The Second Birth

Most scholars link the origin of politics to the formation of human societies, but in this innovative work, Tilo Schabert takes it even further back: to our very births. Drawing on mythical, philosophical, religious, and political thought from around the globe—including America, Europe, the Middle East, and China—The Second Birth proposes a transhistorical and transcultural theory of politics rooted in political cosmology. With impressive erudition, Schabert explores the physical fundamentals of political life, unveiling a profound new insight: our bodies actually teach us politics. Schabert traces different figurations of power inherent to our singular existence, things such as numbers, time, thought, and desire, showing how they render our lives political ones—and, thus, how politics exists in us individually, long before it plays a role in the establishment of societies and institutions. Through these figurations of power, Schabert argues, we learn how to institute our own government within the political forces that already surround us—to create our own world within the one into which we have been born. In a stunning vision of human agency, this book ultimately sketches a political cosmos in which we are all builders, in which we can be at once political and free.

Yes, people like you are awakening. The thirty-eight writers in "The Second Birth" share their journeys of mental, emotional, and spiritual exploration leading to a radical awakening as embodied consciousness or "a second birth." With the support of the teachers, mentors, and community of Waking Down in Mutuality, pioneered by Saniel Bonder, men and women from many different spiritual backgrounds are dropping into their hearts and their ordinary, challenging lives as divinely human awakened beings. A revised edition , "Dancing in the Fire," with a new introduction and stories, was published in 2009.

Do we have the technology enabling Christ to be born again of a second virgin mother? A six year old little girl in Alabama knows we do. The Pope is afraid we do. The world asks 'should we if we can?' The book follows the life of a little girl in Alabama who goes completely insane at the age of six and is confined to a state mental hospital. In a strange twist of fate, she is chosen, 'by God, ' to become the mother of his son, the next Madonna in the second coming of Christ. Explore her life as there are those who adore and worship her and there are those who loathe her and will do anything to end her life before her son is born. This story is a true 'can't put it down' book.

Work out what kind of birth you really want, and learn how to maximise your chances of getting it, in this refreshing, warm and witty guide to pregnancy, birth and the early weeks. Packed with vital and cutting-edge information on everything from building the ultimate birth plan, to your choices and rights in the birth room; from optimal cord clamping, to seeding the microbiome; from the inside track on breastfeeding, to woman-centred caesarean, The Positive Birth Book shows you how to have the best possible birth, regardless of whether you plan to have your baby in hospital, in the birth centre, at home or by elective caesarean. Find out how the environment you give birth in, your mindset and your expectations can influence the kind of birth you have, and be inspired by the voices of real women, who tell you the truth about what giving birth really feels like. Challenging negativity and fear of childbirth, and brimming with everything you need to know about labour, birth, and the early days of parenting, The Positive Birth Book is the must-have birth book for women of the 21st century.

Joan Leonard's Twice Blessed offers everything you need to know about having a second child--preparing yourself, your marriage, and your firstborn for a new family of four. Just when you thought you were finally adjusting to being a parent--your stretch marks have faded and you've packed away your nursing bras and maternity clothes--you decide to have a second child. And although by now you may feel like a parenting expert, the second time around brings its own set of questions, quandaries, and chaos, from tighter finances to new routines. Drawing on the expertise of pediatricians, gynecologists, and family therapists, as well as the anecdotes of mothers everywhere (tips from the trenches), this book includes both the psychological and physiological aspects of a second birth. It covers how to prepare yourself for a different pregnancy and birth, your marriage for another dramatic change, and your child for a new brother or sister. With warmth, inspiration, and humor, it looks carefully at the brand new family of four and what to expect as it evolves during the first weeks, first months, and first year.

The delivery of high quality and equitable care for both mothers and newborns is complex and requires efforts across many sectors. The United States spends more on childbirth than any other country in the world, yet outcomes are worse than other high-resource countries, and even worse for Black and Native American women. There are a variety of factors that influence childbirth, including social determinants such as income, educational levels, access to care, financing, transportation, structural racism and geographic variability in birth settings. It is important to reevaluate the United States' approach to maternal and newborn care through the lens of these factors across multiple disciplines. Birth Settings in America: Outcomes, Quality, Access, and Choice reviews and evaluates maternal and newborn care in the United States, the epidemiology of social and clinical risks in pregnancy and childbirth, birth settings research, and access to and choice of birth settings.

To commemorate the tenth anniversary of Nouwen's death, this collection includes his meditations and Christian reflections on death and new life.