Embodying The Sacred

In seventeenth-century Lima, pious Catholic women gained profound theological understanding and enacted expressions of spiritual devotion by engaging with a wide range of sacred texts and objects, as well as with one another, their families, and ecclesiastical authorities. In Embodying the Sacred, Nancy E. van Deusen considers how women created and navigated a spiritual existence within the colonial city's complex social milieu. Through close readings of diverse primary sources, van Deusen shows that these women recognized the divine—or were objectified as conduits of holiness—in innovative and powerful ways: dressing a religious statue, performing charitable acts, sharing interiorized spiritual visions, constructing autobiographical texts, or offering their hair or fingernails to disciples as living relics. In these manifestations of piety, each of these women transcended the limited outlets available to them for expressing and enacting their faith in colonial Lima, and each transformed early modern Catholicism in meaningful ways.

In this volume an international team of scholars address the theme of books as sacred beings from an impressively diverse range of primary material and perspectives. Yet, as a group, they meld to engage and advance previous research to solidify the conclusion that human cultures, especially religious groups, often ritualize bodies as sacred books and books as divine beings. The studies collected here not only increase the range of examples of this phenomenon. They also show the wide variety of ways in which the identity of books, bodies and beings gets both ritualized and theorized. The articles are bracketed by an introduction to the collection, and then by a concluding essay that extrapolates the theme of books as sacred beings on a more general level.

Embodying the Sacred presents an innovative approach to both birth and Christian spirituality. Drawing from the actual physical processes of pregnancy and birth, Peg Conway relates them to Catholic-inspired practices in a wise and empowering way. Reflections, prayer, activities, ritual, and creative expression organized around the three trimesters of pregnancy invite readers to assemble a “spiritual birth bag,” and in so doing, to inhabit and celebrate their bodies during this miraculous time. With its focus on the inner journey, this approach provides an ideal complement to other forms of birth preparation. The book also suggests a postpartum ritual format for telling birth stories and concludes with a reflection on birth history in America.

"Sacred gaze" denotes any way of seeing that invests its object—an image, a person, a time, a place—with spiritual significance. Drawing from many different fields, David Morgan investigates key aspects of vision and imagery in a variety of religious traditions. His lively, innovative book explores how viewers absorb and process religious imagery and how their experience contributes to the social, intellectual, and perceptual construction of reality. Ranging widely from thirteenth-century Japan and eighteenth-century Tibet to contemporary America, Thailand, and Africa, The Sacred Gaze discusses the religious functions of images and the tools viewers use to interpret them. Morgan questions how fear and disgust of images relate to one another and explains how scholars study the long and evolving histories of images as they pass from culture to culture. An intriguing strand of the narrative details how images have helped to shape popular conceptions of gender and masculinity. The opening chapter considers definitions of "visual culture" and how these relate to the traditional practice of art history. Amply illustrated with more than seventy images from diverse religious traditions, this masterful interdisciplinary study provides a comprehensive and accessible resource for everyone interested in how religious images and visual practice order space and time, communicate with the transcendent, and embody forms of communion with the divine. The Sacred Gaze is a vital introduction to the study of the visual culture of religions.

If you want to love yourself deeply, feel worthy of the life of your dreams, let go of limiting beliefs and pains from the past, while stepping into your own power, sensuality and sovereignty, this book is for you. Author Krystal Aranyani openly shares her personal struggle and the steps she took to reach all of the above, and then some. In Awakening the Goddess, she invites you along this sacred journey including thirty-three practices, rituals and Goddess wisdoms she learned from powerful healers around the world. In this book you will learn: How to Fall Madly in Love with your-Self. Meditations, Rituals and Sacred Practices. How to Use Goddess Archetypes for Self-Growth. How to Fully Embody the Divine Goddess within YOU. Foundations of Natural Healing, Yoga, Tantra & Sacred Sensuality. And Many more Divine Practices for Self-Discovery!

Return to living a fully embodied life with 50 rituals to improve your health, well-being, and confidence on your Sacred Path. As humans, rituals have fed our hearts, minds, and souls since the dawn of our species on this planet. “Everyone in the world has a ritual, whether they realize it or not,” writes author Ashley River Brant. Far from being a relic of simpler times, these rituals align us with our intentions to heal and evolve. They help us tap into our own deep wells of wisdom, connect back to the earth and our bodies, and remember that the sacred is ever present in our lives. In Tending to the Sacred, Brant shares a curated collection of accessible yet profound rituals to help you awaken your true connection with the earth, Spirit, and yourself. As you engage with each ritual, you’ll begin to lovingly peel back the layers that keep you from being fully embodied and empowered in your life, leading to greater emotional balance, ease, purpose, and resilience on your Sacred Path. Used by the author in her personal life and healing arts practice, each ritual is woven from an abundance of ancient wisdom, medicine, and creativity. Plant healing recipes (including elixirs, oils, essences, and teas), elemental rituals, journal prompts, mantras, and visualizations are all included in this beautifully illustrated guide. Ritual is a powerful way to become more present with yourself, the earth, and the love all around you. Explore the simple yet transformative impacts of ritual with Tending to the Sacred.

Audi Gozlan, a certified yoga instructor and the founder of Kabalah Yoga, offers a book that fuses the practice of yoga with the ancient wisdom of Jewish mysticism, teaching you how to awaken the secret energy of each Hebrew letter in order to enliven your practice and experience the hidden powers of the universe. There is an authentic need for spirituality in our lives—one that connects us with the sacred, something greater than ourselves, but that is also practical, touching the body and soul in deep and meaningful ways. While yoga offers us postures (or asanas), breathing, and meditation techniques, it may not always fulfill the deep desire for spiritual connection that has arisen. But when combined with the mystical tradition of Kabalah, it may be just the answer modern spiritual seekers are after. Kabalah Yoga blends the movement and meditation of Hatha flow yoga with the ancient teachings of Kabalah, incorporating the wisdom of the Hebrew letters, also known as the Sacred Shapes, which are believed by Jewish mystics to be divine templates that contain the creative energy of the universe. This book describes the body, breath, and soul found within each of the Sacred Shapes, and shows that by moving your body into asanas based on each letter of the Hebrew alphabet and meditating on their meaning, you can unlock and embrace their great, empowering, and healing wisdom. Kabalah Yoga brings a new form of awareness to the practice of yoga as a language of the soul, allowing you to journey deep within and discover yourself from the inside out, while tapping into the divine energy of each of the Sacred Shapes. With the explanations, insights, stories, meditations, and photographs in this book, you’ll enhance your practice and improve your life.