Inspiration Books

this is a deep and valuable look into the strega, a witchcraft tradition of Italy. To understand the Well of Year and the Ancient Mysteries that is a part of Wicca, is very good.
My only warn to readers is to statement from the author that Wicca came from the Strega (or, at least, many of it rituals).

Unfortunatly he does not reveal any real secrets of Sicilian Strega. The secrets are still safe. Maybe one day the public will know, then again maybe not. Is this book still worth it? Oh yes. Raven Grimassi is one of a kind with the Italian tradition of Strega (Strega=Witchcraft) He made up his own tradition the Araidian tradition from an older tradition. Here in this book you will learn about the history of the witchcraft of Tuscany and Italy. He teaches about the diffrent aspect of the Goddess Diana. He also teaches about her consort Dianus. He gives out wonderful rituals and spells. He also gives a bit of info on the Lasa and Lare (the fairey folk) and how to make your own Lara and Lasa shrine. This is a good primer on Italian Witchcraft and wonderful for the beginners of the Craft as well. The auther does a wonderful job.

This is a kind of companion piece to R.G.'s Italian Witchcraft. This one has the solitary versions of the rituals, and stands quite well on its own, but I think, if this is for you, you need both books. The two books have everything you need for a complete "outer court" traditional Strega practice, much needed nowadays as geography doesn't allow everyone to become an Initiate. Of course I like all of R.G.'s works, but this one and I.W. are absolute groundbreakers.

It should have been called 'Hereditary ITALIAN Witchcraft, Secret of the Old ITALIAN Religion'. (...)

So one star off for a misleading title, one star off for his bias and a third for small mistakes like the one on page 47 concerning Demeter. This goddess was an earth goddess as demonstrated by her ability to control the seasons and role as harvest mother, NOT an underworld deity. That honor was solely her daughter Persephone's.

However, if you are interested in italian witchcraft this would probably be a great beginners book. The myths are beautiful and unique to anything else I've read and his re-interpretation of woodcuts from 'Compendium Maleficarum' are very interesting.

If you are not interested in Italian Witchcraft, it is a waste of time and money. (...)

Hereditary Witchcraft is an interesting view of an older form of Witchcraft, and how it evolved through time. I enjoyed the author's theories on how the Old Religion survived in altered forms from ancient times. It was great to finally see things in a book on Witchcraft that I've not seen a hundred times before.
Naturally, family traditions will differ depending upon the culture and region in which they were formed. I was pleased to see that nowhere in his book does Grimassi claim that what he presents is the "One True" structure by which to measure all hereditary witches. What Grimassi presents instead is a tradition and type of hereditary, which he knows and has intimate knowledge of. He simply writes about what he knows, believes, and has personally experienced.

Like anyone who has achieved success, Grimassi has his critics. It would be ignorant to compare one hereditary witch to another in terms of authenticity, but this never seems to deter certain types of people.

This book had been recommended to us to use to teach a class on the subject. It worked well for that, with some modifications. It really is best as a reference Christian parents will want to have to give them ideas on teaching their children Biblical principles from the cradle to age 12. The explanation of children's developmental stages and how that relates to their spiritual growth is clearly explained. The charts are expanded with examples in the text. The resources section and list of activities will fit most families. It is quite thorough in its approach. We made a copy available to each small group during the class; all the participants wanted their own family copy.

Whether your family is a beginner or advanced when it comes to spiritual growth, this is the best book for you. It starts by convicting parents of the need for purposeful training, then convinces them that they really can do it themselves, then tells them what their kids actually need to know, and spends the rest of the time showing you HOW to do it. The material is extremely practical and relevant.

"Parents' Guide" offers parents an excellent resource for developing the spiritual life of our children. As a pastor and father, I'm glad for Trent & Osborne's research. If the foundation of a healthy society is found in the home, then the foundation of a healthy home is found in our spiritual life with God through Jesus Christ. For another book on Christian spiritual parenting, look into the recently published book, THE FAMILY CLOISTER: BENEDICTINE WISDOM FOR THE HOME, by David Robinson (New York, NY: Crossroad, 2000; 192pp., trade paperback). God bless you in your holy calling of raising spiritual children!

