This book will be indispensable for Shamanic Breathwork practitioners as it surveys the top people in tI received an ARC in advance for a fair review.
This book will be indispensable for Shamanic Breathwork practitioners as it surveys the top people in the field. The transformational stories are incredibly inspirational and offer us pathways and validation as we make our own journeys. The tools are varied and really directly applicable to the practice which has helped so many people.
If you are curious about breathwork this is a nice accessible way to get a variety of perspectives....more
Sacred Death arrives just in time to help us with our current worldwide crisis. Our cultural conditioning moves us to suppress information and feelingSacred Death arrives just in time to help us with our current worldwide crisis. Our cultural conditioning moves us to suppress information and feelings around the dying process, and as healers we know that anything left buried will start to cause problems and eventually need to see the light of day.
Sacred Death provides a great array of experiences and perspectives to aid in this work. The sensitivity to the process is paramount as each contributing author grounds their tools for healing in their own story of passing through the death of someone close to them.
I really like the format-- the length of each contribution makes them all much more accessible, and the size of the book yields a lot of good material....more
Only about a quarter of the way through at this point... so far disappointing. Appears the first half of the book is a general introduction to BuddhisOnly about a quarter of the way through at this point... so far disappointing. Appears the first half of the book is a general introduction to Buddhism, which is something I don't need. Not the best intro to Buddhism I've read, full of a lot of very quotidian bits with the occasional bomb, see quote, dropped in with no support or development: "To impose a life of celibacy on a prepubescent child who has not yet had to come with grips with the explosive potency of these energies, is to engage in sexual misconduct."
So yeah, that's the author explaining the 5 precepts and using one of them to condemn the practice of inducting children into monasteries. No opinion on this, just surprised at the casual audacity and disappointed with the lack of support in the text.
OK further along now, into the section on use of Cannabis. If you are already "spiritual" and have a physical practice that puts you in touch with the felt experience of your body, so far I don't see anything here that you wouldn't know already. Special techniques in book covered so far: dance of Shiva (smoke and dance spontaneously), yoga (smoke and do yoga, incorporating more movement), meditation sitting posture as an asana to explore with cannabis......more
the good: Robin Heath is a cutting edge researcher into megalithic sites and astronomy, building on past work and adding a lot of his own. This book the good: Robin Heath is a cutting edge researcher into megalithic sites and astronomy, building on past work and adding a lot of his own. This book describes a new discovery which links the Preseli Hills in Wales, where the bluestone found at Stonehenge originated, with Stonehenge on an astronomical and metrical (systems of measurement) basis. Amazing new original research.
the bad: Heath's writing style is too chatty, and he spends too much time making snide comments about orthodox archaeology.
This would have made a good book combined with Proto Stonehenge in Wales which talks about another aspect of the Preseli area megalithic and landscape archaeoastronony (?is that a word?).
This is really the only place as far as I know to find this kind of work, however, so if you're interested you just need to deal with these self published pitfalls....more
the good: Robin Heath is a cutting edge researcher into megalithic sites and astronomy, building on past work and adding a lot of his own. This book dthe good: Robin Heath is a cutting edge researcher into megalithic sites and astronomy, building on past work and adding a lot of his own. This book describes a new discovery which links the Preseli Hills in Wales, where the bluestone found at Stonehenge originated, with Stonehenge on an astronomical and metrical (systems of measurement) basis. Amazing new original research.
the bad: Heath's writing style is too chatty, he spends too much time making snide comments about orthodox archaeology, and the actual topic of this book only takes up one chapter and feels quite rushed, and the rest of which is devoted to recapping his findings on Stonehenge.
So, if you haven't read Sun Moon Stonehenge, that could be a plus. If you have, much of this is repetitive.
This would have made a good book combined with Temple in the Hills which talks about another aspect of the Preseli area megalithic and landscape archaeoastronony (?is that a word?).
This is really the only place as far as I know to find this kind of work, however, so if you're interested you just need to deal with these self published pitfalls....more
True story indigenous shamanic culture philosophy and world view by a person raised as an outsider in our culture who through trials and initiations iTrue story indigenous shamanic culture philosophy and world view by a person raised as an outsider in our culture who through trials and initiations is accepted into another, and then must leave it and return to ours.
Essential. Cannot speak highly enough. Synchronisticaly my reading overlapped my journey into my most powerful shamanic experience so far, and was a really helpful guide and inspiration for my process....more
Just came back from a 5 day silent retreat and was gutted to see the vague and ineffective meditation instruction gBest meditation book ever (so far)!
