For those new to the works of Sheldrake, this could be the perfect buy.

Yes, it's a repackaged version of what the authorities would consider "Old School." So if you want a book with a cool title, cool cover, and probably one of the more digestible texts of Sheldrake's ideas, (and you don't have any Sheldrake on your shelf) then this would work.

As for complaints by Sheldrake fanatics, hey, at least this is getting those marvelous ideas by McKenna and Sheldrake out to newer and newer audiences!

I read this book while on jury duty. Because I ran out of reading materials, I went back over it and decided to write down some of my favorite quotes. Here is one example, by Ralph Abraham. "I find the whole idea that the world's soul is confined in a space/time continuum of four or ten dimensions extremely claustrophobic." So, you all get the idea. This was not a book to summarize, so I kept writing down quotes and buzz words. What gave me a lot of chuckles were the interspersed references to psychedelic drugs and various qualities of mushrooms, and the use of mushroom examples and so forth. I don't know much about mushrooms, but it helps date these guys, even while they are talking about ten dimensions being claustrophobic. I will say this-- they must have had some good trips.

I don't pretend to understand a lot of their references, mushrooms aside, but it is an easy book to read as long as one doesn't feel the need to follow up every lead and reference. Their approaches seem to be kind of cutting edge, but dated, if there is such a combination. I am particularly interested in Sheldrake's morphogenetic fields, which is what led me to the book. My attention span tends to be a little short, so I wanted a kind of breezy overview. Although I enjoyed the book a lot, I don't think I got much out of the morphic fields discussion. So I will look elsewhere for that.

I lent this book to my daughter, who is enthralled by it, particularly since she just took a bunch of final exams, some having to do with statistics and econometrics, so their discussions of modeling were most interesting to her.

And who wouldn't go for the idea of creativity coming out of chaos? Aren't our lives in chaos most of the time anyway? There must be a purpose for it. That's it. I get more creative after every chaotic event!! The discussions about beginnings, endings, various attractors, etc. were really fun to read. Not sure which ones came from their imaginitive minds (resulting from chaos), or their super intelligent brains, and which ones were from the mushrooms.

Oh, here's another Abraham quote I absolutely loved. "As the waves pass the rock, their shape is changed. There is a hologram of the rock within the wave that comes forward and crashes on the beach, then there's a reflected wave back."

Ok, that was cool!! All things considered, if you have some extra time (either on the beach, or on jury duty) read this book. They weaved in references from all aspects of experience-- mythology, mushrooms, science, waves, psychology, philosophy, history, etc. I love that!! I consider a book a success for me if I get one good idea from it. And I got more than that from this one, although I am not any more inclined to take psychedelics than I was prior to reading the book.

This is a gripping series of conversations between the three authors discussing various aspects of the psyche, the universe, the role of chaos theory in the dynamics of creation and the rediscovery of ancient wisdom. The authors, all three of whom stood at the cutting edge of their respective disciplines, challenge the reader about our current views of reality, morality and the nature of life. The sometimes breathtaking insights emerging from this will not fail to move the reader. The chapters on creativity, the imagination and chaos are amongst the most compelling, and deal with theories like the cosmic imagination as a higher dimensional magnet that pulls the evolutionary process to itself, the Omega Point, and imagination arising out of the womb of chaos. Other fascinating topics include indeterminism in nature, nature's organising fields as mathematical representations, and the encoding of information in crystals and in written language. The chapter "Light and Vision" is one of the most poetic, dealing as it does with physical light and the light of consciousness, the theory that one's thoughts are a measurable field emanating from the eyes, the similarities between electromagnetic and mental fields, the concept of a world soul, and morphogenetic fields as a medium of divine omniscience. Incorporeal intelligence and non-human entities are discussed - are the latter merely inhabitants of the psyche or do they have an independent existence? Scientists and inventors like Kekule, who received answers in dreams, are referenced here. The book concludes with a glossary, bibliography and biographical information about the authors. It is a stimulating text in which the power of the mythical imagination, scientific observation and innovative speculation combine to create a thought-provoking reading experience.