I have read several books on teaching children about God, but this one by far exceeded my expectations! The wealth of information this book contains in supporting children spiritually and teaching them in many different ways, while acknowledging each child's learning style (and your own!) and your family's pace is amazing. It helps you develop a plan for spiritual growth in your family, not just tells you how and when and where to "teach" children. The only flaw, which I called Kurt Bruner about, was that their many references to "forms available online at www.heritagebuilders.com" was not true because the don't have them on that site any longer. I would have thought that having the forms pdfed on their site would have been an important support of this book... or at least a link to where the forms are.

I found this book to be an excellent reference and a wonderful tool for Christian parents. First of all, the authors lead you to discover key characteristics of your unique family, including your general interests, family pace, and Christian heritage. Then you are shown how to assess the personalities of each individual in your family, along with strenghts, weaknesses and teaching tips for each type. As a result, you compose a family plan that will be the most effective way to communicate your faith to your children. The next section of the books guides you in topics that are readily understood by each age level, as well as tips and ideas for teaching those concepts to your children. I was extremely impressed with the amount of useful knowlegde contained in this book, and within days of reading it and implementing it my 5 year old daughter cannot get enough of the Bible and her questions about God!

These cards are beautiful, and accurate. I could not be happierand highly recommend this set.

I acquired this set of CDs to listen to while on a long-distance drive. They are very interesting and enjoyable. Zukov teaches moral principles with a series of parables--a long established tool for teaching. The principles he teaches this way are pretty basic, but foundational for us all. For those who feel they're more "advanced", remember that we ALL benefit from review and reminder on the basics. When he got to the subject of men and women that, at times, he came from a more narrow, "traditional" position, which saddened me. This seems to be the one area where he hasn't put away at least some of old fashioned but not necessarily good or helpful attitudes. Otherwise, I must say, this is worth your time. Parents, it will certainly give you additional resources for helping your children understand as well.

Great read when your feeling down, The best explainations of love and life and easy to understand and read... Thank you Gary .. Nicole Author Rainy day poems and more 1 and 2

I read one of this author's earlier books and found his karmic theories both creative and interesting but not entirely convincing. I recently acquired his THE DANCING WU-LI MASTERS and will read it next.

Now as for SOUL STORIES, the first part was done very well I thought. It borrows very heavily from Buddhist cosmology which is a major interest of mine and there is nothing original by Zukav there, but it was good to read nonetheless because he synthesizes it in a very clear and readable manner.

Then the rest of the book becomes the usual trendy, politically correct, pop culture nonsense. Artificially reversing gender roles, categorizing all humans as individually 'special' but as 'the same' in value, rejecting 'earth suits' as having no inherent value whatever, etc. Each of us being so special and unique but of the same worth, it is similar to the trendy thing where everyone celebrates their birthday on the same day in order to force-feed equality and make everyone feel good - and thus eliminiate the REAL special-ness of the individual and REAL birthdays and their celebration. With this kind of touchy-feely formula, everyone who is 'special' and 'unique' winds up in a vast, gray, boring mass.

I personally much prefer the more noble Vedantic philosophy of a Nature inherently without any equality but in which individual humans are each given the opportunity to set themselves on a path towards the godhead/truth, their individual value and uniqueness predicated on how far they have moved themselves towards enlightenment and service to God. Most people are too materialist and selfish to get on the path at all and thus their value/uniqueness is low, others begin ascending but don't get very far. Yet a tiny few progress well and nobly and courageously upwards - THEY have great value and genuine uniqueness. THEY have risen above that boring gray mass of non-value.

I doubt if Zukav would really understand any of that. He is just too pee-cee, period. AND is isn't the sort of thing people like to read as it doesn't make them feel good.

This author has an interesting background but how he wound up immersed in all this New Age silliness is beyond me. Perhaps he is just cynically cashing in, as it is the sort of popular stuff people want to buy nowadays. Authors like this are a dime a dozen. As in, stick with the herd, feed the herd, and fatten on their stupidity.

