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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Religious experience > General
This book demonstrates that numerous prominent artists in every
period of the modern era were expressing spiritual interests when
they created celebrated works of art. This magisterial overview
insightfully reveals the centrality of an often denied and
misunderstood element in the cultural history of modern art.
Interest in mindfulness and contemplative thought is growing among
Christians, and it's time to consider the place of contemplative
prayer within the field of counseling. Can contemplative prayer be
integrated into therapeutic work? Can it in fact serve as a
foundation on which to build a new approach to counseling? In
Contemplation and Counseling Gregg Blanton presents a new paradigm
for integrating contemplative prayer with counseling practice. He
contends that contemplative prayer can illuminate the purposes of
counseling and suggest interventions that help us accomplish these
goals. This paradigm builds an alliance between science, theology,
and Christian contemplative thought to create a dynamic approach to
counseling and balance various dimensions of the human person:
emotion, cognition, and action. And by recognizing the power of
both words and silence, it harmonizes their functions. Based on
this integrative foundation, Blanton offers eleven fundamental
interventions to fit the needs of clients (including silence,
empathy, and teaching contemplative prayer) and a practical
four-stage process for helping clients change, using examples from
his own counseling experience and from the Bible. Ultimately,
contemplative prayer leads us to the healing power of love. How we
view our clients, the ways that we relate with them, and the
strategies that we use to help them change are all informed by our
loving search for God in contemplative prayer. Particular topics
include how Christian contemplation compares with therapeutic uses
of mindfulness insights from interpersonal neurobiology understood
in light of Scripture psychological and spiritual benefits of
lectio divina and centering prayer how practicing contemplative
prayer can help counselors develop traits that correlate with
positive client outcomes when and how to teach contemplative
practices to clients the role of the body, emotions, conscious and
unconscious mind, and behavior in contemplative practice and
counseling Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS)
Books explore how Christianity relates to mental health and
behavioral sciences including psychology, counseling, social work,
and marriage and family therapy in order to equip Christian
clinicians to support the well-being of their clients.
This book explores the role that religion plays in the lives of
imprisoned homicide offenders. Drawing on interviews in an English
prison, the author examines how they narrate their life stories and
how religion intersects with other categories to rebuild their
personal identities after committing a crime and being labelled as
murderers or killers. This book seeks to bridge the gap between
macro and micro phenomena, examining religion as both a social
institution and a personal experience. It also explores the
mediating role of institutions with regards to the nature and
extent of their influence upon individual choices and actions, and
provides insights into the nature of the therapeutic prison. It
seeks to create some clarity of understanding the complex nature of
religiosity, narrative, identity, desistance and rehabilitation
whilst critically examining elements of social identity that may
restrict or enhance this process. It provides a series of
recommendations for organisations working with convicted homicide
offenders/offenders and speaks to academics and practitioners in
the fields of criminology, sociology, psychology and
religious/theological studies.
There has been much philosophical speculation on the potential
failure of language as well as the search for a presentation of the
"thing itself" beyond representation. Words Fail pursues the
writings of a trio of philosophers-Jacques Derrida, Philippe
Lacoue-Labarthe, and Giorgio Agamben-as prime examples of how
modern poetry presents us with a profitable vantage point from
which to survey the ongoing struggle of living in a highly
fragmented world. Alongside these thinkers, this book looks
specifically at the form of spirituality that is given shape by
this intersection of poetics and theological-philosophical
reflection-all of which offer rich suggestions about our spiritual
nature.
