Meditation Books

Come to this book with an open mind and an open heart and you will find wisdom and love on every page.
J.Muir author of Tigers and Songbirds

UNIVERSAL GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Are You Ready to Build An Ideal World?

An Important Book by Jackie Lapin

Reviewed by: M. Joyce McMenamin,

INSIDE A BEAUTIFUL AND INSPIRING COVER, JACKIE LAPIN HAS DESIGNED A COMPLETELY UNIQUE APPROACH TOWARD COMBINING VARIOUS FAMILIAR METHODOLOGIES WITH VISION. WE'RE USUALLY FAMILIAR WITH READING ABOUT ONE IDEA AT A TIME. THERE ARE BOOKS AND CD'S AND DVD'S ON: (1) THE LAW OF ATTRACTION, (2) FREQUENCY, (3) CHAKRA ENERGY CENTERS AND SO FORTH. WHAT MAKES THIS BOOK SO UNIQUE IS THE APPROACH OF COMBINING VARIOUS KNOWN SCIENTIFIC ELEMENTS OF NATURE AND HUMANITY, WITH THE WISDOM OF THE SACRED AND SPIRITUAL WITHIN US.

LIKEWISE, MOST BOOKS ON A NEW AGE GENRE ARE TARGETED TOWARD ONLY THE INDIVIDUAL. BY COMBING SCIENTIFIC & SPIRITUAL PRACTICES, LAPIN TOOK A LEAP FEW OTHER AUTHORS ARE WILLING TO TAKE. AS A PUBLISHER, I CAN ATTEST TO THE FACT THAT IT'S EASIER TO SELL AN INDIVIDUAL ON IMPROVING THEMSELVES, GETTING RICH OR BEING MORE POPULAR. LAPIN AND HER PUBLISHER TOOK A GIANT LEAP OF FAITH BY PROVIDING THE READER WITH A COMPENDIUM THAT INCLUDES, YET GOES BEYOND, INDIVIDUAL VANITY OR CONCERNS. LAPIN PROVIDES GUIDELINES THAT ASK THE READER TO IMPROVE MORE THAN JUST THEMSELVES AND SHE DELIVERS A PROCESS THAT INVITES READERS TO NOT ONLY EMBRACE THE PRINCIPLES OF SELF-TRANSFORMATION, BUT INCLUDES INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW THE SAME PRINCIPLES APPLY TO US ON A FAMILIAL, COMMUNITY AND GLOBALLY UNIVERSAL LEVEL.

IN A WORLD WHERE SO MANY AUTHORS SEEM TO BE MERELY TRYING TO CASH IN ON THE INDIVIDUAL INSECURITIES OF THE MASSES, LAPIN ASKS US TO USE UNIVERSAL SELF-GUIDING PRINCIPLES TO DO NO LESS THAN SAVE THE WORLD. LAPIN IS OBVIOUSLY ON A MISSION TO GUIDE PEOPLE TO A HIGHER LEVEL. SHE HAS DEMONSTRATED A GREAT DEAL OF COURAGE BY TAKING THIS PROFOUND LEAP.

IN THE HUMAN-MADE WORLD OF VIDEO GAMES, PLASTIC SURGERY, OVER-CONSUMPTION & REALITY TV, LAPIN'S FAITH IN HUMANKIND IS ADMIRABLE. COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS IS A GIVEN - WE ALL KNOW THAT. LAPIN'S HOPE IS THAT HUMANKIND WILL TAP INTO WHAT MY FRIEND, LINDA ROSE MONGELL, REFERS TO AS COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE. LIKE, LAPIN, I TOO HAVE FAITH THAT THE SPARK OF ONE INDIVIDUAL HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DO MORE THAN CLIMB MOUNTAINS. LAPIN'S IDEAS, COURAGE AND LEAP OF FAITH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO MOVE MOUNTAINS & CREATE A UNIVERSAL PARADIGM SHIFT.

LAPIN SHOULD PRODUCE THIS BOOK INTO A DOCUMENTARY SO THAT ITS MESSAGE CAN GET TO THE REALITY-TV WATCHING MASSES WHO ARE THE KEY TO OUR PLANET'S AND OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE. WHILE THE BOOK IS EASY TO FOLLOW - I'LL STAND ON MY SOAP BOX FOR A MOMENT AND ASK YOU TO CONSIDER THIS. IF WE ARE GOING TO MOVE MOUNTAINS, COLLECTIVELY, WE NEED TO GET TO THE NON-READING MAJORITY AMONGST US. LAPIN'S CORRECT TO BEGIN WITH READERS, BUT HER MESSAGE IS TOO IMPORTANT AND TOO WELL RESEARCHED TO STOP THERE.

