New Age Alternative Belief Books

This book said to have caused the execution of over nine million people
quotes the Bible,Aristotle,Plato and many others said to be the founders of what is called knowledge to this day arguing within itself the ways of wicked fallen entities or angels and how they work amongst men.Leaning on the Godly good that men should live their lives in accord to and in the next breath they actually tell you how to get Gods permission to commit genocide or least thats what they incited in all who read or heard of it.It is in itself evident proof of the existance of evil as an intelligent,manipulative entity.The pen is mightier than the sword for the pen drives the masses to the sword.An incredible work of genius and learning for the maligned masses of the uneducated non thinking peoples of the time to justify their confusion and actions.

It's important to remember and read about the history of our world. The Malleus Maleficarum is a vital part of our history. To see how women were demonized and being treated in history is something that everyone should be familiar with. People wonder why the Catholic Church is unpopular with certain individuals, read this and you'll get a clue.

Please note: This particular version is translated and annotated by Montague Summers. Summers was ABSOLUTELY NOT a Catholic priest, despite some allegations otherwise. He was completely obsessed with the occult, was a friend of Aleister Crowley, and belonged to a secret, subversive order himself. His 1928 translation of the Malleus is very sympathetic to the Inquisitors. YOU HAVE TO read his contributions to this work through that lens and be careful what you believe!

That being said . . .

The Malleus is highly recommended source material for anyone even remotely interested in the Witchcraft scares and trials of the middle ages. Commissioned by the Pope himself to root out heresy and witchcraft in Northern Germany in the 15th century, Kramer and Sprenger set out to provide comprehensive proof of the existence of witches and advice on how to deal with them. And no, the end result was not always a burning at the stake.

Whatever you might think of the conclusions reached, the book is full of delicately crafted logic based on Aristotle and Church fathers, namely St. Augustine of Hippo. Many of the assumptions on which they base their arguments are flawed and have since been proven false. And of course, few still advocate death for the practice of the occult. Nevertheless, it is a brilliant peek into the scholarly mind of the Middle Ages.

This book is a great way into the mindset of the people of the time. We get a view into those involved with a terrible set of events the Spanish inquision.

Is this book about wiccans? No obviously not. It was written in the middle ages, wicca didn't exist in the middle ages. Ergo it can't possibly be about wicca. It's about witchcraft.

Witchcraft is the practice of magic or more specificly magic practiced to harm and destroy at least in this context. Thats the defenition that has been used in english for HUNDREDS of years. Wicca is a modern umbrella religion covering a wide range of idealized pagan practices combined with magic and some new age ideas. It is not historical PAGANISM. For one thing historical pagans didn't generally practice magic (this was left to the shaman and wise women not to every random person who followed the religion in fact in several ancient pagan societies magic was illegal if not preformed by the preists note for example Rome's laws against sorcery). For another ancient pagans practiced human and animal sacrafice (please see writtings of Julius Ceaser regarding the Druids or the practices of the Aztec and Mayan cultures of Mexico for examples).

Now is this book pure fiction? Yes and no. ITs primarily a book of the beliefs of the middle ages regarding black magicians. Their has never been an organized satanic religion (unless you count the church of Anton Lavey which DOES NOT worship Satan so it isn't really Satanism) like the writters feared. Some of the practices it mentions did actually exist if not at the time of its writting, some time in the recorded past. For examples the accounts of witch's sabbats are extremely similar to older accounts of Greco-Roman Bachanals and it's likely the writers drew on this well documented historical practice to form their ideas of what medevil black rites would be like. Also a number of recepies for flying ointments do still survive into the modern era some of which include some pretty vile ingredients but all include powerful hallucinigenic compounds. These compounds when introduced to the body through an extremely moist area through a long instrument like a broom or staff would have caused hallucinations like flying. Records of the ointments used by shape changers also involve powerful hallucinigenic compounds (its interesting that Kramer and Speigel actually put forward the idea that shape shifters are only going through some thing psychological not physical which is in keeping with some theories about the origins of shape shifter lore).

Also realize that while the overwelming majority of accused men and women were innocent they weren't all innocent. We know for example that Tibbuhta (a slave in Salem) was a practicioner a Voodoo so the charge of practicing magic in her case was justified (if not the charge of consorting with the devil). We also have the story of Giles De Rais. Giles was a field marshall of France who served under Joan of Arc. After Joan's death he was accused of several crimes: pedophilia, sodomizing young boys, cannabalism, black magic, and Satanism among them. His first response to the charges was not to proclaim his innocence but to insist that as a noble man he should not be accused. Later after being threatened with torture (although he was not actually tortured) he gave a tearful confession and was burnt at the stake.

