Book Review Primal Awareness Reconnecting with the Spirits of Nature By Rob Wildwood Rob Wildwood gives us a perspective on the evolution of First World cultures in this thought-provoking book. The “primal awareness” of the title is humankind’s awareness of the immanence of spirit, consciousness and generative life force alive in every aspect of creation on Earth. Wildwood gives us an overview of how humanity in First World cultures has lost its sense of connection to the natural world and as a result, is now destroying it. The book takes us through the impact of cultural development from the evolution of language into cultural belief and identity, then maturation of…

Book Review The Shaman’s Guide to Power Animals by Lori Morrison Lori Morrison’s The Shaman’s Guide to Power Animals is an encyclopedic guide to the lore and symbolism of nearly 200 animals, birds, reptiles, with a few mythological beings included. It is a visually lovely book – gorgeously illustrated with black and white drawings in an oversized format – a “coffee table” volume that also works quite well as a reference book. I found myself dipping into the book at random to read the well-researched descriptions of animals in their natural environments as well the information and messages channeled by Ms. Morrison in her discussions with these animals. Ms. Morrison’s…

Book Review The Moving Universe A Spiritual and Mundane Perspective on the Transits by Joseph Polansky Joseph Polansky has written annual horoscope books for each zodiac sign for a number of years. You know the ones I mean – they are the 365 day version of your daily newspaper horoscope. These are “mundane” forecasts that we scan each morning; they tell us of impending success, romance, or to be careful out there! A Moving Universe: A Spiritual and Mundane Perspective on the Transits is a different breed of astrology book from the year in prediction books. Mr. Polansky addresses the impact of planetary energies as they move through, or “transit,”…

Book Review Mindful Dreaming Harness the Power of Lucid Dreaming for Happiness, Health, and Positive Change by Clare R. Johnson, Ph. D. I love dreaming! It is one of my favorite things to do! I have been tracking and working with my dreams for years. But sadly, I have not had much luck with lucid dreaming, even though I’ve read many books on the topic and practiced lots of different techniques. Author Dr. Clare Johnson is the first person to write a doctoral thesis on the topic of lucid dreaming as a creative tool. She’s been a lucid dreamer since the age of 3 and is currently the president of…

Book Review Divining With Animal Guides Answers from the World at Hand by Hearth Moon Rising I was delighted to discover that Divining with Animal Guides is not a cookbook dictionary, concretizing the “meanings” of animal encounters. Author Hearth Moon Rising has created a manual for learning to observe and discern and ultimately, to shift our strictly human viewpoint. Only when we look at the context in which the animals offer us their messages are we able to fully understand their invitations and gifts. Rising weaves science, mythology, mathematics and storytelling into each of the chapters. There are 9 in total, covering the cat family big and small, alligators and…

Book Review The Little Book of Saturn Astrological Gifts, Challenges, and Returns by Aliza Einhorn Even those who don’t know a lot about astrology cringe when Saturn is mentioned. Often thought of as bringing bad luck, challenges, loss and constriction, it has been called the Greater Malefic. What Aliza Einhorn does for us in her wonderful book is to show us Saturn as an ally and a teacher, the cosmic alarm clock that tells you to “wake up! Get up…don’t be late.” Don’t miss this opportunity to find out what you need to do to become true to yourself! Saturn will point out where we have strayed from the cosmic…

Book Review Medicine Wheel Plain & Simple: An Introduction to Native American Astrology by Deborah Durbin   I had a flashback to the 1980’s when I opened this book. I saw the system familiarized in Sun Bear and Wabun’s The Medicine Wheel: Earth Astrology, complete with correspondences to animal totems, plants, crystal and moon correspondences for each astrological sign. So, this book is “New Age;” don’t pick it up thinking that you will learn find a new (or rather, ancient) system of working with cosmic forces here. And you won’t gain any insight into the cultural astronomy or archeoastronomy of the indigenous people of the Americas – the mythic tales…

Book Review The Lunar Gospel – The Complete Guide to Your Astrological Moon by Cal Garrison Another astrology cookbook, sigh, I thought as I opened this book. How wrong I can be! Cal Garrison is an astrologer of maturity and subtlety and brings her experience and discernment to this very useful, well written guide. As Garrison herself points out in the introduction, “To answer the question of whether we need another astrology book, I am here to say, ‘Yes, we do.’ We need a book that takes the basic information to a place that actually shows the aspiring astrologer how to translate the sings and symbols into a language that…

Uranus Comes to Taurus: Radical Change Meets Immovable Object MAY 2018 – April 2026 Buckle up! Uranus, the Changemaker, the Awakener, the Great Liberator, arrived in Taurus right after the New Moon on May 15th. It will be in the Bull’s sign (with short forays into Aries and Gemini) for 7 years, until it enters Gemini in April 2026. It brings with it the legacy of its transit through Aries, which began in 2011. Think back to the Occupy movement, the Arab Spring, the removal of many barriers to same sex marriage, the sudden breakdown of the structures of silence around sexual abuse and harassment in the halls of corporate…

Book Review The Smudging and Blessing Book Inspirational Rituals to Cleanse and Heal by Jane Alexander Jane Alexander has written a good introductory book for those interested in exploring the basics of working with Spirit on the physical plane. In this accessible little manual, she weaves the concepts of working with the energies of physical allies like planets, crystals and essential oils, meeting and working with spirit energies like the Guardians of the Directions, the elements and totem animals and cleansing and blessing your physical spaces, events and ceremonies. Alexander starts with the basics: becoming aware of subtle energies in your body and in your physical environment. As she points…