LET THE ART AND SCIENCE OF CONSCIOUS CREATION BEGIN HERE! IF THE UNIVERSE IS LISTENING THEN I PREDICT THAT SEVERAL BENEFACTOR'S WILL SOON ARRIVE TO HELP PROMOTE LAPIN'S IDEAS AMONG A BROADER RANGE OF MEDIA. AT THE RISK OF SOUNDING JUDGMENTAL, I WILL SAY HERE & NOW, "HER WORK IS WORTHY".

Reviewed by: M. Joyce McMenamin
Publisher, Producer and author of The Integrity Channel [m.j.m. estrada]
Network Abundance sponsored by Sensitive Pie Productions

This review originally appeared in NoNiche Magazine March 2008 Issue

I loved this book. It helps you become more aware and conscious of what you are creating and gives you the tools to transform your life and your planet.

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (8/08)

"The Art of Conscious Creation" left me with such a wonderful feeling of hope for myself and the whole planet. Every step that you need to take to transform yourself and the world is in this book. The author begins with a discussion about what is going wrong with the planet. This includes the extinction of animals and the dire effects of global warming. The statistics presented are sobering. She then gives us a discussion about the 25 Universal Guiding Principles that will bring us into a better life. These principles are about how the universe really works, or how it can work for us if we know how to use the principles. She really targeted a lot of negative thought patterns that I have within myself. I recognize them and now know what I need to do to change them.

Next she writes about the science that is behind the art of conscious creation. She discusses our energy bodies and how they can be influenced by our minds. Included in this section is information about a tremendous number of studies that show that humans and animals have the power to influence our environments and our own healing. I really found this part fascinating. Some of these studies go as far back as the early 1900s. The author offers steps to the visioning process. Then she writes about visions of an ideal world. These visions involve peace, abundance, human rights, proper leadership, and more. This part is so important. If we think about how bad we feel when we get hit by the negativity of what we read in the newspaper, we will definitely feel wonderful and hopeful when we read about what the world should truly be like.

It is so important that "The Art of Conscious Creation" by Jackie Lapin gets out there for people to share this vision. This is where I felt the most hope. I really feel that we should be giving this book out as gifts to our friends and loved ones. I guess we should even be giving it to the people that we don't like. The more people that we can share this vision, the faster we can transform the world into a healthier place. There is also a section on things that we can do today. This list can make a huge difference in saving the planet. The more people that participate, the faster the transformation will be.

If you don't simply want to just change your life but also change the world around you then Jackie Lapin has written an interesting book for you. Her book has taken on the middle ground of showing you how to begin using the power of focus within you to bring that which you desire forth from the universe. If you find this interesting you will like this book. If at the same time you want to work with like minded people to make positive changes around the world then you might just love this book.

The first part of this book is more about discovering your power to make change and how this is done. In the middle section of the book Jackie lays out background information on actual scientific research that relates to the human consciousness - or even the will. Some of this research is done on human but others are done with plants and lab animals. And later in the book Jackie shows what she has been trying to do to help our entire planet and how you can be a part of it.

If the book has a weak point I would say that this has to do with the fact that I find many reused quotes that I have seen from time to time in others' books on similar topics and lots of the anecdotal information is the same. What I do find refreshing about this book is that Jackie does take the Law of Attraction to another step: She doesn't want you to just change you; she wants you to be part of global positive change. This is highly commendable.

This book is a must for your self help library!

Awake Joy is the best book I have ever read. It is totally new, unique, with fresh perspectives and flawless non-duality. Thank you Katie!

Awake Joy is truly unique and quite amazing. Katie so clearly and effectively guides deeper shifts in perception of our consciousness. The book is successful at this in two ways. First, her writing is so beautiful and mystical, when she occasionally shares her direct encounters with nature that are embodying the chapter's teaching. Instead of teaching the subject matter in these sections, we have an inside view of heart living. In these few, but totally unique sections, we disappear into the beauty and without noticing it at all, we are suddenly so energetically deeper. It all seems to happen in such a discreet manner. Secondly for the intellect, she points sharply with such clarity to notice the references of perception. All it really takes is to look where she is pointing and the reference point disappears and we find a profound shift has taken place.

