Book Description
A wary, middle-aged widow numbed by loss and disappointment. A preternaturally intelligent little girl who eavesdrops on the dead. A charming, sybaritic gay man torn between his love for his partner and the anarchy of his desires.These are the charged poles of Ren?e Manfredi’s gorgeously written first novel, a book that explores the currents of tenderness, responsibility and chance that turn strangers into a family.
Anna Brinkman meets her ten-year-old granddaughter Flynn when the girl appears on her doorstep, desperate for a love more steadfast than any she has received from her parents. She meets Jack when he shows up in an AIDS support group she is running and does his best to get kicked out. What ensues in a house on the coast of Maine will be the great journey of all their lives. Filled with humor, sadness, and wisdom,
Above the Thunder is a magical achievement.
Customer Reviews:
Depth and insight.............2006-07-16
The author depicts a middle aged woman and two gay men so accurately.... Reading Above the Thunder reminded me of reading Wally Lamb's She's Come Undone. Here was a man writing so accurately about a woman...how did he do that? Renee depicts so accurately and gracefully a middle aged grieving woman, a grandparent falling in love with her grandchild, friends w/o family creating a family, two gay men struggling in their relationship... She is a master character writer. This was one of those books I couldn't wait to climb into bed to read at night. Like dessert at the end of the day. And I savored the last 100 pages...not wanting it to end.
Love no matter what .......2005-11-27
Anna Brinkman is a 50 year old widow, and estranged from her only daughter for the last 12 years. Her story follows a torturous path filled with love for her husband Hugh and anxiety over a child she did not want. Poppy, her daughter calls mysteriously out of the blue from Alaska wanting to visit, with her husband Marvin and their unusual daughter Flynn. Anna reluctantly agrees to let them back in her life. Flynn's eccentricity dominates at times. You never get the whole story about Anna and Poppy. Some scenes are beyond the scope of realism and you have to ask does this make sense? You do see the palatable changes in Anna as she learns to love Flynn. Frustratingly Poppy never appears in the story. When Jack needs help, Anna is there for him and Stuart. The writing is rough around the edges with explanations and information gone astray; but overall it is a satisfying read.
Ludicrous and Offensive.......2005-05-17
I don't often write reviews on amazon.com, and when I have it has always been because I've read something that has had such a positive impact on me that I felt I had to share it with others. This time, however, I'm writing this review because it has been a long time since I've read a book that offended me quite as much as this one did, and I'm still seething long after finishing it. As an intelligent, responsible gay man, I thought this novel showed promise -- the forging of a family from unlikely, disparate individuals. But it didn't take me long to realize that Renee Manfredi was just skimming the surface of this story. None of her characters are fully believable or true to life. However, it is her treatment and characterizations of gay men that immediately struck me as shallow and ill-informed -- gay men written by a heterosexual woman who likely has never intimately known a gay man in her life. Because the book reads very quickly, I stuck with it. But there were three points at which I literally had to stop myself from tossing this nonsense into the trash: 1) Two gay men help a young girl through her first exposure with a tampon while the girl's grandmother (who is the girl's primary caretaker) snoozes in the next room. How ridiculous and contrived is that? 2) These same two gay men and a straight woman hop on a plane and, for no coherent reason whatsoever, fly off to San Francisco to visit a sex club. Not only does this scene emerge out of nowhere; not only does it have absolutely no bearing on the rest of the story; this is a shameful, embarrassing and offensive plot point, given that one of the gay men has AIDS and the other two are his care-givers. 3) One gay man races across town on foot with a container to gather sperm from his partner who just happens to be trapped in his car in the midst of a traffic jam while a female friend (and the prospective mother) is ovulating on the floor of a public restroom. Puh-lease! If these three events strike you as interesting enough to be included in a book that pretends to be a serious novel, then this book is for you. On the other hand, if you find events like this disturbing, discouraging, and utterly ridiculous then don't waste your time or money on this patently offensive piece of tripe.
