Inprint - New Books of interest by Jeanne Spiro

Watermind by M.M. Buckner. (Tor, $24.95, Hardcover.)

Watermind is an environmental thriller that takes us to the near future and through the infested waters of the Mississippi River.

After dropping out of MIT, C.J. Reilly tries to escape from her troubled past by heading south. Along with her new zydeco musician boyfriend, Max, she signs up to be a contract laborer in charge of cleaning up a toxic chemical spill in the Louisiana delta near Baton Rouge. When the duo arrives at the site, they are taken by surprise when it appears as though the most southern part of the Mississippi River has frozen over.

Intrigued by the phenomenon at hand, C.J. decides to investigate. Nothing could have prepared her for what she discovers. Underneath the icy lining resides an amorphous monster composed of microchips, algae, and other biota. As her investigation grows deeper, she becomes more fascinated with the intelligent being, but then things turn deadly. When another scientist is murdered by the monster, the clean-up crew realizes the terrible threat the Watermind actually poses. During C.J.’s time spent observing the Watermind, she discovers some qualities that may be the only hope for keeping the monster from killing again.

Watermind takes us on a thrilling journey were good meets evil and the looming environmental threat becomes more realistic than before. It is a fast paced thriller with fresh characters and psychological depth.

Why Walk When You Can Fly? Soar Beyond Your Fears and Love Yourself and Others Unconditionally by Isha. (New World Library, $14.95, Paperback).

Those who seek change allow themselves to fly. Those who feel inadequate cling to the branch. Which are you? If you are clinging to the branch, what are you holding on to that stops you from flying? What will you not let go of?

These are questions at the heart of Why Walk When You Can Fly? For the past decade Isha, a widely recognized spiritual teacher in Latin America, has received international acclaim for her work in assisting profound inner change in thousands from all walks of life. Fueled by her vision of a world united in the experience of consciousness, her simple, yet revolutionary system provides a practical method for expanding consciousness so we can learn to love ourselves and our lives unconditionally. In her new book she offers a comprehensive introduction to the Isha System, which is built around four facets—simple, powerful statements of truth that expand our awareness so we can soar beyond our unconscious fears and doubts.

The first facet involves embracing the present moment. Isha explores the many habits of the mind that lead to suffering and offers this simple statement as a tool for healing them. Second is accepting what is, without judgment; third is loving ourselves and others unconditionally; and the fourth is about being one with the universe. Practicing the facets involves repeating them silently over and over, with body awareness and a pause between each repetition. Working with them brings us into the experience of our true nature—what she calls love-consciousness, with which we were all born.

See an article by Isha in the January issue of The Monthly Aspectarian online at www.lightworks.com.

Hi, I’m Bill and I’m Old: Reinventing My Sobriety for the Long Haul by William Alexander. (Hazelden, $14.95, Paperback.)

William Alexander had been sober for 23 years when, one night, he had a longing that he hadn’t experienced in nearly two decades—he envisioned himself floating off into the oblivion that only a quart of whisky could bring. Once he shook off this reverie, he began to wonder what it was that suddenly drew him to the notion of getting drunk again.

What Bill soon realized was that his mind was searching for a way to cope with a new, unfamiliar reality—a reality that left him feeling powerless. Bill was getting old, and was unprepared to confront this fact, and so turned to his old ways of dealing with feelings of helplessness—through alcohol and drugs. Thus, he took steps to adjust his world view and embrace aging as a journey of self-discovery, declaring “Old is good.”

In Hi, I’m Bill and I’m Old, Bill writes of his personal reflections and insights to present an unconventional approach to achieving true sobriety while growing old. He accepted that he was as powerless against aging as he once was over his addictions, then reframed his approach to life with the goal of living as openly, honestly, and willingly as possible. Here he blends the principles of AA with tenets discovered in his spiritual journey through Western and Eastern traditions. It can help anyone embrace the challenges that come with aging while giving those in recovery a new path for reinventing their own sobriety.

Transcendent Dreaming: Stepping into Our Human Potential by Christina Donnell, Ph.D. (Winds of Change Books, $12.95, Paperback.)

