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April 2008 
Pronoia, Shen Ku
Posted on Apr 21st, 2006
by 
Katin
Katin
TWO BOOKS have recently intersected my life, and man, am I ever loving them! Individually, they are quite useful and enjoyable. The fact that they showed up at the same time in my life - and I had never seen either of them before - is a sure sign that the Universe has something cooking for me. :) Titles, below!
o o o
You know, I have moments when it seems more and more obvious that I'm no longer the target demographic for modern music, modern shopping, modern ad campaigns. I *used* to be the primary demographic, see: 18-35 with disposable income. Man, it was like the world was made for me. I'd go to Vegas and they'd be playing my favorite music in every casino with my favorite T-shirts, drinks, food, colors, toys, gadgets... ahhh.
Now that I'm a bit older, those kinds of things don't line up so much anymore. And that's okay. But once in a while there's that fleeting thought that tells me, "you'll never find anything that clicks with you as so totally cool again." As if the mass-marketing added some kind of additional cool. Pshaw.
So it was with much delight that I discovered these two books: they clicked with me to the deepest depths of cool. And, they just 'appeared' in front of me. One jumped off the shelf at the book store, the other showed up on my girlfriend's book shelf.
"PRONOIA" is the opposite of paranoia, and is the title of a new book by Rob Brezsney (the sydicated hip-astrology guy). This book delights and suprises me again and again (I'm not even through reading it yet). Creative, personal, meaningful, helpful, great perspectives, fun and useful vocabulary. It isn't about astrology, it's about discovering how the universe is actually secretly conspiring to bring you happiness. For me, this book is a peek into the future: the seeds of the "star trek" society. Those seeds don't have to grow to be fabulous and have great benefits right now. This books has stories, philosophy, excersises, articles, jokes, and lots of drawings and art. Integral Theory fans will have a ball seeing from all the different perspectives Rob shows readers.
This book is soooo helpful in countering negative thoughts and opening vision to the incredible levels of abundance and blessings that *are us* and *everything* around us, it's amazing. Effortless, gentle and delightful shifting to a peaceful, open optimism. This book is like Rolaids for an ulcer tummy at 2am: aaaahhhhhh. So much better, with a fresh minty tint.
"The Art of Shen Ku" by Zeek is just the handiest, coolest reference I've ever seen. It bills itself as "The Ultimate Traveler's Guide of This Planet," and I agree. It's also the here-to-fore-missing operater's manual for the human body: it has wonderful, simple yet comprehensive pages on health, diet, exercise, acupuncture, and natural remedies. The artwork throughout is fantastic! all hand-drawn by the author. Wow. plus sections on sailing, traveling, defending yourself, sailing, and survival. This is like a Foxfire-Boy-Scout Handbook on steroids, elevated to galatic proportions. Life, The Universe, and Everything, Indeed: we've got Volume #1 of the Intergalactic Encyclopedia right here. Nifty.
Shen Ku is (apparently) the art of placing a whole arena of information on a single page in a way that is artfully organized, easy to use, yet crammed with information. A single-page summary of an entire topic. There's more to the art; I'm still soaking it in and figuring it out; highly interconnected between the four quadrants. Check this book out to see if it clicks with your brain like it did mine. It makes so much sense... why aren't our other reference books constructuced like this? It is so much easier to read, more fun to use, and easier to comprehend.
The shiniest thing about this book is the index: over 15,000 entries. This guy knows how to create an index! Super useful, great organization. I love this book (can you tell?). It' sbeen out since 2000, so I don't know how I missed it for six years, but I'm glad I have it now. If I ever meet Zeek, he's getting an invitation to my grand party along with a hearty handshake of thanks and acknowledgement.
Maybe you'll find these books as delightful as I did. Just in time for reading in the springtime sun... outside, on the deck, where I can meet my neighbors! ;-)
o o o
You know, I have moments when it seems more and more obvious that I'm no longer the target demographic for modern music, modern shopping, modern ad campaigns. I *used* to be the primary demographic, see: 18-35 with disposable income. Man, it was like the world was made for me. I'd go to Vegas and they'd be playing my favorite music in every casino with my favorite T-shirts, drinks, food, colors, toys, gadgets... ahhh.
Now that I'm a bit older, those kinds of things don't line up so much anymore. And that's okay. But once in a while there's that fleeting thought that tells me, "you'll never find anything that clicks with you as so totally cool again." As if the mass-marketing added some kind of additional cool. Pshaw.
So it was with much delight that I discovered these two books: they clicked with me to the deepest depths of cool. And, they just 'appeared' in front of me. One jumped off the shelf at the book store, the other showed up on my girlfriend's book shelf.
"PRONOIA" is the opposite of paranoia, and is the title of a new book by Rob Brezsney (the sydicated hip-astrology guy). This book delights and suprises me again and again (I'm not even through reading it yet). Creative, personal, meaningful, helpful, great perspectives, fun and useful vocabulary. It isn't about astrology, it's about discovering how the universe is actually secretly conspiring to bring you happiness. For me, this book is a peek into the future: the seeds of the "star trek" society. Those seeds don't have to grow to be fabulous and have great benefits right now. This books has stories, philosophy, excersises, articles, jokes, and lots of drawings and art. Integral Theory fans will have a ball seeing from all the different perspectives Rob shows readers.
This book is soooo helpful in countering negative thoughts and opening vision to the incredible levels of abundance and blessings that *are us* and *everything* around us, it's amazing. Effortless, gentle and delightful shifting to a peaceful, open optimism. This book is like Rolaids for an ulcer tummy at 2am: aaaahhhhhh. So much better, with a fresh minty tint.
"The Art of Shen Ku" by Zeek is just the handiest, coolest reference I've ever seen. It bills itself as "The Ultimate Traveler's Guide of This Planet," and I agree. It's also the here-to-fore-missing operater's manual for the human body: it has wonderful, simple yet comprehensive pages on health, diet, exercise, acupuncture, and natural remedies. The artwork throughout is fantastic! all hand-drawn by the author. Wow. plus sections on sailing, traveling, defending yourself, sailing, and survival. This is like a Foxfire-Boy-Scout Handbook on steroids, elevated to galatic proportions. Life, The Universe, and Everything, Indeed: we've got Volume #1 of the Intergalactic Encyclopedia right here. Nifty.
Shen Ku is (apparently) the art of placing a whole arena of information on a single page in a way that is artfully organized, easy to use, yet crammed with information. A single-page summary of an entire topic. There's more to the art; I'm still soaking it in and figuring it out; highly interconnected between the four quadrants. Check this book out to see if it clicks with your brain like it did mine. It makes so much sense... why aren't our other reference books constructuced like this? It is so much easier to read, more fun to use, and easier to comprehend.
The shiniest thing about this book is the index: over 15,000 entries. This guy knows how to create an index! Super useful, great organization. I love this book (can you tell?). It' sbeen out since 2000, so I don't know how I missed it for six years, but I'm glad I have it now. If I ever meet Zeek, he's getting an invitation to my grand party along with a hearty handshake of thanks and acknowledgement.
Maybe you'll find these books as delightful as I did. Just in time for reading in the springtime sun... outside, on the deck, where I can meet my neighbors! ;-)
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