Awesome reading.......2005-05-07
Above the Thunder tells the mesmerizing story of three generations of women confronting the emotional turmoil of abandonment, and the men with whom their lives converge. Young and ambitious Anna puts her career on hold to support her husband through medical school, only to find out she's pregnant when it's her turn. Troubled and difficult from the start, Anna's daughter, Poppy, hasn't been home since she drove away with the man who came to buy the family's VW bus. After a twelve-year absence, Poppy begs to reunite with her now widowed mother, only to disappear again, leaving her mysterious and wildly imaginative young daughter, Flynn, in Anna's care.
This is also the story of Jack and Stuart, a couple struggling with commitment despite their love for one another. When Jack and Stuart meet Anna in a support group, they feel a connection that eventually leads them to form a loving, if unlikely, family. Gorgeously written and imbued with both wisdom and humor, Above the Thunder reminds us that created families can be every bit as vital as the families into which we are born.
Smooth.......2004-05-14
Every word in this novel is right. Manfredi has constructed a network of associations that will move anyone with a pulse. It took me a while to get into the book, but once I entered into the structure of the novel, I couldn't stop. It is a shame that a work this well crafted can be read in a few days.
Average customer rating:
- Thematic Mastery
- Pleasure From Sound
- Well-crafted poems with a lot of stuff for writers to steal
- A Foul Thunder; excruciatingly bad poetry!
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An Octave above Thunder (Poets, Penguin)
Carol Muske
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 20th Century
| Poetry
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| Literature & Fiction
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General
| Poetry
| United States
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Sparrow: Poems
ASIN: 0140587942 |
Amazon.com
An Octave Above Thunder finds poet and critic Carol Muske looking back on 20 fruitful years of writing. Muske is the author of five previously published books of poetry, including Red Trousseau and Skylight, as well as 1997's well-received collection of essays Women and Poetry: Truth, Autobiography and the Shape of the Self. In Women and Poetry, Muske uses her own poetry to trace the evolution of her ideas about women, poetry, and the self; in this collection of both new and older work, she mines her past for the poems themselves. The result is a triumph, a lyrical and lucid contemplation of the personal, the political, and the public spaces where these sometimes converge. In "The Invention of Cuisine," Muske paints a "still life of our meals," a portrait of the historical moment in which "the pure impulse to eat" becomes the drive to create: "this little moment / before the woman redeems / the sprouted seeds at her feet / and gathers the olives falling from the trees/ for her recipes. / Imagine..." It's a small but vivid portrait of the transformative power of imagination and art--much like An Octave Above Thunder itself.
Customer Reviews:
Thematic Mastery.......2000-04-13
Carol Muske's book "An Octave Above Thunder" is a tribute to Muske's ability to weave themes and subthemes into her book. The book explores everything from the power of a woman's voice to sex to death. She is also masterful at using language to illustrate gestures and actions that seem indescribable. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the richness of images and words.
Pleasure From Sound.......2000-03-28
In the oral tradition of literature, it was necessary to use alliteration and eidetic "tricks" in order to effectively and faithfully pass along the exhaustive details and subtle nuances of an original poem. Carol Muske returns to poetic origin in "An Octave Above Thunder", giving her readership a body of work that begs to be read aloud. Thus, in many of Muske's poems, the joy is in the presentation- the feel of the tongue alliterating and the sensual quality of her construction.
Muske is a lyricist who creates intellectual music. In the poem "At the School for the Gifted", she describes a classroom blackboard as "cut out camels plodding across the blackboard's high/ sill. Yet the desert below refuses to unfurl its/ mica wings" (31). Not only is this a fresh visual, but so too is the language. Muske's work delights the ear. Therefore, much of the beauty of craftsamnship is lost if the words are silently ingested. What I found most beautiful is how each poem has a moment that moves the reader to open their mouths and speak her words. It is this musicality and precision that I will remember from "An Octave Above Thunder".
Well-crafted poems with a lot of stuff for writers to steal.......1998-06-13
If you get easily bored with poetry, but desperately love it anyway -- read this. The writing is complex, yet spare. I intend to reread Muske's book to catch what monster catfish I missed the first time. If you want something fun and superficial, try Hal Sirowitz and not this.
A Foul Thunder; excruciatingly bad poetry!.......1998-03-18
These poems appear to be the neurotic ramblings of a frighteningly self-important, yet somehow dull poet. I couldn't even drag myself to the end. But I did give it a 2 because a few of the little 'gems' were so overblown that they made me laugh. Awful, simply awful.
