Latest Reviews

Cellular biologist Bruce Lipton has, once again, written a book that seamlessly weaves a fascinating account of the powerful connection between quantum physics, biochemistry, and psychology; in this instance, he demonstrates the role they play in creating loving relationships. Part scientific model, part spiritual pilgrimage, part conscious evolution, and part biography, this book reads like a fun detective story as each piece of “evidence” uncovered points to the inevitable conclusion: we can create and sustain the love feelings we experience in the newness of a relationship—the so-called honeymoon effect. Love, asserts Lipton, is the most potent growth factor for human beings. With lighthearted authority he shows us how this is true, in principle and in his own life and life experiences, citing the influence of good vibrations (quantum physics), the conscious and subconscious mind (psychology), and love potions (biochemistry). Rather than just offering sips of self-awareness, reading The Honeymoon Effect is like drinking a specially-made love cocktail that effects change—not just for couples but for humanity itself. Good to the last drop!

John Robbins established himself as a leader in the fight for healthy, sustainable food decades ago with the publication of his groundbreaking book, Diet For a New America. His revelations in that book about what is really in the mass-produced food most of us eat and about the mega-corporations that influence food policy did not endear him to this family – the second half of the Baskin-Robbins empire. And yet, John Robbins continues his activism.

These days he is joined in his efforts by his son, Ocean Robbins. Together they have produced VOICES OF THE FOOD REVOLUTION, a collection of interviews with leading experts in the drive to ensure that nutritious food is available to everyone.

One of the greatest obstacles they face is a lack of education among the general public about the best foods for us. Not only are most of us still influenced by our vague memory of the Food Pyramid that was drilled into us in our youth – an eating guideline largely designed by the food corporations – but health professionals are equally ignorant. In fact, “On average, physicians still receive only 24 hours of nutritional education in all their years of medical school.”

VOICES OF THE FOOD REVOLUTION brings together food choice wisdom and warnings about the state of food today, from GMOs (“…70 percent of the foods in American restaurants and supermarkets contain genetically modified organisms…”) to Monsanto’s attempt to control the very seeds from which food is grown (“…they realized controlling the seed means controlling the entire food chain….”).

Dean Ornish, Neal Barnard, Vandana Shiva, Bill McKibben, Gene Baur, Morgan Spurlock, and even Frances Moore Lappe are among the 20 contributors to VOICES OF THE FOOD REVOLUTION, each sharing their knowledge, experiences, and perspective. Almost all of them reveal truths that are disturbing, criminal, terrifying, and sanctioned by governments that bow to food-industry lobbyists (who outnumber elected representatives by about 24 to 1.)

VOICES OF THE FOOD REVOLUTION also gives us a list of steps we can take and resources we can use to take control of our food. Clearly this is a book that can enlighten and educate; it does, however, require a good bit of courage to face the truth and make the changes necessary to ensure our access to real, healthy food. You’ve been warned.

Another book for insomniacs? Don't start yawning yet. This book is written by the Director of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service and the Edinburgh Sleep Centre; he serves on many sleep advisory boards and is considered an expert on sleep disorders. He begins with an explanation of what happens in our bodies during slumber, then describes the genetics of sleep and the science of dreaming. He covers sleep hygiene in depth, and how to establish good sleep health during pregnancy and throughout the ages—from infants to the elderly. You'll find guidelines for parents, shift workers, athletes in training, performers and students. The author demystifies the major sleep disorders and gives tips to overcome them, and includes an "insomnia matrix" to help you diagnose your own symptoms. Then he finishes up with a chapter on "pills, potions and therapies" to support your efforts as needed. If you suffer from insomnia, the wealth of information in this book may be just the prescription you need to regain those elusive zzz's.

Death, or more specifically what happens after death, is one of the most common fears in our world. In spite of the recent increasing evidence from near-death experience research supporting the claim that our spirit/souls live on, the human condition seems to be stained with the far of our own death as well as “losing” our loved ones and the life we have come to know.

