As a child, I wanted to fly away to the land of Oz or walk through a wardrobe into Narnia, but as I grew up, I learned that magic can truly be found in the most ordinary of circumstances. It’s in our commitment to caring for and supporting each other, sometimes through painful struggle, allowing a wider reality to shine through. Today, while I still love a good tale of wonder and enchantment, I find the most spiritually sustaining practices keep me grounded in the everyday, opening up a space for transformation that doesn’t suck me into another world, but reveals the latent beauty and hidden dimensions of this one.
In midlife, as I looked back at what I’d learned, including many mistakes, and wondered how to move forward, Rohr’s “spirituality for the two halves of life” offered me a map for the territory I was navigating. He showed me a pattern of upbuilding, offering, and transformation that helped me move through seeming failure and tragedy without losing faith in a wider source of meaning.
With his characteristic sense of humor, using down-to-earth examples combined with a mystical, mythic awareness, he helped open up a new space for transformation in the midst of everyday challenges.
A fresh way of thinking about spirituality that grows throughout life In Falling Upward , Fr. Richard Rohr seeks to help readers understand the tasks of the two halves of life and to show them that those who have fallen, failed, or "gone down" are the only ones who understand "up." Most of us tend to think of the second half of life as largely about getting old, dealing with health issues, and letting go of life, but the whole thesis of this book is exactly the opposite. What looks like falling down can largely be experienced as "falling upward."…
If contemplation means taking a long, loving look at the real, this book-long look at Rembrandt’s painting of the Prodigal Son offers a master class in contemplation. Every sentence, every word touched my heart, suffused as they were with Nouwen’s patient, humble efforts to understand the nature of suffering and the mystery of love.
Though I’ve never spent several days looking at a painting and living into its story, I feel as though I took that journey with him. And I also feel challenged to look at everything I encounter differently, to slow down and take time to let each tiny detail unfold into a rich world of meaning, now that I’ve been shown the potential.
With over a million copies sold, this classic work is essential reading for all who ask, “Where has my struggle led me?”
A chance encounter with a reproduction of Rembrandt’s The Return of the Prodigal Son catapulted Henri Nouwen on an unforgettable spiritual adventure. Here he shares the deeply personal and resonant meditation that led him to discover the place within where God has chosen to dwell.
As Nouwen reflects on Rembrandt’s painting in light of his own life journey, he evokes a powerful drama of the classic parable in a rich, captivating way that is sure to reverberate in…
The Pianist's Only Daughter
by
Kathryn Betts Adams,
ThePianist's Only Daughter is a frank, humorous, and heartbreaking exploration of aging in an aging expert's own family.
Social worker and gerontologist Kathryn Betts Adams spent decades negotiating evolving family dynamics with her colorful and talented parents: her mother, an English scholar and poet, and her father, a pianist…
Starting out with a dramatic account of his own trauma and recovery from a car accident, Levine quickly drew me into the fascinating realm of somatic experiencing, an exciting new paradigm for healing. Even though I have never gone through such a physical trauma myself, I could see many parallels to my own experience in Levine’s description of how past trauma gets blocked and stored in the body when our natural pattern of releasing stored-up defense energy can’t complete.
The very idea has helped me to solve some of the riddles of my own most puzzling behavior and find a new, more peaceful and satisfying way of coping with challenging situations.
Unraveling trauma in the body, brain and mind—a revolution in treatment. Now in 17 languages.
In this culmination of his life’s work, Peter A. Levine draws on his broad experience as a clinician, a student of comparative brain research, a stress scientist and a keen observer of the naturalistic animal world to explain the nature and transformation of trauma in the body, brain and psyche. In an Unspoken Voice is based on the idea that trauma is neither a disease nor a disorder, but rather an injury caused by fright, helplessness and loss that can be healed by engaging our…
This book was my introduction to centering prayer, a contemplative practice that is aimed at becoming awake to the constant presence of divine love rather than working with discursive thoughts and emotions. I was immediately intrigued by Bourgeault’s brief but lucid explanation of why contemplative prayer was lost to the Western tradition, a strange episode in our spiritual life that is thankfully now over, and of how Centering Prayer came to be developed.
I was given all the resources I needed to start my own practice, and found that it truly did lead to an inner awakening in a way I’d hardly dared to imagine. I can look back on my reading of it as a watershed moment, a before-and-after era of change in my life.
Practitioners of Centering Prayer are known for the great enthusiasm they bring to the practice of this ancient discipline. Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening is a complete guidebook for all who wish to know the practice of Centering Prayer. Cynthia Bourgeault goes further than offering an introduction, however. She examines how the practice is related to the classic tradition of Christian contemplation, looks at the distinct nuances of its method, and explores its revolutionary potential to transform Christian life. The book encourages dialogue between Centering Prayer enthusiasts and those classic institutions of Christian nurture-churches, seminaries, and schools of theology-that have…
The Bible is the greatest mystery novel ever written. It begins in the Old Testament with seemingly random accounts of ancient people in far away places with strange customs. There’s the prophecy of a coming Hero who will conquer the villain and restore peace to the land. The mystery reaches…
After reading this book, I couldn’t wait to get to work. It offers a compact explanation of how nervous system dysregulation occurs and a paradigm for moving toward a healthier, more regulated state. It also offers loads of exercises and body-based practices that help us come back to ourselves when life has knocked us out of balance.
I love the flexibility—everyone gets to design their own way of using the exercises—and the clear, sensible framework, which puts many confusing experiences into context and helps to reduce my anxiety all by itself. This is a healing workbook that truly addresses body, soul, and spirit.
'Inspiring, refreshing and practical' Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score
The new essential self-healing bible - a revolutionary body-first guide to regulating your nervous system, curing long-term pain and healing from trauma for good.
Anxious, burnt out, tired, overthinking, angry, shutting down, disassociating, procrastinating, people-pleasing, physical pain, chronic unexplained symptoms. If you're stuck, we can help.
Many of us have heard of nervous system dysregulation - but what does it actually mean, and what can we do about it? The Secret Language of the Body is your essential guide for moving out of survival mode,…
How can ancient stories of transformation help us in our own struggles to feel more alive, more active, more perceptive? During a difficult time in my life, I found myself writing poetry inspired by the stories of healing in the Gospels—giving voice to nineteen individuals who were touched by an encounter with the embodiment of Love. The process helped me so much that I wanted to make it available to others, and thus this book was born.
Each chapter begins with one of the poems, and includes commentary on the background and deeper meaning of the healing stories, an anecdote from my own life, and a sentence drawn from Scripture for meditation. My hope is to inspire readers to connect their own individual stories with the great story of divine-human reconciliation that embraces us all.
2024 Gold Winner, Benjamin Franklin Awards, Health & Fitness Category
2024 International Book Awards, Winner, Autobiography/Memoir Category and Health: Women's Health Category
A memoir of triumph in the face of a terrifying diagnosis, Up the Down Escalator recounts Dr. Lisa Doggett's startling shift from doctor to patient, as she learns…
This is not an insect book--it is a history book, but one that tells the history you didn't learn in school, or it tells the history in a way you never imagined. Five insects had a significant impact on human history. Silkworm moth, Oriental rat flea, human body louse, yellow…
