This book features 107 of the finest examples of illuminated pages from medieval and Renaissance Books of Hours. Roger Wieck's comprehensive text introduces the Book of Hours -- a "bestseller" for three hundred years -- to the general reader, discussing its iconography, the artists who illuminated this genre, and its role as a religious text in the lives of its owners. As a collection of both stirring words and inspiring images, the Book of Hours thus comprised a series of "painted prayers".

"For hundreds of years, Indian women have passed to their daughters the knowledge of the ritual wall and ground paintings and decorations of the home that function as messages to the deities for the health and well-being of Indian families. Some ground paintings are daily rituals, made every morning at dawn, while wall paintings and mud bas-reliefs are often made for special festivals to honor the deities and attract their benevolent attentions. It is the women of India who are responsible for communication with the gods on behalf of their families, governing the activities of family members, and maintaining the sanctity and order of the home." "Painted Prayers is a fascinating account of the centuries-old artistic traditions of women in village India, set forth in 170 full-color photographs that evoke the women's rich artistic heritage, and the pride and pleasure with which they regard their creative responsibilities. The knowledgeable text details the traditions, rituals, and beliefs behind this little-known art form and places this art in the context of contemporary Indian women's lives and the social realities of India today." "This book is a splendid gallery of this diverse aspect of Indian art and a pictorial tour of the India travelers rarely see. Designs vary between the representational and the purely graphic: painted and sculpted images such as mounds of rice are drawn from local iconography, while elephants, peacocks and lotus blooms are symbols of the deities. Colors ranging from earth tones to reds, blues, yellow, green, and white make the designs stand out from the mud-covered walls and dusty streets, a vibrant testament to centuries of Indian women's artistic voices."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

A collection of writings of revered spiritual thinkers including Rumi, Rilke, Jesus, Reb Nachman, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Stephen Mitchell, with illustrations by the author.

"The Shaker movement in America began in 1774 when Mother Ann Lee emigrated from Manchester, England, with a small group of followers, and settled in New York State. Despite impoverished beginnings, the Shakers flourished in the early nineteenth century, and by 1840 there were four to six thousand members living in eighteen principle communities from Maine to Kentucky. Turning away from society, they lived in large families that were both celibate and communal. In striving for heaven on earth, they created a visual environment of such harmony and quiet power that it continues to impress observers today, when the Shakers have all but passed from the American scene. The many works presented in this beautiful volume reveal the Shaker commitment to excellence in all matters. The chairs, cases of drawers, work stands, baskets, oval boxes, wheelbarrows, stoves, looms, and even tailoring tools have a purity of form that transcends mere utility and elevates our appreciation beyond a sense of function."--Amazon.

Presents prayers & Bible excerpts under topics together with reproductions of classical paintings. 9-15 yrs.

A story about finding a way through fear and hopelessness by tapping into the energy of one's creative spirit.

Societies and entire nations draw their identities from certain founding documents, whether charters, declarations, or manifestos. The Book of Common Prayer figures as one of the most crucial in the history of the English-speaking peoples. First published in 1549 to make accessible the devotional language of the late Henry the VIII's new church, the prayer book was a work of monumental religious, political, and cultural importance. Within its rituals, prescriptions, proscriptions, and expressions were fought the religious wars of the age of Shakespeare. This diminutive book--continuously reformed and revised--was how that age defined itself. In Shakespeare's Common Prayers, Daniel Swift makes dazzling and original use of this foundational text, employing it as an entry-point into the works of England's most celebrated writer. Though commonly neglected as a source for Shakespeare's work, Swift persuasively and conclusively argues that the Book of Common Prayer was absolutely essential to the playwright. It was in the Book's ambiguities and its fierce contestations that Shakespeare found the ready elements of drama: dispute over words and their practical consequences, hope for sanctification tempered by fear of simple meaninglessness, and the demand for improvised performance as compensation for the failure of language to fulfill its promises. What emerges is nothing less than a portrait of Shakespeare at work: absorbing, manipulating, reforming, and struggling with the explosive chemistry of word and action that comprised early modern liturgy. Swift argues that the Book of Common Prayer mediates between the secular and the devotional, producing a tension that makes Shakespeare's plays so powerful and exceptional. Tracing the prayer book's lines and motions through As You Like It, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, Othello, and particularly Macbeth, Swift reveals how the greatest writer of the age--of perhaps any age--was influenced and guided by its most important book.

Publisher description

As his stories unfold, Daniel Dancer reflects on spirituality, indigenous knowledge, quantum physics, psychology, and ecological principles. Humor, synchronicity, delight, and heartfelt struggle are all present in these tales. The result is a breath of wholeness, a gift for our apocalyptic times and for a culture that has forgotten its connection to nature. The sacred, magical role that art has held in everyday life since the dawn of humanity is often lost in modern society. Dancer's timely work is a quest to revive this form of art, weaving the shards of our failing culture and fragmented ecosystems into a celebration of possibility. Entertaining, full of surprise at every turn, and beautifully illustrated, Desperate Prayers helps map the way home to our authentic selves.

MY DAILY PRAYERS CATHOLIC WAY PUBLISHING Prayer is the life and happiness of the soul. Prayer elevates the soul to an intimate conversation with our Father and Mother, Jesus and Mary through the Holy Spirit. It is an elevation of the material to the supernatural. Prayer nourishes the soul with life giving faith, hope and love. My Daily Prayers includes the following classic and modern Catholic Prayers and Devotions for making Catholics into Saints! — Holy Images of Jesus, Mary and the Saints — Image of Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration! — The Holy Rosary Meditations, Scripture Readings and Images — Stations of the Cross, Scripture Readings and Images — The Divine Mercy, Chaplet and Nine Day Novena — Over 40 Prayers and Novenas for all occasions — 12 Litanies and Hymns — Over 100 Meditations, Maxims and Admonishments by the Saints! — Spiritual Guides for advancement in the Spiritual Life — 100 Christian Doctrine Drills on all aspects of Catholic Life Publisher: Available in Paperback: ISBN-13: 978-1-78379-027-2 Note: This E-Book includes a main Index with NCX Navigation and Nine Table of Contents for each section. All Prayers and Sections are linked. Welcome to the Catholic Way Publishing Prayer Book, My Daily Prayers. This practical prayer book is made up of the most beautiful and fruitful Catholic Prayers and Devotions. Quite a few of these prayers are dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother, who then passes on what we say in our hearts, cleansing it of any self-love, to Jesus! The Rosary is the most powerful prayer in Christendom. With the Rosary, we meditate on the whole spectrum of Scripture, the whole life of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Rosary is the weapon that will defeat satan and his army. If there is but one prayer you will say every day, make it the Rosary! Included are meditations on the decades of the Rosary. The Divine Mercy Chaplet of Saint Faustina and the Stations of the Cross are wonderful ways to meditate on the saving love of Jesus Christ. Included are meditations, images and Scripture readings. There are Litanies and Hymns to pray and sing along to for joyful occasions! You can read the Meditations, Maxims and Admonishments from the Saints throughout the ages for solid advice and spiritual advancement. Included are Spiritual Guides on certain important devotions and nearly 100 Christian Lists, like the Sacraments, the Commandments and precepts of the Church. There are Holy Images of Jesus and Mary and some Saints for meditating on. There is a photograph of Jesus, exposed live in the Eucharist state of Adoration! It is a wonderful way to become closer to Jesus and Mary by meditating on God! PUBLISHER: CATHOLIC WAY PUBLISHING