from the desk of June Rouse

Special projects for exciting, upcoming features in The Monthly Aspectarian cut down on reading time this month, so to let you know about some of the outstanding books that have arrived on my desk, the reviews below are taken largely from their publishers' press releases.

WOMEN OF SPIRIT, the second book of Katherine Martin in the People Who DareTM series, tells the stories of 327 courageous women who followed their spiritual guidance and succeeded in making a difference in the world. As in Women of Courage, the stories are told in the voice of the individual woman, creating a sense of unique immediacy and intimacy. Katherine introduces each story, giving a bit of background of the woman and the issues she has confronted.

The stories are divided into sections, based on the type of spirit exhibited by each woman. These include facing the truth, doing the unexpected, breaking barriers, listening, and caring. Those interviewed include inspirational writer SARK; intuitive actress Judith Light; Julia Butterfly Hill, whose passion to save a redwood forest led her to live for two years in the branches of a California redwood, Joan Borysenko, one of the most prominent figures on the mind-body landscape; Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman from a major political party to be nominated for vice president of the United States; and Iyanla Vanzant, best selling author and empowerment specialist. Lesser known but equally courageous women include Sonya Bell, a blind teenager who had the guts to become a nationally competitive runner, and Carrie Dickerson, a grandmother who beat the odds to stop a nuclear power plant from being built. By following their beliefs and responding to their own sense of right, these women accomplished changes in their world beyond their wildest dreams. Katherine Martin balances the everyday heroine with the stars we all know and admire. (Softcover, $14.95, 416 pages, New World Library.)s

>>>>> <<<<<

Take a moment to consider the realm of possibilities open to America fifty years from now. In IMAGINE: What America Could Be in the 21st Century, bestselling author Marianne Williamson brings us a series of original essays from present-day America's most influential thinkers on how our nation could evolve.

Recognizing that change must happen internally within individuals and externally amongst institutions, Williamson collected essays from visionaries, academics, activists and spiritual leaders. These voices include such New York Times bestselling authors as Sarah Ban Breathnach, Deepak Chopra, Debbie Ford, John Gray, Neale Donald Walsch, and others. Despite the many problems in American society today, the essays consider America's potential for a brighter future and a better world, and include commentary on relationship, religion, education, the environment, and the economy.

Marianne Williamson is the author of many best-selling books, including A Return to Love, A Woman's Worth, and Healing the Soul of America. A popular and prominent lecturer since 1983, she is the spiritual leader of the nation's second largest Unity church. She is also co-founder of the Global Renaissance Alliance.

A selection of the One Spirit and Quality Paperback Book Clubs and featured on amazon.com's Editor's Choice List for 2000, the essays in Imagine inspire readers to realize these optimistic visions. (Softcover, $16, 414 pages, New American Library.)

>>>>> <<<<<

A personal note: Publishers Weekly calls A SIMPLE MONK: Writings on His Holiness the Dalai Lama, "A visual biography of the Dalai Lama that blends gorgeous photography with text that is surprisingly sharp." This coffee-table sized book is exactly that. You can all but hear the sounds the photographer heard and smell the fragrance of incense as you turn the pages.

His Holiness the fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, has captured the world's heart and imagination with his extraordinary spiritual wisdom and humility in the face of China's brutal, decades-long occupation of Tibet. This stunning new visual biography marries provocative writings on His Holiness by some of today's most intriguing authors and celebrities with vibrant full-color images by photojournalist Alison Wright, author of Spirit of Tibet, who has been afforded extraordinary access to the Tibetan government-in-exile.

Published with the cooperation of New York's Tibet House, which will receive a portion of the book's proceeds, A Simple Monk features impressionistic essays about Tibet's leader by such writers as Diki Tsering, the Dalai Lama's mother; China scholar and journalist Orville Schell; travel writer Pico Iyer; as well as an interview with His Holiness conducted by Spalding Gray. Interspersed throughout the main text and Wright's colorful photographs are quotations from such figures as actor Richard Gere, Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch, and Buddhist writer Dinty Moore. This dynamic volume is certain to appeal to the increasing numbers of readers [eager] to learn more about this extraordinary spiritual leader and his Buddhist teachings, as well as those eager to do more to aid the plight of the Tibetan people. (Hardcover, $35, 144 pages, New World Library.)

>>>>> <<<<<

In the wake of recent tragic events in our country, many of us are yearning for a way to explore our spiritual possibilities and connect with something deeper. While there are many books available about prayer in szpecific religions, THE WAY WE PRAY: Celebrating Spirit form Around the World is the first book to explore prayer practices from the world's many diverse religions. With this book, the reader will find the perfect resource for discovering the solace of prayer in a variety of accessible ways.

The fifty prayer practices explored in this book reveal the many shapes and forms that prayer can take. They include Labyrinths and Prayer-Walking: Metaphors for Our Spiritual Journey; Tea Ceremony: Genuine Peace Achieved through a Bowl of Tea; Ceremonial Costumes: Adorning the Silence and the Singing; Food Meditations: Staying Mindful of the Mystery.

For each of the prayer practices that [author] Oman Shannon has discovered and researched, she offers historical details, the meanings and interpretations behind the practice, and stories and anecdotes from practitioners [she has interviewed]. The book also contains suggestions for bringing these rituals into one's existing practice.

The Way We Pray is the perfect guide for spiritual explorers everywhere. As Alan Jones says in the foreword to the book, "The Way We Pray offers us a treasury of integrating spiritual practices...They all have the power to open us up to a deeper and more generous reality." (Softcover, 272 pages, $15.95, Conari Press.)

---

June Rouse is a published author and poet, free lance editor and rewriter, writing class and workshop facilitator, and the editor of The Monthly Aspectarian.

---

Next Article

Return to This Month's Index

Go to Homepage