Lighting the Dark Side is a collection of three novellas and three short stories. William Potter entices his audience with action, mystery, fear, and romance. His first story engages his readers with a tale between a geek and gorgeous woman. A story which seems destined to fail from the beginning. However, Potter develops the relationship with such finesse that the ending is up for grabs.
Second, an artist desperately tries to thrive and discover love despite his family’s domineering ways. In the next story, Potter treats his readers to a hard-boiled crime story filled with all the fixings. That includes an unexpected twist at the end. Potter also gallantly writes a scenario of the world ending story thriller as a flash fiction piece.
Up to now, Potter’s stories contain a character-driven and emotional quality which sets them apart from many other stories. However, his last two stories are the most fascinating to read by far. They expose the human condition, with all its flaws and potential, and challenge his characters to behave as they see fit in that immediate circumstance. In the story, Blessing or Curse, he pinned the title appropriately, referring to a large lottery win. However, a kidnapping for ransom which follows changes the outcome.
Potter uses concise dialogue and the story is about a twist of fate. His last story is about a lost teenager and a man with a rescuer complex. It is probably is his best story but also most complex tale in the collection. The intermingling motives of the two find their way together against a world that does not understand them. These characters help each other and themselves. They find refuge in honesty in each other. In a sea of confusing societal impositions, they learn to rediscover trust.
Potter’s writing skills shine as a storyteller throughout his collection. His ability to intersperse back story and control the speed of the plot is especially important when it comes to character development. I highly recommend Lighting the Dark Side to all readers. His stories captivate the mind in all respects. I hope to see more works from William Potter soon!
If the authors’ previous book The Essence Of Tantric Sexuality can be considered theory, then this new book can be the practical workbook.
Replete with fifty-two exercises, dozens of examples, explanations, and experiences, there’s a cornucopia of material with which Tantric practitioners or novices can use in order to enhance and enrich their sexual life, focusing on “consciousness, an experimental attitude, and, above all, pleasure”.
The authors suggests approaching the material slowly but steadily, studying and experimental with one chapter per week. All of the exercises can be explored by persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity.
The book begins with an examination of Tantra itself, then moves on to sexuality, both physical and spiritual, and how the two can be integrated.
This study is followed by chapters that examine pleasure and desire, with exercises that focus on helping readers to discover various aspects of their own sexuality, what turns them on and off; what forms of foreplays and love-making they enjoy; what their sexual history was like; what does or doesn’t happen when they yield to sexual desires; and how they breathe during orgasm, all to help them understand more about their sexual selves.
“From the Tantric perspective, everything that exists is imbued with energy, or Shakti”. So follows an explanation of sexual energy: why it happens, how to recognize it, and how to create and manage it.
Following these are informative and enlightening chapters on such things as meditation, reverence, bliss, imagination and other concepts vital to a working knowledge of Tantric sex.
Together with their previous books, Tantra for Erotic Empowerment provides a dynamic and consciousness-expanding awareness of our sacred sexuality.
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This book is an invaluable math reference tool for the home, classroom, or home school. I was pleased to use it extensively in my own home school and it has proven its worth many times over. It contains an exhaustive number of mathematical definitions that are extremely helpful with the math in the middle school through high school grade range. The definitions are illustrated beautifully with clear examples which help to further explain their meaning. This is an excellent resource for older children who need help wading through the confusion of mathematical language and terminology.
“Tantra uses touch as the primary sensory avenue for the focusing of the mind and when sexual sensation expresses itself in orgasm, the bursting or climax, we achieve a state of yoga, or union.”
Those looking for a general introduction to Tantric Yoga will find this an invaluable and informative book.
Based on the lectures given by Dr Jonn Mumford (aka Swamiji, or Swami Anandakapila) and developed further by the authors, Essence gives an insight into the practical exercises and techniques available for the western Tantrika (practitioner), as well as a greatly expounded explanation for those unfamiliar with Tantric sexuality.
Rudimentary instructions begin with some basics: the use of yantras, or symbols, for visualization techniques; and mudras, hand gestures or body positions, used for creating psychophysical change.
Following these lessons, the authors then delve into various sexual aspects, reminding the reader that it is the process of getting to an orgasm that is more important than the actual climax itself. Essence deals with various exercises and rituals in order for men and women, individually or as a couple, to make that journey more fun, more rewarding, and more fulfilling so that the climax becomes the culmination of an already-exciting discovery process, ultimately a meeting with the divine.
They deal with sexuality in a straightforward, very matter-of-fact, and graphic manner.
Those willing to approach with an open mind and a teachable spirit will find a lot of material here to help understand many aspects of sexual pleasure, not only between two people, but also individually.
The authors cover many different areas of inducing pleasure, including masturbation, sexual fantasies, the use of perfumes and massage, and an in-depth look at the erogenous zones in men and women (and, yes, there are more than two!).
Later in the book, similarities are drawn between the symbology of Tantra and other religions and beliefs, including the Catholic Mass.
If you can handle the graphic sexual descriptions and illustrations, this is indeed a book with information worth perusing, studying, and practicing.
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In this new and exciting resource book for parents, nationally acclaimed parent coach and trainer Tina Feigal, M.S., Edu., focuses on what she considers to be the most important treatment for child behavioral issues; that of the child’s own parents. Focusing on the parents of children from a variety of backgrounds including ADHD, ODD, autism, anxiety, giftedness, or no label at all, the end goal, and result, is on improving challenging behavior.
With the debate on the behavior of children growing more and more into a national topic of discussion, I was pleasantly surprised by Ms. Feigal’s direct, yet compassionate, approach. Organized in a step-by-step format, the book is divided into sections including the overview, your two-week guide, continuing past the first two weeks, troubleshooting real life challenges, using restorative justice, plus sections on resources for parents and personal parent coaching.
By not placing the primary focus on theory, I feel that the tone and layout of the book will greatly appeal to parents everywhere. I particularly enjoyed the focus on empowering parents to bring out the best in their children themselves, and not by relying on outside professionals to solve the problems. While outside help is sometimes needed, I liked how she put the primary responsibility on the parents. Parents will gain greater self-esteem and confidence while having a better understanding of parenting and helping their children with their difficult behavior. With a helpful CD as an additional resource, this book will no doubt help bring some answers and help to parents all around the world.
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