4 comments about 101 Exercises for the Soul: Divine Workout Plan for Body, Mind, and Spirit.

1. You can open this book to any page and find a motivating and soul refreshing exercise that is simple to do and fulfilling to accomplish. Thank you Dr. Siegel for this helpful and heart-touching book.



2. Amazing, amazing, amazing. This book is simultaneously simple and profound. A recommended read for anyone who wants to be inspired. Dr. Siegel helps his readers see the "big picture."



3. Great little book that holds enormous wisdom and suggestions to enrich and strengthen your life.



4. 101 Exercises for the Soul: "A Divine Workout Plan for Body, Mind, and Spirit" By Dr. Bernie Siegel
   is another excellent book by this award-winning, best-selling author. Siegel reminds us that exercising our soul is as important as exercising our bodies, yet most of us forget or don't know how to do this. It does not require meditating on top of a mountain, or going on a silent retreat, or even attending church, but it does require attention and regular mindfulness. And exercising your soul yields tremendous rewards of living and loving with enthusiasm and joy. In simple exercises Dr. Siegel suggest things you may never have thought to be nurturing your soul and increasing your deep happiness. Such things as keeping your baby picture nearby to admire and appreciate, adopting a pet and playing with it every day, keeping a dream journal, creating a personal altar in your home, facing the fear that has always hindered you and experiencing and embracing it (even doing a daring sport), taking fun or beautiful photographs, or breaking out of your daily rut and doing something fun and unusual. These are some of the simple but joyful things Siegel suggests and then tells how you are nurturing your soul and exercising it in doing these. This is a little book which can be opened to any page and savored, trying the things that appeal to you and leaving the others for someone else. We highly recommend keeping this book by your bed and savoring it like chocolate for your soul by trying one exercise each day.

5 comments about The Trance of Scarcity: Stop Holding Your Breath and Start Living Your Life.

1. Good book on changing one's perspective.
   I especiallyl liked the reminder about expectations.



2. An inspiring yet practical book. The author has a humorous self-deprecating style as she shares her own journey of moving from scarcity to abundance. This book made me aware - again - that I am surrounded by abundance but, in my busyness, am so often blind to it. The book flows beautifully making the ideas easy to comprehend and to apply immediately. I am buying a copy for each of my five children.
   David McNally - Author - Even Eagles Need A Push



3. This book is a MUST for anyone who wants to connect with the SOURCE and the TRUTH of abundance and prosperity!



4. This book is a life-changer. After working on it as an editor, I have recommended The Trance of Scarcity to a number of people, all of whom later made a point of thanking me personally for the rich wisdom they found here. Victoria Castle's Somatics-based guide to breaking out of the trance of "Not Enough" by adopting a greater attitude, both mentally and physically, is embodied brilliance. Her sassy wit, together with hilarious illustrations by Obadinah, make the book a real joy to read. Read The Trance of Scarcity and you'll surely experience greater ease and wisdom around the big money, prosperity and generosity questions. Oh yes, and joy is allowed. Buy this book for everyone you know!



5. I used to think of myself as an optimistic person with belief in myself, but I wasn't getting the results I wanted. Eventually I discovered an undercurrent sense of scarcity running below the surface that I wasn't aware of until a counselor helped me discover it. This book is a real antidote. When I review key passages in this book regularly, I get back into the frame of mind of believing that I really can get what I want out of life. Napoleon Hill was right: you have to believe before you can achieve. And this book definitely helps you believe.
   
   Lee Liebner, author/singer of As You Go, an inspirational gift book/song-on-CD/scrapbook-journal for young people about to enter the world.

5 comments about Dare to Be Yourself: How to Quit Being an Extra in Other Peoples Movies and Become the Star of Your Own.

