Human beings have walked on glowing, red hot coals in fire ceremonies since the beginning of our existence. What does this say about pain and fear, and about our ability to go beyond the normal limitations of physical reality? You may never do a firewalk yourself, or even see one, but Dancing with the Fire takes you on an extensive journey through the teachings of this ancient initiation ceremony. This book is a comprehensive exploration of the scientific, psychological, historical, and spiritual teachings of fire.

This book examines Lee Smith's novel-length fiction and its powerful reflection of her personal search for and journey toward spiritual reconciliation. The protagonists of Smith's novels feel estranged from any sense of feminine sacredness as they struggle for a belief system that offers them hope and validation. Chapters describe how Smith has retrieved in her fiction a source of transformative power--the power of the sexual, maternal, feminine divine--in hopes of creating a new image of the total, sacred female whose sexuality, creativity, spirituality, and maternity can reside comfortably in the bodies of everyday heroines.

This Pagan author and expert helps readers decide which gatherings are the right ones for their needs and explains how to make the most from attending them. Organized by state, this volume lists more than 80 major festivals in the U.S. and Canada.

"The fast-paced story line never slows down... Kearney turns up the Florida summer heat with this exhilarating, fiery tale." Harriet Klausner, The Mystery Gazette In a battle against a ruthless enemy, all they have is each other. Kaylin Danner gave up everything when her mother died. Her dancing career. Her life. Her future. With her dance studio, she helps pay the bills and raise her younger sisters. When an explosion kills her father, Kaylin is suspicious of foul play. Suddenly, strangers begin asking about her father's business secrets, their home is invaded, and the family attacked. And now Kaylin has her hands full holding the family together. Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Sawyer Scott was her dad's partner. He wants to carry on their research, research which could change the world, literally. But Kaylin fears continuing her father's work increases the danger to her family. As they both grieve, Sawyer shows Kaylin how dependable, thoughtful, and protective he really is. Resisting the brilliant and sexy scientist is difficult. And although Kaylin tells herself she can face the hard times alone, she slowly lets down her guard. Yet even as she falls into a working partnership with Sawyer, Kaylin questions her own judgment. Is trusting Sawyer a good decision? Will finding the missing formula lead them to her father's killer? Can she stop dancing with fire long enough to save her family and herself? Kearney, a native of New Jersey, writes full time and has sold books to the industry's top publishing houses - Grand Central, Tor, Simon & Schuster, Harlequin, Berkley, Leisure, Red Sage, and Kensington. As an award winning author, Kearney earned a Business Degree from the University of Michigan. Kearney's knowledge and experience span the romance genre, and her fifty plus books include contemporary, romantic suspense, historical, futuristic, science fiction, and paranormal novels. She resides in a suburb of Tampa - with her husband, kids, and Boston terrier. Currently, she's plotting her way through her 54th work of fiction. Visit Susan at www.SusanKearney.com.

An often overlooked segment of Maine (and American) history is the story of women in the working class dance industries. Generally looked upon with a gasp of shock, burlesque and vaudeville dancing, and later taxi dancing and marathon dancing, were often the only way for women to survive (In taxi dancing, men paid women by the dance; while marathon dancing was a contest and women tried to outlast each other on the dance floor.) In turn-of-the-20th-century Maine, this new form of dancing was taking off, as it was elsewhere in the country. Historian Trudy Irene Scee explores the dance industries of Maine, how they were effected by national events, and how events in Maine effected national trends. She explores the difficulties women faced at that time and how they turned to new forms of entertainment to make money and pay for food and shelter. The focus of the book centers on the 1910s through the 1970s, but extends back into the 1800s, largely exploring the dance halls of the nineteenth century (be they saloons with hurdy-gurdy girls and the like, or dance halls with women performing the early forms of taxi- and belly dancing), and includes a chapter on belly dancing and other forms of dance entertainment in Maine in the 1980s to early 2000s. The newest form of dance—striptease dancing—is not be examined specifically, but is discussed as it pertains to the other dance forms. The book forms a unique look at one segment of Maine history and is a terrific addition to the literature on women’s issues.