Average customer rating:
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Above the Thunder
Ted Findlay
Manufacturer: Humanics Pub Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 9994617540 |
Average customer rating:
- Not Worth Finishing
- Childish heroine and a series of BIG MISUNDERSTANDINGS ruin this book
- To Everyone who didn't enjoy this book
- A medieval Cinderella tale
- The Last Half Made The Book
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The Damsel: The Bride Quest #2 (The Bride Quest , No 2)
Claire Delacroix
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Delacroix, Claire | ( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | Subjects | Books
General | Romance | Subjects | Books
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( D ) | Authors, A-Z | Romance | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books | Dailey, Janet | Delinsky, Barbara | Deveraux, Jude | Dodd, Christina
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The Heiress: The Bride Quest #3 (Bride Quest Series, 3)
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The Temptress (The Bride Quest)
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The Princess: The Bride Quest #1 (Bride Quest)
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The Countess (Bride Quest)
ASIN: 0440225884
Release Date: 1999-03-09 |
Book Description
A proud maiden, she vowed never to love again... until he rode back into her life.
"I come in search of a bride."
Once upon a time, the legendary knight, Burke Fitzgavin, galloped into Kiltorren Castle and fell in love with Alys, the lord's orphaned niece. But her uncle was determined that Burke marry one of his homely daughters instead. Through tricks and lies, Burke was sent away, believing that Alys wanted nothing of his heart.
Pledged to a Bride Quest, Burke has vowed not to return home until he finds his long-lost love. He returns to Kiltorren to discover that the fiery young innocent has become a woman, a servant on her uncle's estate. Paying penance for Burke's long-ago embrace, she wants nothing to do with him. Burke knows he must earn her trust again. Even as he slowly rekindles her desire, Alys's family attempts to thwart their romance--determined that Alys should not marry before her cousins do. But Burke is a warrior and this battle to win the hand and the heart of his one true love will be his greatest challenge ever. . . .
Watch for
The Heiress, the crowning novel in the sumptuous Bride Quest trilogy of the three brothers Fitzgavin, which began with
The Princess.
Customer Reviews:
Not Worth Finishing.......2007-09-14
I am not one for prose, but I did want to say that at some point Alys needs to grow up. The constant conflict or confusion was just too much. I could only get half way thru the book before I decided to quit reading. Read at your risk.
Childish heroine and a series of BIG MISUNDERSTANDINGS ruin this book.......2006-05-31
I bought this book because I'd really enjoyed one of this author's earlier books, ENCHANTED, which is a Harlequin release. If an author can write a good book in the oppressive restrictions of catagory romance, I usually deem them worthy of a try with a full-length novel, where there are fewer rules.
At first, there were a lot of things to like about THE DAMSEL. Though it's the second book in a trilogy, it works perfectly well as a stand-alone. The reader doesn't have to have read THE PRINCESS, the book that preceded THE DAMSEL, to make sense of the story. I hadn't read THE PRINCESS and never felt lost.
Delacroix has a nice, flowing writing style to this book that has a medieval feel to it without feeling to heavy or "textbooky" (yes, I know that's not a real word!). There are lots of humorous scenes in the book that had me smiling and almost laughing out loud. There was also lots of conflict between the hero and heroine.
But THE DAMSEL ultimately falls flat. The heroine comes across as childish. She's spurned once, and acts like it's the end of the world. And even when she finds out that she was lied to by her evil aunt, and that the hero actually did want to marry her three years ago (and still does), she refuses to believe it. Now why would she believe an aunt that beats her over the man who professes to love her? It just didn't make sense. She continuously misconstrued the hero's actions. It didn't matter how many times he saved her or was nice to her, she was convinced that he was up to no good, and nothing would change her mind. I want to smack some sense into her after the first few chapters.
That was what got to me in the end: the heroine's childish attitude, and the series of BIG MISUNDERSTANDINGS being all that kept the hero and heroine apart. It might have been okay if they had never been able to speak to one another and clear things up, but they were together all the time. The hero would try to clear the air, and the heroine would always misunderstand or just not believe him. I would have rather that they freely admitted their feelings and circumstances keep them apart than this constant miscommunication. It was really annoying.
