Previews of New Books and Music for Body, Mind & Soul
NEW BOOKS
Alarm Clock Dawn, by Eric Vance Walton (Lulu.com), 354 pages, $2.99 eBook — Alarm Clock Dawn, author Eric Vance Walton’s debut novel, is the chilling story of a world only decades ahead of our own. Adam Harkin is an employee of XenTek, the most powerful corporation the world has ever known. Adam begins to question the purpose of his existence in a world where people are no longer citizens; they are merely consumers. Every aspect of a person’s role in society is to be determined by their credit score. The planet is protesting corporate greed and insatiable consumerism as crippling super storms erupt without warning. In a race against time, thousands of people are waking up from this nightmare, burning their Consumer Identification Cards and doing the only thing they can to strike back: dropping out of this toxic society. One by one, they join the camps outside the cities. The fate of humanity itself is at stake and the clock is ticking. One question haunts their fragile optimism: Is it already too late?
At Zero: The Final Secrets to “Zero Limits” The Quest for Miracles Through Hooponopono, by Joe Vitale (Wiley, John & Sons), 240 pages, $25 — Author Joe Vitale’s previous book, Zero Limits, presented a unique self-help breakthrough focused on helping overworked, overstressed individuals overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. It was the first book to explain how a secret Hawaiian method called ho’oponopono can help people experience health, wealth, happiness, and more. It empowered thousands of readers to take control of everything in their lives in order to achieve all they’ve ever dreamed of. At Zero starts where Zero Limits left off. It offers new stories, explains new process, and reveals the fourth stage of awakening. It explains the process called “cleaning,” to delete programs and beliefs that you aren’t aware of. It also shows how repeating the phrases I love you, I’m sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you can help you reach Divinity Life will always present you with challenges. The practice of ho’oponopono, as revealed by author Joe Vitale, guides you through the journey of life with the tools you need to rid yourself of hindrances and open yourself up to infinite possibilities.
Being You, Changing the World, by Dain Heer (Access Consciousness Publishing Co.), 338 pages, $24.95 — Through the unique perspective of Dr. Dain Heer, this book introduces you to a different way of functioning in this reality. Using an exclusive set of tools and processes called Access Consciousness, Heer walks you through the steps to actually create change in your life and in the world. When Heer came into contact with these tools for the first time, he was on the verge of suicide, and the Access tools changed all of that. With vulnerability, clarity and humor, Heer uses his personal transformation over the past ten years to show you the kind of dynamic change that is actually possible. There is no other book out there like this. It will not provide you with one single answer to hold on to. Instead it will show you how to function from question and choice, in ten second increments, and give you access to all that you innately already…know. In a way, this book is a great co-creation. Heer draws on the wisdom of the thousands of people he has worked with all over the world. When starting to recognize that they’re not messed up, that they’re not wrong, they also realize that they have abilities and capacities way beyond their wildest dreams. Are you ready to know that? The author asks, “What if you, truly being you, is the gift and the change this world requires?”
The Book of Knowing and Worth: A Channeled Text, by Paul Selig (Penguin Group USA), 336 pages, $15.95 — The third in Paul Selig’s popular “I Am the Word” channeled literature series, this extraordinary psychological-spiritual guide addresses how to overcome low self-worth and claim our true purpose as individuals. Selig–acclaimed author of I Am the Word and The Book of Love and Creation–brings us his most practical message yet. Informing us that “you decide what you are worth,” Selig’s spiritual guides take readers through a program to understand our own inherent worth, and beat the fears that drain our inborn spiritual knowing. Selig reveals that true understanding of our life’s purpose can be found through “service”–the practice of the thing that you most love. Readers can discover their own form of service through this powerful mantra: “I know who I am, I know what I am, I know how I serve.” New York City native and Yale alumnus Paul Selig’s life changed forever after a 1987 spiritual experience left him clairvoyant. Since then he has worked to understand, cultivate and share his gift as a medium and channel. His first two channeled books resulted in a high demand for him to lead transformational workshops across the country.
