Tuesday 31 May 2022

50 Meditation Ideas

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: 'The Meditation Deck - 50 simple meditations for everyday' by Madonna Gauding £12.99 published by Octopus Books. Flip top high quality card box containing 50 well produced cards with one side showing a photograph style image and overleaf meditation suggestions. 

Information covers What is meditation? Why meditate? How to start and other tips. Cards are divided into 6 sections, each section has a different colour: Living Mindfully; Calming and Centring; Healing Body, Mind and Spirit; Love and Compassion; Problem Solving; Connecting to the Divine, all meditation suggestions have 4 steps to assist and a suggestion as to when to use that particular card.


Monday 30 May 2022

Elle Qui Oracle Review


Mind, Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Elle Qui Oracle by Arwen Lynch-Poe, published by U S Games Systems Inc., Boxed set of cards and guidebook. £18.75 

"Discover layers of your forgotten self"

Elle Qui means She Who! These are 44 cards of female warrior characters of caring and wisdom, and to challenge and inspire with Asian, African, European and other ethnic groups, presenting a world view and a bridge to connect women of diverse cultural backgrounds. Each card offers three questions but suggests the reader includes their own questions in addition or instead of those provided. You are invited to tell the story of the women featured on the card you choose. How would you meet her and what would your conversation be? Each woman shown in the deck is an aspect of the reader. Each card's title begins with She Who and the reader is given the name of the woman represented on the card, her 'She Who' title and three keywords. 

Sunday 29 May 2022

Tarot of Dreams

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Ciro Marchetti's 'Tarot of Dreams' boxed set of 83 cards plus written guidebook by Lee Bursten, published by U S Games Systems Inc. http://www.ciromarchetti.com

These cards are inspired by dreams, but not the type of daydreams or fantasies, hopes or inspirations, but by the dreams we have at night whilst we sleep and are a communication between the unconscious and the conscious mind and lead us to greater personal understanding and understanding of the world's collective unconscious. The cards are designed to inspire us to develop new perspectives, examine our associations and to encourage us to think creatively. Our learning can be limitless.

Tuesday 24 May 2022

Noel Moules

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Fingerprints of Fire - Footprints of Peace - A Spiritual Manifesto from a Jesus Perspective by Noel Moules  Paperback £12.99

Noel Moules is the founder of 'Workshop' a Christian vocational training programme based in the UK under the auspices of a registered charity, the Anvil Trust. 

How can we discover the Jesus of the New Testament and understand his message of love, hope and peace after two thousand years of religious schism and manipulation? 

Monday 23 May 2022

The Goddess Pages

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review The Goddess Pages - A Divine Guide to Finding Love and Happiness by Laurie Sue Brockway, paperback 321 pages £14.76 published by Llewelyn Worldwide www.GoddessFriends.com

We are invited to 'Discover the Divine Within' with this interfaith minister who has written several books. The Goddess Pages details ways to work with a number of different aspects of the divine feminine with rituals, offerings, chants, affirmations and practices such as letter writing, for transformation, healing, guidance and direction. The contents are divided into 6 sections, beginning with a test of Goddess IQ. Then we have a section to reclaim our Goddess nature, work with Goddesses of self empowerment, strength, love and romance, family life and relationships, work and finance and play and lightheartedness. Each Goddess helps with reclaiming female power, confidence and happiness.

Sunday 22 May 2022

Popular Culture Magic 2.0


Popular Culture Magic 2.0 by Taylor Ellwood and Storm Constantine is published by Megalithica Books in paperback. This is a thinking person’s informative guide to everything you ever wanted to know about popular culture and how it is used for ‘magical’ purposes.

Cartoon, video game, book and film super heros have an obsessed fan base that incorporates the clothes, music, vocabulary and tastes of their idols into their everyday life. Characters from Star Trek, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Buffy, are examples.

The book, which has been described as a grimoire, takes an intellectual approach to this phenomenon which is similar to the Tibetan creation of the 'tulpa''. When a fan fixates on their chosen icon, they often take on board an entire corporate brand, such as with Disney for instance, with portrayals of the character in theme parks, games, advertising, toys and other marketing outlets. Groups and networks are created where ideas are shared, meetings and conventions can be part of the experience. A fantasy world attracts new aspects of life previously unknown and unexplored. Popular culture has mushroomed with modern technology, and it influences our modern world beyond that which we might fail to realise.


Saturday 21 May 2022

Dream Oracle Cards


Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Dream Oracle Cards - for the Awakened Dreamer by Kelly Sullivan Walden with artwork by Rassouli, Published (2nd edition) by US Games Systems Inc.

53 of the most frquently dreamed symbols are profiled as love letters from home, written in our first language, the language of the soul, speaking in images and metaphors from our unconscious mind. The book provides a meaning and mantra for each of the 52 cards with insights into the dream. 

Information is provided on how to work with this deck. The cards are presented in alphabetical order, such as Airplane, Angel, Award, Baby, Bathroom, Box, Bridge, Car, Cat, Ceremony, Child, Colour, Computer, Dance, Doctor, Falling, Fire, Flower, Flying, Key, Money, Naked, Ocean, Party, Teeth, etc., all common dream symbols that are al around us and to decode and to understand them and why they appear in our dreams will help us to 'awake' and to understand our life in greater depth. For wach symbol there is a message, meaning and mantra. 

