Poet Saalman (The Dream Illuminati) takes readers on an unconvincing tour through parascience, parapsychology, and paraspirituality in this scattershot essay collection. One entry probes the possibility of reincarnation, touching on Buddhist views of enlightenment, near-death experiences, and the possible existence of “mysterious, shapeshifting” extraterrestrials; another wends its way from the inevitability of death to the importance of satire and irony in dealing with life’s “complex issues,” to the idea that the soul is embodied in the world to learn some undescribed lesson. Elsewhere, he ponders the value of thinking “outside the box” spiritually, considers near-death experiences and UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena), and raises “the possibility that we are all ‘psychic’ to some extent.” While Saalman’s underlying belief that humans would be wise to examine their received reality and spiritual assumptions is worth considering, his technique of collecting bits and pieces of evidence from various spiritual, religious, and scientific traditions doesn’t do much to fortify his case and generally leads to a less than coherent line of reasoning. Even those perpetually on the spiritual searcher’s path will be puzzled. (July)

Reviewed on 04/07/2023 | Details & Permalink

McKenzie (The Wisdom Teachings of the Bhagavad Gita), whose The Broken Tusk website is dedicated to the Advaita Vedanta wisdom tradition, delivers a confusing treatise aimed at helping atheists reconsider their notions of God. Advancing a concept of God as a dual entity, the author posits that God 1 is a kind of formless consciousness, God 2 is a “benign force” that can be worshipped, and that understanding both is essential to a “God-knowledge.” In brief sections, the author ruminates on the relationship between God 2 and the individual; whether free will exists, given that “everything, down to subatomic particles, is created by God”; and explains how God as a whole is inseparable from love. He clarifies that while conventional religion can serve as a “starting point for our spiritual journey,” God must also be approached intellectually, as questioning received wisdom is vital on the “journey to God-knowledge.” While those with a background in Eastern religion will find some gems, McKenzie’s hazy language can too often obscure his meaning (“maya is perceived not only as God 2’s creative power but often, figuratively, as a sinister influence that makes living beings forget their identity and relationship with God using its twin powers of concealment and projection”). Those looking to tip their toes in the theistic waters will find this a tough place to start. (June)

Reviewed on 04/07/2023 | Details & Permalink

Business consultant Campos (The Empath Experience) invites readers to “awaken their true selves” in this inspiring if sometimes hazy program. Instructing readers to “take what you need and leave the rest,” Campos recommends leaving behind unhelpful habits and pursuing “ascension,” defined here as “being real and truly living.” Framing life as a learning process—“Have you ever considered we might be here on earth to be in school?”—Campos advocates a self-discovery approach that requires abandoning ideas of linear progress or “finish lines” so as to be “fully where we already are.” In brief sections, Campos meditates on the distinction between guilt and shame (and how both exert corrosive effects on self-esteem), the importance of stillness in self-examination, and how traumatic events can catalyze personal growth. Throughout, Campos weighs in with suggested practices, including meditations, breathing exercises, and craniosacral therapy or acupuncture for “nervous system healing.” Though this definitely isn’t for the skeptical (“Welcome to Earth! You’re a multidimensional human being with an incredible soul that wants to be fully embodied and expressed, and you are here to live an extraordinary life”), and some insights can be a bit vague (“As our collective chooses to wake up... and chooses to create and play the game of life according to our own rules, we catalyze a universal shift for all” ), the author’s empathy and unfailingly encouraging tone will inspire meaning-seekers eager to make mindset shifts. Those who don’t mind wading through some abstract musings to get there will appreciate the bright moments. (June)

