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Summer’s Path
Scott Blum
Published by: Hay House
If you like Richard Bach’s books you will love Scott
Blum. This book is the prequel to the book I reviewed
last year Waiting for Autumn. It’s a really unusual story
about Don who has terminal cancer. After losing his job
Don has no health insurance and rather than leave his
wife with a mountain of debts he chooses not to have treatment
which results in him living with intense pain on a daily
basis, until he decides to end his life, that's when Robert
enters his life.
Robert leads Don through an astounding meditation of
life and death and reveals various spiritual and healing
concepts, walk-ins and animal communication.
I loved this book, It's not traditional and you need
to have an open mind. It’s an inspiring book about releasing,
hope, inner peace and transformation.
Open
Andre Agassi
Published by: Harper Collins
As one would expect this is a book about tennis, but
it’s so much more. It’s the story of a man who was abused
as a child and how that led him to become an extreme perfectionist
who was widely misunderstood. This book is about Andre’s
search for himself, for meaning and how he found his purpose
in giving to others.
I absolutely loved it. A great biography.
No Impact Man
Saving the planet one family at a time
Colin Beavan
Piatkus
This book is easy, entertaining and informative and one
I believe every caring person should read.
Colin Beavan, along with his wife and child, decided
to try living for one year, in New York city, without
having any impact upon the environment. When he first
started this experiment he went through their garbage
and found; 14 plastic coffee cups, 12 plastic straws,
19 paper napkins, 14 small paper bags, 9 sets of plastic
cutlery, 5 receipts, 3 balls of used paper towel and 14
paper bags. That was just some of the rubbish accumulated
by two adults and a toddler over four days.
He gave up packaged food, plastic, paper, disposable
nappies, public transport, power and television. Giving
up some of the things we take for granted such as toilet
paper wasn’t easy, but Colin found that the use of all
the consumer items we take for granted doesn’t make us
any happier.
Although Colin encourages his readers to be more environmentally
aware, he is not encouraging you to give up all of life’s
pleasures, just to be more aware of the long consequences
of your everyday choices.
At the end of the book he asks the thought provoking
question, “If we can have better and better cell phones,
but they are not accompanied by better and better understanding
of ourselves and our place in this universe, can we really
tsay that we have progressed?” If we are born and then
spend our lives moving from one toy to the next, without
ever answering the big questions, have we progressed or
have we simply been distracted?”
Spontaneous Evolution
Bruce H Lipton & Steve Bhaerman
Hay House
When I first read the promo on this book I was excited
as it talked about miraculous healing of this planet and
the positive side of the changes that are occurring in
the world. When I first started reading the book I was
disappointed as it seemed to be mostly scientific information
which usually goes right over my head, but I kept on reading
and I am so glad I did.
This is a great book. It’s not a self help book and it
can be technical at times, but it contains some fascinating
research findings on the brain and the heart and some
of the latest studies being carried out and. It is a positive
book which emphasises the positive changes that will occur
in our world when we all work together.
The Shift
Wayne Dyer
Hay House
This is a very small book that is a companion to the
movie of the same name.
In this book Wayne talks about what life is like when
your ego is in control and the shift that occurs when
move your attention from ambition to living your life
purpose. Wayne does not suggest that you give up your
dreams, or drive, he points out how much better life can
be when you make a spiritual connection and how a life
of meaning which is based on your purpose can be so much
more fulfilling.
The Priest and the Medium:
Suzanne Giesemann
Hay House
I really enjoyed this book, it is a true story of psychic
medium Anne Gehman, a spiritualist minister and her husband
former Jesuit priest Wayne Knoll. The book is written
in alternating chapters covering both Anne and Wayne’s
lives from when they were young until the present day.
It’s a style which works really well, as you see how their
lives unfold as if they were destined to meet and be together.
Although Anne and Wayne appear to have different belief
systems, the love and respect they share, and the way
they work together is inspiring.
How Starbucks Saved My
Life
Michael Gates Gill
Bantam
Michael Gates Gill had it all, the mansion, a six figure
salary, a family until he lost his job and with it his
identity. He struggled for ten years to make a living
as a consultant, had an affair which ended his marriage,
and found himself at age 60 broke and unable to get a
job. He took a low level job working at Starbucks and
found himself.
This is a great book. It’s light, funny, easy to read
yet really inspiring.
