'Walk humbly with God - ' Advent is a time of wonder and waiting - but that's not a passive thing. We need to walk into Advent with our eyes open. We walk through a world where wars are being waged and babies are being born. We are humbled by our inability to do much about what is wrong. But we do our best: to be kind, caring, to understand the meaning of mercy. We do our best to be even-handed, to act justly. Words from the prophet Micah inspired this book. But it also reflects the words of a later prophet, George Fox: 'Walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone.' Join us on a cheerful, thoughtful, justice-seeking journey towards Bethlehem, a journey day by day through Advent. Jan Sutch Pickard is a poet, preacher and storyteller living on Mull. She is former Warden of Iona Abbey, Vice President of the Methodist Conference, and Ecumenical Accompanier. Her books and many resources include Out of Iona: Words from a Crossroads of the World and Between High and Low Water: Sojourner Songs (Wild Goose). She is also a frequent contributor to IBRA's Fresh from the Word daily reading series.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1907 Edition.

* What is the standard view of history is completely wrong? * What if science and writing developed from an advanced prehistoric civilisation in the British Isles? * What is written evidence in the Dead Sea Scrolls records megalithic history and provides the plans for a machine that could rebuild civilisation following a global catastrophe? * And what if Jesus and his brother James were practitioners of megalithic astronomy? In URIEL'S MACHINE Knight & Lomas offer powerful new evidence that our planet was hit by seven mountain-sized lumps of comet, creating a series of giant waves that ripped across the globe. Putting together the latest findings of leading geologists with their own sensational new archaeological discoveries, they show how a civilisation emerged and was able to build an international network of sophisticated astronomical observatories which provided accurate calendars, could measure the diameter of the planet and accurately predict comet impact years in advance.

The revelation that this is the true purpose of the great megalithic sites in Western Europe, built long before the Egyptian pyramids.

In his day, no preacher in the Highlands was as attractive or well regarded as the Reverend Murdoch Campbell, the author of 'Gleanings of Highland Harvest', 'The Loveliest Story Ever Told', 'Memories of a Wayfaring Man', and 'Wells of Joy'. His Diary is of interest for his life and times, but also as one of the few documented accounts of 20th century Christian mysticism, extending across forty-one years. Its value is not only historical or academic; such a record of fellowship with God is for many beyond price. Interest in mysticism is flourishing, but relatively few commentators look at the Biblical mysticism of Evangelical Protestants. Here the Diary speaks for itself, while a Preface, Biographical Notes, and footnotes add background information and comment. Mystical knowledge of God is not in competition with either faith or 'love for one's neighbour as oneself', but is an added privilege, granted to few. It represents a challenge to well-substantiated ordinary assumptions concerning what can be known, both naturally and, for believers, spiritually. Yet this Diary shows how such contact with God leads beyond ordinary experience to the suburbs of Heaven.

"Mystagogy: A Monastic Reading of Dionysius Areopagita" proposes an interpretation of the Pseudo-Dionysian corpus in light of the liturgical and ascetic tradition that defined the author and his audience. Characterized by both striking originality and remarkable fidelity to the patristic and late neoplatonic traditions, the Dionysian corpus is a coherent and unified structure, whose core and pivot is the treatise known as the "Ecclesiastical Hierarchy." Given Pseudo-Dionysius' fundamental continuity with earlier Christian theology and spirituality, it is not surprising that the church, and in particular the ascetic community, recognized that this theological synthesis articulated its own fundamental experience and aspirations.

"Alexander Golitzin is professor emeritus of patristics at Marquette University and a bishop in the Orthodox Church. He specializes in the origins of Eastern Christian ascetical and mystical tradition. He is the author of" Et introibo ad altare Dei': The Mystagogy of Dionysius Areopagita "(Patriarchal Institute); "St. Symeon the New Theologian on the Mystical Life: The Ethical Discourses, 3 vols." (St Vladimir's Seminary Press); and "New Light from the Holy Mountain" (St. Tikhon's Seminary Press), as well as several studies collected in "The Theophaneia School: Jewish Roots of Christian Mysticism, ed. AndreiOrlov and Basil Lurie (Gorgias).