Julia Assante, Ph.D. is a medium and scholar who shares her comprehensive knowledge and research on near-death experiences, the afterlife, after-death communication, and so much more in The Last Frontier: Exploring the Afterlife and Transforming Our Fear of Death. This book offers both a research-based exploration of the historical and religious beliefs about death, as well as a contemporary metaphysical approach to explain what actually happens when we die. With miraculous stories of experiencing unconditional love on the other side, relationship healing, loved ones preparing to die, deathbed visions, as well as her own experience working with the spirit world through past-life therapy, Assante shows how fear, guilt, and grief are transformed into unconditional love (for both the living and the dead) when open after-death conversations take place. And for those interested in making contact with loved ones on the other side, she provides a step-by-step process to do just that.

The Last Frontier is both an esoteric and scientific guide to understanding what lies on the other side of death, and one which may well alter the reader’s views of life and death and convincingly demonstrate that consciousness lives on beyond the demise of the physical body. For the bereaved or those simply interested in exploring the unlimited realm of the afterlife, this book offers wonderful information, insight, and research to soothe and transform the commonly held fear of death.

Gorgeous Insightful Deck Gets Better and Better

What a joy Dawn Brunke's Animal Wisdom Tarot deck is! I looked through each card one at a time before playing with this deck, and I was charmed and delighted to see each of the four suits (Branches, Shells, Fossils, Feathers) has four regal cards: Seer, Seeker, Nurturer, Guardian. The bright water-color illustrations are perfectly suited to expressing each animal's character, with just enough surrounding detail to provide an immediate intuitive sense as to what the card represents.

I love the packaging of this deck! The box the cards and mini-book come in is well-constructed to protect book and deck, and looks beautiful sitting on a book shelf. The 96 page mini-book's card-to-a-page format gives necessary information quickly, and the color-coded tops of the pages make it easy to quickly look up any card in the four suits or major arcana.

These cards are not just beautiful, but they also convey deep information with a sense of animal wisdom not found in other decks. Animal lovers will appreciate the way such a wide variety of animals are represented in this gorgeous deck, including sea turtles, leopards, bats, pigs, bluejays, jellyfish, whales, bisons, loons, manatee, rabbits, honeybees and so many more.

The Animal Wisdom Tarot deck is excellent for experienced and beginner tarot readers. I give it my highest recommendation!

Think big, start small, and make your actions match your vision. That's the message of this book. Whatever that small thing is, it's the ONE thing that matters most that you can do this day, this week, this month to reach your goals. Like the domino effect, focused actions taken one by one create extraordinary results. The problem is that we often spend time doing what we could do, rather than what we should do. In The One Thing the authors reveal a formula that will help you lift the limits off your thinking and live large. You'll learn to choose your purpose, decide on a first step and take action. You'll discover the beliefs that will derail you, and the one question to answer that will lead you to greater productivity. Whether the success you hope for is financial, a loving relationship, a creative project, a healthy body, a deeper spiritual practice, or something else, think large and start small with ONE THING at a time.

Myth-Busting User Manual to Keep Your Body Fit & Fabulous

Young for Life drops a bombshell on many recent food fads as ex-Vegan Marilyn Diamond and her husband and fitness guru Dr. Donald 'Rock' Schnell describe the harrowing turn of events that nearly took Schnell's life. After Don experimented with vegan diet, reduced cholesterol, and the raw food craze, he ended up off of his previous tried-and-trued anabolic diet and weight-bearing exercise program in a shocking state of insulin-dependence and blood-thick-as-mud condition. Due to such a state of diabetes that heart pain was hard to feel, Don actually suffered a heart attack, and was in serious risk of stroke.

This book exposes some of intrinsic risks to the human body after years of vegetarian diet. Vegans and vegetarians who are open-minded have much to gain from the wealth of information provided in Young for Life. As it turns out, there are many harmful dietary recommendations made by groups we trust, such as the ADA, with their high-carbohydrate recommendations. The wisdom in Young for Life is much more than research-based--it's built from real-life experiences that shares every tip, technique and secret you could hope to learn. Want to know a few quick exercises that can build your chest in minutes a day? It's included. Interested in learning a simple exercise that reduces lower back pain? It's here, too.

