This is not just an interesting book, it is an important one. Radin has brought together evidence and concepts that bridge the fields of quantum physics and consciousness in a way that should be comprehensible to experts in both fields.

Entanglement is the interlinking of particles in quantum physics in ways that are as yet unexplained, but which demonstrate in a variety of experiments that the separation of space between particles does not hinder their interactions. Entanglement is also another way of stating the fact that minds interact across space and time, as has been amply confirmed by parapsychologists in highly significant studies of telepathy, clairsentience, precognition and psychokinesis.

Radin’s presentation of the evidence on both sides is, for the most part, clear and cogent. His summary of the spectrum of theories in quantum physics that propose to explain entanglement is one of the clearest I have seen. Likewise, his summary of parapsychology research – updated from his earlier major work (Radin, 1997) – is equally well done. I particularly like the following metaphoric description that links both lines of discussion:

At a level of reality deeper than the ordinary senses can grasp, our brains and minds are in intimate communion with the universe. It’s as though we lived in a gigantic bowl of clear jello. Every wiggle-every movement, event, and thought-within that medium is felt through the entire bowl. Except that this particular form of jello is a rather peculiar medium, in that it’s not localized in the usual way, nor is it squishy like ordinary Jell-O. It extends beyond the bounds of ordinary spacetime, and it’s not even a substance in the usual sense of that word.

Because of this “nonlocal Jell-O” in which we are embedded, we can get glimpses of information about other people’s minds, distant objects, or the future or past. We get this not through the ordinary senses and not because signals from those other minds and objects travel to our brain. But because at some level our mind/brain is already coexistent with other people’s minds, distant objects, and everything else. To navigate through this space, we use attention and intention. From this perspective, psychic experiences are reframed not as mysterious “powers of the mind” but as momentary glimpses of the entangled fabric of reality.

Particles that are quantum entangled do not imply that signals pass between them. Entanglement means that separated systems are correlated. Psi, on the other hand, seems to involve information transfer, like signal passing. At first glance, that seems to eliminate quantum correlations as an explanation of psi. However, the pseudo-telepathy paradigm discussed in the previous chapter shows that joint tasks would require classical signals can take place without any information transfer. This suggests an alternative understanding of psi. Maybe it doesn’t involve information transfer at all. Maybe it’s purely relational and manifests only as correlations.
(p. 263).

This book provides the research evidence and theories to convince anyone open to being convinced that a collective consciousness is alive and well in our world, and that we are active participants in it.

Reference: Radin, Dean. The Conscious Universe, New York: HarperCollins 1997.

Review by Daniel J Benor, MD, ABHM, IJHC Editor

New York: St. Martin’s Press 2005. 284 pp.
3 pp. Suggested reading   $23.95

Nicely complementing Radin’s work, Sally Feather and Michael Schmicker have put together an excellent introduction to ESP for the reader interested in stories of people in many walks of life whose lives have been enriched with intuitive, telepathic, clairvoyant and precognitive awarenesses. Parents, children, couples, death, disasters, wartime experiences and spirit communications are richly sampled.

This is no ordinary collection of such stories. Sally Rhine feather is the daughter of Luisa Rhine, who gave credibility to ESP through her meticulous gathering of stories similar to the ones in this book, and J. B. Rhine, who was among the first scientists to develop and implement careful laboratory methods for studying ESP. Feather and Schmicker continue in this tradition of bringing readers materials that convincingly demonstrate many of the ways in which ESP is active in people’s lives.

These authors also provide helpful discussions on the research that historically and recently confirms beyond reasonable doubt that ESP exists. In many of the examples, they put the reported experiences in the context of this research.

Here is an impressive story of how ESP came into play when two children were in danger: 

    “Where’s Ruth!” 

