Download or read book Prayer of the Heart in Christian and Sufi Mysticism written by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee and published by The Golden Sufi Center. This book was released on 2012-05-01 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "... parallels the prayer practices of Sufi and Christian mysticism with ease.... Vaughan-Lee's prayerful prose is poetic, inclusive, and intelligent." —Publishers Weekly Prayer of the Heart in Christian & Sufi Mysticism guides the reader through the stages of mystical prayer. Mystical prayer is a way to create a living relationship with the Divine within the heart. Drawing on Christian and Sufi sources such as St. Teresa of Avila, Attar, St. John of the Cross, and Rumi, as well as from his own experience, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee describes how prayer is first born of need, but then takes one deep within the heart, into the stages of Union and Ecstasy. Through mystical prayer, one is drawn beyond any words into the interior silence of real communion with God. Here, in the silence within the heart, a meeting and merging takes place that carries us beyond our self into the mystery of divine presence, into the secret nature of love's oneness. Prayer of the Heart in Christian and Sufi Mysticism explores the inner listening of the heart, and the secret of 'pray without ceasing' in which we discover how prayer becomes alive within the heart. Finally there is a chapter on the need at this time to pray for the Earth. How can we pray for the well-being of the Earth? How can we include the Earth in our prayers and our heart? This little book is an offering of the heart that brings together the Christian and Sufi mystical traditions in the oneness of love to which they belong. It will benefit any practitioner of prayer, anyone who is drawn to discover a relationship with God within their heart. “... with the understated simplicity of a true spiritual master, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee seamlessly weaves these complementary traditions into a single tapestry of singular power and beauty... this book offers yet another profound contribution to the collective evolution of our hearts.” —Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, from the Foreword "... draws together the Christian and Sufi traditions of mystical prayer ... Vaughan-Lee's clearly written little guide will be gratifying and absorbing for those interested in mysticism and alternate routes toward the love of God." —Library Journal “... an excellent book ... As we recover more and more of the ancient contemplative traditions, we are finding immense similarities in goal, practice, and effects. At the mystical level, we are seemingly talking about the same experience, despite our different vocabularies and styles! Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee makes this sacred journey both clear and inviting.” —Fr. Richard Rohr, Franciscan Priest, author, and founder Center for Action and Contemplation

Download or read book Paths to the Heart written by James S. Cutsinger and published by World Wisdom, Inc. This book was released on 2002 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First of its kind publication promotes a spiritual dialogue between Christian and Muslims.

Download or read book Spiritual Ecology written by Chief Oren Lyons and published by The Golden Sufi Center. This book was released on 2016-09-01 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh was asked what we need to do to save our world. "What we most need to do," he replied, "is to hear within us the sound of the earth crying.” Our present ecological crisis is the greatest man-made disaster this planet has ever faced—its accelerating climate change, species depletion, pollution and acidification of the oceans. A central but rarely addressed aspect of this crisis is our forgetfulness of the sacred nature of creation, and how this affects our relationship to the environment. There is a pressing need to articulate a spiritual response to this ecological crisis. This is vital and necessary if we are to help bring the world as a living whole back into balance. The first edition of this book (published in 2013) fostered the emergence of the "Spiritual Ecology Movement," which recognizes the need for a spiritual response to our present ecological crisis. It drew an overwhelmingly positive response from readers, many of whom are asking the simple question, "What can I do?" The 2016 expanded edition offers new chapters, including two from younger authors who are putting the principles of spiritual ecology into action, working with their hands as well as their hearts. It also includes a new preface and revised chapter by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, that reference two major recent events: the publication of Pope Francis's encyclical, "On Care for Our Common Home," which brought into the mainstream the idea that "the ecological crisis is essentially a spiritual problem"; and the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference, which saw representatives from nearly 200 countries come together to address global warming, including faith leaders from many traditions. And, in Autumn 2021, we have issued a new edition, with a new updated preface from editor Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, who has also rewritten his chapter, “The Call of the Earth.” Bringing together voices from Buddhism, Sufism, Christianity, and Native American traditions, as well as from physics, deep psychology, and other environmental disciplines, this book calls on us to reassess our underlying attitudes and beliefs about the Earth and wake up to our spiritual as well as physical responsibilities toward the planet. "It's hard to imagine finding a wiser group of humans than the authors represented here, all of them both thinkers and do-ers in the greatest battle humans have ever faced. AN EPIC COLLECTION!" —BILL MCKIBBEN, founder 350.org Spiritual Ecology is a superb collection of thoughtful pieces by people who have gone deep to understand our relations with the Earth. It comes at a crucial time for humanity." —BARRY LOPEZ, landscape photographer and author Arctic Dreams (winner National Book Award), Of Wolves and Men, Crossing Open Ground, About This Life "THIS BOOK PROVIDES FRESH THINKING about the spiritual approaches of consciously and consistently making the right choices, each of us within our respective sphere of influence. As the world works towards a new global climate agreement in 2015, it is in our interest and in the interest of future generations to reflect on how we can individually and collectively contribute to addressing climate change by making our economies and lifestyles more sustainable, because solving climate change can help solve many of the issues the earth currently faces. Climate change is therefore both a challenge and an opportunity. I hope this book inspires and energizes many readers eager to rise to the greatest challenge ever to face humanity by realizing the transformative opportunities we have in front of us." —CHRISTIANA FIGUERES, Former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Download or read book Mystical Hope written by Cynthia Bourgeault and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2001 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In five interwoven meditations, Mystical Hope shows how to recognize hope in our own lives, where it comes from, how to deepen it through prayer, and how to carry it into the world as a source of strength and renewal.

