Thus facilitating our desert like hearts to grow lotuses.”Evolve is based on various talks given by H.H. Radhanath Swami. This is neither an exact transcription nor an overly corrected version.

     Your commitment to work at your absolute best moves me. Your readiness to acknowledge your weakness encourages me to give even more of my life to helping people free themselves from their self-made prisons. May your passions be ignited. May your life and that of those around you become magically abundant.M This book is the first in 'THE OBSTACLE IS YOU' series. The letters of my readers have moved me deeply and encouraged me to distill everything that I have learned about the art of living into a series of life lessons. Hence, I set about compiling the best information I have to give into a book that I genuinely believe will transform your life. How to Love Yourself? Do you ever feel like life is slipping by so fast that you might not get the chance to live with meaning and the happiness you deserve? If so, then this very special book will be the guiding light that leads you to a brilliant new way of living. In this extremely easy to read yet wisdom rich manual, I offer eleven simple solutions to life's most complex problems, ranging from methods to succeed to powerful ways to enjoy the journey while you create a legacy that lasts. The words in this book are heartfelt and written in high hope that you will not only connect with the wisdom that I have respectfully offered but also act on it to create lasting improvements in every area of your life. Amidst my own trials and tribulations I have learned that it is not enough to know what to do, we must act immediately on the knowledge in order to create the lives we so dearly want. So, as you turn the pages of this first book in 'THE OBSTACLE IS YOU' series, I hope you will discover a wealth of wisdom that will immensely enrich the quality of your physical, emotional and spiritual life. Please do write to me to share how you have integrated the lessons in this book into the way you live. I will do my very best to respond to your mails with a personal note. I wish you peace, prosperity and many happy days spent engaged in a worthy purpose.

    Rev. Mark Townsend sets the stage by exploring the historical evidence of who Jesus was as a human being before delving into the realm of metaphor and mythology, the notion of Christ, and the Church's conception of Jesus as Christ.The heart of this unique book lies in the thoughtful and deeply moving collection of stories, essays, and interviews about Jesus from today's most respected Pagan, Wiccan, and Druidic leaders. Contributors such as Maxine Sanders, Christopher Penczak, Janet Farrar, Diana Paxson, Philip Carr-Gomm, Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, John Michael Greer, Selena Fox, and Raven Grimassi explore the historical figure of Jesus in relation to Witchcraft, the tarot, goddess worship, and shamanism--while illustrating how this god of the Christian church blesses and inspires those who embrace non-traditional spiritual paths.Whether you envision Jesus as an ascended master, a human teacher, or a mythic god-man, this remarkable book will introduce you to a Jesus who fits fully into the Pagan imagination.Praise:"Townsend uses Jesus to initiate dialogue, and he does so in way that is accepting and inclusive of many understandings and interpretations of Jesus, his purpose, and his relevance (or irrelevance) in the religious practices of contemporary Pagans." --Huffington Post"This work admirably promotes understanding between belief systems that have a sometimes uneasy relationship."--Publishers Weekly

    Working backward from the Freemasons to one of their original orders, the 14th-century Knights Templar, the account considers sorcery, heresy, and intrigues; explores the legend that the Knights possessed a powerful secret dangerous to the Church of Rome; and finds an essential clue to the order's practices in their connection to the biblical Solomon, king of Israel in the 10th century BC.

    Combining exacting scholarship with dazzling invention, Hopkins challenges our perceptions about religion, the historical Jesus, and the way history is written. He puts us in touch with what he calls "empathetic wonder"-imagining what Romans, pagans, Jews, and Christians thought, felt, experienced, and believed-by employing a series of engaging literary devices. These include a TV drama about the Dead Sea Scrolls; the first-person testimony of a pair of time-travelers to Pompeii; a meditation on Jesus' apocryphal twin brother; and an unusual letter on God, demons, and angels.

    "A beautiful book, including about 100 wondrous photographs."-- "Library Journal" "A beautiful book, including about 100 wondrous photographs." "--Library Journal"

    This is a book about how many of the 'big' philosophical and religious questions that have puzzled mankind for centuries can be answered by recent breakthroughs in science.

