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Walk in Balance: The Path to Healthy, Happy, Harmonious Living

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A personal survival manual for attaining the path of inner and outer harmony.

Chippewa medicine man Sun Bear now offers a personal survival manual for attaining the path of inner and outer harmony. Sage and empowering guidance on creating and maintaining personal health and happiness can create a holistic pathway to personal affirmation, enrichment, and health.

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 24, 1989

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110 people want to read

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Sun Bear

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5 stars
44 (40%)
4 stars
38 (34%)
3 stars
21 (19%)
2 stars
5 (4%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Desiree'.
255 reviews11 followers
December 24, 2015
This book is good for psychologists, social workers and case manager's who serve the people in trying to improve their life's ambition and for those who suffer from drug abuse. Those who want to walk a different path toward internal homeostasis, for people looking for a different religion because they're unhappy with the one they have and for those looking for a way to learn to live in an improved relationship with the environment.

This book explains how to make changes if you're truly ready to embrace yourself and fuel the path toward working hard to support your choices.
Profile Image for Tulara.
255 reviews
March 17, 2010
I read the Medicine Wheel book a long time ago and really enjoyed it. This book gives you a way to look at your life and find out why you're stuck - in either diet, social life, relationships - and how to get out while honoring yourself and the Earth at the same time. I know when trauma hit my life, it felt good to take a walk out in the woods and be with nature. Sun Bear has a way of putting things so plainly and obvious - you wonder why you had never seen it before.
Profile Image for Tracie Hall.
862 reviews10 followers
August 16, 2021
BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS
(Print: ©7/24/1989; 9780671765644; Atria Books; 171 pp.)
*Digital: ©1989; 9781439147030 Touchstone; 171 pp.
(Audio: No.)
(Film: No.)

SERIES:
No

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
I don’t recall the inspiration for getting this book—I’m thinking maybe it was a free Kindle book.
The authors have (had?) an organization, “The Bear Tribe Medicine Society, whose mission appears to be educating seekers in various therapies. This book in many ways felt like a book of lists—there were a few lists of suggestions for creating happiness; a list of herbs with a sentence or a few explaining what ailments they facilitate relief from—more if the herb was part of the Medicine Wheel; a list of organizations devoted to various therapies with contact info; lists of people with and without contact info; a list of alternative therapies with brief descriptions of each; a list of government contacts to write in regard to the environment; and more.

AUTHOR:
Sun Bear (Vincent LaDuke) (August 31, 1929). According to Wikipedia, “Sun Bear (born Vincent LaDuke, August 31, 1929 – 1992)[1] was a New Age author of Ojibwe descent.[2][3] He was born on August 31, 1929, on the White Earth Indian Reservation to Louis and Judith La Duke.[4] He was the father of activist, author, and former Green Party vice-presidential candidate Winona La Duke.[3]
He was perhaps best known for his Medicine Wheel Gatherings, New Age weekend campout retreats with paid workshops and activities for spiritual seekers, which were denounced and picketed by the American Indian Movement.[5]”

Crysalis Mulligan (sorry, no biographical information found.)

Peter Nufer (sorry, no biographical information found.)

Wabun (Marlise Wabun Wind). According to her website, “Marlise Wabun Wind, M.S., is the author of twelve nonfiction books, with over two million copies in print worldwide in many languages. She has a novel awaiting publication and more books in progress. Marlise has written about earth spirituality, visionary people and experiences, community, the environment, love, relationships, parenting, female energy, allopathic and complementary medicines, and living in harmony with the earth.
She spent close to twenty years in the western United States learning from indigenous people from a variety of traditions. She spent sixteen years working with Sun Bear the Ojibwa teacher who founded the Bear Tribe Medicine Society. She was his medicine helper, coauthor, and cofounder of the Bear Tribe Community on Vision Mountain in Washington. She coauthored six books with him including The Medicine Wheel: Earth Astrology which has been in print for thirty-eight years and has been available in thirteen languages. She helped to organize and coordinate twenty Medicine Wheel Gatherings. At these events, indigenous teachers from many parts of the world came together to share their knowledge with the 500 to 1200 attendees.
As a ceremonialist, she has guided vision quests and sweat lodge ceremonies, and has performed weddings, adoptions of blood and heart relations, baby and child blessings, bestowing of spiritual names, seasonal ceremonies and memorials.
There is beauty before me
There is beauty behind me
Heart sister Claire Jozan-Meisel (left) from LUNAFEMINA and Marlise Wabun Wind (right)
She has directed two non-profit educational organizations, founded a publishing company, edited a magazine, and worked as both a literary agent and a publishing consultant. Marlise is now traveling and teaching again following the instructions given to her by indigenous teachers and elders to bring to people the knowledge she gained from working with them.
She has been married for more than thirty years to a child psychiatrist and is the mother of an adult daughter who is a healer and artist. She has lectured at schools, conferences, and retreat centers in the United States, Europe and Asia.”

