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Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief
by David Winston Steven MaimesThe definitive guide to adaptogenic herbs, formerly known as “tonics,” that counter the effects of age and stress on the body • Reveals how adaptogens increase the body’s resistance to adverse influences • Provides a history of the use of these herbal remedies and the actions, properties, preparation, and dosage for each herb We all deal with stress every day, and every day our bodies strive to adapt and stay balanced and healthy. In Adaptogens, authors David Winston and Steven Maimes provide a comprehensive look into adaptogens, non-toxic herbs such as ginseng, eleuthero, and licorice, that produce a defensive response to stress in our bodies. Formerly known as rejuvenating herbs or tonics, adaptogens help the body to “adapt” to the many influences it encounters. They increase stamina and counter the normal effects of aging and thus are becoming important tools in sports medicine and in the prevention and treatment of chronic fatigue and other stress-related disorders. Winston and Maimes present the historical uses of these herbal remedies in India, Russia, China, and the Americas and explain how they work and why they are so effective at combating stress-induced illness. Monographs for each adaptogen also present the latest scientific research and include the origin, traditional use, actions, properties, preparation, and dosage for each herb.
Matrix Meditations: A 16-week Program for Developing the Mind-Heart Connection
by Kooch N. Daniels Victor Daniels65 dynamic meditation techniques for manifesting your desires and multiplying the power of your mind • Contains meditation practices from both Eastern and Western traditions • Includes proven techniques for increasing mental clarity, replacing negative behaviors that have become habits, and realizing your desires Matrix Meditations offers dynamic meditation practices derived from both Eastern and Western spiritual traditions to develop intuition, manifest desires, and empower the self by forging a strong heart-mind relationship. The authors provide a systematic 16-week program that is designed to develop heightened awareness and deeper states of consciousness for readers with any level of meditation experience, moving from lessons in classical Eastern techniques to advanced levels that employ methods not found elsewhere. Four key forms of meditation are used in the book: concentration, mindfulness, contemplation, and adventures in awareness. These are applied to specific practices that range from improving mental clarity and memory to replacing self-limiting patterns of thinking and behaving in which you may be trapped. Each of the 65 meditations offers a doorway into a different chamber of your consciousness and an opportunity to learn more about your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual nature. The matrix can also be used as an oracle to guide you to the most valuable meditation you need for the present moment--be it love, balance, conflict, dreams, renewal, or celebration. These meditation techniques are designed to create healing and harmony between the mind and emotions, allowing you to attain not only greater financial and emotional security and well-being but also life-long spiritual growth.
Autobiography of a Sadhu: A Journey into Mystic India
by RampuriThe first insider account of an ancient and secretive tradition • By the first foreigner to become a member, and later an elder, of the Juna Akhara, the oldest and largest grouping of Naga Babas • Filled with true accounts of magic, miracles, ghosts, and austerities • With lessons on Hindu gods, ayurveda, and Indian culture woven throughout After traveling at age 18 from his native California to India in 1969, Rampuri was drawn to the Naga Babas, an ancient and wild order of naked yogis whom he calls the “Hell’s Angels of Indian Spirituality.” Organized into a sect by Adi Shankara in the 5th century BC, the Naga Babas see themselves as the ultimate protectors of the Sanatan Dharma, or what we call the Hindu religion. Rampuri became a disciple of a Naga Baba--a master shaman sadhu--from Rajasthan and, as foretold by astrological prophecy, soon found himself the first foreigner to become an initiate of the Juna Akhara, the oldest and largest grouping of Naga Babas with more than 50,000 sadhu members. From drinking the “Nectar of Immortality” at the source of the Ganges River to allegations of tantric murder, this autobiography is filled with true accounts of magic, miracles, ghosts, and austerities, with lessons on Hindu gods, ayurveda, mantra, and Indian culture woven throughout. Through his journey of extremes, Rampuri takes us into the mystic heart of India.
