Energy Healing Books

I am a beginning Reiki student and eager to read all material that will advance my studies. I was very disappointed in this selection. I feel that it is one woman's catharsis on a dysfunctional family and served very little information to a first time Reiki student looking for guidance. While I totally respect the author, the angst she is feeling, and her role with the International organization, I do not see the value of this "diary entry". Other titles on Reiki better serve the interests of beginning students, in my opinion.

This book is a biography of a Reiki Master. It does not include the "How to" or even the "What" of Reiki. This book discusses the events in a Reiki Master's life and encourages you to find similar events in your life and apply Reiki to the negative emotions.

Mari's latest book comes from her soul as it reaches out to touch "your" soul. Not a how to do book on Reiki, but rather a glimpse into how Reiki energy facilitates personal journey's through life. When I read "Reiki for the Soul" I was touched in ways and in places in my heart and soul that had lain dormant for a long time. As I read the personal account of Mari's journey through relationships, parents, work, love and ourselves, I found myself going through an evaluation of my life in each of those aspects. The doorway image that Mari uses is excellent as we have a "choice" to step through the doorways of change or not. Early in the book Mari outlines the "Stepping Stones of Change". I have used this illustration in the Reiki Classes I teach. I can only say, have a box of Kleenex with you as you read this book, it touches not only your soul, but your heart as well.

I am the author of this book. If you are looking for a beginner's book on Reiki there are many available. This book helps you to take your Reiki futher and deeper into yourself. It was written with the hope that everyone can see that no matter what our life circumstances have been there is a light that helps us out of our darkness and that light is Reiki. It was my intention to evoke you to remember just how many doorways you have personally walked through and where the next doorway may be in you life. It is a journal for you to share yourself in. Let your heart be open to all possibilities. Even in disappointment there are lessons,essential truth and choice.

This book was nothing short of magical. It successfully blended Reiki and journeying into your own depths. The questions at the end of each doorway encouraged you to travel inward discovering and challenging old thoughts and belief systems. I loved it so much I bought 5 copies for Christmas gifts! Happy Journeying!

I would give *less than 1 star if possible*

The statements made in this book about a "new" history of Reiki have not been authenticated in any way.

Reiki people should not accept "new" Reiki histories without some factual background and, sadly, there are no facts to back up the story told in this book. Should it just be accepted as truth because someone says it is? I don't think so.

You would have thought we'd learnt our lesson and people would be more careful as to what they print as the "truth", especially after the Lama Yeshe (also known as Richard Blackwell) experience. To explain further: Richard Blackwell wrote a book with a "new" history of Reiki and it turned out to be completely made-up and the result was great confusion and disillusionment. Curiously, an ex-student of Lama Yeshe's is even quoted in this book and the teachers of the author were all teachers of Lama Yeshe's material.

This book highlights serious flaws in the concept of Jin Kei Do, apart from its general lack of clarity (the accepted Reiki history is pretty mashed up as well).

A major problem is that this book lays claim to two histories:
A relatively accepted history of Reiki taken from other Reiki books and Reiki websites called Part I.
And a second history, Part II, that begins to interweave, what I would only call fiction (as it is totally without verification), with the known history of Reiki. This "new" Reiki history has conveniently been fitted into conventional Reiki history. Here, names of people from Buddha down and their supposed practices and actions, along with the land Tibet, are described as influencing a part of the founder of Reiki's practices. These practices were then secretly passed down and have made there way to a man in Australia who purports this is all true.

Another major problem is: Not one of the Japanese people mentioned in the accepted history of Reiki like Hayashi, Eguchi, the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, Mrs Yamaguchi, Tatsumi and even Mrs Takata taught the chakra system. Yet Jin Kei Do appears to be based upon chakras. Chakras were a new age addition to Reiki and there is absolutely no record of them being used prior to Mrs Takata's death - how come then Jin Kei do uses chakras? I would guess because Jin Kei Do was actually created in the 1980s.

The book also states that a character named Seiji Takemori had to study for more then 3 years with someone called Takeuchi to learn this system. How, then, did the man who lives in Australia, Ranga Premaratna, only manage to study for about 25 days with Seiji Takemori to learn the whole system? The number of 25 is pulled from a Jin Kei Do website although it is called a "relatively short period of time" in the book.

