Sitting in Pictures: Vision Meditations for Addiction Recovery a Hopi Tradition Blending the Wisdom of the Elders with the 12 Step Principles

Sitting in Pictures is a delightful, spiritual book, a wonderful inspiration for people in recovery. The pictures and the words touch us in a very unique way. A great way to begin your day!
Ruth Fishel, author of TIME FOR JOY and many other books, meditation teacher and retreat leader. --Ruth Fishel

Read the brief, inspiring words (a Twelve Step principle of recovery and a quote or adage from an elder, shaman or tribal tradition) and meditate on the picture- the sacred image. The next day, do the same with the following page of the same season. The compact sacred image centered on each page will be as holy as you will allow. Amazingly varied in style and design, from simple to complex - geometric lines, psychedelic swirls, real photo images or childlike squiggles and splashes - the pictures are intriguing and prove Christine Sundly's skill as a graphic artist. I have practiced gazing into some of the images, breathing easily and letting come to mind whatever surfaces, sometimes with revealing results; I emerge centered and rested. The book says the practice of sitting in pictures is similar to traditions of other cultures, such as the Dreamtime of the Aborigines, the reliefs from Gobekli Tepe and even modern psychology's "creative visualization." All of these lend credence to the effectiveness of sitting in pictures. To me, it is simply an intriguing new venue for meditation. I love the diversity of the images and quotations. From ancient to modern, from Tanzanian to Gaelic to Cheyenne, from Lao-Tzu to Mahatma Gandhi to Don Miguel Ruiz, they proclaim All One. This appeals to my meditative mind. It works if I let, and it's worth it. --By Lena H., "in Recovery" Book Review

There are a great many women in the Native American Indigenous people, and anything that ends up being done, in my opinion, must have some material aimed at the Goddess part of both male and female. Many men are more comfortable with the ways of women, and therefore will reap much benefit from the Goddess energy.
However, it is not really speaking to any sex, in my opinion. It is speaking to an energy that rises up in one's soul and dances with it in magical ways to ignite a passion that carries that individual in a direction by which they are able to find the voice of their Higher Power within themselves.
I think there are millions of Indigenous people all over this country and the world. I believe the word Indigenous refers to a people who is not caught up in the intellectual head trip, but rather still sees the pictures of life through their hearts. Perhaps this is why they turn to anesthetizing themselves with drugs and alcohol. It's the only way they can survive in a world that insists they be intellectual, and not end up being completely broken. This is just my humble opinion, of course.
This book helps people reconnect with their own Higher Power, through whatever Mandela (picture) works for them. If it is Native American, Chinese, Japanese, African, Australian, Canadian or whatever, it doesn't really matter. What we need is the picture that speaks to our heart to open it. I truly believe people die from broken hearts because they closed them, not because they opened them.
What people need, the world over, is to connect with that particular way they can get their hearts open. Sitting in Pictures does this. --Robea (aka) Leah

This recovery meditation book was years in its creation and put together by many indigenous peoples from around the globe. We paired a 12 Step Principle to a tribal adage or quoted the wisdom of our Elders. This work truly is the product of many people's and there is no one author of the spiritual principles inherited from our ancestors.The illustrtor is a lovely youn Menominee Nation woman who studies the sacred meaning of symbols and incorporates them into her art. Christine Sndly is not only talented and dedicated in the ways of her nation, but a fabulous mother and wife now living in Alaska.