This is the second book by Delacroix since the enjoyable ENCHANTED that has let me down. I'm leery of trying another. If you're still determined to read THE DAMSEL, I recommend that you borrow it from the library, rather than buy it. It's not worth the money.
To Everyone who didn't enjoy this book.......2005-09-27
I did enjoy this book very much. It has a great plot and great characters. I give it a five star.
A medieval Cinderella tale.......2005-08-31
Years earlier Burke de Montvieux fell in love with Alys of Kiltorren. However, she was an illegitimate orphan mistreated by an aunt determined to capture Burke for one of her own daughters. Caught together in a compromising position, Burke is sent away and Alys becomes little more than a slave to her family. Years pass and Burke still cannot forget his lost love. Bidden by his sister-in-law, Princess Brianna, to seek the woman who holds his heart and to win her hand, Burke returns to Kiltorren.
The Alys he finds, however, believes that he betrayed her. Believing he has arrived to take one of her cousins as a bride and her as a mistress, Alys spurns him. Undaunted, Burke agrees to several conditions to prove his sincerity and regain her trust. Finding out that Alys cannot wed unless her cousins marry first, he vows to find husbands for her cousins. A daunting task, indeed.
Claire Delacroix has crafted an enchanting retelling of the story of Cinderella complete with wicked relatives and even a pair of slippers fit for a princess. Readers will want to cheer Burke on as he woos his lady fair and feel for Alys as she struggles to overcome years of abuse. Medieval Ireland comes to vivid life in this story, filled with interesting characters that we come to care about. Will Alys ever find out the truth about her parents? Will her repellant relatives get their just desserts? Can Burke find husbands for the cousins? All will be revealed between the pages of THE DAMSEL!
TheSchemer
The Last Half Made The Book.......2000-02-01
I have to be honest with you. I was tempted several times in the first half of this book to give up and not to finish it. But my curiousity got the better of me and I continued on. And I am soooo happy that I did! Once I past the half way mark, I couldn't put it down. The pace picked up, the characters came to life, and it was wonderful! I encourage anyone who starts this book not to give up on it. I believe you will find the patience worth it once you get to the end. I sure did!
Book Description
In such novels as
The Poison Master and
Empire of Bones, Liz Williams sparked readers’ imaginations by creating worlds at once strange and familiar. Now this bold new writer delivers a profound and provocative look at human nature in a timely novel of a nation--and a world--torn asunder, and of a hope that refuses to die.
Nine Layers of Sky
A former Soviet rocket scientist, Elena Irinovna now cleans office buildings--until she crosses paths with Ilya Muromyets. A remnant of Russia’s glorious and fabled past, Ilya is an eight-hundred-year-old hero turned heroin addict, dreaming of a death that never comes. They are brought together by a strange artifact Elena has found, which offers a glimpse into another dimension, creating a dangerous breach in a world Elena only thought she knew...
Ilya is no stranger to the unexplained. He’s been hired by a mysterious organization to track down the artifact. But nothing prepares him for what it offers--or for a woman like Elena. Fighting their own inner demons as well as those from across the breach, Ilya and Elena embark on a harrowing trip between nations and worlds. And for the first time the man of myth and the woman of science discover that they have a dream to defend--and even die for...
Customer Reviews:
Unsatisfying!.......2006-05-25
If I hadn't been reading it for a book discussion group, I might not have finished the dreary thing. I definitely did not deem it worth keeping on my bookshelf.
Lure me in with the Russian mythology, turn me off with the pointless, dingy, harsh "realism" of the rest of the story. I found I really could not come to care about what happened to the characters. They did not move me in any way. I had had hope in the early stages of the story...hope that there might be a redemption for the mythical hero in our modern age that he was unable to find in history, hope that there might be a resolution for someone, anyone. Make the characters meaningful, make their trials purposeful, make me care, make me want more, suspend my disbelief! There was such potential in the characters, and I feel that the author really failed to come through with the early promise. A depressing story does not make a great book. Perhaps the author needs to take time and peruse the characterization in such books as anything at all by Graham Joyce, the Rusalka books revolving around Russian mythology or perhaps the gritty, nasty character and worlds China Mieville creates (they are dismal and ugly but strongly moving!).
