Joey Madia, New Mystics Reviews

  “On the Importance of Dreaming”: A Review of Dreamy Days and Random Naps by Mawson/Mark O’Dwyer (Publisher Obscura, 2020, www.publisherobscura.com ), ISBN: 978-1922311139 Comprising heartwarming photos of stuffed bears, costumed and posed with fun props and interesting, engaging sets, Dreamy Days and Random Naps recalls the wisdom of JRR Tolkien and Maurice Sendak, who said that they did not write books for children—it was the publisher and others who said they did. While visually appropriate for children as young as three or four (and, having raised children of my own, that is an interesting time when it comes to the politics of   napping), the deep wisdom of this book will be appealing to parents, grandparents, teachers, and others who need a reminder that dreaming and imagination are, as Albert Einstein said, more important than intelligence. Not that Mawson the bear and his friends are in any way UN-intelligent. Although ready comparisons can be made to the giants of litera

Award-winning writer Lali A. Love, who typically writes “visionary fantasy and metaphysical thrillers,” has written an engaging and soul-provoking collection of poems on a number of spiritual and metaphysical themes, each of which is accompanied by a quote from a well-known writer, philosopher, thinker, or spiritualist.  In addition to her writing, Love is an “intuitive, alchemist, and energy healer.”  First, the title. Ananda is a Sanskrit word for “extreme happiness” or, as comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell defined it, “bliss.” He was known for promoting the idea of “Follow your bliss,” or Sat chit ananda.  The quotes that open the collection and accompany each poem are far-ranging, coming from the likes of Albert Einstein, Edgar Allen Poe, Carl Jung, Rumi, Swami Vivekanada, Marie Curie, and Joe Dispenza. The poems themselves are equally far-ranging. The first, “The Rise,” explores other dimensions and magical realms. The next poem, “Loving Fearlessly,” evokes archetypes with i

The best books, the ones with deepest meaning—the ones we know upon our first engagement with them that we will go to them over and over again—invariably have an interesting genesis.  Möbius: Meditations on Home, by first-time writer W. David Hubbard, is no exception. Born of a question asked after the celebration of Walt Whitman’s 200th birthday at the Kennedy Center, as a group of participants stopped to look at an exhibit of displaced peoples from around the world, this collection of reflections and meditations on the meaning of home is timely, profound, and, in my case, cause for misty eyes.  I have been a longtime fan of poetry and other writing that functions as a meditation. My longtime friend and subject of several of my reviews, the poet Ed Baker, who left us for the eternal home several years ago, wrote meditations on home restorations, and, even in his more traditional work, there was always a sense of searching for, celebrating, and marking the boundaries of home.  Why Möbi

(Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2020), ISBN: 978-0-7643-6060-2 Eight years ago, in 2012 (a year that the Mayan calendar made many of us pay close attention to, as we did again with 2020), I read a book that I predicted would become a treasured friend that I would return to time and time again. That book was Healing the Sacred Divide (subtitled “Making Peace with Ourselves, Each Other, and the World”), also by this author. That prediction proved to be true. I am going to make the same prediction for this one. With the same alchemical mix of stunning visuals by a variety of artists, inspirational quotes, a deep exploration of myths, inspirational biographies, and complex concepts made understandable through the deft use of language and a teacher’s touch for explanation, Raffa has given motivated readers an opportunity to work with four pairs of Archetypes at work in our souls, split into Lunar and Solar energies: Mother and Father, Queen and Warrior, Mediatrix and Sage, and Belov

(MT Insignia, 2020), ISBN: 978-0-5787-8731-2 If the current pandemic has highlighted anything, it is that the Economy is a Machine that must be fed. It is a national and global preoccupation. And, as much as it is spoken about in almost reverential terms and is sold as requiring our dedicated participation, we now know thru this pandemic that it overshadows equitable, quality healthcare and limits the ability of society to adjust to major crises. Like any aspect of human experience, though, positives can be made of any situation. In this case, humanity’s preoccupation with the financial system affords an opportunity to draw a powerful parallel to apply the principles of healthy financial practices to the many other aspects of one’s life. Caroline Myss—motivational speaker, intuitive healer, and teacher of archetypal and other principles—cautions that our daily energy is like a bank account with a limited balance, so we should spend our savings wisely. An author, entrepreneur, and

“Archetypes in Action”: A Review of Reign: A Guide to Ruling Your Inner Kingdom of Self with Grace, Power, and Authenticity, by Mary Krygiel (Archangel Ink Publishing Services, 2020). ASIN: B08P9QBX4G Let’s face it. There are more books available about developing the self through spiritual disciplines than any one person could ever hope to read in a lifetime, with more being published every day. In these times of crisis, I have read and reviewed several good books on this important subject, and each has a little something to offer to this popular and ancient genre, although, at their core, much is just a repeat. And when you think of the luminaries in the field, including my favorites—Brené Brown, Wayne Dyer, Joseph Campbell, Caroline Myss, Joe Dispenza, Ram Dass, Elizabeth Gilbert, Gay Hendricks—one again has to wonder if it’s all been said already, and better than anyone else could ever hope to say it. In partial answer to these challenges, I suggest you read (and actively work wi