Collection: Spirituality & Religion

Who do you say I am? Jesus asked His first-century followers this critical question and He still asks today. Jesus: Sweetest Name I Know will help you answer this question and more. In just six weeks, you'll delve into God's Word to discover for yourself who Jesus is and why He matters. This topical study on the life and nature of Jesus Christ walks readers through the pages of God's Word to see what it says about the most notable figure in human history-the One who claims to be both God and man, the sinless One who conquered death, paid the penalty for sin, and offers life and a future even to those who fear they're beyond hope. Some people call Him a good man, others call Him a prophet. Still others call Him God Almighty! For the most important decision you will ever make, don't depend on the opinions of others-discover the truth for yourself about Jesus!

Updated and Revised 2nd Edition!

Irish Witchcraft from an Irish Witch is a delightful mixture of academia and accessibility; a book that explores Witchcraft in Ireland: how it was, is, and will be. It succeeds where many books have failed - fulfilling the longing for real Irish Witchcraft, while crafting the delicate balance between learning from the past and weaving a modern system based on truth and respect. Lora O'Brien is an Irish Draoí (user of magic) working closely with her heritage and her native land, providing a contemporary guide to genuine practice.

Irish Witchcraft from an Irish Witch explores the past:

• -- Providing an investigation of the Witches' place in Irish mythology.
• -- Looking at Witchcraft and magic by examining the customs connected with the Sidhe (the Irish Fairies).
• -- Examining historical evidence of the Witch trials that swept across the island of Ireland through the ages.

And the present and beyond by:

• -- Working with Irish Gods and Goddesses, landscapes, and energies.
• -- Examining the wheel of the year, with its festivals, cycles, and seasons of Irish culture.
• -- Looking at ritual progression through a Witch's life: magical training, physical growth.
• -- Providing alternatives to the traditional stages of a child's life in modern Irish culture.

When it was released in 2004, this was the first traditionally published Pagan book ever written by an Irish author. It was the book that this author had sought, for over a decade previously... The 2nd edition of this book continues to do now what it did for so many on first publication - it bridges the gap between 'Celtic' NeoPagan nonsense, and authentic Irish Pagan Practice.

A holistic method for resolving individual and intergenerational trauma

- Explains how the author came to develop her system by integrating ancestral tribal wisdom with a fusion of two Western healing systems: Somatic Experiencing and Systemic Family Constellations Therapy

- Shares stories from her healing work around the world, showing how this system can help resolve PTSD, depression, sexual trauma, addiction, and chronic illness

- Presents action steps that readers can take immediately to engage the personal healing process

The journey to healing trauma is not always straightforward. As Euphrasia "Efu" Nyaki reveals in detail, the healing process is a complex ritual of energy movement on the physical, emotional, and spiritual levels.

Born and raised on Mount Kilimanjaro's slopes in Tanzania, East Africa, Efu explains how she came to develop her profoundly successful system for helping people heal trauma by integrating ancestral tribal wisdom with a fusion of two Western healing systems: Somatic Experiencing and Systemic Family Constellations Therapy. She shares how her journey to become a healer was initiated by her Grandfather, who told her the legend of the sacred healing snail of the Nyaki clan. She explains how she discovered Somatic Experiencing and Systemic Family Constellations Therapy, and how combining these therapies created a powerful system for releasing cellular memories and healing the intergenerational and collective traumas hidden beneath the surface of suffering. Sharing stories from her healing work around the world, she presents action steps, such as meditations, breathwork, or creating a family tree, that readers can take immediately to regulate their nervous systems, deepen their awareness, and engage the personal healing process.

Demonstrating how trauma survivors can transform their suffering into vibrant wholeness, the author shows how healing trauma is the result of bringing the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of our lives into an integrated coherence.

The Game with Minutes (1953) by missionary Frank C. Laubach is a short work that asks Christians to bring Christ into every minute of their day. Rather than approaching this goal as a chore, the book treats it as a game that will feed the practitioner's soul and lead them to a greater, more joyful relationship with Christ.

American missionary, writer, and literary advocate Frank C. Laubach (1884-1970) spent much of his life building evangelical churches and spreading Christianity throughout the Philippines. As part of his religious work, he also placed a heavy emphasis on literacy, developing an "each one teach one" method encouraging new readers to help others. His work led to an explosion of literacy across the island.

During his missionary work in the Philippine city of Dansalan (renamed Marawi in 1956), Laubach wrote a series of letters to his father. It's in one of these letters, dated January 20, 1930, that he first mentions his new plan of bringing Christ into every minute of his life. After his own experimentation with a fuller submission to God, Laubach found great spiritual growth and renewal from the practice.

