MSI Press Blog

Readers' Favorite awarded 5 stars to Weekly Soul by Dr. Frederic Craigie. Jamie Michele writes: Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful and Peaceful Living by Frederic C. Craigie Jr., Ph.D. is a non-fiction motivational guide that offers a distinct and fulfilling purpose under the umbrella of twelve uplifting themes. Each week opens with a quote that corresponds with the message provided for contemplation in the days ahead. This is then followed by a soulful fleshing out of the main theme that allows a reader to connect with the overall message. After this, the weekly episode gives points of reflection for the reader that are to be carried through the week to elevate the experience with an awareness that we might not otherwise employ. Finally, the weekly chapter ends with an introduction to the referenced author. It took me a few minutes longer than normal to figure out how to impart Weekly Soul into my life as the book has a unique format from others in the medita

  excerpt from Weekly Soul : Meditation #16 -- An Apache myth tells of how the creator endowed human beings, the two-leggeds, with the ability to do everything—talk, run, see, and hear. But he was not satisfied until the two-leggeds could do just one thing more—laugh. And so men and women laughed and laughed and laughed. Then the creator said, “Now you are fit to live.” Larry Dossey Laughter vitalizes the soul. In the Navajo (or Diné) tradition, there is a sacred and joyful celebration of the First Laugh. When babies are born, they are understood to be part of two worlds: the Spirit world and the physical world. A baby’s first laughter, often at around three months, is a sign of their transition to being fully present in the physical world as a member of their family and community. The person who observes or elicits the first laugh… whose character is considered to be passed along to the child… is responsible for hosting an A’wee Chi’deedloh, the First Laugh ceremony. G

  Dr. Fred Craigie recently won the Pinnacle Books Achievement Awards inspirational category for his book, Weekly Soul. Weekly Soul has won numerous awards, including: Book of the Year Award Winner (gold), Mind, Body, Soul 2020 American Book Fest Best Book Award, Finalist, Spiritual: Inspiration, 2021 Silver Medal, Reader Views Literary Awards, Mind/Body/Spirit 2020 Silver Medal, Reader Views Literary Awards, Religion 2020 Honorable Mention Inspiration and Motivation, Kops-Fetherling International Books Award 2020 National Indie Excellence Award, Well-Being 2022 For more posts about Fred and his book, click HERE . For posts about other Pinnacle Book Achievement Award winners, click HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter  here  or on our  home page . Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book

  Weekly Soul by Frederic Craigie, Ph.D.  is a collection of 52 meditations on meaningful, joyful and peaceful living. The meditations begin with thought-provoking quotations from a range of people--writers, journalists, theologians, musicians and artists, activists--and touch on themes of Miracles, Aliveness, Purpose, Laughter and Joy, Presence/Mindfulness, Activism, Acceptance, Gratitude, Forgiveness, Creativity, Civility, and Hope. Each meditation also others Dr. Craigie's stories and commentary, questions for individual and group reflection, suggestions for daily follow-up, and biographical background on the quotation authors. In  Weekly Soul , readers will find a year's worth of affirmation and engaging exploration of wholeness and well-being. Endorsement: There is nothing usual or ordinary about Fred Craigie's rich, compelling invitation to explore who we are and what matters to us. It's insanely readable, this beautifully organized mashup of poetry, philosophy, p

  Sincere congratualtions to Dr. Frederic Craigie, whose book, Weekly Soul , took top place in the Foreword Reviews' Book of the Year Award.  From the award committee: "A collection of 52 meditations on meaningful, joyful, and peaceful living. The meditations begin with thought-provoking quotations from writers, journalists, theologians, musicians and artists, activists--and touch on themes of miracles, aliveness, purpose, laughter and joy, presence/mindfulness, activism, acceptance, gratitude, forgiveness, creativity, civility, and hope. In "Weekly Soul," readers will find a year's worth of affirmation and engaging exploration of wholeness and well being." From posts about Dr. Craigie and his book, click HERE .

  Holly Salzman, MD, writes of Weekly Soul by Dr. Frederic Craigie: During this turbulent time of global pandemic, racial injustice, political unrest, economic crisis, and financial uncertainty, many of us have seen our lives and our practices changed in unforeseen and unprecedented ways. We are left questioning our purpose and our path.   Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful, and Peaceful Living ,   beautifully written by Frederic C. Craigie, Jr, PhD, seeks to take us on a personal journey to figure out who we are and the meaning of our lives in the context of this new reality.  . . .  This book of reflections will be an asset to all who seek to rediscover meaning, wholeness, and well-being in these stressful times, and can help both trainees and practicing clinicians move beyond burnout to resilience. Read the full review HERE . Read more posts about Dr. Fred Craigie and his book HERE .

