"Dreaming of Prayer Flags" opens a stunning portal into the heart of the cloistered Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. Karma Singye Dorji?s stories are tender and intimate, and Sandy Shum?s images of the country are filled with color, light and movement. The stories and images blend luminously to unveil grand Himalayan vistas, spiritually resonant festivals, and the unhurried rhythms of village life. Unique to the selection of books available on Bhutan, Dreaming of Prayer Flags features fluid and evocative images melding traditional photography with impressionistic style. It is also the first book of photographs on Bhutan written by an indigenous Bhutanese author. About the Authors: Bhutanese author Karma Singye Dorji leads cultural journeys to Bhutan. The writer and journalist now lives in the US. Artist Sandy Shum exhibits her impressionistic photography internationally. Originally from the US, she lived in Bhutan for four years and now lives in Thailand.

Millions of years in the making, sustaining human voyagers and societies for millennia, a couple of centuries of that by Europeans - the Great Barrier Reef - in maybe five or six decades the largest living structure visible from space will have become the largest dead one. Vicarious Dreaming documents a series of personal voyages between Cooktown and the Torres Strait that are interwoven with accounts of exploration, exploitation and escape. The travels and tales coalesce around the works of Ion Idriess and the lives of solitary men at the edge of the world, drawn to the wild by folly and obsession, and to an island in the Howick Group that Idriess knew well and which was the site of his first book - Madman's Island. And as with the slow-motion ecological catastrophe that is the Reef's agonal decline there are players - and bystanders; stories of people and places, of life and death, of arrivals and departures, and of journeys that involve even the most remote, uninhabited spaces - the necklace of islands scattered along more than two thousand kilometres of Queensland's Coral Sea coast. At once a journey into the far north of Australia and into the furthest depths of the human mind. A tale of Cape York's past and a new chapter in the exploration of its present. A dream narrative - maybe; a case study - perhaps; literary art, yes, absolutely, in its purest and most ambitious form. - Nicholas Rothwell

Surveys the complex history of Buddhist dream experience and analysis.

A fascinating exploration into the world of turtles across the globe; Laufer charts the lore, love, and peril to a beloved species. Dreaming in Turtle is a compelling story of a stalwart animal prized from prehistory through to today—an animal threatened by human greed, pragmatism, and rationalization. It stars turtles and shady and heroic human characters both, in settings ranging from luxury redoubts to degraded habitats, during a time when the confluence of easy global trade, limited supply, and inexhaustible demand has accelerated the stress on species. The growth of the middle class in high-population regions like China, where the turtle is particularly valued, feeds this perfect storm into which the turtle finds itself lashed. This is a tale not just of endangered turtles but also one of overall human failings, frailties, and vulnerabilities—all punctuated by optimistic hope for change fueled by dedicated turtle champions.

Joseph Dixon, a seasoned traveler, is drawn to the ethereal ruggedness of the Himalayas. But it's the turn of the millennium and the Maoist People's War has been quietly tearing Nepal apart. As a volunteer, Joseph settles into the Myagdi district of Nepal, a good two days walk to anywhere he would consider civilization. In the tiny village of Rinrut he meets young Kunjana, a wartime orphan whose parents have been killed by Maoists. Once the violence overflows into Myagdi and Kunjana is attacked, Joseph, trying to give this young child a chance at a life in Kathmandu plots her escape. Joseph's noble intentions have consequences far greater than he could have imagined. After trekking the famed but increasingly hostile Annapurna Circuit trek, and upon his return home, Joseph is forced to come to terms with himself and his connection to the Kingdom in the Clouds.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead is one of the best-known Tibetan Buddhist texts. It is also one of the most difficult texts for Westerners to understand. In Living, Dreaming, Dying, Rob Nairn presents the first interpretation of this classic text using a modern Western perspective, avoiding arcane religious terminology, keeping his explanations grounded in everyday language. Nairn explores the concepts used in this highly revered work and brings out their meaning and significance for our daily life. He shows readers how the Tibetan Book of the Dead can help us understand life and self as well as the dying process. Living, Dreaming, Dying helps readers to "live deliberately"—and confront death deliberately. One thing that prevents us from doing that, according to Nairn, is our tendency to react fearfully whenever change occurs. But if we confront our fear of change and the unknown, we can learn to flow gracefully with the unfolding circumstances of life rather than be at their mercy. Of course, change occurs throughout our life, but a period of transition also occurs as we pass from the waking state into sleep, and likewise as we pass into death. Therefore the author's teachings apply equally to living as well as to dreaming and dying. Through meditation instructions and practical exercises, the author explains how to: • Explore the mind through the cultivation of deep meditation states and expanded consciousness • Develop awareness of negative tendencies • Use deep sleep states and lucid dreaming to increase self-understanding as well as to "train" oneself in how to die so that one is prepared for when the time comes • Confront and liberate oneself from fear of death and the unknown

The poems in Dreaming of Stones are about what endures: hope and desire, changing seasons, wild places, love, and the wisdom of mystics. Inspired by the poet’s time living in Ireland these readings invite you into deeper ways of seeing the world. They have an incantational quality. Drawing on her commitment as a Benedictine oblate, the poems arise out of a practice of sitting in silence and lectio divina, in which life becomes the holy text. No stranger to poetry, Paintner’s bestselling spirituality titles have often included poems. In this first exclusively poetic collection, she writes with a contemplative heart about kinship with nature, ancestral connections, intimacy, the landscape, the unfolding nature of time, and Christian mystics. It can be read for reflection to spark the heart and to offer solace and inspiration in difficult times. Breath This breathing in is a miracle, this breathing out, release, this breathing in a welcome to the unseen gifts which sustain me each moment, this breathing out a sweet sigh, a bow to my mortality, this breathing in a holy yes to life, this breathing out a sacred no to all that causes me to clench and grasp, this breathing in is a revelation, this breathing out, freedom.

In this extraordinary book, shamanic dream teacher Robert Moss shows us how to become shamans of our own souls and healers of our own lives. The greatest contribution of the ancient shamans to modern healing is the understanding that in the course of any life we are liable to suffer soul loss — the loss of parts of our vital energy and identity — and that to be whole and well, we must find the means of soul recovery. Moss teaches that our dreams give us maps we can use to find and bring home our lost or stolen soul parts. He shows how to recover animal spirits and ride the windhorse of spirit to places of healing and adventure in the larger reality. We discover how to heal ancestral wounds and open the way for cultural soul recovery. You’ll learn how to enter past lives, future lives, and the life experiences of parallel selves and bring back lessons and gifts. “It’s not just about keeping soul in the body,” Moss writes. “It’s about growing soul, becoming more than we ever were before.” With fierce joy, he incites us to take the creator’s leap and bring something new into our world.

Author's travel impression.

Dreaming of Everest follows the journey of a young, courageous woman who wishes to trek to the base of the world’s highest mountain, The Everest Base Camp (5364 m) in Nepal. Despite limited trekking experience, Saachi sets her sights high and embarks on a 130-km long maiden trek through a region of outstanding natural beauty. The protagonist takes you on a sublime adventure through blooming rhododendron forests, gushing streams, and majestic mountain scenery. Along the way, the group braves many challenges - the aftermath of Cyclone Fani, altitude sickness, and extreme weather conditions. While two members drop out, the remaining manage to pull through. It is an inspiring personal narrative of grit, focus, and the weight that we carry in our lives. Completely cut off from the rest of the world, the arduous yet exhilarating journey puts life in perspective and proves that limitations exist only in the mind. In the end, Saachi emerges lighter as her inhibitions float away into the thin air at base camp.