Despite these exceptions this book is mostly filled with myths. Its a primer on the beliefs and superstitions that lead to the witch trials (other texts support that several of these ideas were not unique to the authors). Whats particularly tragic is that if some of its warnings were adhered to its possible lives could have been saved (they reject the practice of ordeals to find guilt and suggest the court must make a serious effort to reject testimony from mortal enemies of the accused) although probably not a signifigant majority. This book gets 5 stars as a historical document of a dark time NOT as a how to manual for the modern world. It should be read and studied the way Mein Kamph should be read and studied. To understand the unmitigated evil we as a species are capable of to help guard against it ever happening again.

This book was very heard to get into. There was a lot of good information, but it took me a while to get through it.

First, the animal totem dictionary at the back is terrific! It has animals that you might not find elsewhere (e.g. whale, antelope, tiger, spider, etc) and the descriptions are terrific. Others are also listed like wolf, rabbit, sheep etc. but i wanted to point out some of the more unusual ones - ones like the whale for me that came to visit in a dream. Very interesting. The rest of the book is terrific too. It introduces the idea of shamanic time, taking spirit journeys, understanding dreams (really excellent chapter), etc. There's also a great section on the "healing powers of totems". Excellent book - I definitel recommend it for anyone interested in shamanism, the great mystery and learning more about animal totems.

This book is useful to determine your own personal animal totem.
It is one of the best books I have read on this subject; very interesting and easy to understand. I would recommend to anyone delving into their own personal power animals

If you have read ANYTHING about shamanism or animal totems before this, this book won't add anything. If you have read NOTHING about shamanism or animal totems before this, this book will give you very little, except an oversimplified, surface, meandering view of a very deep and powerful process.

Steiger bounces around on the surface of a lot of things, including numerology, chinese zodiac, and animal collections, but never goes into depth with anything. The idea of animal totems is a loosely held theme holding the book together, but isn't looked at with any depth. It is a typical American beginner's book (a la any subject). Cheerleading - you can do it!! Making it sound easy and trivial. At one point Steiger iterates that finding your animal totems and learning to work with them might even takes weeks or months, pandering to the current tendency toward quick and easy. This type of activity is a lifelong process with serious consequences, not a parlor game to be indulged in lightly.

Steiger's book encourages people to dabble irresponsibly and expect quick results, which usually leads to inconclusive or unsatisfactory results, and often even interferes with a person's later pursuing a subject with sincerity by giving them a false sense of having gained knowledge about the subject. He also makes it easy for anyone to instantly claim any animal as her or his totem without any real inner work and connection to the process, which trivializes a deep spiritual practice.

If you are serious about pursuing working with animal totems, don't bother with this book.

If you only want a watered-down, simplistic explanation of animal totems, then maybe this is the book for you. However, it was a total waste of my money and my time.

You never know what's out there until it finds you. Such is how this came to me; I didn't go looking for it, it found me. Everyone has an angel that watches over them...sometimes it comes in the form of a cherub, a huminoid being with wings, and sometimes it comes in the form of an animal.
Nearly two decades ago, when I hit rock bottom, I was ready to take my own life, but some force physically wouldn't allow me. It was on that night, I met my own guardian angel...in the form of a she-wolf. Though I have traces of Blackfoot blood, I had no exposure of or to shamanism, of for that matter, Native American spirituality outside of the comedic attempts by Hollywood. For several years afterward, I struggled with this, then in a web search, I happened upon this book.
As "Two Bears" has claimed, the subtitle explains it all. It was this book that helped me understand and come to terms with my spirit guide. It is very rare that one can say a book has literally changed one's life, but personnaly, I have to say that about this book. For anyone who has had mysterious things happen to them, anyone who suspects that they have an animal spirit guide (Totem), this book is almost a textbook on allowing you to understand the world of totems...how to understand them, their (and your) sterngths and weaknesses, how to work with them and what is expected on both sides. With the help of both my totem and this book, a weak-willed, self-centerd, shy kid was transformed into someone with unshakable inner strength and power, a teacher and a leader. I'ts also helped teach the limits upon what my guardian is capable of as far as protection and what is expected of me in return. This isn't coming from a crystal-waving new ager, either. Other than an "I've experianced it and I (though with a healthy skeptisism) beleive it" devotion to investigating several aspects of paranormal and spritualism, I'm about as stright-laced and right wing as you can get.
If you've ever suspected that your guardian angel may be...a bit different, this is a must have text...it will be vital in coming to terms, understanding, and learning your strengths and weaknesses.