In a wide variety of pagan paths, many forms of modern magic and
mystery hold an expectation that all parties are heterosexual,
cisgender, and, in many cases, white. In Queer Magic: Power Beyond
Boundaries, Lee Harrington and Tai Fenix Kulystin bring together a
diverse and passionate collection of authors and artists who break
out beyond that belief and explore how being LGBT+ is not just
acceptable when exploring magic, but powerful. Using the diverse
tools of queer activism, education, and storytelling, through
academic essays and first-person narratives to comics and
poster-style art, this intersectional group exposes a world beyond
what so many magical practitioners have presumed is "normal." The
reality is that magic, whether in Wicca or Vodou, Heathenry or
Polytheism, has been fueled by people and systems beyond the binary
for millennia. For many within, magic and queerness are not
separate, but deeply entwined pieces of identity, worldview, and
culture experienced together, always. Drag queen magic, Inclusive
witchcraft, and magic for healing and survival. Gender transition
in Rome, possession practices, and DIY divination. Social justice,
queer black tantra, and polarity beyond gender. Honoring ancestors,
fluidity of consciousness, and reimagining the Great Rite. Queer
sex magic, power sigils, deities that reflect diversity... and
more. Whether you identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual,
transgender, agender, genderqueer, or some other queer orientation,
or you are curious about tools to access magic beyond what is often
discussed, this book is for you. Each piece is a unique and
passionate chance to look into your own relationship with magic,
break out of the tales of what your practice "should" look like,
and expand your awareness into the queer magic as well as your own
power beyond boundaries.
Authentic teaching is messy, exciting, frustrating, joyful,
challenging—and sacred. "Through stories, information and
reflection, we [will look] inward, going more deeply into the
discovery of who we are, not only as teachers but also as women and
men for whom teaching is only a part of life. I believe the deepest
calling … is the call to be who we truly are." —from Chapter
Seven, “Teaching Who We Are†Beloved teacher Rev. Jane E.
Vennard leads an inner exploration of the hopes and fears, joys and
frustrations, gifts and limitations that influence teachers of all
kinds—teachers like you—every day. Drawing on her own
experience as well as stories from many teachers in conventional
and unconventional settings, she inspires you to reconnect to your
original desire to open minds and hearts to learning. With
reflection questions, practices and activities, she helps you
reinvigorate your passion for your vocation, your students and your
subject, thus recognizing how teaching is a sacred art.
This book proposes that the drive for religiosity and experiences
of the sacred are far from lost in contemporary western societies.
The contributors' objective is to explore the myriad of ways late
modern shamanism is becoming more vital and personally significant
to people, communities, and economies in Nordic countries.
After almost three decades of pastoring New Life Fellowship Church
in the bustle of New York City, Peter Scazzero discovered that most
people are missing the deep emotional change that can happen in
their walk with Jesus. Scazzero found two truths to be true: you
can't be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature,
and unless you slow and quiet your life down for a direct
relationship with Jesus Christ, little change is possible. The
integration of these two truths unleashed a spiritual revolution in
Scazzero, in his church, and now in thousands of other churches. In
this booklet based on his bestselling book Emotionally Healthy
Spirituality, Scazzero helps readers identify the top ten symptoms
of emotionally unhealthy spirituality and what they can do about
them. He includes an assessment for readers to take to find out how
emotionally healthy they really are and seven devotions to lead
them on the journey to health.
Do you believe God exists but struggle to connect with him? Do you
feel like you've forgotten a God you used to know? Or do you feel
that God has forgotten you? Most people say they believe in God,
but many don't feel connected to God. That's just as real for
long-time church attenders as it is for long-time spiritual
wanderers. Many times in the course of our lives, we sense a
distance between where we are and where we want to be. Dave and Jon
Ferguson help you start right where you are and take the first step
in finding your way back to God.
Who is the Holy Spirit? How does the Spirit work in our lives as
individuals, families, communities, and in the world at large? What
would happen if we claimed the promise of our baptism-that the
Spirit truly is with us, creating within our bodies the new life we
have in Jesus Christ? Drawing on Scripture, Luther's writings, and
contemporary theology, Lois Malcolm invites readers to experience
the Spirit's creative life and power-precisely within the
complexity of our everyday lives.
As yoga gains popularity across the U.S., many people are becoming
interested in its traditional Vedic roots. While Buddhist
meditation is well represented on bookshelves, there has been
little Vedantic philosophy written in lay terms until now. Author
David Frawley guides readers through the challenges of cultivating
awareness, calming the mind, and practicing meditation according to
Vedanta and Hinduism. He examines how cultural knowledge systems in
the West lead individuals to disillusionment, and speaks about how
meditation can aid in understanding the true nature of one's
thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. Frawley explores meditation
support practices such as yoga, mantras, kundalini, and pranayama,
as well as the role of gurus, and concludes with a short, more
technical essay on self-inquiry.
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