In 1986, the author, Katie Davis, owned an aerobics business named Body by Katie. One day of that year, while Katie was teaching a superfit class, she simply disappeared from all earthly experience into the divine mystery beyond all awareness of form. Clearly a challenge to put into words, Katie calls this divinity within us, Awake Joy, the essence of living. Though her attention returned to the aerobic floor, its space and time, after being in attention only to its essence, it took her twelve years to fully re-integrate with the body and mind in this dimension. During that period, Katie was faced with the daunting challenge of integrating every human sense and impression that arose into the divine within her knowing. For that entire period, she existed in a state of consciousness that burned away every trace of illusion as it arose. In fact, her aerobics business literally burned down two years after her awakening. Many symbolic burnings followed. By 1998, the divine essence was fully embodied and the inspiration for this book was born into this life.

Awake Joy is Katie's gift of sharing the Truth with all of us. The fullness of Love and Joy is all that truly is. She states that this is who you are and what is always here and now. The "I" that you think you are and the body that you perceive are wondorous symbols that point to your timeless essence and formless beauty. The frequency of the divine Spirit within form is vibrantly alive and awake in this writing. My favorite passages are found where Katie shares her impressions of the natural world perceived from within the intelligence of the awakened Heart. Here we are lifted into the awe and wonder that she knows as the reality of our nature. Katie is simply a living angel, who's intimately aware of our life's goodness, beauty, love, peace and co-passion for all Being. How do I know this? I am her Beloved husband in this life. That admitted, this is a great book that will profoundly touch your soul if you are willing to give your mind to your Beloved, this Being, this life, this moment, just as it really is.

One proviso: Awake Joy is not for the timid or those of us who are still great believers in the personal self and what it might achieve. No, Awake Joy calls for your surrender of all that holds you to this surface dream. You see, causeless Joy depends on nothing you dream about, it depends only on You, or rather...it is You.

Injoy, Sundance Burke, Author, Free Spirit: A Guide to Enlightened Being

A friend recommended this wonderful book and I found it very useful to move deeper in awakening. This is a book that I will reread along the way. The author writes with both clarity and eloquence that allows both deeper insights and spiritual awe at the same time. The great silence is apparent on every page.

Upon awakening, the pathway seemed quite confusing and many books that I read furthered that confusion. This is a an accessible guide to keep from being lost in trying to understand concepts. It progressively points deeper and deeper through intelligent inquiry and devotion. It leads us to awakening, deepens to enlightenment, encourages integration and full embodiment of truth. It then points to awake living, but not conceptually, rather directly in a lovely manner, so that we may have a peek at what it might be like to be living the ultimate potential of the real human being, when our multi-dimensionality is finally embraced.

Because of my own awakening, I know that waking up is available to everyone. However, I also had the impression that enlightenment and Self-realization were reserved for monks in robes who sat in caves. Now, I realize that this too is available for anyone who is willing to continue noticing the unfathomable depth of pure awareness. The chart of reference points in this book is helpful for this deeper investigation.

I also recommend this book for the Practices and Meditations in the Appendix. They are effective in helping those who would like to live more consciously in the present moment and then they shift deeper by removing the idea of the pratitioner altogether. In this deeper awakening, evermore subtle layers of the intellect are revealed to finally discover the Essence of pure being; the Truth.

Thank you to Katie for providing this amazing and wonderful book. I have been a student of enlightenment literature for a long, long time. (Still not enlightened!) Katie's writing is unique because she is able to use words and language beautifully to effectively describe very profound and subtle awareness and being. She seems to capably deconstruct / define the levels of consciousness that are experienced as one traverses the levels of consciouness. She includes in the book some lovely and breathtaking writings and poems that reveal her awareness. This book is beauty expressed in writing (excellent writing). Wow!

Bourgeault does a very good job of introducing the practice of Centering Prayer and placing it within the framework of contemplation. She links experience to insight which reveals the tremendous power of this simple yet profound practice.
Bourgeault expands this practice with additional chapters on the practice of the Welcoming Prayer - a means of extending the practice of Centering Prayer to the rest of the day.
Bourgeault begins at the most basic level of explaining the practice of Centering Prayer and then builds upon the profound insight which this practice offers to the world in the 21st century.
Very interesting and accessible!

This book has opened a whole new chapter in my prayer practice. For anyone who wishes to get out of the false self circuit, here is hope.