OK.......2005-09-03
Quite a clever and imaginative bit of science fiction set in an alternative Russian near-future. A few too many made-up names for my liking but had me interested for 50 pages or so which is rather impressive for this genre.
Another great read from Liz Williams.......2005-05-16
Elena Irinova was a scientist and 'would be' cosmonaut with the Soviet space programme. Since the fall of Communism in the U.S.S.R. she is reduced to cleaning office floors and dreaming of building a new life in Canada. Ilya Muromyets is a drug addict who wishes only for death. Unfortunately for him he is immortal, one of the Russian `Heroes' of folk tales, and he cannot die except at the hands of another immortal but he's the only one of his kind left.
Elena finds a strange object, a small ball that seems to absorb light, the scientist in her wonders what its purpose is. Ilya is approached by the representative of a mysterious organisation and is asked to find this artefact. Eventually Elena and Ilya come together and learn just what this object and its purpose are.
Nine Layers of Sky is one of those rare books in the sci-fi genre in that it is actually 'different'. Liz Williams has proven, with this latest novel, that she is not a `one trick pony' and can write an original story that is fast paced and absorbing. Her style can be a little dark and oppressive at times but that suits her stories and in no way detracts from them. It's not a style that will please everyone but for anyone looking for something different, they would go a long way to find better than this.
A Fortunate Find.......2004-09-27
This was one of those books where the cover caught my eye, the blurb intrigued my mind, and the book fed my soul. As I was reading it, I thought to myself, "I'm enjoying this one just the same way I enjoy Charles deLint's stories". It's one of those books that takes you out of your normal reading rut and makes you want to explore various topics raised in the book and see the places mentioned.
It's an urban fantasy with an unusual setting - the new republics in what was formerly Soviet Central Asia. I loved the protagonists too - a former Soviet astrophysicist now reduced to office cleaning for Mobil Oil, and a heroin-addicted, 900 year old hero from Russia's mythic past. The developing romance between them was done quietly and beautifully. The story is an interesting blend of modern-day reality, scifi and mythology. The setting itself was just so interesting - the various republics that are only names in the news when something horrible happens, post-Soviet society, the changes that have been engendered, and the reactions to those changes. For all that the Soviet system was the Big Bad Thing in Western eyes, this book shows that some good was also lost when the system collapsed.
I read Liz William's "The Poison Master" and enjoyed that one, and now I enjoyed this book by her too. I'm adding her to my list of must-buy authors. I hope you'll give this book a try.
Elena and Ilya go down the Silk Road.......2004-02-25
"Nine Layers of Sky" is another great novel by the very impressive Liz Williams. This time out she takes her readers on a tour of the Silk Road states of Central Asia (and apparently that's a part of the world Williams is familiar with), ending up in Uzbekistan, in the ancient city of Samarkand.
Elena, now cleaning offices in Almaty, Kazakhistan, was once a scientist in the Soviet space program. After acquiring a strange metallic object she hooks up with Ilya, an 800-year-old "Bogatyr" (once a hero of Russia, now a junkie), and together they attempt to solve the object's mystery.
That in turn leads them to a parallel world, and then things really start to hum, as they encounter many strange and nefarious characters while they shuttle between this world and the parallel one, in which the Soviet Union didn't exactly die.
Williams is a playful author with a great sense of place. She makes the decay and despair of the former Soviet Republics seem very real--the rundown busses, the abandoned space facilities, the failed attempts to construct subways. And yet, this mock heroic quest is slightly tongue in cheek. Think of it as Elena and Ilya in Wonderland and you'll half get the point. And, as with the Carroll classic, the journey's far more important than the destination.
Until now, Williams hasn't done sequels (and an advert in the back of the book would indicate that her next novel will surely not be one), but she's left a few loose ends here (and she's far too clever to have done so by accident), so maybe some day a sequel there will be.
We can only hope.