A few years after writing that letter, he published this short tract, The Game with Minutes, in the Philippines. It's immediately clear that what began as a personal experiment had grown into a philosophy that he was eager to share with the world. To bring Christians closer to God, Laubach recommends a two-part strategy that will bring Christ into their lives more fully. Taking the disciples as his guides, who were asked to spend every hour talking, working, resting, eating, and being with Christ, he suggests a two-part strategy for the modern Christian.

First, he suggests a daily study hour in which to read and re-read the life of Jesus in the Gospels. And second, he asks the reader to call Christ to mind at least one second of every minute, inviting Him to share in everything we do. This practice allows Christians to continue living their normal lives, taking nothing away from their work or leisure but bringing Christ into their everyday lives.

"We call this a 'game, '" he writes, "because it is a delightful experience and an exhilarating spiritual exercise; but we soon discover that it is far more than a game."

Laubach includes recommendations for playing the game, with ways to incorporate thoughts of Christ into church, while walking on the street, in a crowd, in conversation, at mealtimes, while reading or studying, when thinking, just before sleep, and more. Through this consistent thought, Laubach explains, we can find a better relationship with Christ, purer minds, greater contentment and ease of mind, and fewer jealousies, grudges, and prejudices.

But these rewards do not come without a cost. There is the effort and perseverance necessary to stick with the game. There is the surrender of our wills to God. And he proposes the requirement to spread the word of the game to others who may be helped by it.

Laubach believed that playing this game could have an enormous impact on the world, as well as the individual. Among his contemporaries, he noticed that less than half of Christians attended church services regularly and that the sermons they heard only occasionally spoke about Christ.

"Less than ten minutes a week given to thinking about Christ by one-sixth of the people is not saving our country or our world; for selfishness, greed, and hate are getting a thousand times that much thought. What a nation thinks about, that it is."

It was his hope that by playing the game, Christians could become a stronger force for good-not through coercion or proselytizing, but by bringing Christ into every minute of the day and every interaction in the world.

Originally published in 1647, Christian Astrology is a guide to horary astrology, in which astrological charts are created to answer specific questions based on place and exact time. Written by the foremost astrologer in the 1600s, it is still considered an authority on the subject today. This version is a complete combined edition; it was originally published by Cosimo in three separate volumes. Topics include: - the characteristics and motions of the "seven" planets - how to cast a horary horoscopes - how to know whether events predicted will come to pass - how to interpret questions on specific subjects, such as longevity, wealth, and marriage - what is signified by such aspects as the querent's face and hair color - how to interpret infirmities of the body - the importance of the questioner's religion - and much more! Readers interested in the history of the paranormal, as well as contemporary fans of astrology, will find this a fascinating book. WILLIAM LILLY (1602-1681) was the most prominent English astrologer of the 17th century-he supposedly predicted the Great Fire of London of 1666 fourteen years before the event. He was a trusted advisor of numerous politicians and soldiers and an influential player in the English Civil War on the anti-royal Roundhead factions.

Prepare to be scared!
This fully illustrated, award-winning collection of ghost stories will send shivers down your spine.

If you're fascinated by haunted houses, ghostly graveyards, historic haunts, institutional apparitions, or spirited saloons, this spooky and spine-tingling collection of supernatural stories from across the US will tantalize your paranormal palate. Some of these hot spots are open to the public (and we include their address and website information), while others are private residences with no visitors allowed. In this bone-chilling volume, witnesses tell terrifyingly true tales of cursed roads, ghoulish schools, eerie eateries, and more--so expect to be frightened out of your wits!

Now in a modern square format, featuring more photographs and illustrations and a fresh new design.

A shamanic ritual with the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet to bring about alchemical transformation at the deepest levels of your being

- Details how to work with Sekhmet to transform your negative behavior patterns and character flaws into creative impulses and higher energies

- Leads you through guided visualizations, illustrated with photographs, to Sekhmet's chapel at the Temple of Karnak and through her shamanic ritual of transformation

- Includes initiations, rites of passage, and transmissions from Sekhmet to release your fears and anger and rejuvenate your body, mind, and spirit

Sekhmet is the lioness goddess of the Egyptian Pantheon, a fierce protector of truth, balance, and the Cosmic order of Ma'at. Known and feared as the goddess of war and destruction, she also represents the transformative power of kundalini energy, or sekhem, and is the main goddess to harness this power for healing. As "She Who Comes in Times of Chaos," she takes offerings of fear, rage, and weakness and transforms them into alchemical gold, the universal medicine for physical, emotional, and soul healing.

