It’s Tufti. Why is it that nothing seems to work out the way you want it to, despite the fact that you act according to your own free will? You might think that the reason why nothing is working out the way you want, is because that’s just how life is. But the real reason things don‘t work out the way you want them to, is because you aren‘t acting according to your own free will —you are being directed by a script. Another reason things don‘t work out the way people want them to, is because they don‘t know how to take the right action to shape events the way they want. Rather than composing the reality of the upcoming film roll, they tend to battle with the reality they face in the current frame. Reality exists only in the here and now, and what is real is real only to the extent that it has taken place in the material world. You cannot change what has already happened. Yet when you fight with your current reality, that is exactly what you are doing, because everything that surrounds you consists of something that has already happened. If you want to change the script, you have to wake up and come alive inside the movie. Translation from the Russian language by Joanne Dobson

    We came to your peoples to enunciate the Law of One. We wished to impress upon those who wished to learn of unity that in unity all paradoxes are resolved; all that is broken is healed; all that is forgotten is brought to light.” For thousands of years those of Ra have sought to teach the Law of One to seekers of truth on Earth who wished to learn of the unity or oneness of all things. This basic law of all creation is buried deep within each of our hearts because we really are one in love and in light, the building blocks of the universe. We are all manifestations of the One Infinite Creator. We are the Creator. We are not learning this law for the first time but are remembering it yet again as all mystics have taught throughout Earth’s history. Our journey of self-realization is the discovery or remembrance of this essential truth, our essential identity. A waking up, as some have called it, within an illusion of separation. Don Elkins and Carla L. Rueckert worked together for 12 years to perfect the channeling process and receive philosophical inspiration and guidance from extraterrestrial sources. When Jim McCarty joined them in 1980 they began to receive a new and unique type of channeling contact from those of Ra. Through this contact, Ra shared information to help seekers of truth deepen their awareness and acceptance of self and other, and to help Earth move into the emerging fourth density of love and understanding. This book is the transcript from the recording of that conversation between the Questioner and Ra. Through questions & answers, the metaphysical blueprint of spiritual evolution is explored, from the microcosm to the macrocosm, from the particulars of life on this planet to the life of the cosmos, to the possibilities of healing, transformation, and self-realization for spiritual seekers and wanderers. * * * * * * * * * The Ra Contact: Teaching the Law of One Volume 1 contains Ra contact sessions 1–56. As with all L/L Research material, this book can be read for free in PDF form on the archive website www.llresearch.org.

    Whether with friends, family, or on social media, we expend lots of energy, lots of sharp words, and lots of strong feelings. But very few know how to have a good religious argument a rational, respectful, and productive exchange of differing views.Bishop Robert Barron, one of the leading Catholic figures in the world and among the most active on social media, has enjoyed thousands of fruitful religious arguments. In this book based on talks delivered at Facebook and Google, he explains why religion at its best opens up the searching mind, and how we all believer and unbeliever alike can share better discussions about God.

    Llewellyn's 2019 Witches' Datebook features beautiful illustrations from award-winning artist Kathleen Edwards, a variety of ways to celebrate the Wheel of the Year, and powerful wisdom from practicing Witches.Find fresh ways to celebrate the sacred seasons and enhance your practice with sabbat musings (Raven Digitalis), tasty sabbat recipes (Estha McNevin), Witchy tips (Elizabeth Barrette), and the Witch's tools (Mickie Mueller). Also included are fascinating articles on connecting magically with birds (Monica Crosson), prioritizing spells and rituals (Diana Rajchel), ethically disposing of offering items (Blake Octavian Blair), visualizing with all five senses (Autumn Damiana), and changing your body to match the energy of your goal (Charlynn Walls). This indispensable, on-the-go tool will make all your days more magical.

    It’s a spiritual tool to hone your intuition. Working with it can be a sacred practice of remembering that you contain your own answers. You can drop into your heart, that cathedral of love inside you, and receive what is needed.”***In this exquisite oracle deck, scholar, speaker, and author Meggan Watterson has gathered together the saints, mystics, gurus, and goddesses from the world religions who represent both divine beings and the human women who sought to embody them. Each of these sacred ladies, when called upon, can strengthen your capacity to hear your soul. From the unyielding love of Mary Magdalene to the transformational force of the goddess Kali, you will discover the expansive qualities of the divine feminine within you, so that you can embody with ease and levity the love that you already are.

