A Gift of Love: Lessons Learned From My Work and Friendship with Mother Teresa, by Tony Cointreau (Easton Studio Press) 200 pages — From the author: I wrote A Gift of Love because people kept asking me to do so, telling me that there was a great need for it. Perhaps it was their parents who were dying, or another family member, or a close friend, and they needed to know what they could do for their loved ones in those last weeks, days, or hours. They knew that I had worked with Mother Teresa as a volunteer in her homes for the dying, and had twelve years’ experience in what they were facing, perhaps for the first time, and asked me to pass on some of my knowledge. In 1979, when I saw a magazine photograph of one of Mother Teresa’s volunteers carrying a dying man in his arms, I knew in an instant that I had to become a part of this work. It was certainly not a religious calling, but a simple calling to give something of myself to others. I felt that if I could comfort one dying person, my life would have had purpose. It took me ten years to enter the world that I had only seen a glimpse of in that magazine article. When I did, it was during the worst of the AIDS crisis in the United States, in a hospice called “Gift of Love” in New York City, which had been opened by Mother Teresa in 1985. It had room for fifteen dying men, most of them from a world I had never known–a world of drugs, poverty, and crime, a far cry from the privileged life of châteaus in Europe that I had been brought up in, and later on, the world of show business in which I had been able to fulfill some of my greatest dreams. In the years to come, these men, who were dying of AIDS and had never been given much of a chance in life, taught me not only about the many ways to help others die in an atmosphere of peace and love, but also how to enjoy the richness of living our lives fully until the very end. Whenever Mother Teresa asked me to sing for her on her little terrace in Calcutta, I never said “No.” And when I asked her to help me write about caring for loved ones in their last days, she also never said “No.” What a blessing–thank you, Mother! If I can reach just one person who is flailing around in panic and fear while trying to help a loved one at the end of their life, my journey will have been worthwhile.
The Circle of Initiates: Past and Present, by Klaire D. Roy (Orange Palm & Magnificent Magus Publications), 598 pages — Provocative and visionary, this unprecedented volume divulges the initiation levels of 109 influential personalities of past and present. It candidly unveils what drives and motivates, through the in-depth study of the rays of energy and the initiation levels that characterize them. What forces backed and sustained Abraham Lincoln, John Paul II, Walt Disney and Beethoven? What is the nature of the energy that compels Madonna, George Lucas and Barack Obama? What is the source that fueled the genius of Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci and Nikola Tesla, or the magnetism of Hazrat Inayat Khan, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra? What makes Bill Gates and Donald Trump wealthy men, and made Nelson Mandela and Padre Pio flourish? Let yourself be surprised and guided through the layers of discovery hidden behind the faces of these Initiates, whose presence has influenced and is continuing to influence the whole of humanity.
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living, by Ryan Holiday (Penguin Publishing Group, 416 pages — From the team that brought you The Obstacle is The Way and Ego is The Enemy, a beautiful daily devotional of Stoic meditations. Why have history’s greatest minds–from George Washington to Frederick the Great to Ralph Waldo Emerson, along with today’s top performers from Super Bowl-winning football coaches to CEOs and celebrities — embraced the wisdom of the ancient Stoics? Because they realize that the most valuable wisdom is timeless and that philosophy is for living a better life, not a classroom exercise. The Daily Stoic offers a daily devotional of Stoic insights and exercises, featuring all-new translations from the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the playwright Seneca, or slave-turned-philosopher Epictetus, as well as lesser-known luminaries like Zeno, Cleanthes, and Musonius Rufus. Every day of the year you’ll find one of their pithy, powerful quotations, as well as historical anecdotes, provocative commentary, and a helpful glossary of Greek terms. By following these teachings over the course of a year (and, indeed, for years to come) you’ll find the serenity, self-knowledge, and resilience you need to live well.
