Latest Reviews

The fear of flying is more common than we realize: according to studies, one in three people have some degree of anxiety about flying. Well-meaning friends who cite the relative safety of flying don’t help, since fear isn’t logical, and the fear of flying has little to do with the actual risks. Even people like author and artist Julia Cameron, who frequently fly for their work, are not necessarily the fearless flyers we might imagine. In Safe Journey, Cameron candidly divulges her inner and outer process in the days leading up to a pending flight: sleepless and plagued with angst, escalating into terror as the departure time nears. Although she feigns bravery, her inner terror reigns. Realizing that her fear of flying has more to do with fear of not being in control, Cameron gradually develops successful flying strategies and routines, the most comforting of which is prayer. And by prayer Cameron means, “asking something that you can believe in as a positive guiding force for optimism and guidance.” She reflects, “It is the paradox of prayer that when we admit our own limitations we become more powerful, as we are now willing to accept help.”

The palpable relief she derives from her affirmations of gratitude/prayer becomes contagious when she tutors her flying seatmates in “how” she prays, adding the unexpected benefit of “helping others” to Cameron’s toolkit for overcoming fear of flying. Reading the tabloids are also an effective way of keeping distracted once seated on the plane, she discovers. Other successful strategies include postponing the terror, making lists, developing a support system, focusing on helping others, and arriving early to ensure a calm experience and optimal seating. Such strategies are deceptively simplistic, because by the end of this book readers do feel comforted—and optimistic that fear of flying, or any fear that brings uncontrollable anxiety, can not only be managed, but overcome.

This is a fascinating take on the role of the subconscious mind that differs refreshingly from the dark, parent- and sex-obsessed recesses suggested by Freud. The original insights from Dr. Joseph Murphy’s 50-year-old book are enhanced and given fresh relevance through the author’s broad studies in the field, his practical life wisdom and clear passion for self-actualization.

The basic concept is that the role of the subconscious is to keep the body running and to fulfill the orders of the conscious mind, expressed through its thoughts and self-talk. The problem is that these thoughts are the cumulative result of our upbringing, traumas, our peer groups, the media, etc., and we allow them to drive our actions and reactions thereby creating the reality we experience.

Jensen likens our subconscious to the engineers in the bowels of an ocean liner. They just keep the machinery moving wherever the captain orders, and if your thoughts are negative, be prepared to crash into the rocks. Taking back conscious control over our thoughts, allows us to steer toward our desired destinations and avoid the shoals. Building on this foundation of the primacy of our thoughts, Jensen illustrates how to apply these insights in every aspect of our private, working and civic lives. It is simple cause and effect, although it seems to work like magic.

This book is clear, pragmatic and a must for anyone wanting to navigate their life to where they really want it to go, rather than staying at the mercy of outside forces.

Primal goes gourmet! This is a great book if you like to cook and want to take your culinary creations to healthy new heights. Indeed, the recipes are mouth-wateringly exciting combinations of vegetables, protein, healthy fats and the occasional fruit. Based on the latest nutritional science laid out so convicingly in "Primal Body, Primal Mind" by Nora Gedgaudas, the recipes all avoid grain, gluten, additives, sugars and artificial sweetners. They rely instead on spices, herbs, citrus peel and stevia for palate-popping flavor.

Although there are lots of all-veggie recipes and recipes for vegan substitutes are offered, like a ground nut-yeast mixture to replace Parmesan cheese, most of the recipes do call for meat, fish, eggs or cheese, and I suspect it would be a bit frustrating for vegetarians.

The book does show how you can go primal, eat well and entertain beautifully without feeling in the least deprived. It is wonderful inspiration for a whole lifestyle shift back to wholesome, healthy eating, and preparing and sharing meals full of flavor, color, nutrition and love.

