Before "The Secret" there was this book. Shakti Gawain is such a gifted author and I feel really lucky that this little paperback, published in 1982, fell into my hands. This one is staying in my collection for continuing reference, as the years unfold.

Terry Tempest Williams' words allow the reader to enter the world of the Great Salt Lake and envision all of it splendid winged creatures. Although I have never visited the Great Salt Lake, I have constructed it in my head while reading this book. It must be an awe-inspiring place. Mrs. Williams' struggle with her family's cancer draws the reader in even more; it is clear to see the passion in the author's words. And the way the author intertwines her stories on the Great Salt Lake with her family's trials and tribulations is spectacular. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in nature, someone who is dealing with loss or just has a compassion for mother nature and mankind. A very good read.

This was the first book I ever read on visualisation. For me, this and the audio book, are the best grounding available in honing visualisation skills. The book contains an explanation of the techniques and exercises to help learn them. Shakti makes it all very easy to understand. It did help having a copy of the exercises in audio form, so that I could follow them easily.Perhaps this book changed my life the most out of any other book. After completing some of the exercises in this book, I emigrated to a new country and started a new life. I have to admit, however, I did not take on board many of the spiritual lessons in the book, as I focussed mostly on the meditative/visualisation techniques presented therein.

This book is one of the better works on the art of creative visualization. If you are not into ceremonial magic, then you can overlook this part and still work the exercises which give a good grounding in the practice of creative visualization.The author has a tendency to repeat themself, but the author states their reason for so doing. The book starts with the laws of creative visualization, giving two basic exercises with which to start, and then moves on to more serious practice. I would have very little hesitation in recommending this book to anyone interested in the esoteric or just manifesting a better life for themselves.