Dharma Parenting: Understand Your Child’s Brilliant Brain for Greater Happiness, Health, Success, and Fulfillment, by Robert Keith Wallace and Fred Travis (Penguin Publishing Group), 288 pages — Dharma Parenting offers a uniquely individual approach to raising a happy and successful child. The word “dharma” means a way of living that upholds the path of evolution, maintains balance, and supports both prosperity and spiritual freedom. For the first time, we can understand why one child learns quickly and forgets quickly while another learns slowly and forgets slowly; why one child is hyperactive and another slow moving; or why one falls asleep quickly but wakes in the night while another takes hours to fall asleep. Leading brain researchers Robert Keith Wallace and Frederick Travis combine knowledge from modern science, ancient Ayurveda, and their personal experience to show how to unfold the full potential of a child’s brain, as well as how to nurture his or her inherent brilliance and goodness. The first tool of Dharma Parenting is to determine your child’s — and your own — brain/body type through a simple quiz. The Eastern system of natural medicine called Ayurveda has used three distinct mind/body types (and combinations of these types) for thousands of years. Scientific studies suggest that there is a specific set of genetic, biochemical, and physiological characteristics that underlie each of the three main Ayurveda mind/body types. Coupling old and new wisdom, Dharma Parenting offers unique insight into why a child is the way he or she is and reveals how to bring each child into a state of balance. Its language is readily comprehensible by parents of any cultural background, with real-life stories to illustrate areas of universal parental concern — such as emotions, behavior, language, learning styles, habits, diet, health issues, and, most importantly, the parent-child relationship.
The Divine Human: The Final Transformation of Sacred Aging, by John C. Robinson (John Hunt Publishing), 152 pages — With our unprecedented longevity, aging has become a new developmental stage in the human life cycle. Conscious sacred aging now offers humanity profound opportunities for psychological, spiritual and mystical transformation, expanding not only our lifespan but our awareness of God as well. What if we discover in this awakening that we are already divine? What if this realization transforms our very nature and purpose in the world? The Divine Human answers these questions and more, revealing the ultimate meaning of the New Aging. John Robinson, psychologist, minister and author, has written about the psychological and spiritual transformation of adults for over 20 years, receiving praise from numerous visionary writers. In his new book, Dr. Robinson describes for the first time the ultimate possibility of awakening the Divine Human. Sharing his own experience of divinity, he echoes the words of mystics from around the world and explains the incredible importance of aging in achieving humanity’s highest expression of love and purpose.
Drawn Together: Uplifting Comics on the Curious Journey Through Life and Love, by Leah Pearlman (Penguin Publishing Group), 176 pages — Based on the popular webcomic Dharma Comics, an irresistibly clever, heartfelt, hand-illustrated collection that will delight anyone looking for a dose of daily inspiration. Since 2010, Leah Pearlman’s Dharma Comics have been warming the hearts of fans everywhere with their witty and wise insights on navigating the ups and downs we all face. Now Drawn Together, the first Dharma Comics collection, offers the perfect pick-me-up to get through any situation life throws our way. Featuring over 100 beloved favorites and new, never-before-published comics in a charming, two-color package , it illustrates the surprising ways we connect with ourselves, with our aspirations and fears, and with others. This enlightening and entertaining book is the perfect gift that will give a boost of encouragement to anyone needing a little support, a break from the daily grind, or a tender reminder that, no matter what happens, we’re never alone.
Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep, by Andrew Holecek (Sounds True) 352 pages — Lucid dreaming — waking up and becoming fully conscious in your dreams — has intrigued legions of those seeking to explore their vast inner worlds. Yet for many, “getting lucid” for the first time can be elusive. And for those who have, there are few resources that show us how to use this extraordinary state for the greater goal of awakening to all of reality, day or night. With Dream Yoga, Andrew Holecek brings us a practical guide for meditators, seasoned dream travelers wanting to go deeper, and total beginners eager to experience lucidity for the first time. Here, you’ll join this expert teacher of dream work and meditation to learn: How to awaken in your dreams naturally by using modern scientific principles with the insights and practices of Tibetan dream and sleep yoga; Proven guidance to overcome common obstacles, enhance dream recall, focus and amplify awareness while dreaming, work with nightmares safely, resolve emotional blockages, and glean wisdom from your dreams; A wealth of practices and tips that have helped thousands enjoy successful dream-time exploration; Essential Buddhist teachings and tools for navigating the many realms of sleep (dreaming is just one of them); Direct insights into the continuation of consciousness beyond the physical body and death; and How to bring your skills together to engage with the hundreds of thousands of dream opportunities that most of us forget or dismiss. Have you ever wondered what happens when you sleep and dream? Desired to wake up in your dreams and have the time of your life? Or wanted to use your sleep hours to fully explore these dimensions, heal, and evolve? Dream Yoga answers these questions — not academically but directly — by showing you how to access this profound universe for yourself.
