"In this age of technology kids are bombarded by choices that we as parents, grandparents and caregivers did not have to face. Around 2/3 of New Zealand's adolescents have a BEBO site (or its equivalent). Although this can be a great way for kids to share music and connect with other kids - there are risks. In addition to explicit language, themes and photos, our children can face bullying, other forms of abuse and there are on-line predators. Most of us work hard to give our children good values. Most of us work hard to teach our children to make good choices. We know that our children will test limits, and we know that they will slip up from time to time. However, the opportunity to make big mistakes, that can change the course of our kids lives, is increasing. Ron Phillips has worked with children, adolescents and their families for the past 40 years. He has developed a storytelling technique that enables all ages to understand how the decisions they make directly result from how they feel. It works particularly well as a story read aloud to a group of kids, for example a parent reading and discussing the story with their children. The story 'Gem of the First Water' is a fable, similar in genre to 'Lord of the Rings.' It is the story of a boy journeying through a land of confusion where he encounters many obstacles that depict everyday issues. The story has a series of questions that require our kids to think about what they would do in a similar situation. Because kids don't have to talk about themselves they engage in the story, readily translate the boy's dilemmas and choices into their own situation, discuss the choices he has and give the boy advice about what to do. The choices are not easy - they are challenging - but they help to teach kids to identify the options and how to make good choices. ."--Publisher's description.

"aEUR|moon crested 'neath the early night's clouds; rolling in as if from another place, and the air turned frigid with its change. There was an evil building in the night, and I anguished over he whose demise I foresaw . . ."

An angry teenager is transported to the Land of Confusion, where he confronts negative creatures such as Blame, Rage-on and the Martini Monster, before learning how to create his own happiness.

"This is the fifth revision of the Storyteller's Guide. This version has been especially adapted to speak to readers who intend to present the stories to individuals or groups to build or improve their emotional wellbeing and resilience and help them achieve identity. It was formerly entitled the "Journey Guide for Gem of the First Water: The journey every family should take". Its original focus was for use by parents within the context of family discussions. Over time a greater number of teachers and mental health professionals have also begun using our material. I am confident that, whatever your role, you will still find this guide relevant and that by using this guide you'll get the necessary start-up information you need, and maybe even a bit more. This is a Journey every family can take, regardless of its makeup - married, partnerships, sole parents, blended families, foster parents, adoptive parents, grandparents, any and every family composition will benefit from this recovery/discovery process. The role of parenting belongs to you. It is no longer your parents' time, nor is it yet your children's time - it is your time. This guide provides an opportunity for your family to take an epic adventure together and discover great truths about yourselves and important insight into the people you love the most. The journey is fun, and can be extremely exciting. This Storyteller's Guide is the result of many years of trialing, testing and refining the process of Therapeutic Story telling Intervention, which utilises the novel, "Gem of the First Water". This fable for our times introduces principles that help 'out-of-balance' children formulate a value system and acquire eight vital elements of their unique identity. This 'values and decision-making framework' is incredibly effective with all children, not just the ones who have tumbled 'off the rails'. The book's purpose is to expose and address the real crisis within our society, resulting from a collective and personal habit of making poor decisions. Uncontrolled anger, emotional impulsivity, alcoholism, substance abuse, crime, corruption, even the willingness to knowingly pollute, are all, when taken to the source, results of poor personal decisions. "Gem of the First Water" teaches the need to Stand-Alone, and make choices based on values rather than on what we feel like or what is easy or accepted - even in life's simple decisions. Unfortunately, however, many families are too dysfunctional to cope with the co-operation necessary to get this process off the ground. It is difficult to make good decisions in the midst of turmoil and conflict. We can only give values if we have been given them ourselves. To effectively get started, there needs to be agreement that this journey has meaning and would/could be important to everyone."--From the item.

Effective and healthy remedies produced by infusing water with appealing crystalline energies are carefully described in this informative manual. The first part covers aspects of preparation, featuring deceptively simple processes such as the boiling method, the water vapor method, and the test tube method--all of which can be easily mastered by crystal healing enthusiasts. After outlining the correct methods to use and listing poisonous crystals as a safety precaution, the book examines more than 100 usable crystals and 34 special mixtures, revealing their intended uses and effects for the optimum in therapeutic results.