    We came to your peoples to enunciate the Law of One. We wished to impress upon those who wished to learn of unity that in unity all paradoxes are resolved; all that is broken is healed; all that is forgotten is brought to light.” For thousands of years those of Ra have sought to teach the Law of One to seekers of truth on Earth who wished to learn of the unity or oneness of all things. This basic law of all creation is buried deep within each of our hearts because we really are one in love and in light, the building blocks of the universe. We are all manifestations of the One Infinite Creator. We are the Creator. We are not learning this law for the first time but are remembering it yet again as all mystics have taught throughout Earth’s history. Our journey of self-realization is the discovery or remembrance of this essential truth, our essential identity. A waking up, as some have called it, within an illusion of separation. Don Elkins and Carla L. Rueckert worked together for 12 years to perfect the channeling process and receive philosophical inspiration and guidance from extraterrestrial sources. When Jim McCarty joined them in 1980 they began to receive a new and unique type of channeling contact from those of Ra. Through this contact, Ra shared information to help seekers of truth deepen their awareness and acceptance of self and other, and to help Earth move into the emerging fourth density of love and understanding. This book is the transcript from the recording of that conversation between the Questioner and Ra. Through questions & answers, the metaphysical blueprint of spiritual evolution is explored, from the microcosm to the macrocosm, from the particulars of life on this planet to the life of the cosmos, to the possibilities of healing, transformation, and self-realization for spiritual seekers and wanderers. * * * * * * * * * The Ra Contact: Teaching the Law of One Volume 2 contains Ra contact sessions 57–106. As with all L/L Research material, this book can be read for free in PDF form on the archive website www.llresearch.org.

     Shohaku Okumura—renowned for his translations of and magisterial teachings on Dogen—guides the reader through the rich layers of metaphor and meaning in “Sansuikyo,” which is often thought to be the most beautiful essay in Dogen’s monumental Shobogenzo. His wise and friendly voice shows us the questions Dogen poses and helps us realize what the answers could be. What does it mean for  mountains to walk? How are mountains an expression of Buddha’s truth, and how can we learn to hear the deep teachings of river waters? Throughout this luminous volume, we learn how we can live in harmony with nature in respect and gratitude—and awaken to our true nature.

    His eyes were firmly shut and his consciousness withdrawn from his senses when all this was going on. Yet in his dreams he experienced sights, sounds and even visceral sensations much more intensely than when he was awake. From this he understood that you didn’t need a physical body to see, or smell, or endure any kind of experience with an acuteness that was more real than reality. From an early age he deduced that heaven or hell need not be material places so much as states of mind—and no less glorious or horrifying because of that. There were no limits to a mind untethered from form.” What if you could re-live the enchantment of childhood bedtime—but with magic that is real? What if you felt the wonder you once sensed when you believed that anything is possible? Or were inspired to see the world through fresh eyes? In this compendium of delightful short stories, David Michie draws us into the extraordinary experiences of everyday people as they encounter those tell-tale cracks exposing reality as not quite what it seems. Four female book club members are unexpectedly propelled, by the same black and white photograph, to discover a shared purpose beyond their wildest imaginings. An earnest young seeker finds that drawing aside the veil to an immeasurably more wonderful reality, doesn’t depend so much on the arcane books he reads as on a source much closer to home. A cat-doting woman, who wishes her beloved felines would talk to her, is shaken when she realises what they have been trying to communicate all along.

    Harness the power of the seasons, planets, moon, sun, and yourself as you expand your horizons and create an extraordinary year.With an inspiring blend of illustrations to color, seasonal spells and rituals, gentle planning guidelines, and monthly and weekly calendar pages, find yourself on the creative, empowering journey of your own magical path.- Monthly calendar spreads- Weekly planning pages with lined space for each day- Moon phase and moon sign tracking- Spell for each month and a ritual idea for each Sabbat- Lots of magical illustrations to color and extra space for notes- Handy 6

