Pathfinding with Pachamama – Spirit of the White Jaguar

by The Spiritual Sojourn Centre

The CD starts with South American style music and the calls of birds with a deep underlying beat to soothe and relax the listener.

The female voice starts to list the links to Pachamama and Peru – Cuzco is the city of the White Jaguar and Lake Titicaca means Lake of the Stone White Jaguar. She also explains that more White Jaguar people are incarnating to help bring balance to Mother Earth.

The systems for guided meditation are then set up – following the breath and surrounding the self with White Light for protection. You are then guided to see Pachamama and White Jaguar. The voice explains that White Jaguar is with you because part of your spiritual journey is to be alone like White Jaguar. White Jaguar never seeks to be seen – you only know where it has been – White Jaguar does not need to depend on ego. White Jaguar comes to tell you to stop procrastinating and move forward with faith and courage. Don’t lash out at others from your own pain; honour others, ourselves, Mother Earth/ Pachamama, hearth and home.

Inca Shamans must follow the 4 fold path of the Medicine Wheel and the voice goes on to guide you along the directions South, West, North and East. Then there is a request for healing at all levels and the music comes back to the fore and the meditative state for healing is invoked. This goes on for about half of the taped session.

The voice returns and there is a call for us to transcend time and live life wisely and in harmony with Pachamama. We are asked to consider the way that we use resources and how we can be more respondent to the natural flow of our environment. White Jaguar medicine is then invoked for us to take control of our lives and become leaders. We are asked to send healing to Mother Earth. Then the tape begins to bring us back to ourselves, closes the chakras, leaving us revitalised and recharged. The voice ends with the welcome back to our lives.

The music returns and fades slowly out for the end of the session.

This meditation is easy to follow and has a good beginning and completion; you are left feeling refreshed and thoughtful about White Jaguar and Pachamama. The idea of the Medicine Wheel would have to be followed up in another form to have any benefit, but there is an abundance of Shamanic writing/guidance on this for those who are interested in taking it further. A good basic meditation for anyone to use, beginner or experienced meditator – though those with more experience may have wished for there to be a little less music and for it to have been shorter.

Review by Ros Ogden

Published by The Spiritual Sojourn Centre

http://www.spiritualsojourn.com

Read Full Post »

Beyond Our Illusions

by Deborah Sless

Beyond Our Illusions

Despite following the advice of a wealth of bestselling self-help books, most of us are still no closer to understanding the fundamental laws and principles that govern the universe, our interactions within it and our ability to achieve success, health, wealth and happiness.  Have you ever wondered why the Law of Attraction isn’t working for you? There is a very rational reason why.

Quite simply, the Universal Laws CANNOT work in our favour until we identify and remove the psychological issues that are blocking our ability to manifest our goals and desires.

In her ground-breaking and easy-to-understand book, UKCP and BACP accredited psychotherapist, Deborah Sless, uses the concrete psychological theory of Transactional Analysis to uncover the secrets behind the Universal Laws and explain how they really work. By joining her on this journey of self-discovery, readers will begin to understand:

The Universal Laws and their significance in our daily lives.

Our own individual Life Story and the beliefs we formed in childhood that continue to impact us today.

How to achieve freedom from our illusions and move towards genuine self development.

The concept of Spirit as an energy force and how to tap into it.

I found this book contains a wealth of material with which to work.  It illustrates graphically how the belief systems we have – most of which we are not even conscious of – colour our thinking in so many subtle ways. Deborah Sless gives examples, and then provides the exercises to help us begin to bring a different view to how we perceive ourselves and change our interactions with the world around us. This is a book that needs to be studied rather than just read, but it is possible to ‘cherry pick’ those areas that catch the attention more than others. Because such clear examples and explanations are given, this book is somewhat easier to follow than more complex volumes in the same genre. A valuable tool for anyone wishing to either see how their own belief systems came into being, or to actually bring about change; I certainly found a couple of very relevant illustrations of how I have been influenced by my ‘story’ over the years!

Review by Joan Osborne

Published by Live It Publishing

www.liveitpublishing.com

www.wisdomtalk.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-906954-42-0

Read Full Post »

Yes I Can!

by Robin Nixon

Yes I Can!