Born to Receive: Seven Powerful Steps Women Can Take Today to Reclaim Their Half of the Universe, by Amanda Owen (Penguin Group USA), 240 pages, $15.95 — This book from consultant-coach Amanda Owen (author of The Power of Receiving) presents self-improvement strategies for women and a radically different approach to helping them achieve their goals, reduce stress, and create better health and happiness by using the power that already exists within them. Born to Receive offers women seven effective, practical steps that they can integrate easily into their daily lives and includes inspiring examples of women who have changed their lives for the better by tapping into their receptive power. With exercises, special tips, and resources throughout, this book provides life-changing advice with a simple message: it’s okay to receive! By intertwining empowerment lessons with quotes from inspiring females, Born to Receive taps into the most prevalent problems plaguing women today and offers tools to achieve a more balanced life. It is a practical and profound guide that teaches women how to harness their receptive power and make purposeful life changes to reclaim their half of the universe.
The Complete Book of Juicing, Revised and Updated: Your Delicious Guide to Youthful Vitality, by Michael Murray (Clarkson Potter), 384 pages, $14.99 — With fifty new recipes and new information on the benefits of juicing and juice cleanses, here is the completely revised and updated edition of this juicing category killer. The first completely revised edition of this juicing classic, The Complete Book of Juicing is packed with new information on super fruits such as pomegranate and papaya, weight-loss and juice fasts, immune function, juicers, and more. With one hundred fruit and vegetable recipes and a fresh new package, this book is a user-friendly and fun necessity for any juicing kitchen. “I’ve been sharing my personal story about juicing for more than 60 years,” the author writes. “My message has been the connection between diet and health, and how by decreasing intake of meat and dairy products, and increasing consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes, people can help prevent diet-related diseases.”
The Desire Map: A Guide to Creating Goals with Soul, by Danielle LaPorte (Sounds True), 256 pages, $22 — Your bucket list. Quarterly objectives. Strategic plans. Big dreams. Goals. Lots of goals and plans to achieve those goals–no matter what. Except …you’re not chasing the goal itself, you’re actually chasing the feeling that you hope achieving that goal will give you. Which means we have the procedures of achievement upside down. We go after the stuff we want to have, get, or accomplish, and we hope that we’ll be fulfilled when we get there. It’s backwards. And it’s burning us out. So what if you first got clear on how you actually wanted to feel in your life, and then created some “Goals with Soul”? With The Desire Map, Danielle LaPorte brings you a holistic life-planning tool that will revolutionize the way you go after what you want in life. Unapologetically passionate and with plenty of warm wit, LaPorte turns the concept of ambition inside out and offers an inspired, refreshingly practical workbook for using the Desire Map process. Identify your “core desired feelings” in every life domain: livelihood & lifestyle, body & wellness, creativity & learning, relationships & society, and essence & spirituality. Create practical “Goals with Soul” to generate your core desired feelings. Learn why easing up on your expectations actually liberates you to reach your goals. Take self-assessment quizzes, worksheets, and complete Desire Mapping tools for creating the life you truly long for.
Dictionary, Dreams-Signs-Symbols: The Source Code–The Ultimate Spiritual Guide to Dream Interpretation, by Kaya Muller (Universe/City Mikael), 875 pages, $29.95 — People often say they haven’t yet found a good dictionary to interpret their dreams, signs and symbols. The Source Code brings a whole new vision to the subject and will surely become one of the most important reference books in this field. It will be published simultaneously in English and French and found in bookstores and malls in many countries all over the world, including the UK and the USA. It’s written by Kaya, one of today’s most eminent specialists in dream interpretation, assisted by over 100 of his students, who are doctors, psychologists, nurses, therapists, linguists, teachers and specialists in many fields, in many different countries. The Dictionary, Dreams-Signs-Symbols, The Source Code helps us discover, in great depth, over 875 pages, the most common words in dreams and signs. Each word is analyzed in detail with its physical and metaphysical characteristics, and a synthesis defining the + and – of each symbol is included. This provides the reader with an analytical, understandable vision of the various different possible interpretations. Just one word may occupy two or three explanatory pages, which makes this Dictionary very complete from all points of view. Readers will also find a detailed introduction explaining dream mechanics as well as the multiple angles and subtleties of dream and sign interpretation.