DMT: A Doctor's Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences
by Rick StrassmanA clinical psychiatrist explores the effects of DMT, one of the most powerful psychedelics known. • A behind-the-scenes look at the cutting edge of psychedelic research. • Provides a unique scientific explanation for the phenomenon of alien abduction experiences. From 1990 to 1995 Dr. Rick Strassman conducted U.S. Government-approved and funded clinical research at the University of New Mexico in which he injected sixty volunteers with DMT, one of the most powerful psychedelics known. His detailed account of those sessions is an extraordinarily riveting inquiry into the nature of the human mind and the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. DMT, a plant-derived chemical found in the psychedelic Amazon brew, ayahuasca, is also manufactured by the human brain. In Strassman's volunteers, it consistently produced near-death and mystical experiences. Many reported convincing encounters with intelligent nonhuman presences, aliens, angels, and spirits. Nearly all felt that the sessions were among the most profound experiences of their lives. Strassman's research connects DMT with the pineal gland, considered by Hindus to be the site of the seventh chakra and by Rene Descartes to be the seat of the soul. DMT: The Spirit Molecule makes the bold case that DMT, naturally released by the pineal gland, facilitates the soul's movement in and out of the body and is an integral part of the birth and death experiences, as well as the highest states of meditation and even sexual transcendence. Strassman also believes that "alien abduction experiences" are brought on by accidental releases of DMT. If used wisely, DMT could trigger a period of remarkable progress in the scientific exploration of the most mystical regions of the human mind and soul.
The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion: How Feelings Link the Brain, the Body, and the Sixth Sense
by Larry Dossey Marc S. Micozzi Michael A. JawerA cutting-edge examination of feelings, not thoughts, as the gateway to understanding consciousness • Contends that emotion is the greatest influence on personality development • Offers a new perspective on immunity, stress, and psychosomatic conditions • Explains how emotion is key to understanding out-of-body experience, apparitions, and other anomalous perceptions Contemporary science holds that the brain rules the body and generates all our feelings and perceptions. Michael Jawer and Dr. Marc Micozzi disagree. They contend that it is our feelings that underlie our conscious selves and determine what we think and how we conduct our lives. The less consciousness we have of our emotional being, the more physical disturbances we are likely to have--from ailments such as migraines, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and post-traumatic stress to anomalous perceptions such as apparitions and involuntary out-of-body experiences. Using the latest scientific research on immunity, sensation, stress, cognition, and emotional expression, the authors demonstrate that the way we process our feelings provides a key to who is most likely to experience these phenomena and why. They explain that emotion is a portal into the world of extraordinary perception, and they provide the studies that validate the science behind telepathic dreams, poltergeists, and ESP. The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion challenges the prevailing belief that the brain must necessarily rule the body. Far from being by-products of neurochemistry, the authors show that emotions are the key vehicle by which we can understand ourselves and our interactions with the world around us as well as our most intriguing--and perennially baffling--experiences.
Tantric Sex for Men: Making Love a Meditation
by Diana Richardson Michael RichardsonA revolutionary approach to male sexuality offers the keys to achieving sexual fulfillment • Teaches how to retain semen for increased vitality and longer lovemaking • Explains the relationship-strengthening benefits of deep, sustained penetration • Includes foreplay approaches and position sequences Fulfilling sex nourishes love, increases vitality, and boosts mental health. Unfortunately, prevailing attitudes about male sexuality and what is good sex work against these innate features by focusing on the excitement of ejaculation as the one and only goal. Using the tantric guidelines they have practiced for more than 25 years, Diana and Michael Richardson show men how to move beyond their preconceptions of sex as a goal-oriented--and often unintentionally stressful--event so they can relax into sex as a meditative union of complementary energies. They explain how retaining semen allows for increased vitality and extended lovemaking sessions and show the relationship-strengthening benefits of deep, sustained penetration. They also explain how to perform soft penetration and how to avoid premature ejaculation. Tantric Sex for Men includes tried-and-true foreplay approaches, diagrams of sexual position sequences, ways to increase sexual sensitivity through awareness, and how to have ecstatic experiences through reaching a woman’s body on a sexually deeper level. The authors also demonstrate how the sexual organs can be used to heal both men and women physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Tantric Secrets for Men: What Every Woman Will Want Her Man to Know about Enhancing Sexual Ecstasy
by Diane Riley Kerry RileyContains everything a man needs to know in order to be a good lover, based on esoteric traditions of sexual ecstasy. • Includes practical and easy-to-follow Tantric rituals and sacred sexuality exercises for a modern lifestyle. • Uses real-life stories of couples to show the benefits achieved with the practices. • Offers an approach to lovemaking that encompasses all dimensions--physical, emotional, and spiritual. • Written by the co-creators of The Secrets of Sacred Sex video Being a good lover isn't easy. With more freedom, knowledge, and body awareness, today's woman knows better than to settle for predictable, performance-based sex. Tantric Secrets for Men offers everything a man needs to know in order to satisfy a woman's physical, emotional, and spiritual yearnings. Employing the ancient secrets of physical ecstasy, men learn to transform rote sex into passionate lovemaking, pleasure into ecstasy, and partnership into union. From the expert teachings of a committed couple practicing and teaching ecstatic sexuality in a modern-day context, men will learn how to satisfy a woman on the levels of body, heart, and soul--and how to bring themselves to new heights of ecstasy in the process. The authors draw upon time-honored tantric and Taoist practices and modern sexology that will enable couples to make love more frequently, achieve higher and prolonged states of orgasmic intensity, experience lovemaking as a sacred endeavor, and deepen loving relationships.
