With her holistic, self-care approach to filling your life with comfort, joy, and peace, Debrena Jackson Gandy debunks the common belief that doing something for yourself is decadent and selfish. In fact, she says, the joy we gain from nurturing ourselves - whether it's in the form of a luxuriant bath or quiet time alone - is transferred to the people in our lives. When we emerge rejuvenated, others benefit from a more patient mother, a more fulfilled wife, an effective co-worker, a solidly grounded friend. Self-care is empowering, plain and simple. Often, however, today's Black woman gives so much to others that she hardly has time for herself. With her twelve sacred pampering principles for the spirit and twelve for the body. Debrena Jackson Gandy shares her unique, proven method for achieving a balanced, satisfying life.

    Often the age-old customs, whose relevance is lost to modern times, are dismissed as meaningless superstitions. The truth, however, is that these practices reveal the philosophical and scientific approach to life that has characterized Hindu thought since ancient times; it is important to revive their original meanings today. This handy book tells the fascinating stories and explains the science behind the Hindu rites and rituals that we sometimes follow blindly. It is essential reading for anyone interested in India's cultural tradition.

    There is no she.Two cells make up one cell. This is the mathematics behind creation. One plus one makes one. Life begets life. We are the period to a sentence, the effect to a cause, always belonging to someone. We are never our own.This is why we are so lonely.She of the Mountains is a beautifully rendered illustrated novel by Vivek Shraya, the author of the Lambda Literary Award finalist God Loves Hair. Shraya weaves a passionate, contemporary love story between a man and his body, with a re-imagining of Hindu mythology. Both narratives explore the complexities of embodiment and the damaging effects that policing gender and sexuality can have on the human heart.Illustrations are by Raymond Biesinger, whose work has appeared in such publications as The New Yorker and the New York Times.Vivek Shraya is a multimedia artist, working in the mediums of music, performance, literature, and film. Her most recent film, What I LOVE about Being QUEER, has been expanded to include an online project and book with contributions from around the world. She is also author of God Loves Hairand Even This Page Is White.

    It’s long, complicated, and can be extremely difficult to understand. The good news is that you CAN absorb every life lesson that lies within, quickly and easily! Bhagavad Gita Made Very Easy is different from anything else on the market, and all 18 chapters and 700 scriptures can be completed in no time at all! Are you ready to unlock permanent happiness? Mind control? Freedom? Direction? Motivation? Faith? Peace of mind? This is just the beginning! Remember – it’s important to read the whole book from start to finish for uncompromised insight. Each chapter has its own gift to give. The thing is, The Bhagavad Gita is NOT just a book. It’s a life-changing conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjun before the battle unfolds. Are you ready to uncover this secret knowledge - with incredible speed and ease? Discover what your goals in life should be, and change your outlook on life like never before, with Bhagavad Gita Made Very Easy! Cordially Yours, Kishan Barai (Author)

    They raise direct questions regarding the source of thought, the essence of our being and are as relevant today as they were 2000 years ago.The Isavasya proclaims the all-pervasiveness of this totality of consciousness which is here called Isha, the Lord, and urges one to let go the narrow and self-centered identity we are caught up in and rejoice in the flow of the infinite wholeness of Life.The word Kena means Who. This Upanishad concerns itself with the question of ones ID. Is there a separate I or is it merely a term used to describe the totality of cognizance. Is there an I beyond the limited, self-centered ID?The Mandukya examines the same idea but in a different way, exploring the states of consciousness all human beings experience namely, the waking state, the dream state and the deep sleep state, and postulates that there is a common experiencer in all these states, a witness, not affected by the states and which is the totality of consciousness called Turiya represented by the Pranava, OM.PrefaceThe Upanishads represent the high watermark not only of Hindu Philosophy but of spiritual literature anywhere in the world. These marvellous discourses and dialogues between self-realized seers, known as Rishis, and one or more disciples, contain powerful and eloquent statements regarding the ultimate reality in its multifarious facets. They have been well described as providing an ‘ecstatic slide show of reality, a privileged glimpse of the unitive vision in which all thing are one in a world aflame with God’. They contain some of the most eloquent passages such as – ‘I have seen that Great Being shining like a thousand suns beyond the darkness; it is only by knowing that being that we can achieve immortality’ and again, ‘Hear O children of immortal bliss, you are born to be united with the Divine; follow the path of the illumined ones and be united with the Supreme Being’.The universal truths articulated in the Upanishads have formed the basis for numerous commentaries down through the centuries, beginning with the luminous insights of Adi Shankaracharya. In our own times Sri Aurobindo, Sri Krishnaprem, Dr Radhakrishnan, Swami Ranganathananda, Eknath Ishwaran and other great seers and sages have produced commentaries and interpretations on various Upanishads. The Upanishads are enduring and unfailing sources of inspiration, and their impact grows with each successive reading. One of my favourites is the Mundaka which I have translated and upon which I have attempted a short commentary.The author of this book, Sri Mumtaz Ali, popularly known as ‘M’, has spoken extensively upon the Upanishads, based on his personal experience. The fact that a person born a Muslim should have such a deep insight into the Hindu tradition proves once again that the spiritual path accepts no boundaries. The three Upanishads upon which M has commented are among the most important – the Ishavasya, which is always given pride of place in any list of Upanishads, the Mandukya which expounds the deeper symbolism of the sacred symbol Aum, and the Kena where we have the marvellous allegory of the Devas who thought they had won a victory, whereas actually it was the victory of the divine Brahman. In this Upanishad we come across Shiva and Yaksha, whose identity the Devas are unable to comprehend, and are also introduced to Uma, Haimavati, the many splendoured daughter of the Himalayas, who appears as the mediator between the Devas and the Supreme Brahman.In these talks M has expounded in a clear and cogent fashion various aspects of these three great texts. I have pleasure in commending this book to spiritual seekers and students of Hinduism around the world.

