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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Religious experience > General
Well known for his appearances on TV and radio, as well as for his
books Finding Sanctuary and Finding Happiness, Christopher Jamison
once again shows his ability to communicate spiritual insights in
an accessible way. Finding the Language of Grace: Rediscovering
Transcendence focuses on the transcendent experiences of grace that
we struggle to talk about in today's very business-like culture.
Abbot Christopher shows how the ways we listen and speak, read and
write can all be channels of grace. This is illustrated through
books as diverse as the medieval legend of the Holy Grail, Silence
by Japanese writer Shusaku Endo, the writings of Spanish mystics
and the novels of Pulitzer Prize winner Marilynne Robinson. The
power and the pain of grace resonate throughout the book, offering
a new perspective on healing the loneliness and mistrust
experienced by many, as well as on the turbulence and political
extremes of today's world. How do we restore trust? How can we
listen well? What is the right way to read the signs of the times?
And how can we revitalise the language of grace in our day?
Become inspired, find your voice, and create work that matters. Why
are human beings driven to make? It's as if we collectively
intuited, long before science gave us the language, that the
universe bends toward entropy, and every act of creation on our
part is an act of defiance in the face of that evolving disorder.
When we pick up a paintbrush, or compose elements through our
camera viewfinders, or press fingers into wet clay to wrestle form
from a shapeless lump, we are bending things back toward Order and
wrestling them from Chaos. But making things is often not enough.
We also want the things we make to be filled with meaning. We're
each trying to describe what we know about life, to create a
collective sense of "safety in numbers." When we reach the end of
our traditional descriptive powers, it's time to weave collective
meaning from poetry, painting, writing, dancing, photographing,
filmmaking, storytelling, singing, animating, designing,
performing, carving, sculpting, and a million other ways we daily
create Order out of the Chaos and share it with each other for
comfort. On this journey we need a creative philosophy which will
help us find our voice, discover our message, deal with the
responses to our work, maintain inspiration, and stay mentally
healthy and motivated creators as we strive to find "the meaning in
the making." Table of Contents Chapter 1: Order Chapter 2: Logos
Chapter 3: Breath Chapter 4: Voice Chapter 5: Ego Chapter 6:
Control Chapter 7: Attention Chapter 8: Envy Chapter 9: Critique
Chapter 10: Feel Chapter 11: Shadows Chapter 12: Meaning Chapter
13: Time Chapter 14: Benediction
Churchward s "The Origin and Evolution of Religion, "first
published in 1924, explores the history and development of
different religions worldwide, from the religious cults of magic
and fetishism to contemporary religions such as Christianity and
Islam. This text is ideal for students of theology. "
In order to come to your senses, Alan Watts often said, you
sometimes need to go out of your mind. Perhaps more than any other
teacher in the West, this celebrated author, former Anglican
priest, and self-described spiritual entertainer was responsible
for igniting the passion of countless wisdom seekers to the
spiritual and philosophical delights of India, China, and Japan.
With Out of Your Mind, you are invited to immerse yourself in six
of this legendary thinker's most engaging teachings on how to break
through the limits of the rational mind and expand your awareness
and appreciation for the great game unfolding all around us.
Distilled from Alan Watts's pinnacle lectures, Out of Your Mind
brings you an inspiring new resource that captures the true scope
of this brilliant teacher in action. For those both new and
familiar with Watts, this book invites us to delve into his
favorite pathways out of the trap of conventional awareness,
including: * The art of the "controlled accident"-what happens when
you stop taking your life so seriously and start enjoying it with
complete sincerity * How we come to believe "the myth of
myself"-that we are skin-encapsulated egos separate from the world
around us-and how to transcend that illusion * Why we must fully
embrace chaos and the void to find our deepest purpose *
Unconventional and refreshing insights into the deeper principles
of Buddhism, Hinduism, Western philosophy, Christianity, and much
more
WE ARE ALL ON A JOURNEY - from the moment we are born to the final
minutes before our death. But as we live our busy lives, we
oftentimes ignore the inner hurts and pain we may be carrying. In
Lessons from a Bedside, Breda Casserly, a healthcare chaplain at
the Galway Hospice Foundation, shares the wisdom she's learned from
her patients as she's journeyed with them through serious, often
terminal, illness. Here are stories of self-acceptance, grief,
forgiveness and memory inspired by the people Breda has met over
the course of her work, along with her own story of coming to terms
with personal loss. Told with simplicity and compassion, Lessons
from a Bedside is a book of love, spirituality and humanity which
shows us paths to healing.
