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SHAMANISM / INDIGENOUS CULTURES "There is no more magical way to feel close to the orishas than through the patakis. It is there that one is transported to one's imagination. ocha'ni Lele has a very spiritual manner in elevating my imagination through his writing, which reveals a special touch. Maferefun orichas! What is seen is not questioned! This is a special book for those of us who go forth from the heart, without malice. ocha'ni Lele, my dear, I congratulate you!" --Ivy Queen, vocalist, musician, and Queen of Reggaeton "This book is a page turner. ocha'ni Lele relates these sacred stories with the ease of a knowledgeable narrator while drawing clarity and meaning out of the religion's complex chorus of voices. This book moves the deep spirituality of the religion away from ethnography and connects the sacred to religious studies where it is well overdue." --Oba Ernesto Pichardo, Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye At the core of the diloggun--the sacred divination system of Santeria--are the sacred stories known as the patakis, narratives whose themes are as powerful and relevant today as they were in the minds of the ancient Yoruba who safeguarded them. Each pataki is connected to one or more of the 16 odu, the principal creative forces of Santeria. Some recount the lives of orishas on Earth, others the lives of individuals in Heaven, and some tell of the odu themselves, for even they once walked the earth as mortals. The first book to explore these ancient African stories in English, Teachings of the Santeria Gods recounts more than 100 of these sacred parables, including many stories reassembled from the oral tradition of the African diaspora. Ranging from creation myths to what happens when a love potion works far too well, these stories share the wisdom and spirituality of the Yoruba people of ancient Africa and form the living, oral bible of one of the world's fastest-growing faiths. oCHA'NI LELE has been immersed in the underground culture of orisha worship since 1989. He made Ocha in 2000 and was crowned a priest of Oya. His other books include The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination, Obi Oracle of Cuban Santeria, and The Diloggun: The Orishas, Proverbs, Sacrifices, and Prohibitions of Cuban Santeria. He lives in Winter Park, Florida.

HERMETIC STUDIES / ALCHEMY Linguist, archaeologist, and exceptional scholar, Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680) was the last true Renaissance man. By profession a Jesuit priest, he made himself an authority on almost every subject under the sun. To Kircher the entire world was a glorious manifestation of God, and his exploration was both a scientific quest and a religious experience. His works on Egyptology (he is credited with being the first Egyptologist), music, optics, magnetism, geology, and comparative religion were the definitive tests of their time--and yet they represent only a part of his vast range of knowledge. A Christian Hermeticist in the mold of Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola, his work also examined alchemy, the Kabbalah, and the Egyptian Mystery tradition exemplified by Hermes Trismegistus. Kircher was the first to map ocean currents; the first to offer a comprehensive theory of vulcanism; the first to compile an encyclopedia on China, a dictionary of Coptic, a book dedicated solely to acoustics; the first to construct a machine for coding messages and another for composing music. His museum in Rome was among the most famous "cabinets of curiosities," visited by everybody in the intellectual world. The Hermetic cast of Kircher's thought, which was foreign to the concerns of those propelling the Age of Reason, coupled with the breadth of his interests, caused many of his contributions to be widely overlooked--an oversight now masterfully rectified by Joscelyn Godwin. It has been said that Kircher could think only in images. While this is an exaggeration, 400 of the stunning engravings that are a distinguishing feature of his work are included here so we may fully appreciate, learn from, and see for ourselves the life work, philosophy, and achievements of "the last man who knew everything." JOSCELYN GODWIN, musicologist and translator, is a professor of music at Colgate University. He first explored the life and work of Athanasius Kircher in 1979 in his book A Renaissance Man and the Quest for Lost Knowledge. Godwin was educated at Cambridge and Cornell Universities and has authored and edited many books on Hermeticism and music, including Cosmic Music, The Golden Thread, The Harmony of the Spheres, and Arktos: The Polar Myth. He is also known for his translations of the works of such figures as Fabre d'Olivet and Julius Evola and the first complete English translation of Francesco Colonna's Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. He lives in New York state.