Dying to Wake Up: A Doctor’s Voyage into the Afterlife and the Wisdom He Brought Back, by Rajiv Parti, M.D., with Paul Perry (Atria Books), 240 pages — A rare glimpse into heaven, hell, and previous lives — Dr. Rajiv Parti’s near-death experience brought him on a journey through the afterworld, leading to a spiritual awakening that transformed his career, his lifestyle, and even his fundamental beliefs. Before his near-death experience, Dr. Rajiv Parti was a wealthy man of science with a successful career as the Chief of Anesthesiology at the Bakersfield Heart Hospital in California. He demanded the same success from his son, whose failures provoked episodes of physical abuse from Dr. Parti. All in all, Dr. Parti was the last man to believe in heaven or hell — that is, until he saw them with his own eyes. When Dr. Parti had his near-death experience on the operating table, he first watched his own operation from the ceiling — even recalling a joke told by his doctors during his surgery. He was greeted by archangels and his deceased father who led him through the tortures of hell and revealed the toxic cycle of violence that has plagued his family for generations. He even reviewed the struggles of his previous lives which, in many ways, reflected those he still faced in the present. Finally, he experienced heaven. From the angels, he learned lessons of spiritual health that they insisted he bring down to Earth — to do so, Dr. Parti knew he had to change his ways. After his near-death experience, Dr. Parti awoke a new man. He gave away his mansion, quit his career, opened a wellness clinic, and completely turned around his relationships with his family. To this day, he still converses with angels and spreads their wisdom to the living. In this remarkable true story of spiritual transformation, Dr. Parti provides rare details of heaven, hell, the afterlife, and angels. In sharing the lessons and eternal truths from the Divine that changed him forever, Dr. Parti offers his audience the opportunity to attain peace and live a better life here on Earth.
Finding Calm for the Expectant Mom: Tools for Reducing Stress, Anxiety, and Mood Swings During Your Pregnancy, by Alice D. Domar, Ph.D., and Sheila Curry Oakes (Penguin Publishing Group), 288 pages — This invaluable resource shows moms-to-be how to manage stress during pregnancy. Pregnancy is exciting and exhilarating, but it can also be physically and psychologically demanding. The myth, perpetuated by social media, says that you should be “glowing,” but in reality, you may be anxious and find yourself on an emotional roller coaster. And that is okay. Feeling stressed and moody are very normal reactions to the changes your body is going through, the thoughts you might have about how your pregnancy will impact your career and relationships, and the social pressure to have a perfect pregnancy. High levels of stress and anxiety are not good for you or your baby, but there are ways to cope with and counteract these feelings, put them in perspective, and bring peace to your pregnancy. It is indeed possible to learn new skills that will enable you to glow and thrive. In addition to featuring fun quizzes, stories of women with whom Dr. Alice Domar has worked, and information, advice, and encouragement, Finding Calm for the Expectant Mom includes mind-body techniques that can relieve stress, anxiety, and moodiness. With the tools and problem-solving approach presented here, you can adjust your expectations, restructure negative thought patterns, cultivate resilience, and not only meet the challenges of pregnancy, but happily anticipate the most amazing experience of your life: becoming a mother.
Finding the Blue Sky: A Mindful Approach to Choosing Happiness Here and Now, by Joseph Emet (Penguin Publishing Group), 208 pages — Joseph Emet explores the intersection between Positive Psychology — the study of what makes people happy — and the ancient wisdom of Buddhism. Positive Psychology — with its focus not on mental “disease,” but rather on what actually makes people happy — has revolutionized the way that we look at mental health. What many people don’t realize, however, is that Positive Psychology is not as young a field of inquiry as we think. In fact, according to Joseph Emet, the original positive thinker was the Buddha himself. In this wise and inspiring book, Emet traces the fascinating intersection between the age-old wisdom of Buddhism and the latest scientific research into what makes people happy. In this book readers will discover: How to replace negative thinking with positive thinking; How to move from frenzied thinking to quiet contemplation; and The duty we have to others to live a happy life. As Joseph explains in this work, the blue sky of happiness is found just beyond the grey clouds of sadness, everyday concerns, stress, or anxiety. Readers will find that the advice in this book can act as the gentle wind that clears those clouds away.
