Collection: Spirituality & Religion

Plants of the Qur-an is the first book to examine the flora mentioned in this major religious text, illustrated with fifty vivid new paintings.

The Qur'an is one of the world's foundational religious texts, a source of wisdom and spiritual guidance to the 1.8 billion adherents of Islam worldwide. It has been analyzed as a historic work of narrative art, an exemplar of classical Arabic poetry and prose, and a code for human morality, but one aspect of it has remained unexplored until now: the plants that are written about its pages.
Plants of the Qur'an is the first book to explore the plant life in this holy book. Looking at familiar flora like pomegranates, grapes, ginger, and garlic, Ghazanfar illuminates the contexts in which they're mentioned in the Qur'an: as food, medicine, beauty products, and even simple shade. She reframes the historical and cultural associations of the thirty plants featured most prominently, including citations of where the plant is mentioned in the Qur'an, detailed etymologies, and botanical descriptions. Additionally, each plant described is beautifully depicted in full-color botanical paintings by Sue Wickison, making this book also the first illustrated collection of Quranic plants. Ghazanfar and Wickison take us on a fascinating journey with these important Middle Eastern plants that is brought to life with vivid paintings, shining a new light on a literary pillar of world religion.

Foundations in Spiritual Direction visually repeats the process and atmosphere that occurs when deep listening and respectful sharing take place. Through the interplay of text and sacred art images, the book is designed to re-awaken our metaphorical minds and liberate our intuitive knowing. Reading and viewing each chapter meditatively in the time-honored manner of sacred reading, allows words to engage more deeply in our mind and heart.

To facilitate this process, Foundations in Spiritual Direction includes meditative practices drawn from the world's religions, suggestions for further study and research, and informative definitions of spiritual terminology. To achieve maximum benefit from the book, readers are encouraged to try each of the meditation and prayer practices, and investigate further the new concepts and insights presented.

Following the subsection of each chapter is a page of journal questions. These are designed to facilitate the awakening of inner wisdom through the process of writing. Perhaps the most important benefit of journaling is to write freely and openly from the heart, drinking from the great well of silence within.

The greatest athletes in the world today are not the Olympic champions or the stars of professional sports, but the "marathon monks" of Japan's sacred Mount Hiei. Over a seven-year training period, these "running buddhas" figuratively circle the globe on foot. During one incredible 100-day stretch, they cover 52.5 miles daily--twice the length of an Olympic marathon. And the prize they seek to capture is the greatest thing a human being can achieve: enlightenment in the here and now.

This book is about these amazing men, the magic mountain on which they train, and the philosophy of Tendai Buddhism, which inspires them in their quest for the supreme. The reader will learn about the monks' death-defying fasts, their vegetarian training diet, their handmade straw running shoes, and feats of endurance such as their ceremonial leap into a waterfall. Illustrated with superb photographs, the book also contains the first full-length study in English of Mount Hiei and Tendai Buddhism.

John Stevens lived in Japan for thirty-five years, where he was a professor of Buddhist studies at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai. Stevens is a widely respected translator, an ordained Buddhist priest, a curator of several major exhibitions of Zen art, and an aikido instructor. He has authored more than thirty books and is one of the foremost Western experts on aikido, holding a ranking of 7th dan Aikikai. Stevens has also studied calligraphy for decades, authoring the classic Sacred Calligraphy of the East. Other John Stevens titles that are likely to be of interest include Extraordinary Zen Masters and The Philosophy of Aikido.

Readers interested in related titles from John Stevens will also want to see: Abundant Peace (ISBN: 1626543232), Aikido: The Way of Harmony (ISBN: 1626543275), Sacred Calligraphy of the East (ISBN: 162654994X), Secrets of Aikido (ISBN: 1626543259), The Philosophy of Aikido (ISBN: 1626549931), Extraordinary Zen Masters (ISBN: 1626549923).

It breaks down barriers to accessing this ancient tradition for modern seekers by dispelling myths about the Muslim faith concerning gender bias, inclusivity and appreciation for diversity.

A new edition of an occult classic, which includes a new introduction by Mary K. Greer, author of Women of the Golden Dawn, and a new afterword with excerpts from rarely seen documents by Fortune herself describing how the book came about.

After finding herself the subject of a powerful psychic attack in the 1930s, famed British occultist Dion Fortune wrote this detailed instruction manual on protecting oneself from paranormal attack. This classic psychic self-defense guide explains how to understand the signs of a psychic attack, vampirism, hauntings, and methods of defense.

