In Print – April 2016

 

Secret Medicines from Your Garden: Plants for Healing, Spirituality, and Magic, by Ellen Evert Hopman (Healing Arts Press, $19.95, Paperback)

Full of mystical folklore, ancient wisdom, and modern research, this book acts as a guide for exploring herbal lore and the healing power of plants. Ellen Hopman shares the many uses of plants for food, spiritual growth, and magical ritual. She covers everything from simple home-made first aid remedies, remedies from Native American and Egyptian traditions, herbal astrology, and even shamanic Plant Spirit and Animal Spirit Medicine. Hopman also shares tips on how to intuit an unknown plant’s healing properties by using universal indications and contraindications based on different characteristics of each plant. 

 

 

Don’t Be a Jerk: And Other Practical Advice from Dogen, Japan’s Greatest Zen Master by Brad Warner (New World Library, $16.95, Paperback)

In this book, Zen priest Brad Warner uses analytical commentary to help readers better understand the timeless wisdom once shared by Japanese Monk, Eihei Dogen in his classic, The Shobogenzo. Warner shows readers how Dogen touched on topics such as feminism, reincarnation, and the debate between science and religion. Because Dogen’s work is more relevant now than it has ever been, Warner’s paraphrasing of The Shobogenzo is as helpful as it is entertaining.

 

 

Against the Pollution of the I: On the Gifts of Blindness, the Power of Poetry, and the Urgency of Awareness by Jacques Lusseyran (New World Library, $15.95, Paperback)

Blinded as a child, Jacque Lusseyran grew up to be an inspirational leader in the French Resistance, and even survived imprisonment at a Nazi concentration camp. His heroism shines through his hardships. This book contains six essays written by Lusseyran in which he conveys how our disabilities are actually our most precious gifts.  His recollections of being blinded as a child, and staying at Buchenwald are told with such vividness, beyond our usual five senses. Lusseyran also offers readers a way to reach their true self, and explains how our central “I’s” are under attack, and that we must protect ourselves from things that draw our attention away from ourselves.

 

 

Confessions, Revised and Updated: The Making of a Postdenominational Priest by Matthew Fox (North Atlantic Books, $18.95, Paperback)

Matthew Fox served for 34 years as a Dominican brother when he was expelled from the order by Cardinal Ratzinger, who was later to be known as Pope Benedict XVI. His conclusion from this acquittal was that the Church believes those who are forward thinkers should not deviate, and instead, they should stay in line with the rest. Fox draws upon ancient wisdom from mystical warriors such as Meister Eckhart and the historical Jesus, as well as touching on multiple spiritual practices to stand up for ecological, social, gender, and economic justice.

 

 

OMG!: How Children See God by Monica Parker (Health Communications, Inc., $12.95, Paperback)

This refreshing book speaks to those of all spiritual practices and faiths. Monica Parker creates a collage of sorts, using pictures and words to show what God means to children across the globe. She showcases the differences and similarities shared by children of every economic, cultural, and religious background, perhaps opening a dialogue for families about the role of faith in their lives. Sure to give you a good laugh, this book speaks to the heart and reminds us of our innocence…our inner child.

 

 

Lightworker Relationships: Creating Lasting and Healthy Bonds as an Empath by Sahvanna Arienta (New Page Books, $15.99, Paperback) 

Is it possible to give too much love? Lightworkers are beings who are sensitive and empathic, sent here as helpers of humanity to help others heal. Oftentimes, these souls are so focused on their life’s work of helping others that they forget to receive, thus creating a cycle of sorrow in their own relationships. This book will teach you how to balance your human and spiritual experience, recognize when you shut out love, create healthy boundaries, why it’s essential to receive love, and to live your divine mission while also allowing joy and happiness to appear in your life through human relationships. 

 

 

Congenital Alterable Transmissible Asymmetry: The Spiritual Meaning of Disease and Science by Morris Hyman, MD (Archway Publishing, $12.99, Paperback) 

While practicing medicine overseas during World War II, Morris Hyman, MD often found that young, seemingly healthy men had arteries that resembled those of a much older man, upon performing autopsies. What Hyman came to realize was that modern medicine existed only as an “illness maintenance system,” treating patients only after they fell ill, instead of seeking to prevent disease. After decades of research, Hyman concluded that physical health is inextricably related to spiritual and metaphysical health, stressing that true disease should be distinguished from bacterial infections and viruses.

 

 

Whole Detox: A 21-Day Personalized Program to Break Through Barriers in Every Area of Your Life by Deanna Minich (HarperOne, $27.99, Hardcover)

While most detox programs focus on mainly ridding the body of “bad” foods, this comprehensive program created by Deanna Minich addresses other obstacles that block us from looking and feeling our best. Minich helps readers to learn the seven “health systems” so that they can then identify which of their health systems is not balanced. Based on this assessment, the Whole Detox program then provides a personalized diet and offers lifestyle changes to make each individual feel more present and comfortable in their own skin.

 

 

A Most Incredible Witness by Emily L. Pittsford (WestBowPress, $11.95, Paperback)

There are no guarantees in life. Emily Pittsford knows this all too well—her son, Timothy, was taken from her suddenly after witnessing a hit-and-run murder in San Francisco. This manuscript details Pittsford’s journey through grief and healing after the loss of her son. Her raw emotions and courage to share them with the world are inspiring.

 

 

Kayla Hancock is 22 years old, and is humbled to be able to work for Conscious Community Magazine. She is a certified Deeksha blessing giver, and loves helping others find guidance using her tarot cards.  She also loves to write, and is interested in astrology, holistic health, and dream work.