The Five Elements: Understand Yourself and Enhance Your Relationships with the Wisdom of the World’s Oldest Personality Type System, by Dondi Dahlin (Penguin Publishing Group), 320 pages — The Five Elements brings the wisdom of an ancient healing system to modern readers, helping them understand themselves–why they do what they do — better. Dondi Dahlin shows us that we are all born with individual rhythms that go beyond the influence of our genes and upbringing. The five elements originated in ancient Chinese medicine over 2,000 years ago — when scholars theorized that the universe is composed of five forces: water, wood, fire, earth and metal. Understanding these elements helps us stay in balance physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. By explaining the efficacy of wood, the depth of water, the joy of fire, the compassion of earth, and the wisdom of metal, this book helps people understand themselves and form lasting connections to others, answering the age-old question of why we do what we do. With humor, practicality and history, Dondi Dahlin shows us how this timeless personality system can help us stay in balance physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. This accessible guide can help every user understand themselves, form lasting connections to others, and appreciate the unique contributions we each have to make to our surrounding world.
Five Meditations on Death: In Other Words…On Life, by Francois Cheng (Inner Traditions/Bear & Co.), 128 pages — Born from intimate discussions with friends, these five meditations on death from poet-philosopher François Cheng examine the multiple ways the prospect of death significantly shapes life and is, in fact, what makes life meaningful and sacred. Written at the age of 84, in the twilight of life, these meditations each approach the human understanding of death from different, yet intertwined, perspectives, effortlessly returning to certain themes and ideas, questioning them again more deeply with each passing. The author shows that death is a transition in a longer living process not visible from the modern “black and white” view of life and death. He examines his experience of ancestor worship in his native China and the beliefs that underly it: Our ancestors are alive in another form, that what is living can never die and what is dead has never lived. Cheng looks at the consequences of a world that has abandoned the sacred and avoids the mention of death, a world now blindly staggering through the chaos it has created, yet which can return to balance if we once again embrace the essential sacredness of life as well as death. Throughout these five heart-baring meditations, Cheng invites us to contemplate life in the light of our own death. He reveals that to be conscious of death gives our fate its full meaning. Our death is an integral part of our great adventure in becoming. For if birth is a seed, then death is the fruit — the final sacred product of a life well lived.
The Four Questions: For Henny Penny and Anybody with Stressful Thoughts, by Byron Katie with Hans Wilhelm (Penguin Publishing Group), 32 pages — Bestselling author Byron Katie and accomplished, award-winning illustrator Hans Wilhelm team up for a modern retelling of the classic folk tale The Sky Is Falling — reimagined through the lens of Byron Katie’s world-famous philosophy for living known as “The Work.” Written for adults and children alike, in the form of a full-color, illustrated book, the wisdom contained in this beautiful work can have a profound effect on readers young and old. Byron Katie has introduced The Work, her method of self-inquiry, to millions of people at public events and in prisons, hospitals, churches, V. A. centers, corporations, universities, and schools. Eckhart Tolle calls The Work “a great blessing for our planet.” Hans Wilhelm is one of America’s foremost authors/illustrators of children’s books, with over 42 million books in print worldwide.
Heal Your Mind: Your Prescription for Wholeness through Medicine, Affirmations and Intuition, by Mona Lisa Schulz M.D., Ph.D., and Louise L. Hay (Hay House) 384 pages — Many of us grapple with how to stay happy, calm, and focused in a world that seems to get more complex by the minute. How do we keep our wits about us, our mood stable, and our memory intact when our brains and bodies are bombarded with information and influences from every side? This one-of-a-kind resource combines cutting-edge science with compassion and wisdom to offer answers we can really use. Heal Your Mind continues the three-pronged healing approach that Dr. Mona Lisa Schulz and Louise Hay pioneered together in All Is Well: Heal Your Body with Medicine, Affirmations, and Intuition. Here, it’s applied to aspects of the mind ranging from depression, anxiety, and addiction to memory, learning, and even mystical states. In each chapter, you’ll get a “virtual healing experience” through case studies in the All Is Well Clinic, where Dr. Mona Lisa uses medical intuition to pinpoint issues in a wide range of prototypical client histories and she and Louise offer solutions and affirmations to help restore well-being. Today, the “pill-for-every-ill” approach is so prevalent that we may think our minds and bodies need an endless array of expensive, ever-changing pharmaceutical interventions. In truth, medicines are just one approach to healing the mind; nutritional supplements give us another important way to support mind-body health; and affirmations, as well as various forms of therapy, can restore us to balance by changing the way we think. Heal Your Mind puts all these tools at your disposal to help you choose your own path toward wholeness.