I was expecting a little more from this one. Not much to read other than what the title states: The words of a peruvian healer.

This book is full of useful information for both indian and wiccan uses of crystals. The encyclopedia is a must for creating indian arts and crafts.

This book is not worth one star.

Ms. Elsbeth implies this book is authentic indian stone medicine.

It is NOT. If you want Native American or new age material; look elsewhere than reading this conglomeration and getting confused.

Page xii-xiii: "The stone people - the earth angels, devas, dwarves, elves" _| The Indians worked with the stone people and the little people. Devas, dwarves and elves are Celtic of origin.

Page xvi: "The Celts left their tracks literaly etched in stone in the Ancient Celtic alphabet called Ogham". _|What does the Druid alphabet have to do with crystal healing?

Page xix: "The South American rainforest, our main source of oxygen" _|What does THIS have to do with crystal medicine? Furthermore; I am all in favor of preserving the rainforests, but the rainforests are NOT the primary source of oxygen. Trees only produce oxygen during daylight hours. They use oxygen during hours of darkness, and trees are dormant part of the year. Trees are a further oxygen depletion system when leaves decompose. The real source of oxygen is from the oceans (this will not win friends and influence people, but it's true).

Page 3: "The Lakota address the Great Spirit as Tunkashila" _| Only part of the Lakota. The more common name is Wakan Tanka.

Page 3: There is the Yuwipi ceremony which uses the power inherent in the sacred stones." Ms. Elsbeth has confused the Inipi ceremony with the Yuwipi ceremony.

Page 57: There is an illustration of the seven chakras. The chart is incorrect.

Page 79: the author goes into palmistry.

Page 99: the author (tries) to show an illistration of the meridians. She shows a few accupuncture points on the body (without showing ANY illustration of the meridians. Furthermore; the Chakra model, and meridian model are mutually exclusive. If the Chakra model were correct; then accupuncture could not work.

The ONLY redeeming quality of this book is the 16 pages of color photos between page 168 and 169.

Mahalo. Two Bears

...and generally accomplishing it.

This is a book that has blended eastern, western, and New World practise with crystals into a unique product. Nonetheless, the author does imply that the matter at hand is largely of native lore and with some Pagan influence. This book has altered my outlook on stones a bit, and therefore may open some other eyes as well. This is one book that may be read with a grain of salt, but it still includes some great information. In addition to the commonly addressed minerals, Elspeth goes on to include some others that are rarely discussed. More research should be undertaken by the reader before working with all of these minerals, however. Several of them (such as autunite) are potentially toxic and/or radioactive. Care should always be taken to know what you are using. Always double check metaphysical references with mineralogical or geological ones!

In this book i truly felt "left out in the cold?"..maybe, but, it seems that the author left out a lot of info that seemed to be left out in the book that should have been in there. There were some great info on each stone..however, it left you wanting more but you just couldnt find it and just left you empty. Now as for "American Indian medicine" with stones i just couldnt see it anywhere close, and some of her info were misleading. Anyways, readers looking for healing within the stones should pick up a better book like "Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic" which is the best so far you'll get tons of info from that book than this one.

I do have to agree with the previous reviewer, in that the book lacked direction and motivation in the beginning pages; but the Stone Encyclopedia included in it has been a great asset to me in finding quick information about certain stones. A valuable book for a collection, but I would recommend it only as a reference tool.

The content about the Gods & Goddesses in this book was pretty good, really well referenced and heaps of recommendations for further reading, I'm not sure on the accuracy of all the facts, but it seemed like a really good primer. On the negative side, I think it really should have been called celtic gods & goddesses FOR WICCANS. The author really wrote from a Wiccan perspective and suggested ways to celebrate the wiccan festivals in regards to the gods and goddesses, that detracted somewhat from it for me. But if that's what you're after, then its a good book!

i liked this book. It explains practical ways to show devotion on a daily basis. Learning about the Irish ,Welsh and Celtic deities. Listing their different names and different aspect. Great read!

