The Coming of the Holy Grail

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: The Coming of the Holy Grail - The Exact Location of Heaven's Treasure and the Promise of Retrieval by Claire Nahmad and Michael Revill, paperback, 341 pages, published by Cygnus. 

The text provides an investigation of the creation of the Grail, why it was stolen and why it has been kept secret, and by whom, where it is now, and how it is ready for exposure. From the Mary Magdalene church in the remote village of Rennes-Le-Chateau, Father Berenger Saunier, the priest, discovered the mountain retreat of the Chief Guardian of the Grail and the last of the Morovingian royal dynasty, King Dagobert II. He was kidnapped and held captive in Ireland in his youth due to his holy bloodline, and was eventually murdered by Pepin the Fat. The Grail was buried in the crypt of the church which was once King Dogobert's private chapel. During the Crusades, it was taken to the newly created Lincoln Cathedral, built on an ancient shine to Mary Magdalene in AD60. It was kept in the Lucy Tower - the Tower of Light - where Knights Templar were imprisoned and inscribed their fate on the walls.       

Queen Mab Oracle

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Queen Mab Oracle – Divine Wisdom from the Queen of the Fae, by Tess Whitehurst. Boxed set of 45 cards and guidebook. Published by Blue Angel Publishing. July 2023  £19.99 ISBN: 9781922573773

 Channelled by the Rocky Mountains author, Tess Whitehurst, we peer deeply into the images, created by two illustrators, Melanie Delon and Cecilia G.F. The box has an attractive glint. The figurative images are female, young, slim and pretty, as one would expect from fairyland. Crowns, butterflies, flowers and the moon are suitable motifs. There are some multi-cultural images too. The principle colours are sombre russets, dark blues, browns and greys, so for me, this is an Autumnal card oracle. 

Secret Life of Trees

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: The Secret Life of Trees - How they live and why they matter By Colin Tudge, Published by Penguin £8.99 with b/w drawing illustrations.

A delight on every page! Amuse your friends on your walks with precious stories from across the world about these common and wonderful plants. Trees feature in fairy tales, biblical stories, ancestral research, local history, they keep all species alive, we could not survive without them, and they are with us from the cradle to the grave. This book will make you fall in love, whether flowering, cones, nuts, berries, this book is lyrical and evocative with astounding research. This is a labour of love for what others take for granted! A deep fascination for an extraordinary subject! Practical, wise, knowledgeable, and tackling one of the most important matters for our society. On the button Colin! You are a gift to our world.  

Oracle Reading for May

The first card I have chosen for this month is from Doreen Virtue's 'Archangel Raphael Healing Oracle Cards'. It is titled 'Forgiveness Heals' and it shows a woman caressed by an angel which is dressed in gold and radiating light from its forehead. It bears the inscription 'Dear God and Archangel Raphael, I am willing to forgive myself and others in exchange for what I really want: peace and health.' It is a reminder that anger storied in the body and mind is harmful. Although something may seem unforgivable, forgiveness does not mean the hurtful action was OK but that you are no longer willing to suffer the pain of resentment. Archangel Raphael will restore your mind and body to peace if you ask now for help in letting go of the hurt. You are advised to write a letter to the person who hurt you and destroy it, thereby ending your own torment. 

Psychic News Mag

New Oracle Card Deck Release November 2025 Psychic News Magazine Review for October 2025 issue : 

Healing the Inner Child - A Transformative Quest, Boxed set of 44 Cards and Guidebook by Nina Mongendre, with artwork by EdieArt. Published by Hay House. RRP UK £17.99 : US $22.99 : Can $29.99 

What is the Inner Child? As children, there are times when we are upset, confused or afraid, and feelings of vulnerability, trauma and unmet needs are buried, but they still affect our adult emotions, beliefs, and thoughts. When we access these childhood memories, we can provide validation to the child we once were, resolving hardships with compassion, healing psychological wounds with understanding, supporting the crying child, and where there are negative patterns affecting adult life, inserting boundaries and more aware decisions making. 

"Your inner child holds the key to your wholeness as an adult.”