Let Them Play: The Mindful Way to Parent Kids for Fun and Success in Sports, by Jerry Lynch (New World Library), 200 pages — American youth sports are in crisis: Parents are fighting with referees, coaches, their kids, and one another. Micromanaged kids are losing their passion to play. In Let Them Play, sports psychologist and team consultant Dr. Jerry Lynch provides an antidote to parental over involvement. Combining psychological insight with spiritual principles from Taoism and Buddhism, Lynch lays out core principles to help parents achieve equanimity and provide healthy direction for their kids. He gives parents strategies and tools taken from his work with national champions to help kids to perform at higher levels, become better team players, and most importantly, have more fun. Filled with easy-to-implement advice, Let Them Play will empower your athletic child to be mentally strong for sports and life.
Mastering Your Own Spiritual Freedom: Lessons from ‘A Course in Miracles,’ by James Nussbaumer (Ozark Mountain Publishing) 256 pages — At age 50 and beginning a 10-year prison term for a securities violation, James Nussbaumer had the time to absorb the complex lessons of A Course In Miracles. Revealing to him the nature of the prison in which virtually all of us dwell, a voice told him what he needed to do. From there his first book, The Master of Everything, was born. Mastering Your Own Spiritual Freedom is its companion — a sequel. Both are down-to-earth, accessible, and illustrate his life and experiences behind prison walls. Readers will find an easy-to-follow path to healing the separated mind: reaching illumination and finding in your heart the free will that has been waiting for you, mastery accomplished.
The One Life We’re Given: Finding the Wisdom That Waits in Your Heart, by Mark Nepo (Atria Books) 320 pages — Beloved spiritual teacher, poet, and philosopher Mark Nepo returns to the inspiring short-chapter format of his #1 New York Times bestseller, The Book of Awakening, to map an insightful and resilient path for inhabiting the soul by engaging in the world. Mark Nepo has been called “one of the finest spiritual guides of our time,” “a consummate storyteller,” and “an eloquent spiritual teacher.” With the rare ability to communicate stirringly profound truths directly to each individual heart, Mark inspires audiences of more than 15,000 people as well as small, intimate groups. Now, in The One Life We’re Given, Nepo’s personal stories, questions, and meditations take us on a deep and uplifting journey to know our own hearts and enliven our souls. “In order to fully live the one life we’re given,” Nepo writes, “we each must affirm how precious this one life is and open ourselves to loving whatever life puts before us. Whether that is suffering, pain, fear or loss, or surprise, beauty, love or wonder, we work to stay in touch with our hearts in order to make sense of our experience. As we learn when to try and when to let go, when to give our all and when to surrender and simply receive, we unfold the moments that reveal meaning and ready us for grace. This is how the heart breaks a path to our soul’s work, leading us to our authenticity, and to how we can be useful to others and the world.” By illuminating the art of finding and restoring what matters and by exploring the craft of awakening, The One Life We’re Given affirms our purpose as not just to stay alive but to stay in our aliveness.
Opening to Fullness of Spirit: Discovering Secrets of the Soul Through Automatic Writing, by Carolyn Greer Daly (Ozark Mountain Publishing), 192 pages — Are you open to secrets? Should you ever decide to shake your fist at God and demand Truth, hold on to your seat and prepare yourself for a spiritual adventure the likes of which you couldn’t imagine. On Easter Sunday of 1971, I did exactly this and found myself propelled across the sea of tradition onto the foreign shores of another realm of reality. In innocent trust, I opened a door, stepped over the threshold with no idea where it would lead. Most stories have a beginning, middle and an end. My story is different. I’m not sure when it began, perhaps on Easter Sunday 1971, or perhaps hundreds of years before that date with a lady named Ellen, and I doubt that it will end with my death. It is my hope that this story will continue when someone else, perhaps a family member, will pick up a pen and find me on the other side.
