Religion

A festive, delightfully-illustrated compendium that features holiday traditions from around the world. From Jolabokaflod (Christmas Book Flood) in Iceland to Festa dei sette pesci (Feast of Fishes) in Italy and Christmas lanterns in the Philippines.

Humberto Maggi surveys the historical developments that influenced the creation of the concept of the Queen of the Seven Crossroads in the Brazilian magico-religious system Quimbanda that emerged in the first half of the 20th century, as well as the ideas and techniques inherited both from Europe and Africa. He looks at how various myths, historical figures, and misunderstandings combined to create one of the most powerful pombagiras - what elements shaped her, what and who inspired her legend, and how to work with her in your own practice.

Conversations with Joseph Goldstein, one of today’s most renowned meditation teachers who taught ABC news anchor Dan Harris (author of 10% Happier) to meditate, on the topic of integrity.Living without integrity crushes the spirit and tramples the heart. Let Creating a Life of  Integrity be your personal trainer for strengthening the integrity muscles! In this book you’ll learn how to live with more integrity, kindness, and, subsequently, more joy by following these lively  conversations between Joseph Goldstein, a founder of the modern mindfulness movement, and Gail Stark, a businesswoman and his student and friend of twenty-five years.  As they unpack the individual components of integrity—generosity, virtue, renunciation, wisdom, courage, patience, truthfulness, resoluteness, loving-kindness, and equanimity—we discover the inherent order to the process: each leads into the next, each supports the one that follows. By focusing deeply on just one component of integrity at a time, in their natural order, our practice becomes easier, less burdened by setbacks. Just as each step on a stairway transports us to a higher elevation, so too will this work steadily lift you to an empowered place of clarity, strength, commitment, and, consequently, joy. The aim is for you to emerge from this training invigorated and glowing, the better for having pushed yourself to do more than you ever thought you were capable of.

The ESV Women‿s Study Bible features study and devotional content along with elegant artwork from artist Dana Tanamachi to help women in all seasons of life pursue a transformational understanding of Scripture.

An illustrated guide to the world and its sacred wonders

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERINTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER In the seminal text on atheism in the twenty-first centuy, renowned scientist Richard Dawkins examines the irrationality of believing in God and the grievous harm religion has inflicted on society. From the sex-obsessed tyrant in the Old Testament to the more benign Celestial Watchmaker favored by some Enlightenment thinkers, Dawkins rigorously analyzes God in all his forms, eviscerating the major arguments for religion and demonstrating the supreme improbability of a supreme being. His argument steeped in impressive historical and contemporary evidence, spanning from the Crusades to 9/11, Dawkins shows how religion fuels war and foments bigotry, and makes the compelling case that belief in God is not just wrong but potentially deadly. As a solution, Dawkins offers exhilarating insight into the advantages of atheism for the individual and society, not the least of which is a clearer, truer appreciation of the universe's wonders than any faith could ever muster.

In direct and experiential language, Dzogchen Pema Kalsang Rinpoche explains clearly how to put Shabkar''s classic verses on trekch├╢ meditation into practice, so we may realise the true nature of mind. These profound instructions may only be read by those who have been authorised and empowered into the main Dzogchen practices by a genuine master."For a living breathing human being, is there anyone to whom thoughts do not arise? Thoughts occur, but it does not matter. Thoughts are the dynamic energy of true nature. If they arise, allow them to arise. If they do not occur, allow them not to occur. When abiding, this is the essence of true nature. When thoughts stream forth, this is the manifest dynamic energy of wisdom. Do not pursue thoughts. If we chase after them we become confused, like water turning into ice. Leave thoughts naturally and they become self-liberated. Unload the mental burden of activities and remain in unwavering equipoise of effortless non-meditation."One of the most eminent lamas in Tibet, Dzogchen Pema Kalsang Rinpoche is widely recognised as a brilliant scholar and highly realised master of the Great Perfection. His insight brings an authenticity to the teachings which can only be present in the words of a realised master.

