Local Authors
Star Sisters: An Astrologer’s Memoir of Twin Loss, by Linda “Moonrabbit” Zlotnick (Moon Rabbit Press), on sale June 5 — Linda and her identical twin sister, Lou Ann, share everything growing up: a crib, their clothes, friends, and a special twin ESP. As young adults they both come out as lesbian. They are drawn to work in healing professions, Lou Ann as a social worker and psychoanalyst, Linda as a professional astrologer. When Lou Ann dies of cancer at age 56, Linda experiences a soul-crushing loss. Through dreams, healers, the love of her family, and her study of something new–astrological death charts. Linda’s search for understanding eventually led to a study of Lou Ann’s death chart: an astrological horoscope explaining the soul’s journey at the moment of death and offering hope and understanding to the bereaved. With the help of astrology, dreams and healers, Linda found meaning in her own loss, as well as a way to help others live after suffering overwhelming grief. Linda “Moonrabbit” Zlotnick began studying astrology in 1973. After formal training with Zipporah Dobyns in 1977, she began full-time practice as a professional astrologer. In 2005 she began her study of astrological death charts, which she went on to use in her work with clients. A longtime lesbian feminist, she identifies as a spiritual seeker, a Jew, a motherless daughter, and a twinless twin. She and her wife have two grown children and live in St. Paul.
New Books
Anything Can Be Healed: The Body Mirror System of Healing with Chakras, by Martin Brofman (Findhorn Press), on sale June 11 — Drawing on his own profound healing experience as a young man, Martin Brofman developed a system of healing that effectively and seamlessly blends Western psychology and Eastern philosophies: the Body Mirror System. He explains how the chakra system connects to both mind and body to form a body/mind interface, allowing us to read the physical body as a mirror of the consciousness within, track the route from symptom to cause, and then work on releasing the causes on all levels. Brofman shows how specific tensions or symptoms on the physical level reflect corresponding tensions in one’s consciousness about specific issues in life–the inner cause to the outer symptom. The author explains how healing the symptom needs to involve not only releasing the tension on the physical level, but also letting go of the stressful way of interacting with the environment. Thus, the process of healing always implies a process of transformation.
Crystal Lore, Legends & Myths: The Fascinating History of the World’s Most Powerful Gems and Stones, by Athena Perrakis (Fair Winds) — To access the power of crystals, you must know their stories. Crystal Lore, Legends & Myths presents these fascinating histories and legends of the world’s crystals. Crystals, gems, and semi-precious stones have long been sought for their beauty, power, and utility. Historically used as adornments, currency, talismans, and amulets, crystals have been reputed through the ages to bestow magic and power on the user. However, in order to fully harness each stone’s unique power, one must know the unique legends and lore attached to it. Every stone has a narrative or key that unlocks its power. Oftentimes, these legends have been lost–or even deliberately altered–to confuse and obscure. In Crystal Lore, Legends & Myths, leading crystal expert and metaphysical teacher Athena Perrakis presents the fascinating history of the world’s most powerful stones. This comprehensive collection of stones presents to you the legends and relics from different cultures and ancient civilizations, including Lemuria, Sumeria, Egypt and Atlantis, among others. Learn the fascinating stories of how gems and minerals were used to raise power, store wisdom and secret teachings, and give incredible healing–and tap into the powers of the crystals yourself!
The Emotion Code: How to Release Your Trapped Emotions for Abundant Health, Love, and Happiness (Updated and Expanded Edition), by Bradley Nelson (St. Martin’s Essentials) — In this newly revised and expanded edition of The Emotion Code, renowned holistic physician and lecturer Dr. Bradley Nelson skillfully lays bare the inner workings of the subconscious mind. He reveals how emotionally-charged events from your past can still be haunting you in the form of “trapped emotions”–emotional energies that literally inhabit your body. These trapped emotions can fester in your life and body, creating pain, malfunction, and eventual disease. They can also extract a heavy mental and emotional toll on you, impacting how you think, the choices that you make, and the level of success and abundance you are able to achieve. Perhaps most damaging of all, trapped emotional energies can gather around your heart, cutting off your ability to give and receive love. The Emotion Code is a powerful and simple way to rid yourself of this unseen baggage. Dr. Nelson’s method gives you the tools to identify and release the trapped emotions in your life, eliminating your “emotional baggage,” and opening your heart and body to the positive energies of the world. Filled with real-world examples from many years of clinical practice, The Emotion Code is a distinct and authoritative work that has become a classic on self-healing.