The authors describe the way back to optimal health through the obstacle course of well-intentioned yet dangerous food and exercise assumptions most people make today. Sunshine, butter, isometric exercises and vegetables are good... processed sugar, glutenous wheat, and excessive dependence on pharmaceutical drugs is bad. To list all the myth-busting tips would fill at least one book--I'm amazed at the amount of excellent and profoundly useful information that is packed into this gem of a user manual for keeping your body fit and fabulous.

In 1991, Linda Tucker and a small group of friends found themselves stranded in African wilderness and surrounded by a pride of irritable, growling lions. Miles from camp and with no radio to call for help, Linda realized that she and her friends were going to die in that dark night.

Suddenly a “woman appeared out of nowhere… She was walking on foot… right into the angry pride of lions.” The woman immediately took command, and soon the stranded travelers were safely back in camp. It would take another three years for Linda to process all that happened that night, and to return to Timbavati to seek out the mysterious lion whisperer from that remarkable night.

And then the story takes a truly strange turn. The woman, Maria Khosa, was widely known for her ability to communicate with the lions as well as for her ability to heal. She became Linda’s teacher, initiating her into Lion Shamanism. According to Maria, Linda was a Keeper of the White Lions and was expected to inherit Maria’s position in time.

Such an honor comes with great responsibility of, of course. Linda Tucker accepted the challenge and began what would become her life’s work – fighting against hunt organizers, corrupt police and politicians, and profit-driven zoo officials in an effort to rescue and protect Africa’s rare white lions.

Resembling the style of a journal, SAVING THE WHITE LIONS is unabashedly candid and inviting. Tucker’s narrative weaves horrific and heart-wrenching details of the lions’ lives in captivity with the bold mysticism of her telepathic communications with Lion Queen Marah and the ancient Ancestors.

In 2002, Tucker established the Global White Lion Protection Trust. SAVING THE WHITE LIONS and her other books help to publicize the urgent need to rescue and protect these rare animals that are so important to the spiritual traditions of Africa. While Tucker’s willingness to bare her own soul and beliefs is commendable, the attention given to events that many consider woo-woo nonsense may distract from her important message. The story she shares in this book is personal and passionate, and her first-hand knowledge of the plight of the white lions should not be overlooked in the attempt to make her tale jive with the reader’s own experience of reality.

Skeptical of the rumors she was hearing about spontaneous healings, Dr. Rankin, a practicing physician trained in traditional medicine, started researching these claims, seeking proof grounded in science. Luckily for us she found the data, and shares her journey of discovery here. Unhealthy thoughts and emotions create disease, she explains, while healthy thoughts and emotions enable the body to self-repair. The body is wired to heal itself, and we can help it do its job through developing a positive mental attitude and belief system, enjoying pleasurable activities, practicing gratitude, engaging in nurturing relationships, and choosing caring health-care providers. This book provides a wellness model supported by scientific evidence that will have you doctoring—and healing—yourself in a radical new way.