1. I read this book years ago, and it's still one of the firstbooks I recommend to people. It helps one realize that negative thinkingabout yourself is not only non-productive, it's harmful and keeps you from progressing in life as you want to; giving one the ideas and tools to become more positive-minded. Alan Cohen has written with a style that contains very powerful insight that is an easy read, and I like the one-liners at the beginning of every chapter; they help one focus on issues about to be covered.

   I highly recommend this book to anyone who has had a "Dark Night of the Soul," feels despair, needs a new outlook on life, and could use helpful advice on new ways to think, thereby changing to a more positive life instead of always focusing on the negative.

   A truly WONDERFUL book!




2. More spiritual than I would want. I am sensitive to spirituality in books since it is so dependant on the individual.



3. Stupendous, can't say enough about Alan Cohen and the way in which he clearly and concisely gets to the root of it. If you are doing some soul searching, this is the book to help you navigate your way to greener pastures.



4. Whatever we concentrate on, expands and increases. ~Alan Cohen
   
   All of Alan's books are healing, beautiful gifts that allow you to see a reflection of your current self within the pages. Alan has the amazing ability (very rare as far as I can tell) to see deep spiritual lessons in even the most negative situations.
   
   To Alan, life is a reflection of his inner world. This has become more apparent to me lately and there have been moments when I've spoken my intentions out loud or just thought them silently and my life changes or moves in positive directions. The same can happen when you think negatively as I have proved to myself time and time again.
   
   Alan is a man before his time and his love of quotes and movies is a highlight in "Dare to Be Yourself." The truth is, Alan is comfortable being himself and as Ingrid Bergman once said: "Be Yourself. The world worships the original." He has divided his book into five main sections:
   
   1. The Return of the Golden Buddha - How to chip away the mask and reveal more of your golden nature.
   
   2. Dare to Love Yourself - Do you respect yourself and believe in yourself?
   
   3. Dare to Live Now - How to turn scars into stars and let yourself experience life on the human level. It is fine to change your mind, be wrong or let go. Alan also discusses forgiveness and how to live in the moment.
   
   4. Dare to Be Yourself - How can you take your power back? How to say NO!
   
   5. Dare to Move Ahead - Taking risks, moving through fear, doing the impossible and living your vision.
   
   Alan Cohen mingles practical advice with spiritual insight and weaves popular cultures into deep lessons. I always learn something new about life. There is a fascinating story about Monarch Butterflies on page 45. The original idea of the "Blessing Extractor" and "Wish-fulfillment machine" made complete sense to me and then I was very amused by the cute story of "The God in Chocolate."
   
   His insightful observations about Marilyn Monroe shed light on her life and he also discusses how when you feel like you are dying, you are going through a spiritual birthing process. As your old self dies, the new self is born. This can happen over and over again. I have been through this a few times myself and now I finally understand what was happening to me. I loved his creative ideas for making space for joy and enjoyed quotes by Albert Einstein, Yogi Amrit Desai and Ramana Maharshi.
   
   Reading Alan Cohen's books are truly a vacation for your soul and his writing is refreshing in that he looks at life from an uncommon perspective.
   
   This book even has a workbook section with each chapter- to encourage you to apply the principles and open new doors in your life.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review



5. To say this book changed my life would be an understatement. I keep copies of it on hand to give people that are struggling in trying to find out who they are or how to just make it through the day.
   
   It opened my eyes to a NEW me not the "religious" guilt riden girl I had turned out to be. It took my life from guilt control to God's true adventure into freedom from man made rules.
   
   Alan cohen uses humor and examples from modern life and makes his points in a way that is easy to understand. The questions at the end of each chapter are wonderful for getting to know the REAL you and find out where in your life you may have went off track and this book also helps point you in the right direction to get back on track and start enjoying your life again.
   
   Awesome and Amazing but above all LIFE CHANGING !!!!

5 comments about Better Boundaries: Owning and Treasuring Your Life.

1. The whole concept and idea of boundaries tends to be overused and clichéd these days. Because of this, we may have lost sight of a fundamental development area for us to become fully human.

