Tough Bliss is that rare book, almost magical in it’s ability to stir and inspire the reader in creative ways. Moving anecdotes of personal and sacred moments in the author’s life offer insight and instruction for our own spiritual journey. As Ms. Boast writes, “This is an invitation to jump outside the game of life as you know it and see your unique story for perhaps the first time…” The invitation is deeply important: to reconnect with your true self, and to reunite with the Earth and the web of the universe. That’s a huge promise, but I believe the author delivers.

Salt caves have been associated with healing for hundreds of years, and are a perennial favorite of European and Asian spa devotees… Himalayan pink salt is supposed to be the best and the purest for therapeutic purposes, but any salt minerals should work. Obviously, it can be pretty hard to trek to the Himalayas for the real deal, but not to worry. In the last few years “salt caves” have opened all over the country.

Dr. Moody is a world renowned leader in the area of near death studies, having coined the phrase “near death experience” and penned over 11 books on the subject. His famous book, Life After Life, has sold 13 million copies worldwide and has just been re-released for its 25th anniversary edition. Also just published is Dr. Moody’s latest book Glimpses of Eternity Sharing a Loved One’s Passage From This Life To The Next, published by Guideposts.

Already Here tells of the death of Leo Galland’s son, Christopher, at the age of 22; the direct visual evidence Christopher showed him that our souls do go on; and the communications he received from Christopher’s spirit that dramatically changed Leo’s understanding of life and its meaning.

Dr. Dean Radin served as a scientist on a highly classified program investigating psi phenomena for the U.S. government. His book The Conscious Universe won the 1997 Book Award from The Scientific and Medical Network, and it has been translated into eight languages. The majority of Dr. Radin’s professional career has focused on experimentally probing the far reaches of human consciousness, primarily intuition, gut feelings and psi phenomena. Dr. Radin has also appeared in the movie What The Bleep Do We Know?!- Down The Rabbit Hole

Teresa Hale from the Hale Clinic discusses the importance of spirituality in its relation to medicine, health, and illness: ” All religions recognize the presence of the Divine in healing. Acknowledging this powerful healing force within humanity can only support medicine and not detract from it.”

I recently finished reading “Anathem” by Neal Stephenson, for the second time, (not something I usually do) and I was struck by an offhand observation that the young main character makes about another man who may be hundreds of years old. At one point, the old man is chanting and holds the same note for hours, (clearly some kind of re-breathing technique), and the young man ponders what it’s like to have such a different notion of time that you would want to chant the same note for hours. Then he has the insight that a mind that has done that probably has very different thoughts from a mind that hasn’t.

Mullein is a flowering plant that is classified as a weed because it spreads quickly throughout gardens and public areas. Dr. Mercola writes, “The medicinal benefits of mullein were discovered quite early on. Early American settlers brought it from Europe because it was known for its ability to help treat various ailments. When the Native Americans established contact with the settlers and discovered the plant, they took advantage of it as well.” The leaves and flowers of mullein can be made into a tea, or used to make an oil.