I have to admit that the area of organized religious hierarchies and their trappings is not one I am very interested in. That said, I felt that this book failed for me in several ways: 1. I didn't feel for the characters 2. Thus, when the characters were in danger, I did not feel any suspense. 3. I didn't care about the pre-1989 Soviet bloc country or the religious organization inside of that country, further reducing my interest in the outcome. 4. The internal religious moral arguments the main character has with himself are represented by short and summary resolutions - this topic (and others) don't seem to be explored, as much as thrown out and discarded. 5. The detail was very sparse, and I wasn't drawn into the setting.

After finishing the book, I felt as though I had wasted my time.

I was lucky to have found this out-of-print Booker Prize nominated title in a second hand bookshop. I was attracted to its setting in an unidentified Eastern bloc country and its tale of political intrigue involving the Church and the State. It also has at its centre the fascinating character of Cardinal Bem whose faith is fully tested as he battles dark forces threatening to unleash chaos on his tension fraught country. The plot moves at a frenetic pace which leaves you breathless. I found myself in the midst of an attempted assasination within the first pages of the novel and propelled into a plot which twists and turns and doesn't let go until the last shocking word is spilled. The ending had a sense of inevitability about it - you could smell it coming. I finished the book in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down. Moore's cracker paced thriller makes an excellent read. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Color of Blood is one of the more exciting books that I have read in a long time. The main character, Cardinal Bem, demonstrates to the reader his struggle of being on the run from those who look suspicious, which includes almost anyone. A good book to read when you want suspense with a surprise ending.

As someone who's interested both in Science and Religion, I have enjoyed this book tremenodously. It is a purley scientific and unbiased review of many leading scientist's views on the subject of God, the origin of life, and the origin of the universe.
24 of these scientists are Nobel Prize winners. I found it interesting that many of these reputable scientists, by their views, challenge the widely acceptable notion, that Creation is a religeous myth, and the Big Bang/Evolution is the only scientific answer...definetley worth reading.

This book is a thought-provoking collection of essays exploring issues relating to science and theology. Or, in other words, life, the universe, and ... never mind. This book is probably not going to appeal to those with set, rigid, doctrinaire views on either science or religion. Nor is there an effort to convert you to anything, really. The essays are varied, interesting, and you can probably take a lot of different thoughts away from this book. I didn't take it as an attempt to prove that science can or should point to a god. Certainly, a number of the writers recognize that science does not (and cannot) rule out a god. That, in my opinion, is true agnosticism (as applied to both religion and science!). Just as some religions have properly abandoned views inconsistent with provable scientific facts (darn that Galileo!), scientists ought to be willing to discuss and acknowledge the limits of science. Perhaps some scientists critical of this book don't like the same skepticism and desire for proof that they would place on religion being applied to their own domain. Oh well. For those intimidated by any critic's intimations regarding their degrees, for the most part, the essays, while sophisticated, don't require a Ph.D. in physics. I enjoyed this book, it made me think, and that's not bad.

Unlike the other reviewer who missed the point of the book, the authors were only reflecting the views of the scientists questioned. There is no attempt to prove the existence of God. The book is well written, with high ranking scientists from several fields providing valuable insight into their beliefs.

Mr. Carroll's book about the saga of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade is an interesting insight into a part of American history that is lost. What is most interesting is his stories of the men and women who choose to fight and die in Spain and the reasons that they did. As a collection of personnel stories this book excels. These men and women went to Spain notwithstanding the antagonism of their country and the countries surrounding Spain and then returned to a suspicious nation that treated them as part of the red menace.

However, if one is expecting to get a history of the Spanish Civil War, or even an overview of the war, one will be disappointed.

Just looking at the title, I am curious why it was chosen. There was no Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. It was the Abraham Lincoln Battalion which was part of the XV International Brigades. John C. Howell, johnchowell@msn.com

This extremely readable book tells the story of the 2,600 American volunteers who fought for the Spanish Republic in the years 1936 to 1938. They fought against Franco; they also fought against Hitler's and Mussolini's armies; they also fought against the Governments of Britain, France and the United States, which did so much to assist the forces of fascist aggression.

"But the remarkable thing was that though fully conscious of the odds against us and though suffering staggering losses in long, drawn out gruelling campaigns, we all went back to the front time after time ... always with a belief in the possibility of victory." This was the testimony of Milton Wolff, the last commander of the Lincoln-Washington battalion. As Carroll wrote, "the Americans remained in action, constantly facing superior firepower. As in previous engagements, they demonstrated remarkable courage and stamina; they held difficult positions against overwhelming odds." They were finally withdrawn from Spain after the two-month Battle of the Ebro in late 1938: "the Americans under Wolff held fast and waited. They were still there when a relief column came to replace them; only then did they withdraw from the lines."

