Book Description
Communicating his ideas in the form of a classical dialogue between a youth and a wise elder, cosmologist Brian Swimme crafts a fascinating exploration into the creativity suffusing the universe. His explication of the fundamental powers of the cosmos is mystical and ecstatic and points directly to the need to activate one’s own creative powers.
Customer Reviews:
The Universe is a Green Dragon.......2007-09-30
I am not a scientist, but a college science student. I am also passionate about my sprirtuality. This is a wonderful book. Remembering that all spritual and religious language is peotic metaphor, this book only affirms my understanding of the divine loving nature of the Trinity and Jesus, the Christ. If you are a fundamentalist "Christian" (I think those terms are mutually exclusive) or an atheist, you will not like this book. If you love God passionately and believe that He is much bigger than you are, then you should enjoy the insights that Dr. Swimme presents.
A Unique Perspective........2007-08-23
Although I am a Christian, I found many points brought up in this book to be well worth consideration. I assume that a person devoted to this particular sect would find more in common, but on any front, it is a read worth a small amount of consideration.
Cosmic Creation From A New Perspective.......2006-11-10
A very well written and thought provoking look at something a lot of people have probably felt in their gutyet weren't quite sure how to quantify and elucidate.
The Universe is a Green Dragon.......2004-01-13
Thanks for getting the book out so quick!
Undiscriminating mix of fact and fancy, patronizing tone.......2003-07-25
I am a scientist, and I do appreciate and feel the vastness and beauty of the universe, and the elegance of biological evolution. But I don't think Swimme's romanticizing of science, cosmology, and particle physics is going to lead us to build a better society or better individual lives. Educated people have already tried making a god of science in this culture, I presume because of the seeming miracles it has performed, and the result has been people with empty spiritual lives and a desperate need to fill the void with stuff - food, things, travel - anything to avoid facing the sense of meaninglessness they get when they feel like tiny insignificant cogs in a vast machine. It doesn't really matter whether the machine is the military/industrial complex or the universe, in terms of its effect on the human spirit. Granted, the current state of much organized religion is not ideal, but I don't think Swimme's approach is going to have any better results. There are many alternative approaches between religious fundmentalism on one pole and an exclusive devotion to matter on the other.
This particular book is also painful to read, due to its patronizing tone and the way science is mixed with the subjective speculations and opinions of the author. There is a lack of respect for logic or fact in this book, which is surprising considering its topic and the author's credentials. Swimme is misusing the hard-won authority of science, which has performed its seeming miracles by a rigorous attention to observable facts. He owes it to his trusting readers (note the many 5-star reviews at this site) to distinguish clearly between the facts and his interpretations. There is a lack of intellectual humility here, which ironically mirrors his complaint of inappropriate human grandiosity in relation to nature.
Average customer rating:
- Bitter and Shocking but Brilliant
- five star general
- Beautiful and sickening all at once
- A truly pivotal work
- The Prose of Micheal Herr's"DISPATCHES"novelized.
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Meditations in Green
Stephen Wright
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Close Quarters: A Novel
ASIN: 0375712933
Release Date: 2003-08-12 |
Book Description
Sardonic, searing, seductive and surreal, the award-winning
Meditations in Green is regarded by many as the best novel of the Vietnam War. It is a kaleidoscopic collage that whirls about an indelible array of images and characters: perverted Winky, who opted for the army to stay off of welfare; eccentric Payne, who’s obsessed with the film he’s making of the war; bucolic Claypool, who’s irrevocably doomed to a fate worse than death. Just to mention a few.
And floating at the center of this psychedelic spin is Spec. 4 James Griffin. In country, Griffin studies the jungle of carpet bomb photos as he fights desperately to keep his grip on reality. And battling addiction stateside after his tour, he studies the green of household plants as he struggles mightily to get his sanity back. With mesmerizing action and Joycean interior monologues, Stephen Wright has created a book that is as much an homage to the darkness of war as it is a testament to the transcendence of art.