In this book you are guided through a shamanic ritual of alchemical transformation and initiation with Sekhmet, working with this powerful goddess to release your most deeply rooted negative behavior patterns and be reborn into a more purified state of consciousness. Using intensive self-examination exercises to help you prepare to meet the goddess, the author leads you through a guided visualization, illustrated with photographs, to an ancient statue of Sekhmet in her chapel at the Temple of Karnak. There, you will be shamanistically devoured by the goddess, directly experiencing the alchemical process of transformation in the belly of Sekhmet until you are rebirthed as a fully realized adult child of the goddess. You will experience how your offering of pain, fear, rage, and self-sabotage is digested, absorbed, and assimilated by Sekhmet while you are initiated into the alchemy of total transformation. The initiations, rites of passage, and transmissions from Sekhmet included in the journey restructure the most important aspects of your body, mind, spirit, and soul.

This journey of shamanic death, illumination, and rebirth in the belly of Sekhmet provides an opportunity to heal on all levels and allows you to release your rage, anger, and fear as you transform the energies that maintained them into creative and constructive solutions that benefit yourself, your community, and the planet.

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

The Japanese art of Reiki can reduce stress, aid relaxation, enhance energy, and promote healing. Expert teacher Valerie Oula introduces you to this profoundly beneficial hands-on practice, providing a history of Reiki and an overview of how it works. She includes exercises and meditations to help you tune into reiki energy and shows you where to go to experience a session and what to do to become a Reiki practitioner.

The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya is the first-ever English-language dictionary of Mesoamerican mythology and religion. Nearly 300 entries, from accession to yoke, describe the main gods and symbols of the Olmecs, Zapotecs, Maya, Teotihuacanos, Mixtecs, Toltecs, and Aztecs. Topics range from jaguar and jester gods to reptile eye and rubber, from creation accounts and sacred places to ritual practices such as bloodletting, confession, dance, and pilgrimage. In addition, two introductory essays provide succinct accounts of Mesoamerican history and religion, while a substantial bibliographical survey directs the reader to original sources and recent discussions. Dictionary entries are illustrated with photographs and specially commissioned line drawings. Mary Miller and Karl Taube draw on their research in the fast-changing field of Maya studies, and on the latest Mexican discoveries, to produce an authoritative work that will serve as a standard reference for students, scholars, and travelers.

"Kabbala" is an introductory review of the history and traditional uses of the three major versions of the Jewish, Christian, and Hermetic Qabalah. It includes an in-depth study of the components of the three forms of the Tree, the Geronese or Jewish Tree. Kircher's Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge, or what is often called the Left-Hand Path Tree. The major components include the study of the 10 Sephiroth, the various uses and presentation of the 32 Paths, the Tarot cards associated with the Paths and the Hebrew Letters and their meanings as it pertains to the Kabbalah. Other topics include the historic teachers and reformers of the Trees, and the many major organizations that center their teachings around the Tree from the Golden Dawn to The Dragon Rouge.

Internationally renowned motivational teacher and popular theologian Caroline Myss has created a transcendent work of unique insight and revelation in Entering the Castle. A highly original inner path to self-knowledge, the Castle is also the road to spir

Thich Nhat Hanh's central teaching is that, through mindfulness, we can learn to live in the present moment instead of in the past and in the future. It's only way to truly develop peace, both in one's self and in the world. Now, for the first time, all Thich Nhat Hanh's key practices are collected in one accessible and easy-to-use volume.

Happiness is structured to introduce those new to Buddhist teachings as well as for more experienced practitioners, serving as a quintessential resource of mindfulness practices. Integrating these practices into daily life allows the reader to begin to cultivate peace and joy within him/herself, leading to solidity and freedom from fear, misunderstanding, and suffering.

With the practices offered in Happiness, Thich Nhat Hanh encourages the reader to learn to do all the things they do in daily life with mindfulness; to walk, sit, work, eat, and drive, with full awareness of what they are doing. It can bring about a shift towards one of the principles of engaged Buddhism, a shift towards practicing mindfulness in every moment of the day and not just while 'formally' meditating.

Thich Nhat Hanh encourages his readers to "try to be intelligent and skillful in their practice, approaching every aspect of the practice with curiosity and a sense of search. It's important to practice with understanding and not just for the form and appearance. Enjoy your practice with a relaxed and gentle attitude, with an open mind and receptive heart."

A radical new interpretation of the Buddha's most important, most studied teaching, the Heart Sutra--from the great Zen master and peace activist behind The Miracle of Mindfulness.

In September 2014, Thich Nhat Hanh completed a profound and beautiful new English translation of the Prajñaparamita Heart Sutra, one of the most important and well-known sutras in Buddhism.

The Heart Sutra is recited daily in Mahayana temples and practice centers throughout the world. This new translation came about because Thich Nhat Hanh believes that the patriarch who originally compiled the Heart Sutra was not sufficiently skillful with his use of language to capture the intention of the Buddha's teachings--and has resulted in fundamental misunderstandings of the central tenets of Buddhism for almost 2,000 years.

