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May/June 2004 Conscious Media
Reviews: Books, Music, and Games

 

The Happiest Toddler on the Block
by Harvey Karp, MD; Bantam Books, 2004, $22.95

Every self-help book needs a gimmick, and this book is no different. It is original, if a bit bizarre and Karp is a current hot parenting guru. Harvey Karp’s theory is that your toddler is neither a big baby nor a small adult, but basically equivalent to a Neanderthal. He recommends that you communicate with your toddler as someone in the Stone Age, complete with gesturing and grunts.

To his credit, toddler’s "uhs," "ee-ees," and "oohs," are reminiscent of Neanderthal vocalizations, but can communicating like this really help decrease and divert tantrums? Dr Karp challenges that mirroring these toddler sounds, facial expressions and intonations shows the children respect, acknowledges their concerns and feelings, which he feels is the first step to working with a child. It is after that point that one might help move a child into different behavior. I decided to practice with my almost one-year-old son Xander. At one moment (when Xander didn’t want to take his medicine) I tried it, mirroring his "UH, EHS." Xander was astounded enough and intrigued by my strange noises to open his mouth and take the medicine. Maybe, I thought, this Neolithic communication isn’t so crazy after all…

Dr. Karp separates the toddlers into 4 stages: 12-18 months, the "charming chimp child," 18-24 months, "the knee-high Neanderthal", 24-36 months, "the clever cave-kid" and 36-48 months, "the versatile villager." These stages are characterized by the child’s increased ability to reason and use tools, hence the reference to Neanderthal man. Dr. Karp also has a section on "solutions to typical complaints." This book is definitely worth a look if you’ve got a toddler and are wondering what language they really DO speak.

-- Alaina Zipp

 

Honoring the Medicine
by Kenneth Cohen, Ballantine Books, 2003, $26.95

Honoring the Medicine is a rich compendium of Native American medicine by an international authority on indigenous healing practices. Honoring the Medicine describes every aspect of America's original holistic medicine, demonstrating its power as a means of healing the body, balancing the emotions, and renewing the spirit. Cohen also gives some interesting insights into the Native American philosophy of life from his personal experience. (He was adopted into the Cree tribe and presently lives in the Colorado Rockies.) He provides clear explanations about Native American concepts and practices such as: the power of the Four Winds, commitment and cooperation, the Vision Quest, massage techniques, energy therapies, and the need for touch; ancient purification ceremonies such as the Sweat Lodge; healing plants; the purpose of smudging, fasting, and chanting—and how science confirms their effectiveness.

Cohen shows that the essence of Native American healing is learning, honoring, acceptance, seeing, hearing, speaking, loving, service and gratitude.

---Patrick Woods

 

Living Your Joy, A Practical Guide to Happiness
by Suzanne Falter-Barns, Ballantine books, 2004, 12.95$

For an easy accessible gift for someone you know with a secret (or at least unfulfilled) dream, take a look at Living Your Joy. Here is a simply laid out, step-by-step book to help you set aside time, organize your life and invite your creative muses into your life to accomplish your goals. Suzanne has practical chapters with titles like "30 Guaranteed time-savers," "Help for Chronic Time-wasters," and "How to Moonlight without Losing Your Mind." Of course, the reader is ultimately the one who needs to stop answering the phone during writing time, ask their partner to make and put away dinner one time a week or get up one half hour earlier to practice music, but at least many ideas to facilitate this process are laid out in this book. Suzanne has written other books and is the author of a popular website: www.howmuchjoy.com. I found it quite uplifting and it brought me hope that I might overcome the current chaos of my life.

-- Alaina Zipp

 

Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche
by Bill Plotkin, New World Library, 2003, $15.95

As someone in the throes of a spiritual awakening, I found this book enlightening. Plotkin defines spirituality as composed of two "distinct yet complementary" realms: the first turns "upward toward the light…and assists us in cultivating the blissful experience of being fully present in the moment and one with all creation"; while the second "leads not upward toward God but downward toward the dark center of our individual selves." Soulcraft is an exploration of the second realm.

From his perspective as depth psychologist, ecotherapist and vision quest guide, Plotkin argues that the West’s increasing sense of terror and alienation derives from its increasing disconnection from the potential healing and transformative powers of both nature and psyche (or soul). Elucidating the wisdom behind the initiation rites of indigenous peoples he explains how Western peoples remain perpetually immature—denied the "soul encounter" and "soul initiation" experiences necessary to "bring about a developmental transition from psychological adolescence to true adulthood." The West also lacks "true elders" capable of guiding succeeding generations—the only means, as he sees it, of furthering cultural evolution.

