The Menstuff® library lists pertinent books on Spirituality. See also Issues.
The Little Book of Bleeps: Ponder these for awhile.
Your daily dose of mind expanding, thought provoking BLEEPOLOGY!
from the ground-breaking and award-winning feature film, What
the Bleep do We Know!? www.whatthebleep.com
2004 ISBN 0-9761074-0-6 
What the Bleep do We Know!? Science and spirituality come
together in this mind-bending trip down the rabbit hole. This
DVD is a deftly woven, entertaining and enlightening tapestry
of live action drama, interviews, and visionary animation. Academy
Award winner Marlee Matlin plays Amanda, an unhappy, self-loathing
professional photographer. By "chance" she meets nine-year old
Reggie (Robert Bailey, Jr.) who asks her "Just how far down
the rabbit hole of mysteriousness do you want to go?" Thus
begins her Alice-in-Wonderland-like confrontation with the depths
of her soul and the quirks of her psyche. Interlaced with her
unfolding dissolution, transformation and rebirth are ongoing
interviews with 14 top scientists and mystics. They relate our
current understanding of the nature of the universe and our place
in it, including what and how we human beings are wired. www.whatthebleep.com
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2004
Abu-Sahlief, Sami A. Aldeeb, Muslins in
the West: Caught Between Rights and Duties: Redefining
the separation of church and state. This work is dedicated to
problems brought about by the presence of Muslims. Even though the
precise data for these problems differs slighly in other
countries, these problems are everywhere practically identical in
Western countries where currently between fifteen and twenty
million Muslims live. After a description of the Muslim view of
minorities, this work presents Muslim demands to see to what
extend these demands can be taken in account: the
recognition, freedom of religion and workshop, school, family
laws, forbidden foods and cemeteries. If the Muslim community
continues at its present growth rate without adapting a more
tolerant system of values, this community will represent a serious
risk to the future of the democratic and legal system of Western
countries, and will be able to endanger their territorial
sovereignty, as in former Yugoslavia. This work is written on a
critical topic in this period of extreme global tensions. It is
exceedingly beneficial for the Muslim community as well as the
West. Both paradigms must learn to coexist if we are to survive.
To analyze problems is the first step in their solution.
Shangri-La Publications, 2002, ISBN 0-9714683-3-8 Buy
This Book!
Andrews, Ted, Animal-Speak: The
spiritual & magical powers of creatures great
& small. The animal world has much to teach us. Some
animals are experts at survival and adaptation,some never get
cancer, some embody strength and courage, while others exude
playfulness. Animals remind us of the potential we can unfold, but
before we can learn from them, we must first be able to speak with
them. Now, for perhaps the first time ever, myth and fact are
combined in a manner that will teach you how to speak and
understand the language of the animals in your life. This book
helps you meet and work with animals as totems and spirits - by
learning the language of their behaviors within the physical
world. It provides techniques for reading signs and omens in
nature so you can open to higher perceptions and even prophecy. It
reveals the hidden, mythical, and realistic roles of 45 animals,
60 birds, 8 insects and 6 reptiles. Animals will become a part of
you, revealing to you the majesty and divine in all life. They
will restore your childlike wonder of the world and strengthen
your belief in magic, dreams and possibilities. Llewellyn
Publications, 1999 ISBN 0-87542-028-1 Buy
This Book!
Andrews, Ted, Animal-Wise: The
spirit language and signs of nature. The sheer beauty and
power of wild animals fill us with wonder. Our heart jumps. Our
breath catches. Our pulse races. We feel the touch of God within
nature and upon our soul. But what is often missing is the
understanding. One of Nature's greatest gifts is her endless
willingness to teach us about our possibilities and ourselves.
With this book, you will understand the wonders and beauty of
animals more intimately. You will understand their hidden
language. You will begin to realize that every creature mirrors
the magnificence of your own soul. You will recognize animals as
messengers of the Divine. The early shamans, priests, and
priestesses were scientists as well as mystics. They studied the
plants and animals, earning their characteristics and qualities.
They also honored the sprit expressed in and through them. When we
realize that our learning and guidance comes from sources other
than human, our world is no longer the same. It becomes filled
with new possibilities. In the world around us is a myriad of
wonders. Through the animals kingdoms - through the multitude of
wonders found within Nature - we experience renewal. Every sojourn
into Nature, every animal encounter, offers an epiphany for the
heart and soul. And if only for a little while, let us open our
heart to it and see what glories unfold! Dragonhawk Publishing,
1999, ISBN 1-888767-34-0 Buy
This Book!
Balswick, Jack, Men at the
Crossroads: Beyond traditional roles & modern
options. I want to be a man but somebody stole the script.
These are confusing times for men. The traditional male has been
attacked as a chauvinist brute. Yet less traditional men are often
dismissed as passive, soft, wimpish. So-called New Age sages have
entered the vacuum and counseled men to recover the kind, warrior,
magician and lover in each of them. Is this good and acceptable
advice for Christian men? In this vastly helpful book,
the author takes account of the bind contemporary Christian men
find themselves in. He assess the "men's movement". Boldly
speaking from deep and sure faith, he points to a radical
alternative beyond the traditional brute and the dewy-eyed New Age
mystic - a maleness based on the fatherhood of God and the true
masculinity modeled in Christ. This book is a critical but
entirely practical book, a lifeline for generations of Christian
men searching for new directions in these perplexing days.
InterVaristy Press, 1992 ISBN 0-8308-1385-3 Buy
This Book!
Becker, Carol, Becoming
Colleagues: Women and men serving together in faith. Few
mixed gender work teams in faith-based organizations are as
successful as they could be - and the reasons for success or
faliure are always evident. Women often grapple with people whose
practices and theological understandings do not welcome their
leadership, and both men and women fall into counterproductive
power struggles and traps of miscommunication. In these
circumstances, even highly effective teams until now have found it
hard to explain the magic formula behind their success. In the
first book to address this issue, the author gives specific
guidance for implementing change in the religious workplace, based
on her extensive study of twenth-three different teams of men and
women from congregations, denominations, and faith-based nonprofit
organizations. She uses stories from successful teams to outline
nine criteria required for effective mixed-gender working
relations and tells how to use these criteria to create and
sustain an effective team. In practice, successful teams integrate
elements of all nine criteria in order to build successful mixed
gender work experiences. The stories from the teams in this book
bring these criteria to life and demonstrate a common theme that
is intangible: the great joy that men and women of faith
experience when they are working together effectively.
Jossey-Bass, www.josseybass.com
ISBN 0-7879-4709-1 Buy
This Book!
Bly, Robert, The Night Abraham Called to the
Stars. The author's new collection of poetry is made of
forty-eight poems writtern in the intricate form called the
ghazal, which is the central poetic form in Islam. The
influence of Hafez and Rumi is clear, and yet the poems descend
into the wealth of Western history, referring at times to Monet,
Giordano, Bruno, Emerson, St. Francis, Newton, and Chekhov, as
well as to events in the author's own life. The leaping between
joy and "ruin" produces a poetry which makes him, as Kenneth
Rexroth noted, "one of the leaders in a poetic revival which has
returned American literature to the world community." Perennial,
www.harpercollins.com,
2002, ISBN 0-06-093444-1 Buy
This Book!
Boyd, Stephen, The Men We Long to
Be: Beyond lonely warriors and desperate lovers,
Stephen B. Boyd. The author unflinchingly plumbs the
destructiveness of cultural masculinity for men themselves as well
as for everyone and everything else. His grasp of the spiritually
transformative process leading toward what we men long to be in
extraordinarily insightful and practical. He writes with
self-revelatory candor, theological acumen, and a passion for
healing and justice. He has given us a charter of hope that can
"fatten our souls" - James B. Nelson. Pilgrim Press 1997
ISBN 0-8298-1201-6 Buy
This Book!
Boyd, Stephan, Merle Longwood & Mark Muesse, editors,
Redeeming Men: Religion and Masculinities. Contributions to
this groundbreaking book include historians, biblical specialists,
theologians, ethicists, and scholars of comparative religions.
They examine, from a wide variety of perspectives, the
relationship between religious tradition and manhood. The broad
range of topics considered - dynamics of power in shaping
masculine identity, the role religion plays in shaping masculine
identity, the experience of myth, ritual, spiritual discipline and
community - suggest enormous practical application in the daily
lives of all men. Westminster John Knox Press, 1996
Braden, Gregg, The Isaiah
Effect: Decoding the lost science of prayer and prophecy.
In this groundbreaking new book, the author turns to the Isaiah
Scroll, perhaps the most important of the Dead Sea Scrolls
discovered in 1946, to offer insight into a powerful form of
ancient prayer. He combines research in quantum physics with the
works of the prophet Isaiah and the ancient Essenes. He
demonstrates how prophecies of global catastrophe and suffering
may only represent future possibililities, rather than forecast
impending doom, and that we have the power to influence those
possibilities. In addition to describing multiple futures, the
Isaiah texts take us one step further, clearly describing the
science of how we choose our futures. Tracing key words of
Isaiah's text back to their original language, we discover how he
taught a mode of prayer that was lost to the West during Biblical
editing in the fourth century. The author offers detailed accounts
of how elements of this mode of prayer have been applied in a
variety of situations, ranging from healing life-threatening
conditions to entire villages using collective prayer to prevail
during the 1998 fires in sourthern Peru. In each instance, the
correlation between the offering of the prayer and a shift of the
events in question was beyond coincidence - the prayers had
measurable effects! As modern science continues to
validate a relationship between our outer and inner worlds, it
becomes more likely that a forgotten bridge links the world of our
prayers with that of our experience. Each time we engage
ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities with Isaiah's
life-affirming message of hope, we secure nothing less than our
future and the future of the only home we know. Harmony Books.
www.randomhouse.com 2000
ISBN 0-609-60534-8 Buy
This Book!
