Courageous Gold Coast Girl's Inspirational Illustrated History

Readers will be captivated and inspired by this graphic page-turner of a young African girl's trial in Africa's Gold Coast. While Abina's experience of being separated from family and friends early in life and sold to a series of slave owners was not unusual in 1876 Ghana, it was extraordinary that Abina not only escaped captivity but subsequently brought her slave owner to trial. Fascinating aspects of Gold Coast daily life, social customs and political dynamics are presented as part of this true life story that educates all levels of readers while being exceptionally entertaining.

Authors Trevor Getz and Liz Clarke have created an artistic and historical tour de force that succeeds both as a beautifully illustrated graphic novel and a comprehensive all-in-one teaching guide. The graphic illustrations depict emotional tension and conflict so realistically that the illustrated first half of this book will likely be read in one sitting. Several additional sections in this book provide aspiring forensic historians with just the right amount of background explanation and insight, so as to encourage development of a more discerning eye and mindset. Getz explains the scholarly process of constructing and deconstructing narratives from the past with such zest as to stimulate discussions about how one might recognize many examples of reading with and "against the grain" in order to see both what a person was trying to convey and what they were unintentionally communicating.

Abina and the Important Men is highly recommended for anyone interested in the history of 19th century African Gold Coast, historical relationships between England and Africa, gender studies, how history is interpreted, and the topic of slavery.

Dreams of the Reiki Shaman is a fascinating book about combining Reiki healing with shamanic journeying. It is an easy and joyful read that illuminates the potential to heal by combining these two elements.

The book is divided into three chapters: apprehending reality, journeys and their meanings, and practical applications and lessons. The first looks at seeing beyond what we perceive as reality to enable us to broaden our perspective. The second guides us on how to interpret journeying, retrieve soul parts, and to become aware of our power animals. The final chapter gives advice on dealing with malevolent spirits, using Reiki as a secret weapon against harm and how to deal with beings of light, plus much more.
Each chapter includes case studies, excerpts from the author’s “Energy Notebook” and key words to facilitate further research on subjects being discussed.

There are exercises throughout the book including how to link with power animals, expanding the scope of perception, and how to define your purpose in the moment. The case studies, combined with the exercises that Ewing supplies, really illuminate how well Reiki and shamanism can work together.

This book is packed full of information and inspiration for new and experienced practitioners alike, and is highly recommended.

My mind is boggled by quantum physics, unified field theory, holograms, and other such subjects that are too fierce to mention, They are a great challenge to my non-scientific mind. If you feel this way, too, read this book anyway. It may turn out to be one of the most important books of our time and will change your thinking regarding everything you think you know about "what makes you tick" - restated" "what makes you sick."

Using science, physics, quantum physics, energy psychology, Eastern medicine, Western medicine and a lot of common sense Kelly builds a strong case for a radical change in health care. As you read, keep in mind the teaching of the hologram - that each part of the hologram contains the information of the whole. The more recent study of the human cell is revealing that it, too, contains the information of the whole and that anything that impacts the being at any level is revealed in some way in the cell. And what affects me affects the whole of humanity in some way. It makes me think of the "nesting dolls" crafted by the Eastern Europeans - one inside another, inside another, inside another - each single and yet a part of the whole. Each one impacted by what happens to one of the others. One but many.

Kelly posits that we are human holograms. It's up to you to decide whether or not he makes his case.

If you are disillusioned and perhaps concerned about contemporary health care and the fact that many doctors have become highly educated prescription-writers and test-orderers take heart. If you have seen a doctor who looked at your symptoms but not at you and didn't have time to hear how you've been feeling and how you feel now you know what I mean. The pendulum may have swung as far as it will swing to the side of treating us like we are simply machines. The incidence of doctor and hospital induced illness and the increasing number deaths from properly prescribed medicines makes it necessary to take a hard look at contemporary medical practice.

As science is coming to understand more and more about how our thoughts and emotions affect us at a cellular level it is becoming more apparent that "holistic" is where the action should be or perhaps that should be "holographic." To quote Kelly, "The human hologram model acknowledges that it is our feelings and our experiences that are of fundamental importance. It recognizes that our bodies work together with our brains in an integrated fashion. The body feels, the brain thinks. Insights and inspirations come from a coherence throughout the body, a balance of head and heart."