And finally this book goes so far as to lay claim to a similarity between its practices and the highest yoga tantra AND even earlier Hindu yogic practices! A Buddhist of Yogic Master would find it odd, to say the least, that a person could learn all of that in 25 days!!!

This book is not a Reiki book even though it uses Reiki to base its claims on. It includes a bit of this, a bit of that and a lot of fiction - not good for a non-fiction book!

So many people and so many schools of Reiki focus exclusively on using Reiki solely as a means of healing others. While this is a wonderful part of the whole, Reiki is more than that. It is a powerful vehicle of personal and spiritual growth. It is through this growth that we develop both the Compassion and Wisdom to truly help others - whether it is in the channeling of energy to promote healing or, more importantly, in lending a hand to help another along the Path.

Steve's personal journey of spiritual growth through Reiki is an inspiration and worthy to be followed. He is a true teacher who has obviously walked his talk.

Thank you, Steve.

I have been practicing and teaching Reiki for over 10 years. With the publication of "Reiki Jin Kei Do: The Way of Compassion and Wisdom", I now have a book that I can happily and unequivocably recommend to my students, clients, and others interested in learning about this unique lineage of Reiki. Steve's book is comprehensive, well researched, well written, and accurate. It has integrity, providing a grounded and balanced perspective on the topic of spirituality and healing. I am thrilled that he has made this book available and hope that many readers will enjoy and learn from the wisdom in its pages.

It is so refreshing to find a book on Reiki that does not just rehash the same old material than can be found in pretty much every other book on the subject. This book is going to take the Reiki world by storm. Not only is there material in here on the history of Reiki that I never knew before but it offers a totally original way of approaching the system of Reiki itself. What is really refreshing amongst recent books on Reiki is that it is not full of Japanese words that only Japanese and Japanese-fluent readers can understand or really relate to. A real eye-opener of a book. It is about time someone wrote a book on Reiki like this with its emphasis on personal spiritual development rather than on the therapy side of the system. This book could change the world's view of Reiki for good. In fact I think it is inevitable (and much needed). A great book for beginners who want to know what Reiki is really all about and a great book for those who practise Reiki already - this will really deepen your understanding and practice of the Usui system. Surely this is as close as we can get now to the true heart and essence of what Reiki was meant to be in the first place? Thanks Steve for a great book and for redefining Reiki at last in the way that was so needed and long overdue!

This book provides thorough exploration of a rare lineage of Usui Reiki. I am already recommending this book to students in my Reiki classes!

I am a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist with a full-time practice. I have taken Craniosacral courses from the Upledger Institute, and have taken the Biodynamic Foundation training with Michael Shea, and have taken several advanced Biodynamic Craniosacral classes with Michael Shea and Franklyn Sills who are very well grounded in the Biodynamic work. I am disappointed in Charles Ridley's portrayal of the Biodynamic Craniosacral community by his apparent limited experience in his studies of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy. To apply his opinions from his experience with one Biodynamic teacher to the rest of the Biodynamic community seems irresponsible.

definitly an intelligent and non efferent point of view. It is the very first time that i can really read something different (F.Sills and friends are so numerous...).
Anyway, thanks for your intelligence Mr Ridley...thanks a lot because Osteopathy is not about techniques but principles, experiences and philosophy... Love from France

Like speaking of the tao, one breaks stillness to speak of stillness . Consciousness can only be realized, not known. Spirit and matter are so different in nature, yet have the same origin. Charles reflects on that fulcrum through which source is made manifest. This is a book that breathes the 'Breath of Life'. Thank you Charles for bringing this to our awareness.

This isn't your bio-cranio-dynamic toolbox; it is, instead, a profound and precisely nuanced exploration of the feel of consciousness as it traverses the tissue we know as the body.
No hammers, saws, intentions, suggestions, or directed energy; here the practitioner is invited to rest in what is, without desires or expectations.
If this intrigues you, this is the book for you.

Charles was able to describe the states one experiences with Biodynamic CranioSacral Therapy better than anyone else I have read so far. Anyone who has practiced "regular" CranioSacral therapy for awhile will be able to relate to his descriptions and I believe understand the basis of Biodynamic CranioSacral work, even before they take their first course. This is a must for those who practice both CranioSacral therapy and meditation, as they will understand the connection between both.

