Sowing The Seeds Of Sacred

"... More than an essay collection, this is a call for worldwide action." — Publishers Weekly Essential to survival, seeds have profound spiritual implications. For centuries the planting of seed in the earth not only nourished humanity, but also symbolized the mystery of life and the journey of the soul. In our current supermarket lifestyle of pre-packaged products, far removed from the cycles of planting, we have nearly forgotten this mystery. Now as the integrity of the seed is threatened, so is its primal meaning. Inspired by physicist and environmental leader Dr. Vandana Shiva, each essay draws on the wisdom of ancient and modern traditions. Mystics, shamans, monastics and priests remind us of the profound sacredness of the seed—how in its purity, it is the source and renewal of all of life. Tenderly composed of original writings and vibrant photos, this book bears witness that the Earth is alive, and establishes that only by working together with the Earth—with its wonder and mystery—can we help in its healing and regeneration and once again bring meaning back into the world. Edited and compiled by the Global Peace Initiative of Women, the book includes contributions from His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, H. H. the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, Sister Joan Chittister, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Pir Zia Inayat-Khan, Swami Veda Bharati, Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Chief Tamale Bwoya, Blu Greenberg & others. “The way we live and act is determined by the perceptual lenses that are shaped by our beliefs and values. Our belief that it is our right to use as we wish, any part of the biosphere—air, water, soil, other life forms—has created problem after problem. If life is sacred, then we cannot treat other organisms as if they are cars or computers, we must act with humility, respect and love. This book provides a powerful perspective to temper our unseemly rush to engineer everything within the biosphere.” —David Suzuki, author, The Sacred Balance There is no more beautiful gift from nature than the seed—and its protection is vital to our survival. Vandana Shiva, Navdanya, the Global Peace Initiative of Women, and the brilliant spiritual leaders who contributed their voices to this book are all elevating our dialogue about seeds, and the profound role they hold for the future of all humankind." —Alice Waters, chef, author, culinary visionary, and proprietor of Chez Panisse “Ever since I watched the women in Bangladeshi farm families carefully saving seed from one generation to the next, I’ve pondered on this greatest symbol of our connection through time to those who came before and those who will come after. This book is a rich storehouse of wisdom for all the springs to come.” —Bill McKibben, founder, 350.org “Preserving seed diversity—our vast and beautiful heritage of seeds—is one of the most pressing crises facing the human community. Our future depends on our courageous actions now. May these essays by great spiritual voices from around the world awaken us to value, care for, and stand up for the seeds that nature has gifted to us.” —Frances Moore Lappé, author, Diet for a Small Planet and EcoMind “This book is timely and timeless in its importance. The seeds that bring forth life and food for our planet and its people are indispensable for the continuity of all living things. Thus our care for seeds is one of the most vital things we can do amid our many challenges of the present. These articles light a luminous path forward.” —Mary Evelyn Tucker, co-director, Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale University and Emerging Earth Community; executive producer and co-writer, Journey of the Universe

Oral Roberts was barely making ends meet when he discovered the three key principles of Seed-Faith in God’s Word. “They have never failed me,” he shares. “When I had no earthly source or person to turn to, when I was alone with nothing but big problems and challenges facing me, these principles showed me God is my Source. They showed me how to use my giving as a seed I was planting, and to expect God to multiply it even if it took a miracle.” The Miracle of Seed-Faith has revolutionized the lives of millions of people. As you read it, let God show you how you can get your needs met through His eternal plan of seedtime and harvest, sowing and reaping, giving and receiving. Man’s economic systems may fail, but God’s plan never does. By getting into the rhythm of Seed-Faith living, you’ll learn that His more-than-enough resources are always available to you.

Lu Xiang, a freshman. Because of his negligence, his girlfriend was easily met with an accident. When he was regretting his decision, a mysterious trench coat wearing man appeared and told Lu Xiang that as long as he agreed to become a "Underworld Detective", Yi Lu could be "resurrected". Lu Xiang accepted. The man in the windbreaker placed a clock on Yi Lu's body, but the clock was turned upside down. As the clock turned, Yi Lu recovered. The man in the windbreaker promised that as long as he could keep track of the things that had been passed on in the underworld, he would be able to provide him with special energy. For the sake of his girlfriend, Lu Xiang had no choice but to agree to track down items from the Underworld. For the sake of "handling cases", he had been bestowed with a special sensing ability by the mysterious trench coat wearing man. Moreover, only after the case has been resolved can the professional "Soul Devouring Orb" be used to retrieve the items from the underworld.

The Dalai Lama has said that Tibetans consider themselves “the child of Indian civilization” and that India is the “holy land” from whose sources the Tibetans have built their own civilization. What explains this powerful allegiance to India? In The Holy Land Reborn ̧ Toni Huber investigates how Tibetans have maintained a ritual relationship to India, particularly by way of pilgrimage, and what it means for them to consider India as their holy land. Focusing on the Tibetan creation and recreation of India as a destination, a landscape, and a kind of other, in both real and idealized terms, Huber explores how Tibetans have used the idea of India as a religious territory and a sacred geography in the development of their own religion and society. In a timely closing chapter, Huber also takes up the meaning of India for the Tibetans who live in exile in their Buddhist holy land. A major contribution to the study of Buddhism, The Holy Land Reborn describes changes in Tibetan constructs of India over the centuries, ultimately challenging largely static views of the sacred geography of Buddhism in India.

Examines the complexities and contradictions that arise when the monsters in the movies are children. Since the 1950s, children have provided some of horror’s most effective and enduring villains, from dainty psychopath Rhoda Penmark of The Bad Seed (1956) and spectacularly possessed Regan MacNeil of The Exorcist (1973) to psychic ghost-girl Samara of The Ring (2002) and adopted terror Esther of Orphan (2009). Using a variety of critical approaches, including those of cinema studies, cultural studies, gender studies, and psychoanalysis, Bad Seeds and Holy Terrors offers the first full-length study of these child monsters. In doing so, the book highlights horror as a topic of analysis that is especially pertinent socially and politically, exposing the genre as a site of deep ambivalence toward—and even hatred of—children. “This is impeccably well researched and presented. It holds its own at the top of film studies scholarship. Sprightly in its survey across key areas of cultural anxiety and able to draw on a range of lucid examples, Lennard produces sophisticated and complex extended analyses where necessary. A pleasure to read.” — Linda Ruth Williams, University of Southampton, United Kingdom

Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable." (Mark 4:13) Jesus gives us the key to understanding how the kingdom works through the parable of the Sower in Mark, Chapter 4. He said, "Understand this parable and you will understand all parables". Throughout this parable, the seed is the one constant, as it is the ground that changes. Jesus did not say that some of us have good ground and some of us have bad ground. He teaches us that we can transform our ground. Understanding this parable is the first step, however the key is learning how to traverse the different grounds in order to reach the good ground. Seed Prayer, prayer that combines speaking scripture (sowing seeds) and praying in the Holy Spirit (watering the seeds sown), applies the power of this parable to transform the ground we are sowing into, so that our seed can bear fruit. Seed prayer was developed over a period of years at our church in Northridge. Several members of our congregation gathered with me every morning and we all prayed for several hours together. This Seed Prayer revelation came out of those times of prayer. Understanding the revelation of the parable of the sower and applying its power, which is Seed Prayer, is the key to receiving other revelations of God and manifesting them in your lives. I urge you follow this principle of prayer daily, and as you do, your ground will be cultivated over time and transformed into good ground where your seed sown will produce fruit. I promise it will change your lives for the better, as it changed ours.