"In part 1, Alexander-Frizer investigates the relationship between folk literature and group identity via the stories' connection to Hebrew canonical sources, their historical connection to the land of origin, their treatment of prominent family members and historical events, and their connection to the surrounding culture in the lands of the Spanish Diaspora. Part 2 contains an analysis of several important genres and subgenres present in the folktales, including legends, ethical tales, fairy tales, novellas, and humorous tales. Finally, in part 3, Alexander-Frizer discusses the art of storytelling, introducing the theatrical and rhetorical aspects of Sephardic folktales, such as the storyteller, the audience, and the circumstances of time and place."--BOOK JACKET.

Sometimes illumination occurs spontaneously or, as Ram Dass experienced, in a heart-wrenching moment of opening. More commonly, it happens when we polish the mirror of the heart with daily practice—and see beyond the illusion of our transient thoughts and emotions to the vast and luminous landscape of our true nature. For five decades, Ram Dass has explored the depths of consciousness and love and brought them to life as service to others. With Polishing the Mirror, he gathers together his essential teachings for living in the eternal present, here and now. Readers will find within these pages a rich combination of perennial wisdom, humor, teaching stories, and detailed guidance on Ram Dass' own spiritual practices, including: Bhakti Yoga—opening our hearts to unconditional lovePractices for living, aging, dying, and embracing the natural flow of lifeKarma Yoga—how selfless service can profoundly transform usWorking with fear and suffering as a path to grace and freedomStep-by-step guidance in devotional chant, meditation and mantra practice, and much more For those new to Ram Dass' teachings, and for those to whom they are old friends, here is this vanguard spiritual explorer's complete guide to discovering who we are and why we are here, and how to become beacons of unconditional love.

One of the very first Persian poets was a woman (Rabe’eh, who lived over a thousand years ago) and there have been women poets writing in Persian in virtually every generation since that time until the present. Before the twentieth century they tended to come from society’s social extremes. Many were princesses, a good number were hired entertainers of one kind or another, and they were active in many different countries – Iran of course, but also India, Afghanistan, and areas of central Asia that are now Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan. Not surprisingly, a lot of their poetry sounds like that of their male counterparts, but a lot doesn’t; there are distinctively bawdy and flirtatious poems by medieval women poets, poems from virtually every era in which the poet complains about her husband (sometimes light-heartedly, sometimes with poignant seriousness), touching poems on the death of a child, and many epigrams centered on little details that bring a life from hundreds of years ago vividly before our eyes. This new bilingual edition of The Mirror of My Heart – the poems in Persian and English on facing pages – is a unique and captivating collection introduced and translated by Dick Davis, an acclaimed scholar and translator of Persian literature as well as a gifted poet in his own right. In his introduction he provides fascinating background detail on Persian poetry written by women through the ages, including common themes and motifs and a brief overview of Iranian history showing how women poets have been affected by the changing dynasties. From Rabe’eh in the tenth century to Fatemeh Ekhtesari in the twenty-first, each of the eighty-four poets in this volume is introduced in a short biographical note, while explanatory notes give further insight into the poems themselves.

This illustrated tale introduces children to the wondrous teachings from the Muslim theologian and mystic al-Ghazali (1058–1111CE) This enchanting tale illustrates how that the human heart is like a rusty mirror which, when polished through beautiful doings, is able to reflect the real essence of all things. In addition to this story is a poem by the renowned poet, Coleman Barks. Both draw on the same account found in Ghazali's The Marvels of the Heart, Book XXI, of his magnum opus,The Revival of Religious Sciences.

