"A threshold is a sacred thing," goes the traditional saying of ancient wisdom. In some corners of the earth, in some traditional cultures, and in monastic life, this is still remembered. But in our fast-paced modern world, this wisdom is often lost on us. It is important for us to remember the significance of the threshold. While it is certainly true that thresholds mark the end of one thing and the beginning of another, they also act as borders-the places in between, the points of transition. These can be physical, such as the geographical borders of a country; others, such as the spiritual border between the inner and outer world-between ourselves and others-are intangible. In To Pause at the Threshold, Esther de Waal looks at what it is like to live in actual "border country," the Welsh countryside with its "slower rhythms" and "earth-linked textures," and explores the importance of opening up and being receptive to one's surroundings, whatever they may be.

Bestseller

For over fifteen hundred years St. Benedict's Rule has been a source of guidance, support, inspiration, challenge, comfort and discomfort for men and women. It has helped both those living under monastic vows and those living outside the cloister in all the mess and muddle of ordinary, busy lives in the world. Esther de Waal's "Seeking God" serves as an introduction to this life-giving way and encourages people to discover for themselves the gift that St. Benedict can bring to individuals, to the Church, and to the world, now and in the years to come.

Through this definitive classic Esther de Waal has become known as an authority for the lay person on the Rule of St. Benedict. Her ability to communicate clearly the principal values of the Rule when applied to lay people is the ultimate strength of this book. She follows each chapter with a page or two of thoughts and prayers, contributing to its meditative quality.

"Esther de Waal is an Anglican lay woman, married with four sons and a number of grandchildren. She lives on the Welsh Borders where she grew up and spends her time gardening, writing, traveling, and taking retreats. She became interested in Benedictine monasticism as a result of living for ten years in Canterbury and has written several books on the Rule of St. Benedict including "a life-Giving Way," published by The Liturgical Press, 1995. She holds a PhD. from Cambridge and was given an honorary doctorate from St. John's University for her contribution to Benedictine studies and for her ecumenical work. She was awarded the Templeton Prize for having started the Benedictine Experience weeks which are now widely held throughout America and England."

This concise and clear introduction to Celtic spirituality provides an overview of all aspects of Celtic understandings. By providing readers not only with a narrative, but with the poetry and songs of the ancient Celts, she explores Celtic views of pilgrimage, solitude, creation, and healing. De Waal also looks at their understanding of core Christian concepts, such as sin, sorrow, salvation, and the cross. Written accessibly, this book is excellent for parish study as well as individual reading.

These simple and inviting reflections on the Rule of St. Benedict take as their starting point our search for wholeness in a world that is fragmented and increasingly polarized. Many people today struggle to balance the demands of professional and personal lives, and find little satisfaction or peacefulness in either. Yet the ancient wisdom of St. Benedict offers a clear and helpful pathway that leads directly to healing, transformation and new life.

Written in de Waal's inimitable style, this book is for old friends of the Rule of St. Benedict and novices alike. Holding up segments of the Rule, de Waal's meditations on Benedict's words illuminate the wisdom of the Rule not only for those of Benedict's time, but for all of us today as well.

In "The Way of Simplicity" Esther de Waal reveals the riches of the Cistercian (Trappist) tradition and its relevance for today's world.

The book draws not only on such twelfth-century writers as Bernard of Clairvaux and Aelred of Rievaulx, but also on Thomas Merton and many contemporary Cistercians.

These Cistercian men and women wrote on matters of perennial concern: the true self, growth, integration, friendship, the love of God, and above al the life of prayer.

Anyone wishing to explore Cistercian spirituality will find this book an illuminating and practical guide.

"Esther de Waal is one of today's most celebrated spiritual writers. Seeking God, her classic book on the relevance of the Rule of Saint Benedict, has opened up the riches of the monastic tradition to readers throughout the world for almost twenty-five years. Greatly in demand as a speaker and retreat leader, she lives in Herefordshire, UK."

Devotees of Irish spirituality -- and those interested in Irish Heritage will cherish this authentic collection of Celtic wisdom and prayer.

Written some fifteen centuries ago, The Rule of St Benedict is still read and studied by thousands of men and women throughout the world. In recent years more and more lay people have turned to the Rule, and have found within its pages a deep and practical spirituality which is helpful to them in coping with the problems and challenges they meet in their everyday lives. This edition of the classic Parry translation of the Rule has been prepared for a general audience and comes complete with an introduction by Esther de Waal which offers a commentary both on the underlying themes of the Rule and on the contents of specific chapters. We come face to face with St Benedict himself and appreciate anew the magnificent combination of spirituality and practicality that make the Rule a uniquely valuable source book for us today. Abbot Parry OSB was for many years the Abbot of St Augustine's Abbey Ramsgate, and the author of Households of God, which included both his translation of the Rule and an invaluable commentary. Esther de Waal is the author of a number of books, including Living with Contradiction and Seeking God, which explore the spirituality of the Rule of St Benedict and of the Benedictine life itself.

Buscando a Dios examines the deep wisdom hidden in the Rule of St. Benedict, amazingly as relevant for today's world as it was for the monks in the sixth century to whom it was addressed. Buscando a Dios es una demostraci?n de la profunda sabidur?a que atesora la Regla de san Benito, tan llena de actualidad para nuestro mundo contempor?neo como para los monjes del siglo VI a quienes estaba dirigida. Numerosas personas, muchas de ellas laicos como yo, con compromisos familiares y laborales, y ocupados en m?ltiples actividades [...] est?n en la actualidad regresando a la tradici?n mon?stica. La principal raz?n para ello, creo, es que aqu? encuentran lo que saben que necesitan: una ayuda pr?ctica para hacer de lo ordinario y cotidiano un camino hacia Dios? La din?mica esencial que subyace a la tradici? mon?mica esencial que subyace a la tradici?stica consiste en dejar que el Evangelio configure la propia vida.

Esther de Waal, one of Celtic Christianity's preeminent scholars, shows how this tradition of worship draws on both the pre-Christian past and on the fullness of the Gospel. It is also an enlightening glimpse at the history, folklore, and liturgy of the Celtic people.

Esther de Waal introduces readers to monastic prayer and praise (the foundation stone of Celtic Christianity), early Irish litanies, medieval Welsh praise poems, and the wealth of blessings derived from an oral tradition that made prayer a part of daily life. Through this invigorating book, readers enter a world in which ritual and rhythm, nature and seasons, images and symbols play an essential role. A welcome contrast to modern worship, Celtic prayer is liberating and, like a living spring, forever fresh.