Braden, Gregg, Walking Between the Worlds: The science of
compassion, Radio, 1997
Camphausen, Rufus C., The
Yoni: Sacred symbol of female creative power. The
term Yoni heralds from a culture and religion in which women have
long been regarded and honored as the embodiment of divine energy
and where the female genitals are seen as a sacred symbol of the
Great Goddess. Ever since our prehistoric ancestors began to
practice religion and art, humanity has envisioned and
symbolically expressed the cosmic forces of creation, life, and
death in representations of human genitalia. Fertility cults
centered on phallic worship are well documented, but older and
even more pervasive are the cults of the Goddess and her vulva.
Yoni worship has been a part of the spiritual heritage in every
part of the globe and may in fact be the most ancient religion of
humanity. This book traces this primal motif from its first
surviving occurrence almost 30,000 years ago in Europe to its
remnants and budding renaissance in contemporary language, art and
literature. From the naturally occurring Yoni rock formations used
as sacred places by indigenous Americans to the Indian temple of
the menstruating Goddess, from the exhibitionist sheela-na-gig
carvings of early Celtic churches to the ritual striptease found
in Japan, this book reveals Yoni imagery and veneration that spans
many cultures and times. (Also see The
Phallus.) Inner Traditions, 1996
Carlson, Richard, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and it's all
small stuff: simple ways to keep the little things from taking
over your life, Hyperion, 1997
Casey, Karen, It's Up to You: A practice to change your life by
changing your mind. This small book will change everything if
you let it. Nothing could be simpler or more profound. Begin the
morning with a simple "paying attention" meditation. Take just a
few minutes. During the day, remember what you're paying attention
to, when the thought occurs, no rules. In the evening, just before
bed, take a few more minutes to assess how the day went. This
practice is all about focusing on solutions not problems, letting
go of preconceived notions, acting instead of reacting, giving up
judgments and trying to be in control. As we quiet our minds, we
begin to discern our mind's own truth. This book offers 12
principles for changing your life by changing your thinking, with
seven days' worth of morning and evening meditations for each.
Conari Press, www.redwheelweiser.com,
ISBN 978-1-57324-314-8 
Chase, Frank Jr., False Roads to Manhood:
What women need to know, what men need to understand. The
author guides men on an extraordinary journey through their souls.
With surgical precision, he examines the souls of men, not only to
help them understand themselves, but informs women about
understanding today's "Adam in Christ." This powerful book of
healing has already begun to touch the souls of men and women.
It's time for men across the world to "break free" from the
traditions of men. FC Publishing, 2005, www.fcpublishing.com,
ISBN 0-9755217-8-0 
Chinen, Allan, Beyond the Hero: Classic stories of
men in search of soul, Tarcher, 1993
Chiperzak, Jy, And So It
Began: Chronic illness, soul loss: an initiation into
the realm of spirit. This book is a psycho/spiritual novel
about a man's successful and fulfilling journey, first succumbing
to, then transcending a debilitating illness, Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome. Rob, a man of his time trapped in the busyness of his
life; farmer, Executive Director of a conservation society, Trees
For The Future, with wife and family, is consumed, wasted, by
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Becoming a disparate soul disconnected
shell, Rob was dying from the inside out. From the pit of pain,
confusion and despair Rob becomes embedded in the otherworld of
the mythic, of the shaman. It is a realm of enchantment and magico
where Nature speaks and time and space become one. Rob becomes
Bran, Celtic for "Raven". Follow Rob as his old paradigm of the
rational collapses into the enchanted realm of the sacred, of
spirits, power animals and his shamanic teacher in human form,
"the child of the mound born dead." Break through with him
into a new understanding and experiencing of healing and
empowerment. www.Andsoitbegan.com
or jy@andsoitbegan.com.
Trafford Publishing, www.trafford.com/robots/00-0029.html
or sales@trafford.com or
888.232.4444 2000, ISBN 1552123650 Buy
This Book!
Chodron, Pema, When
Things Fall Apart: Heart advice for difficult
times. There is a fundamental happiness right within our
reach, yet we usually miss it - ironically, while caught up in
attempts to escape pain and suffering. The author's radical and
compassionate advice for what to do when things fall apart in our
lives goes against the grain of our usual habits and expectations
and confronts us with traditional Buddhist wisdom. There is only
one approach to suffering that is of lasting benefit, the author
teaches, and that approach involves moving towards painful
situations to the best of our ability with friendliness and
curiosity, relaxing into the essential groundlessness of our
entire situation. It is there, in the midst of chaos, that we can
discover the truth and love that are indestructible. Shambhala
1997
Coit, Lee,
Listening: How to increase awareness of your inner
guide. It has been years since Listening was first
published. Since the beginning, this book has been a vehicle to
share a wonderful discovery - the author's inner voice. This
discovery has helped him and many others find inner peace,
happiness and contentment. With the clarity given to him through
inner guidance, he began to see the overall pattern, not only in
his life, but in the lives of many of the people who came into his
awareness. His search has now covered nearly a 20-year span, and
he has come full circle. He has been to the mountaintop. This book
will help you release self-limiting concepts and increase your
awareness of Truth. However, the journey is an individual one, and
each soul must undertake and complete it alone. This is a
marvelous aid. Hay House, 1996
Cousineau, Phil, The Art of
Pilgrimage: The seeker's guide to making travel sacred.
With the roads to our chosen destinations more crowded than ever
and travel bookstore shelves groaning under the weight of
guidebooks that cover everything from ballparks to celebrity
homes, we are forced to look longer and harder and yet see less
and less. Instead of more gimmicks, gadgets and packages, we need
to reimagine the way we travel. This book is for the traveler who
longs for something more than diversion and escape, for those
searching for a path with heart. For millennia, pilgrimage - a
transformative journey to a sacred center - has summoned the
soulful traveler. And every journey can be sacred, soulful and
transformative, if it is undertaken with a desire for spiritual
risk and renewal. Whether you are traveling to Mecca or Memphis,
Stonehenge or a sports hall of fame, the journey becomes
meaningful - a pilgrimage - when the traveler's heart and
imagination are open to experiencing the sacred. Conari Press 1998
Buy
This Book!
Crohn, Joel, Howard Markman, Susan Blumberg,
Janice Levine, Fighting for Your Jewish
Marriage: Preserving a lasting promise.As the divorce
rates of both Jewish and interfaith couples continue to escalate,
"shalom bayit" (peace in the home) is definitely in danger. In
addition to the challenges every modern couple faces, millions of
Jewish and interfaith couples are struggling with unique issues
that profoundly influence their intimate relationships. Differing
views of Jewish identity, conflicts about religious practice, and
cultural clashes between partners from different backgrounds all
impact Jewish intimacy. This dynamic guide identifies these
special issues and gives Jewish and interfaith couples practical
tools they need to improve communication, resolve conflicts, and
enhance and preserve their marriages. Jossey-Base www.josseybass.com
2000 ISBN 0-7879-4362-2 Buy
This Book!
Danielou, Alain, The Phallus: Sacred
symbol of male creative power. Worship of the phallus as a
symbol of creative energy has been central to virtually every
world culture, and strong traditions of phallic art exist
throughout India, Egypt, Greece and Northern Europe. Yet we in the
West, hampered by modern taboos, have been unable to see this most
fundamental of symbols for what it is - the image of the creator
in mankind. The author, the foremost authority on the art and
spirituality of India and the classical world, here unveils the
religious impulse underlying art that at first seems purely
erotic. This book surveys a wide range of art, myth and cultural
customs, examining phallic amulets of Neolithic man, standing
stones of Europe, the mukha lingam of India, the obelisks of Rome
and Egypt, and other representations of male fertility. He shows
the primal role played by ithyphallic gods in such diverse
mythologies as those of the Celts (Cernunnos, the Horned God),
Greeks (Pan, Hermes, Priapus), and Hindus (Ardhanarishvara, the
androgyne). He also explores the cults of Shiva and Dionysus in
their role of bringing men into communion with the creative forces
of life. It is in this capacity - as a manifestation of the
creator, a source of bliss and transcendence - that the phallus
has its most powerful rule in human symbolism. And, he argues, if
we are to maintain our link to the divine, it must assume this
symbolic role again. (See also The Yoni.)
Inner Traditions, 1995 Buy
This Book!
Deida, David, Blue Truth: A
spiritual guide to life & death and love & sex.
Be the first man in your men's group to get an advance reading
copy of this book! Not on the shelves and available only from the
publisher, this is a powerful, heart opening book. Profound,
challenging, an poetically beautiful, this book is page after page
of deep, naked truths, an unexpected teaching of enormous value
and passion. This is one of the clearest, most original and useful
guides to authentic spiritual practice. No one interested in real
spiritual growth can afford to be unaware of this work. Plexus
www.deida.com 888.626.9662
1999, ISBN 1-889762-14-8 Buy
This Book
Deida, David, The Red
Realm: Adventures in sexual spirituality. This book
is the deepest, most alive, insightful book on the wonders and
subtleties of sexuality as a spiritual path. It inspires us to the
knowing of total openness to who we are as the lover, and
beloved...until we disappear into love. Plexus www.deida.com
888.626.9662, 1999
Deida, David, The Way of the Superior Man: A man’s guide
to mastering the challenges of women, work and sexual desire,.
The author takes the reader on a powerful journey into the heart
of the contemporary masculine experience. With uncommon honesty
and unparalleled insight into the deepest desires of the masculine
heart, he explores the most challenging and important issues in
men’s lives. Covering everything from work and career, to
dealing with sex, women, and love, to finding purpose in an
increasingly superficial and mechanical world, he reveals how a
man can live a life of fulfillment without compromise by relaxing
into the truth of his very being, discovering the deepest vision
and giving his gifts without holding anything back. What emerges
is a wholly revolutionary look at what it means to be a man in
today’s world, as well as an astonishingly practical
guidebook to living a masculine life of integrity, authenticity
and freedom. Plexus www.deida.com
1997 Buy
This Book!