WorldShift 2012: Making Green Business, New Politics, and Higher Consciousness Work Together
by Deepak Chopra Ervin Laszlo Mikhail GorbachevA handbook for conscious change that could transform the current world crisis into planetary renewal • Outlines the problems that make today’s world prone to breakdown and suggests actions we must adopt in politics, business, and everyday life • Replaces the limited consciousness of our failing society with the holistic consciousness that is rooted in the Akashic field The deepening economic crisis and the threat posed by climate change and other social and ecological trends has caused many to despair. But with great danger comes great opportunity--the opportunity for fundamental change that will transform our societies from top to bottom. In WorldShift 2012, Ervin Laszlo brings together insights for creating sustainable positive change from spiritual leaders, scientists, and visionary businesspeople--people such as Albert Einstein, Mohammad Yunus, Václav Havel, Eckhart Tolle, Ken Wilber, David Korten, Paul Hawken, and Tomoyo Nonaka, former CEO of Sanyo Electronics. He shows how we can replace the limited consciousness of our failing society with the holistic consciousness that is reflected in the unified field of quantum physics: the Akashic field. We have an opportunity to move from the current political and business model of grow or die to a sustainable world respectful of human beings, nature, and the planet. Change on this level calls for a profound shift in consciousness and a clear understanding that--as cutting-edge physics shows--we are truly connected with each other and with the cosmos. This book presents clear evidence of this connectedness and describes the tools we need to make our world greener and our planet safer as we strive to realize the holistic consciousness of connection through the Akashic field.
The Sexual Herbal: Prescriptions for Enhancing Love and Passion
by Brigitte MarsA self-help guide to herbal and natural remedies for lifelong sexual vitality • Includes an in-depth catalog of herbs that boost sexual health • Shows how to use aromatherapy, aphrodisiacs, and bedroom feng shui to enhance sexuality • Provides herbal remedies for common ailments, such as infertility, erectile dysfunction, and urinary tract infections For thousands of years people have used herbs to nourish the body and boost sexual vitality in a safe, natural way. In The Sexual Herbal renowned herbalist Brigitte Mars offers a compendium of herbal, homeopathic, and other holistic remedies to help individuals and couples attract and maintain healthy love relationships and naturally treat sexual dysfunctions. The author provides an in-depth catalog of herbs that promote sexual vitality and health, such as ginseng, licorice, and red raspberry leaf. She also offers recipes for aphrodisiac “superfoods” as well as herbal remedies for both men’s and women’s reproductive health issues--ranging from PMS, menopause, urinary tract infections, erectile dysfunction, and prostate disorders to infertility and STDs. The book includes chapters on yoga and Taoist exercises, massage and acupressure techniques, and vitamins and their effects on men’s and women’s respective physiology as well as recipes for aromatherapy love potions, baths, and perfumes; advice on kissing, foreplay, afterplay, and sexual positions; and suggested feng shui for the bedroom. The author also offers remedies for coping with infidelity, healing a broken heart, finding a mate, and keeping your love alive.