The Essential Oils Diet: Lose Weight and Transform Your Health with the Power of Essential Oils and Bioactive Foods, by Eric Zielinski D.C. & Sabrina Ann Zielinski (Harmony Books) — The first diet program that harnesses essential oils and bioactive foods for weight loss and disease prevention, from the nation’s trusted authority in essential oils and natural remedies. The runaway success of The Healing Power of Essential Oils showed that there is a growing interest in using essential oils to heal the body. Now, in The Essential Oils Diet, Dr. Eric Zielinski teams up with Sabrina Ann Zielinski (“Mama Z”) to teach readers how bioactive plant compounds–those found in essential oils and in foods like matcha green tea, chia seeds, almonds, and avocados–can aid in weight loss, boost energy levels, and trigger the body’s natural immune defenses to fight chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and autoimmunity. The Essential Oils Diet features a sensible, evidence-based, two-phase program–first, the 30-day essential fast track, which helps you banish excess pounds quickly, followed by the essential lifestyle, a gentle, practical maintenance program you can follow for life. Featuring delicious, easy recipes, meal plans, and strategies to keep you on track, you’ll learn how to harness essential oils and bioactive foods to help your body reach the homeostasis necessary to help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight and abundant health.
The Essential Path: Making the Daring Decision to Be Who You Truly Are, by Neale Donald Walsch (St. Martin’s Press), on sale June 4 — Our modern era is plagued by increasing alienation–we are seeing an “us against them” world. Everywhere we turn, we find ourselves divided from each other as never before across political, economic, social, and spiritual lines. As humanity is being torn apart right before our eyes–separating many of us from our friends and even our loved ones, from our hopes and dreams, from the natural world, and from so much that gives meaning and value to our lives–people are blaming everyone and everything around them for the collective problems that we have created ourselves. We are turning against each other, rather than to each other, just when we need each other the most. Bestselling author of Conversations with God Neale Donald Walsch offers a radical solution to the growing problem of humanity’s alienation. He invites us to question our basic assumptions about ourselves, about each other, about life and how it works, and about God, and to rethink the very definition of humanity. The Essential Path challenges every human to make a Daring Decision–to look at who we are and how we can choose to be, in a planet-altering new way. With insight and spiritual perceptivity, Walsch peers into the heart of a broken, divided society, prompting us to ask the critical questions that have the power to transform our world.
Falling into Grace: Insights on the End of Suffering, by Adyashanti (Sounds True) — Adyashanti asks us to let go of our struggles with life and open to the full promise of spiritual awakening: the end of delusion and the discovery of our essential being. In his 15 years as a spiritual teacher, Adyashanti has found that the simpler the teaching, the greater its power to change our lives. In Falling into Grace, he shares what he considers fundamental insights that will “… spark a revolution in the way we perceive life.” Available in CD or book format, here is a progressive inquiry exploring: The human dilemma–the concept of a separate self and the choice to stop believing the thoughts that perpetuate suffering; and “Taking the backward step” into the pure potential of the present moment. In the same way that we fall into the arms of a loved one or drop our heads on the pillow at night, we can surrender into the beauty and truth of who and what we really are. Falling into Grace is an investigation into the core of why we suffer. It’s also Adyashanti’s invitation “…to be taken by a moment of grace and fall into a sense of life when it is not separate from you, when life is actually an expression of something indefinable, mysterious, and immense.”
Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace with Your Money, by Ken Honda (Gallery Books) — Ken Honda–Japan’s #1 bestselling personal development guru–knows that getting rich quick is no way to achieve happiness. Too often, money is a source of fear, stress, and anger, often breaking apart relationships and even ruining lives. We like to think money is just a number or a piece of paper, but it is so much more than that. Money has the ability to smile, it changes when it is given with a certain feeling, and the energy with which it imbues us impacts not only ourselves, but others as well. Although Ken Honda is often called a “money guru,” his real job over the past decade has been to help others discover the tools they already possess to heal their own lives and relationships with money. Now, in practical and accessible language, the “Zen millionaire” explains how to achieve peace of mind when it comes to money. Learn how to treat money as a welcome guest, allowing it to come and go with respect and without resentment; understand and improve your money EQ; unpack the myth of scarcity; and embrace the process of giving money, not just receiving it. This book isn’t to fix you, because as Ken Honda says, you’re already okay!
Healing Body Meditations: 30 Mandalas to Enhance Your Health and Well-being, by Mike Annesley (Findhorn Press) — Pairing the healing and transformative power of symbolic art and focused meditations, Healing Body Meditations is a set of 30 beautiful color mandalas with accompanying healing meditations, all based on the chakras and the natural miracle of the human body. Meditating on these unique designs–which each focus on a particular chakra and an organ, body part, or system such as the heart, eyes, lungs, or skin–draws upon the endless power of the spirit as a force for physical healing, allowing us to tap into our inner springs of vitality and help restore our being to wholeness and balance. The 30 mandala meditations have been specially created to enhance the meditator’s relationship with his or her own body, ease common symptoms of imbalance and stress, and address specific health concerns, including headaches and migraines, joint stiffness, fatigue, anxiety symptoms, and chronic aches and pains. Organized around the 7-chakra system, the book introduces each chakra in depth along with signs of an over- or underactive chakra and a mandala meditation to strengthen the chakra. This is followed by specific meditations on individual physical, emotional, mind, or soul aspects the chakra regulates as well as meditations for pain relief and energy boost, supporting the skin and senses, and tuning connections within the brain to help with mind and memory. The book also illustrates how clearing the chakras with visualization and meditation can boost energy, enhance the immune system, and bring a change of perspective to everyday life. With rich symbolism and beautiful artwork, these healing body meditations provide an engaging and effective tool to balance, heal, and stimulate body, mind, and soul.
Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna: Chants, Music, and Sacred Practices of the Great Goddess, by Alessandra Belloni (Bear & Co.) — The mysteries of the Black Madonna can be traced to pre-Christian times, to the ancient devotion to Isis, the Earth Goddess, and the African Mother, to the era when God was not only female but also black. Sacred sites of the Black Madonna are still revered in Italy, and, as Alessandra Belloni reveals, the shamanic healing traditions of the Black Madonna are still alive today and just as powerful as they were millennia ago. Sharing her more than 35 years of research and fieldwork at sacred sites around the world, Belloni takes you on a mystical pilgrimage of empowerment, initiation, and transformation with the Black Madonna. She explains how her love for Italian folk music led her to learn the ancient tammorriata musical tradition of the Earth Goddess Cybele and the Moon Goddess Diana and discover the still-living cult of the Black Madonna in the remote villages of Southern Italy. She vividly describes the sensual shamanic drumming and ecstatic trance dance rituals she experienced there, including the rites of the tammorriata, the transgender rite of Femminielli, and the erotic “spider dance” of the tarantella, which has been used for centuries in the Mediterranean for healing. Sharing chants, rhythms, and sacred songs, she details how she uses these therapeutic musical and trance practices to heal women and men from abuse, trauma, depression, and addiction and shows how these practices can be used for self-healing and transformation. Revealing the profound transformative power of the Black Madonna, Belloni shows how She is the womb of the earth, the dark side of the moon, and the Universal Mother to all. Truly alive for all to call upon, She embraces and gives everyone access to Her divine strength and unconditional love.
Healing the Thyroid with Ayurveda: Natural Treatments for Hashimoto’s, Hypothyroidism, and Hyperthyroidism, by Marianne Teitelbaum (Healing Arts Press) — In this comprehensive guide for practitioners and those concerned with thyroid health, Marianne Teitelbaum, D.C., integrates the ancient medicine of Ayurveda with modern scientific findings to address the growing epidemic of thyroid disease. Revealing how the thyroid is the victim of many factors that conspire to create ill health–and how many cases of thyroid disease go undiagnosed–Teitelbaum focuses not only on treating thyroid problems and symptoms but also on diagnosing them at their earliest, most reversible stages. She outlines the basic principles of Ayurveda, including pulse diagnosis, a key tool for early detection, and explains the successful treatment protocols she has developed over more than 30 years of Ayurvedic practice. She details the underlying reasons for thyroid malfunction, such as inflammation, malnutrition, and toxins, and how the thyroid is connected with the health of the rest of body, including the liver and gall bladder. She explores the Ayurvedic treatment of thyroid-related conditions, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, hypothyroidism, and hyperthyroidism, offering guidance on the targeted use of herbs, specific dietary recommendations, proper detoxification, and Ayurvedic recipes. She also includes treatments and remedies for common symptoms of thyroid disease, including insomnia, depression, fatigue, and osteoporosis, as well as for luxurious hair growth and weight loss. Based on the treatment of thousands of patients, this book also shares success stories of thyroid healing and the scientific studies that support the author’s Ayurvedic thyroid protocols. Offering an easy-to-follow yet comprehensive guide, Teitelbaum shows that optimum thyroid health as well as overall health are within everyone’s reach.
Homeless To Billionaire: The 18 Principles of Wealth Attraction And Creating Unlimited Opportunity, by Andres Pira (Forbes Books) — In Homeless to Billionaire, Andres Pira presents 18 principles for attracting wealth, creating opportunity, and celebrating self-discovery. Inspired by his own massive life changes, Pira details his business journey from telemarketer to one of Thailand’s best-known billionaires. Using his mentors like Bryan Tracy, Jack Canfield and Bob Proctor, Pira puts proven knowledge into action, innovating along the way, using his own employees and clients. Through failure and success, the 18 Principles are forged. Uncanny wisdom, from this millennial adventurer turned businessman, is blended with proven research and case studies into powerful lessons. “Do whatever it is you want to do in life. Be whomever you want to be. Go wherever you want to go. Have whatever it is you want to have right now,” urges Pira. It’s part autobiography, part success workbook, and 100% life lessons. From convincing employees to jump out of airplanes, to scaling mountains, Pira details how to move from fear to inspiration, competitiveness to domination, and student to mentor in business. His call to action is for readers to live their legacy every day.