The Forgotten Promise: Rejoining Our Cosmic Family, by Sherry Wilde (Ozark Mountain Publishing), 192 pages, $16 — This is the story of one woman’s life-long interaction with beings from another world, and her journey to go beyond the fear to find meaning and purpose. In this book she explores the abduction experience and shares with you the three important things they insisted she learn. “This is my story,” the author writes. “I cannot prove any of it. For years I was encouraged to write about these experiences, but I resisted. This is not an easy story for me to write, and it might not be easy for you to read or believe. I understand that. . . This book is not only a recounting of my experiences but also the story of how I discovered that, like most things, it is possible to turn the worst thing in your life into something positive just by choosing to look at it from a different perspective.” If you are drawn to this book, then it may very well be that you have had an inter-dimensional encounter, but the memory of that encounter is shielded from your consciousness for your own sanity. Trying to integrate these kinds of events into your life and still live what the world would consider a “normal” life is pretty much impossible. Even if you come to terms with what is happening to you, there is always the looming question of why. It is the reason so many alleged abductees are drawn to a path that takes them on a spiritual journey.
Heed Your Call: Integrating Myth, Science, Spirituality, and Business, by David M. Howitt (Atria Books/Beyond Words), 224 pages, $24.99 — Heed Your Call is about embracing the power of and. It is for the person who has come to a place in life where toiling away at work in pursuit of the American dream just isn’t worth the punishment anymore. It is for the professional who wants to feel more connected and fulfilled, the spiritual seeker who believes gaining wealth diminishes the sacred, the innovator being stifled creatively, and the people who want to become the heroes of their own stories. This book is about following your path, creating a life of abundance and joy, and doing your part to repair the world. Through telling his own story, along with those of other modern-day entrepreneurial heroes, David M. Howitt shares the principles behind his and others’ successes in eleven real-world lessons on how we can apply simple principles that help us weave business into our spiritual narratives and pour our souls into our professions. By uniting artistry and analytics and integrating intuition with intellect, we positively affect the way we live and the world around us. Through the activation of creative principles, living authentically, and absorbing new experiences, we evolve from the radical integration of so-called disparate worlds. We birth a new reality and build a road map for our future.
Herbs for Healthy Aging: Natural Prescriptions for Vibrant Health, by David Hoffmann (Inner Traditions/Bear & Company), 384 pages, $19.95 — A guide to herbal remedies that promote longevity, restore the body’s systems, treat chronic conditions, and maintain natural health. This book offers herbal remedies for many conditions associated with aging, such as prostate enlargement, hot flashes, hypertension, insomnia, and arthritis. It also provides herbal treatments to restore and maintain function in each of the body’s major systems, and it explores more than 150 herbs and their actions on the body and mind, preparation methods, and recommended dosages. In this herbal guide to healthy aging, medical herbalist David Hoffmann discusses how to maintain the body’s vitality as we age and how to treat and prevent the health concerns brought about by aging. He provides herbal treatments to restore and protect each of the body’s major systems–from the muscles, bones, and digestive system to the pulmonary, cardiovascular, and reproductive organs–as well as herbal remedies for specific ailments such as prostate enlargement, hot flashes, hypertension, insomnia, bronchitis, varicose veins, and arthritis. He shows how herbs can help minimize dependence on conventional medical treatments and provide a safe and welcome alternative to the unpleasant and sometimes dangerous side effects of synthetic drugs.This authoritative guide to herbal preventive medicine offers holistic treatments designed not only to promote vibrant health but also to provide a way to age with grace.
Indie Spiritualist: A No Bullshit Exploration of Spirituality, by Chris Grosso (Atria Books/Beyond Words), 272 pages, $15 — Brutally honest and radically unconventional, Chris Grosso’s collection of stories and musings about his meandering journey of self-inquiry, recovery, and acceptance shows what it means to live a truly authentic spiritual life. After years of heavy addiction, Grosso found himself literally on his knees, utterly lost and broken. Grasping for life, he needed to find a new path, one that went beyond conventional religious or spiritual doctrine — one free of bullshit. Set amongst the backdrop of Grosso’s original music (included for download via QR codes in the text), Indie Spiritualist encourages you to accept yourself just as you are, in all your humanity and imperfect perfection. Chris Grosso is a tattooed, independent culturist, freelance writer, spiritual aspirant, recovering addict, and musician. Chris writes for such venues as Rebelle Society, Huffington Post, Intent blog, and is a monthly contributor on the radio show “Where is My Guru?” He created the popular hub for all things alternative, independent, and spiritual with The Indie Spiritualist website. A self-taught musician, Chris has been writing, recording, and touring since the mid-1990s playing with independent bands.
