Once more, we present a selection of interesting books and useful information for your Christmas/Chanukah/Solstice/Eid giving!

We’ve decided this year to concentrate on one publisher, and have chosen Inner Traditions/Bear & Company, whose catalog is extensive, diverse, and tempting in the extreme.

TRADITIONAL FOODS ARE YOUR BEST
MEDICINE: Improving Health and
Longevity with Native Nutrition,
by Ronald F. Schmid, ND

I admit. My stomach is the first place I show any stress – whether it’s weight gain from too many carbs, acid after eating, you name it. But this fascinating volume talks about the cause of many chronic health problems being our typical modern diet, and shows how a return to a traditional diet can improve your well-being. Schmid outlines the accomplishments of Weston Price, an extraordinary man whose self-supported, worldwide investigations of the food traditions of native cultures were nothing less than revolutionary in what they implied for how most of us eat--and live--today.

MOTHER AND CHILD:
Visions of Parenting
from Indigenous Cultures
by Jan Reynolds

Mothers have a central place in society, in humanity, in our hearts. This book is full of personal stories and intimate portraits of mothers and children. From the Arctic to the Amazon, from the Himalayas to the Sahara, it offers a lucid and informed vision of very basic realities. Most mothers will understand what it says, and so will concerned fathers. A good book to give to someone whose ideas of “family values” may need a little tune-up…

SHAPESHIFTING WITH
OUR ANIMAL COMPANONS: Reconnecting with the Spiritual
Awareness of Animals
by Dawn Baumann Brunke

Shapeshifting with our furred and winged and scaled companions lets us experience different forms of consciousness, expanding our perception of the world. Readers who are fans of Conversations with God will definitely enjoy Brunke's spiritual conversations with animals. This is not only a beautiful nature narrative (much of the book takes place in Alaska), but will shift the way you relate to all nonhuman life forms. The lessons in this book will help you connect with animals, and all life forms, on a deeper and more profound level.

GREEN PSYCHOLOGY:
Transforming Our Relationship
to the Earth
by Ralph Metzner

If your gift list contains someone who is a passionate environmentalist, try this one. We are *so* past the Eleventh Hour in terms of saving the planet. But how the heck did we get here? Where is the disconnect? In this fascinating volume, a visionary eco-psychologist examines the rift between people and nature and explores ways to heal it. Metzner, who worked at Harvard in the 1960s with Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert, is a psychotherapist in California and the author of several books. At once prophetic and down-to-earth, GREEN PSYCHOLOGY is an profound exploration of the deeply disturbed relationship between humanity and nature, which, in his diagnosis, is leading to worldwide ecological destruction.and if, after that one, you need something more cheerful:

THE DREAMS OF DRAGONS:
An Exploration and Celebration
of the Mysteries of Nature
by Lyall Watson

In a dozen delightful essays, Watson peels away layers of stale truths about nature and the natural sciences, exploring new trains of thought. His realm is "the soft edges of science," where Western empiricism meets the kind of ancient convictions found in virtually every culture, which he suspects reflect an older, more natural way of knowing. In his stories and anecdotes inanimate objects come to life, water can be happy or sad, mammals can re-grow severed limbs, and the existence of shells (with their forms often representing mathematical perfection) can have hidden lives.... If for no other reason than to have whimsical, unusual, and interesting trivia to talk about at a dry and dull dinner table, this book is to be read and marveled at. And for children:

THE MONKEYS AND THE MANGO TREE:
Teaching Stories of the Saints
and Sadhus of India
by Harish Johan

Two dozen enchanting stories capture India’s mystery, enchantment and profound spiritual learning. Drawn from the great Indian epics (Puranas, Upanishads, and Mahabharata), these tales bring ageless Hindu wisdom to new readers young and old. Story-telling has always been the way that India's holy men, the saints and sadhus, taught their students the vital lessons of life. Stories provide a living environment for the lesson of each story, and they can convey sophisticated concepts in simple language. Abounding with powerful genies, scheming gods, and wise mystics, this volume can be read as an exotic Aesop's Fables, as a source of classic wisdom, or as a simple and memorable introduction to the stories of the most spiritual civilization on earth.

Happy gift giving – and happy reading!