Flights of the Soul

Flights of the Soul PDF

Author: John J. Pilch

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2011-04-29

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 0802865402

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Reports of dreams, journeys into the heavens, and other alternate states of consciousness abound in the Old and New Testaments and in extrabiblical literature. While some scholars have considered such reports to be simple literary devices, John J. Pilch a leading expert in social scientific interpretation of the Bible believes otherwise. As Pilch points out, anthropological research on over 400 representative cultures in the world shows that more than ninety percent of these cultures have reported such experiences routinely. Factual or not, he says, biblical accounts of alternate consciousness are both plausible and significant because they constitute a very common, real, human experience in their respective cultures. Drawing on insights from from anthropology, cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and the social sciences, Pilch investigates and interprets Old and New Testament accounts of dreams, visions, journeys into the heavens, and other alternate states of consciousness within their cultural contexts. The result is a fresh and intriguing take on familiar biblical events. Flights of the Soul sheds new light on such things as these: * Ezekiel s prophetic visions * Enoch s sky journeys * Jesus transfiguration and ascension * Resurrection appearances in the Gospels * Paul s ecstatic vision on the road to Damascus * John s heavenly journeys described in Revelation

Litany of Flights

Litany of Flights PDF

Author: Laura Reece Hogan

Publisher: Paraclete Poetry

Published: 2020-11-24

Total Pages: 96

ISBN-13: 9781640606104

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Winner of the 2020 Paraclete Poetry Prize, Litany of Flights is a luminous examination of the journey of the soul, from moments of loss to moments of incandescent transformation. These poems remind us to behold the extraordinary in the ordinary, and that the secret workings of the divine occur even through the difficult: "the painful paring of your hollow bones has made you light." Drawing on the beauty of the natural world, the devastating effects of drought and wildfires, tender moments of daily experience, and lessons of the saints, the poet creates a landscape of light and darkness, with unexpected turns into divine presence and absence. Through a spiral of red-tailed hawks, the nest of a mourning dove, the parting of waters, and the ripeness of a persimmon, this shimmering collection invites the reader to singular and transfiguring flight. Litany of Flights (from the forthcoming collection) First, the winged movement, steady, forward. Scrub jays in flitting progress, hawks in predator glide, a ringing up, a knife-sharp slope down. Second, the effortless type, wind-splayed, motionless pinions in thermal recline, as the Psalmist says, blessings breeze his love even in sleep. Third, the hungry, against the gale, the destination singular and the sun dipping crimson. Fourth, the metallic, business or pleasure. Fifth, the whirring kind, all hummingbird. A picnic, apples and chocolate in the garden with roses, both flower and child. You miss it when it's gone. Sixth, a baffling flight of stairs, winding upward, passage and yet vehicle, spiraling to unseen landings--hope courses in the kaleidoscopic lights. Seventh, soar to the sun. Eighth, melt in bitter hubris. You know the story. Ninth, escape. A flight out of Egypt, a path through the sea cleared by divine hand. The times you ran, the times you were left behind in lament. Tenth, only rotting in the belly of a whale tames your stubborn turn from Nineveh. Eleventh, flights of despair and of yearning, two sides of one letting go, hard-earned release back into the wild, unbound by expectation, featherlike. Twelfth, in a moment, caught up high by the Beloved, the one making all things work together, wings, body, arch, air--caught up, like the Shulamite bride, to regions beyond aeronautical wisdom, transported in joy. See, he says, the painful paring of your hollow bones has made you light.

Flights

Flights PDF

Author: Al Sarrantonio

Publisher: ROC Hardcover

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 420

ISBN-13: 9780451460981

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This daring, all-new anthology showcases some of the genre's biggest names and best newcomers--and sets the standard for fantasy in the 21st century. Included are new stories by Neil Gaiman, Harry Turtledove, and more.