Living a Life of Awareness: Daily Meditations on the Toltec Path, by don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. (Hierophant Publishing), 224 pages, $16.95 — For the first time ever, the Toltec wisdom from the Ruiz family is bound together in a book of Daily Meditations. Readers are invited on a six-month journey of daily lessons with don Miguel Ruiz Jr. that are designed to inspire, nourish, and enlighten adherents as they travel along the Toltec path. Drawing on years of apprenticeship under his father and grandmother, don Miguel Ruiz Jr. shares Toltec lessons on Love, Faith, Agreements, and most importantly: Awareness. The purpose of each meditation is to guide readers into a deeper understanding of his or her self, as well as the world in which we live. In the introduction to the book, don Miguel Ruiz Jr. reminds readers that progress on the Toltec path is not measured by the acquisition of things, status, or even ideas, but rather the complete and total realization that everything in the world is perfect, exactly the way it is at this moment. “Love is accepting ourselves just the way we are, with all of our flaws and our ever-changing belief system,” the author writes. “You are nothing else but who you are. You are not the person you were a year ago. You are not the person you will be in a year. You aren’t even the person you think you are. You simply are, and that must be enough.” This book will have special appeal to those already familiar with his father’s books The Four Agreements, The Mastery of Love, and The Fifth Agreement, as well as don Miguel Ruiz Jr.’s own book, The Five Levels of Attachment.
The Master Key: Qigong Secrets for Vitality, Love, and Wisdom, by Robert Peng with Rafael Nasser (Sounds True), 344 pages, $21.95 — It’s 1972 in the industrial city of Xiangtan, China. A frail child with a heart condition sneaks into a hotel boiler room and befriends the elderly yet vibrant attendant, who eventually reveals his true identity as a revered Qigong master. He heals the boy and, for the next 13 years, secretly teaches him the keys to unlocking the spiritual and healing dimensions of the Life Force. It sounds like a modern-day fable, but the story is true. And with The Master Key, that grateful student, Robert Peng, invites all of us to enter the next chapter of this empowering path. Here, Master Peng brings together the unique insights of his teacher with the moving account of his own journey to inspire and guide us into the foundational methods for gathering, refining, and using the Life Force and the discovery of your True Self through Qigong’s tools of self-inquiry. How do we open the doorways to authentic love, power, and wisdom? The answer lies in our inner Life Force–and The Master Key teaches us how to unlock it.
On Being Human: An Operator’s Manual, by David V. White (Meaningful Life Books), 266 pages, $12.95 — If you have asked yourself questions like “How should I live?” “On what shall I base my decisions?” or “What is truly important?” On Being Human will be a source of help and guidance. Modern thought tends to divide life into categories, but in the process of living, all the currents mix and mingle, and worthwhile answers only come from finding a harmonious relation to the whole. Seeking holistic understanding, this book ranges through psychology, art, science, religion, relationships, culture, mythology, philosophy, and the world’s wisdom traditions. Although no one can be expert in all these areas, the living of life does not offer the choice of avoiding any of them. Whether expert or not, each of us must come to terms with the full scope of human questions, emotions, and possibilities. This wide-ranging book will provide assistance for those who wish to bring all these currents together in a coherent way. Retiring at the age of 35 after successful involvement in business, politics, and education, David began to consider more carefully what was truly important in his life. Following several years of study, travel, practice, and experiences of many kinds, there came a deepening sense of what it means to live a human life. His understanding developed further through dialogue with hundreds of participants in seminars and workshops he has presented during the past twenty years. In this book, he shares the insights gained in the process of his personal exploration and exchange with others.
Orbs: The Untold Story, by Elise Lowers and Julene Anderson (Balboa Press), 52 pages, $25.19 — What are orbs? Who are they? What do they want? Should we try to find out? If so, how do we do it? Are you grieving and having a hard time feeling separated from the one you love? Do you want to know how to change that? Read our story to see some very interesting things we have learned about the orbs. Elise and Julene are a mother and daughter writing team who reside in St. Ansgar, Iowa, and Zimmerman, Minnesota. They were inspired to learn more about the metaphysical world following the passing of a dear family member, and the result is Orbs: The Untold Story. It is illustrated with pictures of orbs taken by the authors, and it is a book about staying connected to loved ones who have passed away, using spirituality to get through the grieving process, and most importantly, life after death. “We believe that the presence of orbs is a verification of life after death,” Anderson said. “Communicating with these orbs was a way for us to grieve. Our hope with this book is to tell others what we have learned about the human soul.”
