Connect with the birth, growth, change, joy, love and inner strength of mothering.

Take a spiritual voyage through blessings, prayers, anecdotes and meditations about the sacred undertaking that is motherhood. These words of hope and healing, pain and promise, are for all mothers traditional, single, adoptive, foster, step and bereaved and are drawn from many faith traditions, including Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Native American.

Special multifaith ceremonies offer ways to honor many aspects of motherhood, such as: becoming a new mother, either through birth or adoption; welcoming children into the larger community; and acknowledging the experience of weaning a child.

Insightful and wise, the expressions in this soulful collection illustrate the paradox of motherhood and will speak to your heart as you see motherhood in a whole new and holy way.

Contributions stem from both ancient and contemporary sources, and many contributions were written specifically for this book."

India and the Occult explores the reception of Indian spirituality among Western occultists through case studies. Rather than focusing on the activities of Theosophical Society, India and the Occult looks at the 'hard-core' occultism, in particular the British 20th century currents associated with Aleister Crowley, Dion Fortune, Kenneth Grant, etc.

Within the social sciences, other-than-human being's agency has often been denied and interbeings relationships have not been fully addressed. However, many indigenous worldviews and Western contemporary spiritual practices are shaping a very different reality, with various attempts to share the world with non-human beings, animate or inanimate, creating forms of relationships to "the living". This edited volume documents how humans deal with non-human entities in a large variety of cultural contexts. It focuses on ritual processes and how ritual creativity is mobilised to invent new ways of relating with more-than-humans. Comprising nine case studies, the volume is divided into three main sections, that address successively daily interactions, political implications, and spiritual engagements. Cooperative interactions, kinship relations, senses of belonging, traditional healing techniques, non-human beings' legal personality attribution, transformative experiences, and phenomenological relationalities are examined in various locations: West Africa, Buryatia, Estonia, Finland, France, Mexico, Nepalese Himalayas, Sweden and Wales.

Burn Notice offers a life-changing formula that encourages and inspires believers along their own personal walk. Burn Notice is a purpose-driven book that encourages and equips readers to find their calling in life. It fills the gap for people who have found God yet have not understood how to obey His voice and act. Burn Notice builds interest for readers by inviting them into a relationship with God and encouraging them to follow their vocational calling. Throughout, A.M. Garcia has infused Burn Notice with monumental stories to inspire the readers' thoughts on how they can incorporate purpose into their everyday life. It excites those who have been looking for purpose yet have not dialed in on how to apply it to their everyday way of life.

It has been suggested that 'spirituality' has become a word that 'can define an era'. Why? Because paradoxically, alongside a decline in traditional religious affiliations, the growing interest in spirituality and the use of the word in a variety of contexts is a striking aspect of contemporary western cultures. Indeed, spirituality is sometimes contrasted attractively with religion, although this is problematic and implies that religion is essentially dogma, moralism, institutions, buildings, and hierarchies. The notion of spirituality expresses the fact that many people are driven by goals that concern more than material satisfaction. Broadly, it refers to the deepest values and sense of meaning by which people seek to live. Sometimes these values are conventionally religious. Sometimes they are associated with what is understood as 'the sacred' in a broader sense - that is, of ultimate rather than merely instrumental importance. This Very Short Introduction, written by one of the most eminent scholars and writers on spirituality, explores the historical foundations of the thought and considers how it came to have the significance it is developing today. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

The information contained in this book is vital to those called to the Ministry of Helps. It is a valuable resource for individuals who desire to understand and apply the scriptural principles to the area of servanthood. It can be used as a guide for all denominational churches in teaching members and leaders how to develop a heart to serve the individual that God has set as the overseer of the church. In every church, God has appointed an individual to oversee the sheep, or to teach and train His people. Everyone else has been called within the ministry to fulfill the vision of the ministry.