Download or read book Darkening of the Light written by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee and published by The Golden Sufi Center. This book was released on 2013-11-01 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: OVER THE LAST decade or more we have become increasingly aware of how our materialistic, energy-intensive civilization has been destroying the fragile balance of the web of life that has sustained humanity and all living beings for millennia. Yet, while spiritual teachings tell us that the events in the outer world are a reflection of changes taking place in the inner worlds, we appear to have little awareness of how this outer darkening is reflected within. This book, written between 2004 and the winter of 2012, tells the story of these inner changes that belong to our spiritual destiny and the fate of our planet. It is a witness to the darkening of the light of the sacred, reflected in our continued ecological destruction, and what this might mean to our shared destiny. With this darkening comes the danger that we may lose the opportunity for the global awakening that was possible at the beginning of the new millennium. This story of our collective destiny, however painful, needs to be heard if we are to take responsibility for the Earth and reclaim our sacred role as guardians of the planet. "I bow to the courage in this book. Here Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee has allowed himself to hear the cry of the Earth. He has been brave enough to face and to feel the immensity of the loss. He has dared to share that with us and to hope we can wake up to save what's left of our world and our souls." —JOANNA MACY, Co-author, Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're in Without Going Crazy "I was very moved by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee's reflections." —MARY EVELYN TUCKER, Co-director, Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology "... insightfully calls us to action now to avoid further devastation of our planet—of the Earth which is our home. We can no longer afford to remain in a collective trance ignoring how the Earth is responding to our behavior. Llewellyn inspires us to turn within and engage in the work needed to transform our world. This book is a gem!" —SANDRA INGERMAN, MA, author Soul Retrieval and Medicine for the Earth,

Download or read book Mystics at Prayer written by Many Cihlar and published by . This book was released on 2013-10 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a new release of the original 1931 edition.

Download or read book Touching God written by Brad Tyndall and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2014-03-24 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author takes you on a journey to far-reaching corners of the world, where he drinks tea with loving Sudanese Muslims, prays in ancient Coptic churches, and whirls with Sufi dervishes in the desert. In seeking the mystical in extraordinary places, he discovers that an intimate relationship with God can be found in known religious practices. The key is not the practice itself, but the role of the mind and the heart. With the right intention and contemplative approach, the religious practice unveils an attentive and loving God. The author draws upon Rumi and Hafez, in Islam, and Saint Teresa of Avila and Thomas Merton, in Christianity, and many others to discuss the fundamental principles for embracing the Divine. By distilling the basic tenets and practices of Islam and Christianity, he finds they both hold similar mystical treasures. Learn new and ancient methods for meditation, prayer, chanting, prayer beads and pilgrimages. Closely examine the Korans incredible poetry and beauty and gain insight into how it has brought millions to God. Learn about lectio divina, the ancient technique of listening to Gods personal communication with you through the Bible. The author provides step-by-step instructions for you to begin to use these mystical tools. By the end of the book, youll have taken your own journey into the heart of both Islam and Christianity and found Love.

