Rediscover the lost ancient mystery teachings of the Cosmic Womb • 2017 Nautilus Silver Award • Explains how each of us has a holographic blueprint of the Womb of Creation, our spiritual Womb • Offers practices to help awaken your spiritual Womb, experience the Womb of God within, and activate the Womb’s sacred magic of creation and manifestation • Looks at the power of the moon and its connection to sacred Womb Consciousness • Explores how the lost Womb mystery teachings were encoded in folk and fairy tales, the legends of the Holy Grail, and the traditions of Mary Magdalene and Sophia • Includes access to three guided Womb Awakening audio journeys The Ancients lived by a feminine cosmology of creation, where everything was birthed and dissolved through a sacred universal Womb. Within each of us, whether female or male, lies a holographic blueprint of this Womb of Creation, connecting us to the Web of Life. By awakening your spiritual Womb, the holy of holies within the temple of your body, you can reconnect to the transformative energy of Womb Consciousness and reclaim your sacred powers of creation and love. Drawing on mythical and spiritual traditions from almost every culture, Dr. Azra and Seren Bertrand reconstruct the moon-based feminine mystery teachings of a lost global Womb religion, tracing the tradition all the way back to the Neanderthals and beyond. They explore how these teachings were encoded in the symbolism of folk and fairy tales; the legends of the Holy Grail; the traditions of Mary Magdalene and Sophia; the maiden, queen, and crone archetypes; and the teachings of alchemy and the chakras. They show how sages and shamans across the globe all secretly spoke of the Cosmic Womb and the sacred creative powers of Moon Blood. The authors look at the power of the Moon and its connection to sacred Womb Consciousness, offering meditations and practices to help awaken your spiritual Womb and activate its sacred magic of creation and manifestation. They explain how to activate the energetic gateways of the Womb and merge the heart and Womb to make sexual union the highest sacrament of love. Revealing how we must reconnect with the Divine Feminine to rebirth the Divine Masculine and restore balance to our world, they show how, as we reawaken the powerful ancient path of the Womb Mysteries, we help return our world to harmony with the wild, untamed creative flows and cyclical rhythms of the cosmos.

Gender and body-based distinctions continue to be a defining component of women’s identities, both in psychoanalytic treatment and in life. Although females have made progress in many areas, their status within the human community has remained unstable and subject to societal whim. A Womb of Her Own brings together a distinguished group of contributors to explore, from a psychoanalytic perspective, the ways in which women’s sexual and reproductive capabilities, and their bodies, are regarded as societal and patriarchal property, not as the possession of individual women. It further examines how women have been viewed as the "other" and thus become the focus of mistreatment such as rape, sexual slavery, restriction of reproduction rights, and ongoing societal repression. Postmodern gender theories have greatly enhanced understanding of the fluidity of gender and freed women from repressive stereotypes, but attention has shifted prematurely from the power differential that continues to exist between men and women. Before the male/female binary is transcended, the limitations imposed upon women by the still prevailing patriarchal order must be addressed. To this end, A Womb of Her Own addresses issues such as the prevalence of rape culture and its historical roots; the relationship of the LGBT movement to feminism; current sexual practices such as sexting and tattooing and their meaning to women; reproductive issues including infertility; adoption; postpartum depression and the actual experience of birthing—all from the perspectives of women. The book also explores the cultural definitions of motherhood, and how such definitions set exacting standards both for the acceptable face of motherhood and for women generally. While women’s unique anatomy and biology have historically contributed to their oppression in a patriarchal society, it is the exploration and illumination of these capabilities from their own perspective that will allow women to claim and control them as their own. Covering a broad, topical range of contemporary subjects, A Womb of Her Own will appeal to psychoanalysts, psychoanalytic psychotherapists, as well as scholars and students of gender and women’s studies.

A spiritual journey—both deeply personal and strikingly universal. One of Israel’s leading cultural figures, Dov Elbaum grew up in an ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem family, and was a prodigy who seemed destined for greatness in the world of Talmud study. But in his late teens, he abruptly broke away and set off into secular Israeli society. In this fascinating, courageous and compelling autobiography, Elbaum seeks to understand his decision and its consequences. With the structure of Kabbalah as his road map, Elbaum journeys into the deep recesses of his self and his soul. The ultimate goal of his journey is “the Void,” a Kabbalistic space that precedes God’s creation of the world, and a psychological state that precedes our formation as individuals. It is a space of great vulnerability but also of hope for rebirth and renewal. This is an intimate, honest, revealing work, both deeply personal and strikingly universal. The Hebrew edition was a bestseller and sold over 50,000 copies.

This volume, based on a multi-institutional collaboration between the New School for Social Research and five major New York City museums, and its resulting conference in October 1990, addresses historical and contemporary meanings of home. Among the issues specifically addressed are the artistic rendition of home in art and propaganda; literary meanings of home; exile through the ages; homelessness past; homelessness and Dickens; alienation and belonging; and the home and family in historical perspective. Includes illustrations. No index. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Everyone is afraid. Sometimes fear is inappropriate and unnecessary. At other times, we have good reason to be afraid. But in every case, fear reduces our ability to be ourselves. It convinces us we shouldn’t take chances or risks. This book is for people who want to let go of unreasonable fear or act more creatively in the face of reasonable fear. It explores the roots of fear—the fear of change, of self-disclosure, of giving and receiving, of being alone. Beneath all of these is the greatest fear of all: the fear of loving and being loved. This 25th anniversary edition speaks of the enduring message of the book and this new edition has been greatly updated and expanded to include more contemporary developments in psychology and current events. Every chapter of the book has been rewritten and revised with a new audience in mind. Some new sections have been added and existing sections revised. This revised and updated edition reflects the author’s growing understanding of the ageless concern in our lives—becoming free from fear so that we can be more resourceful in our life.