(See The Men's Challenge
Deck: Practicing the Way of the Superior Man)
DeRohan, Ceanne, Indigo: The
search for true understanding and balance. This is the latest
is a series of eight books channeled by the author. It is
suggested that they be read in order, starting with Right Use
of Will: Healing and evolving the emotional body.
Getting ready for the sequels involves moving along with the
material in the original book enough to know if this information
is right for you. These books let you know your Original Cause by
helping you access belief systems lost in the subconscious long
ago, yet influencing your life every day. Each paragraph could be
a full day's study. Four Winds Publications. 1999
ISBN 1-56170-608-6 Buy
This Book
Ditties, James, In Driven By Hope, Men
& Meaning, Dittes invites men to embrace and celebrate
their spiritual - and decidedly masculine - way in the world. He
dares to suggest that the notable features of masculinity so often
treated as unbearable faults - restlessness, drivenness,
unsettledness, endless "on duty" time, may indeed be part of manly
vocation rooted inescapably in biology. Westminister John Knox
Press, 1996
Douglas-Klotz, Neil, Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations of
the Aramaic words of Jesus. For those of us who want to peel
away centuries of dualistic patriarchal forms and recover the
life-affirming beauty of our Christian roots, nothing could be
more welcome than this exquisite little volume. There is no reason
to stop at one single phrasing of what Jesus intended his words to
mean; they are so rich and resonant that they deserve to be
spoken, tasted, rolled around in the mouth, body and spirit,
savored and appreciated for their subtle flavors and rich
spiritual nourishment. Harper San Francisco, 1994 www.harpercollins.com
ISBN 0-06-061995-3 Buy
This Book
Dreamer, Oriah Mountain, The
Invitation. One night, after an unsatisfying evening at a
party, the author wrote the start of this book. By the light of
her streetlight, she began, "It doesn't interest me what you do
for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to
dream of meeting your heart's longing...I want to know if you have
touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by
life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of
further pain..." (which we understand came from a David Wyate poem
he did at a workshop on writing that Oriah attended.) Her profound
invitation became the framework for this wise and inspiring book.
Chater by chapter, the author uses passages from her "Invitation"
to welcome readers into a life that is more soul fulfilling and
passionate, and has far greater truth and integrity. In a sense,
she invites readers to get a life instead of buying into a
lifestyle. Each chapter ends with a guided meditation specific to
the theme of the chapter, such as "The Joy" and "The Failure."
Despite her suspiciously New Age-sounding name, she is a highly
grounded, practical, and honest writer. This fresh and beautifully
packaged book is destined for great acclaim in the realm of
spiritual inspiration. HarperCollins, 1999 ISBN 0062515745
Buy
this book!
Dyer, Wayne, Manifest
Your Destiny: The Nine Spiritual Principles for Getting Everything
you Want, Wayne Dyer. In international bestsellers from
Your Sacred Self to the classic Your Erroneous
Zones, inspirational leader and author Wayne Dyer established
new ideas that changed people's lives. In Manifest Your
Destiny, he explores his most astonishing subject yet: the
power of attracting one's needs and desires into one's life. His
most exciting and accessible work, a remarkable guidebook that
shows us how to obtain what we truly desire. HarperCollins
www.harpercollins.com
1998 Buy
This Book!
Eldredge, John, Wild at
Heart: Discovering the secret of a man's soul. The author
believes what really is in the heart of men has been badly missed.
"When all is said and done, I think most men believe God put them
on the earth to be a good boy," he writes. "The problem with men,
we are told, is that they don't know how to keep their promises,
be spiritual leaders, talk to their wives, or raise their
children. But if they will try really hard, they can reach the
lofty summit of becoming...a nice guy. That's what we hold up as
models of Christian maturity: "Really Nice Guys." Now, in all
your boyhood drams growing up, did you ever dream of becoming a
nice guy? Ladies, was the Prince of your dreams
dashing...or merely nice? The author believes that
this dedication to niceness is the reason there are so many tired
and lonely women, so many fatherless children, and so few men
around. We writes, "We've taken away the dreams of a man's heart
and told him to play the man. As C.S. Lewis said, 'We castrate the
gelding and bid him be fruitful.'" Deep in his heart, every man
longs for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to
rescue. That is how he bears the image of God; that is what God
made him to be. www.sacredromance.com,
Thomas Nelson Publishers, www.thomasnelson.com,
2001, ISBN 0-7852-6883-9 
France, Peter, Hermits: the insights of
solitude. I had just paid for a book and, from across the
bookstore, atleast 20 feet away, this book jumped out at me. After
all, starting my third year traveling full-time around the country
in a men's bookmobile, I can relate. For any man who has been
challenged when he wanted some space, check this one out. The
author, who spends much of his time living in an heremitic manner
on the Greek island Patmos, explores the history of hermits and
uncovers the truths they found in their solitude. As an antidote
to disillusionment with the modern world and as a guide to
rediscovering our true selves, Hermits will not fail to
provide reassuring enlightenment for men and hopefully some women
will see the benefits of this kind of solitude for themselves. St
Martin's Press, 1996 ISBN 0-312-15546-8 Buy
This Book!
Gerber, Richard, Vibrational Medicine for
the 21st Century: The complete guide to energy healing and
spiritual transformation. Acupuncture, homeopathy,
aromatherapy, magnetic healing. Most people recognize these terms
as part of a New Age vocabulary. More and more, alternative
approaches to achieving wellness are becoming part of the American
consciousness. But what many don't know is that these
non-traditional practices - so new on our horizon - have been
around for thousands of years. In this book, the author
synthesizes the best of non-western ancient healing wisdom with
the latest discoveries in science to produce an entirely new
approach to diagnosing and treating illness. Based on the belief
that the human body is more than a biological mechanism,
vibrational medicine assumes it to be a complex system of pulsing
energies that need turning and balancing. Illness is thought to be
caused not only by germs, chemical toxins and physical trauma, but
also by dysfunctional emotions and energy patterns. Rather than
relying solely on drugs and scalpels to treat illness, the
vibrational medicine approach employs the use of different forms
of energy - such as light, color, sound, scent and
electromagnetism - to bring about healing changes in the body,
mind and spirit. This is the most comprehensive, user-friendly
guide on the market for readers who seek to undersatnd and apply
new age techniques to treat age old health problems. William
Morrow, www.harpercollins.com
2000 ISBN 0-688-16403-X Buy
This Book!
Glaser, Chris, Word is Out: The bible reclaimed for
lesbians & gay men. Lesbians and gays know all too well
the experience of having to leave families, friends, hometowns,
and even their faith traditions to be blessed as they are.
Nevertheless, many still struggle to maintain an authentic faith
that also affirms and recognizes their right to joyously celebrate
their biblical heritage. The author fearlessly liberates the Bible
from those who would hold it hostage to an antigay agenda. In this
inspiring collection of 365 daily meditations, the Bible's good
news "comes out" to meet all of us with love, justice, meaning and
hope. Harper, 1994 ISBN 0-06-063134-1 Buy
This Book!
Groose, Frederick G., The Eight Masks of
Men: A practical guide in spiritual growth for men of
the Christian faith. This is the first book to combine
historical, theological and sociological perspectives with a
practical approach for personal growth. It encourages men to come
out from behind their masks of solitude and loneliness and reach
out for help and community. Men who feel out of touch with their
spiritual sides, retreat and spiritual direction leaders, pastoral
counselors, chaplains, marriage and family counselors, and members
of the clergy will find inspiration and insight they need to guide
themselves and one another to a season of union with God. Haworth
Pastoral Press, 1998 ISBN 0-7890-0416-X Buy
This Book!
Guest, Matt, The Face of Power.This book
is about the male struggle for energetic and emotional maturity,
joy and power, and achieves this by delving deeply into the many
aspects of relationships, sexuality, health, out-of-body
experiences, lucid dreaming and others. The book is essentially a
metaphysical work with a slant towards modern shamanism, though it
purposefully avoids talking directly about shamanism in order to
remind all people that the energy behind self-fulfillment is not
isolated to any particular religion, philosophy, or belief
structure. Real self-fulfillment is a personal matter and involves
a very real and emotional relationship with the source of life. It
is an intense and ultra-personal tale about the dormant passion in
all of us to rise above fear and venture at will into the Unknown
- to see beyond this dream. The scope of this work is compelling
and unprecedented. It is the awareness of a new generation of men
and women of power. Self-published. www.thefaceofpower.com,
2001, ISBN 1-4010-2539-0 Buy
This Book!
Halevi, Yossi Klein, At the Entrance to the
Garden of Eden: A Jew's search for God with Christians
and Muslims in the Holy Land. The author is one of those rare
men whose pursuit of spiritual clarity seems almost myth-life. He
takes an unprecedented and extraordinary spiritual journey to
discover, as a religious Israeli Jew, a common spiritual language
with his Christian and Muslim neighbors in the Holy Land. While
religion has fueled the violent conflict plaguing the Middle East,
he wondered whether it could be a source of unity as well. To find
the answer, he began a two-year exploratoin of the devotional life
of Christianity and Islam. He followed their holiday cycles,
befriended Christian monastics and Islamic mystics, and joined
them in prayer in monasteries and mosques - searching for wisdom
and holiness in places that are usually off limits to outsiders
from other faiths. In this gripping work, he candidly reveals how
he fought to resolve his own fears and anger as a Jew to relate to
Christians and Muslims as fellow spiritual seekers. He chronicles
the difficulty of overcoming multiple obstacles - theological,
political, historical, and psychological - that separate believers
of the three monotheistic faiths. And he introduces a dynamic
range of fascinating individuals attempting to reconcile the
dichotomous heart of this sacred place - a struggle central to
Israel, but which resonates for us all. Written in lustrous prose,
he takes his search for God into the heart of the Middle Eastern
conflict. He insists on a spirituality that isn't escapist but
instead confronts the wounds of history. The result is a book
startling in its originality and boldness, embracing and
transcending the categories of politics and faith. William Morrow,
www.harpercollins.com
2001 ISBN 0688169082 Buy
This Book!
