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Embodying Soul: A Return to Wholeness: A Memoir of New Beginnings, by Keri Mangis (Curiosa Publishing), 352 pages — Serene Voyager, known as Seri in the Soul Realm, reassesses her eternal journey before embarking on her next lifetime in the Earth Realm. For aid and companionship, she has her soul friend, Rasa; her soul animal, a silver-eyed wolf named Endless Curiosity; and distinctive characters that personify her emotions. Meanwhile, in the Earth Realm, twenty-year-old Keri moves away from her birthplace of North Dakota and, heeding the advice of Fear and Guilt, unwittingly surrenders her self-worth for safety, her personal power for approval, and her intuition for false promises. Later, when her chosen roles of businesswoman, wife, mother, and yoga teacher thrust her into an identity crisis rather than imbue her life with meaning, she forges a relationship with her soul, Seri. Through parallel stories, Seri helps Keri discover that joy derives not from successful role-playing but from knowing who you really are inside your human skin.
New Books
An Energy Healer’s Book of Dying: For Caregivers and Those in Transition, by Suzanne Worthley (Inner Traditions/Bear & Company), 176 pages — Written by a highly skilled intuitive energy worker, this compassionate guide reveals what is happening energetically during the transition back to spirit and details how to provide support in any phase of losing a loved one: before death, during the dying process, and afterward. Taking readers step-by-step through the nine energetic levels of dying, author Suzanne Worthley explains what is happening at each level or dimension energetically, what to watch for in each stage, and specific ways in which we can support our loved ones through their transition back to spirit. For each of the nine stages, she describes what the dying person may see and experience, including the stages of transition at which people undergo the familiar elements of near-death experiences, such as entering a tunnel, conducting a life review, or encountering angels, guides, loved ones in spirit, or a bright light. She explores what family members and friends may see and experience, such as spirit energy, and what they can do to offer practical support and emotional solace to their loved one.
The Book of Householder Koans: Waking Up in the Land of Attachments, by Eve Myonen Marko and Wendy Egyoku Nakao (Monkfish Book Publishing Company), 280 pages — Zen koans, beginning some 1500 years ago, refer to stories or questions arising in encounters between monks and old Chinese and Japanese masters, and include commentaries designed to help the Zen practitioner awaken. Koans like Hakuin’s What is the sound of one hand clapping? are well-known, and the word koan has even gone mainstream. The Book of Householder Koans is a collection of koans created by 21st century Zen practitioners living a lay life in the West. The koans deal with the challenges of relationships, raising children, work, money, love, loss, old age, and death, and come from practitioners across three continents, and with commentaries by two Western teachers. The collection is based on the premise that our lives as householders contain situations rich with challenge and grit, the equivalents of old Zen masters’ shouts or blows meant to sweep the ground right from under their students. They become koans, or koan practice, when they jolt us out of our usual way of thinking, when we’re no longer observers of our lives but plunge in, closing the gap between ourselves and the situation we face.
Breathe Well: Easy and effective techniques to boost energy, feel calmer, more focused and productive, by Aimee Hartley (Octopus Books), 192 pages — We breathe approximately 20,000 times a day – so it’s something that we can all improve for better health and wellbeing – no equipment or fancy fitness gear necessary. Aimee’s simple and accessible exercises are designed to fit into your life – from 2 minutes in the shower to 5 minutes at your desk or 2 minutes during your commute. Introducing breath basics and detailing why breathing properly is so important for health and wellbeing, Aimee shows you how to build up to a daily 20-minute breathing practice, divided into manageable chunks that you can easily fit into a busy day. Organised into sections reflecting how we spend our time – from work to sleep and eating to relationships – there are breathing exercises for the office, including how to calm your nerves before a big pitch; how our breathing has been affected by technology and how to counteract ‘tech apnea’, alongside breathing for better relationships, such as exercises to help clear the air after an argument.