For those on a spiritual path,Cynthia Bourgeault has given us a book with not only an excellent background in the nature of Centering Prayer, but a book which will inspire us to seek a deepening of our own journey with God. Centering Prayer has been part of a new spiritual searching in the world, and this book will be an important aid to those who want to know how it can help in their own search for deeper life in God's presence.

Simply put, this is the single most helpful volume I've yet run across for participating in "the fellowship of the Godhead," the God-given gift known variously as contemplative or centering prayer. I revisit it again and again in my personal practice, and would recommend that others do the same. John 17 and 1 John 1 come alive in this "wayless way" that Bourgeault suggests. Check it out!

I enjoyed this book very much. The author, Cynthia Borgeault - an Episcopalian priest, reviews aspects of centering prayer, a Christian contemplative practice evolved from Christian monastic practices of the first few centuries A.D. by Fr. Thomas Keating and his monastic colleagues. Fr. Keating is a leader in this form of spirituality and is the author of many of the books related to the practice. Borgeault studied with Fr. Keating, but her "take" on centering prayer is a bit different than Keating's and it provides useful contrast and food for thought... Give it a try, you might like it.

I picked up this book after I read "Wooden" (recommended by friends... prior to that, I have to say that I've never even heard of Coach John Wooden). He is the most amazing person I have ever read about... so inspiring! I couldn't put this book down... it's easy to read, it's to the point and every page is motivating and inspiring! I highly highly highly recommended!

As Peter Drucker was to management, John Wooden was to coaching. A master at mentoring his teams during his 40-year coaching career from 1948 to 1975, Wooden's UCLA basketball teams won 10 NCAA national championships, including seven in a row! ESPN named him the Greatest Coach of the 20th Century. He preached team spirit. "The star of the team is the team. `We' supercedes `me'."

Recently the Los Angeles Times asked sports readers, "If you could have dinner with a local sports personality, whom would you choose?" Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Tom Lasorda, USC football coach Peter Carroll, Serena and Venus Williams, David Beckham and Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully all made the Top 10 list. But it was former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, now 97, who received the most votes!

Co-authored by Wooden and Jay Carty (read Jay's hilarious account of his brief Lakers career), this wonderful book includes 60 one-page insights from the Coach, with 60 one-page color commentaries by Carty.

It's the perfect book for leaders-on-the-run, who need just the right snippet for a staff meeting, motivational talk or article. Topics include: First Things First, Powerful Principles, Overcoming Adversity, Everyone's a Teacher, Buts and Promises, Going Beyond Good Intentions, After You've Learned It All, Avoiding Burnout, and Making the Right Mistakes. The book includes Wooden's famed Pyramid of Success chart.

Having read other Jay Carty books, I knew I had to read this one and I was not disappointed. This is the sort of inspirational book that one can cycle through over and over and never cease to be inspired.

My husband and I read one each night and then read the related bible verses. It is great book for relection and discussion.

Having read several of Jay Carty's books now I have to say he is an incredibly inspiring writer and person to say the least. I am so excited each month as I check for new "stuff" from Jay Carty as it is always refreshing and different yet always connected to God with a three stranded cord. If you haven't been a reader of his books for long there are many to choose from and this writer never stops searching for Gods will in his daily efforts to continue to provide hearty reading material for all groups and all stages from salvation, and growth to a mature level of one's spiritual walk. I highly recommend anything he puts his hands on because I know the hand of God is on him. Some of what I have read and or listened to on tape are:"Discovering your natural talents", "Counter Attack: taking back ground lost to sin", "Playing with fire", "Something's fishy Getting rid of the carp in your life","Coach Wooden One on One", "Coach Wooden's Piramid of success", Darrell Waltrip - One on One, "Mike Singletary- One on One" all keeping me captivated from cover to cover!

Dora Wolfe - CA

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE DAILY BOOK FOR ENLIGHTENMENT AND AWARENESS...EVERYDAY I ASK FOR TODAY'S TWO MOST IMPORTANT LESSON'S TO LEARN, AS TO INCLUDE BOTH PAGES, AND MEDITATE, AND THEN OPEN THE BOOK AT RANDOM, AND FIND THAT WHAT HAS BEEN ON MY MIND, IS USUALLY REVEALED IN THE PAGES I OPEN TO...WHAT A GREAT REMINDER THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE HERE....AND THAT ALL THAT IS NECESSARY, IS TO BE OPEN, TO ASK FOR, AND RECEIVE GUIDANCE.

