Collection: Spirituality & Religion

What is the philosophy of religion? How can we distinguish it from theology on the one hand and the psychology/sociology of religious belief on the other? What does it mean to describe God as "eternal"? And should religious people want there to be good arguments for the existence of God, or is religious belief only authentic in the absence of these good arguments?

In this Very Short Introduction Tim Bayne introduces the field of philosophy of religion, and engages with some of the most burning questions that philosophers discuss. Considering how "religion" should be defined, and whether we even need to be able to define it in order to engage in the philosophy of religion, he goes on to discuss whether the existence of God matters. Exploring the problem of evil, Bayne also debates the connection between faith and reason, and the related question of what role reason should play in religious contexts. Shedding light on the relationship between science and religion, Bayne finishes by considering the topics of reincarnation and the afterlife.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Learn why and how Muslim families celebrate Ramadan with this beautifully illustrated Little Golden Book!

Ramadan Mubarak! Teach children about the holy month of Ramadan--the tradition of fasting, what the Qur'an is, what kind of food is served between fasts, and how a modern family celebrates. Filled with colorful illustrations and simple, yet informative text, this Little Golden Book is perfect to share with your family this Ramadan!

Learn how to end the self-destructive behaviors that stop you from living your best life with this breakthrough program.

Do you...
- Put the needs of others above your own?
- Start to panic when someone you love leaves--or threatens to?
- Often feel anxious about natural disasters, losing all your money, or getting seriously ill?
- Find that no matter how successful you are, you still feel unhappy, unfulfilled, or undeserving?

Unsatisfactory relationships, irrational lack of self-esteem, feelings of being unfulfilled--these are all problems that can be solved by changing the types of messages that people internalize. These self-defeating behavior patterns are called "lifetraps," and Reinventing Your Life shows you how to stop the cycle that keeps you from attaining happiness.

Two of America's leading psychologists, Jeffrey E. Young, Ph.D., and Janet S. Klosko, Ph.D., draw on the breakthrough principles of cognitive therapy to help you recognize and change negative thought patterns, without the aid of drugs or long-term traditional therapy. They describe eleven of the most common lifetraps, provide a diagnostic test for each, and offer step-by-step suggestions to help you break free of the traps. Thousands of men and women have seen the immediate and long-term results of the extraordinary program outlines in this clear, compassionate, liberating book. Its innovative approach to solving ongoing emotional problems will help you create a more fulfilling, productive life.

A major new history of the Crusades with an unprecedented wide scope, told in a tableau of portraits of people on all sides of the wars, from the author of Powers and Thrones.

For more than one thousand years, Christians and Muslims lived side by side, sometimes at peace and sometimes at war. When Christian armies seized Jerusalem in 1099, they began the most notorious period of conflict between the two religions. Depending on who you ask, the fall of the holy city was either an inspiring legend or the greatest of horrors. In Crusaders, Dan Jones interrogates the many sides of the larger story, charting a deeply human and avowedly pluralist path through the crusading era.

Expanding the usual timeframe, Jones looks to the roots of Christian-Muslim relations in the eighth century and tracks the influence of crusading to present day. He widens the geographical focus to far-flung regions home to so-called enemies of the Church, including Spain, North Africa, southern France, and the Baltic states. By telling intimate stories of individual journeys, Jones illuminates these centuries of war not only from the perspective of popes and kings, but from Arab-Sicilian poets, Byzantine princesses, Sunni scholars, Shi'ite viziers, Mamluk slave soldiers, Mongol chieftains, and barefoot friars.

Crusading remains a rallying call to this day, but its role in the popular imagination ignores the cooperation and complicated coexistence that were just as much a feature of the period as warfare. The age-old relationships between faith, conquest, wealth, power, and trade meant that crusading was not only about fighting for the glory of God, but also, among other earthly reasons, about gold. In this richly dramatic narrative that gives voice to sources usually pushed to the margins, Dan Jones has written an authoritative survey of the holy wars with global scope and human focus.

The Little Book of Light Codes contains a series of 52 symbols which are channeled, healing Codes of Light from the Universe, designed to help human beings along on our unique and individual paths. Through the visual assistance of the symbols, your journey to peace and happiness is brought forth in a unique way. The Light Language has been developed and given to us at this time to assist in our spiritual healing, releasing our pain and suffering, while bringing more love, abundance, and harmony into our hearts and lives.

