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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Worship
There has recently been much interest in the relationship between
science and religion, and how they combine to give us a 'binocular'
perspective on things. One important phenomenon which has been
neglected in recent work is the concept of spiritual healing. This
edited collection explores a variety of approaches to spiritual
healing from different religious points of view, identifying both
what it is and how it works. The authors also explore the
biological and psychological processes, open to scientific enquiry,
through which healing may be mediated. As such, this book indicates
the central proposition that religious and scientific perspectives
answer different questions about healing, and there is not
necessarily any conflict between them.
National Jewish Book Awards 2019 Finalist for Visual Arts. Richly
illustrated and meticulously documented, this is the first
comprehensive survey of synagogue textiles to be available in
English. Bracha Yaniv, a leading expert in the field of Jewish
ceremonial textiles, records their evolution from ancient times to
the present. The volume contains a systematic consideration of the
mantle, the wrapper, the Torah scroll binder, and the Torah ark
curtain and valance, and considers the cultural factors that
inspired the evolution of these different items and their motifs.
Fabrics, techniques, and modes of production are described in
detail; the inscriptions marking the circumstances of donation are
similarly subjected to close analysis. Fully annotated plates
demonstrate the richness of the styles and traditions in use in
different parts of the Jewish diaspora, drawing attention to
regional customs. Throughout, emphasis is placed on presenting and
explaining all relevant aspects of the Jewish cultural heritage.
The concluding section contains transcriptions, translations, and
annotations of some 180 inscriptions recording the circumstances in
which items were donated, providing a valuable survey of customs of
dedication. Together with the comprehensive bibliography, inventory
lists, and other relevant documentation, this volume will be an
invaluable reference work for the scholarly community, museum
curators, and others interested in the Jewish cultural heritage.
In this groundbreaking study, Michael Willis examines how the gods
of early Hinduism came to be established in temples, how their
cults were organized, and how the ruling elite supported their
worship. Examining the emergence of these key historical
developments in the fourth and fifth centuries, Willis combines
Sanskrit textual evidence with archaeological data from
inscriptions, sculptures, temples, and sacred sites. The
centre-piece of this study is Udayagiri in central India, the only
surviving imperial site of the Gupta dynasty. Through a judicious
use of landscape archaeology and archaeo-astronomy, Willis
reconstructs how Udayagiri was connected to the Festival of the
Rainy Season and the Royal Consecration. Under Gupta patronage,
these rituals were integrated into the cult of Vishnu, a deity
regarded as the source of creation and of cosmic time. As special
devotees of Vishnu, the Gupta kings used Udayagiri to advertise
their unique devotional relationship with him. Through his
meticulous study of the site, its sculptures and its inscriptions,
Willis shows how the Guptas presented themselves as universal
sovereigns and how they advanced new systems of religious patronage
that shaped the world of medieval India.
Death and immortality played a central role in Greek and Roman
thought, from Homer and early Greek philosophy to Marcus Aurelius.
In this book A. G. Long explains the significance of death and
immortality in ancient ethics, particularly Plato's dialogues,
Stoicism and Epicureanism; he also shows how philosophical
cosmology and theology caused immortality to be re-imagined.
Ancient arguments and theories are related both to the original
literary and theological contexts and to contemporary debates on
the philosophy of death. The book will be of major interest to
scholars and students working on Greek and Roman philosophy, and to
those wishing to explore ancient precursors of contemporary debates
about death and its outcomes.
Martin Prechtel's experiences growing up on a Pueblo Indian
reservation, his years of apprenticing to a Guatemalan shaman, and
his flight from Guatemala's brutal civil war inform this lyrical
blend of memoir, cultural mythology, and spiritual call to arms.
"The Unlikely Peace at Cuchumaquic "is both an epic story and a cry
to the heart of humanity based on the author's realization that
human survival depends on keeping alive the seeds of our "original
forgotten spiritual excellence."
Prechtel relates the current eco-crisis to the rapid disappearance
of biodiversity, indigenous cultures, and shared human values. He
demonstrates how real human culture is exterminated when real (not
genetically modified) seeds are lost. Like plants that become
extinct once their required conditions are no longer met,
authentic, unmonetized human cultures can no longer survive in the
modern world. To "keep the seeds alive"--both literally and
metaphorically--they must be planted, harvested, and replanted,
just as human culture must become truly engaging and meaningful to
the soul, as necessary as food is to the body. The viable seeds of
spirituality and culture that lie dormant within us need to
"sprout" into broad daylight to create real sets of cultures
welcome on Earth.
The Mexica (Aztecs) used a solar calendar made up of eighteen
months, with each month dedicated to a specific god in their
pantheon and celebrated with a different set of rituals.
Panquetzaliztli, the fifteenth month, dedicated to the national god
Huitzilopochtli (Hummingbird on the Left), was significant for its
proximity to the winter solstice, and for the fact that it marked
the beginning of the season of warfare. In The Fifteenth Month,
John F. Schwaller offers a detailed look at how the celebrations of
Panquetzaliztli changed over time and what these changes reveal
about the history of the Aztecs. Drawing on a variety of sources,
Schwaller deduces that prior to the rise of the Mexica in 1427, an
earlier version of the month was dedicated to the god Tezcatlipoca
(Smoking Mirror), a war and trickster god. The Mexica shifted the
dedication to their god, developed a series of ceremonies -
including long-distance running and human sacrifice - that would
associate him with the sun, and changed the emphasis of the
celebration from warfare alone to a combination of trade and
warfare, since merchants played a significant role in Mexica
statecraft. Further investigation shows how the resulting festival
commemorated several important moments in Mexica history, how it
came to include ceremonies associated with the winter solstice, and
how it reflected a calendar reform implemented shortly before the
arrival of the Spanish. Focused on one of the most important months
in the Mexica year, Schwaller's work marks a new methodology in
which traditional sources for Mexica culture, rather than being
interrogated for their specific content, are read for their
insights into the historical development of the people. Just as
Christmas re-creates the historic act of the birth of Jesus for
Christians, so, The Fifteenth Month suggests, Panquetzaliztli was a
symbolic re-creation of events from Mexica myths and history.
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