2014 Reprint of 1952 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. "The Revelations of St. Gertrude" form one of the classics of Catholic writing. And although they would have to be classified as "mystical literature," their message is clear and obvious, for her work discusses the secrets of Heaven in terms that all can understand. Recorded here are St. Gertrude's many conversations with Our Lord, wherein He reveals His great desire to grant mercy to souls and to reward the least good act. In the course of their conversations, He reveals wonderful spiritual "shortcuts" that will help everyone in his or her spiritual life. Moreover, the "Revelations" actually open a window onto Heaven, where we can see the specific ways in which prayer, good works and liturgical celebrations on earth have very definite effects in Heaven.

2013 Reprint of 1952 Newman Press Second Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. This is one of the great classical medieval English works of devotion. Little is known of the author except that she was a recluse who lived in a cell attached to the church of St. Julian at Norwich. In 1373 she received sixteen private revelations from the Lord, dealing with his Passion, the truths of the Faith and the advancement of her own spiritual life. The work reveals a mind that has penetrated deeply to the mysteries of the Catholic religion, both on its doctrinal and its personal sides. Julian of Norwich was a very spiritual, devout soul, deeply sensitive to the beauty of holiness and centered wholeheartedly on the love and service of God. Although the work attracted little attention when it first appeared, it has since become one of the most famous books dealing with divine communications ever written.

2014 Reprint of 1950 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Catherine ranks high among the mystics and spiritual writers of the Catholic Church. She remains a greatly respected figure for her spiritual writings, and for her political boldness to "speak truth to power." This was exceptional for a woman in this period. The "Dialogue" speaks to the whole spiritual life of man and is presented in the form of a series of colloquies between the Eternal Father and the human soul (represented by Catherine herself). It is a mystical counterpart in prose to Dante's "Divina Commedia." This edition is translated from the original Italian by Algar Thorold.

The lively and engaging emblems within The Soul, Lover of God unite the 17th century poetry and art of two famous European authors, Madame Jeanne de la Mothe Guyon and Jesuit priest Herman Hugo. Guyon writes poetry describing the soul falling in love with the divine, while Hugo's illustrations imagine a description of the spiritual world. Charged with witchcraft by King Louis XIV, Madame Guyon kept this book during her incarceration in the Bastille before her legal vindication. Guyon and Hugo never met but they share the same yearning to love God, and they creatively capture how Divine Love might transform the willing soul. This book showcases the growing relationship between Anima, the soul, and Divine Love in the emblems' first introduction to the English-speaking world.

2014 Reprint of 1952 Revised Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition. "The Cloud of Unknowing" is an anonymous work of Christian mysticism written in Middle English in the latter half of the 14th century. Along with "The Cloud" were written six accompanying treaties. Chief among these is "Epistle of Privy Counsel" which is also reproduced in this text. "The Cloud" is a spiritual guide on contemplative prayer. The underlying message of this work proposes that the only way to truly "know" God is to abandon all preconceived notions and beliefs or "knowledge" about God and be courageous enough to surrender your mind and ego to the realm of "unknowingness," at which point, you begin to glimpse the true nature of God. The book counsels a young student to seek God, not through knowledge and intellection (faculty of the human mind), but through intense contemplation, motivated by love, and stripped of all thought. This is brought about by putting all thoughts and desires under a "cloud of forgetting," and thereby piercing God's cloud of unknowing with a "dart of longing love" from the heart. This form of contemplation is not directed by the intellect, but involves spiritual union with God through the heart.

In Mystic Christianity-Religion, Philosophy and Science are known to be one and the same thing. There is no conflict between Science and Religion, Philosophy and Religion, or Philosophy and Science. They are all but names for the One Truth. There be but one Truth-there cannot be more than one. And so call it by the name of Religion... the name of Science... the name of Philosophy... it matters not-for the same thing is meant. There is naught but Truth. Nothing else really exists. All that is not Truth is Illusion-Maya-Nothing. And Mystic Christianity is based upon the Rock of Truth-fearing not the winds nor the storms that try out the stability of all structures of thought. Like its founder, it has always existed... always will exist... from the Beginningless Beginning... to the Endless Ending.