Life is full of moments that offer wisdom, lessons, and opportunities for introspection. In Insights from the Ordinary, author and therapist Mitch Rosenzweig shares seemingly ordinary moments that have opened his eyes to more extraordinary awareness. Drawing from his own life he effortlessly weaves his challenges and experiences into metaphors for everyday living. Through this compilation of essays, he encourages readers to view even the most mundane parts of life from a different perspective, one that will inspire them to see challenges in a new light.

Throughout this book Mitch shares his witty personality and insights on love, work, balance, change, and a multitude of other topics in a way that may move readers to experience their own “aha” moments. And while his professional background is in psychotherapy, his writing is very down-to-earth and easy to read. Whether you choose to read it all in one sitting or break it up with a few essays per day, one thing is for sure you will have plenty of food-for-thought and you may even find yourself gaining extraordinary wisdom from ordinary life.

It isn’t easy to capture the subtle inner dimensions of longing for “home” that we each have (even if that longing is subconscious). And I suspect that few of us have ever fully articulated or formed a clear vision of what our ideal outer world would look like shaped from within that deep inner longing. Author Gary Douglas has, and this is his personal vision wrapped up in a fictional story of how that world would be. Yes, it’s a fantasy, but Douglas touches core aspects of human longing: a timeless, rural, peaceful, no-stress, no-aging life, an abundance of food and money (gold), sensory attunement with nature, telepathic communication and healing, a little bit of magic, and for him, the perfect, wise, beautiful woman/soulmate connection, complete with supra-sensual-sexual intimacy. He has also managed to give readers a sense of what all of this feels like—no easy feat. Consequently, the story touched me enough to keep me reading to the end, giving me sufficient morsels of satisfaction to keep my own unbidden place of inner longing somewhat appeased and simultaneously hopeful. Unfortunately, the plot itself is middling and the writing mediocre, however Douglas gets high marks for bringing the essence of a world filled with such ease and beauty into manifestation, by way of this book. And as I said, in spite of the book’s unremarkable aspects, I felt compelled to keep reading.

The tagline for Access Consciousness, of which Douglas is the founder, says, “All of Life comes to me with Ease & Joy & Glory.” This perfectly summarizes the élan vital of “The Place” that Douglas dreams and writes about. Somewhere in the deepest recesses of our being, we already know this place—it’s called home.

It has long been said that we utilize a very small portion of our infinite human potential, and in the DVD series Discover & Deepen Your Potential, Dr. Jean Houston offers a path to uncovering and utilizing the vast power that lies within.

While many human development programs focus on individual potential and the attainment of personal goals, Dr. Jean Houston focuses on discovering and utilizing individual potential in conjunction with the collective. Using a live audience of ordinary people, she illustrates her process of discovery as she walks participants through various exercises to explain and uncover new ways of solving problems or as she describes it “…human development in light of social change.”

The series is divided into 4 parts, Engage, Expand, Become, and Connect and touches on topics such as kinesthetic body visualization, subjective time, personas, our life calling, and the hero’s journey, and utilizes various participant personal experiences to exemplify how to apply the information in a practical way. With a question/answer opportunity at the end of each disc, Dr. Jean Houston shares her timeless wisdom of integrating science, mysticism, and human development into a language participants and those who watch this series can apply to their own lives.

To say this series is a must-have is an understatement. We are transitioning into the greatest and most difficult time of our lives and there is no better time to grow, evolve, and become the very best we can both individually and collectively and visionary Dr. Jean Houston has given us the opportunity to learn how in Discover & Deepen Your Potential.

"The Adventure of Being Human", transmitted and introduced by Jerry Lane is one of those books that can leave you speechless for many reasons. Building on the colossal work known as The Urantia Book, it continues the tradition of channeled information and offers us more than can be grasped by the logical mind. If one accepts this material as authentic, there is a wealth of poetic content, attributed to the beings known historically as Jesus and his mother Mary. In the context of The Urantia Book, these beings are literally our spiritual "parents" who have gone by a variety of names but remaining cosmic creators inhabiting vast reaches of what could be called our galactic neighborhood.