Ultimately, soul seeking practices are about connecting the individual with his or her unique life gift and life purpose and setting that person on course as an active, responsible, fully committed member of the world community. Interspersed with anecdotes and poems, Soulcraft is an excellent guide to undertaking such a journey, as well as a comprehensive catalog of the methods available for its facilitation.

--Lisa U’Ren

 

Yearning For The Wind - Celtic Reflections on Nature and the Soul
By Tom Cowan, New World Library $14.95

Tom Cowan is a wonderful story teller. In Yearning For The Wind, he has woven together mystical tales of nature and spirit. Within these pages of Irish fables you can feel the closeness the Celtic people have with the earth and how this connection is entwined with religion, mysticism and folklore to create a belief system unlike any other. Mr. Cowan, a master of Celtic shamanism and myth, leads us on a journey of exploration into the soul’s relationship with nature and its healing properties. He does this by relating his own personal experiences. If you but open your heart and your mind to the experience you too will connect to nature in a new and refreshing way; you do not need to be Celtic or of any religious believe to benefit from his enjoyable stories and inspirational reflections.

---Jude Norris

 

The Amoeba Hop
by Christine Lavin, Puddlejump Press, 2003, 19.95$.

Remember back to those Jr. High School science classes when you got out a drop of water and looked through the microscope? Well, put together that information on and a bouncy kid’s country music song and you have The Amoeba Hop.

Christine Lavin says she was inspired by jumping in a puddle and remembering science class when she used a microscope and discovered the alternate reality of amoebas. The song, though short, is memorable and full of information one might not otherwise remember. The song’s words, complete with pictures, comprise the book. Even if one does not ordinarily care about amoebas, the puns in the book and the storyline in the song are worth a look. The science teachers who looked at this book were delighted with its fun presentation. For those interested in teaching information in memorable ways, this would be a great book.

--Alaina Zipp

 

The Relationship of Intelligence to Matter
Bill Huth, High Sierra Books, 2003, $12.95

The Relationship of Intelligence to Matter (RIM) is my first reading of Huth. What a ride – one would have to visit Descartes or Nietzsche to find more densely written, compressed concepts.
RIM is chockfull of meta-concepts. The premise is that intelligence is pre-existent, and yet dependant upon matter to operate on. All That Is, is related, interrelated and shares ownership. That which is empirical is valid – and yet metaphysical precepts form the true scope of this philosophy. This work is also filled with Huth’s personal history as anecdotal reference to the concepts he’s trying to explore.
RIM is both a homegrown philosophy as well as a ‘seeker’s’ best synthesis of a long life of study and experience. Ironically, Huth’s content is more like Taoism than Huth would like to admit.
The focus of RIM is intelligence, the environment, evolution and the nature of reality. Environment carries much meaning for Huth: "I must consider environment to be the greatest cause or effect in changes made to our forms."
The best approach to this work from Huth is to take it a few pages at a time. Pick it up, put it down, and think about it for a while. Some of the ideas and concepts may not jibe with your current frame of understanding, but that should be O.K. The reason we read nonconformist and radical thinkers is to stretch our own thinking. Reading Huth will certainly do this.

---Christopher Paidhrin for New Friends Review

Other Media

Secret Oasis: Peter Edwards, $14.99

Peter Edwards shares his "Secret Oasis" of inspiration with 15 original piano compositions from his newly released CD of the same name. Pianist Edwards takes the listener on a wonderful journey among the ivory and ebony of the keyboard, whether it's "Awakening to the Dawn" or "Opening of the Lotus", Edwards shows a bit of a George Winston flair, but he definitely has a style and soul of his own. He takes us on a "Journey to the Realms of Light" or perhaps a "Flight of the Blue Heron" with flowing arpeggios and occasional accompaniment by amazing violinist Anthony Blea. "Secret Oasis" is a delight for the piano lover in all of us and, hopefully, a sample of more delightful inspirations from Peter Edwards in the future.
www.PeterEdwards.com

--Alan Peterson 
www.alanpeterson.net

Journey to the Wild Divine
From the Wild Divine Project, $159.95

The Wild Divine is a computer game, but it's not like any computer game you've ever seen… (Jean Houston is one of the advisors behind the company!) You make things happen in the game by changing your internal state. The game is, in effect, a biofeedback device, Because You Operate It With Your Mind and Your Emotions. In using it, you learn how to control your state of mind. You learn how to intentionally access states like joy, hope, excitement, relaxation, meditation, and patience. The game gives you direct feedback (biofeedback) as you play it, and as you continue to play you get better and better at consciously creating the internal states you want, when you want them. And, best of all, the game is a ton of fun to play!!!

---Stephen Simon