Just came back from a 5 day silent retreat and was gutted to see the vague and ineffective meditation instruction given there, not the fault of the teacher or the tradition because all of them are like that-- the one size fits all instruction, evasive/vague/unhelpful answers to questions, claim that their way of teaching is the best way.
This book blows them all away. I came to this already having had an awakening experience through an open awareness practice of some years, and what this program is doing for me after a couple of months with just one 30 minute sit a day is amazing.
If you ever wondered what "single pointed" awareness was, this is your best chance to get there and find out....more
I'm halfway through the 400 pages-- where things suddenly change. I was thinking this was the most awesome thing ever, american splendour plus maus plI'm halfway through the 400 pages-- where things suddenly change. I was thinking this was the most awesome thing ever, american splendour plus maus plus gender, and then, this is not a spoiler as it is in the description of the book up top, we have a protagonist as a jew in nazi germany. So disappointing. It was enough, and far more meaningful, to have the suffering the protagonist endures be due to being a woman and =not= being a jew. Such a lost opportunity....more
I resisted buying this but am now so glad I did. The fiction format is perfect, as all the assertions about the nature of reality if presented as factI resisted buying this but am now so glad I did. The fiction format is perfect, as all the assertions about the nature of reality if presented as fact would rub me the wrong way. How wonderful to read a fantasy novel where the protagonist is an adult female and the challenges faced are those faced by adults on a spiritual or self improvement path. A most welcome change from all the novels about adolescent boys!
The secret history of the world presented here is somewhat resonant with Da Vinci Code type stories as well as the nonfiction Secret History of the World by Booth.
I read this at the same time as a series of energetic/spiritual/mental/emotional openings were occuring for me. I don't want to say the book caused them, but it was certainly part of the whole package. There is a payload of wisdom here.
Not quite five stars as the prose while decent was slightly clunky. As good or better than many mainstream fantasy writers, but not top notch....more
Really really liked (audiobook) this novel, almost 5 stars. Better than Jennifer Government, not as awesome as Lexicon, but pretty darn good. Great seReally really liked (audiobook) this novel, almost 5 stars. Better than Jennifer Government, not as awesome as Lexicon, but pretty darn good. Great sense of humour, great comment on our contemporary world. Some very true-funny-dark humour stuff about global megacorps, scientists, aspergers folks, and lots more. Recommended....more
Despite the ending being telegraphed by the title and the immediate set up of the book (as well as a few reviews I read), presumably a transcendent haDespite the ending being telegraphed by the title and the immediate set up of the book (as well as a few reviews I read), presumably a transcendent happy uplifting ending, a third of the way in the non stop deluge of gratuitously addicted people was so un fun that I gave up....more
Disappointing. After reading Jitterbug Perfume, Even Cowgirls, and Tibetan Peach Pie this provides Robbins prose but little magic. The second person nDisappointing. After reading Jitterbug Perfume, Even Cowgirls, and Tibetan Peach Pie this provides Robbins prose but little magic. The second person narrative is grating as "you" dear reader are a lame misguided not particularly good stock broker. One is dragged slowly through a weekend which I suppose promises revelation at the end but nothing is happening except that you are being delayed satisfaction....more
My favourite Laundry book in a while. Synergizes contemporary meet the parents comedy with fantasy invasion of the contemporary world. Clever, solid, My favourite Laundry book in a while. Synergizes contemporary meet the parents comedy with fantasy invasion of the contemporary world. Clever, solid, entertaining.
Title of questionable value that refers to insignificant moment of the book no doubt chosen by the publisher....more
Blazingly brilliantly plotted. Super page turner. Lots of Tarantino-esque dialogue, but more highbrow. Really a beautiful execution of the slow revealBlazingly brilliantly plotted. Super page turner. Lots of Tarantino-esque dialogue, but more highbrow. Really a beautiful execution of the slow reveal by the author creating a shifting mosaic of expectation and shifting knowlege by the reader. Highly recommended.
Though I will say, that was not a 5 star ending, but more of an average OK suffices ending. But the fun of this is reading all the rest of it, which is fantastic....more
There are about 3 chapters that hold their own-- where Dennis with brother Terrance goes off the rails and dwells well outside consensus reality for aThere are about 3 chapters that hold their own-- where Dennis with brother Terrance goes off the rails and dwells well outside consensus reality for a few weeks/months.
All the rest, yawn. Do you really want to know about the grandparents of Terrance McKenna? Do you really want to hear interspersed with almost every fact, the opinion of Dennis McKenna about the state of the world?
This is what happens when you take a non-writer artist and give them the biggest ever crowdfunding advance on their book, before they have written it. Wow, when I put it that way, it actually comes off OK. Still, just those three chapters....more
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