Kathryn Lanier lives in Colorado with her ten year old twins. She is a freelance writer, editor, reviewer educated at
UNC-CH and the College
of Charleston. Kathryn is published internationally, designed and is teaching In-Vision! Seminar for personal empowerment, edits for international clients, and ghostwrites marketing proposals.
Please address
inquiries regarding writing/editing/seminar services to TheWritingArts@aol.com
You Are Psychic – The Art of Clairvoyant Reading and Healing
Debra Lynne Katz, 2004
Llewellyn Publications
Saint Paul, Minnesota
You Are Psychic is destined to become the bible for those seeking to push the veil aside and access their extra sensory perceptions. Rarely have I found a non-fiction book to be a true page turner but I could not put this one down! Katz has written a straightforward guide for accessing and/or strengthening your clairvoyant abilities. However, this is not a “my way or the highway” discourse. Katz shares her years of experience, her personal anecdotes that inform and comfort. She gifts us with her traditional and non-traditional educational experiences in psychology, sociology, and psychic reading practice. You Are Psychic guides you in self-healing and in becoming a vehicle of change and healing for those for whom you read. Two important issues often not touched upon in metaphysical books are personal protection and professional ethics. Katz reviews how to protect yourself so that you do not become enmeshed and lost in your clients' pain. While the university systems in the U.S. have been excruciatingly slow to begin teaching professional ethics, Katz weaves this imperative throughout You Are Psychic with frank deliberation and detailed analysis of case studies.
An Angel Treasury -
A Celestial Collection of Inspirations, Encounters
and Heavenly Lore
Jacky Newcomb, 2004
ThorsonsElement
London
Jacky Newcomb is known as “The Angel Lady.” She writes articles on angels, has a regular magazine column answering angel queries, appears as a guest on television, runs an on-line shop, and hosts angel workshops. Jacky Newcomb is immersed in all things celestial! An Angel Treasury is a quintessentially accurate title for this remarkable resource book. Basic, universal questions are answered in the beginning of the book with quotes taken from literature and scripture included for addition contemplation. The almanac section of the treasury encompasses an incredible variety of thorough charts. The usual planet, hour, angel correlations are noted but there are also charts of angels to call upon to assist with life's stresses, hobbies, occupations, health issues, relationship issues, etc. Who named the angels? Their creator or humans? What do their names mean? There is a beautiful section on how angels help humans and how humans can and do access the assistance of angels. My favorite section comes toward the end of the treasury with a section on creative ways to maintain contact with your angels and guides. Guided meditations are included and I have personally witnessed the effectiveness of the Meet Your Guardian Angel Meditation ! This treasury is a must have for those interested in everything angel.
Falling into the Arms of God – Meditations with Teresa of Avila
Megan Don, 2005
New World Library
Novato, California
Through Megan Don, I have fallen in love with Teresa of Avila. In the early 16 th century, Teresa decided to leave her family who held a privileged position of wealth and power to join a convent. She did so because her friend had joined the convent and she thought it would be great fun to be there with her! For Teresa, the contemplative life seemed an acceptable alternative to marriage. And for a while it was just that. As happens for so many of us, by the time Teresa reached her forties, she realized that there must be something more. As an educated woman with connections among the powerful nobility, she set about becoming a force for real change in the Carmelite Order. Teresa fascinates me because she was bumping her head on the glass ceiling long before we were ever aware that one existed. And like women today, she questioned her visions, her connection to holiness, her place in the world. But she strode forward anyway. Teresa was a prolific writer and Megan Don has studied these writings for years and is also been associated with the Carmelite Order in Melbourne , Australia . Teresa of Avila believed that the contemplative life was not just for nuns and priests and that there was nothing standing between you and the Divine. Her constant striving to be in this world yet not of it led her time and again to fall into the arms of God to seek her comfort there. Megan Don has written a powerful devotional book that can be read front to back or, as Teresa would have enjoyed, by simply opening it to a page that has something for you at that moment in time. The layout of the book – a quote from Teresa's writings, a contemplative writing, and a meditation practice – on beautiful ivory paper imbues this book with a quiet sacredness that cannot be missed. Opening this book truly feels like falling into the arms of God.
The Earth Path – Grounding Your Spirit in the Rhythms of Nature
StarHawk, 2005
HarperCollins
New York
StarHawk has been the voice of earth based spirituality and eco-activism for over a generation now. Her classic, The Spiral Dance , is as relevant today as it was twenty-five years ago when she wrote it as a young woman. StarHawk has written many books in the time that has passed but she now brings us full circle to a much deepened understanding and practice of spirituality in accord with the rhythms of nature. The chapters seem to come alive as she weaves the necessity of observation into a relationship with air, fire, water, and earth. In the ancient days, the people knew the land they lived on and the inhabitants of land and water as well as they knew their own families. They rarely strayed from this land from birth through death. StarHawk leads us on a journey of discovery of how to reconnect to the earth Mother whether it is in a stand of redwoods or our own back yards. You cannot help but want to jump out of your chair, throw down the book, and just get out there! The center of StarHawk's teaching is the sacredness in the present moment and that present moment's connection to that which sustains us. Every word, every chapter is imbued with her love of and her desire to be a force of change and healing for the earth.
