San Pedro, a visionary and hallucinogenic brew derived from the mescaline-based Trichocereus pachanoi or 'cactus of vision', is one of Peru’s most important and powerful teacher plants. For thousands of years this brew has been drunk by spiritual seekers and those who need healing, and has cured a wide variety of physical problems, including cancer, diabetes, paralysis and pneumonia, and emotional and psychological issues such as alcoholism, heartbreak and grief. Those who work with it say San Pedro brings us closer to God. There has been no book specifically written about the shamanic use of San Pedro…until now. This important volume is therefore a first of its kind. In it, Ross Heaven looks at the healing and ceremonial usage of San Pedro, with interviews and case studies from shamans and participants who offer their remarkable stories of instant cures and spiritual insights.

There are times when everyone needs to hear the comforting words, don't worry, everything will be all right. We need to know that there's someone greater than ourselves watching out for our well-being. And that when the worst seems to be happening in our life or in the lives of those we love, there is someone who hears our prayers, sees our need, and responds in love. In this simple, true story, the chance meeting of a pet cat and a hummingbird reflects this truth in a real and comforting way. Confronted with a natural tragedy, the author is reminded of a Biblical truth and calls upon God to intervene. When He does, the author's faith is encouraged. In turn, she invites readers to trust in the God of the Bible who cares-even about sparrows and hummingbirds.

Based on a true story, Hummingbird from Heaven takes place in the small East Texas town of Rusk. It is about one man's journey in search of answers following the death of his daughter. Some have called him a modern-day Job. His journey takes him down many twists and turns, through heartaches, tragedy, life-threatening injuries, and blindness. His newfound faith leads him to have strong spiritual convictions and a closer walk with God. With a heart as big as Texas, his love for family and country are undeniable and extremely strong. Days after Holly's passing, a poem that she had written two months prior to her death was discovered. It was a poem about dying young. Sunset at Noon Holly Cheree' Jennings I always thought that when it came I'd be ready for the end. By that time, I'd be resigned and tame Death would appear a welcome friend. But what if I still want to live, Still want to learn and grow? What if I still have gifts to give, And I'm not ready to go? What if I'm too young still, Not old enough to die? What if I want to wait until I've experienced life to say goodbye? You were taken away too young. You were taken away too soon. Your time had just begun. The sun of your life sets at noon. Wherever you have gone, Nearby or far away, Please realize that with you, A piece of me died that day.

A Communion of Subjects is the first comparative and interdisciplinary study of the conceptualization of animals in world religions. Scholars from a wide range of disciplines, including Thomas Berry (cultural history), Wendy Doniger (study of myth), Elizabeth Lawrence (veterinary medicine, ritual studies), Marc Bekoff (cognitive ethology), Marc Hauser (behavioral science), Steven Wise (animals and law), Peter Singer (animals and ethics), and Jane Goodall (primatology) consider how major religious traditions have incorporated animals into their belief systems, myths, rituals, and art. Their findings offer profound insights into humans' relationships with animals and a deeper understanding of the social and ecological web in which we all live. Contributors examine Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Daoism, Confucianism, African religions, traditions from ancient Egypt and early China, and Native American, indigenous Tibetan, and Australian Aboriginal traditions, among others. They explore issues such as animal consciousness, suffering, sacrifice, and stewardship in innovative methodological ways. They also address contemporary challenges relating to law, biotechnology, social justice, and the environment. By grappling with the nature and ideological features of various religious views, the contributors cast religious teachings and practices in a new light. They reveal how we either intentionally or inadvertently marginalize "others," whether they are human or otherwise, reflecting on the ways in which we assign value to living beings. Though it is an ancient concern, the topic of "Religion and Animals" has yet to be systematically studied by modern scholars. This groundbreaking collection takes the first steps toward a meaningful analysis.

The history of San Pedro and its uses for healing, creativity, and conscious evolution • Includes interviews with practicing San Pedro shamans on their rituals, cactus preparations, and teachings on how San Pedro heals the mind and body • Contains accounts from people who have been healed by San Pedro • Includes chapters by Eve Bruce, M.D., and David Luke, Ph.D., on San Pedro’s effects on psychic abilities and its similarities to and differences from ayahuasca San Pedro, the legendary cactus of vision, has been used by the shamans of Peru for at least 3,500 years. Referring to St. Peter, who holds the keys to Heaven, its name is suggestive of the plant’s visionary power to open the gates between the visible and invisible worlds, allowing passage to an ecstatic realm where miraculous physical and spiritual healings occur, love and enthusiasm for life are rekindled, the future divined, and the soul’s purpose revealed. Exploring the history and shamanic uses of the San Pedro cactus, Ross Heaven interviews practicing San Pedro shamans about ancient and modern rituals, preparation of the visionary brew, experiences with the healing spirit of San Pedro, and their teachings on how the cactus works on the mind, body, and illness. He investigates the conditions treated by San Pedro as well as how it can enhance creativity, providing case studies from those who have been healed by the cactus and accounts from those who have been artistically and musically inspired through its use. Psychedelic researchers Eve Bruce, M.D., David Luke, Ph.D., and journalist Morgan Maher contribute chapters delving into San Pedro’s effects on conscious evolution and psychic abilities as well as its similarities to and differences from ayahuasca. Exploring plant communication and the vital role of music in San Pedro ceremonies, Heaven explains how healing songs are communicated by the sacred plants to the shamans working with them, much in the same way that other gifts of San Pedro--from healing to inspiration to expanded consciousness--are passed to those who commune with this ancient plant teacher.

In what he describes as a "late-life credo," renowned science writer Chet Raymo narrates his half-century journey from the traditional Catholicism of his youth to his present perspective as a "Catholic agnostic." As a scientist, Raymo holds to the skepticism that accepts only verifiable answers, but as a "religious naturalist," he never ceases his pursuit of "the beautiful and terrible mystery that soaks creation." Raymo assembles a stunning array of scientists, philosophers, mystics, and poets who help him discover "glimmers of the Absolute in every particular." Whether exploring the connection of the human body to the stars or the meaning of prayer of the heart, these challenging reflections will cause believers and agnostics alike to pause and pay attention.

Millions of us are locked into an unwinnable weight game, as our self-worth is shredded with every diet failure. Combine the utter inefficacy of dieting with the lack of spiritual nourishment and we have generations of mad, ravenous self-loathing women. So says Geneen Roth, in her life-changing new book, Women, Food and God. Since her 1991 bestseller, When Food Is Love, was published, Roth has taken the sum total of her experience and combined it with spirituality and psychology to explain women's true hunger. Roth's approach to eating is that it is the same as any addiction - an activity to avoid feeling emotions. From the first page, readers will be struck by the author's intelligence, humour and sensitivity, as she traces the path of overeating from its subtle beginnings through to its logical end. Whether the drug is booze or brownies, the problem is the same: opting out of life. She powerfully urges readers to pay attention to what they truly need - which cannot be found in a supermarket. She provides seven basic guidelines for eating (the most important is to never diet) and shares reassuring, practical advice that has helped thousands of women who have attended her highly successful seminars. Truly a thinking woman's guide to eating - and an anti-diet book - women everywhere will find insights and revelations on every page.