New Radiance Reviews
November 2003
Addressing the Goo:
The Metaphysics of Weight Loss
by Lisa Bonnice
Janson House Publishing, 2003
"If our body is energy, then fat is just energy, not a
punishment from God." This is really the core message of Addressing the Goo by Lisa
Bonnice, a new book about the metaphysical causes of weight gain and loss.
Bonnice acknowledges that some people's weight gain is related to
medical problems that require a doctor's intervention. The lessons in this book, however, are more
suitable for individuals whose weight gain stems from emotional and spiritual issues that result in
the subsequent physical manifestation of added body weight.
Lisa Bonnice has been a student of metaphysics for many years and
shares the principles that helped her resolve her own weight situation. She understands how
self-blame, doubt and fear of change can inhibit one's inability to lose weight. And she offers the
solution that worked for her: releasing the emotional "garbage" that was hard to let go of
and that manifested as physical fat and then using various techniques to raise her vibration to
attract healthier foods and habits and return to a positive feeling of self-worth and
self-love.
A major lesson in the book relates to not judging oneself: "Goo
is energy and energy itself is neutral." Bonnice points out that the universe doesn't care if
we're fat or thin and that we essentially create our own reality; she asserts that we can learn to
create a reality in which our body shape is exactly what we desire it to be. Lisa Bonnice is a
teacher of metaphysics, instructing her readers in basic metaphysical and spiritual principles; her
own understanding is shown through a number of very clear examples intended to help people view
their weight issues with new understanding.
The "Goo" of the title is another way of saying "the
energy of the universe" or the "body of God." I found the "goo" terminology
a little off-putting because it was a nonsense word trying to describe something very profound and,
since I did not read the book in one sitting, I had to keep referring back to the section explaining
what "goo" meant. While I understood Bonnice's desire to remove any preconceived or rigid
ideas about "God" from her lessons, for me, the book would have flowed more easily with a
better word for the "goo" concept.
Addressing the Goo is well-written, with a humorous style that
makes the seriousness of the content easy to relate to. Even if the concepts presented don't always
help the reader lose weight, the principles can be translated into any area of life.
(Reviewed by Barbara Casey)
Coffee Wisdom: 7 Finely-Ground Principles for
Living a Full-Bodied Life
by Theresa Cheung
Conari Press, 2003
Theresa Cheung has written a number of self-help books including Worry: The Root of All Evil and The Lazy Person’s Guide to Stress. Her present book, Coffee Wisdom, gives us the seven principles for making a
perfect cup of coffee and explains how they can help us to attain a happy, fulfilling life.
Not all of her principles apply to both coffee and life in equal
measure, but they do provide a unique framework within which she can express her ideas about life.
We also learn a lot of interesting facts about coffee, its history and some famous coffee drinkers.
Principle # 7, “Drink it while it’s hot,” is an example of
a good combination. Since the flavor of coffee can become unpleasant the longer it is kept warm
after it’s made, it is always advisable to drink it as soon as possible. Similarly, to smell the
coffee and live life to the full, we should live “in the present with an attitude of positive
expectancy.” To do this successfully, Cheung maintains, “You have to believe in
yourself"… for the “quality that motivates and inspires all the other coffee wisdom
principles is a strong belief in yourself and your abilities.” Throughout, Cheung offers some sage
advice as to how to achieve this as well as some realistic comments about how difficult it can be to
get where we want.
This otherwise well-written book suffers at times from the
common grammatical error of the comma splice. Just as there is no real perfect cup of coffee, this
is not a perfect book, but her novel approach really does work. As a consequence we do gain
some wisdom about both coffee and life.
(Reviewed by Brenda Dupas)
X3, Healing, Entities, and Aliens
by Adrian Dvir
BookMasters, Inc., 2003
Adrian Dvir, author of X3, Healing, Entities, and Aliens is a Computer Science engineer who
develops military computer systems for a major Israeli communications company. His book was
originally published in 1998 and is now in its fourth printing in Hebrew and its second printing in
English and is widely available throughout the U.S. His second book which is a continuation of his
account of his work as a healer aided by aliens, is to appear in English soon and he is currently
working on a third book. Dvir has appeared on both television and radio programs in Israel and has
been the subject of magazine and newspaper articles there.
