Books Archive – Page 15 of 18

Into the Depths

In January 1984, Sr. Mary Margaret Funk, a Benedictine nun from Indiana, paid a visit to Maryknoll missionary nuns working in Bolivia. On what should have been a routine trip to the local town for a convocation ceremony, a flash flood swept away the jeep in which she, three nuns, a priest, and a disabled boy they had adopted were traveling. Only she and the priest survived.

What happened that night catapulted Sr. Meg into twenty-five years of prayer and self-examination. She relentlessly explored her relationship with the transcendent and immanent God, the profundities of her religious tradition, her commitment to spiritual practice, and her very human failings. It was a journey that left her spiritually naked before the terrible love of God; a journey to keep one’s heart open to the transforming wounds of suffering.

In the great tradition of spiritual confessions from Augustine to Thomas Merton’s The Seven-Storey Mountain, Into the Depths is a fearlessly honest and simply told account of one woman’s struggle to engage at the deepest levels with the most profound questions of faith

Walking with Wisdom

Walking with Wisdom is a stunning sequence of twenty meditations for our time. Inspired by the Apocryphal Book of Wisdom, traditionally attributed to Solomon, Nan Merrill shows us that Wisdom is a treasured gift for all generations. Divine Sophia invites us to participate with her, through her tender guidance, in an existence that transcends death. The unseen Realm of Love is our true life, and Merrill—author of Psalms for Praying, the Psalms recast and spiritually reinterpreted for our times—takes us on a breathtaking journey into Love Consciousness.

In today’s violence-torn world and in our fragmented everyday lives, Wisdom is needed as never before, though She is more often dismissed or ignored. Times of silence, solitude, simplicity, and stillness are paramount as our souls yearn for a union with Wisdom and the Beloved. When we seek this Wisdom of the Heart, we leave behind false emotions of guilt and fear, and we enter the Infinite Reality that exists beyond all time.

An Offering of Leaves

Foreword by David Life, co-founder Jivamukti Yoga School

For many years at the Jivamukti Yoga School in New York City and throughout the country, popular and highly regarded yoga teacher Ruth Lauer-Manenti (affectionately known as “Lady Ruth”) offered her students “dharma talks”—stories from her life that accompany her classes and represent the yogic commitments to ahimsa (non-violence), compassion, and service. Some of these talks have now been collected in a book, many of them accompanied by a reading from classic Hindu texts, such as The Bhagavad Gita, The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Composed with humor and sensitivity, An Offering of Leaves is the perfect gift for the aspiring yoga practitioner and any spiritual seeker wanting to live with thoughtfulness and integrity.

“Ruth sees not only beauty and wonder in the world around her, but receives profound guidance from observing everyday activities like an old woman getting her hands dirty changing a flat tire or ants carrying carrots. This is because to Ruth all of life pulsates with the wisdom teachings of the guru—the enlightenment principle that surrounds and permeates through all of us at all times.”—Sharon Gannon, co-founder of Jivamukti Yoga School

“Ruth gives readers an understanding of the philosophy of yoga through all that she has experienced in her many dedicated years of practice under the guidance of my grandfather, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.”—Sharath Rangaswamy

“I turn to An Offering of Leaves for guidance, comfort and inspiration. It motivates me to be a better wellness warrior, to walk the walk and talk the talk. Add it to your library. Your soul will thank you.”—Kris Carr, best-selling author and filmmaker of Crazy Sexy Cancer

Creatures of the Same God

“I don’t know why you’re spending all your time on this. They’re only animals—for heaven’s sake!” That was the reaction of one of Andrew Linzey’s fellow students at King’s College, London, when he was studying theology in the 1970s. Since then, the now Rev. Dr. Andrew Linzey has been arguing that animals aren’t only anything, but rather that they matter to God, and should do so to us.

In this collection of essays, Linzey counters with his customary wit, erudition, and insight, some contemporary (and perhaps surprising) challenges to animal rights—from ecotheologians, the Church, and politicians. He contends that far from the sometimes shallow judgments of those who think animals unworthy of theological consideration, the Christian tradition has a wellspring of sources and resources available to taking animals seriously. Instead of being marginal to the Christian experience, Linzey concludes, animals can take their rightful place alongside human beings as creatures of the same God.

There is a long forgotten spiritual tradition that two children, both named Jesus, were born in Bethlehem to two sets of parents named Joseph and Mary. This tradition is supported by the different accounts of the nativity and life of Jesus Christ in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Although the Church chose to ignore this tradition, something of it survived in early Christian art and symbolism. The full tradition was preserved only in the literature of esoteric sects such as Gnosticism, which remained outside the official teachings of institutionalized Christianity.

The Love-Powered Diet

This can be the last weight-loss book you ever read.

Finally, make peace with food and have a body you’re proud of by drawing on the wisdom and grace already inside you. Replace cravings with calmness. Relate to food as a loving friend, not a feared enemy.

In her own quest for freedom from compulsive eating and yo-yo dieting, Moran—once the chubby child of a diet doctor—discovered the power of combining the principles of the Twelve Step Program with the gentle way of eating espoused by yogis and mystics, and now supported by cutting-edge nutritional research. The result: falling in love—with yourself, your life, and The Love-Powered Diet!

By the Word of Their Testimony

In this stirringly honest autobiography, Fr. Ó Madagáin shares his story of how he felt called to serve God and others through the priesthood. He describes his experiences at Medjugorje and Lourdes and how he was moved by the extraordinary sacrifices of individuals both there and in Rome, where he completed his theological education.