Reviewed on 03/31/2023 | Details & Permalink

Priest Murphy-Gill takes readers from grain to oven-fresh loaf in her fun debut, a look at what bread and baking reveal about faith. The author recalls baking her first “simple blend of yeast and flour and salt and water” during study breaks as a seminary student knee-deep in dense theological readings; watching it cool, she was struck at how “bread needed no text to speak of sacred things... the scent lingered all afternoon, beguiling me with promises of comfort and satisfaction, of love and community.” From then on, bread baking became “a spiritual practice and ongoing pilgrimage” for Murphy-Gill, who recounts recreating the caraway-filled Irish soda bread of her childhood and dreaming up gluten-free communion bread as a priest. She holds forth on how the baking process teaches patience (“Bread becomes bread in God’s time, a cycle that starts in the soil as grain”) and delves into the significance of the Eucharistic practice of breaking bread “in the name and in communion with God and others.” Murphy-Gill gracefully weaves explorations of spiritual and physical sustenance, delivering some gems (“recipes are best when approached like written prayers... they offer insight into practice but never promise mastery”) and concluding chapters with recipes for the likes of Finnish rye bread and pizza dough with black emmer. The result is an offering Christians will enjoy taking a bite out of. (June)

Reviewed on 03/31/2023 | Details & Permalink

In this detailed, resonant account, historian Shlaim (The Iron Wall) recalls the complexities of growing up as an Arab Jew in Iraq and Israel. Born in 1945 Baghdad, Shlaim grew up in an affluent Jewish family that had little interest in Zionism, until antisemitic violence following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War forced them to flee to the newly created state of Israel. The move destabilized Shlaim, who had to learn Hebrew (Arabic was considered a “primitive,” “ugly” language) and find a place in an Ashkenazi-dominated society that often looked down on Arab Jews. He left for secondary school in England and returned to serve in the Israeli army, though the 1967 Six-Day War soured his perspective on Israel, as he began to view the country as a colonial power. Shlaim uses his narrative to illustrate the larger story of Arab Jews’ exodus from Iraq, arguing that Israel’s creation morphed the formerly protected minority into an “alien and usurping” presence in Arab spaces. While not all of Shlaim’s claims are equally persuasive—his contention that “the Zionist underground” was behind multiple bombings in Iraq that forced Jews to flee, for example, relies heavily on a document of uncertain provenance—he makes a convincing case that the creation of Israel had sometimes dire consequences for Jews in Arab countries. Those interested in alternative Jewish attitudes toward Zionism will find this illuminating. (July)

Reviewed on 03/31/2023 | Details & Permalink

In this insightful if occasionally meandering entry, Holberg (Pedagogy), an English professor at Calvin University, posits that being able to better understand narratives will help Christians deepen their faith. While church culture tends to prize certain stories over others—favoring biblical tales or faith testimonies that hinge on miracles or dramatic triumphs over adversity—ordinary moments are central to Christian faith, the author contends. She writes that Christians can find wisdom in literature, citing 19th-century writer Christina Rossetti, who wrote poems that broached her doubts about faith, while nonetheless recognizing that she was “not lost to the grace of God.” As well, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre voiced an “insistence on God’s call to active vocation for all,” including women, and Flannery O’Connor asserted that “robust engagement with fiction... is a measure of strong faith.” Switching to scripture, Holberg suggests the Bible exhibits “narrative hope”—floods, storms, and calamities are redeemed by an overarching knowledge of God’s goodness—and encourages Christians to live out their own “stories of hope” by trusting in God’s grace. Despite a few distracting anecdotes, including one involving a foot injury and another about birds that help locate honey in certain Indigenous African cultures, Holberg’s passion for scripture and literature animates this entry. Bookworms will be delighted. (July)

Reviewed on 03/31/2023 | Details & Permalink

Emotional pain can disrupt “our body-brain connection” and spark body hatred and obsession, contends Keeton (Heir to the Crown), founder of Christian nonprofit Revelation Wellness, in this earnest offering. Instead of trying to eradicate pain, Keeton writes, readers should “metabolize” it into useful energy to “renew our minds and live fully connected to ourselves.” Keeton’s suggested interventions include connecting with difficult emotions; asking God or friends for aid in times of need (“Next time your pants feel tight and you’re tempted to respond with disgust,” she recommends, summon God’s help in finding “something to be thankful for”); and avoiding overindulgence in food (she especially highlights the dangers of excess sugar, which triggers inflammation). Keeton ends sections with questions to spur reflection, recommendations for physical exercise, and prayers. Though the author’s links between God and wellness sometimes feel forced (“much of the difficulty in making good choices around your health... is due to the schemes of Satan”), her holistic approach to well-being and assertions that one’s body “can be any size you want it to be as long as you cultivate the heart God wants you to have” resonate. Christians seeking to integrate their spiritual and physical practices will want to have a look. (June)