WOW what a book, I find each page is a personal message to me, helping me through the day, after reading a page, I feel ready for any challenges of the day. I write down the thought of the day and throughout the day, I take another glimpse and feel Blessed to be alive and surrounded by my angels. Buy this book it is money well spent and you will be inspired to achieve, set goals and soar towards your true potential, and feel the love generated by the angels surrounding you.
Love and light to all.

I really enjoy this book. Its provides great, positive daily meditations that are fun and uplifting. Its easy to read, and makes you feel more spiritually "in tune". Love it!

I use it everyday to start the day.
I firmly believe in the angelic realm and also Doreen Virtue.

I love this book for the inspiring messages. It is a wonderful way to start the day. Just open a page and read and it will put you in a positive frame of mind.

I bought this CD for the yoga nidra track, and I've ended up loving both discs. Shiva Rea does a fantastic job with different ways to relax and calm down, including pranayama. I use this CD nearly every day, and it really helps for calming down for a good night's sleep.

i love shiva rea's work and this is a good cd for relaxation, yoga nidra and shavasana, good to use before going to sleep at night.

I am amazed by the tranquility and relaxation I enjoyed after following the Yoga nidra instructions. Believe me, the background music, the soft voice of Shiva and the soothing instructions will put you in a totally relaxing mood and the entire body, mind and spirit gets rejuvenated. It is worth buying the CD for this track alone.

This CD set is a must for anyone handling stress in their life. And who among us is not? There is only so much room in anyone's budget for therapists, massages, etc. At some point we have to use our own devices to deal with stress on a regular daily basis, or succumb to the ills it causes.

Shiva Rea comes to the rescue with this jewel of a CD set. It has been adequately described, I'll just add that the Chandra Namaskar (moon salutations) on Disc 1 are gentle and accessible to most people. There is a booklet included that describes the asanas (positions). Most of the material offered involves the motion of your mind rather than body. Light a candle, unplug the phone, make a nest with some blankets rolled under your knees and over you, and indulge in Disc 2 with its invocation, assortment of guided Savasanas, and healing Yoga Nidra. Then head straight to bed for a lovely night's sleep without the aid of pharmaceuticals. Highly recommended.

I'm new to whole world of yoga and decided to purchase this CD collection based on amazon reviews. I use this CD everyday for meditation and relaxation. Shiva Rea has a very soothing voice with beautiful music in the back ground to accompany her. If you are looking for a very well rounded collection, this is a good bet. Once again, I'm always so pleased with Amazon - they're so helpful in making an informed decision on new purchases!

Fearless by Tom Stephen and Virginia Starkey-Stephen is a lovely book, well written and beautifully illustrated with photos by Hank Foto of Hawaiian surfing. Written with the reflections of a peaceful day ahead, it is truly inspriational that can be used again and again. Wonderful!

This book looks like a coffee table book on surfing. In truth, it is packed with insiteful guidance on how to navigate through life. Using surfing and extreme sports metaphor, the book walks the reader into a much better understanding of what drives us - good or bad - and what God wants. I find myself reading one or two pages every few days, putting it down and chewing on the content. Worth every penny.

This is an awesome devotional. It connects on so many levels and is applicable whether you surf 7 days a week or live 1500 miles away from the ocean. Whether you are a committed follower of Christ, new believer or anywhere in between, or you just like great surf photos, this devotional is great for you. We have been using Fearless in our youth Sunday School class and the kids have been loving it. They love the pictures, the scriptures are relevant, the short readings are really easy to follow and connect with and the questions really spark thought and conversation. In a world that's pretty scary and messed up, the idea of fear and God's answer to that fear is so important. Buy this book. Read it. Use it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and benefited from it. The writing is excellent, the photos are terrific, and the messages are truly inspiring.

how often do you find a great devotion and coffee-table book in one? the cover caught my attention and i started flipping through this book to look at the (fabulous) pictures. before long i found myself reading the insightful, surprisingly personal questions and great scripture excerpts. i've really enjoyed dwelling in the devotions and i look forward to more books by these authors.

It never really made sense to me until after I started reading this book. God really does love us. He's the only one that we can always count on and our focus should always be drawn back to him.

"Finding Peace" is yet another great book by Charles Stanley. The book's focus is on realizing that our peace rests on our personal relationship with Jesus Christ instead of circumstances. Dr. Stanley challenges the reader to take responsibility and be proactive in finding peace through a relationship with God instead of fuming and fretting over the situations we find ourselves in.