Healing Love through the Tao: Cultivating Female Sexual Energy
by Mantak ChiaA new edition of the bestseller• The first book to reveal in the West the Taoist techniques that enable women to cultivate and enhance their sexual energy• Reveals Taoist secrets for shortening menstruation, reducing cramps, and compressing more chi into the ovaries for greater sexual power• Teaches the practice of total body orgasmFor thousands of years the sexual principles and techniques presented here were taught by Taoist masters in secret only to a small number of people (sworn to silence), in the royal courts and esoteric circles of China. This is the first book to make this ancient knowledge available to the West.The foundation of healing love is the cultivation, transformation, and circulation of sexual energy, known as jing. Jing energy is creative, generative energy that is vital for the development of chi (vital life-force energy) and shen (spiritual energy), which enables higher practices of spiritual development. Jing is produced in the sexual organs, and it is energy women lose continually through menstruation and child bearing. Mantak Chia teaches powerful techniques developed by Taoist masters for the conservation of jing and how it is used to revitalize women's physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Among the many benefits conferred by these practices are a reduction in the discomfort caused by menstruation and the ability to attain full-body orgasm.
Sexual Reflexology: Activating the Taoist Points of Love
by Mantak Chia William U. WeiMoves reflexology beyond the realm of foot massage and into the realm of sexuality.• Offers acupressure methods to build intimacy and heighten sexual pleasure.• Helps couples find their sexual energy potential and physical compatibility.• Provides techniques to perform time-tested Taoist sexual-spiritual exercises. • By Mantak Chia, coauthor of The Multi-Orgasmic Man. The most powerful reflex points on the body are on the sexual organs. While the practice of reflexology is normally associated with massage of the feet, in Sexual Reflexology Mantak Chia gives applications for using the sexual reflex points in lovemaking, transforming sexual intercourse into a form of ecstatic acupressure. By combining the classic Taoist sexual texts with modern reflexology theory, the author provides a unique opportunity for couples to practice sexual intimacy as an act of healing. Mantak Chia shows how to evaluate a person's sexual energy potential as well as how the size and shape of the sexual organs determine a couple's compatibility. In addition to the specific ecstatic acupressure exercise instructions, he provides thoughtful commentary on ancient Taoist practices that reveal how we can all use our sexual essence to create healthy and loving relationships.
The Secret History of Western Sexual Mysticism: Sacred Practices and Spiritual Marriage
by Arthur VersluisThe first book to reveal the history of Western sexual mysticism • Reveals the secret sexual practices that have been used since ancient Greece to achieve mystical union with God • Details the sects and individuals who transmitted the radical sexual practices that orthodox Christianity never completely silenced • Distinguishes between sexual magic and sexual mysticism Beginning with the ancient Greek Mystery traditions, Gnosticism, and the practices in early Christianity, Arthur Versluis uncovers the secret line of Western sexual mysticism that, like the Tantra of the East, seeks transcendence or union with God through sexual practices. Throughout antiquity, and right into the present day, sexuality has played an important, if largely hidden, role in religious traditions and practices. This includes not only Christian but also kabbalistic and hermetic alchemical currents of sexual mysticism, many discussed together here for the first time. In the Mystery tradition of hieros gamos (sacred marriage) and the Gnostic tradition of spiritual marriage, we see the possibility of divine union in which sexual union is the principal sign or symbol. Key to these practices is the inner or archetypal union of above and below, the intermingling of the revelatory divine world with the mundane earthly one. Versluis shows that these secret currents of sexual mysticism helped fuel the rise of the troubadours and their erotic doctrine, the esoteric teachings of Jacob Böhme in the late 16th century, the 19th-century utopian communities of John Humphrey Noyes and Thomas Lake Harris, the free love movement of the 20th century, and the modern writings of Denis de Rougemont and Alan Watts.