Customer Reviews:
Bitter and Shocking but Brilliant.......2000-11-12
James Griffin uses drugs, not to forget the Vietnam War, but to remember. Home, in the United States, James finds life rife with loneliness and alienation. The Vietnam War, he tells us, really didn't mean anything; all of the fighting was, and will become, fruitless.
James' girlfriend, Huey, is a painter of sorts who paints graffiti on walls, graffiti she calls "soulographs." These soulographs are huge abstractions of the war. James' wall is covered with them, so he whitewashes all of his walls and asks Huey to paint something new. But while she is in the process, the old soulographs begin to bleed through, causing James to experience a flashback to his Vietnam years where he imagines himself in the middle of battle with flashes and flares and rifles all around.
In a surrealistic and utterly brilliant and original manner, Wright manages to show us all the similarities of the Vietnam War and life as we lead it on a day-to-day basis. His protagonist, James, realizes these connections and begins to meditate, to escape these similarities, to escape the absurdity of life, both then and now.
Meditations in Green is a highly symbolic and surreal book. Wright, one of the most brilliant and original writers of the twentieth century, writes this novel in a very elusive manner, using very elusive narrative strategies and structural principles, organizing the book in interesting, overlapping, spiraling circles, which often echo, duplicate and bleed through one another much in the way Huey's soulographs do.
By attempting to devolve himself down to a plant form, James hopes to purge himself of his memories and antipathy towards nature and its eternal cycle of birth and death and rebirth. He is, like all of Wright's characters, very flawed, but these very flaws are what make him so human and let us identify with him and his sufferings.
Stephen Wright is a brilliant writer, but one whose extremism has caused him to be sadly undervalued by the general public. For some reason, I don't believe Wright care much about this. We should care, however, for Wright is brilliant, original, creative and absurd. His books are surrealism, black comedy, absurdism and postmodern literature of the very highest order. Wright is a writer not to be missed by anyone even remotely interested in great literature, postmodern or otherwise.
five star general.......2000-09-12
The fact that this book is receiving so little attention encourages me to start a ten-page rant, but as that will never be reproduced, let me just say that it's an absolute travesty that this author is being essentially neglected.
Any comparison to Mailer or Vonnegut or O'Brien is absolutely superfluous. This is a unique American voice, a John the Babtist crying in the wilderness and feeding on locusts, but the blind will never hear. This is an Artist in the strictest sense who moves and shapes print in ways that others cannnot hope to emulate. I have no reservations in raising his standard in whatever rung of hell we find ourselves in at present. This is the real deal, people. Put away your childish things and read the message of a true modern prophet, crying from the confines of Hades, urging us to at least look closely at ourselves, even if it drives us mad.
Beautiful and sickening all at once.......1999-01-02
Wright has shown himself to be a writer of the first order with MEDITATIONS IN GREEN. You follow a path of unsteady characters and numerous potholes to a profoundly sombre conclusion: we are all broken people.
A truly pivotal work.......1998-11-19
A book like this comes all too infrequently. I picked it up a decade ago in a Bangkok bookstore, and when I put it down I felt like I had been struck between the eyes with a 2x4. The book revolves around the Vietnam War and its aftermath, but like "Catch-22", "Meditations" simply uses the war as a backdrop to focus on the modern human condition. Darkly humorous and insightful, I recommend it to every friend.
The Prose of Micheal Herr's"DISPATCHES"novelized........1998-10-13
If dark humor"specialist" Danny DeVito ever wanted to direct a VietNam genre "M.A.S.H." meets Kubrick's"FULL METAL JACKET",this book would be the blueprint.The feverish prose picks up where Micheal Herr's"Dispatches"leaves off.Remember the 1st person narrative of Capt.Willard's character in"Apocalypse Now"(especially written for the film by Herr)? This writer takes you to that dark place where,if you're not armored with an acid sense of humor for the profoundly absurd,we would surely go mad.