   This book was a wonderful gift from a friend. In my work, I am always referring to the need for clear boundaries in personal and professional situations. I tend to think that I have pretty good boundaries and in general I do. This book helped lay out specific criteria and circumstances for me to reconsider.

   It would be too easy to describe or label this particular book as another of the Self Help ilk. It is not a workbook and I wouldn't describe it as one full of exercises. However, it does have some areas with specific strategies, recommendations and processes to help you identify the important ingredients required in order for an individual to clarify and maintain the proper boundaries in all aspects of their lives.

   It is not technical in the sense of theoretical but it is thorough. Anyone who wants to look into this important area can apply this material directly and immediately in his or her own life. It is also full of concrete examples in real live situations.

   If you feel that you have issues around setting and clarifying boundaries, this book will be of tremendous assistance. If boundaries are not a concern for you, I would encourage you to consider reviewing the material. It goes beyond the surface to the core purpose and intent of your life. For this reason, it is a great book for counselors, coaches and all self-seekers.




2. This book has many good points in it, but it really doesn't seem to be about boundaries. This book seems to say "If you love yourself, then your boundaries will automatically form" and then focuses on how to value yourself. I have no doubt that learning to like and respect oneself will help one to form better boundaries. Alas, I bought this book hoping to learn more about boundaries so I could use them as a new tool to help make "space" to like myself better! Oops!

   At many points, I also felt that the book did a little more "telling" than "showing", which made it seem a little shallow to me. As another reviewer said, this does offer a good summary of many tips and techniques for how to learn to like and respect oneself, and so it is probably an excellent book to use to get an overview of that topic so you could figure out what to go read in more detail.




3. This book was recommended to me by my therapist. It is a great help to me, teaching me that it's okay to set boundaries especially when I'm in an uncomfortable situation. I would recommend it to anyone.



4. The material is easy to understand. I enjoy reading this book and has a lot of great material.



5. After reading this I realized I have never had any boundaries. Grew up as a people pleaser, a good little girl, at the expense of my own happiness and peace of mind. Guess it is never too late though, and will now try to be more comfortable with my own feelings and needs and stop worrying about the "shoulds" in my mind. This book was very encouraging.

3 comments about Being a Widow.

1. When my husband died, a friend brought me this book. I felt the last thing I wanted was a book about widowhood. But, when I opened the cover and started reading, I knew I had found what I needed. Lynn Caine knows how it feels to lose a husband. She offers a practical and understanding approach to being a widow. I now pass this book on to other widows.



2. Wow, it is 2001, 15 years after my Mom left this world and here I sit with technology that did not exist when she was living. I thought for kicks that I would look up her name and her last book popped up. She finished it the day before she died! She was one of the most extraordinary humans I have ever met. I hope her words continue to help those in need - they helped me!

   Jon Caine, Son of Widow!!!




3. Answers important question widows face.
   Another great another book for widows is Write from Your Heart, A Healing Grief Journal. This book lets your emotions flow onto the pages. It creates a memory journal when you are done.

5 comments about The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal.

1. I originally purchased this book a few years ago and never read past the first chapter. Earlier this year, I found myself on the brink of a serious work burnout and picked it up to read again. It is amazing! While the basic philosophy behind this book is not new (life balance) the way it is framed is. I love all of the case studies--they demonstrated how burnout and under/overtraining in one or more of the four areas (physical, mental, emotional, spriritual) manifests itself in our daily lives.
   
   In order to turn things around, the authors suggest developing "rituals" around changes that one wishes to make in order to make them a part of lives. I have found these to be particularly helpful--even suggestions that I've heard a thousand times before--when I actually do it, the results are amazing. For example, it suggests that one make an "appointment" for exercise and put it in your calendar, treating it as you would any other appointment. Now, at the beginning of every week, I look at my calendar and put in times for exercise and meditation--the two areas I was seriously undertraining in. I find myself actually adhereing to the schedule more often, and looking forward to those time.
   
