At Home with the Flu? Get Well with These Books!

It seems like no matter where we turn these days, we’re reading about (or coming down with) the flu. Whether this season’s outbreak is of epidemic proportions is still up for debate, but one thing’s for certain: nothing is as miserable as being home sick.

Here are some books that’ll help distract you from cold sweats—and one that may help you avoid them in the future!

THE MISSING ROSE
When Diana Olivera’s mother makes a deathbed confession about a twin sister Diana never knew she had, she sets out on a journey to find her. In the process, she discovers more about herself and her dreams than she could have imagined. A tale of chance encounters, magical garden, and vibrant cityscapes, THE MISSING ROSE is a profound modern-day parable about the wisdom of the heart.

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Indiebound.

JUNG THE MYSTIC
Often called the “founding father of the New Age,” legendary Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung took great lengths to distance himself from any association with mysticism or the Occult. But in biographer Gary Lachman’s JUNG THE MYSTIC, he turns an intense focus onto these aspects of Jung’s life–his participation in seances, incorporation of astrology into his therapeutic work, and his support of ESP researcher J.B. Rhine, among other paranormal experiences.

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Indiebound.

LITTLE BOOK OF ENERGY MEDICINE
Chock full of simple exercises you can perform anywhere, anytime to feel rejuvenated, happier, more alert and less anxious, this book is a user-friendly guide to one of the most powerful alternative health practices: energy medicine.

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Indiebound.

Special Event: Stephanie Dowrick in San Francisco

From the California Institute of Integral Studies

Stephanie Dowrick’s newest book – Seeking the Sacred – takes up Jung’s challenge to “re-sacralize our world”. It offers a powerful global response to the current often-polarizing “religion debates”. At the same time, this work is profoundly intimate and personally relevant. It’s high time, Dowrick is suggesting, that a more subtle, inclusive way of thinking about spirituality and the sacred – perhaps God – is publicly affirmed. By resisting divisive ways of thinking, we can begin to regard our own lives with far greater acceptance. An empowered self-view inevitably leads us to consider how we might live in greater harmony with others, including those with whom we disagree. “Religion Dispatches” editor Lisa Webster will tease out these potentially life-changing themes with Stephanie Dowrick in what promises to be an inspiring, stimulating and healing evening.

Reverend Stephanie Dowrick, PhD, is Australia’s leading writer in the areas of psychological and spiritual development and author of a number of internationally acclaimed books, including Intimacy and Solitude, Forgiveness and Other Acts of Love, Choosing Happiness and Seeking the Sacred. Formerly a publisher and founder of The Women’s Press, London, also a trained psychotherapist, Dr Dowrick was ordained as an interfaith minister by the New Seminary, New York. Writer Claire Scobie calls her latest book “A chalice of wisdom”. She is an Adjunct Fellow in the Writing and Society Research Group at the University of Western Sydney and a familiar visitor to the United States.

Lisa Webster is senior editor at Religion Dispatches, a daily online magazine devoted to the intersection of religion and public life. She has worked in web and magazine publishing for many years (including a stint as managing editor at Tricycle: The Buddhist Review) and is currently a doctoral candidate at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley in the field of religion and literature.

Friday, June 17, 2011
7:00pm – 9:00pm
CIIS Main Building
1453 Mission St., San Francisco, CA
$18/$12 Members and CIIS community

More info on CIIS.edu

“thoughtful and insightful”, BlogCritics reviews The Source

By Leslie Wright, BlogCritics.org
Published 12:01 p.m., Sunday, May 22, 2011

If told magic were real, would you believe it? If given the opportunity to learn magic from a book, would you take the chance? In The Source by Ursula James, you are given just such an opportunity. A work springing from her own inner search and discovery, part of that step to the source requires passing on the magic, and Ursula James has put together a ‘Source Book’ of learning for the uninitiated, and those wanting to find that bit of magic inherent in themselves. This book is for those believers wanting to live a life of their own, fulfilling their own dreams.

The Source is also the story of Mother Shipton, and her life and death as well as her part in the power of magic. Known as a Prophetess, healer and seer, she is a wellspring of knowledge of the secrets of magic. It is a book of journeys and passage, a road to your own power.

The book is a story and yet written in textbook style with lessons and guidance to help the user in their path. It is full of information on the phases of the moon, an integral part of the process, and set and styled with ritual, again one of the prerequisites to attaining and pursuing that dream of life.

James shares her own story as she weaves the instruction, a story of excess and heartache, a life on the verge and how she also was able to learn, to open her vision and imagination to what is available to anyone who is looking for it.

The book is set with the ritual and guidance necessary to walk this path, listing the seven trances to attain that passage. Seven is a magical number, rife with meaning, and James walks you through the process and just sets the stage, allowing the reader to move at their own pace should they choose this path.

This book is both interesting and intriguing. Who hasn’t wanted to have a little magic at some time in their life? TV shows like Bewitched have made this subject fascinating and taken away some of the stigma.