Pagan Astrology: Spell-Casting, Love Magic, and Shamanic Stargazing
by Raven KalderaA guide to the practice of planetary magic • Offers tools for practitioners of green magic and folk magic to incorporate astrology into their practice • Includes an extensive collection of magical remedies to resolve astrological afflictions • Provides information on creating planetary altars and the astrological correspondences of traditional pagan holidays Traditionally, magically oriented astrology has focused on Sun-sign horoscopes while modern Western astrology has focused on attempting to become as “scientific” as possible in hopes of aligning with its sister science of astronomy. In Pagan Astrology, Raven Kaldera, a practicing astrologer and Pagan shaman, uses the commonalities and strengths of Western astrology and Pagan green magic to introduce a hands-on astrological practice that incorporates intuition, spells, and other modes of folk magic into astrology. Kaldera includes an extensive compendium of modern magical remedies to counteract negative astrological influences and shows how to use planetary energy to aid Pagan worship and green magic practice through spell casting, love magic, and shamanic stargazing. Kaldera also explains how to create planetary altars that enhance the astrological correspondences of traditional Pagan holidays using the tools of folk magic. Practitioners of green and folk magic and those who love traditional astrology will welcome this unique approach to planetary magic.
Quantum Shift in the Global Brain: How the New Scientific Reality Can Change Us and Our World
by Ervin LaszloThe shift from scientific materialism to a multidimensional worldview in harmony with the world’s great spiritual traditions• Articulates humanity’s critical choice--to be the last decade of an outgoing, obsolete world, or the first of a new and viable one• Presents a new “reality map” to guide us through the environmental, scientific, and geopolitical upheavals we are experiencingOur world is in a Macroshift. The reality we are experiencing today is a substantially new reality--climate change, global corporations, industrialized agriculture--challenging us to change with our rapidly changing world, lest we perish. In this book, Ervin Laszlo presents a new “reality map” to guide us through the world shifts we are experiencing--the problems, opportunities, and challenges we face individually as well as collectively--in order to help us understand what we must do during this time of great transition. Science’s cutting edge now views reality as broader, as multiple universes arising in a possibly infinite meta-universe, as well as deeper, extending into dimensions at the subatomic level. Laszlo shows that aspects of human experience that had previously been consigned to the domain of intuition and speculation are now being explored with scientific rigor and urgency. There has been a shift in the materialistic scientific view of reality toward the multidimensional worldview of multiple interconnected realities long known by the world’s great spiritual traditions. By understanding the interconnectedness of our changing world as well as our changing “map” of the world, we can navigate with insight, wisdom, and confidence.
Science and the Akashic Field: An Integral Theory of Everything
by Ervin LaszloPresents the unifying world-concept long sought by scientists, mystics, and sages: an Integral Theory of Everything • Explains how modern science has rediscovered the Akashic Field of perennial philosophy • New edition updates ongoing scientific studies, presents new research inspired by the first edition, and includes new case studies and a section on animal telepathy Mystics and sages have long maintained that there exists an interconnecting cosmic field at the roots of reality that conserves and conveys information, a field known as the Akashic record. Recent discoveries in vacuum physics show that this Akashic Field is real and has its equivalent in science’s zero-point field that underlies space itself. This field consists of a subtle sea of fluctuating energies from which all things arise: atoms and galaxies, stars and planets, living beings, and even consciousness. This zero-point Akashic Field is the constant and enduring memory of the universe. It holds the record of all that has happened on Earth and in the cosmos and relates it to all that is yet to happen. In Science and the Akashic Field, philosopher and scientist Ervin Laszlo conveys the essential element of this information field in language that is accessible and clear. From the world of science he confirms our deepest intuitions of the oneness of creation in the Integral Theory of Everything. We discover that, as philosopher William James stated, “We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep.”
Tantric Orgasm for Women
by Diana RichardsonA revolutionary approach to female sexuality that focuses on relaxation as the key to achieving deep orgasmic states• Explores how receptive feminine energy influences the male-female exchange• Reevaluates the role of the clitoris, breasts, and vagina in achieving orgasm• Provides ancient tantric meditations for increased sensitivity and awarenessFulfilling sex nourishes love, rejuvenates the body, and boosts mental health. Unfortunately, prevailing attitudes in the West work against the natural capacity of women to realize their sexual potential and experience deep orgasmic states. Tantric Orgasm for Women offers women a fresh look at the ecstatic bliss possible within their bodies, using knowledge and approaches from the sensually cultivated traditions of the East.Exploring Tantra from the female perspective, Diana Richardson reveals the critical role receptive feminine energy plays in allowing orgasmic states to arise. Her 20 years of tantric research and personal experience provide readers with an understanding of how the various parts of the female body may be activated to deepen ecstatic states. Readers will learn how to re-circulate orgasmic energy; why breast stimulation takes priority over vaginal attention; the difference between soft penetration and deep sustained penetration, including how to avoid premature male ejaculation; and how women can strengthen the erection response of male partners. Tantric Orgasm for Women shows how women can exert a powerful influence on their sexual experiences when they understand the inner workings of their bodies and when they avoid adopting conventional ideas about what should be satisfying to them.
