New Age Alternative Belief Books

Fool's Crow is one of the great holy men of the Lakota tradition. As a while man, I have been fortunate to take part in ceremony, chiefly in the Ute and Lakota traditions. In these days when wantabee teachers are charging for ceremony, true teachers do not charge for ceremony. There is controversy whether whites should be in ceremony. Those that allow this say that the creator looks at the heart. Walking the red road is both hard and joyful. Even though I been in ceremony for many years, I never understood the inner workings, until I read this book. It sheds light on both the teachings of Christ, and the Red Road. This book is a must read.
Randy Kemp
www.randykempcopywriting.com

This is a very enlightening book. Finally, it seems someone has had the courage to divulge some of the more esoteric teachings of Native American spirituality. I have studied esoteric teachings for many years, and there is far between books like these that really gives you many and deep insights. Definitely a book that can be read many times, and each time you will get something more out of it. A far cry from the books of "plastic medicine men". T. ex you can buy books out there that tells you how to make your own medicine wheel, even coming from a non-native background. This book will tell you that you are not reallly ready for any such thing before AT LEAST 30 years of study and practice. No quick-fixes here! As non-natives we need to have an very deep respect for Native American spirituality. First we took their land, then we prohibited their religion and language, forcing their children to go to boarding schools in order to brainwash them into Churchianity and capitalism (this first ended in 1970!!), and THEN well-meaning, if ignorant, people come and demand to be initiated into their spirituality, taking Indian names, charging money for teachings, etc. I do believe we can learn from them, if we will listen with an attitude of respect.It is wonderful that Chokecherry Call Eagle had the mission and the courage to publish the teachings in this book. An extremely honest and higly recommendable book..!

This book was a delightful surprise! The author's words and opinions spoke loudly to me and I appreciate his candor and willingness to present the story and information in a way that is more easily understood by people who are not steeped in the traditions and concepts of Native American Spirituality. While the book was very interesting and entertaining, the most important impact this book had on me was triggering a lot of introspection and thought on my own beliefs, particularly in regard to Native American spirituality. The author's sincerity and seriousness about the subject matter were refreshing, and the depth of his committment is obvious. There is one thing about this subject, book, and author that I was left with to chew on that I have thought of many times before and still have not found much resolution on. For people who are sincerely trying to learn from this Red Road in order to make themselves a better human being, the author's personal experiences are enviable. There is so much "stuff" out there and so few people who truly have the traditional knowledge and the sincere commitment, that experiencing the "real" thing when it comes to interaction with people tends to be the exception rather than the rule. I guess we all have to do as best we can, stay sincere and committed, and trust that the Creator will provide us with the appropriate guidance and direction. In closing, I would like to thank Mr. Gall Eagle for his willingness to share his life experiences, his knowledge, and his wisdom; but mostly I would like to thank him for simply being who he is and living the life he is living. There is much in this book for people to learn from, if you take the time to look within and examine yourself honestly. Take time to sit and "Cogitate" (as my grandfather used to say), to let the messages and wisdom that are there for you individually, manifest themselves. There is much here below the surface for those who ernestly seek.

I read a lot of books on Native American spirituality, Christianity and other spiritual paths, and I don't think I have ever encountered one this good. Chokecherry Gall Eagle has led a truly amazing and unparalleled life. The wisdom he has gained and the fact that he is willing to share this knowledge with everyone is still amazing me. There are so many lessons to be learned from what he has to say. I have read it twice and I am sure will read it many more times, just to soak in as much as I can. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in any aspect of spirituality, or to anyone who wants to read an amazing story.

For all the people who claim to have meaningful opinions about paranormal research, this book should be a bestseller. Published in 1909, it presents what is essentially irrefutable evidence of paranormal phenomena. It includes not only a detailed account of the experiments that Carrington and his team performed with this medium, but it also includes a resume of the results of some 15 other research teams over as many years previously. Basically one either has to assume an eloborate conspiracy by researchers (many of them respected scientists and professionals) from five or six different countries to produce fraudulent evidence, or one has to accept that this is definitive proof. The common claim of incompetence that sceptics often like to fall back on is not tenable in this case simply because of the elaborate precautions that were taken by the more experienced research groups. Results were often produced in lighted settings with researchers stationed on either side of the medium.

Carrington himself was an experienced magaician, and was quite savvy of what tricks to look out for. His book "The Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism " contains extensive exposes of the whole gamut of fraudulent methods. Carrington could hardly be labeled gullible or naive.

This book also definitively addresses the ad hominem attacks on Euasapia Palladino by mis-informed critics. Clearly Eusapia would cheat if she was given the chance, but that is why serious investigators set up conditions to prevent her from having the chance. Even when her arms and legs were controlled at all times, usually in well lighted conditions, objects still moved about and levitated.

The sad fact is that scientific proof of the paranormal was achieved by the first few decades of the twentieth century. A lot of attempts since then have been a waste of time simply because they are trying to prove something that has already been proved. The sort of people who could not be convinced then will simply never be convinced by any kind of evidence.

This powerful little massmarket paperback came out in the mid-1990s, and is now out of print, although used and remaindered copies are still out there. Officially, it has been replaced by Book Five of the 17 Companions of the True Dawn Horse: "The Divine Siddha-Method Of The Ruchira Avatar". Sadly, that book has not yet been published, even though some of the other volumes in the Companions series came out as early as the late 1990s.

Some of the essays in this book have been revised and have been published in other "Source Text" books. For example, "Money, Food and Sex" appears in "He-and-She Is Me." Others are available only in this massmarket paperback. And a very powerful little book this is: the entire history of mankind and the universe are covered clearly and simply in a little more than 500 pages. It is probably still one of the best single-volume introductions to the Adi Da's work, especially if you're a left-brained linear-thinking type of person.