I believe this would be a great book for a reading group, creating an interesting and likely heated discussion of the merits of magic. It is well written and easy to follow.

If you are even a bit interested in this subject it is thoughtful and insightful, and a different and unique vehicle to help you achieve a more meaningful life. It is a book about values and becoming a better person, an alternative to the self-help books abundantly available.

Learn more in The Source….
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The Trouble With Fear (from Psychology Today)

by The Reverend Jeffrey Mark Golliher, Ph.D. 
author of Moving Through Fear
posted on Psychology Today
May 13, 2011

I’ve been interested in fear for as long as I can remember–since my childhood, later as a cultural anthropologist, and most recently as an Episcopal priest. What can I do, as an individual, and what can we do, as a people, to create a life that’s not ruled by fear? That’s the question that I’m asking and that’s why I wrote “Moving Through Fear.”

Fear has become an integral part of our national life, as if it’s meant to have a prominent and permanent place in every part of public discourse: education, politics, religion, and economics. Most of this fear is not the legitimate, adaptive primal response that can save our lives. It doesn’t preserve our existence in the face of a menacing threat. Nor does it promote mental health or help our communities thrive. Rather, most of our fear is manufactured, manipulative, and exploitive. When we come under its influence, we risk becoming a threat to our selves, to others, and to the web of life that gives us life.

I have no doubt that the ambiguous nature of fear in Western religion plays a large role in this tragic state of affairs, which is magnified by layer upon layer of interlocking relationships among religious, political, social, and economic institutions. That’s why we need to reflect on the source of the fear that rules our lives and, especially, about how we can move through it. What I’ve discovered in my personal life and through my pastoral work is that the cultivation of seven basic spiritual instincts – awe, love, intent, conscience, community, rest, and faith – within our selves and others is the best way to move through our fear. This is no quick-fix solution, but it gives us a more realistic understanding of the nature of our fear, and it provides a reliable, spiritually grounded way of creating the kind of life that the word “freedom” actually means.

Read the rest of the post, and an excerpt from Moving Through Fear on PsychologyToday.com

Learn more about the spiritual instincts needed to live fearlessly in Moving Through Fear:
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LIVING WITH MIRACLES, A Common-Sense Guide to A Course in Miracles

A Course in Miracles became an instant spiritual phenomenon upon its 1976 publication and has since served as a spiritual touchstone for millions around the world—from Oprah Winfrey and Eckhart Tolle to Hillary Clinton and Marianne Williamson. Yet, for all of those whose lives have been transformed by the Course’s powerful message of forgiveness and love, countless others remain perplexed by its complex concepts, mysterious authorship, and daunting length.

For those yearning for additional guidance, D. Patrick Miller offers Living With Miracles: A Common-Sense Guide to A Course in Miracles. One of the foremost writers and respected experts on the Course, Miller himself initially struggled to comprehend its lessons. Yet through careful study, the Course helped him overcome a debilitating case of chronic fatigue syndrome and move boldly forward with his life. In addition to his own decades of scholarship, Miller draws on the unique experiences of other students – from ordinary beginners to esteemed experts – to create a straightforward and relatable guide.

His direct work clarifies common misconceptions about the Course and answers key questions like….

• Who actually wrote and edited the Course?
• How can dedicated students overcome the stumbling blocks that prevent so many from understanding the Course?
• Why do readers think the Course is against “special relationships” and how can a successful Course student use the teachings to actually strengthen their romantic and familial attachments?
• How can non-Christians reconcile conventional notions of Jesus with the Jesus voice in the Course?
• What does a commitment to forgiveness really entail?
• How can readers reap the long-term benefits of the philosophy – like greater creativity, sharper insights, a stronger sense of trust, and a sense of peaceful strength?

Miller’s honest and comprehensive guide will be a welcome companion to the Course’s millions of fans and a wonderful first read for those new to the philosophy.

Start learning more about the Course in Living With Miracles….
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Borders.com
IndieBound.com

About the author:  D. Patrick Miller is one of the foremost writers on the history and significance of A Course in Miracles. He has written about ACIM for publications such as Yoga Journal, The Sun, and Free Spirit, and has covered a wide range of spiritual topics for Natural Health, Self, The Columbia Journalism Review, Reader’s Digest, and Utne Reader. In 2003, he discovered, developed, and published the first edition of the landmark bestseller The Disappearance of the Universe by Gary Renard. Miller is the author of Understanding A Course in Miracles: The History, Message, and Legacy of a Spiritual Path for Today (Celestial Arts) and A Little Book of Forgiveness (Viking/Fearless Books). He lives in Berkeley, CA

The author explains….
A Course in Miracles, Christian? Jewish? New Age?
Who actually wrote A Course in Miracles? Why have these origins been disputed

Who actually wrote A Course in Miracles? Why have these origins been disputed?