Soul Coaching Oracle Cards

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Soul Coaching Oracle Cards by Denise Lynn http://www.deniselinn.com/ published by Hay House. 52 cards in the box with a guidebook, a page of text per card. Sample card readings: The card, Compassion states: 'The vibration of compassion shines through my every cell". You are a deeply compassionate being. Allow the light of your goodwill to shine to the world. Accept the care that the Creator has for you. You are loved and immensely lovable. Start with yourself, gently and lovingly accept yourself as you are. You dont need to be perfect. Release your judgements and negative beliefs and you will have greater undersranding for others. Release guilt and shame because they no longer serve you. Forgive yourself and others. All the vibration of compassion shine through every cell in your body. 

Your Life in Colour

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book review: Your Life in Colour - Empowering Your Soul with the Energy of Colour by Dougall Fraser and published by Hay House, paperback £12.99 Author website: www.dougallfraser.com

Dougall Fraser is a Los Angeles life coach and workshop facilitator. He has an ability to see auras and has added interests in meditation, chakras and colour healing. Here he explains how to incorporate colour into our life and includes exercises, affirmations, meditations and suggestions on how to align ourself with colour energies. Colours can create positive and negative reactions so we need to find which colours work for us and he provides a simple course to work with a different colour each week. Dougall Fraser provides examples from his personal experiences and those of his clients. Each colour has a positive and a negative aspect and colour can help us to meet our goals, increase energy, influence and wellbeing. We can imagine a beautiful meditation such as imagining a ball of colour above our head which bursts into a shower of sparkles which rain down over us. He has a radio show on Hay House Radio and offers a blog on his website. White, gold, silver, blue, emerald green, purple, ruby red, orange, pink, mint green. 

Numerology Guidance Cards

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Oracle Card Review: Numerology Cards by Michelle Buchanan with artwork by Jonathan Quintin. 44 cards in box with instruction booklet published by Hay House. Card size 3.8 x 9.5 x 14cm. £14.99 www.michellebuchanan.co.nz

These are high quality cards and the instruction booklet explains how to bless and connect to the cards by talking to them, placing them over your heart and affirming your intentions. Then perform a 5 minute visualisation. There is also information on how to use the cards and how to perform a reading, such as being clear about asking a question and selecting your card. In addition to a one card reading example, a 3 card reading is shown which offers ‘situation’, ‘action’, ‘outcome’ or a ‘3 points of view’ card. There is also a multiple deck reading where you use ‘Numerology Guidance Cards’ with another deck, such as an angel or tarot deck. Every card in the deck has a different colour for recognition, a number and a title. In the booklet, there is an explanation for every card and number and an affirmation. The design is the same on the front (it is described as a ‘Merkaba star tetrahedron’ and the backs of the cards are a blue/purple colour with a circle described as a ‘Flower of Life’.   

Alchemy of the Soul

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Alchemy of the Soul - The Arc of the Ancients by Gloria O’Neil-Savage. Self Published June 2025. hardcover US $19.98 

The author is a healer, an aromatherapist and astrologer. She is also a word smith who delights in language and description, etymology and weird association. She hears the words oof Angels and offers us the knowledge of spirit teachers and she describes herself as a servant of the Most High who lives according to spirit instructions. The book is well written in a poetic style. childhood betrayals, life’s obstacles, challenges, dreams, friendships, celebrations, are all detailed here. This is an autobiography full of wisdom, and beauty. Autobiographies are often hyped, a business calling card that is written to promote a business, but this has nuggets of meaning and purposed, and is a spiritual life explained for the reader. 

The Spirit Animal Oracle

Mind, Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Reviews: The Spirit Animal Oracle by Colette Baron-Reid, Boxed set of 68 cards and guidebook, published by Hay House, U.K. £19.99 : US $29.99 : CAN $39.99 Card size: 6 “ x  4.5”

“The spirits residing in the natural world have much to share, and the secrets of their forgotten language are now available to us.”

The cards have a number, image, title and subtitle on the face and inside in the guidebook, there is a further 200 words of messages on upright cards and an addition 200 words of a protection message for each card that is reversed. 

Flower Therapy Oracle Cards

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Flower Therapy Oracle Cards by Doreen Virtue and Robert Reeves. Boxed set of 44 cards and guidebook £13.99.