While the science in the first few chapters may be a challenge for some like me, the remainder of the book ranges from very interesting to fascinating to deeply profound and compelling. I highly recommend that any read it who is interested in health, health care, energy medicine - in what it means to be a human. I fully intend to read it again and perhaps again after that because every time I read a passage for a second time I discover something new that I missed the first time around.

This is a book to enjoy, to savor, to study and to ponder. To end with something Kelly says in the beginning of the book, "Your wisdom will expand the wisdom of all." Thanks, Robin Kelly, for this mind-stretching book.

Irene Conlan, Amazon Reviewer

DR. Losey,
The more I read your book, the more I believe "The Source" may have led me to you for answers to my questions which may also answer many things for you. Forgive my lack of proper terminology, but I have had a lifetime of Angelic Help, and more super natural events than I can even count. Times I have had so much energy in my being and I was filled with such strong vibrations that if I gently touched my ear or even my cats ear there was a high pitched humming or buzzing sound. Than there would be loss of time. I have twice in my life started out heading to one place only to wind up more than a hundred miles away from my destination and having no recalection how I got there sometimes in only 30 minutes. But always I was put there to save a life!
Trying to think how to put this... Once I went to a craft show in the mall where I cut hair. I met a painter, got to know him and cut his hair. A year later, I saw him again in the mall so I ran over to him to say hello. Long story short. He said that was his first time ever in Fla. and his first craft show there. When I told him I cut his hair, described his cloths he wore and especially the huge oil painting of a famous Indian, he wanted to know how I knew those things. He had just completed the painting. It was still wet. He also told me he had just bought the cloths I described. We had no answers. Later that same year, I was again at the mall craft show and met some people at a booth and again got to know them pretty well. I ended up buying a Norwegian Goat Hair coat. Than a year later, this time at a different place I saw them again. I ran over excited to see them and saying I loved my jacket so much. They said they had no clue who I was and it too, was there first craft show in Fla. they even got upset when I knew their names. And when I described the jacket to a tee, Kathy said they had just finished making it. I told them how much it cost. She brought it out to show it to me and I said that is the one I bought. I said I was going home to get mine. I remember leaving, than it is all a blur until the next day. Once I was driving on a busy road in TN. And as a tractor trailer came barreling down on me, some force literally lifted up my car and moved me to the side of the road as the truck passed than moved me back. Every time I go anywhere I ask for Angels to protect me. And they always do. I have Prayed my whole life to meet someone who would be willing to maybe hypnotize me in order to find answers to explain these un-explained occurrences. I sure wish you could help or find someone who would. God Bless, Mary

“This book is grounded in the latest brain science, as well as being wonderfully friendly, encouraging, and practical. It shows readers how to stay out of dead-end conflicts and instead light up the neural circuits of empathy, skillful communication, and love. A marvelous resource.”
—Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Buddha's Brain


“I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it that I can use as a therapist. Stan Tatkin is a great innovator. This book is a must for every couples’ therapist’s library.”
—John Gottman, author of The Science of Trust


“If you feel lost, confused or alone in your relationship, get this book right now. You will finally make sense out of chaos and pain. This is your map to go from frustration and insecurity to realize the potential of why you initially got together. Stan Tatkin’s insightful book will teach you to work as a team to make your relationship journey safe, engaging, and deeply satisfying.”
—Peter Pearson, PhD, couples therapy specialist and cofounder of The Couples Institute in Menlo Park, CA


“Stan Tatkin shows how our couple relationships would look if we took seriously what attachment theory and neuroscience research has taught us.”
—Dan Wile, author of After the Honeymoon


“Wired for Love challenges partners to experience their relationship in a totally new way. Partners will learn how to engage positively as a couple to help each other feel safe and secure by following the relationship exercises suggested in this exciting new book. In clear, concise language, Tatkin describes the ways that partners can understand and become experts on one another. He suggests building a “couple bubble” wherein each partner is the most important person in the other’s life, the one individual on whom the partner can always count.”
—Marion F. Solomon, director of clinical training at Lifespan Learning Institute and author of Narcissism and Intimacy, Lean on Me, and other books