If you are interested in Celtic traditions, this book has a lot of good information. It is very well presented and covers a wide variety of information on the Celtic Gods and Goddesses. It is only just over 200 pages, so you don't need to spend a lifetime going over the mnaterial. I think Carl McColman and Kathryn Hinds have done an excellent job of presenting this material, in a way that is easy to understand and appreciate.

This review is purposely overly harsh in an effort to achieve a counter-balance. In truth, it deals with one, inexcusible, chapter re: The Great Queen [i.e. The Morrighan]. He *really* fummbled the ball, here (and that's being generous!).

Having read nearly all of the books listed in these authors' Bibiography, I firmly disagree with their interpretations of The Morrighan, entirely. In essence, they seem to have been imposing their views onto the evidence at hand. Further insulting was the way in which they extended an olive branch to Medb in an effort to completely excuse Her from War-Goddess status. However, they refuse to extend the same grace to The Morrighan when, according to the Medieval concepot of war-fare [inter-tribal catle raids] Medb is more of a War-Goddess than The Morrighan will ever be!

Most scholars, today, seem to be referring to Her not as a War-Goddess, but as one of the following: Tutelary-/Sovereign-/Earth-Goddess. In fact, recent academic articles by one Maire Herbert have exploded this out-dated War-Goddess model as it's applied to The Morrighan. This out-dated model is, unfortunately, the result of early Classicist idealogy being imposed onto non-Classical Gods and Goddesses (this model stems ONLY from one article written in 1870, and has stuck ever sense, unquestioned, and undefied erroniously-so by Pagans).

He further insults any well-informed reader by calling Her a "Battle Fury" (scholars are unanimously firm in their belief that She never actually engages in battle). Some other choice descriptions (which are abhorantly over-stepping the bounds of all reasonable research) are: She is a Goddess of a severe psychotic episodes, and that She is the personification of the cool, calculated, mentality of a serial killer! None of this is borne out via the research! I suggest that ANYONE interested in researching Her, turn to the following scholars (he referenced only to the last text listed, and seemed to have ignored that the author was emphatic in stating that She is an Earth-Goddess; others state She is also from a Mother-Goddess Cult, too):

* The Witch Figure -- Ed. V. Newall [Contains an article by Dr. Anne Ross]
* The Concept of the Goddess -- Ed. Miranda Green [contains two
academic articles by two Irish scholars which define Her as an Earth-Goddess, a genius loci, and one even blowing a part the War-Goddess model, Aspect, with no answers possible!]
* The Celtic Hgeroic Age -- Ed. & Trans. John Carey & John Koch [Often defines The Morrighan strictly AS Anann, the Irish Mother-Goddess.]
* The Great Queens: Irish Goddesses from the Morrighan to Cathleen Ni Houlihan -- Rosalind Clark [She has some excellent info. re: The Morighan as an Earth-/Tutelary-/Fertility-/Cow-/Sovereignty-Goddess.]
* War Goddess: THe Morrighan & Her Germano-Celtic Counterpart --
Angelique Epstein [Still a good text, even though she relies far too heavily upon the now out-dated War-Goddess model; she puts Irish "warfare" into it's propper perspective, which is truly alien to the modern Pagan re: what we concieve of as "war".]
* The Ancient Celts -- Barry Cunliffe

The utter nerve that he would dare state this chapter as objective research is insulting to academia, as well as to Pagans, who are taking them at their word! His clear, unthinking bias (and hypocricy when the Medb chapter is taken into account), is clear, and unforgivible to this Pagan (and researcher)!

I don't trust him as a researcher. In fact, his views concernign academia are lacking, for example, re: Ronald Hutton. He doesn't understand so much about the academic community, and that Hutton is often mistaken re: his personal assumptions. But, McColman merely writes any of his critics off (who question anything he writes, no matter how miniscule) as "not knowing what they're talking about!" No researcher would (especially an academic) would be so foolish!

Any truly advanced student in the subject will quickly see the huge problems concerning this book and how he type-casts the Gods (which is academically inexcusible!).