Hanh, Tich Nhat, Be Still and
Know: Reflections from living Buddha, living
Christ. In his acclaimed national bestseller, Living
Buddha, Living Christ, the author, a renowned thinker and
scholar, explored the deep spiritual connections between
Christianity and Buddhism. This book uses selections from his
groundbreaking work to create a handbook of meditations and
reflections that reawaken our understanding of both religions -
and enrich our daily lives through personal contemplation. It is
an inspiration to all who embrace its universal message of peace -
a profound and moving work that illuminates the world's greatest
traditions of spiritual thought, written by a man who is
considered by many to be a "living Buddha." Riverhead Books,
1996
Hanh, Tich Nhat, Hermitage Among the
Clouds: A historical novel of fourteenth century
Vietnam. Set at the beginning of the fourteenth century, this
tells the story of Princess Amazing Jewel, daughter of Tran Nhan
Tong, the king of Dai Viet, present-day Vietnam. He abdicated the
throne at the height of his illustrious career to become a
Buddhist monk and later to establish the Bamboo Forest School of
Zen at his hermitage, Sleeping Clouds. This beautifully written
story expresses the suffering caused by war and conflict, the
transformative potential of a commitment to practicing peace and
building reconciliation, and the simple beauty of a spiritual
life. The author gives us a window into Vietnam's past and, at the
same time, offers compelling insights about contemporary Southeast
Asia and the world. Parallax Press, 1993,
ISBN 0-938077-56-2 Buy
This Book
Hardenbrook, Weldon, Missing from
Action: A powerful historical response to the crisis
among American Men. The author examines the decline of the
American male's role and tells how men might seek to regain their
place as leaders in the home, church and society. He concludes
that men must commit themselves to restoring stability and peace
to the suffering homes of the land. Conciliar Press, 1996
Harris, Bud, The Fire and the
Rose: The wedding of spirituality and sexuality. Our
encounters with love, spirituality and sexuality play a major role
in shaping who we are. These powerful aspects of our lives are
woven into the pattern that forms our potential for wholeness.
Through growing consciousness, sexuality and spirituality can
support our efforts to live more passionately and do understand
love in all of its forms. In this stimulating and inspiring book,
a Jungian analyst challenges us to reconsider our views of
spirituality and sexuality as opposites and bring them into
harmony and creativity. Together, we can heal some of our
culture's great wounds of the soul. Chiron Publications, 2007,
ISBN 978-1-888602-42-5 
, Hartsuiker, Dolf,
Sadhus: India's Mystic Holy Men. Incredible! Spiritual
adventurers, philosophical monks, or religious transvestites, the
Indian Sadhus are worshipped by the Hindus as representatives of
the gods. Liberated from earthly concerns and living beyond the
limits of space and time, these mystics form a vital and unbroken
link between the birth of yoga millennia ago and its present day
expression. Theirs is a world of ancient magical rituals,
religious symbols and ascetic practices, ranging from meditation
and yoga exercises to penance and austerities - sometimes taken to
the extremes of prolonged self-imposed silence, bodily
mortification, or even ritual suicide. The life path of the Sadhus
may also call for celibacy, poverty and solitude, as well as
profound involvement with the mundane world as healers and
teachers or magicians and sorcerers. It is a path of knowledge and
devotion, concerned with renunciation and realization, sexual
energy and spiritual power, divine intoxication and mystical
union. More than 100 spectacular color photographs of Sadhus from
many sects accompany an evocative text that traces their
historical and mythological roots and illumines their different
beliefs and behaviors. They travel throughout India, often nude -
no one covers their children's eyes. Some break a nerve in the
penis so they are incapable of erection and lift heavy weights or
chains attached to the penis. There's Narayana Das who has
renounced food and taken no more than two glasses of milk a day
for over forty years. Or Parashurama Das, who wears a gigantic
rope, has been standing for eleven years and is a non-speaker and
fruit-eater. Or Vasanta Giri who has kept his arm straight above
his head for over twelve years. Or there's circumambulating
"like-a-stick", one stretches out on the ground, please a stone in
front of oneself, stands up, makes a few paces to the stone,
stretches out again, etc. This is the "fast" method, usually
performed by lay pilgrims. Sadhus usually stand up and stretch out
108 times on one spot, simultaneously performing puja and reciting
mantras. This way takes two years to go around one particular
four-foot square sacred site. And, there's more. A remarkable
example of men, spirituality, and the depth of commitment. (Also
see the fantastic video, Kings
with Straw Mats!) Inner Traditions, 1993,
ISBN 0-89281-454-3. Buy
This Book!
Hershiser, Orel, Between the
Lines: Nine principles to live by. One of the most
respected and successul athletes ever to grace a major-league
pitcher's mound, the author had an approach to the game that put
him in a class by himself. Now that he's retired, he is shaing in
this book something that has a lot more to do with living than it
ever had to do with playing baseball. Chatting casually - yet
revealing his innermost thoughts about the things that matter most
- he tells you of his "nine principles to live
by." Regardless of who you are, where you are, or what
you do, you'll find them helpful. From a man who was twice cut
from his high school baseball team and yet rose to the pinnacle of
success, this book is both an entertaining read and full of good
things to inspire and encourage you. WarnerBooks, www.twbookmark.com
2001 ISBN 0-446-52850-1 Buy
this book!
Higgs, Liz Curtis Bad Girls of the
Bible: And what we can learn from them. Lessons in good
living from the Bible's bad news belles. The author
says: "For ten years I studied bunches of biblical role
models and finally realized what we had in common: Zip. Sarah
was so faithful. Esther was so courageous. Mary was so innocent. I
was so none-of-the-above. Then I happened upon Jezebel, and
something inside me clicked. I identified with her pushy
personality, I understood her need for control, I empathized with
her angry outbursts, and I began to wonder...Could those Bad Girls
from the past teach us how to be Good Girls in the present? I'm
here to tell you - yes! Whether they were Bad to the
Bone, Bad for a Moment, or Bad for a Season but Not Forever, these
infamous sisters show us how not to handle the challenges of life.
We first meet them in a contemporary, fictional story (Delilah
becomes a hairdresser named Lila from Dallas!), followed by a
zippy, verse-by-verse review. Of course, I've included plenty of
fun, 'Lizzie style' commentary to keep readers smiling, and each
chapter includes four life-changing lessons well worth
remembering. This book is for all women - from Former Bad Girls
who need to be reminded we're truly forgiven to Veteran Good Girls
who long to understand those still searching for answsers. This is
the place, sisters. Grab a veil and dive in!" WaterBrook Press,
1999. ISBN 1-57856-125-6 Buy
this book!
Hillman, James, The Thought of the Heart & the Soul of the
World, Spring
Publications, 1997
Huerta, Christian de la, Coming Out
Spiritually: The next step. This book offers a
fresh outlook on gay spirituality and how to assert it, and
thereby gives queer readers a foundation from which to begin
building a spiritual life. The author, founder of Q-Spirit,
synthesizes the ten spiritual roles or archetypes queer people
have often assumed and continue to enact today: creator
of beauty, consciousness scout, mediator, shaman and healer, among
others. Drawing on these models while acting as a guide to the
queer community, he shows how to look deeper inside; to reach
higher than ever before; to step forth more fully into the
reader's rightful selves. He introduces readers to many of the
world's religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism,
Judaism, Sufism and Taoism, and investigates the teachings of
these traditions and their attitudes toward homosexuality. This is
a practical, beautiful, and important book, one that alternately
challenges, advises, and supports the queer community as it
spiritually awakens. Jeremy P Tarcher www.penguinputnam.com
1999 ISBN 0-87477-966-9 Buy
This Book
Hultkrantz, Ake, Soul and Native
Americans. This book is a thorough and beautifully
differentiated report showing how much more the native peoples of
the Americans understood about what we call "soul", "psyche" and
"anima" than our own American psychologists. Especially valuable
is the evidence for the various kinds of soul, including the death
soul, and how they're recognized and experienced. Each student of
souls and of troubled souls, has a sophisticated tool for
grappling with the ambiguity, the evasiveness, and the vitality of
the very stuff of life that humans share with other creatures.
Spring Publications www.neca.com/~spring
1997 Buy
This Book!
James, David, What are They Saying about
Masculine Spirituality? Masculine spirituality is rapidly
emerging as a new direction for men on the "God-path". Birthed out
of the Men's Movement, it takes seriously the ways that God and
men are revealed to each other through theology, scripture,
behavioral sciences, anthropology, history and the countless
shared stories of men who gather together to discover authentic
masculinity. Masculine spirituality asks the questions, "How can a
man live a vibrant spiritual life, embracing all of his capacities
for connection with God and yet, not diminish the life that women
are discovering on their own path?" Paulist Press, 1996
Johnson, Kenneth & Marguerite Elisabeth, Grail
Castle: Male myths and mysteries in the Celtic
tradition, Llewellyn Publications, 1995
Johnson, Toby, Getting Life in
Perspective. A Novel. When warned by his doctor to rest,
Rick Carton, a jaded and disillusioned editor with a Boston
publishing house, retires to a neglected old mansion in the Texas
hill country to write the novel he's always intended to. He
discovers he is not alone...This book is a post-modern ghost story
featuring two lovable Topperesque apparitions from
turn-of-the-century America who haunt the sometimes bewildered
writer struggling to face the enormous problems of contemporary
society - and gay men in particular - as the 21st century is about
to turn. It is a sweet, occasionally sexy, surprisingly wise, and
thoroughly enteraining mytho-historical romance with a
gay-positive spiritual message woven in - along with just a touch
of the Twilight Zone. Lavender Press, 1991
ISBN 0-938743-17-1 Buy
This Book!