Tryptamine Palace: 5-MeO-DMT and the Sonoran Desert Toad
by James OrocA journey from Burning Man to the Akashic Field that suggest how 5-MeO-DMT triggers the human capacity for higher knowledge through direct contact with the zero-point field • Examines Bufo alvarius toad venom, which contains the potent natural psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT, and explores its entheogenic use • Proposes a new connection between the findings of modern physics and the knowledge held by shamans and religious sages for millennia The venom from Bufo alvarius, an unusual toad found in the Sonoran desert, contains 5-MeO-DMT, a potent natural chemical similar in effect to the more common entheogen DMT. The venom can be dried into a powder, which some researchers speculate was used ceremonially by Amerindian shamans. When smoked it prompts an instantaneous break with the physical world that causes out-of-body experiences completely removed from the conventional dimensions of reality. In Tryptamine Palace, James Oroc shares his personal experiences with 5-MeODMT, which led to a complete transformation of his understanding of himself and of the very fabric of reality. Driven to comprehend the transformational properties of this substance, Oroc combined extensive studies of physics and philosophy with the epiphanies he gained from his time at Burning Man. He discovered that ingesting tryptamines unlocked a fundamental human capacity for higher knowledge through direct contact with the zero-point field of modern physics, known to the ancients as the Akashic Field. In the quantum world of nonlocal interactions, the line between the physical and the mental dissolves. 5-MeO-DMT, Oroc argues, can act as a means to awaken the remarkable capacities of the human soul as well as restore experiential mystical spirituality to Western civilization.
The Akashic Experience: Science and the Cosmic Memory Field
by Ervin LaszloFirsthand testimonies by 20 leaders in culture and science of their interactions with the Akashic field • Provides important evidence for the authenticity of nonmaterial contact that human beings have with each other and with the cosmos • Demonstrates that the increasing frequency and intensity of these experiences is evidence of a widespread spiritual resurgence • Includes contributions by Alex Grey, Stanislav Grof, Stanley Krippner, Swami Kriyananda, Edgar Mitchell, and others Knowing or feeling that we are all connected to each other and to the cosmos by more than our eyes and ears is not a new notion but one as old as humanity. Traditional indigenous societies were fully aware of nonmaterial connections and incorporated them into their daily life. The modern world, however, continues to dismiss and even deny these intangible links--taking as real only that which is physically manifest or proved “scientifically.” Consequently our mainstream culture is spiritually impoverished, and the world we live in has become disenchanted. In The Akashic Experience, 20 leading authorities in fields such as psychiatry, physics, philosophy, anthropology, natural healing, near death experience, and spirituality offer firsthand accounts of interactions with a cosmic memory field that can transmit information to people without having to go through the senses. Their experiences with the Akashic field are now validated and supported by evidence from cutting-edge sciences that shows that there is a cosmic memory field that contains all information--past, present, and future. The increasing frequency and intensity of these Akashic experiences are an integral part of a large-scale spiritual resurgence and evolution of human consciousness that is under way today.