The Other Side of Bipolar: Revealing Your Strengths to Move Beyond the Diagnosis, by Lauren Polly (Over and Above Creative) 240 pages — The Other Side of Bipolar offers hope and a new perspective of mental illness that can help millions of people. A unique combination of memoir and self-help book, it invites us to reexamine our definitions of mental illness as a debilitating disease, and consider another possibility: what if instead of a wrongness, these symptoms point to capacities that are not yet fully understood? What if being bipolar or mentally ill is a sign that you have intelligences that others do not understand? Through this new perspective, you can be empowered to go beyond any diagnosis or label you have been given and start to explore the uniqueness and beauty of who you truly are. Embedded throughout this poetic story are examples of tools and techniques you can apply immediately to begin to create a sense of peace and possibility in your life. Lauren’s story will captivate you and show you a path to finding peace and joy with being different, and ultimately how to utilize your difference to shift from surviving in this world to thriving and creating a satisfying life for yourself. You don’t need to live a small, safe existence; you can go after your dreams, challenge yourself, and create a life far beyond what you may have thought is possible. The Other Side of Bipolar sits apart from other autobiographical surveys of psychological struggles, offering readers the rare opportunity to explore and utilize many of the gifts formerly identified as disabilities. Any who have faced such a diagnosis will find this an inspiring, engrossing saga which offers hope, revelation, and much food for thought as it follows a journey that takes the identification of ‘bipolar’ and turns it upside down.” — Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
The Path of Modern Yoga: The History of an Embodied Spiritual Practice, by Elliott Goldberg (Inner Traditions/Bear & Co.), 512 pages — In The Path of Modern Yoga, Elliott Goldberg shows how yoga was transformed from a sacred practice into a health and fitness regime for middle-class Indians in the early 20th century and then gradually transformed over the course of the 20th century into an embodied spiritual practice — a yoga for our times. Drawing on more than 10 years of research from rare primary sources as well as recent scholarship, Goldberg tells the sweeping story of modern yoga through the remarkable lives and accomplishments of 11 key figures: six Indian yogis (Sri Yogendra, Swami Kuvalayananda, S. Sundaram, T. Krishnamacharya, Swami Sivananda, and B. K. S. Iyengar), an Indian bodybuilder (K. V. Iyer), a rajah (Bhavanarao Pant Pratinidhi), an American-born journalist (Louise Morgan), an Indian diplomat (Apa Pant), and a Russian-born yogi trained in India (Indra Devi). The author places their achievements within the context of such Western trends as the physical culture movement, the commodification of exercise, militant nationalism, jazz age popular entertainment, the quest for youth and beauty, and 19th-century New Age religion. In chronicling how the transformation of yoga from sacred discipline to exercise program allowed for the creation of an embodied spiritual practice, Goldberg presents an original, authoritative, provocative, and illuminating interpretation of the history of modern yoga.
Promise of Angels: A Miraculous True Story of Hope, by Diana Michael (Monarchangel Ink), 220 pages — Author/Healer Diana Michael lives in Coon Rapids, MN. She has been doing energy healing for nearly thirty years volunteering at Pathways Health Crisis Resource Center, Unity North Spiritual Center, and the Virginia Piper Cancer Institute. Diana’s intention is to renew hope and save someone’s life as hers was so mercifully spared against all odds. After being raped at age 16, Diana takes an overdose and has a near-death experience. Angels rescue her and promise to protect her, asking her to tell the truth. Television celebrity Steve Allen intervenes saving Diana’s life with uncanny synchronicity, beginning an enduring friendship. Against her will, in a comedy of errors, the angels kept their promise to protect her from suicide, murder, domestic abuse and cancer. Diana is guided to powerful psychics, shamans, ministers and spiritual healers who renew her faith in the Divine. She is witness to spirit visitations, angelic rescues, and miraculous healings. The intensity of her harrowing journey is balanced with love, forgiveness, and a surprising sense of humor. “All of us suffer disappointments, setbacks, even tragedies, says comedian and author Steve Allen. “Perhaps, from Diana’s history, we can learn something of the human capacity for survival and the ability of hope to bring us through even the darkest days.” Jim Roach, M.D., ABIHB, ABFM, and author of God’s House Calls — Finding God Through My Patients, says, “The book is a testament of hope for those who feel their life has no meaning, that their suffering is in vain. Truly it is a testament to God’s love — never underestimate its power and how it can manifest. Life can be about awe, gratitude, forgiveness, service, and love. Diana, thank you for courageously sharing your story that is such a bright beacon for our own lives.”
