Inprint - New Books of interest by Jeanne Spiro

Bless This Food: Ancient & Contemporary Graces From Around the World by Adrian Butash. (New World Library, $17.00, Hardcover.)

At large family gatherings, we often recall simple practices that can easily get overlooked in the rush of our day to day lives, such as pausing a moment before eating to say grace. But what happens when those who are gathered look to us to say the blessing and we haven’t a clue what to day? It was a similar quandary that inspired Adrian Butash to write Bless this Food.

Sharing food is the most universal cultural experience, connecting people to one another, to nature, and to the infinite. Expressing thanks for food was the world’s first act of worship and is common to all societies. This cultural and religious tradition acknowledges bounty and our daily sustenance as gifts from the divine.

Out just in time for the holidays, Bless this Food presents 160 timeless mealtime blessings in an easy to use format, offering background on the traditions to provide context for the eloquent prayers and poems. They have been selected from each of the world’s major religions, as well as from ancient traditions and the work of great poets, thinkers, and activists. Also included are two prayers in American Sign Language and the short prayer “bless this food” in nineteen languages. This book is perfect for gift-giving or just having on hand for regular meals as a reminder of the benefits of connecting with each other in the spirit of thanksgiving and gratitude.

Soul to Soul: Communicaitons from the Heart by Gary Zukav. (Free Press, $26.00, Hardcover.)

In Soul To Soul, Gary Zukav addresses some of our most significant questions about the human experience. How can I really change? How can I forgive someone who betrays me again and again? Why is life so difficult? How can I learn to trust? With simple, easy to understand anecdotes and guidance, he offers insights to illuminate our lives.

Part One explores Soul Subjects; observations of physical circumstances with recognition of what they mean. It contains fifty brief, perceptive, and compelling chapters that encourage us to examine our own experiences in new and perhaps life changing ways. It presents dozens of parable-like stories that illustrate our most important truths.

Part Two combines psychological insight and deep spirituality as Zukav answers almost one hundred questions about life. These questions are not concerned with the functional aspects of life, such as advancing one’s career or achieving financial success, but are, as he says, “doorways through which soul-to-soul communication enters your life and transforms it.” His aim is to empower us to grow spiritually, to develop emotional awareness, and to understand the role of soul in our lives.

The Way of the Fertile Soul: Ten Ancient Chinese Secrets to Tap into a Woman’s Creative Potential by Randine Lewis, Ph.D, L.Ac. (Beyond World Publishing, $17.50, Paperback.)

Being fertile and fruitful has traditionally implied physically giving birth to a child—but it also applies to giving birth to the self a woman most wants to be, and to living a life filled with passion, strength, and joy. The Way of the Fertile Soul outlines ten ancient Chinese medical and Taoist secrets that hold the keys to birthing a new way of living for women of all ages. It also redefines the concept of fertility for modern women by exploring the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine in a feminine Taoist model. As readers bring the secrets of eastern wisdom into their western lives, they are empowered to align imbalances; to call forth health and abundance; and to introduce a fruitful approach to life.

Fertility, in the fullest sense, is the potential for growth and the intrinsic capability for self-knowledge. These principles are illustrated by stories of women who have expanded their definition of fertility to bring a balanced, healthy, and expressive life into being by following “the Way” that Dr. Lewis outlines.

Based on the methods and teachings used in Dr. Lewis’ retreats, The Way of the Fertile Soul uses qi gong exercises, self-questionnaires, and guided meditations to help women connect with their inherent powers of creation and give them the power to express it fully. The conversational tone and simple, inviting approach reveals to women that their bodies are more than pure physical vessels, they are also powerful spiritual beings capable of creating an abundant life.

Journeys to the Mythical Past by Zecharia Sitchin. (Bear & Company, $24.00, Hardcover.)

In Journeys to the Mythical Past, the sequel to The Earth Chronicles Expeditions, Zecharia Sitchin tells his own story of an indefatigable dedication to finding the truth that almost cost him his life—accidentally or otherwise—when uncovering secrets of the Giza pyramids and Sphinx, and documenting the existence of a secret chamber.