For five bucks or so, you can take advantage of an infinite amount of wisdom. This is one of the greatest bargains of all time.

Some of the Marketplace copies listed here are actually the 1973 or 1992 trade paperback editions. The earlier one came out very early in the Adi Da's teaching period, so obviously it's missing a significant amount of newer material. The 1992 edition is only slightly different from the 1995 edition.

This is indeed a wonderful book about the Guru-devotee relationship, but it is out of print.
If you are interested in talks from the early years of Adi Da Samraj's teaching I found:"Understanding" [CD], and "Garbage and the Goddess" [CD] great listening. For books check out: "Adi Da: The Promised God-Man Is Here" and "Adi Da and Adidam".

The book gets a good review for many of it's individual ideas and its style of writing but gets a negative review for it's limited, absolute and controlling solution. What it accuses as narcissistic to those that rebel can be the very lens to see those that obey. And so the Eastern thoughts of inward relative diversity are framed under fundamental unity which does not tolerate autonomy.

According to Adi Da, anyone who is not in satsang with him is practicing Narcissism. That is the higher paradigm here. Adi Da is a divine incarnation of the god Da and only where all conceptual inquires, all seeking, all efforts at spiritual development are meaningless unless they are in satsang with "me" and thus the only and absolute alternative is by living within the communal relationship with Adi Da and his devotees. And so this really is a Cult with the control that does not tolerate the two cardinal rules, to first, think for oneself and second, to question authority. And almost all cults have good points to offer within their paradigms.

And the paradox here is that the trees inside this controlling and limited forest bring out some profound points. Some of these include the idea of community relationship with Adi Da in simply a moving, playful, spontaneous relationship in the present moment as opposed to simply intellectual analysis of spiritual growth and that the idea of seeking is part of the problem itself. Here it is letting go of the seeking, which is based on suffering from a moving thought created mind, into now a nonconceptual movement within ordinary life, not some spectacular satori or nirvana but the ordinary life here and now perceived in its now enlightened awareness and paradoxically in this world of the mundane. Also the idea that we are sleeping in a dream and waking up is not seeking for solutions, as solutions are merely those inside the dream, where as to wake up is simply an awareness, again, only in satsang with "me."

And while there are these and many other rather insightful and profound points, they are to the objective reader, contaminated with the control of satsang with what appears to be only a man, a man who both claims to be a god-man and is worshipped as one by many followers who have separated themselves from those not part of the satsang community with Adi Da. Now I am only an ignorant human and Adi Da may just be the incarnate of a divinity, so one can not judge or know any more as an ignorant human being reading this book, for it does not put one in Satsang with Adi Da, as this comes only with personal and direct communication.

In this paradigm there is negative views on solitude and nature mysticism, labeling all as narcissism, while Adi Da is claiming both divinity and absolute devotion for anyone to obtain the "truth," only in satsang with "me." And so, to look at the trees, there are many moist and ripe, insightful in meanings, and then there is the forest, the forest which unites without individuality to a controlled environment, a life that lacks autonomy and condemns unity from diversity.

Having read over 75 books on Spirituality, I felt that I had a pretty good grasp of the function of the guru. I gained much new understanding when I read "Method". What is wonderful about this book is that a person never having read ONE book about the guru-disciple dynamic can pick up this book and get a crystal clear description of what REALLY goes on in this mysterious relationship. Master Adi Da details in such everyday yet precise language, the nature of the Guru and explains WHAT is so unique about that nature and how and why it serves the spiritual aspirant. Have you ever wondered why people seemingly turn over their lives, their volition etc. to someone who appears to be a mere charismatic leader? This book clarifies for ANYONE what exactly is given over to a true Spiritual master and what is received by the true devotee. In one section, Master Adi Da describes the guru functioning like a light moving over a dark well (the devotee's subconscious) and stirring up all of the heretofor hidden impulses, thought processes and emotional patterns that charecterize each devotee. I can attest to the validity of this phenomena...as can many spiritual practitioners throughout the ages. One of the things I appreciate about this book is that it illuminated for me just what has been going on in this age-old relationship of Master-disciple from Krishna to Jesus to various Buddhas and finally Adi Da himself. He even describes his own gurus' work with him in terms that are immediate and grab the reader in a vital way. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is even remotely interested in the subject of Spirituality and its processes. By the way, this book also contains passages that are very funny!

Sally Griffyn's Sacred Journeys has taken me along with her to these sights, but more importantly, has allowed me to follow my own path as I read along. The photography is astounding, clear, informative and sensitively artistic. Her careful guidance to and through these sacred sights informs one of the important historical significance of these places of wonder, but also invites our inner eyes and ears to hear what these sights are presently and what they were meant for when they were used in the past. Careful to suggest respect with regard to preservation, Sally Griffyn invites us to open our hearts and minds to their purposes we can still utilize in the modern age. Her relaying of historical background material blends naturally with generous offerings of appropriate rituals we can incorporate in our own paths. These suggestions are appropriate in terms of our own evolution along traditional spiritual paths but obviously in terms of the particular histories of these ancient sights. Her book has been long in coming, and much needed in this age of religious moralizing and materialism. It is a bright and shining example of a dedicated writer and photographer who aspires to bring the reader along her path while honoring our own place in relation to the sacred places from the past. We can all learn a lot no matter how studied one might be along the wiccan path. It is a personal journey in the end, of course, but this book is a comfortable companion.

I really enjoyed Mr. Olson's Translation, and I hope he keeps translating more and more . Tung Li