The Ramayana: A New Retelling of Valmiki’s Ancient Epic–Complete and Comprehensive, by Linda Egenes and Kumuda Reddy (Penguin Publishing Group), 400 pages — A delightfully straightforward and lyrical retelling of the ancient Indian epic of loyalty, betrayal, redemption, and insight into the true nature of life — one of history’s most sacred ethical works, rendered with completeness and sterling accuracy for the modern reader.Here is one of the world’s most hallowed works of sacred literature, the grand, sweeping epic of the divine bowman and warrior Rama and his struggles with evil, power, duplicity, and avarice. The Ramayana is one of the foundations of world literature and one of humanity’s most ancient and treasured ethical and spiritual works. Includes an introduction by scholar Michael Sternfeld. For those not familiar with The Ramayana, it is the most widely read epic in world history, and has been described as the original epic quest — comparable to Star Wars and Romeo and Juliet rolled into one. The story of the enlightened hero Rama — who conquers the greatest forces of evil and is reunited with his beloved, equally enlightened wife Sita — continues to grip the imagination and is surprisingly relevant to today’s readers as they face the moral dilemmas of our modern world.
Sacred America, Sacred World: Fulfilling Our Mission in Service to All, by Stephen Dinan (Hampton Roads), 288 pages — Infused with visionary power, Sacred America, Sacred World is a manifesto for our country’s evolution that is both political and deeply spiritual. It offers profound hope that America can grow beyond our current challenges and manifest our noblest destiny, which the book shows is rooted in sacred principles that transcend left or right political views. Filled with practical ideas and innovative strategies honed from the author’s work with over 1000 luminaries via his company, The Shift Network, Sacred America, Sacred World rings with a can-do entrepreneurial spirit and explains how America can lead the world toward peace, sustainability, health, and prosperity. This vision of the future weaves the best of today’s emergent spirituality with seasoned political wisdom, demonstrating ways America can grow beyond its current stagnation and political gridlock to become a world leader in peace and progress. Published to coincide with the party conventions and presidential debates, this book will promote a return to the sacred principles cherished by America’s forefathers in order to create a “transpartisan,” non-ideological, pragmatic approach to social reform. This uplifting discussion explores evolutions in political leadership, environmental concerns, and economic reformation. It is time to forge a bold new image of America’s future. Here is a road map for getting there.
The Science of Enlightenment: How Meditation Works, by Shinzen Young (Sounds True), 256 pages — “Enlightenment”– is it a myth or is it real? In every spiritual tradition, inner explorers have discovered that the liberated state is in fact a natural experience, as real as the sensations you are having right now–and that through the investigation of your own thoughts, feelings, and perceptions you can awaken to clear insight and a happiness independent of conditions. For decades, one of the most engaging teachers of our time has illuminated the many dimensions of awakening — but solely at his live retreats and on audio recordings. Now, with The Science of Enlightenment, Shinzen Young brings to readers an uncommonly lucid guide to mindfulness meditation for the first time: how it works and how to use it to enhance your cognitive capacities, your kindness and connection with the world, and the richness of all your experiences. As thousands of his students and listeners will confirm, Shinzen is like no other teacher you’ve ever encountered. He merges scientific clarity, a rare grasp of source-language teachings East and West, and a gift for sparking insight through unexpected analogies, illustrations, humor, and firsthand accounts that reveal the inner journey to be as wondrous as any geographical expedition. For meditators of all levels and beliefs — especially those who think they’ve heard it all — this many-faceted gem will be sure to surprise, provoke, illuminate, and inspire.