Once again Caroline Myss has supplied great insight into how we can all make our lives, and this world a better place. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in raising knowledge, happiness, and gratitude for what is available to us all!

I was disappointed by the other reviews that led me to buy it. If you do want to purchase it, consider buying my copy on sale on Amazon for $9.95. But I dont suggest you buy it! Why? Because there is no logic or credibility to the content. She seems to simply have an interesting way of talking and an ability to manufacture terminology. She's "America's premier medical intuitive" probably because she's the America's only medical intuitive. :)

I listened to tape two of the two tape series. It was recommended and lent to me by my brother. (he must still have tape one!) Even though I started on tape two, I was able to follow along midstream without difficulty. The author delves into her meaning of "self" and "self-discovery" that came to her on her journey into her faith. It is thought provoking and intellectual without losing the listener. The interviewer's questions were insightful, and really what I wanted to ask. It reminded me of a Bill Moyers type of interview. Respect for the author, while asking tough questions.

I heard this author first discuss this information in lecture, then again on tape. She is riveting. Her wisdom is so "right on" that it left me stunned for some days, trying digest the sheer quanity of new insights I had to find a place for it in my gut. This tape set truly analyizes the creation and maintenence of personal power, how we get it, loose it, and minipulate with it. Interesting also, is how we get suckered in by others who have found out power leaks. A must for folks in competitive work places, or disfunctional families. It taught me how to be more fair and truthful to myself and others. Thanks to the Author. :-)

In Three Levels Of Power And How To Use Them, Myss continues to lift the curtain on the human body's energy network, and the vast data banks which stores our thoughts and feelings. She explains that the power centers (chakras) can be divided into 3 levels: the tribal, the individual, and the symbolic. She also discusses the 8th chakra, a place of symbolic, or archetypal, sight. Myss says that power (our life force/prana/chi) is the common ingredient within the human experience. Moreso, it is the common ingredient in health, and certainly in the loss of health.

Myss elaborates on the power of the tribal mind, which is group thought. It's where we all start, and encompasses family, ethnicity, religion, political ideas, and trends. If your energy is plugged into group thought, you will function, create and heal at the speed of the group. For example, let's say you were diagnosed with an illness that your family believes is incurable. You look into alternative health, and hear stories of people who were healed from this disease. You tell your family this, and they say "No one gets healed from this. Your grandfather, uncle, and cousin all died from this disease." If you're plugged into group thinking, you will align yourself to what they believe...and live accordingly. Groups usually move very, very slowly...mostly because of being resistant to change. Have you ever heard "We've always done it this way" or "We've never did it this way"? This is tribal language. It's giving your energy circuits over to the group for them to control you. Myss calls this level "eau d' toilette", because you need a lot to get anything done.

The next level of power is individual power. You have to have an incredible sense of internal power to overcome the structure of external power. This is the realm of power where you unhook from the tribal mind, and where you have to take responsibility for everything you believe--good, bad or indifferent. No "well, my family does it this way..." in the realm of individual power! You can heal much faster than the tribe in this realm, because energy moves faster. She explains that forgiveness is what helps us detach from the tribe, maneuvers us into individual power, and gets us into present time. Myss likens this level to cologne: it's stronger than eau d' toilette, and will work for longer.

The third level of power is the symbolic realm. This is the higher altitude where we become the observer of our life without being threatened. It is the symbolic and archetypal realm where we see our life through the eyes of sacred contracts and archetypal "dancing". This is a realm of power that can go the distance, which Myss likens to perfume.

Myss also discusses how we can manage our own power, especially through choice. We can choose not to put our energy into getting mad about losing a parking space, as well as not leaking energy into a past relationship that we should have let go of long ago. She explains how to build up our "grace account", live in the present, and invest our energy in staying above situations that would drain our precious life force.

