Finding Our Center

Integrating astrology, mythology and spirituality, this book is a reflection on the themes of the astrological ages across the past 13,000 years and is an exploration of what astrology has to tell us about the meaning of the changes happening globally and culturally in this time. We are currently on the cusp of the Age of Aquarius, at the end of a 26,000 year precessional cycle and, according to ancient prophecies, at the close of a world era. With the recent discovery of the planetoids Sedna and Eris, new forms of consciousness are entering our awareness. Through listening to the messages of the stars and planets, we find guidance for our lives in this intense time of change. We live in a sentient universe, which is calling us back into relationship with the cosmos and with the Earth. In remembering our source (the galactic center), reconnecting with the spirit in all of life and in becoming centered within ourselves, we gain meaning and wisdom for who we are and who we are becoming and find a path for the healing and evolution of ourselves and our Earth.

It was January 1990, the dawn of a new decade and Henri Nouwen, world-renoweded spiritual writer, was in France but his writing wasn't going well. Frustrated and discouraged, he decided to go to Lourdes, even though it was the "off season," to give his "anxious heart a rest." This profoundly inspiring journal is the result of his three-day stay. Lourdes restored Nouwen's inner peace and helped him return to his sacred center. He realized, of course, that he did not need to be at Lourdes to find peace and joy. The purity, simplicity, and freedom he experienced "belong to the heart and can be lived anywhere." Whether we have been to Lourdes or not, does not matter. This small journal is bound to touch our own restless and searching hearts and help us to find again our own sacred center, the living Christ within us.

Both parts of this book -- the homily on Mary and the journal of Henri Nouwen's pilgrimage to Lourdes -- deal with his insights into his relationship with Jesus and Mary. Mary is his "gentle guide" who takes him by the hand and leads him into deeper union with her son. Nouwen invites us to find our inner child and rid ourselves of the "false adulthood" of our times.

"Marlee's work shifts and stretches. This new collection is a necessary resource for those of us looking to re-center, lean in, and get curious about ourselves, about our heart's work. Getting to Center is a blessing in book form." —Alexandra Elle, author of After the Rain From the beloved creator, workshop facilitator, and author of How to Not Always Be Working comes an approachable and practical guide to leaning into the unknown even when it feels as though everything around—and inside—us is in flux. Picking up where How to Not Always Be Working left off, Getting to Center is an empathetic offering to those who are looking for a roadmap for finding their way back to equilibrium. This book meditates on endings, grief and joy, ease, hope, addiction, and beginnings, pairing Marlee's own experiences and wisdom with practical exercises and tools for creating balance and understanding within the natural changes of life. In her own constant shifting, improviser and entrepreneur Marlee Grace has found ways to pivot within her career, while still maintaining constant threads throughout. She has developed practices that have supported her through opening and closing multiple businesses, a divorce, several cross-country moves, choosing sobriety, and more. Essential for anyone who feels overwhelmed and anxious about these unpredictable times, this gorgeous, thoughtful book is a hand to hold to feel less alone, and a guide to cultivating resources we can replenish and depend on in ourselves.

A new edition of the classic that helped launch the Centering Prayer movement. Centering Prayer is a precious part of the ancient spiritual traditions of the West. When Finding Grace at the Center was first published in 1978, people all over the world welcomed this practical guide to a simple and beautiful form of meditative prayer. Reflections and advice on Centering Prayer’s possibilities—and its pitfalls—are presented with clarity and simplicity, with a vision of the deeper life of the soul that contemplative prayer can bring about. Now, with a new foreword by Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, PhD, another generation will discover the amazing difference Centering Prayer can make in their lives.

A spiritual and psychological method of decision-making and discernment about life-styles based upon the centuries-old Christian Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola; updated and made more relevant for married couples and companions.

Finding Our True Home presents a new definitive translation of the Amitabha Sutra along with Thich Nhat Hanh’s first commentary on one of the most practiced forms of Buddhism in the world, the Pure Land school. Introduced in the Buddha’s own lifetime, Pure Land practice puts us in touch with the beauty in our own world and brings us the security, solidity, and freedom we need in order to truly enjoy it. Realizing that Buddha is within us, we see that the Pure Land (paradise) is here and now, rather than in the future. Finding Our True Home will open a new Dharma door to many students of meditation.

"Finding the Center Within is a practical manual on the practice of mindfulness, which can help many people to embody their Buddha nature and become radiant and peaceful beings. It provides easy steps for practicing mindfulness in day-to-day living." -Thich Nhat Hanh, author of Peace Is Every Step, The Miracle of Mindfulness, and Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames All of us want to live a calmer, more peaceful existence. Thomas and Beverly Bien teach that if we find the center within through ongoing mindfulness, we will have the capacity to live deeply and fully-with boundless peace and happiness-in any external circumstance. We can learn to be calm in the midst of the storm. Finding the Center Within offers a step-by-step program for breaking down the barriers that prevent us from actualizing our wise inner self. The Biens combine Eastern spiritual wisdom with the pragmatic wisdom of Western psychology, teaching us how to remove the walls that conceal who and what we really are and face our lives with greater honesty. They provide the tools needed to: * Find a path to the center through mindfulness * Bring meditation into everyday life * Work with and transform negative emotions * Cultivate healthy, healing relationships * Use dreams to achieve maximum wholeness and self-acceptance You'll discover how to find greater peace, joy, and love in your life and deepen your capacity for psychological and spiritual well-being. Let Finding the Center Within inspire and guide you as you make the journey to awareness and open yourself to a world of happiness.