For many people, faith is based on creeds, doctrine, and head knowledge. It's about mastering the "facts" and having the "right" answers. But best-selling author Margaret Silf believes that faith is not about mastery but about mystery, and that living in that mystery allows us to properly shift our focus from religion to relationship--a relationship with the Divine.
In "Simple Faith," Silf encourages us to rethink many of the teachings on faith that may be holding us back from the joy and freedom that can be found only in a meaningful experience of God. Through her thought-provoking, even surprising, answers to common questions about faith--Is it true that God is love? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why did Jesus have to die?&mash;she advocates radically simple yet profound beliefs that are based in a new, liberating understanding of faith itself.
Ultimately, "Simple Faith," moves us beyond the complexities of conventional religion and clears the path for us to grow in a life-changing relationship with God.

Drawing on the riches of the Celtic tradition, a look at seven traditional sacred spaces and their meaning in our own lives There are many books that explore actual, physical, sacred space and pilgrimage sites. This is a different kind of book. It introduces seven traditional "sacred spaces" but then leads readers into a deeper reflection on what such "sacred space" means in our own lives and experience. The various sacred spaces explored are: the Celtic Cross; the infinite knot; hilltops; wells and springs; causeways and bridges; thresholds and burial grounds; and boundaries. In each chapter, the author introduces a "sacred space" as the main theme and then illustrates this by associating it with a particular stage of life and a particular sacramental experience. The ideas are then brought together by means of a scripture story.

A guide to the different sorts of retreats on offer (Ignatian, Myers Briggs, Enneagram etc.). It covers the purpose of retreats, who can benefit from them, the difference between group and individual retreats and between directed and undirected retreats. There is a section on each major type of retreat explaining what happens, the basic premise behind it, who it is suitable for and how to find a retreat. The book also contains case studies.

Wisdom stories with a spiritual message have a special place on many people's bookshelves, providing Christian insight into the various issues that we face day by day. This new collection of stories from master story teller, Margaret Silf, will provide a rich source of illumination to those who turn to it, whether that is for personal use and enjoyment, or for church or school use. Accessible and popular, these stories speak straight to the heart.

Landmarks help us to find ourselves when we think we are lost. When we don't know where to begin, they give us a starting point. When we think we know where we are, they give us the confidence to keep going. And if we think we have arrived, they remind us that there is always something more, somewhere beyond ... This is a book of Landmarks for the heart's journey. Written out of the author's own prayer and lived experience, and inspired by her practical explorations of the insights of St Ignatius Loyola, it opens up questions which concern us all: - How can we recognise God's ceaseless action in our lives and begin to discern his will? - What does 'fallenness' mean for us today? - How can we live true to ourselves and make decisions in freedom? - How do we penetrate our deepest desires and become free of the lesser attachments that obstruct them? Big questions - but as Margaret Silf shows, there are clues to be discovered in every moment and situation: at home, at work, in the garden, in the market, in the bath! Landmarks will help us discover and deepen our individual journeys. Written for both groups and individuals, it is illustrated with drawings and diagrams, and contains exercises and suggestions for prayer and reflection. Be warned, however. Landmarks are not for armchair pilgrims. They are for People of the Way.

The spiritual journey can feel like a climb up a beautiful mountain that we have admired from afar. It looks easy from a distance, but the closer we approach, the harder it appears, until we are on the rockface and struggling to find our way to the top. Our journey through Lent can be a similar experience. For six weeks from Ash Wednesday, through Holy Week to Easter Sunday, Lent is a season of spiritual quest - a challenge to ascend to higher things, to come closer to God. It is a journey of hope and faith that with every step we take, we can move closer to our best - our most fully human - selves. And for this, our soul's journey, we have a guide who calls himself the Way. Soul Journey is a day-by-day companion to help you find the Way, to be revitalised and to discover fresh horizons. Margaret Silf offers 40 daily meditations on passages from the Bible, and a reflection on the journey travelled so far for each Sunday. It has been written both for those who regularly undertake a Lenten study and for those for whom the season is not familiar. All are welcome on this journey - a journey not just for Lent, but for any time and season.

"You must become the change you long for. Fine words, a great vision, but where to begin? We caterpillars know. From the moment we are conceived in our parents' mating dance, we already contain the cells that hold our future butterfly. We become, literally, the change we carry within us, as our hidden wings take shape. Let us tell you our story ..." Tumultuous changes are occurring in the world around us, and the structures and values by which we have charted our lives seem to be collapsing. Many of us are struggling to plot a spiritual path through this unfamiliar landscape, and to believe in a positive future. Hidden Wings is a book offering hope and understanding. Using the example of a caterpillar entering the devastating, world-altering stage of the chrysalis, before emerging - transformed - as a butterfly, Margaret Silf helps us to see that these times of chaos could in fact be an opportunity for profound spiritual transformation.

First Place, Inspirational category
ACP Excellence in Publishing Awards, 2012
From satisfying work to sudden unemployment. From a happy marriage to a hurtful divorce. From caring for the kids to caring for an aging parent. These are just a few of the countless ways that life hurls us into the chaos of change, where our certainties are shaken and our faith may even begin to falter. But what if we saw the chaos--the "mess"--of our lives not as something to fear or eschew, but as something to be embraced?
In "The Other Side of Chaos," best-selling author Margaret Silf looks closely at the subject of chaos--and the intrinsic transition it brings--through the lens of Christian spirituality. Through Scripture stories and verses, personal accounts, and other anecdotes, Silf helps us develop an authentic "spirituality of transition" that leads us to live out life's changes constructively, creatively, and confidently.
Ultimately, "The Other Side of Chaos" gives us the courage to trust God when life is breaking down and to see our messes not as something to be rescued from, but as something that will help us break through to a place where God makes all things new.