   All in all--I think this is a great read with really helpful, down to earth suggestions to help one be fully engaged.



2. This book explains how managing your energy, not your time, is far more productive.
   
   Focusing on the 4 elements of power usage/renewal (spiritual, mental, physical and emotional) can help you become a more productive professional, no matter your field. The idea of renewal, that we all need pause, from micro pauses (taking a deep breath and closing your eyes), to sustained removals (two-week hiking trip for example), is one you don't hear about much. Far more often (managers in particular) people tend to think you need to work long hours almost as if it were a badge of honor to work more than the person in the cube next to you. This is a myth, the most successful people are the ones who bring high energy to their work - not the most hours. Renewal, and recharging, are the keys to keeping a healthy level of productivity.
   
   Time is NOT money; this old saying was from our parents generation. It is wrong through and through. Focusing on your energy, and how and when you use it, will provide far more success and productivity. This book tells you how to do it and for this reason I highly recommend this book.



3. If you feel like you're not enjoying all life has to offer, than get this book.



4. Much of the information in this book can be found in other books on time management and personal productivity. Readers will need to decide whether to revile the authors for repeating so much conventional wisdom or appreciate their efforts to gather it together in one place. Information about proper sleep and nutrition habits, for example, remains useful even when it is not new.
   
   The unique value of this book goes beyond its organization of personal energy into physical, emotional, mental and physical energy. We have read most of these concepts before in the sales motivation literature. The book's practical value is in its advice about how to incorporate regular energy renewal routines into your life. Steven Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) calls this "sharpening the saw." These authors expand on the concept with a full range of suggestions and examples.
   
   The authors' studies of professional athletes have taught them two principles. One is that high performers work hard to stretch their limits and increase their capacity over the long term. This is not news. The second--and more interesting--lesson is that top athletes build replenishment into both their training and performance routines. In one example they describe a tennis player who uses breathing exercises to lower his heart rate between each set. They authors argue that this kind of renewal in the middle of the game is essential to high performance. And that it generalizes from athletes to the rest of us.
   
   I'm sufficiently convinced of the value of renewal rituals that I have used the book's advice to design two of my own. I have discovered an unexploited hour of time in the mornings between when I drop off my son at a before-school activity and when I must leave for work. It is just enough time to fit in 30 minutes of swimming that will help me face the day. I've also resumed an old habit to walk two extra miles toward home after work before getting on my commuter train. I hope that this will not only give me some additional exercise, but provide a buffer between the stresses of work and returning home. Both seem to be helping after two weeks. We'll see about the long-term.
   
   I advise borrowing this book--or audio book--from a library or a friend to see what good it has to offer. Frankly, I wouldn't buy it if I could borrow it.



5. This book is awesome, and the concepts are so true and helpful. There are way to many books out there to help manage our time, when if we focused on our energy we would accomplish so much more in day. The book covers a number of different aspects that help you become effective in your daily tasks, each one of them could fill a full book alone.

No comments about Think and Grow Rich.

5 comments about Saved by the Light.

1. The author of this book got struck by a lightning (in 1975) through a phone line and barely survived. He visited afterlife and he was given a life review there. It wasn't pleasant because he had been a self-centered and mean person. He had loved fighting and served in the army too, in Vietnam. In the afterlife he got to relive the pain he had caused to others. But, anyway, he came back to continue living as a totally changed man.
   
   The first two chapters of this book I would recommend to any military professional. But as a whole this was slightly strange a book. Odd visions of future, psychic abilities... And the author's mission in life became to piece together some strange device. -And the story continues in another book...



2. This is the book that got me started in believing that there is truly another side here. Dannion's account of his near death experience is both real, riveting, profound, insightful, descriptive, believable and astounding, all at once. This is a can't put it down read and I've recommended it countless times.
   