A beautifully compelling and liberating guide to the original nature of Zen in ancient China by renowned author and translator David Hinton.Buddhism migrated from India to China in the first century C.E., and Ch'an (Japanese: Zen) is generally seen as China's most distinctive and enduring form of Buddhism. In China Root, however, David Hinton shows how Ch'an was in fact a Buddhist-influenced extension of Taoism, China's native system of spiritual philosophy. Unlike Indian Buddhism's abstract sensibility, Ch'an was grounded in an earthy and empirically-based vision. Exploring this vision, Hinton describes Ch'an as a kind of anti-Buddhism. A radical and wild practice aspiring to a deeply ecological liberation: the integration of individual consciousness with landscape and with a Cosmos seen as harmonious and alive.In China Root, Hinton describes this original form of Zen with his trademark clarity and elegance, each chapter exploring in enlightening ways a core Ch'an concept--such as meditation, mind, Buddha, awakening--as it was originally understood and practiced in ancient China. Finally, by examining a range of standard translations in the Appendix, Hinton reveals how this original understanding and practice of Ch'an/Zen is almost entirely missing in contemporary American Zen, because it was lost in Ch'an's migration from China through Japan and on to the West.Whether you practice Zen or not, taking this journey on the wings of Hinton's remarkable insight and powerful writing will transform how you understand yourself and the world.

In the face of systemic racism and state-sanctioned violence, how can we metabolize our anger into a force for liberation?White supremacy in the United States has long necessitated that Black rage be suppressed, repressed, or denied, often as a means of survival, a literal matter of life and death. In Love and Rage, Lama Rod Owens, coauthor of Radical Dharma, shows how this unmetabolized anger--and the grief, hurt, and transhistorical trauma beneath it--needs to be explored, respected, and fully embodied to heal from heartbreak and walk the path of liberation. This is not a book about bypassing anger to focus on happiness, or a road map for using spirituality to transform the nature of rage into something else. Instead, it is one that offers a potent vision of anger that acknowledges and honors its power as a vehicle for radical social change and enduring spiritual transformation.Love and Rage weaves the inimitable wisdom and lived experience of Lama Rod Owens with Buddhist philosophy, practical meditation exercises, mindfulness, tantra, pranayama, ancestor practices, energy work, and classical yoga. The result is a book that serves as both a balm and a blueprint for those seeking justice who can feel overwhelmed with anger--and yet who refuse to relent. It is a necessary text for these times.

Now available with an updated cover, The Truth About Witchcraft provides a wonderful introduction to Witchcraft and Wicca for those new to the craft.

"Explores the crisis of character in leadership, how beliefs shape values and morals, the process of character development, essential qualities of principled leaders, how to recover after moral failure, and how to ensure leadership influence is both effective and enduring"--

"Foreword by Guillermo Maldonado"--Front cover.

C.S. Lewis' moving theological work in which he considers the most poetic portions from Scripture and what they tell us about God, the Bible, and faith.

Internationally acclaimed thought-leader Jonathan Sacks demonstrates how we can build a strong collective morality for the modern era.

The version of Rumi that has become known as 'the best-selling poet in North America' is not a true one.

Adventures in Faith For author Smith Wigglesworth, life was a continual adventure. Always trusting God, even in the most hopeless situations, he had total confidence in the power of Christ. Join this late evangelist in the great adventure called "faith," where miracles were daily events. Witness the many accounts of deliverance from diabetes, tuberculosis, demon possession, and even death. Prepare to be overwhelmed as the seed of faith begins to expand and grow in your heart. Watch as God moves, touching lives with healing and deliverance--miracles that follow as signs of the power of faith.Your faith, great or small, can multiply ever increasingly as it overflows into the lives around you, bringing glory to God and blessings to the world!

Learn firstly about the mystical process of alchemy, and then discover how it deepens our understanding of the transits of the outer planets to the natal chart. A fascinating book that deserves a place in every astrologer's library.

What is it like to learn that your ordinary, loving father is a serial killer? Kerri Rawson, the daughter of the notorious serial killer known as BTK (Bind, Torture, Kill), tells the nightmarish story of that discovery and of her long journey of faith and healing.

This insightful commentary, the third of four volumes on Acts, utilizes an unparalleled range of ancient sources and features the meticulous and comprehensive research of Craig Keener.

This classic daily devotional has been lovingly edited to appeal to faithful fans and new readers alike. Carefully updated wording and Scripture from the easy-to-read NIV Bible ensure that L. B. Cowman's timeless messages of hope and reassurance are clearly relevant today.