As an avid reader of Brian Weiss, I had thought that I would have another dose of past life stories because of the title "Soul Stories". I was surprised, instead, to find several short stories that brought home the fact that many concepts including those of intuition, harmony, forgiveness etc. express themselves in our day-to-day ordinary lives, each and every day. We simply need to look within ourselves in order to find our own stories. A touching book that makes one think!

Soul Stories is a medley of reflections, stories, anecdotes, confessions, and poetic vision. It is deep and touching. The author, Gary Zukav, appears vulnerable and willing to share the fears and emotions he experienced and moved through to become the person that he is today. He also makes it clear that spiritual growth and self-awareness are a way of life, not an ideal place to attain once and for all. He is of the opinion that the longing for growth, awareness and self-realization is now happening in many different places around the earth and will result in a transformation of consciousness for humanity. A shift is taking place where people are operating through their heart, reaching for their intuition to guide them, seeking harmony, cooperation and partnership in their relationships and exhibiting reverence for life. His message is that this shift of consciousness is within our reach and may be the next step for humanity.

In that sense, Soul Stories, reminds me of the work of authors Ariel and Shya Kane who are also pioneers of the Transformation of Consciousness and have developed the concept of Instantaneous Transformation, a radical shift in consciousness which happens in an instant and brings about transformation in all areas of your life. Two of their books relate particularly to Gary's book: How To Create a Magical Relationship, which explores the basis of true partnership; and Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment which explores the art of being present and discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary. If self-realization is on your list of aspirations, I urge you to check the work of the Kanes also.

I bought these cds about six months ago and loaded them onto my IPod. Every morning I listen to these cds while I am getting ready for work. Each time I listen to them, I learn something that I didn't the last time. I really enjoy each speaker and they keep you entertained. I would recommend everyone to buy these and to listen to them. I also listen to them in the car. I have bought several other Audio Success Series CDs and enjoy those as well.

I bought this set of CD's to listen in the car. I am sick of the negativity on the radio and figured its hard to stay negative when you are listening to a motivating speaker!

The CD's are very good and I have learnt a lot more than I expected to. I recommend this series to anyone in business.

There where two excellent speakers, Zig Ziglar and Danny Cox. Zig Ziglar is outstanding as usual. I had never heard of Danny Cox before, but his audio cd was impressive. These two made it all worth while. I enjoy the speech that entertains and informs.

Dr. Sheila Murray Bethel and Brian Tracy where interesting. I intend to listen and read more of their material. Their viewpoints and subject matter made for a great listen.

Why did I give these cd's 4 stars instead of 5? There is a speaker who talks about memory and how to improve your skills. I must have failed because I forgot his name already. While his method could work, I wasn't interested. Additionally, some speakers put me to sleep and their message was lost to the dull format and monotone voices.

I have not yet previewed the Bonus DVD, but this purchase was well worth the four aforementioned speakers (Zig Ziglar, Danny Cox, Dr. Sheila Murray Bethel, and Brian Tracy).

I started with "Leadership: The Critical Difference", Wow Wow Wow Brian Tracy was brilliant in explaining the Leadership principles. I already listened to it twice

Will be listening to the other audio CD's one by one

Bullinger's is an excellent Bible study tool. The book is balanced and has a long history of use in the Christian community. I bought it to replace an older copy.

This book is for Bible teachers, Pastors, and above. It is a bit involved for anyone not involved in deep, continous study of the word. It is not an "easy to read book." It is more like a dictionary where you can look up passages or specific figures of speech and see how they are used in the Bible.

I highly recommend it.

This book, along with Preaching from the Types and Metaphors of the Bible (Keach), and The Typology of Scripture (Fairbairn), make up my trio of favorite books on Figures, Metaphors, and Typologies of the Bible. No Bible study you do will truly be complete without checking the notes on your verses in this book. It is really that important, that insightful, and that well researched. The doctrine between the lines is also helpful and sound. This is (hands down), the single best book to study polysyndeton and asyndeton examples in the Bible. Excellent book!