Your children have left home, you have lost your job, you have had to move to a strange town, your partner has died ... Every life is filled with changes and transitions. In The Other Side of Chaos, the popular writer and speaker Margaret Silf takes us on a journey through the pitfalls and the opportunities of change. Transitions may be awkward and uncomfortable, but they also put into places where new life can flourish. Silf invites us to embrace the inevitability of upheaval, and shows us how the leaving of our comfort zone can become an invitation to set ourselves free. Through stories and examples and down-to earth tips, she shows us how we can live our transitions constructively and creatively. 'We will discover what new growth may be sprouting in our lives only if we risk the journey that takes us, like reluctant time travellers, hurtling through the uncharted universe of change.'

Sometimes, it can feel as though we are living in the worst of times – a world of chaos, uncertainty and breakdown. But could this also be the best of times – a crucible of change in which a wiser and more spiritually mature future is being forged? The stars are most clearly visible in the deepest darkness. The butterfly emerges out of the worst meltdown of the chrysalis. In Born to Fly, Margaret Silf helps us to explore what it would mean for each of us to be such an emerging butterfly – to be an agent of spiritual transformation in our own lives and in the world around us. What kind of future do we desire for ourselves, for those who follow after us, and for the whole of creation? And, if the choices we make today are shaping that future, how might we learn to make those choices more wisely? The second part of the book takes us on a gentle journey in five stages through the process of transformation mapped out for us by the caterpillar as it changes from a pesky garden grub, taking what it wants without regard for the rest of creation, to a butterfly, giving life wherever it lands. Born to Fly is designed to be read for personal reflection and inspiration, or alongside fellow readers, with suggestions for further discussion. It is a companion book to Margaret’s Hidden Wings.

A story is growing inside of you. . . a story as beautiful and as mysterious as the universe itself. And your personal story is an essential chapter in the Big Story. We are told that the story of life begins with elements released into space at the death of a star. But what about our destiny? Does that speck of stardust also hold within it a "spark of God"? Is life evolving toward levels of consciousness that we cannot yet even imagine? Roots and Wings is a book full of questions to inspire deeper thinking. It invites you to participate in an age-old conversation about our origins and our destiny. It encourages you to think about what it might mean to become fully and truly human -- and to discover your own response to that perpetual question. In Roots and Wings Margaret Silf deftly brings science and spirituality together, allowing a bold new synthesis to emerge between them.

Are you bogged down in your spiritual journey? Does church seem to hinder more than it helps? Here is a welcoming and realistic guide for all who may be feeling spiritually jaded. Whatever your circumstances, "Companions of Christ" will show you how to embark on a journey of the heart, starting wherever you happen to be and no matter how unfit for the journey you may feel.

In "Companions of Christ" popular British writer Margaret Silf unearths the gold mine of spiritual wisdom to be found in the legacy of Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. Ignatian spirituality sets out an engagingly down-to-earth vision of connecting with God in everyday life. Neither a recipe for a privatized spiritual life nor an agenda imposed by someone else, the Ignatian vision is centered on companionship, which means literally to "share bread" with another. It latches onto God's presence in stories, in other people, in the created universe, and even in God's apparent absence.

Perfect for those whose faith in God or patience with the church is flagging, "Companions of Christ" contains very practical teaching on great Ignatian themes -- imaginative scriptural meditation, spiritual discernment, and honest prayer. Incorporating helpful spiritual exercises throughout, Silf shows both tentative and seasoned believers how to keep faith despite the odds.

Guided by Ignatian principles, this book looks at techniques for prayer, ways of focusing prayer, problems in prayer and ways of moving on.

The world waits - sometimes holding its breath in fear of what tomorrow may bring, sometimes in a haze of busyness, or boredom, in which we hardly know what we are waiting for. Yet we still wait in hopefulness. The birth of a baby invariably stirs deep wells of hope in the human heart. Perhaps in this generation, things will get better. Perhaps this child will make a difference. As we approach the Christmas season we prepare to celebrate the coming to earth of someone who really does make a difference. At this season the 'windows' of our human experience can change from rows of faceless panes, perhaps grimy with dirt, into lighted windows that open up new possibilities and coax us into a place where rejoicing might be possible. The journey mapped out in this book is an invitation to look into some of these lighted windows, and discover a few reflections of what we wait for, and long for-reflections of God's guidance, his call to trust him and live by his wisdom. Each window seeks to bring familiar scripture into focus with everyday living, encouraging us to enter right into the place where God is coming to birth, and to make the experience of Bethlehem our own. And finally, the windows become doors, through which we are sent back to a waiting world to share our personal experience of God-with-us.

From the Bible to folk stories and poetry, a collection of wisdom from around the world

Perfect for anyone seeking inspiration and insight in their daily life, this inspiring book brings together knowledge from around the world and through the ages. Drawing on a rich treasure of wisdom from a diverse array of sources, this collection looks to the Bible, new science and new cosmology, native spirituality, folk stories, natural history, poetry, and commentary on life situations by wise people, such as Desmond Tutu and Kahlil Gibran. The themes and different types of wisdom include original wisdom--the wisdom that makes possible the known universe; natural wisdom--the wisdom in the created world; native wisdom--the wisdom expressed in all traditions from the earliest stages of the human journey; life wisdom--practical wisdom gathered and passed on; desert wisdom, which is gathered in the dark times; guiding wisdom, which gives direction; and unfolding wisdom, which reveals not all questions can be answered.

Written in gentle prose, full of compassion and insight, this book presents an investigation into the many facets of prayer. Providing focused, lucid, and practical approaches to prayer, "The Gift of Prayer" emphasizes the benefits of using prayer in everyday situations.