If I could only recommend one self-help book, it might be Steering by Starlight by Martha Beck. The subtitle, The Science and Magic of Finding Your Destiny, is an understatement.

For me, the magic was a real surprise.  This has completely transformed how I start my day and the kinds of surprises and serendipity — often pure magic — that show up.

I did all of the exercises in the book. I think that’s important.  However, I was a little loose with a couple of them and it didn’t seem to significantly impact the results.

I’m still a little stunned at how well this book works.  In fact, the magic part baffles me.  It’s like a science fiction movie or a fairy tale, in which the road magically appears just a few steps ahead of you, always extending just a little further with each step.

When I finished each exercise, I almost always found myself in the middle of exactly what the next chapter addressed… even when it seemed pretty distinct and non sequitur from whatever Ms. Beck was about to talk about.

Be prepared.  It’s not an easy book to go through.  Some of the self-examination can get messy.  It is very likely to shake up a lot of what you thought you wanted out of life.

However, the clarity of vision you’ll gain… it makes the difficult truths worth facing.

One small note: If you’re LDS (Mormon), you may find some of Ms. Beck’s comments a little snide or harsh.  Given her past, I think her attitudes are understandable.  I just wouldn’t want those few comments to detract from your experience, or even put you off reading this book.

All in all, this is one of the best self-help books I’ve ever read.  I recommend it 100% and — except for the comments about Utah — I’d give this five stars.

Rating:

See larger image Steering by Starlight: The Science and Magic of Finding Your Destiny (Paperback) By (author) Martha Beck PhD List Price: $15.99 USD New From: $6.90 In Stock Used from: $2.21 In Stock Release date June 9, 2009.

If you’re interested in ley lines, The New Ley Hunter’s Guide, by Paul Devereux, is an important starting point.

Ley lines are classically defined as straight linear features, globally aligning ancient ceremonial landscapes.

Devereux first provides a brief history of ley lines, from their first modern-day discovery by Alfred Watkins.

Then, Devereux shows us the tools and research techniques to reveal classic, linear ley lines connected to any sacred site.

After that, the New Ley Hunter’s Guide includes many maps of eerie and mysterious lines connecting many British historical and spiritual sites.

This is a book that every ley line enthusiast should read, and probably own.  It’s the foundational book for modern ley line studies.

However, though Devereux is a respected authority on ley lines, if you’re looking for ley lines interpreted with emphasis on energy lines — and not exclusively straight lines connecting landmarks across the landscape — you’ll need to build on Devereux’s basic information.  Other books and videos document those alternate approaches.

Before you take steps in those newer directions (pun intended), read Devereux’s important book.  It’s the foundation you need to fully understand the significance of recent “ley line” discoveries, and the heated controversy surrounding them.

Pros

• Well written and edited.
• Clear how-to information for beginners.
• Excellent maps of classic ley lines across Britain.

Cons

• Traditional focus on geographically straight lines.  (Many see that as a “pro” rather than a “con.”)

Rating:

Click here to buy a copy of The New Ley Hunter’s Guide at Amazon.com

Related links

• Paul Devereux’s Leylines website
• Vortex Maps
• Ley lines – Stones of Wonder (skeptical)
• Salem Ghosts – Judges’ Line (Salem Witch Trials ley line)
• BBC – Wiltshire – Moonraking (ley lines)

See larger image The New Ley Hunter's Guide (Paperback) By (author) Paul Devereux New From: $59.00 In Stock Used from: $0.39 In Stock

Ask and It Is Given – Learning to Manifest Your Desires, by Esther and Jerry Hicks, may be the one and only “Secret” book you need.

Before “The Secret,” Esther Hicks — channeling Abraham — provided the kinds of information you’ve read, heard and/or seen in “The Secret.”

In fact, if you saw one of the earliest versions of “The Secret” video, you saw Abraham speaking through Esther Hicks.  (Later versions did not include Abraham or Mrs. Hicks.  The reason for that is explained in this YouTube video.)

Ask and It Is Given is a book that answers the question, How can I get there from here?

The first part of the book explains the theory behind the Law of Attraction, and how (and why) we manifest what’s around us.

Included is an important tip about what happens 17 seconds after you start thinking about something, and then what happens after 68 seconds.  (That’s in Chapter 21.)

In Chapter 22, you’ll find a very important chart.  It’s something generally not mentioned in The Secret: The Emotional Guidance Scale.

This kind of chart isn’t entirely unique.  You may have seen similar charts of emotions, elsewhere.

However, matching manifestation techniques to the emotional level you’re at… that’s genius.   Without that match, your efforts could actually set you back.  The vibrations must be right for you, not forced, and without any counter-intentions behind them.

So, with a better understanding of where you’re starting from, emotionally, you’re ready for Part II of Ask and It Is Given: 22 processes that you can use to get from where you are now to where you want to be.

Most of those are processes that you can do anywhere, at any time, with items you probably have at your desk or in your purse.

One of my favorite process is the first one: Rampage of Appreciation. You’ll need to be in a fairly good mood for this to work; that is, you’ll need to feel optimistic, at least. If you’re feeling enthusiastic, eager, free, empowered or appreciative, this is a process you can do while driving your car or standing in line at the grocery store.

If you’re having a difficult day or you’re worried about money… well, there are plenty of other processes in this book, and many of them are designed to help you, even if you’re feeling depressed, powerless, guilty, angry, or overwhelmed.

Ask and It Is Given provides important information that I haven’t seen in anything else related to The Secret.

Oh, I think The Secret is a tremendous movie and the book is next to my bed.  The Secret is a constant source of inspiration and encouragement, even on my “it’s all a holodeck” days. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, see my review of Busting Loose from The Money Game.)

