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colin wilson

ALIEN DAWN An Investigation into the Contact Experience, by British author Colin Wilson, is a book I got for my birthday. In Chapter 1 he writes that at one time he was “totally uninterested in news items about flying saucers.” Somewhere along the way, that changed for him.

Before I began reading ALIEN DAWN, my limited UFO knowledge was based on mainstream documentaries. These documentaries have a habit of presenting the same information in different ways. ALIEN DAWN is the first UFO book I’ve read, and it was a wild ride at times. Picking up the book to read late in the evening kept me up half the night. The book is thought-provoking, and if you’re unable to turn off your mind’s switch at night, you won’t want it as a bedtime story.

Colin Wilson has a reputation for thoroughly researching a topic. Before putting pen to paper, he reads countless number of books written by writers who’ve spent years studying the subject he intends to write about. He speaks to anyone who’s well-informed on the topic, attends conferences, and willingly travels around the world for information. Some books have a way of turning our belief system upside down. This can be good; it’s a chance to get rid of stagnant information collected through time. This is the kind of book that is the reader’s gain if followed through to the end, because Colin Wilson delivers what he sets out to do. Life is fascinating. Right?

“Faith dares the soul to go further than it can see.” -William Clarke

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eckhart tolle, a new earth – pages 199 and 200

In Eckhart Tolle’s book, A NEW EARTH, on pages 199 and 200 under the heading “IS THAT SO?” he relates a story which explains beautifully and succinctly what living in the present moment is all about. The next time you’re in a bookstore, walk over to the section where A NEW EARTH is and pick it up. Choose a quiet corner and turn to page 199 and begin reading. How I wish I could be with you when you do – if you do. www.eckharttolle.com

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lester levenson, a story

Because it’s December, and December is quite unlike any other month, I’m choosing one good thing to focus on just to keep a sense of balance. Love happens to be one of those good things. It makes our hearts sing. I’m choosing more love for our world.

This past summer after meeting my daughter, Sumi, for lunch, I decided to go to Gotham Book Mart & Gallery, Inc. located at 16 East 46th Street in Manhattan. It’s a place where you can find books not found in larger book stores. As I was browsing in one of my favorite sections, a book fell from the shelf above. Since it found its way to me, I glanced at it. It’s a story about a man named Lester Levenson www.lesterlevenson.org. who was the founder of the Sedona Method www.sedonamethod.com . If you’re looking for something to read this month, don’t hesitate to choose this one. I did. It’s called “Choose Freedom” and the author is Virginia Lloyd. It begins with Lester’s family and his early life, and tells how, in one of his most desperate periods, he manages to turn his life around in, well I suppose you can say, “the twinkling of an eye” How he did it is fascinating to read.

Lester, while in the depths of despair, starts to question his entire life. And in asking questions relevant to his life, he discovers startling answers. We read how he begins to untangle his thoughts about his past and present and comes to an understanding about one of the great powers and mysteries of the universe- love. It’s a story of a life; it’s a wonderful story – a story for December.

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nantucket cranberry pie

If you’re looking for a great dessert, and you want to prepare and bake it yourself, I have a dessert for you. Yes, I do. I haven’t met one person who can resist it. It’s easy to prepare and it’s delicious.

A few years ago I bought the book, MORE HOME COOKING: A Writer Returns to the Kitchen by Laurie Colwin. The book is a delight to read. It’s written in essay form, part memoir, is informative and fun to read. Of course, you’ll want to try the other recipes, but for a start, try the Nantucket Cranberry Pie. I think you’ll like it a lot.

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paul’s letter

December is around the corner. It gets crazy at that time of the year. If we let it. The commercials on television almost seem to demand that we buy, buy, and buy some more; All in the name of that word called joy. A joyous this and a joyous that – if we buy. Every year seems more intense than the last. I was scanning the book shelves of a very important person in my life, and came across THE LOVE BOOK by John Randolph Price www.johnrandolphprice.com . If ever you need to sit quietly and simply restore yourself this coming month you might want to consider doing it with this book. On page 17 is Paul’s letter to the Christians at Corinth. I forgot how beautiful it is. In case you’ve missed seeing it recently, here it is:

“If I speak with the eloquence of men and of angels, but have no love, I become no more than blaring brass or crushing cymbals. If I have the gift of foretelling the future and hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but the very secrets of God, and if I also have that absolute faith which can move mountains, but I have no love, I amount to nothing at all. If I dispose of all that I possess, yes, even if I give my own body to be burned, but have no love, I achieve nothing.
This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience-it looks for a way of being constructive. It is not possessive: It is neither anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance.
Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. It does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it is glad with all good men when truth prevails.
Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen.”

