November/December 2008 Conscious Media
Reader's Choice 11/08

The Return of the Prophet, Hajjar Gibran, Atria Books/Beyond Words, 2008, $18.95

"Tears are seed drops of joy shed by your soul's physician. You may curse the physician's medicine, but the cure for your suffering is in your tears. Weep until seeds of joy take root in the womb of your soul," writes Hajjar Gibran, a descendant of Kahlil Gibran, the acclaimed author of the 1923 book The Prophet. Continuing the journey using a similar style of lyrical and moving prose, The Return of the Prophet catches your heart by surprise, encouraging you to look below the surface. Passages gently grab you, pulling you in close to discover their deeper meaning.

- Vicky Thompson

The Intention Experiment: Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the World, Lynne McTaggart, Simon & Schuster, 2008, $15

True seekers don't accept adages without evidence. Does prayer really help? Do angry thoughts hurt? Does imagining a safety bubble around your body keep negative energies away? Why can people sometimes anticipate your next question? Journalist Lynne McTaggart set out to answer these and many other questions about the possible power of thought, and more specifically of intention, and provides us with the latest research showing that our thoughts influence the world in significant ways. She doesn't just report research, she has been conducting her own by organizing "the world's largest mind-over-matter experiment." This is a fun and easy read, even for non-scientists.

- Julia Ingram

Unlocking the Healing Code: Discover the 7 Keys to Unlimited Healing Power, Bruce Forciea, Llewellyn, 2007, $14.95

Dr. Bruce Forciea is a chiropractor and health sciences instructor who researched healing ways after suffering his own serious medical condition. He asserts that all healing methodologies share a common premise of supplying healing information to strengthen or correct complex processes that are already working within our bodies. His Healing Code contains seven keys to unlocking healing power, integrating concepts from physics, molecular biology, conventional medicine and information theory. This method can be used in any health care system, be it traditional or holistic.

At times, it appears that the author is writing to the general lay reader, while at other times it appears that he's writing for an audience of health care providers. This might seem a bit confusing, but it serves to reinforce the concept that his healing code can apply to all of us, in any setting, and that it isn't required to have a health care background for his principles to be utilized effectively.

Visit www.informationalhealing.com.

- Alice R. Berntson

Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life, Marilyn Mandala Schlitz, Cassandra Vieten and Tina Amorok, New Harbinger Publications, 2008, $16.95

Living Deeply is the culmination of a decade-long research program at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) into how people achieve transformation. IONS has been investigating human consciousness since being founded by Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell in 1973. The authors, all clinical research scientists at IONS, interviewed 50 people from a broad spectrum of religious, spiritual and cultural backgrounds.

The authors set out with the premise that your behavior, attitudes and how you conduct yourself in the world are changed in lasting ways only when your consciousness transforms, and you commit to living deeply in that transformation. Each of the nine chapters starts with a meaningful quotation, and concludes with a summary and an exercise that's designed to help the reader on a journey of personal growth and awakening. Through a process of consciousness transformation, we become increasingly aware that we are all interconnected with all other beings.

Visit www.noetic.org.

- Alice R. Berntson

The Language of Soul, Harold Klemp, Eckankar, 2008, $14

As a first-place winner of best overall book in the religion/philosophy category of the Midwest Independent Publishers Assn. (MIPA) book achievement awards, this small book offers keys to living a more meaningful life. The spiritual wisdom found here is simple yet profound - it opens the heart and gives the mind something positive to contemplate. The first in a series of compact books of timeless truths, it contains sections relating to harmony, truth, health, daily life, creativity, self-discipline, love, relationships, family, spiritual growth, enlightenment, solving problems, spiritual protection and conscious living. The forward states that the book's purpose is to help us remember our divine origin. Indeed, it is a joy to dip into this book and find the reminders that we are soul and exist because of God's love.

- Angelica Williams

SoulCollage: An Intuitive Collage Process for Individuals and Groups, Seena B. Frost, Hanford Mead Publishers, 2001, $24.95

This book started the Soul Collage movement, which originated from a program led by Jean Houston from 1987 to 1989 and evolved over time as Seena Frost used the process in her women's therapy groups. It is an intuitive collage process for individuals and groups. The photos of the amazing cards done by ordinary people are like an art gallery tour. The book also contains an overview of the process and practical details on how to build a deck. Chapters on how to tap into your inner wisdom, how to consult your cards and making images of your dreams will help anyone gain deeper understanding of the process. This is a powerful new spiritual craft for the 21st century - it's all about combining personal intuition with imagery. This unique tool for self exploration allows anyone to make a tarot-like deck with great depth and personal meaning. Jean Houston's endorsement of the book - "I cannot recommend this too highly" - sum up the great value of the book.

- Angelica Williams