A touching and thought-provoking account of how a woman explored a
spectrum of religions-ancient and new-and ended up, unexpectedly,
becoming a bona fide witch-plus a celebration of modern Wicca and
witchcraft, spell books, broomsticks, holiday recipes and recipes
for the changing of the seasons, and much more. Misty Bell Stiers
set out on a spiritual path to find a faith that worked for her,
and accidentally became a witch. She knew the Bible well, and got
to know the Torah and Koran. She studied Eastern philosophies, even
the stories of the Egyptians and Greeks. Finally, after overcoming
an immediate prejudice ("Um, no," she writes as her initial
reaction), she found Wicca. Witch, Please reveals what makes the
mysterious religion of Wicca so desirable for more than a million
Americans. In her witty, direct, and heartfelt text, Misty explores
spirituality, perseverance, and finding oneself. She shares what
Wicca means to her and what defines her as a witch; what she uses
her spell book, cauldron, and broomstick for; the significance of
Wiccan holidays, many about new beginnings; the surprising history
of Wicca; and what kinds of witches there are. She also shares how
in her busy New York City life, as a mother and a creative
director, her faith grounds and sustains her. Her uplifting,
you-too-can-find-what-works-for-you voice speaks like a best
friend: relatable, honest, and encouraging. This unusual and
beautifully written memoir explores what it's like to be a
modern-day witch, and how it's changed Misty's outlook on life.
It's candid, but it's also threaded with magic and has a warming,
lightheartedness to it. Bewitching original drawings by Misty are
throughout, and Misty even shares ten original recipes for her
Wiccan holiday treats (including the likes of her cinnamon rolls
and roasted garlic rosemary bread, sprinkled with magic and
seasoned with love, laughter, and healing).
Many people have an aptitude for religious experience and
spirituality but don't know how to develop this or take it further.
Modern societies offer little assistance, and traditional religions
are overly preoccupied with their own organizational survival.
"Minding the Self: Jungian meditations on contemporary
spirituality" offers suggestions for individual spiritual
development in our modern and post-modern times. Here, Murray Stein
argues that C.G. Jung and depth psychology provide guidance and the
foundation for a new kind of modern spirituality.
Murray Stein explores the problem of spirituality within the
cultural context of modernity and offers a way forward without
relapsing into traditional or mythological modes of consciousness.
Chapters work towards finding the proper vessel for contemporary
spirituality and dealing with the ethical issues that crop up along
the way. Stein shows how it is an individual path but not an
isolationist one, often using many resources borrowed from a
variety of religious traditions: it is a way of symbol, dream and
experiences of the numinous with hints of transcendence as these
come into personal awareness.
"Minding the Self: Jungian meditations on contemporary
spirituality" uses research from a wide variety of fields, such as
dream-work and the neuroscience of the sleeping brain, clinical
experience in Jungian psychoanalysis, anthropology, ethics, Zen
Buddhism, Jung's writings and the recently published "Red Book." It
will be of interest to psychoanalysts, Jungian scholars,
undergraduates, graduate and post-graduate students and anyone with
an interest in modern spirituality."
Holy men, both pagan and Christian are persistent and puzzling
figures in the religious life of the Roman Empire. In this first
historical study of Holy Men for more than half a century, Dr
Anderson applies techniques of literary analysis to throw light on
the lifestyles and behaviour of these figures, from Jesus Christ to
Peregrinus Proteus to dio Chrysostom, stressing their individuality
as much as their common features.
Sage, Saint and Sophist examines the variety of services, real or
imaginary, that these colouful figures had to offer and how they
maintained their credibility to become the objects of successful
religious cults.
Compilation of essays presenting advice on a wide range of topics
including holistic methods for healthy living, the role of media in
public perception, peace through diplomacy, and other issues for
personal and global enrichment--Provided by publisher.
First published in 1935, Men & Gods in Mongolia is rare and
unusual travel book that takes the reader into the virtually
unknwon world of Mongolia, a country only now opening up to the
West. Henning Haslund was a Swedish Explorer who accompanied Sven
Hedin and other explorers into Mongolia and Central Asia in the
1920s and 30s. Haslund takes the reader to the lost city of
Karakota in the Gobi desert, introduces the reader to the Bodgo
Gegen, a God-king in Mongolia, and allows the reader to meet Dambin
Jansang, the dreaded warlord of the 'Black Gobi'. Alongside the
esoteric and mystical material, there is plenty of adventure;
caravans across the Gobi desert; kidnapped and held for ransom;
initation into shamanic societies; encounters with warlords; and
the violent birth of a new nation.