Book Description
Unlike many books of meditations on icons, this book presents a unique opportunity for readers to visit an imaginary church and see icons "in action" throughout the year---to stand alongside worshipers for whom the use of icons is a natural part of their devotional lives. Reproductions of icons on the book jacket and in the inside text allow the reader to view the icons that would be found in a typical contemporary Orthodox church, as Frederica Mathewes-Green explains their history and theology. Stories of saints and texts of the prayers appointed for the day enhance the devotional quality of the book. Anyone interested in understanding and "praying with" icons will benefit from this warmhearted, practical guide.
Customer Reviews:
So Great a Cloud of Witnesses.......2006-07-01
Perhaps the most unnerving thing for Western Christians in approaching the Eastern Orthodox tradition is their use of icons. Even for Catholics and Anglicans who are familiar with religious images, the Orthodox practice (and even the icons themselves) can strike one as completely alien and even frightening. Frederica Mathewes-Green, a Western convert to Orthodoxy, understands these reservations and confronts the iconoclastic impulse head on in The Open Door by allowing the reader to gain an understanding of this ancient practice through the eyes of faith.
Dividing her exposition into two sections, Mathewes-Green writes first on the major icons of the iconostasis (the wood before the altar) and then on other icons of feasts and saints that appear elsewhere in the church. The first section is fittingly the larger and she gives a wonderful description of the history and theological perspective behind four of the most famous icons used in Orthodoxy. Rather that giving a dry technical survey, she approaches each icon from a perspective of prayerful reflection and belief steeped in her Church's ancient tradition.
In explaining the meaning behind each icon, Mathewes-Green introduces us to the language of iconography so the reader may appreciate how each icon illustrates the Gospel of Jesus Christ and speaks through the lens of faith things that only the devout could apprehend. From the very first chapter on the Christ of the Sinai to the last on the Old Testament Trinity, we are invited to share a wondrous devotional life with so great a cloud of witnesses.
In the renewal of Christianity through the recovery of the faith and practice of the ancient Church, the use of religious images is often overlooked. Frederica Mathewes-Green demonstrates the shortsightedness of such an approach. For those curious either of ancient Christian practice or Eastern Christianity in general or just those looking for a rewarding devotion, The Open Door is essential reading.
excellent contemplative reading for Orthodox Christians.......2005-12-05
Frederica Mathewes-Green, in this gem of a book, avoids the typical problem of much Orthodox literature written by converts: it's too often for potential converts and therefore in its tone and approach is unsuitable for those who have long been Orthodox. I would recommend this book as a useful and even inspirational text, on the nightstand, for reflection during Advent or another of the periods set aside by the Church for contemplation. FMG has a way of taking timeless truths and crystallizing them, often in a unique way. I especially liked her description of the Sinai icon of our Lord--I had never thought about it before in the way she describes.
The only jarring note occurs in her description of the Lamentations service on Holy Friday. She says the faithful are "acting out" the events of Christ's death and burial, processing around the Church "as if it were a funeral procession." As Frederica must surely know, we are not "acting out" anything, but really participating, through faith, in the events of our Lord's Passion, so it really IS a funeral procession. A minor mistake (because we know what she meant to say) that does not overshadow the book's great strengths.
Prayer in visual form.......2005-09-02
Praying with icons has a long (and not always untroubled) history in Christian practice; even the Western Protestant tradition that has come to eschew iconographic elements in worship to varying degrees still recognises the history and artistic value of images in some contexts. Author Frederica Mathewes-Green is writing primarily to this group in her text, with careful explanations and good descriptions that show the spiritual value of icons in a worshipful and prayerful setting.
