I was burned at the stake at fourteen... I was drowned in a lake when I was twenty-four... At twenty-seven, I was stoned in a public square... I have died a hundred times in a hundred different ways, usually at the hands of the humans I've tried to save. But when a pregnant young woman finds her way into my tattoo shop with a demon on her tail, things go from bad to worse. Being a centuries-old witch isn't going to help me-nothing will. This time I might just die in a way that sticks... Permanently.

The millions of recovering addicts who attend Twelve Step programs around the world each dayfor issues ranging from alcoholism to overeating, codependence, gambling, and even chronic latenessquickly learn that sobriety and abstinence hinge on a decision to turn over their will and life to a Power greater than themselves. They also learn, through the program's 11th Step, that prayer and meditation are vital tools for making this conscious contact with a Higher Power of their understanding.

“For God alone my soul in silence waits....” In these reflections on Psalm 62 Margaret Guenther provides the foundation for a time of reflection and retreat without ever leaving home. The book’s first chapter introduces us to ways of making a retreat wherever we are, at a place apart or in the midst of our daily lives. Guenther then offers eight meditations on Psalm 62, with its themes of waiting on God’s presence with patience, trust, and expectation. She explores the images the psalm evokes of longing, silence, waiting, safety, enemies, and God as a rock and refuge. As in all her books, Guenther finds new ways to explore these ancient themes with the wit and practicality of an accomplished storyteller. These eight meditations can be read consecutively over the course of a single day or weekend, or spaced over time with periods of reflection in between. Each meditation ends with ideas for further prayer and pondering. My Soul in Silence Waits is one of our series of Cowley Cloister Books: smaller format, gift edition books designed for meditative and devotional reading.

The Silent Soul presents a unique way of looking into a very different realm than the one we typically inhabit. It describes a pathway into the hidden realm of non-form that exists within each of us (our vast inner universe), and does so in a way that is easily accessible. It describes in a straightforward manner how to gain access to the elusive Stillness within and how we can find the Divine in the process. It unpacks how we find this magical path of discovery and how it can change our lives in a very tangible way, resulting in the soul’s impending transformation from caterpillar into butterfly.

Every Wednesday afternoon in Worcester, Massachusetts, a quiet crowd waits patiently for a brief glimpse of 14-year-old Audrey Santo, a paralyzed girl unable to talk. Like beloved Padre Pio and the children of Fatima and Medjugorje, Audrey Santo is said to be a bridge to the supernatural world, bringing her own unique message of hope and healing through her presence alone.

He Speaks in the Silence is about Diane Comer’s search for the kind of intimacy with God every woman longs for. It is a story of trying to be a good girl, of following the rules, of longing for a satisfaction that eludes us. Disappointed with all Diane had been told was supposed to fulfill her, she begged God in desperation to give her more. And He did. But first He took her through a trial so debilitating it almost destroyed what little faith she had. He let her go deaf. Using vivid parallels between her deafness and every woman’s struggle to hear God, this book shows women not only how Diane, as a deaf woman, hears in everyday life, but also how she can learn to listen to God in the midst of her own loud life, finding intimacy with God and the deep soul satisfaction she longs for.

John Dennison says we have come into this life for a purpose. The soul knows why, and where it is going. But we are asleep, cut off from its guidance. We're left uneasy, discontent, always searching for answers but only finding more questions. We know there is something more.

The Soul of a Child places brilliant educator and reformer Maria Montessori in the context of her time. It examines the relationships, inner struggles, and inspirations of Montessori, a woman with heart, empathy, and resilience. As a strong woman who lived through two world wars, the rise of Fascism in Spain and Italy and the dawn of the nuclear age, she remained undeterred in her faith in the possibility of positive change through education. Her life spanned both the joys of innovation and the horrors of destruction of the twentieth century. Her influence on education and humanism remains resonant and enduring.

Four strangers wake up alone in a room. A masked man is responsible for their suspenseful predicament, and offers them a compromise: If they provide one answer to his one question within sixty minutes, they will be set free. How difficult can one question be?