Like the Why People Don't Heal presentation, Myss peppers this teaching with powerful stories. One of my favorites is about a lady in England who was smashed up in a very bad car accident. Her spirit left her body, and she could hear the grumblings of people in other cars as she hovered above them: "I'm going to be late for work", "Great. This is all I need.", and so on. All of a sudden, while still hovering out of her body, she sees an incredible light shooting out of the 5th car up ahead. This light shoots into her being, and she finds her spirit body sitting beside the women in the 5th car. The woman behind the wheel is praying "God, please help this person in the accident." Suddenly, she hears a voice that says "We're taking you back to your body. It's not your time." She begins to travel back to her body, but before she does, she gets the license plate number from the car containing the praying driver.

After she mends, the woman in the accident looks up the praying driver, and shows up on her doorstep with a bouquet of flowers. She said to her "Thank you for the power you gave me to come back to my life."

Truly, the power we have in our spirit is the power of creation itself--and we can also extend this power to others, as well as using it to heal ourselves.

This is an extremely well written book that explains the dynamics of acupuncture and energy medicine in a way that is easily grasped. The material is original, thought-provoking and clearly extensively researched. The book is appropriate for acupuncturists, acupuncture students, energy/body workers, psychotherapists, massage therapists or anyone in the healing arts who wishes to gain a better understanding of mind/body medicine from both an Eastern and a Western perspective.

Dr. Mark Seem is a well known and respected Acupuncturist and founder of Tri-State Institute of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture in Stamford, Connecticut. The book presents theoretical foundations of the Acupuncture technique as practiced and taught by the author.
I read Bodymind Energetics about a year ago as part of my medical acupuncture study. It is a good introductory text for someone interested in Acupuncture and Energetic Medicine.
The book is accessible and well written; yes, as mentioned by the previous reviewer, it is repetitious at times, but I don't hold it against the author because the ideas advanced in the book are new for the majority of readers, and these concepts do require multiple different angles of presentations to make them clear.
One of the reviewers complained about the angry tone of the book. There is some truth in this observation. One thing we need to remember, though, is that the author of the book has Ph.D. in French Philosophy. I am not making a disparaging remark. Au contraire. What I am saying is that the author is a very intelligent and sensitive person (otherwise he wouldn't achieve what he has achieved and wouldn't be doing what he is doing!), but, judging by his (very elegant otherwise) writing style, the author's intellectual roots are undoubtedly Gallic with all the applicable stereotypes (see Monty Python and the Holy Grail or read Mark Twain's ramblings on the subject).
Just remember that there is plenty to learn from this book, and you will do much better paying attention to the content of the book, rather than tone with which it is written.
The one weakness of the book, in my opinion, is its cover: the picture of black human figure surrounded by energy field lines is somewhat misleading. I suspect that this picture scared off a lot of intended readers. Don't pay any attention to the cover: the book has nothing to do with Blavatskaya/Astral Body/Distance Healing/etc.

Mark Seems Bodymind Energetics addresses the issue of our understanding of the "physical" and "psychological" aspects of health. Seem covers some of the historical background to the "body-mind" split in western thinking and the practice of medicine. He uses models of thought taken from studies of the early pioneers of psycho-somatics, and models developed from ancient Chinese medical texts to discuss this 'split'.

This is an extremely interesting and thought provoking work on the subject.

When I first read this book, I could not help but wonder why the author sounded so angry! The entire text could have been written in 20 pages, but tends to drag on monotonously, repeating statements many times in the same aggressive tone. The tone and repetition of the text tends to lead you away from the few morsels of interesting and useful information, such as the wonderfully concise overview of basic chinese medicine that even a lay person could understand. It is such a shame that this book was so horribly written with it's truly advanced use of the English language, that it is difficult to follow, understand, and even pick up again to finish. This is no light reading, folks.

I found that the book was kind of boring in the begining and almost stoped reading. I was glad I did not after reading the history the book becomes more interasting. The book is very informative but some of the words are hard to understand.

This book is very good. The terminology usage is very correct and the pictures are well depicted. Overall a good book for people to know abt what chakras are and how to get them active.

This book is not only useful for beginners, but also helpful for those who are already familiar with Chakra to further explore and enrich their understanding, lots of good pictures for visualizing and great ideas for meditation. She is very focused about the characteristics and connections about physical body, subtle mental system and psychological functions associated with each chakra. Also interactive workbook will help the reader to review the development, self-analysis questions are worthwhile -- just a perfect summary of Chakra System, the vital life energy of everybody.