New Age and holistic beliefs and practices - sometimes called the
"new spirituality" - are widely distributed across modern global
society. The fluid and popular nature of new age makes these
movements a very challenging field to understand using traditional
models of religious analysis. Rather than treating new age as an
exotic specimen on the margins of 'proper' religion, "New Age
Spirituality" examines these movements as a form of everyday or
lived religion. The book brings together an international range of
scholars to explore the key issues: insight, healing, divination,
meditation, gnosis, extraordinary experiences, and interactions
with gods, spirits and superhuman powers. Combining discussion of
contemporary beliefs and practices with cutting-edge theoretical
analysis, the book repositions new age spirituality at the
forefront of the contemporary study of religion.
The way in which people change and represent their spiritual
evolution is often determined by recurrent language structures.
Through the analysis of ancient and modern stories and their words
and images, this book describes the nature of conversion through
explorations of the encounter with the religious message, the
discomfort of spiritual uncertainty, the loss of personal and
social identity, the anxiety of destabilization, the reconstitution
of the self and the discovery of a new language of the soul.
Shamans throughout much of Asia are regarded as having the power to
control and coerce spirits. Many Asians today still turn to shamans
to communicate with the world of the dead, heal the sick, and
explain enigmatic events. To understand Asian religions, therefore,
a knowledge of shamanism is essential. Shamans in Asia provides an
introduction to the study of shamans and six ethnographic studies,
each of which describes and analyses the lives and activities of
shamans in five different regions: Siberia, China, Korea, and the
Ryukyu islands of southern Japan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The
essays show what type of people become shamans, what social roles
they play, and how shamans actively draw from the worldviews of the
communities in which they operate. As the first book in English to
provide in-depth accounts of shamans from different regions of
Asia, it allows students and scholars to view the diversity and
similarities of shamans and their religions. Those interested in
spiritual specialists, the anthropological study of religion, and
local religions in Asia will be intrigued, if not entranced, by
Shamans in Asia.
Exploring religious and spiritual changes which have been taking
place among Indigenous populations in Australia and New Zealand,
this book focuses on important changes in religious affiliation in
census data over the last 15 years. Drawing on both local social
and political debates, while contextualising the discussion in
wider global debates about changing religious identities,
especially the growth of Islam, the authors present a critical
analysis of the persistent images and discourses on Aboriginal
religions and spirituality. This book takes a comparative approach
to other Indigenous and minority groups to explore contemporary
changes in religious affiliation which have raised questions about
resistance to modernity, challenges to the nation state and/or
rejection of Christianity or Islam. Helena Onnudottir, Adam
Posssamai and Bryan Turner offer a critical analysis to on-going
public, political and sociological debates about religious
conversion (especially to Islam) and changing religious
affiliations (including an increase in the number of people who
claim 'no religion') among Indigenous populations. This book also
offers a major contribution to the growing debate about conversion
to Islam among Australian Aborigines, Maoris and Pacific peoples.
A pragmatic case for the rational viability of a spiritual belief
in a higher power. [Taylor] makes a compelling case that the
scientific worldview--one that sees humans as "meat machines"--is
inconsistent with people's experiences of themselves and is not
nearly as rationally superior as it is so often presented. This
alone makes the author's compact consideration a worthwhile read. A
philosophically astute challenge to the rational supremacy of
science over its spiritual rivals. Kirkus Reviews
To live an elevated life or a base spiritual life depends on how
you perceive the world and how you act. To Be or Not To Be -
Discredited is a personal development book telling you how to
develop your spirit by giving samples from the lives of various
people. This book tells you the true stories of the ones who are
ascending spiritually when it seems that they are descending and
vice versa. People may possess wealth, post, power, etc. but if
they are slaves of these material and worldly issues, even they
seem to be ascending, in reality their spirits are descending and
they will be losers in the end. They need to feed their spirits -
this book explains how. On the other hand, you can find the stories
of the people who are ascending spiritually even if they seem to be
descending worldly. Every suffering possesses a wisdom that one may
not be able to see at the beginning. Suffering can be a launching
platform for ascending. With his plain and fluent language, Doctor
Ismail Yavas sheds light to the past and present and gives advices
for a brilliant future.
