|
Showing 1 - 6 of
6 matches in All Departments
What story would Eve have told about picking the apple? Why is
Pandora blamed for opening the box? And what about the fate of
Cassandra who was blessed with knowing the future but cursed so
that no one believed her? What if women had been the storytellers?
Elizabeth Lesser believes that if women's voices had been equally
heard and respected throughout history, humankind would have
followed different hero myths and guiding stories-stories that
value caretaking, champion compassion, and elevate communication
over vengeance and violence. Cassandra Speaks is about the stories
we tell and how those stories become the culture. It's about the
stories we still blindly cling to, and the ones that cling to us:
the origin tales, the guiding myths, the religious parables, the
literature and films and fairy tales passed down through the
centuries about women and men, power and war, sex and love, and the
values we live by. Stories written mostly by men with lessons and
laws for all of humanity. We have outgrown so many of them, and
still they endure. This book is about what happens when women are
the storytellers too-when we speak from our authentic voices, when
we flex our values, when we become protagonists in the tales we
tell about what it means to be human. Lesser has walked two main
paths in her life-the spiritual path and the feminist one-paths
that sometimes cross but sometimes feel at cross-purposes.
Cassandra Speaks is her extraordinary merging of the two. The
bestselling author of Broken Open and Marrow, Lesser is a beloved
spiritual writer, as well as a leading feminist thinker. In this
book she gives equal voice to the cool water of her meditative self
and the fire of her feminist self. With her trademark gifts of both
humor and insight, she offers a vision that transcends the
either/or ideologies on both sides of the gender debate.
Brilliantly structured into three distinct parts, Part One explores
how history is carried forward through the stories a culture tells
and values, and what we can do to balance the scales. Part Two
looks at women and power and expands what it means to be
courageous, daring, and strong. And Part Three offers "A Toolbox
for Inner Strength." Lesser argues that change in the culture
starts with inner change, and that no one-woman or man-is immune to
the corrupting influence of power. She provides inner tools to help
us be both strong-willed and kind-hearted. Cassandra Speaks is a
beautifully balanced synthesis of storytelling, memoir, and
cultural observation. Women, men and all people will find
themselves in the pages of this book, and will come away
strengthened, opened, and ready to work together to create a better
world for all people.
The author of the New York Times bestseller Broken Open returns
with a visceral and profound memoir of two sisters who, in the face
of a bone marrow transplant-one the donor and one the
recipient-begin a quest for acceptance, authenticity, and most of
all, love. A mesmerizing and courageous memoir: the story of two
sisters uncovering the depth of their love through the
life-and-death experience of a bone marrow transplant. Throughout
her life, Elizabeth Lesser has sought understanding about what it
means to be true to oneself and, at the same time, truly connected
to the ones we love. But when her sister Maggie needs a bone marrow
transplant to save her life, and Lesser learns that she is the
perfect match, she faces a far more immediate and complex question
about what it really means to love-honestly, generously, and
authentically. Hoping to give Maggie the best chance possible for a
successful transplant, the sisters dig deep into the marrow of
their relationship to clear a path to unconditional acceptance.
They leave the bone marrow transplant up to the doctors, but take
on what Lesser calls a "soul marrow transplant," examining their
family history, having difficult conversations, examining old
assumptions, and offering forgiveness until all that is left is
love for each other's true selves. Their process-before, during,
and after the transplant-encourages them to take risks of
authenticity in other aspects their lives. But life does not follow
the storylines we plan for it. Maggie's body is ultimately too weak
to fight the relentless illness. As she and Lesser prepare for the
inevitable, they grow ever closer as their shared blood cells
become a symbol of the enduring bond they share. Told with suspense
and humor, Marrow is joyous and heartbreaking, incandescent and
profound. The story reveals how even our most difficult experiences
can offer unexpected spiritual growth. Reflecting on the
multifaceted nature of love-love of other, love of self, love of
the world-Marrow is an unflinching and beautiful memoir about
getting to the very center of ourselves.
In 1977, Elizabeth Lesser cofounded the Omega Institute, now America's largest adult-education center focusing on wellness and spirituality. Working with many of the eminent thinkers of our times, including Zen masters, rabbis, Christian monks, psychologists, scientists, and an array of noted American figures--from L.A. Lakers coach Phil Jackson to author Maya Angelou--Lesser found that by combining a variety of religious, psychological, and healing traditions, each of us has the unique ability to satisfy our spiritual hunger.
In The Seeker's Guid, she synthesizes the lessons learned from an immersion into the world's wisdom traditions and intertwines them with illuminating stories from her daily life. Recounting her own trials and errors and offering meditative exercises, she shows the reader how to create a personal practice, gauge one's progress, and choose effective spiritual teachers and habits. Warm, accessible, and wise, this book provides directions through the four landscapes of the spiritual journey:
THE MIND: learning meditation to ease stress and anxiety THE HEART: dealing with grief, loss, and pain; opening the heart and becoming fully alive THE BODY: returning the body to the spiritual fold to heal and overcome the fear of aging and death THE SOUL: experiencing daily life as an adventure of meaning and mystery
'And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more
painful than the risk it took to blossom' Anais Nin Elizabeth
Lesser shows how it is possible to deal with fearful change or a
painful loss and be reborn, like the Phoenix, to a more vibrant and
enlightened self. In Broken Open she shares penetrating tales from
her own life, the lives of those she has taught and counselled and
the lives of friends and family, tales that explore the big
challenges of death, illness and divorce, as well as the daily
roller coaster rides of relationships, parenting and work. Woven
into these stories are quotations from great poets and
philosophers. And following them is a toolbox of valuable aids,
including meditation, psychological enquiry and spiritual practice.
The result is a book that runs the gamut of the human experience,
and in a style that is genuine, funny, often heartbreaking, but
always inspiring, she shows us how we, too, can allow the pain of
adversity to break us open instead of breaking us down, making us
bitter or closing our hearts.
In the more than twenty-five years since she co-founded Omega
Institute - now the world's largest center for spiritual retreat
and personal growth -Elizabeth Lesser has been an intimate witness
to the ways in which people weather change and transition. In a
beautifully crafted blend of moving stories, humorous insights,
practical guidance, and personal memoir, she offers tools to help
us make the choice we all face in times of challenge: Will we be
broken down and defeated, or broken open and transformed? Lesser
shares tales of ordinary people who have risen from the ashes of
illness, divorce, loss of a job or a loved one - stronger, wiser,
and more in touch with their purpose and passion. And she draws on
the world's great spiritual and psychological traditions to support
us as we too learn to break open and blossom into who we were meant
to be.
|
|