Reader's Choice Reviews

Join the Reader’s Choice Club and review books and CDs for New Connexion. The products you review are yours to keep—our way of saying thanks for volunteering and providing this valuable service. The club meets bimonthly to share insights on books and CDs reviewed. Email editor@newconnexion.net for details.

The Book of Stones: Who They Are & What They Teach
Robert Simmons & Naisha Ahsian, Heaven & Earth Publishing, 2005, $29.95

Have you ever held a fabulous stone, wondering about its history? Or its composition? Or what metaphysical energies it evokes? This 464-page book has all that information and more. Each of the more than 300 entries has a sparkling photo of striking specimens, a scientific explanation and a metaphysically-based description by each author. Not only are variations of one stone covered (black, mahogany and snowflake obsidian), there are many stones I have not heard of, but now I will be out looking for them, including aragonite, fulgurite and gaia stone. The information is presented in a way that both beginner and advanced students of stone work will love. And it’s fun just to pick up and read at random. Whether you are a rock collector, a spiritual practitioner, or someone with a bountiful curiosity, this is an incredible reference book, one you will return to again.

-- Cathy McGuire

Caring for Your Soul in Matters of Money, Karen Ramsey with Ward Serrill, Tire Swing Books, 2006, $19.95

I don’t deserve money. There will never be enough. Without money, I have no value. Money baggage is the language of limitation, often learned in childhood by seeing how our parents handled money issues. Author Karen Ramsey helps readers lighten their money baggage by creating a new money message based on the soul’s language of love and expansion: Money is my friend. Money is energy and I am the sun. Life is a gift. Using simple worksheets and exercises, readers create a new flow of ideas, supporting abundance in all ways in their lives. This powerful book will change your relationship with money and help you to find your soul’s calling.

-- Vicky Thompson

Tibetan Buddhist Goddess Altars:
A Pop-Up Gallery of Traditional Art and Wisdom
Tad Wise, Bruce Foster and Robert Beer, New World Library, 2006, $23.95

Meditate at the altar of a revered Buddhist goddess in this unique collection of four beautifully illustrated three-dimensional altars that include: White Tara (to alleviate illnesses and remove obstacles), Vasudhara (to increase prosperity, fertility and happiness), Kurukulla (to attract and influence through love and desire) and Vajrayogini (to cultivate the bliss and clarity of enlightened wisdom). Adapted from traditional Tibetan thangka paintings, each altar is accompanied by a brief description of the goddess, her attributes and a meditation mantra. This unique collection of altars is perfect for the home or office and also ideal for those who travel. Setting up is simple and no equipment is necessary. Additionally, changing between the altars is effortless. This unique collection of altars is sure to inspire and guide you wherever you are on your spiritual path.

-- Maya Gable

Dynamic Energetic Healing, Howard Brockman, Columbia Press, 2006, $27.95

This is a fascinating book written for any mental health therapist (or layman willing to wade in), who is ready to go beyond the more conventional practices currently used in psychotherapy. Brockman's book presents methods that are meant to bring into play the spiritual and energetic components of the patient. These methods include muscle testing, meditation, tapping, clearing chakras, use of spirit guides and retrieving lost pieces of the soul. Full background and descriptions of the methodologies are included. The scientific and spiritual are married once more. Visit www.dynamicenergetichealing.com.

-- Kate Tanner

Flight of the Goose, Lesley Thomas, Far Eastern Press, 2005, $19.95

This truly amazing first novel has won well deserved praise and three literary awards. A haunting atmospheric tale of a traumatized young non-Eskimo orphan raised in a traditional Inupiat family in the early 70s, it’s a story of young woman's coming of age and awakening to shaman powers. You could easily believe it was an autobiography told in the first person by two outsiders accepted into an ancient culture –  by Kayuqtuq, "the red fox" and in excerpts from the journal of hippie scientist, Leif Trygvesen. Leif, researching the effects of oil spills on salt marshes while avoiding the draft, finds his life changed forever.

