February 2009 Books
EARTH: The Cure; Leap Before You Look; The Easy Does In Meditation Book and Recovery Flash Cards
EARTH: The Cure
Patient: The Earth; Symptom: Elevated Temperature
Notice that this book has no subtitle? I guess it didn't need one – the title speaks quite clearly for itself. On the other hand, how would you guess that this book advocates a holistic approach to chronic pain management?
Imagine Earth struggling for her very life — well, that's not really much of a stretch, is it. Now, imagine this: Gamers to the rescue! Hey, why not? The gaming community harbors without a doubt some of the finest minds on the planet, idealistic dropouts who find their peace of mind dropping' in to make-believe worlds where the stakes are not so high. If only they had a reason to believe they could make a difference … .
Now, enter Flair in her Space Transporter, come from a distant planet and another timeline at the urging of Probolin, the member of the Council of Twelve who's in charge of this spiral arm of the galaxy, to test out the theory behind her Ph.D. dissertation. If her theory pans out — and if she can find the help she needs to implement her plan — Earth might just become the model for other planets beset by humanity's genetic predisposition toward techno-suicide.
It's a match made in science fiction heaven. Creating a new and incredibly powerful version of the latest game released by MacIntyre Game World using off-planet Com-X technology, Flair easily captures the attention of Kevin MacIntyre. Impressed by the knowledge and otherworldly powers this alien woman has at her command, Kevin commits the vast resources of his company to the project. A new game, Earth-PPF (Past, Present and Future) is designed, one destined to set gamers all over the world up to create (albeit unbeknownst to them) the underpinnings of a new Earth government dedicated to turning around the problems created by resource mismanagement and greed gone wild.
What follows is an engaging story, filled with twists and turns as the team is assembled and the gamers begin to get to the root of the problem of government and corporate corruption and the eventual facing-up to individual responsibility. Congressional representatives are exposed, the President himself becomes a de-facto proponent of the project, and representatives of governments around the world are given the opportunity to participate or suffer the consequences of a new sort of excommunication.
Penned by a foreigner with a remarkable command of the English language, I found the book nonetheless in serious need of a professional edit. But that doesn't detract from its power as an original work of fiction. I read it from cover to cover, intrigued by the ingenious plot and the possibilities it suggested to my earthly mind. Where do we find our Flair? I suspect we will have to create her.
I say, Go gamers! Let's put those minds to work in service or Earth!
—Chiwah
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Leap Before You Look
72 shortcuts for getting out of your mind and into the moment
Perfect timing, synchronicity — call it what you will, it just came my way. Yesterday I finished reading Tolle's A New Earth (hard to believe I put off that invitation to the Now for so long!), and today I pick up the best possible follow-up: Arjuna Ardagh's Leap Before You Look . This must be the best of all possible worlds.
While Tolle cajoles us into bringing more space into our lives, more presence, and offers some pointers for doing that, Arjuna Ardagh brings us a treasure chest packed with simple exercises for shifting out of the mind and into direct awareness of the infinite possibilities available in each moment.
Leap Before You Look is a call to celebrate life, and in so doing to become more authentic in each moment. Arjuna invites us into “the possibility of spiritual practice not as a means to a goal, but as an endlessly unfolding exploration of a life of beauty, fully worth living.”
The exercises are divided up into a number of topic-oriented sections, such as Meditation, Body Practices, Intimate Relationship Practices, Family Practices, Compassion Practices, and so on. Some are quiet, some are loud; some are done alone, others with a partner. Some are audacious or delightfully absurd.
In the Introduction, Arjuna suggests ways to get the most out of the book: Read it through and then do the practices, Open to any page and do the practice, etc. But get this: Given that others see us in ways we cannot see ourselves, his recommendation is that we ask our friends to pick the exercises that would benefit us most! Scary, that. Okay, Chiwah, time for a deep breath. Off to see my friends … .
This book is perfect for the person who knows we are one, here, now, and is ready to move beyond working on self-improvement into consciously embodying that in each moment of their life. —Chiwah
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The Easy Does In Meditation Book and Recovery Flash Cards
Recovery — the word has come to be associated with 12-step programs and other avenues offering a promise of help for dealing with addiction. This is the sense of the word the author intended, but I believe this book and card deck are appropriate for a much wider audience, one that would include many if not all of our readers.
In the world we live in, addiction is the norm. Our entire society is addicted to consumerism, immediate gratification and sensory stimulation. Those of us who have been walking a conscious path of spiritual development all come from families that were dysfunctional to one degree or another, and much of our growth has consisted of learning to move beyond our addiction to the limiting beliefs impressed upon us as we were growing up.
The 52 cards in this deck offer Twelve-Step folk wisdom, quotes from Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book , and black-and-white images to illustrate the interpretation suggested in the book. But as Faulkner points out, there are always numerous possible interpretations, and the one that counts is your own. Instructions for use include drawing a card for inspiration as well as full instructions for tarot-type readings.
Whether you or someone you know is walking the path of recovery or you fall more into the Self-Help population, this is a handy daily check-in kit to see where you are and what you need to know to get the most out of this day.
—Chiwah
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