Starting from both our originary experience of being given to ourselves and Jesus Christ's archetypal self-donation, 'Gift and the Unity of Being' elucidates the sense in which gift is the form of being's unity, while unity itself constitutes the permanence of the gift of being. In dialogue with ancient and modern philosophers and theologians, Lopez offers a synthetic, rather than systematic, account of the unity proper to being, the human person, God, and the relations among them. The book shows how contemplation of the triune God of love through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit allows us to discover the eternal communion that being is and to which finite being is called. It also illustrates the sense in which God's gratuitousness unexpectedly offers thehuman person the possibility to recognize and embrace his origin and destiny, and thus he is given to see and taste in God's light the ever-fruitful, dramatic, and mysterious positivity of being.

THE UNITY OF BEING Ibn 'Arabi & his follower/poets: Auhad ud-din, 'Iraqi, Shabistari, Maghribi, Jili, Shah Da'i & Jami SELECTED POEMS Translation & Introduction Paul Smith In the West Ibn 'Arabi (1165-1240) is also known as the Doctor Maximus and in the Islamic world as the Reviver of Religion and the Great Master. Ibn 'Arabi is known as the prime exponent of the idea later known as the 'Unity of Being'. The poets in this anthology following him believed in and expanded this mystical philosophy. His emphasis was on the true potential of the human being and the path to realising that potential and becoming the Perfect or complete human being. Many of the great Sufi Master poets who came after him expanded and explained in their wonderful poetry in all forms on 'The Unity of Being'. CONTENTS: Sufis: Their Art and Use of Poetry 7, Forms of Poetry of these Poets 17, The Life & Times & Works of Ibn 'Arabi 33, The Life & Times & Poetry of Auhad ud-din 113, The Life & Times & Poetry of 'Iraqi 167, The Life & Times & Poetry of Shabistari 289, The Life & Times & Poetry of Maghribi 411, The Life & Times & Poetry of Jili 447, The Life & Times & Poetry of Shah Da'i 467, The Life & Times & Poetry of Jami 489. Selected Bibliographies. The correct rhyme-structures have been kept in the translations of these beautiful, powerful, spiritual poems. Large Format Paperback 7" x 10" 664 pages.Paul Smith (b. 1945) is an Australian poet and translator of many books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu, Kashmiri and other languages including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Dard, Nazir, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, 'Iraqi, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and a dozen screenplays. amazon.com/author/smithpa Published by New Humanity Books

What do we need to learn and receive from the other to help us address challenges or wounds in our own tradition? That is the key question asked in what has come to be known as ‘receptive ecumenism’. And nowhere is this question more pressing and pertinent than in women’s experiences within the church. Based on qualitative research from five focus groups, 'For the Good of the Church' expose the difficulties women face when they work in a church – sexism, unfulfilled vocation, and abuse of power and privilege, as well as the wide range of gifts and skills which women bring in light of these. The second part of the book continues to draw on the particular wounds and gifts, which arise in the focus groups. Specific case studies are used to identify gifts of theology, practice, experience, vocation and power. Against negative prognoses of an ‘ecumenical winter’, Gabrielle Thomas reveals how radically different theological and ecclesiological perspectives can be a space for learning and receiving gifts for the well-being of the whole Church.

In The Unity of Consciousness Tim Bayne draws on philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience in defence of the claim that consciousness is unified. In the first part of the book Bayne develops an account of what it means to say that consciousness is unified. Part II applies this account to a variety of cases - drawn from both normal and pathological forms of experience - in which the unity of consciousness is said to break down. Bayne argues that the unity of consciousness remains intact in each of these cases. Part III explores the implications of the unity of consciousness for theories of consciousness, for the sense of embodiment, and for accounts of the self. In one of the most comprehensive examinations of the topic available, The Unity of Consciousness draws on a wide range of findings within philosophy and the sciences of the mind to construct an account of the unity of consciousness that is both conceptually sophisticated and scientifically informed.

“Flying, Falling, Catching is a beacon of hope. It reminds us that despite all the perils and sufferings that surround us, with which we often collide, we can find healing, peace, and awe even in the most unusual detours that life offers. A must read.” — Marina Nemat, Author of international best-seller Prisoner of Tehran "In Carolyn Whitney-Brown's deft hands, Henri’s intentions literally, vividly swing alive. This is a beautiful, moving story about interconnectivity, interdependence, and life's rich, beautiful, complicated pageant. I devoured it in a sitting.” — Lisa Napoli, Author of Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie Henri Nouwen’s real-life story of his surprising friendship with a traveling trapeze troupe. What will we do with our lives, and with whom will we do it? In this story of flying and catching, Nouwen invites us all to let go and fly, even when we are afraid of falling. During the last five years of his life, best-selling spiritual author Henri J. M. Nouwen became close to The Flying Rodleighs, a trapeze troupe in a traveling circus. Like Nouwen’s own life, a trapeze act is full of artistry, exhilarating successes, crushing failures and continual forgiveness. He wrote about his experience in a genre new to him: creative non-fiction. In Flying, Falling, Catching, Nouwen's colleague and friend Carolyn Whitney-Brown presents his unpublished trapeze writings framed by the true story of his rescue through a hotel window by paramedics during his first heart attack. Readers will meet Nouwen as a spiritual risk taker who was transformed through his engagement with these trapeze artists, as well as his participation in the Civil Rights movement, his life in community with people with intellectual disabilities, his personal growth through friendships during the 1990s AIDS pandemic, and other unexpected encounters.

The Old Testament is our "kindergarten" for understanding the pattern of the Holy Spirit's gifting and work. That pattern is this: God gives an assignment to a person; then the Holy Spirit is given to equip him or her for the assignment. The proof of the Spirit's presence is that the person is able to complete the assignment effectively through the supernatural enabling of the Holy Spirit. Truly understood and embraced, the Holy Spirit's gifts allow the Church to be Christ-centered, to maintain unity and oneness of heart, and to practice genuine, powerful love. WHAT EXACTLY HAVE YOU BEEN GIVEN? Surprises are in store when we explore biblically what spiritual gifts really are, how they fit with our natural strengths and talents, and how they match our calling and assignments from God. This book will help restore the Holy Spirit to the center of your understanding and practice of spiritual gifts, and set you free to serve God as never before. Story Behind the Book The Old Testament is our "kindergarten" for understanding the pattern of the Holy Spirit’s gifting and work. That pattern is this: God gives an assignment to a person; then the Holy Spirit is given to equip him or her for the assignment. The proof of the Spirit’s presence is that the person is able to complete the assignment effectively through the supernatural enabling of the Holy Spirit. Truly understood and embraced, the Holy Spirit’s gifts allow the church to be Christ-centered, to maintain unity and oneness of heart, and to practice genuine, powerful love.

A new theory of the unity of consciousness, considering both philosophical issues about the nature of persons and personalidentity and empirical findings in neuroscience.