    The space-age sounding title was suggested over 800 years ago by "The Blind Ones and the Elephant," a story immortalized in Rumi's Mathnavi.

    Perhaps, what brought the two still closer were the stories the Guru narrated. These stories provided a meaningful context for the topics under discussion. They also demonstrate that in those days knowledge was not the monopoly of any select group. Thus Janashruti, the ruler of the land, approaches the cart driver Raikva, with humility, to seek the highest truth.

    She continued her national dialogue with the bestselling Salvation: Black People and Love. Now hooks culminates her triumphant trilogy of love with Communion: The Female Search for Love.Intimate, revealing, provocative, Communion challenges every female to courageously claim the search for love as the heroic journey we must all choose to be truly free. In her trademark commanding and lucid language, hooks explores the ways ideas about women and love were changed by feminist movement, by women's full participation in the workforce, and by the culture of self-help.Communion is the heart-to-heart talk every woman -- mother, daughter, friend, and lover -- needs to have.

    We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For takes on some of the greatest challenges of our times and in it Walker encourages readers to take faith in the fact that, despite the daunting predicaments we find ourselves in, we are uniquely prepared to create positive change.The hardcover edition of We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For included a national tour that saw standing-room–only crowds and standing ovations. Walker’s clear vision and calm meditative voice—truly "a light in darkness"—has struck a deep chord among a large and devoted readership.

    But she increasingly felt she could no longer trust in the God she’d been implicitly taught to worship—a white male God who preferentially empowered white men despite his claim to love all people. A God who clearly did not relate to, advocate for, or affirm a Black woman like Christena. Her crisis of faith sent her on an intellectual and spiritual journey through history and across France, on a 400-mile walking pilgrimage to the ancient shrines of Black Madonnas to find healing in the Sacred Black Feminine. God Is a Black Woman is the chronicle of her liberating transformation and a critique of a society shaped by white patriarchal Christianity and culture. Christena reveals how America’s collective idea of God as a white man has perpetuated hurt, hopelessness, and racial and gender oppression. Integrating her powerful personal story, womanist ideology, as well as theological, historical, and social science research, she invites us to take seriously the truth that God is not white nor male and gives us a new and hopeful path for connecting with the divine and honoring the sacredness of all Black people.

    Includes "Black Magic: Blk Rhetoric" and "Blues."

    Hurtful and dishonest, such representations force African American women to navigate a virtual crooked room that shames them and shapes their experiences as citizens. Many respond by assuming a mantle of strength that may convince others, and even themselves, that they do not need help. But as a result, the unique political issues of black women are often ignored and marginalized.In this groundbreaking book, Melissa V. Harris-Perry uses multiple methods of inquiry, including literary analysis, political theory, focus groups, surveys, and experimental research, to understand more deeply black women's political and emotional responses to pervasive negative race and gender images. Not a traditional political science work concerned with office-seeking, voting, or ideology, Sister Citizen instead explores how African American women understand themselves as citizens and what they expect from political organizing. Harris-Perry shows that the shared struggle to preserve an authentic self and secure recognition as a citizen links together black women in America, from the anonymous survivors of Hurricane Katrina to the current First Lady of the United States.

    Lorde published nine volumes of poetry which, in her words, detail "a linguistic and emotional tour through the conflicts, fears, and hopes of the world I have inhabited." Included here are Lorde's early, previously unavailable works: The First Cities, The New York Head Shop and Museum, Cables to Rage, and From a Land Where Other People Live.

    Exhausted by her political struggles, she is undergoing healing in the Southwest Community Infirmary. Confronting her there is Minnie Ransom, spinster and fabled vehicle of the spirit world.

    . . . Provides a road map for any Christian seeking greater racial justice."-- Publishers Weekly Reconciliation is not true reconciliation without justice! Brenda Salter McNeil has come to this conviction as she has led the church in pursuing reconciliation efforts over the past three decades. McNeil calls the church to repair the old reconciliation paradigm by moving beyond individual racism to address systemic injustice, both historical and present. It's time for the church to go beyond individual reconciliation and "heart change" and to boldly mature in its response to racial division.Looking through the lens of the biblical narrative of Esther, McNeil challenges Christian reconcilers to recognize the particular pain in our world so they can work together to repair what is broken while maintaining a deep hope in God's ongoing work for justice. This book provides education and prophetic inspiration for every person who wants to take reconciliation seriously.Becoming Brave offers a distinctly Christian framework for addressing systemic injustice. It challenges Christians to be everyday activists who become brave enough to break the silence and work with others to dismantle systems of injustice and inequality.