The Haitian Vodou Handbook: Protocols for Riding with the Lwa
by Kenaz FilanA working guide to the proper methods of interacting with the full Vodou pantheon • Includes the myths, cultural heritage, and ancestral lineage of the lwa and how to honor and serve them • Provides an introduction and guide that is especially useful for the solitary practitioner • Discusses the relationship between Vodou, Haitian culture, and Catholicism In The Haitian Vodou Handbook, Kenaz Filan, an initiate of the Société la Belle Venus, presents a working guide to the proper methods of interacting with the full Vodou pantheon, explaining how to build respectful relationships with the lwa, the spirits honored in Haitian Vodou, and how to transform the fear that often surrounds the Vodou religion.Until recently, the Haitian practice of Vodou was often identified with devil worship, dark curses, and superstition. Some saw the saint images and the Catholic influences and wrote Vodou off as a “Christian aberration.” Others were appalled by the animal sacrifices and the fact that the Houngans and Mambos charge money for their services. Those who sought Vodou because they believed it could harness “evil” forces were disappointed when their efforts to gain fame, fortune, or romance failed and so abandoned their “voodoo fetishes.” Those who managed to get the attention of the lwa, often received cosmic retaliation for treating the spirits as attack dogs or genies, which only further cemented Vodou’s stereotype as “dangerous.”Filan offers extensive background information on the featured lwa, including their mythology and ancestral lineage, as well as specific instructions on how to honor and interact fruitfully with those that make themselves accessible. This advice will be especially useful for the solitary practitioner who doesn’t have the personal guidance of a societé available. Filan emphasizes the importance of having a quickened mind that can read the lwa’s desires intuitively in order to avoid establishing dogma-based relationships. This working guide to successful interaction with the full Vodou pantheon also presents the role of Vodou in Haitian culture and explores the symbiotic relationship Vodou has maintained with Catholicism.
The Forbidden Rumi: The Suppressed Poems of Rumi on Love, Heresy, and Intoxication
by Nevit O. Ergin Will JohnsonThe first collection of poems translated into English from the forbidden volume of the Divan of Rumi• Presents Rumi’s most heretical and free-form poems• Includes introductions and commentary that provide both 13th-century context and modern interpretationAfter his overwhelming and life-altering encounters with Shams of Tabriz, Rumi, the great thirteenth-century mystic, poet, and originator of the whirling dervishes, let go of many of the precepts of formal religion, insisting that only a complete personal dissolving into the larger energies of God could provide the satisfaction that the heart so desperately seeks. He began to speak spontaneously in the language of poetry, and his followers compiled his 44,000 verses into 23 volumes, collectively called the Divan.When Nevit Ergin decided to translate the Divan of Rumi into English, he enlisted the help of the Turkish government, which was happy to participate. The first 22 volumes were published without difficulty, but the government withdrew its support and refused to participate in the publication of the final volume due to its openly heretical nature. Now, in The Forbidden Rumi, Will Johnson and Nevit Ergin present for the first time in English Rumi’s poems from this forbidden volume. The collection is grouped into three sections: songs to Shams and God, songs of heresy, and songs of advice and admonition. In them Rumi explains that in order to transform our consciousness, we must let go of ingrained habits and embrace new ones. In short, we must become heretics.
The Seeress of Prevorst: Her Secret Language and Prophecies from the Spirit World
by John DesalvoProphecies of a 19th-century German mystic who spent seven years suspended between life and death• Focuses on the mysterious “language of the spirits” that the seeress spoke and wrote• Contains a biography of the Seeress of Prevorst’s life and illustrations of all known examples of her spiritual script and diagramsKnown as the Seeress of Prevorst, Frederika Hauffe (1801-1829) was a German mystic and clairvoyant who was subject to convulsions and trances that caused her to remain bedridden from 1822 until her death seven years later. While in this state suspended between life and death, she received revelations from the spirit world about the triune doctrine of body, soul, and spirit, and she drew precise geometrical diagrams, often in complete darkness and with astonishing speed. The spirits of the dead were said to be in constant attendance on her and were even occasionally seen by others. Her most remarkable gift, however, was the ability to write and speak in what she called “the language of the spirits,” a unique coded alphabet that incorporated numbers and primitive ideographs. Using his scientific expertise to decode her secret language and diagrams, John DeSalvo examines the life and revelations of the Seeress of Prevorst and her importance in light of spiritual development over the nearly two centuries since her death. Preceding the rise of Spiritualism by two generations, the seeress’s prophecies and teachings threw open the door to the spirit world. With one foot in each world, her life and work offer a portal into mystical realms as fascinating today as in her own time.