For those who do not completely accept this as gospel, the book will hold less appeal but there is none-the-less, a rich collection of writing that ranges from beautifully well written to absolutely astonishing in a way that I think most open minded readers will be challenged to explain away. The subtitle is "Lessons on Soulful Living from the Heart of the Urantia Revelation" and as such, it absolutely delivers, in marvelous style. The question naturally arises, if this isn't actually the direct expression or communication from two cosmic creators, who claim to be our Parents, then how does one make sense of the obvious quality and passion?

Leaving aside the question of authenticity, because ultimately this is a personal decision, we encounter a book of substantial wisdom encompassing a vast vision. The editor states the primary purpose is to "amplify the core teachings of The Urantia Book" and of course it succeeds completely. The second stated purpose is to "introduce the two central deity-personalities of the Urantia Revelation", and again, it does, but I'm assuming this intent is exclusively for those unfamiliar with the original text. With this secondary purpose, there appears to be an underlying acceptance that anyone reading this new material will accept the premise as fact and read on, in absolute faith, because there is no discussion of the profound implications involved.

In the Prologue by Jerry Lane, the one who has channeled the book, there is an interesting presentation about how it happens. Again, I think this is certainly relevant but to be honest, it also seems to ignore the much bigger and grander question that I would think lives somewhere in even the most devout believer. To use an analogy, if you actually met Jesus or Mary and took dictation while they spoke to you, I'm not sure if most of us would want to simply talk about the mechanics.

What I'm trying to suggest is that this book prompts an almost necessary decision to either accept the material as genuine or to remain undecided and just savor it as a work of fiction. If you're a believer then this book will definitely rate as another majestic and supernatural transmission to learn and grow with. To the non-believer or merely skeptic, it probably feels like an amazing novelty that speaks volumes about the genius of Jerry Lane, because there's no way to ignore the grandeur and phenomenal depth of the writing.

The topics covered in the teachings are so far ranging that the only way to get even a cursory sense of this material is to quickly scan the Table of Contents. The format of the book is a series of brief sections that could qualify as poetry, but presented as prose. From the first offering titled "I Am a River of Spirit" to "Your Ultimate Destiny", these teachings, or transmissions, or collection of verses, depending on your perspective, touch on the deepest possible considerations of being human and in my opinion, stand as valuable insights regardless of your position on the origin.

Finally, there is included a significant collection of supplementary material in the Appendices that add even greater depth to this already amazing book. There is a "Special Note to Christians", "A Brief History of the Teaching Mission", "Urantia Movement Resources", among others that I would think makes "The Adventure of Being Human" a must read for Urantia fans and for everyone else, at the very least, a thoughtful, even challenging collection of sacred teachings. Reading this book would absolutely elevate one's consciousness to high levels of thought for all but the most cynical, who naturally would never give it a chance.

In The Reality of ESP: A Physicist’s Proof of Psychic Abilities, Russell Targ shares his comprehensive scientific research to provide convincing evidence that by quieting our minds we can access information in the field of potentiality where there is no distance in space and time.

-- Deepak Chopra, author, War of the Worldviews


This book, detailing its author's many successful investigations into the paranormal, should make those who deny the possible existence of such phenomena think again.

-- Brian Josephson, Nobel Laureate in Physics and Emeritus Professor, Physics, University of Cambridge


For decades, physicist Russell Targ has produced some of the most significant scientific research ever conducted on the nature of consciousness. He has demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that the mind can function without limitation in space and time, and that this ability is widespread, teachable, and practical. The Reality of ESP is an inspiring description of who we really are, and why we should not settle for less.

--Larry Dossey, MD, author of Healing Words and The Power of Premonitions


Russell Targ is a cultural jewel of our time. He is a pioneer in the field of non-local perceptions with impeccable integrity. His book The Reality of ESP is essential reading for all of us who yearn to know the truth about the universe and get freed from the narrow, small- sighted vision of the world.