CaBALA / AUTOAYUDA "Una exploracion brillantemente expuesta del escurridizo misterio de los suenos y la imaginacion, y de como estos se desenvuelven a ambos lados del velo que separa la realidad de la fantasia." --Rabino Gershon Winkler, autor de Kabbalah 365: Daily Fruit from the Tree of Life [Cabala 365: Un fruto del arbol de la vida para cada dia] "Catherine Shainberg es una maestra de gran profundidad espiritual que nos recuerda que sonar no solo tiene que ver con lo que hacemos al dormir, sino con el despertar a una vida mas trascendente cuando evocamos nuestro proposito sagrado y adoptamos un rumbo a partir de el." --Robert Moss, autor de Dreamways of the Iroquois: Honoring the Secret Wishes of the Soul [Senderos oniricos de los iroqueses: Como satisfacer los deseos secretos del alma] "Shainberg nos guia a traves de la madeja de posibilidades del crecimiento interior por medio del trabajo de ensueno, proponiendo fascinantes ejercicios que abren la mente y el corazon. La autora transita por un sendero de gran belleza." --Rodger Kamenetz, author de The Jew in the Lotus [El judio en el loto] En La cabala y el poder de sonar, Catherine Shainberg expone practicas esotericas que nos permiten desbloquear los poderes transformativos e intuitivos de la mente cuando sonamos. Se trata de practicas utilizadas por profetas, videntes y sabios de la antiguedad para controlar los suenos y las visiones. Shainberg se basa en la antigua tradicion cabalistica sefardi de los suenos que nos lego el renombrado cabalista del siglo XIII Isaac el Ciego, asi como en relatos y mitos ilustrativos de toda la region mediterranea, para ensenar a los lectores a benefciarse del poder intuitivo de sus suenos. Si bien la Biblia hebrea y nuestra tradicion esoterica occidental nos dan amplias evidencias de las ensenanzas de los suenos, rara vez se ha expuesto con claridad el camino que conduce a los suenos conscientes. Shainberg nos muestra que sonar no es un fenomeno que simplemente sucede mientras dormimos, sino que sonamos en todo momento. Al ensenar a la mente consciente a estar despierta durante el sueno, y a la mente ensonadora a manifestarse en la conciencia diurna, seremos capaces de revolucionar nuestra conciencia. Los ejercicios de vision interior propuestos por la autora estimulan imagenes creativas y transformativas que van defniendo los senderos a la autorrealizacion. CATHERINE SHAINBERG, Ph.D., es psicologa, sanadora y maestra, y tiene su propia consulta privada en Nueva York. Dedico diez anos a un intenso estudio de la cabala de la Luz en Jerusalen con la estimada cabalista Colette Aboulker-Muscat y luego dedico veinte anos mas a seguir colaborando con ella. En 1982 Catherine Shainberg fundo la Escuela de las Imagenes, dedicada a la ensenanza de tecnicas de sueno revelador e intencion (kavana) de esta antigua tradicion cabalistica sefardi. Realiza talleres internacionales de imagineria y suenos.