The Secret Life of Lady Liberty: Goddess in the New World, by Robert Hieronimus and Laura E. Cortner (Inner Traditions/Bear & Co.), 448 pages — Uncovering the forgotten lineage of the Statue of Liberty, Bob Hieronimus and Laura Cortner explain how she is based on a female symbol representing America on the earliest maps of the continent in the form of a Native American “Queen.” The image of a woman symbolizing independence was embraced by the American revolutionaries to rally the populace against the King, filling the role of “Founding Mother” and protector of the fledgling republic. Incorporating Libertas, the Roman goddess of freed slaves, with Minerva, Demeter, Justice, and the Indian Princess, Lady Liberty is seen all over the nation’s capital, and on the seals and flags of many states. Showing how a new appreciation for the Statue of Liberty as the American goddess can serve as a unifying inspiration for activism, the authors explore how this Lady Liberty is a personification of America and its destiny. They examine multiple traditions that influenced her symbolism, from the Neolithic Earth Mother, to Mary Magdalene, Columbia, and Joan of Arc, while revealing the sharp contrast between depicting “liberty” as a female and the reality of women and other suppressed classes throughout history. Their study of “Liberty Enlightening the World” led them to conclude that the empowerment of contemporary women is essential for achieving sustainable liberty for all. Sounding the call for this “Goddess of the New World” to inspire us all toward peacekeeping, nurturing, compassion, and environmental stewardship, the authors explain how the Statue of Liberty serves as the conscience of our nation and is a symbol of both the myths that unite us and the diversity that strengthens us.
Song of Increase: Listening to the Wisdom of Honeybees for Kinder Beekeeping and a Better World, by Jacqueline Freeman (Sounds True), 208 pages — The most joyful emanation produced by a colony of bees is known as the “song of increase”– declaring that the hive is flourishing and the bees are happy in its abundance. Song of Increase takes us inside the world of the honeybee to glean the wisdom of these fascinating creatures with whom humanity has shared a sacred bond for millennia. Within these pages is a bee-centric approach to living with honeybees, rather than advice for simply maximizing the products they provide. Jacqueline Freeman takes us beyond traditional beekeeping and offers a way to work in harmony with honeybees for both their good and ours. “Our way is one of kind observation,” she explains, “where we create supportive homes and fields for bees to live in, as well as tend the heartfelt relationships we form by being together.” Song of Increase focuses on hidden aspects of apiculture that lead us naturally to more sustainable practices. Freeman illuminates the unity consciousness that guides every action in the colony and how this profound awareness can influence the way we see both the natural world and ourselves. Each chapter presents a wealth of information about the life of bees, including Freeman’s personal insights and direct teachings received from the bees themselves.
What’s in the Way Is the Way: A Practical Guide for Waking Up to Life, by Mary O’Malley (Sounds True), 264 pages — Imagine for a moment that you had no pressures in your life–no problems to fix, no deadlines to meet, no struggles to overcome. Do you feel that sense of spacious relief? It’s not an illusion, teaches Mary O’Malley. It really is possible to live with that profound openness all the time, even while tending to your everyday tasks and obligations. In What’s in the Way Is the Way, Mary offers practical guidance for meeting all of your experience with an abiding sense of ease, trust, and peace of mind. This accessible book is divided into ten phases, featuring inspiring wisdom and step-by-step exercises to heal the core beliefs that keep you stuck. With each chapter, Mary invites you to come into the present and see yourself and your circumstances in a different way — unclouded by preconceptions, struggle, or fear. Join her on this illuminating journey to discover: How fear controls our lives — untangling the conditioning that keeps us from trusting our complete experience; The healing power of curiosity — a natural way to meet our lives without needing to change or judge anything; Trusting what happens even when we feel threatened, ashamed, or afraid; Why we become more active, engaged, and effective when we stop “doing” life and start being fully present for our lives; and Remembering exercises — simple, powerful practices for reconnecting with our natural state of curiosity, trust and love. “No object, person, or experience will ever bring you the deep and lasting peace that comes from simply being open to life,” writes Mary. With What’s in the Way Is the Way, this renowned teacher brings you a powerful guide for turning your obstacles into your greatest allies and teachers — and showing up for your life with all your vulnerability, passion, and magnificent perfection.