    It’s held as a firm proposition in metaphysics, and some spiritual teachers ascribe infinite powers to the mind. But are these claims scientifically accurate? What does the scientific evidence tell us about the scope of the human mind to transform thoughts into reality?New research and new discoveries in epigenetics, neuroscience, electromagnetism, psychology, cymatics (the study of wave phenomena), public health, and quantum physics are demonstrating that thoughts can indeed be profoundly creative. In Mind to Matter, award-winning author Dawson Church examines the scientific facts and reviews the studies that show, step by step, exactly how our minds create material form. As each piece of the puzzle falls into place, the science turns out to be even more astonishing than the metaphysics.Throughout the book, Church shares illuminating case histories—up-close, authentic personal accounts of people who had an experience of turning mind into matter. Drawn from the worlds of medicine, sports, business, healing, art, and scientific discovery, these stories run the gamut from profound to inspiring to heart-wrenching. Meticulously researched evidence is presented in highly relatable form, using engaging, understandable, nontechnical analogies. Photos and illustrations enrich the text.As we discover how the universe operates synchronistically, we come to understand that while we have individual local minds, we also participate in universal nonlocal mind. Mind to Matter shows us that as we take charge of our individual power to create, we have the potential, as a species, to catalyze a transformation of our whole world.

    Written by Anodea Judith, world-renowned energy healing expert, it offers a complete range of practical tools on using chakras to balance, heal and take charge of your wellbeing. In this book, the reader will learn:  *   the meaning, function, and purpose of each chakra  *   the childhood experiences that affect and programme each chakra  *   the role each chakra plays in our lives, including in our health, relationships, and decision-making  *   physical, emotional, and mental signs of chakra imbalances  *   simple yet powerful exercises to balance each chakra  *   using the chakras as a tool for liberation, manifestation, reception, and expressionThis book was previously published within the Hay House Basics series.

    You'll learn the basics of working with the magic of angels, fairies, tarot and oracle cards, Lenormand, runes, pendulums, the I Ching, astrology, numerology, meditation, and mantras--all delivered with Radleigh's gentle sense of humor and deft way of making complicated topics easy to understand.With each turn of a card, swing of a pendulum, or chanted mantra, your eyes will be opened to the brightness and the vastness of the Universe. Release your fears and see again through the universal language of laughter that . . . life really is magic!

    To really understand and fully embrace this point is to live in a radically different world—a world of awakening, inclusion, and love. Zen Master Dogen frames the teaching on impermanence explicitly as a teaching about time—and all of Dogen’s profoundly poetic teachings flow from his seminal understanding of time, as expressed in Uji (Being-Time), the famous—and famously difficult—essay in his masterwork, Shobogenzo. In Uji, Dogen teaches that time itself, being itself, is luminous awakening. It is all-inclusive, all-elusive, ultimately healing, and eternal.             In this book, Shinshu Roberts does full justice, as does no other book I know of, to Dogen’s words. She offers interpretation of Uji only after careful consideration and marshaling of many sources—and offers simple everyday examples to illustrate points that seem at first abstruse. If this text causes you to doubt your most cherished concepts about your life, it will have done its work.” —from the Foreword by Norman Fischer Being-Time thoroughly explores Dogen’s teaching on how we practice as Buddhas by understanding the relationship between being and time as it is—and as we perceive it to be. Using Dogen’s Shobogenzo Uji (The True Dharma Eye, Being-Time), Shinshu Roberts offers a twofold analysis of this teaching: the meaning of the text and practice with the text, giving examples how we apply Dogen’s complex teaching to our daily lives.

    The standard model of science has had little success in explaining such areas as human consciousness, the connection between the mind and the body, altruism and ‘anomalous’ phenomena such as near-death experiences, psi phenomena (such as telepathy) and spiritual experiences. But from a ‘panspiritist’ point of view – which sees spirit or consciousness as a fundamental essence of reality – it is possible to make sense of all these things. Steve Taylor puts forward the evidence for a spiritual view of reality, drawing on the insights of philosophers, physicists, mystics, as well as spiritual traditions and indigenous cultures. He systematically shows how a ‘panspiritist’ view can explain many puzzling aspects of science and the world, including evolution and the origins of life, and a wide range of other phenomena such as quantum physics, the placebo effect, precognition and neuroplasticity. Spiritual Science offers a new vision of the world that is compatible with both modern science and ancient spiritual teachings. It provides a more accurate and holistic account of reality than conventional science or religion, integrating a wide range of phenomena that are excluded from both. After showing how the materialist worldview demeans the world and human life, Spiritual Science offers a brighter alternative – a vision of the world as sacred and interconnected, and of human life as meaningful and purposeful. Spiritual Science explains how the standard materialist model of reality developed, and turned into a belief system. This belief system can only function by denying (or explaining away) a whole range of phenomena that are part of human experience.

