Seasons of the Soul

Three Cups of Tea and The Art of Spiritual Peacemaking

Three Cups of Tea

by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin  

Viking, The Penguin Group

 

I recently read an extraordinary book about climber Greg Mortenson, who stumbled onto a remote village in the high mountains of Pakistan while descending from a life threatening climb that left him delirious. The villagers who took him in and nursed him to health were so kind and generous despite their poverty, that he made a vow to come back to build schools for their children. The story that unfolds is an incredible journey of one man who has made a huge difference in the lives of villagers throughout Pakistan and Afghanistan. It makes the reader realize how much more effective we as Americans could be by building bridges to peace with our technology and dollars than by bombing those we perceive as enemies. This book sheds light on the underlying roots of terrorism and the human face of the people in remote regions of the earth who we need to know better.  I highly recommend this inspiring true story. It is a great read!

 

 

The Art of Spiritual Peacemaking  

by James F. Twyman

Findhorn Press

 

I’m taking a class where this book is being used, and it’s a more heartfelt Course in Miracles type book that gives simple lessons in ways to become peace makers. There are 365 daily lessons as well as 33 two page chapters that are full of insight and directives for choosing that which brings us closer to our inner sense of purpose and peace. It’s well done, and although I’ve not been a Twyman fan, this book has given me new respect for his abilities.

 

Reviews from 2006

Presence of Angels

Presence of Angels: A Healer’s Life

For anyone who is interested in healing, the book Presence of Angels: A Healer's Life, by J.C. Hugh MacKimmie, is a fabulous read. It is full of wit and wisdom, and true stories that will astound you. More than that, there is a powerful energy of healing that comes through the book and has touched different people in different ways, including being a conduit of healing. I have already ordered several additional copies after reading it, and feel it is an important contribution to anyone wanting to experience a first hand healing journey.

I was privileged years ago to have gone to Dr. MacKimmie when he lived in the S.F. Bay Area, and many of the things I learned about healing and health came from this very special man. It is an honor to recommend his book.

The book is only available through the following distribution company in Montana, and I'm including the e-mail site in case you would like to look at the cover and see an excerpt from his story.

Knowing Heart Publishing or http://www.knowingheart.com/

Phone 1-800-214-8110

Late Summer Reading

Carve Your Own Road         
by Jennifer and Joe Remling
A wonderful personal journey of finding the work you love and living the life you envision. Great for anyone considering a career shift!

The Big Leap                         
 by Gay Hendricks
If you have felt stuck and see patterns continuously occurring that short circuit your feeling of momentum, this is a wonderful book for taking your life to the next level.

Move Into Life                    
by Anat Baniel
The premise is that there are 9 essentials for lifeling vitality, and this book will describe and show us how to maintain them. It’s been highly recommended, and is on my summer reading list.

Jesus
by Deepak Chopra
Another book that has been recommended to me about the lost years of Jesus. Chopra has written this as a novel, including his own spiritual vantage point that makes Jesus approachable and profound at the same time.

Into the Light - Book Review

A very special  book that has made one of the most poignant impressions on me is Into the Light, by John Lerma, M.D., and is an account of his work with hospice patients. In this book, Dr. Lerma presents the results of his discussions with patients who experienced life redeeming visions and awareness as they were in the twilight space between life and death. The accounts are sometimes miraculous and sometimes startling. Redemption really is possible on the deathbed, and to have an M.D. validate what many in the metaphysical community have always known, makes this book that much more special and valued.

In sharing this book with others, I have found that many of the people who work with hospice and within nursing facilities have had similar experiences with their patients. Nobody in that field with whom I spoke was surprised by Dr. Lerma’s findings, and several had mentioned that they would like to write an account of their own experiences with patients who were ready to cross over.

This book not only lends credibility to the idea of another world, and forgiveness for our transgressions, but encourages us to not be afraid to let those we love talk openly about what they are experiencing as they prepare for the last great adventure we take in this lifetime.

Short Sleeves Insights: Live An Ordinary Life In A Non-Ordinary Way

By Hal Manogue

Years ago I met a poet online by the name of Hal Manogue. Hal wrote wonderful observations couched in poetry, and we began an e-mail exchange related to ideas and inquiry. During the time we corresponded it was evident to me that Hal had a capacity for prose that would incorporate his poetic spirit, but develop thoughts in a way that would provide grand insights for others. He began a BLOG, incorporating thoughts of famous people throughout history, and renewed them with his insights that bore significance for us today. Out of this, a book was born, and I am more than pleased to recommend it. I was honored to write a testimonial for his book jacket, and will share it with you here:

“Out of the ashes the Phoenix arises, and out of the Poet, the universe is birthed. Hal Manogue introduces us to the words of great poets, philosophers and writers through the ages, and then adds his eloquent observations to awaken us to our own wondrous gift of being.

“I have watched the unfolding of this remarkable talent, and am in awe of Hal’s ability to take and remake what was past into a meaningful present and vibrant future. This book is a daily reminder of who we are and what we were designed to become. It fills in the blanks and opens the way for any and all possibilities. Read and digest it in joy!”

You can pick up the book and open to any page at random, receiving a powerful reminder of your potential in easily digestible portions.

To order or read more of Hal’s work, go to: www.shortsleeves.net or http://halmanogue.blogspot.com

Into the Light byJohn Lerma, M.D.

                      

A very special  book that has made one of the most poignant impressions on me is Into the Light, by John Lerma, M.D., and is an account of his work with hospice patients. In this book, Dr. Lerma presents the results of his discussions with patients who experienced life redeeming visions and awareness as they were in the twilight space between life and death. The accounts are sometimes miraculous and sometimes startling. Redemption really is possible on the deathbed, and to have an M.D. validate what many in the metaphysical community have always known, makes this book that much more special and valued.