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ode and vegnews

They say that people are either book, magazine, or newspaper readers. It could be true. Usually I like books with just a quick look at a magazine or newspaper. However, while walking along 23rd Street in Manhattan I saw Universal News located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The shop has a huge selection of magazines and newspapers. Customers were focused on reading. I looked around and saw the magazines Ode www.odemagazine.com with Bono on the cover, and VegNews www.vegnews.com with Woody Harrelson on that cover, and decided to join the readers for awhile. These two magazines were packed with information and interesting articles, so I purchased them.

Vegetarians of the past got a bum rap, and maybe rightfully so. Many vegetarians had a pasty complexion and looked extremely thin. And the food, well, it was plain and unappetizing, nothing that would bring a smile to your face. It’s changed! The whole lifestyle is different and exciting. The article on Woody is inspiring because as he says, “I try to ‘walk the talk.’ He’s dynamic. His life is meaningful; he’s doing his part to change our world. And he’s not boring. Check out his website, www.voiceyourself.com, and his book HOW TO GO FURTHER, and the recipe Chocolate of the Gods Mousse. Additionally, there are many websites with pictures and descriptions of what you’ll find on the sites. Definitely it’s worth a look. When you have the magazine in hand don’t forget to read the article on page 20, Spinning Out of Control. Food for thought! It never hurts to know.

Ode has articles on the environment. The articles are relevant to every family because so many of us have allergies. And after reading Ode you’ll have a clearer idea why that’s so. The articles give the facts about our world and make the reader stop to think about, well, many things, the many important things happening that affect us – either directly or indirectly. It doesn’t hurt to read about these things. It’s not boring, reading it is exciting, interesting, informative and helpful.

It seems that Bono has been thinking deeply about what needs changing. And he’s not afraid to speak his mind and to try to understand how changes can be made. Read the article; I think you’ll like what you read.

“If you don’t like where you are, change what you are.” – Henry Knight Miller

“Our remedies in ourselves do lie which we ascribe to heaven.” -Shakespeare

“I want to be alive to all the life that is in me now, to know each moment to its uttermost.” – kahlil Gibran

“Every tine we choose safety, we reinforce fear . . . our world grows smaller and smaller.” – Cheri Huber

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“the messenger” says he knows

Reading and writing is not always a simple matter. There’s so much information “out there” that the mind tends to change beliefs more often than one is willing to admit. You read an opinion about something or someone sheds light on a topic in a way that you’ve not heard before, and you think, “That makes perfect sense.” And away you go with that bit of information until the next article or person comes along. Maybe it’s that kind of a world. There’s simply a lot of ways to think about everything. AND maybe all those ways contain their own truth.

Someone showed a book to me recently. It’s written by “The Messenger” and it’s about enlightenment and energy. The writer proclaims that upon reading it you’ll never ever view life in the same way again. Admittedly, I’m a sucker for this kind of stuff because I think, “Okay, shake up my world. Bring it on. What do you know that I don’t?” I don’t remember the name of the book, but when turning the pages of this one in particular I felt there are books on shelves far more outlandish, and those writers had the respect for their written words to use their names. Why does someone write a book, have it published, get it into book stores and go by the name “The Messenger”? Particularly when proclaiming a discovery that “. . .will forever change the life of the reader.” And even though I wasn’t interested in reading the book, I saw enough and had to walk off the ideas in that book. After looking at the book though I did think about the many beliefs there are regarding how people react to life. Maybe that which created the universe just wanted to give us choices, and one way is not necessarily better than another. I’ll keep that thought in mind.

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talking food

I’ve been thinking about getting back to eating more uncooked foods. There are a lot of books about eating raw and they are a great support system, and a great support system is needed to get very clear about what to eat and why. At the moment I’m reading three books that are informative, inspiring, very interesting and, I think, enjoyable reading. They are Eating for Beauty by David Wolfe www.sunfood.com , The Master Cleanser by Stanley Burroughs www.mastercleanser.com , and Wisdom from the Monastery by Peter Sewald, Editor.

