Many Paths Converge: Mind-Body-Spirit Titles Come of Age

By Bobbye Middendorf

Books in the Mind-Body-Spirit category have not only moved into the mainstream, but have turned into a veritable flood. From practical formulas for connecting physical manifestations with spiritual paths, to works by and about "leading lights," these are guides to wide-ranging sacred traditions from complex to deceptively simple.

Patricia Gift, now at the helm of One Spirit Book Club, observes, "The tagline of the club [Resources for the spirit, mind and body]…conveys the idea that there is more to life than just our physical experience of it." Nearly all the many books considered for this article push that boundary.

NAPRA, the trade group presenting alternatives for publishers, musicians, artists, and retailers serving this audience, was founded and is headed by Marilyn Maguire. Long-time observer and opinion leader, Maguire highlights one of several recent surveys that point to a dramatically growing interest in Mind-Body-Spirit issues. Recently LOHAS Journal (LOHAS stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability.) co-sponsored a study showing that more than 63 million people (30% of the population) are actively exploring in this category that encompasses alternative healthcare and ecology as well as spiritual interests.

Poster child for this burgeoning interest is the discipline of yoga, which has moved from its esoteric roots in ancient India to mainstream gyms and health clubs. Yoga derives from the root yuj meaning to yoke, in Sanskrit. As the science of union between the physical and spiritual, yoga serves as a useful metaphor: some of the best resources now published connect daily activities to larger spiritual issues.

Representing the synthesis of science and spirit, Unfolding: The Perpetual Science of Your Soul's Work by award-winning neuroscientist Julia Mossbridge (1-57731-193-0) from 25-year-old New World Library, approaches spiritual growth as a chance to test hypotheses. Filled with practical exercises, "This book provides an experimental path to revealing the mysteries within you and using them to repair the world."

A bestseller from Quest Books' spring 2002 list, Essential Musical Intelligence: Using Music as Your Path to Healing, Creativity, and Radiant Wholeness by Louise Montello (0-8356-0814-X) promises to show how to use music to heal body, mind, and spirit. According to Montello, therapist, academic and composer, everyone has an "innate ability to use music and sound to facilitate deeper levels of self-awareness and transformation."
A String & a Prayer: How to Make and Use Prayer Beads by Eleanor Wiley and Maggie Oman Shannon (1-59003-010-9) published by Red Wheel/Weiser brings craft to the service of spirit. Sharing the story of Wiley's mid-life career change to bead artist, as well as illustrations and instructions for making prayer beads, the co-authors present a history of these sacred objects along with ideas for rituals and prayers.
Finding the Still Point: A Spiritual Response to Stress, by Tom Harpur (1-896836-54-2) from Northstone Publishing, creates a call to action for Christianity to add a spiritual dimension to common coping techniques for stress. According to Harpur, Anglican priest and Toronto Star religion columnist, "With regard to stress, the spiritual path is ultimately the only one that really works in depth." Quotes and explanations show how.
Addressing earth-based spirituality is Secrets of the Ancient Incas: A Modern Approach to Ancient Ritual and Practice by Michael Peter Langevin, publisher of MB Media, (1-56414-602-2) from New Page Books, a division of Career Press. Langevin, in the tradition of Casteneda, was called to bring practical Incan wisdom and history to address contemporary needs.

To get an overview of "what's what" encompassing more than 3,000 Western and Eastern esoteric and spiritual concepts, consider The New Dictionary of Spiritual Thought, 2nd Edition by Carol E. Parrish-Harra, Ph.D., mystic and Dean of Sancta Sophia Seminary, (0-945027-22-2) published by Sparrow Hawk Press. This is an excellent reference for anyone who wants to clarify meanings and understand connections between and among traditions and disciplines.

Answering "Who's who?," Spiritual Innovators: Seventy-Five Extraordinary People Who Changed the World in the Past Century, edited by Ira Rifkin (1-893361-50-0) is published by Skylight Paths. The straightforward and consistent format includes a bio, a brief quote and books by and about the person, along with contacts for their organizations where available. This is an excellent starting point to explore the lives and work of leaders who shaped the spiritual landscape.

A new expanded edition, Joseph Campbell: A Fire in the Mind-The Authorized Biography-by Stephen and Robin Larsen (0-89281-873-5), is published by Inner Traditions. It expands on Campbell's biography originally published shortly after his death in the late 1980s, including new perspectives addressing criticisms of Campbell, one of the great popularizers of myth in our time.

Shambhala's Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings by Pema Chodron [punctuation note-two dots next to each other over each "o"] (1-57062-972-2) are drawn from the works of the Tibetan Buddhist nun. These 108 short, accessible meditations bring a vision of Mahayana ("Greater Vehicle") Buddhism into everyday living. Focusing on bodhichitta, "the awakened heart of loving-kindness and compassion," they grow from the 108 day Buddhist retreat tradition.
Show Yourself to My Soul: A New Translation of Gitanjali translated by James Talarovic (1-893732-55-X) published by Sorin Books revisits the work of Nobel award winner Rabindranath Tagore, the Bengali writer and mystic poet. Simple yet fervent language will connect these poems to an audience comfortable with the ecstatic tradition of Rumi.
Also from Sorin, Simple Days: A Journal on What Really Matters by Marlene A. Schiwy (1-893732-30-4) explores questions that most of us ask ourselves: What really matters? Can we simplify and earn a living? Schiwy mindfully explores the questions day by day, in urban settings, and reports back over the course of a year.

Uniting the physical and the spiritual in the most all-encompassing of the yoga traditions, The Art and Science of Raja Yoga by Swami Kriyananda or J. Donald Waters (1-56589-166-X) is a new title from Crystal Clarity Publishers. Comprehensive, this guide by the long-time teacher covers philosophy, yoga postures, breathing, routine, healing, diet, and meditation in each of fourteen steps. Illustrations of postures, recipes, and stories make this spiritual path seem both practical and possible for an everyday person.

Finally, Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, edited and introduced by Michael Katz (1-55939-161-8), published by Snow Lion, offers an opportunity to practice consciousness during sleep and dream states. These practices of the night, along with explanations of dream states, stories of Tibetan meditation master Norbu's dreams, and an interview between student Katz and his teacher explain the basics of achieving awareness during sleep, as practice for maintaining clarity when crossing into death.

Also worth noting are several publishers who are the source for the work of a single teacher, either exclusively or primarily. For example, Moksha Press is the source for works by Andrew Cohen, including a new book in dialogue format, Living Enlightenment: A Call for Evolution Beyond Ego (1-883929-30-X). Coming from Amber-Allen Publishing are Spanish language editions of the popular works of Don Miguel Ruiz, while Parallax Press is the source for new and backlist works by Vietnamese monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. From Whitedove PRESS comes new works by psychic Michelle Whitedove, most recently Angels Are Talking: A Psychic Medium Relays Messages from the Heavens (0-9714908-0-5).

No matter what path you follow, these new Mind-Body-Spirit books make welcome traveling companions.

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