Inprint - New Books of interest

The Desert Pilgrim by Mary Swander. (Penguin Compass, $14, Paperback.)

Mary Swander awoke on an early February morning with the most terrifying discovery of her life. As pain seared down her spine, she realized that she could not move her limbs. She had been struck by a drunk driver and had punctured her C6 vertebra, and while in recovery, a flu virus settled in her spine. The prognosis was devastating: a life of chronic, debilitating pain and the strong probability that she would never walk again. After months of therapy at home in Iowa, she was able to walk again but was still in physical agony. Her faith in modern medicine and God were utterly depleted. With the hope that a dryer climate would alleviate some of her pain, she made arrangements to take a post as a professor in New Mexico.

It is here that Wander is forced to confront her own dark night of the soul and begin her journey to restore strength to her body and faith in her heart. With the guidance of two healers—a curandera who combines the powers of herbal medicine with the healing power of prayer and a Russian Orthodox monk whose spiritual teachings draws from Buddhist, Jewish, and Catholic philosophies—Swander investigates the history of healing and thinkers and mystics like Theresa of Avila, St Francis of Assisi, and Hildegard of Bingen.

The Nature of Healing: Writings from the World’s Spiritual Traditions Edited by Parabola Magazine, $14.95, Paperback.)

In an era when healing has become an increasing concern, The Nature of Healing explores the subject from the perspective of a variety of cultures, traditions, and sciences. It draws from many disciplines to offer a powerful perspective on health and healing, disability and disease, doctors and doctoring, Eastern and Western medical theories and treatments, and the final step in the healing process—consciously confronting the inevitability of death. Its primary focus is on the transformative nature of disease and the metaphorical dimension of healing.

This anthology, edited by Parabola Magazine, includes contributions by a host of philosophers, scholars, psychologists, and theologians from Hippocrates and John Donne to Carl Jung and Thich Nhat Hahn. It features a forward by Larry Dossey, MD, and an introduction by Lawrence E. Sullivan, director of the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard University.

The Priestess of Isis by Edouard Schuré, translated by F. Rothwell. (Ibis Press, $16.95, Paperback.)

In ancient Pompeii, just before the fateful eruption of Vesuvius, a proud Roman tribune, Ombricius, is attending a friend’s wedding celebration. No sooner does he finish telling another wedding guest of his doubt that he will ever find a woman who will stir his soul, than a patrician woman, Hedonia Metella, passes by and drops a flower at his feet with a provocative look.

He is intrigued, but soon he sees Alcyone, the Priestess of Isis, who is there to bless the bride and groom. He is transfixed by her spiritual light. Seeking her out, he encounters Alcyone’s mentor and adoptive father, who requires Ombricius to be initiated into the religion of Isis—forbidden by Rome—before he may marry Alcyone. After he agrees to take the initiate’s path, he re-encounters Hedonia Metella, who worships Hecate, and tries to tempt him from his path.

Told in intricate detail, it is the timeless tale of the conflict between profane and sublime love, dark and light. Schuré blends his knowledge of Ancient Egyptian and Greek religion and history to bring this drama to life.

Gurdjieff: An Introduction to His Life and Ideas by John Shirley. (Jeremy P. Tarcher/ Penguin, $15.95, Paperback.)

Born in the shifting border between Turkey and Russia in 1866, G.I. Gurdjieff brought to the West a spiritual teaching of extraordinary depth and power. Man, he taught, exists in a state of waking sleep, but through rigorous work on himself, there exists hope that an individual, and eventually humanity, can awaken from the slumbering path being beaten toward destruction.

Combining biographical narrative, quotes from Gurdjieff’s students, philosophical discourse, and anecdotes from his own life, Shirley weaves the extraordinary events of Gurdjieff’s life with his theories. He offers a thought provoking look at the man who worked as a tax-collector for the Dalai Lama and who walked onto an artillery range (amidst flying bullets) on a bet over a girl.

Surveying the teacher’s methods and the lives of his leading pupils, Shirley delineates the importance of the oral tradition in Gurdjieff’s teachings and how it is carried on today.

Ten Things I Learned from Bill Porter: The Inspiring True Story of a Door-to-Door Salesman Who Changed Lives by Shelly Brady. (New World Library, $12.95, Paperback.)

For more than forty years, Bill Porter walked through neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon, with briefcase in hand, climbing stairs and ringing doorbells. Being a salesman was especially challenging because Bill was born with cerebral palsy, but before long his customers grew to eagerly await his visits, knowing that even if they didn’t need what he was selling, his kindness and humor would brighten their day. His attitude inspired everyone he met.

The lessons Shelly Brady learned for Bill Porter, first working for him as an assistant and eventually becoming his close friend, may seem simple, but together they demonstrate that each of us has potential to improve the world. As Bill says, “Every time you ask yourself if you can make a difference, remember this answer: You bet you can.”

Extraordinary Living Through Chakra Wisdom: The Psychology of Energy by Rick Vrenios. (Reiki Council Publishing, $24.95, Paperback.)

Extraordinary Living Through Chakra Wisdom is a comprehensive guide to the Chakra System providing depth of understanding and a clear view into the complete hierarchy of our etheric structure. This easy-to-read work reaches beyond standard thinking and uncovers even greater meaning and practical application for living in today’s world. Based on real life experience rather than relying exclusively on the structure of ancient teachings, this non-traditional work stretches the boundary of current thought.

Subtitled “The Psychology of Energy,” this book explores the Chakra system as the underlying influence that shapes our personal psychology. Our choices and behaviors are governed by the drives and needs of our psychology, and those drives and needs are the result of the energetic expressions of our chakras. The Chakra system is our built-in owner’s manual for living on planet Earth, and anyone can immediately and safely tap into these personal power centers to overcome virtually any challenge in life.