Astral Sex – Zen Teabags Book Review

I discovered the “new age” back in the late 80s. I bought some crystals, the book Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain (I didn’t understand a word of it), some purple and blue candles (to develop my psychic abilities), a tarot deck (to develop my psychic abilities) and a long, swirly skirt (it made me look psychic).

I hung around with people who said things like “She’s out of her body and will be back later,” or “my spirit guide says I chose difficult karma,” or “my crystal needs to be cleared,” or “I feel like I know you from a past life!”

Not that I didn’t learn a lot from my experiences, and it was certainly fun while it lasted, but it was more of a joy ride than a serious journey for sure. And luckily, it was a journey I can laugh about.

When I received “Astral Sex – Zen Teabags – an Illustrated New Age Spoofapedia,” by Gerry Thompson, all those memories came back to me. From the hours I spent analyzing my horoscope and possible past life connections, to the nights spent watching for UFOs, it’s all here. Every funny, crazy and bizarre moment!

A-Z is basically a book of new age terms and definitions, like an encyclopedia, only it’s hilarious (hence, “spoofapedia”).

Let me be clear – this book is just fun! It’s a silly learning tool for those of us who take things way too seriously!

Inner: This term refers to any part of ourselves that we want to let other people know needs attention, sympathy, or molly-coddling, as in “I’m working on my Inner Child.” ~ From the book.

I would have to say the definitions of the astrology signs were among my favorite, and I did laugh hardest at my own.

Cancer Astrological Sign: Cancerians are very vulnerable beings who are extremely cautious about how they live their lives. And so they should be, because they are constantly in great danger….They should also be particularly vigilant around sophisticated or complex technical apparatus, such as high-powered computers, nuclear particle accelerators, and ball-point pens. ~From the book.

I laughed so much as I read through this book, as did most of my friends. I say most because one of my very serious new ager friends got very offended!

Manifest: An annoying way of referring to things happening in your life. See asspain. ~ From the book.

A- Z is a fun look at some of the silly things we get caught up in, and maybe, for a little while anyway, take a little too seriously.

Master: This used to mean someone who had spent 50 years deeply immersing themselves in a subject, completely cut off from the outside world and all other activities. Fortunately, one can now become a Master by instantaneous transmission overnight – at a price. See Reiki, NLP. ~ From the book.

The book is sure to offend many, but I think overall, we are ready to laugh at ourselves!

Scorpio: Nobody likes Scorpios. They usually become Rolfers or Primal Scream therapists. A description of them should be very short as they may seek revenge. ~ From the book.

It’s important to know why we follow a particular spiritual path. If we walk a path for the coolness factor, we haven’t made the connection to our spirit. But if we can laugh at ourselves, even under the most difficult of circumstances, we are halfway there.

Deanna received this book from the publisher, at no charge, for the purpose of reviewing.