These Light Codes offer access to gentle and powerful energies which can activate healing on all levels of the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual planes, are designed to repair DNA and heal your Chakras. You are invited to work your way through the book, and open to all the potential wisdom provided by the Light Codes. Simple exercises and meditations are included, to assist you in utilizing these vibrational energies most effectively while you manifest your Love and Light.

Each image will resonate with a difficult issue in your life at any given moment. You may find yourself drawn to a particular light language one day, and feel resistance to it the next, depending upon what energies, stressors, or triggers you are working with in your life. As you work with the messages, wisdom, and frequencies expressed by each symbol, your process will be as personalized and as deep as you choose. The energy frequency each symbol emits and the information they offer is infinite. Simply by looking at a symbol, you will gain the knowledge your soul is seeking in order to perfect itself and reflect Divine Love.

As you move through the book, you may experience release, change, and even total transformation in your physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual bodies. Just flow with it! Follow your inner guidance and intuition―and trust the unfolding. The time has come to take back your personal power with the strength and Love you hold within your Heart. Humanity is at a crossroads: heal and ascend, or continue walking through darkness.

Laara is here to help humanity find Light, find Love, and find the joy and freedom that is our birthright. Everyone has the ability to live the life they choose―but it is up to the individual to make the conscious choice to heal that which no longer serves them in creating the abundant life of their dreams. Everything is possible...and The Little Book of Light Codes can provide a holistic method of re-discovering that which is already known but that has been temporarily forgotten.

May these Light Codes remind you of the innate and infinite Love, Wisdom, and Light that you hold within yourself.

Inspirational reflections on life and yoga for on and off the mat--from a leading expert in yoga training, therapeutics, and philosophy

Judith Hanson Lasater has been teaching an annual yoga retreat at Feathered Pipe Ranch, in Helena, Montana, for twenty-eight years. When Lasater learned that one of her students was collecting her thoughts--which she called "Judith's aphorisms"--Lasater decided to compile them into this inspirational book for yoga practitioners of all levels.

Featuring one thought for each day of the year--along with a suggested practice--these brief, powerful insights reflect the author's knowledge of classic yoga philosophy and years of experience. Humorous, inspiring, and surprisingly down-to-earth, they guide seekers both on and off the yoga mat. These aphorisms address love, asana, fear, trust, expectations, pranayama, suffering, laughter, presence, the Yoga Sutra, and much more. They emphasize the experience of being present to one's self and to life's ups and downs--day by day, breath by breath, moment by moment. A Year of Living Your Yoga is a gentle invitation to readers to know themselves on a deeper level.

Enhance well-being and fulfillment in just 5 minutes each day!

Our gratitude journal helps you experience the power of thankfulness, personal growth, and mental health.

Nowadays, it isn't too easy to feel good about yourself, especially at work, with friends, or even surrounded by plenty of thoughts. That's why our 5-minute gratitude journal helps you focus on what's significant and release the thoughts and feelings that prevent you from being grateful.

Let go of the negative thoughts and feelings. Grab a copy today!

Features:

The perfect paperback size (120 pages at 6″ x 9″)

Unique interior with different frames and designs;

Pages with floral design to color;

A variety of gratitude questions per every single page;

Short, guided, and spiritual;

Significantly well-picked quotes - some inspire you, some provoke you, and some offers reflection;

Easy and enjoyable;

Inspirational affirmations;

Stylish and professional-looking cover.

Allow yourself to discover that it isn't just a feeling; it is about a state of being!

This beautifully illustrated guide is the perfect gift for infusing magic into everyday life through a variety of practices including astrology, witchcraft, tarot, crystals, and magical recipes and spells.

Magic lives within all of us. It is our intuition, our power, our inner wisdom, and the energy we put out into the world. You don't need to have a special gift to practice magic. You also don't need to be defined as anything other than yourself to practice magic. Magicka demystifies the world of magic, making its concepts, terms, and practices accessible and approachable. Magicka emboldens modern mystics with ancient wisdom to embark on a journey of self-exploration by helping to connect us with our spiritual selves, and to tap into and trust our intuition in order to be confident and empowered in any situation, as well as for self-care, healing, and general wellness.