The Bright Way: Five Steps to Freeing the Creative Within, by Diana Rowan (New World Library), 264 pages — While creativity may seem like a leisure-time luxury, it is actually the engine of cultural advancement. All human innovations, from cave painting to the internet, have been fueled by someone’s ideas and follow-through. Our creative acts require more than just ideas; they also require ingenuity and perseverance, confidence and courage, the ability to dream and to do. The Bright Way helps you cultivate all of these. A simple yet profound program of inspiration plus action, designed for a lifetime of use, the Bright Way System empowers you to access motivation and make progress, find joy in building your skills, and courageously share your work with the world. Author Diana Rowan writes: “I’m here to assure you: your creativity is alive and wants to emerge in all its glory…for you. Yes, others may enjoy, admire and benefit from your work, but its by keeping a firm focus on your creative purpose for yourself that you’ll thrive and stay true to your path. If I had to boil down everything we’re focusing on here to one message, it is this: creativity is a way or life, not merely a goal.”
Chakra Empowerment for Women: Self-Guided Techniques for Healing Trauma, Owning Your Power & Finding Overall Wellness, by Lisa Erickson (Llewellyn Worldwide), 360 pages — This book offers powerful chakra tools to help you heal, achieve balance and awaken to your greatness. Learn to move past trauma, find strength, and thrive with twelve chakra tools that are based on the feminine energy body and life phases. These tools focus on challenges that women often face in owning our power, balancing work and family, and maintaining physical and emotional health. Featuring an eight-page, full-color insert with clarifying chakra figures, this essential guide presents a no-nonsense, easy-to-use approach to the chakras that helps you manifest your highest potential. Each chapter focuses on a new chakra tool, helping you explore how to use it within your daily life for long-term growth, overcoming blocks, healing sexual trauma, and more. Chakra Empowerment for Women supports your journey in practical ways as you recover the energy of your empowered self.
Conscious Confidence: Use the Wisdom of Sanskrit to Find Clarity and Success, by Sarah Mane (Inner Traditions/Bear & Company) 192 pages — Called “the language of enlightenment,” Sanskrit is truly unique among all the languages of the world. This ancient language, upon which so many of our English words are based, gives us an entire system to show what to do in order to experience the full meaning of a word. In this profound way, Sanskrit offers a touchstone of timeless wisdom that each of us can access to transform our lives and build confidence, certainty, clarity, and success. In Conscious Confidence, Sanskrit scholar Sarah Mane offers a practical confidence-boosting program, derived from the deepest meanings of Sanskrit concepts, to help you establish a safe and secure reference point from which to see the world and make clear decisions on how to act, what to say, and how to feel. With the Conscious Confidence program and the wisdom of Sanskrit, you can discover a strong and steady inner source of compassion, self-direction, self-empowerment, and the life force of self-confidence.
Crystal Basics: The Energetic, Healing, and Spiritual Power of 200 Gemstones, by Nicholas Pearson (Inner Traditions/Bear & Company), 416 pages — In this in-depth yet easy-to-follow guide, crystal healing teacher Nicholas Pearson offers a full-color compendium of 200 crystals and gemstones as well as a hands-on practical handbook on crystal healing, perfect for those just beginning their crystal journey as well as long-time stone lovers seeking an all-in-one reference. The handbook of crystal use opens with a thorough explanation of crystal energy, including its interactions with the human energy field, and teaches readers how to extrapolate what a crystal does based on its composition, crystal structure, formation process, and other properties. In the chapters on techniques, Pearson offers guidance on selecting your crystals and gemstones, then step-by-step instructions on how to cleanse, charge, activate, and program them. He explains how to make crystal grids and healing layouts, including templates for both, and also discusses the numerology and geometry of crystal grids. He explores the essentials of crystal elixirs, complete with elixir recipes, and details how to perform crystal meditations, clear the energy centers and the aura, and practice more advanced techniques, such as engaging with the crystal devas, creating sacred space, and practices for spiritual hygiene and protection.