Surprisingly, considering its length and subtitle (A Guide to Their Spiritual Power, Healing Energies, and Mystical Joy), Magic of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses is a decent, if broad, introduction to the Celtic deities. The authors provide very general introductions to a number of the "primary" (that is, popular or common) gods and goddesses in Celtic mythology, and then briefly extrapolate this information into suggestions and ideas for practice and for learning more. The descriptions of the gods and goddess are largely based on Celtic myth and legend, and the authors usually differentiate between fact and their opinions, but they fail to footnote or reference the original texts. The extrapolations have a Wiccan slant but for the most part are general and balanced. All in all, this is a good introductory text but doesn't provide much in the way of detail or authentic history or practice.

What this book does best is provide a general introduction to the goddesses, gods, and themes or trends that appear in Celtic mythology as a whole. All of these aspects are introduced in very broad terms, with little to no reference to the original texts, but they are for the most part accurate and, as stated, the authors differentiate between Celtic myth and their interpretations and understandings of those myths. As such, this text is a broad but fairly accurate introduction, and I recommend it to readers who are curious about Celtic myths and gods but don't yet want to delve into original texts or hard to read textbooks. Celtic Gods and Goddesses introduces some of the bigger ideas and characters that appear in Celtic mythology, and provides just enough information to help the reader figure out if the topic interests him. The book is also very accessable and easy to read even as an introduction to Celtic myth and gods.

If the topic does prove interesting, research shouldn't end with this book. Continued research will provide the detail that this book lacks and will allow the reader to draw his own connections, rather than depending on the connections and extrapolations of the authors. Furthermore, this book does carry a slight but present Wiccan slant, in particular emphasizing eight holidays in the wheel of the year (rather than the Celtic year) and some practices and associations that are more Wiccan than Celtic Pagan. Further research will help separate the Wiccan aspects from the historical Celtic aspects and provide a more in-depth understanding of Celtic deities and religious practices and beliefs.

I was pleasantly surprised in this book, and the straightforward introduction of the gods and some of the stories in which they appear has made it easier for me to keep my names and stories straight when doing further research. I disagree with some of the interpretations of the gods (many of the warrior/war gods and goddess in particular) and I think that the authors are to quick to default to extreme positions or revel in blood and guts without actually seeking out depth, but I appreciate the fact that myth and interpretation were generally separated and demarcated. I consider this a broad but decent introductory text, and recommend it on that basis. It's a good place to start, especially for the hesitant or new reader, but it is a starting place only.

If you are new to the writings of Victor Sanchez, then this is an ideal place to start.

Although the second book by Victor, following on from The Teachings of Don Carlos, it gives background and spirit to where Victor experienced and learned what he teaches, and therefore this provides an ideal starting place where you can get a sense of the mood and ethos behind the techniques and tools of the first book.

While the largest portion of the book is Victor's personal story of journeying to Humun' Kulluaby and the ascent of and ritual on La' Unarre, there are many insights and a couple of related conversations and stories regarding various things including the views of the Wirrarika on missionaries who have tried to "convert" and "save" them, through to some views "anti-anthropology" and explanations of what indigenous cultures, such as the Wirrarika, actually believe regarding multiple Gods and the Great Spirit.

The comments Victor makes about Western culture "putting ourselves at the center of everything" and viewing the "worship of nature" as primitive are I feel important concepts to reflect on (for those of us with a Western heritage) as it is indeed arrogance of this kind which I believe is a limiting factor for us in our own personal evolution.

A fragment of a conversation between Victor and a Wirrarika marakame relating a conversation he had with a pastor who insisted that the tales of Christ and the bible 'made sense' compared with the very organic beliefs of the Indians, to me sums up their wisdom. "But nobody tells me about Tatei Urianaka (the Earth), I see her every day! And every day I receive her fruits, corn, water, and beans. I can touch, walk, and live on her! And Tau (the Sun). Daily I receive his heat and his nierika (light, knowledge, vision, teaching). I don't have to do anything but look up and there he is." This, to me, is the beauty of a system which embraces the natural world (rather than 'separating' it). Learning is direct and experiential, through observation and interaction.

Overall this is a powerful and moving tale of a magical journey. Reading of Victor Sanchez's experiences provides inspiration for anyone who truly wants to discover and follow their own magical path.

