Settled high on a Mountain. Mighty Arrow was Chief of his people and was married to Falling Leaf. They had a big family of four girls. Falling Leaf had given birth to another daughter. They named her Bright Star. Bright Star announced one day that she wanted to become the next medicine woman of her village. Falling Leaf knew only men were Shamans. That did not discourage Bright Star. As Bright Star grew up she had to battle an attack on her village and being captured. Almost being raped and the loss of her first child, she became ill. Almost every time something happened to Bright Star she underwent some kind of initiation. Every time she came back Little Eagle was right by her side. Together they could go through anything that got in their way.

In this revised collection, loving reflections provide wisdom and encouragement to help overcome anxiety, gain self-esteem, and improve relationships. They may be used over and over for women in transition or recovery and those wishing to enhance personal power.

This is a story of how the wounds in our life become our gift to others. How we choose to respond to them either helps or hinders our own healing, and our becoming whole, and that of the people whose paths cross ours.This is my story and I hope that by reading it you will find the courage to embark on your own process so that you might find your true reason for being.

These stories reveal the way the world has always been made better — by individuals who courageously follow their heart’s inner wisdom. At a moment in history when the tide of events seems determined by faceless governments and corporations, we need these examples of individual action more than ever.

"Nellie M. Thompson has thrived even before she learned to read at the age of 88. A descendent of Chief Pushmataha ... her powerful memoir tells of growing up as a Choctaw Indian in the small-town Midwest of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, and eventually California in the late 1940s. Her faith in God was shaped after she was healed of polio by an Indian medicine man at the age of eight-- this experience dictated her personal commitment to a lifetime of service. She herself became an Indian Medicine woman treating human ailments with herbs and Indian techniques. This inspiring account of a Choctaw Indian woman, whose courage and faith in God move her through many difficult trials, weaves memorable anecdotes into a fresh, first-hand perspective of her history and culture."--Provided by publisher.

The sister book to Nautilus Award-Winning Burning Woman from Lucy H. Pearce. A deep questioning of how the system deals with the modern epidemic of chronic illness, combining a raw personal memoir of sickness and healing, the voices of sick women of the world and a feminine cultural critique that digs deep into the roots of patriarchal medicine.

Not many people in the medical world are talking about how being afraid can make us sick—but the truth is that fear, left untreated, becomes a serious risk factor for conditions from heart disease to diabetes to cancer. Now Lissa Rankin, M.D., explains why we need to heal ourselves from the fear that puts our health at risk and robs our lives of joy—and shows us how fear can ultimately cure us by opening our eyes to all that needs healing in our lives. Drawing on peer-reviewed studies and powerful true stories, The Fear Cure presents a breakthrough understanding of fear’s effects and charts a path back to wellness and wholeness on every level. We learn:• How a fearful thought translates into physiological changes that predispose us to illness • How to tell true fear (the kind that arises from a genuine threat) from false fear (which triggers stress responses that undermine health) • How to tune in to the voice of courage inside—our "Inner Pilot Light" • How to reshape our relationship to uncertainty so that it’s no longer something to dread, but a doorway to new possibilities • What our fears can teach us about who we really are At the intersection of science and spirituality, The Fear Cure identifies the Four Fearful Assumptions that lie at the root of all fears—from the sense that we’re alone in the universe to the belief that we can’t handle losing what we love—and shifts them into Four Courage-Cultivating Truths that pave our way to not only physical well-being, but profound awakening. Using exercises from a wide range of mind-body practices and spiritual traditions, Dr. Rankin teaches us how to map our own courage-cultivating journey, write a personalized Prescription for Courage, and step into a more authentic life.