The Path To Awakening: How Buddhism’s Seven Points of Mind Training Can Lead You to a Life of Enlightenment and Happiness, by Shamar Rinpoche, edited and translated by Lara Braitstein (HarperCollins Publishers), 176 pages, $14.95 — Mind training is a comprehensive practice that is suitable for all types of students. It contains the entire path and does not depend on a person’s background. Mind Training nurses and cultivates the Buddha Nature, that pure seed of awakening that is at the very heart of every sentient being. It has the power to transform even egotistical self-clinging into selflessness. Put into practice diligently, it is enough to lead you all the way to awakening. In The Path to Awakening, Shamar Rinpoche gives his own detailed commentary on Chekawa Yeshe Dorje’s Seven Points of Mind Training, a text that has been used for transformative practice in Tibetan Buddhism for close to a thousand years. Clear, accessible, and yet profound, this book is filled with practical wisdom, philosophy, and meditation instructions.
The Sacred History: How Angels, Mystics and Higher Intelligence Made Our World, by Mark Booth (Atria Books), 528 pages, $30 — Written by the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret History of the World, The Sacred History takes you on a captivating journey through the great myths of ancient civilizations to the astounding discoveries of the modern era. The Sacred History is the epic story of human interaction with angels and other forms of higher intelligence, starting from Creation all the way through to the operations of the supernatural in the modern world. What emerges is an alternative history of great men and women, guided by angels or demons, and the connection between modern-day mystics and their ancient counterparts. This spellbinding historical narrative brings together great figures– such as Krishna, Moses, Buddha, Elijah, Mary and Jesus and Mohammed–and stories from African, Native American and Celtic traditions. Woven into this is an amazing array of mystical connections, including the surprising roots not only of astrology and alternative medicine but also of important literary and artistic movements, aspects of mainstream science and religion and a wide range of cultural references that takes in modern cinema, music and literature. This is a book of true stories, but it is also a book about stories. It shows how they can tell us things about the deep structure of the human experience that are sometimes forgotten, revealing mysterious and mystic patterns, and helping us to see the operation of the supernatural in our own lives.
The Secret Life of Sleep, by Kat Duff (Atria Books/Beyond Words) 256 pages, $24 — It has become increasingly clear that our sleep shapes who we are as much as, if not more than, we shape it. While most sleep research hasn’t ventured far beyond research labs and treatment clinics, The Secret Life of Sleep taps into the enormous reservoir of human experiences to illuminate the complexities of a world where sleep has become a dwindling resource. With a sense of infectious curiosity, award-winning author Kat Duff mixes cutting-edge research with insightful narratives, surprising insights, and timely questions to help us better understand what we’re losing before it’s too late. The Secret Life of Sleep tackles the full breadth of what sleep means to people the world over. Embark on an exploration of what lies behind and beyond our eyelids when we surrender to the secret life of sleep. “Much has been written about the science of sleep in recent years,” the author writes. “However, few have ventured far beyond research labs and treatment clinics to tap into the enormous reservoir of human experience on this planet, most of which rarely makes it into academic articles.”
The Three Ages of Atlantis: The Great Floods That Destroyed Civilization, by Diego Marin Ph.D., Ivan Minella and Erik Schievenin (Bear & Company), 528 pages, $25 — This book offers scientific and anthropological evidence for multiple Atlantean empires and the global catastrophes that destroyed them. It reveals that there was not one but three Atlantises–the first in Antarctica, the second in South America, and the third in the Mediterranean, and it examines geological evidence of super-floods 15,000, 11,600, and 8,700 years ago. The Three Ages of Atlantis shows how these flood dates directly parallel the freezing of Antarctica, the migrations of Cro-Magnon men, and the destruction of Atlantis according to Plato. Fifteen thousand years ago the Earth’s axis tilted, shifting the geographic poles. Volcanoes erupted, the icecaps melted, and the seas rose dramatically. Antarctica was enveloped in ice, destroying the high civilization of prehistory: Atlantis. But before the survivors could reestablish what they had lost, catastrophe struck again–twice. Uniting scientific findings with theories on the location of Atlantis, the authors reveal that there was not one but three Atlantises–the first in Antarctica, the second in South America, and the third in the Mediterranean. Examining paleoclimatology data, they show that Antarctica was temperate 15,000 years ago and home to the original Atlantis. They explore geological evidence of three worldwide super-floods 15,000, 11,600, and 8,700 years ago and show how these dates directly parallel the freezing of Antarctica, the arrival of Cro-Magnon man in Europe, and the destruction of Atlantis according to Plato. Uncovering the influence of the Atlanteans in Proto-Indo-European languages and in massive ancient monuments aligned with the stars, they show how the civilization founders in all early myths–the Pelasgians, Danaans, Viracocha, Aryans, and others–were part of the Atlantean diaspora and how this migration split into two major movements, one to Latin America and the other to Europe and Asia. Following the Atlanteans from a warm Antarctica up to Peru, Mexico, and the Mediterranean, they reveal that Cro-Magnon men are the people of Atlantis and that we are just now returning to their advanced levels of science, technology, and spirituality.
