"Pearls" is an introduction to all of Sacred Birthing. These are the gems that take you on your journey to your baby's 'Softbirth.' What do we need most in pregnancy? We need to dream who it is hiding in there, and who this little one is asking to become. We need to grow our love for this teeny being, and learn more of who we are as we take care of him. We need to know that no matter what, our body knows exactly what to do to grow and birth and nurture this beloved one. We need to remember that we already know everything, if we just stop, and go inside. As we let go of the medical, the warnings, the doubts, and the self-doubts, we step into trusting our self. This is the book that I wish I had received when I was first pregnant! It's the perfect Baby Shower Gift or BlessingWay Gift, but even better, the perfect Conception Gift for your best friend. Let it inspire you to ask yourself deep questions about your baby's birth. From "Pearls": "The babies I helped with taught me that babies are far more than just the tiny body they present visually. They taught me about the consciousness that enlivens the body. If our desire is to give birth to a radiant being, it means that the whole baby asks to be addressed. It is not enough to simply receive the baby's physical body at birth, and not respect the feeling nature and the spiritual being. A baby's physical body is best received into gentle soft hands, imposing nothing to make a baby cry. The emotional feeling nature of a baby is supported when a baby is received with love, trust and respect. The spiritual body of the baby has needs too, that ask to be supported. When the act of giving birth takes spiritual needs into consideration, then baby's life is lived at a higher octave. Thus, a baby chooses a gentle birth to attain his full entitlement of light." And, "What is our true purpose when we consciously ask to conceive? Why do we do our very best for our baby during pregnancy? Why are we concerned about protecting our baby from any trauma at birth? Our intention is that our baby is not wounded, for it is not possible for a baby to be in the mode of openness and growth, when in the mode of defensiveness and protection. Thus, a baby always chooses a gentle birth to retain his full entitlement of light."

Sacred Birthing, Birthing A New Humanity book is my journey as a midwife, and how I was shown that there was more to birthing babies than just that tiny beautiful baby. It is really all about consciousness, not only for the baby, but also for the parents. In the first edition, published in 2003, I just had to write down all the stories, realizations and understanding that was inside me. Then I had to grow up and come of age.As I grew, "What about the baby?" was always my question as I heard birth becoming more and more about medical procedures, technology, drugs and pain. But I kept thinking, what must it feel like to the baby? We need to think about the pristine, delicate, sensitive baby who is experiencing her out-of-the-belly-life for the first time. And so, Soul-Needs, that which upholds a baby's radiance, were honored and highlighted to enunciate this. Babies' Soul-Needs turned everything around and placed the priorities correctly. This makes it clear, for its the baby's birth. Not the moms. We had our own birth. This is our baby's birth, and we are here to do all we can for their birth to be its best. Sacred Birthing Insights are the principles for parent's actions to support their baby's highest birth. These bring parents into coherence with their baby's needs.If we wish to go into a new direction, new choices must be made in order to turn the corner away from the old loop and into new possibilities. This can only be created when we jump out of the box of, birth as it is. Are we able to let go of all its outdated stories? If it is true that there is "a new kind of birth for the Master Souls coming," then we wish to do all we can to implement the softest birth for our baby. By refining our understanding of what each soul needs from us to anchor rightly into life, we can offer what they need by the way we give birth. Our goal is to honor and protect a baby's energetic excellence, so that each is "well-born," and a pristine newborn is received. This is a stepping stone into that new paradigm of birth. Instead of being birthed into pain, what if a baby were born into rushes of bliss? What if joy and gratitude were the feelings mom authentically expresses? What if mom could 'sing out her baby' as a gift to the Earth? There are so many options of love that can cradle your baby on her journey. What it takes is for us to shift the way we think and feel. Our baby's highest birth will take our willingness, and the absolute strength of intention. Are we ready to trust that there is a delicious way to give birth that better supports this baby's life? Are we willing to be in the place of "not knowing how it will happen," but trusting it will? Our Wise-Self and Guardians have been waiting for our request to determine our own higher paradigm of birth. Then as we stand back expectantly, nature will lead the way. And when one of us, and then another, and another creates this higher paradigm of birth, then the hundredth monkey jumps in, and it's real for everyone. It's already happening.

"The babies I helped birth taught me that babies are far more than just the tiny body they present visually. They taught me about the vibration of consciousness that enlivens the body. They taught me, that taking utmost care of their body is the best care for the soul, for only a pristine body can carry its full divinity. With the holistic practices of Sacred Birthing, and without haste and interference, babies can maintain their energetic excellence and alignment during the experience of labor and birth."