Enjoyable high colour cards featuring flowers from across the world. How to use the cards, how to clear them, consecrate them, invoke angelic protection, and how to ask a question. Choose a 3 card spread or multiple cards! Each card is explained with 100 words of information on insight and healing. Gold leaf edging on mine, enjoyable high colour photo quality card images! Hay House is always good value and excellent quality card stock. The cards provide guidance for yourself and others. A latin and local name are given for each flower and a slogan of advice. Friendly, easy, take them to the coffee bar to share the readings with friends and family. 

Review: Wendy Stokes www.wendystokes.co.uk

Tarot and the Gates of Light

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Tarot and the Gates of Light - A Kabbalistic Path to Liberation by Mark Horn, paperback, 530 pages published by Destiny Books.

This is a workbook to assist the student to gain enlightenment through an ancient Kabbalistic cleansing ritual known as ‘Counting the Omer’. This practice traditionally began at Passover and continued for 49 days to Shavuot or what many know as Pentecost or Whit (white) Sunday. Tarot cards are used here - b/w drawings of the Rider Waite deck are provided within the text, in this newly designed method, which incorporates Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim texts and has therefore, an ecumenical base that does not exclude anyone of these religions, or none.

The Language of Letting Go

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie. 

A book of 365 advice style meditations provided on a daily reading basis. Melody shares her recommendations for letting go of anxiety, despondency, needyness, frustrations, and other common problems, replacing them with confidence, joy, self understanding and positivity. Each daily meditation is followed by a one sentence prayer. AA and other similar programmes for recovery from addictions, codependency and compulsions are the foundation of this book. 

Recommended. Review by Wendy Stokes https://wendystokes.co.uk

The Knights Templar in the New World

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: The Knights Templar in the New World - How Henry Sinclair Brought the Grail to Arcadia by William F Mann, published by Destiny Books. 

Did Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkney and a Scottish Prince, in 1398 sail to the New World of Nova Scotia and was this recorded by Micmac legends about Glooskap? Did the same Prince offer refuge to the Templar Knights after their persecution by Philip the Fair of France at the beginning of the fourteenth century? What do the archaeological sites reveal? Was there a refuge for the Templar Knights and their followers and did they have in their possession the sacred Grail cup or bloodline connecting Jesus and Mary Magdalene to the Merovingian dynasty? What are the indigenous legends? Was sacred geometry handed down to the Freemasons? These questions are answered, using original research by the author, Wm F Mann. Bill is an esteemed Officer of Canadian Order of Knights Templar with many accolades and credentials to his name.  

Templar Antiquities

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Temple Antiquities – The Templar Papers II By Oddvar Olsen Published by O Books Paperback 260 pages

This is book II and follows ‘Templar Papers: Ancient Mysteries, Secret Societies and the Holy Grail’ and is compiled by Oddvar Olsen as a collection of essays by a number of writers, some very well-known in their field and with a love of research into the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon (known as the Knights Templar). This was a Mediaeval Western Christian military and religious order (1129-1312) that guarded pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. They were the most important figures of the Crusades and began a banking system so that pilgrims could deposit money in one place and collect it in another. Philip IV of France borrowed large sums of money from them and the Pope of the day declared the Order was heretical and many were tortured and put to death, and it is said some escaped.

The Templars

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: The Templars - The Dramatic History of the Knights Templar, the Most Powerful Military Order of the Crusades by Piers Paul Read. 

The Templars were a multinational force of religious warriors, the first uniformed standing army in the Western world. They owned and managed vast estates and were pioneers in many fields, including fighting, travel, banking and building. Were they guilty of the charges to which they pleaded guilty under torture of blasphemy, heresy and sodomy yet withdrew their guilty plea knowing that death by fire awaited them? What relevance has their story for our modern times? 

