The Mind Illuminated is a comprehensive, accessible and - above all - effective book on meditation, providing a nuts-and-bolts stage-based system that helps all levels of meditators establish and deepen their practice. Providing step-by-step guidance for every stage of the meditation path, this uniquely comprehensive guide for a Western audience combines the wisdom from the teachings of the Buddha with the latest research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience. Clear and friendly, this in-depth practice manual builds on the nine-stage model of meditation originally articulated by the ancient Indian sage Asanga, crystallizing the entire meditative journey into 10 clearly-defined stages. The book also introduces a new and fascinating model of how the mind works, and uses illustrations and charts to help the reader work through each stage. This manual is an essential read for the beginner to the seasoned veteran of meditation.

Human-induced climate change is emerging as the most critical issue of the modern era. Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists now confirm that human extraction and burning of fossil fuels, along with rampant deforestation, is causing a rapid build-up of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in air and water. These emissions heat up the planet and may be pushing Earth’s capacity beyond the threshold at which equilibrium can be restored. Global warming is sustained by a global capitalist economy dependent upon the fossil fuel industry and agribusiness, both of which are unsustainable. The toxic effects of air pollution, ocean acidification, and soil degradation are harming the health of all species. Through an interdisciplinary approach that brings in the perspectives of the physical sciences, psychology, anthropology, economics, cultural history and spirituality Homesick investigates the evolutionary path by which human beings have arrived at this precarious juncture. It proposes that this perilous detour in human cultural evolution arises from a fallacious belief that the human species, unlike other species, is not bound by ecological laws but has a special right to control and master the natural world. Human beings suffer from the illusion that they are separate from the Earth, their planetary home, which is perceived as an object— a commodity— to exploit through technology. They have forgotten what indigenous peoples still remember: humanity is part of, not apart from, the natural world. Homesick argues that cultural transformation towards a sustainable future is possible when human beings reawaken to Nature as partner and provider. As memory of their embeddedness in the natural world is aroused, they will experience love and respect for the interdependent web of life that sustains them. This reawakening incrementally induces a radical change in thinking within society and sets in motion a paradigm shift. Cultural institutions are then reshaped to match this new benign worldview.

Wisdom Seekers: The Rise of the New Spirituality explores the origins and precursors of the New Age movement, its consolidation within the American counterculture of the late 1960s, and its development into an international spiritual perspective in contemporary Western society. The book considers the influence on the New Age of metaphysicians like Emanuel Swedenborg, Mesmer, Madame Blavatsky and Gurdjieff; pioneering thinkers like Freud, Jung and William James; and the contribution to New Age thought of Indian spiritual traditions and transpersonal psychology. Wisdom Seekers also describes the way in which the New Age paradigm has absorbed the most recent discoveries of quantum physics and consciousness research, and it explores the New Age focus on personal spiritual experience rather than formal religious doctrines.

In this book, therapists are urged to take into account the existence of spiritual aspects of personality, both in terms of making proper assessments and more focused treatment plans for people under their care. Although addressing itself chiefly to art therapists, the thrust of the text is an attempt to sensitize all clinical practitioners to the spiritual dimensions of therapy. By drawing on sources in the literature of religion, psychodynamics, systems theory, sociology, art, and ethics, the author lays a foundation for discovering and measuring clients’ spiritual sensibilities and search for personal meaning of their relationship to God. Chapter 1 discusses the evolution of the book and how the author embarked upon the inclusion of the spiritual dimension in assessment and treatment. Chapter 2 reviews the literature that encircles art therapy, mental health, and spirituality and explores its impact. Chapter 3 examines the Belief Art Therapy Assessment (BATA). Chapter 4 highlights the interviews and use of the BATA with clergy, while Chapter 5 explores its use with a “normal” adult artist population. Chapter 6 looks at spiritual art therapy with emotionally disturbed children and youth in residential treatment. Chapter 7 offers a case vignette of spiritual art therapy with a suicidal anorectic bulimic. Chapter 8 summarizes the author’s position and theosophy, while Chapter 9 examines the use of phototherapy as a means to investigate mourning and loss issues. The final chapter explores humankind’s search for inner and outer meaning after the tragedy of September 11. In addition to art therapists, this unique book will be useful to mental health workers, social workers, educational therapists, pastoral counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other creative arts therapists.