“Read this book to discover a multitude of new ways to enliven your relationship and end needless conflicts. Stan Tatkin is one of the most innovative thinkers in the couples relationship world today. It's impossible to read this book without learning new patterns to enhance your love.”
—Ellyn Bader, PhD, cocreator of the developmental model of couples therapy, codirector of The Couples Institute in Menlo Park, CA, and author of Tell Me No Lies and In Quest of the Mythical Mate


“Reading Stan Tatkin’s book makes you want to be in therapy with him. With intense and fearless clarity, he takes you into the trenches of the combative human brain and shows you how to make love, not war.”
—Esther Perel, LMFT, author of Mating in Captivity

n Sufism, the "Way of Blame" refers to an emphasis on uncovering and exposing one's own egoism, hypocrisy, and false piety, an approach which often renders the practitioner vulnerable to condemnation from others who see their own faults thus exposed by a kind of reflection, as it were. Although the "Way of Blame" is initially an individual predisposition, it has led to the formation of "schools" and groups who make it their defining feature. Known alternately as qalandars and malami, these individuals and groups often convey the impression of flouting the laws of Islam, often at their peril, even when the antinomian behavior is only apparent and not real. (The author makes it clear that the "Way of Blame, in the hands of an unscrupulous practitioner, can merely be an excuse for license and unbridled egoism.) At their best, however, these groups merely try to strip religion of the various trappings and conceits which feed an unconscious but powerful sense of entitlement and vanity.

The book is roughly divided into three sections: (1) a discussion of the "Sufi mystique", of claims of the existence of "hidden masters" and secret brotherhoods, and of the arrival of Sufism in the West; (2) a discussion of the history and lineages of individuals and groups claiming to practice the "Way of Blame"; and (3) a discussion of the "Seven Stations of Wisdom", the stages towards God-realization, and Sufi psychology. The author concludes with a brief discussion of Sufism's possible future and role in the West, particularly the United States.

This is a valuable book on a misunderstood topic, and although I thought the middle, historical section lagged a bit, I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in Sufism, particularly as it has been presented in the West.

Stephen J. Triesch, amazon Reviewer

With chapter titles like "Pluck the Arrow from Your Eye" and "See the World More Clearly," this book is a down-to-earth, humorous and serious but not-too-serious entryway to the principles of Tibetan Buddhism. Lodro Rinzler is a teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage. He shares Buddhist wisdom in a manner that is accessible to readers who want to learn to live in the “now” with a bit more compassion and mindfulness, to change themselves and maybe the world too, but still “enjoy a good drink”. Topics include slowing down to fit in eating, sleeping, meditating and exercising; riding the ups and downs of life; practicing the discipline of virtue; making a difference in the world; using fortune cookie wisdom to experience compassion for others; examining the self; and contemplating death.

Questions and Answers on The Science of Mind is a wonderful compilation of the words and wisdom of author, spiritual philosopher, and founder of the Religious Science movement, Ernest Holmes. This book takes the information in The Science of Mind and puts it into a user-friendly format that allows readers to apply Holmes’ wisdom in their everyday lives. It is broken down into five parts: basic metaphysical issues, general questions about the nature of life, suggestions for dealing with specific problems, practical approaches to everyday situations, and miscellaneous questions and answers, that allows the reader to easily identify the information they are interested in. While this may not be the ideal book to read from cover to cover, it is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in spiritual answers to questions on topics such as: debt, abundance, healing, prayer, mediation and many more. Overall this is a wonderful modern complement to the classic The Science of Mind.

Isha Judd, author of Why Walk When You Can Fly has written another inspiring and practical book extolling the necessity and joy of cultivating personal and planetary “love-consciousness.” “Yes, we hope for a world free from conflict,” Isha writes, “but waiting around for the world to change doesn’t help matters. Change yourself, and then you will be contributing in the most profound and effective way to the creation of a peaceful planet.”

Love consciousness is not the same as the love we feel for others; rather, it is the presence of love in everything, the energy that is our very being. Our creative power in this world of ever-increasing uncertainty is to cultivate the only thing that can make a difference: “love-consciousness, the unlimited energy that connects us with totality.” This, she tells us, is our true nature: emptiness vibrating in love.