A labyrinth is a pattern consisting of a single circuitous path that winds into the centre, with no possibility of getting lost, as in a maze, and no dead ends. It is one of the most ancient tools for spiritual growth and development, dating back to medieval Christianity, and is currently enjoying a popular revival, especially in contemporary 'Fresh Expressions' of church. As an effective focus for prayer and worship, labyrinths - temporary and permanent - are increasingly found in traditional and alternative church communities and at festivals like Greenbelt. This book provides a complete guide for beginner and seasoned labyrinth explorer alike. An accessible and inviting illustrated guide, it: traces the history of labyrinths in the Christian spiritual tradition, explores the different ways groups and individuals can use a labyrinth for prayer and reflection, gives instructions for creating small and large, simple and complex, temporary and permanent, indoor and outdoor labyrinths based on the most well known designs - e.g Chartres, Rouen and Amien cathedrals, and it provides outlines for spiritual exercises using the labyrinth.

Publishers Weekly starred review Wine is a wonderful, lavish, and mysterious gift from God. Gisela Kreglinger, the daughter of a vintner and trained as a theologian, invites us to discover wine as part of a more full-bodied Christian spirituality. She shows us how the soulful savoring of wine is God's way of wooing us back into a great love affair. Indeed, Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine at a wedding. Along with bread, wine is the gift we receive at the table of communion. Through these gifts we experience God's glorious and loving presence among us, feeding and nurturing us in body, soul, and spirit. Wine was never meant just for a small and elite group of well-to-do people but is for us all. Wine can reenchant the world and help us fall in love with it all over again. Come and savor its goodness. A wine tasting and book discussion guide is also included.

The Ultimate Human Experience

The interaction between mankind and spiritual beings -- of Divine Encounters -- as recorded inscriptures and ancient texts provides a powerful drama that spans Heaven and Earth, involving worship and devotion, eternity and mortality, love and sex, jealousy and murder. But how much of these are based on real happenings and how much is based on myth?

With a visionary's ardor and a scientist's attention to detail, Zecharia Sitchin, author ofThe Earth Chronicles, gives a stunning account of human interaction with celestial travelers. He also provides further proof that prophetic dreams,visions, UFO encounters, and other extraordinary phenomena are indeed the hallmark of intervention by intergalactic emissaries who reach out from other realms to enlighten, guide, punish, and comfort us in times of need. Sitchin's research and theories, illustrated with maps and charts, chronicle a magnificent and inspiring journey through history, from the dawn of time to the approach of the millennium.

A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org. The Camphill movement, one of the world's largest and most enduring networks of intentional communities, deserves both recognition and study. Founded in Scotland at the beginning of the Second World War, Camphill communities still thrive today, encompassing thousands of people living in more than one hundred twenty schools, villages, and urban neighborhoods on four continents. Camphillers of all abilities share daily work, family life, and festive celebrations with one another and their neighbors. Unlike movements that reject mainstream society, Camphill expressly seeks to be "a seed of social renewal" by evolving along with society to promote the full inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities, who comprise nearly half of their residents. In this multifaceted exploration of Camphill, Dan McKanan traces the complexities of the movement's history, envisions its possible future, and invites ongoing dialogue between the fields of disability studies and communal studies.

A new comprehensive study of the rise and development of Christian Mortalism, also known as Conditional Immortality or Soul Sleep in England during the Reformation and Post-Reformation periods. The Author traces the origins of the belief in Continental Reformation thought, and then in the writings of Wycliffe and Tyndale, and its growth and development in the writings of many other advocates, including Hobbes, Overton, Milton, Locke, Edmund Law, John Biddle, Peter Peckard, Francis Blackburne, among many others, concluding with the views of Joseph Priestley. In the context of being a historical study, this book challenges the traditional doctrine of the soul's innate immortality. Having previously written on English eschatological thought, Bryan Ball demonstrates that this alternative view of man's essential nature and ultimate destiny was held across a wide theological spectrum in English thought for at least three centuries. While dealing with a subject that is at times difficult, the book has been written intentionally in a readable style, and will appeal to a wider audience then merely academics. The book provides important background information to the growing interest in the mortalist point of view in contemporary theological and historical circles. Bryan W Ball was Head of the Religious Studies Department at Newbold College, England, and Principal of Avondale College, Australia. Other books by Dr Ball include: 'The English Connection. The Puritan Roots of Seventh-day Adventist Belief' 'Seventh-Day Men: Sabbatarians and Sabbatarianism in England and Wales, 1600-1800' 'A Great Expectation: Eschatological Thought in English Protestantism to 1660'.

