Reviews written by Miriam Knight

If George and Sedena Cappannelli are an example of what social and spiritual awakening among the over-50 set can look like, there's hope for this old world yet. Rather than seeing the years after 50 as a time of decline, they argue that these years can be embraced as a time of harvest of accumulated wisdom and an opportunity for redesigning and replanting one’s garden for the second half of life. The suggestions they give are not a one-size-fits-all, and I think were intended to be more indicative than prescriptive.

I suppose for those of us who missed out on the psychedelic scene, suggesting drugs today as a way to loosen up one's spirituality can be a bit off-putting, but it is a small annoyance and doesn't detract from the importance of their main message, which is calling on pre- and post-boomers to wake up to their power and responsibility to demand and embody change. Their book is part inspirational workbook, part sociopolitical education, and part revolutionary manifesto. Let's hope for all our sakes, that it is also a harbinger of a real awakening to action by a demographic that has the time, resources and guts to lobby for change, and the wisdom to envision solutions that work for all.

This is not just a portrait of one American city on the skids; the same downward spiral caused by the collapse of the local economy, flight of the middle class, crime, corruption,fear, greed, cynical indifference and incompetence is playing out in too many cities across the country. LeDuff says that only a holistic approach has any hope of turning the tide, and that the citizens deserve no less.

It’s hard to think of the spiritual teacher who doesn’t recommend the practice of meditation. Its benefits are many, ranging from medically proven reduction of stress to enhancing one’s creativity and effectiveness in daily life. If you have ever tried to meditate and given up because you found yourself fidgeting and thinking of a thousand and one things, this book, Effortless Mind, lets you put the guilt behind you and learn to meditate with ease.
Boris studied meditation around the world, including time spent with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi as well as with Amma, the hugging saint, with whom he worked for years, and even taught meditation at her gatherings. It’s not surprising that he picked up a trick or two about meditation for the masses. What I like about his approach is that he starts gently with easily understood visualization techniques, and then goes on to add new layers of practice as you gain experience.
You don’t need to sit on a futon for hours – Ajayan suggests twenty minutes a day, but even five minutes is useful. The visualizations in the book are easy to follow, and you can find a link on Ajayan’s website to download the audio of a guided visualization. If you’ve been thinking that you really should meditate but have been putting it off, this may be the book for you. In this busy world wouldn’t we all benefit from carving out a bit of time for nurturing our inner selves?

Using stories and anecdotes, Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. gently draws us into a deeper understanding of the ways we lose our power to people and circumstances in our lives. The encouraging thing is that by becoming aware of the choices we make in our beliefs and our relationship to others and to ourselves, we can simply start to make different choices. When we recognize our attachment to the things that don't add true value or happiness to our lives and release those attachments, the truth can indeed set us free.

Our attachments, which usually involve how we define ourselves, limit the scope of what we believe is possible for us. Part of the problem is that it is hard to see ourselves clearly. It is like looking into a "smoky mirror." When we examine them and choose to let go, suddenly our options seem to expand before us. What we are really doing is widening our perspective, and seeing possibilities that were there all along.

This little volume is a helpful and worthy companion to the wonderful books authored by his father, The Four Agreements and The Fifth Agreement.

Let yourself be transported by Annette's exquisite voice as you are wrapped in an enchanting veil of sound and grace. Deuter's instrumental accompaniment is the perfect complement to the purity and power of the vocal improvisations.

This album would make a beautiful backdrop for any meditation or healing work.

This is a little gem of a book that does three things very well and very succinctly. First, it provides a clear overview of the development of chemistry from Leucippus and Democritus in the 5th century BCE through Isaac Newton and the alchemists of the Middle Ages, up to the Laws of Thermodynamics modern times and the development of quantum physics and quantum chemistry. The book explains in simple but never simplistic terms the key discoveries and turning points in science that led to our current understanding of atoms, molecules and chemical reactions. Supported with charming illustrations and interesting anecdotes, anyone with even a modicum of interest in science should find it fascinating.
Interestingly, the study of alchemy – the forerunner of modern chemistry and physics – and philosophy went hand in hand, and intuition and inspiration were supplanted by the Scientific Method, and results were accepted as “truth” only if they could be replicated in a laboratory. Coming full circle, in the second part of the book Dr. Tibika makes a compelling case for the causal interaction between the observer and that which is observed, or if you will, mind and matter. She guides us to an understanding of the dual nature of matter, which is both infinite potential and holographic collapsed wave patterns, depending on whether there is an observer. The third part suggests a mechanism for the communication between mind and matter, namely emotion. In my understanding of the book, emotion is the subjective reaction of the conscious mind to the environment – which can be both external and internal, as in stored memories and associations.
There was a lot of food for thought in this little book, especially when you consider the Hermetic principle of “as above, so below.” For example, the law of entropy (2nd Law of Thermodynamics) suggests that living systems are always either moving toward unity and coherence (life), or toward chaos and disintegration, (death). Tibika describes physical and biochemical processes, but this could equally be applied to our emotional lives and whether our actions and thoughts are life enhancing or destructive. Furthermore, her persuasive case for the connection between mind and matter suggests the mechanism by which our thoughts literally change our physical bodies, and by extension the whole universe of which we are an interconnected part. Heady stuff.

