Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Title: Links to Reviews published by Metapsychology


The reviews of the following books were originally published in metapsychology.net

Eastern Body, Western Mind
Psychology and the Chakra System as a Path to the Self
by Anodea Judith
Review by S. V. Swamy on Mar 14th 2006

When It Gets Dark
An Enlightened Reflection on Life with Alzheimer's
by Thomas DeBaggio
Review by S. V. Swamy on Apr 6th 2005

Hatred
The Psychological Descent into Violence
by Willard Gaylin
Review by S. V. Swamy on Apr 12th 2004

Pox
Genius, Madness, and the Mysteries of Syphilis
by Deborah Hayden
Review by S. V. Swamy on Jan 4th 2004

The Churkendoose Anthology
True Stories of Triumph over Neurological Dysfunction: Insights into the Holistic Approach to NeuroDevelopment and Learning Efficiency
by Judith Bluestone (commentator)
Review by S. V. Swamy on Oct 1st 2003

The Cancer Monologue Project
by Tanya Taylor and Pamela Thompson (editors)
Review by S. V. Swamy on Aug 18th 2003

A Life Shaken
My Encounter With Parkinson's Disease
by Joel Havemann
Review by S. V. Swamy on Jun 25th 2003

It Takes a Worried Man
by Brendan Halpin
Review by S. V. Swamy on May 5th 2003

Bone
by Marion Woodman
Review by S. V. Swamy on Dec 22nd 2002

Limbo
A Memoir
by A. Manette Ansay
Review by S. V. Swamy on Jul 3rd 2002

Title: Eastern Body Western Mind

Sub-title: Psychology and the Chakra System as a Path to the Self
Author: Anodea Judith

  • Paperback: 488 pages
  • Publisher: Celestial Arts; Revised edition (August 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1587612259
  • ISBN-13: 978-1587612251
  • Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds

Genre: Non-fiction / Psychology / Healing /

Key Words: Kundalini, Chakras, Psychology, Colors,


The title is rather intriguing and invites the reader who is interested in exploring his/her self. The author is a trained psychologist with additional qualifications in health and human services. She is also trained in bio-energetics, trauma recovery, yoga therapy etc.

The book starts with an introductory chapter that deals with human body, mind etc. and gives an introduction to the seven chakras. Each chakra is then dealt with in a separate chapter. The layout of the chapter on chakra one is given below:

Shades of Red

Unfolding the Petals

Growing the Lotus

Traumas and Abuses

Character Structure

Excess and Deficiency

Restoring the Lotus

Conclusion

A similar structure is maintained for all the chapters on the chakras, which are followed by a concluding chapter.

Since an imbalance of any one chakra leads to imbalance of the other chakras too, a tabular presentation is given in each chapter relating the attributes associated with excess and deficiency of each chakra in respect of some typical personalities (for example the first chakra has a table connecting it to the Schizoid Character Structure).

As a layman with a good interest in and a moderate exposure to psychology, I found the author's discussions of the various examples of personalities and the real life examples interesting and educational. As an Easterner with some background, I found her discussion of the chakras accurate. However, I felt that the attempt at an integration of these two aspects needs some more fine tuning, especially with respect to the style of presentation. I found the author's style rather heavy going at places.

The book is rather exhaustive in its approach and is serious reading. Thus it may be difficult for the prospective buyer to decide whether to go for it or not after a cursory examination in a bookstore. I would however recommend the book to those who have a serious interest in the subject.

I would have liked to see photographs, not line drawings of different psychological profiles listed, and I would have also preferred to see some before-and-after photographs of the same people after chakra work.

Since the book requires multiple readings to be really understood and appreciated, it would have been a good idea to go in for hard-bound edition instead of a soft cover.

2006 S. V. Swamy

S. V. Swamy, India.


Note: The above review was originally published at:

http://metapsychology.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=book&id=3040&cn=139


Monday, September 10, 2007

Title: "A Secret of the Universe"
Author: Stephen L. Gibson
Genre: Fiction - religious & metaphysical
Publication Date: October 2007 (But it is already available at www.amazon.com and from the publisher)
Publisher: Truth-Driven Strategies
Price: $26.95
ISBN13: 978-0-9793880-0-2
URL: www.truthdrivenstrategies.com
Bound: 6 x 9 Hardcover
Pages: 576
About: This is a story about belief-in God, sexual ethics, morals, political ideologies-told through two friends' struggle to make sense of life's triumphs and tragedies, which they interpret through very different religious filters. When profound revelations lead each friend to uncover shocking historical "secrets" in support of his own world-view, their odyssey plays out on a global stage, with tragic consequences. Only by embracing the inherent mystery and pain of their quest do Ian and Bill make the discovery that really matters-a genuine secret of the universe.

More details of the book at www.truthdrivenstrategies.com.

You can find this book listed on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Universe-Story-Discovery-Eternal/dp/0979388007/ref=sr_1_1/002-6362047-3964044?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179499521&sr=1-1 and you can read excerpts of this book using Google's "Book Search" link at http://books.google.com/books?id=pEIc5SALBFwC&dq=isbn:0979388007.

My own idea about the book: The book is a novel with a few chapters of Non-Fiction interwoven that explores the concept of God from a Christian perspective and through the eyes of two child-hood friends who look at the same teachings from different perspectives.

My reading experience: The book has a fairly good plot and the style is good so that the reader's attention is held for the many hours that the book takes to read. Some of the concepts are not that secret for me since I grew up with different religious teachings and in the course of nearly 60 years on this earth's plane have been exposed to different ideas about truth.

Printing and Editing: Excellent

Recommendation: Strongly recommended, especially to Christians to get a wider perspective of the world. Readers of other religions too will find the book interesting since fundamentalism is not confined to any one religion but is a basic trait of human nature.

Saturday, September 01, 2007

Title: How to Name Paint
Author: Linda Chun Yan Wang
Publisher: NPA Party Productions
ISBN-13: 978-0-9791979-1-8
Genre: Art/ Self-Help

How to Name Paint is a step-by-step introduction to the art of name painting using art forms for the letters of the English alphabet that both children and adults will enjoy. The book contains step by step instructions to the author who is trained in China and the example creations are indeed very appealing. You can see sample pages of the book and other books, kits by the same author at her website, http://www.namepaintingart.com/books.html#

I enjoyed looking at her art creations, though I did not try out anything myself.

In her companion book, Each letter of the alphabet is painted in five different styles in The Art of Name Painting (76 pages Softcover ISBN-13: 978-9791979-0-1 8.5 x 11 inches)

If you enjoy art, esp. painting, you can certainly go for this fun activity.