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May 2009 Page 14

Kinetics Magazine
Editors Picks for May

Choose Them Wisely
Atria/Beyond Words
by Mike Dooley

Living the life of your dreams isn’t just about dreaming. It’s also about living: following your impulses, turning over every stone, and stepping out into the world so that the wind can catch your sails. To those in the know, it’s as if your dreams paint the picture and the Universe stands ready to bring it to life. Choose Them Wisely is filled with the same inspirational messages from "the Universe" that made the Notes from the Universe trilogy so popular, but the thoughts have been expanded, containing even more information and concrete examples for how to actually apply these ideas to everyday life. Author Mike Dooley's conversational, inviting tone welcomes readers at every level of self-development into the wonder of their own self-directed futures. And the book itself is beautiful, inside and out, making it the perfect gift for Mother’s or Father’s Day.

The Art and Practice of Geomancy
(Weiser Books, March 2009) teaches readers how to divine the answers to life’s everyday questions about health, luck, new jobs, and love, as well as those less mundane tasks such as finding buried treasure, predicting the weather, being released from prison, and identifying secret enemies. John Michael Greer delivers to readers an ancient system of divination in an easy-to-use form requiring little more than a pen and a piece of paper. Using a system of counting odd and even numbers—from a deck of cards, a roll of the dice, or even by hitting sand or dirt with a stick to generate patterns—readers learn how to cast their own geomantic chart. And for those who wish to delve further, he offers exercises for geomantic meditation and ritual magic. The Art and Practice of Geomancy will appeal to pagans, followers of the Western Mystery tradition, scholars of folk magic and divination, and anyone who wants to take their past, present, and future into their own hands. From the book: Each geomantic chart is, in a certain sense, a snapshot of one set of possibilities arising from the dance of the four elements in the anima mundi and a sense of the dance itself – even if that sense is imperfect, as it may be, and wordless, as it must be – it provides the context for every geomantic reading.

