Created on Wednesday, 28 October 2009 18:41

Astrology and geopolitics may seem strange bedfellows, but Soul-Sick Nation puts the two together in a masterful hybrid to provide a perspective as extraordinary as the times we are living in.

Using the principles of ancient wisdom to make sense of the current global situation, this keenly intelligent book elucidates the meaning of an epoch in distress and proposes a path towards healing. Soul-Sick Nation is neither a conventional astrology book nor a standard-issue political commentary. With clear, accessible language and a thorough appendix at the end, the book requires no previous knowledge of astrology. It introduces the newcomer to the subject with substantial depth.

By using the vocabularies of astrology and Jungian psychology, Jessica Murray invites the reader to consider critical contemporary issues with a perspective that reaches far beyond partisanship and provincialism. She offers an in-depth analysis of America's essential destiny, uncovering chapter by chapter the greater purpose that is motivating this group soul. With a rare blend of compassion, humor, and fearless taboo-busting, she shows how this greater purpose has been distorted, and how it might be re-embraced in the decades to come.

Created on Thursday, 08 October 2009 21:01

This is not your typical book on martial arts philosophy in that it contains neither ambiguous one-liners of wisdom nor zen riddles. What it does contain is a wealth of deeply pondered wisdom that is relevant to all warriors and aspiring warriors. If you're someone who understands that being a warrior means far more than possessing physical attributes or a state of mind, but that being a warrior is a way of life, then this book is for you.

In this book, Bohdi Sanders has collected 167 bits of wisdom pertinent to the warrior lifestyle and expounded upon them with his own thoughts, in order to apply them to everyday life in the twenty-first century. His collection of wisdom comes from a variety of different people, ranging from the ones you would expect such as Sun Tzu and Miyamoto Musashi, to ones such as George Washington and Napoleon Bonaparte.

Warrior Wisdom additionally has a tremendous amount of inspirational value. It's the kind of book that can be read over and over, and if you're at a point where you need motivation in your training, picking up this book and reading a few passages from it just may be the thing that prods you to drive on.

Created on Monday, 24 August 2009 18:34

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.

Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.

Do not believe in anything because it is found written in your religious books.

Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.

But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason, and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, accept it and live up to it.

Buddha

Created on Sunday, 29 March 2009 13:45

From Library Journal
Author/narrator Hoff calls Winnie the Pooh a "Western Taoist" and uses the unassuming bear to introduce Eastern philosophical principles. Pooh epitomizes the "uncarved block," as he is well in tune with his natural inner self. Pooh enjoys simple pleasures and the daily progress of life. Hoff contrasts this unpretentiousness to other characters created by Winnie the Pooh author A.A. Milne, including Owl, whom he describes as a "mind that tries too hard," and Eeyore, the eternal pessimist.

In a clear and crisp voice, Hoff explains the central tenets of Taoism and further illustrates them with familiar excerpts from The House at Pooh's Corner stories (1923), Chinese proverbs, maxims, and tales from Lao Tzu and others. The result is at once thought-provoking and charming. This is a small literary event that will leave all who experience it a little more serene.