A spiritual crisis sent Orthodox rabbi Gershon Winkler to remote regions of the Southwest, where he studied with Native American healers. From them he began to recover the long-lost wisdom of what he calls “Aboriginal Judaism”: the religion’s tribal roots. This book tracks his personal journey and draws from a dazzling mix of sources to detail the surprising connections between two seemingly unrelated religions.
From a pioneering researcher, this book synthesizes the best current knowledge on resilience in children and adolescents. Ann S. Masten explores what allows certain individuals to thrive and adapt despite adverse circumstances, such as poverty, chronic family problems, or exposure to trauma. Coverage encompasses the neurobiology of resilience as well as the role of major contexts of development: families, schools, and culture. Identifying key protective factors in early childhood and beyond, Masten provides a cogent framework for designing programs to promote resilience. Complex concepts are carefully defined and illustrated with real-world examples.
Spiritual practice and meditation are often thought of as being the province of priests, monks, and nuns—those few individuals who have returned from the preoccupations of day-to-day life. This inspiring book reveals how the simple practice of mindfulness can be a magical and transformative part of anyone's daily life. Thirty-five wide-ranging essays written by well-known spiritual teachers, therapists, and creative artists show how learning to focus awareness can bring a new richness to ordinary activities; how mindfulness can heighten creative pursuits such as painting, journal writing, or playing music; how contemplative awareness enhances both physical and psychological well-being; and how meditation can contribute to better relationships with family, community, and the world at large.
Find Wonder in the Ordinary is not only the story of one person's journey back to their inner child, but it also is a guide for the reader do the same. As children, we view the world quite differently. With a sense of wonder. As we grow older, this is somewhat pushed out of us. Occasionally we all have moments where something reminds us of being a child, but they are usually fleeting moments. This book helps regain that focus. Through natural wonders and mysteries of the Universe, you are reminded how to find the fascination within ordinary things...and beyond. As the writer states, this book is "more like a drinking buddy", a companion that will definitely change how you see the world. In other words, it is a kid's book for adults.
By returning to primary source material, including the Torah and ancient and medieval rabbinic literature, Rabbi Gershon Winkler illustrates the often uninhibited and celebrative attitudes towards sexuality and sensual pleasure found in Jewish teachings. Unfortunately, Judaism's healthy outlook on human desires and physical enjoyment has been nearly lost after centuries of subjection to host religions and cultures that have all but squelched the notion of sensuality. In this fascinating and often surprising volume, the myth of a 'Judeo-Christian' approach to sex is shattered.
This book offers penetrating insight into the nature and process of perception through a skillful interweaving of the concepts of the new physics, evolutionary biology, and cognitive psychology with the profound insights of meditative traditions. We are shown how we may go beyond the harsh and narrow limits of beliefs and habitual patterns of thought and behavior to awaken fresh perception that is fearless and compassionate, experiencing the sacredness of the ordinary world.
Uprooted from his home in India by a tragedy, Ganesh begins a new life in the Midwest where his experiences with Hinduism, Yoga, and mantras are considered alien.
"A beautiful, simply remarkable read on every dimension."--Mike Lewis, author of When to Jump: If the Job You Have Isn't the Life You Want How do you want to "do life"? We are bombarded with messages to do more, be better, and live a life worth living, but how do we do this in an increasingly complicated and fast-paced world? These are the questions Anthea Stratigos has been asking herself for more than twenty years. And the answers she provides here have fostered a way of living and working that's led to an immensely satisfying result. Through ten guiding principles, her stories share simple changes you can start making today to follow your heart and find your opportunities to thrive. From a humble upbringing, Anthea built a career and a business serving some of the Fortune 500's most successful companies, all while raising a blended family and nurturing her relationships. The brightest minds across industries turn to Anthea for trusted advice and leadership, but she didn't achieve this success by "doing it all," as they say. She prioritized, set boundaries, and made choices that made magic from the ordinary aspects of life. Enhanced by her grandson's illustrations that capture the essence of her advice, this book offers the same poignant stories and wisdom Anthea has shared with her friends and colleagues. Where will you find your magic in the mundane?
Anthropology's long and complex relationship to magic has been strongly influenced by western science and notions of rationality. This book takes a refreshing new look at modern magic as practised by contemporary Pagans in Britain. It focuses on what Pagans see as the essence of magic - a communication with an otherworldly reality. Examining issues of identity, gender and morality, the author argues that the otherworld forms a central defining characteristic of magical practice. Integrating an experiential ethnographic approach with an analysis of magic, this book asks penetrating questions about the nature of otherworldly knowledge and argues that our scientific frameworks need re-envisioning. It is unique in providing an insider's view of how magic is practised in contemporary western culture.
