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May/June 2007 Conscious Media
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 Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior: A Companion to the Book that Changes Lives, Dan Millman, New World Library, 2007, $12.95

In The Wisdom of the Peaceful Warrior, Dan Millman revisits his original seminal work The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, readdressing more than 100 passages. Readers benefit from a distilled and deepened message gained through time and experience. Could it be that you, like me, highlighted some of these same passages?

As the sections accumulate, the message gains focus. The mystery of life is attended to, as well as the tug between the past and the present. "Now is the warrior's moment." Time is given to the value of action and to how we relate to others. Of particular enjoyment are the added insights into his creative process. The character Socrates grows from a meeting with an old man years before the writing begins. An odd vision of a sports stadium Millman had one day as he sat in his office becomes the initial image for the book. Here's to the present and to highlights from the past.

-- Michael Moylan

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

The Diamond in Your Pocket: Discovering Your True Radiance, Gangaji, Sounds True, 2005, $22.95

Gangaji shows you thought-by-thought how to stop the endless activity of your mind, and experience the brilliance and radiance of who you really are in every present moment. On the power of stopping: "To 'stop' is to stop searching for yourself in thoughts, emotions, circumstances, or bodily images." On searching for happiness: "If you will stop all activity, just for one instant, even for one-tenth of a second, and simply be utterly still, you will recognize the inherent spaciousness of your being that is already happy and at peace with itself. If you will take a moment to recognize the peace that is already alive within you, you then actually have the choice to trust it in all your endeavors."

-- Vicky Thompson

Beyond Knowing-Mysteries and Messages of Death and Life from a Forensic Pathologist, Janis Amatuzio, New World Library, 2006, $21.95

Hit television shows like the CSI series have made autopsies and forensic pathology a fascinating part of American pop culture. As a real-life forensic pathologist, physician and the coroner for several counties in Minnesota, Dr. Amatuzio shares experiences from throughout her career on the transition between life and death. From the stories she has been told by family members of the deceased, and her own personal encounters, she has come to realize that sometimes there is no explanation, just a feeling-beyond knowing-that death is simply a transition and we all are connected to our deceased loved ones. This is contrary to the expressed attitudes of many in the medical community that death is just the cessation of life.

One passage makes the reader pause and ponder: "What would the world be like if we chose to really 'know what we know?' Perhaps we would become more deliberate and thoughtful; and we might begin to wonder who we really are."

-- Alice R. Berntson

The Call Goes Out: Messages from the Earth's Cetaceans, Dianne Robbins, TGS Publishers, 2005, $15

"We are the Cetaceans, your oceanic brothers and sisters, here to work along with you to preserve and care for our home on Earth. We have come far to be on Earth. We have traveled from our home planetary system many light years away to incarnate on Earth to help her through her evolution to Light." This and other communications from the cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) which have been telepathically received by Dianne Robbins, present a call to action, a request to stop whaling and to honor those intelligent sea beings who are trying to help. She includes both Corky's and Keiko's self-told stories, as well as general messages sent to help humans in their spiritual growth. If you have been saddened by what is happening to cetaceans, or have been touched by the sense that they are more than just animals, you may find this book interesting and enlightening.

-- Cathy McGuire

Rare Elements, Ustad Sultan Khan, Sounds True, 2006, $16.98

Did you know the world-renowned Sarangi master, Ustad Sultan Khan has collaborated with some of the world-famous recording artists such as Madonna, Duran Duran, Peter Gabriel, Ravi Shankar and George Harrison? Now Khan has created an intoxicating beat infusing two cultures of music into one. Khan enlisted contemporaries artists as Thievery Corporation, Joe Claussell, and Nickodemus and Osiris as well as others remixers. Rare Elements is a psychedelic electronic beat of the '60s intertwined with India's traditional sounds. It's something different for the ear to try.

-- Peter Scrogin

John of God: The Brazilian Healer Who's Touched the Lives of Millions, Heather Cumming and Karen Leffler, Atria Books/Beyond Words Publishing, 2007, $22.95

Joao Teixeira de Faria is a simple man who earns his living as a rancher -- but three days a week he allows "spirit doctors" to take over his body for the purpose of diagnosing and treating thousands of people who flock to his remote village in Brazil. Known as John of God or Medium Joao, he has helped over six million people. He takes no money for treatments. Surgery is performed without anesthesia and patients experience little or no pain, or bleeding.

Other books have been written about John of God, but this is the first time he has sanctioned his biography and offered intimate details about his life and his unusual experiences. This is a close-up look at him as a boy, as a man, and as a medium, including how he discovered his mediumship, guidance for visitors to his center, a discussion of the entities who perform incredible miracles through him, and testimonials from people who have been transformed as a result of meeting this remarkable healer.

-- Jessica Bryan