Within the Republican forces, it was the Communists who fought longest and hardest against Franco. What is amazing is that they fought so well for so long against such odds, not that they lost. How could they have fought any better? If they had followed the line of revolution now, war later, Franco would surely have won more quickly and easily. This approach would have lost them the support of those in Spain who wanted the Republic but were not yet ready for revolution. This approach would have made support or even genuine neutrality from other Governments even less likely. It would have increased the intensity of German, Italian, British, French and US Government support for Franco. It is quite possible that the British, French and US Governments would have abandoned even the pretence of neutrality and joined in the attack on Spain, just as they had in 1918-1922 when they jointly attacked the Soviet Union.

The British, French and US Governments used Hitler and Mussolini as their hired goons to attack Spain, just as they tried to use them later to attack the Soviet Union. (And just as they now use other goons in other countries.) In June 1940 when Roosevelt accused Mussolini of stabbing France in the back, former brigade commissar John Gates replied truly, "It was you who stabbed Republican Spain in the back. It was you, and the British and French rulers, who provided Mussolini with the dagger that he has now proceeded to plunge into your own backs."

When the Brigade left, La Pasonaria spoke: "We shall not forget you and when the olive tree of peace puts forth its leaves again, entwined with the laurels of the Spanish Republic's victory - come back! ... Come back to us. With us those of you who have no country will find one, those of you who have to live deprived of friends will find friends, and all of you will find the love and gratitude of the whole Spanish people who, now and in the future, will cry out with all their hearts: Long live the heroes of the International Brigades!"

She said, "They gave up everything, their loves, their countries, home and fortune; fathers, mothers, wives, brothers, sisters and children, and they came and told us: "We are here. Your cause, Spain's cause, is ours - it is the cause of all advanced and progressive mankind.' You can go proudly. You are history. You are legend."

After the war, they fought on against the enemies of Spain and of all progressive mankind in America. Bill McCarthy said in 1990, "We have to do our fighting right here. There's no use being discouraged because victory is ours if we fight for it." Milton Woolf, who had not completed high school, said, "Spain was only one battle. World War Two was only one battle, what's going on in Central America, South Africa, the Middle East now is another battle, and we're into those things. Struggle is the elixir of life, the tonic of life. I mean, if you're not struggling, you're dead."

'Say not the struggle nought availeth.' Spain (not Munich) gave Britain the time and opportunity to rearm. Spain damaged Mussolini so much that his intervention on Hitler's side was more hindrance than help. Franco too could do little to help his sponsors. Veterans of the Brigade fought Franco to the end. After his death, his monstrous regime crumbled away to nothing. The veterans worked in the movements against the US's war of aggression on Vietnam, against US support for apartheid, against the US arms buildup, and against the US's wars against Nicaragua and Iraq. They did not retire; they were not defeated.

This was an excellent historical record of probably the greatest American that ever lived. However, it has long, complex, diffcult to read wording that makes it somewhat labor-intensive reading. The content is great, but there are far easier to read (and understand) books about Lincoln.

interesting in that it was written from a british perspective. i have read several biographies on lincoln and would recommend this book as an introductory volume for those who want to study lincoln, but, as an important volume for those who study general presidential history, civil war, and general american history.

Though it is dated in some of its facts and assessments,Lord Charnwoods classic study of Lincoln remains one of the dozen or so greatest books ever written about our greatest President.What sets it apart from most other studies of the sixteenth President is the attention it gives the intellectual and spiritual underpinnings of Lincoln's life and actions. It is, in short a work of philosophical history, not a dry recitation of facts. Charnwood is interested in the moral meaning of democracy and the scope and limits of democratic leadership. He performs his task beautifully. I , for one , found his old-fashioned Victorian prose a joy to read, and a relief from the cliche' ridden jargon that too often passes for literate prose today. A great book by a foriegn observer of America, fully worthy of being placed beside Tocqueville and Bryce.

