Joey Madia, New Mystics Reviews

   (Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA: Waterside Productions, 2022). ISBN: 978-1-958848-19-7 Originally published in 1952, The Power of Positive Thinking became not only a New York Times bestseller, but the acorn from which has grown a strong, tall oak we all know as the Spiritual Self-Help genre. Having first read Rev. Dr. Peale’s life-changing masterpiece in 1997, during a time of profound upheaval and transition in my life (while listening to tens of hours of his recorded presentations), my second reading—after twenty-five years of voracious study of similar books and principles—illuminated just how many pillars of the Spiritual Self-Help community he has inspired. From Wayne Dyer to Gay Hendricks, from Caroline Myss to Joe Dispenza, the foundational principles presented by Rev. Dr. Peale are all readily apparent in each of their programs. He was certainly an excellent role model. Peale authored 46 books, was a pastor for more than 50 years, and cofounded the first school for pasto...

(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...