MYSTICISM / SPIRITUALITY Ancient peoples the world over understood that individual consciousness is rooted in a universal field of consciousness and is therefore eternal, surviving the passing of the physical body. They engaged in spiritual practices to make that transition maximally auspicious. These practices can be described as a kind of alchemy in which base elements are discarded and higher levels of consciousness are realized. The result is the creation of a vehicle, a soul body, that carries consciousness beyond physical death. These spiritual preparations are symbolized in the Vedic, Egyptian, and Hebraic traditions as a divine stairway or ladder, a step-by-step path of ascent in which the practitioner raises consciousness by degrees until it comes to rest in the bosom of the infinite, thereby becoming "immortal." This spiritual process explains the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, for example, whose reincarnation is confirmed in infancy through physical and spiritual signs, indicating that the consciousness has been carried from one lifetime to the next. In Creating the Soul Body, Robert Cox maps the spiritual journey of consciousness behind this sacred science of immortality and reveals the practice of creating a soul body in detail. He also shows that this ancient spiritual science resembles advanced theories of modern science, such as wave and particle theory and the unified field theory, and reveals that modern science is only now awakening to this ancient science of "immortality." ROBERT E. COX holds a master's degree in Vedic Studies from the Institute of Creative Intelligence in Switzerland. For nine years he lived as a reclusive monk, during which time he received intuitive cognitions regarding the structure and dynamics of consciousness that inspired his research. He is the author of The Pillar of Celestial Fire, and he lives in Arizona.

History / Biography"A thoroughly engaging book about one of the fourth century's most interesting emperors."--The Journal of Classics Teaching"Keenly paced and beautifully written . . . quite simply one of the best historical biographies of the year."--Catholic Herald"Friendly to its controversial subject and an easy read."--Church TimesThe violent death of the emperor Julian (Flavius Claudius Julianus, AD 332-363) on a Persian battlefield has become synonymous with the death of paganism. Vilified throughout history as the "Apostate," the young philosopher-warrior was the last and arguably the most potent threat to Christianity.The Last Pagan examines Julian's journey from an aristocratic Christian childhood to his initiation into pagan cults and his mission to establish paganism as the dominant faith of the Roman world. Julian's death, only two years into his reign, initiated a culture-wide suppression by the Church of all things it chose to identify as pagan. Only in recent decades, with the weakening of the Church's influence and the resurgence of paganism, have the effects of that suppression begun to wane. Drawing upon more than 700 pages of Julian's original writings, Adrian Murdoch shows that had Julian lived longer our history and our present-day culture would likely be very different.ADRIAN MURDOCH is a historian and journalist. He is the author of Rome's Greatest Defeat: Massacre in the Teutoburg Forest and The Last Roman, a biography of Romulus Augustulus, the Western Roman Empire's final emperor. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

RELIGION / HINDUISM "Peter Marchand has accomplished something unique in his new book. He has turned Jnana Yoga, the highest non-dual philosophy, into a real page-turner. I especially enjoy reading the book just before going to sleep; when I do, I find myself resting deeply and waking up each morning more connected to my unchanging Being." --Swami Asokananda, president of Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville In The Yoga of Truth, Peter Marchand, through a series of deceptively simple introspective questions, leads the seeker into discarding everything--body, personality, thoughts, memories, experiences--that disguises the ego's relentless masquerade as the Self. This is a contemplative yoga, requiring constant commitment to witnessing without attachment. This inner examination disempowers the ego's fixation on its products and leads instead to the realization that the witnessing consciousness is, in fact, the one immutable Being within or without--the real Self, the true You. The universal illusion rests upon space and time, body and elements, the life force, mind, intellect, ego, and self. Jnana Yoga reveals not only the insubstantial and illusory nature of our presumptions but also our habitual commitment to the false sense of self that they create. This illusion of individuality collapses before direct inspection. When something has form, when it can change, it cannot be the eternal with which we seek union. Witnessing consciousness stands alone as that which is without form. In The Yoga of Truth, Marchand leads us simply, and compellingly, to the truth of our nature and the peaceful bliss of true Being. PETER MARCHAND is one of the founders of Sanatan Society, a networking organization of the family and students of Harish Johari (1934-1999), a tantric scholar, poet, and artist who authored twelve books, including Chakras and Tools for Tantra. Marchand became a student of Johari in 1983 and teaches Rasa Sadhana and Jnana Yoga in Europe, India, the United States, and Canada. The author of The Yoga of the Nine Emotions, he lives in Belgium