    It is so much THE central one that the very existence and survival of Western civilization depends on it. It is like the Confucian tradition in Chinese culture, or the monotheistic tradition in religion, or the human rights tradition in politics.In the first of his eight lectures, Peter Kreeft defines Platonism and its “Big Idea,” the idea of a transcendent reality that the history of philosophy has labeled “Platonic Ideas” or Platonic Forms. In the second lecture, he briefly explores Plato’s two basic predecessors or sources, myth and Socrates; and then looks at 12 applications of the Forms in Plato’s own dialogues. The third lecture covers the three most important modifications or additions to Plato himself in the Platonic tradition: Aristotle, Plotinus, and Augustine, each of whom gave the Forms a new metaphysical address. The fourth lecture explores six Christian Platonists, three in the New Testament and three philosophers, Justin Martyr, Bonaventure, and Aquinas.  The next three lectures explore the consequences of the modern abandoning of Platonism, beginning with William of Ockham’s Nominalism, as the source of nearly all modern philosophical errors, and its results in the Empiricism of Locke and Hume, the so-called Copernican Revolution in philosophy in Kant, the so-called “analytic philosophy,” which still dominates English and American philosophy departments. In the sixth essays, Kreeft looks at 13 influential kinds of positivism or reductionism in modern thought: in method, history, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, sociology, politics, logics, linguistics, sex, psychology, and theology, exemplified by Descartes, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Marx, Kant, Comte, Rousseau, Rawls, Ayer, Derrida, Freud, Skimmer, Nietzsche, and Sartre. Lecture 7 looks at the results of abandoning the Platonic tradition in ethics, the values vacuum, or nihilism, in Ecclesiastes, Pascal, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoi, Marcel, and Buber. In the last lecture, Kreeft looks at some experiential evidence for Platonism, doors out of the cave that are still open, signals of transcendence.

    Crystals have been used for thousands of years through almost every culture and in almost every country. These arcane relics are believed to contain the essence of the stars, allowing them to directly affect the human form. From health, to mindfulness, to productivity, and protection - healing crystals have made their own niche in our modern day society. In this comprehensive beginners guide to healing crystals, you will be able to discover: The origin of crystals The healing properties of crystals Crystals from A-Z How to chose your crystals Chakras and auras How to create a crystal grid How to protect yourself with crystals How to cleanse your crystals How to set intentions And much, much more! This guide shares all the information essential to starting a healing crystal practice, and provides insight on specific strategies that work best for each individual person - allowing you to create a healing crystal practice that truly suits what you need in your life. Ready to unlock your connection with the vast expanse of the universe? Dive in, cosmic warrior, and let's get started. Buy this book NOW and change your life with the healing power of crystals.

    Yet most of us are neither healthy nor happy. We have been led to believe that if we think ahead and make the right choices, we can manifest our dreams. Yet despite our best efforts, we still have more disease and discontent than ever before. Is it possible that our essential ideas about life are flawed?We are all aware of the impact of sunlight on a plant’s growth and development. But few of us realize that a plant actually “sees” where light is emanating from and positions itself to be in optimal alignment with it. This phenomenon, however, is not just occurring in the plant kingdom — humans are also fundamentally directed by light. In Luminous Life, Dr. Jacob Israel Liberman integrates scientific research, clinical practice, and direct experience to demonstrate how the luminous intelligence we call light effortlessly guides us toward health, contentment, and a life filled with purpose.

    Exploring everything from visions, hunches, vibes, astrology, and the occult arts and sciences, to modern physics, geomagnetism and bio-electricity, Psychic Literacy is renowned artist and remote viewer Ingo Swann's grand overview of human psychic potentials.