Over a decade ago, he became aware that the spirits of deceased
relatives were able to communicate with him. Some time later, he felt the presence of spirits who
were completely unknown to him. Finally, in 1993, he had his first communication with an alien
being; this eventually led to his friendship with Chaya Levy who is both a medium and a healer.
According to Dvir, aliens had built a field hospital adjacent to
Chaya’s home and through her, encouraged him to study guided-imagination meditation and take a
course in healing. They then requested his permission to build a field hospital in his home as well.
With the help of alien medical teams, both Chaya and Dvir treat people who have a variety of
complaints.
Although Dvir discusses such subjects as reincarnation,
spiritual guides, channeling and telepathy, the bulk of his book is comprised of the numerous
conversations he maintains he has had with various aliens, including X3, the head doctor from
Sirius. He also claims that he has been implanted with a device which connects to the telepathic
communications center which the aliens operate.
The book and its accompanying CD, albeit of definite interest in certain circles, has too many unanswered
questions and incomplete explanations to be credible. The material is presented in a matter-of-fact
manner, but it lacks so many critical details that the skepticism of this reader remained intact
throughout.
(Reviewed by Brenda Dupas)
Mother, Heal My Self: An Intergenerational
Healing Journey Between Two Worlds
by JoEllen Koerner
Crestport Press, 2003
When JoEllen Koerner, Ph.D., R.N., wrote Mother, Heal My Self, she had already spent
thirty-five years in a career in nursing and was the past president of the American Organization of
Nurse Executives. She had been born and raised in a small Mennonite community in
South Dakota
; she presently lives in
Sioux Falls
.
A disproportionate number of women in her family had either died
giving birth or had traumatic pregnancies. Their stories serve as both backdrop and unifying theme
for the book’s central story which is the very difficult second pregnancy of JoEllen’s daughter
Kristi and her subsequent illness with kidney stones. At one point during this illness, Kristi was
so crippled with pain that she asked her mother to help her to die if she did not improve.
The other unifying theme is the wisdom and help offered by
Wanigi Waci, a Lakota Sioux Healer. Over the years he and JoEllen had worked together in
institutional settings and he intuitively knew when her daughter needed the kind of healing that he
and his community could provide.
Although the book suffers at times from a lack of organizational
flow, which tends to diminish its impact, it is nevertheless an absorbing read and raises many
important issues. For instance, Koerner believes very strongly that knowledge of our ancestry can be
the starting point for our own healing journeys and that “repeating patterns of intergenerational
health” is a phenomenon quite common in today’s society. She also believes that “The grace of
simple gestures of kindness heals more deeply than the most exalted measures of technology” and
that “A balance is needed in all things to acquire the whole.” So very, very true.
Her book was written in order to help others to achieve their
wholeness and it is written with both honesty and humility. It is a compelling book by a woman who
has had a fascinating career and the experience she and her daughter shared should be an inspiration
and help to us all.
(Reviewed by Brenda Dupas)
Family Blessings for Special Moments Great and
Small
by Gale Pryor
Conari Press, 2003
The author of Family Blessings has also written Nursing Mother, Working Mother and is
a freelance writer and regular contributor to a public radio station in
Boston
.
This is a slim volume of little prayers, or blessings. As Pryor
admits, “ It is…the little prayers that I find most sustaining, the ones that focus me on the
gifts that pepper my days” and, “All the blessings collected in this little book have been swept
up from daily life, my own and others.”
From the pen of Robert Louis Stevenson
to the words of the Navajo, we find blessings that encompass such subjects as home, work, children,
relationships and the small pleasures in life. Most of the blessings have been penned by Pryor
herself who has a simple yet elegant style of writing. One of my favorites is: “ May you remember,
whenever you go out into the world, that someone may need you there.”
The attractive cover, with its golds and reddish pinks, invites
the reader in to share the blessings, both short and long, serious and lighthearted, traditional and
contemporary, that we find inside this book that would make a
welcome gift at any time of year.
(Reviewed by Brenda Dupas)
New Radiance