Tipping Sacred Cows: The Uplifting Story of Spilt Milk and Finding Your Own Spiritual Path in a Hectic World, by Betsy Chasse (Atria Books/Beyond Words), 272 pages, $15 — Wife, mother, and award-winning producer of the sleeper hit What the Bleep Do We Know!? Betsy Chasse thought she had it all figured out…until she realized she didn’t. She didn’t know anything about happiness, love, spirituality, or herself…nothing, nada, zilch. In a book that’s anything but quiet, Chasse takes readers on a playful romp through the muddy fields of life and spirituality. Witty, yet unflinching, Chasse exposes her own experience tipping sacred cows and dissects the fragile beliefs we all hold so dear. Because the truth is, we each have a choice to believe the stories we tell ourselves or create new ones. A candid, no-nonsense confession, Chasse’s story gives readers the freedom to break free from their old patterns and gleefully frolic through fields, cow tipping at will and in the process, create a new reality for themselves.
Your Journey to Enlightenment: Twelve Guiding Principles to Connect with Love, Courage, and Commitment in the New Dawn, by Simran Singh (Career Press Inc.), 256 pages, $16.99 — In the spirit of her colleagues Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer and Dr. Jean Houston, Simran Singh is widely known as a creative visionary. In her new book, Your Journey to Enlightenment, the award-winning author brings a rebel’s approach to metaphysics and spirituality. Creator of the revolutionary Matrix Mastermind program of coaching and meditations, Singh is famous for helping people to access the conversation that the Universe is begging to have with each of us. In her new book, she provides direction and the energetic necessities to manifest this power. The author lays out 12 guiding principles that will help readers discover how to: live in constant, unfolding potential, without attachment to outcomes; live awake and aware, becoming magnetizing forces in personal and global expansion; walk an authentic path of devotion, unlocking inherent gifts; and life a process of self-activated master of the multi-dimensional experience. “We are at a ‘churning’ point in humanity’s journey,” Singh writes, “not a turning point. A churning point is a place of agitation. Settling deeply beneath the surface, this palpable tension is a buildup of generation upon generation, from being conditioned to believe we are less than we really are. This rising within is stirred by the wake-up calls of our time. …Awakening requires that we move from the references of ‘what was’ to the presence of ‘what is,’ remembering we are here to play with and ground in the Essence of life.”
The Zero Point Agreement: How to Be Who You Already Are, by Julie Tallard Johnson (Inner Traditions/Bear & Co.), 320 pages, $18.95 — The Zero Point Agreement is a practical guide to stop searching for meaning by creating meaning from within. It explains how we can only discover who we are by naming what we want to be and taking steps to make it a reality, and it offers simple evidence-based methods to generate enthusiasm, creativity, and direct spiritual experience and to co-create with the natural world as our ancestors did. Everyone wants to experience purpose and inspiration in their lives, but the search for meaning often leaves a seeker in the hands of fate. Offering a different approach to self-discovery, one where we create our meaning from within rather than seek it from the outside world, Julie Tallard Johnson shows there is a science behind personal spiritual experiences and creativity. She reveals simple evidence-based methods that can be applied to any situation to generate enthusiasm, inspiration, and direct spiritual experience and transform the inner and outer landscapes of your life. Drawing from the Heart Sutra, the I Ching, indigenous wisdom, and the teachings of the Dalai Lama, Joseph Campbell, and the Kadampa master Atisha, Johnson outlines a practice centered on what she calls the Zero Point Agreement–the realization that you are the zero point of your life, that life’s purpose comes from within. She explains how to discover who you truly are by naming what you want to be and taking steps to make it a reality. Providing 11 core principles for the Zero Point Agreement as well as thought exercises, meditations, and journaling practices, Johnson shows how to break free from negative habitual states, liberate yourself from your attachment to the behaviors of others, take full responsibility for motivation and effort, express gratitude, focus your intention, and learn to co-create with the natural world. She also explores how to transform repressed material and how to apply the Zero Point Agreement to heal both personal and global relationships. Revealing how we can tap in to the creative, creational power that lies within and around each of us, Johnson offers a spiritual technology for self-illumination, creative restructuring of your life, and manifestation of your life’s purpose.