Mathewes-Green writes, 'Unelss you're a member of an Orthodox church, you probably haven't encountered icons in their natural setting.' In this text, she constructs an imaginary church for the reader to visit, with various icons in their typical Orthodox positions. The first part, Iconostasis, looks at the icons that would been on the screen at the altar area. Pictures of the icons are included as colour plates at the centre of the book - these include The Christ of Sinai, The Virgin of Vladimir, The Resurrection, and St. John the Baptist. The second part of the book looks at other icons that might be present in a church, including images of saints, images from scriptural stories of both Old and New Testaments, and other gospel/traditional images of Christ. These are included as black-and-white images in the centre of the book.
Mathewes-Green describes the images both in terms of artistry as well as spiritual connection. Some icons are stylised to a high degree, and others are more realistic. By realistic, however, icons are not meant to be portrayals of people in natural settings - icons are meant to connect the one pondering and meditating upon them with the object of worship, that is, with God, in ways that reach the soul beyond what mere words could achieve. Icons often have a 'penetrating effect', with a play at elements of perspective, colour, materials, size and other aspects that draw the eye in particular directions, and place the viewer in otherworldly positions.
Icons are meant to be more than interesting pictures. As Mathewes-Green concedes, some icons aren't even 'good art' in many technical senses. 'Icons have their fullest impact on those who are saturated in prayer and Scripture, and who participate in the full life of the Church, with all her mysteries, hymns and worship.'
Mathewes-Green describes liturgies and services as well as times of private prayer and devotion during her trips to the imaginary Orthodox church. Her book ends with one of my favourite images, the Old Testament Trinity done by Rublev in 1411. (Archbishop Rowan Williams writes about this in one of his books on icons, too.) The icon is known to me more frequently by the name The Hospitality of Abraham, and this feature is made more prominent by the fact that in some versions of this icon, the figures of Abraham and Sarah are not present, even in the background.
Mathewes-Green invites the reader on a dozen imaginative trips to gaze upon the 'windows into heaven', to meditate upon their stories and be enriched. There is a glossary of terms that might be unfamiliar, particularly to those whose background is not from a liturgical tradition, but such terminology is kept to a minimum throughout the text. Mathewes-Green concludes with some suggestions for further readings, and some website resources for finding out more about icons, including where to purchase them.
This is a wonderful, spirit-filled book.
A Nice Little Pocket Book on Orthodox Icons and Prayer.......2003-12-31
Frederica Mathewes-Green's little book is a quick and easy read that is reflective and revealing. She does a magnificent job in describing the layout of Orthodox Church buildings, the use and place of icons, and "feasts and icons" (a section I found particularily helpful). This book is intended, I think, for non-orthodox and Orthodox Christians alike who want an introductory type book, either as material to learn more about the place icons and sancuaries have in Orthodox worship or for just a nice quick refreshing read.
Average customer rating:
- poorly written book on a fascinating subject
- Moderately Useful
- Jack is Back!
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The Quest for the Green Man
John Matthews
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The Green Man: Spirit of Nature
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The Green Man
ASIN: 0835608255 |
Book Description
This lavishly illustrated book traces this powerful archtype in folklore and myth, medieval architecture, modern images, and suggestions.
Customer Reviews:
poorly written book on a fascinating subject.......2005-10-12
This book covers a huge wealth of folk culture and history, but sadly cheapens the subject with awful suppositions and new age wittering.
The author creates theories, then bases other theories on those, to create a whole nonsense of his own imagining.
for instance (and this is my own lazy approximation,and not an actual excerpt) " xxxxx was also associated with the colour green, so as we can see xxxxx is also a green man archetype. As we have seen, all green things are essentially the green man in some form or other"
There are some tantalising snippets of information in here, that warrant further research, but the rambling style and eco/new age slant make this a tiresome read.
Moderately Useful.......2002-02-17
Although there is some useful and interesting information in the book, the author is more interested in pressing his environmental agenda than in compiling scholarly information on the Green Man. I was annoyed by his constant preaching. I'm sure there must be better books on this subject than this one.
