Prominent spiritual counselor and medium Anna Raimondi channels the Blessed Mother in this insightful, prescriptive, and timely dialogue that not only acts as a guide to modern spirituality but celebrates the Mother Mary as a central figure for all people and religions across the globe. At age five, in the backyard of her suburban Long Island home, Anna Raimondi had a profound experience. A contemplative child, she slid her body into the small grotto that once held a statue of the Blessed Mother. Anna remembers “a feeling of pure and unadulterated peace.” In that peace, she heard a voice. It was gentle and strong, and it said, “Anna, I am here for you always. Always come to me.” That was the beginning of their first conversation. And while many more followed, the ones included in this book took place in the last year and follow Mary’s emphatic, progressive message that she wants to be heard by all, regardless of religious affiliation. Through Anna, Mary touches and teaches important truths about: - A soul, its immortal nature and the lessons along each soul’s journey. - Prayer, its power, the right way to pray, and the difference between surrendering to God and not taking responsibility for one’s actions. - What happens when we die, with revelations into the realities of heaven, hell, purgatory, and reincarnation. Mary also provides insightful answers to questions about terrorism, the world’s refugee crisis, racism, gender inequality, marriage equality, and more. Her conversations with Anna are simultaneously illuminating, inspiring, and provocative, and offer you a guide to go back to the simple messages God gave us of love and peace.

This book addresses one of the most troubling questions of contemporary art theory and practice: Who is contemporary art for? Although the divide between contemporary art and the public has long been acknowledged, this is the first time that artists, critics, and the public have come together to debate the problem and to make artmaking, criticism, and public reaction part of the same process. Like the exhibitions, discussions, and seminars held at "The Castle" during the summer 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, this book is based on the premise that contemporary artists and the general public have something to say to each other. By positing the space of "conversation" as one in which artworks can be experienced as creative sites open to multilayered interpretations by changing audiences, the book provides an antidote to the modernist connoisseurial silence that has long been used to define quality. The book is divided into three sections. The first contains essays by project curator Mary Jane Jacob, critic and coeditor Michael Brenson, and cultural critic Homi K. Bhabha. Their essays describe fresh approaches to contemporary art and its audiences at a time of increased access through technology and decreased government funding. The second section contains essays by the six artists/collaborative teams involved in the project. Their works, aimed at public participation, included installation-performances, collaborations with Atlanta communities, cross-country tours, and the creation and presentation of food as a means to stimulate conversation and construct community. The artists are: artway of thinking (Italy), Ery Camara (Senegal/Mexico), Mauricio Dias and Walter Riedweg (Brazil/Switzerland), Regina Frank (Germany), IRWIN (Slovenia), and Maurice O'Connell (Ireland).The final section contains seven essays by the critics, curators, educators, administrators, and artists who led the "Conversations on Culture" at The Castle. The essays are by Jacquelynn Baas, Michael Brenson, Lisa Graziose Corrin, Amina Dickerson and Tricia Ward, Steven Durland, Susan Krane, and Susan Vogel.

Based on refractions of earlier beliefs, modern angels - at once terrible and comforting, frighteningly other and reassuringly beneficent - have acquired a powerful symbolic value. This interdisciplinary study looks at how humans conversed with angels in medieval and early modern Europe, and how they explained and represented these conversations.

Talk is our key action tool for moving forward at work and in our personal life, yet how often do we feel we've missed crucial opportunities or failed in our communication? This book explains why effective talk can be truly transformative and provides a practical guide to having the kinds of conversations that will turn your life around. Expert psychologist and coach Sarah Rozenthuler provides the seven keys to success: calling up your courage, focusing on your intention, creating positive space, speaking your truth, having a flexible style, cultivating constructive controversy, and obtaining closure. Throughout the book you will find real - life examples of problem situations, including negotiating with difficult neighbours, asking for a raise and ending a long - term relationship. The author shows through extended sample dialogue how, in each case, a difficult situation was worked through and a positive result achieved.

Despite an expansive array of financial planning tools, advice, and gurus, putting real financial planning into practice is deeply personal—and incredibly difficult. More Than Money: Real-Life Stories of Financial Planning is a collection of surprising and inspiring true stories that reveal how real clients applied financial planning to derive tangible results that changed their lives. These stories by award-winning financial advisors feature people from all walks of life—young and old, those in debt and those with great wealth—and a wide variety of situations, from designing a desired lifestyle to dealing with catastrophe. They show how well-thought-out, personalized, and high-touch financial planning can truly impact lives for the better. These leaders in a growing industry remind us that financial planning is more than dollars and cents—it is about resourcing dreams and improving lives in the near-term and beyond. Financial planning is More Than Money. Contributions from: Elliott Appel, Michael H. Baker, Vincent R. Barbera, Jordan Benold, Todd Bessey, Todd A. Bryant, Marguerita Cheng, Kevin D. Christensen, Christopher Clepp, Cathy Curtis, Shanna Due, Jessica L. Fahrenholz, Brett K. Fellows, Matt Fizell, Steven Fox, Melissa Joy, Michael Kelly, David Kuzma, Douglas M. Lynch, Kevin Mahoney, Andrew Martz, Stephanie W. McCullough, Dana J. Menard, Amar Pandit, Matthew G. Ricks, Jeffrey J. Smith, Nicola Tomlin, Simon A. Tryzna.

The experience of reproductive loss raises a series of profoundly theological questions: how can God have a plan for my life? Why didn’t God answer my prayers? How can I have hope after such an experience? Who am I after such a loss? Sadly, these are questions that, along with reproductive loss, have largely been ignored in theology. Karen O’Donnell tackles these questions head on, drawing on her own experiences of repeated reproductive loss as she re-conceives theology from the perspective of the miscarrying person. Offering a fresh, original, and creative approach to theology, O’Donnell explores the complexity of the miscarrying body and its potential for theological revelation. She offers a re-conception of theologies of providence, prayer, hope, and the body as she reimagines theology out of these messy origins. This book is for those who have experiences such losses and those who minister to them. But it is also for all those who want to encounter a creative and imaginative approach to theology and the life of faith in our messy, complex world.

Do you say yes when you really mean no? Do you avoid conflict at all costs? Are you waiting for someone in your life to change in order to get what you want? If so, you’re not alone. Most people will do anything to avoid the unpleasant sensations that accompany having an honest exchange – even if it’s as simple as declining an invitation. But not speaking directly in the short term results in a much bigger problem long-term: hurt feelings and passive-aggressive patterns that stress us out, keep us up at night, and literally make us sick. You might be thinking, Communication? I know how to communicate. Don’t be fooled. Communication is simple, but it’s not always easy. Many of us learn from an early age to be guarded about what and how we share with others. Few of us know how to pay attention to our body, thoughts, emotions, and values in order to speak from the heart. In this book, Neha Sangwan, M.D., reveals practical yet profound communication tools that will strengthen your relationships, reduce your stress, improve your health, and even save you time. Having treated thousands of patients in one of the nation’s largest hospital systems, Doctor Neha discovered a theme: her patients’ inability to communicate often played an underlying role in their illness and how well they were able to recover. Once she understood this correlation, she was inspired to create the simple five-step process you’ll learn in this book. Talk Rx will lead you step by step to: • Listen to your body’s signals to better manage stress • Create new outcomes with even the most challenging personalities in your life • Articulate your frustration and disappointment effectively • Talk to people instead of about them • Make agreements that stick "If you’re thinking of someone else in your life who could really use a book on communication," says Doctor Neha, "let me remind you – it only takes one person to change the outcome of a conversation. And that person is YOU."