INDIGENOUS CULTURES / HEALING "Some people say that we are made of molecules and cells, but Lewis Mehl-Madrona insists that we are made of stories. Stories involve a whole person in a historical context and in a whole environment. This more expansive view of ourselves is more true-to-life and real. Dr. Mehl-Madrona teaches us to learn our own story and to use it to heal ourselves and to appreciate our own soul's path." Dana Ullman, MPH, author of The Homeopathic Revolution and coauthor of Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines Modern medicine, with its high-tech and managed-care approach, has eliminated much of what constitutes the art of healing: those elements of doctoring that go beyond the medications prescribed. The typically brief office visit leaves little time for doctors to listen to their patients, though it is in these narratives that disease is both revealed and perpetuated--and can be released and treated. Lewis Mehl-Madrona's Narrative Medicine examines the foundations of the indigenous use of story as a healing modality. Citing numerous case histories that demonstrate the profound power of narrative in healing, the author shows that when we learn to dialogue with disease, we come to understand the power of the story we tell about our illness and our possibilities for better health. This approach also includes examining our relationships to our family and extended community to find underlying disharmony that may need healing. Mehl-Madrona points the way to a new model of medicine--a health care system that draws its effectiveness from listening to the healing wisdom of the past and also to the present-day voices of its patients. LEWIS MEHL-MADRONA, M.D., Ph.D., is certified in family practice, geriatrics, and psychiatry and worked for years in rural emergency medicine. He is an associate professor of family medicine and psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan and is the author of Coyote Healing, Coyote Wisdom, and the bestselling Coyote Medicine. He lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

HEALTH / HEALING "Anyone who has grown up in the overfed, over-drugged West will want to keep this book handy." --Bill Porter (aka Red Pine), author of Road to Heaven, translator of Lao-tzu's Tao Te Ching "Of all the current experts and practitioners writing about traditional Chinese medicine, Daniel Reid is unique in his balanced methods of blending the East and the West. This is a timely book." --Chungliang Al Huang, author of Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain "In this well-written book, Daniel Reid shares with us his heartfelt purification techniques, from ancient Chinese life science to modern science. I recommend this book to those who are on their path of health and well being." --Zhongxian Wu, author of Vital Breath of the Dao Despite the wonders of modern medicine, the state of human health throughout the world is eroding at an alarming rate. The long-term accumulation of toxins and acid waste in our bodies--both from the chemically contaminated air we breathe and water we drink as well as the toxins we ingest in the form of low quality food, preservatives, and additives--damages our organs, corrodes our joints and arteries, enervates our nervous system, and inhibits our immune system. Chronic pain and fatigue, hypertension and heart failure, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, indigestion, insomnia, and even acne, are all caused by the long-term accumulation of toxins in our bodies. In The Tao of Detox Daniel Reid combines traditional Eastern practices and the latest of modern Western thinking to offer detoxification methods that can repair, in as little as seven to ten days, much of the long-term damage done. He provides breathing exercises, massage techniques, and soft exercises such as yoga and tai chi that help the body to heal itself. He also explains the importance of "rational retoxification," which allows the careful reintroduction of less healthy substances, and offers ways to counteract those toxins we can't--or don't want to--avoid, including alcohol and tobacco. Reid explains that, just as we care for our cars with regular tune-ups, by practicing periodic detox as well as "rational retox," we can enjoy long and healthy lives and still be able to "eat, drink, and be merry." DANIEL REID has a Master's degree in Chinese language and civilization, and he studied Taoist practices in Taiwan for 16 years and in Thailand for 10 before moving to Australia in 1999. He is the author of several books, including The Tao of Health, Sex & Longevity and The Complete Book of Chinese Health & Healing.

