RECOMMENDED READING AND LISTENING
RECOMMENDED READING AND LISTENING
Human Options, An Autobiographical Notebook, by Norman Cousins who also wrote Anatomy of an Illness.
Emmanuel's Book, A manual for living comfortabley in the cosmos: This is channelled material by one of the most loving beings you can imagine. Whether or not you believe in channelling, the contents of this book are wonderful and healing. Emmanuel has several books, but the first one is my favorite.
The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran. One of the most wonderful books ever written. My favorite sections are the ones on Children, Death, Joy and Sorrow, and the Farewell section. I first read this book when I was a teenager (LONG time ago), and it continues each time I read it to speak to me in new ways.
Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, by Deepak Chopra, M.D. Also Perfect Health and Quantum Healing by the same author. I like all of his books. They are clear and well written and offer good ways to shift the way we think about health, healing and life.
Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross. A novel based on the allegedly historically true story of a woman who served as pope circa AD 855 by pretending to be a man. True or not, it is good reading.
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. A fascinating novel which struggles with the complexities of love, evil, compassion, guilt... Well worth reading.
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. Joseph Heller just died recently (Dec. 1999) and his death reminded me of one of my favorite books ever. Absurd, true, funny, sad, brilliant. One of the obituaries I heard or read said that this book changed the way the nation viewed politics and the workings of government and was one of the underpinnings of the 60s revolution. I don't know if that's true or not. I do know it's a wonderful book.
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot. This is one of a whole series by a country vet in Cornwall, England. They are witty, sweet and rich in a love of both people and animals. I recommend the whole series.
The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Camoeron with Mark Bryan. Well I have to confess that I have not made it all the way through the program, but this is a wonderful book for artists and creative people (everyone) in every area of life.
Tuesday's With Morrie by Mitch Albon. A wonderful account of the relationship between a dying man and his former student and friend. Much more than that, though, it is the profound wisdom of a great and gentle soul who both learns and teaches about living in the act of dying.
Animal Speak by Ted Andrews. For those interested in Native American traditions and totem animals, or simply in the symbolic significance of different animals, this is a thorough and well-written book.
Conversations with God: an uncommon dialogue. Book 1 by Neale Donald Walsch. A wonderful and wise book. I'm looking forward to reading books 2 and 3.
Hands of Light, The Journey of Personal Healing, by Barbara Ann Brennan. This and her second book, Light Emerging are both excellent reading material for healers and those who work with energy.
The Urban Shaman by Serge Kahili King. Subtitled "A Handbook for Personal and Planetary Transformation Based on the Hawaiian Way of the Adventurer." Wonderful book! one of my forever favorites. I was lucky enough to participate in a two day workshop with Dr. King on one of his very rare visits to New York City and learned some of my best ever lessons about working with energy for healing.
I Come As A Brother, A Remembrance of Illusions by Bartholemew. "Unfolded" (she doesn't like the word channelled) by Mary Margaret Moore. There are a number of books in this series: Reflections of an Elder Brother and From the Heart of a Gentle Brother. I read these books during the months that my mother was dying and found them helpful and comforting.
Medicine Woman by Lynn V. Andrews. One of an extensive series of books which the jacket cover describe as "the autobiographical account of a woman's search for identity in a Native American culture." Some people think Ms. Andrews is a fake. Frankly, I don't care. Her books are a mix of ditziness and profound wisdom and I found them enlightening and enriching.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. I recommend anything Jane Austin wrote. Her books are wonderful.
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Like Jane Austin, I recommend anything Dickens wrote. He is great.
The Green Mile by Stephen King. Wonderful book. Thought provoking and well written. The movie is good too.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Incredibly witty and funny. I didn't want it to end.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) by J. K. Rowling. I forget the title of book 2. Sorry. Technically children's books, these books are truly magical if not enchanted and are a great read for children as old as 110. Couldn't stop reading any one of them and am eagerly anticipating books 5, 6 and 7. They are wonderful fun and very clever.
The Four Agreements : A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by don Miguel Ruiz. Based on Toltec wisdom and philosophy. Very concise and simply expressed and food for thought. Well worth reading. Interestingly I read this just after reading Anthony Robbins' Awaken the Giant Within and found that they shared much in common.
