age, Reviews

I love it when I’m sent reprints of old books to review. It gives me the opportunity to hold history in my hands. What are the odds that in my lifetime I would hold in my hands a copy of the 1932 book “The Art of True Healing: The Unlimited Power of Prayer and Visualization” by Israel Regardie? Let’s be generous and say, not good. Thankfully, over forty years ago New World Library co-founder and Publisher Marc Allen found that book in a store and kept it in good stead so that it could be shared now.

I’m not sure if Allen is as big a fan of Israel Regardie as I am, but it is obvious in his role as Editor that he does hold “The Art of True Healing” in high regard. And why not? The book’s primary focus is to instruct the reader in how to do The Middle Pillar Meditation. Readers of Regardie and/or the Western occult traditions are probably familiar with this exercise. For those of you unfamiliar with it, The Middle Pillar is an exercise where you work with moving energies throughout your body. I don’t want get too specific, it would be like giving away the book!

Believe it or not, I have been known to bust out The Middle Pillar. However I didn’t grasp it’s true potential as a tool for healing until reading this book. I certainly never considered it as a magical working you could perform on another person, but there it is, written in clear, concise language. And as always when I read Regardie I’m now inspired to retake up a regular practice. Allen chimes in at the end with some variant versions he’s come up with over his years of practice.

I highly recommend “The Art of True Healing”. It’s a wonderful introduction to Israel Regardie and a practical one at that. It has the pleasing introductory suggested price point of $12.95 and is in the perfect size for carrying in purse or coat pocket while studying. I’d also like to mention that obviously fans of Regardie, like myself, will want this book, but all my readers who work with energy for healing are going to want this book. Trust me. “The Art of True Healing” gave me new insights into subject matter I thought I already knew. That’s one of the best things I can think to say about this book.