The author's own multi-ethnic heritage and youth spent in an Alaskan village with native people gives the rich details depth and believability. This profoundly moving story will stay with you long after the last page is read. It is a unique and loving look at individuals and a culture about to be overtaken by the intrusion of the modern world.

-- Angelica Williams

Soul Agreements, Dick Sutphen with Tara Sutphen, Hampton Roads Publishing Company, 2005, $14.95

The first book I ever read on the concept of past lives was Dick Sutphen’s You Were Born Again To Be Together, published in 1976. A researcher, speaker and prolific writer (20 books over 30 years), Sutphen’s contribution to the profession of past-life regression and our understanding of alternative realities is considerable.

In Soul Agreements, he explores the big question of destiny and “the degree to which our earthly path is mapped out.” While the book suffers somewhat from trying to teach too much, and thereby losing focus, the cases he presents throughout this book are fascinating. In chapter 4 he tells of a woman whose husband was murdered, and then six months later her two adopted children were taken away. Using a combination of hypno-regression, astrology and Tara Sutphen’s automatic writing, they helped this client make sense of what would otherwise appear to be extreme tragedy and injustice. There are great nuggets of wisdom throughout the book.

-- Julia Ingram

An Unlikely Prophet: A Metaphysical Memoir by the Legendary Writer of Superman and Batman, Alvin Schwartz, Destiny Books, 2006, $16.95

Tulpas are the quasi-living creations constructed out of a person’s imagination, most often the crowning project of a student seeking mastery as a Buddhist monk. It’s surprising to see the subject of tulpas arise from Schwartz, a renowned American author who wrote Superman and Batman books during the 1940s and 1950s.

A tulpa named Thongden has come to Schwartz with a serious problem. Since the existence of a tulpa depends solely upon the continuous mental energy of its creator to survive, Thongden is in trouble because his creator and master has died, leaving Thongden with the fate of dissolving into oblivion. Unknown to Schwartz, his focused concentration on Superman for so many years has nearly brought a Superman tulpa into existence, which Thongden can see but Schwartz cannot. An unusual story with metaphysical twists.

— David Moyle

Nataraja, Shiva Rea, Sounds True, 2006, $17.98

Nataraja is the latest from yoga and dance goddess Shiva Rea. A compilation of various artists, this eclectic mix was produced as the soundtrack to her DVD Yoga Trance Dance. The progression of this album is one of an initial buildup, a vibrant crescendo and mellow cool down, paced to accommodate any hour-long trance dance or vinyasa yoga practice. Inviting you to chant (and sweat), the feel of this album is an energizing endeavor in movement meditation. I dare anybody to listen to its progressive vibes and not shake a tail feather. Shiva Rea’s dedication in the liner notes says it all: “… to all who answer the cellular call and give expression to the original dance inside — to the One who dances us all.”

--Brandon LaGreca

Tree of Patience, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, White Swan Records, 2006,$16.98

With 10 recordings under his belt, Turkish-born Tekbilek is no stranger to listeners who follow his folk-ish, eclectic blend of Middle Eastern music sprinkled with Western motifs. What makes this artist’s compositions refreshing is his in-depth knowledge of exotic instrumentation, such as the ney (bamboo flute), baglama (long-necked lute), zuma (oboe type instrument) and the oud (classical lute).

Among the highlights of Tree of Patience is the opening cut “Common Spirit,” featuring the pastoral guitar of Brian Keane, who has collaborated with Tekbilek for 20 years. Keane’s contributions prove vital on “Elation” with its jig-like Indo-fusion jam, replete with micro guitar bends, perhaps paying homage to John Mclaughlin’s Shakti.

“Ole Aman,” a traditional arrangement with Enrique Morente’s flamenco vocal and Tuncboyaciyan’s background and breakdown vocal is tailor-made for vocal enthusiasts. “Ghizenli” creates an impressionist landscape with its impressive array of violas, cellos and five violinists.

-- Lee Brodinsky