Looking at the cultural responses to death and dying, this collection explores the emotional aspects that death provokes in humans, whether it is disgust, fear, awe, sadness, anger, or even joy. Whereas most studies of death and dying treat the subject from an objective viewpoint, the scholars in this collection recognize their inherent connection with death which allows for a new and more personal form of study. More broadly, this collection suggests a new paradigm in the study of death and dying.
In this 2006 text, Daniel M. Gurtner examines the meaning of the rending of the veil at the death of Jesus in Matthew 27:51a by considering the functions of the veil in the Old Testament and its symbolism in Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism. Gurtner incorporates these elements into a compositional exegesis of the rending text in Matthew. He concludes that the rending of the veil is an apocalyptic assertion like the opening of heaven revealing, in part, end-time images drawn from Ezekiel 37. Moreover, when the veil is torn Matthew depicts the cessation of its function, articulating the atoning role of Christ's death which gives access to God not simply in the sense of entering the Holy of Holies (as in Hebrews), but in trademark Matthean Emmanuel Christology: 'God with us'. This underscores the significance of Jesus' atoning death in the first gospel.
A mother and son recall a childhood of limited resources, tensions, and religiously advocated child abuse during the politically tempestuous '50s and '60s in Iran. Photos.
"Tika reaches her birthplace hoping to find a home, a family, and a safe haven, but Mortan has other plans for the girl with incredible healing powers. Tika is forced to leave Xanti and find a way to protect herself against Mortan and his deadly Sha̕andari--for even though she denies being Azetha, she can't deny the constant threat she's living under. Only the Veil of Death will give her a fighting chance to stay alive."--Back cover.
All men know that they must die... It is but reasonable to suppose that God would reveal something in reference to the matter and it is a subject we ought to study more than any other. If we have any claim on our Heavenly Father for anything, it is for knowledge on this important subject (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol. 6 pg. 50). If you enjoyed Return from Tomorrow, if you liked Life after Life, you are going to love Beyond the Veil, Volume III. As I began listening to, and reading [these] stories, I was amazed at the variety of content and experience. I was amazed at the vast abundance of spiritual experiences people are having that have something to do with that thin veil separating us from our spirit brothers and sisters. It is refreshing to know that miracles are happening every day. I hope this book, in its own small way, can add a little strength or momentum to this groundswell. -Lee Nelson
Two great truths govern human existence: impermanence is the law of the Universe and therefore it is inevitable, but the jeewatma (soul) is permanent and lives forever. When one views human existence from the perspective of this knowledge, then the only certitude is that there is no death. With the materialization of the Universe the wheel of time was set in motion, imprinting preordained impermanence. Yet, despite the world’s impermanence, Man is offered the opportunity of acquiring knowledge and achieving spiritual growth within his lifespan. The cosmic soul momentarily adopts a human body to experience advancement in human form. But when the jeewatma departs the physical body from one of the five koshas (sheaths), it is released from this confinement and bondage into the joyful revelation of its true nature. The soul experiences divine love and achieves a state of timelessness. The demise of the human body thus becomes the moment for joyful fulfillment – when the jeewatma achieves ultimate growth and eternal beauty. Though the human form and external body decays, the jeewatma or the subtle body/soul, remains intact in its true and original form. Litterateur Rajendra Kher has spent long years studying the subject of death. He has researched both ancient and modern references, as well as the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad-Gita, Srimad Bhagvatam and various mythological literature in his attempt to unravel and comprehend death and ‘life after life’. He has also analyzed the personal experiences of rishis, scholars, masters and yogis; adding his findings to the book to make it comprehensive. The gift contained in these pages is the lifting of the veil on death. In so doing, it frees each of us from unknown fears and dread about death and dying, enabling us to experience instead, true happiness and the grace of living.