    “A woman had to make a quick trip into town one morning and decided to leave her six-year-old daughter Ruth with a babysitter. She started out, drove downtown, but just as she got to the store she suddenly knew she had to go back home immediately. She sensed her daughter was in great danger. “Where’s Ruth?” she shouted to the babysitter as the car squealed into the driveway. “Oh, she’s playing with Ann,” the started babysitter replied. Ann was Ruth’s little six-year-old friend and neighbor. The mother rushed to Ann’s house. Again, “Where’s Ruth!” “I thought they were playing at your house,” replied the stunned mother. Without thinking, almost as if she were on automatic pilot, Ruth’s mom drove immediately down the street, over a railroad crossing, stopped, jumped out of her car, ran through a gate, up a hill and down to an old brick quarry, now filled with water. There at the edge of the water sat both children, taking off their shoes to go wading. The water was much too deep, the sides of the quarry too steep for them to crawl out of once they were in. She was just in time. “I hate to think of what would have happened if I had arrived a few minutes later,” the mother wrote. 

    “Neither child had ever been to the pond before. Ruth’s mother has no explanation of why she felt compelled to rush there instead of any number of other places in the neighborhood. Something more than reason was at work. “It was not so much a thought as an impelling message that drove me home and drove me to the pond immediately after.” She never questioned it or asked herself how she could know. She simply believed it and acted on it. This is how psychic intuitions work. This certainty is what makes them different from ordinary hunches or run-of-the-mill intuitions. Psychic intuitions nearly always send us running, to the right place, leaving reason and doubt behind. Four out of five (83 percent) psychic intuitions are accompanied by a strong sense of conviction that something is wrong and must be addressed immediately. This is considerably higher than any other form of ESP awareness. 

    Occasionally, the mother is not instantly consumed by emotional panic. Instead, the mother takes action automatically, without really thinking about it. The psychic warning remains just below consciousness but still proves effective.” (p. 66-67).

A final, brief chapter on understanding your ESP encourages readers to accept that this is a real phenomenon, reported by an estimated sixty-five million people in the US. Among other helpful observations is the fact that ESP is wrong a certain percent of the time. Though this is disconcerting, it should not be discouraging. This is simply the way ESP works.

Review by Daniel J Benor, MD, ABHM, IJHC Editor

Santa Rosa, CA: Elite 2006. 294 pp
9 pp Refs  $24.95

Norman Shealy and Dawson Church complement each other nicely in this lively and enlightening discussion on many of the roads to healing. Some chapters are authored by each, others appear (by implication of no identifying author) to have been written jointly.

The premise of soul medicine is this: We allow the perfect consciousness of health contained in the soul to express freely in the patient’s energy system. Through this intention, healing is triggered in heart, mind and body. (p. 31)

Shealy contributes his wealth of knowledge about medical aspects of Soul Medicine, including bioelectrical and nutritional therapies. What is most impressive about Shealy’s work, teaching and writing is that he walks his own talk. He checks out the therapies he recommends on himself, to the extent possible. What is even more impressive is that Shealy is looking younger each year, following the regimen he lays out in this and in his other books.

Church contributes his personal and researched understanding of the spiritual side of the healing spectrum, including several startling physical healings effected personally through spiritual healing.

Both authors contribute to understanding the energetic paths to healing and suggest helpful ways in which we can access and apply soul medicine to heal our physical and psychological problems.

This is an easy read, a helpful introduction to unconventional approaches to healing for anyone who would like to explore beyond the bounds of conventional medicine. For those wishing to explore further, generous references open doorways to further study.

New York, NY:  Gotham Books, 2005.  336 pp $19.95 14 pp Refs.

Wiccan High Priestess Phyllis Curott shares her personal journey to find the ecstasy of true love and sexual union in a bewitching blend of eroticism, science, magic, Jungian psychology and Wiccan wisdom.  Working with the Wiccan spiritual tradition’s embrace of the Masculine and Feminine natures of Divinity as the God and Goddess, Curott seeks guidance from her ’daemon’ – a spiritual being of the opposite (masculine) gender who guides the female seeker on her journey towards her other ‘half.’  However, as Curott learns along the way, this path leads first to the wholeness of her own internal male and female aspects before she can continue on her way to find the true love(r), who literally haunts her dreams and calls through time and space to her heart.