Through the guidance of author Carlota Santos, readers will discover how to harness the magic within themselves and manifest it in their lives. They will learn the energy of each astrological sign, how to set up a sacred space, and how to grow and maintain a magical garden and harness the energy properties of plants and herbs in a spell or ritual. There's also a guide to using essential stones and crystals (for example, when the moon is in Taurus, summon the powers of rose quartz and sapphire for self-love) as well recipes and rituals of all kinds. Seeking romantic love? Try the Gaelic Beltane ritual for attracting love, which includes a flower bath and candle ceremony. Or strengthen self-reflection and inner brightness with a ritual using white candles, wooden boxes, and laurel and lion's tooth leaves during the summer solstice celebration of Litha. Jam-packed with fun and easy-to-digest information in a beautiful, gifty package, Magicka is the ultimate resource for magic novices and experts alike.

VIRGO, WIDE AWAKE.
CLEAR MIND, FREE SPIRIT, TEACHER.
YOU HAVE WHAT WE NEED.

Who are you going to fall in love with next? What job should you really be in? When are you finally going to come into that big money? Why does everyone freak out when Mercury is in retrograde?

In our increasingly turbulent world, many of us are looking to the sky to find guidance in the ancient art of astrology. In Virgo, Stella Andromeda will tell you all you need to know about your astrological life as the virgin. Learn how to harness the ancient power of the zodiac and open your mind to what the universe can offer in ways you never would have imagined. With advice that covers everything from self-care to sex, this little book is your key to a very starry future.

Contents include: Get to Know Virgo: Lucky color; Virgo careers; How Virgo communicates / The Virgo Deep Dive: Self-care; The Virgo home; Food and cooking; How Virgo wants to be loved / Give Me More: Your birth chart, The Moon effect; Saturn return

A tutorial on the ancient practice of limpias to heal the mind, body, and soul

- Offers step-by-step instructions for the practice of limpias, shamanic cleansing rituals to heal, purify, and revitalize people as well as physical spaces

- Examines different types of limpia ceremonies, such as fire rites for transformation, water rites for cleansing and influencing, and sweeping rites for divination

- Explores the sacred stories behind limpia rituals and traces these curanderismo practices to their indigenous roots

Exploring the essential tools and practices of Mesoamerican shamans and curanderos, specifically the ancient Yukatek Maya and Mexica (Aztec), Erika Buenaflor, M.A., J.D., provides a step-by-step guide for conducting the most common practice within curanderismo: limpias. These practical and incredibly effective shamanic cleanses heal, purify, and revitalize people and spaces with herbs, flowers, eggs, feathers, fire, and water. They are also powerful tools for self-empowerment, spiritual growth, soul retrieval, rebirth, and gracefully opening up pathways for new beginnings.

Drawing on her 20 years' experience as a curandera and her graduate studies focused on Mesoamerican shamanism, the author traces modern curanderismo practices to their indigenous roots. She explores the sacred stories behind limpia rituals and examines different types of limpia ceremonies in depth, such as fire rites for transformation, water rites for cleansing and influencing, and sweeping rites for divination. She outlines how limpias work holistically to enable one to let go and cleanse the body, mind, and spirit of limiting beliefs, traumas, and broken stories; heal acute and chronic illnesses such as depression, insomnia, and anxiety; and revitalize and activate sacred spaces by renewing their essence and clearing negative energies. She explains the healing properties of the plants used in limpia rites and how to perform the medicinal chants used by the curanderos. In addition, the author details how the practice of platicas, heart-straightening talks, supports limpia rites by encouraging one to vocalize their needs as they eject traumas and unwanted energies from the body, setting the stage for self-awareness and healing.

Sharing the story of her own complete healing from a catastrophic injury with limpias as well as inspirational testimonies from others who have experienced limpias, the author provides a personal and thoroughly practical guide to the ancient shamanic method of limpias to promote healing and personal transformation in our times.

In the popular "Little Bit of" series: a fresh, accessible introduction to the practice of using pendulums.