As an amateur genealogist I discovered that I was a sixth cousin, five times removed to President Abraham Lincoln through the Lincoln and Holmes families. On page 21 ( Abraham Lincoln, The man Behind The Myths ) Mr. Oates wrote that there was a mistaken belief that Thomas Lincoln was not Abraham's real father rather it was a Senator John C. Calhoun or a Henry Clay. If this was true it would mean that I was not related to President Abraham Lincoln. How would such a rumour start ? Is there any documented evidence that Nancy Lincoln had an affair with one of these men while being married to Thomas Lincoln. At the time I am trying to locate Stephen B. Oates so I can get this matter cleared up. Sincerely, Mr. Blair E. Bartlett, 87 Shillington Road, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, E2J 4K7 1-506-696-6175

If you're interested in understanding what the man Abraham Lincoln was like, this is the book for you. This short, well-documented study of our sixteenth President cuts through the myths and the utter nonsense that have been written about Lincoln to expose the real hero behind these tales. This work shows Lincoln as the driven, courageous yet fallible man who never gave up on his dream of freedom for all men. Highly recommended!

We invented Abraham Lincoln. Not the man, of course, but the myth, that solemn and statuesque giant memorialized eternally overlooking the Capitol mall. The power of that myth and the quiet dignity of its personage dwarfs us all. But the myth is not the man. Myths never are. Stephen Oates in his _Abraham Lincoln, The Man Behind the Myths_, does not seek to diminish the man but rather to clarify him, separating the mythos from the mortal. And it is not an undaunting task, it seems, for overly soon after Lincoln's tragic end the mills began to churn. The public's shredding of the White House interior for mementos while Mary Lincoln lay debilitated in the next room seems symbolic of the wolfpack mentality in Washington even today. And every new memoir published by another family acquaintance of the Lincoln's almost always got it wrong, and tore anew at the heart of the family. We may not have memorialized and glorified our modern-day tragic heroes to such an extent, for we have simultaneously tried to scandalize them. But the tabloid trade it seems has always been a yellow paper. Even Lincoln was vilified in his time and after. He was, Oates, reminds us, one of the most unpopular living presidents of our history. But though the legacy ballooned to heroic proportions after his passing, the man seems to have been lost in it all, remaining only in the hearts of the family leaving quietly and unattended down the steps of the White House never to return.

See deeper into the mystical life of moses. After reading this you will never read the biblical books of Moses the same. The saint brings to life the hidden work of God that you dont get from reading the scriptures externaly. He shows that everthing that moses did had deep meaning and shows the way for us to find union with God.

St. Gregory of Nyssa, one of the early Church fathers, has really nailed down the Life of Moses. Not only does he give you a summary of his life, he takes the time to discuss both the symbolic and spiritual imagery present throughout Moses' Life. Through reading this book you can come to a great understanding of How God really worked wonders in the Life of moses in the vindication of His people Israel. In reading the bible texts, without even knowing it, you may miss many important symbols, but Here Gregory lays them all out for you in an easily accessable way. Even if you are not experenced in reading Patristic Litature, This book will appeal to both your literarly and Spiritual Side. A book i would recommend to anyone seeking to learn more about the life of the man that Led the Exodus.

The Life of Moses is two books in one. The first one deals with the history of Moses. The second takes accounts from this history and explains their meaning. Gregory not only demystifies Moses' lifeby explaining the symbolic meaning of it's events("The master of deciet endeavors to turn the drink of the Hebrews into blood by polluting it with falsehood",page 69), he also encourages the reader to apply the beliefs to his/her own life("The firmer and more immovable one remains in the good, the more he progresses in the course of virtue",page 117). He even explains why God resides in the heavens("The divine is by it's very nature infinite, enclosed by no boundry", page 236). This is a very good book for anyone in the Judeo-Christian community, but need not be limited to that group alone. It is thought provoking enough to appeal to theologians, and the heavy use of metaphor reminded me of some of the writings from eastern religions.

This book perpetuates the out and out LIES surrounding the Gettysburg address.

This quote says it all...

"The Gettysburg speech was at once the shortest and the most famous oration in American history... the highest emotion reduced to a few poetical phrases. Lincoln himself never even remotely approached it. It is genuinely stupendous. But let us not forget that it is poetry, not logic; beauty, not sense. Think of the argument in it.

Put it into the cold words of everyday.

