Inprint - New Books of interest by Jeanne Spiro

Gandhi & Jesus: The Saving Power of Nonviolence by Terrence R. Rynne. (Orbis Books, $20.00, Paperback.)

From our fascination with tracking down criminals and administering punishment, to the popularity of television shows like CSI and Law and Order, our culture is dominated by the myth of retributive justice, says Terrence J. Rynne in his new book Gandhi & Jesus. In it he shows how the way of nonviolence taught by Mahatma Gandhi and Jesus offers a restorative justice in which love and truth transform the transgressor.

For Gandhi, the way to break the cycle of violence was to meet opponents with a willingness to suffer in an attempt to break through to their hearts. His ultimate sacrifice was losing his life to an assassin. Although a Hindu, he was heavily influenced by Christianity, particularly the Sermon on the Mount, the concept of the Kingdom of God, and the symbol of the cross.

In Gandhi & Jesus, Rynne explores the work of four theologians in the Christian pacifist tradition who reveal the centrality of nonviolence in the life and death of Jesus. He feels that any understanding of the nonviolent Jesus is incomplete without reclaiming the cross from centuries of distorted interpretations. The prevailing notion of the crucifixion as payment or substitution for humanity’s sins suggests a vengeful, bloodthirsty God who demands retribution. Instead he died because of the way he lived. Politically and historically, it was the consequence of a nonviolent way of life – a life spent, like Gandhi, serving outcasts and the oppressed. “For Gandhi and for these theologians, Christian salvation has meaning only if it leads to changed behavior in the world, only if it enlists the followers of Jesus in the fight against unjust suffering, and only if it impels people to build a more peaceful world.

Stop America’s #1 Killer!: Reversible Vitamin Deficiency Found to be Origin of All Coronary Heart Disease by Thomas E. Levy, M.D., J.D. (LivOn Books, $29.95, Paperback.)

In the next 24 hours, over 2500 Americans will die from Coronary Heart Disease. The financial impact of CHD during that same time will approach five and a half million dollars. Based on governmental health statistics, over 25 million Americans are currently diagnosed with CHD and during the next year over six hundred thousand of us will die from this disease. Beyond the age of fifty, our chances of suffering from CHD are greater than the chance of getting heads on a simple coin toss.

Stop America’s #1 Killer! provides evidence that some conditions we all now consider as risk factors all start with the depletion of arterial vitamin C levels (arterial scurvy) and are often just the body’s way of compensating for the weakness in arterial walls caused by arterial scurvy.

Dr. Levy, whose views differ from the conventional medical world, identifies three causes that are responsible for the majority of heart disease. He gives step by step instruction on how to eliminate these and other causes and undo much of any damage already done. In this simple and inexpensive three-pronged approach, he tells us how to reverse and prevent arterial blockages that cause millions of heart attacks and send droves of Americans for open heart surgery.

Sacred Secrets: Finding Your Way to Joy, Peace and Prosperity edited by Paula Godwin Coppel. (Unity House, $14.95, Paperback.)

Sacred Secrets illuminates the Law of Attraction and other spiritual principles that have been taught by the Unity Movement since 1889. Featuring a special message from Michael Beckwith, one of the contributors to The Secret, this collection of 35 essays by Unity writers, teachers, ministers, and supporters explores essential spiritual truths for living a happy, healthy, and meaningful life.

Whether you’re facing a life challenge, seeking deeper spiritual understanding, or simply wanting to make an already good life great, you’ll find practical guidance in these stories. They not only offer insight into how to purposefully change your thinking, but also teach you how to use other spiritual laws such as the principles of prosperity, gratitude, forgiveness, and acceptance. By aligning yourself with your sacred source and putting these laws into practice, you can unleash the extraordinary power within you.

Created by the publishers of the Daily Word devotional magazine, Sacred Secrets will help you claim the joy, peace, and prosperity that are meant to be yours—right here and right now.

Standing at Water’s Edge: Moving Past Fear, Blocks, and Pitfalls to Discover the Power of Creative Immersion by Anne Paris, Ph.D. (New World Library, $13.95, Paperback.)