Thursday 19 May 2022

Tarot in the Land of Mystereum



Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Tarot in the Land of Mystereum - An Imagination Primer by Jordan Hoggard. Presentation Boxed set of 78 cards and accompanying book. Published by Schiffer Publishing. US $34.99 : £31.99 Quality cards Size: 30cm x15cm with white border. 

 https://jordanhoggard.com/

All similar- each unique! 

The Land of Mystereum Tarot is presented in a smart magnetic box with ribbon drawer and it contains intensely colourful cards in an Avant-garde / Surrealistic leaning genre. I found the card images are complex and enigmatic with a slight overwhelm. The accompanying book contains detailed, elaborate and innovative text for each card. We are told to take a good look at a card image, then say what we are feeling out loud. These strange cards speak from individual characters within the Tarot but not in the usual manner. There are sections of information for each card for explanation and creativity. I am pleased to have an informative book to accompany this non conformist, unconventional concept deck, designed to “take our imagination to new heights and depths”. 

Monday 16 May 2022

Camilla Damkjaer - Homemade Academic Circus

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Homemade Academic Circus - Idiosyncratically Embodied Explorations into Research in the Arts and Circus by Camilla Damkjaer PhD, paperback 224 pages £12.99, Kindle: £8.39 published by Iff Books. 

This is a cause celebre for I assume, the throw and catch of the trapeze, the precariousness of the hire wire, the impressive strength and flexibility of the acrobat and some clever plate spinning. Perhaps the most important - and the most ancient aspect of the circus - is the light-hearted energy of the clown, perhaps included by the author as one of her alter-egos. There are no certificates required to demonstrate a highly complex skill but the circus is as mystifying as it is breath-taking, and acts that look easy may require many years of patient and immensely hard work. 

Sunday 15 May 2022

The Sufi Path Book Review

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: The Sufi Path of Knowledge - Ibn al Arabi's Metaphysics of Imagination by William C Chittick, published by State University of New York Press.

"How can I find God?" opening chapter of this book.

An indepth study of Sufi's most well known and knowledgeable philosopher, mystic and theologian, known as The Great Sheik, Ibn al Arabi. His teachings are translated and explained in this very readable book. You are transported by beautiful, deep and loving wisdom, zen like in its poetical ambiguity. This is a close account of the path of the Sufis, a bible of divine wisdom and discovery, and one that I highly recommend.

The American Renaissance Tarot


Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The American Renaissance Tarot by Thea Wirsching and illustrated by Celeste Pille, published by REDFeather (Schiffer Publishing) Quality presentation box of cards and book $34.99 

New myths from old stories! 

I was very impressed with the pack (pack = box, book and cards). The box masquerades as an old strong box/hardback book for your bookshelf! There is so much of value here in this ‘American time machine’ (1825- 1875) for the Tarot expert to get their teeth into! It is extensive, deep and meaningful! The cards are stylishly illustrated with interesting spins on Rider-Waite-Colman traditions. The Four Court Cards are Pioneer, Queen, King, and Missionary in that order, but the suits are traditional Cups, Wands Coins and Swords (the suit of swords was inspired by Edgar Allen Poe who is considered the ‘gatekeeper’ of the deck while Ralph Waldo Emerson is considered its Magician.  

I loved this Tarot deck where every card tells an important story from the past! I go on learning more and more and making greater connections, and it builds my ability to produce a good reading! More and more connections over time are revelations! If you want a Tarot with extra + + you will enjoy this one! America in the 1800s, with its Social, Esoteric, and Creative History, it’s a brilliant topic to align a Tarot deck with. However, this deck can be used by anyone from other countries because there is meaning and wisdom here within the seekers, scholars, reformers, revolutionaries, radicals, social justice advocates, and those others who created the soul of American life that we see today. You do not need to know anything about the Tarot as all is explained, and you don’t need to know about American literature either! 

Saturday 14 May 2022

A New Approach to Counselling & Listening Skills



Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Listening to the Other   - A New Approach to Counselling and Listening Skills by Caroline Brazier http://buddhistpsychology.typepad.com/buddhist_psychology/ Published by O Books Paperback £12.99  270 pages
This is a worthy subject. Though being a good listener sounds like an easy task, the art requires considerable training. Listening is a powerful method of caring and supporting someone who is in need of quality time and attention. When a person feels that another person has understood their pain, loss or unhappiness, they are often able to let go of the past and move on, with greater hope and trust. 

Saturday 7 May 2022

Mystic Dreamer Tarot


Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Mystic Dreamer Tarot boxed set with cards and book titled 'The Dreamer's Journal' by Heidi Darras and Barbara Moore. 
These cards are based on traditional tarot card meanings and reversed meanings are provided. Information on how to prepare for a reading, and there are pages for notes as this is a journal/workbook and instructions are given for its use. The card images are partly portrayed in soft tints and sepia colouring. Ask yourself 'what do I need to know about?' There is a 3 card 'past, present and future' suggestion or just lay down as many cards as seems appropriate and read the storyline. Other spread suggestions are provided. The moon is a recurring symbol in this deck, as the moon relates to intuition, creativity, magic and mystery.