I'm new to chakra work. I have a few books on the subject and this one is by far the most confusing. I found it hard to read because of the terminology. If you are into Yoga then this book is for you. I am not, so it was very hard for me to follow.

A peaceful and loving monthly wisewoman's path. Although most works of this nature are pagan; Claire Nahmad brings a Christian twist filled with angels and Christian Holy Days to celebrate. Traditions reach centuries back in time when the influence of stars and planets on all things of the earth were acknowledged and accepted, and when practitioners of healing and herbalism, whose vision was holistic, took these influences into account and were expert in their understanding of them. This lore of the wisewoman teaches us how to love and revere the earth, how to respond to her magic and return in some measure the blessing and healing that we receive from her. What a great find.

I agree with the others that have cautioned the purchase of this book. It is clearly another means to rope in pagans and attempt to convert them, as was done in days of old. Such as building cathedrals on the spot of an ancient grove to entice the pagan populous to attend.

It was severly disappointing from the aspect that I spent money on this thinking that I would glean some pagan wisewoman knowledge to add to my compendium, but instead I received preaching and Christian slight of hand. This book was a clear waste of money and time.

I really cannot recommend this to anyone of the pagan faiths.

Even though I have not finished this book yet, I have found it to be very good upon my glances and just by leafing through it. It is different than the norm books of natual magick, folklore, Witchcraft and Wicca, etc., that is so prevalent today. This book is a far cry in that it speaks more to and of the wisewoman's old ways of living with harmony of the earth and her cycles, and gives much folklore and 'days of old' knowledge that is not as well known in our fast-food culture, yet still relevant and useful today and everyday as ever. It is broken up into seasons and sections with relevant information astrologically, folklore, holidays, herbal and more. I found it refreshing and different, but also not as easy to read or 'light' in tone or subject as some other books that fall in this category. That in itself is a blessing in my opinion since I find it difficult to find books after awhile that are not just cookie-cutter initations of the same stuff in different packaging and various styles. This book is definately not and is a highly overlooked gem!

Both charming and colloquial, Earth Magic reads like a recipe book of a 17th or 18th century witch or wisewoman. This is both a virtue and a stumbling-block. While the volume is crammed full of spells, instructions, charts, and folklore, it is difficult to read in large doses. The material conforms to no particular tradition or belief system, except perhaps that of Elizabethan hearthwitches, stillroom keepers, and herb grannies. Angelic and astrological correspondences rub shoulders with goddess lore, and references to both the Goddess and Jesus Christ are common.

The book is divided into twelve chapters, each covering one month and/or one sign of the zodiac. The Angels, Spirits, and Stars section for each month includes meditations on the spirit of the months, zodiac profile (on the sign itself, not necessarily a person "of" that sign), starwatching information, and invocations to related spirits. The Wisewoman's Journal section includes folklore, spells, and charms. Also for each month there is the Wisewoman's Weatherbook, with related weather lore. June, July and August feature "Witch's Garden" sections with information on a few garden features. Spells for love, for divination, for healing and protection are mixed with practical medical herbalism and weatherlore. Especially useful for those who use angelic and astrological magic, or who are looking for "traditional" women's magic.

It is clear that the information was gathered and written up by someone who was an avid student of the outdoors, including gardening, weatherworking, and astronomy. The text, though dense with symbolism and thick with information, is in a lyrical, flowing, and tender tone that is worth the time required to comprehend it. While few of us may be able to study under a genuine traditional witch in the old sense of the word -- herbwife, charmcaster, wisewoman -- or, in fact, to study their recipe books, this may be the closest to the old knowledge we will get.

Perfect information for anyone interested in healing. Adam has been given a gift to guide us all to explore our own healing journeys, he shows us that we can all do a lot more than we are aware of. An excellent book, easy to understand and follow.

I have read all of Adam's books and have gone to Canada to see him. His message is great. Energy medicine is coming and he makes it possible to explore and learn it. Adam is a fantastic presenter, writer and is introducing us to a new paradigm of healing.