Everything you need to know about the methods, motives, and physical aspects of a psychic attack and how to overcome it is here, along with a look at the role psychic elements play in mental illness and how to recognize them.

This is one of the best guides to detection and defense against psychic attack from one of the leading occult writers of the twentieth century.

This Weiser Classics edition of Dion Fortune's Psychic Self-Defense includes a new forward by Mary K. Greer, author of numerous books including Tarot for Your Self, and a new afterword by Christian Gilson that chronicles the original context surrounding Dion Fortune's writing of the book. Mr. Gibson is the editor of The Inner Light, the journal published by the Society of Inner Light.

Instant New York Times Bestseller

A simple, straightforward exploration of Transcendental Meditation and its benefits from world authority Bob Roth.

Oprah Winfrey and Jerry Seinfeld. Ray Dalio and Ellen DeGeneres. Gwyneth Paltrow and Howard Stern. Tom Hanks and Gisele Bündchen.

What do they have in common? The answer is a Transcendental Meditation teacher named Bob Roth, who has spent the past fifty years helping many thousands of people access their innate creativity and power through this simple, nonreligious technique. Roth's students range from titans of business and the arts to federal prisoners, from war-scarred veterans to overworked moms and dads.

Medical experts agree that the epidemic of stress is damaging our physical and emotional health at younger and younger ages. While there is no one single cure, the Transcendental Meditation technique is a simple practice that dramatically changes how we respond to stress and life's challenges. With scientifically proven benefits-- reduced stress and anxiety, and improved focus, sleep, resilience, creativity, and memory, to name a few--this five-thousand-year-old technique has a clear and direct impact on our very modern problems.

Once a skeptic, Roth trained under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the twentieth century's foremost scientist of consciousness and meditation, and has since become one of the most experienced and sought-after meditation teachers in the world. In Strength in Stillness, Roth breaks down the science behind Transcendental Meditation in a new, accessible way. He highlights the three distinct types of meditation--Focused Attention, Open Monitoring, and Self-Transcending--and showcases the evidence that the third, Self-Transcending, or Transcendental Meditation, is a uniquely accessible, effective, and efficient way to reduce stress, access inner power, and build resilience.

Free of gimmicks, mystical verbiage, and obscure theory, Strength in Stillness offers a clear explanation for how Transcendental Meditation can calm the mind, body, and spirit.

The channeled Guides of I Am the Word provide a concise and immensely powerful program in self-awareness that can ease negative complexes and align your existence with its highest purpose.

Humanity has lost itself. Both as individuals and as a world culture, we have forgotten our true nature. In I Am the Word, writer and medium Paul Selig has recorded an extraordinary program for self- realization, as dispensed through beings of higher intelligence, sometimes called Guides or Ascended Masters. These figures seek, as they have in the past, to assist men and women in discovering the higher, purposeful nature-or "Christed Self"-that lies dormant within us all.

In a series of enticing, irresistibly practical dialogues, the Guides of I Am the Word identify the emotional "boulders" that displace our authentic selves and consume our potential. The Guides provide to-the-point psychological and existential insights, along with self-developing exercises and affirmations, which begin to strip away residues of fear, self-doubt, and self-suffocating habits.

The Book of Hermetica is the definitive collection of the most pivotal texts of hermetic wisdom. It includes the three most critical books in the cannon-- Corpus Hermeticum, The Emerald Tablet, and The Kybalion.

Corpus Hermeticum and The Emerald Tablet are both attributed to Hermes Trismegistus and were written between 100-300 BCE. These works form the foundation of hermetic wisdom, expounding on philosophy, religion, magic, and alchemy. The Kybalion was written much later, in the 20th century, and explores the seven basic hermetic principles. Faithfully reproduced in The Book of Hermetica, these esoteric writings have inspired great minds throughout the ages--everyone from Newton and Milton to Leonardo da Vinci and Jung--and modern readers will find their pages equally fascinating.

The Book of Hermetica is the perfect introduction to the mysteries of hermeticism and essential reading for anyone interested in understanding western mystical thought through the ages.

Eliseo Torres, known as "Cheo," grew up in the Corpus Christi area of Texas and knew, firsthand, the Mexican folk healing practiced in his home and neighborhood. Later in life, he wanted to know more about the plants and rituals of curanderismo.

Torres's story begins with his experiences in the Mexican town of Espinazo, the home of the great curandero El Niño Fidencio (1899-1939), where Torres underwent life-changing spiritual experiences. He introduces us to some of the major figures in the tradition, discusses some of the pitfalls of teaching curanderismo, and concludes with an account of a class he taught in which curanderos from Cuernavaca, Mexico, shared their knowledge with students.