Death Is But a Dream: Finding Hope and Meaning at Life’s End, by Christopher Kerr, M.D., Ph.D., with Carine Mardorossian, Ph.D. (Penguin Publishing Group), 256 pages — This is the first book to validate the meaningful dreams and visions that bring comfort as death nears. Christopher Kerr is a hospice doctor. All of his patients die. Yet he has cared for thousands of patients who, in the face of death, speak of love and grace. Beyond the physical realities of dying are unseen processes that are remarkably life-affirming. These include dreams that are unlike any regular dream. Described as “more real than real,” these end-of-life experiences resurrect past relationships, meaningful events and themes of love and forgiveness; they restore life’s meaning and mark the transition from distress to comfort and acceptance. Drawing on interviews with over 1,400 patients and more than a decade of quantified data, Dr. Kerr reveals that pre-death dreams and visions are extraordinary occurrences that humanize the dying process. He shares how his patients’ stories point to death as not solely about the end of life, but as the final chapter of humanity’s transcendence. Kerr’s book also illuminates the benefits of these phenomena for the bereaved, who find solace in seeing their loved ones pass with a sense of calm closure. Beautifully written, with astonishing real-life characters and stories, this book is at its heart a celebration of our power to reclaim the dying process as a deeply meaningful one. Death Is But a Dream is an important contribution to our understanding of medicine’s and humanity’s greatest mystery.
Dharma: For Awakening and Social Change, by Maetreyii Ma Nolan, Ph.D. (Ananda Gurukula), 194 pages — Imagine living in a world in balance, where all beings are in harmony. What if fulfilling your life purpose could help create this? What if living your Dharma could, not only help you express your deepest truth, but also help restore the natural harmony to our planet? This is what Dharma for Awakening and Social Change is all about. This book will allow you to: Explore an expanded understanding of dharma; Discover deep insights into spiritual awakening; and Understand the core issues facing the planet today and how the application of your spiritual values can effect social change. If you wish to live your life in alignment with your spiritual values, fulfill your soul’s purpose and live a life in harmony with Dharma and all beings, then Dharma for Awakening and Social Change is the book for you.
The Dysfunctional Dance Of The Empath And Narcissist: Create Healthy Relationships By Healing Childhood Trauma, by Rita Louise, Ph.D. (Rita Louise Inc.), 330 pages — A recent Facebook survey of people who self-identify as being empathic revealed a startling insight. Over 80% of the 1,300 respondents disclosed they had suffered from some form of abuse or neglect during their childhood. Organizations, such as the American Psychiatric Association, have also identified early childhood trauma as the cause for the development of severe narcissist tendencies. An interesting dynamic often develops between the loving, compassionate, and often selfless empaths and those willing to take from them, the self-serving narcissists. Both look to heal their inner wounds in the arms of the other. The Dysfunctional Dance Of The Empath And Narcissist takes an in-depth look at the dynamics between these two diverse personality types and endeavors to uncover the unconscious patterns that keep them trapped in cycles of abusive, toxic relationships.
Good Sugar, Bad Sugar: How to Power Your Body and Brain with Healthy Energy, by Christopher Vasey N.D. (Inner Traditions/Bear & Company), 176 pages — One of the most valuable nutritive substances we can consume, sugar supplies the essential energy the body and brain need to function. But there are good and bad, healthful and harmful forms of sugar. Good sugars are those found naturally occurring in foods such as fruits, honey, maple syrup, and whole grains. These unrefined sugars not only provide energy but also trace elements, minerals, and vitamins—nutrients crucial to helping the body process sugar. Bad sugars are those that are man-made or refined, such as white sugar, white flour, and artificial sweeteners. Pervasive in the modern diet, bad sugars are difficult for the body to metabolize and lead to a host of health issues, including tooth decay, type 2 diabetes, brain fog, mood swings, and weight gain. In this practical guide, Christopher Vasey, N.D., explains how to successfully replace bad sugars with good sugars as well as how to reduce sugar cravings and break your sugar addiction. He reveals how refined sugars not only cause well-known, sugar-related health issues such as obesity but also lead to acid-alkaline imbalances, hyperactivity of glands and organs, chronic fatigue, nutrient deficiencies, thickened blood, and mental disorders such as fits of rage, phobias, depression, and confused states akin to dementia—conditions uncommon before white sugar was introduced into the world’s food supply more than 200 years ago.