I placed a critical of Adam McLeod's book and it was rejected by Amazon. If you have doubts as to the authenticity of Dreamhealer's claims, I suggest that you do a Google search and decide for yourself.

Nobody has confirmed any of Adam's claims, and that includes the claims that he cured individuals of cancer over the telephone.

This is a wonderful book for people who would like to know about energy or distant healing or for people who already practice different types of healing and are looking for additional ideas that they can incorporate. The information in this book is presented in a very simple, clear and easy to read manner. One of the exceptional benefits of this book is a set of 50 or so images provided for visualization. Also, suggestions about different symptoms/diseases are very helpful.

For me, this is both an inspiring and useful book. What makes it so appealing to me is that (1)It is obviously a labor of love. It's a kind of love that, at the risk of being called "sentimental" or "gushy" (as another reviewer called it), Lingerman is totally honest and open in expressing. (2) Lingerman is undoubtedly deeply devoted to music and also to serving both God and mankind.

The other two reviewers criticized the author for mainly focusing on two types of music -- Classical and New Age and I know from experience that, in general, these are the most positive or healing types, especially Classical.

Because it has to do with resonance, whether or not music is healing has a lot to do with the listener. In his book, "The Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism", Lama Govinda writes:

"The true power of mantra...consists mainly in the purity and truthfulness of the speaker....Though the inner attitude of the speaker is the main source of power, yet the form in which it is expressed is not irrelevant. It must be adequate to the spiritual content, melodious, forceful, and supported by mental and emotional associations, created either by tradition or personal experience".

Though Lama Govinda is speaking of mantra, what he is saying also applies to music in general. If one understands what a mantra is and studies the structure of Beethoven's wonderful Fifth Symphony, he can see that it is based on the extended repetition of one motif or mantra.

However, I do not believe that Beehoven's Fifth and other great works of Classical Music are, in and of themselves, healing. In order for a piece of music to be healing or empowering, the listener also needs to be, in Lama Govinda's words, "pure" and "true" or able to resonate in tune with the music. For example: If two equally pure Quartz crystal glasses are placed side by side, when one is struck, the other will vibrate or resonate in sympathy with it. If however, the second vessel is made of common glass, it will not vibrate in tune with the crystal glass.

My point is that, whether or not music is healing depends to a large extent on the resonance and receptivity of the listener. One of the rules seems to be: "Different strokes for different folks".

For example, I can listen to a recording of a great piece of Classical Music and to Carmen McRae's inimitable recording of "Here's That Rainy Day" and be moved to tears by both.

I am also easily wooed by some of the music of the Beatles, James Taylor and Simon & Garfunkel (to mention only a few) but, as far as healing and transformation are concerned, there's nothing in all the lower musical realms that can compare to a great Classical composition, such as the final movement of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 3 (Jascha Horenstein's performance)

I also believe that Classical Music and the very best New Age Music (some of which is listed in this book)has more healing and transformative potential than most other forms.

Lingerman focuses primarily on Classical Music, because the great works in that genre , in Lama Govinda's words, are all "...adequate to the spiritual content, melodious, forceful, and supported by mental and emotional associations, created either by tradition or personal experience".

If you don't believe me, purchase this wonderful guide, along with some of the music that Lingerman recommends; follow his clear and simple instructions for how to use an appreciate it and find out for yourself.

I'd like to mention just two more things...

I think that, by neglecting other types of music, specifically Jazz, Lingerman was expressing preference rather than prejudice. He does mention that Rock may be harmful and there is a mounting body of evidence to show that he is correct. For some insights into what types of music can be harmful or healthy, I'd start with "The Secret Life of Plants".

Lastly, many of the Classical pieces that Lingerman recommends are now available in downloadable file form. If they aren't already available from amazon.com, they soon will be. I predict that, within one year or less, many of the New Age recordings that Lingerman recommends will also be available in this format.

OM Shanti (for those of you who don't already know what it is --that's a mantra). For some people, so is "spagetti and meatballs". DSFDF.