Last week a great French bakery on 20th Street and Ninth Avenue in Manhattan called to me. Everything is prepared at the cafe. Trust me; it’s all delicious. When I got back to the apartment where I’m staying, I picked up one of the three books and started remembering what it was like to eat raw. It’s really nice to go to a food shop and select your favorite foods thinking about taste only, but when you consciously plan to eat in a way that gives ultimate nourishment to body, mind and spirit, your life changes. I want to experience that feeling again. That feeling of seeing changes in my body, inside and outside, and having the discipline to take charge.

So I’ve been a fixture at *Bonobo’s on 23rd Street www.bonobosrestaurant.com where the ambiance is airy and conducive to enjoying fresh foods prepared in simple ways with an emphasis on being delicious and uncooked. The people behind the counter are helpful. You can sample before ordering. They’re patient and friendly. It will take a little time to get back to eating that way. I can still taste the delicious sandwich and almond croissant at La Bergamote, but I really want to eat differently and I’m heading in that direction now.

*It’s now 2013 and Bonobo’s is a restaurant of the past.

Change is good. Right?

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the life you were born to live by dan millman

Have you read the book, The Life You Were Born To Live by Dan Millman? www.danmillman.com

When we bought it, it became an instant success in the family, and also with visitors who came to our apartment. I know they enjoyed the book because there would usually be a phone call a day or two later saying, “I was at the bookstore and picked up that book we were looking at a few days ago.”

What is the book’s appeal besides being entertaining? Because entertaining is not a good enough reason in this instance. So why do people go out and buy it soon after spending a few hours with it? Maybe because the book, the “Life Purpose System,” gently guides. It doesn’t dictate, or get you into a dark mood because it’s complicated and heavy. Rather it suggests and informs. The words, and what they’re expressing, grab the reader. You see a quizzical expression, a smile, a nod, an agreement from the one reading.

I’m not the best person to point to why a book is good reading, or why it isn’t. Every word that’s written about a book, person, movie, restaurant, or place is just someone else’s opinion. And because it’s an opinion, one opinion is as good as another. Perhaps this opinion will bring you to a bookstore. Perhaps it won’t.

And so it goes.

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david wolfe

I’d read in an eletter I’d gotten, perhaps 4 years ago, high praise for a book titled, The Sunfood Diet Success System. The next time I was in a bookstore I looked, but the book wasn’t there. I tried other stores. Couldn’t find it. Finally I went to the stores that were not considered mainstream, and there it was. I reluctantly picked it up. Reluctantly because it looked to me like information overload on a subject I wasn’t sure I wanted to know that much about. There were a lot of words in that book. However, the writer, David Wolfe, had put together a beautiful book.

It turned out that The Sunfood Diet Success System and I became fast friends. I read it from cover to cover a few times, highlighting the information I would need to become a “raw foodist.” I savored the words. They must have reached a part of me that was ready, because I felt, “Yes. I can do this. ” I was really excited. It wouldn’t be easy being in Manhattan and passing block after block of restaurants, bakeries, and take-out places having the most delicious foods. But . . .

David Wolfe came to town and gave a lecture. He taught us about coconuts and how to select the best ones. He opened a coconut and spooned out the milky white meat. It was similar to eating pudding. And the taste? Wonderful. He talked about many things; I was definitely hooked. At the time I was cooking for family, and knew no one would join me this time around in this particular endeavor. My main purpose was to have loads of energy and a clear head. And for one year I enjoyed every mouthful of my raw food meals.

Then there was a summer holiday and two couples came to visit. These four friends spend many weekends grilling steaks in their backyards. We had walked and walked in the East Village and were hungry. There we were in front of the Second Avenue Deli. We went in. It was merry and crowded and the smells came from everywhere. We sat comfortably at a big table- enough for lots of food- and began glancing at the many menu selections. And I noticed the very familiar pastrami on rye. The discussion was leaning towards sandwiches. And everyone knows that sandwiches in a Jewish deli at the right time is a taste worth persuing.

So, I didn’t blink an eye when the waitress pointed pen and paper my way and said, “And you?” It didn’t take but a few seconds to say, “Me. Well, I’ll have a pastrami on rye and a cup of coffee, please.” And my friends looked in my direction and smiled. That’s all they did was smile. Were they thinking, “Thank God. Now we don’t have to sneak out for a pizza anymore.” Or maybe they were thinking about the chocolate chip cookies that used to be in containers in my freezer.

Indeed. It was that way. You try things and sometimes they become a permanent part of your life. Sometimes they don’t. In both instances, you never do things in quite the same way ever again.