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.

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.

This interesting collaboration offers an eclectic mix of prayers and scriptural readings beautifully read by Michael York and set to music by Michael Hoppe. The scriptural excerpts are fairly banal and less musically compelling, but were apparently requested by the publishers as replacements for more universally themed selections. The other tracks include some very moving prayers like: Lord behold our family (Robert Louis Stevenson); Prop Me Up (John Streetman); Incline Us O God! (Jane Austen); A Prayer for the Nation (Thomas Jefferson.) Hoppe's music for these passages is lyrical and uplifting.

Channeled dialogues with Source are appearing with increasing frequency, and for me they need to pass the gut instinct test – does it feel plausible. Unless you have your own dialogue with God going on, you can only rely on a subjective assessment of what feels authentic, and what contributes to a fuller picture of how the universe works and why we are here.
I was impressed with “A Time of Change” on both counts. I found the information original yet consistent with other well-regarded sources. The answers were not superficial or standard feel-good fare. They provided illuminating perspectives on a wide range of questions we all have probably asked ourselves, like “What is heaven?” “What happens to the spirit of a suicide?” “Can anyone develop telepathy or read the Akashic Records?” “How can we increase prosperity for ourselves and the earth?”

Because the book is a transcription of Q&A from Aingeal's live channelings, there's not a flow or systematic narrative thread to follow, although she did group similar answers into chapters like Health, Indigo, Crystal and Rainbow Children, Prosperity, Technology, Our Future Selves, and more. I found a lot of wisdom, common sense and food for thought here, and it makes for very intriguing reading.

A weighty tome - 1,200 pages! - but a fine and comprehensive reference book to the field of holistic medicine. It covers nutrition, lifestyle, supplements, causes and symptoms of disease, treatment, prevention -- in short everything a person caring about their health would want to know.

An interesting drama about a family adrift, each member isolated within his or her own capsule of concerns. Their car synchronistically breaks down in Mt. Shasta and the tormenting mystery of the mother's recurring dream draws her to the mountain.
The story line revolves around her remembering the details of her childhood trauma of losing her parents and releasing its hold on her subconscious mind.
She wanders up the mountain alone, and her family mount a search with the aid of the local policeman.

Aided by a talented cast, this is writer-director Jerry Alden Deal's feature directorial debut. I look forward to seeing his next production.

A treasure trove of deep wisdom told with the gentle cadences of one of the greatest storytellers of our time. The insights are timeless and as fresh and apt today as they were in the time of the author's grandfather.

"Wisdom is life's gift...Wisdom doesn't come from the amount of material gain we have accumulated; rather it comes from the effort we expended to gain it. ...If we can look past the disappointment and the failures and understand why and how they happened, we can be wise. Then we can, and will, give back life's gift."

The book comes with a CD of commentaries and teaching stories by by the author. It would make a lovely and meaningful gift.

When an autistic, dyslexic and functionally illiterate individual writes a book, it is surprising. When that book turns out to be the account of an odyssey from a troubled youth, including a suicide attempt and dealing drugs in the underbelly of Chicago, to a successful life as high tech entrepreneur with a warm and happy family, it is fascinating. When, however, the book reveals a spirit of such indomitable integrity that it will not be crushed, no matter how high the cards are stacked against him, it is truly awe-inspiring.

"Dummy" is a beautifully written and riveting read on many levels. It provides an articulate insider’s understanding of the subjective experience of autism and how, by dint of incredible dedication on the part of his mother, he was able to penetrate the usual autistic shell of isolation and forge meaningful, and indeed insightful human relationships. It provides sobering testimony to the failure of the school system to understand and cater to his cognitive challenges, making drug dealing a default choice of livelihood.

It is an interesting commentary on society that David couldn’t adjust to its social norms of bullying, lies and duplicity, whereas with thugs and criminals he was better able to cope, because at least they said what they meant and he knew where he stood. In the end, what gave David the biggest push toward changing his life was the power of love, but not in any clichéd sense of the word. In a dynamic reminiscent of the Prayer of St. Francis, at age 14 he found a young woman even more broken than he was.