    Filled with easy-to-follow exercises, guided meditations, and illuminating stories from Sherrie's years of teaching, You Are Psychic shares the secrets of the four psychic types and shows you how to identify your spiritual strengths while overcoming the doubts or fears that may be standing in your way.Learning to trust the elusive energy of psychic awareness can be an important step in your life's journey. This book helps you interpret the intuitive information you receive, opening the gateway to support, guidance, and love from the realm of spirit. Whether you desire to improve your relationships, career, health, or finances, You Are Psychic helps you move beyond the five senses and embrace your deep inner wisdom.Praise: "Sherrie Dillard's You Are Psychic is one of the best books I've read to naturally develop your intuitive skills. This book offers comprehensive teachings to help you develop your intuition and know yourself--from the basics to in-depth exercises. A must read to improve success for personal awareness, protection, and the ability to interpret your intuitive realizations. You'll refer to Dillard's book again and again."--Margaret Ann Lembo, author of Chakra Awakening: Transform Your Reality Using Crystals, Color, Aromatherapy and the Power of Positive Thought"Having worked in the field of energy medicine for over fifteen years, I have run across so many people who wish to open up their psychic awareness but don't know how. Wouldn't it be nice if there was an easy and effective way to open up your intuition? Well, look no further than You are Psychic by Sherrie Dillard. Sherrie beautifully addresses one of the key secrets of developing your intuition that is rarely addressed: opening up your psychic abilities is not a rational, step-by-step process! Instead, she shows us how we can naturally and spontaneously connect with our innate psychic awareness, in a way that is inspiring, empowering, and easy to follow. I highly recommend You are Psychic whether you are intending to expand your practice or even just enhance your intuitive abilities to improve your everyday life!"--Jennifer Taylor, CEO of Quantum-Touch, Inc."Sherrie opens your mind to all that you can achieve while pointing out why you may be holding back, which is so very helpful when trying to understand and nurture your psychic abilities. Throughout You Are Psychic there is a deep sense of the importance of becoming one with your intuitive energy and psychic type so that you can become the most complete, aware, and evolved spiritual being possible. Sherrie says we need psychic awareness, I say, everyone needs to read this eye-opening and extremely helpful book! Thanks so much for writing it, Sherrie!"--Melissa Alvarez, author of Believe and Receive, Your Psychic Self, Animal Frequency, and 365 Ways to Raise Your Frequency

    

    Logic does not describe how we actually think, but only how we should. Yet by thus sundering the logical from the psychological, Frege was unable to explain certain fundamental logical truths, most notably the psychological version of the law of non-contradiction--that one cannot think a thought and its negation simultaneously.Irad Kimhi's Thinking and Being marks a radical break with Frege's legacy in analytic philosophy, exposing the flaws of his approach and outlining a novel conception of judgment as a two-way capacity. In closing the gap that Frege opened, Kimhi shows that the two principles of non-contradiction--the ontological principle and the psychological principle--are in fact aspects of the very same capacity, differently manifested in thinking and being.As his argument progresses, Kimhi draws on the insights of historical figures such as Aristotle, Kant, and Wittgenstein to develop highly original accounts of topics that are of central importance to logic and philosophy more generally. Self-consciousness, language, and logic are revealed to be but different sides of the same reality. Ultimately, Kimhi's work elucidates the essential sameness of thinking and being that has exercised Western philosophy since its inception.

    Chief among them is that its own assertions aren't as important as the relationships between its characters . . . The Gita imagined a relationship in which the soul and God are equals; it is, he believes, the greatest poem of friendship . . . in any language. His verse translation captures the many tones and strategies Krishna uses with Arjuna--strict and berating, detached and philosophical, tender and personable. Listening guides to each section follow the main text, and expand in accessible terms on the text and what is happening between the lines. Godsong is an instant classic in the field, from a poet of skill, fine intellect, and--perhaps most important--devotion.

    Sacred geometry is a teaching that focuses on geometric proportions and patterns in nature. The knowledge of magical symbols and sacred geometry was revered and preserved by many ancient civilisations including those in Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and Greece. Magical symbols and geometry worked together as keys to understanding nature and the philosophical meaning of existence.This book is a simple guide to understanding magical symbols by taking in account their original geometric patterns and mythological correlations. Each chapter addresses a different geometric figure and its derived magical symbols. It’s a journey from the source shape of the circle, the well from which the other shapes arise, to the Tree of Life where they all connect.

    But nothing written on how to make a living as a reader once you learn the cards. After 25 years of reading professionally, Vincent Pitisci shares his knowledge on how it's done. From fairs to phone readings and everything in between, Stray Tarot is a smorgasbord of professional insight coming from a seasoned Tarot reader. This book will show you how to make a living as a card reader and have fun while doing it. Do you think you might be ready? Stray Tarot will show you the way.

