Year of Little Lesson Plans (Courtney Loquasto)

One of the things that puzzles some people about my library is why do I own parenting and children books when I do not have children of my own...gee, I married a school teacher, and am best friends with someone who writes children stories--of course, I am going to have a certain amount of children and parenting books in my library. There is also the little fact that I occasionally need to remind myself of what certain age groups would know or be learning--it is called being a writer.

That is why I entered a Goodreads contest for the book, Year of Little Lesson Plans: 10 Minutes of Smart, Fun Things to Teach Your Little Ninjas Ages 3-8 Each Weekday (by Courtney Loquasto).

Overall, I agree with the concept of this book. One of my fondest memories is my father teaching me to count change at the dinner table (or was he teaching my sister?). Later in life, working as a cashier, people occasionally were amazed that I can do simple math in my head (in my universe, being able to figure out the correct change without punching it into the register is simple math). And I credit that ability to my father spending time to make sure that I liked learning things. Therefore, I encourage parents to buy books like this.

Now, I did let my wife look at the book (she is a school teacher). She pointed out that a lot of these things were being taught to children in school; she also noted that re-enforcement by the parents was a good thing. But she also spotted something that had made me uncomfortable already--the occasional mention of God and Jesus--please remember that I am a non-Christian; no amount of lessons from my mother changed the fact that my heart belongs to another religion. And the history major in me shuddered occasionally at some of the American myths that were suggested as conversation starters. So with the good things that I see in this book, there is also some things that I feel strongly against.

This book is more good than bad. I think that the lists of subjects and starting points for conversations are good for parents to have. But I do object to the conservative viewpoint (and anything that encourages it) that re-enforces the view that America is the greatest county in the world, and that the only real religion is Christianity--especially for the future generation that has to cope with a global world where America and Christianity are simply one way of looking at things and not the only possible way.

[If you missed it, I won this book in a Goodreads contest.]

Secret Societies (Sylvia Browne)

Does Sylvia Browne Know the Truth About Secret Societies?

Many people believe in the abilities of Sylvia Browne, world famous psychic medium, and treat her every word as gospel. But does she know the truth about secret societies? In her book, "Secret Societies...And How They Affect Our Lives Today," Sylvia Browne claims to reveal the truth about secret societies and what they are really up to.

Secret societies have been around as long as human civilization. They were present in Ancient Egypt and Greece, the Roman Empire, with significant flare-ups throughout history to the present day. Many secret societies, mystery cults and schools, have died out and completely disappeared because their members took the concept seriously, leaving us guessing what their rituals, mysteries, and motives were.

Most people assume that any society that keeps secrets is up to no good. Sylvia Browne explains why this assumption happens:

"Most of us would logically deduce that if these organizations' purposes were for the betterment of humankind, then they wouldn't feel the need to be so cryptic. In fact, just the word 'secret' tends to have negative connotations for us. In our minds, the term is the same as 'hidden,' 'mysterious,' and 'unknown'- -and is generally associated with lying, terrorism, and plotting who knows what against others. 'Secret' also conjures up all sorts of others 'bad things,' such as cults, government cover-ups or covert operations, devil worship, spying and intelligence, and power- and money-mad syndicates that want to rule the world."

Browne also notes that people resent having secrets kept from them, but if secrecy is maintained long enough, people eventually accept it and become disinterested.

According to Browne, her interest in secret societies came about though predictions that her spirit, Francine, made during a session with her research group. Some of the information in Browne's book comes from Francine.

Using a spirit guide as an authority and expert, in my opinion, puts some of the information in the book on shaky ground. One of my mentors in Golden Dawn used to say that just because someone doesn't have a body doesn't mean that their information is reliable. Spirits (Guides) have their areas of expertise; outside of these areas, spirits are as fallible as flesh and blood human beings.

One such piece of information that I question is the "most secret of societies," SCAN (Secret Coalition for American Nationalism) which supposedly consists of twenty-two members, who act as an overlord and controller of other societies. Sylvia Browne says that no references exist in print about the organization, and the "conspiracy theorists don't know that it exists."

SCAN is the ultimate power group, according to Francine, and might be able to bring about a peaceful new world order. Browne is disturbed by SCAN, for its members, plans and means are unknown. She also says that "It also bothers me, as I mentioned, that I've never seen one mention of SCAN in all the research I've done over the years. Since it appears that this organization is so powerful and clandestine that no expert in the field even knows that it exists, I can only hope that it is indeed working for the betterment of humankind."

I would like to offer an alternate explanation for the lack of printed information about SCAN. Perhaps, it does not actually exist. Perhaps Francine got it wrong, just like Edgar Cayce kept predicting Atlantis rising up out of the sea. Psychics, and their spirit guides, have their areas of expertise; large grains of salt need to be taken when they wander away from them.

So does Sylvia Browne get anything right? That is hard to say. While I do belong to a couple of societies with secrets, which seem not able to organize a picnic, not alone attempt to rule the world, that does not mean that a secret society could not exist that might desire and even attempt to do so.

Browne is reasonable in many places in her book. For instance, she does not consider the Freemasons to be a threat. Plus, she considers the Rosicrucian Order to be a good and upright organization as it exists today; its historical forebear having no link with the Illuminati. She also reveals an important truth about secret societies that everyone should bear in mind:

"If there's one truth concerning secret societies, it's that there is no absolute truth because they differ in what they wish to accomplish. Whether they're political, religious or mystical, fraternal, or criminal, they all seem to feel the need to keep certain information from the general public- -perhaps out of fear, for protection, or for some cause or agenda that they're dedicated to- -which they believe is for the betterment of humankind."

Sylvia Browne presents her information and then allows the reader to make up their own mind. She also mentions enough sources that anyone who wants to wallow in this field has a place to start. I may not completely agree with, or trust some of her information, but I do wonder what if she is right.
As she says, "[I]t's sometimes better to be a little paranoid so that we don't fall into apathy and wake up some morning under a new government that curtails our freedom. So in this case, I'm in the corner of the conspiracy theorists- -and although 75 percent of what they say may be pure speculation, I do worry about the other 25 percent."

Many people are going to believe that she is someone they should worry about. There is one chapter in the book that I suspect that many readers will consider one hundred percent wrong. In the chapter, "Lies about Jesus Christ," Browne talks about Jesus faking his own death, and being married to Mary Magdalene. Sylvia Browne believes that the Catholic Church knows the truth and is covering it up, and that just might be the biggest conspiracy of all, besides the sworn secret of several secret societies, if she is right.

Sylvia Browne. "Secret Societies...And How They Affect Our Lives Today." Hay House (2007).

[This review originally appeared on Associated Content (Yahoo Voices) on 7/8/2008. The copy used was brought and paid for by myself.]