Is God in That Bottle Cap?: A Search for Truth, by John D Sambalino (Vanishing Circle Press) — Journey with the author on a life-long quest to uncover the Ultimate Truth, that hidden reality that is the very essence of you and all that surrounds you. To answer the simple question “What’s it all about?” The first part of the book takes you on his more than 40-year journey of discovery, including trips to India, Egypt, and the sacred regions of the Himalayan mountains. Join his meditations at many week and months-long meditation training sessions. Enjoy his storytelling, parables, and adventures in self-discovery. Let his most personal experiences be your inspiration to start your own journey. Proven methods of self-realization and profound revelations are discussed in great (yet non-judgmental) detail as you travel his inspiring road to what the sages term “Enlightenment!” The second part of the book has the author attempting to describe the indescribable, as he shares what he has learned through his lifelong personal spiritual journey. “Enlightenment is the realization of one’s true Self, our true Being. Not our constantly changing body, thoughts, and emotions that we take to be who we are, but rather, the never changing, pure awareness, or consciousness, that lets us say: my body, my thoughts, my emotions.”
The Life-Changing Power of Sophrology: Breathe and Connect with the Calm and Happy You, by Dominique Antiglio (New World Library) — In a world that can sometimes feel overwhelming, this comprehensive guide to the practice of Sophrology will help you cultivate resilience, confidence, and serenity in your daily life. Sophrology is a dynamic relaxation, stress-management, and personal-development system already popular in Europe, growing worldwide, and used successfully by people from all walks of life. The method combines Western science and Eastern wisdom using relaxation, breathing, body awareness, and visualization. In ten- to fifteen-minute practices, you will learn to: manage stress and anxiety; beat insomnia; overcome fear of failure; support your needs and realize your goals; prepare for major life events (childbirth, exams, sports competitions, etc.); regain calm and balance; live up to your full potential; and enjoy your version of happiness. Includes downloadable guided practices.
Live True: A Mindfulness Guide to Authenticity, by Ora Nadrich (IFTT Press) — Live True vividly illustrates and breaks down the philosophy of Mindfulness, and what it means to live in the present moment; authentically. “Mindfulness and authenticity are inexorably linked. It keeps us honest,” writes Ora Nadrich in her timely, and much needed book on raising awareness and consciousness of who we are, and more importantly; who we are not. Each of the thirty brisk, informative chapters, not only showcase Ora’s effective techniques for living in the present moment with authenticity, but also, in her knowledgeable, and warm narrative style, guides us through various aspects of effective Mindful behavior, while pinpointing the challenges that impede us from connecting to ourselves authentically, and the dangers of not living in total awareness. Each chapter then culminates with a unique, useful meditation for readers to practice: thirty meditations for each of the thirty days in a month to help us discover, awaken and connect ourselves — in a mindful way — to all those qualities and core values that make us unique only to ourselves. In this thoughtful and straightforward book, Ora shares with us the principles of effective Mindfulness, and combines them with specific meditations that are simple, direct and applicable to everyone, and helps connect us to our true nature. Authenticity is her mantra. Live True provides practical, tangible information and meditations to help us connect with our authentic selves, and keep us connected. Ora, who adheres to the Buddhist principle, “What we believe, we become,” has helped awaken hundreds with her Mindfulness Meditation techniques to overcome the obstacles that hold us back, and keep us from achieving the many benefits of being mindful.
Living a Life of Harmony: Seven Guidelines for Cultivating Peace and Kindness, by Darren Cockburn (Findhorn Press) — In our very busy world it’s easy to get lost in the details and demands of everyday living. Fatigued and overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information, the myriad of choices our technologically advanced communication era offers, we lose sight of what life is all about. How do we find balance and harmony in this overloaded world? And how do we navigate life in tune with our soul as well as with modern society? As author Darren Cockburn explains, we are all part of one big universal process that encompasses and connects everything–every thought, emotion, action, nature, all there is. Over the centuries, religions and philosophies have provided direction on how to act ethically and in accordance with this process, yet in our modern world, these “rules” may seem outdated or too rigid. Integrating and updating existing guidance from Buddhism, Yoga, and other great teachings, the author offers 7 guidelines for living a life of harmony and balance: honor the body, bring awareness and acceptance into every moment, act with kindness, understand the truth and communicate it skillfully, do only what needs to be done, harmoniously obtain and retain only what you need, and apply the guidelines to your digital device usage. He illustrates how and why each of these guidelines hold value, revealing their interconnections, and explains how to implement them practically in daily life, sharing real-life examples as well as practices to support each guideline and deepen your existing spiritual practice. The author explores how the 7 easy-to-practice guidelines help us gain a deeper understanding of the universal process of life, as well as provide a set of tools to help us deal with life’s ups and downs more skillfully. They enable us to face life empowered and confident, peacefully observe and accept what life presents us with, cultivate compassion and kindness, as well as spread mindfulness to those around us. Practiced together, these guidelines provide a simple yet powerful compass to guide you to a peaceful mind and harmonious living, much needed in today’s world.
