Art Religion

Nineteenth-century America was rife with Protestant-fueled anti-Catholicism. Elizabeth Hayes Alvarez reveals how Protestants nevertheless became surprisingly and deeply fascinated with the Virgin Mary, even as her role as a devotional figure who united Catholics grew. Documenting the vivid Marian imagery that suffused popular visual and literary culture, Alvarez argues that Mary became a potent shared exemplar of Christian womanhood around which Christians of all stripes rallied.

Not long after Martin Luther's defiance of the Church in 1517, dialogue between Protestants and Catholics broke down, brother turned against brother, and devastating religious wars erupted across Europe. Desperate to restore the peace and recover the unity of Faith, Catholic theologians clarified and reaffirmed Catholic doctrines, but turned as well to another form of evangelization: the arts.

Perhaps in no other way do we more vibrantly reflect our creator than with our creativity. Whether through music, writing, baking, painting, posting on social media, dancing, or any other form of artistic expression within our grasp, we were created to create. Yet, there are times we may be unsure about our art, times when our creating and making doesn't feel possible or purposeful or practical. Rachel Marie Kang wants you to know that your art is not peripheral to life—it is at the very heart of why you exist and what you have to offer to yourself and to the world.

This new book by best-selling author Cindy Trimm, The Art of War for Spiritual Battle will become the “go-to” manual for preparing Christians to have victory in today’s spiritual battles with the enemy through strategic spiritual warfare and powerful intercessory prayer. Using occasional relevant quotes from the classic book, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, long a manual of wisdom for handling conflict of any kind, Trimm teaches the necessary disciplines for a modern-day prayer warrior.

After nearly losing his life to an assassin, Stephen LaPointe resigned from his pastorate as a Congregational minister. He made this radical decision as the result of a crisis of truth. This decision had many immediate ramifications for his vocation, his career, and most significantly for his marriage and family. Now, a year later, no one knows where he is. He has disappeared. Out of love, as well as remorse, several people - an old friend, his estranged wife, and a potential enemy - set out separately to find him.

It’s time to let go of control and open your heart to peace and growth. The key? Surrender. You may think of surrender as a sign of weakness, but it’s actually a pathway to great strength. We’re taught that control and ambition are qualities of success, and in times of struggle, you might expect yourself to step up and embrace those qualities. But this can build walls that keep you from healing and spiritual growth.

Evoking spirits is one of the most powerful magical techniques you can use—but, until now, most of the material available on evocation has been virtually unusable because it was written by those with little practical evocation experience. Summoning Spirits was written by a practicing magician who has successfully performed many evocations.

The content of this piece covers Enoch's journey through the multiple heavens, meeting the angels Gabriel and Michael, Enoch instructing Methuselah and his other sons on moral and ethical lessons, which he had written out in 366 books and which he eventually passes on to Methuselah and his other sons, so that his teachings wouldn't be lost and finally, Enoch's eventual assumption into heaven. This is essentially the sequel to the fabled Book of Enoch.

From the beginning of time, God has called His children to share the Good News. One group of individuals He especially loves to call is artists. Looking at the sweeping majesty of a fiery sunset, or the delicate perfection of a single flower, I know that God is an artist. He uses beauty to share His love, and He calls artists to create beauty through their many mediums to spread His Word.

Pure Act tells the story of poet Robert Lax, whose quest to live a true life as both an artist and a spiritual seeker inspired Thomas Merton, Jack Kerouac, William Maxwell and a host of other writers, artists and ordinary people.

Throughout history, Christians have pictured the relationships between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through analogies. Such illustrations—some from the West but also from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and other places—come laden with theological ramifications that the church has rejected (heresies) or embraced (doctrines). In Three in One, William David Spencer shares a lifetime of insights from teaching within the global church, bringing fresh images and analogies of the Trinity to deepen our theological vocabulary.

In the chaos of daily life, many Christians long for the time and mental clarity to reflect on scripture, to worship, and to pray. The Tarot can become an unexpected tool in this journey, inviting us to pause, contemplate, and find insight and wisdom in our walk. In The Contemplative Tarot, author Brittany Muller draws deeply on Christian tradition and theology to create a tarot practice built on spiritual reflection, prayer, and worship.

The Art of Marketing Jesus is an easy-to-understand spiritual growth process that has helped many believers internalize the life-giving promises of the new covenant and produce an abundance of love, joy, and peace in their lives - which is precisely the attitudes and characteristics required to attract people to Jesus. If you want to live free and attract more people to Jesus, perhaps it’s time to become a new wineskin. It’s time to say goodbye to old thoughts that keep you in bondage and place your light on the lampstand of spiritual freedom.

Who are you? What are your true priorities? Your responsibilities may have taken over and are preventing you from living to your fullest potential. Dr. Kundtz gives you insight into key questions you should be asking. Stop whatever you’re doing and enjoy the sunrise. Big things can grab your attention but don’t forget to turn around and find the serenity in stillness - the peace in a deep breath, and the happiness in remembering who you are.

The Art of Energetical Lovemaking lays out the fundamentals of what feminine energy is - in addition to what feminine sexual energy is and how to use and cultivate it during energetic lovemaking. The book also outlines how to move into energetic lovemaking from start to finish to assist with feminine healing and connecting her back to her physical and energetic body. Additionally, the book provides specific lovemaking healing positions, core sexual energy exercises, and energy meditations to further increase feminine polarity and the depth of love in her body.

Do you feel like you spend more time being a professional “fixer” than a spiritual leader? Are you struggling to rekindle the joy in your ministry? Do you feel called to “do things differently”, but are not sure what that means? Do you desire to step into your power, claim your strengths, and stop apologizing for having something world-changing to say?

Children love to play hide and seek. It's the one childhood game we all remember playing. Adam and Eve were the original "hide and seek" team. Suddenly confronted with their own vulnerability and shame through their own self-deception, they attempted to disappear, disguising themselves with their own makeover from the Garden. But God came looking for them, seeking to restore not only their relationship with Him, but their true sense of identity.

A fun and simple way to disengage from the pressures of the outside world and find a place of peace internally. With the aid of color breathing and guided imagery, these meditations will enliven your spirit and inspire your heart. Each of the 12 individual color meditations will evoke a particular emotional response and can be used as a tool to transform sadness to joy, anger to peace, or fear to love.

Lama Somananda Tantrapa shares the ancient wisdom of Tibetan Shamanic Qigong in a simple and practical way. Discovering, testing and applying its principles will remarkably enhance your vitality with greater attentiveness, awareness and presence. It will help you transform and enlighten your life by developing a culture of movement that is naturally graceful and harmonious.

In this transformative book, artist and recovering self-critic Joy Prouty helps you see that it's not selfish to be kind to yourself—it's sacred. Through poetic stories of emotional alchemy, Joy untangles what has been keeping you stuck in your head rather than present in the moment. She helps you identify the unconscious habit of invalidating yourself, then gently guides you toward kinder, more compassionate perspectives of your life so that you can live with confidence, presence, and strength.