Book Description
Shamanic journeying is the inner art of traveling to the "invisible worlds" beyond ordinary reality to retrieve information for change in every area of our lives—from spirituality and health to work and relationships. With Shamanic Journeying, readers join world-renowned teacher Sandra Ingerman to learn the core teachings of this ancient practice and apply these skills in their own journey. CD includes three authentic shamanic drumming sessions.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Beginner's book.......2007-06-20
The best part of this book is the drumming CD. I have many drumming CD's including the one by Michael Harner, and her CD is the best one I've come across. I use it for all my journeying excellent when there is a drum available.
This book is exactly what it says, it is for beginning, it was not my first book on Shamanism, but it was the first book in which I use and journey, with much success, I must say. I met two of my power animals on the first journey and I highly recommend this book. However for a more comprehensive understanding of Shamanism for a beginner I would recommend
Shamanism: As A Spiritual Practice for Daily Living by Tom Cowan. For those who like to see a more culture aspect to Shamanism, I would recommend Chosen by the Spirits : Following Your Shamanic Calling by Sarangerel. At any rate this a excellent books that I highly recommend.
Great Book.......2007-02-13
This is a great book for a beginner like me. I purchased it with the accompanying book, Soul Retrieval and enjoyed both. I especially like the CD that came with this one, it is good to listen to while meditating.
Technology of the sacred.......2006-12-07
Shamanic Journeying is a short book that very effectively addresses the basics of this primary tool of shamanic practice used for spirit contact, awareness enhancement, and healing. As a technology of the sacred, journeying is the key to unlocking a host of benefits and gifts of the spirit. If you want to learn how to journey, I highly recommend this book!
A definitive manual for students of what is known in metaphysical studies as "shamanic journeying".......2006-08-05
Enhanced with the inclusion of an accompanying 60-minute CD "Drumming for Three Shamanic Journeys", Shamanic Journeying: A Beginner's Guide is a definitive manual for students of what is known in metaphysical studies as "shamanic journeying". Shamanic journeying may be undertaken for purposes of divination, for personal healing, to meet one's power animal or guide, and for many other mystic and/or metaphysical purposes. Author, therapist and counselor Sandra Ingerman provides a clear description of ritual procedures and expectations for those who wish to learn to journey. She suggests that journeyers consider forming a journey group that meets regularly, perhaps twice a month, that will evolve into a community. She offers good advice to journeyers, such as the caution to not compare information received with other group members, to not "brag", and to not compete. She also cautions the journeyer not to journey unprepared, and not to listen to the CD of drumming enclosed while driving. These practical applications and suggestions are an invaluable part of Shamanic Journeying. Ingerman teaches that in shamanic traditions, the shaman who "brags" is perceived as being foolish and losing power. She states: "Shamanic journeying is an incredible tool to receive healing and guidance in our lives...You are embraced by the love of the universe and the helping spirits. Open your heart to the love, wisdom, and healing they have to share. In doing this, you can not only change your own life, but the changes in consciousness we can achieve together through shamanic journeying can transform the world as well (p. 79)."
Why do you need so much help to live your life?.......2005-10-15
I agree that at 78 pages it's a fast simple read, Although, I have a hard time with the fact that If you tell anyone you are a Shaman you will lose your power. I also had a hard time with Journeying to ask life questions such as; How should I handle a certian situation, What should I do....or better yet, have someone else Journey for you to ask these questions. I don't get it. If you need this much help to live YOUR life...then why bother. I get the fact of Journeying for enlightenment, but I think the Author needs more help than just journeying. I'm looking to enlighten my life/spirit not journey so my power animal/teacher can tell me how to live my life.
I think the best part of this book was the free drumming cd.
Book Description
Shamanic journeying is the inner art of traveling to the "invisible worlds" beyond ordinary reality to retrieve information for change in any area of our lives—from spirituality and health to work and relationships. On The Beginner's Guide to Shamanic Journeying, Sandra Ingerman shares the core teachings of this transformative practice, including the original role of the shaman in indigenous societies, how to meet and work with your "power animal" and other spirit teachers, and the keys to successful journeying in our modern culture. Complete with authentic drumming and guidance for three shamanic journeys.