Christopher Kerr is a hospice doctor. All of his patients die. Yet
he has tended thousands of patients who, in the face of death,
speak of love, meaning and grace. They reveal that there is hope
beyond cure as they transition to focus on personal meaning. In
this extraordinary and beautiful book, Dr. Kerr shares his
patients' stories and his own research pointing to death as not
purely the end of life, but as a final passage of humanity and
transcendence. Drawing on interviews with over 1,200 patients and
more than a decade of quantified data , Dr. Kerr reveals why
pre-death dreams and visions are remarkable events that bring
comfort and exemplify human resilience. These are not regular
dreams. Described as "more real than real," they frequently include
loved ones long gone and mark the transition from distress to
acceptance. These end-of-life experiences help patients restore
meaning, make sense of the dying process and assist in reclaiming
it as an experience in which they have a say. They also benefit the
bereaved who get relief from seeing their loved ones pass with a
sense of calm closure. Beautifully written with astonishing
stories, this book, at its heart, celebrates the power to reclaim
how we die, while soothing the bereaved who witness their loved
ones go with unqualified grace.
This book explores the entanglements of gender and power in
spiritual practices and analyzes strategies used by spiritual
practitioners to attain what to social scientists might seem an
impossible goal: creating spiritual communities without creating
gendered hierarchies. What strategies do people within these
networks use to attain gender equality and gendered empowerment?
How do they try to protect and develop individual freedom? How do
gender and power nevertheless play a role? The chapters in this
book together and separately demonstrate that, in order to
understand contemporary spirituality, the analytical lenses of
gender and power are essential. Furthermore, they show that it is
not possible to make a clear distinction between established
religions and contemporary spirituality: the two sometimes overlap,
and at other times spirituality distances itself from religion
while reproducing some of its underlying interpretative frameworks.
This book does not take the discourses of spiritual practitioners
for granted, yet recognizes the reflexivity of spiritual
practitioners and the reciprocal relationship between spirituality
and disciplines such as anthropology. The ethnographic descriptions
of lived spirituality included in this volume span a wide range of
countries, from Portugal, Italy, and the Netherlands to Mexico and
Israel.
'This transformational book will help you calm your mind, remove
negativity and find inner peace.' Jay Shetty, author of Think Like
a Monk 'The perfect manual for the mind, bringing deep insight to
today's world and offering practical tools for transformation'
Gelong Thubten, author of A Monk's Guide to Happiness
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In this hectic, modern world, the practice of meditation is the
greatest way to calm your mind and find peace. A collection of
teachings from one of the world's wisest minds, the lessons in this
book have transformed the lives of people across the world and have
never been more pertinent. In this book world-renowned meditation
master, Lama Yeshe,shares how meditation enabled him to overcome
the strains and pressures of modern life and find peace - and
reveals how we can all do the same. He teaches us that our minds
are infinite like the sky, which can easily become clouded with
stress and emotions, but with meditation we are able to see beyond
the clouds and free our minds of obstacles. With practical steps on
breathing, posture, forgiveness, relationships and establishing a
meditation routine, this is the definitive guide for beginners and
experienced meditators alike to learn from the wisdom of a globally
revered meditation master.
A guide to worldwide shamanism and shamanistic practices,
emphasizing historical and current cultural adaptations. This
two-volume reference is the first international survey of
shamanistic beliefs from prehistory to the present day. In nearly
200 detailed, readable entries, leading ethnographers,
psychologists, archaeologists, historians, and scholars of religion
and folk literature explain the general principles of shamanism as
well as the details of widely varied practices. What is it like to
be a shaman? Entries describe, region by region, the traits, such
as sicknesses and dreams, that mark a person as a shaman, as well
as the training undertaken by initiates. They detail the costumes,
music, rituals, artifacts, and drugs that shamans use to achieve
altered states of consciousness, communicate with spirits, travel
in the spirit world, and retrieve souls. Unlike most Western books
on shamanism, which focus narrowly on the individual's experience
of healing and trance, Shamanism also examines the function of
shamanism in society from social, political, and historical
perspectives and identifies the ancient, continuous thread that
connects shamanistic beliefs and rituals across cultures and
millennia.
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