Tom Hanks’ has bought the movie rights so look out for
this as a movie in the future.
Guardians of Being
Eckhart Tolle & Patrick McDonnell
Hay House
This book combines illustrations by Patrick McDonnel,
the creator of the comic Mutts, with words by Eckhart
Tolle.
On the surface this is a collection of witty drawings
but it also reminds us to be present and live in the moment.
Think and
Get Slim DVD
Esther and Jerry Hicks
The Teachings of Abraham
Hay House
This video presentation was compiled
from ten workshops where Abraham talked with audience
members about how to become a vibrational match for the
weight they wish to be. Forget diet and exercise, this
DVD is about the law of attraction applied to weight loss
and it is really good. Highly recommended.
The
art of raw living food
Doreen Virtue and Jenny Ross
Hay House
As I am slowly going vegetarian
I was really interested in this book but I don’t feel
this book is one for beginners, unless you love preparing
food. There are some really good juices and smoothies
but like many vegetarian books there are lots of unknown
ingredients if you are a beginner.
Meeting
Fairies
R Ogilvie Crombie
This is a most unusual book but
if you believe in fairies and elementals it’s a delight.
Roc, as he is referred to in the
book, was involved with the Findhorn community in Scotland
which is renowned for its gardens. During the last ten
years of Roc’s life he started seeing elves, fairies and
other elementals and began talking with them and this
book documents many of his conversations and what he learned
from them.
THE VORTEX
Esther & Jerry Hicks
The Teachings of Abraham
Hay House
Most of the Hicks' books to date
have been about money but this book is about relationships
in all forms from people you work with, animals, children
and soul mates, and of course how to draw the ones you
desire into your life. Even though many of us know about
the law of attraction it's so easy to slip into ways of
being that take us off our path. This book is a good reminder
of who we need to be to create loving relationships.
THE GIFT OF BETRAYAL, HOW
TO HEAL YOUR LIFE WHEN YOUR WORLD EXPLODES
Eve A. Wood
Hay House
All of life's problems are blessings in disguise but finding
the blessing when you've been hurt and betrayed is often
difficult. Eve A. Wood is a psychiatrist and relationship
expert who has experienced betrayal first hand. In this
book she writes about the fourteen key lessons to help
you heal your life along with strategies for creating
the relationships of your dreams.
This book will show you how to find
the blessing in problem relationships.
THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE ORACLE
CARDS
Sonia Choquette
Hay House
Hay house are definitely the leaders
in producing these type of inspirational cards. All you
do is ask a question pick and card, then check the book
pertaining to the statement on the card. It never ceaces
to amaze me how pertinent these answers are to the guidance
I am seeking.
THE SHIFT, DVD
featuring Wayne Dyer
Published by Hay House
I finally got around to watching
this movie and it’s really worthwhile buying although
it’s a little slow to begin.
The movie centres around Wayne Dyer
being filmed for a documentary in a resort. So throughout
the movie you have Wayne Dyer sharing his unique and inspiring
brand of wisdom intertwined with stories of two couples
who are experiencing some of the troubles he talks about.
The movie is incredibly well done.
It’s entertaining. And it’s something you can watch over
and over again when you need guidance or inspiration.
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WAITING FOR AUTUMN
by Scott Blum
Published by Hay House
This is an absolute gem of a book
in the style of Richard Bach’s earlier works. The book
is partly autobiographical, part fiction and told in the
style of a parable about a man’s search for himself and
his place in life.
The book is unconventional and may
not be appreciated by Christians, but if you have any
open mind and an interest in metaphysics I think you will
find the character’s exploration of various spiritual
modalities including shamanic soul retrieval, energy healing
and conscious eating absolutely fascinating.
I couldn’t put the book down and
I will certainly be looking out for other books by this
author.
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IN SEARCH OF ANGELS
by Janise Beaumont
Published by Allen & Unwin
(Published end of September 2009)
This is another gem of a book. When
Janise’s fourteen year old niece was in a coma with a
life threatening illness Janise set off in search of a
miracle. She wanted proof that angels existed and started
interviewing people from all walks of life to discover
their experiences.
The book is a collection of stories
along with Janise’s own feelings and experiences on her
journey. Janise discovered that angels come in many forms
from earth angels, animals and those heavenly creatures
who are always there to help us when we ask . I found
to be funny and at times very moving.