Making Magic: Weaving Together the Everyday and the Extraordinary, by Briana Saussy (Sounds True), on sale June 4 — When you think of magic, do you imagine something supernatural, extraordinary, or beyond your everyday reality? Many of us are drawn to magic because we think there’s something “out there” that can bring enchantment and wonder back into our lives. Yet there’s a secret to real magic: the extraordinary is much closer than you may think. With Making Magic, expert teacher Briana Saussy invites you to discover a practice of magic that will bring a new depth and power to each moment, act, and choice of your life. Through teaching stories, wisdom from a wide variety of world traditions, and no-nonsense practices you can easily weave into your daily routine, Briana will help you reconnect with the wild and creative force of magic that is always around and within you, waiting for you to remember. “Magic is the most real part of any ‘real life’–the spark illuminating the authentic core of every experience,” writes Briana Saussy. If you are ready to enter a world that is ripe with possibility and rediscover the electric wildness of your life, here is an essential resource for Making Magic as only you can.
Mensch-Marks: Life Lessons of a Human Rabbi-Wisdom for Untethered Times, by Joshua Hammerman (Health Communications Inc.) — The Talmud states, “In a world that lacks humanity, be human.” In a world as untethered as ours has become, simply being human, a good person, is a measure of heroism. At a time when norms of civility are being routinely overwhelmed, it may be the only measure that matters. Mensch-Marks represents Rabbi Joshua Hammerman’s personal Torah scroll–the sacred text of his experiences, the life lessons he has learned along his winding, circuitous journey. Mirroring 42 steps Israel wandered in the Wilderness, Hammerman offers 42 brief essays, several of which first appeared in The New York Times Magazine, organized into categories of character, or “mensch-marks,” each one a stepping stone toward spiritual maturation. These essays span most of Rabbi Hammerman’s life, revealing how he has striven to be a “mensch,” a human of character, through every challenge. Mensch-Marks creates a brand-new genre. It is memoir as sacred story, as how-to book; a series of personal vignettes in dialogue with one another over the span of decades, resonating with eternal ideas that span centuries. It traces the author’s own personal growth while providing a road map for people of all backgrounds seeking a life of moral vision. The wisdom is shared not from a pulpit on high, but rather from an unfolding story of a fellow traveler, one who has stumbled, failed, and persevered, struggling with the questions large and small. Through it all, Rabbi Hammerman has tried to live with dignity and grace, what he calls the “nobility of normalcy.” He writes, “If by sharing what I’ve learned, I can add a modicum of generosity, honesty and human connection in a world overflowing with cruelty, loneliness and deceit, then I’ll have done my job.’ The essays cover crucial moments of failure and forgiveness, loving and letting go, finding deeper meaning in one’s work, and holiness in the seemingly inconsequential moments of everyday life. Rabbi Hammerman, ever the optimist, believes that we can turn things around, one mensch at a time.
The Mind is the Map: A Guided Journey to Discovering the Treasure Within, by Christina Reeves & Dimitrios Spanos (Eudaimonia Center LLC) — Throughout these pages we will delve into the science of the mind, how and why it works the way it does, gaining insights into our own lives and the world around us that otherwise remains obscure or hidden. It cracks a window into the part of human makeup controlling our beliefs, perceptions, and reactions. You will come to understand why The Mind is a Map and how The Writing on Your Wall actually echoes into your world creating your current reality. As you progress through the book, you will learn more about yourself and you will have many opportunities to learn how to work with your own experiences, your relationships with others, your emotions, and your behavioral patterns. We will help you to understand your often-hidden belief systems and how they came to be written on the walls of your subconscious mind. You will learn how this writing affects your choices and your experiences, causing you to repeat the same patterns in your life, over and over again. The subconscious mind controls every behavior that is not attended to by the conscious mind, which is just about everything in present time! For most of us, the conscious mind is so preoccupied about the past, the future or some imaginary problem, that we leave the day-to-day, moment to moment tasks to the subconscious mind. This book and will serve to launch you beyond your “limits” and free any limitations for you. In the process, you will, of course, realize that there is nothing more important or more exciting than turning possibilities and opportunities into personal realities as you learn how to live your life with Emotional Intelligence and see how you can be a long-term advisor to yourself. Expect and allow miracles and synchronicity to show up in the most amazing ways and you will undoubtedly experience a few “ah-ha” moments, and in the most intelligent way, you will begin to understand that whatever path lay before you on our journey–whatever puzzles you must take apart and put back together–the secret of life has to do with the awakening and freeing of what has been unseen and asleep.
