Three Great BOOKS TO GIFT this Christmas
These 3 books will provide food for thought and convivial conversation all year long - I highly recommend them!
1. The Ultimate Vaccine Timeline, by Shaz Khan
Tess’ Comment: Be informed before you consent. This brilliant vaccine encyclopaedia is a ‘must have’ for every family with school-going children.
Author intro: Dive deep into a comprehensive fact-packed history of vaccines that includes information on vaccine manufacturers and their evolution over time.
Browse through an extensive series of verifiable and documented facts on vaccines. For well over a century, vaccines have been routinely recommended to billions of people worldwide, mostly children and babies. With an ever-increasing portfolio of vaccines using novel technologies on the global market, it is important now more than ever to consolidate a chronology of facts relating to human vaccination.
Considering the current climate of censorship around vaccines, this publication will contribute to an expanded understanding of this important medical intervention.
Spanning over fifteen hundred years, this thoroughly researched timeline is an educational tool for any researcher, student, doctor, scientist, parent, or curious human being wishing to gain a broader perspective and insight into the complex and vast landscape of human vaccination. From smallpox to shingles; tetanus to tuberculosis; hepatitis B to HPV, discover when, where, and by whom these vaccines were invented and marketed.
Including a historical timeline of pharmaceutical company beginnings, mergers and acquisitions since the seventeenth century, this illustrated reference book shines a light on the controversial subject of vaccines and their makers.
2. The Forgotten Feminine Face of God, by Anne Baring
Tess’ Comment: An empowering and illuminating read for those seeking to understand the origins of our current human and planetary crisis.
Author intro: This book is a celebration of Divine Wisdom and the Holy Spirit, the forgotten feminine face of God. In this interlude between the Age of Pisces and the Age of Aquarius, the long-lost image of the Divine Feminine is returning. She, the Corner Stone that the builders rejected during the Age of Pisces, is initiating a crucial new phase in our evolution, urging us to discover a new ethic of responsibility towards the planet, bringing us a new vision of the sacredness and unity of life. Wisdom, justice, beauty, harmony, love and compassion and the impulse to help and to heal are the qualities that have traditionally been identified with the Divine Feminine, yet she is also the irresistible power that destroys old forms and brings new ones into being, the inspiration of the love-in-action that is needed to transform a culture that is radically out of touch with its soul.
What happened to the Mother? Why is there no feminine aspect of the god-head - no God-the-Mother? Why, in the three patriarchal religions, do we have a Father God but no Mother God? I have chosen to write about the neglected feminine aspect of God because it is an essential aspect of our understanding of life and of ourselves, essential to the completion of our nature and our decadent, unbalanced and addicted civilization. It is also essential for both women and men to know there is a Divine Feminine Presence in the god-head or Ground of Being - a Mother.
The Grail of the Feminine is urging us to open our heart to a new vision of reality, the revelation of all cosmic life as a divine unity. For those awakened to this vision, to be born a human being is not to be born into a fallen, flawed world of sin and illusion, cut off from the divine; it is to be born into a world lit by an invisible radiance, ensouled by Divine Presence, graced and sustained by incandescent Light and Love.
3. Biggleswick - The Town that Wouldn’t Comply, by Richard Vobes
Tess’ Comment: Richard’s wry sense of humour makes difficult tasks, especially overcoming the compulsive urge to comply with authority, easy!
Faced with a plethora of anti-human policies meted out by a tyrannical town council, the people of the English market town of Biggleswick, come together to work out how they might tackle the ongoing erosion of their rights and the escalating surveillance and interference in their lives. When a travelling truth teller delivers a compelling speech at the community theatre, the locals are roused into action to devise a plan to reclaim their town’s authority and reject the accepted diktats that both the government and the local councillors insist are a necessary sacrifice for the sustainability of not only their town, but the world as a whole.
