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November/December 2005 Conscious Media
In Review

 

Books

Radical Common Sense

When we got organized as a country and we wrote a fairly radical constitution with a radical amount of individual freedom to Americans, it was assumed that the Americans who had that freedom would use it responsibly.
        —Bill Clinton

To get out of the bottle we need radical common sense. Radical common sense is common sense deliberately encouraged and applied. Radical common sense reflects the growing realization that individual good sense is not enough—that society itself must make sense or decline. Radical common sense is a spirit. It respects the past, it pays attention to the present, and therefore it can imagine a more workable future.

On the one hand, it looks as if modern civilization hasn’t the time, resources, or determination to make it through the neck of the bottle. We can’t get there from here. We can’t solve our deepest problems through such traditional strategies as competition, wishful thinking, struggle, or war. We can’t frighten people (including ourselves) into being good or smart or healthy. We find we can’t educate by rote or by bribery, we can’t win by cheating, we can’t buy peace at the expense of others, and, above all, we can’t fool Mother Nature.

On the other hand, maybe the answers lie in the problem—our thinking, especially our ideas that nature is to be mastered rather than understood. We have tried to run roughshod over certain powerful realities.

Radical common sense says let’s ally ourselves with nature. We have nothing to lose and a great deal to gain. As the old saying has it, "if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em." We can apprentice at nature’s side, working with her secrets respectfully rather than trying to steal them. For example, scientists who observe natural systems report that nature is more cooperative ("Live and let live") than competitive ("Kill or be killed"). "Competing" species, it turns out, often co-exist by food- and time-sharing; they feed at different hours on different parts of the same plant. Among moose and some other herd animals, the old or injured members offer themselves to predators, allowing younger and healthier members to escape.

Altruism appears to serve an evolutionary function in living creatures. In its inventiveness, nature—including human nature—may be on our side.

By documenting the health benefits of such traditional virtues as persistence, hard work, forgiveness, and generosity, scientific research is validating both common sense and idealism. People who have discovered a purpose feel better, like themselves more, age more subtly, and live longer.

Radical common sense derives its conviction from science and from the inspired examples of individuals.

Marilyn Ferguson’s landmark bestseller, The Aquarian Conspiracy: Personal and Social Transformation in Our Time (1980), described a "leaderless movement" with the potential to trigger a global paradigm shift. This is an excerpt from her new book, Aquarius Now, (Weiser Books, November 2005, $22.95) that looks at the state of planetary and personal transformation today, nearly five years into a new millennium.

 

God Wears Lipstick -- Kabbalah For Women
By Karen Berg, Kabbalah Centre International, 2005, $17.95

For thousands of years, they were called "mystery schools." Only the very few, the very privileged, were allowed to learn the secrets of creation, of manifestation, of who we humans really are, and how the universe works. From ancient Egypt, to Greece, from mystical Kabbalah, to the teachings of Native Americans. All were hidden. And all, now, are open and available to everyone. Why? What is so special about this time? Karen Berg believes that this time we are in is very special, which is why the secrets are all being made public.

A secular upbringing in Brooklyn, New York, led Karen to search different spiritual paths while still in her early twenties. Then she met her husband, Rav Philip Berg, and dedicated herself to helping people through the wisdom of Kabbalah. When she realized the power inherent in Kabbalah to enrich lives, she suggested that Rav Berg open up the study of Kabbalah to everyone – a revolutionary break with 4,000 years of tradition. Karen has committed her life to introducing the teachings of Kabbalah to the world and expanding the role of women in spirituality and in the global community.

Why women? Because "Women are the nourishers of the world, and as such, we are the messengers of God." In this extraordinary book, Berg presents all the basic tenets of Kabbalah in a warm, witty, down-to-earth manner, relating them particularly to the spiritual and practical life challenges women face. She talks about women’s special spiritual role in the universe, explaining their spiritual advantage; she discusses the power of soulmates, the true purpose of life, reincarnation and the sacred power and meaning of sex.

The book has practical application, detailing 20 kabbalistic tools, tailored for women, for navigating life’s challenges with grace, power, and transformation. But coming as it does from a rich and ancient spiritual tradition that transcends all spiritual traditions, it is the humanity and universality of this wisdom that makes God Wears Lipstick so timeless and timely.

Cracking The Symbol Code
By: Tim Wallace-Murphy
Publishers Group West, October, 2005

A heretic in medieval times was anyone who dissented from the established Church, and to be named a heretic invited torture and execution. Such dissenters included the Knights Templar, the Freemasons, the Cathars and scientists of the day. Their mission was to safeguard the truth about Jesus Christ and his ministry, which they believed was revealed in early scriptures that were rejected and suppressed by ruthless oppressors in the name of the Church.

