This Month's Book Reviews

Separated At Earth, The Story Of The Psychic Twins
by Terry and Linda Jamison, Booklocker.com, 2007, 188 pgs, $19.99

This is the story of Terry and Linda Jamison and quite an adventure it is. They have overcome a lifetime of illness and pain and lived through a colorful variety of experiences to get to the point they are today. Part of their story takes place in Greenwich Village, New York where they were traveling performers with a diverse group of characters. Through their very easy style of writing, you get to know them. I found myself smiling one minute, and misting up the next. Then there were places where I burst into laughter. Born of artistic parents, they have been expressing their creative sides all their lives through painting, writing, performing, comedy and a variety of other very unique and clever ways. They realized early in their life that they possessed a rare gift for predicting the future through automatic writing. They predicted the 9/11 attack, the stock market crash in 2000 and JFK Jr’s fatal plane crash. Through their practice of Buddhism, they “discovered a new sense of purpose that we were meant to teach, inspire and motivate others… We feel a big part of our purpose is to create a bridge of understanding so that we can all embrace our intuitive gifts without fear.”

Throughout all the adversities they experienced, they somehow remained positive and knew that things would turn out for them. For Terry and Linda, this life journey is a grand adventure. They summed it up wonderfully as they wrote, “We came to realize that our disabilities were only as limiting as we chose. As a result of challenging our physical limitations, we developed our internal, spiritual abilities – the power of mind over matter – and this became our greatest gift, our authentic power… We were separated at Earth, and through adversity we found integration with ourselves, each other, and the universe.”

I love this book, I love these women and their story. The book is a total delight and opens up the possibility that we, too, can develop our natural intuitive gifts. I look forward to seeing what these amazing twins will co-create next.

Reviewed by Cindy Saul

Rooted In The Infinite, The Yoga Of Alignment
by Dr. Rebbie Straubing, YOFA, 2006, 304 pages, $16.95.

Popular phenomeNEWS columnist Rebbie Straubing’s first book is wonderful. In this easy-to-read and clearly written text, Straubing describes her system of YOFA, the yoga of alignment. She uses the analogy of a garden to describe the stages one goes through in reaching inner enlightenment, which leads to inner peace and healing. Her technique of using three points of connection, the X, Y and Z-axes which all intersect at the “root” of consciousness puts meditation into a framework that makes sense. And she includes the chakra system, combining them all together in a homogenous energetic mix of mind, body and soul connection that moves us into enhanced transcendent experience. The exercises at the end of the book compliment the information in the early chapters. Meditation is now something that everyone can align themselves with easily and effortlessly. Of course, being a big Abraham fan, I love her abundant use of their teachings throughout the book. They have obviously been a big influence in her life and in enhancing the creation of this most valuable learning tool.

Straubing uses the analogy of the garden to teach. She brings it all together in the final chapter when she writes, “The inner garden that we have been tending turns out to be the garden of the Self and it exists only at that extraordinary point where here, now and being intersect. We water this garden by pouring our uninterrupted pure consciousness on its fertile ground. We cultivate with the practices of concentration and meditation, which weed out conflicts in our vibration and bring forward the sweet fruit of our hearts’ desires.” I recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn meditation or to enhance their current meditation practice and also for novices just beginning to understand universal flow.

Thanks, Rebbie, for bringing us a practical, easy-to-use technique to brighten and lighten our path.

Reviewed by Cindy Saul

The Craving Cure
by Rena Greenberg, McGraw Hill, 2007, 218 pages, $16.95.

At last there is a book that guides us through breaking the hold that carbs and sweets have on our lives. Hypnotherapist, Rena Greenberg has done it again. Her first book, The Right Weight sold thousands of copies and in this new one goes further to enlighten us on what we eat and how it affects us.

Sugar is a drug and we undoubtedly become dependent upon it in its various forms. Greenberg goes into detail why we crave what we do and what we can do about it. Two of the keys, forgiving ourselves and trusting our judgments play a major role in our sugar recovery.

The Craving Cure teaches us to have a new source of fulfillment, to tap into our inner resources so we are able to stop looking outside ourselves for the answers and go within. This book teaches you how to stop the sugar cravings for good. How sweet it is.
She gets in touch with what it really is that we are craving by showing how our core beliefs hold the key to our sugar and carb addictions. Other chapters convey how to love ourselves in spite of how we feel, identifying emotional eating and habitual responses to food. “The more you begin to trust this deeper, wiser voice the more acting in accordance with it will become a positive habit,” she says. Greenberg also includes affirmations and states, “When you state your affirmations, practice declaring them in the first person: “I am loved.” “I am safe.” “I am powerful and in control.” Proclaiming the affirmations in this way makes them real for you and helps you to get in touch with the strength and goodness that exist within your true essence.
This book is easy to read and includes exercises throughout to help you move into a more conscious eating pattern.