With a bright orange cover and book-title like Yes I Can! you know you will be reading about self- motivation, and that is exactly what Robin Nixon has given us. It’s full of easy practical ways to make us feel better about ourselves and our life-decisions; using positive affirmations and visualisation techniques. I particularly like the one that involves letting our negative thoughts turn into soap-bubbles and then allowing them to float off into the distance, bursting with a faint pop. He also urges us to simply smile more to lift our mood and help us to interact positively with others. He says “I crack a beaming smile and give myself a thumbs-up in the mirror every morning. It really works!” I also like the ‘If nothing else remember …’ snippet he puts at the end of each chapter. There are also uplifting quotes from the great and good, and stories about the entrepreneurial skills of legendary people such as Victor Kiam, who bought the Remington shaver company, and Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Airways.

His no-nonsense approach to everyday problems is inspirational and at the beginning of the book he tells us that “Instead of aiming for the stars, shoot first for the moon. That way your belief will be strengthened and the goals you seek will come quicker and easier. You can always choose the stars for another goal when you are ready!”

Robin really knows what he is talking about as he has been a writer for thirty years and has fifteen books to his name. He started off in magazine publishing and went on to become a programmer, consultant and technical author, creator of the first licensed Internet radio-station, and then developed the first known pop-windows because he wanted his listeners to continuing surfing while listening to his station. More recently he has focused on teaching motivation and personal improvement.

If you are feeling a bit low and uninspired, or if you already use similar techniques but just need a bit of a boost, I highly recommend Robin’s easy to read, and digest book. Yes I Can!  could well become a lifelong companion on the bookshelf.

Review by Jane Stewart Adams

Published by Capstone Publishing Ltd. (A Wiley Company)  www.wiley.com

http://www.robinnixon.com

ISBN: 978-0857-08310-4

Read Full Post »

Choice Point – Align Your Purpose

by Harry Massey and David R. Hamilton PHD

This book is based on the film Choice Point and offers wisdom, quotes and insights from the World’s Change Makers, Visionaries, Peacemakers and Entrepreneurs such as Richard Branson, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Jack Canfield, Tony Benn, Gregg Braden, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, James Caan and many eminent contributors.

Thoughtfully presented, it shows how to create positive change in our personal lives and to find and follow our true hearts desires.  Coupled with coming together collectively to make this a new reality for our Plane, Choice Point is set in 3 parts: Understanding our World; Align Your purpose and Be the Change.

I found this book clear, modern and thought provoking. Mixing science, personal growth and philosophy in a balanced easy to read manner.  It is especially good for people new on the path of spirituality and discovering their authentic place in the World.

I was truly inspired by the young Birke Baehr. A twelve year old American who is now a leading advocate in sustainable agriculture.  At the tender age of 8, after reading the Internet over his mother’s shoulder about the side affects of corn syrup and the harm of eating processed food on our health, Birke began to ask his mother to buy and prepare organic natural foods.  From this small beginning he has totally focused his young life on studying and sharing his ideas with some of the World’s major players in organic and sustainable farming to promote healthier nutritious ways to eat.  He now writes books for fun, for children; and gives talks to youngsters and adults alike, with the intent to be an organic farmer when he grows up.  Now that’s what I call aligning your purpose!

Review by Ann O’Keife

Published by Hay House

www.hayhouse.co.uk

ISBN: 9781848505520

Read Full Post »

The Prosperous Heart – Creating a Life of “Enough”

by Julia Cameron

In The Prosperous Heart, Julia Cameron, author of the international bestseller The Artists Way, presents a 12 week programme for using practical financial tools – in partnership with your creative heart and soul.

Drawing on her decades of experience working with artists as an expert on a creative process, Cameron shines a clear light on the path to forging a healthy relationship with money and a rich creative life.

I was asking myself  “Jude, would you rather live a life of prosperity or a life of lack? Are you ready to shift into?” Then by sheer universal magnetism along came Julia Cameron’s approach to how we could live our lives in a prosperous heart. Her way is simple, effective and turns your view on how to live in a prosperous way creatively. In only 6 weeks this book takes you step by step, and a ‘step up’ each week with exercises on how to  live in gratitude, counting your money without judging yourself, using powerful affirmations and working with your god or higher consciousness and thanking him/her. De-cluttering areas of your home and relationships.