Since our minds are so full from the outer world distractions, we begin by emptying the mind, by unlearning old opinions and ideas, and resistance to change. Isha guides readers in this process by exposing some of the most universally cherished fear-based illusions of reality, such as “there is not enough,” and then examining real life problems that these illusions can create in our interpersonal relationships.

“Our future transformation is not important. What is important is what we’re choosing in this moment. Am I choosing love? Am I choosing to be responsible? Am I choosing to change my life. Am I putting unconditional love above everything and trusting in that? When I see external insecurity am I being internal insecurity? Am I evolving or am I isolating myself in more fear?”

A globally acclaimed spiritual teacher, Isha offers reliable advice and practices for cultivating love-consciousness, and demonstrates that "filling our personal lives with peace, honesty, and transparency is the most profound and effective way to the creation of a peaceful planet."

There are many paths to enlightenment, all of them seemingly closed to ordinary human beings. And who has time to pursue such a lofty goal, anyway, when bills need paying, diapers need changing, and the roof is leaking?

Jim Dreaver’s new book END YOUR STORY, BEGIN YOUR LIFE carries us right past those obstacles while acknowledging their validity. Dreaver’s process is built on the theory that we create stories and then forget that they are only fabrications. We are trapped in the fiction we’ve created and have lost sight of the consciousness that is our true selves.

“…our personal, cultural, national, religious, and ethnic stories” are just that – stories. We mistake them for truth, but if we can achieve a state of clarity, it becomes obvious that these illusory tales we concoct about who and what we are, about our enemies and our suffering, are both imaginary and the root of our discontent.

In END YOUR STORY, BEGIN YOUR LIFE, Dreaver offers a three-step practice that trains us to recognize our stories for what they are and allows us to live with awareness and in harmony. The process could pass for a typical self-help system with its plain-speech wisdom broken down into bite-sized bits, but the same approach suggested for coping with traffic jams and annoying co-workers is also a signpost that points directly toward enlightenment.

Dreaver promises that anyone who studies and practices the techniques described in this book will “awaken to freedom” and experience inner calm regardless of the stories and their fierce grip. He has a knack for explaining grand concepts without condescending, and he recognizes that awakening must work for us right here in the world where we live. In fact, he dedicates a section of the book to dealing with money worries – perhaps the most-often cited reason for stress and unhappiness.

Maybe you’ve read books that made similar claims but that quickly drifted into esoteric language or required unrealistic actions to achieve the goal. END YOUR STORY, BEGIN YOUR LIFE will not baffle you with impenetrable references nor will it ask you to move into a Tibetan cave; this book comes at the problem from many different angles, in no-frills speech, and shows us how awakening looks from all its sides so that we can see exactly what it is and how to reach it.

Dreaver is the author of such books as THE WAY OF HARMONY and THE ULTIMATE CURE: THE HEALING ENERGY WITHIN YOU, as well as a teacher at the renowned Esalen Institute in California. His experience in the fields of mind/body integration and stress management give him considerable insight into the challenges most of us face daily, and allow him to cut right to the chase in showing us how to live from a calm and awakened center as we navigate the physical world. Drawing from anecdotes, conversations, and his own meditations, Dreaver serves as a compassionate and protective guide as he leads us away from the stories that trap us and toward that place within where peace resides.

She taught us how to heal our lives. She founded Hay House, publishers of best-selling inspirational books, CDs and DVDs, and she lectures worldwide, helping people reach their full potential. In Heart Thoughts, Louise Hay’s love and wisdom is reflected in the glossy pages of this colorfully illustrated book, an uplifting collection of meditations, affirmations, and what she terms “spiritual treatments” designed to guide the reader through difficult times. Each page is a positive affirmation. No matter the challenge: employment, natural disasters family members, change, health, or fear of death, by reframing these and other difficulties in a positive way, we are able to release old habits and beliefs that no longer serve us and build a more harmonious life.