When a seasoned warrior like Paul Chappell calls upon us to take a hard look at the very high cost and very dubious benefits of war, we should really pay attention. Churchill once said, "Those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it." Chappell has studied and contemplated all aspects of conflict, studying military history, different nonviolent movements like civil and women's rights, and the recent Occupy Movement. He has delved deeply into the psychology of conflict and studied the writings of leaders like Gandhi, King, and Frederick Douglass. He shares many illuminating excerpts from speeches and writings of some of the most influential players on the stage of human history.
Today's wars are ostensibly waged to bring about peace, or to pacify a population; they are, however, having little success and are creating more enemies and bankrupting our economies in the process. The only ones who seem to benefit from war are the big military contractors. Chappell suggests leaving the "war on terror" to those better able to find the terrorists – namely the police and intelligence organizations. If we used our armies to support countries and help their populations in times of disaster – truly turning swords into plowshares – we would gain friends and allies rather than creating terrorists and enemies.
If we were to use our resources to provide health, education and infrastructure at home and aid and disaster relief abroad, we would improve the security and welfare of our people for a fraction of the cost of war, which only destroys countries and leaves no one better off.
In the process of dealing with his own rage stemming from the traumas of war and childhood bullying and abuse, Paul has developed an understanding of the psychology of conflict and how to defuse it. In "The Art Of Waging Peace" he presents a methodology that is applicable at every level of human interaction. It begins with listening with respect and empathy to opposing views. One has only to listen to news pundits and politicians to appreciate how little of that is practiced.
This book should appeal to both liberals and conservatives. It is written not to demonize any particular view, but to provide a road map to finding the common ground. It is not a collection of dewey-eyed platitudes, but rather a reasoned and logical plea to focus on our common needs and aspirations and to build upon what binds us rather than magnifying what divides us. This book is about how to wage peace and eliminate the profit-driven and power-driven state of perpetual war that our weary world cannot sustain.
An impressive book by an impressive young man. I urge you to read it and join the peaceful revolution. Our future just might depend upon it.

Patience is the virtue we could all use more of in this fast-paced, quick-fix world; a world that can often lead to an insatiable need for instant gratification, road rage, and general unhappiness. And while we all know that more patience generally creates more peace, there are many other ways that it can improve our lives.

M.J. Ryan, author of Attitudes of Gratitude and Random Acts of Kindness, has taken this seemingly unattainable virtue and outlined the many benefits it provides for everyday living in her latest book The Power of Patience. Divided into six sections including, Patience’s Gifts, The Attitudes of Patience, and The Practices of Patience, this book provides an anecdotal yet practical guide to understanding and cultivating more patience no matter what life throws at you. Ryan provides wonderful insight and inspiration in small chapters that allow readers to really absorb the sage advice presented. She also shares her own journey, (including a moment of impatience as she was rushing to get home to write her book about patience) as a way to remind readers not to take life so seriously.

The Power of Patience is a heartfelt, honest, and insightful guide that everyone can benefit from. Whether you are a parent wanting to practice more patience with your children or someone looking to enjoy each moment a little bit more, this book invites readers to respond to life in a more compassionate and peaceful way.

The food combining myth was debunked 80 years ago—the notion that different foods activate different enzymes, and therefore you shouldn’t combine certain foods—like fruits with veggies, protein with carbohydrates, eat fruit alone, and so forth. That’s really good news for anyone who wants to turn their vegetables into a delicious, healthful fruit- flavored smoothie. Naturopath and health expert Elizabeth Swann has written a snappy, no-nonsense book that gives just the right balance between background information and specific instructions on how to get the most health benefits from green smoothies, including a variety of recipes targeting immune system boosting, hair and skin benefits, mood enhancing, detoxifying, stress-busting, and weight loss. If you are a novice smoothie-maker this book has everything you need to get started; devout smoothie fans will appreciate the recipes and sound advice.

The author knows from first-hand experience what incorporating a smoothie into your diet each day in place of a snack or meal can do: she lost 40 pounds and gained incredible energy and vitality by following her own advice. As a fan of smoothies, but a less enthusiastic leafy greens eater, I was re-inspired to resume my smoothie regimen with the addition of greens, and delighted to discover that they really are quite delicious. Adding an avocado to one of my concoctions resulted in the most creamy, smooth, delicious drink I’ve ever had!