Stories carry the seeds of our humanness. They help us, teach us, heal us, and connect us to what matters. As Far As the Heart Can See is an invitation to be in relationship with deep and life-giving material. Many spiritual gurus present dense metaphysical theses with an intellectual approach for "working" a spiritual path; poet and philosopher Mark Nepo reaches people through their hearts, bringing something fresh and new to the field by stimulating change through reflection of thoughts and feelings. The stories he shares in As Far As the Heart Can See come from many places—from Nepo's personal history to dreams to the myths of our ancestors. Each one is an invitation to awaken an aspect of living in relationship with the sacred. Following each of the forty-five stories are three forms of an invitation to further the conversation: journal questions, table questions, and meditations. The questions, whether reflected upon in a journal or discussed in deeper conversation with friends or family, are meant to lead the seeker down unimagined paths and back into life; the meditations are meant to ground the learning. These stories and parables about universal concepts and themes offer a poet's sensuality and a philosopher's sensibility to personalizing the journey of the human experience in the world.

A blueprint for men who want to instill their love for God in the hearts of their children. Who is that guy in the mirror? To your son or daughter, he's 'Dad'---the most important man in the world. Men's leaders, speakers, and authors Patrick Morley and David Delk share with you the secrets of grace-filled dads who understand that their most important work is to help shape the attitudes and beliefs of the next generation. This book shows you how to father from your heart to your child's heart. Rather than only seeking the right performance from them, you can move into a dynamic relationship with your children that models what it means to love God and others truly and passionately. Start by asking the right question---not 'What is my child doing?' but 'Why is my child doing this?' Practical guidelines show you simple ways to help your children thrive, to build a firm foundation of faith for your family, and to empower your children by giving them both roots and wings. Currently, only sixty percent of children raised in church follow Jesus as adults. Will your son or daughter be one of them? We believe God will use this book to help you disciple your children to love God for a lifetime.

A young girl dances with her reflection in a mirror in this story told without words.

In You Can Heal Your Heart, self-empowerment luminary Louise Hay and renowned grief and loss expert David Kessler have come together to start a conversation on healing after loss. Louise and David discuss the emotions and thoughts that occur when a relationship leaves you brokenhearted, a marriage ends in divorce, or a loved one dies. They will also help you develop greater self-awareness and compassion, providing you with the courage and tools to face many other types of losses and challenges, such as saying good-bye to a beloved pet, losing your job, coming to terms with a life-threatening illness or disease, and much more. With a perfect blend of Louise’s affirmations and teachings on the power of your thoughts and David’s many years of working with those in grief, this remarkable book will inspire an extraordinary new way of thinking, bringing profound love and joy into your life. You will not only learn how to harness the power of your grief to help you grow and find peace, but you will also discover that, yes, you can heal your heart.

Marvels of the Heart is a classic Sufi manual on the `science of the heart.' For Sufis, the heart is more than a physical organ, it is the seat of the soul, which holds the key to the intimate relationship that exists between the body and spirit. Each heart, according to traditional wisdom accumulated over centuries of spiritual practice, possesses four qualities: predatory, animal, demonic, and angelic. The latter represents one's true origin and potential, and through the proper use of the intellect and by engaging in spiritual practices, one can restore equilibrium to his inner core. As the Qur'an says: By the remembrance of God do hearts find peace. Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 1111) was the leading jurist, theologian, and mystic of premodern Islam, and remains its truest advocate in modern times. As a teacher of Sufi initiates he recorded these practical teachings in his four-volume compendium of spiritual knowledge, the Thya' `ulum al-din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences), from which the present work---Book 21---is taken. Imam al-Ghazali uses a series of traditional Sufi teachings and stories to illustrate the theme of the heart as a mirror. The light of the divine can only shine in the heart when the seeker recalls the Prophet's teaching that "everything has a polish, and the polish of hearts is the remembrance of God." Base character traits that accumulate when the true nature of the heart is neglected are like "a smoke that clouds the heart's mirror"; rust corrodes the hearts of all but those who polish them by the remembrance of God. Hearts thus illuminated lead one to success in this life and eternal salvation in the next. Originally translated for a PhD thesis in 1938 as "The Religious Psychology of al-Ghazzali," for years this translation was only available to researchers and cognoscenti. Fons Vitae is proud to offer the complete text to the general public and specialists alike.