Celestial Aspirations

Celestial Aspirations PDF

Author: Philip Hardie

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2022-03

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 0691197865

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A unique look at how classical notions of ascent and flight preoccupied early modern British writers and artists Between the late sixteenth century and early nineteenth century, the British imagination—poetic, political, intellectual, spiritual and religious—displayed a pronounced fascination with images of ascent and flight to the heavens. Celestial Aspirations explores how British literature and art during that period exploited classical representations of these soaring themes—through philosophical, scientific and poetic flights of the mind; the ascension of the disembodied soul; and the celestial glorification of the ruler. From textual reachings for the heavens in Spenser, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Donne and Cowley, to the ceiling paintings of Rubens, Verrio and Thornhill, Philip Hardie focuses on the ways that the history, ideologies and aesthetics of the postclassical world received and transformed the ideas of antiquity. In England, narratives of ascent appear on the grandest scale in Milton’s Paradise Lost, an epic built around a Christian plot of falling and rising, and one of the most intensely classicizing works of English poetry. Examining the reception of flight up to the Romanticism of Wordsworth and Tennyson, Hardie considers the Whig sublime, as well as the works of Alexander Pope and Edward Young. Throughout, he looks at motivations both public and private for aspiring to the heavens—as a reward for political and military achievement on the one hand, and as a goal of individual intellectual and spiritual exertion on the other. Celestial Aspirations offers an intriguing look at how creative minds reworked ancient visions of time and space in the early modern era.

Flights of Spirit

Flights of Spirit PDF

Author: Elly Gotz

Publisher: Azrieli Series of Holocaust Su

Published: 2018-11-15

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 9781988065441

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A Holocaust memoir about surviving the notorious Dachau concentration camp. For everyone because these stories need to be remembered.

Swallow-Flights

Swallow-Flights PDF

Author: Harriet Kimball

Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand

Published: 2023-03-15

Total Pages: 142

ISBN-13: 3368814915

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Reprint of the original, first published in 1874.

Flying Carpet

Flying Carpet PDF

Author: Greg Brown

Publisher: Aviation Supplies & Academics

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781560276227

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This is the captivating inside story of the making of a pilot. Well-known and respected author Greg Brown shares the journey of life's skies as he matures from fledgling to seasoned aviator, encountering aerial adventure and colorful characters all along the way. This book goes beyond traditional flying stories and teaches what it takes to conquer the nagging fears faced by every pilot when attempting to master the challenges of flight. Flying Carpet conveys the joy and boundless freedom of being a pilot, pursuing the irresistible lure of the map. Whether you fly from an armchair or a pilot seat, this book provides a well written, entertaining and humorous look into our own human nature.

Myth and Mentality

Myth and Mentality PDF

Author: Anna-Leena Siikala

Publisher: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura

Published: 2002-05-15

Total Pages: 317

ISBN-13: 9522228494

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The recent fascination in Finnish folklore studies with popular thought and the values and emotions encoded in oral tradition began with the realisation that the vast collections of the Finnish folklore archives still have much to offer the modern-day researcher. These archive materials were not only collected by scholars, but also by the ordinary rural populace interested in their own traditions, by performers and their audiences. With its myriad voices, this body of source material thus provides new avenues for the researcher seeking to penetrate popular thought. What does oral tradition tell us about the way its performers think and feel? What sorts of beliefs and ideas are transmitted in traditional songs and narratives? Perspectives from the study of mentalities and cultural cognition research provide a framework for investigating these issues. This collection of articles works from the premise that the cultural models which shape mentalities give rise to manifest expressions of culture, including folklore. These models also become embedded in the representations appearing in folklore, and are handed down from one generation to the next. The topics of the book cover age-old myths and world views, concepts of witchcraft and the Devil stretching back to the Middle Ages, and the values and collective emotions of Finnish and Hungarian agrarian communities.