The Bible should be taken literally at all times except where figures of speech are being used. There are over 217 figures of speech used in the Bible and over 8 to 10 thousand verses that contain figurative language. E.W. Bullingers "Figures of Speech Used in the Bible" is the only book in existence that properly teaches the student all the forms of figurative speech used, and the verses where they can be found. The lack of knowledge concerning Figures of Speech has led to many errors in doctrine and interpretation. Therefore, every Christian should give great consideration to studying this topic.

One of the most useful of Bible study tools, "Figures of Speech Used in the Bible" should be in personal library of anyone who is serious about Bible study. The writers of the Bible often used figures of speech that were common during their time. In fact we often use figures of speech in our everyday conversations without paying much attention to it but we do expect others to understand that we were speaking figuratively and not literally. For example, if we were to say someone is "big as a barn" we would not expect anyone to seriously think they were forty feet long, eighteen feet tall and twenty feet wide. By taking such figures of speech literally it is easy to be lead astray into false doctrines.

The other thing the book is particularly valuable for is literary analysis. The beauty of literature sometimes is its use of various literary devices. Introverted parallelism is an example of a literary device included in the book. This is where two or more items are listed in one order and then in the reverse order. For example Exodus 9:31 where it reads "And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled." First the order is flax and then barley and then the order changes to barley and then flax. Of course there are a lot of other literary devices such as acrostics, sentences that start or end with the same words, a chapter where each verse starts with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet, or Psalms 69 where there are 22 groups of eight verses where each of the eight verses in that group all start with the same letter.

Whether it is examining these details of the Bible as literature or preventing an exegetic mistake by not understanding a figure of speech, "Figures of Speech Used in the Bible" is highly recommended and should be owned by all Bible students.

I agree with one reviewer who states that this is not an easy book to read. However, I do not feel it is a difficult one either. For the biblical student who is not familiar with figures of speech this book will be no more or less challenging than any other new concept. But please don't believe that this book is too difficult to read (as one reviewer stated). This is a well designed book, and it will add depth to your biblical understanding you never knew was missing.

As one reviewer already stated their are 217 in scripture. This book helps you understand each of them by: listing each one of them along with biblical passages where they are used, a scripture list in the back so you can find a specific verse easily, and an index of hebrew and greek words explained. This book is truly a treasure chest of information, and one I know will greatly enhance your understanding of God and his word. God bless you. Your the best.