NEW MUSIC
Deep Theta 2.0: Brainwave Entrainment Music for Meditation and Healing, by Steven Halpern (Inner Peace Music), $14.98 — The ideal follow-up to 2012’s Grammy nominated Deep Alpha, this album features traditional Asian acoustic meditation instruments (shakuhachi, bansuri and bamboo flute) in consort with Steven’s Rhodes electric piano and other celestial keyboards. Each song creates a timeless soundscape that invites you to be in peace in the present moment, and which you’ll enjoy for years to come. Part of what makes this album unique is the healing power of the instruments themselves. Shakuhachi has been used for “blowing Zen” for centuries. American Grand Master Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin and Argentinian sound healer Jorge Alfano are featured. Combined with Rhodes electric piano, it’s a tonal combo made in Zen heaven. To play shakuhachi, one must be very aware of the breath. Thus, the breath of the artist adds to the meditative effect. Amplifying the uplifting effects of the music itself, Aural-Sync™ brainwave synchronization tones gently guide your brain into a deep theta state of 4 cycles per second (4 Hz). Your heart and brain naturally synchronize with the fundamental harmonics of the earth itself, making this soundtrack ideal for personal and Global Coherence meditations for peace. Featuring the healing tones of the legendary Rhodes Mark 7 electric piano and subtle sustained harmonies, Deep Theta 2.0 is an instant classic that you’ll be enjoying for years to come. CDs are available at a variety of online sites.
Nocturnes, by Dan Chadburn (CD Baby), $10 at www.danchadburn.com — Pianist Dan Chadburn has creating a recording that is a “journey through the night.” Appropriately titled Nocturnes, the CD explores the dreams, fears, mysteries and quiet serenity that can appear after dark, with the music featuring Chadburn’s piano entwined with other musicians playing English horn, French horn, violin and viola. Nocturnes begins with the solo piano tune “Twilight” (“The nighttime journey is just beginning,” Chadburn says) and ends with the piano-and-faint-strings piece “Sunrise” (“representing a sort of resurrection and the birth of a new day”). In between, Chadburn leads listeners toward the pleasures of sleep with two lullabies dedicated to female acquaintances, as well as the childlike melody “Once Upon a Time.” This is Chadburn’s fourth album. Solo Piano, Reflections, Whispers the Falling Snow and Nocturnes are available at Chadburn’s website, and digital downloads are available at a variety of online sites.
River Serene, by Timothy Wenzel (Coyote Floe) , $12.97 — American-born artist Timothy Wenzel writes and plays highly engaging electro-acoustic Contemporary Instrumental/New Age/Celtic music. He explores four themes on his third Album, River Serene: water, love, light and dreams. The album title reflects both his own new sense of calmness, as well as a flowing river as an analogy for life. “There are certain essential elements that make up our lives, and I decided to create music that puts a magnifying glass on some of them…. I particularly like the imagery of a serene river because I like to enter a place of stillness with few distractions when I work on my music. After many years working as a scientist in a corporate setting, I recently changed jobs to make music my full-time career. It is incredibly refreshing to be able to create music whenever I want rather than having to rush to squeeze in the time to do it at night or on weekends. Serenity helps my creativity. His debut album, Mountains Take Wing, was selected as a Best New Age Album of 2012 by New Age Music World. His second album, A Coalescence of Dreams, received widespread airplay and acclaim, climbing to #6 in the International New Age Charts (Zone Music Reporter) in 2013. CDs and digital downloads are available at a variety of online sites.
