The Curve Of The Sacred

This interdisciplinary book examines the nature of spirituality and the role it plays in the search for meaning. Spirituality is a loving tendency towards the sacred. In a secular environment, the sacred is taken to be a power greater than self. In a religious environment, the Sacred refers to God, or Higher Power. The book examines the developments of the s/Sacred in great works of art and literature, as well as in medicine, theology, psychology, philosophy, and religion. Spirituality also functions as an unloving tendency towards disunity, or a force for evil. The first part of the book examines the ways of the spiritual as a force for good and evil. We have just witnessed one of the bloodiest centuries in human history. The experience of two World Wars leaves a legacy of brokenness: “Where Nossack’s reminiscences bore poetic, compassionate, and personal witness to the disaster, Eliot’s poetry reads more like a sacred and religious poem taking contemporary Western European civilization to task—much like the biblical prophets of old—for its spiritual bankruptcy.” Albert Einstein, Edvard Munch’s Madonna, and Carl Jung’s ‘unconscious’ touch the curve of the Sacred in more promising places. The second part examines how the search for meaning works. The distinction between being human and being a person plays a central role in the life of the spiritual; “...the spiritual is manifest in the activities taking place in the central self. The central self is the locus of all thoughts, feelings, acts of reason and judgment, conscious and unconscious processes alike. The central self is the place where social relationships and environmental relationships are processed. The essential feature of the central self is that it does not exist outside these processes.” The same spiritual energies that light up great works of art also light up our destructive side, only the associations’ change.

Are You Ready to Meditate and Journal Your Way to Better Health? This Stress Reduction Journal will assist you in managing stress from the inside out. Through meditating and journaling, you'll acquire skills for calming the tensions of both your mind and body. Numerous scientific studies provide concrete evidence of the physical and psychological benefits that regular meditation offers. These studies are based on the same meditation method that is taught in this book. The health benefits of meditation include: significant lowering of blood pressure; reducing stress and stress-related diseases; as well as, decreasing anxiety and depression. Journaling is another effective method for lowering stress and improving your health. Through the practical tools in this book-you'll learn how to: Meditate and journal Transform self-criticism into self-acceptance Tap into your inner wisdom for guidance Replace undesirable urges (like overeating) with healthy habits Tame anxious thoughts and make room for more joy "Trina Swerdlow's Stress Reduction Journal offers an innovative, mind-body-spirit approach to managing stress. Its beautiful interplay of meditation and journaling methods is powerful and effective. You will gain practical tools for lowering stress, while becoming deeply acquainted with yourself." -Martin L. Rossman, M.D. Author of Guided Imagery for Self-Healing

This collection of fifteen essays deals with the literary memoirs of major twentieth-century writers and focuses on the spiritual, physical and moral devastation of 20th century life. They are comparative and cross-cultural. There is no other collection of essays with this range brought under one cover.

A fascinating comparative account of sacred languages and their role in and beyond religion —written for a broad, interdisciplinary audience Sacred languages have been used for foundational texts, liturgy, and ritual for millennia, and many have remained virtually unchanged through the centuries. While the vital relationship between language and religion has been long acknowledged, new research and thinking across an array of disciplines including religious studies, sociolinguistics, sociology, linguistics, and even neurolinguistics has resulted in a renewed interest in the area. This fascinating and informative book draws on Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Judaic, and Buddhist traditions to provide a concise and accessible introduction to the phenomenon of sacred languages. The book takes a strongly comparative, wide-ranging approach to exploring ways in which ancient religious languages, such as Latin, Pali, Church Slavonic, and Hebrew continue to shape the beliefs and practices of religious communities around the world. Informed by both comparative religion and sociolinguistics, it traces the histories of sacred languages, the myths and doctrines that explain their origin and value, the various ways they are used, the sectarian debates that shadow them, and the technological innovations that propel them forward in the twenty-first century. A comprehensive but succinct account of the role and importance of language within religion Takes an interdisciplinary approach which will appeal to students and scholars across an array of disciplines, including religious studies, sociology of religion, sociolinguistics, and linguistics Provides a strongly comparative exploration, drawing on Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Judaic, and Buddhist traditions Uses numerous examples and ties historic debates with contemporary situations Satisfies the rapidly growing demand for books on the subject among both academics and general readers Sacred Languages of the World is a must-read for students of religion and language, scripture, religious literacy, education and language, the sociology of religion, sociolinguistics. It will also have strong appeal among general readers with an interest comparative religion, history, cultural criticism, communication studies, and more.

Fenris had always considered himself a lone wolf among the pack when it came to the club life. Though now that his best friend had found an ol' lady of his own, he had started entertaining the idea for himself. He never took stock in the old adage 'be careful what you wish for' but then Aspen was suddenly standing in front of him with those big, hard-to-resist green eyes and he was smitten. Aspen's life had been turned upside down and inside out through a series of unbelievable and unfortunate events - and the hits just kept on coming. She wasn't sure if her luck was turning or getting worse when she woke up in the badass biker's bed, but Fenris knew... She was just at the apex of the curve in the road her life had taken.

Follow the exploits of Squall, a resident of Balamb Garden and SeeD aspirant whose first contract as a professional mercenary expands into a fight to save the world from an evil sorceress. This guide will cover the main quest-line chronologically, giving advice on leveling (and how to avoid it), where to find the best spells, how to acquire all GFs and defeat all bosses. In addition the guide will cover all side quests and will also include in-depth mini-guides for Chocobo World and Triple Triad. By following this guide you can aspire to the following: - Complete walkthrough of the main questline. - All side quests and optional content. - How to defeat both of the game’s superbosses. - Information on how to acquire each GF and a discussion of their abilities, including where to assign them. - Information on Triple Triad, including the location of every card in the game and how to best use them. - Low-level run information. - Information on min-maxing stats. - A mini-guide for Chocobo World. - Information on all characters, including stats and how to acquire all their weapons and limits. - Triple Triad guide.

M. Wylie 'Capi' Blanchet has accompanied many a seafarer on the B.C. coast-her bestselling book, The Curve of Time, introduced us to a resilient, adventurous, and enigmatic woman ahead of her time. Widowed in 1926, Capi cruised the coast in her 25-foot boat, the Caprice, with her five children and their dog. Beyond this incredible story, however, little is known about the rest of her life. What tied Capi to the West Coast, despite her upbringing and family ties in EasternCanada? What made her see possibility in a boat that had been sunk to the bottom? Insiders' recollections, and her own travels along Capi's route help Cathy Converse explore this very private woman. In revisiting these villages, inlets and islands described in The Curve of Time, Converse evokes Capi's spirit and enriches the impressions she left behind.