When a young college jock, whose life of surfing, parties, drugs and alcohol most American college kids would consider just about perfect, decides to chuck it and look for a deeper meaning to life, you know something is shifting in the world. Jake sets out to test his hypothesis that the universe will provide for your needs. By radiating trust and acceptance of everyone and everything that life brings to him, he transcends the barriers of language and culture through his exuberant openness to connect with local people at the most profound heart level. He experiences little acts of kindness shown by people with few means, yet no expectation of return. It's a sad observation that there seems to be an inverse relationship between the willingness of people to share what they have, and the amount they have available to share.
Generational disclaimer – I have a grandson Jake's age. Still, I think this book will resonate with all generations, because we all have spiritual voids that we’re seeking to fill. Jake shows us that the world is a mirror to our own expectations and that what is truly important in life is kindness and community. He reminds us that happiness is not found in what you have but in who you are inside, and that you can be anyone or anything that you desire. Jake's journey was really to find his essence, and in his case it seems to be pure love.
Jake is on a mission to change the world. If there are more young people like him coming up through the ranks and if he can inspire others with his joyous idealism, there is hope for this old world yet.

This is a fascinating book that helps you identify your creative personality type. Although everyone is creative, knowing your personality type will help unleash your creative potential and build your creative skills to succeed in an increasingly competitive world, say the authors. Whether your passion is for the sciences, the arts, the trades or technology, this book will reveal how to use your creative style to develop an environment of innovation at home and at work that is best suited for you.

A simple quiz at the beginning of the book based largely on the Myers-Briggs Personality type categories helps you build your creative profile. Are you an organizer, a facilitator, a visionary? Are you extraverted or introverted, a thinking or feeling person, a judging or perceiving person, or a sensing or intuitive person? These and other preferences combined reveal creative temperaments, and from this we can ascertain our creative type. This book guides you through the 16 creative types, describing the pros and cons of each.

The authors have made this an easy-to-read-and-follow guide to discovering your creative self. Both are experts in psychological typing and assessment. As well as helping you to find your creative type, the book has a final section on using your creative talents to maximum effect and cultivating courageous creativity in your life: decision-making, creative solutions, your best learning style, communication, and collaboration. A must-read for anyone who wants to use their creativity to fulfill their potential.

"Awaken is a gift to the spiritual awakening through direct and immediate contact with awakeners. A very special contribution to our conscious evolution."

- Barbara Marx Hubbard

"Awaken is a spiritual experience that ignites that place deep within that has been yearning to be touched."

-Patricia, CA

"An enlightened message (this is “The” message) delivered by “awake” beings, as if they are speaking directly and personally to you...with expansive visuals and glorious music that captures the sheer joy of being...we truly ARE all we seek."

-Barbara Morrow, Santa Fe, NM

"Awaken is a beautiful, heartfelt “wake-up call” for humanity. It provides sustaining words of hope amidst the current chaos and catastrophe. It illustrates in a very illuminating and powerful way that we can all let go of our walls and limitations NOW, and join a global family consisting of empathetic human consciousness. The film blends stunning imagery with poignant documentary-style discussion, for a result that is both meditative and life changing. The message of the film is that we have what we need, right now, where we are. We don’t need to spend time, money, or resources to arrive at a better place. We only need to wake up to this new era. I anticipate that Awaken will become much more than just a film, but also a movement towards a more loving and sustainable Earth."

-Jocelyn Godfrey, President, Spiritus Communications, Inc.

"The air in the room crackled with energy and intimacy during the movie. The passion of the teachers was felt when they consistently reached out by making direct eye contact. It was as if each one was speaking to me personally and I felt known by the end of the film."

Karyn, NY

"This was a visually stunning movie, inspirational and a call to "wake up" to our higher self. The Awaken film, takes the approaching year 2012 from the perspective of personal and human/spiritual transformation. Through the words of visionary speakers and the breathtaking views of earth's nature, themes or invitations to openness emerge. These recurrent themes were of connection (our bio-energetic connection to everything and everyone), creativity, compassion, love, oneness and responsibility. With the expected cosmic shift, we are invited to transform ourselves."

-Nancy Restrepo-Wilson, NJ

"While watching the film “Awaken”, I could feel a powerful, magical energy filling the room – It was obvious that I was not the only one feeling energized and electrified listening to the Awaken teachers. The film has given me the next steps to take on my spiritual journey. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is on a spiritual path looking for guidance or anyone looking for greater spiritual awareness."

-Jennifer Gilmore, NY