Alchemy of Abundance: Aligning With the Energy of Desire to Manifest Your Highest Vision, Power, and Purpose
Rick Jarow, Ph.D.
$14.95, one CD with 96-page book, 79 minutes, Sounds True, www.soundstrue.com

In this book/CD set, Dr. Rick Jarow conceptualizes manifestation as a process akin to alchemy—putting base metal through fire to harvest gold. The book provides foundational concepts related to abundance, such as how to recognize when you’re in alignment with the universe, and balancing yin will (receptive) and yang will (active, forceful). Finally, the book describes what Jarow calls the Mandala of Manifestation, which is a circle divided into 12 sections representing various facets of one’s life, including home, creativity, vocation, body, money, and more. The CD contains guided meditations for each of the sections, along with one each for entering and leaving the “Temple of Manifestation.” The strength of this set is Jarow’s ability to help the reader/listener visualize abstract concepts. The organized mandala approach adds elegant simplicity to what could otherwise be a complex or confusing process, particularly for beginners.


Goddess Workshop
Suzanne Corbie
$15.95, one CD, 60 minutes, Paradise Music, www.paradisemusic.us.com

Designed to help guide listeners to connect with the Divine Feminine, the Goddess Workshop features British Wiccan practitioner Suzanne Corbie. As part of Paradise Music’s Workshop Series, this CD is a solid introduction to goddess energies, featuring descriptions of the virgin maiden goddess, the mother goddess, the dark goddess or crone, and the goddess of love. In addition, Corbie gently and ably leads the listener through meditations and affirmations to help one connect to the particular aspect of feminine energy that will best help them. As is true of most Paradise releases, it is a high-quality recording and an excellent recommendation for newcomers to Pagan or Wiccan concepts or simply those seeking to bring out the goddess within themselves.


Yoga Nidra
Terry Oldfield and Soraya Saraswati
$16.99, one CD, 61 minutes, New Earth Records, www.newearthrecords.com

The three tracks on this CD are all iterations of the same essential guided meditation, varying less in content than in length (11:11 minutes, 20 minutes, and 30 minutes, respectively) to allow for the listener’s particular needs and time limitations. Yoga Nidra, which means yogic sleep, provides a way to enter a deep-sleep state while remaining fully awake. Soraya Saraswati is a spiritual teacher who guides the listener smoothly through ever-deepening phases of relaxation. Meanwhile, intervals of subtle music performed by Saraswati’s husband, musician Terry Oldfield, help soothe and calm with the sounds of flutes, keyboards, and pan pipes. This is a truly restful CD that will appeal to anyone seeking respite from the rigors of everyday life.

DVDs

The Quantum Activist
Amit Goswami, Ph.D.
$24.95, one DVD, 77 minutes, Blue Dot Productions, www.quantumactivist.com

Featuring quantum physicist Dr. Amit Goswami, The Quantum Activist offers a complete and relatable view of Goswami’s extensive work in the field of quantum mechanics, particularly as it relates to questions of God and consciousness. With lectures and interviews, animation and historical photos, the complex issue of marrying science and spirituality unfolds before the viewer’s eyes. Goswami explains his own journey from the religious nature of his childhood in India to his skepticism as a scientist and his ultimate return to spiritual teachings of his past. He describes how he developed his theory that the material world is not the genesis of consciousness, but rather consciousness is the genesis of the material world. Therefore, he says, if we abandon ego-based materialism and focus instead on universal consciousness, we will be able to change the world for the better (hence, the “activist” part of the DVD’s title). While these concepts are well-explained and illustrated, they are nevertheless complex and, therefore, best suited to those customers who have a prior interest in the topic.


What on Earth?: Inside the Crop Circle Mystery
Suzanne Taylor
$24.95, one DVD, 81 minutes, Mighty Companions, www.whatonearththemovie.com

While many dismiss crop circles as the work of hoaxers doing midnight art projects in fields around the world, Suzanne Taylor has spent 15 years studying this baffling phenomenon and has come to a different conclusion: True crop circles are not the work of any human. Rather, she says, they are clearly the work of a higher intelligence, trying to communicate with us through the universal language of sacred geometry. The film opens in rural England, where a high percentage of the circles appear every year, drawing tourists and “croppies” (artists, geometers, scientists, and spiritual seekers interested in the phenomenon) to the sites. Taylor interviews many of those studying crop circles to try to reach a conclusion about who or what could be creating them and for what purpose. She and others conclude that the claims of some in recent years to be the “creators” of the circles are simply a deliberate disinformation campaign perhaps supported by various government interests. In addition, the film examines the exquisite geometric precision of many of the designs and explains the physical differences between the designs proven to be hoaxes (made by humans) and those perhaps created by otherworldly beings. Extensive footage of the fascinating designs is woven throughout the DVD, and even extends to the bonus features.


2012: An Awakening
Winterhill Productions
$24.95, one DVD, 60 minutes, Reality Films, www.reality-entertainment.com

Filmed over the course of 18 months, 2012: An Awakening features interviews with such noted 2012 authors as Geoff Stray, Gregg Braden, Patrick Geryl, and John Major Jenkins. The film begins with an examination of global warming, which several of the interviewees conclude is not the result of CO2 emissions, but rather caused by a natural shift in the activity of the sun. This, they say, is one of the symptoms to be expected as the sun’s alignment with the dark rift at the center of the Milky Way galaxy—which some think was predicted by the Mayan calendar—approaches. This alignment occurs every 26,000 years and we are about to experience it in December 2012. The film delves into forecasting as the authors each discuss their various views on what the alignment could mean for humanity—solar flares knocking out electric grids, a massive change in the Earth’s magnetic field, or even a polar reversal. While these things could all add up to cataclysm for humans, the film is ultimately hopeful as it seeks to shed light and understanding on this newly-popular subject.


T’ai Chi for Liberation
John P. Milton
$19.95, one DVD, 90 minutes, Sounds True, www.soundstrue.com

Smooth. Gentle. Flowing. This DVD is everything you could hope for in a T’ai Chi instructional video, but more than that, it embodies the spirit of the ancient Taoist practice known as Wuji T’ai Chi, created in the 13th century by Taoist master Chang San Feng. John Milton is superb as the instructor leading viewers through the Earth form and the Heaven form, then through a beautiful union of the two into one seamless routine. He breaks down the movements into easily followed steps, slowly and patiently demonstrating them (with the help of his students) from several angles. Movements such as directional gathering of chi and dragon-washes-its-face seem easy, graceful, and appealing to the casual viewer, but what becomes clear is that this practice can lead to a kind of inner peace that Milton both describes and, indeed, emanates himself. An outstanding recommendation for practitioners at all levels, this DVD is particularly well-suited for beginning-to-intermediate students of T’ai Chi or those who prefer the gentleness of this art over other spirit-connected exercises such as yoga.

Janine DePaulo is associate editor of New Age Retailer.