I have read a lot of books on yoga programs and "self-help," and am pleased to say this book is one of the best I've encountered. I doubt I was swayed by the vibrant, energetic looking author Dashama on the cover. (After all, all yoga or self-improvement books have someone looking radiant, tempting, particularly on days your head and body feel dull and fuzzy.) What drew me in, I believe, was Dashama's simple language, weaving of her own struggles being raised by a mother with schizophrenia and addiction issues, and her no shame approach to healing. She describes ways to assess and change emotional habits that might keep people stuck, as well as eating habits, yoga philosophy and time management. This is a book about changing your life, but doesn't leave you feeling exhausted and overwhelmed that you need to run out and buy all new groceries and stop everything you’re doing because "it's wrong." It's possible that part of what I liked about this is the acknowledgement that sometimes just wanting to change a habit isn't enough; we might need to address emotions and expectations attached to it. As you can tell, I found this a thoroughly great and uplifting read that I am going to announce to all my FB pals.

The Intimate Life is a book about connection at the deepest possible level. The author, Dr. Judith Blackman, calls this connection “fundamental consciousness,” a unity of self and others.

Blackman describes in rich detail the three main pathways of interpersonal connection: awareness, emotion, and physical contact, and helps readers to overcome any intimacy problems that may be affecting their close relationships.

Blackman has pioneered the “Realization Process,” – a process that leads one to spiritual awareness through interconnectedness. Exercises from the Realization Process, throughout the book, offer readers an opportunity to experience enriched personal relationships and awakening spiritual essence through compassion, understanding, and joy.

The Intimate Life contains many case studies that focus on how the Realization Process has worked for others. Following the stories of Blackman’s clients gives a real sense of the process and how greater awareness and unified consciousness can aid one’s relationships.

Sexual intimacy is also addressed with special exercises to help you find true connection with your most intimate partner. They can also help with specific sexual difficulties.

This book is essential reading for people who want to regain an intimacy in their relationships and share a deeper connectedness with loved ones. It is highly recommended for those who would like to work with their partner to attain a higher level of consciousness and revive their innermost connection.

In The Soulmate Secret, Arielle Ford revealed her principles for attracting love. Now she lets readers in on her secret for sustaining that love for the long haul, through what she calls Wabi Sabi Love. The ancient Japanese art form of Wabi Sabi recognizes and honors the beauty in the imperfect. Applied to relationships, it means learning to love and appreciate all of the annoying, frustrating, less-than-ideal aspects of our partner—and ourselves—in order to create a union that thrives. By applying Wabi Sabi wisdom we learn to accept perceived flaws; diffuse negativity by instilling humor, humbleness and a generous heart; experience the other’s reality; turn conflict into connection; and make choices for the good of the partnership rather than the individual.

I must be getting cranky in my old age— oops, I’m not supposed to reinforce limiting beliefs or ageisms, according to this collection of tools and resources to enhance and improve your brain function. So let me start again. While there is nothing wrong with this book, and much that is right—-in that the information is useful and well presented—-the so-called “blueprint” for brain power is mostly common sense and commonly known guidelines for healthy living. In my own words, here’s the standard healthy living “prescription,” which is essentially what is covered in this book, and you tell me if you have never heard or read these tips innumerable times in other wellness-related contexts:

1. pursue new interests and learning
2. nourish your body and keep active
3. get quality sleep and rest
4. maintain an active social life and positive intimate relationships
5. learn stress management

To be fair, two strategies that might be considered age and/or brain power specific that are also included in Brain Power:

• don’t buy into ageism;
• do brain exercises for memory, speed, and recall, or play brain games, such as chess or bridge, and so forth


The one tool that I find exceptional within this book is in the penultimate chapter on brain synchronization, which co-author Kelly Howell created the audio technology for, called “BrainSync.” A free demo download of BrainSync is included via the book.

In a nutshell, brain synchronization is when the right and left brains “talk to each other.” The way this occurs is by taking two sine waves close to each other in frequency (but not the same), layering them in soothing music, and playing one wave sound in each ear (you listen to the music through headphones): the brain tries to “resolve” the differences between the waves, which results in the “binaural beat frequency”—this is not a sound heard with the ears, but a type of resonance the brain creates. When the brain entrains this “phantom frequency” it can affect mood and mental states—especially useful for achieving a deep meditative state/ relaxation response quickly and easily. (For more information about brain synchronization/ entrainment, see my editorial on Brain Beats.)

To summarize, this book is a fine review of general and practical tips for well being, but don’t expect much that is groundbreaking for improving brain power other than the above mentioned Brain Sync (keeping in mind that brain synchronization research too has been around for several decades, although there is much greater understanding of its benefits and applications today).