This book presents a unique collection of papers on various philosophical aspects of the unknown and unvoiced truth and reality of the cosmic world. It offers a systematic analysis of the three philosophical theories of Quietism, Agnosticism and Mysticism and introduces readers to the fundamentals of mystical knowledge claimed by philosophical schools of the east and the west. It discusses, debates and deliberates on philosophical issues concerning the acquisition of truth, its objectivity and its various dimensions along with the application of thoughts pertaining to Quietism, Agnosticism, and metaphysical-mystic traditions in philosophy. It examines and precisely defines the scope and limits of knowledge, the respective way of life, its expressions and morality, mystical revelation, ineffability of the ultimate, value realism, and faith and reason - with a primary focus on the classical Indian schools of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Agnosticism, the Bauls, Greek traditions, modern western meta-philosophy, and contemporary quietist debate in religion and theology. This insightful collection should be of great interest to independent researchers, students and teachers of philosophy, theology, Mysticism and Agnosticism, cultural studies and religious studies.

This collection of essays by leading scholars explores the present, dynamic state of metaphysical religion in America. It includes chapters that: put survey data on this growing group in context; clarify definitional issues in the study of spirituality in general and metaphysical spirituality in particular; and assess the networks, conferences, rituals, festivals, retreat centers and periodicals recently developed by metaphysicals. The contributors discuss characteristic practices of mental healing and meditation, and show the reach of metaphysical ideas into public spaces and popular media cultures. One particular chapter also addresses the growing controversy over the legitimacy of metaphysical individuals and movements that appropriate elements of Native American and Asian religious beliefs and practices to enrich or sustain their own practice. This rich collection appeals to students, researchers, professionals and the layperson interested in knowing more about the history and more importantly the direction that American metaphysical religion is taking.

We can be certain that the body does not survive death. Once the heart stops circulating blood, the brain is no longer nourished and begins to decay. On the basis of medical evidence it would seem that, within a quarter of an hour, the personality is irreparably destroyed and the individual ceases to exist. But now there is mounting scientific evidence for a life after death. In At the Hour of Death, veteran psychical researchers Karlis Osis, Ph.D and Erlendur Haraldsson, Ph.D collated compelling evidence that suggests we, as conscious beings, do survive physical death. This book is the product of extensive interviews of over 1,000 doctors and nurses who have been present when cases of "post-mortem existence" have occurred. Extensive computer analyses of their observations have been made. The results are reported in this first truly scientific investigation of the experiences of the dying at the hour of death. What these doctors and nurses have witnessed cannot be explained away by medical, psychological, cultural, or other conditioning. Yet it may answer the fundamental question of human existence. "Finally, a book that probes death and dying with modern research techniques. Osis and Haraldsson present compelling evidence that the deathbed is the gateway to another existence. The visions of the dying appear to be not hallucinations but glimpses through the windows of eternity." -Alan Vaughan, editor of New Realities Magazine "A major contribution to the scientific study of the question of post-mortem existence. -Raymond A. Moody, M.D., author of Life After Life

Join Jung Eun Sophia Park on her personal quest for God and her true self through the writings of Thomas Merton. Approaching Merton as an Asian immigrant feminist in the postcolonial era, Park's perspective is a unique one, and in this dance sometimes it is her and sometimes Merton who leads. Throughout, Eastern and Western spirituality are organically woven together in reflection on Merton's narratives and in the examination of late capitalism, poverty, beauty, and violence. These reflections are insightful, provocative, and illuminating, particularly with regard to his androcentric spirituality, especially as it relates to his relationships with women.