--Judith Orloff MD, author of Second Sight


Russell Targ is one of the most experienced and successful parapsychology researchers of the last fifty years. He writes from the perspective of an insider's insider. And, I regard all that he has to say to be of great importance to anyone trying to understand this very tricky field. I highly recommend all of the books by Russell Targ.

--Jeffrey Mishlove, author of The Roots of Consciousness


Russell Targ is one the foremost scientists in the world when it comes to parapsychology – and a good story teller too. If you want to know the latest and greatest about our increasing understanding of the psychic side of humanity, this is required reading.

--Charles T. Tart, Professor, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto CA, Professor Emeritus, Psychology, University of California, Davis and author of The End of Materialism: How Evidence of the Paranormal is Bringing Science and Spirit Together

The great shift in consciousness is upon us, transforming our world and our children before our very eyes, and as many of us struggle to make sense of what is to come, author P.M.H. Atwater uses her extensive research to paint a picture of our journey ahead in her book Children of the Fifth World.

This book goes far beyond detailing the vast energies coming into the world by way of the “new children” (previously labeled as Indigo, Crystal, and Rainbow) and explains the widespread upheaval in business, government, education, and climate, as they help us transition into the Fifth World. Atwater provides insight backed by research and case studies, as well as advice for parents, educators, and society in how to respond to, and support, the vast talent and wisdom that is innate in these remarkable children. In addition to her own research, Atwater pulls from ancient teachings, myths, and predictions by various clairvoyants to paint a vivid picture of where we are headed and she even creates a timeline of events and themes that are likely to come into play reaching out as far as the year 2948.

Children of the Fifth World is a dense book, full of information, insight, and research and P. M. H. Atwater does a magnificent job of presenting it in a clear and concise way, and though she doesn’t sugar coat the facts regarding the volatile issues plaguing our world, she offers hope in our ability to make changes in line with the new world before us. This book is essential for parents, educators, and spiritual leaders in order to bring awareness to and prepare for, the coming changes so we may create a world to empower our children and ourselves as we continue to evolve into a consciousness of oneness.

I would absolutely recommend this book to just about anyone. Huston Smith and co-author, Phil Cousineau, have written a charmed book about a legendary life. Huston Smith, who has written numerous books about philosophy, spirituality, religion, and his own life, adds a second volume of autobiographical musings and remembrances of a truly unbelievable life. It features stories of his childhood as a missionary's kid in 1920's China, where he describes a world now long-gone into history. "Never again will there be a city of a hundred thousand inhabitants that has never known an engine, a machine, or even a bicycle and has no telephones or electricity...Never again will there be a city of such size where the only outdoor sound that can be heard after dark is the barking of stray dogs...Never again will there be a place[a large city] where there is no pollution and stars hang so close overhead that one can imagine that one is viewing them from the Himalayan peaks...."

His early life from China, to a steamship journey from China to America, to revival meetings in Missouri, and attending a small Christian college determined to be a man of ideas--brings back a time long past and forgotten by many. Huston describes those days with affection of a "young soul". To read of an optimistic, illumined mind that has witnessed all of the 20th century and met most of the notables of ideas and spirituality makes for fascinating reading. I devoured the book in one afternoon, and I am determined to read more of his books and more of the authors, books, and personages that he met and loved along the far-flung course of his everyday life of wisdom, joy, and inspired ideas and thinking.

One of the many goals of Huston's long and passionate life included his efforts to "dedicate my life to helping reconcile two of the most potent forces in human history, science and religion." Because of that deep, almost romantic desire, Huston includes vignettes of his impressions and meetings with such notables as the Dalai Lama, Werner Heisenberg, Aldous Huxley, Eleanor Roosevelt, Krishnamurti, David Bohm, the physicist, Martin Luther King Jr., and Thomas Merton, the monk, that Huston shared a plane flight with on the last day of Merton's life. Merton was later killed that night in a freak accident in his hotel room in Burma. Huston's stories tell of his travels and cultural sampling: from Zen Buddhism in Japan, to voodoo in Haiti, to Huston's discovery of multi-phonic chanting in Tibet, to being rescued by Masai warriors in Africa. The warriors stumbled upon Huston broken down on the Serengeti plain and sent back word to their camp for additional warriors to carry Huston and his broken-down rental car out of the dangerous, predator-filled wilderness back to "civilization"--singing and laughing as they carried the man and his useless vehicle.