Tim O'Hanlon

As another reviewer (Darren) noted, this book does have its biases. The author admits that he usually doesn't find popular music to be particularly healing or therapeutic. That's his experience, and it's OK as long as you're not expecting something different. Books about music therapy vary enormously in their approach. If you are looking into the therapeutic value of classical/new age music, this book gives the topic a unique treatment.
There is somewhat of a guidebook format to the book (e.g. 'Music for Better Health and Well Being' and 'Music of Nature' are chapter titles). Within these are sections about music that is useful for, among other things, 'airing out anger' or for 'clear thinking'. Music is also listed according to the composers near the end of the book. His analysis of composers and their personalities is interesting. In some cases I had never considered how much personality gets communicated through music.
I use this book more as a reference guide to classical and new age music than anything else. The only parts where the author began to lose me was where he discusses the composer's astrological birth signs. Other than that, the content is quite accessible.

Hal Lingerman does a good job at defining classical music pieces to relieve tension, boredom, grief anxiety and depression, and those compositions which might help one relax, meditate or pray. He also gives quite a menu for musical pieces to give strength and courage, facilitate clear thinking and release anger.

Unfortunately, beyond mostly classical music, other genres of music are either omitted altogether or are severely underrepresented. He does however include a chapter representing some world music, women's music and the music of nature. An interesting chapter on personality temperaments, musical preference and the elements of fire, water, air and earth is also included but not enough to save this book from a severe lack of diversity in musical style.

After a chapter that basically bastardizes rock and roll, it becomes clear that Lingerman (who is also a minister) is on his own subtle musical pulpit. The music he preaches and advocates is without a doubt, slanted towards the classical genre and angelic in nature. Jazz compositions are virtually omitted altogether.

A good book for those with a preference for receiving the healing energy of classical music.

THE HEALING ENERGIES OF MUSIC. By Hal A. Lingerman. 292 pp. Second Edition. Wheaton, Il.: Quest Books (The Theosophical Publishing House), 1995. ISBN 0-8356-0722-4 (pbk.)

The title of this book might lead one to expect the sort of deep exploration plus practical treatment of music and sound that is found, for example, in the books of Jonathan Goldman, Don G. Campbell, and Katharin Le Mee. These are important books that bring us astounding knowledge about the nature of sound and the powerful and important effects it has on us, knowledge that will be complete news to most. The present book, in contrast, is rather superficial, and does not really tell us anything about sound and music that we don't already know. In fact, this book is little more than a catalogue, and one with a powerful Christian agenda. Each of its twelve chapters follows the same pattern - general (and occasionally gushing) comment followed by a discography. The twelve chapters are as follows :

1. Music and you - A Closer Relationship; 2. Music for Better Health and Well-Being; 3. Finding Your Music; 4. Music for Daily Life; 5. Music for Home and Family; 6. The Music of Nature; 7. Angelic Music; 8. Music and Global Spirituality; 9. Gallery of Great Composers : Composer Keynotes; 10. The Deeper Mysteries of Music; 11. Music for the Future; 12. Women Composers.

The book is rounded out with three Appendices, and with a Bibliography in which I note the striking absence of Katharine Le Mee's extremely important book on Gregorian Chant.

Although personally I haven't found the slightest use for this book at all, I can see how it might be of some value to people looking for advice about what to listen to. Its intended audience would seem to be the Christian who either has extremely deep pockets or access to an enormous library collection of recordings.

My biggest problem with this book, however, is that it assumes a totally passive audience, an audience that simply wants to listen while waves of beautiful sound wash over them. Not that there's anything wrong with this as such, but nothing at all is said about our own power to create music by using the finest instrument that is available to anyone - her or his own God-given voice.

Few of us have the ability to sing well. But all of us can learn how to tone, to produce single notes of amazing power and beauty. And I wonder whether the production of such a note, simple and modest as it may seem, may not be doing as much or more for us than a mere passive listening to even the most ravishing symphony or concerto.

The modern world is filled to overflowing with experts, whose main effect seems to have been to convince everyone that everything is best left to them. This, however, may not be altogether true, and may have helped to destroy a great deal of individual initiative and creativity. We all have a voice and the innate power of producing marvelous sounds. If, after reading Lingerman and enjoying some of the very fine listening he recommends (his lists, so far as they go, are excellent), you'd like to learn about the real mysteries of sound and how to make hugely enjoyable sounds of your own, try taking a look at these titles :

HEALING SOUNDS : The Power of Harmonics. Revised Edition. By Jonathan Goldman. New York : Harper Collins, 1996 (1992). ISBN: 1852308486 (pbk.)