In The Other Shore, Thich Nhat Hanh provides the new translation with commentaries based on his interpretation. Revealing the Buddha's original intention and insight makes clear what it means to transcend duality and pairs of opposites, such as birth and death, and to touch the ultimate reality and the wisdom of nondiscrimination. By helping to demystify the term "emptiness," the Heart Sutra is made more accessible and understandable.

Prior to the publication of The Other Shore, Thich Nhat Hanh's translation and commentaries of the Heart Sutra, called The Heart of Understanding, sold more than 120,000 copies in various editions and is one of the most beloved commentaries of this critical teaching. This new book, The Other Shore, supersedes all prior translations.

This second edition of the bestselling Orthodoxy & Heterodoxy is fully revised and significantly expanded. Major new features include a full chapter on Pentecostalism and the Charismatic movements, an expanded epilogue ("Relations with the Non-Orthodox") and a new appendix ("How and Why I Became an Orthodox Christian"). More detail and more religions and movements have been included, and the book is now addressed broadly to both Orthodox and non-Orthodox, making it even more sharable than before.

For reference, the first edition was called

Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: Exploring Belief Systems Through the Lens of the Ancient Christian Faith

Are you an Orthodox Christian who wonders how to explain to your Baptist grandmother, your Buddhist neighbor, or the Jehovah s Witness at your door how your faith differs from theirs? Or are you a member of another faith who is curious what Orthodoxy is all about? Look no further. In Orthodoxy & Heterodoxy, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick covers the gamut of ancient heresies, modern Christian denominations, fringe groups, and major world religions, highlighting the main points of each faith. This book is an invaluable reference for anyone who wants to understand the faiths of those they come in contact with as well as their own.

"The Essentials of Buddhist Meditation" is a classic Buddhist meditation instruction manual deeply rooted in the Indian Buddhist "calming-and-insight" meditation tradition. Within its tradition, it is the universally-acknowledged standard beginning-to-intermediate meditation manual, one which offers perhaps the most reliable, comprehensive, and practically-useful Buddhist meditation instruction currently available in English. The author of "The Essentials" is the sixth-century monk and meditation master, Shramana Zhiyi (Chih-i), one of the most illustrious figures in the history of Chinese Buddhism. Master Zhiyi is famous for his role in the founding of the Tiantai teachings lineage and for his authorship of a quartet of meditation manuals of which this is one. The translator of this volume is the American monk, Bhikshu Dharmamitra, a translator of numerous classic works from the Indian and Chinese Buddhist traditions.

Ahora una serie de Netflix.

Nueva edición del gran fenómeno editorial: La catedral del mar, de Ildefonso Falcones, con prólogo del autor.

Una catedral construida por el pueblo y para el pueblo en la Barcelona medieval es el escenario de una apasionante historia de intriga, violencia y pasión.

Siglo XIV. La ciudad de Barcelona se encuentra en su momento de mayor prosperidad; ha crecido hacia la Ribera, el humilde barrio de los pescadores, cuyos habitantes deciden construir, con el dinero de unos y el esfuerzo de otros, el mayor templo mariano jamás conocido: Santa María de la Mar.

Una construcción que es paralela a la azarosa historia de Arnau, un siervo de la tierra que huye de los abusos de su señor feudal y se refugia en Barcelona, donde se convierte en ciudadano y, con ello, en hombre libre.

El joven Arnau trabaja como palafrenero, estibador, soldado y cambista. Una vida extenuante, siempre al amparo de la catedral de la mar, que le iba a llevar de la miseria del fugitivo a la nobleza y la riqueza. Pero con esta posición privilegiada también le llega la envidia de sus pares, que urden una sórdida conjura que pone su vida en manos de la Inquisición.

La catedral del mar es una trama en la que se entrecruzan lealtad y venganza, traición y amor, guerra y peste, en un mundo marcado por la intolerancia religiosa, la ambición material y la segregación social. Todo ello convierte esta obra no sólo en una novela absorbente, sino también en la más fascinante y ambiciosa recreación de las luces y sombras de la época feudal.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

Now a Netflix Series.

An unforgettable fresco of a golden age in fourteenth-century Barcelona, Cathedral of the Sea is a thrilling historical novel of friendship and revenge, plague and hope, love and war.

Arnau Estanyol arrives in Barcelona to find a city dominated by the construction of the city's great pride--the cathedral of Santa Maria del Mar--and by its shame, the deadly Inquisition. As a young man, Arnau joins the powerful guild of stoneworkers and helps to build the church with his own hands, while his best friend and adopted brother Joanet studies to become a priest.

With time, Arnau prospers and falls secretly in love with a forbidden woman. But when he is betrayed and hauled before the Inquisitor, he finds himself face-to-face with Joanet. Will he lose his life just as his beloved Cathedral of the Sea is finally completed, or will his brother save him?