"One of the biggest losses is that by growing up without the sexual wisdom of our elders, we don't remember the whole picture. We don't know the possibility of traveling to Source with a beloved. Having never heard stories of flights of sacred lovemaking, we think that we should be content with a little hump-de-dump, yet we come up feeling empty and wonder why. Because we have lost the immense power of these ancestral stories, there is nothing for us to aim for... What if we understood that a certain quality of lovemaking could fulfill us for 3 months? What if we knew it could take us to Source?" This is for women, to open as nature intends, to eliminate what hinders the body and constricts the heart, and to revalue ourselves in order to stand in our wholeness. Then in our wholeness, we can lead our partner into most meaningful lovemaking, where it recovers its intended potency. This is the journey that every woman takes, in one lifetime or another. Consider this book to be your personal Past Life Therapy sessions. Since this ancient story is the same for all of us, read it slowly and heal. The Mother's purpose is to elicit our own memories of the sacred. Listen to your body. Drink in what feels right, to fill in your own missing pieces. Reclaim the majesty of who you are as you journey with me.

Souls of Magnificence are born as perfected souls. They come from realms we can hardly fathom, and serve on infinite levels that we cannot understand. They have nothing to work out or balance, only contributions they are born to make. They are here at Gaia's invitation to manifest their wisdom on Earth. How do you prepare for sacred conception? Don't rush it. That's our own agenda. When we can allow the wisdom of the soul to orchestrate our baby's own conception and birth, then it comes from a place that we cannot possibly pretend to understand. And that is best for all. After all, this is the biggest undertaking of your life.

This comprehensive collection of timeless and powerful stories puts the wisdom of world religions in the hands of young readers. When attempting to find a simple, engaging, and unbiased approach to world religions for her own family, Marilyn McFarlane discovered such a book did not exist. Understanding how important it is for children to build both respect for and knowledge of a variety of religions, regardless of their own faith, McFarlane created Sacred Stories: Wisdom from World Religions. Each captivating story and accompanying sidebar facts and spot illustrations brings to life the key tenets of a particular belief system, while the comprehensive glossary and resource list enable readers to expand their explorations. Including easy-to-understand descriptions and essential stories from Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Native American, and Sacred Earth, Sacred Stories is perfect for parents and teachers who want to expand young readers’ understanding of world traditions. The simple, informative, unbiased language of Sacred Stories, combined with its comprehensive resource list and glossary, makes it an ideal learning tool for teachers, librarians, and other educators.

Over time our ideas about God and religion tend to match the stage of our own maturity and the level of our own consciousness. In addition to our different ideas of God, there are also those who profess some form of monotheistic religion but worship other gods: the power of the economy, military strength, fame. Perhaps they even use––or misuse––the name of God or credit God with whatever is gained. Thus, the challenge for our times is this: how do we think of God as Jesus introduces God to us? While exploring Scripture, the thoughts of theologians, Benedictine monasticism, Jewish and Islamic traditions, along with his own personal reflections, Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam, shows us what it means to be church, to be a follower of Jesus, and to be like God: to imitate the self-emptying of God and Christ. We are called to show the world God as Jesus reveals God to be: merciful, compassionate, healer to all.

From 1929 to the latest issue, American Literature has been the foremost journal expressing the findings of those who study our national literature. The jouranl has published the best work of literary historians, critics, and bibliographers, ranging from the founders of the discipline to the best current critics and researchers. The longevity of this excellence lends a special distinction to the articles in American Literature. Presented in order of their first appearance, the articles in each volume constitute a revealing record of developing insights and important shifts of critical emphasis. Each article has opened a fresh line of inquiry, established a fresh perspective on a familiar topic, or settled a question that engaged the interest of experts.

Discover how your greatest creative power is also your greatest spiritual power. “All of us possess some electrical and magnetic forces within, and, just like a magnet, we exert a force of attraction and repulsion... Between lovers that magnetic force is particularly powerful and its action has a far-reaching effect.” - Samael Aun Weor In the heart of every religion there are teachings about intimate human relationships, a sacred knowledge about the transformative power of sex, which states that true spiritual mastery is a result of conquering base desires and transforming them into conscious virtues. Harnessing and transforming the most powerful forces within places us on a revolutionary path to spiritual awakening. Every birth is a magical act, performed through sex. Spiritual birth is no exception, and is accomplished through a divine form of sexuality. “The physical union of a man and a woman, in essence, is a supernatural act, a reminiscence of paradise, the most beautiful of all the hymns of praise dedicated to the Creator by the creature; it is the alpha and the omega of all creation.” - Samael Aun Weor * Enter into the sacred mysteries hidden in all major religions * Learn to practice the ancient science that inspired Tantra, Alchemy, Taoism, and other traditions * Filled with lively, entertaining stories, and practical exercises and guidance for personal development

This edited volume explores the intersection of spirituality with childbirth from 1800 to the present day from a comparative perspective. It illustrates how over this time period in much of the world, traditional practices, home births, and midwives have been overshadowed and undermined by male dominated obstetrics, hospitalization, and ultimately the medicalization of the birthing process itself.