Jack is Back!.......2001-08-15
Ah, the Green Man. Who indeed would be more qualified to compose a book honoring this most timeless icon of the Wild Green more than John Matthews? My answer: no one! And Mr. Matthews, to be sure, has done a most splendid job of paying tribute to this once almost lost depiction of our ancestors reverence for the natural world in which they lived.
But far beyond just putting a face on nature (as the Green Man) our ancestors also LIVED according to the laws of the Green Man and his world. These Old Ways, for far too long, have been buried and disregarded.
But times are changing, and many of us have brought out our shovels and begun to dig, both literally and figuratively, down into the Earth to retrieve this ancient knowledge that was time capusled by our ancestors. And what better place to start than with becoming reacquainted with the Wild Jack?
"The Quest for the Green Man" is a unique book indeed. Unlike the many books written on the Green Man that only chronicles the history of Jack's existence (in both picture and words), Mr. Matthews title goes one further by shining a light on the Green Man in a contemporary flair and thusly making Jack-in-the-Green more accessible to us today.
Many of the photos depict recent day Europeans, in full dress, paying homage to the Wild Man. And many of the contemporary likenesses of the Green Man are not carvings, but rather paintings and collages. This, I believe is very important in that it brings up-to-date this most ancient image and provides infinite possibilities for modern humans (those of us who cannot sculpt or carve) to experiment with Jack's image and thus get to know him.
Additionally, there are many other areas in which this book that is just marvelous, such as: an easy layout, vivid photos, the inclusion of some Green Man poetry, fitting quotes, a small resource guide and a huge "further reading" section.
John Matthews, like many of us, knows full well that the wisdom and secrets of the Green Man are not easily won. But, if you are willing to meet him on his terms-to get out into Nature and to seek out his likeness in the trees, vines and weeds, and, to attune yourself to the cycles that he represents, Old Jack, I am sure, will be more than willing to allow you back into his realm.
Customer Reviews:
really good reflections.......2004-01-20
The author searches out scripture verses and he reflects on these verses, tells his experiences and help me to find meaning in those verses. Being sick is a journey of unknown duration and such a process cannot and may not be hurried. I really encourage people to memorize scripture verses on healing and this book help that. I'm buying this book for five different people:from friends in suffering to doctors.
Helpful book for chaplains and caregivers.......1999-05-30
I fail to realize why this book is not used more by chaplains and caregivers who help the sick. It contains prayers from the ages, and helps to describe the way prayer and faith speed the healing process.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful presentation of some lovely material.......2005-04-11
The idea of this book is to provide the reader with points of meditation and inspiration based on the seasons of the year and Celtic sources.
The author takes the viewpoint that the Celts lived in harmony with the seasons and the cycles of the year and uses literature and writings to provide brief vignettes for the reader to focus on.
This book is a lovely presentation. A small, hard covered book, the dust jacket is a colorful Celtic knot work, but if you remove the dust jacket, the hard cover is embossed with the title and more Celtic knot work. Each page is graced with a Celtic knot "watermark" in light grey that is not distracting but repeats the Celtic theme on every page. A very lovely presentation overall.
The book is pocket sized, making it easy to take along. And the meditation pieces mostly cover one page, sometimes two at most. This allows for brief meditations if the time is limited, say at lunch time or early morning.
The mediations are mostly derived from myths and legends of the Celtic people. The author is well qualified in this area, as she is a Celtic scholar with several books published on this topic, founding member of a theater group specializing in presentations of Celtic myths, and an accomplished harpist who has a number of recording of Celtic music to her name.
Some of the material may have a lead-in to the meditative passages. Shapeshifting, for example, is basically outlined, and then a poem on shapeshifting is offered for meditation. I found this to be a nice addition to the material.
The meditations are grouped according to their content, focusing on the four seasons. As the Celts were very seasonally focused in their practices, the material presented is well placed for the associations. Each section is introduced with some background, a basic overview of the holidays associated with the season, and some facts that explain why some material is included in the section.
