Traditionally, the Orthodox Church has appointed forty days of rest and seclusion after childbirth for mothers to recover from the rigors of birth and get to know their new babies. In the modern world, it can be difficult to understand how to use this time to the fullest in the way it was intended. The authors of A Sacred Beginning-a therapist and a pediatrician who are both mothers themselves-come to the rescue with a resource that addresses the spiritual, emotional, and physical aspects of a mother's recovery from birth and embarkation on her new life. Whether you are preparing to birth your first baby or your tenth, you will find in this book a wealth of spiritual food, comfort, encouragement, and sound advice to guide you, one postpartum day at a time.

Researcher Bonnie Gaunts continues the line of research begun by John Michell into the geometric design of Stonehenge, the Great Pyramid and the Golden Proportions. Chapters in this book cover the following topics: the amazing number 144 and the numbers in the design of the New Jerusalem; the Great Pyramid, Stonehenge and Solomon's Temple display a common design that reveals the work of a Master Designer; the amazing location of Bethlehem; how the process of photosynthesis reveals the sacred design while transforming light into organic substance; how the Bible's number code (gematria) reveals a sacred design; more.

In 1865 a French priest was visited by a small group of Japanese at his newly built church in Nagasaki. They were descendants of Japan's first Christians, the survivors of brutal religious persecution under the Tokugawa government. The Kakure Kirishitan, or "hidden Christians," had practiced their religion in secret for several hundred years. Sometime after their visit the priest received a copy of the Kakure bible, the Tenchi Hajimari no Koto, "Beginning of Heaven and Earth," an intriguing amalgam of Bible stories, Japanese fables, and Roman Catholic doctrine. Whelan offers a complete translation of this unique work accompanied by an illuminating commentary that provides the first theory of origin and evolution of the Tenchi. Today, the few Kakure Kirishitan communities still in existence view the Tenchi as strange and flawed, expressing a distorted form of Christianity. It is, however, the only text produced by the Kakure Kirishitan that depicts their highly syncretistic tradition and provides a colorful window through which to examine the dynamics of religious acculturation.

The twentieth anniversary edition of a transformative blueprint for ancestral healing—featuring new material and gateways, from the renowned herbalist, natural health expert, and healer of women’s bodies and souls “This book was one of the first that helped me start practices as a young woman that focused on my body and spirit as one.”—Jada Pinkett Smith Through extraordinary meditations, affirmations, holistic healing plant-based medicine, KMT temple teachings, and The Rites of Passage guidance, Queen Afua teaches us how to love and rejoice in our bodies by spiritualizing the words we speak, the foods we eat, the relationships we attract, the spaces we live and work in, and the transcendent woman spirit we manifest. With love, wisdom, and passion, Queen Afua guides us to accept our mission and our mantle as Sacred Women—to heal ourselves, the generations of women in our families, our communities, and our world.

The First and Finest: Orthodox Christian Stewardship as Sacred Offering explores the rich biblical and historical themes of Christian stewardship from an Eastern Orthodox perspective, drawing insights from themes in the Old and New Testaments and ancient Christianity. The study of stewardship in Church history reveals how contemporary concepts of the 'religious economy' impact how and why Christians exercise stewardship today. The premise for this study - that Orthodox stewardship is centered in the priestly offering of Christ and His followers who comprise His Church - helps Christians today to differentiate the holy way of Christian offering from false or misguided concepts of stewardship and offers suggestions for ways in which church communities can rediscover the richness of these insights from the ancient, Orthodox tradition. This study is intended to challenge every reader to consider whether he or she offers his or her first and finest to the Lord, and encourages parishes to exercise stewardship as an act of divine worship in the service of God and the poor.

In From the Beginning to Baptism, Linda Gibler takes readers on a journey 'from the depths of space and the beginning of time through sacred Scripture and church history 'to discover the origins and creative power of water, oil, and fire. She traces the lives of those elemental entities through their cosmic history, to the point at which they are poured over the head and light the way of one being baptized. These elemental sources of all life are the substances through which new life in Christ begins in the sacrament of baptism. The journey through space and time, through the birth of the Universe and of life, and Gibler's reflections on this drama, help readers to enter into the cosmocentric spirituality" at the heart of all things. No one who reads this book will ever again look at a drop of water, an olive, or a candle with the same eyes. Linda Gibler, PhD, a Houston Dominican Sister, is currently associate academic dean at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. She has several years ' experience as a parish minister and is the science editor and a contributing author for the Collins Foundation Press, which hosts conferences on the significance of recent scientific revelations for faith, meaning, and the well-being of Earth and all her species.

In today's western cultures, the typical pregnancy focuses on the baby to the exclusion of the woman herself, so that the entire experience has become more about preparing for the baby's arrival than looking closely at oneself to prepare emotionally for all of the changes that creating a new life brings. Sacred Pregnancy was written to help the pregnant woman journey within herself to prepare for the birth of her baby. Sacred Pregnancy is a gorgeous four-color book especially created for mothers-to-be to reflect on the many personal milestones of the full gestation period of a pregnancy. With beautiful professional photos that correspond to each topic, Sacred Pregnancy also features a journal space for the pregnant woman to record her thoughts and feelings. Each week the mother-to-be is given information on her baby, her body, and her spirit and is asked to reflect on these via the topic of the week, which touches on a variety of issues such as sexuality, fears about labor, becoming a mother, courage, rite of passage, adornment, body image, meditation, and sisterhood to name a few. Mothers-to-be are invited to look deeply at the issues unique to their journey and find a centered, peaceful place to live their pregnancy fully. Lastly, Sacred Pregnancy includes place for the new mother to record her birth story and a large resource section on various birthing options and supports for pregnant women. “From the spiritual (how to visualize your perfect birth) to the practical (a large section on birthing options), this pregnancy journal is a spiritual adviser and supportive doula all in one.” —Fit Pregnancy magazine For more information, visit the Sacred Pregnancy website.