Transcendent Dreaming is Christina Donnell’s chronicle of dreaming in order to unlock our infinite human potential. As a young girl she identified a dreaming impulse within herself that later proved particularly profound—in a prophetic dream she witnessed her father’s final living moments and subsequent passing in an automobile accident. After his death, she quit her practice and spent four years traveling to indigenous cultures to investigate shamanic perspectives. Her many years of martial arts practice, Zen meditation, shamanic training and education as a clinical psychologist provided the framework for what she refers to as transcendent dreaming, where transcendent emphasizes the way to access identification with our true, limitless nature and the wonderment of our connection with the intelligence that animates the universe.

Transcendent Dreaming provides both a riveting account of this process and a viable means for realizing it. Through example, it invites us to access our infinite nature by delving deeply into our own dream experiences. It then helps bridge the chasm between identifying with our individual self and with the underlying intelligence pervading the universe. In offering this blueprint for a transcendent humanity, Transcendent Dreaming gives us back our heritage and guides us toward a future of inner peace, joy, and wonderment independent of external circumstances.

Shaolin Qi Gong: Energy in Motion by Shi Xinggui. (Destiny Books, $19.95, Paperback, includes DVD.)

The great teacher Bodhidharma is credited with the creation of Shaolin Temple qi gong and kung fu in the sixth century CE. Motivated by the terrible physical condition of the monks who spent all their time meditating or copying scrolls, his two-part system promoted physical as well as spiritual fitness and became the basis for all the martial and meditative arts taught in the Shaolin Temple. These ancient practices increase physical health and vitality, enhance creativity, and can be practiced well into old age.

Shi Xinggui, a Shaolin monk, explains the fundamental principle of qi gong—the art of mastering energy (qi) and moving it through the body, and provides clear demonstrations of all the positions and movements. In order to develop qi attentively, it is necessary to cultivate the art of slowness in both movement and breathwork. Shi Xinggui provides both a short form and a long form of the daily exercises, with lessons on heart centering, organ strengthening, and balancing the energy using the three dantians—the three energy centers of the body. A 53-minute DVD of the exercises performed by the author is included.

Food Energetics: The Spiritual, Emotional, and Nutritional Power of What We Eat by Steve Gagné. (Healing Arts Press, $24.95, Paperback.)

Food is more than simply fuel. It imparts a living wisdom that is beyond the science and mechanics of calories, grams, and nutrient values. Ancient peoples, through their relationships with the plants and animals providing their food, understood that their food conveyed the unique energetic qualities of its source, such as swiftness from wild deer and groundedness from root vegetables. With the rise of agribusiness and industrial food production, people have become disconnected from the sources of their food and are no longer able to register the subtle rhythms, harmony, and energies that food can convey. This separation has thrown the basic human-food relationship out of balance to the detriment of human consciousness.

In Food Energetics, Steve Gagné shows us how to revitalize our connection to food and remedy our physical and psychic imbalances with the wisdom of food energetics. He provides a comprehensive catalog of foods and their corresponding energetic properties and explains how each food affects us at the deepest spiritual level. By demonstrating how to plan meals that incorporate both dominant and compliant foods, he shows how to provide truly healthy cuisine that nourishes the body and the soul.

Hot Stone and Gem Massage by Dagmar Fleck and Liane Jochum. (Healing Arts Press, $16.95, Paperback.)

Since ancient times, the people of Hawaii have used hot stones for both physical and spiritual healing. Using basalt stones—fine-grained, high-density volcanic rocks with an exceptional ability to store heat—hot stone massage not only dispels tensions and soothes the soul but also enhances lymph flow, removes toxins, and fortifies the immune system. The treatment causes blood vessels to dilate, leading to improved circulation and consequently improved oxygen, nutrient, antibody, and protective cell supply to the area of the body under the stones. It is extremely effective for joint problems, back pain, and sore muscles. Beyond the strictly physical benefits, the massage also stimulates the meridians and chakras, gently dissipating energetic blockages.

This book provides step by step, fully illustrated instructions for treatments for each area of the body. It includes details on the specific healing powers of 54 gemstones, showing how to further enhance the benefits of hot stone massage with gemstone chakra treatment. It also describes the therapeutic benefits of several base and essential oils and recommends specific combinations for hot stone massage. The power of the stones, the warmth of the treatment, and the massage itself unite in this holistic therapy to provide deep relaxation and calm that recharges the body and soul.