Is Intuition the Same as Psychic?
"I'm not psychic, but I can be quite intuitive at times!" Does that statement fit you? I've heard it many times. It must be a common sentiment. There is a difference in the connotations of these two terms. People tend to describe intuition as natural, whereas references to psychic often involve supernatural references.
In her book, Natural-Born Intuition: How to Awaken and Develop Your Inner Wisdom, Lauren Thibodeau describes psychic as a process of reaching outside of ourselves, while she describes intuition as a process of going within. Her distinction reminds me of the difference between facts (coming from outside) and wisdom (coming from within).
Sometimes Edgar Cayce distinguished intuition from psychic events and sometimes he spoke of it as a psychic ability, as when he said that intuition is the highest form of psychic ability. In some of his readings, it seemed that he had to add something to his psychic impressions to gain the insight he needed. Cayce could hear the thoughts of someone for whom he was searching, but indicated that it took a bit more to know whether the person was alive or dead. He gave the impression that intuition is a more highly evolved attribute than the psychic senses.
It is common to link intuition with a form of knowing and psychic with the senses. Mediums frequently speak as if they are seeing or hearing spirits, but not always understanding the significance of what their psychic senses are telling them. Intuition may be involved in the process of understanding, or interpreting sensations. It can also operate in the absence of sensations, with direct knowing "out of the blue." Brain research shows that the brain interprets sensory data prior to registering it, implying that there is a lot of "thinking" going on in the act of "seeing." Intuition may involve both.
Karlis Osis once conducted a fascinating experiment with Ingo Swann (the artist who invented "remote viewing") that demonstrated the difference between "knowing" and "seeing." Dr. Osis created a puzzle for Swann to explore when he was in his psychic, out-of-body state of consciousness. The puzzle consisted of a closed box with objects inside. He arranged these objects so that when viewed through a little peep hole, one would see an optical illusion and not realize the true nature of the objects. If it were a matter of knowing what was in the box, the actual objects would come to mind, and the optical illusion would not be relevant. When Ingo awakened from his out-of-body experience, he described seeing the illusion, but did not report knowing the nature of the objects.
As another example, suppose we wanted to find an inspiring quotation in the Library of Congress about how dinosaurs felt as they realized they were becoming extinct. If we used "remote viewing," a psychic form of data acquisition, we would begin by scanning all the words in all the books to find sentences that included the word dinosaur. From these, we would scan for sentences that contained the word extinction, and so on. Such a process would take a long time and leaves some doubt as to how this skill could decide upon the "best" quote. On the other hand, we might randomly walk about the library and accidentally discover a perfect quote simply falling into our hands. Intuitive people speak about such synchronicities all the time. Clearly, the task of finding a suitable quote in a mass of information takes more sophisticated mental skills than simply being able to read the words in a book without opening it. Intuition may include psychic ability plus some other qualities.
There's another way in which Thibodeau's distinction makes a lot of sense. Many people with psychic sensitivities report being disturbed often by their impressions. Being bombarded by undesired information can be overwhelming. On the other hand, people who say they live intuitively seem to be in harmony with themselves. It is this blessing that Dr. Thibodeau hopes the reader will achieve through intuition.
Her techniques for developing intuition are entwined with accessing inner wisdom, almost as if they were the same thing. This conjunction reminds me of Cayce's suggestive remarks indirectly crediting our intuitive nature to our guardian angel. Research confirms a relationship between being intuitive and following the soul's directive. Investigating people's moods at random moments reveals that when people are in moments of intuitive flow, it is quite likely that they will also report that they are doing what they feel they were meant to be doing at that moment, as if fulfilling part of their purpose in life. Trusting one's intuition can bring a sense of peace, which psychic ability alone can not accomplish. Intuition is psychic, but it's wise enough to keep its own counsel on the way to Heaven.[...]

This book is amazing and so much fun to read. Dr. Lauren has included questionnaires and quizes that allow the reader to "rate" their psychic ability and even categorize where the reader's strengths and weaknesses are. I was so excited, I skipped to the first questionnaire in bed one night and when finished, sat up in the bed screaming "I'm psychic, I'm psychic!" Woke up my husband and dogs, who were not impressed; husband told me okay you're psychic now can I go back to sleep? It is a marvelous tool for those wishing to explore their intuition (which by the way Dr. Lauren says we ALL have) and I recommend it, not only as a good read, but as a reference tool to use again and again while on our life's journey.

I am a psychologist with over twenty years experience. I find that many clients have disregarded their intuition--to their ultimate dismay in their personal relationships--and have to learn how to better develop and trust their instincts. Dr. Lauren's book is well thought out and contains insights I did not find in other similar books. When my clients ask for help with developing their intuition, I always recommend this book first.
Dr. Paul Coleman, author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Intimacy"

Dr. Lauren has written an amazingly intuitive practical guide for anyone interested in developing their inner wisdom through knowing. Keeping a Knowing Journal was the next logical step to identifying the interactions between the unseen and earthly worlds. Dr. Lauren is an intuitive consultant with a "real" and logical approach to knowing your higher self. I would recommend her Natural-Born Intuition book to all who wish to take that next step to Knowing.

Dr. Lauren has written a work that contains information that you can return to several times and still get more insight into how to improve your Intuition, and thus, improve your life! This is a must read for anyone who wants to learn more about themselves and the world, seen and unseen, all around them.