HERMETIC PHILOSOPHY"The excellence of the soul is understanding; for the man who understands is conscious, devoted, and already godlike." Hermes to Tat"My discourse leads to the truth; the mind is great and guided by this teaching is able to arrive at some understanding. When the mind has understood all things and found them to be in harmony with what has been expounded by the teachings, it is faithful and comes to rest in that beautiful faith."Hermes to AsclepiusThe Corpus Hermeticum, a powerful fusion of Greek and Egyptian thought, is one of the cornerstones of the Western esoteric tradition. A collection of short philosophical treatises, it was written in Greek between the first and third centuries A.D. and translated into Latin during the Renaissance by the great scholar and philosopher Marsilio Ficino. These writings, believed to be the writings of Hermes Trismegistus, were central to the spiritual work of Hermetic societies in Late Antique Alexandria (200-700 A.D.), and aimed to awaken gnosis, the direct realization of the unity of the individual and the Supreme. In addition to this new translation of The Corpus Hermeticum, which seeks to reflect the inspirational intent of the original, The Way of Hermes includes the first English translation of the recently rediscovered manuscript of The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius, a collection of aphorisms used by the hermetic student to strengthen the mind during meditation. With the proper mental orientation, a state of pure perception can be achieved in which the true face of God appears. This document is of enormous value to the contemporary student of gnostic studies for its insights into the actual workings of this spiritual path.CLEMENT SALAMAN is the editor of the English translation of The Letters of Marsilio Ficino. DORINE VAN OYEN is a lecturer on Hermetic studies in Amsterdam. WILLIAM D. WHARTON teaches Classical history, languages, and philosophy in Boston. JEAN-PIERRE MAHE is Correspondent of the Acad魩e des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres, Paris.

EGYPT / ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS "A startling new theory that brings to life the biblical world of Joseph and places it firmly in the lead-up to Ancient Egypt's most controversial period of history." --Andrew Collins, author of From the Ashes of Angels and Gods of Eden "In The Hebrew Pharaohs of Egypt, Ahmed Osman single-handedly moves the goal posts of biblical scholarship. He successfully narrows the search for the historical Hebrew patriarchs by giving us a novel and persuasive case for a secret lineage of the patriarch Joseph. This is a 'must read' for all alternative history buffs and scholars alike." --Rand Flem-Ath, coauthor of When the Sky Fell and The Atlantis Blueprint ." . . a fascinating and thought-provoking read. It is thoroughly well researched and convincingly argued." --Graham Phillips, author of Atlantis and the Ten Plagues of Egypt When Joseph revealed his identity to his kinsmen who had sold him into slavery, he told them that God had made him "a father to Pharaoh." Throughout the long history of ancient Egypt, only one man is known to have been given the title "a father to Pharaoh"--Yuya, a vizier of the Eighteenth Dynasty king Tuthmosis IV. Yuya has long intrigued Egyptologists because he was buried in the Valley of Kings even though he was not a member of the Royal House. His extraordinarily well-preserved mummy has a strong Semitic appearance, which suggests he was not of Egyptian blood, and many aspects of his burial have been shown to be contrary to Egyptian custom. As The Hebrew Pharaohs of Egypt shows, the idea that Joseph and Yuya may be one and the same person sheds a whole new light on the sudden rise of monotheism in Egypt, spearheaded by Queen Tiye and her son Akhenaten. It would clearly explain the deliberate obliteration of references to the "heretic" king and his successors by the last Eighteenth Dynasty pharaoh, Horemheb, whom the author believes was the oppressor king in the Book of Exodus. Osman also draws on a wealth of detailed evidence from Egyptian, biblical, and Koranic sources to place the time of the departure of the Hebrews from Egypt during the short reign of Ramses I, the first king of the Nineteenth Dynasty. AHMED OSMAN was born in Cairo in 1934 to Egyptian Muslim parents. He studied law at Cairo University and later worked as a journalist and playwright. Since 1965 he has lived in England. This project is the culmination of twenty-two years of writing and research. Osman is also the author of Moses and Akhenaten and Out of Egypt.

