From Hero to Servant to Mystic addresses both the initial and ongoing formation of priests by tracing three significant stages in how their spiritual lives unfold. Fr. Scott Detisch offers seminarians, priests, spiritual directors, and clergy personnel directors a way of understanding the whole gamut of spiritual growth and development in priests by focusing on three major clusters of energies within men—the Hero, the Servant, and the Mystic. By recognizing the difficulties that may arise within the inner life and outer world of a priest, Detisch offers helpful methods for navigating through those challenging periods. By applying these energies to their spiritual lives, priests will experience a different form of relationship with the person of Christ—the Hero, who offers his life for Christ; the Servant, who ministers with Christ; and the Mystic, who lives his life in Christ.

This book examines the theology of spiritual formation developed by fourteenth-century Flemish mystic John of Ruusbroec, arguing that his formational path clearly and consistently displays the characteristics of the archetypal narrative structure of the hero’s journey. To start with, a hermeneutical dialogue between scholars of the hero’s journey and Ruusbroec is established, employing the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer. The author then examines the stages and tropes of the hero’s journey according to Vladimir Propp, Joseph Campbell, Northrop Frye, René Girard, Dean Miller, and others, exploring the parallels in Ruusbroec’s writing and theology of spiritual formation. The book follows Ruusbroec’s story of answering the divine call, journeying inward and experiencing the trials of spiritual transformation, attaining the treasure of divine union, and returning in loving service to others. Finally, the ramifications of the argument for the interpretation and application of other mystical and heroic narratives are considered. Offering a new perspective on John of Ruusbroec, mystical theology, and the hero’s journey as a spiritual quest, this volume will be of interest to scholars of mysticism, theology, formative spirituality, narrative theory, and religious literature of the Low Countries.

2023 Catholic Media Association First Place Award, Church Professional The eucharistic celebration is a vital part of the life and ministry of every priest and deacon. At the same time, the Eucharist is also a compelling narrative of all that Christ is for the people of God. In this book, Fr. Scott Detisch explores a spirituality of holy orders through the eucharistic actions of Christ: take, bless, break, and give. These are more than ritual actions the deacon or priest performs within the liturgy. As they did for Jesus Christ, these eucharistic words define who a priest or deacon is for God’s people.

In Saying Amen: Entering into the Mystery of the Sacraments, Kathleen Hughes invites readers to deepen their liturgical prayer. She does this through a method of exploring the sacramental liturgies and reflecting on them. This method of mystagogy—the holy remembering of the words, gestures, sights, scents, music, and silence of the event—opens people to the touch of God. That openness can lead to transformation and a better understanding of what it means to say Amen during communal prayer. This book, which includes the fruit of Kathleen’s interviews with hundreds of Catholics, is a valuable resource for scholars, students, and pastoral ministers. Not only does Saying Amen present a mystagogical method, it provides reflections from the faithful on how the liturgy has touched their lives.

The eucharistic celebration is a vital part of the life and ministry of every priest and deacon. At the same time, the Eucharist is also a compelling narrative of all that Christ is for the People of God. In this book, Fr. Scott Detisch explores a spirituality of holy orders through the eucharistic actions of Christ: take, bless, break, and give. These are more than ritual actions the deacon or priest performs within the liturgy. As they did for Jesus Christ, these eucharistic words define who a priest or deacon is for God’s people.

DAEMONS OF PLEASURE collects four key magickal texts by the English artist and occultist Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956). These texts , The Book Of Pleasure (1913), Notes On Automatic Drawing (1916), The Focus Of Life (1921) and The Anathema Of Zos (1927), are vital to an understanding of Spare's theories of sigilization and automatic ecstasy, and also point to the tenets of Spare's Zos Kia Cultus, an occult system of critical influence on the development of chaos magic. Also included in an illuminating introductory text, Time Mirrors, by Genesis P-Orridge. For this special ebook edition Spare's texts are presented with a bonus section of 8 rare automatic drawings by Spare, dating from 1925.

Collects Mystic Arcana: Magik, Black Knight, Scarlet Witch, Sister Grimm; And The Official Tarot Of The Marvel Universe. A MAGIC EVENT that spans across the ages, featuring the craftiest characters and most spellbinding stories in the Marvel Universe! In the vein of the wild and woolly genre revitalization Annihilation, Marvel's looking into its crystal ball to bring you mystical mages, scandalous sorcerers and fantastic flights of high-flying fantasy in MYSTIC ARCANA. Each of the primary stories revolves around the introduction of one of a select group of mystical implements, quite literally the four pillars of the universe and the involvement of a character from Marvel's rich, magical past - including Magik, the Black Knight, Sister Grimm and the Scarlet Witch. Plus: Witness the efforts of Dr. Strange adversary, sorcerer Ian McNee, to collect arcane implements in a series of shorter companion tales that make up the spine of MYSTIC ARCANA.