Each of the Jerusalem temples are detailed, the founding of the Templar Order, their daily lives and responsibilities, each of their battles, including Acre and its fall, and the many colourful characters, Saladin, Richard the Lionheart, Louis of France, etcetera are covered. The author provides a balanced account, and documents some interesting scandals, errors and tragedies. Each success and defeat is described and the many complex circumstances that led to their demise are detailed, including a major internecine dispute about the marriage of a Princess in Tripoli. A tracing attempts of the Templars to protect their treasure takes it from Sidon then to Cyprus, with many lost battles along route. An interesting piece, page  249, about Roger of Flor, son of a falconer of Emperor Frederick II, extortionist, commander of the  Falcon galley and the Olivetta, expelled from the Templar Order, he sailed to Marseilles, then Genoa, making vast sums through piracy, leading Catalan mercenaries, in 1302 he commanded 32 galleys and a force of 2,500 men, and was eventually assassinated. He was one of the very few recorded renegade Knights Templar.

The Murdered Magicians

Mind Body &  Soul Ezine Book Review: The Murdered Magicians - The Templars and their Myth by Peter Partner, hardback, published by Crucible.

This is an interesting study which is balanced, realistic and well researched. Is it possible to explain the Templars as great rogues, heroic yet ordinary men involved in a blame game by the King Philip 'the Fair' of France with the reluctant collusion of Pope Clement V?  The Order began with a dream of Saint Bernard and ended with a mythic curse from the tortured and dying Jacques de Molay.

This book does not artificially praise the Order, due to accusations of avarice, pride and other sins of their day, yet we are made aware of their honour and of their suffering. Most interesting, the court cases are described in detail along with the privations of their incarceration. 54 were burned to death in 1310 and the two Templar leaders burned to death in 1314. All went to their deaths claiming their innocence. What was their wrongdoing? They had no money and they failed to have further successes in the Holy Land. Were they really stupid to keep the secrets they were accused of? 

Templar Sanctuaries in North America

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Templar Sanctuaries in North America - Sacred Bloodlines and Secret Treasures by William F Mann, Foreword by Scott F Wolter. Published by Destiny Books, 419 pages Paperback: £14.99 Also available in Kindle format.

The Templars History & Myth

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: The Templars History & Myth - From Solomon's and Herod's Temples to the Freemasons, a Guide to Templar History, Culture and Locations by Michael Haag, published by Profile Books, 384 pages with black and white diagrams and photographs.

"The Templars have something to do with everything!"

A factual and readable account of the building of Solomon's Temple to the instigation of the Knights Templar, including the many crusades, their castles, banking empire, successes and failures, alleged conspiracies, trials and exiles, to the capture, imprisonment, torture of members, and to the eventual burning at the stake of their Last Grand Master. Details of the Chinon Parchment - which proved their innocence - and their escape to various countries, under various guises and denominations.

Turning the Templar Key

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Turning the Templar Key - Martyrs, Freemasons and the Secret of the True Cross of Christ by Robert Lomas 

The book opens to Martin Foulks’ glowing appraisal of Freemasonry and its charitable and self development aims, though fortunately, we don’t need to join a secret society with hidden handshakes, threats and a death ritual with knives and coffins to achieve a Christian life! 

The book begins with a fantasy of the morning of 13th October 1307 when the last Templar Grand Master was arrested by the soldiers of King Philip the Fair in the dormitory of the Paris Temple - the place where the royal valuables were kept for safety. Templar knights were monks. Priests are initiated, they say mass, and are. very different, though some monks were also priests, but not the Grand Masters, as one priest for a few dozen monks would have been adequate. Even with minimal criticisms, did I enjoy the content of the text? Yes, very definitely. It is beautifully written, and the author is a great story teller. 

The Templar Treasure of Gisors

Mind Body Soul Ezine Book Review: The Templar Treasure of Gisor by Jean Markale, Published by Inner Traditions/Bear & Co. Paperback 304 pages, £15.99 Using source documents, this controversial author, the late Jean Markale, considers that Templar treasures were hidden within the Cathedral at Gisor, possibly within the many underground chambers and passageways that are held to be too dangerous to investigate by modern archaeologists. The author accepts that the original confession of the Templars to heresy (conducted under extreme torture) was true and ignores their following retraction. Jean Markale (1928 - 2008) was the pen name of Jean Bertrand - described by himself as a Celtic and mediaeval scholar at the Sorbonne. Here he suggests that within the Knights Templar Order was a secret band of knights who had access to knowledge and wealth, spiritual and material, that is still to be found. This author has been discredited more than a couple of times!