Among the great points mentioned in the book are:

1. Issues that can cause destructive conflict.
2. God is larger than our challenges.
3. Four clear signs of God's peace.
4. Why we lose our peace.
5. 5 essentials beliefs for a peaceful heart.
6. 7 categories of peace-destroying thoughts.
7. 5 vital questions to ask yourself about regret.
8. Results of anxiety.
9. 7 steps to overcoming fear.
10. 4 keys to living in contentment.

I also appreciated Dr. Stanley describing his own struggles when his wife filed for divorce and yet was able to obtain peace through the trial.

Read and be encouraged to seek peace in the Lord instead of yourself, others, or your circumstances!

Highly recommended.

Dr. Stanley has a wonderful talent for putting such a complicated ideal into laymans terms. He's definitely set me on course towards finding peace. The book isn't about answers, but rather a process.

~Finding Peace : God's Promise of a Life Free from Regret, Anxiety, and Fear~ is a helpful guide to seeking peace and overcoming anxiety in midst of stressful circumstances. Charles Stanley gives practical and sound Scriptural exhortation on facing life's problems. We can find our peace in midst our trials and tribulations by recognizing that God is sovereign. Sometime, it is a lot easier said than done, which is why we need reinforcement from others. We have to continually set our sights on God's promises. Few Christians want to peer into book of Job, much less have their faith tested like Job. Taking a hit professionally or financially, suffering persecution, enduring slander, or relationship friction can strain a person. However, we can come out stronger enduring hardship if we seek peace of mind through God. God's pruning can often be painful, but we have to set our sights on Romans 8:28, and the promises of God. Life is a vapor.

Anyhow, Stanley offers a lot of prudent exhortation on seeking stability, peace of mind, discerning between productive and destructive anxiety, and living at peace with others. Too many Christian pastors these days, miss the mark and neglect addressing that life has its pains, and preach blissful optimism. Turn on Joel Olsteen for example, and he will be rambling about having a "better house, a better car," etc. and preaching the health and wealth non-sense. When life on the flying carpet of bliss doesn't come people get more discouraged and disappointed. Charles Stanley, however, isn't one of those errant teachers... Stanley will be the first to say tough times will come. Likewise, he offers sound advice on enduring those times and finding peace through acknowledging and trusting God. "You therefore must endure hardship, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 2:3). Hardship endured in God's strength produces the peaceable fruit of patience, makes us more dependent on God, and breaks us of our stubborn self-centered thinking.

"What shall we then say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?."
-Romans 8:31

If you have not read this book by Dr. Stanley, you need to read it. You owe it to yourself. I continue to be amazed at his use of Scripture as it applies to the human soul.

I highly recommend this volume.

Julia Carroll's fascinating book is a journey through a gifted healer's world. We travel with her deep into the inner terrain of the body-being, high into the multi-dimensional realms of spiritual guidance and assistance, and around the world in her quest to learn and to serve those called to her for healing. All along the way, we are touched by the people her healing hands and heart have touched. Carroll also shares with the reader healing secrets learned from many traditions, but it is the stories of her work with specific clients that reveal to us her greatest secret: her total surrender to and trust in the healing power of Grace.

In this life, Julia Carroll signs on to be a Master Healer. Her personal journey into the world of spirit and the realities of modern medicine initiate the reader into the both the possibilities and dangers of the qwest. Time and again Julia summons forth deep inner courage and spiritual wisdom to make tough choices, often life and death decisions - sometimes her own. The book left me feeling that the life of a healer is a precarious one at best-full of tests of faith, courage and grace.It also left me marveling over the divine protection available to each of us when we finally commit to our gifts and doing God's work.

When I finished reading the book, I turned to the blank pages at the back and chronicled many coincidences, divine protection and amazing experiences that I too have encountered along the way. The book was not just an autobiography, but a well thrown grenade made to shake me up and make me think beneath the surface of my own life.

Thanks to Julia for openly and generously sharing healing secrets from various traditions in the final chapters of the book and for connecting the dots through the use of case studies to some of the psychologial cords that bind our lives and influence our health and well-being.I also appreciate Julia's sharing her spiritual life and the amazing student/ teacher relationship she treasures so deeply.

The subject of the complexities of karmic ties, other dimension, psychic and intuitice experiences, spiritual masters is not an easy one to tackle.