Download or read book The Heart of Sufism written by H.J. Witteveen and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 1999-03-02 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Indian Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882–1927) was the very first teacher to bring Sufism to the Western world. This is the first representative collection of the master's teachings – making it the perfect book for anyone who has been intrigued by his writings but unsure about where to start in his sixteen-volume collected works. Newcomers will be inspired by just how delightful and useful Inayat Khan's teachings are for everyone, regardless of religious background. Long-time students will find the book a valuable reference to the essence of his teachings on a variety of subjects. Each chapter includes a wealth of material taken from Inayat Khan's work on a particular subject, such as Mysticism, Discipleship, Music, Children, or Divine Intimacy, followed by a selection of his short sayings and aphorisms on the same topic.

Download or read book Teachings on the Prayer of the Heart in the Greek and Syrian Fathers written by Jill Gather and published by . This book was released on 2014-08-26 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Prayers of the Cosmos written by Neil Douglas-Klotz and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2010-12-14 with total page 117 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reinterpreting the Lord's Prayer and the Beatitudes from the vantage of Middle Eastern mysticism, Douglas–Klotz offers a radical new translation of the words of Jesus Christ that reveals a mystical, feminist, cosmic Christ.

Download or read book The Heart of Centering Prayer written by Cynthia Bourgeault and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2016-12-27 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The best-selling author of The Wisdom Jesus and The Meaning of Mary Magdalene demystifies the popular Christian meditation method rooted in contemplative prayer Centering Prayer is the path to a wonderful and radical new way of seeing the world. It is not, as is sometimes thought, simply an act of devotional piety, nor is it simply a Christianized form of other meditation methods. Cynthia Bourgeault here cuts through the misconceptions to show that Centering Prayer is in fact a pioneering development within the Christian contemplative tradition. She provides a practical, complete course in the practice and then goes deeper to analyze what actually happens in Centering Prayer: the mind effectively switches to a new operating system that makes possible the perception of nonduality. With this understanding in place, she then takes us on a journey through one of the sources of the practice, the Christian contemplative classic The Cloud of Unknowing, revealing it to be among the earliest Christian explorations of the phenomenology of consciousness. Cynthia Bourgeault’s illumination of the Centering Prayer path provides compelling evidence of how important the practice has become in the half-century since it first arose among American Trappist monks, and of its maturation and refinement over the ensuing years of sincere study and practice. It will resonate with beginners on the Centering Prayer path as well as with seasoned practitioners.

Download or read book Jesus the Sufi written by Max Gorman and published by Aeon Books. This book was released on 2018-03-01 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jesus is seen as a representative of an ancient and continuing wisdom tradition identified with that of the Sufis. By his distinctive use of stories for teaching purposes, his sayings, and what the Sufis call 'action-teachings', including those actions known as 'miracles', Jesus is shown to have been quintessentially a Sufi master. Max Gorman shows how Sufism illuminates from within concepts central to Christianity: the kingdom of Heaven, son of God, baptism, resurrection - which can then be seen as states and stages in an evolutionary philosophy.This new edition of the classic work includes a new chapter on Gnosis.

Download or read book Sufism written by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee and published by The Golden Sufi Center. This book was released on 1995-06-01 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a clear and accessible approach to the spiritual tradition of Sufism, a mystical path which uses the energy of love for inner transformation. Vaughan-Lee gives an outline of Sufism--its basic principles, historical background, and recent development in the West, and offers practical guidelines to help the seeker.