These famous people and widely-varied locales are just a few of the many, many he describes. Huston muses about clairvoyance, reincarnation, channeling, sweat lodges, I Ching, peyote, and psychics--and he has had experience or knowledge of all of them. His is truly a life well-lived and rich with love and anecdotes that make the pages fly by....

The reader's mind, imagination, heart, and spirit will travel the globe and into other realms as the beauty of Huston's words and marvelous spirit transport one literally everywhere. Huston, at 92, knows that his time here on Earth is reaching its last years. At the very end he ponders possible words for his epitaph and borrows these, "Thanks, thanks for everything. Praise, praise for it all."

Thanks and praise are all I have for this book and a determination to read many more of his books!

“There is a great urgency to this work . . . This book makes utter sense and Louv is gentle with his simple agenda: more green in schools, more access to nature in communities, the importance of giving people the tools and the health they need to create a better world.”
—Los Angeles Times

“The Nature Principle tackles the ambitious task of mapping our way to a more connected future . . . Page after page we learn that in working to heal the world through restoration, we end up healing ourselves.”
—Orion magazine


“The Nature Principle manages to both teach and delight. Think of it as a refreshing hike for the mind and soul.” —Oprah.com


“Louv’s vital, inclusive, and inspiriting call to better our lives by celebrating and protecting the living world marks the way to profound personal and cultural transformation.” —Booklist, starred review


“This book provides a way back to where we belong, a world full of reverence, joy, and discovery.”
—David Suzuki, author of The Sacred Balance

“Louv’s vision is not a rejection of technology or a back-to-the-land trend like the one that came out of the environmental movement 40 years ago. Instead, he wants to tap nature to boost our mental acuity, creativity and health. At its heart, the movement seeks to replace the apocalyptic vision that modern society has created….[ Louv] outlines this new nature movement, and its potential to improve the lives of all people no matter where they live, in his latest book, “The Nature Principle.’” — McClatchy Newspapers

Living Nonviolent Communication is a great book that helps us to understand where communication can go wrong and what we can do to improve it. Its author, Marshall Rosenberg, is the founder of the Center for Nonviolent Communication and his work has taken him across the globe to initiate peace programs in war-torn countries. He uses the skills that he has gained to share with readers ways in which they can improve their lives with nonviolent communication.

Rosenberg's book looks at five key areas of communication; conflict resolution, healing and reconciliation, anger, loving relationships, raising children, and spiritual practice. He uses dialogue, role plays, and scenarios to give examples of communication and where it can be improved. Each chapter gives the reader simple tools and effective techniques to benefit their own relationships and interactions.

One core belief in Rosenberg's book is that we need to communicate our needs and listen to the needs of others rather than making judgements or refusing to really listen. Too often we don't hear what someone is trying to tell us or find it difficult to see what needs they are trying to defend. This book illuminates the process of communication, where it can go wrong and what you can do about it.

Written with an informal style and easy-to-follow techniques, Rosenberg has produced a book that can really make a difference to the way in which people communicate. As he says, "I hope it strengthens your awareness of the precious flow of communication that allows conflicts to be resolved so that everyone's needs are fulfilled."

Island nations tend to be places where the past is very much present, a world unto themselves, and author Gerald Hausman knows this from firsthand experience. He and his wife spent fifteen years in Jamaica, and for ten of those he led an outdoor experience summer school on the North Coast of Jamaica. In 1985, when they first arrived, life in the islands was more like the 70s, and the old ways of the Rastafarian spiritual movement—the “religion that does not want to call itself a religion”—were very much present.

