Fine Print Online--March 8, 2010

Morphic Resonance: The Nature of Formative Causation
Rupert Sheldrake
Park Street Press 2009 QP $19.95, 978-1-59477-317-4, www.ParkStPress.com 

Morphic Resonance is a revised and updated version of the author’s 1981 classic, A New Science of Life: The Hypothesis of Formative Causation.  The first book caused considerable controversy with its hypothesis that nature is not governed by eternal, mechanistic laws but involves “an interplay of habit and creativity.” (xi) The authenticity of this hypothesis has been increasingly verified during the intervening years: that so-called laws of nature should be viewed as regularities that “are not imposed on nature from a transcendent realm, but evolve within the universe.  What happens depends on what has happened before.  Memory is inherent in nature.  It is transmitted by a process called Morphic resonance, and works through fields called Morphic fields.” (xiv) Sheldrake makes clear that this theory, called the hypothesis of formative causation, is “a testable hypothesis about objectively observable regularities of nature.” (192)

The author, a former research fellow of the Royal Society and director of studies in biochemistry and cell biology at Clare College, Cambridge University, has published over 60 peer-reviewed scientific papers and articles and 10 books that show ways in which morphic resonance affects crystals, plants, animals, social systems, and life itself.  The present book is divided into twelve sections and includes such areas as “The Unsolved Problems of Biology,” “The Causes of Form,” “The Influence of Past Forms,” “The Evolution of Biological Forms,” and “The Inheritance and Evolution of Behavior.”  It is updated throughout with new research and data, along with 25 pages of textual notes and a 14-page bibliography, all of which strengthen the case for the theory’s validity.  In addition, it contains two new supplements, the first a 48-page presentation of studies relating to ten areas that lend themselves to easily reproducible scientific experimentation and the second a 16-page dialog between the author and physicist David Bohm.

Sheldrake’s theories continue to gain verification, and this book is particularly important because its implications affect the way we view the natural world as well as ourselves as one small part of it.  Morphic Resonance is therefore strongly recommended to anyone interested in understanding current thought about what may lie behind the formation of all natural systems

Sufi Rapper: The Spiritual Journey of Abd al Malik
Abd al Malik
Inner Traditions 2009 QP $16.95, 978-1-59477-278-8, www.InnerTraditions.com

Sufi Rapper,originally published in 2004 as Qu’Allah benisse la France! and now available in this very readable translation by Jon E. Graham, is a brief but appealing account of the author’s spiritual quest.  Abd al Malik, an acclaimed musician in France, says that when his book was first published, it “allowed individuals from all socio-culture milieus, colors, and religious denominations . . . to connect with another dimension of themselves and to reconnect with their heart.” (128)

When the author was still a boy his family moved to Neuhof, a “difficult” suburb of Strasbourg, where he lived two lives, one as a model student with high intellectual ability and another as part of a gang of street thieves.  During this period, as he watched many of his comrades die from drugs and criminal activities, he developed his skill as a rap musician.  Moved by the stories of Malcolm X and others, he also became a convert to Islam.  He soon found, however, that he was increasingly disenchanted with the fundamentalist approach taken by his Islamic friends, and after reading authors such as al-Ghazali, Ibn Arabi, and Rumi, he came to feel that his life experiences to date “were only veils in comparison to my personal essence, that profound source to which I had to climb,” (101) following the path of the Sufis in his personal life and his music.  The book concludes with a 33-page Appendix of “Lyric Extracts” in French and English from the author’s Sufi inspired album Le Face a Face des Coeurs [Hearts Face to Face].--Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vermont 

The Weiser Field Guide to Ghosts: Apparitions, Spirits, Spectral Lights, and Other Hauntings of History and Legend
Raymond Buckland
Weiser Books 2009 QP $14.95, 978-1-57863-451-4, www.redwheelweiser.com

This field guide is one of a series published by Weiser covering a wide variety of esoteric and occult subjects.  Its author, a lecturer and teacher of spiritualism, has written many books on occult, witchcraft, and paranormal subjects, including Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft, Buckland’s Book of Spirit Communications, and The Spirit Book. 

Arranged much like conventional guides, the Field Guide to Ghosts offers a useful overview of a surprisingly large variety of ghosts and hauntings, divided into 26 categories and including Animal Ghosts, Guardian Ghosts, Nature Ghosts, Religious Ghosts, and Warning Ghosts.  Each category has an overview followed by specific cases and definitions.  Battlefield Ghosts, for example, tells of the trauma of deaths in battle with details from Fredericksburg; Gettysburg; Little Big Horn; Mons, France; the Roman Army in York, England; and Valley Forge.  The section on Spirits contains 34 entries, including Bogey, Goblin, Incubus, Kachina, Psychopomp, and Silkies. 