Customer Reviews:
great guide.......2006-07-04
great cd-I liked that it broke up the chapters and left the journey track at the end. the information is very easy to understand. I really like Sandra Ingermans work. She gives you all the info you need to start taking journey's with confidence. the journey drumming is great. In fantasy I wish the drumming track could have been an hour long. but for beginning it is fine. I would recommend the cd to any one wanting to learn about Shamanism.
INSIGHTFUL GUIDANCE FOR BEGINNERS.......2004-01-01
I was highly impressed with insights and suggestions on this recording. One can put only so much information on one CD and for what you can learn and experience as a newcomer to Shamanic journeying in a little bit more than ONE HOUR, I have found this CD awesome.
I particularly liked suggestions relating how to ask good questions and set an intent for a journey. One particular suggestion would apply to any form of divination.
For example, if you ask your spirit helper (power animal, etc.) "Should I marry so and so?", the spirit helper may say "Sure, go ahead". Then when you get married to that person, you find out that the marriage was a complete disaster and start to wonder about the effectiveness of Shamanic journeying.
Sandra points out that spirit helpers view everything as a "learning experience", so the most appropriate question would be "What will I learn if I marry so and so?" The answer may be "betrayal" and you may decide that you don't really care much to learn about betrayal, to which your spirit helper answers, "OK, then, don't marry that person".
The quality of the questions we ask greatly influences the quality of helpful information we get.
This CD has contains about one hour of information consisting of introduction to shamanic journeying and a lot of good key points for successful journeying and then about 10 minutes or drumming and rattling for the actual journeying experience. I think it is a wonderful gift for someone who wants to get a taste of shamanic journeying.
good overview and practice for beginners and westerners.......2003-11-13
and what i mean by that is: if you are unfamiliar with shamanism or know it only from a technical, readerly aspect, this would certainly be a good choice. if you already have her SEEING IN THE DARK cassettes, there will be some repetition. and then if you have some of her books, again, it will be info you are familiar with. this CD though does have a 12-minute drumming track...of course, you may rather get a drumming-only cd or tape from harner or martin duffy (ireland) and then get sandra's cassettes. so, that's the deal. fish around. but for the price amazon has this, it is a worthy gift for someone you think would get something from this practice. another thing is sandra's voice. it is earthy, natural and calming but in a grounding, not flighty way. and her drumming/rattling is nice. it works. ok, one other thing. other fine scholar-practitioners of cultural (and not "core") shamanism like christian ratsch (Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas) believe that this fundamentally recent wave of Core journeying is NOT effective. he is not too fond of harner and co. but i think what sandra is offering IS genuine...and she obviously HAS the gift...but many perhaps DO need entheogenic propulsion in addition to drumming etc. to each his own. some of us can function in both of those dynamics. i think too many shy away from the psychoactively charged realms...and TOO MANY spend too much time and rely on peyote/DMT/nutmeg/etc too much. so there. find YOUR balance. all said, this is a fine CD and intro. like it says, this IS "The Beginner's Guide"...
Books:
- Accident: A Day's News: A Novel (Phoenix Fiction)
- Across the Nightingale Floor (Tales of the Otori, Book One)
- Al Este Del Eden/East of Eden (Granta en Espanol)
- Archaeologies of Vision: Foucault and Nietzsche on Seeing and Saying
- Arrogance: A Novel
- ART OF THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, THE
- At the Eleventh Hour: The biography of Swami Rama
- Best of American Splendor
- Black Mountain Breakdown
- Bone, Breath, and Gesture: Practices of Embodiment Volume 1 (Bone, Breath, & Gesture)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- German Home Towns: Community, State, and General Estate 1648-1871
- The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook : 250 No-Fail Recipes for Pilafs, Risottos, Polenta, Chilis, Soups
- Set This House on Fire
- The Gods of Eden
- The Films of Andrei Tarkovsky: A Visual Fugue
- The Periodic Table: Its Story and Its Significance
- This Moment on Earth: Today's New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future
- The Long Haul: An Autobiography
- Revisiting Workers' Compensation in Connecticut: Administrative Inventory
- Compliance Link: Cross-Index, 1998-199
Where Love Leaves Us (Iowa Short Fiction Award)
My Sister's Keeper: A Novel
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Water for Elephants: A Novel