    It also tells of the ancient extraterrestrial War between the Pleiades and the subterranean serpent race, the destruction of a civilization on Mars and a Planet called Phaeton and how our Secret History is taught in ancient Mythology around the globe. You will learn how to discern between astral entities, extraterrestrials and angelic Beings. Lessons are given on how to travel and explore the Universe with consciousness alone so that you can verify things for yourself. Finally you learn why our History and Destiny are hidden from mainstream culture. For thousands of years Planet Earth has been surrounded by a fog of ignorance, but the veils of reality are set to be lifted as we ourselves ascend in levels of consciousness rather than waiting for some outside force to fix things for us. While the authors previous books provided exercises in raising your level of consciousness, this book allows you to enter the perspective of a higher level of consciousness.

    This is the book that presents his metaphysics, an enterprise that he insists can only be properly understood as a “logic,” or a “science of pure thinking.” Since he also wrote that the proper object of any such logic is pure thinking itself, it has always been unclear in just what sense such a science could be a “metaphysics.” Robert B. Pippin offers here a bold, original interpretation of Hegel’s claim that only now, after Kant’s critical breakthrough in philosophy, can we understand how logic can be a metaphysics. Pippin addresses Hegel’s deep, constant reliance on Aristotle’s conception of metaphysics, the difference between Hegel’s project and modern rationalist metaphysics, and the links between the “logic as metaphysics” claim and modern developments in the philosophy of logic. Pippin goes on to explore many other facets of Hegel’s thought, including the significance for a philosophical logic of the self-conscious character of thought, the dynamism of reason in Kant and Hegel, life as a logical category, and what Hegel might mean by the unity of the idea of the true and the idea of the good in the “Absolute Idea.” The culmination of Pippin’s work on Hegel and German idealism, this is a book that no Hegel scholar or historian of philosophy will want to miss.

    And he proposes a demiurge as a benevolent creator God.Though unfinished, Critias (read by Peter Kenny) is a fascinating document in which Plato tells the story of the strong island empire of Atlantis and reports of a more ideal Athens in the past.In Sophist, Plato questions the nature of the sophist and how he differs from a statesman or a philosopher.In Statesman, Plato questions his earlier projection as the philosopher king as the ideal ruler (The Republic) and considers the importance of other issues such as political awareness.In Philebus, Plato's spotlight falls on hedonism, the life of pleasure - and the balance offered by wisdom and intelligence.Translation by Benjamin Jowett.Public Domain (P)2018 Ukemi Productions Ltd

    If duration is synonymous with memory, how are we then capable of thinking an authentic sense of the future? Does this mean that freedom is nothing more than a reprisal of our past?Lapoujade uncovers multiple versions of Bergson: a philosopher of sympathy, a melancholic philosopher, a perspectivist Bergson, a spiritualist Bergson. Leading us beyond simplistic anthropomorphic conceptions of temporality and intuition, Lapoujade’s multiple Bergsons guide us to encounter a rapport with time, memory, and duration that places us in direct contact with the nonhuman flows and movements of the universe.

    With just three dice, you can receive answers to basic questions or initiate a deeper interpretive journey. Based on elemental forces that have been consulted by healers and sages for thousands of years, this dice oracle will inspire you to see yourself and the world with a whole new perspective.This book shares instructions and rituals for using the oracle with dice or other divinatory tools. You will also find a list of meanings for every possible elemental combination, and explanations of how Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Sun, and Moon manifest in this divination system. When you explore the oracle's patterns and correspondences, you gain insight into the challenges and concerns that we all face. Integrate the power of the elements as you make your way through the magic and mystery of life with Elemental Divination as your guide.

    Central to its interpretative efforts is the attempt to understand Husserl's transcendentalidealism. Husserl's Legacy argues that Husserl was not an internalist, nor a quietist when it comes to metaphysical issues; that he assigned a fundamental importance to facticity and intersubjectivity; and that he was not opposed to all forms of naturalism.

    Pearl is a travel writer and encounters a host of dynamic characters, from a boat boy in the Philippines, to a penitent in Nepal, to a rickshaw driver in India, each challenging her world view. In search of her life purpose, Pearl is being pulled more deeply away from all that is familiar on this journey, a path that began when she moved to Tokyo from the U.S. years earlier. Who is the self behind cultural conditioning? Who is she when no one is telling her who to be? What is her calling? The couple ends up in London, where Pearl finds some semblance of home, while Finn struggles to belong in a place he left behind years before. Pearl ultimately realizes that before she can go upward and understand this illusory "purpose," she must journey down into the self and heal. In the end, she is faced with a decision that could reduce to ashes the life she has built, and destroy all that she holds dear.