Download or read book The Path of Centering Prayer written by David Frenette and published by Sounds True. This book was released on 2012-09-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the teachings of Jesus, there are prayers, and then there is prayer—the silent, loving communion with the divine, beyond words or ritual. With Father Thomas Keating’s book Open Mind, Open Heart, hundreds of thousands discovered the transformative power of Centering Prayer as a form of Christian meditation. Now, with The Path of Centering Prayer, Keating’s senior student, friend, and advisor David Frenette reveals the profound depths of this practice, making it easier for meditators to deepen their connection with God. Has your spiritual path grown routine or unfulfilling, or is it at a crossroads for new discovery? For all Christians who seek to move closer into the presence of the divine, The Path of Centering Prayer offers guidance in this rewarding and time-honored meditation practice, to help break through obstacles and illuminate the way. “This book in my view is the best, most comprehensive, and most practical book on centering prayer.” —Father Thomas Keating “In this beautiful book, David Frenette expands the map of the known Centering Prayer universe. With the blessing of his spiritual father, Thomas Keating, David develops and gently reshapes fundamental building blocks of the Centering Prayer teaching. This is an important moment in the Centering Prayer lineage transmission, when a faithful student emerges into mastery. David’s work will breathe significant new life into your personal practice.” —Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, author of Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening “This excellent book represents Christianity come to maturity! Here you will find good theology, good practice, good psychology, and a recovery of the foundation itself—how to live in communion all the time.” —Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, founding Director of the Center for Action and Contemplation “With simplicity and great wisdom, David Frenette reconnects you to the universal tradition of how to open to God, how to pray in silence, and finally, how to let the spirit pray within your heart. If you want, or need, to be drawn deeper into prayer, read this book and live its guidance.” —Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, PhD, Sufi teacher and author of Prayer of the Heart in Christian and Sufi Mysticism “In his lucid guide to Centering Prayer, David Frenette navigates a path for beginners and seasoned practitioners who wish to enter ever-deepening states of loving friendship with the Divine.” —Mirabai Starr, author of God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam “This wonderful book provides direction, encouragement, and support for a prayer practice with ancient roots. Drawing on his considerable experience as a spiritual director, David Frenette skillfully shares stories and offers wisdom that illuminates the heart of the practice and will lead practitioners through the subtle challenges that inevitably arise in the process of living into ever-deepening levels of prayer. This is a book not only to be read, but to be consulted regularly for insight and help along the way.” —The Right Reverend Robert O’Neill, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado “The Path of Centering Prayer is a beam of light in what can sometimes be a dark and unknown journey with God. It is written from the heart of David’s relationship with God and his discoveries along his contemplative journey in solitude, in community, and in spiritual direction. From this place of wisdom, David enlightens readers with encouragement and enrichment, which will nourish them in their own commitment to the centering prayer practice and the contemplative life.” —Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler, President of Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.

Download or read book The Circle of Love written by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee and published by The Golden Sufi Center. This book was released on 1999-03-18 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The circle of divine love is always present within the heart. The journey of the mystic is to retrace this circle and so experience the oneness that is hidden within us. In The Circle of Love, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee continues his work of providing a contemporary understanding of Sufism, drawing us into this mystery of the soul. He describes the way of mystical prayer and of listening with the heart. He offers valuable insight into power and the spiritual life: how to use one's power to break free of restrictions and live the joy of one's divine nature. He explores the primordial question of why we so easily forget our origin in God. Finally, The Circle of Love takes us deep into the mystical secret of being lost in God, to the center of the circle where the lover merges into the Beloved and the heart's deepest truth is revealed. “... Vaughan-Lee calls us back to the circle of love where nothing is excluded.” —Spirituality & Practice

Download or read book The Wisdom Way of Knowing written by Cynthia Bourgeault and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2003-10-13 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Drawing on resources as diverse as Sufism, Benedictine Monasticism, the Gurdjieff Work, and the string theory of modern physics, Cynthia Bourgeault has crafted her own unique vision of the Wisdom way in this very accessible book, nicely balanced between concept and practice." —Gerald May, senior fellow, Shalem Institute, and author, Addiction and Grace and Will and Spirit "The spiritual wisdom and practical suggestions in this lively and beautiful book will be helpful to many who find themselves setting out on the interior journey." —Bruno Barnhart, a Camaldolese monk and author, Second Simplicity: The Inner Shape of Christianity "Cynthia Bourgeault's book is a valuable contribution to the much-needed reawakening of spiritual practice within a Christian context. Her sincerity, good sense, metaphysical depth, and broad experience make her a source to be trusted." —Kabir Helminski, Sufi Shaikh, the Threshold Society

Download or read book Evelyn Underhill s Prayer Book written by Evelyn Underhill and published by SPCK. This book was released on 2018-01-18 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Carefully edited, this beautiful little volume is a rare gem . . . highly recommended for anyone seeking new inspiration in prayer.' - The Reader Between 1924 and 1938, Evelyn Underhill compiled two personal prayer books for use when conducting spiritual retreats at Pleshey (the retreat house for the diocese of Chelmsford). The prayers were carefully selected and include quotes from a variety of theologians and writers in Christian spirituality, as well as her own very rich, metaphorical and theologically deep prayers. These collections are now available for the first time.