History of the Knights Templar

Mind Body Soul Ezine Book Review: The History of the Knights Templar: The Temple Church and The Templars by Charles G Addison, 332 pages, reprinted and published. Hardback, paperback and Kindle. 

Written by a member of London’s Inner Temple (ie and licensed to practice law), the author, Charles Greenstreet Addison, refers to Latin, French and Early Modern English citations and source material,  and describes the origin of the Templars, their popularity, their rivalry with the Knights of Malta, (Hospitallers), their activities in the Holy Land, eye witness accounts of the battles' wins and losses, the 1312 suppression of the Order, their arrest, accusations of heresy and secret rites, their torture and the execution of the the last and highest of the Order. The London Temple Church, their headquarters in the UK, its architecture and history and how the area became the centre of the legal profession, a hostel and school for lawyers. All is detailed, with the culmination of the survival of their legacy. Expertly written and researched. 

Ben Mijuskovic - Loneliness

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Loneliness in Philosophy, Psychology, and Literature by Ben Lazare Mijuskovic  is available on Kindle £2.52 with 309 pages and there is a FREE download of the book from the website.

This book focuses on the link between literature, psychology and philosophy throughout time and on humankind's ability to deal with loneliness. The author, Ben Mijuskovic, explores the various ways society uses loneliness, for example, "punishing" prisoners by isolation from others. The book discusses in detail the reasons why children fear being alone and how adults deal with a similar anxiety but do not share their concerns with others. The author is a Professor and this is very much reflected in the style of writing. The book provides in depth academic understanding and will be of great interest to students and fellow academics. Reviewer: Susan Griffiths

The Templar Revelation

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: The Templar Revelation - Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, published by Corgi Books.
Visit: www.picknettprince.com

Exciting research and interesting speculations about the Order of Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon! Why is St John the Baptist so important? Who was Mary Magdalene and was she Mary of Bethany? What is the connection between St John the Disciple and Mary Magdalene? What is the 'John gesture'? Are there Mysteries encoded within Leonardo's work? Whose image is on the Turin Shroud? What did the Templars discover in the Holy Land? What is special about Friday 13th? Was Mary the 'Ark of the Covenant'? How important was alchemy to the Templars, the cathedral builders, Leonardo and others? 

The Quest for Mary Magdalene

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: The Quest for Mary Magdalene - History & Legend by Michael Haag

Extract:  “A woman who needed to earn an income could extend her domestic activities into the marketplace where she could sell clothing, farm produce and bread (the bakers were men)or she could be an innkeeper, letting out rooms in her house. Hairdressers, midwives, and professional mourners were traditional occupations for women. But a woman’s earnings were for the benefit of her family. She was not free to dispose of her money herself.

Tarot of A Moon Garden

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Tarot of A Moon Garden by Karen Marie Sweikhardt. Boxed set of 78 cards and full colour Guidebook and layout for Wheel of the Year Spread. Published by U S Games Systems Inc. $31.95

Marvellous! Purple gilt edging on these cards is a delight, and they have highly ornamental artwork! These are 78 borderless paintings - all the better to see the beauty of the flora and fauna, mythic creatures, angels and fairies, and natural settings. And, if the images alone don’t thoroughly excite you, the write ups on the cards definitely will. These are an unusual size, long and thin and easy to shuffle and deal. The written explanations are divided into Renderings, Readings and Ritual, providing 250 words for each card. The Appendix provides Garden Runes, Garden Recipes, and a recipe for Honey Mead. 

A Better World is Possible

Bruce Nixon writes: We are in a situation we have never been in before – an environmental crisis that threatens our very existence. Essentially, it results from our failure to live in harmony with the earth on which all life depends and each other. With another global economic crisis now unfolding, it is frightening.

"It is a time of breakdown but the good news is that breakdowns lead to breakthroughs. We have survived thorough history by learning and adapting. Human beings are enormously creative. We are capable of rapid mobilisation, as World War 2 showed. "The trouble is that political and corporate leaders appear wedded to ideologies that have not worked and they don’t see that whole system change is needed. Continuous growth defies common sense when we’re already consuming 30% more than the earth can provide and population may rise from 7bn to 10bn by the end of the century. They also think short term and fight with each other rather than collaborating.