Love is the way light feels.  I nourished the light within myself, and every day was filled with sunlight, every night with the moon; even when the clouds came and the rain fell, it fell to sustain the earth and my soul.  But there were times that I wept for my loneliness and his.  And one night I fell to my knees in a sorrow so great that it felt as if my chest were tearing open – the thought of living the rest of my life without him was unbearable.  I begged, I railed, I demanded, I cried, I prayed, and somehow, perhaps, I opened my heart and I made magic.

Using Wiccan practices of focused intention and the corresponding vibrational energies of physical matter – cornerstones of both magic and quantum physics – Curott’s efforts to bypass the lessons needed to find true love makes the journey more difficult and, unfortunately, more painful.  Love’s demand for openness to and acceptance of the Will of Spirit rather than Self lead her to the realization that the path of true love must start by falling in love with the male and female parts of yourself – your true self – first.  “Be true to yourself and the way will present itself,” advises Nonna, Curott’s friend and mentor.  Supporting her through a painful divorce, Nonna continues to share the life lessons she herself has learned so well.

You have to focus on yourself now, on your journey to wholeness.  It’s time to pull back your masculine energies – they don’t help him [husband] anyway….Keep that energy for yourself – use it to pursue your dream of creative work, find a way to go to film school.  Use the masculine skills that you have developed to protect and fulfill those dreams and that woman.  Use them to rediscover the feminine parts of yourself that you’ve neglected.  The rest will take care of itself.

And so it did, as Curott openly, courageously, and intimately shares the rest of her journey to unification of self and with her other ‘half.’ In the oft used words of the Wiccan tradition, ‘as above, so below,’ it is there in the unconditional love of ourselves as a manifestation of God and Goddess that our own polarities of Divine Feminine and Masculine are healed and our equal opposite in love and sexual ecstasy are drawn to us.  [The way in is the only way out to the road of Sacred Union - the physical, emotional and spiritual embodiment of God and Goddess reunited.

This is a powerful lesson, made more so by the author’s ability to exquisitely express the depth of her emotions and the honesty of her experiences.  Within the deepest moments of wounding, she remains searingly truthful and courageously committed to her quest for true love in body and in spirit, a universal challenge unique in its manifestation for each soul.  Equally commendable is her message that a person cannot truly love or be loved by another in the fullness of love’s capacity until he or she embraces, accepts and eventually comes to unconditionally love the totality of the authentic self in all of its aspects of personality and sexual polarity.  Although written from the viewpoint of personal experience, The Love Spell speaks to the ‘jederman’ of our hearts, and offers hope to all fellow travelers on the path to love - regardless of religious creed or sexual persuasion. 

This is a well-crafted book and a refreshing, uplifting look into the often-misunderstood traditions of contemporary Wicca.

Blessed Be!

Review by Linda Eldridge

Vice President, Sales, Marketing & Product Development

Alternative Medicine Integration Group

ThD Candidate, Emphasis in Integrative Medicine, Holos University Graduate Seminary

London: Lorenz Books, 2000.    96 pp.   $17.95    3 pp refs

This is a great resource book on flower essences for the beginner.  The book orients the reader about the history of flowers, Edward Bach and the influence of homeopathic research.  There is quite a bit of information on how Edward Bach created his flower essence system and the components that make it up today.  Given that the Bach system was the first system of its kind for flowers, understanding all this history is educational. 

Drawing on the life work of Edward Bach, Vivien Williamson  provides a strong foundation of understanding for flower essences, including how to make and store them, how to use them most effectively, and how to prescribe them. Beautiful pictures orient the reader to the different flowers used for healing.  Aesthetically, this book is very pleasing and easy to use.  The pictures and layout of text make finding pertinant information easy and draws the reader in to continue to the next page.

