Archive for the ‘Author Tour’ Category
Transforming Awareness: A Dialogue with Michael Bernard Beckwith and Robert Thurman
An Intimate Evening with Two World-Renowned Spiritual Luminaries
What happens when two inspired spiritual leaders—who are also great friends—share the stage? On Friday, September 10, 2010 at 7 pm, Robert Thurman and Michael Bernard Beckwith will share an evening of lively and spontaneous conversation, spanning topics from the global to the personal.
Held at Portland’s Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and sponsored by Beyond Words Publishing and The Center for Spiritual Development, Transforming Awareness: A Dialogue with Michael Bernard Beckwith and Robert Thurman will be a conversation that explores the current chaos in the world and potential lessons we may learn. This event will also be filmed for a new documentary of the same name releasing this October. (more…)
Bloodline Mystery Tour – September 2010
The team that brought you the film Bloodline has organized a one-in-a-lifetime tour of Renne-le-Chateau (the Church of Mary Magdalene) in France. Learn more below and click through to find out how you can be a part of it!
Rennes-le-Chateau, France
Autumn Equinox
September 19—25, 2010
A place of beauty, mystery and pilgrimage…a place of potent earth energies…a place of intrigue and questions, history and treasure. Why did Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, use the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau as the underlying basis of the bestselling novel of all time? Why does Henry Lincoln call this “The Holy Place? And why do people from around the world flock to this tiny, remote village?
What is the real secret of this magical place? Why did Abbé Sauniére leave so many clues behind in the Church of Mary Magdalene? Who was his “housekeeper” Marie Dénarnaud and what secrets of Rennes did she take to her grave?
What exists beneath this infamous hill of ancient interest? Is it healing water enhanced with special properties? Water that could lead to an alchemical process so powerful that its use was prohibited at all costs, even when the village itself was ablaze?
Is this the burial place of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, as legend holds? And if so, why there? Of all the places on earth, why is Rennes-le-Chateau considered such a strong possibility? (more…)
Jessica Maxwell on Coast to Coast
It is always exciting when one of our authors is on George Noory’s radio show Coast to Coast, and just last week the delightful Jessica Maxwell took the audio-spotlight to talk about her memoir Roll Around Heaven.
Roll Around Heaven is an all-true accidental spiritual adventure that led one nonbeliever to lunch with Deepak Chopra, dance with Stephen Hawking, heal animals with Yogananda, sing Christmas carols with an enlightened rabbi, banish evil spirits with a Himalayan Rinpoche, talk all night with the daughters of Islam, find true love in a Presbyterian choir, share Celtic visions on the isle of Iona, and learn an abiding respect for all paths to God.
Jessica has received some terrific reviews for her book. More magazine wrote:
If you want laughs, you don’t usually turn to spiritual memoirs. But Jessica Maxwell’s Roll Around Heaven is so full of LOL moments, it fits the bill…. Maxwell is exuberant, grumpy, skewering, wise and so gosh-darn good-hearted in her quest to understand the universe, I couldn’t help wanting to tag along for the ride—er, roll.
To hear more from the author who the great Tom Robbins once described as “Empress Tizzie Izzie of adventure writing,” click here to listen to the Coast to Coast episode.
The Blessing of Pierre Prandevand
This past week, we had an author visit our office. His name is Pierre Prandevand and he is the author of a book called The Gentle Art of Blessing. I found this topic of interest as it mirrors a shamanic teaching: being aware of your own energy, and living in a good way to bring about the best karma to all.
In the shamanic teaching (and it really isn’t a solely shamanic teaching as it has echoes in many other areas, I find), I am to be aware of how I am being at all times, of what energy I am putting out at all times. It is an awareness of how I am affecting others, life, my energetic environment. I am to take a step back and see how I may need to alter my behavior, my energy, my intention, how I respond versus how I react.
Mike Dooley on the Road
What a pleasure it has been to send Mike Dooley on a nationwide tour. Whitney, our fabulous publicist, set up dates for Mike to promote his newest book, Infinite Possibilities, in New York, Denver, Tempe, AZ, Los Angeles, Portland, OR and Seattle, and today he’s off to a home turf event in Orlando, FL, Mike’s hometown.
Whitney and I followed the tour every step of the way, and in each city, the Mike Dooley magic happened. Each event seemed to build on the other, ending in over 400 enthralled attendees in both Portland and Seattle. Mike was as gracious as could be at each venue and showed up ready to spread the message he is well-known for, “Thoughts Become Things.”
