The Subtle Body by Cyndi Dale is a must have reference book for all energy therapists. It is comprehensive, expertly written and well illustrated.

This is the book vibrational healers have been waiting for. The scope of The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy is extensive and well researched, with a very full and detailed examination of the chakras, the aura and the meridians as well as coverage of all of the body systems from an energetic viewpoint. It is simply the clearest and most thorough treatment of the Human Subtle Body systems that I have come across.

I was impressed by the level of detail and clarity provided throughout the book. Having studied and taught healing for years I consider myself reasonably knowledgeable on the human subtle anatomy, however there has been plenty more for me to learn from this book and I will be using it as the main subtle anatomy text book for my Crystal Therapy Diploma Course, replacing Barbara Brennan’s classic Hands of Light.

I like the way Cyndi has examined a variety of systems from around the world. She describes usefully and in depth the Hindu seven chakra system which is the one most healers are familiar with in the West, including more difficult to find information on aspects such as the nadis, the sushumna and kundalini energy. She goes on to explore additional chakras and provides an insight into the Tibetan energy system, the Cherokee system and the Incan system, all of which bear striking similarities to each other, but contain their own unique wisdom.

Cyndi’s treatment of the meridians is helpful. Each meridian is separately and clearly illustrated with the direction of energy flow clearly marked. I find this approach useful as standard diagrams show all the meridians drawn together and these traditional charts are difficult to follow unless you are formally trained in acupuncture. With the individual diagrams provided in The Subtle Body it is easy to see if you are laying crystals on meridian points, or massaging over meridians, which is important as they should be taken into consideration and worked over in the direction of their flow. There is additional information on the meridians that I have not come across elsewhere, such as a Meridian Dentistry map of the teeth, which fascinates me as it links each tooth into a meridian and to specific emotional states, not that I’m about to start pulling teeth!

Along with the more esoteric content Cyndi has provided plenty of scientific research into energy fields, including theories of quantum physicists. Some of the studies are just fascinating and validate what the mystics have always said. I loved to read that the electromagnetic field of the heart has been found to be sixty times greater than that of the brain and that well over half of its cells are neural. In other words we can literally have a ‘thinking heart’ and the advice to ‘listen to your heart’ makes some biological sense. Meditator’s hearts have even been shown to emit visible light!

It was encouraging to find that The Subtle Body is thoroughly referenced, so that if a certain section catches your interest it is possible to find the original sources. The level of research involved must have been a mammoth undertaking and the book does truly deserve the title of 'encyclopedia'.

I enjoyed the richness and breadth of this book. Some topics might surprise the reader. Cyndi has included information on geopathic stress and electromagnetic stress for example. She also delves into sacred geometry and the tree of life. These are all areas of relevance that will serve broaden and deepen the understanding of most readers.

I can thoroughly recommend this book to all healers and energy workers. It has been hard to fully do it justice in a review and I think it is set to become a classic. If my own and my students’ responses have been anything to go by you’ll be excited to get your hands on a copy!