Showing results by narrator "Leslie de Howard" in All Categories

John Muir was an early proponent of a view we still hold today—that much of California was pristine, untouched wilderness before the arrival of Europeans. But as this book demonstrates, what Muir was really seeing when he admired the grand vistas of Yosemite and the gold and purple flowers carpeting the Central Valley were the fertile gardens of the Sierra Miwok and Valley Yokuts Indians, modified and made productive by centuries of harvesting, tilling, sowing, pruning, and burning.

The philosopher Susan Neiman argues that the absence of appealing models of maturity is not an accident: By describing life as a downhill process, we prepare young people to expect - and demand - very little from it. In Why Grow Up?, she challenges our culture of permanent adolescence, turning to thinkers including Kant, Rousseau, and Arendt to find a model of maturity that is not a matter of resignation. In growing up, we move from the boundless trust of childhood to the peculiar mixture of disappointment and exhilaration that comes with adolescence.

Take your Pagan practice to new heights with this guide to Hermetic Qabalah from a Wiccan perspective. Author Jack Chanek shows you how to connect Qabalistic concepts to the Gods and the essential components of Wiccan ritual, making it simple to enhance your practice. Featuring correspondences, journal prompts, and dozens of exercises, Qabalah for Wiccans teaches you to use Qabalah for spellcasting and incorporate its symbolism into Wiccan rituals and workings.

Mind training is a comprehensive practice that is suitable for all types of students. It contains the entire path and does not depend on a person's background. Mind training nurses and cultivates the Buddha Nature - that pure seed of awakening that is at the very heart of every sentient being. It has the power to transform even egotistical self-clinging into self-lessness. Put into practice diligently, it is enough to lead you all the way to awakening.

When the Chambers sisters receive an invitation from their jet-setting aunt to spend the entire month of December at the family's cabin in Asheville, North Carolina, they have one question—why? The retreat, tucked into the Blue Ridge Mountains, may be the site of many happy childhood holidays and summers, but it also holds sad memories. The sisters and their aunt have spent twenty-five years avoiding the cabin and renting it to strangers. Why would Aunt Elizabeth want her "dearest darling" nieces to put their busy lives in three different states on hold and spend a month in the mountains?

This captivating book takes you deep into the infamous legacy of Loki and his wife Sigyn. As a controversial and misunderstood figure in Heathenry, Loki is often approached with trepidation. But this book introduces you to his true self: a trickster, but a devoted husband and creative problem-solver, too. You'll also learn about Sigyn, the often forgotten goddess of loyalty and compassion. Join Heathen author Lea Svendsen on a rich exploration of these two Norse deities, together and separate.

This book dares you to experience the liberation, healing, and empowerment that come when you make a spiritual practice out of learning to love yourself. The Self-Love Superpower shares specific, hands-on action steps designed to support your journey from paralyzing self-criticism to expansive self-adoration.

Nearly a year has passed since Eliza arrived for a “few days” on Shellseeker Beach. She has overcome grief, forged lifelong relationships, and finally found a place where her heart can sing. Most of all, she’s found a second chance at romance…but must face one last and unexpected challenge or this new love will slip through her fingers like moonlight on the water.

Anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum is much more common than many people know, and yet there are so few resources available to struggling new moms. The Pregnancy and Postpartum Anxiety Workbook offers powerful strategies grounded in evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you control your worry, panic, and anxiety.

Nantucket's famous Christmas Stroll is always the first week of December and this year, sisters Mandy and Emma and Paul, the executive chef want to do something extra special for Mimi's Place, the restaurant that they co-own. It will be Emma and Paul's first Christmas together as a couple and Mandy's first holiday as a newly single and divorced mother of two. Although Mandy does have a promising new relationship, she wants to take things very slow.