HISTORY / INDIA Alain Danielou approaches the history of India through the enduring institutions of its culture that have remained constant, despite the ephemeral historical events that have shapted its destiny. His synthesis and narration create a thoroughly engaging and readable journey through time, with a level of detail and comprehensiveness that is truly a marvel. Because of the continuity of its civilization, its unique social system, and the tremendous diversity of cultures, races, languages, and religions that exist in its vast territory, India is like a history museum. Its diverse groups have maintained their separate identities, never fully supplanting the culture and knowledge of their predecessors. Even today one may encounter in India indigenous Stone Age people, whose technology has remained at what is considered prehistoric levels, existing side by side with computer engineers and rocket scientists. Thus Danielou's examination of India reveals not only the diversity, historical events, and trends of that country, but also the history of all mankind. Through Danielou's history of India we learn from whence we came; what we have discovered over the years in the fields of science, arts, technology, social structures, religions, and philosophical concepts; and what the future may hold for us. ALAIN DANIeLOU was born in Paris in 1907. After studying in France and the United States, he devoted himself to musicology, traveling in North Africa, the Middle East, China, Japan, and Indonesia. He then settled in India, first at Santiniketan and then at Benares, where for more than twenty years he studied Sanskrit, music, and philosophy with traditional Hindu scholars. In 1945, he was appointed Assistant Director/Professor of the College of Music at the Hindu University of Benares. He founded and directed the Institute for Comparative Music Studies in Berlin and Venice, also directing the UNESCO anthologies of Oriental Music and Musical Sources. In 1971, he donated his precious library to the Cini Foundation in Venice. The author of more than thirty books on the religion, history, and arts of India and the Mediterranean, Alain Danielou died in 1994.

MARTIAL ARTS/ EASTERN PHILOSOPHY T'ai Chi According to the I Ching presents a practice that is the first-time correlation of two major Taoist philosophies. T'ai Chi is a physical expression of Taoist thought--a philosophy in motion. T'ai Chi initiates a process of internal alchemy that allows for the stimulation and accumulation of chi through the major energy systems of the body. Physically, this process restores youthful flexibility. Spiritually, it frees the mind to roam the sublime Tao. The relationships between T'ai Chi, the I Ching, and Taoist philosophy are well established in many of the classical texts and teachings handed down from the time of the Yellow Emperor (c. 2500 b.c.e.) continuing up to the period of Chang San-Feng (c. a.d. 1200). Until now these relationships have not been explored in Western texts. Stuart Alve Olson now shows how the eight trigrams of the II Ching relate to the eight basic postures of T'ai Chi and how together they comprise the orderly sequence of the postures in the Before Heaven T'ai Chi Form, the foundation of all T'ai Chi forms. Using more than 250 photographs, Olson provides a step-by-step guide to each posture in the Before Heaven T'ai Chi Form and illustrates the sixty-four postures of the After Heaven T'ai Chi Form. In addition, the author discusses the universal principles of T'ai Chi that enable one to master the practice and access all the health and philosophical benefits of T'ai Chi as well as gain insight into the philosophy of the I Ching. T'ai Chi According to the I Ching is an essential reference book for any serious student of T'ai Chi, the I Ching, and Taoism, showing how beautifully Taoism is expressed in the motions of the T'ai Chi form. STUART ALVE OLSON is a longtime student of renowned T'ai Chi Ch'uan Master T. T. Liang. He has also studied under numerous Buddhist and Taoist masters, including Ch'an Master Hsuan Hua, Kung fu and healing Master Oei Khong-hwei, and Dharma Master Cheng Yi. He is the author of Qigong Teachings of a Taoist Immortal, T'ai Chi for Kids, and Tao of No Stress. