This month we offer three irresistible self-help books: a revolutionary model for finishing what you start, clinically proven ways to amplify your memory, and putting into use the art of spiritual dreaming. Each in its own way approaches worthy goals from the perspective that a lighter touch will better enable us to happily put our creative nature into gear…the best way to actually make the positive changes we hold so dear.

The Art of Spiritual Dreaming
Harold Klemp

Following Through
Steve Levinson, Ph.D. and Pete C. Grieder, M.Ed.

Memory Fitness

(Click on the above image to order book)

"The darkest secret in the lives of Americans is that their memories are failing. It's not just an age problem - it is something every person, regardless of advancing years, has dealt with. We all live in fear that someone else will find out about us, when in fact that someone else can't remember anything, either." -- Art Buchwald, as quoted in TOTAL MEMORY WORKOUT: 8 Easy Steps to Maximum Memory Fitness by Cynthia R. Green, Ph.D.

My experience with books about enhancing memory has been that either they're too erudite or else they offer a rehash of techniques . . . so it's my pleasure to recommend this grounded, practical and pleasantly readable book by the director of The Memory Enhancement Program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Recently, I mislaid a small but use-it-every-day element of my life; I clearly remember thinking, "This is an unusual place to put this, so I'm sure to remember where it is." Ho. Cynthia, where was your book then? It won't be on the shelves until the second week of September, but it's well worth looking for (you should excuse the expression).

Here's a clinically proven approach that, rather than relying on rules and complicated systems, promotes memory wellness. "As we are all inundated with important information to remember - from PINS and cell phone numbers to children's schedules and crucial business facts - the author teaches readers how to remember what they don't want to forget - like where those pesky keys are."

Dr. Green details the ten lifestyle factors that can lower your memory potential and what you can do to avoid them; discusses the importance of paying attention and giving meaning to information we want to recall; and gives tips on diet and supplements that can aid memory.

While there are many memory techniques one can use to manage information -- with no one being best -- Dr. Green does describe some of the most useful and effective and helpfully gifts us with the principles behind them. For those of us whose recall of jokes and movie plots is less than what we think is desirable, she introduces a unique technique for remembering them.

Here you'll also find seven techniques for remembering names; and four ways to preserve memory gains you achieve. Each of eight easy lessons "focuses on one aspect of memory followed by 'memorcises' designed to build memory muscle." Thanks to an inclusive index, it's simple to go where you want. (220 pages, $23.95, Bantam Books.)

Back to Top of Page

The Art of Spiritual Dreaming

(Click here to
order book)

The age that opens with the new millennium is one of adventure . . . and if you're ready for striking experiences, here's a way to actively put exploration into practice -- flat on your back! Based on the process of accessing the vitally personal teachings of consciousness, the thesis of THE ART OF SPIRITUAL DREAMING by Harold Klemp is that "spiritual dreams are real,…they are a vital part of life, …an essential and key element in one's spiritual growth."

Despite the deep nature of the study, Klemp expresses a deceptively easy-going understanding of human nature. (In another of his books (The Living Word, Book 2) he advises, "If the meaning of a certain dream is important for you spiritually, the Dream Master will send the message again and again through other dreams until you do get its meaning. So relax and enjoy the ride.")

The Art of Spiritual Dreaming begins at the beginning, detailing such critical points as slipping past the censor to remember dreams in the first place, dream travel protection and working with a dream teacher. Included are helpful chapters on the different types of dreams we're heir to and how the dreamer can figure out their meaning; uncovering past lives; glimpsing the future; and moving from dreams and visions to Soul Travel.

Klemp, the spiritual leader of Eckankar (known as the Religion of the Light and Sound of God), knows whereof he speaks. As the Mahanta, the Living Eck Master (Eck is synonymous with Holy Spirit), he carries the mantle both of the Outer Master -- speaker, author of discourses, articles and 30 other books -- and the Inner Master, whose spiritual guidance is available only if you request it. Part of his job description as Inner Master is as the Dream Master, assisting seekers via their dreams to find healing, love and happiness as they learn to define their own nature as Soul.

Written with peerless clarity, The Art of Spiritual Dreaming is replete with memorable anecdotes, tips, and spiritual exercises for use at bedtime. The format includes those great margin notes we're gotten used to in books from Eckankar, and as a happy bonus, drawings by local fine artists Valerie Taglieri and Ron Wennekes. (285 pages, $14, Eckankar.)

Back to Top of Page

(Click on the above image to order book

At the beginning of FOLLOWING THROUGH, Steve Levinson, Ph.D. and Pete C. Grieder, M.Ed., state, "Often we steer one way, and we behave another. And yet, we keep on steering as if steering is all it takes. …When what we've decided to do stands to improve our life, or the lives of our loved ones, or maybe even prevent a catastrophe, of course we'll follow through! There'd be something wrong with us if we didn't." Arriving at that conclusion, of course, is the point at which guilt introduces itself, adding tension and frustration that damage our self esteem. Judging from the widespread tendency, it would seem that not always carrying out our heartfelt decisions is part of the human condition.

Enter Following Through, whose Dedication is "To all the good intentions that needlessly died so young." Guidance into a new perspective of the situation primes the reader for the strategies that follow, including exposing oneself to the leverage of right cues. As an example, read about the couple who decided it was in their best interest to walk every day but somehow couldn't manage to do so. They bought a dog, and discovered that their care for its comfort led them to walk each morning . . . their original intention. This is only one of many anecdotes that help instill the idea that there are ways to get around the problem. Add varied personalized guidance systems that inspire the imagination, and you're beginning to get a handle on how to Just Do It for real.

According to the Follow-Through Fairy Tale, "crutch" is a dirty word. Consider how a crutch becomes a tool, and you can move from knee-jerk freedom to real freedom that speaks from deep inside, "way below the level of conscious thinking." An impressive course in accomplishing your desires from the level of reflexes. (223 pages, $13, Kensington Books.)

Back to Top of Page