A Personal Growth Finalist in the 2004 Word Guild Canadian Writing Awards "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me." Jesus takes it for granted that you will hear his voice. But how do you hear it? How do you separate it out from the cacophony of other voices you hear everyday, including those of your own desires? Is your experience of Jesus' voice something purely subjective, or is it something you can talk about with others and have them confirm? Building on the rich spiritual tradition that spans the diversity of history and theology from Ignatius Loyola to John Wesley to Jonathan Edwards, Gordon T. Smith helps open your ears and heart to the depths of the inner witness of the Spirit. By learning to attend to the Spirit, Smith urges, you will learn to hear and heed the voice of Jesus in everyday life. Written with warmth and wisdom, this book speaks to the mind and heart of every Christian who longs for a closer, more intimate walk with Jesus.

The Damanhur Federation, situated in Valchiusella, North-West Italy, is one of Europe's longest-lasting spiritual-esoteric communities. Nevertheless, there has hitherto been nearly no scientific study of this group, with the exception of a handful of specialised-journal articles. This collection fills that gap by collating the various scholarly contributions which over the years have dealt with Damanhur, aiming to present the phenomenon to a public of specialists, students and people who are just curious in a volume focusing on the multidisciplinary nature of the community as a whole. We consider the various spheres making up the social, cultural, spiritual and organisational life of Damanhur through analysis and interpretation of its historical evolution and more recent changes which have affected the community since its founder's death. The contributions combine field research with theoretical reflection, making use of both qualitative (discursive interviews and participant observation) and quantitative (questionnaires) methods.

Have you ever had an unexplained phenomena - a knock at the door but no one there; the hairs on your arm stand up, as though you're suddenly chilled; a gradual aroma rising from nowhere; an abrupt noise; a strange sensation on different parts of your body, like someone stroking your hair; or dreams of your deceased loved ones? These are just a few examples of how your ancestors and spirit guides may be trying to gain your attention. Are you curious, WHY? Perhaps the world is divided into two kinds of people; those who can only fathom the solid material life (the visible world) and those who perceive that there is an active spiritual presence (an invisible reality) operative in most of our lives. Whether this perception is faint or fully actualized, the book Ancestor Paths is the ultimate road map to developing a clear understanding of the spirit world and why spirits try to commune with the living. It also explains how our lives are enhanced and healed through positive interaction with spirit. This book is filled with clear, understandable information on communing with those on the other side and provides outstanding insight on how your spiritual skills and talents can be developed to aid you and your family. Ancestral reverence is as old as human beings and has always been understood as a powerful force for individual, family, cultural and community strength and stability. The Lukumi/Yoruba priestess Aladokun, illuminates how honoring your ancestors and working with your guides can add enormous clarity, direction and peace to your life. Her soothing explanations, advice, caveats, counseling, and explicit directions makes you feel as if you have the most supportive teacher in the world. In a clear and easy to read narrative, she guides us through the infrastructure of the spirit realm, helping us to understand that our divine relationships continue and supports us in our spiritual growth. This guide, newly expanded, is filled with cogent answers to some of the worse misunderstandings we all have about spirit work. She's able to remove the irrational fear we sometimes have of our ancient practices, simplifying the rules of contact for building strong spiritual relationships. No matter where you are on the belief continuum, intrepid beginner or sage spirit practitioner, the comprehensive way this guide is written will make you keep it close at hand. The basics are well covered but it also takes us deeper into the secrets of self preparation, ritual and the power of prayer. She helps us to see that this is not just a curiosity or a hobby, but perhaps the most effective way for us to evolve ourselves, our families and the world. If you're a beginner, with your heart leading you deeper into spirit connection, you won't find a better step by step primer on developing your skills and natural talents. If you're an experienced spiritualist/practitioner, you'll be inspired in all new ways with newly added prayers, quotes and anecdotes that strengthen your understanding of why this work is sacred and the most important work that we do; the perfect book to support your work in guiding your students, clients, and godchildren on their spiritual path. And for the curious, you'll get an honest rendition about spirit life, gain some powerful insights, and, hopefully, become inspired by the stories and processes as revealed by an authentic priestess, Aladokun. Lastly, Ancestor Paths is a tribute to all divinities within the universe that continue to guide, bless, and elevate our souls towards higher consciousness and enlightenment.