Perhaps the least studied of Hildegard of Bingen's writings, "Solutions to Thirty-Eight Questions" is translated in this volume into English for the first time from the original Latin.
In this work of exegesis, Hildegard (1098-1179) resolves thorny passages of Scripture, theological questions, and two issues in hagiographic texts. "Solutions to Thirty-Eight Questions" joins Hildegard's "Homilies on the Gospels," which were directed to her nuns, as evidence of the seer's exegetical writing as well as her authority as an exegete. The twelfth-century saint wrote in standard genres of exegesis--homilies and "solutiones"--and her interpretations of Scripture were widely sought, including by male audiences.

2014 Reprint of 1961 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. "Interior Castle" is one of the most celebrated books on mystical theology available. It is the most sublime and mature of Teresa of Avila's works and expresses the full flowering of her deep experience in guiding souls toward spiritual enlightenment. In addition to its profound content, it is a treasury of important maxims on such ascetic subjects as self-knowledge, humility, detachment and suffering. But above all, this account of a soul's progress in virtue and grace is the record of a life-of the interior life of St. Teresa of Avila, whose soul, mind and temperament hold so deep an attraction for the modern mind. In its central image, Teresa describes the soul "as a castle made of a single diamond in which there are many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions. She describes the various mansions of the castle, the degrees of purgation and strife, through which the soul must pass in its quest for perfection before reaching the innermost chambers, the place of complete transfiguration and communion with God.

Foreword:

Brighter than the twinkling stars in the sky, and yet softer than the wool on a baby lamb, the light of God will be upon us in the next life too. Abundantly so with goodness, and much to our delight, we will hardly be grasping it entirely, unless one has been immersed into and has experienced the connecting light while fully maximized. The fear of passing away should no longer exist in our mind. Complicated thinking is all that it is. Just as simple as knowing there is love in the afterlife, that is where our heart and soul belongs. Travel to heaven in the highway of your mind. It is very safe lifting a yielding conscious to achieve exceptional knowledge within the spirit world.

Author [self] bio:

Greg Belter is an Illinois native, who since at an early age has shown serious interest in the spirit world. Visiting the hereafter is a natural occurrence for him, from the grandiose out of body experiences, to the most splendid heavenly visions each and every day. His words are golden.

2013 Reprint of 1941 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. The sequel to "The Game of Life and How to Play It," this book presents positive affirmations for success, happiness, marriage, loss, debt, interviews, projection, health, and journeys. The author writes of the familiar, practical, and everyday, and her spiritual teaching comes through clear and strong. The wisdom of Florence Scovel Shinn is as applicable today as when it was written. The affirmations she offers in her work "Your Word is Your Wand" can be carried with you throughout the day to calm and settle the soul. Here is a list of her affirmations by subject: WISDOM FAITH SUCCESS PROSPERITY HEALTH THE PATH TO PROSPERITY HAPPINESS GUIDANCE FORGIVENESS VARIOUS NEEDS DIVINE PLAN LOVE

The remarkable mystic movement of fourteenth-century Germany produced three major writers--Eckhart, Tauler, and Suso--as well as a wide audience for their voluminous works. This survey chronicles the authors' lives, critiques their works, and discusses their influence on the development of Christian spiritual expression along with that of their contemporaries, the Friends of God and the Franciscan Friars.
These works appeared at a time of crisis, unfolding against a background of calamities ranging from violent upheavals in church and state to a series of natural disasters, including pestilence, famine, earthquakes, and floods. Confronted with the insecurity of human life, readers turned to Eckhart and his contemporaries for answers. Written in the vernacular rather than Latin, these sermons, tracts, and anecdotes provided solace in troubled times, and they remain a touchstone for studies in comparative religion. This introduction to the flowering of medieval mysticism forms a perfect entree for students and lay readers alike.