Michelina Pagano, 2004
Treble Heart Books
Sierra Vista, Arizona
If you had no mirror and could not remember your name, your race, what you look like, if there is anyone who wonders where you are…what would you call yourself? Would you be able to name yourself? Would you feel compelled to do so? An integral part of our human experience is the compulsion to name things in order to feel at peace in our realities. Another integral part is knowing where we are and why we are there. As Pretty One awakens into a concrete world with papers as small as snowflakes falling around her, she has no idea who, what, where, why, or how she IS. She meets Hero and they set off on a journey to discover what this reality is that they do not know or understand. For as far as the eye can see, there is nothing but concrete. Pretty One and Hero name each other as memories begin to slip through as mist slips through alleys. Hero tells Pretty One what she looks like and Pretty One tells Hero that she believes he saved people so he is a Hero. Ultimately, the road to Jude leads Pretty One and Hero to the ultimate understanding of their new realities and how the awakening to the ultimate love of Spirit can change lives so quickly and so completely that names no longer matter, only BEING. Michelina Pagano has written a wonderfully symbolic story against the backdrop of 9/11 that focuses on the love of Spirit rather than the anger of human beings. This is a story that all who are still haunted by the falling papers and the falling bodies need to read. For those who don't know or understand what happened on that day, this story will speak to your soul as only a great storyteller can.
Journalution – Journaling to Awaken Your Inner Voice, Heal Your Life, And Manifest Your Dreams
Sandy Grason, 2005
New World Library
Novato, California
“I can't journal.” “I can't write.” “I don't have the time.” “I don't know what to write.” “Someone might find it and read it!' OK. Now that you have that out of your system, take a deep breath and trust that Sandy Grason knows exactly how you feel. And she is determined to convince you to join her journal-ution. Grason has written a extraordinary guide that will deepen the experience for those who are already journaling and that will excite and incite the novice to begin and continue. Grason challenges “you to not be satisfied with living an ordinary life. Strive to find your voice. Do not wait. The longer you wait, the less likely you are to find your voice at all.” One of the aspects that makes Journalution unique is that there are no rules, no guilt, disappointment. Carry a small notebook in your purse or pocket or backpack. Have beautiful journals or simple spiral bound notebooks. Buy an exquisite pen or write with an ordinary ballpoint. Glue in pictures, sketch, or simply jot down a phrase or an event of the day, week, or month! Although Grason is thrilled to share with you all the important changes that journaling can bring to your life and your understanding of your self and your soul, she does not leave you wondering alone in the wilderness. There are prompts, examples, and anecdotes that will leave you wanting to MAKE time to have fun with your own journaling experience. This book is a fun, exciting guide for those of us who have not taken this plunge before!
Crystal Balls & Crystal Bowls – Tools for Ancient Scrying & Modern Seership
Ted Andrews, 2005
Llewellyn Publications
St. Paul, Minnesota
Originally released in 1995, Ted Andrews' classic on the use of crystal balls and bowls for divination is as relevant today as it was when first released. This new release begins with a section on how to determine how in tune you are with your natural ability to divine. Fun quizzes with questions such as “If I were a machine, I would be a ________,” complex mazes to quickly work your way through, and inkblot gazing introduce the delight that scrying can be. When Andrews presents aids and preparations for divining with crystal balls and bowls he offers the why and how as well as the what! As with other tools of divination, crystal balls and bowls should have their own sacred space on which to rest and be handled only by the diviner with whom they are joined. Crystal Balls & Crystal Bowls includes the various types of crystals, how to use them for scrying, the spiritual beings that you can call upon to assist in divination, and even how to create gem elixirs. One of the most beautiful and powerful sections of the book is the presentation of the sigils for the archangels of the planets. This is a substantive, must have book prior to purchasing a crystal ball or bowl and beginning your journey of divination!
Saying What's Real, 7 Keys to Authentic Communication and Relationship Success
Susan Campbell, Ph.D., 2005
H J Kramer Book with New World Library,
Novato, California
Have you ever felt fake or phony trying to use the canned phrases that many communications experts tell you are going to change your life? Do you come away wondering why these phrases and questions should help you? Or feeling ignorant that you did not communicate “properly?” Susan Campbell strips away the layers of why we speak to others the way we do and also why we do not speak up at all sometimes. All of our communication habits stem from our feelings, our emotions, our hidden agendas and how we have learned over time to “protect” ourselves. Campbell presents the 7 keys in various forms so that you can feel safe and “real” in your communications. Each key not only leads to successful connections with those most important to you but leads to a deep change in how you perceive yourself. Your level of feeling safe will rise. Your level of confidence will rise. And, most importantly, your level of self-trust and self-respect will rise. Your needs will be met and the needs of those in your life will be met. Campbell 's book is a short but imperative read. I have implemented the 7 keys in my communication with my ten year old daughter and have been privileged to witness the delight in her eyes because she now feels a that she is truly being seen and heard!
Remember the incredible angst as you experienced broken friendships, unrequited love, and that hollow emptiness for the first time? Remember the intensity? If you are involved with older children, teenagers, or young adults in any capacity you cannot afford to loose touch with that intensity and When Living Hurts is an inestimable tool for your use. It is also enlightening and practical for those who may not have had intervention for the traumas experienced during those developmental years. Sol Gordon has completely revised and updated this excellent manual so that it is as relevant today as it was when first released in 1985. Do not expect political correctness or a spiritual manifesto. This is a straightforward effort to helping young people with every painful event from friendship issues to suicide prevention to access to pro-choice options. One delightful section is on the topic of boredom and/or being boring. Gordon tells it like it is to assist you in determining if you are a boring person and then offers you alternatives to these behaviors so that you can go from boring to interesting. You can immediately access your own, personal, internal extreme makeover! Gordon's treatise on at-risk youth and how to encourage the development of self-esteem is new and fresh and unapologetic! Although each subject has just two or three pages there are further resources recommended within the text rather than having to search through a long bibliography at the end of the book.