The book also contains a guide to items one might need for Practical Ghost Hunting, with the author advising ghost hunters not to go looking for ghosts but instead “to examine the evidence that will help you determine whether or not there is a ghost.” (169) For those interested in learning more, the author lists 62 books for further reading.--Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vermont 

The Divine Name: The Sound That Can Change the World
Jonathan Goldman
Hay House, $17.95 (P), ISBN 978-1-4019-2699-1, www.hayhouse.com  

Jonathan Goldman has been researching sound healing for three decades. It was inevitable that his search would lead back through the Old Testament to the Tetragrammaton (YHVH) of Hebrew tradition. Pronouncing the name of God publicly was long ago forbidden in the Jewish religion. Thus the sound of the true name of God was thought to be lost. Now Goldman is offering us a series of vowels that he believes not only recreate the lost name of the Hebrew God but also transcend all religious denominations to resonate with the energy centers of all human beings.

The book, which includes an interactive instructional CD, draws on scientific research, Hindu tradition, and Kabbalistic teaching. It spells out a step-by-step activation process for using sacred sound for healing and self-transformation. It will work well paired with any of the recently released books exploring the esoteric aspects of Mosaic lineage and tradition.--Anna Jedrziewski, www.SpiritConnectionNewYork.org, New York, NY  

The Secret Doctrine
H. P. Blavatsky
Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, $17.95 (P), 978-1-58542-708-6, www.penguin.com   

Only those of us who have read (or attempted to read) Blavatsky’s original 1888 two-volume masterwork can truly appreciate this extraordinary abrigement by historian and Theosophical scholar Micael Gomes. The original work has been in print since its initial publication. Blavatsky’s expositions on the origin of the universe and the development of humanity have influenced generation after generation of writers, artists, and esoteric philosophers. Many of the ideas which have become common place in New Age tradition were first presented in the West by Blavatsky.

Interest in metaphysical topics is generating serious study of these subjects and you have probably already had customers expressing interest in The Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled (Blavatsky’s other major work). The original writings, as many of you know, are formidable both in terms of size and content. Blavatsky herself tells us that her books are meant to be interpreted, analyzed, and interacted with. A respectful, knowleadgeable abridgement is the only realistic way for most people to approach The Secret Doctrine. Gomes has given us this entry point. His introduction includes a thorough biography of Blavatsky, as well as an overview of the book. This one should probably be a staple on your shelves.--Anna Jedrziewski, www.spiritconnectionnewyork.org, New York, NY  

Rumi’s Four Essential Practices: Ecstatic Body, Awakened Soul 
Will Johnson
Inner Traditions, $14.95 (P), ISBN 978-1-59477-310-5, www.innertraditions.com  

This is the third book concerning Rumi by Will Johnson, the first two having been co-authored with translater Nevit Ergin. Mr. Johnson’s very readable book combines Rumi’s history as an orthodox cleric and poet with actual passages pertaining to each of the four spiritual practices Rumi encouraged.

Eating Lightly is the first and shortest chapter describing the art of responsible and regular fasting as the door to deepen one’s spiritual practice by heightening one’s senses through deprivation.

Breathing Deeply describes the links between Breath, the condition of the mind, stillness, surrender and, love. In the context of fasting, the Breath is considered “food” for the body.

Moving Freely takes the deep breathing further with the surrender of the body into experiencing ecstasy, or dance which became a moving prayer for Rumi, called sema. Again, within the context of fasting, now music (which inspires dance and movement, therefore sema, prayer) is also “food” for the body.

Finally, Gazing Raptly pulls it all together: now that we are highly stimulated via fasting, deep breaths and dance, we will now sit and gaze raptly into the eyes of a dear friend. To fully share and experience the art of Presence. “… Soul and eyes went on a journey together….” .--Allyson Gracie, GothamCity Pilates, New York, NY   

Mindful Motherhood: Practical Tools for Staying Sane During Pregnancy and Your Child’s First Year
Cassandra Vieten, PhD
New Harbinger Publications, $16.95 (P) 978-1-57224-629-4, www.newharbinger.com 

This book doesn’t present mothers-to-be and new mothers with yet another hopeless task (maintainng a perfect “zen” state-of-mind). The author really means the “staying sane” part. She offers real tools for cutting through the negative self-dialogue — the guilt, the anger, the fear — and learning to accept both external and internal experiences as temporary conditions that can be managed even when they cannot be controlled. The primary message to mothers is that they already are everything they need to be; what their babies need is them, present and aware. A baby screaming in the middle of the night is not fun. Mom doesn’t need to like it; she just needs to be there. This book offers her a plan to help her cope with it all.

The book contains an excellent description of mindfulness and a summary of its use in stress reduction and psychotherapy.--Anna Jedrziewski, www.SpiritConnectionNewYork.org, New York, NY