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RADICAL GRATITUDE
by Andrew Bienkowski & Mary Akers
Published by Allen & Unwin
This is a book that should be in
every thinking person’s library. The author, Andrew Bienkowski
worked as a psychologist for 40 years, but his understanding
of gratitude, and how it can transform lives, began as
a young child living in Siberia.
When Andrew was five years old he
was woken, along with the rest of his extended family,
and forced at gunpoint to leave his home in Poland. During
that time one million people, who were deemed to be undesirable
citizens by Stalin, were exiled to Siberia. They were
allowed to take a single suitcase with them.
In 1940, forced to live in appalling
freezing conditions, Andrew’s grandfather Vladislav Paluchowski
knew there was not enough food to feed the whole family
so he decided to stop eating so that his family, especially
the children, could survive. That decision, said Andrew,
changed every one of the people that his grandfather made
the ultimate sacrifice for.
Surprisingly this is not a sad book,
it’s a book of hope with some very practical suggestions
for happier living resulting from Andrew’s 40 years of
working as a clinical therapist with mentally ill patients.
Radical gratitude is haunting and
inspiring. It shows us that the only limits we face are
those we place upon ourselves.
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COLA’S JOURNEY
By Cola Bilkuei
Pan Macmillan Australia
“I am an optimist at heart. In the
struggle that takes place inside me between hope and fear,
hope usually wins.”
Cola’s Journey is the stunning new
autobiography of Cola Bilkuei, a former Sudanese child
soldier who escaped his army and country, travelled the
length of Africa and eventually found his way to Australia.
In 1987, when around 10 years of
age, Cola was conscripted into the Sudan People’s Liberation
Army (SPLA). He was forced to leave his Dinka tribe and
the only life he’d known, and embark on a three month
march from southern Sudan to an army training camp inside
Ethiopia.
Once there, he and hundreds of other
children were told that their family and village had been
murdered by the enemy Muslims, and then taught how to
hold a rifle, shoot and brutally kill. Cola, however,
never lost hope that there was a better life and knew
education was the key.
“Pinyudo was the official, UN-backed
refugee camp, and the SPLA wanted it to look like that,
but the reality was that it was a military camp in all
but name. The SPLA officers didn’t show their guns or
wear their uniforms, as the UN would not give food or
shelter to men carrying guns… Once we had our UN food
in our hands, SPLA officers would come and requisition
half to send to frontline soldiers.
Two hours walk from Pinyudo was
Marakus, the real army camp that the UN didn’t know about.
This was where the SPLA stored their guns, uniforms, army
transport vehicles and tanks. Here we would receive the
harshest of our training, away from the prying eyes of
the UN.”
After two years inside the camp,
Cola saw his chance to escape. Without money, I.D or a
passport, he crossed the border back into war-torn Sudan,
and from there he entered Uganda. After Uganda, he moved
his way down Africa, going through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi,
Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, before arriving in South Africa.
In 2003, he was accepted into Australia as a refugee.
As he moved through the poverty
stricken countries of Africa, reliant on the kindness
of strangers, Cola not only taught himself to read and
write whilst facing unimaginable situations, he never
gave up hope of one day leading a safe and happy life.
This book is a story of hope and
courage, and truly inspirational. It is highly recommended,
and now available in Australian book stores.
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MY STEVE
By Terri Irwin
Simon & Schuster
One of the things I love about biographies
is that you gain an insight into what makes, or in this
case made, a person successful.
Although Steve Irwin died in 2006
this is not a sad book, although there are certainly poignant
moments. It’s the story of a man who was so filled with
love for wildlife that there was no room in his heart
for fear.
Steve had dreams but his intentions
were selfless. I believe he came to this world to teach
love and acceptance of wildlife. In the process he became
an example of what life can be like when we live without
fear.
Terry & Steve decided early
on in their marriage, before they were internationally
famous, that they would take a wage from the zoo and the
remainder of their money would go towards wildlife conservation.
Although Steve’s life was short he achieved some incredible
goals and made an impact on the world by focusing on his
passion.
Steve was remarkably intuitive.
Sometimes just knew where an animal (or reptile) would
show up and the exact time it would be in that location.
He also knew he would die young, he expected to die before
age 40, he died at age 44.
If you like biographies this is
one I highly recommend.