In sharing this book with others, I have found that many of the people who work with hospice and within nursing facilities have had similar experiences with their patients. Nobody in that field with whom I spoke was surprised by Dr. Lerma’s findings, and several had mentioned that they would like to write an account of their own experiences with patients who were ready to cross over.
This book not only lends credibility to the idea of another world, and forgiveness for our transgressions, but encourages us to not be afraid to let those we love talk openly about what they are experiencing as they prepare for the last great adventure we take in this lifetime.

Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials (book review)

This trilogy includes The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. Pullman is a master fiction writer, and these stories are on the order of The Chronicles of Narnia and other classic tales that mask truth in fictional settings seemingly designed for children. The Golden Compass was made into a movie, now out on DVD, and was my introduction to the books.

The trilogy follows the coming of age of two children as they wander through a series of parallel universes against a backdrop of epic events. 

The story involves fantasy elements such as witches and armored polar bears, and alludes to a broad range of ideas from fields such as physics, philosophy, theology and spirituality. The trilogy functions in part as a retelling and inversion of John Milton’s epic,  Paradise Lost.  Pullman commends humanity for its attainment of wisdom and knowledge rather than condemning it, and provides clues to the modern reader for considering the possibility of a larger reality that may indeed coincide with our own.

Book Reveiew - Balancing Heaven and Earth

by Robert A. Johnson with Jerry M. Ruhl

Harper San Francisco

For those of you who have been interested in Jungian psychology, Robert Johnson has been a prolific writer and teacher, offering his insight through books such as He, She, We, Inner Work, and many more. Now he gives us a profound and very intimate glimpse into his own life by sharing his biography with us.

Balancing Heaven and Earth is a book to be read more than once. Filled with candid revelations, insights, and meetings with holy men and sages that altered the path of his own life, Johnson provides us with a rich account of life lived fully and meaningfully.

I found this book one that I will read more than once. It was hard to put it down the first time, and filled with so much that I need to go through again to savor the many parts I missed. Carl Jung once told Robert Johnson that “it is what you are that heals, not what you know,” and this book has that healing quality to it because it shares the essence of this gifted man with us all.

Into the Light - book review

If you are a person who has any doubt about an afterlife or are fearful of death, a must read book has come across my desk. It is Into the Light, by John Lerma, M.D., and presents real life stories about angelic visits, visions of the afterlife, and other pre-death experiences.

Dr. Lerma has been the inpatient medical director for a renowned Hospice, and part of his work involves listening to dying patients as they go through the final days and weeks of their lives. Through this work, he has heard stories that reinforced the notion that there is something beyond our lives that has one major component in common. It is that the only thing that is real on what we call "the other side" is unconditional Love. Everyone is forgiven when they finally come to a willingness to forgive themselves, no matter what they have done in life. Each person is given an opportunity of reviewing their lives to see the importance of what may never have made sense to them previously. Bodies are vehicles for the expression of the soul, and the scripts we follow are designed by and for us to open to greater opportunities to give and receive love. No matter whether we are able to do this in life or not, at the time of death we have a major opportunity to turn our lives around.

Confucious said words to the effect that redemption is possible up until the last nail is placed in the coffin. The enormity of Love is palpable to those who are willing to open themselves to receive the blessings and forgiveness that comes as we make our transition from what we think of as life to the state we know of as death.

This book is eye opening and can be life changing. I have been unable to read any chapter without feeling the enormous love that our Creator has for us. It has made a difference in the way I look at life and my actions of the past. All the perceived mistakes have had purpose and fit into a larger context when viewed from the perspective of time.

One of the individuals who was dying, who had been part of the Nazi concentration camp death squads, gave a moving account of his liftetime guilt for his actions. He was given the opportunity to experience hell during his pre-dying days, because he believed that was all he deserved. It was only when he  felt he had been in hell for more than a hundred years that he was willing to cry out to the light that appeared in a distant corner. What happened next was part of an amazing process that all humanity is being called to. It changes everything.

Read the book and be ready to see and live life in a whole new light. It's time!

Garden Books for Spring Planting

I collected books for the major planting we are about to embark on. Of the group, there are several titles I would like to pass on to you in case you are planning to do a little gardening of your own.

Perelandra Garden Workbook by Machaelle Small Wright, Perelandra Ltd.

This book teaches us how to work with nature spirits to plan and plant a garden that will be alive and vital.  The focus is on the importance of each stage of gardening from planning to harvesting for optimum results and greatest integrity with the eco-system.

The Findhorn Garden, by the Findhorn Community, Perennial Library. This timeless classic gives insight into the working of the nature kingdom and provides information about the planting of the Findhorn Community gardens in Scotland. It is an inspiring book for anyone seeking to work with nature, showing that indeed we can make a connection with earth and work in harmony together to create a spiritual garden.

The Feng Shui Garden, by Gill Hale,  Storey Books

This beautifully illustrated book presents garden designs, methods for planning and planting, and other information necessary for healthy gardens. It addresses the importance of  planetary and other influences that must be considered for optimum well-being and growth. Aside from the practical information, it has many valuable diagrams and pictures to help the reader visualize the results. I highly recommend this book for anyone who lives with a garden or patio.

The Healing Garden, by David Squire, Contemporary Books

This is another lushly illustrated book that allows the reader to visualize and design a consciously created garden. The book shows combinations of colors and explains how the use of scents can enhance moods and attract beneficial insects and birds to the garden. 

Herbs, Rodale’s Successful Organic Gardening Series, Rodale Press

A very thorough and richly illustrated book that will give you everything you need to know about herb gardening

"When the World ceases to satisfy our soul’s need for beauty, there is always the Garden"