THE ROAR OF SILENCE : Healing Powers of Breath, Tone & Music. By Don G. Campbell. 134 pp. Wheaton, Ill.: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1994 (1989). ISBN 0-8356-0645-7 (pbk.)

CHANT : The Origins, Form, Practice, and Healing Power of Gregorian Chant. By Katharine Le Mee. 169 pp. New York : Bell Tower, 1994. ISBN 0-517-70037-9 (hbk.)

The wise understanding of sound shared by these books goes further than anything in the present book, and since practical instruction is given in the first two, you may discover that you didn't really need Lingerman's lists after all.

Olson's book was not what I hoped - probably, it never meant to be. On the positive side, I found the modern translation of eastern classics that I was looking for. That includes many passages from Ko Hung, a Taoist writer of the fourth century CE, the brief list or alchemical directives from the Jade Emperor, and the "Three Treasures" by T'ien Hsin Chien. All three read smoothly in modern English, and I'm sure that Olson's scholarship and fluency add much that another translator might not have captured.

Olson adds explanatory notes of his own, as so many translators do. Those notes can be especially helpful with especially obscure and esoteric works like these. The original texts often intended to block their meaning from the non-initiate, so the modern, western reader will surely need help in approaching this material, and Olson provides that help.

My problem with this text is that Olson goes far beyond explanation and into side-trips that damage his credibility. At one point, for example, he asserts that "Normally water is just H-2-O, but it can range from H-1-O through H-18-O ...," somehow stabilized by "... a strong magnetic pull on certain portions of the earth ..." He seems to use the words magnetic and magic interchangeably, in this case, and somehow forgets to include references on the topic. Another passage describes a potion that lets fish swim happily in boiling oil. Metaphorical senses for these (and many other) statements elude me, and the literal senses of them simply undermine any good that the book might have offered.

Readers interested in the esoteric content might derive benefit from the book that I can't. I just came for the classics in translation, though. I wanted to enjoy these translations, but Olson's accretions made that impossible for me.

-- wiredweird

I thought this book was very good and well writen. It's a good introduction to the consepts of Taoism. I found the explanations to be more useful and less confusing than some of the other books I have read. If your new to Taoism this is a good book to start with. I would like to add that this is not a how to book and just gives a general idea of Taoist consepts. If your looking for a How to Book I might suggest:
The Tao of Health, Sex & Longevity - By Daniel P. Reid.

This is a wonderful book written by an author with both a scholar's understanding of the origins these Taoists classics and a practitioner's insight that these are living growing Taos (paths), not meant to be slavishly copied. I especially applaud his recognition that practicing Taoist techniques with a motivational mindset from Mahayana Buddhism called Bodhichitta, results in a "warmer" type of personal growth then traditional Taoism. Historically, the highest attainments of Taoism were expressed by wild, solitary Taoist hermits with little interest in teaching or passing on their knowledge. Their writings were often intentionally obscure with personal instruction clarifying them nearly unobtainable. Buddhist adepts on the other hand with their commitment to help all sentient beings concentrated on developing clear and obtainable sutra teachings.

Most of the presently available modern Taoists texts come from those sects that combined teachings and philosophies from China's three treasures, Taoism, Ch'an Buddhism and Confucianism, such as the Complete Reality School. I think that Stuart Olson can be seen to be a continuation of these principles; namely that times, places, and conditions change, Taoist practices and teachings do as well, or they are not true Taoism.

You will find in this text the root instructions to begin or deepen a Taoist practice. The criticism that this is not practice manual doesn't follow because there are no practice manuals for Taoism, and there couldn't be. In the many paths of Taoism the practices of ritual, poetry, herbology or martial arts are as important as philosophical study. A Taoist Sage/Adept many practice all of these or none of them... Enjoy this text as if it is advice from a Taoist friend.

A very handy little book covering the base concepts of taoist longevety. Not a total guide so much as an introduction to the various methods. Along with the translated classics the authors personal stories are fun and interesting. Some parts the authors background in Buhddism shows but its hardly intrusive.