If I were stuck on a desert island and could have only three self-help books with me, Ask and It Is Given would probably be one of them.

Click here to buy Ask and It Is Given at Amazon.com

Energy Blast from Steven Aitchison is a great, fast way to recover your sense of fun and super-charge your energy reserves.

It uses binaural beats to refresh you and restore a feeling of deep-down happiness.

You can download this MP3 instantly and listen to it with stereo headphones.

I tried Energy Blast with my Windows Media Player. The on-screen graphics generated by the music… well, they were delightful.

In fact, everything about this MP3 is sheer fun.

The music has a disco beat, with a slight nod to the 1980s, and a sense of humor added.

For me, the first three minutes were like a mental whiff of tea tree oil or menthol.  If you’ve seen those York Peppermint candy ads — the ones where they talk about being so refreshed, it’s like an exhilarating winter moment — that’s what Energy Blast is like.

After those first few minutes, I couldn’t not dance in my chair.  The music, the fun, the sense of delight… it took charge and added to how happy I felt.

I listened to the full nine minutes of this MP3, but I was ready to get back to work, fully refreshed, after about four minutes.   So, you may not need to listen to the entire recording to get the full benefits of this genuine energy blast.

Of course, if you need just a short spurt of energy before going to bed, Energy Blast might be too much for you.  I expect to sustain my current, upbeat energy level for at least a couple of hours.

In fact, I’m going to load this into my MP3 player to use when I take breaks during long drives.  Combined with stretching, healthy snacks and fresh air, this might be an ideal way to stay alert on full-day road trips.

Right now, if you’re staring at your computer screen, taking a break and hoping to bounce back with something vaguely resembling energy, go download Steven Aitchison’s Energy Blast. It’ll put a smile on your face and add a disco beat to your day.

Click here to visit Steven Aitchison’s website for the Energy Blast download

P.S. I’ve subscribed to Steven Aitchison’s “Binaural Heaven” recordings.  I’ll review more of them in the coming weeks, along with other binaural products.

Meanwhile, be sure to see my previous, related article, Audio Guided Meditations.

Busting Loose from The Money Game by Robert Scheinfeld is a love-it-or-hate-it book for most people.

It’s correctly subtitled, “Mind-blowing strategies for changing the rules of a game you can’t win.”

“Mind-blowing” is an understatement.

Even if you finally land in the “love it” category, you may first spend days, weeks or even months scratching your head, wondering if the author is on the level.

Author Robert Scheinfeld takes you step-by-step through the process of deciding if life is really a game… in recent Star Trek terms: a huge, complex, and very impressive holodeck. (Or, if you’ve thought that your life may be something like The Truman Show, this book will confirm it.)

If you’re ready for the possibility that nothing is really real — it’s all virtual — few books present that case more methodically and clearly than Busting Loose from The Money Game.

Removing yourself from the “victim” role in the game can be tremendously empowering.  To get there, you need to know how to change the rules of the game.

This means completely dismissing almost everything you believe is true.  Scheinfeld talks about this as the “Phase Two” part of the game; in Phase One, you got the idea that your powers were limited, and almost everything’s a trade-off.

In Phase Two, the gloves come off, you take everything less seriously, and you step back into your true sense of power.  It’s like saying, “Okay, that was fun. Now let’s get to the high-powered exhilaration I was expecting from this game.”

If you felt let down by The Secret, “Busting Loose…” will explain why that’s a Phase One approach.  The Secret won’t work if you want true Phase Two abundance.

If you can suspend disbelief (and I am struggling with that), you may agree with Jack Canfield (author of the “Chicken Soup” book series), “This book will show you a joyful new way to create and experience total abundance.”

My opinion? This book is either total genius, or it’s a textbook study of dissociative disorders.  I’m not sure there’s any halfway point between those two interpretations.

Just in case author Robert Scheinfeld is right, I recommend reading this book.

If he is right, most of our planet is edging towards Phase Two right now.  To make the most of it — and prevent the panic, depression and frustration that can accompany this kind of shift in reality — Busting Loose from The Money Game is a book to own.

Ordinarily, I’d recommend reading a copy from the public library.  However, this book is so wacky and so disturbing, you’ll read about half a page of it and put it back on the shelf.

The quirky thing is: If you give the book half a chance, you’ll probably want to keep a copy on your bookshelf.

It’s a book you’ll keep returning to, and each time you’ll wonder a little more seriously, “What if he’s right…?”

Pros

• Concepts presented gradually and logically.
• Author seems wholly committed to this belief, and has been through the process himself and with clients.
• Using an “Easter egg” approach, the reader can transform his or her reality at a fairly comfortable pace.

Cons

• The premise is difficult to accept: Almost nothing is real… not as you’ve thought about it, anyway.
• The book seems to start out excessively slow, until you’re at the edge of the precipice and ready to reject the whole thing.
• Most people will need to re-read the book several times over a period of months before they digest these extreme ideas.

Summary

If you’re seeing weird patterns and flaws in the “reality” around you, and you’ve begun to wonder if this is all a holodeck, this is the book you’ve been looking for.

However, if you reject the concept that life may be a game and only a game, you’ll probably reject this book, too.

I’m not rating this book because I can’t make up my mind if it’s a no-star book or a five-star book.  There is no in-between rating I can give it.

As Alice might have said if she’d read this book, “Curiouser and curiouser…!”

Available at Amazon.com

See larger image Busting Loose From the Money Game: Mind-Blowing Strategies for Changing the Rules of a Game You Can't Win (Hardcover) By (author) Robert Scheinfeld List Price: $26.95 USD New From: $10.99 In Stock Used from: $5.75 In Stock