This never-before-seen collection of poems offers the lyrical insights and spiritual wisdom of the Nobel Prize-winning author of Siddhartha, Steppenwolf, and The Glass Bead Game—who inspired millions as he forged cultural bridges between the East and West. Vowing at an early age “to be a poet or nothing at all,” Hermann Hesse rebelled against formal education, focusing on a rigorous program of independent study that included literature, philosophy, art, and history. One result of these efforts was a series of novels that became counterculture bibles that remain widely influential today. Another was a body of evocative spiritual poetry. Published for the first time in English, these vivid, probing short works reflect deeply on the challenges of life and provide a spiritual solace that transcends specific denominational hymns, prayers, and rituals. The Seasons of the Soul offers valuable guidance in poetic form for those longing for a more meaningful life, seeking a sense of homecoming in nature, in each stage of life, and in a renewed relationship with the divine. Extensive quotations from his prose introduce each theme addressed in the book: love, imagination, nature, the divine, and the passage of time. A foreword by Andrew Harvey reintroduces us to a figure about whom some may have believed everything had already been said. Thoughtful commentary throughout from translator Ludwig Max Fischer helps readers understand the poems within the context of Hesse’s life.

Conception Cabrera de Armida (Conchita) saw the spiritual life as an ongoing maturation through the various seasons of the year which continuously repeat themselves over and over again until the soul has fulfilled its purpose here on earth. From the first Springtime of the soul until it has weathered its last Winter, the Holy Spirt is at work gradually transforming the soul into the image and likeness of Jesus, the Father's highly beloved and only-begotten Son. A careful reading of these pages will give a very clear insight into the depth of this saintly author's own growth in holiness. Tuly another classic in the area of Roman Catholic spirituality!

Spiritual formation professor and New Testament scholar Bruce Demarest helps us grasp the whole picture of the journey we're on with Christ that we might live our days with intention and keep moving toward maturity in faith. Using Scripture, writings from our rich spiritual tradition and stories of present-day believers walking the same path of faith, Demarest leads us through the three main stages of the journey to become more like Christ.

Seasons of the Sacred weaves together poems, images, and stories of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, reconnecting us to our roots in the cycles of nature and our own soul. As our world appears more and more out of balance, our destruction of the natural world increasing, there is a vital need to remember what is essential, simple, and sacred. Likening Spring to falling in love, Summer with abundance and spiritual awakening, and Autumn with fruition and wisdom, this book continuously reflects the profound resonance of humanity within nature. Never more relevant than now, the chapter on Winter helps the reader remember what is most essential, showing how there is meaning and even peace amidst the most devastating losses, and how all life belongs to these deeper patterns of change. The book draws from such a variety of sources, such as Rumi, Hafiz, Lao Tzu, Rabia, Julian of Norwich, T.S. Eliot, and others. Each chapter opens with a unique woodcut or engraving image, further illustrating the beauty of our seasons. Vaughan-Lee adeptly connects the reader to the deepest envisioning of contemporary challenges. Climate catastrophe, refugees, cultural degradation, and political divisiveness are all contextualized within natural cycles of birth, loss, and transition, and the reader is guided to listen through the fear and anxiety of our age to the deeper ground of belonging that calls from even the most destitute inner and outer landscapes. Seasons of the Sacred is Llewellyn Vaughn-Lee’s fifth contribution to his spiritual ecology series, which places the human story within the story of the Earth and compels the examination of attitudes, beliefs, and habits in relation to the ongoing desecration, ecological devastation—and potential restoration—of our common home. “Vaughan-Lee encourages reconnecting with the Earth in this heartfelt compilation of essays, poems, and illustrations…. Suitable for readers of all spiritual persuasions, Vaughan-Lee’s soothing observations will inspire a more mindful contemplation of Earth’s rhythms.” —Publishers Weekly “Seasons of the Sacred is a beckoning down into the simple rhythms of nature. With his guiding eloquence, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee moves us into conversation with the sacred, calling our awareness to the concealed gifts of each season. Drawing on the ancient poetry of Rumi, Hafiz, Julian of Norwich, Wordsworth, and others, we can’t help but fall into step with the numinous found in ordinary life.” —Toko-pa Turner, author of Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home

The great journey of life can come full circle only through the experience of transformation. In Seasons of the Soul, Puerto Rican author and motivational speaker Sharon M. Koenig distils the secrets of spirituality and teaches us how to re-establish our link with the Divine through the seven-step Connection Process. This reconciliation with the Divine helps reveal our highest purpose, providing us with a beacon that acts as a guide through each season of our soul on Earth. Borrowing from diverse world traditions she studied for nearly three decades, Koenig also shares profound anecdotes about and effective practices for inner peace and contentment. Imbued with lessons in tolerance and forgiveness, faith and discernment, Seasons of the Soul is an invitation to hope and serenity in the middle of the fiercest storms of life.