Julia, through her personal story, does a formidable job of opening us up to other realities and ways of connecting and healing. She gives us a new language to use, a reference point from which to launch a more vibrant and conscious life.

It is an exciting autobiography, inconceivable at times, leaving me breathless and grateful that I haven't had to face all of Julia Carroll's trials - yet!

Sheela Hewitt, Seimei Practitioner and Healer

Julia Caroll is unique in her connection with nature - especially animals! I have yet to meet anyone on this planet that has initiated dolphins into Reiki. Wow! What a service to this place we call earth.

Dr. Patrick Price, DC, BD
"THE BODY DETECTIVE"

Julia Carroll is the real thing. In her book she has a world of spiritual information to offer, whether you have already encountered the healing art of Reiki in your life or you are seeking knowledge of this ancient, tried, and true practice. The benefits are clear, as is her writing and recommendations. Reading this book makes you aware that you are encountering a Master who with joy and love seamlessly presents a path that is open to everyone. Dive in.

I know Julia Carroll to be a gifted healer. I am delighted that she is passing on her rich legacy reflecting a lifetime devoted to healing. Her presentation is unique and she offers a whole panorama of modalities which she has both developed and mastered. This is a must read book for anyone interested in the healing arts.

I bought this CD set along with several others to help prepare me for the birth of my daugher in August. I have really enjoyed listening to this product, and was happy that they came in 2 CDs, one for pregnancy and one just for the birth. I used the 1st CD throughout my 2nd and 3rd trimesters, and just started the 2nd CD. I really like the guided imagery and background music. I listen to it daily and have to admit I have fallen asleep to the sound of her voice sometimes. I definitely feel these CDs help with all that chatter in my mind and allow me to relax and let go of my worries for a while; great CD!

I bought this CD too late to use the pregnancy CD effectively, so I just used the Labor and Delivery CD for the last three weeks of my pregnancy. It became my twice a day ritual that I truly looked forward to and even my husband loved falling asleep to it at night. Bellruth has a really relaxing voice and the messages of the CD are affirming and non judgmental. When it came time for my labor, I used this CD at home when my contractions started getting more serious. We brought this CD and a few other musical CDs to the hospital and initially I listened to the music, then when I started going into transition, all I wanted to hear in the background was Bellruth's CD. It must have played over and over at least 10 times. This was really important in helping me to relax my muscles and keep breathing during contractions, my nurses, midwives and doula were all very impressed. I had the delivery that I had really hoped for, all natural with lots of help and support. This CD was a big part of that. I can't recommend it strongly enough.

This CD is quite good. It's the only thing I have calming enough to listen to to put me to sleep--my doula (birth coach) said that's a great thing, actually, b/c that means it will relax me druing labor. When I'm not super tired the words for the childbirth part are very inspiring. That's really the only CD of the 2 disc set I listened to since I'm due any day now. I listen to it just about every day. But author/narrator says even if the first time you listen to it is during labor that would be helpful, and I agree!

I was not sure what to expect with this set. I wanted something that would help me relax during delivery and I figured the best time to start was before the baby was born. I got the set yesterday and have listened to the pregnancy CD only. I am sure the childbirth cd will be just as helpful. Today I feel very relaxed and calm. Because of this cd set I plan to purchase other Health Journey CD's. The music in the background on this cd is very nice. I bought another meditation cd on iTunes that was highly recommended and the music was so annoying I could not relax. This one is nice and as others have said Belleruth's voice is also very pleasant and calming. I would recommend this cd to any pregnant woman. I wish I had had it when I was in my first trimester and dealing with the early stressors of pregnancy. I am also into yoga and truly believe that you can do a lot with your breathing. That is kind of key to these cd's so if you are not into that and do not have an open mind about it these may not be for you. (I have seen other reviews for her products that knock them for that, but that is what it is about)

I have one of Belleruth's other meditation CD's and I thought I'd give this one a try during the last few weeks of my pregnancy. I was told by my OBGYN that my baby was too big for me to deliver vaginally and I would end up having a C section. I just had a gut feeling this was incorrect. So I started doing alot of meditation and this CD: Health Journeys absolutely made all the difference in my labor and delivery. I did the meditation once a day and even did it during active labor. It just helped me to visualize how I wanted things to go and really connect with my baby so we could do it together without stress.
There are 2 CD's and both of them are valuable...I mostly did the one for labor and delivery. I highly highly highly recommend this meditation CD....IT WORKS!!!