Celtic spirituality is the "forgotten faith" of the West. It is essentially joyful and holistic and holds together the two human faculties of reason and intuition, taking joy in the beauty of the created world. The Celtic saints were intuitives whose feet were very firmly planted on the ground. It is their equilibrium as human beings that gives much of their appeal, and in this, as in the holiness their lives display, they are Christlike. This book by Anglican cleric Anthony Duncan examines the lives of the Celtic saints in the context of their time, along with the sacred places in the landscape that have become associated with them.

2013 Reprint of 1937 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Evelyn Underhill was an English Anglo-Catholic writer and pacifist known for her numerous works on religion and spiritual practice, in particular Christian mysticism. This book contains in an expanded form the four addresses on the Spiritual Life which were given by Underhill in 1936. The are published in response to numerous requests from listeners and in the hope that they will be found suitable for Lenten reading. The spiritual life is here considered, not as an intense form of piety peculiar to saints, but as the living heart of all religion, and therefore of vital concern to ordinary men and women. Its essence is held to consist in a growing communion with God, a growing cooperation with Him, inspiring and transforming every kind of action from the most routine to the most heroic. Essays are: What is the Spiritual Life The Spiritual Life as Communion with God The Spiritual Life as Co-operation with God Some Questions and Difficulties.

The meditative prayer practices known as Hesychasm and the Jesus Prayer have played an important role in the history of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. This book explores how these prayer practices have spread from a primarily monastic setting within Orthodox Christianity, into general Orthodox Christian usage, and finally into wider contemporary Western culture. As a result of this gradual geographic shift from a local to a global setting, caused mainly by immigration and dissemination of related texts, there has been a parallel shift of interpretation causing disagreement. By analyzing ongoing conversations on the practices, this book shows how such disagreements are due to differences in the way groups understand the ideas of authority and tradition. These fundamental ideas lie beneath much of the current discussion on particular aspects of the practices and also contribute to the wider academic debate over the globalization and appropriation of religious traditions.

Laughing at the Devil is an invitation to see the world with a medieval visionary now known as Julian of Norwich, believed to be the first woman to have written a book in English. (We do not know her given name, because she became known by the name of a church that became her home.) Julian "saw our Lord scorn [the Devil's] wickedness" and noted that "he wants us to do the same." In this impassioned, analytic, and irreverent book, Amy Laura Hall emphasizes Julian's call to scorn the Devil. Julian of Norwich envisioned courage during a time of fear. Laughing at the Devil describes how a courageous woman transformed a setting of dread into hope, solidarity, and resistance.

The Christian mystics open our eyes to a world beyond this world, to the world of the spirit and of God, of whom they had a direct knowledge and experience, obtained chiefly through prayer, meditation and contemplation. The purpose of this book is to introduce the general reader to the fifteenth century English mystic, Margery Kempe of Lynn in Norfolk, as seen against her religious, social and historical background, with chapters on her spiritual and devotional life, her home town of Lynn, her encounters with the clergy, her vow of chastity, her pilgrimages, her trials for heresy and her conformity to the customs, faith and doctrines of the church of her day. As a former teacher at King's Lynn High School, Margaret Gallyon acquired a considerable knowledge of the town of Lynn and the surrounding district. It was here too that she first became interested in Margery Kempe, one of Lynn's most fascinating medieval citizens. Margaret Gallyon was educated at the Perse School, Cambridge, Norwich Teacher Training College and the Selly Oak Colleges in Birmingham. She is the author of three books on the coming of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England.

2012 Reprint of Original 1953 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. (c)New introduction and foreword Martino Publishing. This work is the first English translation of her 13th century classic-the mystical writings of Mechthild of Magdeburg. The only complete codex of this work is in the library of Einsiedeln in Switzerland, where the translator spent three years translating the codex from a South German translation of 1344. The book is a collection of visions, revelations, thoughts and letters written in alternating prose and poetry. The variety of its contents includes practical advice on daily conduct, as well as the most sublime descriptions of high mystical experience. Her works were early translated into Latin, and were almost certainly known to Dante, whose vision of heaven, hell and purgatory went on to have a great influence in Western Literature. Her influence is traceable in the Paradiso and by some scholars she is thought to have been the Matilda in the earthly paradise. Her works remains to this day a classic text of Christian mysticis