Seasons of the Spirit

In a world filled with conflict, controversy, and confusion, Soul of the Seasons brings us a timely message based on an ancient medicine that is urgently needed in our modern, fast-paced lives. Through centuries of observation the sages of Five Element theory, a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine, taught that the outer landscape of the natural world reveals much about the nature of our inner landscapes. Encoded within the five seasons of Spring, Summer, Harvest, Fall and Winter, lies a wisdom designed to create and support balance and harmony. The five fundamental elements of Five Element theory resonate in our bodies as the core emotions of Anger, Joy, Sympathy, Grief, and Fear. Like the working components of a fine clock they comprise an elegant system of continuous movement, growth, and transformation. Weaving her deeply personal stories with Five Element wisdom, Melody A Scout teaches us that by developing intimate relationships with our core emotions—the unique vibrations that connect us to both our bodies and the Earth—we can effectively adapt and respond to life’s challenges. By developing a more intimate relationship with the seasons of life, we can learn to effectively: identify and correct our imbalances; develop greater compassion, integrity, and honesty; and to authentically and appropriately express our emotions in ways that support our highest good. Soul of the Seasons offers the wisdom of a traditional model of health and harmony made current through practical and easily accessible language, soul-stirring exercises, and thoughtful questions. Encoded within the seasons of the natural world is a wisdom that teaches that: • Spring is the time to remember our visions, to set healthy boundaries, and make quality decisions. • Summer brings us warmth and joy through community, communication, and connection. • Harvest provides a sweet satisfaction for an abundant life and the capacity to nurture and be nurtured. • Fall teaches us the importance of letting go and to value and respect what is most precious to us. • Winter reminds us that contemplation, reflection, and rest are essential in the germination of new visions.

Brimming with mystical practices and hundreds of evocative illustrations, The Seasonal Soul is an enchanting guide to self-discovery. Spiritual teacher Lauren Aletta takes readers through the metaphorical "seasons" of personal growth and illuminates the ways your springs, summers, autumns, and winters provide opportunities for insight, healing, transformation, and rejuvenation. Organized by season, the book is packed with enriching practices and advice, including self-care rituals, crystal and chakra guides, and journaling exercises. In an eye-catching, shimmery package with black dyed edges, this book is perfect for modern mystics and the spiritually curious.

A never-before-seen volume of poetry by the preeminent poet laureate Herman Hesse--a beautiful companion to Seasons of the Soul and the author's better-known prose work. Organized into four parts--spring, summer, autumn, and winter--The Seasons of Life relates the transitions in nature to the organic progressions of human life from birth through death. From the mundane to the sublime, the spiritual to the political, and private feeling to expressed opinion, Hesse touches on the range of human experience, inviting the reader to consider both the beauty and what Hesse called the "adversities of life." Beloved by readers as a wise and open friend, Hesse offers in this never-before-translated volume an honest portrayal of a whole life: its lessons and mysteries, its glories and despairs. The poet's voice--so treasured in his novels among a worldwide English-speaking audience--can now be enjoyed through this new translation in the follow-up to Seasons of the Soul.

"Abide in me," Jesus tells us, "and you will bear much fruit." Yet too often we forget that fruit needs different seasons in order to grow. We measure our spiritual maturity by how much we do rather than how we are responding to our current spiritual season. In Spiritual Rhythm, Mark Buchanan replaces our spirituality of busyness with a spirituality of abiding. Sometimes we are busy, sometimes still, sometimes pushing with all we've got, sometimes waiting. This model of the spiritual life measures and produces growth by asking: Are we living in rhythm with the season we are in? With the lyrical writing for which he is known, Mark invites us to respond to every season of the heart, whether we are flourishing and fruitful, stark and dismal, or cool and windy. In comparing spiritual rhythms to the seasons of the year, he shows us what to expect from each season and how embracing the seasons causes our spiritual lives to prosper. As he draws on the powerful words of Scripture, Mark explores what activities are suitable or necessary in each season--and what activities are useless or even harmful in that season. Throughout the book, Mark weaves together stories of young and old, men and women, families, couples, and individuals who are in or have been through a particular season of the heart. As Mark writes, "I pray that this book meets you in whatever season you're in, and prepares you for whatever seasons await. I pray that it helps you find your voice, your stride, your rhythm, in season or out. Mostly, I pray that you, with or without my help, find Christ wherever you are. And that, even more, you discover that wherever you are, he's found you."