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May/June 2010 Conscious Media
Reader's Choice

by Vicky Thompson

 Fractal Time: The Secret of 2012 and a New World Age, Gregg Braden, Hay House, 2010, $14.95

Well-known bestselling author Gregg Braden merges his scientific background as a former computer scientist with his beliefs and research. Fractal Time explains his method of using events in the past to predict similar conditions in the future. The universe is not random, but operates in recognizable patterns. With the mystical December 21, 2012 date looming ever closer, Braden explains the Mayan calendar and that this upcoming date is merely the end of a cycle which is 5,125 years long. He presents traditions and predictions from indigenous cultures around the globe and across history, and they all point to this cycle end-date. Braden asserts that life on Earth presents windows of opportunities based on these fractal patterns. People can then exercise their free will and either go with the flow or consciously change the patterns.

— Alice R. Berntson

The Little Soul and the Sun, Neale Donald Walsch, Waking Up Media, 2009, $20

In his gentle and peaceful style, Neale Donald Walsch presents a children’s DVD based on his book, The Little Soul and the Sun. In this animated story a small boy and his mother discuss problems he is having with the school bully. His mother tells him a story about how little souls come from the light into the darkness (Earth) to learn how to shine and share their special messages. This story teaches the importance of forgiveness and understanding in a way that is easy to understand for both the young and the young at heart. I watched this movie with my three grandchildren and we had a wonderful time listening to the story and then having an enlightening discussion about souls. I found this to be a heartfelt message that can be watched over and over to remind us that we all come from the light to shine brightly in our own unique way.

— Jelina Vance

 The Divine Name: The Sound that Can Change the World , Jonathan Goldman, Hay House, 2010, $17.95

Sound healing pioneer Jonathan Goldman presents a simple yet powerful toning tool for creating a gateway to a higher state of being. Using the heart chakra sound as a bridge, Goldman shares how to tone the vowel sound of each of the seven chakras to unlock the sound of the divine name of God. Different religious and spiritual traditions believe that the divine name has a universal sound, and that when properly intoned, can create harmony and healing on a personal and planetary level. In the accompanying instructional CD, Goldman’s healing voice leads readers through the toning exercises. Toning the sounds of the chakras creates a powerful healing experience: energy flows up and down the spine, the crown chakra opens wide and energy moves freely and expansively, and you sense that you play a small, but important part in a greater universal symphony. Goldman’s sound healing tools are a fundamental and necessary part of any spiritual journey. Sound reminds us of who we are and the deep connection we hold with the divine.

— Vicky Thompson

Is Your Child Psychic? Alex Tanous and Katherine Fair Donnelly, Tarcher Penguin, 2009, $15.95

With the world changing and the noticeable shift in consciousness, more parents are wondering, “Is my child psychic?” Dr. Alex Tanous and Katherine Fair Donnelly help parents answer that very question. They start the book defining and explaining psychic terms, including telepathy, clairvoyance and precognition. They address imaginary playmates, out-of-body experiences, psychic dreams and color experiences, and the importance of acceptance and support from parents. The book explains the stages of development in the two hemispheres of the brain. Tanous and Donnelly end the book with a variety of games and tests that parents can use to help a child develop their psychic abilities.

— Tiffany LaRue

Choose Them Wisely: Your Thoughts Become Things! Mike Dooley, Beyond Words/Atria Books, 2009, $17

This book is a compilation of what started out as “Monday morning motivators” sent out by Mike Dooley to an email list of 36 people. Dooley’s email list began with customers at TUT’s (a t-shirt company he owned with his family), and has grown to more than 270,000 people worldwide. In the email, Dooley would take a poem from one of TUT’s popular T-shirts and include a paragraph or two of insight, expounding on the message and lesson of the poem. Over the years, he saved each of the writings in a three-ring binder, which he later used to create the book. This is a wonderful book to use on a daily basis for inspiration or just open it to any page for encouragement.

— Vicki Burr

 The Shift , Wayne Dyer, Hay House, 2009, $19.99

The Shift takes place at a magical beach front retreat where people of all walks of life come to vacation, get married or just relax by the ocean and walk the beautiful trails. In the DVD, the story begins with a small camera crew meeting Dyer for an interview. As the interview unfolds we see other stories in the background — a devoted mother of two young boys who nurtures everyone but herself, an overachieving husband who has forgotten what love means, and a movie director desperate for the opportunity to prove his worth. In Dyer’s words, the second half of our life is when we find our unique purpose and want to contribute to the world. We then are able to make the shift from our ego to a more meaningful, focused life of serving the community and giving back. These believable characters show real people experiencing change.

— Jelina Vance

Live Your Bliss: Practices that Produce Happiness and Prosperity, Terry Cole-Whittaker, New World Library, 2009, $14.95

Terry Cole-Whittaker offers some wonderful insights on the art and science of being blissful. She shares that “everyone wants to be happy and this desire to obtain happiness is the motivation behind our every action even if our actions prove to bring us unhappiness instead.” She explains what stops the flow of bliss and happiness, including envy, criticism, anger, resentment, depression, blame, grudges, guilt and remorse. She expands on ways to go beyond self-imposed limitations and become who you want to be: “Where is happiness to be found? The answer is within us. It cannot be found in anything or anyone outside of our self and ourselves in relationship with our soul, the soul of every soul.”

— Annette Epifano

 The Six Healing Sounds: Taoist Techniques for Balancing Chi, Mantak Chia, Destiny Books, 2009, $16.95

Grand Master Mantak Chia brings together The Six Healing Sounds for those who are beginning training in the Taoist tradition. He explains how the pressures of modern life can cause excess heat to become trapped around the organs, creating energy blockages and sickness. He shows readers how the vibrations of the six healing sounds and their accompanying postures redistribute this excess heat to the cooler regions of the body, thereby stimulating and balancing chi energy and restoring the vital organs. This informative book includes detailed drawings of the different poses, plus a calming CD of the practices for balancing chi.

— Vicki Burr