Everywhere we look we see cycles: in Torah, in history, in Shabbat and the holidays, in nature, in man, and in life and death. In this original and inspirational book, the author illustrates the importance and profundity of the cycles of Jewish life. This unique book integrates prose, poetry, and a holistic approach to discovering the Divine spark within.

In this wide-ranging and thought-provoking study, Maryanne Cline Horowitz explores the image and idea of the human mind as a garden: under the proper educational cultivation, the mind may nourish seeds of virtue and knowledge into the full flowering of human wisdom. This copiously illustrated investigation begins by examining the intellectual world of the Stoics, who originated the phrases "seeds of virtue" and "seeds of knowledge." Tracing the interrelated history of the Stoic cluster of epistemological images for natural law within humanity--reason, common notions, sparks, and seeds--Horowitz presents the distinctive versions within the competing movements of Hellenistic Judaism and early Christianity, Augustinian and Thomist theologies, Christian mysticism and Kabbalah, and Erasmian Catholicism and the Lutheran Reformation. She demonstrates how the Ciceronian and Senecan analogies between horticulture and culture--basic to Italian Renaissance humanists, artists, and neo- Platonists--influence the emergence of emblems and essays among participants in the Northern Renaissance neo-Stoic movement. The Stoic metaphor is still visible today in ecumenical movements that use vegetative language to encourage the growth of shared values and to promote civic virtues: organizations disseminate information on nipping bad habits in the bud and on turning a new leaf. The author's evidence of illustrated pages from medieval, Renaissance, and Enlightenment texts will stimulate contemporary readers to evaluate her discovery of "the premodern scientific paradigm that the mind develops like a plant."

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Who was Judas? Why did he do what he did? In this intriguing novel the gospel story is retold from the point of view of the twelfth disciple. Based in part on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Library, this new version reveals important information that was omitted from the traditional gospels. Who was the real Mary Magdalene? What pressure did the Zealots exert? What is the true Grail, and where is it now? Who were the Essenes? How did the great Mother Goddess affect the cosmic drama? What were the stories told by the women that the male evangelists ignored? What hidden motives and circumstances brought Judas to his fateful decision? By examining and speaking about his goals and intentions Judas lifts up into the light his weaknesses and doubts, but also his faith and courage. He shows us a way for true healing and genuine change to take place.