When the Chambers sisters receive an invitation from their jet-setting aunt to spend the entire month of December at the family's cabin in Asheville, North Carolina, they have one question—why? The retreat, tucked into the Blue Ridge Mountains, may be the site of many happy childhood holidays and summers, but it also holds sad memories. The sisters and their aunt have spent twenty-five years avoiding the cabin and renting it to strangers. Why would Aunt Elizabeth want her "dearest darling" nieces to put their busy lives in three different states on hold and spend a month in the mountains?

A gifted new suspense writer makes her sizzling debut with this serpentine tale exploring all the ways in which men enact violence on women, how women try to reclaim their own sense of self, and the lingering effects on their children’s lives. Filled with shocking twists and turns, this is a book that both asks what it means for a woman to be in control of her life while also highlighting the impact of small daily violences upon women, and the connection between physical and psychological harm.

Reiki is a subtle, non-invasive form of healing that uses spiritually guided life force energy, and sixty percent of top hospitals in the United States now offer it as complementary treatment for anxiety, depression, pain relief, and more. Reiki For Dummies is a clear and easy-to-follow guide to the origins of Reiki, where you can study Reiki, what it can do for you, what to expect in a session, and how to use Reiki at home. This book takes you through the principles, practice, and uses of Reiki—even if you're skeptical or taking your first Reiki class.

If you’ve been looking to start meditating, consider this your sign. This collection of 365 short, daily meditations will help you feel calmer, more centered, and in control. Some you’ll do while walking, sitting, or even watching the sunset. And some days you’ll just receive a simple mantra, affirmation, or insightful quote to keep in mind. The variety will keep you engaged and make it easy to tap into those moments of mindfulness and relaxation.

Management consulting is a $250 billion industry and growing at a rate of over four percent annually. Many predict that more than 40 percent of the US workforce will soon be contingent, freelance, or consulting members of the workforce - making this book more relevant than ever. Individuals become independent consultants out of necessity or preference: necessity because they lost their job or the company offered an attractive exit package; preference because they want a career change, more control over their time, or an enriched, varied work situation.

In the 1960s, project blue book assured America that no aliens visited its amber waves or shining seas. Thirty years later, project black book knows better and has the flying saucers to prove it, but they still can’t stop the body-possessing Kemtewet from scooping their pick of young women from Earth to host an alien queen. Sarah Anderson yearned for an escape from her new life in PA, but not for this: being kidnapped by aliens and faced with a choice between having a Kemtewet queen erase her brain or sharing her body with a Gertewet insurgent.

Namaste! Today we will work on a basic, introductory Vipassana meditation. Unlike some forms of meditation, Vipassana meditation does not ask you to focus on an object, a thought, or a phrase. It will not take you on an imaginary journey to made-up places in your mind. Instead, it will ask you to focus on the connection between your mind and your body and to allow your thoughts to come and go.

Professor Rachel Jordan dared to defy 3000 years of angelic doctrine, teaching that the ancient angels were never the saviors they claimed to be. The Redeemers, self-appointed guardians of angelic law, branded her a heretic. Hunted by zealots who would brainwash her back into the angelsí good graces, she flees to the edge of civilized space. But not to hide. Rachel's only hope is a fabled lost book of the Codex, written by a rogue angel: the *Sefer Raziel*. Tracking the book to a desolate former prison world, she delves into the criminal underworld to ferret out its location.

One part The Drunken Botanist, one part Blackthorn's Botanical Magic - shaken, not stirred - Blackthorn's Botanical Brews offers a fresh, fun way of bringing botanical magic into your kitchen, cocktail parties, and home remedies. Blackthorn's Botanical Brews has something for everyone. This book outlines the magical uses for many well-loved, traditional beverage ingredients found throughout time.

"But Mother is always dying" is Gillian Ormsby's sarcastic response when her younger, favored sister tells her that she has to go take care of their hypochondriac mother. Much against her will, since she and her mother never have gotten along, Gillian arrives in California to find the garden and yard dead, the blinds all drawn, and her mother indeed in bed - waiting to die. But when Gillian talks with the doctor, he assures her there's no medical reason behind her mother's state.