Lily is abandoned at birth only to be thrown into the horrors of the foster system for fifteen years. At age fifteen, she arrives at what will be her last foster home. It is there that she meets the one person she will ever count as a true friend, and together, they make shocking discoveries about why she is there. She also begins to have disturbing hallucinations and premonitions. After one night of extreme abuse by her foster father, her friend Jason takes her, and they run away only to get into a fatal car accident where she watches him die in front of her. Now Lily is left alone in a small town where everyone seems oddly familiar, and she begins to feel like she is not alive but living in some sort of nightmare that she cannot wake up from.
Pennies From Across the Veil is a love story... about death. Karl Himmel tells the story to an unknown presence, of how he met, fell in love, and married the woman of his dreams, Jenny Engels. But at the time of the telling, Karl and Jenny find themselves on different sides of the veil—the separation we call death. But not even death can stop true love. Powerful signs come to those from loved ones who have passed. They can be found any and everywhere, we just need to look for them. The most significant for Karl and Jenny was the finding of numerous wheat-back pennies. However, could there have been many others, and did these signs have a deeper meaning?
A new enhanced e-book edition, featuring an extended transcript from Melissa Anelli's exclusive interview with J. K. Rowling and a new, updated chapter! Melissa Anelli wears a ring that was a gift to her from J.K. Rowling, given as a measure of appreciation for the work she does on The Leaky Cauldron, where her job entails being a fan, reporter, guardian, and spokesperson for the Harry Potter series. For ten years, millions of fans have lived inside literary history, the only fans to know what it was like when Harry Potter was unfinished. When anticipation for a book was just as likely to cause a charity drive as a pistol shootout. When millions of rabid fans looked to friends, families, neighbors, forums, discussion groups, fan fiction and podcasts to get their fix between novels. When the death of a character was a hotter bet than who'd win the World Series. When one series of books had the power to change the way books are read. This has been a time when a book was more popular than movies, television, and video games. The series has spawned a generation of critical thinkers and new readers. The New York Times changed the way it reported book sales just to avoid a continual overpowering of its bestseller list. These events must be given their proper context, and this moment must be preserved. The series will remain important to literature and pop culture, but the experience will change. Harry's fate will be as commonly known as the identity of Luke Skywalker's father, and readers who never had to wait for a Harry Potter book will have no idea what transpired when the series had hundreds of millions of people waiting desperately for the next volume. We are the first wave of Harry Potter fans, the ones that are living in the time that shapes how Harry Potter will be remembered for all time. But when this era is over, fans will need some way to remember this strange, wonderful, dizzying experience. Future fans, too, will want to know what they missed. Harry Potter will exist as a seven-book series, but without the indivisible story of the cultural, literary and emotional impact the series has made, the story is incomplete. How can a fan understand Harry Potter without hearing about the midnight book parties, the scams, the theories, the burglaries, the bets, the bannings, and most importantly, the worldwide camaraderie spurred on by mutual love of a boy wizard? How can they know how Harry Potter changed and touched the lives of so many without hearing it first hand? Harry, A History tells this story. It tells the personal story of Melissa Anelli's journey through the very heart of Harry Potter fandom. And wraps this phenomenon up into one narrative, factual volume – one book that tells what happened when Harry Potter met the world.
Hi, I'm Alexis Delaney. I'm your average 17-year-old girl. Except I can see the dead. And talk to the dead. And push them away and, well, help them move on. So..okay, I'm not your average 17-year-old girl. For years I've been struggling to survive the souls still roaming around. The shitheads always seem to find me. Moving from town to town every few months never helped either. More dead just always find me. But things are changing for me now. I'm moving in with my uncle Rory and cousin Tara. I'm finally going to be able to do normal teenage stuff I've been missing out on. Right? Well, if this one bitch of a ghost could leave me alone on campus that would be great. Especially since I haven't told my new friends about my abilities. Can you believe this? Five good looking guys practically adopt me on my first day of school, and I still think they're a bit nuts for it. Now if I can only just keep my life with the dead from mixing with my normal life, everything would be great. Yeah...I don't see that happening either. But I'm going to give it a shot. Who knows? It might work.