Flight of Faith

Flight of Faith PDF

Author: Frederick Berretta

Publisher: TAN Books

Published: 2009-01-01

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 1935302922

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Plunged into the icy waters of the Hudson...God spared Frederick Berretta's life in an instant -- and changed his heart forever. Frederick Berretta was an amateur pilot himself, so when U.S. Airways Flight 1549 struck a flock of geese and lost both engines, minutes after takeoff from Laguardia Airport on that fateful afternoon of January 15, 2009, he knew before most of his fellow passengers that something was seriously wrong. As the roar of the jets quieted and the aircraft ceased to climb, as the pilot guided the powerless plane towards a desperate crash landing and announced, "Brace for impact," Berretta fingered the prayer book in his pocket and tried to prepare himself for death. A multitude of thoughts flooded his mind all at once. He reminded himself that the odds of surviving a water landing were slim to none. He thought of his wife and his four children, and how they would miss him. He remembered he had just been to confession and to Mass, and he wondered if his soul would be ready to meet the Lord. And he knew he had to pray. "God, please be merciful to us, for the sake of your Son," he whispered. "Please spare us. I trust in you. Jesus, I trust in you. Mother of God, please pray for us." At that very instant, Berretta felt a "push" or "nudge" on his conscience; a state of awareness he'd never before experienced; and a keen realization that he had to do something. But what? Then God's voice sounded strong and clear in the depths of his soul: Are you going to accept My will for your life? For Frederick Berretta, the events of that fateful January day were the crystallizing moment of a lifetime of conversion. This story tells how he lost his childhood faith and as a young adult embraced a selfish, worldly life, how he suffered through family turmoil and the death of a child, and how by God's grace he slowly returned to the Church, humbled and grateful. God used the "Miracle on the Hudson" to confirm him in his faith and set him on fire to share it with others. Flight of Faith is the inspiring true story of how God works in our lives in simple and extraordinary ways. Read more at the Flight of Faith website.

Flights Of Passion

Flights Of Passion PDF

Author: Simone Beaudelaire

Publisher: Next Chapter

Published: 2022-07-04

Total Pages: 906

ISBN-13:

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A collection of four paranormal romance novels by author Simone Beaudelaire, now in one volume! Please note that the books in this collection contain graphic sex scenes and are not suitable for readers under the age of 18. Watching Over The Watcher: Psychic Selene Johansen is an excellent police investigator, able to determine guilt from the first handshake. But while her talent for fact-finding keeps her busy, her personal life is lonely - after all, who wants to date a girl who can read minds? Selene's consuming solitude dissolves when she learns longtime friend Brandon Price knows about her psychic gift... and her secret love for him. As their relationship heats up, Selene dares let her guard down, not realizing that a ruthless stalker is determined to put an end to the couple's passion - and their lives. Polar Heat: Polar bear shapeshifter Russell is content with his isolated life in a small Alaskan town. That is, until the arrival of a kindergarten teacher from the lower 48 blows Russell's comfortable world to pieces. One whiff of Riley Jenkins' compelling scent, and Russ is a goner. But how can he explain all that he is to this innocent young woman... and will her own dark past prevent their fated love from turning into a happily-ever-after? The Naphil's Kiss: Since ancient times, the angelic Nephilim have protected the children of men. These chaste, eternal warriors stand between humanity and the Succubae, daughters of Lilith, who drain men of their will through seduction. Until the day one Naphil, Lucien, encounters the succubus Sarahi. That day, a creature of darkness, sick of the shadows, lifts her face towards heaven and discovers something she never dreamed she would find: love. But their love is overshadowed, as the long-foretold war between angels and demons threatens to break over the land. For prophecy states that from the mingling of these races will come a warrior who holds the key to victory... or utter destruction. The Key To Eternity: From the moment she arrived to California, architect Lia knows her working trip to the west coast is a disaster. The company that hired her seems determined to discredit both her work and her professionalism. Lia’s only consolation is Aiden: a sexy stranger she meets on Venice Beach. As mystery piles on mystery, nothing remains constant. Even Lia’s own nature comes into question, as a dark force seeks to claim her for its own evil ends. But is Aiden’s sexuality his only power, or is he a creature from another time and place?