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REVIEWS REVIEWS ¢@ to humanity in terms of the shaping of our thoughts and morality systems and the structuring of our languages. James's work is a visionary, thought- provoking perspective on cosmology and our part in the Cosmic Dance. SKY KNOWLEDGE by Ian James Sky Knowledge Prodns, Aust, 2008 ISBN 978-0-9805146-0-5 (498pp tpb) Available: www.skyknowledge.com Wit not a book about astrology alone, Sky Knowledge reviews humanity's relationship with the cosmos and rediscovers ancient ideas and ways of thinking, many of which were based on noticing changes in the heavenly firmament. Author Ian James has divided his book into three sections, with appendices on his sources as well as an introduction to his "Astro-Logical Almanack". n the first section, he describes our physical place in the cosmos, gives an overview of astrology, and discusses widespread myths about "the gods". He takes in celestial mechanics, a primaeval calendar and aspects of solar and lunar influences on plant life. He dives into the world of omens and superstitions and rides the timeline from the past to the present and the future. n the second part, James ponders the meaning behind lunar festivals and the personae of the planets and investigates the development of zodiacal maps with their references to the gods and animals. Finally, he introduces the Sun and notes how its cosmic qualities relate LOST CITIES & ANCIENT MYSTERIES OF THE SOUTHWEST by David Hatcher Childress Adventures Unlimited Press, 2009 ISBN 978-I-931882-94-1 (576pp tpb) Avail: adventuresunlimitedpress.com n the spirit of "Beat" poets like Jack Kerouac and Jack Cassady, maverick archaeologist and author David Hatcher Childress hits the road again but with a purpose: to visit the ruins and relics of the ancient past from Mexico to the American Southwest. Accompanied by his partner Jennifer, Childress finds gigantic Atlantean statues in Tula, north of Mexico City, and muses on the Southwestern mines that produced the metals used by the Toltecs and Aztecs, distributed via ancient trade routes connecting the entire region. Moving into Texas, Childress checks out mysteries of the Big Bend region, including the Marfa Lights and a tablet bearing Phoenician script discovered in 1962 in a remote cave. In New Mexico, he's on the trail of Victorio Peak, where gold bars and 72+ NEXUS artefacts were supposedly found in caverns in 1937, the mysterious Ghost Ranch with its dinosaur fossils, and the Village of the Great Kivas in Zuni lands. Next, he's in Arizona, cruising the Devil's Highway in search of the legend of the Maze and the Giant Snake, the energy vortex of Crater Range and the Lost Dutchman Mine. In Utah, he speculates on ancient Egyptian influences in the Grand Canyon; and in Nevada and California, he searches for catacombs containing mummified giants and for gigantic Nazca-like figures etched in the desert landscape. Childress's engaging, well- illustrated travelogue is peppered with archaeological observations, historical details, research commentaries and local anecdotes. LOST CITIES & ANCIENT MYSTERIES OF THE SOUTHWEST — www.nexusmagazine.com OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2009