What comes after reflective listening? What comes after the ministry of presence? Spiritual midwifery is a powerful framework for offering pastoral care in today's fast-paced environment. Midwifery offers ways of thinking about those who are served, the work itself, and what it means to be a clinical caregiver within the tradition of the care of souls. Spiritual midwifery has philosophical and spiritual roots that stem from the earliest seeds of Western thought, even back to Jesus and Socrates. Readers will find an inductive approach toward a conceptual model that offers insight for richer assessments and outcome-oriented goals of care. Part One sets out the metaphors of the midwife and the dialogue. Part Two unpacks the methodology behind the mechanics. Part Three looks at creative applications of midwifery, and is followed by a Symposium patterned after Plato's own Symposium. A rigorous theory remains at the centre of the work, but the tone is poetically balanced enough to invite the transformation of the spiritual caregiver. From the philosophy of Heraclitus to the theology of Kierkegaard and the spiritual direction of Guenther, The Art of Spiritual Midwifery brings forth a comprehensive conception of pastoral care and its delivery.

Decadence, greed and lust ruled the Roman Empire, as demonstrated in this riveting chronology. Beginning from its earliest formations under the Divine Augustus to complete destruction under the lowly Romulus Augustulus, the Roman Empire is exemplified in its magnificent beauty and utter disgrace. From the delirious and degenerate dictatorships of Emperor Caligula and Emperor Elagabulus to the just and altruistic reigns of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and Emperor Aurelian, the Western Empire would see eras of grace and debauchery.