“Page for page, I may not have ever learned more from a book.... Womb is a history book as well as a biology book but it’s also an adventure and a celebration.” —Rob Delaney, actor and author of A Heart That Works A groundbreaking, triumphant investigation of the uterus—from birth to death, in sickness and in health, throughout history and into our possible future—from midwife and acclaimed writer Leah Hazard The size of a clenched fist and the shape of a light bulb—with no less power and potential. Every person on Earth began inside a uterus, but how much do we really understand about the womb? Bringing together medical history, scientific discoveries, and journalistic exploration, Leah Hazard embarks on a journey in search of answers about the body’s most miraculous and contentious organ. We meet the people who have shaped our relationship with the uterus: doctors and doulas, yoni steamers and fibroid-tea hawkers, legislators who would regulate the organ’s very existence, and boundary-breaking researchers on the frontiers of the field. With a midwife’s warmth and humor, Hazard tackles pressing questions: Is the womb connected to the brain? Can cervical crypts store sperm? Do hysterectomies affect sexual pleasure? How can smart tampons help health care? Why does endometriosis take so long to be diagnosed? Will external gestation be possible in our lifetime? How does gender-affirming hormone therapy affect the uterus? Why does medical racism impact reproductive healthcare? A clear-eyed and inclusive examination of the cultural prejudices and assumptions that have made the uterus so poorly understood for centuries, Womb takes a fresh look at an organ that brings us pain and pleasure—a small part of our bodies that has a larger impact than we ever thought possible.

Transforming the Void: Embryological Discourse and Reproductive Imagery in East Asian Religions considers paths to self-cultivation and salvation that are patterned on human embryological development or procreative imagery in the religions of China and Japan. Focusing on Taoism, Esoteric Buddhism, Shinto, Shugendō, and local religious traditions, the contributors to the volume provide new insight into how the body’s generative processes are harnessed as powerful metaphors for spiritual attainment. This volume offers an in-depth examination of the religious dimensions of embryology and reproductive imagery, topics that have been hitherto solely approached through the lens of the history of medicine. Contributors include: Brigitte Baptandier, Catherine Despeux, Grégoire Espesset, Christine Mollier, Fabrizio Pregadio, Dominic Steavu, Lucia Dolce, Bernard Faure, Iyanaga Nobumi, Anna Andreeva, Kigensan Licha, Gaynor Sekimori.

Tools to awaken the creative powers of the womb • Contains exercises to open the womb’s energetic pathways, release toxic emotions, and harness creative potential • Reveals how the womb’s energies are crucial for the spiritual shift of 2012: birthing a new civilization • Shows how the awakened womb can also bring about male spiritual transformation In the past and in present-day indigenous traditions, women have known that the womb houses the greatest power a woman possesses: the power to create on all levels. Utilized in the process of giving birth, this power of creation can also be tapped in the birth of projects, careers, personal healing, spirituality, and relationships. However, because the womb stores the energetic imprint of every intimate encounter--loving or not--the creative voice of the womb is often muffled or absent altogether, affecting the emotional, mental, and spiritual health of women and their relationships. Drawing on sacred traditions from ancient India, Tibet, Egypt, Gnostic Christianity, and Judaism, the practice of Womb Wisdom empowers women to become aware of the intuitive voice of the womb outside of pregnancy and the moon cycle to unlock this potent inner source for creativity, birthing the new conscious children, spiritual growth, and transformation not only for themselves but also for their male partners. The authors include exercises to clear the past, release toxic emotions, open the womb’s energetic pathways, activate the sacred sensual self, bring balance to relationships, and harness creative potential. Including intimate, individual stories of women experiencing the opening of the womb, this book also explores the forgotten sacred sites of the womb around the world as well as how the womb’s energies are crucial to birth a new civilization in the spiritual shift of 2012.

Thorough, serious, yet fun to read, this is a translation of the text and an exposition of the philosophy of Chuang Tzu the Taoist of ancient China.

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Needs: Discovering Taoist Wicca is a unique seasonal self-coaching and ritual system, time-tested by real people—with real results! This book takes you on a cross-cultural journey, through a calendar year, to discover a spiritual approach to stress management, self-healing, and personal growth. Taoist Wicca combines Taoist principles, Chakra wisdom, and applied introspection with the ancient hypnotic power of ritual. This system is a practical guide to exploring the seasons as thematic and energetic connections between the body, mind, and spirit: the Unseen, ourselves, and our planet. Endorsements As a psychotherapist who has been in practice for over three decades, who is also Wiccan, I am profoundly excited by Suzy Peltier’s work. She manages to speak to the heart while also being intellectually challenging. I look forward to being able to give her book to colleagues and clients alike. She has taken different systems of healing and integrated them into something not only new but incredibly powerful and potent. This book is an important contribution to the healing arts, addressing the healing of mind, body, and spirit. —Deborah Oak Cooper, MFT In this unique exploration, Suzy Peltier expertly applies the wisdom of Taoism and Wicca to modern-day struggles. Deeply insightful, this book seamlessly interweaves the complementary themes of Wicca, Taoism, Chinese medicine, the Hindu Chakra system, and Western science to provide a beneficial guide to restoring balance and vitality as we navigate our lives in the twenty-first century. —Dr. Daniel Geren, DAOM, L.Ac. Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental medicine The magick works—if you work it! I have practiced Taoist Wicca since 2005. I have realized my dreams of a second-degree priestess initiation and a successful career with continual growth. I have co-written and published a children’s book, and am now married to the love of my life. All this, I created through practicing Taoist Wicca and the love and kinship of the Circle. —Lady Pele of the Phoenix, author, realtor, and second-degree Taoist Wiccan high priestess, and practitioner since 2005