What stands out to me, a person who works very hard at promoting the fine books that we publish, is that when you think it will be effortless, it IS effortless. Mike certainly brought that attitude to the party and I will be using that lesson learned for the rest of my life. Thanks, Mike, for that gift, and to all of our readers for their support of Infinite Possibilities.
Check out some pics from the tour below, and visit our Facebook page for the full photo album, and plenty more!
Backstage at AM Northwest
The Gentle Art of Blessing
Tomorrow marks the release date for our re-issue of an updated version of Pierre Prandevand’s Gentle Art of Blessing. And Wednesday, November 11, we are thrilled to have Pierre both visit our office and then do an event at the New Renaissance Bookstore Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM.
Pierre Pradervand has worked for decades in personal development and social justice across the world, and currently lives in Switzerland so it is a real treat to have such a beautiful and inspiring gentleman with us in Portland. I have watched a video of one of his talks and it was incredibly moving and profoundly inspiring.
In his wonderful book, The Gentle Art of Blessing, described blessings in these simple but eloquent terms:
“To bless means to wish, unconditionally and from the deepest chamber of your heart, unrestricted good for others and events; it means to hallow, to hold in reverence, to behold with awe that which is always a gift from the Creator. He who is hallowed by your blessing is set aside, consecrated, holy, whole. To bless is to invoke divine care upon, to speak or think gratefully for, to confer happiness upon, although we ourselves are never the bestower, but simply the joyful witnesses of life’s abundance.
For you Portlanders, don’t miss Pierre’s exclusive event, one-night only, at New Renaissance Bookstore.
A storm in God’s tea-cup perhaps?
Jessica Maxwell’s essay for Powells.com has provoked some lively discussion in the comments section. It is terrific actually, and as Jessica herself responded: “Thank you all for your clearly passionate interest in Roll Around Heaven, and for jumping into this lively dialogue with both hooves.” Read the essay here and join the debate!
Even better, join us at Powell’s City of Books on Burnside, Portland, OR, on Friday, November 13 at 7:30 PM where Jessica will be reading from Roll Around Heaven and encouraging a passionate and fun discourse!
A Inspired Tour
Mike Dooley’s tour has been hugely successful so far, in New York, Denver, and Mesa, Arizona, and we are looking forward to more delighted and inspired crowds when he appears at Dobson High School, in Beverly Hills CA, tonight and the Bagdad Theatre in Portland OR on Thursday. That is before heading up to Seattle on Sunday (Nov. 8 ) at the Seattle Unity Church and finally back to Orlando Florida (Nov. 16 ) at the Plaza Venezia Barnes and Noble.
Mike Dooley in Times Square, NY
I like how Mike describes his format here on his website (reprinted below)
As a guest of several premier book stores in the US, the Celebration is hitting the road! At each location I’ll speak for about 45 minutes before turning the microphone over to you for “Questions & Answers.”
The Possibilities are Infinite!
“It’s got nothing to do with being a perfect, goody-goody, selfless, sacrificing, spiritual saint, Blah! That whole characterization was meant for a different audience at a different time, and they really had issues.It’s got everything to do with being yourself, trusting the magic, following your heart, dreaming big, and having fun. Hosanna in the highest.” The Universe
I do adore getting my “Note from the Universe” everyday in my inbox. I have just quoted today’s little above.
Mike Dooley is the author of several volumes of Notes From the Universe, but he has also been working on his BIG book for years, the one that was released six weeks ago, and went straight to the NYT bestseller list, so you might have heard of it. It’s called Infinite Possibilities, and is more like a manifesto of how to live your dreams. His 7-City Book Tour starts on Sunday and we have been amping up publicity wherever we can to make sure as many people come to see him as possible.
If you want to see Mike’s tour schedule you can click here: bit.ly/DooleyTour
And if you buy Mike’s book, be sure to enter the Infinite Possibilities Sweepstakes. bit.ly/DooleyPrizes The prizes are AMAZING!
Oh hosanna. or as The Universe puts it: “Hosanna,” Emma, as in “Rock On.”
What Was MOGO on Flight 250
From Zoe Weil, co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education and the author of Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life. Humane Education is more than just ethics and environmentalism. It’s about choosing the Most Good—MOGO—for every interaction you do. Here is Zoe’s most recent blog post from her Humane Connection website.
Flying home from Portland, Oregon, on October 12, I sat diagonally across from a woman who became increasingly disruptive, belligerent, and aggressive. I’d missed the initial altercation between her and the man sitting in the chair in front of her, only tuning in when the flight attendant attempted to get her attention (she was masked and hooded with eyes closed and head down) to ask her to move her legs from pushing against the back of his seat. Apparently, she’d been kicking his seat incessantly.
