Suppose I were to begin by saying that I had fallen in love with a color . . . A lyrical, philosophical, and often explicit exploration of personal suffering and the limitations of vision and love, as refracted through the color blue. With Bluets, Maggie Nelson has entered the pantheon of brilliant lyric essayists. Maggie Nelson is the author of numerous books of poetry and nonfiction, including Something Bright, Then Holes (Soft Skull Press, 2007) and Women, the New York School, and Other True Abstractions (University of Iowa Press, 2007). She lives in Los Angeles and teaches at the California Institute of the Arts.

Religion has always been a fundamental force for constructing identity, from antiquity to the contemporary world. The transformation of ancient cults into faith systems, which we recognise now as major world religions, took place in the first millennium AD, in the period we call 'Late Antiquity'. Our argument is that the creative impetus for both the emergence, and much of the visual distinctiveness of the world religions came in contexts of cultural encounter. Bridging the traditional divide between classical, Asian, Islamic and Western history, this exhibition and its accompanying catalogue highlights religious and artistic creativity at points of contact and cultural borders between late antique civilisations. This catalogue features the creation of specific visual languages that belong to four major world religions: Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Islam. The imagery still used by these belief systems today is evidence for the development of distinct religious identities in Late Antiquity. Emblematic visual forms like the figure of Buddha and Christ, or Islamic aniconism, only evolved in dialogue with a variety of coexisting visualisations of the sacred.0As late antique believers appropriated some competing models and rejected others, they created compelling and long-lived representations of faith, but also revealed their indebtedness to a multitude of contemporaneous religious ideas and images. 00Exhibition: Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK (19.10.2017-18.02.2018).

Often referred to as the "Blue Wall of Silence," most people give little consideration to the sub community that is law enforcement. Most officers and soldiers accept the inherent dangers of their vocation without reservation; however, are rarely prepared to deal with the residual emotional effects of policing a community and defending our borders. Because of the strong professional standards and polished uniformed image of our warriors of justice, most people never stop to consider that because officers and soldiers encounter so much brokenness on a daily basis, they themselves can eventually break. This book is a personal career devotional for the entire law enforcement community and their families to bring them face to face with the loving presence of the God of Grace who called them, understands them, protects them, loves them and seeks to heal them. Throughout its pages, the law enforcement community will find transformative vocational meaning and purpose as they favorably live out their faith in the tough terrain of defending a city or nation. Through the often overlooked stories of soldiers and law enforcement officers in the bible, they will learn valuable lessons and gain priceless pearls of wisdom to better protect and serve our communities. Families and Communities will have never before seen access to the inner struggles and daily obstacles officers must overcome to serve them. Chaplains and clergy will be better informed and equipped to minister to the needs of their law enforcement congregants and parishioners.

Approaching the Divine is a handbook on signs and symbols in the Christian tradition, written from a Mennonite perspective. It provides a window into the meaning behind liturgical practices and art forms developed by the church through the ages. It also explores the seasons of the church year and observances related to special "Holy Days" in the Christian tradition. Included is a section on more universal signs and tokens, such as numbers and shapes, and some "popular"expressions of faith. The last section draws on articles and sermons related to the subject of symbols and rituals in the Christian tradition. The book is based on a column entitled "Signs and Symbols" that appeared in the Mennonite Reporter and later Canadian Mennonite. That material has been expanded and updated for this book, with an introduction to the meaning of symbols within the life of the church and a bibliography of sources and suggestions for further reading. The book is intended as a resource to help individuals and congregations explore the meaning of worship and its artistic expressions. It is written with the hope that it will inspire a greater appreciation for the richness of the Christian tradition and stimulate thinking.

Introduces the reader to biblical heroes and their scriptural lessons, encouraging readers in that spiritual journey into intimacy with God.

Clothes Encounters of the Divine Kind is a recapitulation of the authors life from early childhood to the present time and the role that her passions for fashion and healing played in her own spiritual awakening. While it seems like an autobiography, in truth, it is an invitation for the reader to take that tumble down the rabbit hole and dare to wear the clothing of their dreams while learning about and experiencing the wonderful healing benefits of clothing & colors. An added benefit is that it is jam packed with ideas for dressing to express rather than the old dress for success paradigm. Hop on the Peace Train to experience true Freedom!

The Divine is a multicultural 100-page coloring book for people of all ages (especially the child in all of us) inspired by folklore and spirituality from the Philippines (Diwatas), Haiti (Lwas of Vodou) and Brazil (Orixás of Candomble and deities of the Indigenous Brazilian Tupi Tribe). Thirteen divinities from each culture are represented, along with the folklore and symbolism associated with each of the divinities. Included throughout the book are inspirational quotes, mindfulness activities for children, and poetry featuring Eniafe Isis of All Her Words, Aimee Amparo, and Haitian songs by Daniel "Brav" Brevil. 40 full-page, 8.5x11 illustrations. Artists include: Andre Hora, Gabrielle Tesfaye, Fermina Caragay Armstrong, Salima Silagon Saway, Grace Bio, Rahana Dariah, Zachary "Bodinho" Present, Stephen Hamilton, Cece Carpio, Nikila Badua/MamaWisdom1, Wisthon Thime, Dee Jae Pa'este, Ubi Maya, Mitzi Ulloa, Rodney Sanon and Laylie Frazier. While many of us grew up with mythologies about Greek and Roman gods, as well as stories like Cinderella, Little Mermaid and Robin Hood, few of us have been exposed to the stories included in The Divine--stories that have been passed down from generation to generation through traditional dance, music, and oral storytelling. The Divine draws a connection between the cultures and beliefs of these diasporas, in hopes of giving them the attention they deserve. From the Americas to Africa to the islands, let's continue to carry and pass down the wisdom that lies in these stories. This book is something meant to grow with and meet the reader where they are. Read and color for yourself, or do it with a little one. Mindfulness activities are meant for children and adults to do together. The poetry, quotes and songs are meant for older youth and adults. And the folklore/symbolism is meant for older youth and grown-ups to read with little ones. Every people, every culture has its own way of honoring the sacred and the spiritual. When we apply the wisdom of these stories to our everyday lives, we discover a deeper relationship to the world around us. Before our lives began, before we believed, the Divine has been both within us and outside of us.