Pre-Colombian with an o not u

For many of us looking for answers that doctrined religions cannot quite give us, Victor Sanchez has exposed a world where faith meets reality. Through his own research and paticipation, Sanchez experiences a spiritual domain that continues to exist admist the colonization and materialism now precedent around the world. Not restricted to boundaries of religion, Sanchez takes the reader through first hand understanding of what is possible when your allow and train your mind to believe in "separate realities." In a Carlos Casteneda like approach, Sanchez writes of his experiences with a group of Native Americans in rural Mexico, who have sustained their belief system and way of life before and after Spanish colonzation. Sanchez spent 15 years with these people and is sharing the world that these people "see." Those who have been exposed to Castaneda's work would find equal enjoyment with this book and have another supporting perspective of human capabilities with spirit and energy. Sanchez provides an answer to what is real to our eyes, may be only what we've been told and trained them to see. How easy is it to believe something you can't see, and if you do, should it be excused as hallucination or paganism. To the growing number of people not completely happy with formal religion, here is a glimsp of ancient wisdom that offers a possibility of human existence on a separate reality, one that is real.

Carlos Castaneda was told by Don Juan to end the lineage with a 'golden clasp'. In terms of CC's writings that is exactly what this book does. It is a distillation of the most meaningful quotes from Don Juan and is a carefully crafted conclusion to his writings, his final message. No more stories just the abstract.
Though I have read and re-read Castaneda for 30 years I found this a must read.

This book is a compilation book for the series on the mastery of intent.. which includes: fire from within, power of silence, and the art of dreaming.

Anyone who shrugs off the compilation books like Ive seen done - is clueless. This book is not a 'Waste of money" to a real warrior, this book is priceless.

Any one with enough awareness will figure this out on their own. :D

I have read all of Castaneda's books. I was introduced to them by my husband, a real life Warrior. When I first opened the book, I thought: This is jus a cut and paste work of someone who inherited the rights to his royalties.
Then my husband pointed out at the countless times the book has the word "shaman" in it.
That doesn't sound like Castaneda at all! The only time he used "Shaman" was in "The teachings of Don Juan" and (this is a rough quote from memory) it was to say: "Don Juan was what antropologists call a shamman, but he prefers to be called a sorcerer or a man of knowledge" and never used the S word again in his books.
Waste of money if you already have the books. This is just a water down version, made palatable for New Agers, so that they can buy all the other books.

'The Wheel of Time' is simply beautiful! As a collection of excerpts from Castaneda's previous works, it does well in preserving the power and force of the philosophy and way of living Castaneda presents to us. It is an excellent and appealing introduction to the Way of the Warrior, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a unique, uplifting, and refreshing read.

This is a collection of wisdom gathered from North American natives. It is just as profound as the more well-known eastern paths (Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, etc.). Central is the image of the Warrior: one that sees, not just looks, one whose intentions and goals are clear. A bit like Japanese samurai. They look for the stable and constant, they are not interested in the fleeting. A Warrior is similar to a Nietschzean superhuman in that the striving is a goal in itself; whenver a goal is achieved the Warrior does not dwell but moves on. All actions must be firmly rooted in reality.
As in all paths of wisdom there are seeming contradictions: Warriors should understand what is really going on around them, but should not be lost in introspection. Maybe it is so that a Warrior must have the ability to extract the important from the important. There are many quotes that will help the wanderer.

Reading this book gave me a deeper relief for my soul...Sharon's words are easy to understand and at the same time have a strong and deep message...having faith and getting a wider understanding about the events in our lives helps us to remain connected to our deepest truths...Sharon's view of faith is easy and available for us in our daily lifes!

The lack of stars does not indicate a poor quality of writer, but simply a more one-sided look at faith than I was expecting. The focus was on Buddhism. I was hoping for a more inclusive study.

Everything made sense to me on page 55. This book changed my life and I'm forever grateful.

I plan to give this as gifts this year to friends.

What is faith? To many it may mean the strict adherence to religious dogma, and/or the reason we may have been told not to question long-held beliefs - we are supposed to just "have faith" in the "rightness" of what we are being taught... Right???

However, in "Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience", Sharon Salzberg points out a quite different definition of faith. Faith, she says, comes about by our willingness to question what we've been taught - to ask ourselves if our experiences match what has been taught to us - do these teachings truly resonate with your soul?

Sharon also describes faith as our willingness to believe in ourselves - to believe that we have a right to be here, and a right to be happy. To be able to get through the bad times by having faith that it will get better - that change is inevitable, and some changes may be painful, but that we can get through it.