While this is a novel and all characters and organisations are fictitious, with any similarity to those with the same name purely coincidental, the story mirrors the crisis of today. Authority’s continual encroachment into people’s lives has made life a struggle for many, with common sense and critical thinking desperately lacking. Where, for example, is the logic in covering swaths of agricultural land in solar panels on one hand, and then experimenting with sun-dimming technology on the other to fend off so-called man-made global warming?
The author sincerely believes that should one town be brave enough to stand up against these absurd ideas and damaging policies of government and assert their own authority to the public servants then, with the rest of the world watching via social media, others might follow, instigating a huge change for the betterment of mankind.
Richard Vobes’ books are signed, first edition and sent out weekly. To purchase, the books for £20 plus postage, please contact Richard via his website: www.richardvobes.com.
World Council for Health has a limited special offer on the WCH Health Guides. Click the image to purchase in the WCH Online Shop.
You may also wish to gift my book, Game of Trust, this Christmas! If so, click the image below.
krissaj51f.substack.com/p/a44
Dear Tess
The desire to empower women—especially those who have felt marginalized by predominantly male imagery for God—is both understandable and important. However, questions arise when authors like Anne Baring in pretending to be christian, support a 'Myth of the Fall' concept or the idea of a 'Goddess as consort to Yahweh', since none of these ideas are rooted in scripture.
Embracing such perspectives around gender often involves adopting human-made images of God that may emphasize spiritual connection at a mystical level, but risk overshadowing the central Christian belief in Jesus’ unique role as Savior. For a faith tradition grounded in biblical revelation, it is essential to honor the full range of scriptural metaphors for God—both masculine and feminine—without redefining core theological truths or diminishing the significance of Christ’s redemptive work which is essentially is what Barings work does.
Throughout history, there have been a variety of metaphors to describe God—some masculine, some feminine, and many that transcend human categories altogether. The Hebrew word for Spirit, ruach, is grammatically feminine, and scripture contains maternal images of God, such as a mother comforting her child or an eagle sheltering her young. Early Christian writers, especially in the Syriac tradition, often used maternal language for the Holy Spirit. Others have drawn on the feminine personification of Wisdom (Chokmah in Hebrew, Sophia in Greek) to explore the feminine aspects of the divine.
However, it is crucial to recognize that all human language about God is metaphorical and limited. The use of gendered pronouns in scripture reflects the constraints of language, not the essence of God. God and the Holy Spirit is not male or female; rather, they transcend human categories of sex and gender. The familial terms “Father” and “Son” are meant to convey relationship and intimacy, NOT to define God’s being in human terms.
While it is valuable to highlight the feminine images of God found in scripture, we should be careful not to simply replace one set of limiting metaphors with another. The goal is not to remake God in our own image—whether male or female—but to allow the full range of biblical imagery to expand our understanding of the divine. Overemphasizing any one aspect, or using contemporary categories to redefine God, risks distorting the relational and mysterious nature of God as revealed in scripture and reminds us that God’s love and presence are not confined by human boundaries or expectations
Scripture consistently warns about the consequences for those who mislead others in matters of faith. Jesus himself cautioned that “if anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18:6, NIV). Throughout the New Testament, misleading others away from the truth of the gospel is described as a serious offense, with spiritual consequences for both the individual and those they influence. This we understand includes those in positions of leadership who draw people away from the truth.
You can't have it both ways Tess. You can't pick and choose from a faith tradition grounded in biblical revelation, and honor the full range of scriptural metaphors for God—both masculine and feminine—without redefining core theological truths or diminishing the significance of Christ’s redemptive work. Those who teach or promote ideas contrary to scripture are called to reconsider their position, knowing that spiritual leadership carries great responsibility and accountability; as such we ask you to reconsider your stance on this important doctrinal principle and defer from undermining the very faith you profess to hold.
We have been followers of the WCH and the WCH New Zealand since its inception. We have however, following your posts, decided that we can no longer support your egregious and offensive comments. We have therefore resigned from membership of both the WCH and the WCH NZ where I was Secretary.
Kind regards
Deborah Cunliffe