By the Word of Their Testimony is no bland endorsement for the vocation of the priesthood, however. Twice Fr. Ó Madagáin suffered burnout caused by both the mental and physical demands placed upon him as a priest. These moments, described in harrowing detail, in turn led him to question not only whether he was suited for the priesthood, but the very nature of faith itself.

The Animal Activist’s Handbook

Matt Ball and Bruce Friedrich take the plight of the world’s animals seriously and have dedicated their lives to ending their suffering. The Animal Activist’s Handbook argues that meaning in life is to be found, quite simply, in turning away from the futile pursuit of “more,” and focusing instead on leaving the planet a better place than you found it. The critical component of creating a better world for all is thoughtful, deliberate, and dedicated activism that takes suffering seriously. The authors build a ground-up case for reasoned, impassioned, and joyous activism that makes the most difference possible, and suggest a variety of ways to live a meaningful life through effective and efficient advocacy.

“This book is so much more than a ‘how-to’ guide for activists. It is an inspirational and motivational opus from the two gentlest yet most effective giants in the movement. The Animal Activist’s Handbook will elevate your activism and forever alter who you are and who you want to be.”—Rory Freedman, #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of Skinny Bitch

“The Animal Activist’s Handbook is full of good sense, thoughtful advice, and practical action on helping all of us to reduce the needless suffering of our fellow creatures. I recommend it.”—Matthew Scully, author of Dominion

“The Animal Activist’s Handbook punches way above its weight. Rarely have so few pages contained so much intelligence and good advice. Get it, read it, and act on it. Now.”—Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation and Ethics into Action

Strategic Action for Animals

The animal liberation movement is growing in size and strength, but so are the industries that exploit animals. These industries have vastly more resources at their disposal than activists do. Given this tremendous power differential, how can activists hope to compete? The good news is that there is a way to shift the balance of power in favor of the movement. And strategy is the way.

In Strategic Action for Animals, Melanie Joy explains how to use strategy to exponentially increase the effectiveness of activism for animals. Drawing on diverse movements and sources, she offers tried and true tactics based on well-established principles and practices. She also explains how to address the most common problems that weaken the movement, such as dissidence among organizations and activists, inefficient campaigns, wasted resources, and high rates of burnout. Whether you are working alone or with a group, whether you are a seasoned activist or new to the movement, Strategic Action for Animals, can help you make the most of your efforts to make the world a better place for animals.

“An empowering and invaluable book, instructing us on the next steps for effective activism.”—Carol J. Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat

“Is it really possible that we’ve had to wait three decades since the launch of the modern animal liberation movement for such a brilliant book on strategy? If only it had been written thirty years ago, I believe the liberation of animals from exploitation and cruelty would be close at hand. Thank goodness we now have Melanie Joy’s profoundly important insights in this short volume, and every animal advocate can read and heed them.”—Zoe Weil, president of the Institute for Humane Education and author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education.

“I found Strategic Action for Animals to be a useful guide for improving our advocacy skills as well as working towards building a stronger movement. Whether you are an individual activist or work for a large organization, this book serves as an important reminder that each of us plays a crucial role in helping create a more compassionate world, and that the animals are counting on us to be as effective as possible in bringing about positive and meaningful changes.”―Erica Meier, Executive Director, Animal Outlook

“I heartily recommend this book. Joy makes a strong case that animal advocates should seek, as Gandhi said, to bring opponents to their senses and not their knees.”―Gene Baur, author of Farm Sanctuary

Social Creatures

Other-than-human animals are an overwhelming presence in our collective and individual lives and, at the same time, are taken for granted by human animals. Sociologists have neglected the study of human-animal interaction and the role of animals in society. This is true, despite the fact that animals are an integral part of our lives: in our language, food, families, economy, education, science, and recreation.

In more than thirty essays, Social Creatures examines the role of animals in human society. Collected from a wide range of periodicals and books, these important works of scholarship examine such issues as how animal shelter workers view the pets in their care, why some people hoard animals, animals and women who experience domestic abuse, philosophical and feminist analyses of our moral obligations toward animals, and many other topics.

Social Creatures includes work by Peter Singer, Tom Regan, Carol J. Adams, Josephine Donovan, Barbara Noske, Arnold Arluke, Ken Shapiro, and many leading scholars, anthropologists, and psychologists. The book also comes with an extensive bibliography of hundreds of articles and books.

Featuring: Carol J. Adams—Arnold Arluke—Frank R. Ascione—Michael J. Barnes—Alan M. Beck—Nancy S. Betchart—Clifton Bryant—Josephine Donovan—Clifton P. Flynn—Stephanie S. Frommer—Gerald H. Gosse—Kathleen M. Heide—Harold Herzog—Leslie Irvine—Aaron H. Katcher—Andrew Linzey—Linda Merz-Perez—Lyle Munro—David Nibert—Barbara Noske—Hannah L. Osbourne—Gary J. Patronek—Elizabeth S. Paul—Rose M. Perrine—Mary T. Phillips—Robert B. Pitman—Tom Regan—Harriet Ritvo—Andrew N. Rowan—Clinton R. Sanders—James A. Serpell—Kenneth J. Shapiro—Ira J. Silverman—Peter Singer—Tracey Smith-Harris—Marjorie Spiegel—Michael Tobias.