A hefty, expansive exploration of New Age spirituality, not for the uninitiated.
A metaphysical guide focuses on navigating one’s inner realm and exploring other planes and facets of existence.
This guide to clairvoyance and esoteric realms takes the form of an extended collection of visualization exercises rooted in chakra meditation and Taoism, incorporating elements of the Buddhist perspective on attachment and the law of attraction. Marks (And Now for a Word from the Angels, 2015) encourages readers to experience these “celestial journeys” in any order of their choosing. The exercises place an emphasis on cultivating self-acceptance, well-being, and a sense of one’s enduring spiritual connection to an all-encompassing, broader universe. Over the course of five chapters, the visualizations move from nurturing a sense of grounding in the body to contemplating aura work, the astral plane, and parallel universes. Several sections are narrated by what the author describes as the channeled spirits of angels, the most prominent of whom are Séan and Crystal. The text is punctuated throughout with vivid illustrations and an assortment of colorful typefaces. A large portion of the text consists of a detailed series of appendices containing extra pointers for fostering a mindful state of being and further details about the author’s own “dimensional travels,” along with foundational information about chakras, auras, and other metaphysical concepts. Abbreviated versions of the visualizations complete the volume. Marks’ idiosyncratic book should appeal to those with a strong knowledge of metaphysics, New Age philosophies, and clairvoyance. But novices in these subjects may find the abstract concepts and ideas offered difficult to grasp, partly due to the free-form structure and style of the book, which can sometimes feel more like a memoir of the author’s experiences than a practical how-to guide for developing one’s own spiritual practices. An introductory section outlining the basics—and perhaps companion audio to facilitate the visualizations and guided meditations—might enhance the book’s appeal to a broader audience.
A hefty, expansive exploration of New Age spirituality, not for the uninitiated.Pub Date: April 26, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5227-2813-9
Page Count: 444
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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