We have a very active 6 year old, and we feel he is active alert, his biggest issue is social interaction, since he has been around mostly adults his life. This book has common sense ideas to help a sometimes painful problem. Our son has done better in first grade. The summer using this book has helped alot! ... I am so glad I found this book!

I have a now 6 year old son whom is very active. (I started with the book, The Active Alert Child by Linda Budd.) This book has wonderfully simple and overlooked ideas to a uneasy problem. I had much advancement with my son over the summer. It can be done. Ist grade is going great so far! I feel this was a key to his bettering in his social world. My son has been around adults most of his life and has a hard time relating to other children. This book made a difference.

I am a school social worker and after buying several disappointing books on the topic I was delighted to find this. The format is laid out in an easy to read manner and thank goodness for the real photographs they use. (I also cut out pictures from magazines to talk about non-verbal cues and body language...then have the kids make a collage.)

Separating the areas of non-verbal communication into chapters allows me to focus on one area per session. The speech and language pathologist at my school is doing a group with me called "social communications" and we intend to squeeze everything we can out of this book.

Parents-you don't need to rely on the professionals to teach your child social skills! Have fun with it, make a date with your child weekly to practice these skills. Just don't put me out of business with this book!

But it is definitely worth locating. The deck is oversize and filled with amazing color, detail, verbage, etc. Even if you are not a fan of Shakespeare, the pure beauty of the cards in relation to tarot make this deck worth getting. Being out of print, I haven't seen it listed in many of the online tarot resources for purchasing decks....

....a nicely illustrated deck with quotations from various plays, compiled by a Shakespearian actress.

This tarot deck and book are both beautifully done. The art is simple, yet exquisite. The book very nicely gives a summary for each card's quote's play. The quotes and styles of the cards are very well chosen for the theme of the cards. I consider myself very lucky to now own this deck. If you can get a hold of one, grab it immediately, no matter the cost. This deck is priceless!

If I ever end up shipwrecked on an island with no hope of rescue, this is the one book I MUST have with me. It's twenty years old now and for pleasure I still reread all of the pages, finding new details and new insights. In the introduction, the author suggests reading with deliberation and care. She probably didn't have my pace in mind! But it's been a joy and a deepending understand with each foray. I highly recommend this work to anyone with a sincere penchant for becoming the best you can be on a spiritual level. It's a 'keeper'.

Dolores has a gift for the histrionic and leads her guided meditation sessions with a unique flair. In this book she expresses her skills to the utmost and also gives the reader/participator a magnificent grounding in the sephiroth and paths. If you want to study the attributes use this book. Also if you want to set the tree in motion in your life use this book.

Unusual and almost unique.

It's been a while since I read this book, but it was absolutely fantastic. I strongly recommend it.

As a student of the Occult for many years I highly recommend every book of Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki. But this book is a special one; this is the Master Magician playing the concert piano of the Holy Qabalah, performing the Music of the Spheres with such exquisit images, meditations, rituals that the Sound of the Creater becomes visible when you read the book. It moves me and toutches me deep in my heart.
I recommend this book as well for the beginning student as for the advanced student on the path of magic; Dolores is one of the greatest teachers of our time who is truly able to 'tap into the Universe' herself; she is original and inspiring.
She has the skill to make abstract ideas and images very accessible. Her writing style is very personal, when you read her book it is almost like she is sitting in your home and telling you her story, and in the mean time she seduces you to take on a gigantic amount of Work. But you know what... you will love it.

I am in the process of reading this book, and will update this when I have finished it. So far, it strikes me as a profoundly healing work. Born out of her own pain, as the author states, it not only introduces the unfamiliar reader to the power of the Hebrew letters, it also contains new insights and information for those already familiar with them.

It provides the reader with clear instructions on how to work with the letters. A beautifully written prayer begins each chapter, setting the scene for her ideas about and analysis of each letter. A clear picture of each letter is included. Her instructions for how to use each letter in meditation, as well as a ritual specifically written for each letter, are all included.

In her introduction, Ashcroft-Nowicki sets out a course of study for the entire alphabet. Students can do as much with these instructions as they wish. As one follows along in the book, the idea of how to heal the self of past hurts and sadness is clearly built up. This is a powerful, compassionate process, reflecting the personality of the author of the book, and of course even more reflecting the true nature of the letters themselves.

I have known the author for many years and want to disclose this to be honest in this review. However, long before I met her I had read some of her books, and the way her writing spoke to me--the way she presents ideas--was what drew me to meet her eventually. But even if I had never met her, I would be writing an identical opinion of the book. If you have any interest in these letters, which form the basis of one of the world's great religions and also contribute so much to the Western Mystery Tradition, read this book.

I must confess to a vested interest in any book by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki... she is my Master.

Having said that I was totally "blown away" on first reading through "Illuminations". So much so that I have put aside all my other books (I normally have about 4 or 5 on the go at anyone time) and restarted it to use it in the way it is meant to be used - as deep meditative study. I will not attempt to spoil your adventure by describing the contents, but will only catechise you to go out and buy this book.

You will not regret it.

Comment by Gareth Knight:
"This may not be the Qabalism of the library guru or of the ivory tower esotericist, but it is a sleeves-rolled-up, no-nonsense approach to practical occult development, that at the same time maintains the essential sense of reverence to the divine power that the alphabet of the secret wisdom represents."