Material is taken from a variety of sources, and while some are easily recognized, others will be new to you and are just as delightful. From the story of Finn mac Cumhail to poetry that the author reworked from some ancient Celtic poems, the material presented is varied and does offer points for meditative contemplation and some personal soul searching.
There are meditations on some plights of various heroes and heroines, Celtic symbols, various Deities of the Celts and their stories and deeds, stories of the fairies, seasonal holidays and some delightful short poems. An example, which I found very appropriate for its ability to invoke meditation on several levels, comes from the "Autumn" section:
"After the delight of summer
in each field and hollow
comes the weeping of the leaves,
the long sorrow."
A beautiful passage, and very much one to invoke much contemplation, not only about the season, but also on life itself.
The conclusions you draw on this material will be your own. The author does not suggest any kind of "right or wrong" material, but merely provides the food for the thoughts you will come to on your own. This is a book to draw your own thoughts about, and maybe reflect on in your own personal life.
This is a lovely work, and if you are drawn to the Celtic traditions, and find meditation a part of your life, this book will provide some material that will compliment your life style. If you are curious about Celtic literary works, or just want a book of some interesting material for occasional reading, again,
this book can provide a good starting point to your reading. I very much recommend this title for your library. boudica
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A Prayer Journey with the Apostle Paul: Sixty Devotions
Michael Green , and
Elspeth Taylor
Manufacturer: Zondervan
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This beautifully written devotional is a thorough biblical study of Paul in prayer, giving solid food for thought and prayer.
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Like a Tree Planted: An Exploration of Psalms and Parables Through Metaphor (Piecing Together)
Barbara Green
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The Sefat Emet achieved wide popularity both within and without hasidic circles. In a community openly hostile toward non-Orthodox Jewry, the Sefat Emet embraces the nontraditionalists. Professor Arthur Green, one of the leading scholars of Hasidism and modern Jewish theology, has brought together a wide selection of the Sefat Emet's teachings. The Language of Truth is a remarkable work of Jewish scholarship.
Customer Reviews:
Terrific Book.......2006-01-17
Good translation and the subject material in this book creates a deep emotional connection to parashah commentary. Highly recommended. Also the introduction to the book is well written and presents an interesting introduction to the Sfat Emet.
Torah as the unlimited wisdom of G-d .......2005-06-08
Arthur Green has done the Torah- learning public in English a great service with this translation and commentary. He elucidates the work of an important Jewish Hasidic thinker, one whose Torah is very much a teaching of the love of Torah. For the Sefat Emet the Torah is the unlimited wisdom of G-d that we can only imperfectly grasp. We human beings are half of our real selves, and the other half which is with G-d comes down to us on Shabbos, but also comes to make us whole whenever we learn Torah.
I hope this Shavuot to look into this particular Sefer more. It was also a favorite of my own Rebbe, the ' Holy Teacher' David Hertzberg who often taught it along with other favorites like the Kedushat Levi, the Moharran, the Degel Ephraim, Ishbitz, and others.
Good Job.......2001-05-10
Sfat Emet is an incredibly succinct and somewhat enigmatic work. There are portions that are so cryptic that one must read them several times in order to absorb their full meaning. Accordingly, Prof. Green's elucidation can be quite helpful. Furthermore, while Prof. Green taps into the universalism inherent in Sfat Emet, he is generally moderate in his interpretation of the Rebbe's work. As a result, he very rarely offends the sensibilities of the more traditional reader (i.e., one that might refer to "the Sfas Emes"). Finally, the historical information is good reading.