Already I have resolved issues with money and how to ‘value’ myself more and I am learning how to live more prosperously and live more abundantly.

There will be aha! moments and your perception of money changes with daily walks, time out thinking, counting and daily 3 page journalling. It all wonderfully supports you along your path to a more financially prosperous future. Blown out the window is the idea that we are in a recession. Not with Cameron’s book, there is an abundant world out there you just have to change your focus and create a wonderful plan of richness in your life.

Review by Jude Dickinson

Published by Hay House

www.hayhouse.co.uk

ISBN: 1848509774

http://juliacameronlive.com

Read Full Post »

The Colour of Sound – a Vocal Meditation

By Jonathan Cope

Described on the back cover as ‘deeply meditative and ethereal sound landscapes created in resonant spaces using various forms of harmonic chant and overtone singing’, this album will delight anyone who loves Gregorian or Buddhist chanting and is looking for something similar but different. The CD is almost wholly vocal, with only the subtle addition of a tuning fork and a solo on Harmonic Flute on Track 8.

This CD is not, therefore, designed for casual listening, or as background music, but is intended to ‘allow the listener to enter an altered and relaxed state’ so that the music can ‘help balance the energies of the chakras and harmonize body, mind and spirit’. In other words, give it your full attention, and it can reach deep into your being and bring you back into a state of harmony.

A great way to unwind after a difficult day, and an excellent alternative to a large glass of wine or too many chocolates!

Review by Karen Tucker

Published by Sound for Health

www.soundforhealth.com

ISBN: 6 34479 20816 4

Read Full Post »

A Course in Weight Loss

21 Spiritual Lessons for Surrendering your Weight Forever

By Marianne Williamson

What is the connection between spirituality and weight loss? Best-selling author Marianne Williamson is about to answer that question for you in her ground-breaking new book, bringing you 21 spiritual lessons to help you surrender your weight forever. These lessons form an holistic paradigm for weight loss, addressing the spiritual, emotional, and psychological elements involved in what Williamson refers to as “conscious weight loss”.  If you are a food addict, a compulsive eater, or someone who for any reason sees food as the enemy, this book is for you.

A Course in Weight Loss addresses the true causal root of your weight-loss issues: a place within you where you have forgotten your divine perfection. This forgetfulness has confused not only your mind but also your body, making you reach for that which cannot sustain you . . . and reject that which does. As your mind reclaims its spiritual intelligence, your body will reclaim its natural intelligence as well.

The 21 lessons in this book will take you on a deep, sacred journey. One step at a time, you will learn to shift your relationship with yourself—and your body—from one of fear to one of love. And you will begin to integrate the various parts of yourself—mind, body, and spirit—to become, once again, and in all ways, the beautiful and peaceful person you were created to be.

As Williamson writes: “If your ‘weighty thinking’ does not change, then even if you lose weight you’ll retain an overwhelming subconscious urge to gain it back. It’s less important how quickly you lose weight, and more important how holistically you lose weight; you want your mind, your emotions, and your body to all ‘lose weight’”.

“Weight that disappears from your body but not from your soul is simply recycling outward for a while but is almost certain to return. It’s self-defeating, therefore, to struggle to drop excess weight unless you are also willing to drop the thought-forms that initially produced it and now hold it in place.”

“When it comes to your enjoyment of eating, your best days are not behind you but ahead of you!” So get ready to begin a new relationship with food . . . and with yourself.

What a great book to work on issues around weight and healthy eating. I have read my share of diet books in my life and none have given long term effects. Whether this book is any different will need to be proved over time, but at least I can say this book takes you on a spiritual journey past struggling with yourself to lose weight.

Marianne Williamson is a wonderful author. Her writing flows and uplifts as she challenges the reader to move beyond diet and willpower and give problems over to a higher source. The book gives 21 steps to work on weight loss in a truly profound and spiritual way.

The spiritual insights gained from the book will need to go in hand with following up on the assignments given, such as building an altar, invoking the real you, building a relationship with good food and much more.