  Excerpt from Weekly Soul by Dr. Frederic Craigie: -10-   The heart of most spiritual practices is simply this: Remember who you are. Remember what you love. Remember what is sacred. Remember what is true. Remember that you will die and that this day is a gift. Remember how you wish to live.   Wayne Muller   In May of 1995, actor Christopher Reeve was taking part in an equestrian competition in Virginia when his horse abruptly stopped before a jump, throwing him forward onto the ground. Unable to break his fall because his hands were entangled with the reins, he landed on his head and suffered a broken neck. The former Superman, Reeve was paralyzed from the neck down for the remaining nine years of his life. In the immediate aftermath of the injury, Reeve considered his profound disability and told his wife, Dana, that “maybe we should let me go.” Her response was, “You’re still you, and I love you.” Outwardly, of course, Reeve was not at all who he had been. Unable t

  Book of the Year (Mind, Body, Spirit) Gold Reader Views Literary Award (Mind, Body, Spirit) Silver Reader Views Literary Award (religion) Silver Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards (Inspiration & Motivation) honorable mention National Indie Excellence Award Excerpt from Weekly Soul (Dr. Frederic Craigie) -29-   Life is a choice. Psychological pain is not a choice. Either way you go, you will have problems and pain. So, the choice here is not about whether to have pain. The choice is whether or not to live a meaningful life.   Steven C. Hayes   We all suffer. The life free of distress and suffering is illusory, or, at least, the quest to avoid psychological pain leaves you spiritually hollow. Want to avoid anxiety? Don’t try anything new. Want to avoid sadness? Don’t do anything where you could fail. Want to avoid grief? Don’t have relationships. You may see people out there who seem to have lives of unbridled happiness and joy, but as you look closely, you’ll find that the

  Read this week's reflection by Fred Craigie ( Weekly Soul ). For more posts about Fred and his book, click HERE .                                                   Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book  in exchange for  reviewing  a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com. Want an  author-signed copy  of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com. Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can!  Find their contact information on our  Authors' Pages

  San Juan Books is the hybrid division of MSI Press LLC. It allows first-time writers to become published in a traditional way through the reduction of risk by sharing publication costs. All other publishing features are traditional in nature, and most SJB authors go on to be offered traditional contracts for their subsequent books. SJB publications are available as paperback, hard cover, and e-book versions. SJB authors' books very much hold their own against their contemporaries in the traditional publishing division. Indeed, a number of them have outsold their traditional compatriots. Today, San Juan Books presents author Dr. Frederic Craigie . BIO: Frederic Craigie Jr., Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, consultant, educator, speaker, and writer. His passions and areas of expertise include spirituality in health and health care, healing relationships, clinician well-being, and resiliency and positive mental health. Fred attended Dartmouth College during the tumultuous Vietnam

US Review of Books recently reviewed Fred Craigie's book, Weekly Soul . We are pleased to learn that the reviewer has awarded the book a RECOMMENDED rating.  The reviewer concluded that "C raigie's meditations are intelligently, sensitively presented for those who seek genuine improvement through thoughtful, thorough introspection."  Read the rest of the review HERE .  For more posts about Fred Craigie and his book, click HERE .

  Here are our suggestions for Christmas book giving: Sula the Cat does it again! Sula, parish cat at Old Mission San Juan Bautista, is a cat with a special mission: to comfort people in need. Every morning, she spends time with St. Francis, patron saint of animals, and receives guidance for the day. During Masses, led by the Holy Spirit, she seeks out whomever God wants her to comfort, and they report that she brings comfort, indeed. In her spare time, she writes books. This time, she is writing about Christmas traditions and how she experiences them as a parish cat. Ever wonder where our various Christmas customs come from? Sula tells you about the history and the customs today, both mainstream American Catholic and Mexican American Catholic customs since both are part of her parish in California. Charmingly illustrated with an Eastern flavor by Russian artist, Zhenya Yanovich. Read excerpts HERE . Purchase the book HERE . People are often at a loss to find the right words to say in

  Congratulations to Dr. Frederic Craigie, whose book, Weekly Soul , was selected as the winner in the category of wellbeing in the National Indie Excellence Award competition . For more posts about Fred and his book, click HERE . To read more about book awards earned by MSI Press authors, click HERE .                                                  Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter                           Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

  Congratulations to Fred Craigie, whose book, Weekly Soul ,  has been selected as a Silver Medalist for the 2020 Reader Views Literary Awards in the mind/body/spirit category and also in the religion category.  To read more posts about Fred and his book, click  HERE .

  Congratulations to MSI Press author, Frederic Craigie, whose book, Weekly Soul, was recently selected as a finalist in the Book of the Year (Indiesfab) book competition. Read more about Fred Craigie and his book HERE .

  Author Fred Craigie has just been informed that his book,  Weekly Soul ,  has been selected as winner in the well-bring category by the National Indie Excellence Award competition. Fred adds this award to a number of previous awards for this book: Book of the Year Award Winner (gold) Literary Views Awards Silver in two categories: mind/body/spirit and religion Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards Honorable Mention American Bookfest finalist See other posts about  Fred and his book .                                    Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter                           Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

    Today's book excerpt comes from  Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful, and Peaceful Living   by Frederic Craigie . INTRODUCTION   In August, 2004, my friend and psychologist colleague Peter Flournoy, Ph.D., died of cancer at the age of 45. Peter was a remarkable person, an energetic professional, and a gentle soul. He experienced his cancer as a blessing that taught him more about life than he otherwise would have understood. He packed a lot into the last couple of years of his life, ice climbing several times and sea kayaking to Monhegan Island (ten miles off the Maine coast—not for the faint of heart) a month before his death. Peter was also excited about his spiritual life, which was informed particularly by Buddhist philosophy and practice in his last years. His memorial service took place on a glorious summer day. We who attended all received a card with a favorite meditative image of Peter’s and his words:   Life has taught me not to grasp and hold but