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN / SPIRITUALITY "Soul Talk is a worthy tribute to Toni Cade Bambara and to the lives and work of African American women writers." --Toni Morrison, author of Beloved and Paradise "The explorations and truths that waft up from this powerful, practical and nourishing gumbo make interesting reading for anyone. In this intelligent work of the heart and spirit, Hull reveals the exquisite and reflective interiors of African-American women." --Publishers Weekly "Hull has given us new revelations. I have seen many of my sisters embracing a new light in their lives--African American women giving birth to brightness and walking along the river of grace and redemption. This book talks to me. Soul to soul." --E. Ethelbert Miller, author of Fathering Words "Akasha Hull's Soul Talk offers us a cartography of New Age spirituality from the perspective of African American women. Embracing Spirit as a world view infused with political aspirations and creative impulses, she visions a new trinity of renewal and redemption, grounded in suffering, survival, and resistance." --Bettina Aptheker, chair of women's studies, University of California, Santa Cruz "A beautiful testament and tribute to the power of black women. Here, the one-dimensional New Age paradigm shifts to a "True Age" model for integrating spirituality, politics, and creativity. This book will help men understand why women are, and must be, in the forefront of a spiritual culture that could save us all. Ache O." --Luisah Teish, author of Jambalaya From the last part of the twentieth century through today, African American women have experienced a revival of spirituality and creative force, fashioning from old traditions and New Age practices a unique way to connect with the divine. In Soul Talk, Akasha Gloria Hull examines this multifaceted spirituality that has fostered both personal healing and artistic brilliance, and has functioned as a formidable weapon against racism and social injustice. Through fascinating conversations with some of today's most creative and powerful women, the author explores how this new spiritual consciousness is manifested, how it affects the women who practice it, and how its effects can be carried to others. AKASHA GLORIA HULL, PH.D., is a writer, professor of literature and women's studies, lecturer, and consultant. Her previous books include Color, Sex, and Poetry: Three Women Writers of the Harlem Renaissance; Give Us Each Day: The Diary of Alice Dunbar-Nelson; All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men, But Some of Us Are Brave; and Healing Heart: Poems 1973-1987. She lives in northern California.

PARENTING "Aviva Romm has written a book of aid and comfort for agonized parents, who must make intelligent life decisions for their kids while lacking reliable information about how vaccines act." --Richard Moskowitz, M.D. "This must-read book is a valuable resource for all parents." --Mary Bove, N.D., author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Healing for Children and Infants "Aviva Jill Romm brings a high level of intelligence and insight to the debate on public policies regarding vaccination. Level-headed and thoroughly researched, yet eminently readable, her book leaves no stones unturned and refuses to shy away from challenging the status quo. It should be read by every parent who is considering vaccination for their child; and I daresay that it should also be mandatory reading for every health professional in the position of recommending (or discouraging) the use of vaccines." --Robert Rountree, M.D., coauthor of Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child Deciding whether or when to vaccinate a child is one of the most important--and most difficult--health-care decisions a parent will ever make. The recent increase in the number of vaccinations recommended and the concurrent controversies about whether vaccinations are safe or even effective have left many parents confused and concerned. Midwife, herbalist, and mother of four, Aviva Jill Romm sifts through the spate of current research on vaccine safety and efficacy and offers a sensible, balanced discussion of the pros and cons of each routine childhood vaccination. She presents the full spectrum of options available to parents: full vaccination on a standardized or individualized schedule, selective vaccination, or no vaccinations at all. Negotiating daycare and school requirements, dealing with other parents, and traveling with an unvaccinated child are covered in detail. The book also suggests ways to strengthen children's immune systems and maintain optimal health, and offers herbal and homeopathic remedies for childhood ailments. Emphasizing that no single approach is appropriate for every child, the author guides parents as they make the choices that are right for their child. AVIVA JILL ROMM is a certified professional midwife, practicing herbalist, and the Executive Director of the American Herbalists Guild. She is the author of The Natural Pregnancy Book, The Pocket Guide to Midwifery Care, and Naturally Healthy Babies and Children as well as coauthor of ADHD Alternatives. She lives with her family in Georgia.