Part personal pilgrimage, part compendium of medical knowledge, this moving book reveals curanderismo as both a contemplative and a medical practice that can offer new approaches to ancient problems.

From Curandero

". . . for centuries, rattlesnakes were eaten to prevent any number of conditions and illnesses, including arthritis and rheumatism. In Mexico and in other Latin American countries, rattlesnake meat is actually sold in capsule form to treat impotence and even to treat cancer. Rattlesnake meat is also dried and ground and sprinkled into open wounds and body sores to heal them, and a rattlesnake ointment is made that is applied to aches and pains as well."

A motley assortment of characters seek peace and salvation in this early masterpiece by the Booker Prize-winning author of The Sea, The Sea

A lay community of thoroughly mixed-up people is encamped outside Imber Abbey, home of an order of sequestered nuns. A new bell is being installed when suddenly the old bell, a legendary symbol of religion and magic, is rediscovered. And then things begin to change. Meanwhile the wise old Abbess watches and prays and exercises discreet authority. And everyone, or almost everyone, hopes to be saved, whatever that may mean. Originally published in 1958, this funny, sad, and moving novel is about religion, sex, and the fight between good and evil.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

This is Dr. Roberto Assagioli's second book on the psychological system he formulated known as Psychosynthesis. It continues where his first book left off and delves into the important process of willing as a psychological function based on a higher self rather on guilt or determination as in the Victorian concept of the will.

The church is in decline for the first time in America's history. For many reasons, fewer people walk through church doors and make meaningful connections. The church has lost its steam. If you have questions regarding what to do about this, Chris Sonksen-pastor and founder of ChurchBoom, an organization dedicated to church growth-has some answers.In his latest book, Traction, through the paradigm of a steam locomotive, you'll explore the importance of the following five facets affecting most churches today:
■ Engine: Growth Strategies■ Fuel: Leadership and Finances■ Tracks: Staying on Course■ Conductor: The Essential Role of the Pastor■ Cars: Alignment of Staff, Leaders, and the Congregation
If barriers have left you feeling stuck, let Traction bring you up to speed, so you can gain momentum and smash through them. Get on board. The kingdom of God is too important to let things slide!

Emergency services personnel are truly valuable assets to every community and city. They enter into the worst situations, establish control, provide aid, and right the wrongs. The work of public safety is challenging and at times overwhelming. Being a first responder can take a significant toll on those who serve. Code Four: Surviving and Thriving in Public Safety is a survival guide for first responders. Designed to normalize what first responders face and to offer solutions, this book is written to teach public servants how to care for themselves and how to implement the necessary cultural changes to improve mental health in emergency services.

Does unhelpful thinking influence your sporting performance, or the athletes you work with?

Athletes of all levels experience barriers to performance beyond the physical challenges they face. These can range from, performance anxiety, overthinking, and lack of concentration, to issues of motivation or difficulties when dealing with team members.

ACT - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - is a modern and effective psychological approach based on a scientific understanding of human thought and emotional processes. ACT uses a practical and easy-to-use framework for skill development through values-based action, commitment, defusion, mindfulness, and acceptance.

By utilising ACT, athletes will flourish into their better selves and improve their performances across their sports and beyond.

ACT in Sport is a practical workbook that provides a variety of simple strategies for athletes, sport psychologists, and coaches - regardless of their level of ability - for growing their skills. It is a manual for anyone wanting to become familiar with this increasingly popular but poorly understood approach to the psychology of sports performance.

More than 20 practical exercises are included, and a free-to-download workbook accompanies the book.

Foreword by Patrick Smith and Steven C. Hayes.

As Hurricane Caleb slams into the small town of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, twenty-four-year-old Liam weathers personal storms in his own life. Reeling from an unexpected tragedy, he wanders the coast like an invisible man. He lives largely unnoticed, save for his friend, Aubrey, and her mother who lives with dialysis. As the threat of the storm draws closer, eerie encounters and strange dreams awaken old traumatic memories for each of them in a Low Country haunted by a few old ghosts of its own...

Based on one of the most famous spirit tales of the Carolinas, Gray Man is a quick and engaging read with a fast-paced plot, interesting, complex characters, and powerful themes of love, loss, and friendship. This poignant novella is a love letter to Pawleys Island that might just leave you with a few new thoughts on an old legend...