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| December, 2008 | ||
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SOME writers cast ripples across the pool of consciousness, but Michael Beckwith dives to the depths with Spiritual Liberation. Beckwith explores what it means to be awake and aware of one’s spiritual journey, knowing that inner spiritual work liberates the individual to discover one’s authentic self, freed from the mesmerism of the material world and empowered to embrace one’s highest potential. With the clarity of a mystic and the vernacular of a modern man, Beckwith examines the wisdom that transcends secular boundaries and draws from a wide spectrum of spiritual masters to grasp the teachings that are the foundation of an awakened life. The text is punctuated with Beckwith’s trademark wit, coined words, and memorable phrases that are both insightful and thought provoking—modern koans. “Aha” moments resonate with that within which recognizes and vibrates to truth, that which Emerson calls an “iron string.” The first six chapters of the book examine the core teachings and spiritual practices that have the power to liberate the soul’s awakening and draw from the “inner light” that enables one to see clearly. Beckwith challenges the reader to become a spiritual warrior, an individual fully committed to spiritual awakening and courageous enough to make choices based on this commitment. The remaining twelve chapters offer practical tools for up-leveling those practices, calling one to become a beneficial presence in the world and an architect of the Beloved Community, birthing radical change throughout the earth. Each chapter is followed by an affirmation and embodiment activity to really anchor the teaching at a personal level. Bound to become a modern day manifesto for spiritual seekers on a quest for personal enlightenment and the conscious evolution of our planet, this book is a gift for the spiritual warrior inside of each of us. |
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| —Claudia Abbott | ||
OPEN Spaces Sacred Places is a collection of inspiring stories illustrating the transformative value of connecting with nature. By the end of 2008, half of the world’s population will live in cities, highlighting an even greater need for natural places that serve to enrich our quality of life. This book provides examples of ways to reconnect with nature through the creation of community gardens and other open spaces. The TKF Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Tom and Kitty Stoner, has supported the creation of over 100 “Open Spaces and Sacred Places” in the Chesapeake Bay area. The projects have turned formerly blighted areas into spaces of beauty that pull communities together and allow individuals to connect with nature’s restorative power. Each space must be open to the public, and all contain a journal attached to a bench so visitors can write their innermost thoughts, some of which appear throughout the book along with stunning pictures of the gardens. The book focuses on twelve sacred spaces, each with a captivating story of hope and renewal told by a “Firesoul”—a committed individual who enlists the community in creating a space where all feel welcomed and nurtured. These spaces are found in diverse communities: a meditation garden within the walls of a federal prison, a peace garden in a community composed of eighty different cultures and languages, and an abandoned urban lot turned into an acre-sized arboretum showcasing native plants, recycled rainwater, and a green roof. An uplifting addition to any coffee table, Open Spaces Sacred Spaces is a gift that gives in multiple ways since the proceeds from the sale of the book will help to fund more open spaces and sacred places. |
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| —Jennifer Brown | ||
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DURING the holiday season, gifts can easily become symbols of conspicuous consumption. Alternative Gifts International (AGI) offers a thoughtful choice in the area of gift giving. Founded in 1986, this organization’s global mission is: “To send authentic, life-giving gifts to a needy world—gifts that build a partnership with people in crisis and that protect and preserve the earth’s endangered environment—to nourish and sustain a more equitable and peaceful global community.” AGI is a nonprofit, interfaith agency that provides education for people of all ages about global needs and responds to those needs with funds raised in its Alternative Gift Markets and from individual donors. The cost of a haircut could provide one night of shelter for a mother and child in the U.S., or purchase a children’s book shared by hundreds of children in Mexico. The cost of a thirty-minute massage could buy 25 trees to fight deforestation in Haiti, or provide food bank basics for a family of four for a week in the U.S. The cost of an iPod could provide education for one child for a year in Jordan, Palestine, or Israel, or provide daily water needs for fifteen people for an entire year in the Sudan. It is easy to visit alternativegifts.org and select a gift from the list of 38 projects featured in the “My Shopping List for the World” catalog. Then select a gift card for the person in whose name the gift is being given. AGI will mail the card to your honoree with an insert describing your gift, and you will receive a receipt indicating the tax-deductible portion of the gift. Gift giving has never been so simple, or, perhaps, so meaningful. |
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| —Claudia Abbott | ||
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