Exposing hidden artifacts that contradict establishment assumptions dedicated to preserving the status quo or that baffle scientists when forced to show them, Sitchin’s firsthand accounts of his explorations take us into the inner workings of the Vatican, the enigma of a futuristic computer from a millennium ago, and the secret handiwork of a divine architect at Stonehenge, at Malta, and at a site in the Americas.

Looking deep into antiquity, Sitchin offers astounding evidence that links the Nazca lines and a mystifying adjoining site to the departure from Earth of the Anunnaki, the ancient gods who, he believes, created modern man and vowed to return.

When Prayers Aren’t Answered by John E. Welshons. (New World Library, $22.95, Hardcover.)

Have you ever asked yourself where to find comfort in a world that seems so fraught with danger, where loss, frustration, and disappointment strike so unpredictably? Do you wonder how to respond when fervent prayer seems to go unheeded? Have you questioned how you can relate to a God who does not always prevent tragedy, whose power sometimes seems limited or, at least, withheld?

When Prayers Aren’t Answered faces these tough questions head on and offers clear direction through life’s difficult times. John Welshons does not ignore suffering, nor does he attempt to put a smiling face on tragic events. While looking directly at life’s most challenging experiences, he helps us learn how to work through those trials, to become fully alive and awake, with honesty, love, and equanimity.

Stories of the transformative experiences in Welshons’ life and the lives of those he has counseled open our eyes to the love, hope, and wisdom that can shine through dark times. With insights gathered from the world’s great spiritual traditions, he demonstrates how to use the painful circumstances in life as fuel for our own spiritual journey, and helps us find true and lasting happiness, not in spite of life’s inevitable losses and disappointments, but through them. Welshon gently guides us to a new understanding of prayer and how to best use it to feel spiritually connected, joyful, and peaceful in our modern world.

Freedom Is: Liberating Your Boundless Potential by Brandon Bays. (New World Library, $14.95, Paperback.)

In an age where most look outside themselves for guidance, Brandon Bays offers clear and simple ways for us to travel inward to reach our true potential. She says she wrote Freedom Is to give people a living experience of freedom. It is a powerful call from deep within to come home to the boundless presence of grace that is always here. Rather than a quick read where we simply collect more knowledge or anecdotal tidbits, it is meant to provide an experience of the infinite. It is an invitation to relax, become still and sense a strong presence pulling us into ourselves, into the wordless wisdom already here.

This presence is our own essence. It is vast, free, and completely whole. It is a huge unborn potential, full of creativity, genius, wisdom—capable of creating anything. It is alive with grace, always here and continuously available.

Freedom Is is filled with powerfully effective process work, user friendly tools, meditations, contemplations, and inspiring stories selected to open our heart and draw us into the sublime presence of freedom. It shows us how to liberate ourselves from any emotional blocks we may have, lift away negative self-concepts, and release past limitations so we open naturally onto our own magnificence.

Homeopathic Color & Sound Remedies by Ambika Wauters. (Crossing Press, $14.95, Paperback.)

For centuries the Tibetans have used sound vibrations emitted from singing bowls and bells to heal the chakras. The sun-worshipping Egyptians recognized the vibrational healing properties of color, and current clinical studies have shown that our exposure to the sun’s spectrum can affect our physical and mental health. Today, Ambika Wauters has forged a revolutionary path in healing by integrating the ancient wisdom of vibrational medicine with homeopathy. In her expanded edition of Homeopathic Color and Sound Remedies, she potentizes light and sound to make homeopathic tinctures that help to reestablish balance and health.

Included in this book are easy to use charts that outline the precise location of the chakras, an in-depth discussion of the qualities of each of them and the remedies that work best, and a detailed questionnaire to determine the state of the chakras. It also has a guide to colors and sounds that correspond to certain life issues in need of attention, and a chart of the physical, emotional, and mental symptoms associated with each color and sound. Wauters also offers case studies that showcase the remedies’ effectiveness.

By studying the qualities of color and sound remedies, we can gauge our progress in our personal and physical development. Homeopathic Color and Sound Remedies presents not only the means to rebalance eternal energy systems and blocked chakras, but also insight into the symptoms of ill health.