All of the ideas discussed in this book are intimately associated with the authors life - so you get to see how this one woman journeyed from a place of complete & utter pain and devastation, to a place where she has found faith. It's easy to relate to her and to all of the people she talks about - which has helped to make this book a very interesting, enjoyable read.

Although many of the ideas discussed are from a buddhist point of view, you do not have to be a buddhist to gain the wonderful insights provided - it's definitely a book for all people.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in spirituality - especially those who feel as if they are on a spiritual journey. It's a wonderfully written, interesting, enjoyable read - and as such, it has much to give.

I have read one other book on Buddhism "Plain & Simple" by Steven Hagen and have been fascinated with the "alternative" outlook (alternative to most established religions) because of the fact that Buddhism is more about your own personal journey and discovery, than the preachings of religious institution. It also seems to be more "reality-based" in that is based on our own experiences rather than dogma. I first became aware of Sharon Salzberg through meaningoflife.tv where she is one of the interviewees. Her incredible calm and soothing confidence seems to leap through the screen. If you have any interest in deeper spiritual questions etc. check that site out.

As far as this book is concerned, I found it very generally to be very enjoyable. Her insights and experiences are very valuable in trying to use for ourselves in our own attempts to be aware and mindfull. The only reason I gave the book 3 stars is that it does have a bit of the "self-help" kind of feel to it at times, but this is probably more a reflection of my personal bias against that literary genre, than any major shortcoming of this book. I fully recommend this book, Ms. Salzberg's wisdom, and the mindfull path.

I am the author of this book, and I think it's not bad. But don't take my word for it - I'm biased! Here is a published review:

NEXUS MAGAZINE, June/July 2004

Our modern -day mass culture is in the grip of The Beast, characterised by materialism, consumerism and celebrity worship. What it needs, says esoteric book publisher Sevak Gulbekian, is an injection of spirituality; the science of materialism needs to be replaced by the science of spirit.

Acknowledging that we do live in a physical world, Gulbekian proposes a way that we can healthily and constructively engage modern culture from a spiritual perspective and maintain our sanity and balance in the process. The basic premise is that as human beings our task is to tread the spiritual path in a material world. In order to do this, we need to develop heightened capacities of perception so we can have clear insight into the machinations of the material world. This requires, as any true spiritual path does, self-discipline, study and meditation. It also involves learning to appreciate the fine line between truth and illusion and to understand thought as a spiritual force.

Gulbekian's perspective is especially informed by Manichaeism, with its insights into evil and how to transform it, as well as the spiritual philosophies of Rudolf Steiner. It's also informed by his lifelong study of popular culture, and here he presents case studies that highlight how materialistic culture is ripping away at the deeper currents of human soul and spirituality. He looks at the influence of gangsta rap, where music corporations and the rappers themselves are motivated by money, not social conscience; the spiritual leadership of Prince Charles, which has been so trivialised by the mass media; and the latterday confusion of David Icke, whose interest in shapeshifting reptilian aliens is a descent into materialism on another scale. Gulbekian offers a middle path where we can evolve via our commitment to transforming society from within.

Ruth Parnell

There are two dangers for the reader of this book: they may read it as an already confirmed opponent of anglo-american/international globalisation looking only for confirmation of their own views. Or they could read it, as one of the editorial critics does, with the opposite bias, unable to see the contemporary problem.
However, the thoughtful reader will find that Gulbekian is that most satisfying of writers: someone who has pondered deep issues of our time enough to distill out some profound and disturbing insights. By any standard deriving from the last 50,000 years of human history, this is an apocalyptic time. The potential and dangers of our time are truly global; many of the threats - environmental, WMDs, poverty etc - are profound; yet much of the politicking about solutions operates at the level of facile soundbite and/or dismissive rhetoric, while an ad for a better cosmetic faces a magazine article on genocide or polluted water supply. The point is that contemporary culture is either dissociated (the optimistic view) or Janus faced.
Gulbekian gives a succinct but powerful reading of these and other issues and suggests a way of individual action that rehabilitates the conscience and awareness of the individual. I commend it.
Professor Angus Jenkinson

At last, a book that successfully combines modern culture and spirituality - and offers a way to survive without escaping the world of macdonalds and cocacola. This is a first, and is impressive. Not only does the author present the reality behind contemporary life, but he shows you how you can deal with it, and maintain your composure and consciousness of self at the same time.

This book is bound to be copied by others, so get the real deal now.