   Sally Shields, TheDILRules.com



3. If this book doesn't change your paradigm on life and death, you are hopelessly entrenched in a stagnant, antiquated belief system. If Dannion was accepted by the light, with his life on earth, the rest of us have nothing to worry about. His life, death, recovery and transformation makes this book hard to put down.
   
   The one line in the book I always come back to, is when Dannion is out of his body, looking down as the EMTs are loading his lifeless physical body into the ambulance, and he is thinking, "Gee, I thought I was better looking than that!" Nice touch Dannion.



4. The impression I get from this book is that Brinkley is trying to cash in on the popularity of Betty Eadie's wonderful book, "Embraced by the Light." But I don't believe this guy. What lost me was his claim that the angels told him to open a chain of health spas. Uh huh.



5. Er, folks, there's something you should know about the author - he was exposed as a phoney combat vet in the book "Stolen Valor." Brinkley claimed to be a Marine sniper in Vietnam when he had his first "near death experience." His military records (obtained by the authors of "Stolen Valor" through the F.O.I.A.) show he drove a truck in California during his service - the guy never got anywhere near Vietnam.
   
   If you want to take spiritual advice from a liar, hey, be my guest.

5 comments about Moon Magick: Myth & Magic, Crafts & Recipes, Rituals & Spells (Llewellyn's Practical Magick).

1. 
   I can't speak as to the general accuracy of the majority of the contents of this book, but I can tell you that specifically in the case of Conway's entry for Freyja she informs us that one of her alternate names, Syr, means "seer." A simply Wikipedia search can tell you it means "sow." In addition, she erroneously claims Freyja was in charge of the Valkyries. With simple facts such as these not checked by the author or the editors and publisher, why would you trust anything else in the book? If you're a serious student of Wicca I suggest you don't even bother.



2. Moon Magick was not the huge disappointment I expected it to be. It does give decent rituals (although Conway should emphasize that a rapport should be established with any deity before they are called into ritual, and significant research conducted as well.) I found the recipies to be not at all to my taste, and her moon lore sections were mildly pointless. I can't say anything to the accuracy of the festival dates she gives for other cultures. But please do your own research regarding her mythology. And please make sure that all rituals you perform are done in a "proper" environment, as she does not describe that well. This book is not heavy reading at all, so if that's what you're looking for, do NOT look here. Not a bad book, but try and get it on sale.



3. I first read Conway's celtic book,and wasn't too impressed by it.It seemed childish and a real light-weight.I felt that this book might have more to say,being close to three hundred pages long.I was elated after reading this.It's packed with so much real good information about the mythology and folklore, surrounding the Moon. Not just our common European lunar folk-beliefs,yet many other cultures around the world and in history.The spells,herbs and meditations are helpful and worthwhile.The recipes and beverages seem like a useful idea for enhancing your next ritual.In Norse paganism,the Vikings saw the Moon as female and Sun as male.However,the Druids and the Egyptians saw the Sun as the feminine warm Lady and the Moon as the steadfast dour Lord.Julius Caesar ,in his quest to conquer the British Isles,noticed that the Druids honored the full moon,in mass ritual gatherings. Caesar surmised that an attack would assure a quick surrender ,capturing the celtic Druids off guard.Caesar's navy augustly launched out from Land's End,and up the coast. The full moon brought high tides and perchance some gale storms.As fate would have it,Caesar was swamped by such a tempest storm.Setting back his plans,for a while anyway.The Druids were augurers,mystics,doctors,scholars,and lunatics (ones who honored the cycles of the Moon).But,not skilled warriors and the Roman pagans were polemic.And the Druids fell to the organised Roman armies.-I found this book both enlightening and educational.Whether real or imagined,it cannot be disputed,that the Moon has influenced and shaped our human history and our pondering pensive psyche,about our spiritual connection to the natural world .