The Mastery of Love by don Miguel Ruiz. One of the most wonderful, profound books I have ever read. I think it's perfect. The Four Agreements (see above) is an excellent and thought provoking book, but this one is much simpler and simply profound. I want everyone in the world to read it.
Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins. Robbins is the tall, toothy TV guru. I resisted reading this book for a very long time but when I finally picked it up found it to be excellent. It is well thought out, well written and has some really easy to implement ideas for making life richer.
The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles. This book was written in 1910, I think and is available as a free download at http://www.scienceofgettingrich.net (you can click the title above to get there too). It is simple and to the point and quite profound. And it's FREE.
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salmon Rushdie. I had always meant to read something by Rushdie but never got around to it. My Texas niece gave this one to me for Christmas and except for the pieces that the dog ate, I enjoyed every word of it. Rushdie is a wonderful story teller. Fanciful and magical.
Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice. Also The Vampire L'Estat and numerous other titles. I love the whole vampire series. I think they are brilliant books which don't just intellectualize about good and evil but draw one into dark and holy places in the soul which we usually skim by in daily life. They force us to look at and explore the complexity of the human spirit and such concepts as truth, love, morality, etc. And they are also really entertaining.
It has been a while since I was a kid and I don't have children of my own, but I still recommend some of the following books for children of any age.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) by J. K. Rowling. I forget the title of book 2. Sorry. Technically children's books, these books are truly magical if not enchanted and are a great read for children as old as 110. Couldn't stop reading any one of them and am eagerly anticipating books 5, 6 and 7. They are wonderful fun and very clever.
King of the Wind by Margurite Henry. This is based on the true story of the Godolphin Arabian stallion who was sire to many great race horses to come. It is beautifully written and illustrated as are all Ms. Henry's books. I also recommend Black Gold which still makes me cry at the end if I read it and Misty of Chincoteague and Sea Star the books for which she is most famous. They are wonderful books.
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. This is just an awesome book. It is SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE MOVIE! Read the book with your children (or just with yourself). It is magical.
*Tear of the Moon by Coyote Oldman. Wonderful Native American flute music. This is one of my favorite CDs. Coyote Oldman has quite a few albums out. I also highly recommend *Compassion which I think is an awesome album. Other titles by Coyote Oldman are Thunder Chord and The Shape of Time.
*Earth Spirit by R. Carlos Nakai. More Native American flute music. Nakai has LOTS of albums and they are all wonderful to listen to and for doing Reiki. Among the titles are: Emergence, Canyon Trilogy, Mythic Dreamer.
*Thunder of Silence,*When Daydreams Whisper, and ***Courting the Heart of the World bu Saggop. These three wonderful cds which you can order directly from the artist's website Saggiohealingarts.com . I have been blessed in the past year to meet and meditate with this artist. His music comes straight from Spirit and his soul. I can't give Courting the Heart of the World enough stars, but all three albums are wonderful.
*Walk in Beauty by Primeaux & Mike. Healing songs of the Native American Church. This is an amazing CD. It really IS healing and just musically wonderful.
*Chant: Gregorian chants sung by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos. Wonderful.
*An English Ladymass by Anonymous 4. I just love this. Anonymous 4 is a quartet of 4 women who sing wonderful polyphonic music and chants. They also have several recordings but this one is my favorite.
*Vision: The music of Hildegard von Bingen. Magical. That this music was written by a nun in the 12th Century makes it nothing short of a miracle. It is timeless and beautiful.
*Angelic Music by Iasos. This music is very special to me. I had my first experience working with healing energy about 2 years before I learned Reiki. This is the music they used when training us and it has a deep emotional connection for me. It's wonderful background music for Reiki. I had been using an old worn out tape thinking it was out of print but recently discovered that Iasos and their music is alive and well. I have it on CD now and a couple of other good tapes by Iasos.
Fire Prayer by Denean. I have two of her albums this one and another called The Weaving and love them both. She is both composer and singer.
The Mask and the Mirror by Loreena McKennitt. She is Canadia and also writes much of her own music which has a strong Celtic flavor. Other CDs by McKennitt are: Parallel Dreams and The Book of Secrets.
Watermark by Enya. Wonderful voice, wonderful music. Another album by Enya is Shephard's Moon.
Top of the Food Chain by Ellie Sarty. A wonderful CD. Produced by an independent label, this CD isn't yet available at Amazon.com, but you can order it at Sweetthing Records.