Jones, Terry, The Elder Within: The
source of mature masculinity. This is an exploration into the
potential of eldership, the second half of life expression of
mature masculinity. It surveys the way a man can tap this
archetypal energy within himself. The author has developed a
passion for understanding what a healthy and spiritual expressoin
of masculinity would look like. By participating in ritualized
weekend workshops and ongoing men's groups, he found that many men
share a hunger for spiritual and emotional growth and the desire
to make a difference. He believes that the man who embraces
eldership makes himself available to younger men, to the family
and to the community. He has confidence in the fruits of his long
life of experience and wants to see the future by sharing with the
young. This book examines traditional male qualities, such as
protector, while painting a picture of the mature masculine who
energizes himself by using tools of wisdom: meditation,
contemplation, and listening. This book is a must read for both
men and women alike, as it presents an enlightened view of the
elder as a major contributor to society. This is a much needed
resource for empowerment of mature men as well as an enlightened
forecast of the journey many men will travel. Bookpartners,
www.bookpartners.com
2001, ISBN 1-59151-088-8 Buy
This Book!
Kammen, Carole & Jodi Gold, Call to Connection: Bringing
sacred tribal values into modern life, Commune-A-Key
Publishing, 1998
Kasl, Charlotte, If the Buddha
Married: Creating enduring relationships on a spiritual
path. Filled with the same highly practical, spiritually sound
guidance that so clearly touched a chord with readers of If the
Buddha Dated, this new book is a fresh and inspiring guide for
anyone who wants to strengthen, deepen, or revitalize a
relationship. The author empowers us to create fulfilling and
vibrant relationships through a commitment to awareness, truth and
compassion. She shows how a "beginner's mind" can help us see our
partners and ourselves afresh each day as we learn to nurture our
commitment to each other. Marriage is truly a journey - combining
key teachings of Buddhism with elements of psychology and other
spiritual traditions. This book becomes a wise and trusted guide
through the joys and thickets of relationships that last and grow.
Penguin Compass, www.penguinputnam.com
2001 ISBN 0-14-019622-6 Buy
This Book!
Katz, Jon, Running to the
Mountain: A midlife adventure. The author, a
respected journalist, father, and husband, was turning fifty. His
writing career had taken a dubious turn, his wife had a demanding
career of her own, his duaghter was preparing to leave home for
college, and he had become used to a sedentary lifestyle.
Wonderfully witty and insightful, this book chronicles the
author's hunger for change and his search for renewed purpose and
meaning in his familiar world. Armed with the writings of Thomas
Merton and his two faithful labradors, he trades in his suburban
carpool-driving and escapes to the mountains of upstate New York.
There, as he restores a dilapidated cabin, learns self-reliance in
a lightning storm, shares a bottle of Glenlivet with unexpected
ghosts, and helps a friend prepare for fatherhood, he confronts
his lifelong questions about spirituality, mortality, and his own
self-worth. He ultimately rediscovers a profound appreciation for
his work, his family and the beauty of everyday life - and
provides a glorious lesson for us all. Broadway Books, 2000,
ISBN 0-7679-0498-2 Buy
This Book!
Knight, Sirona, Greenfire: Making love with the
Goddess, Llewellyn Publications, 1996
Koltuv, Barbara Black, The Book of
Lilith. Lilith, a long haired she demon of the night, flies
through Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Canaanite, Persian,
Hebrew, Arabic and Teutonic mythology. It is said that Adam's
original consort was Lilith, and she represents the first Eve or
the woman who tempted Adam with the apple from the Tree of
Knowledge. Lilith is many things - she is seductress,
child-killer, an evil energy. Lilith is also one of the
essentially motherless forms of the feminine Self, and arose as an
embodiment of the neglected and rejected aspects of the Great
Goddess. Lilith is Adamah, that part of the Self today's women
need to reconnect with in order to no longer be spiritual
outcasts. Nicolas-Hays, Inc., 1986, ISBN 0-89254-014-1
Kybartas, Ray, Fitness is Religion: Keep
the Faith. This book provides a spiritual guidance that will
help foster life change. As personal trainer for Madden, Sean
Penn, Marlo Thomas and others, it also outlines the basics of a
good diet, offering accessible and down-to-earth explanations
about foods and the nutrition they provide. He claims that a high
carbohydrate diet has not worked and that eating a lower
carbohydrate diet with more protein and a bit more fat leaves less
evidence around the waste. It also includes dozens of workout
strategies including resistance work, aerobic training, and
alternative methods like yoga, Pilates and Feldenkrais. By
combining methods, this book offers a fresh and exciting
perspective and a sound cross training platform. Simon &
Schuster www.SimonSays.com
1997 Buy
This Book!
Kyle, David, Human Robots & Holy
Mechanics: Reclaiming our souls in a machine world. This is
not a book of answers. It is an attempt to look again at the
history and condition of our current dilemma as it affects us
today in this machinelike culture in which we all play a part. It
is also a book that attempts to have us remember what we know
about the mystery and sacredness of the natural world. And, it is
a book that attempts to point to some simple pathways within us
where we can reexperience a renewed relationship with the Sacred,
with ourselves and with one another. Swan Raven, 1993,
ISBN 0-9632310-0-6 
Levoy, Gregg, Callings: Finding
and following an authentic life. How do we know if we're
following our true callings? How do we sharpen our
senses to cut through the distractions of everyday reality and
hear the calls that are beckoning us? This book
examines the many kinds of calls we receive and the great variety
of channels through which they come to us. A calling may be
to do something (change careers, go back to school, have a child)
or to be something (more creative, less judgmental, move loving).
While honoring a calling's essential mystery, this book also
guides readers to ask and answer the fundamental questions that
arise from any calling: How do we recognize it? How do
we distinguish the true call from the siren song? How
do we handle our resistance to a call? What happens
when we say yes? What happens when we say no? Three
Rivers Press www.randomhouse.com
1998 ISBN 0-609-80370-0 Buy
This Book!
Linn, Denice, Quest: A guide
for creating your own vision quest. For centuries, ancient
cultures embarked on rites of passage to gain entrance to the
spiritual realms and attain self-knowledge. Now an international
lecturer and healer draws on her Native American roots, as well as
the teaching of other cultures, to create a carefully crafted
spiritual program for anyone wishing to venture on a retreat or
create a uniquely personal Quest of your own. This practical,
engaging book will show you how to: Discover your
life's purpose, find mystery at the core of your life, release
limiting beliefs about yourself, call for a vision, harness the
power of the Sacred Circle, confront and free yourself from fears,
heal emotional wounds, and develop peace of mind. This guidebook
gives you the necessary tools to prepare for a Vision Quest that
will take you to the center of your soul. Ballantine www.randomhouse.com/BB/
1999 ISBN 0-345-42544-8 Buy
This Book!
Littell, Jay F, Soul Sailing: How
life-stories can transform the voyage: An interactive
guidebook for your journey. This book offers compelling
hands-on advice for gaining a deeper understanding of how key
episodes in the reader's past have created present circumstances,
and for learning how these same episodes can be reexamined to
create a more fulfilling future. This unique quide presents a
non-denominational approach to personal spiritual growth,
emphasizing the individual's needs and potential for increasing
self-awareness and meaningful inspirational connection. The
concepts are reinforced with numerous examples, exercises, and
resources, making each leg of the voyage both accessible and
actionable. Storytelling as an art is gaining in popularity in the
US and this book shows readers how this art can help define
negative and positive elements in past experiences as well as
transform them into agents for positive change. The book's
self-paced guidance gives assistance. The exercises and resources
guarantee that this book can be turned to again and again for help
in charting a course for personal progress. The nautical theme
emphasizes the bouyant feeling of progress that comes with a
voyage of discovery. tellingyourstories.com/cart/
Safe Harbor Media, 2007, ISBN 978-0-9724934-6-8 
Lozowick, Lee, Conscious Parenting.
This is not your run-of-the-mill parenting book. It has
commonsense appeal but offers no sweet consolation to those who
are unwilling to make their parenting responsibilities a top
priority in their lives. The author is a child advocate who has
worked with parents and children for the past twenty-five years.
So, anyone who cares for children needs to attend to the essential
message of this book - that the first two years are the most
crucial time in a child's education and development, and that
children learn to be healthy and whole by living with healthy,
whole adults. Hohm Press 800.381.2700 or www.booknotes.com/hohm,
1997
MacDonald, Gordon, When Men Think Private Thoughts: Exploring
the Issues that Captivate the Minds of Men. Regardless of age,
occupation or financial and social status, most men struggle with
private thoughts that have stirred the hearts and minds of men for
countless ages. Here, you'll travel the inner recesses of a man's
mind to unravel the complex, centuries-old questions that shape a
man's identity and self-concept. You'll learn how a man's sense of
self begins to form even before birth and how the terrain between
childhood and manhood affects his adult relationships, spiritual
life and more. Thomas Nelson, 1996 ISBN 0-7852-7839-7
Buy
this book!
Macy, Joanna & Molly Young Brown,
Coming Back to Life: Practices to reconnect our lives, our
world. The authors offer eloquent and compelling insight into
the roots of our angst, then point the way forward out of apathy
to "the work that reconnects." An inspiring and
practical guide, this much sought-after update and expansion of
Macy's earlier Despair and Personal Empowerment in the Nuclear
Age will be welcomed throughout the world by all those
concerned with peace, spirit, eco-activism and education. New
Society Publishers, www.newsociety.com,
1999 ISBN 0-86571-391-X Buy
This Book!