For most people who seek to create—whether artists, writers, or business people—the daily task of immersing ourselves in creative work is both a joy and a profound challenge. Instead of stepping easily into the creative state, we succumb to chronic procrastination and torturous distraction.

In Standing at Water’s Edge, psychologist Anne Paris calls on her extensive experience in working with creative clients to explore the deep psychological hopes and fears that block us from creative immersion. Employing cutting-edge theory and research, Paris weaves together a new understanding of the artist during the creative process. Rather than presenting the creation of art as a lonely, solitary endeavor, she shows how relationships with others are actually crucial to creativity. Shining a light on the secret world of creativity, that innermost experience of the artist as he or she engages with others, the artwork, and the audience—Paris explores how our sense of connection with others can aid or inhibit creative immersion. She reveals a unique model of mirrors, heroes, and twins to explore the key relationships that support creativity. Paris’ groundbreaking psychological approach gives artists valuable new insight into our own creative process, allowing us to unlock our potential and finish our greatest projects.

Ask Your Animal: Resolving Behavioral Issues through Intuitive Communication by Marta Williams. (New World Library, $14.95, Paperback.)

Ask Your Animal provides a clear, hands-on guide to relating with animals and nature using intuitive communication. Starting with a basic overview of what it means to communicate intuitively with animals, Marta Williams offers case studies of how such communication can work. Guiding us step by step to a new understanding of how and when animals communicate, she teaches simple ways to begin interpreting and testing the signals animals give to humans.

With a focus on solving common animal behavior issues, Ask Your Animal offers concrete suggestions for building a peaceable animal kingdom within the home. Perhaps a dog constantly barks or lunges, or a cat goes missing or won’t eat. Maybe there is a new animal in the household or a new child, and another animal is reacting inappropriately. Or a horse shies and won’t respond to training. All of these issues and more are dealt with through examples, exercises, and case studies.

Each chapter includes success stores and case histories from Williams’ consultations work. Exercises will help build skills and practice new techniques as we learn them, making relationships with our companion animals a two-way connection.

God Without Religion: Questioning Centuries of Accepted Truths by Śankara Śaranam. (Benbella Books, $14.95, Paperback.)

Religion is meant to unite believers, but more often it creates barriers to greater peace and understanding. As scholars, scientists, and ecclesiastic leaders continue to argue over religious records and interpretations, there needs to be a more inclusive solution toward reaching salvation—one outside the limits of book-based doctrine. Śankara Śaranam offers a solution in God Without Religion.

Śaranam examines both historical and contemporary notions of spirituality to offer a new answer to the eternal question: What is God? He shows how developing a personal relationship with God outside of dogma and blind belief can expand faith, bring peace of mind, and help humanity live by the very virtues of good and evil that are attributed to God’s law. He offers a purer path toward God’s love through personal reflection and spiritual investigation. He gives seventeen techniques that aim to open up our sense of self, including affirmations, introspective writing exercises, meditations on ethical conduct, explorations of God’s image, and pranayama-based energy practices. He offers those who have ever questioned their spiritual beliefs and practices a bridge to a more fulfilling, honest, and meaningful relationship with God.

Traditional Thai Yoga: The Postures and Healing Practices of Ruesri Dat Ton by Enrico Corsi and Elena Fanfani. (Healing Arts Press, $19.95, Paperback.)

Traditional Thai yoga, Ruesri Dat Ton, is an individual yoga practice rooted in the ancient Ayurvedic tradition. It consists of exercises that originated with Buddha’s own physician. Enrico Corsi and Elena Fanfani present sixty of these postures, fully illustrated, with step by step instructions. Each posture is designed to stimulate self-healing by rebalancing the flow of energy in the body.

Each of the postures works within the sen energy system that underlies Thai medicine. Fundamental to the practice is the retention of breath once the body has assumed the desired posture. The practitioner concentrates the breath on the place where the body is storing tension or dysfunction. When the breath is exhaled, the body also expels the negative energy, allowing restorative energy to take its place.

The simple yet highly effective postures address many common ailments—including physical ailments of the back, knees, shoulders, hips, arms, feet, and neck and more generalized ailments such as nausea and shortness of breath. As a whole, the exercises promote weight loss and improve flexibility, muscle tone, and circulation, providing an overall sense of balanced wellbeing.