    Celtic Tree Mysteries revives the ancient knowledge and lore of the trees with a practical system of magical ritual and divination.Within the pages of this trusted reference guide, you will find comprehensive instruction and insight on the theory and practice of the Celtic Tree mysteries, including little-known and often misunderstood tenets.Learn the difference between the Ogham script and the Tree Alphabet (and how to use them together for magical purposes). Decipher the physical, mental, and spiritual lessons of the twenty trees of the Ogham, and how to incorporate their wisdom into your life.Find out how to create your own set of Ogham sticks...perform Otherworld journeys...and discover the deeper, hidden meanings contained within the beautiful, ancient Celtic legends and Green World lore.

    Written by Soto Zen priest Zenju Earthlyn Manuel and organized in an easy-to-use Question and Answer format, this brief book answers the many common questions people have about Buddhism, everything from who was Buddha to why do monks, nuns, and priests shave their heads.Manuel, who was been involved in Buddhist practice for over twenty years, after an L.A. upbringing in an African-American Christian church, intertwines throughout the book her personal experiences as one of the first African-American Zen priests. Her life in the Sangha, her teaching in local communities, and her travels around the world meeting other Buddhist practitioners enliven her answers to the most fundamental questions about Buddhist practice. She writes, "Had I not opened myself to the many teachings from the earth, such as Buddha's wisdom, it would have been nearly impossible to survive the fires of my soul." Included are about 20 illustrations by the author in charcoal-and-pencil style.

    Women are rediscovering their foremothers' "green witchcraft"--the use of flowers, leaves, berries, roots, and barks in home and garden, for hygiene and beauty, for pleasure and for health. Now, that lore may be found in this modern source book of the domestic use of herbs. Full of practical advice and fascinating historical insights, this delightful book shows you how to tap into the astonishing power of plants and herbs. Includes recipes for a variety of remedies and personal care products, and devotes a chapter to the creative use of herbs in the kitchen for cooking and as natural cleansers and disinfectants. Griggs' best-selling and widely-praised Green Pharmacy is considered the standard work on the history of herbal medicine.

    This pioneering work, first published in 1986, documents the continuing vitality of American Indian traditions and the crucial role of women in those traditions.

    A simple conceptual framework of Jiu Jitsu for beginners seeking to use Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as a vehicle for personal development.

    Funny, moving and inspirational, it is just as delightful as Canfor-Dumas’ first novel, ‘The Buddha, Geoff and Me’. When we catch up with our hero Ed, he’s abandoned his Buddhist practice and is stuck in a rut – no career, no love life and no cash.Plunged unwittingly into a world of street crime and dodgy property deals, Ed finds himself dusting down his beads and reluctantly picking up his Nichiren Buddhist practice to guide him through a series of dramas, dilemmas and big decisions. Spiritual insights then emerge from the grit, grime and SNAFUs of Ed’s everyday life. By turns unsettling and uplifting, this is a book that will also get you thinking about complex issues of our time such as depression, racism, bereavement, suicide and youth crime.And it gives possibly the best ever explanation of the wisdom that comes from chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo: “Like sending a truffle hound to root around in the leaf-litter of my subconscious and dig up what’s bothering me.” The description by the publisher is spot on – this absolutely is a book “for everyone who's ever wondered whether enlightenment really is compatible with the daily commute.” Welcome back Ed, lovin' yer truffles…

    We answer a colleague's questions from the stands at a child's soccer game; we pay the bills while watching TV; we order groceries while stuck in traffic. In a time when no one seems to have enough time, our devices allow us to be many places at once--but at the cost of being unable to fully inhabit the place where we actually want to be. Mindfulness says we can do better. This TIME Spotlight Story explores The Art of Mindfulness.

    In this amazing book, he offers an account of his own incredible flights of "soul travel"--and shows us how we too can develop this life-changing ability.