The doctrine is simply this: that the Union soldiers who died at Gettysburg sacrificed their lives to the cause of self-determination -- that government of the people, by the people, for the people, should not perish from the earth.

It is difficult to imagine anything more untrue.

The Union soldiers in the battle actually fought *against* self-determination; it was the Confederates who fought for the right of their people to govern themselves."--

As Gary Willis tries to indicate in his introduction to this illustrated edition of Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," the reason it is the most important speech in American History is because until Lincoln made his few choice "remarks" at the dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Americans did not believe the principle that "all men are created equal" that is enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. So while this is a sense that the Union Troops did not fight for self-determination, or to free the slaves for that matter, we now believe that they did and we do so because of what Lincoln said at Gettysburg (Willis develops this argument more comprehensively in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "Lincoln at Gettysburg"). This is what historicans mean when they talk about how Lincoln elevated the war to a higher level.

The speech is only 272 words long and is illustrated with a dozen marvelously detailed etchings by Michael McCurdy (he calls them drawings in his afterword, but since they are white on black I think of them as "etchings"). McCurdy depicts not only Lincoln speaking at Gettysburg, but also the actual battle and Lincoln's idealized vision of America. If students do not have the opportunity to hear "The Gettysburg Address" read out loud the first time they encounter it, then this book is a reasonable substitute for the experience.

I read this book aloud to my children. The text is simply the Gettysburg address, broken into phrases with an illustration for each thought. Two-thirds of the way through the book, I found myself weeping. The combination of Lincoln's eloquence and the illustrations touched me. I would recommend using this book to introduce students of any age to Lincoln's famous speech and the history associated with it.

Don't bother to buy this book. David Adler merely collectsfacts about the life of Abraham Lincoln and connects them together. Alist of facts do not a story make! Lincoln was a fascinating man, with a sense of humor and a strong will and an honest character who seems to have truly cared for others. None of this comes out in Adler's books. Not even listed as facts in his boring way. I gave the book one star because the artist shouldn't be punished for illustrating the wrong book. But the people in the pictures are barely identifiable. Buy another biography, like Abraham Lincoln, which won a Caldicot award and has been around for decades. I doubt Adler's book will last that long.

My four year olds really liked this book and Adler's book on George Washington. We have looked at some of the other books in the series, and the subject matter in some others seems too old for preschoolers. My preschoolers were interested in the Lincoln and Washington books because they liked hearing about presidents and (because they are boys!) wars. But one caution about the Lincoln book: be prepared to talk about Lincoln getting shot (there's an illustration of this happening). Also, the book discusses slavery and depicts a slave auction. The pictures are as innocuous as possible, and my children were not upset, but you should plan in advance for how you are going to introduce this piece of history in an age appropriate way.

This book tells all about Abraham Lincoln and his adventures in the Civil War. This was a great book and I hope you enjoy it.

I found this book to be full of silly metaphors (as if that's the only way we could relate to Dr. Twerski). It just didn't get me the information I needed. Perhaps others would find it motivational.

I just finished this book and I am not sure why, but it felt like it was missing something. I am reading alot of books about this issue right now and I didn't find anything new in this book that I haven't read in many others. But I will give him credit about the self esteem that he is constantly reminding you is the root of all of this - I just feel he failed to give you any really good advice, except for some affirmations, on how to improve it. I guess you would have to buy his other books.

In the classic Twerski style, this book avoids the usual self help "psycho babble" and presents the topic in an easy to digest format.(pardon the pun) It is full of wonderful stories, and colorful verbal illustrations. Twerski does not examine what we eat, but rather the reasons behind what we eat. He does not "preach" nor blame you but lifts your spirit and encourages you to care for yourself as a means to permanant weight loss.(He sites the main reason for any compulsion is a lack of self-esteem.) He explores ways to cope with everyday life and situtations that can lead to overeating. This is refreshing and rare in books of the genre. I have found it personally very helpful. A book to read time and time again.

" Thin You" is filled with insight that can only come from someone who understands the compulsive mind. I reccomend it as a solid book of advise for anyone regardless of their eating disposition. It is gentle but honest wisdom everyone can use.

Dr. Twerski is a legend! I am from Pittsburgh. (as is he) where his work is highly respected. He is ever revered as a wise advisor. I reccomend this booK! Read it and be well!! Thank you Dr. Twerski !!