Cracking the Symbol Code explores how ingenious and complex secret codes for communicating with others of like minds were concealed in symbols hidden in art, artefacts and architecture of the medieval world to preserve the truth for future generations. While symbolism has always been used by man in his exploration of the world of the spirit, and Christian symbolism was prevalent throughout medieval religious art and architecture, it is a relatively recent discovery that there were deeper layers of meaning disguised within the symbolism; "heretical" ideas that were kept hidden from the prying eyes of a repressive hierarchy.

Tim Wallace-Murphy is a historian and authored three bestsellers: The Mark of the Beast (with Trevor Ravenscroft), Rex Deus, The True Mystery of Rennes-Le-Chateaux and Rosslyn: Guardian of the Secrets of the Holy Grail, which provided source material to Dan Brown for The Da Vinci Code.

Editor’s Picks

Books in Brief

(fear not) Venture to inner peace by Alan Lohner
Three Spirits Press, 2005, $17.95
A perfect gem of a book written by a former police officer. (fear not) contains little pearls of wisdom inspired by caring spirits, with the starkly beautiful black & white photographs of Jason Savage on the facing pages. A beautiful gift for someone you care about! www.ThreeSpiritsPress.com

I Don’t Want To Be Old When I Get Old
by Thelma J. Lofquist, PhD. AuthorHouse, 2005, $12.95 www.dontwanttobeold.com
Thelma (TJ) Lofquist is an educator and gerontologist who enthusiastically advocates that we need to take charge of our own aging. Not content to urge us into action in our self-interest, Lofquist offers specific guidance for making ourselves fit for the challenge of independence in our twilight years -- ideas that we can tailor to fit our individual needs. And she shows how she overcomes her own psychological resistance. Small book – big inspiration!

Afterlife Knowledge Guidebook – A Manual for the Art of Retrieval and Afterlive Exploration
by Bruce Moen, Hampton Roads, 2005, $16.95
This is a fascinating handbook that leads you through the concepts, tools and techniques for safely expanding your perception and abilities to explore other dimensions and the afterlife.

Revitalize Your Hormones: Dr. Dale's 7 Steps to a Happier, Healthier, and Sexier You
by Theresa Dale, PhD, N.D., Wiley, 2005, $15.95
A very sensible and practical guide to understanding the relationship between our hormones, lifestyle, nutrition, environment and dis-ease – and what to do to set them straight. Refreshingly, the answers include detoxification, nutrition, stress/emotional management techniques and homeopathy.

Music and Audio CDs

Living Without Limits
by Deepak Chopra and Wayne Dyer – World class thinkers sharing their wisdom. Rewarding 3-disk set from NewWorld Library/Amber Allen. &19.95 www.newworldlibrary.com

Stress Reduction & Creative Meditations
by Marc Allen - Let your stresses go and creative juices flow with wonderful imagery and beautiful sounds. New World Library Audio. $12.95

Eckhart Tolle’s Findhorn Retreat – this four-disk set illumines the path to stillness amidst the world’s clamor from the master of living in the Now. New World Library, $24.95

TimePassages - Interactive Astrology Software from Astrograph makes astrology accessible to everyone. A great learning tool to help you understand the basic concepts of astrology that can grow with you as you gain skill and knowledge. The new Basic Edition is $49; you can upgrade to standard and advanced editions. www.astrograph.com

Sanctuary The Path To Consciousness
Audiobook of the novel By Stephen Lewis & Evan Slawson read by Christopher Davis. Spellbinding six-disc novel about a new spiritual technology that Lewis claims is real and attainable today. HTTPress, LLC. $39.95

Psalms of Ra by Jim Berenholtz – texts of ancient Egyptian prayers to the Sun God set to haunting music and accompanied by a beautifully illustrated book with the transliterations, and commentary in three languages. Hu Ra Records, www.psalmsofra.com

Journey to the Inner East Vol. 2 - Luscious anthology of some of the best of Deva Premal, Prem Joshua, Manish Vyas and remixes by Cheb i Sabbah from White Swan Records. $12.98. www.whiteswanrecords.com

Ice by Moodfood – Music without boundaries – a vibrant, multi-ethnic mix of rhythm and chill from the producers of Soulfood. www.moodfoodmusic.com

Pacific Lounge by Jessie Allen Cooper-Great Sax & Piano combo to chill-out and relax with. www.CooperSoundWaves.com