Bach essences are grouped to address seven various personality characteristics: fear, uncertainty, insufficient interest in present circumstances, lonliness, over-sensitve to influences and ideas, despair and despondency, and the over-care for the welfare of others. 

The author outlines new essences which complement the work of Dr. Bach.  These have been developed and researched by the Flower Essence Society in California, including essences for developing personal power and direction, mental work, living lightly and with humour, strengthening the constitution, relaxing and achieving good sleep, and assuring protection. Of particular interest, the author discusses environmental essences and channelled essences.

Also included are tips for how to use the flower essences internally, externally, in emergencies, in combination with other essences, in the home and with astrology. Steps are outlined for working with children, treating animals, and helping plants.  All are very informative and helpful.  At the conclusion of the book are recommended readings and useful addresses. 

The section on making flower essences seemed particularly helpful, detailing all of the steps necessary for success.  Vivien Williamson outlines what needs to be done a few days before, the day before, and the day of making the essences.  There are also helpful tips on caring for the essences and the equipment used in making them.

Although it is virtually impossible to cause harm by using flower essences because of their homeopathic nature, it is still critical to be responsible when working as a healing practitioner to prescribe them for others.  While many parts of the consultation process are outlined in this book, the skills needed to be an intuitive healer go beyond what is mentioned in the book. 

What is lacking in the book is the scientific research that supports the healthy benefits of using flower essences.  While this is an overview of flower essences, some grounding in scientific facts would have been helpful.  With that said, this complete reference guide is a nice complement to any library for one who holds interests in integrative healthcare.

Book review by Deborah Pratt
MBA, BSJ, Holos University Graduate Seminary Doctoral Student

Boston:  Beacon Press, 2005.   160 pp.   $14.00  11 pp refs

Dreams about death and dying are common in many cultures. Kelly Bulkeley and Patricia Bulkley provide their specialized expertise in the area of pre-death dreams and visions, [with their intrepretations for those who are dying.  The authors start their exploration by looking at the common beliefs and themes around death and dreams held by cultures around the world.  This helps to understand the common patterns in dreams that are shared and reflected in the lives of people universally. The authors draw upon experts in psychology, anthropology, neuroscience and evolutionary biology. 

The authorsidentify three main themes with regard to dreams and dying.  The first theme entails a journey, which is metophorical for the dreamers and their lives.  These have a deepening effect, illustrating the importance of the life story of the one who is dying.  The second theme deals with the dreamer meeting a guide for the journey.  This guide could be spiritual or religious, or could be a trusted person, such as a family member or friend.  This trusted person is someone who has already died and is here to offer guidance for the person that is dying.  The third theme deals with obstacles and challenges that the dreamer might encounter before they die.  These obstacles are often unresolved issues or deep fears that need to be expressed prior to the death process.  All three of these themes provide valuable information to the dreamer in finding peace in death, as well as providing a sense of calmness for the loved ones left behind.

During the last stages of death there are tremendous opportunities to help those who are in the dying process.  In the final chapters of the book, the authors offer [advice] for the caregiver of those who are dying, including family members, friends, clergy, counselors or medical staff. Whether the reader is the person dying or the caregiver, understanding the messages of pre-death dreams will dramatically change views of death and help those around the dying with their grief.  Scattered throughout the book are examples of dreams to illustrate the points of the text.  This aids in understanding the concepts and ideas expressed with regard to dying and dreams. 

This book is a wonderful resource for those who are interested in spiritual direction at Holos University Graduate Seminary. It is informative as well as practical in guiding those close to death with messages from their dreams.  This book would not be helpful for those with a general interest in dream work, as the specificity and scope are very limited. 

Book review by Deborah Pratt

MBA, BSJ, Holos University Graduate Seminary Doctoral Student

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