By D. Patrick Miller
author of Living with Miracles: A Common-Sense Guide to A Course in Miracles (out from Tarcher / Penguin May 12)

The Course was written down, in shorthand, by a Columbia University psychologist named Helen Schucman from 1965 to 1972, from what she called an “inner dictation” by a mysterious source. She knew who this source claimed to be – Jesus Christ – but was very nervous about admitting it. More than once, she thought she might be going crazy. She was quite adamant, however, that the ideas in the Course were not her own, a position she maintained until her death in 1981. During the dictation period of about seven years, she read aloud her notes to her boss, William Thetford, the head of the psychology department at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, and he typed them up. They did this work in secret, afraid of jeopardizing their prestigious academic careers. Later they both edited the raw material to take out some of the more personal references, and then more editing was done by Kenneth Wapnick, Ph.D., a psychologist who had been introduced to the material soon after the first rough draft was finished. For obvious reasons, the idea that Jesus dictated this massive teaching to a religiously ambivalent university psychologist was controversial enough. On top of that, what the Course actually said radically contradicted modern Christian belief.

Learn more in Living with Miracles….
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How I AM can help Bill Clinton, world leaders

By Howard Falco, author of I AM

I AM presents an interesting and powerful way that each person can have a positive affect on the world simply through a new way of looking at what’s possible for themselves and all those around them. This new mindset carries a powerful energy that becomes part of a collective energy that eventually brings about the desired change. For leaders in the world in areas such as politics, business and community, I AM offers the keys to human motivation, choice, personal empowerment and creative power, opening up a whole new way for creative change. For individuals dealing with the issues in their personal life, I AM offers the understanding of the origins of all experiences and how to create and change these circumstances as desired.  Released in late 2010 by Tarcher, I AM is having a powerful and positive effect on many who have read it.

Start reading I AM :
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Watch the I AM book trailer

Should You Trust Your Intuiton? (AARP)

Best-selling author Sophy Burnham says yes — especially as you get older
by: Sophy Burnham | from: AARP Bulletin | March 22, 2011

How Religious Wisdom Frees Us From Fear (Huffington Post)

From Huffington Post
Posted March 18, 2011
by Rev. Jeffrey Mark Golliher, Ph.D., Environmental representative, Worldwide Anglican Communion at the UN, and author of Moving Through Fear

I love it when people say things like this to me: “I’ve been afraid my whole life, and I didn’t know it … I’m tired of being afraid … I don’t think God wants me to be afraid … and I’m not going to let fear rule my life.” Having been a priest for nearly 20 years, I’ve learned to appreciate the profoundly religious significance of their meaning. A few weeks ago, I heard it again on the radio. An interviewer put this question to a young woman on the streets of Cairo, “Aren’t you afraid?” “No,” she quickly said, “I’m not afraid … I’m not afraid anymore.”
The Spirit of God can be expressed in many ways, and that’s definitely one of them. That’s how the process of liberating, transformative change begins. The world changes because the relationship we have to our fear changes.

There are many different kinds of fear, and some fear is obviously good. The fear that alerts us to real danger, focusing our energy and attention when we need it, can save our lives. But most of our fear is not like that. Most of it is unacknowledged, manufactured, manipulative — and harmful. Its source lies in social, economic and political forces that seem more powerful than we are, despite the fact that their existence depends almost entirely on the power — the fear — that we give to them. Harmful fear divides communities. It undermines our health, spiritual sensitivity, our capacity to make sound moral judgments and our faith. Rather than being a lifesaver, most of our fear makes us our own worst enemy — and a very real threat to others.

Read the rest of Rev. Golliher’s piece on The Huffington Post.

Start reading MOVING THROUGH FEAR:
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3 Dream Yoga Tips from Dragon Gate Taoism

In Secrets of Dragon Gate, Steven Liu and Jonathan Blank reveal the times-tested practices from the secretive Dragon Gate school of Taoism. Yoga plays a key role in their routines, with many practices guiding students towards more powerful dreams.  The authors share these tips to enhancing dream yoga.

• Affirmations: Say affirmations to yourself as you fall asleep, such as “I remember my dreams”, “I realize I am dreaming while I am dreaming”, and “I can control my dreams.”
• Herbs: Many people find herbs helpful for dreaming.  Herbs that have been used for millennia by people all over the world to enhance their dreams and dream recall include Calea zacatechichi (also known as the dream herb), Silene capensis (also known as African Dream Root), vervain, and licorice root.
• Wake yourself.  Interrupting your sleep cycle is a great way to stimulate lucid dreams and to aid your dream recall.  The easiest way is to set an alarm clock to go off about an hour before you normally wake up.  Then immediately go back asleep.  Another option is to use a clock to wake yourself up multiple times during the night and immediately go back to sleep.

Learn more about Dragon Gate practices in this author interview.

Master dream yoga and more with Secrets of Dragon Gate:
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