The Most Important Point: Zen Teachings of Edward Espe Brown, by Edward Brown, edited by Danny Parker (Sounds True) — From master baker, cook, and Zen priest Edward Espe Brown comes a collection of timeless essays on Zen, food, and life itself. Brown was one of the first Westerners to be ordained a priest by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, who had hoped that Zen might be transformed into a vibrant new form in the West. In The Most Important Point, Brown fulfills Suzuki’s wish with 60 essays that are distinctly American yet preserve the roots of traditional Japanese Zen. Drawing from his time in the kitchen and on the cushion, Brown explores a range of topics, from basic sitting practice to making the “perfect” biscuit and much more. “In the words of my teacher,” reflects Brown, “the most important point is to find out what is the most important point.” Flavored with wise insights and irreverent humor, The Most Important Point brings together a treasury of teachings to inspire your own discovery.
Not F*ing Around: The No Bullsh*t Guide for Getting Your Creative Dreams Off the Ground, by Jeff Leisawitz, illustrated by Megan Hills (Electron Unlimited) — Can’t quite get your creative juices flowing? The day job sucking your soul? Fizzled out before you put the finishing touches on your amazing creation? With relentless positivity, full-on authenticity and a punk rock thunder spirit, author Jeff Leisawitz pulls back the curtain on the creative process and reminds us that we are all creative SuperStars. It’s time to get off the couch and get on the path. It’s time to tap into the cosmic heartbeat that thumps in your chest and shines from your soul. It’s time to get NFA! Jeff Leisawitz burns with a mission — to inspire writers, artists, musicians, filmmakers, entrepreneurs (and everyone else) to amp up their creativity, heal their hearts and shine in the world.
Premonitions: Recognitions, Book II, by Daniela I. Norris (Roundfire Books), on sale June 28 — Premonitions hints at past lives and common experiences, as it draws subtle connections between people on their personal quests for adventure, love and family. Amelia Rothman, a foreign-rights editor from New York, has a turbulent personal life. Adele Durand, a young French woman, marries the wrong man in 18th century revolutionary France. What do these two women have in common? Is it possible that an apprentice medicine-man in 15th century Africa and an ancient sword hold the answers to a question which transcends time itself? Premonitions in the second book in the Recognitions trilogy.
Run Like a Girl 365 Days a Year: A Practical, Personal, Inspirational Guide for Women Athletes, by Mina Samuels (Skyhorse Press), on sale June 18 — No matter how hard it is to get out the door, it’s on the road that we meet our strengths and weaknesses, have the space to contemplate our hopes and dreams and ultimately find what makes us happy. Not every workout is an epiphany. Instead, each time out on the road–no matter how much of a battle it was to get there–is an exercise in getting to know ourselves a little bit better. It’s on that road that we learn our strengths and weaknesses, ponder our hopes and dreams, and ultimately discover what makes us happy. For women who draw even a portion of their strength from being active, Run Like a Girl 365 Days a Year serves as a Book of Days. It’s practical, inspirational, and personal, with a dash of the existential and neurotic, it’s a fresh take on the popular thought-a-day books, geared toward women athletes. Containing 365 entries for a full year of running inspiration, Run like a Girl 365 Days a Year revels in the joys we discover as we greet our athletic selves each new day, and confront the obstacles thrown in our way by the world, by our bodies and, most importantly, by our minds. Some of the topics include balance, body image, the battle of the sexes, sisterhood, and aging. Light-hearted, honest, and authentic, Run Like a Girl 365 Days a Year is an inspiring daily reminder of every woman’s strength and potential.
Simple Truths: Clear & Gentle Guidance on the Big Issues in Life, by Kent Nerburn (New World Library) — Seldom does a book come along that speaks to the core issues of life with such clarity and wisdom. This profound book is deeply informed by the spiritual traditions of the West, the Far East, and the Native Americans, with whom the author has worked. It is a small treasure of wisdom about life’s deepest issues. On education & learning: The true measure of your education is not what you know, but how you share what you know with others; On money: People who measure their money against their desires will never be happy, because there will always be another desire waiting to lure them. People who measure their money against their needs can gain control over their lives by gaining control over their needs. On love: Love has its own time, its own season, and its own reasons for coming and going. You cannot bribe it or coerce it or reason it into staying. If it chooses to leave your heart or the heart of your lover, there is nothing you can do and nothing you should do. Be glad that it came to live for a moment in your life. If you keep your heart open, it will surely come again.