The Greater and Lesser Worlds of Robert Fludd: Macrocosm, Microcosm, and Medicine, by Joscelyn Godwin (Inner Traditions/Bear & Company), 272 pages — One of the last Renaissance men, Robert Fludd (1574-1637) was one of the great minds of the early modern period. A physician by profession, he was also a Christian Hermetist, a Rosicrucian, an alchemist, astrologer, musician, and inventor. His drive to encompass the whole of human knowledge—from music to alchemy, from palmistry to fortification—resulted in a series of books remarkable for their hundreds of engravings, a body of work recognized as the first example of a fully-illustrated encyclopedia. In this in-depth, highly illustrated reference, scholar and linguist Joscelyn Godwin explains Fludd’s theories on the correspondence between the macrocosm of elements, planets, stars, and subtle and divine beings and the microcosm of the human being and its creative activities. He shows how Fludd’s two worlds—the macrocosm and the microcosm—along with Paracelsus’s medical principles and the works of Hermes Trismegistus provided the foundation for his search for the cause and cure of all diseases.
Heal: Discover Your Unlimited Potential and Awaken the Powerful Healer Within, by Kelly Noonan Gores (Atria Books/Beyond Words), 272 pages — Go on a fascinating scientific and spiritual journey in this eye-opening book that explores the body’s incredible ability to heal itself—perfect for fans of Deepak Chopra and Anita Moorjani. When we receive diagnoses from medical professionals, we are often so overwhelmed that we give up authority over our own health and well-being. But the truth is, we have more control over our health and life that we have been led to believe, and that belief is at the core of our body’s capacity to heal itself. Based on the groundbreaking documentary of the same name, Heal follows two people on their healing journeys, while combining science-backed research and real-world testimonials from experts like Marianne Williamson, Bruce Lipton, Deepak Chopra, Bernie Siegel, Anita Moorgani, Kelly Brogan, and many others, to offer hope and alternative treatments for the many people suffering from a variety of chronic illnesses. By identifying the emotional roots of illnesses, we can tap into the body’s healing powers and discover that although healing can be complex and deeply personal, it can also happen spontaneously in a moment. Heal shows us that science and spirituality are united and demonstrates that our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions have a huge impact on our overall health and the ability to recover from illness and injury.
The Healing Energies of Water: Exploring water’s essential role in healing the body and calming the mind, by Charlie Ryrie (Octopus Books), 160 pages, available March 3 — Exploring water’s essential role in healing the body and calming the mind. Water is the life source to human existence and to the world around us; it is the natural medicine that nourishes, heals and refreshes us, and has been considered sacred in many cultures throughout history. In this beautiful and inspiring guide, author Charlie Ryrie explores the many strands of water’s journey as healer and regulator, and shares her knowledge about how we can use water to maintain and improve our health, both at home and in the environment. By discovering the benefits of “water therapies” for aches and pains, receiving “floatation therapy” to relieve stress and anxiety and importance of water in our world, this book will be your guide to connecting with of the healing power of water.
Holistic Keto for Gut Health: A Program for Resetting Your Metabolism, by Kristin Grayce McGary (Inner Traditions/Bear & Company) 272 pages — Do you feel exhausted? Experience foggy thinking and mysterious symptoms that come and go—symptoms your doctors can’t figure out and yet they keep prescribing more and more medications? Do you have headaches, congestion, or allergies? Do you suffer from joint pain, sleep challenges, hormone imbalances, skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis, thyroid dysfunction, or any other autoimmune disorder? Holistic healthcare expert Kristin Grayce McGary reveals that the answer to resolving your health challenges may lie in comprehensive gut repair. Combining the best gut-healthy elements of primal, paleo, and ketogenic nutritional plans, McGary offers a one-of-a-kind approach for optimal digestive health. Unlike the traditional keto diet, which contains inflammatory foods, McGary’s science-based, functional ketogenic program emphasizes a holistic nutritional and lifestyle plan to repair your gut while avoiding the dangers of gluten, dairy, soy, starches, sugars, chemicals, and pesticides.