Reviewed by Gerri Magee

LIVING LUMINARIES: On The Serious Pursuit of Happiness
Gotham Metro Studios

Happiness.
Oh, THAT.
Yes, happiness.

That state we all want but so many of us have such a tough time defining.

Or, more challenging yet, that state of being we actually do attain yet fail to recognize as we’re experiencing it so we keep searching for it when it has already found us.

Movies have certainly tried to explore this territory before.

Those of us who are refugees from the 1960s (if you remember the 1960s, you didn’t live them – remember that?) may recollect the immortal Can Hieronymous Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find Real Happiness? Oh, yes, that really was the title, even though it probably never appeared in its entirety on any one theater marquee. Mercy was the product of Anthony Newley’s wild imagination and the basic answer to the question of finding real happiness was… who knows?

More recently, Will Smith sought the answer in The Pursuit of Happiness where he asked a very pointed and poignant question. He noted that we have been given the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Life and liberty are rights, but is happiness something we can only pursue? Is it so elusive that it becomes something like the electric rabbit that dogs chase in greyhound races? Rigged so that it is always tantalizing us, just out of our reach?

Now comes Living Luminaries: On The Serious Pursuit of Happiness, Gotham Metro Studios’ wonderful, fascinating and illuminating new documentary that details a young man’s journey as he seeks the answers to finding true happiness from extraordinary luminaries around the world. Some of the people we meet are very well known. We are treated to Marianne Williamson’s brilliant and compassionate insights, don Miguel Ruiz’s mystical vision and Eckhart Tolle’s wisdom of the power of now. Others in the film are less known to us but leave an indelible impression on our psyche and in our hearts.

One of the most charismatic of the luminaries that we meet is the extraordinary Dr. Michael Beckwith, who is the force behind the Agape Spiritual Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Beckwith leapt out of The Secret into the national consciousness and many of us remember his extraordinary recent appearances with Oprah. In Living Luminaries, Dr. Beckwith shares his unique blend of insights, humanity, humor and vision.

According to the film, the common denominator of the serious pursuit of happiness is the need for all of us to look deep within ourselves for what truly makes us happy. All spirituality is as individual as is all happiness and therein lies its true power. Liberated from the need or desire to conform to any particular rules or edicts, we are then free to explore and consciously address the relationships and activities that truly bring happiness to our unique selves.

One of the greatest gifts of Living Luminaries is that we feel so empowered at the end of the film that each one of us can truly find, embrace and retain whatever definition we have for happiness. The film actually illuminates a pathway down which we can travel to discover the essence of our own personal joy. When a film accomplishes that, it transcends the art form itself.

If you enjoyed The Secret, I think that you will find that Living Luminaries is the next step in the discovery of who we can be when we open to the magic of the beauty of our humanity.

Reviewed by Stephen Simon

Members of The Spiritual Cinema Circle are receiving “Living Luminaries” as part of the July 2007 DVD collection which also includes three outstanding short films. For a limited time, new subscribers to The Circle can receive a free trial membership (for a nominal shipping fee) by visiting: www.spiritualcinemacircle.com or by calling (800) 556-0129.
 

Secrets of the Russian Dog
Wizard and MORE Secrets of the Russian Dog Wizard
Featuring Vladae Roytapel and Bonny Wainz, www.911russiandogwizard.com, 2006

Vladae Roytapel has earned the title “Dog Wizard” and deservedly so. These two DVDs are chock full of practical, easy ways to train your family pet. The examples are clear and provide ample helpings of a great sense of humor. After seeing Vladae in person at the recent Body•Mind•Spirit FESTIVAL in April, I knew I had to check out these videos myself. His sense of humor and love for animals is evident in his training and in the booklets he includes with each DVD. He teaches you a new language, Dogglish, so that you can successfully communicate with your pet. The lessons include how to walk your dog on a loose leash, teaching your dog to come to you every time, even teaching your dog street manners so you can take them shopping! He believes you can train your pet so well that you never have to use a leash again. Well, I can personally attest to how well his techniques work. Within a couple of minutes I trained my little Boo to sit, go down and stay. And it took me another few minutes to get him to recognize and go into his little bed.

Vladae really knows his stuff. If your pet is running your house and you, I recommend checking out these DVDs and you, too, can become the Alpha dog of your house! And for you Vladae, I have these final words of praise in your Dogglish, “Good Boy! Good Boy!”

Reviewed by Cindy Saul

Past phenomeNEWS Book Reviews