Over time, Hausman was included in easy, heartfelt conversations (called “reasonings"), embodied in the Rastafarian’s resourceful and spiritual life. As followers of the Kebra Nagast—the African gospel excised from the King James version of the Bible—the colorful cast of real life characters we meet through Hausman reveal an intimate understanding of the deep wisdom that underlies their faith. Fishermen, wicker weavers, Rasta preachers, respected elders, and mystics—all trace their lineage to King Solomon, the wisest man on the earth, and their casual talks under the shade of a pimento tree, or staring into the ever changing ocean would “stretch across the indigo nights and into the bright dawn of sad tomorrows.” The Rastafarian way of life, faithfully recounted here in the spoken Patois, is one of equality: practicing deep peace and understanding of self and others through an unwavering faith and hope in the holy spirit, which lives in each human being.

Of his closest friend Mackie, Hausman says, “Hope is never lost with Mackie, just temporarily misplaced.” Another friend, Iron, a former Rasta preacher, touches his heart and says, “This is my bible…[and] I am with the Most High all the time. Why do I need ganga?” Placing the universal and collective “I” into as many words as will bear it, “unity” becomes “inity,” and “we” is spoken as “I and I.” Whether the conversation circles around to the Ethiopian Emperor, literary ghosts, the Marley family, or the story of Babylon, we “overstand” that the “old ways” Rastas lived by timeless universal principles, perhaps best summarized in the New Testament: “According to your your faith, be it unto you.” Or as Mackie says, “What skin deep wash away. What blood deep stay forever.”

Hausman, a renowned storyteller and author of more than 70 books, wraps the reader in another time and place—and we cannot help but be borne along with him into a wisdom that is both lost in time and timeless.

Marilyn Tam’s book puts into clear perspective the tradeoffs of modern life and the toll they can take on your spirit. If you have already gotten to the point where you realize that climbing the ladder and acquiring possessions doesn’t do it for you any more, where do you go from there? Serving humanity and following your bliss sounds great, but is it practical when you have a mortgage to pay and kids to educate? How do you find the way to sustain body and soul?

Well you start by tuning into your own needs. Even a super-achiever like Tam found that she was putting herself last in line and draining herself in the process.

She offers a great quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes: “Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.” This is a very sobering wake-up call, whatever age you are. Only when we stop of neglecting our own needs and restore balance to our lives, says Tam, can we have the energy to make “the positive difference that is my destiny.”

With easy, step-by-step instructions, she helps you reconnect with your dreams and plot your course to a satisfying and meaningful life. Whatever your stage in life, even if you have been up many blind alleys, you will still find valuable advice on how to make useful course corrections. “Living the Life of Your Dreams” can be read in one sitting, and it is well worth your while.

Impossible Realities is a brilliant book that explains the science behind psychokinesis, remote viewing, reincarnation, and other 'Black Swan' phenomena. Maureen Caudhill uses the analogy of Brunhilda and the white swans to disprove the theory that all swans are white. There are black swans too as much as there are paranormal phenomena and scientific explanations for why they occur.

Cauldhill spent many years as a computer scientist before she discovered that psychic skills are available to everyone, and this changed her perspective on what we know about science. Using empirical evidence and anecdotal stories, she illuminates the existence and power of psychic and paranormal activity throughout her book. She concentrates on eight 'Black Swan' phenomena; psychokinesis, remote viewing, energy healing, telepathy, animal telepathy, precognition, survival after death, and reincarnation. Each chapter contains evidence collected through years of research and proof that these phenomena do exist.

Cauldhill has been as surprised by the results of her research as many skeptics will be. For example, her recounting of her own remote viewing experiences are extraordinary. As she says, "Remote viewing is one of the most commonly discussed, and perhaps most poorly understood, of the psychic phenomena. A lot of misinformation about remote viewing is out in the popular press..." This chapter looks at the process and experiments that have been conducted that inform our opinions of remote viewing.

It is one of many chapters that will leave you with much food for thought. Whether you are a believer or a skeptic, there is something in this book for everyone and it is a highly recommended read.