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June 23
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John
gave  to:
The Echo of Greece (Hardcover)
by
Edith Hamilton
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my rating:
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read in June, 2009
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John
gave  to:
Finding Culture in Talk: A Collection of Methods (Culture, Mind and Society)
by
Naomi Quinn
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my rating:
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read in June, 2009
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June 21
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John
gave to:
Ozone (Paperback)
by
Paul Theroux
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my rating:
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read in June, 2009
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June 16
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June 12
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John
gave  to:
The Knee Of Listening: The Divine Ordeal of the Avataric Incarnation of Conscious Light (The Seventeen Companions of the True Dawn Horse, Book 4)
by
Adi Da Samraj, Da Free John
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my rating:
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John
gave to:
Introduction to Consciousness (Paperback)
by
Arne Dietrich
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my rating:
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read in June, 2009
John said:
"It is hard to imagine a finer, single volume introduction to the study of consciousness than this one. It would be ideal as a teaching text or as a means to review the vast project of consciousness studies. Dietrich has an affinity for the work of ...more
It is hard to imagine a finer, single volume introduction to the study of consciousness than this one. It would be ideal as a teaching text or as a means to review the vast project of consciousness studies. Dietrich has an affinity for the work of Daniel Dennett and J. Allan Hobson but a sampling of all the major theorists is distributed throughout the text.
The book is broken up into four parts, titled respectively: the nature of consciousness, the mechanism of consciousness, the content of consciousness, and altered states of consciousness. Dietrich does an expert job reviewing the philosophical, psychological, and neuroscientific theories and debates regarding consciousness. This is a critical approach in itself: in the minds of most top researchers the study of consciousness does not belong to any one field. The discoveries and insights that have been gained thus far fall out of the individual subfields but cannot be used to any greater end until one takes a more comprehensive approach. Dietrich excels in synthesizing ideas from a number of overlapping fields in order to generate novel hypotheses about this “last surviving mystery,” to use Dennett’s phrase. But as thorough as he is in presenting the big ideas of this fascinating field, he is more successful in his style. The inherent appeal of the questions, and their tentative answers, is evidenced throughout; even in intricate reviews of neurophysiological or philosophical knots Dietrich’s enjoyment in the material is ever-present and spills over to keep the reader attentive; even here, even in the minutiae, he implies, there is wonder.
The most original and, to this reader, thought-provoking aspects of the text relate to the author’s own work. He has published numerous papers on altered states of consciousness and sought to provide a new framework for understanding their mechanism. His “Transient Hypofrontality Hypothesis,” like all good hypotheses, has its debatable aspects but manages to unify and make sensible a whole range of psychological phenomena that no other single theory has ever attempted. In short, the theory posits the “phenomenological subtractions” (reductions in the experience of the whole brain at work, i.e. “normal, waking consciousness”) of the various altered states as a result of selective, and transient, reductions in frontal activation. That is, the most highly evolved circuits of the human brain, which entwine frontal lobe structures with themselves and with other parts of the brain, reduce their activity with the result that experience itself changes, often subtly, at times profoundly, usually in direct proportion to the level of deactivation and the amount of frontal circuits that “check out.” His THH is nicely put to use in the last two chapters, “Sleep and Dreams,” and “Drug States and Other Alternities.”
For philosophers of all persuasions Introduction to Consciousness is sure to educate and enlighten.(less)
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May 31
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John
gave to:
Breath on the Mirror: Mythic Voices and Visions of the Living Maya (Paperback)
by
Dennis Tedlock
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my rating:
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read in May, 2009
John said:
"Tedlock, who has given us a superb English translation of the Mayan epic Popol Vuh, here treats a number of themes that derive from his extensive research of and personal experience with the Highland Maya. He and his wife, an accomplished ethnograph...more
Tedlock, who has given us a superb English translation of the Mayan epic Popol Vuh, here treats a number of themes that derive from his extensive research of and personal experience with the Highland Maya. He and his wife, an accomplished ethnographer and author of Time and the Highland Maya (among other books), have spent various lengths of time living in Guatemala, learning some of the indigenous Mayan languages, visiting numerous historical sites, and even training as ajq’ijab, ritual specialists who keep the sacred 260 day calendar known as the tzolk’in or cholq’ij. Time and the Highland Maya recounts some of the training that they received from elder ajq’ijab in the highly traditional town of Momostenango, where the couple performed extensive fieldwork beginning in the 1970s. A number of the stories Tedlock relates in Breath on the Mirror deal with the intricacies of the 260 day calendar and its rich weave of meanings. “Jealous Seeds and Crystals,” “The Death of Death,” “Two Rythms at Once,” and “Borrowing Lightning,” all discuss the calendar and how it gets used in one of the prominent types of divination that traditionalists still employ in their daily lives.
Other chapters in the book discuss ritual practices in Guatemala, such as the reverence for sacred places, special stones, and supernatural beings. Among the sacred places, archeological sites, such as the ancient K’iche’ capital Q’umarkaj, continue to play an important role in cultural identity. “On the Road to Ruin,” “The Hanging of the Kings,” and “The Trap Door” all touch upon the history and meaning of Q’umarkaj. “Grandfather Judas” recounts some of the fascinating stories about Maximón (or Rilaj Mam), a powerful deity, sometimes acknowledged as a saint, who does the bidding of his devotees and stands as a grand authority figure for diviners and other ritual practitioners.
Breath on the Mirror is a beautifully written book that conveys much about the contemporary Maya of Guatemala. The layered spirituality, which displays both Christian and Mayan conceptions of human beings and the sacred world they inhabit, is showcased in each chapter. For anyone with an interest in the Maya or in Guatemala, this is a wonderful read.(less)
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April 20
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John
gave to:
Dubliners (World's Classics)
by
James Joyce
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my rating:
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read in April, 2009
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April 03
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John
gave to:
Cycles of Time and Meaning in the Mexican Books of Fate (Joe R. and Teresa Lozana Long Series in Latin American and Latino Art and Culture)
by
Elizabeth Hill Boone
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my rating:
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read in April, 2009
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March 09
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John
gave to:
The Ancient Spirituality of the Modern Maya (Hardcover)
by
Thomas Hart
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my rating:
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read in January, 2009
John said:
"This is a thoughtful and comprehensive treatment of Mayan spirituality. The book is composed of sixteen chapters: The Coming of Christianity, The Mayan Vision of God, The Mayan Calendar, Mayan Ceremonies, Shrines and Altars, The Mayan Priesthood, Div...more
This is a thoughtful and comprehensive treatment of Mayan spirituality. The book is composed of sixteen chapters: The Coming of Christianity, The Mayan Vision of God, The Mayan Calendar, Mayan Ceremonies, Shrines and Altars, The Mayan Priesthood, Divination, Illness and Curing, Corn and the Maya, Spirits of the Earth, Ancient Relics, Maximon and the Saints, Revelations in Dreams, Animal Portents, Death and After, and Mayan Spirituality in the Modern World.
Each chapter begins with a brief discussion of its particular focus--often including key citations from Mayan sacred literature or classic ethnographies--and then quickly launches into excerpts and narratives that Hart has collected from his respondents over the last fifteen years. This is an excellent book for those interested in learning more about Mayan spirituality as currently practiced in highland Guatemala.(less)
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