Spiritual Stars

A fascinating collection of short biographies of the greatest spiritual stars of the last thousand years, ranging from St Anselm to Martin Luther King. Some of the greatest living scholars have contributed to this series - Eamon Duffy on Dante, Rowan Will

The profound influence of ancient cosmologies on our ideas about the human spirit • Shows how ancient myths contain a sophisticated understanding of our relationship to the cosmos, derived from thousands of years of observation of the night sky • Explains how ideas of the mind and spirit are still entwined with these ancient cosmologies despite the disruptive effects of modern astronomy • Reveals how ancient ideas and contemporary cosmology might be combined into a new model for spiritual meaning Thousands of years before the first written records, humans were turning to the night sky as a source of meaning for existence and their place within it. The conclusions drawn from these observations are embodied in stories from across the world known as Creation Myths. Contrary to the popular belief that these myths were meant to explain the origins of the universe, Pete Stewart shows that they were actually designed to create a harmony and order in the lives of humans that reflected, in their society and architecture, the ordered patterns they saw evidenced in the sky. These ancient myths also record, in the story of “the separation of Heaven and Earth,” the discovery of a disastrous discord in this ancient harmony, which the mythmakers overcame by imagining a vastly expanded architecture, one in which the individual soul had a role to play in the evolution of the cosmos. Today science presents a similar challenge to our sense of meaning. Stewart explores how, by reexamining the myths of creation in this light, we can learn how contemporary cosmology might yield a new architecture for the spirit and how the ancient sense of being in the cosmos might be reconstructed for our age.

Discover the nature of the mysterious, spiritually potent starseeds—intuitive people who help change the world—with this easy-to-read and accessible beginner’s guide! Explore the ancient new age concept of starseeds, spiritually advanced people with strong psychic abilities sent to help the earth heal, grow, and change. The Beginner’s Guide to Starseeds offers a look at who starseeds are and where they come from, as well as their innate skills and spiritual sensitivities. You will gain fascinating insight into the unique personalities and nature of starseeds and even figure out if you’re a starseed, too! Perfect for anyone hoping to change the world or curious about different dimensions, this book is an illuminating and enlightening look at life on a higher plane of existence.

A fascinating collection of short biographies of the greatest spiritual Ôstars' of the last thousand years. Arranged chronologically, they range from St. Anselm to Martin Luther King. Some of the greatest living scholars have contributed to this book -- Eamon Duffy on Dante, Rowan Williams on St. John of the Cross, Owen Chadwick on Newman, & David McLellan on Simone Weil. Some other ÔSpiritual Stars' include Johann Sebastian Bach, Hildegard Bingen, Fra Angelico & Blaise Pascal. Underlying the collection is a new theology of sanctity far removed from the plastic smile of the all too familiar saintly icon. Here is a vision of holiness & sanctity relevant to the needs & preoccupations of modern times.

Is it possible to be grounded AND have a rich interior life? Is it possible to get through the day with poise when everything hits the fan? Is it possible to have a spiritual life and not be a wing-nut? For Jen Weigel, the answer to all three questions is a resounding YES. This is an honest, amusing teaching memoir rooted in Weigel’s everyday experience as a mother, television personality, and performance artist. Weigel provides 13 common-sense rules for developing a sane and satisfying interior life--ranging from “trust that you are where you are supposed to be in every moment” to “always look for signs,”--to “don’t get lost in a guru.” What makes this book so fun and refreshing is Weigel’s voice--and the fact that, in the words of one of her friends, she is a “magnet for really bizarre shit.”Whether she is playing chicken with deranged Chicago drivers with “Jesus Saves” bumper stickers, trying to keep those extra pounds off, interviewing celebrities on television, or encountering the spirit of her dead father (who keeps appearing in the guise of a cardinal--a bird, not a prelate), Weigel maintains a zest for learning, living, and loving. Her high-spirited stories illustrate core life principles and convey an immediacy and energy that readers will find delightful.

From the bestselling author of Einstein's Dreams—“an elegant and moving paean to our spiritual quest for meaning in an age of science" (The New York Times Book Review). As a physicist, Alan Lightman has always held a scientific view of the world. But one summer evening, while looking at the stars from a small boat at sea, Lightman was overcome by the overwhelming sensation that he was merging with something larger than himself—an eternal unity, something absolute and immaterial. The result is an inspired, lyrical meditation from the acclaimed author of Einstein's Dreams that explores these seemingly contradictory impulses. Lightman draws on sources ranging from Saint Augustine's conception of absolute truth to Einstein's theory of relativity, and gives us a profound inquiry into the human desire for truth and meaning, and a journey along the different paths of religion and science that become part of that quest. This small but provocative book explores the tension between our yearning for certainty and permanence versus the modern scientific view that all things in the physical world are uncertain and impermanent.