Reviewed on 03/31/2023 | Details & Permalink

Yoga instructor Simina (A Fairy Path) explores fairy mythology in Romanian and Irish folklore in this thorough study. Though located at opposite ends of Europe, the countries’ fairy mythologies “display a remarkable parallelism” that suggests, Simina writes, a “veracity of fairy experiences,” because when “bodies of fairy lore from distinct cultures point in the same direction, there must be something true there.” Known as Na Daoine Maithe (the Good Neighbors) or sidhe in Irish tradition and Zâne and iele in Southern and Eastern European folklore, fairies are “magical beings inhabiting a different dimension,” with connotations of “unpredictability, change, magical power, danger, and beauty.” In both cultures, fairies are said to be descended from gods and possess healing powers, have been depicted as beautifully dressed queens or “scary-looking” hags, and sometimes choose to connect with humans, who often become “gifted healers, musicians, poets, or good at divination and prophecy.” They also are believed to guard certain areas onto which trespassing brings dire consequences, she writes, adding that the “fear of fairies” has kept “many mounds, cairns, and tree specimens safe for hundreds of years.” Simina covers a vast amount of fairy lore, drawing on folktales, mythology research, and knowledge from her grandmother, a “medicine woman and fairy seer,” to offer a compact yet in-depth survey. Students of European folklore will find this edifying. (June)

Reviewed on 03/31/2023 | Details & Permalink

Buddhist newcomers might believe that spiritual enlightenment promises total peace and tranquility, writes Zen priest and psychologist Burkett (Zen in the Age of Anxiety) in this illuminating entry, but seekers must confront suffering and “unresolved emotional issues” to accept their flaws and cultivate wisdom. Burkett guides readers through three phases of spiritual growth, from developing “vidya” (knowledge of self) by examining deep-seated emotional wounds, through challenging rigid “master narratives” about oneself and otherwise spurring self-transformation, to eradicating dualistic thinking and “collapsing the dichotomy between suffering and joy.” (Suffering and pain can be valuable, he writes, just as a grain of sand is an “unwelcome intruder” to the oyster but helps produce a pearl.) And while enlightenment is a “serendipitous accident” and can’t be forced, certain activities can render seekers “more accident prone,” such as practicing mindful meditation and using mantras, and living in a way that centers priorities such as generosity and compassion. Burkett tends to go wide more than deep, and the well-balanced mix of Zen wisdom and psychological principles makes for persuasive lessons. Buddhist beginners and those seeking to revitalize their practice will be inspired. (May)

Reviewed on 03/31/2023 | Details & Permalink

Business consultant Hartwig (Teams That Thrive), pastor Crump (Renovate), and church researcher Bird (Better Together, coauthor) offer sensible advice for building professional teams that can tackle unexpected challenges. Resilience doesn’t develop through superficial team-building exercises, the authors write, it must be forged through the “pursuit of a shared purpose” and a focus on faith. First, it’s important for teams to discuss the broader goal that the organization is fighting for, which can be easily forgotten amid day-to-day work routines. Once that’s done, they should craft a charter that outlines their purpose, working norms, responsibilities, and accountability structure. It’s also worth inventorying each member’s skills and brainstorming how to harness them. And rather than leaving it all to top-level leaders, resiliency work should involve all employees, as each can exercise leadership skills, push colleagues to improve, and hone mutual respect rooted in Christian values. Drawing on solid business principles, the authors take a practical stance toward team unity and dispense plenty of brass tacks advice, much of which applies regardless of faith, whether on meetings (conduct only when necessary), deliverables (create team accountability systems) and evaluations (develop regular “after-action reviews” to assess projects). Christian leaders looking to refresh their organization’s approach will want to check this out. (June)

Reviewed on 03/31/2023 | Details & Permalink