Within Sacred Circles

Within Sacred Circles follows on the success of Towner-Larsen's first book, With Sacred Threads: Quilting and the Spiritual Life. From around the world and throughout the ages, circular symbols have been an integral part of centering one's spirit and expressing wholeness. Mandalas are a sacred expression of this universal need for circular symbols, and quilted mandalas combine the spiritual energy and meditative practices of two artistic, timeless worlds--the world of mandalas and the world of quilts. It is the author's hope that this book will connect the traditions, uses, and symbolism of mandalas with the spirituality of quilters and the stories of their mandalas. Each chapter is based on a theme common to mandalas and to the spiritual life. Along with each theme reflection is a picture of a quilted mandala, the story of the quilt as told by its creator (Sacred Story), plus some prayers, holy text, and suggestions for meditation or making your own mandala (Sacred Circles).

Offers practical advice for Wiccans on ways to uphold their beliefs on a daily basis, discussing Wiccan ethics and philosophy, and providing devotional prayers and instructions for rituals to inspire groups or solitary practitioners.

This study of the religious landscape of Indianapolis -- the summative volume of the Lilly Endowment's Project on Religion and Urban Culture conducted by the Polis Center at IUPUI -- aims to understand religion's changing role in public life. The book examines the shaping of religious traditions by the changing city. It sheds light on issues such as social capital and faith-based welfare reform and explores the countervailing pressures of "decentering" -- the creation of multiple (sub)urban centers -- and civil religion's role in binding these centers into one metropolis. Polis Center Series on Religion and Urban Culture -- David J. Bodenhamer and Arthur E. Farnsley II, editors

"The Native American Women's Health Education Resource Center (NAWHERC)--which provides direct services to Native women and families in South Dakota and advocates for Native women at the community, national, and international levels to protect our reproductive health and rights--is a project of the NACB (the NACB is the governing board). NAWHERC's activities range from community education to preserve our culture, campaigns to end violence against Indigenous women, coalition building to fight for our reproductive justice, and environmental justice.

A description of every aspect of the Sacred/Circle dance movement.

Numerous digital models of the mandala describe it structurally and elucidate this complex form of Tantric practice in understandable terms.

From Jewish to Christian, Mormon and Pagan, women's sacred circles are sprouting up everywhere, in astonishing variety providing a haven where essential female values can be discussed and embraced.This much-needed guide celebrates the rich diversity of women's spiritual lives and offers practical, step-by-step advice for those who want to create and sustain a spirituality group of their own. Sacred Circle shows us how we can use a group to explore our relationship to the sacred, and honor the divine in everyday life. The authors, drawing from their own group experiences as well as those of many diverse groups around the country, share the model they've developed, while offering wise advise on how and why groups work. They propose circle basics, such as listening without an agenda and rotating leadership, and also offer reflections on the power of personal storytelling and thoughts on reclaiming and reinventing ritual. Women longing for a powerful and supportive feminine community in which to thrive spiritually will find vital wisdom here.