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MUSIC TO QUIET THE MIND
Eckhart Tolle
I picked up this CD when I went
to Eckhart’s recent talk in Sydney and I was absolutely
blown away by it. If, like many people you find that at
times your mind is too busy, simply put this CD on and
relax. I guarantee you, your mind will be empty, and you
feel relaxed by the time you listen to is all.
This really is music for the soul.
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ALMOST PERFECT Kelly Denley
Random House
This is a truly inspirational autobiography.
Kelly was a rebellious teenager who left home at 16, fell
in with the wrong crowd and dabbled with drugs. When she
fell pregnant at 17 she married her baby’s father and
went on to have eight children, three of whom had Asperger’s.
When her youngest child was only a baby and Kelly was
33, she went back to high school to get her HSC. Kelly
set a goal to achieve a pass mark of 97.5. Two years later
she received a HSC score of 97.3, an incredible score
by anyone’s standards and while she was elated she still
berated herself for missing out by 0.2%. Kelly was a perfectionist.
When Kelly and her husband were
concerned about their children being bullied at school
they decided it was time to fulfil their dream of travelling
around Australia, so in two cars and with very little
money they set off with seven of their children. The book
covers their adventures and how Kelly learnt to let go
of the need to be perfect. It’s a great story with a valuable
message.
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THE DIVINE MATRIX
by Gregg Braden
Hay House
I first heard of Gregg Braden on
Louise Hay s You Can Heal Your Life DVD and liked him
instantly, so it was with real anticipation I sat down
to read his book. To my dismay a few pages into the book
and I felt like I'd stepped into a science or physics
class, the book was so technical. Sadly, I put the book
down not intending to read any more but my inner voice
told me to keep reading and I am so glad I did.
For me the book began at part 2.
By the time I got to part 3 I couldn't put the book down.
It's a great book that talks about the reflections in
our life and about the purpose of relationships. It's
a book that I will pick up if I am looking for guidance
and inspiration. There are some fascinating stories and
some wonderful insights.
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SHOPPING LIST FOR LIFE
by Fiona Christie
Fiona Christie, is a life coach
based in Wellington New Zealand, that I've known for many
years and she has written a good, easy to read book called
Shopping List for Life.
Fiona recommends using the principle
of a shopping list to help them create the life of their
dreams. Fiona says, “Why do we make some of our most important
decision in life without very detailed recipes or shopping
lists? We need to create our own ‘Life Shopping List’
to help us focus on what we really want in our lives.”When
working with clients Fiona found that often clients failed
to complete their homework before coming back to see her,
so she created a system of 1 minute goals. Fiona says,
“When you start achieving and completing goals each and
every week, you send yourself a very clear message that
not only can you achieve what you set out to do, but that
it doesn’t take long to get to where you want to be.Fiona’s
book is available from: www.christiecoaching.com
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HAPPY FOR NO REASON
Marcy Shimoff
I’ve read many books on happiness
but this one stands head and shoulders above most of them.
It combines scientific knowledge with inspirational stories
and practical suggestions and it’s a really easy, enjoyable
read.For instance did you know you have a happiness set-point
that is approximately fifty per cent genetic and fifty
per cent learned? If you don’t work on it you’ll tend
to default to your set level of happiness, but if you
want to reprogram your happiness set-point to a higher
level of peace and well-being you can.
If you are wondering who Marcy Shimoff
is you probably saw her on ‘The Secret’. She is also the
co-author of six titles in the Chicken Soup for the Soul
series.
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TRUTH VS FALSEHOOD
David R Hawkins M.D.
Veritas Publishing
A few years back I read David Hawkins
book Power vs Force and loved it, although at that time
I could only read a few pages at a time because the book
was so academic. I’m not sure if the content of this book
is easier to read, or if I’ve grown, because this book
has been a real joy to read.
David Hawkins, a former psychiatrist,
now extensively researches truth via kinesiological testing.
This book demonstrates how we can ascertain what is true
or false by applying a simple muscle test.
The book includes the results of
millions of kinesiological test ranging from the energy
level of certain people’s work e.g. Oprah, to testing
the energy levels of American political parties. I particularly
found the energy calibrations of countries to be fascinating,
America tests as the highest energy rate in the world
at 421 with Australia at 410, a particularly high level
compared to when countries like Uganda calibrate at 40
and China at 100.
This book may not appeal to everyone
but if you are interested in how energy affects our world
it is a fascinating read.
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