The New Rules of Posture: How to Sit, Stand, and Move in the Modern World
by Mary BondA manual for understanding the anatomical and emotional components of posture in order to heal chronic pain • Contains self-help exercises and ergonomics information to help correct unhealthy movement patterns • Teaches how to adopt suitable posture in the modern sedentary world Many people cause their own back and body pain through their everyday bad postural and movement habits. Many sense that their poor posture is probably the root of the problem, but they are unable to change long-standing habits. In The New Rules of Posture, Mary Bond approaches postural changes from the inside out. She explains that healthy posture comes from a new sense we can learn to feel, not by training our muscles into an ideal shape. Drawing from 35 years of helping people improve their bodies, she shows how habitual movement patterns and emotional factors lead to unhealthy posture. She contends that posture is the physical action we take to orient ourselves in relation to situations, emotions, and people; in order to improve our posture, we need to examine both our physical postural traits and the self-expression that underlies the way we sit, stand, and move. The way we walk, she says, is our body’s signature. Bond identifies the key anatomical features that impact alignment, particularly in light of our modern sedentary lives, and proposes six zones that help create postural changes: the pelvic floor, the breathing muscles, the abdomen, the hands, the feet, and the head. She offers self-help exercises that enable healthy function in each zone as well as information on basic ergonomics and case histories to inspire us to think about our own habitual movements. This book is a resource for Pilates, yoga, and dance instructors as well as healthcare professionals in educating people about postural self-care so they can relieve chronic pain and enjoy all life activities with greater ease.
Inner Paths to Outer Space: Journeys to Alien Worlds through Psychedelics and Other Spiritual Technologies
by Ede Frecska Luis Eduardo Luna Rick Strassman Slawek WojtowiczAn investigation into experiences of other realms of existence and contact with otherworldly beings • Examines how contact with alien life-forms can be obtained through the “inner space” dimensions of our minds • Presents evidence that other worlds experienced through consciousness-altering technologies are often as real as those perceived with our five senses • Correlates science fiction’s imaginal realms with psychedelic research For thousands of years, voyagers of inner space--spiritual seekers, shamans, and psychoactive drug users--have returned from their inner imaginal travels reporting encounters with alien intelligences. Inner Paths to Outer Space presents an innovative examination of how we can reach these other dimensions of existence and contact otherworldly beings. Based on their more than 60 combined years of research into the function of the brain, the authors reveal how psychoactive substances such as DMT allow the brain to bypass our five basic senses to unlock a multidimensional realm of existence where otherworldly communication occurs. They contend that our centuries-old search for alien life-forms has been misdirected and that the alien worlds reflected in visionary science fiction actually mirror the inner space world of our minds. The authors show that these “alien” worlds encountered through altered states of human awareness, either through the use of psychedelics or other methods, possess a sense of reality as great as, or greater than, those of the ordinary awareness perceived by our five senses.
Scrawny to Brawny: The Complete Guide to Building Muscle the Natural Way
by Michael Mejia John BerardiA state-of-the-art weight-lifting and nutritional blueprint for "skinny" guys who want to pack on muscle Let's face it, naturally skinny guys are at a distinct genetic disadvantage when it comes to building muscle mass. But with the proper advice, these "hardgainers" definitely can realize their fitness goals. In Scrawny to Brawny, the authors draw on their years of practical experience as private strength and nutrition coaches to provide hardgainers with: * A progressive, state-of-the-art program that optimizes results with shorter, less frequent workouts that maximize compound exercises. * A unique, action-based perspective on nutrition that shows how to prepare quick muscle-building meals and snacks-and how to take advantage of several critical times in the day when muscle growth can be stimulated by food intake. * Vital information on how to identify and fix any weak links in their physiques that may be precursors to injury. Designed not only for frustrated adult hardgainers but also--with its strong anti-steroid message--a terrific book for the large teen market, Scrawny to Brawny fills a significant gap in the weight-lifting arsenal.
Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence
by Matthew SanfordThis memoir about a car accident that ended the lives of two of the author's family members and rendered the author a paraplegic describes how the surviving family members picked up the pieces of their lives, his recuperation at the Mayo Clinic, and his decision to become a disabled yoga instructor.