Books Read June 2023

Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea by Sarah Pinsker (6/11)

I guess Sci-fi comes the closest to describing these stories. A very creative, outside the box type writer who I had never heard of before. Now I plan to read more by Sarah Pinsker.

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson (6/13)

My first time reading anything by August Wilson. I liked it a lot. This is a play so it's almost all dialogue, but great dialogue to read on the page.

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century - Kim Fu (6/19)

This collection was similar to the Sarah Pinsker book of short stories mentioned above. I didn't love everything about it, but overall it was enjoyable.

Smoketown - The Untold Story of the Other Great Black Renaissance by Mark Whitaker (6/28)

I was inspired to read this after learning about August Wilson. Covers Pittsburgh sports, music, writers, journalists, industry, and more. You'd think a history book such as this might be a little dry, but it held my interest throughout.

Books Read May 2023

 

The Bedeviled - Thomas Cullinan (5/5)

Hmmm. Writing this a month later. I've kind of forgotten what I thought of it! Not the best sign.

Yoga and Veganism: The Diet of Enlightenment - Sharon Gannon (5/15)

I've been cooking vegan at home recently, but hadn't really studied the subject much. This book was eye opening.

White Cat, Black Dog - Kelly Link (5/20)

Some stories were good. Some were too long. I don't think I liked it as much as you're supposed to.

When Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson, Edited by Ellen Datlow

While none of the stories in this collection were at the level of Shirley Jackson, this was a compilation worth reading.

Books Read April 2023

No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War - Hiroo Onoda (4/1)
Shocking and meticulous first person account by a WWII Japanese soldier who went into the jungle on a small island in the Philippines in 1944 and - convinced that the war was still going on - didn’t emerge until 1974!

Original Wisdom: Stories of an Ancient Way of Knowing - Robert Wolff (4/4)

Very well written. Probably my favorite book of April. Just a little “new agey”. Would like to find more books like this.

Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle - Daniel L. Everett (4/11)

I liked the majority of this book, especially the descriptions of Piraha culture and what it was like to live with them. It got a little harder to follow during the linguistic discussions which were a little academic, but necessary, I suppose.

Dark Tales - Shirley Jackson (4/15)

I loved every story in this book! Although I wasn't always sure that I always "got" them. My other favorite book from April.

The Lathe of Heaven - Ursula K. Le Guin (4/23)

The first novel I've read by Ursula K. Le Guin. I wanted to like it more. Reminiscent of Philip K. Dick, but it felt very dated.

The Spiral Light, The Squirming Coil: A Journey Into the Self

I’ve been seeing spirals everywhere.

I even see them when I close my eyes.

Spiral is found in the word spir(itu)al.

Lighthouses have spiral staircases.

Cycles.

Balance.

Connection.

Reflection.

Drawing inward.

Expanding outwards.

Cycles once again.

Beginnings and ends overlap. 

Books Read March 2023

A Drop of the Hard Stuff - Lawrence Block (3/9)
This one had a different pacing and outcome than a typical detective mystery. That's a positive thing when done by Lawrence Block.

Why Not You And I - Karl Edward Wagner (3/14)
Very pulpy. At times it was actually better than "In a Lonely Place". 

Stranger in the Woods - Michael Finkel (3/17)
A book I continued thinking about long after I finished it. One of the best books I have read in a long time.

The Relaxation Response - Herbert Benson, M.D. (3/22)
A therapeutic look at mind/body. A preventative approach. Exercise for the mind.

Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead - Olga Tokarczuk (3/25)
Tedious, with brief moments of poetry. I liked the astrology references.

Formula For Creating A Personal Mantra

In her 1976 book Meditation Without Frills: A Woman's Workbook, Maureen Jones-Ryan describes a mantra like this:

"A mantra is a gentle, soothing sound on which you concentrate while entering into the meditative state. This meaningless sound is simply a tool used to prevent the processing of thoughts".

In that same book, Jones-Ryan also includes a format for creating your own personal mantra. If you want to learn or see that you'll have to track down this obscure publication. However, this inspired me to devise my own formula!

Formula for Creating a One-Syllable Mantra

Select one of these seven different sounds for the beginning of your syllable: h, l, r, s, sh, y, zh (note: "zh" is like the sound in the word mirage).

Then select one of these nine different vowel sounds (spelled phonetically) for the middle portion of your mantra: ah, ay, ee, eh, ih, oh, oo, uh, ul. (note: "ul" is meant to be like the sound in the word pull). Some say that ah, ee and oo are the most pure vowel sounds. Hint, hint!

And finally, select one of these three lingering end sounds for your syllable to resolve: m, n, ng.

So, for example, you might choose y + ee + ng to form the mantra yeeng. Spell it however you want in your mind...ying. Or don't spell it at all. There's your answer! Oops, don't give it any meaning. It's just a sound. Some combinations might remind you of an existing English word. Like hohm or rayn.  If that connotation has a good feel to you, then fine, but to get below the surface it may be better to find a combo that has no perceived meaning in its sound.

Elsewhere in her Meditation Without Frills book, Maureen Jones-Ryan says, "Do not repeat your mantra in rhythm with your breathing. They should not be consciously connected." If you struggle with separating your mantra from the rhythm of your breathing, then a one-syllable mantra may help. The longer the mantra, the more effort people tend to add. 

However, some may prefer a two-syllable word sound as their mantra. So Hum is a well known two-syllable mantra, so this is certainly not without precedent.

Formula for Creating a Two-Syllable Mantra

Begin once again with h, l, r, s, sh, y, or zh. Then just like before choose ah, ee, eh, ih, oh, oo, uh, or ul. (This becomes your first syllable). Start your 2nd syllable with the same choice as the first: h, l, r, s, sh, y, or zh (this step may be optional in your case). Then choose another vowel sound, either ah, ee, eh, ih, oh, oo, uh or ul. Lastly, end with m, n, or ng.

Example: sh + ih + r + ee + m equals shireem. 

You can have a lot of fun with this! Try several combinations until you find the one that appeals to you the most. Then stick with it! The mantra itself has no power. You give it the power!

*** 

Thoughts on Mantra Meditation - Thoughts and Mantra

I've now compared four different takes on mantra meditation: Patricia Carrington's CSM method, Dr. Herbert Benson's Relaxation Response, the 1 Giant Mind technique, and NSR (Natural Stress Relief). Actually five if I count Russel Simmons' book Success Through Stillness. And I'm happy to report that all of them are basically describing the same thing. The NSR manual might be the hardest to find of these options, but I do recommend seeking it out just to have access to one more pathway.

Between these forms, there are more similarities than there are differences, and when there are differences they are often very subtle. More like flexibilities. 

In her book Patricia Carrington points out the differences between her Clinically Standardized Meditation (CSM) and Benson's Relaxation Response, and I wouldn't have even picked up on the divergence if she hadn't pointed it out. Also sometimes the comparison is made in a qualitative way, such as referring to another system as "superficial". I disagree. There is insight to be gained by exploring the different ways in which you can whistle the same melody.

One thing I've concluded is that mantra meditation does not need a brand name. For that reason, I am coining mine In Dipping Ease. That'll be $395, please.

I have also realized that a one syllable mantra helps to disconnect it from breathing. If you are of the opinion that you don't need to coordinate the mantra with your in/out breaths (and this seems to be the prevailing advice), then it may help to hear just one syllable in the mind rather than a two syllable word-sound which can then get caught up in the rhythm of an inhale (so) slash exhale (hum).