GENRE:
Non-fiction

SUBJECTS:
Health; New Age Movement; Alternative Medicine; Diet; Exercise; Therapies; Home Remedies; Folk Medicine; Native American traditions

DEDICATION:
“Dedicated to those people who are trying to heal themselves and so help with the healing of the earth and to Wabun who provides the foundation for so many visions including mine __Sun Bear”

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From Chapter 8
“What happened to my people if they got sick? For thousands of years they didn’t have aspirin they could take. But they did have willow bark, which contains salicylic acid, a natural substance that works similarly to aspirin. Native People considered nature to be their pharmacy. They knew about medicinal uses of many plants, and of other natural substances.
Medicine men and women were so good at using plants growing on this continent that early settlers affiliated with different denominations, and called medical evangelists, used to follow them around to learn their secrets. From this came the “folk medicine” used all across this country before medicine and pharmacology became the monopoly of certified doctors and druggists. A surprising amount of folk medicine has been incorporated into the medicine used today. Many of the old folk cures, in synthetic, chemical forms are widely used remedies now. For example, squaw tea, also called Mormon, Indian, and ephedra tea) was used by folk doctors to cure colds, congestion, and arthritis. The active ingredient in the tea is ephedrine. Pseudoephedrine is the main ingredient in many cold cures on the market now. Check for yourself at the local drugstore. Some medicine people used a carefully brewed tea made from foxglove to help folks with heart problems. The active ingredient in foxglove is digitalis. My grandmother used to use a particular mold if any of us got an infection. A similar mold forms the basis for penicillin.”

RATING:
3 stars-useful as a reference for the benefits of various herbs.

STARTED-FINISHED
6/16/2021 – 8/10/2021
Profile Image for Joanne Binkley.
4 reviews
August 31, 2007
I have just received this book as a gift from my friend, Runningfox.
The books dedication reads as follows:
Walk In Balance is dedicated to those people who are trying to heal themselves and so help with the healing of the earth and to Wabun who provides the foundation for so many visions, including my, ~ Sun Bear

I hope to be one of those people to the best of my ability.

Infinite Love and Blessings~
Joanne
Profile Image for Eve.
348 reviews9 followers
January 29, 2017
I enjoyed this book and Sun Bear's styles of writing. Keep in mind, this is an older book, written by folks who were into communal living in the USA with a strong focus on self-reliance and Native American Indian spirituality.
Profile Image for Dawn Berry.
2 reviews1 follower
February 20, 2023
I enjoyed the book and the anecdotes within. Unfortunately when it is written by someone from the States, some of the information to Canadians in not applicable. It did give me something to think about in a different context. Well worth the read.
5 reviews
April 3, 2019
Must read for everyone

Gave a wonderful new perspective about my life and how to make major changes to live fully. Do not pass this book up, filled with wisdom.
Profile Image for Wolfenstein .
60 reviews
May 25, 2022
Simple. Easy to read and understand. Still highly relevant. Food for thought. Inspiring. Honestly, I believe it should be taught in primary school.
Profile Image for Billye.
268 reviews2 followers
October 7, 2011
This book provides an overview of alternative medicine practices, along with an entertaining narrative of the personal experiences of the author.

However, the editors should have helped the author to take a more modest position in many areas. Walk in Balance has a very limited audience. I would not really recommend it, unless the reader thought that he or she might be interested in alternative medicine but did not know really anything about it.

I thought that I was buying a book to help me to decide whether or not to pursue something like this. The book started to provide me with the information that I needed, but it veered and ended up being a basic overview.
Profile Image for Nikki Jo Lucero.
13 reviews4 followers
Currently reading
September 13, 2007
I am just beginning the book, a GIFT from My friend, Runningfox! ( WADO ! )
I will do a review when done.
So far it is an easy read, like I am listening to a very friendly person give a lively lecture.
37 reviews1 follower
March 7, 2010
I knew Sun Bear and heard him speak. Awesome man, I miss him.
Profile Image for Nancy Lynn Martin.
Author 1 book2 followers
January 11, 2014
Alternative medicine abounds in this book. Good book for getting unstuck in your life.
40 reviews
September 6, 2024
Though outdated in some information, this book has a lot of good information to cleaner living and finding yourself on a spiritual level.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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