JUDAICA / SPIRITUALITY "This magisterial work reveals in irrefutable fashion the cosmological foundations of the Kabbalah and its expression in sacred geometry and number symbolism. It sweeps aside centuries of speculation, misunderstanding, and partial understanding and in all likelihood will set off the storms of scholarly controversy that invariably attend genuinely original and revolutionary thought. I believe that Leonora Leet has done for Kabbalah scholarship what R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz did for Egyptology--this is a work of immense importance." --John Anthony West, author of Serpent in the Sky: The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt "The Secret Doctrine of the Kabbalah is a bold and innovative interpretation of the esoteric teachings of Judaism. Particularly impressive is the utilization of mathematical and scientific categories to illuminate the mystical teachings of the Kabbalah. The result is a fresh and fascinating exploration of the hidden wisdom of Judaism, which should be of great interest to all those who are searching for an enriched engagement with spiritual matters." --Elliot R. Wolfson, Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, New York University "With mastery, sensitivity, and depth, Leonora Leet has illuminated the hidden meaning and structure of one of the world's great transmissions of sacred mystery--the Kabbalah--in a manner that invigorates its power to transform individual awareness and inform and reform our social development." --Robert Lawlor, author of Voices of the First Day and Sacred Geometry This brilliant new work reveals the Kabbalah to be the product of a sophisticated, though largely forgotten, Hebraic sacred science that was the rival of any in Egypt or Greece. Unlike previous historical explorations of the Jewish esoteric tradition, The Secret Doctrine of the Kabbalah resurrects this ancient body of knowledge to reveal eternal truths that can have a profound and positive impact on contemporary spirituality. New experimental methods of practicing Hebraic sacred science are explored that explain as never before the meaning of the central cosmological diagram of the entire Western esoteric tradition--the kabbalistic Tree of Life. Leet shows that the Kabbalah and its central diagram enshrine a key to the purpose of the cosmos, a key that has vast implications for modern physics, cosmology, and spiritual evolution. LEONORA LEET (1929-2004) received her Ph.D. from Yale University and was Professor of English at St. John's University. She is the author of Renewing the Covenant.

ASTRONOMY / GEOLOGY CATACLYSM! Cataclysm! presents a breakthrough of enormous proportions--a new understanding of cosmic events in Earth's recent geological past. Follow this multi-disciplinary, scientific study as it examines the evidence of a great global catastrophe that occurred only 11,500 years ago. Crustal shifting, the tilting of Earth's axis, mass extinctions, upthrusted mountain ranges, rising and shrinking land masses, and gigantic volcanic eruptions and earthquakes--all indicate that a fateful confrontation with a destructive cosmic visitor must have occurred. The abundant geological, biological, and climatological evidence from this dire event calls into question many geological theories and will awaken our memories to our true--and not-so-distant--past. "In not only the scholarship of paleontology but the paleontology of scholarship, this is the sort of book which someday we will realize to be--like the record of a great extinction--the marker at the end of one era and the threshold of another. It is monumental work, which no enlightened library of the coming paradigm shift will be without." --Douglas Kenyon, Atlantis Rising magazine "Allan and Delair do a brilliant job in revealing that researchers have barely touched the tip of the iceberg of events that shook the Earth around 9,577 B.C. . . . This book is an essential handbook to our ancient past: a brave multi-disciplinary approach that should be applauded." --Rand Flem-Ath, coauthor, When the Sky Fell D.S. ALLAN, a Cambridge M.A., is a science historian specializing in paleogeography, particularly in the Arctic regions. A science teacher for many years, he is a skilled cartographer and has made a special study of evidence for climatic and landform change in recent geological times. He lives in Basildon, Essex, England. J.B. DELAIR, B.Sc., is an Oxford-based geologist with wide international and commercial field experience. An anthropologist, he has a special interest in animal and plant distribution and in tribal traditions. He is the Museum Curator of Geology at University of Southampton, England.