Maggio, Michael
compiled, Quotations for a Man's Soul. A man's path to
self-awareness and understanding need never be a lonely one. This
collection of wise quotations is the perfect companion for the man
seeking deeper meaning in his spirituality, life goals,
relationships and identity. Prentice Hall 1998 Buy
This Book!
Mann, Nicholas, The Dark God: A personal journey
through the underworld. August 1972 Istanbul, Turkey. Waves of
spiritual seekers journeyed to the mystic East in search of
enlightenment. The author found himself on a very different trip -
deep into the bowels of the Turkish prison system. Set up and
arrested for possession of a small quantity of hashish, he became
imprisoned within an underworld ruled by money, violence and lies.
Raw, emotional, intense, the book chronicles one man's spiritual
odyssey through the darkness and brutality of life in prison. Cut
off from the rest of the world, he turned to a daily practice of
yoga and meditation-prison became his monastery. Surrounded by the
harsh conditions of Bayrampasa, he found himself exploring the
deepest, most fundamental issues of spirituality. Drawing upon the
traditions of his ancestors, he discovered a powerful,
transformative means through which the divine masculine can at
last become whole, and once more rejoin the divine feminine. By
facing the fear and denial surrounding the mythic figure of the
Dark God, the author has uncovered a bold, new insight into the
true nature of masculine spirituality. Llewellyn Publications,
1996
Mares, Theun, The Quest for
Maleness: Avoiding emasculation. Releasing the creative
powers of the true male. Where have all the heroes
gone? In today's world men everywhere are becoming
weaker and more impotent as women challenge them in every field.
What can men do about this? Are men headed for total
emasculation? Or are we facing the battle of the
sexes? Revealing the true nature of masculinity, Toltec
warrior and seer, the author shows men how to get back in touch
with the essential core of their maleness - a core that is nothing
less that the untapped power of creativity. He describes how to
access and release the creative power that is the right and duty
of every true male to exercise. He shows how, by going this, you
will find the wisdom, vision and sense of purpose to be a true
leader, and to stand proud in your masculinity. This book is both
a message of hope and a guidebook for every man who wants to find
his way as a male and walk tall in the world today. Lionheart
Publishing, 1999. lionheart@toltec-foundation.org
or www.toltec-foundation.org
or www.elusivehappiness.com.
ISBN 1-919792-07-4 Buy
This Book!
McLaren , Karla, Emotional
Genius: Discovering the deepest language of the soul. All
of your emotions - especially your strongest and most difficult
feelings - are storehouses of unlimited energy. For instance, your
rage can give you superhuman strength, your fear can save you from
certain death, and your shame and depression can bring you to a
complete (and often necessary) halt. Imagine what you could
accomplish if - instead of repressing your emotions and losing
your energy or expressing them haphazardly and losing your way -
you could marshal their energies and use them to increase your
awareness, heal your relationships, and address your deepest
wounds. In her groundbreaking new work, the author leads us on a
step-by-step journey out of emotional confusion and suffering, and
helps us discover our soul's deepest language and our own innate
Emotional Genius. Laughing Tree Press, www.emovere.com,
2001, ISBN 0-9656583-4-1 Buy
This Book!
McLaren, Karla, Further into the
Garden: Discovering Your Chakras. In this companion book
to Rebuilding the Garden (see above review), the author
delves into the world of the chakras, which can be likened to
energetic glands of the body. Written directly for readers of the
first book, this incorporates hands-on healing techniques with
explanations of the eight central chakras and the chakras of the
hands and feet. Here, molest survivors learn how chakras should
function, what chakra damage feels like in the body and the aura,
and how to cleanse, reshape and heal each of the chakras with
simple, grounded intuitive healing techniques. Laughing Tree Press
1997 Buy
This Book!
McLaren, Karla, Your Aura & Your
Chakras: The owner's manual, Samuel Weiser Inc.,
1998
Meadows, Kenneth, Where Eagles Fly: A shamanic way to
inner wisdom, Element, 1995
Metcalf, Franz, Buddha in Your
Backpack: Everyday Buddhism for teens. Probably all the
jumbled stuff of your daily life - school books, CDs, cell phone,
maybe that thing you've been looking for everywhere and just can't
find. Why not add Buddha to the mix? This book, that is. It
gives you Buddham's life - did you know he rebelled against the
system? Everyday Buddhism - a new way for you to deal with
friends, family, food, school, sex, all of it. Your own path -
ways to move forward. It's not about joining a religion - it's
about being happier. Make room for Buddha in Your Backpack.
Seastone, www.ulyssespress.com
2003, ISBN 1-56975-321-0 Buy
This Book!
Millman, Dan, The Laws of
Spirit: A Tale of Transformation. Powerful truths for
making life work. A companion on the Journey of Spirit. Within
the mystery of our existence, the universe operates according to
spiritual laws as real as the law of gravity and as constant as
the turning of the heavens. Aligning our lives to these laws can
trasnform our relationships, careers, finances, and health. Simply
put, they make life work better. In this book, the author offers a
teaching tale in which he encounters a woman of great wisdom while
on a mountain hike. In a single weekend in the wilderness, this
sage takes him - and his readers - through experiences and tests
in the mountains that demonstrate the power of spiritual laws in
everyday life. Discover the keys to balance, choice, process,
presense, compassion, faith, action, patience, surrender, and
finally, unity. These laws belong to all of us. They rest within
our hearts and at the heart of every religion and spiritual
tradition. As you make your own journey through the pages of this
book, you will find universal solutions to the varied challenges
of your life. Join the author on an adventure that changes lives.
Open the doors to a deeper sense of meaning, purpose, and
connection with all of creation. HJ Kramer, www.newworldlibrary.com,
2001 ISBN 0-915811-93-6 Buy
This Book!
Millman, Dan, Living on
Purpose: Straight answers to life's tough questions. The
author combines the wisdom of Solomon with the commonsense touch
of Dear Abby, tackling real-world questions with the intuitive
insight that has drawn millions of readers to his books. Here, for
the first time, he distills his powerful teaching into twenty-five
key principles, which his mentor, an old warrior named Socrates -
called the House Rules. Dan illustrates each House Rule with
user-friendly stories, quotations, and exercises for applying the
House Rules into our own lives. He answers univeral questions
about money and work, parenting and priorities, diet and health,
decision-making and divorce, simplicity and spirituality,
meditation and morality, sexuality and fear, life and death, and
more. Each answer offers fresh insight and personal guidance - a
bold new vision for living on purpose. www.danmillman.com
New World Library, www.newworldlibrary.com
2000 ISBN 1-57731-132-9 Buy
This Book!
Millman, Dan, Way of the Peaceful
Warrior: A book that changes lives. This book
has become one of the most beloved spiritual sagas of our time.
Despite his success, the author, college student and
world-champion athlete, is haunted by a feeling that something is
missing from his life. Awakened one night by dark dreams, he
wanders into an all-night gas statoin, meets an old man named
Socrates, and his world is changed forever. Guided by this
eccentric old warrior, drawn to an elusive young woman named Joy,
he begins a spiritual odyssey into realms of light and shadow,
romance and mystery, toward a final confrontation that will
deliver or destroy him. This classic tale, told with heart and
humor, speaks to the peaceful warrior in each of us. Countless
readers have been moved to laughter and tears - even moments of
illumination - as they rediscover life's larger meaning and
purpose. Journey with Dan on the peaceful warrior's path to
unreasonable happiness. Find out for yourself why this book
changes lives. With a new afterword and revisions by the author.
www.danmillman.com H.J.
Kramer, 1984; New World Library, www.newworldlibrary.com
2000 ISBN 0-915811-89-8 Buy
This Book!
Minor, Robert, When Religion is an
Addiction. The religious right-wing is on a bender and their
current drink is political. John Bradshaw describes the "high"
someone gets from feeling righteous as similar to the high of
cocaine. There's a recognizable difference between addictive and
non-addictive religion. Crucial is the conservative Christian
teaching that people are basically so evil and lost that they
deserve eternal, unimaginably abusive punishment from someone they
are told is really a loving heavenly Father. Religious addicts
blame God for their beliefs and activities. That eliminates
personal responsibility for the addiction and its results.
Addictive religion is often used to cover sexual addiction. The
old "nice" liberal response that's been tried again and again
hasn't worked. Remove the addict and the addiction from the
driver's seat in our society and lives, through non-codependent,
non-co-addictive strategies. This book will definitely help you
"find the way." www.fairnessproject.org,
HumanityWorks, 2007, ISBN 978-0-9709581-2-9
Robert is a monthly columnist
here.
Moore, Thomas, Care of the
Soul: A guide for cultivating depth and sacredness in
everyday life is considered to be one of the best primers for
soul work ever written. The author, an internationally renowned
theologian and former Catholic monk, offers a philosophy for
living that involves accepting our humanity rather than struggling
to transcend it. By nurturing the soul in everyday life, he shows
how to cultivate dignity, peace, and depth of character. For
example, in addressing the importance of daily rituals he writes,
"Ritual maintains the world's holiness. As in a dream a small
object may assume significance, so in a life that is animated by
ritual there are no insignificant things." This is the eloquence
that helped reintroduce the sacred into everyday language and
contemporary values. HarperPerennial, 1994, ISBN 0060922249
Buy
This Book!