Infinite Possibilities (10th Anniversary), by Mike Dooley (Atria Books/Beyond Words), 320 pages — The New York Times bestselling author, teacher, and speaker provides the next step beyond his immensely popular Notes from the Universe trilogy with this special 10th anniversary edition of the modern classic that contains even more enriching wisdom for living an abundant, joyous life. We create our own reality, our own fate, and our own luck. We are all filled with infinite possibilities, and it’s time to explore how powerful we truly are. With clear-eyed and masterful prose, Infinite Possibilities effortlessly reveals our true spiritual nature and exactly what it takes to find true happiness and fulfillment. Witty and intelligent, this is “the perfect book at the perfect time. It is full of wisdom, answers, and guidance—a unique combination that is guaranteed to help anyone during times of change and transition” (Ariane de Bonvoisin, bestselling author of The First 30 Days). This tenth anniversary edition features a new foreword by Bob Proctor and a new introduction from the author.
Intentional Tarot: Using the Cards with Purpose, by Denise Hesselroth (Llewellyn Worldwide), 264 pages — Move beyond divination and into empowerment with this beginner-friendly guide to proactive readings. This innovative book shows you how to become an active participant in your tarot readings by consciously selecting the cards that will fulfill your intentions. Intentional Tarot encourages you to engage with your life’s purpose and strengthen your sense of self as you perform readings. With this new approach, you’ll learn to get “off book” and add a proactive element to your practice. Author Denise Hesselroth shows you that divination is only the first step—once you have the information from your reading, what will you do with it? She presents effective techniques and spreads from both traditional and intentional reading methods, making it easy to discover which ones work best for you. Designed with different learning styles in mind, Intentional Tarot provides everything you need to understand the cards, develop your personal style, and take action for a successful future.
Jed Talks #3: The Tao of the Large-Breasted Goddess with the Shapely Behind, by Jed McKenna (Wisefool Press), 248 pages — This is the third book in the Jed Talks series by Jed McKenna, author of the Enlightenment Trilogy (Spiritual Enlightenment: The Damnedest Thing, Spiritually Incorrect Enlightenment, and Spiritual Warfare) and The Dreamstate Trilogy (Jed McKenna’s Theory of Everything: The Enlightened Perspective, Play: A Play by Jed McKenna, and Dreamstate: A Conspiracy Theory). This book includes chapters I am an Apple Tree, Over the Moon, I call it Consciousness, Adult Utopia, the Folly of Human Conceits, Total Perspective Vortex, The Tao of Pain and Mystery Prize.
Just So: Money, Materialism, and the Ineffable, Intelligent Universe, by Alan Watts (Sounds True), 216 pages — “If you were God,” asked Alan Watts, “what kind of universe would you create? A perfect one free of suffering and drama? Or one filled with surprise and delight?” From the 1950s to the 1970s, Eastern spiritual philosophies sparked in the West profound new ways of perceiving ourselves, the mysteries of reality, and the unfolding destiny of humanity. And through his live gatherings and radio talks, Alan Watts was at the forefront—igniting astonishing insights into who we are and where we’re heading. Based on a legendary series of seminars, Just So illuminates three fascinating domains: money versus real wealth, the spirituality of a deeper materialism, and how technology and spirituality are both guiding us to ever greater interconnection in the universe that we find ourselves in. Along the way, readers will explore many other themes, at turns humorous, prescient, and more relevant today than ever. What unfolds is a liberating view of humanity that arises from possibility and the unpredictable—perfect and “just so,” not in spite of its messy imperfections, but because of them.
Love Skills: The Keys to Unlocking Lasting, Wholehearted Love, by Linda Carroll (New World Library), 320 pages — Linda Carroll’s first book, Love Cycles, describes the five stages of intimate relationships in detail, illuminating the behaviors associated with each stage and strategies for successfully navigating them. This companion workbook, Love Skills, is a practical guide to creating and maintaining a loving relationship. Exercises, activities, self-assessments, and other concrete tools allow readers to understand where they are in their relationship. Carroll addresses such thorny issues as the loss of sexual energy, why what once seemed endearing is now annoying, and the many ways that family history and personality type can wreak havoc in relationships. Her well-researched practices help keep love alive in the midst of seemingly intractable differences, and specific, effective solutions to couples’ most common struggles provide a clear map for moving forward. Most important, Carroll’s couple-tested techniques allow readers to deal with conflict without losing connection, and show that conflict, when navigated properly, can lead to renewed closeness and unprecedented connection.