Universalism and Judaism.......1999-07-19
First published at the end of the 19th century, this is a work of startlingly radical theology. Green summarizes one short comment:
"There is an openness in this teaching to an authentic universalism that is rare in Jewish sources. All the tongues of humanity praise G*d, each in their own distinctive way but as part of the universal chorus. The Moses who "created openings, gates of Torah" in all the places and tongues of the world is not like the religiously imperialistic missionary who translates his own Bible into all the languages and thus rejoices at the spread of G*d's word. Here the "openings" have to come from within those languages and the cultures that are an inseparable part of them. If we understand that there is really but one G*d and listen to the prophet who says: "Everywhere incense and sacrifice are offered to My name" (Mal. 1:11), we will begin to understand our task as participants in and listeners to the truly universal human chorus."
The Gerer rebbe points out the real Torah was the innermost utterance of Hashem which created the universe. Everything in the universe is manifestation of Hashem. Even the Hebrew Torah itself is a "clothing" on top of the original Torah - a kind of translation, if you will.
One can only marvel at the succinct style and unique vision of this great spiritual master. While studying the Sefat Emet, I am struck by the spiritual poverty of this generations Torah leaders.
Enjoyed.......1999-03-17
This is just to say that I enjoyed reading the above erudite review by mneueruncle.
Book Description
The power of prayer for spiritual renewal and personal transformation is at the core of all religious traditions. Through the advice, parables, and explanations presented in this book, the Hasidic masters of the past speak to our own attempts to find meaning in prayer, and pierce to the heart of the modern reader s search for God.
Customer Reviews:
MUST READ.......2007-04-05
Let me just say that if your reading this then buy this book now... fate has brought you here. Read this book over and over and be enriched and renewed angain and again---connected to the ONE source of ALL.
Prayer as the service of God.......2005-02-09
In their introduction to this volume the authors distinguish between the prayer of the practicioneers of Lurianic Kabbalah and the prayer of the Hasidic masters featured here. The complicated symbolism and learning of the Kabbalists is contrasted with the simplicity and directness of Hasidic prayer. The Kabbalists are opening complicated locks with hidden keys, while the Hasidic masters are smashing the lock open with their own broken hearts. The Kabbalists are focusing on some cosmological tikkun of the world as a whole, while the Hasidic masters are focusing on individual devekut individual clinging and attachment to God. The excerpts given here can help the reader realize that service of God which is the holy essential duty of every Jew.
Your Word is Fire - Is A Spiritural Retreat.......2003-11-16
The authors have managed to create in this small volume a source book of meditation. The words of the Hasidic Masters have carefully been selected in such a way that each page is a meditation.
I have had this book in my library for many years,and return to it over an over again for comfort and wisdom.
Your Word is Fire - Is A Spiritural Retreat.......2003-11-16
The Authors have managed to create in this small volume a source book of meditation. The words of the Hasidic Masters have carefully been selected in such a way that each page is a meditation.
I have had this book in my library for many years,and return to it over an over again for comfort and wisdom.
Exploring the Mystery of Prayer.......2002-11-17
This is a wonderful, wonderful reader in Hasidic perspectives on prayer. The book blossoms with deep insights into the spiritual dynamic between God and humans. Please consider the following:
"A father has a young child whom he greatly loves. Even though the child has hardly learned to speak, his father takes pleasure in listening to his words." (p. 102)
There is something both bold and humbling about and such a perspective on prayer. God is not only King, but Father as well. The Infinite One is both large and small, far and near.
Many of the different dynamics of prayer are explored in this work, each in its own section, and everything is referenced at the end of the book. The book opens with an academic essay that provides a good context for the Hasidic exploration of the vast sea of prayer, the experience of union with the Divine Presence (p. 80). As with most readers, any background knowledge of Hasidism is helpful, but at the same time not necessary to have in order to be touched by the wisdom of these mystics.
I think, though, that this book needs to be approached as an open door to the myster of prayer. Rather than just being read, it should be tested: to approach God as a child who is unable to speak is a humbling thing. To persist, nonetheless, and draw close to God as God draws us and pulls us close is to experience God's love. The reader of this book will have some far reaching light as s/he travels and progresses down the path of such prayer.
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