May/June 2011 Conscious Media
Reader's Choice
by Vicky Thompson
The Sacred Promise: How Science is Discovering Spirit’s Collaboration with Us in Our Daily Lives
, Gary E. Schwartz, Atria Books / Beyond Words, 2011, $25
Dr. Gary Schwartz has doggedly pursued the truth regarding the survival of consciousness and the afterlife through rigorous experiments following established scientific protocols. Ethical researchers look for results to support or negate hypotheses, but even in the face of seemingly overwhelming evidence of the afterlife, Schwartz still maintains a small smidgen of healthy skepticism. Schwartz has often referred to a quote from William James, the distinguished Harvard professor of psychology who studied mediums in the early 1900s: “In order to disprove the law that all crows are black, it is enough to find one white crow.” Schwartz has found many white crows, especially as his continuing research yields even more startling results. His sacred promise is that the journey to spirit awaits us.
— Alice R. Berntson
Natural Abundance: Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Guide to Prosperity
, Ruth L. Miller, Atria Books / Beyond Words, 2011, $14
Emerson was an innovative thinker who created the foundation for the ideas behind the spiritual New Thought movement in the late 19th Century. Using common sense and his love of nature, he was a forerunner in presenting the power of positive thinking. Ruth Miller, a Northwest-based minister and scholar, presents the teachings of Emerson in a modern context. Miller’s insightful interpretation makes Emerson’s tenets even more valuable and timely for the modern reader. Emerson’s recognition of the power of nature and the natural rhythm and flow of life ring true through Miller’s expanded essays on natural and spiritual laws. Natural Abundance shows how truth is eternal, and we can turn to these teachings again and again as we continue to evolve on the spiritual journey.
— Vicky Thompson
When Tomorrow Speaks to Me: Memoirs of an Irish Medium
, Bridget Benson, Llewellyn, 2010, $15.95
Bridget Benson relates how she has been a medium since the age of three, but didn’t really understand until she was older. For those of us in the U.S., her experiences growing up in rural Ireland provide an interesting glimpse into the Irish landscape and culture. Benson’s engaging writing style makes us feel her pain when she is given a message that her father will die within five years, and in the tender family moments when a loved one is actually dying. Many mediums have written books about their experiences, so in that regard Benson’s book is not unique. But reading about her father’s continued presence in her life after his death reassures us that our loved ones never truly leave us. Just as Benson has been comforted by her father’s presence, we too learn that life is so much more than sometimes meets the eye.
— Alice R. Berntson
The 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse
, Debbie Ford, HarperOne, 2010, $14.99
“If you are considering the 21- Day Consciousness Cleanse it is because, more than likely, you know there is far more for you than you are experiencing right now. Mediocrity in any area of life is no longer an option because either your pain is too great or your desire for true happiness is too compelling. You want more and you know you deserve more. Today is a perfect day for you to take back your power from the outer world, turn inward and embark on a journey of reconnecting with the spirit that moves you.” Ford’s consciousness cleanse helps you let go of toxic thoughts and behaviors. You are able to purge old emotions and move forward into transformation of who you really want to be. I was able to take each day and go through the cleansing rituals and morning practices at my own pace. This book is highly recommended to anyone in search of soul food.
— Annette Epifano
Karma and Reincarnation: Unlocking Your 800 Lives to Enlightenment
, Barbara Y. Martin and Dimitri Moraitis, Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2010, $16.95
Readers will likely see world history and current events from a new perspective after reading Karma and Reincarnation. Like pieces of a giant puzzle, each event throughout time fits together with other events for a reason. The authors assert that everyone has about 800 lives on this planet before we have learned all the lessons we need and experienced all sides of life before (finally) reaching enlightenment. Barbara Martin provides a fascinating tour of the afterlife, karma in human history and the reincarnation process. Dynamics of karma and free will are explored in several aspects of life, such as money, relationships, career and more. We are given many chances to improve ourselves, remove old negative karma and create new good karma.
— Alice R. Berntson
The Science of Making Things Happen
, Kim Marcille Romaner, New World Library, 2010, $14.95
Science or common sense? If we want something in our life, wishing won’t make it happen. It makes sense to visualize and define what you want the end result to be, then make a plan on how to achieve it. Believing that what you want will happen and taking specified action steps toward achieving your goal will it make more likely. This sequence of events is Romaner’s basic premise that any possibility can happen. We just have to “amplify” the possibilities by taking the prescribed steps to accomplish our dreams. Romaner uses concepts from quantum physics, decoherence and the inverse zeno effect to explain that all possibilities exist — we need to act to pluck out those suitable to our goals. Taking progress measurements and recording them in inverse zeno reports help make goals happen.
— Alice R. Berntson
Managing Multiple Sclerosis Naturally
, Judy Graham, Healing Arts Press, 2010, $19.95
Multiple sclerosis is a maddeningly illusive disease. Symptoms vary greatly from person to person. New medicines can slow the disease and alleviate some symptoms, but there is no cure, and, for some forms of the disease, no treatment. In Managing Multiple Sclerosis Naturally, Judy Graham, an Englishwoman who has lived with MS for more than 35 years, provides an exhaustive overview of approaches to managing the disease — everything from diet, food sensitivities, vitamins, crystals, Pilates and other forms of body work to cannabis, canes and hyperbaric oxygen, to scratch the surface. An update of a book first published in 1984, Managing Multiple Sclerosis Naturally also probes possible causes and psychological pitfalls of MS, with plenty of information about research studies and dozens of resources listed.
— Fran Gardner