I can not explain completely but this book changed my life. After reading the book fully and then rereading it to apply to my life it changed how I viewed many things in my life. It allowed me to see things differently and then to react to things differently and find more successful ways in dealing with people events etc in my life. I stopped blaming everything on everyone else and took responsibility for how I look and reacted to things. That gave me strength to deal proactive and stop being a martyr to everything. I became an active maker in my life instead of letting everything else effect me. It was the right thing to come into my life at the right time. How I found it in the wrong section of the book store and how I happen to pick it up I will never know. But I am still very grateful.

Everyone who has ever had difficulty I have given them a copy of this book. And it has blown them all away when they were ready to see it.

"All is not as it appears to be," is an adage discussed in the early portion of this book. We're told that thoughts deceive us all the time. One of the purposes of this book is to think deeper thoughts and grow beyond the facade. Risk makes one vulerable, but it is rewarding in that as it is taken, the potential gains are worth the effort. The only real losers are those who refuse to take risks.

Good emotional health is addressed in chapter three. It covers forgiveness. A person refusing to forgive only hurts himself or herself. He makes a similar point in the eleventh chapter when he writes about exercising one's mind regularly. He adds, "No matter what happens, never blame anyone--or anything--for the way you feel." The issue is ownership of one's emotions. People who feel in control are less likely to be stressed than those who feel like they are victims of other people or circumstances.

On the matter of doing something is better than doing nothing, i.e., activity is desired over passivity, consider the quote he uses from Thomas Carlyle, "Every noble work is at first impossible."

The insightful wisdom contained in this book can improve you thought life and thus enhance your quality of life. I recommend this book.

The Truth about Witchcraft Today! Is a complete work genius! When I went to study Wicca and learn more then I had on my own. This is the book I was given to read First. And I can see why,. It is a composit of layman's terms into the craft. It gives you a few spells to try and explains the reasons why some spells work and some do not! The ideas behind Wicca and some of the Pitfalls...Scott Cunningham was a excellent writer and we in the Wiccan community miss him greatly. This book is the forerunner to many other authors that give the Common Man a look see into Witchcraft and I recommend this to anyone that is interested in the Craft of the Wise!

As a person who practices Wicca, I'm very happy with this book. I always try to have at least 2 copies - one for myself and another to lend. In the long run, I've had to buy about 6 copies because people keep hanging on to mine!

Honestly, I greatly appreciate this as a fairly balanced book for non-practitioners.

The thought of witchcraft may bring about images of flying broomsticks and bubbling cauldraons, green faced hags waiting to butcher your children and house pets. But did you know witchcraft is really a religion that is officially recognized by the U.S. government? Witches do not recruit people via missionaries, but yet still is among the world's fastest growing religions. Numbers estimate members in the millions to as low as several thousand. This is one of the better disinformation guides I have seen on the subject of witchcraft, and while the deceased author's idea of what is normal may differ from my own, we are on the same page as to what is and what is not practicing witchcraft. Don't believe the Hollywood hype of talk show grabage, find out for yourself. Go to a local pagan shop or seek out a local coven. But be warned- they'll make you think they're your friend because they don't appear to be jocks or corporate or holier than thou religious zealots, and they're even worse than Christian missionaries. Until there are Wiccan characters on mainstream TV stations like CBS, NBC or ABC, it is going to continue to be a third rate religion with juvenile, closeted followers. Like SAtanism, in the hands of more talented people, this could've been a real statement. Instead, the only thing most will say is- get a life.

This book is an excellent introduction to witchcraft, for those who are new in the path, or a very good one to give to those who might have misconceptions regarding the real purpose of the practice of wicca , (I just gave one to my catholic mother in law).
The material found in this book is original and includes some very beautiful and inspiring invocations to the Gods which can help the practitioner to attune himself/or herself to the spirit of true witchcraft. Highly recommended.

I ordered this book first, as I explore the Wiccan path. This was a great introduction to the ideas of Witchcraft, as well as a wonderful introduction to the honest, down to earth personality of Scott Cunningham. I plan to use the brief, effective explanations in this book when talking to friends and relatives when questions come up, and possibly order this book for the ones who really want to know more.