Throughout the book there an innocence and sweetness of character that keep shining through the dark events of his youth. After years of incredible trials and despair after his girlfriend’s near overdose, he had a spiritual epiphany that changed his life:

“Now I realized that it wasn’t about becoming more than I was, but about accepting who I am. I wondered to what degree the life I was living and the world I was living in were of my own making. Were they the result of what I believed the world to be? … if the world was a place of meaning and my life had a greater purpose than mere survival, then my choices and actions had profound significance. They shaped and defined who I was.”

David’s story and message are a gift to us all, and I would not be surprised if this book rises to the plane of spiritual classic.

I admit it - I love words, and am always fascinated by where they came from. I enjoy words you can roll around in your mouth like Demosthenes' marbles, and I'm a sucker for obscure etymology. In all these respects, Phil Cousineau's book is intensely satisfying, but you also get a delightful bonus. The descriptions accompanying his eclectic selections, putting the words in context, are like a stream-of-consciousness memoir cum trivia treasure trove. It's a great book for cuddling up with or for sitting on the "throne."

Visions of heaven and dialogues with beings in other dimensions used to be considered the realm of mystics or psychotics; but when eminent doctors, scientists, businessmen, astronauts and people from every walk of life brave ridicule to tell their stories, even the most confirmed skeptic may start to suspect something real is happening. JD Messinger is aptly named, for his messages about our essential nature as beings of light and manifestors of the physical world around us are carefully and scientifically reasoned. Armed with credentials that stretch from Annapolis to boardrooms and halls of power around the world, Messinger describes the intellectual, physical and emotional journey that led to his spiritual awakening.

His book is a collection of profound and often amusing dialogues with an unseen being that “wrote itself” during eleven days in May.
An unusual person by any yardstick, his inquiring mind asked the most challenging questions about the nature of reality, like what is death and what is the purpose of our lives; what is God and how is the physical world brought into existence; how the world of light generates and envelops the world of form. The answers are coherent and never superficial, provoking a lot of reflection on the part of the reader. It is intensely satisfying when you can add another insight to the mosaic of your own understanding of the universe, and this book is full of them.

I was reminded of the scene from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” where Indy’s faith is tested as he prepares to step out over a chasm. It is a leap of faith for most of us to believe in a Creator and trust that there is a purpose in our lives. Books like “11 Days in May” are like the sand that Indy threw out over the path to outline the steppingstones across the fearsome void.

You don't so much listen to this CD as experience it vibrating throughout your body. It is a great length for uninterrupted meditation or as the background for any healing modality, and the subtle variations added by the use of Tibetan bowls provide interest without being jarring.

I think is best to use headphones to benefit from the binaural frequencies that I assume are like the hemi-synch discs that induce right-left brain hemisphere coherence, although positioning speakers should also do the trick.

It's a great vehicle for your journey as you breathe gently and let your spirit drift among the stars.

The author writes movingly of her personal journey inspired by her mentor, Alberto Aguas, an extraordinary Brazilian healer who taught a powerful healing method he developed that incorporated the indigenous wisdom of the Guaranì shamans of the Amazonian rainforest. Aguas was a natural healer since childhood, but was profoundly influenced by the ancient traditions of the Guaranì that had a joyful and direct connection to the God source simply through love.

Aguas lived with them in the rainforest for extended periods, and was jailed and tortured by the Brazilian authorities for protesting the eviction of the Guaranì from their land so it could be exploited. Although this severely impacted his health, he continued to teach the healing method he called Ama-Deus, the love of God, around the world.

Beth Cosmos assumed the responsibility of carrying on Alberto’s work, and this book conveys the spirit of it, if not the details. Alberto felt strongly that it should be passed on through person-to-person transmission. Beth goes on to describe “infiltrating” this form of energy healing into mainstream hospitals, and the often ambivalent responses of the doctors who didn’t want to know what she was doing, but asked her to keep on doing it.

The narrative is punctuated with interesting fictional vignettes of the life of the ancient shamans, that add color and a deeper understanding of the background from which Ama-Deus was birthed.

With divorce at all time highs and civility in politics at all time lows, I don't know what is more dispiriting - the alienating effect of high conflict on children or on voters. The parallels that the authors draw are striking and speak to the heart of a deep malaise in our society.

War-like language permeates every aspect of our lives and raises the anxiety level of the whole populace. It is no wonder that there are more handguns in the US than there are people! Candidates keep the pot simmering so they can come across as the hero who can save the day.