Moorey, Teresa & Howard, Pagan Gods for
Today’s Man: a beginner’s guide. Men today are
conscious of many dilemmas. The new role of women has thrown a
fresh light on male status and identity and changing economic and
social conditions raise similar issues. Belief in a sole,
exclusively male deity is on the wane in many quarters and the
idea of male supremacy is becoming outmoded. Where might a man now
look for images to inspire and uplift? What does it mean to be a
hero? What social and psychological issues currently affect men
and how might these be addressed? Looking at ancient gods and old
stories, addressing issues such as sensitivity in men, the warrior
ethic and respect for Nature, the authors explore fresh approaches
to these and other contemporary concepts. Men of all ages and
persuasions can find something in these pages to provoke thought,
inspire and hearten. Hodder & Stoughton, 1997 Buy
This Book!
Nepo, Mark, The Book of Awakening: Having the life you
want by being present to the life you have. A journey
depends on the kind of deeply held intention that transforms even
the most ordinary occasion into a subtle or life-altering move
from mindless to mindful, soul-less to soulful. The author's
spiritual daybook is a summons to reclaim aliveness, liberate the
self, take each day one at a time, and savor the beauty offered by
life's unfolding. Reading his poetic prose is like being given a
second sight, exposing the reader to life's multiple dimensions,
each one drawn with awe and affection. A series of daily
reflections, this is a guidebook for a new journey of the soul.
Each entry is a work of art, accompanied by a practice that makes
for a completely original call to awaken the mind and the senses.
It is filled with a reminding wisdom both gathered from others and
harvested from the author's own life. Each entry in this capacious
and tender daybook widens both the eyes and the heart. A cancer
survivor and writer-in-residence at the Fetzer Institute in
Michigan, the author has allowed life to consciously move through
him and the results of that exploratoin take form here. Designed
as a companion and soul-friend, a "thinking person's daybook," it
is a book of marvels, woven from the author's own story, stories
of others struggling with their humanness, and truths from the
great wisdom traditions. Conari Press, 2000
ISBN 1-57324-117-2 Buy
This Book!
O'Neill, Jessie, The Golden
Ghetto: The psychology of affluence. It is a
peculiarly American notion that money will guarantee happiness,
bring us personal fulfillment, strengthen our relationships, give
us smarter, better adjusted children - in short, make all our
dreams come true. Here the author, granddaughter of Charles Erwin
Wilson, one-time president of General Motors, provides a
penetrating look at why attaining wealth proves to be a hollow
achievement for many. She has based her professional practice on
understanding and treating the problems of those who have amassed
great wealth, and her book is both a description of their lives
and an analysis of and prescription for the problems they've had
to face. While the author's main focus is on the very rich, the
lessons to be learned from their lives have a far broader
application. This book is in fact inhabited by millions of
Americans, rich and poor alike, who embrace and endlessly pursue
the fantasy that more is better, while allowing all that is truly
worthwhile - loving relationships, the selfless giving of oneself,
and spiritual growth - to fall by the wayside. This books shows us
how to right our own relationship with money, and offers
insightful suggestions for repairing the psychological and
cultural damage our misguided beliefs about money, power and
happiness have caused. Hazelden 1.800.328.0098 www.hazelden.com
1997 (Audio-Cassette,
CD)
O'Reilly, Sean, James, Tim, The Road
Within: True stories of transformation and the soul. This
is a very different kind of travel book, a venture into the hidden
territories of the human spirit and heart. It is a book of
transformation, of lessons learned, maps drawn and burned, and
spiritual blessings bestowed by that great and hard teacher:
travel. It will show you what the great mystics and saints have
always known - that you are closer to yourself, the world, and
God, than you can possibly imagine, and that wondrous things await
you on your journeys. Just a few of the notable authors you'll
find in this book: Annie Dillard, Huston Smith, Redmond O'Hanlon,
Natalie Goldberg, David Berlinski, Andrew Harvey, Lyall Watson,
Holly Morris, Barry Lopez and Bill Buford. Travelers' Tales, 1998
ISBN 1-885211-19-8 Buy
This Book!
O'Reilly, Sean Joseph, How to Manage Your
Dick* (Destructive Impulses with Cyber
Kinetics): Redirect sexual energy and discover your more
spiritually enlightened, evolved self. This is one of the most
unusual concepts you may ever encounter. It is also one of the
most important. This is the book that might have saved Bill
Clinton and Gary Condit from personal and political chaos. The
author presents ideas about energy, moral development, and sexual
management that will revolutionize your life. Our society
emphasizes concepts like time and resource management, but for the
most part ignores one very importnat kind of
management: DICK Managment. An ecology of persoanl
energy use that studies destructive, testosterone-driven impulses
from the perspective of metaphysics and science, it is a new
discipline that will teach you how to redirect your sexual energy
and discover your more spiritually enlightened, dimensionally
evolved self. This is an extraordinary new guide to the soul. It's
about finding your own personal life ethic - not just saying "no"
or suppressing your desires but rather about saying "yes" to
something larger than the tunnel vision of the Cyclops in your
pants. Auriga Publishing Group, Ten Speed Press, www.dickmanagement.com,
2001, ISBN 158008350-1, Buy
This Book!
Ortlund, Ray and Anne, A Man and His
Loves: Mastering the six vital masculine
relationships. Amid the inverse pictures of men painted by
modern society, is there a single image worth
duplicating? Why not the picture drawn in Scripture of
the man Jesus of Nazareth? In this forthright portrait,
a couple with deep roots in Christian ministry paint a picture of
the Man for all men. They find in Jesus a blue-collar carpenter
robust enough for an outdoor ministry, passionate enough to whip
money-changers out of the temple, and gentle enough to weep, to
cherish friends (both male and female) and to cuddle Chodron. The
authors show how men can: Bond with the manhood God
implanted within, Keep a journal...and a friend, Stand tall in a
love relationship, Be the head of their household-with love,
Pattern "fathering" relationships after seven fathering
characteristics of God, Do "manly" things - dream, dare, do,
attack, conquer-through love. They affirm the worth both of
manhood and the potential men have to enrich themselves, their
families and society by loving in truly manly ways. Word
Publishing, 1994 ISBN 084-9910-692 Buy
This Book!
Pable, Martin, The Quest for the Male
Soul: In search of something more. Many men in our
society have a deep spiritual life, and many more desire one. No
longer satisfied with the games and toys served up in the consumer
culture, they are searching for "something more." They
are seeking deeper spiritual meaning and a more personal
relationship with God. Defining spirituality as "whatever helps us
make sense of our lives and gives them meaning," the author offers
men advice on how to grow in their relationship with God. He uses
six Hebrew words to describe six stages of a man's spiritual
development. He guides readers in an exploration of what it means
to be created in the image of God, to possess positive sexual
energy, to be endowed with the courage of a warrior, to carry
one's wounds gracefully, to grow in the mature exercise of
authority, and finally, to be wise. He shows how these six stages
represent tasks and skills that engage a man's very soul and bring
him face to face with life's ultimate questions. He highlights the
creative possibilities of each stage and illustrates how Jesus
confronted their challenges in his own life. The book concludes
with the author's six-step process for spiritual growth which
shows men how to incorporate a commitment to ongoing change,
prayer, and service to others into the demands of their everyday
life. Ave Maria Press1996
Paull, Jennifer, Christopher Culwell,Fodor's
Giude to the Da Vinci Code: On the trail of the best-selling
novel. This fully illustrated guide to the best-selling novel
gives you fresh insight into the Da Vinci Code phenomenon.
Following the path of the novel's characters, this book delves
into the locations, people, historic events, and symbols involved
in the story. Inside you'll find answers to questions such
as: Do cryptexes really exist? Is there a secret chamber
below Rosslyn Chapel? And what did conservators discover when
they restored Leonardo's The Last Supper? Photographs,
interviews, maps, and smart lively essays from experts in their
fields reveal the eye-opening true tales behind the mystery. Plus,
if you're inspired to see the sights for yourself, check out the
unique travel section, which recommends fun, Code-related places
to eat, stay, and see in Paris, Rome, London and Roslin. A sample
itinerary leads the way. Packed with fascinating facts, this guide
adds a new dimension to your reading experience. Fodors, www.fodors.com,
2006, ISBN 1-4000-1672-X 
Picknett, Lynn, Mary
Magdalene: Christianity's Hidden Goddess. Traditionally
portrayed as a marginal figure, a reformed prostitute and penitent
befriended by Jesus, the Mary Magdalene of the Gospels is always
inferior to the male disciples, though in recent times there have
been moves to adopt her as an icon of liberal Christianity and a
"thirteenth" disciple. But another Magdalene is now emerging
- the "Apostle of the Apostles" and "The Women Who Knows All". The
Gnostic Gospels reveal that for the early Church she was second in
importance only to Jesus. Mary and Jesus were lovers and spiritual
partners, and she may even have borned him a child. She may not
have been a Jewish woman, but could have come from Ethiopia, a
land with its own cult of itinerant pristesses, known to have
travelled as far as Egypt and Israel to preach. The author
re-evaluates the evidence from the Gospels, the contemporary
Gnostic works, and ancient Egyptian texts, seeking enlightenment
in fields as diverse as the art of Leonardo da Vinci and the
statues of Black Madonnas. She believes that virtually everything
the Church teaches about Mary Magdalene is a deliberate attempt to
cover up uncomfortable facts: that it is time to see the real
woman and to reassess the history of Christianity. Carroll
& Graff, www.carrollandgraf.com,
2004, ISBN 0-7867-1311-9 
Porter, Bill, Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese
hermits. "Bill Porter's Road to Heaven is a brilliant
essay on the traditions of Chinese hermits, a startling reminder
of how far we have gone astray. It should be a part of any serious
Zen or Taoist library." - Jim Harrison. Mercury House, 1993,
ISBN 1-56279-041-2 Buy
This Book!