Making Sense of Nonsense: The Logical Bridge Between Science & Spirituality, by Raymond Moody, Ph.D. (Llewellyn Worldwide,), 264 pages — What do the whimsical writings of Dr. Seuss have in common with near-death experiences? The answer is that nonsense writing and spiritual experiences seem to defy all logic and yet they both can make a powerful personal impact. In this book, New York Times bestselling author Dr. Raymond Moody shares the groundbreaking results of five decades of research into the philosophy of nonsense, revealing dynamic new perspectives on language, logic, and the mystical side of life. Explore the meaningful feelings that accompany nonsense language and learn how engaging with nonsense can help you on your own spiritual path. Discover how nonsense transcends classical logic, opening the doorway to new spiritual and philosophical breakthroughs. With dozens of examples from literature, comedy, music, and the history of religion, this book presents a unique new approach to the mysteries of the human spirit.
The Moon Fix: Harness Lunar Power for Healing and Happiness, by Theresa Cheung (White Lion Publishing), 176 pages, available March 31 — Awaken, heal and transform your life with The Moon Fix, a bewitchingly illustrated modern guide to harnessing the untapped power of nature and a celebration of the Sacred Feminine that lives within us all. Through better understanding and attuning ourselves to the lunar cycles we can improve our intuition, let go of past pains and find a deeper spiritual connection. From succeeding in business to finding love, discover how lunar power can help you to achieve ambitious goals and address your most secret concerns. Bring ancient wisdom to modern living with this enlightening book, which includes: An introduction to the moon in astrology, from its relation to the signs to its different phases and their significance; When and how to harness lunar power to manifest and celebrate your deepest desires, including how to create a moon altar and work with crystals, incense, herbs and oils; Lunar advice and spells, rituals, meditations and recipes, organized by themes that include Joy and Success, Health and Wellness, and Protection and Comfort; and Hauntingly beautiful illustrations from mystic artist and influencer Indigo (@indg0). Align yourself with the universe and connect with the changing cycles to live a limitless life.
Psychic Witch: A Metaphysical Guide to Meditation, Magick & Manifestation, by Mat Auryn (Llewellyn Worldwide), 312 pages — Uncover the secrets to becoming a powerful psychic witch. Popular writer and witch Mat Auryn reveals his most closely guarded tips, practices, and meditations for unlocking your psychic abilities and elevating your witchcraft into exciting new territory. Featuring over ninety exercises, this groundbreaking book helps your magick and your senses reach their full potential. Witchcraft and psychism are two sides of the same coin—they complement and strengthen one another. Psychic Witch provides everything you need to not only master the perception and manipulation of energy, but also to perform magick anywhere and at any time. This ingenious book teaches you how to use subtle energy in new ways and manifest your perceptions into instant magickal results.
The Quantum Akashic Field: A Guide to Out-of-Body Experiences for the Astral Traveler, by Jim Willis (Inner Traditions/Bear & Company) 176 pages — Physicists have recently discovered a whole quantum-based reality, a multidimensional world where all potentials simultaneously exist. Called the Akashic Field by systems scientist Ervin Laszlo, it is the same quantum reality that mystics, shamans, and dowsers have been exploring for thousands of years through astral travel, spirit journeying, and energy work. Revealing how to gain awareness of the Quantum Akashic Field through conscious out-of-body experiences (OBEs), Jim Willis shares fascinating firsthand accounts taken from the detailed OBE journals he has kept for nearly 10 years, alongside analysis of recent discoveries in quantum physics and wisdom from the world’s spiritual traditions. Detailing a step-by-step process centered on safe, simple meditative techniques, Willis shows how to bypass the filters of your five senses while still fully awake and aware and engage in extrasensory, out-of-body travel. Sharing his journey to connect with universal consciousness and navigate the quantum landscape of the Akashic Field, he reveals how conscious OBEs allow you to penetrate beyond normal waking perception into the realm of quantum perception.