Spiritual and Broke: How to Stop Struggling with Money and Live Your Purpose, by Jennifer Noel Taylor (Union Square Publishing) — Are you spiritual and broke? Are you doing what you love — yet struggling with money? Are you feeling frustrated with the Law of Attraction? “If you do what you love, the money will come.” Really? Law of Attraction proponents suggest that if you think abundant thoughts, use affirmations, and maintain positive emotions, you will attract abundance. But what if you’ve done this and still have a negative net worth? Is the Law of Attraction a hoax? Should you get a “real job”? Like many of us, Jennifer Noel Taylor, author of Spirital and Broke, was doing what she loved and yet struggling with money. She was $135,000 in debt, and she often felt like a martyr. Everything changed when she had a shocking “Aha!” moment in the back of a police car. Jennifer discovered the real reason she was spiritual and broke and the missing secret we all need to create lasting prosperity while living our purpose. Are you ready to be spiritual and abundant?
Spiritual Rebel: A Positively Addictive Guide to Finding Deeper Perspective and Higher Purpose, by Sarah Bowe (Monkfish ), on sale June 11 — A God-optional approach to spirituality that draws on ancient wisdom and modern pop culture. An indispensable guide for seekers, those newly embarking on a spiritual journey, or members of spiritual communities, Spiritual Rebel is for anyone who desires meaningful spiritual experiences without having to commit exclusively to one path or having to fear they might be “doing it wrong.” May this diverse collection of practices and resources inspire the Force within you, by whatever name you call it! Bringing together insights from a wide range of traditions — from Taoism to Jediism to Yoga to Science — Spiritual Rebel encourages readers to explore their own personal spiritual style, deepest perspectives, and life purpose. Rather than relying on adherence to a specific belief system, Spiritual Rebel guides readers to clarify the beliefs that are personally meaningful, redefine outdated concepts, mix and match practices, experience connection and ask curious questions.
Subconscious Power: Use Your Inner Mind to Create the Life You’ve Always Wanted, by Kimberly Friedmutter (Atria Books) — Unsatisfying careers. Volatile, unhealthy relationships. Unfulfilled dreams. Too many of us are living lives that fall short of what we truly desire. But as celebrity hypnotist Kimberly Friedmutter explains in this life-changing book, not only is it possible to design the life of your dreams, but the power to do so lies within you, in your subconscious mind. The subconscious is the root of your true power and desire; it’s your inner eight-year-old, your authentic self. It is the honest compass that will lead you to a life of happiness, so long as you are able to follow its direction. We all have the power to access it–children do so effortlessly–but as we grow up we’re taught to stop daydreaming and to follow society’s rules, which makes us disconnect from our subconscious, often with tragic results. In Subconscious Power, Kimberly guides you through six principles that bring your conscious mind in line with your subconscious desires. She shares practical, three-minute exercises that will help you transform your relationships, find true love, lose weight after years of struggling with the scale, overcome addictions, and achieve new career successes and heights. Featuring inspiring success stories and the practical tools you need to make meaningful change, Subconscious Power will empower you to stop being a passive participant in a life you don’t love, and to actively choose the life you truly desire.
Tarot for the Fiction Writer: How 78 Cards Can Take You from Idea to Publication, by Paula Scardamalia (Red Feather) — Writing a novel is a wild, unpredictable–and oftentimes stormy–adventure. And sometimes you need a compass to guide you. Because story is inherent in Tarot’s structure, it is an effective map and storytelling tool–whether you’re writing a novel in progress or starting out on a brand-new endeavor. Now you can use Tarot myths, symbols, characters, settings, and innumerable combinations as a powerful, portable, and imaginative tool for story development, editing and revisions, publication, and promotion! Each card has a story to tell you and can help you map out your book. Discover how to hook your readers. Figure out what happens next. Find a unique twist in a scene. Deepen your characters’ backgrounds. Create meaningful settings. Identify that “Black Moment.” Is your novel going in the right direction? Grab your Tarot compass! The path to publication is just around the corner!
This Is Motherhood: A Motherly Collection of Reflections + Practices, by Jill Koziol & Liz Tenety (Sounds True) — This is a book by Moms, for Moms–Redefining Motherhood for a New Generation. With This Is Motherhood, the cofounders and contributors of the Motherly online community present a collection of essays and practices to celebrate motherhood in all its complexity. Here you’ll find reflections on each phase of “the wild ride of motherhood,” including the soaring highs of meeting your new baby, the ground-shaking lows that make you doubt everything you’ve ever known, and all the beauty and pain in between. Each chapter closes with practices from Motherly’s team of wellness experts to help you define, clarify, process, and celebrate your journey. This book was created to inspire and guide you through some of the most miraculous and stressful milestones of your life. There are many ways to get motherhood right. It’s not your mother’s path or your sister’s path or that seemingly-perfect mom from your kid’s preschool’s path. It’s yours. You get to define–and redefine along the way–your experience of motherhood. And you are not alone. Each essay in This Is Motherhood is a letter to you, from one mama to another, to remind you that your feelings are normal. That you’re doing an amazing job. That you’re stronger than you even realize. Most of all: You’ve got this, mama.