	Nutritionist and yoga practitioner Deanna Minich provides tools and insight as to how foods and ways we eat can heal, brighten, balance, and strengthen parts of us that need not only physical but spiritual nourishment in Chakra Foods for Optimum Health (Conari Press, March 2009). The material for this book developed out of the author’s highly successful Nutrition for the Soul™ classes, workshops, and private counseling sessions. Not a diet book, it looks at both the nutritional and spiritual aspects of the foods we eat and how they can heal us. She explains how the vibration of food can impact the energy of our being, emphasizing that the sheer bulk of food we eat provides not only physical matter to give the body energy, but also "an energy signature" to feed the subtle needs of the soul. Using the chakra energy system established by ancient Vedic texts, Chakra Foods for Optimum Health provides a hands-on guide to how to heal body, mind, and spirit through foods and eating. For example, someone feeling stuck in her life could turn to Chapter 5 and find a list of foods that promote healthy flow in the body, such as foods that carry the vibration of the color orange or specific dietary fats that encourage movement. For each chakra, specific affirmations and other practices are also offered, as are meal plans and recipes. Helpful questionnaires, lists, charts, and diagrams assist readers in easily pinpointing and diagnosing themselves and the various prescriptive options are all very clearly explained. With lots of useful sidebars, this book really is a treasure trove of energy medicine in the form of food ― truly food for the body, mind, and soul!
	Choose Them Wisely Atria/Beyond Words by Mike Dooley Living the life of your dreams isn’t just about dreaming. It’s also about living: following your impulses, turning over every stone, and stepping out into the world so that the wind can catch your sails. To those in the know, it’s as if your dreams paint the picture and the Universe stands ready to bring it to life. Choose Them Wisely is filled with the same inspirational messages from "the Universe" that made the Notes from the Universe trilogy so popular, but the thoughts have been expanded, containing even more information and concrete examples for how to actually apply these ideas to everyday life. Author Mike Dooley's conversational, inviting tone welcomes readers at every level of self-development into the wonder of their own self-directed futures. And the book itself is beautiful, inside and out, making it the perfect gift for Mother’s or Father’s Day.
	The Art and Practice of Geomancy (Weiser Books, March 2009) teaches readers how to divine the answers to life’s everyday questions about health, luck, new jobs, and love, as well as those less mundane tasks such as finding buried treasure, predicting the weather, being released from prison, and identifying secret enemies. John Michael Greer delivers to readers an ancient system of divination in an easy-to-use form requiring little more than a pen and a piece of paper. Using a system of counting odd and even numbers—from a deck of cards, a roll of the dice, or even by hitting sand or dirt with a stick to generate patterns—readers learn how to cast their own geomantic chart. And for those who wish to delve further, he offers exercises for geomantic meditation and ritual magic. The Art and Practice of Geomancy will appeal to pagans, followers of the Western Mystery tradition, scholars of folk magic and divination, and anyone who wants to take their past, present, and future into their own hands. From the book: Each geomantic chart is, in a certain sense, a snapshot of one set of possibilities arising from the dance of the four elements in the anima mundi and a sense of the dance itself – even if that sense is imperfect, as it may be, and wordless, as it must be – it provides the context for every geomantic reading.
	When God Winks: How the Power of Coincidence Guides Your Life Atria Books by Squire Rushnell 9780743467070 When God Winks confirms a secret belief held by most readers: there is something more to coincidences than meets the eye. Like winks from a loving parent of grandparent, coincidences are messages from the Maker that people are not alone and that everything will be okay. The compelling theory of why coincidences, or “God winks,” exist and how to map them is applied in this book to fascinating coincidence stories in history, sports, the news, medicine, and relationships involving everyday people and celebrities. It makes a fascinating read, a contemplative study of the forces at play in our lives, and a truly magical gift.
	Following the success of Quiet Mind, Awakened Mind (Conari Press, April 2009) is David Kundtz’s newest book of meditations for living effectively and mindfully in a busy world. As the Navajo proverb says, “When we are pretending to be asleep, no one can awaken us.” We must stop pretending and “awaken” ourselves. The book contains more than a hundred reflections on life, gratitude, creativity, diversity, and spirituality, each with an inspiring quotation and an idea for putting that meditation to use in daily life. From the essay on fun: “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” —Katharine Hepburn The trick, of course, is to know which rules to break and when to break them. But break them we must if we are to have any fun. There was a time in my life, quite a long period of time actually, when I was . . . how shall I say it . . . not much fun. Kept to all the rules — and there were a lot of rules! Severe and serious were the virtues of the day, and I had very limited fun, so I was not much fun to be around. My loss, my regret. But that was years ago and now I have a lot of fun, break a lot of rules. I count myself one of the fortunate ones. Awakened Mind offers a remarkable collection of insights that shows readers how living in a state of awareness about the reality that always exists in front of our faces, under our noses, or just below the surface of every moment, is one sure way to live life more fully and joyfully.
	Mystic Cool Atria/Beyond Words by Don Joseph Goewey 9781582702278 What if you could wire your brain to make you immune to stress? What if you could wire it to turn work into the sheer joy of excelling? Or give you more enthusiasm, resilience, and positive emotions? Mystic Cool illustrates how you can. There are neurological properties in the brain activated through a dynamic shift in attitude. As you make this shift your brain wires to generate this experience. It is called neuroplasticity. Mystic Cool is the first to provide a proven approach to tapping this enormous power. Tapping it is simpler than you think, and author Goewey shows you the way.
	Second Acts That Change Lives (Conari Press, March 2009) offers a collection of honest and inspiring stories delving into the lives of a community of mid-life trailblazers wanting to make changes in their lives and found as they reached inward for the strength to change, almost unanimously reached out to share their better self, their skills, their talents to make the world a better place. Among the stories are: A 60-year-old divorced mom and grandmother, blind in one eye, who sets up a program in Nicaragua for single mothers to teach them how to make quilts to financially sustain them. A 50-year-old single woman and high-powered career person who met the love of her life at 50; he died two months later when hit by a car while training for a triathlon. She went to Russia and adopted two children and brought them home to raise in Michigan. A 45-year-old male prosecuting attorney who loved to swim as a child. He went returned to school for a degree in physical education and now teaches swimming lessons. Second Acts That Change Lives is a wake-up call, an intervention of sorts to help prod readers to pursue their dreams – to turn the “someday I’d love to” into “today I will” and, by doing so, make a profound difference in the world.
	The Complete Vision Board Kit Atria/Beyond Words by John Assaraf 97815827019123 More than just a book, this kit contains a book, an instructional DVD, and a few supplies to help you create your first vision board. A vision board is a powerful took that anyone can use to shape an ideal future through the power of intention and visualization. Learning how to vividly imagine your desired results – attracting your perfect soul mate, radiant health, abundant career opportunities, or building personal and community relationships – is the first step on the path to making them happen. The Complete Vision Board Kit is a transformational tool in perfect synergy with today’s fearful economic climate.