Editors' Picks

In Search of the Miraculous (book), The Cats of Mirikitani (DVD), and Maha Moha (DC)

In Search of the Miraculous: Healing into Consciousness (Book)
by Eliza Mada Dalian
(Expanding Universe Publishing, $25.95)

In pursuing personal growth, what’s the difference between being “unconscious” and “conscious”? This isn’t a trick question, but moving from unconscious to conscious is tricky—what with our negative thoughts and fear-based emotions ruling our lives to a greater or lesser degree (depending on how conscious one actually is). Vancouverite and gifted transformation teacher Eliza Mada Dalian’s new book offers a navigation manual to escape the grip of our trickster ego-minds to emerge into greater consciousness; hence, more fulfillment and joy in our lives. Readers’ thorny questions and Eliza’s masterful answers at the end of each chapter are especially valuable.
—Rebecca Ephraim

The Cats of MirikitaNi (DVD)
by Linda Hattendorf
(SpiritualCinemaCircle.com; free trial membership)

Jimmy Mirikitani is an 80-year-old Japanese-American artist who survived the internment camps of the Second World War to eventually end up living on the streets of New York. When Linda Hattendorf, a filmmaker who lives in the same neighbourhood, stops to inquire about his paintings of camps, atomic bombs, and cats, a friendship develops that takes them places neither of them could have ever imagined. What’s kept Jimmy alive is his art; what helps him finally come to terms with his painful past is Linda’s remarkable kindness and gentle perseverance. This is a heart-tugger delivered with a velvet touch. (Have a hanky on hand.)
—Tamara Letkeman

Maha Moha: The Great Delusion(CD)
by Wade Imre Morissette
(Nutone Music, $17.98)

While Kirtan music has generally been confined to the four walls of a yoga studio until now, don’t be surprised if you hear Wade Imre Morissette’s latest album, Maha Moha, the next time you’re at a party or other event. Moving away from the typical form of Kirtan (call-and-response chanting), this album is not all peace and love. Playing on the theme of the delusion that “light is absent of dark,” it achieves perfect balance by delving into heavier, and dare we say groovier, beats, and melds them with the sounds of Bansuri flute player Steven Gorn. With tracks featuring Kirtan singer extraordinaire Krishna Das, this album may very well set “yoga music” on a new path.
—Erica Gehrke