Prather, Hugh, Spiritual Notes to
Myself: Essential wisdom for the 21st century. "Our
spiritual efforts do not give us privileges in the world - no
parking spaces that manifest magically, no fat bank accounts. The
author says it up front and straight out. What readers of this
intimate notebook will discover, however, is how Truth reveals
itself through the ordinary, daily experiences of our lives - if
we choose to live consciously." Patricia Hopkins Conari
Press 1998 Buy
This Book!
Prather, Hugh & Gayle, Spiritual
Parenting: A guide to understanding and nurturing
the heart of your child. The book is a guide to the naturally
intuitive and spiritual core of every child. It refutes the
current notions of the basic nature of children and teenagers,
while offering a radically new way to approach parenting. In the
words of the authors, counselor and ministers, this book reflects
the deep personal conviction that parenting is a spiritual path, a
form of worship. In their characteristically warm style, the
authors offer a book of principles that parents can use to
understand and protect their children at home, at school and in
the world. While one does not have to believe in God to understand
these principles, parents must approach child care as a spiritual
task. They offer ways to keep this essential focus amid the
bewildering complexities involved in guiding children toward
adulthood. With joy and a sense of humor, the authors offer
stories and anecdotes about their own children and the children of
families they have counseled to help today's parents break through
conflicting ideas and emotions and learn to enjoy their children
at all stages of their growth. Harmony Books, 1996
Quinn, Daniel, My Ishmael: A sequel. Ishmael was an
extraordinary novel which became an underground bestseller and a
testament for a burgeoning spiritual movement, especially in some
areas of the "men’s movement". This new novel is a companion
piece - not a story that follows the first but rather a story
contemporaneous with the first. In it, the Ishmael saga takes a
startling direction that is in no way prefigured in the original.
Bantam Books www.bantam.com
1997 Buy
This Book!
Ramer, Andrew, Two Flutes Playing: A
spiritual journeybook for gay men. In a dizzying tumble or
words about gay life that has left little uncovered, the author
has something new to say. He does not rationalize, analyze,
cheered or scold, but presents a simple vision so steeped in
age-old wisdom that it appears more contemporary than tomorrow's
headlines. By writing as purely from the heart as he does, he
engages a timeless place within us - a place beyond damage and
doubt, caution and guile. Plunging fearlessly into the truth as he
sees it, he can't help but liberate readers from their own
blinkers about the saving grace of being queer. Mark Thompson,
author of Gay Body, Gay Spirit and Gay Soul.
Alamo Press arame@earthlink.net
ISBN 1-886360-05-7 Buy
This Book!
Roads, Michael J., Journey into Nature: A spiritual
adventure, H. J. Kramer, 1990
Roberts, Williams O., Crossing the Soul's
River: A Rite of passage for men. This compelling
book puts the male midlife crisis into its deepest context - the
growth of ourselves as spiritual beings. In so doing it moves well
beyond treatments which focus solely on the psychological
dimensions of this process - though the author details these too
with a sharp insightful eye honed by his own personal experience.
Most helpful is his detailing of various rites of passage designed
to help men navigate through this difficult time. In this the book
is of practical as well as intellectual use. The book is deeply
insightful and altogether illuminating. The Pilgrim Press,
pilgrim@ucc.org, 1998
ISBN 0-8298-1259-8 Buy
This Book!
Robinson, Jonathan, Life's Big
Questions: 200 ways to explore your spiritual life. What
kind of person have you dreamed of becoming? Filled
with provocative questoins, inspiring anecdotes, and guided
meditations, this book invites you to examine your beliefs about
spirituality and learn new ways of encountering the sacred in
daily life. Topics range from the concept of God and the reason
for love to the meaning of death and the wonder of miracles. Ask
yourself, your family, and your friends these "big questions" and
you will begin to discover the key to unlocking life's deepest
mysteries., Conari Press, 1995. ISBN 1-57324-711-1 Buy
This Book!
Rosen, Jonathan, The Talmud and the
Internet: A journey between worlds. "Not long after my
grandmother died, my computer crashed and I lost the journal I had
kept of her dying." So begins this powerful personal
consideration of modern technology and ancient religious impulses
by a celebrated young novelist and essayist who blends religious
history, memoir and literary reflection as he compares the
fortunae life of his American-born grandmother to the life of his
European-born granmother, who was murdered by Nazis. In this
profound, ultimately hopeful meditation, the author charts the
territory between doubt and belief, tragedy and prosperity, the
world of the living and the world of the dead. Farrar, Straus and
Giroux, 2000 ISBN 0-374-27238-7 Buy
This Book!
Schechter, Howard, Jupiter's
Rings: Balance from the inside out. An often heard
complaint from people everywhere is: "my life feels out of
balance." The author's book provides an antidote to this malaise,
offering relief through practical spiritual and psychological
guidanace. It is a deep and graveful study of the inner life. He
shows how a life in balance flows naturally out of the condition
of internal harmony and can only be achieved through an inner
focused process. All attempts to generate balance by rearranging
the furniture of one's external life will ultimately prove futile.
The twelve chapters constitute discussions of, and guidance in,
the key elements and practices that will produce internal harmony.
It is unique in it's fresh formulation and synthesis of perennial
wisdom. It is easily accessible to those beginning their search
for a more balanced life as well as appealing to individuals
further along the path of personal and spiritual growth. White
Cloud Press, www.whitecloudpress.com,
2002, ISBN 1-883991-40-4 Buy
This Book!
Shannon, Maggie Oman, The Way We
Pray: Prayer practices from around the world.We all yearn
to feel a spiritual connection with a higher power. In this book,
the author celebrates fifty diverse prayer practices from around
the world, creating the perfect resource for your own spiritual
exploration. Among the practices described in the book are walking
a labyrinth, drawing a mandala, counting prayer beads, speaking
affirmations, writing in a gratitude journal, displaying prayer
flags, reading sacred scriptures, listening to the resonant sounds
of a prayer bowl, fasting, writing haiku and chanting. Conari
Press, 2001. ISBN 1-57324-571-2 Buy
This Book!
Smith, David B., Sex,
the Ring & the Eucharist: Reflections on life, ministry
& fighting in the inner-city. Father Dave is a man who is
as unconventional as he is remarkable. He is the only Australian
in Holy Orders to have ever boxed professionally to help raise
money to keep his ministry going. He is Sydney's 'Fighting
Father', who combines his regular work as a Parish Priest with a
ministry to street kids, heroin addicts and other undesirables
from the underside of Australian society. This book is a series of
snapshots from Father Dave's life. The book, like the author, is
hard-hitting and straight talking. The language will shock some.
Others will be put off by Dave's criticism of the established
church and the legal system that is, at points, quite savage. And
yet, there is a pervading sense of faith and hope running through
this book that is inescapable and infectious. www.fatherdave.org,
Hippo Books, 2003, ISBN 0-9751630-0-0
(See Fighting Father Dave's monthly column here.)
Smith, Huston, The World's Religions. Originally titled
The Religions of Man, this completely revised and updated
edition of Smith's masterpiece, now with an engaging new foreword,
explores the essential elements and teachings of the world's
predominant faiths, including: Buddhism, Christianity,
Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Taoism and the native
traditions of Africa, the Americas, Australia and Oceania.
Emphasizing the inner - rather than institutional - dimensions of
these religions, he devotes special attention to Zen and Tibetan
Buddhism, Sufism and the teachings of Jesus. He convincingly
conveys the unique appeal and gifts of each of the traditions and
reveals their hold on the human heart and imagination. Harper San
Francisco, 1991, www.harpercollins.com,
ISBN 0-06-250811-3 (paperback) and 0-06-250799-0
(cloth).
Some, Malidoma Patrice, Of Water & the
Spirit: Ritual, magic & initiation in the life of an
African shaman. The author, whose name means "be friends with
the stranger/enemy," was born under the shadow of French colonial
rule in Upper Volta, West Africa. When he was four, he was taken
by a Jesuit priest and imprisoned in a seminary built for training
a new generation of "black" Catholic priests. In spite of his
isolation from his tribe and his village, he stubbornly refused to
forget where he had come from and who he was. Fifteen years later,
he fled the seminary and walked 125 miles through the dense jungle
back to his own people, the Dagara. Once he was home, however,
many there regarded him as a "white black", to be looked on with
suspicion because he had been contaminated by the "sickness" of
the colonial world. He was a man of two worlds, at home in
neither. His only hope of reconnection with his people was to
undergo the harrowing Dagara monthlong initiation in the
wilderness, which he describes in fascinating detail. He emerged
from this supernatural ritual a newly integrated individual,
rejoined to his ancestral past and his cultural present. For more
than a century, anthropologists and ethnologists have attempted to
penetrate the worldview of indigenous peoples. Now a true son of
Africa has come forth, with the permission of his tribal elders,
to tell us with stunning candor about their way of life. Today he
flys the jetways writing on his laptop computer, seeking to share
the ancient wisdom of the Dagara with the rest of the world and
bring an understanding of another way of life to his village. His
book is a courageous testament to the hope that humanity can learn
to live in a global village and see the "stranger" as a friend.
Tarcher/Putnam, 1994 ISBN 0-87477-762-3 Buy
This Book!
Some, Malidoma Patrice, The Healing Wisdom
of Africa: Finding life purpose through nature, ritual
and community. A fascinating, detailed journey through the
traditional healing practices of West Africa, by a beloved shaman
and scholar. Through this book, readers can come to understand
that the life of indigenous and traditional people is a paradigm
for an intimate relationship with the natural world that both
surrounds us and is within us. This acclaimed book is the most
distinctive and complete study of the role ritual plays in the
lives of African people - and the role it can play for seekers in
the west. Tarcher/Putnam, www.penguinputnam.com
1999 Paperback. ISBN 0-87477-991-X Buy
This Book!
Some, Malidoma Patrice, Ritual: Power, Healing and
Community, Malidoma Patrice Some. In this remarkable book, we
explore the essential role 