Reconnecting to The Source: The New Science of Spiritual Experience, How It Can Change You, and How It Can Transform the World, by Ervin Laszlo (St. Maartin’s Publishing Group), 272 pages, available March 24 — A renowned authority on science and philosophy Dr. Ervin Laszlo explores the implications of the new quantum sciences to move beyond the of limits of reality as we know it—and find our way again in our “in-formed,” purposively evolving universe. Reconnecting to the Source is a powerful new book on the science of spiritual experience by Dr. Ervin Laszlo, who unpacks the science behind spiritual experience, investigating the ways in which we can access realms of experience beyond the everyday. It is in these moments, when our conscious minds are in contact or perhaps even overridden by our unconscious selves, that we can explore the depths of spiritual meaning. The book includes new, never before published contributions from a long list of well-known writers and public figures—including Jane Goodall, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Zhi-Gang Sha, Gregg Braden, and many more. Each contributor has written about a unique spiritual experience of their own, sharing moments in their lives that are outside of the boundaries of the usual and reflecting on the importance of these moments.
The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey Into the Business of Shared Leadership, by Kevin Hancock (Post Hill Press), 272 pages — Kevin Hancock is the CEO of one of America’s oldest family businesses. In 2010, he was diagnosed with a rare voice disorder that made speaking difficult. In 2012, Kevin began traveling from his home in Maine to the remote Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, There, he encountered an entire community that did not feel fully heard. These two transformational events combined to help the author realize that there are lots of ways to lose your voice in this world and that leaders historically have often done more to restrict the voices of others than to liberate them. This epiphany set Keven on a journey stretching from the Arizona desert to Kiev, Ukraine, on a quest to find a new set of leadership principles designed to disperse and localize power rather than collect it. The new goal: create a socially transformative work culture for the 21st century in which employee engagement soars because everyone feels authentically heard.
Stay Woke: A Meditation Guide for the Rest of Us, by Justin Michael Williams, illustrated by Victoria Cassinova (Sounds True), 328 pages — Stay Woke is a no-nonsense guide to establishing a personal meditation practice, changing your life, and taking hold of your dreams. Confession: This is not really a meditation book. Yes, you’re going to learn everything you need to know about meditation, but if you came looking for a typical guide to mindfulness, you’re in the wrong place. Here you will discover: How to actually find stillness when your mind is going crazy; Why most guided meditations get boring after a while; What nobody tells you about “setting intentions” and the scientific process to manifesting; and Four hidden habits that sabotage your growth—and how to move past them. With free downloadable audio meditations every step of the way, Stay Woke gives people of all genders, identities, colors, religions, ages, and economic backgrounds the tools to stop wasting time, overcome self-doubt, and wake up to the lives we were really born to live.
The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary, by Catherine Gray (Aster/Octopus Publishing), 288 pages — Underwhelmed by your ordinary existence? Disillusioned with your middlin’ wage, average body, “bijou” living situation and imperfect loved ones? Welcome to the club. There are billions of us. The “default disenchanted.” But, it’s not us being brats. Two deeply inconvenient psychological phenomenons conspire against our satisfaction. We have negatively biased brains, which zoom like doom-drones in on what’s wrong with our day, rather than what’s right. Thankfully, there are scientifically proven ways in which we can train our brains to be more positive-seeking. And to take a rest from this tireless pursuit. Whew. Catherine Gray knits together illuminating science and hilarious storytelling, unveiling captivating research showing that big bucks don’t mean big happiness, extraordinary experiences have a comedown’ and budget weddings predict a lower chance of divorce. She reminds us what an average body actually is, reveals that exercising for weight loss means we do less exercise, and explores the modern tendency to not just try to keep up with the Murphys, but keep up with the Mega-Murphies (see: the social media elite). Come on in to this soulful and life-affirming read, to discover why an ordinary life may well be the most satisfying one of all.