When listening to political discourse and media coverage, identifying narcissistic and high conflict behavior is not that difficult. Eddy and Saposnek suggest two litmus tests. Ask yourself, 1) "Is this really a crisis?" and 2) "Is this really a hero?"

While one can justifiably point a finger at the other side, irrespective of one's politics, that's not going to help turn the situation around. What will help is discernment. Stirring up fear and suspicion keeps media viewers and campaign contributors coming back, and if it also generates anger and hatred, well, that's show biz. It is up to us to buy into it or not. It is up to us as voters to demand honesty and civility of those we vote into office.

The authors offer some suggestions on how to reframe the debate using EAR - statements that reflect Empathy, Attention and Respect - and BIFF - responses that are Brief, Informative, Friendly and Firm. They call on politicians and media to return to self-imposed limits on high conflict rhetoric, and for a return of campaign disclosure laws. They point out that the Citizens United ruling of 2010 that led to the formation of Super PACs destroyed all vestiges of accountability and restraint in political advertising.

Are the authors confident of the future? Not really. They suggest it will get worse before it gets better, but at least by articulating the problem in this way, we might be more inspired to be the change we want to see and demand change in our institutions.

Hollywood could not have scripted a more plausible or powerful scenario to demonstrate the existence of heaven and the afterlife than the experience of Dr. Eben Alexander. A top neurosurgeon whose whole career was focused on the brain as the seat of consciousness, he got bacterial meningitis with no history of exposure. It was such a virulent form that it put him into a coma and stopped all his higher brain functions. According to current medical understanding, he could not have been thinking or even dreaming and should have died, yet he returns to life bursting with joy at having met God.

Having been in a deep coma for six days his doctors expected him to be a vegetable should he even survive, yet he regained his full memory and faculties. Not surprisingly, the experience forever changed his understanding of consciousness and of our place in the universe. He tried every possible medical, physiological and biochemical alternative to explain his experience, yet each one was discounted in turn, leaving only the mystery.

I am reminded of the TV ad with the cell phone testers asking, “Can you hear me now?” As a reviewer I have received a growing flood of books describing near death experiences, each one offering similar or complementary insights about the nature of death and divinity. The reason this book is so powerful and compelling is that Dr. Alexander’s credentials are unassailable, the case was impeccably documented, and he was a skeptic with no ax to grind for a divine or metaphysical explanation. We are also given enough of the scientific details to understand what a miracle this truly was.

The book is beautifully written, and deftly interweaves his personal story with the drama of his illness, recovery and attempts to understand what happened. The lyrical description and the ineffable beauty of what he experienced “on the other side” will touch you deeply. "Proof of Heaven" makes your heart sing as you recognize the truth of our eternal connection to Source. Don’t miss it.

An engaging memoir graced by the poetic and inspirational lyrics of the songs of an iconic South African recording artist. Nianell sings and writes straight from the heart. The book is a wonderful mix of personal memoir interleaved with poems, quotes, stories of other people from a rich mix of ages and backgrounds. It comes with a CD of her top inspirational hits.

Success was not handed to her on a silver platter. She had to overcome the same self-doubt, challenges and personal suffering that all of us have experienced at some level or another. Nianell realized that the secret was having a strong and unquenchable vision of who we are. By applying the same focus and determination to her challenges as she does to her art, she developed success strategies on everything from exercise, nutrition and how she goes about juggling her responsibilities as the mother of triplets with the demands of super-stardom.

It is full of moving inspirational stories that we can all relate to, and Nianell's music is a delightful bonus.

Jack Rourke’s approach to explaining psychic phenomena reminds me of the story of The Three Bears – not too woo-woo, not too skeptical, but just right. His own story has elements in common with many stories I have heard before: a stressful childhood; ability to “know” things before they happen; suppressing his abilities because they were not “normal;” and then finally accepting one’s gifts and using them to help others. His gifts, I might add, are impressive and the case studies he relates are very convincing. It is not surprising that he is in demand as a consultant to the entertainment industry.

His book provides helpful criteria for making the distinction between true psychics, able to provide objectively verifiable readings, and the often well-meaning, but unverifiable statements and prognostications of others who may be highly empathic, but are probably using a vivid imagination combined with good people-reading skills.

I appreciated the methodical way he explains the different forms of extraordinary perception, the scientific basis for how they probably work, and how to develop and enhance your own skills. He provides a synthesis of his decades of research into psychology, neuroscience and physics to ground his explanations of paranormal phenomena and help the reader distinguish between the hype and true mystery. His stated aim is to show the way to safe and meaningful personal and spiritual development, and his own work is an inspiration in that regard.