Tibetan Yoga: Principles and Practices, by Ian A. Baker (Inner Traditions) — Tibetan yoga is the hidden treasure at the heart of the Tibetan Tantric Buddhist tradition: a spiritual and physical practice that seeks an expanded experience of the human body and its energetic and cognitive potential. In this pioneering and highly illustrated overview, Ian A. Baker introduces the core principles and practices of Tibetan yoga alongside historical illustrations of the movements and beautiful, full-color works of Himalayan art, never before published. Drawing on Tibetan cultural history and scientific research, the author explores Tibetan yogic practices from historical, anthropological, and biological perspectives, providing a rich background to enable the reader to understand this ancient tradition with both the head and the heart. He provides complete, illustrated instructions for meditations, visualizations, and sequences of practices for the breath and body, as well as esoteric practices including sexual yoga, lucid dream yoga, and yoga enhanced by psychoactive plants. He explains how, while Tibetan yoga absorbed aspects of Indian hatha yoga and Taoist energy cultivation, this ancient practice largely begins where physically-oriented yoga and chi-gong end, by directing prana, or vital energy, toward the awakening of latent human abilities and cognitive states. He shows how Tibetan yoga techniques facilitate transcendence of the self and suffering and ultimately lead to Buddhist enlightenment through transformative processes of body, breath, and consciousness. Richly illustrated with contemporary ethnographic photography of Tibetan yoga practitioners and rare works of Himalayan art, including Tibetan thangka paintings, murals from the Dalai Lama’s once-secret meditation chamber in Lhasa, and images of yogic practice from historical practice manuals and medical treatises, this groundbreaking book reveals Tibetan yoga’s ultimate expression of the interconnectedness of all existence.
The Timeless Teachings of Guru Zuzu, by Tony Broadbent (New World Library) — If you live with a cat (and let’s be clear, you are living with your cat, not the other way around) you may also be living with a guru. You may have noticed “your” cat’s smarts, the way she knows exactly when it is four a.m. and thus time to apply her right paw to your lower lip. Or her instincts in sensing, hours before the vet appointment, that it’s time to blend imperceptibly in with the dust bunnies under your bed. But did you know that the snoozing bundle of fur on your sofa is also, most likely, a spiritual teacher worthy of reverence and devotion? A saying celebrated in the teachings of Lao Tzu and Zen Buddhism promises that “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Author Tony Broadbent experienced this when a cat, subsequently named Zuzu — named after “Zuzu’s Petals” in the film, It’s a Wonderful Life — showed up in his life. In tribute he has created a series of delightful spreads — nuggets of wit and wisdom on the left, image on the right. So get ready for your own visitation. If you share a domicile with a cat, you don’t have to climb a mountaintop, go to an ashram, or learn a new way to breathe. You already have all you need.
The Way of Effortless Mindfulness: A Revolutionary Guide for Living an Awakened Life, by Loch Kelly (Sounds True), on sale June 4 — “Effortless mindfulness” is a new way to immediately enter an optimal flow state available to us in the midst of our busy lives. In The Way of Effortless Mindfulness, Loch Kelly teaches that when you “unhook” awareness from chattering thoughts, you can access a peaceful mind and a naturally embodied wakefulness. From this heartful space, students report they find that right action comes easily and a loving tenderness for all of life is freely available. This follow-up to Kelly’s award-winning Shift into Freedom outlines practical and supportive material from neuroscience, psychology, and the wisdom of various spiritual traditions. Here you will find a reader-friendly guide to understanding exactly what effortless mindfulness is, practices for engaging with it, and how to avoid the pitfalls to the full embodiment of this timeless awareness. The Way of Effortless Mindfulness offers a compelling introduction to the next stage in the ongoing mindfulness revolution.
Wisdom of the Native Americans: Including the Soul of an Indian and Other Writings of Ohiyesa and the Great Speeches of Red Jacket, Chief Jose, edited by Kent Nerburn (New World Library) — The teachings of the Native Americans provide a connection with the land, the environment, and the simple beauties of life. This collection of writings from revered Native Americans offers timeless, meaningful lessons on living and learning. Taken from writings, orations, and recorded observations of life, this book selects the best of Native American wisdom and distills it to its essence in short, digestible quotes — perhaps even more timely now than when they were first written. In addition to the short passages, this edition includes the complete Soul of an Indian, as well as other writings by Ohiyesa (Charles Alexander Eastman), one of the great interpreters of American Indian thought, and three great speeches by Chiefs Joseph, Seattle, and Red Jacket.