4. I think that this is a terrible book. At first i found it helpful, but after really reading through the information provided i realized that a lot of her information that she gives is wrong. For example, Amazons are from Greece and not from Asia and Crossroads are generally associated with Hecate and not with Artemis. I would not recommend this book to anyone! It gives too much wrong information. The recipes can be good though, that was the one thing about it, of course they don't really correspond with the moons. If you are looking for a good book on this subject, look elsewhere!



5. I wish I had known that this book was written for the Northern Hemisphere before I bought it. It was disappointing to read chapters, only to realise that the seasons etc were reversed.
   
   For eg: June holds information on the Summer Solstice, yet in Australia, we are experiencing the Winter Solstice. In July there is a ritual called a Call for Rain. In Australia it's the middle of Winter, we don't exactly need to call for rain (with the exception of the drought ridden areas who would probably appreciate it).
   
   Just things like that all through the book. Yeah, yeah, I know - I can go through and write in the correct dates etc but, for the $35.00 the book cost me, I would prefer to have had the correct dates there already. If I had known it was written only for the Northern Hemisphere I wouldn't have bought the book.

5 comments about Visual Journaling: Going Deeper Than Words.

1. I think this book is a jewel for those who might want to "discover" themselves. I have used it many times to stimulate myself to write.



2. I tried twice to get into this book, but just couldn't. As others have said, there's a lot of steps to creating a journal image presented here, but even after all that, I came up empty.
   
   The process is certainly a messy one. The author suggests using chalk pastels which - as a non-artist - I found very messy and difficult to use, with chalk blending into places where I didn't want it to go. When done, you have to spray it with a smelly fixative to keep it from smearing or getting everywhere.
   
   I also didn't connect with the book's examples at all. Many are in black and white, which didn't help. I didn't understand how the examples had anything to do with what they were supposed to symbolize. It's not that I was looking to get it "right," but how is this big blob of green and yellow any more meaningful than this big blob of red and orange? It seemed like a bunch of random splotches meant to articulate a mood or feeling, and I just couldn't grasp the connection.
   
   It struck me as a one-size-fits-all approach, and I think that's where it came up short for me. I would've liked to see more than one method of getting to "what does this feeling look like" than the overly-simplistic "visualize it." If it were that easy, why would I need this book?



3. This book provides step-by-step processes to obtain visual messages from your soul, for whatever topic you choose to explore. This is an excellent and straightforward approach for "knowing thyself."



4. I strongly disagree with TheCafeWriter's critique of this book. Firstly, it should be pointed out that the authors suggest experimenting with different media (pastels OR crayons OR thick markers) to find one that best suits you. They suggest these media because they assert that such media allow for freer expression (with broad, sweeping strokes) than something carefully drawn with thin pencils and pens, for example. There is no mention in the book of any "smelly fixatives" needed. If chalk pastels don't work for you, perhaps try one of the other media? Hello?!
   
   There is no need for the reader to understand what other journal-makers have drawn/painted and how that symbolizes what they were feeling. It is emphasized several times that no-one but the producer of the art can interpret what the symbol means. Each person's art is unique and different people will produce different symbols for different feelings and the body's feeling of different life situations. The reason for the exercises of getting you into your body, is that the body is where the symbols originate. You go inside your body to feel what is there, how your body is holding a life situation. After sitting with the body for a while with interested curiosity, you notice if there is a symbol that would express how/what you feel. It is also stated that this symbol may not be a picture - it may perhaps be a word, for example.
   
   It should be pointed out that the title of the book is "Visual Journaling", so of course the emphasis is on visualizing, seeing in your mind's eye what your body is experiencing. Forgive me, but isn't drawn and painted art necessarily visual? And so sorry if your particular questions and needs weren't met - it's a book, so of course it's going to be general information! Go get private instruction if you need specific questions answered. Sheesh!



5. It's been great to be able to trust the instruction of the authors of Visual Journaling and make exciting new connections between my mind, body, and spirit. I am an artist/writer and spiritual director and a former teacher. I look forward to returning to Chapter 1 and re-starting all the exercises for a second time around!