Comment by Stanley Cohen:
"Her (Dolores) work is to be applauded as it is crucial to our humanity that we understand His ways from within ourselves. I hope that this book enables each reader to become more aware of those eternal fundamental truths that lie within his or her innermost being."

This book could only have been written by someone who had lived and breathed as a liberal in an earlier incarnation. Nowicki is brutally (and I mean brutally) honest about the predilections, motivations, and basic assumptions of liberals and does not beat around the bush in pointing out where their ideas come from and where they lead. He is especially astute in exposing the myth that is "tolerance" as that term is commonly used today (for a similar analysis, see Paul Griffiths, "Proselytizing for Tolerance" in First Things 127 [November 2002]: 30-36). As he surveys the current cultural scene, Nowicki thinks things willl get worse before they get better, yet it is difficult to classify him as a pessimist through and through. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, though it may be far off. If you haven't read his columns or essays, this book is a good place to start.

I was very impressed with the author's attempt to analyze and scrutinize the mindset of the current liberal using a historical and political background to breathe new life into the falsehood of current liberalism! Way to go Nowicki! I can't wait to read your next book!

Whether you have an academic interest or are just amused by the occult, this is worthy of a good read. However, If you are an aspiring occultist with the need to understand what is expected of you to reach the "Doors of the Mysteries," then this classic is a must read for you.

Written in the first person singular, Walter Ernest Butler (an English occultist[1898-1978]and founder of Servants of the Light [SOL]) provides a compelling and simple tailored account of a craftsman (The Author), revealing to his apprentice (You), the path towards magical attainment. Butler's method of writing, using correspondence letters written to the reader, allows for an enjoyable, personalized experience--especially since he tries to premeditate what types of questions the reader might be thinking about or asking! (Being self absorbed and fascinated with Butler's creativity, I had a difficult time putting the book down. In fact, I read it several times already, and haven't found anything that compares with it.)

Since it was written to supplement the author's previous published books (i.e., "Magic, its Ritual, Power and Purpose", and "The Magician: His Training and Work", you will not find a lot of details on ritual magic per se; however, plenty of profound elements of magic are craftily employed and iterated upon to provide a clear picture of what's expected for a neophyte to know and understand.

For details on ritual magic and training I suggest reading the aforementioned books--good reads as well--or other books on this topic (e.g., "Modern Magic", by Donald Michael Kraig; "An Introduction to Ritual Magic", by Dion Fortune & Gareth Knight; "First Steps in Ritual", by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki; "The Middle Pillar", by Israel Regardie; "Magic: In Theory and Practice", by Aleister Crowley; "Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition, by Chic and Sandra Cicero.)

For the serious student who plans to read all three Butler titles, although there is no set order in which to read these books, I suggest reading "Apprenticed to Magic" first, and then last. First, because it challenges the reader to examine their intentions for wanting to study and practice ritual magic. Last, because it will help clarify information that is presented in the other books.

As a note, to my understanding, Butler created this book like a correspondence course in magic at a time when correspondent courses were not so easily accessible, and hardly existent. Many aspirants who wanted to learn on their own were buying some of Butler's other published works and had questions that needed to be answered regarding the theory and practice of the rituals outlined in those books. So, they wrote him frequently. Well, imagine what it was like answering all of those letters! Therefore, "Apprenticed to Magic" became his answer to those many sort after answers that the "untrained" (i.e., those not belonging to an occult school, or the solo magician) needed.

Be aware though, that securing a copy of this book is not an easy task. In fact, it's a magical feat in itself. The book was first printed in 1962 and then in 1969. Either copy is very difficult to acquire and sometimes expensive. Should you find a copy, I hope you come to value this classic as much as I do--literally and figuratively! It was well worth the money.

The Collaorative Social Studies Classroom is an excellent book for any one who is starting off as a teacher. This book explains step by step and in depth information on how to do different activities in the classroom. I have had the opportunity to take classes taught by Dr. Nowicki and use some of the books curriculum first hand, and I must say that it has been a great learning experinece. This book really helps to make learning fun, and it really helps people to understand the information. The Collaborative Social Studies Classroom is an excellent book for any social studies teacher, and can brighten up any classroom.

Great book for the first course in a graduate health administration program where no prerequites are required. There is a workbook for the textbook to help verify understanding of concepts and principles. I would order it as well.

The book is also appropriate for health professionals who have been promoted into management positions and now need work with financial information.

"Highways of the Mind" is an excellent book on the nature and structure of pathworking. Where many books give specific Qabalistic, Celtic, or Egyptian style tours of the Inner Planes, "Highways" explains in detail the process whereby they are created, as well as how and why they work. At the end of reading "Highways of the Mind", the reader is left with the confidence that they not only understand pathworkings, but are also able to create them on their own, regardless of their chosen tradition or pantheon. This is an ideal book for beginners as well as advanced readers in esotericism.

The Interdisciplinary Straegies for English and Social Studies Classrooms: Toward Collaborative Middle and Secondary Teaching is an excellent piece of educational material. After being taught by Dr. Nowicki for several years I was able to experience much of the information from this book, and I have to say that it has helped me a great deal. This book really helps teachers to teach and students to learn. This book is all around excellence.