I got this book because it seems to cover the latest state of knowledge on healthy eating. I just started using the recipes, so I have yet to determine the effect on my health or waistline, but I can already say that they are delicious, inventive and easy to make. They are both a treat to the eye and to the tastebuds, and they really satisfy. My husband, who is very suspicious of anything that smacks of diet food, has given these recipes two thumbs up. He even made one of them himself!

Pure heart-filling, foot-stomping or body-swaying inspiration! Listen closely to the lyrics - they're all brilliant. Try putting this music on in the background and see what it does to your mood.

The cool thing for you musicians and singers out there, is that there is an companion songbook so you can easily follow and learn the lyrics and music.

I read this book years ago, and found it intriguing. I picked it up again when I saw that Allan Butler has just come out with another book called "Intervention" in which he expands upon the premises in this one. In a nutshell, they suggest that humans from our future traveled back in time to our distant past to create the conditions necessary on planet earth to produce an incubator for the human species. That included creating the moon, an object just the right distance from earth to regulate its seasons and tides and make earth habitable.

The recurring mathematical ratios among the sun, earth and moon resonate at almost every level and certainly provide a persuasive argument that an intelligence was at work here. The research reads like a detective novel, and it easily catapults you into your own orbits of reverie and speculation. Really quite a fascinating read!

This book is alternately depressing, infuriating and inspiring. It is the exhaustively documented story of a clinical trial of a promising enzymatic therapy for treating highly lethal pancreatic cancer. The trial compared a treatment Dr. Gonzalez had been using with major success in his private practice against a chemotherapeutic agent, Gemzar.

The trial was so mismanaged and stacked against Dr. Gonzalez's protocol that after more than 10 years of futile struggle, this promising approach has been kept out of the mainstream oncological arsenal. While Dr. Gonzalez may have written this book to set the record straight about the chain of events, and it gives way more detailed information than anyone but a lawyer would want to read, it's real importance is in highlighting the unholy and incestuous alliance between Big Pharma and the governmental institutions charged with funding medical research that continues unabated.

This is tragically a story that has been repeated over and over since the early 1900's, and because it is so unthinkable that our own government and academics would pervert the research process to protect monied interests, we passively allow this to continue. Dr. Gonzalez ends his book with an angry appeal to true researchers to stay away from tainted funds and to preserve their integrity for the good of mankind. He himself continues to use his protocol and save patients every day. A sobering tale, indeed.

What a charmingly enticing gem of a book - part memoir, part rhapsodic love song to nature, part practical guide to the world of harvesting, saving, banking and breeding seeds and plants.

It is a timely reminder of our dependence on a resource that is rapidly being undermined and overtaken by agribusiness, to the detriment of our health, our food security and even our sovereignty within our own piece of earth.

Anyone with even a green pinky should read this book.

This is an amazingly important book about things that are critically important to our species, yet are systematically suppressed. It is a fascinating read with over 500 pages, now tattered, dog-eared and stained because I couldn't put it down. The book explores some of the most fundamental questions of the universe, and comes up with some pretty plausible explanations based on some pretty impressive research and connecting the dots on Wilcock's part.

Let me give you some examples. After the detente with Russia, their scientists turned their attention from armaments to basic research and their results have been mind-boggling. Exploring the ability of coherent light to transport information, they shone a laser through a fertilized duck egg into a fertilized chicken egg. When the chicken hatched, it had webbed feet and a broad bill! In another experiment the scientist shone a laser through a healthy seed into a seed that had been killed by radiation at Chernobyl. The seed recovered and sprouted into a fully healthy adult plant.

This is the tip of the iceberg of the amazing information in this book, and it is a cry of anguish and anger that the resources now available to us - whether for healing, for free energy or for repairing the damage to the planet - are being withheld for reasons of greed, power and control.

There are insights into possible explanations of the unified field, the nature of space and time, the role of geometry in the structure and function of everything, fish falls!, and on and on. This is definitely my favorite book of the year, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

James Wanless infuses this book with a lifetime of wisdom and experience as a counselor on both sides of the physical reality-spiritual reality divide. His exploration of sustainability touches every aspect of living, from creating a home to nurturing relationships to respecting the planet that provides for us. Success in life is not given on a silver platter; we are responsible for our own happiness and welfare and that of the planet. Skills that James calls "sustain-abilities" need to be learned and practiced, and will be reflected in our daily choices.

This book really holds up a mirror for reflection on how we are crafting our experience of life. It reframes success as a life lived in harmony with our nature and with mother nature. The beautiful cards that James created to illustrate the book are available as a separate deck to facilitate the process. The last part of the book is called the sustain-ability gym, and it has a series of helpful exercises that you can use to guide your personal journey of self-exploration.