The Universe Is Calling You: Connecting with Essence to Live with Positive Energy, Love, and Power, by Char Margolis, with Victoria St. George (St. Martin”s Publishing Group), 240 pages — In The Universe is Calling You: Connecting with Essence to Live with Positive Energy, Love, and Power, America’s beloved psychic, Char Margolis, introduces readers to the vital energy of Essence. Essence is the fundamental, universal, loving energy that connects the entire universe and all its living things. This universal loving goodness binds us all together in an intimate and powerful way. Char shows readers how to tap into the power of Essence and draw strength and wisdom from these deep, fundamental connections. Using the universal presence of the Essence, readers will learn: The truth about living and dying; The 5 sources of power and how to manifest them; About spirits and angels and how to benefit from their aide; and How to help departed loved ones find peace. With Char as a guide, readers will explore the vast and connected world of Essence and delve into their own inherent spiritual awareness.
The Warrior Heart Practice: A Simple Process to Transform Confusion into Clarity and Pain into Peace, by HeatherAsh Amara (St. Martin”s Publishing Group), 256 pages — The Warrior Heart Practice is a powerful new method to reconnect with our sense of authenticity and inner-knowing and realign with our true nature. Author of the bestselling book Warrior Goddess Training, HeatherAsh Amara has trained extensively in the Toltec tradition under the tutelage of don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements. The Warrior Heart Practice is a revolutionary system based on the four chambered structure of the human heart. Walking through each of the four chambers—Feeling, Story, Truth, and Intent—readers learn to take stock of their current emotional and mental state and reframe their situation in a new healing light. The last phase of the practice is the most profound—taking the knowledge they have gathered from the four chambers, readers then walk backwards through each of the four chambers, refocusing their Intent, Truth, Story, and Feelings based on what they’ve learned during the process. The Warrior Heart Practice leads to deep insights as readers learn to step outside of their preconceptions to realign with their true purposes and goals.
Where War Ends: A Combat Veteran’s 2,700-Mile Journey to Heal – Recovering from PTSD and Moral Injury through Meditation, by Tom Voss and Rebecca Anne Nguyen (New World Library), 288 pages — After serving in a scout-sniper platoon in Mosul, Tom Voss came home carrying invisible wounds of war — the memory of doing or witnessing things that went against his fundamental beliefs. This was not a physical injury that could heal with medication and time but a “moral injury” — a wound to the soul that eventually urged him toward suicide. Desperate for relief from the pain and guilt that haunted him, Voss embarked on a 2,700-mile journey across America, walking from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the Pacific Ocean with a fellow veteran. Readers walk with these men as they meet other veterans, Native American healers, and spiritual teachers who appear in the most unexpected forms. At the end of their trek, Voss realizes he is really just beginning his healing. He pursues meditation training and discovers sacred breathing techniques that shatter his understanding of war and himself, and move him from despair to hope. Voss’s story will give inspiration to veterans, their friends and family, and survivors of all kinds.
Your Life is Your Prayer: Wake Up to the Spiritual Power in Everything You Do, by Sam Beasley and BJ Gallagher (Mango Media), 256 pages — Your life is your prayer. Whatever you’ve got going on in your life is what you’ve been praying for – sometimes consciously, often unconsciously. If you want something different in your life, you must pray a different prayer. You may not realize it – many people don’t – but the decisions you make throughout the day, the attitudes you adopt, the conversations you have, the way you respond to other people, the thoughts you think are all prayers. The food you choose to eat is a prayer, the way you spend your money is a prayer – even the way you drive is a prayer! We are constantly communing with the Divine throughout our daily lives – even in the most mundane activities. And our prayers are always answered in the affirmative: “Yes.” Whatever you’re thinking about will manifest in your life. If you are worrying, I don’t have enough money, the Universe will say ‘Yes, you don’t have enough money.’ If you’re constantly lamenting to your friends, I don’t have a man in my life, the Universe will respond, ‘Yes, you don’t have a man.’ If you frequently complain, I’m fat, the Universe will answer, ‘Yes, you’re fat.’ Your thoughts and words are prayers, and the Universe always gives you what you’re praying. This new book by Sam Beasley and BJ Gallagher shows you how to change your life by changing your prayer.