With every swing of the pendulum, you can develop your spiritual energy. Dani Bryant, a green witch, provides an easy-to-follow guide that explains how to choose or craft your pendulum, and use it for dowsing and divination. You'll find rituals for clearing negativity, balancing chakras, making contact with the spirit world, meditation, generating accurate answers to your questions, and much more.

In 1804 Thomas Jefferson decided to study the gospels to see if he could distill the essence of Jesus' teachings into a concise book that could be quickly read and easily understood. This volume is the result, offering valuable insights into the teachings of Jesus Christ and into the mind and beliefs of Thomas Jefferson.

Jefferson used a razor to cut the sections where Jesus was teaching out and then he pasted them all together into a coherent narrative. In a sense this book is a precursor to the red letter editions of the bible emphasizing the teaching of Jesus.

A thoughtful and age-appropriate introduction to an unimaginable event--the Holocaust.

The Holocaust was a genocide on a scale never before seen, with as many as twelve million people killed in Nazi death camps--six million of them Jews. Gail Herman traces the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, whose rabid anti-Semitism led first to humiliating anti-Jewish laws, then to ghettos all over Eastern Europe, and ultimately to the Final Solution. She presents just enough information for an elementary-school audience in a readable, well-researched book that covers one of the most horrible times in history.

This entry in the New York Times best-selling series contains eighty carefully chosen illustrations and sixteen pages of black and white photographs suitable for young readers.

New York Times Bestseller

"Probably the best book on living with anxiety that I've ever read." - Mark Manson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

The Chinese believe that before you can conquer a beast, you must first make it beautiful.

Sarah Wilson first came across this Chinese proverb in psychiatrist Kay Redfield Jamison's memoir An Unquiet Mind, and it became the key to understanding her own lifelong struggle with anxiety. Wilson, bestselling author, journalist, and entrepreneur has helped over 1.5 million people worldwide to live better, healthier lives through her I Quit Sugar books and program. And all along, she has been managing chronic anxiety.

In First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, Wilson directs her intense focus and fierce investigating skills onto her lifetime companion, looking at the triggers and treatments, the fashions and fads. She reads widely and interviews fellow sufferers, mental health experts, philosophers, and even the Dalai Lama, processing all she learns through the prism of her own experiences.

Wilson offers readers comfort, humor, companionship, and practical tips for living with the Beast:

• Cultivate a "gratitude ritual." You can't be grateful and anxious at the same time.
• Eat to curb anxiety. Real food is your best friend.
• Just breathe. Embrace the healing power of meditation.
• Make your bed. Every day. Simple outer order creates inner calm.
• Study fellow fretters to know thyself. Emily Dickinson, Charles Darwin, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. all struggled with anxiety.
• Actively practice missing out. Forget FOMO, curl up on the couch, and order takeout.

Practical and poetic, wise and funny, First, We Make the Beast Beautiful is a small book with a big heart. It will encourage the myriad souls who dance with this condition to embrace it as a part of who they are, and to explore the possibilities it offers for a richer, fuller life.

Everything you need to know about self-care--especially for Libra!

Take Time for You, Libra!

It's me time--powered by the zodiac! Welcome star-powered strength and cosmic relief into your life with The Little Book of Self-Care for Libra.

While Libra very much values relationships, this book truly puts you first. Let the stars be your guide as you learn just how important astrology is to your self-care routine. Discover more about your sign and your ruling element, air, and then find the perfect set of self-care ideas and activities for you.

From indulging in silk pajamas to opening your living space, you will find more than one hundred ways to heal your mind, body, and active spirit. It's stellar self-care especially for you, Libra!

Discover hundreds of spells perfect for the modern-day witch to find love, build wealth, and shape your destiny!

At any given moment, you have the power to manifest lasting love, boost your prosperity, and shape your destiny. Written by Skye Alexander, spellcraft expert and the author of The Modern Guide to Witchcraft, this book teaches you how to harness your inner magic through incantations, potions, and charms. Whether you're looking to get the job of your dreams, rejuvenate your body, or bring good fortune to family and friends, each page provides you with a spell that can be re-created or personalized for your specific situation. With the tools in The Modern Witchcraft Spell Book, practicing witches will hone in on their natural talents and discover a whole new world of possibilities.