"We know what needs to be done. We need total system change.  A vision of a better way of life will inspire and bring hope to everyone. We need a Great Transition (as proposed by the New Economics Foundation).  We need to find a new Prosperity - without growth (explored by Tim Jackson in his book of that title). Such a transition offers massive work opportunities, a better balance of work and leisure and better health for all. It can be achieved through fairer, sustainable taxation; tackling corporate tax evasion; principled foreign policies; investment in conflict resolution to save lives and release the vast sums spent on war; providing funds for green investment; and shifting subsidies from industries that accelerate climate change and harm lives to those that are sustainable. Comprehensive monetary reform is needed giving reserve banks the sole right to issue money. A citizen’s income, partly funded by land value taxation, can reduce the humiliation and cost of administering complex benefits.

Chinese Fortune Reading Cards

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Chinese Fortune Reading Cards by Sharina Star, published by Rockpool Publishing, comprises of a set of 36 high quality cards and instruction book, both full colour, packaged in a magnetic flip top box. The book includes information on how to read the cards, with two simple layouts. Each card has a number, a title and an image, and the book provides keywords, a general interpretation, a career/finances aspect, relationship advice and a Feng Shui tip. The interpretation of the cards is advice based, very modern. It is ideal for a first ever oracle card deck; it is a young person's deck, suited to online dating user age group. 

The cards feature a brush script from the Oracle Bones Script, discovered in the Anyang capital and date to the Shang Dynasty of 1,100 years ago. They have an authentic Chinese look about the images, reds and golds predominate, and have a Chinese script on each card. Titles are, for instance, Renewal, Forgiveness, Heaven, Abundance, Wisdom, Reunion, and images feature fishing, candles, flowers, brush writing, dragon, lanterns, a Buddha image.

I Ching Cards

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: I Ching Oracle Cards by Lunaea Weatherstone, published by Lo Scarabeo, 64 cards with multi lingual instruction booklet. £15.99

Lunaea Weatherstone has exceptional credentials - she is a Pagan Priestess and ex-owner of Sage Woman Magazine, author of Tending Brigid's Flame and a contributor to several books and card decks.
You can sense the power of these cards when you see the fabulously gold embossed black card box. It looks classy and speaks of luxury. This deck is well produced and excellent value! The I Ching, also know as The Book of Changes, is a Chinese philosophical system, one of the oldest books of philosophy in the world and thought to be over 4,000 years old. Originally, the oracle was divined with yarrow sticks, coins or stones, but these cards make a suitable and easy way of working.

The Chinese Five Elements Oracle

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Chinese Five Elements Oracle by Vicki Iskandar, illustrations by Candice Soon. Boxed set of 60 Cards and Guidebook. Published by Hay House. Date: 10/10/2023 RRP US $29.99 : Can $39.99 : UK £15.99

60 cards represent the cycle or pillars of 10 Heavenly Stems of Yin and Yang qualities and the 5 elements of wood, fire, metal, water, and earth, which are the foundation of the Tao. 12 Earthly Branches depict animals, rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, bird, dog and pig.

The Visual I Ching

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Visual I Ching - A New Approach to the Ancient Chinese Oracle, Boxed set of Cards and guidebook by Oliver Perrottet, published by Brockhampton Press

In the distant past, the sages of China designed a system to enable understanding that life, so full of challenges and changes, is an interaction of two opposition forces, described as Yin and Yang. These are shown as a circle , half light and half dark, with a dot of light within the dark and a dot of dark within the light. These are portrayed not only as opposing and interacting energies, but the mutual attraction between them. In writing, these are shown as a broken line for Yang and an unbroken line for Yin. A series of 6 lines is called a ‘hexagram’. 

I Ching for Beginners

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: I Ching for Beginners by Kristyna Arcarti published by Headway. 