I am looking forward to putting it to the test!

Review by Cathelijne Filippo-Kokkeel

Published by Hay House

www.hayhouse.co.uk

www.marianne.com

ISBN:  978-1-84850-324-3

Read Full Post »

Chakra Harmony

By Jonathan Cope & Paul Lennon

Sublime music for meditation, yoga, reiki, etc., and to balance the chakras, soothe the mind and refresh the spirit. Wonderful melodies, composed especially by Paul Lennon, combined with didgeridoo, Tibetan singing bowls, Tibetan horn, bells & chimes, overtone singing and chanting, drums, Native American flute, guitar, piano and gentle synthesizer. Vocal chants intone the chakra names and each track is composed in the frequency associated with each area from Base Chakra in C to Crown Chakra in G.

I have listened to and used many different kinds of meditation and chakra balancing tracks before, but found the use of the didgeridoo and the Tibetan horn brought in another noticeable level of vibration. In addition, the overtone singing and chanting weave through each track like a gentle but profoundly evocative stream which adds to the energy of the whole. The combination of all the instrumental and vocal elements means this CD has a quite unique style.

As each track carries its own vibrational quality, and can be used to tune-up specific chakras individually or as a whole.  I certainly felt the vibrations from the start and, although the final track features a powerful rhythm to ensure the listener is brought back to clear consciousness, I continued to feel much more centred, balanced and peaceful. Purely because of one or two track sequences (one featuring the Tibetan horn in particular), I am not totally sure this CD would be appropriate for gentle healing treatments, but it is certainly is the right one for meditation and chakra work.

Review by Joan Osborne

Published by Sound for Health

www.soundforhealth.com

www.paullennon.com

ISBN: 8 84502 87736 6

Read Full Post »

The Little Pain Relief Meditation Album

10 minute meditations for pain relief

By Philip Permutt

Philip is reknown for his endless knowledge of crystals, healing and meditation. In this latest CD, his soothing voice along with background from LLewellyn is an excellent way to relax and ease any pain caused by stress. It is a well known fact that most pain is caused by stress or tension, and in the fast moving world we live in today we don’t always find time to relax.

Philip guided you through a choice of six different journeys including giving your pain a spirit, meeting a wise woman in a forest or visualising your pain as a green light, focusing on the site of pain and watching it drift away. Each journey lasts around 10 minutes so could be fitted into any hectic day!

I found the CD very calming and most effective.  I particularly enjoyed the green light meditation, I could really visualise my headache being wafted away.  There were also interludes  of just pure music to hold on to the moment.

I can honestly say it was indeed very soothing and left me feeling warm, at ease, and  free of any aches or pains!

Review by Susannah East

Published by Paradise Music Ltd

www.paradisemusic.co.uk

www.thecrystalhealer.co.uk

Read Full Post »

Violet Flame of Amenti Level 1

Course by Joanna Bristow-Watkins

The day began with an explanatory description of Melchisadec (the ruler of the Violet Ray), the Ray itself being the essence of a unique spiritual light, and the Halls of Amenti, the etheric temple where our Akashic Records are kept.  Joanna provided us with a folder of detailed notes covering all this and the very wide range of both qualities and uses of the Violet Ray, both historically and in the present. As the day progressed we were taken through each stage carefully and thoughtfully giving ample time for questions.

Joanna explained the different lines of the symbol, the Vessica, giving us details of each stream and its meaning. We then practised using the symbol and found this to be an extremely powerful experience. I felt that, once we had ‘drawn’ the complete Vessica the room was filled with the same coloured streams of energy. Joanna ensured we remained balanced and grounded before continuing.

After lunch, we received the Attunements which involved Joanna placing ancient sacred symbols into our aura at specific chakra points – this too was a very powerful and empowering experience. The Attunement begins a 21 day clearing cycle – each chakra point taking 24 hours in turn, and the cycle repeated 3 times – i.e. 3 x 7 = 21.

There is so much more I could say about this workshop, but it really needs to be experienced to gain the full benefit.

Review by Joan Osborne

www.harmonyhealing.co.uk

Read Full Post »