The I Ching is an ancient method of divination, sometimes called The Book of Changes. It was written about 5000 years ago and is one of the oldest books in the world, and contains wisdom provided in old Chinese poetry of the feudal Mandarin era. Though highly complex, this book presents the matter very simply. The philosophy relates to the opposing energies that exist in the world, but shows that within every polarity is a part of the opposing force that creates eventually balance and harmony. ☯️

Feng Shui Book Review

Mind Body & Soul Book Review: Feng Shui - The Traditional Oriental Way to Enhance Your Life by Stephen Skinner

I liked this well illustrated full colour book which explains simple, and clearly, what this ancient (from 3000BC) Chinese philosophy of geomancy offers to the modern person. It is based on harmonising your environment with good health and wellbeing. Included in the book are all aspects of Feng Shui - Chi, directions, celestial animals, invisible landscape energies, currents and polarities, yin & yang, elements, trigrams, personal magic numbers, your homeand garden. The author, Stephen Skinner (PhD in Classics) is an Australian expert in this field and has written extensively about Feng Shui, shamanism, magic, sacred geometry and alchemy and . Recommended as an ideal gift or coffee table book! 

The Archangel Metatron Self-Mastery Oracle

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Archangel Metatron Self-Mastery Oracle by Amanda Ellis with artwork by Jane Delaford Taylor. Quality boxed set of 55 cards and full colour guidebook. Published by Schiffer Publishing. US RRP : $29.99 : UK RRP £27.99 

Amanda Ellis channels Archangel Metatron, the Gate Keeper, with sacred geometry, the elements, colour and inspirational paintings commissioned by Scottish artist Jane Delaford Taylor which are now all in private collections. The oracle is not intended for fortune telling but is designed to empower, comfort, and heal. Amanda Ellis also authored Christ Consciousness Oracle. 

The Time Changer’s Tarot

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Time Changer’s Tarot by Caitlin Matthews. Quality boxed set of 78 cards and guidebook. Published by REDFeather Publishing. US RRP: $34.99 

Reading for Yourself, Your Community, and Your World with the Waite-Smith Tarot. 

We are living in post pandemic, post elite corruption times and Caitlin Matthews brings the meanings of the tarot cards up to date for all kinds of readings. This is more than just a Tarot for individual readings, it encompasses personal development, taking us to the big picture, with chapters on Groups, institutions and Collectives, Peace and Reconciliation, Community, and planetary issues, as cards step forward to be seen and heard, to provide a lantern in times of despair and confusion. 

The Secret Scroll

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: The Secret Scroll - by Andrew Sinclair. With colour photos and hand-drawings, acknowledgements and notes. Introduction biography of the author by the author. 218 pages. 2002

I received this book in the post with a request for an honest review! It begins with a beautiful story from 1330 and of the heart of Robert the Bruce, being taken to Jerusalem for burial by an ancestor of the author. Much of the St Clair family history goes back far beyond 1,000 years to the lands of the river Epte in Normandy. We read of the Gnostics, and the connection between the Templars and Freemasons, hidden knowledge, mysticism, hermetic and cabalistic knowledge, and how the Kirkwall scroll of Orkney, now in a Masonic lodge on an island in the North Atlantic, holds the key to many of the greatest mysteries, such as the Ark of the Covenant, the Garden of Eden, and the Grail itself and how geometric designs were learnt from mosques in the holy land. The remains of Templars were often interred in the position of the skull over crossed leg bones, a position which I found extraordinary, like much else in this book. 

The author connects the Christian Templars with the Freemasons who are not Christians. I was shocked that the author criticised Jacques de Molay for “ruining his sect by ordering it to surrender and confess” even under excruciating torture, peine forte et dure! I notice the author has changed the title of the Order from The Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon to the Order of the Temple, thereby cutting out both the oath of poverty and duty to Jesus Christ. This says a lot about the intention of the book and the way it presents the lives of the Templars especially, and the emphasis of the text on heresy whilst ignoring the New Testament!

The Secret Founding of America

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: 'The Secret Founding of America - The Real Story of Freemasons, Puritans & the Battle for the New World', by Nicholas Hagger, published by Watkins Publishing, Paperback 352 pages, £9.99 Kindle: £5.03 Visit http://www.nicholashagger.co.uk/

This book charts the role of the Knights Templars, the Jacobites, Freemasons and the Illuminati in the discovery of America, and Bartholomew Gosnold's role in the founding of the British colonies. 
Nicholas Hagger takes us on a broad journey of discovery. This book is well researched and offers new points of view, discoveries and connections on this fascinating, controversial and enjoyable subject. You will definitely find something new here! One of a trilogy, see below.