The Covid-19 Pandemic has brought forth global anxiety about linkages between the environment and society at a fundamental structural level. Earthly Order: How Natural Laws Define Human Life provides an accessible exposition of the latest foundational knowledge on how natural and social systems science can inform planetary crises. Humanity has either tried to conquer or capitulate to natural order, whereas we should be seeking to understand latent structures and patterns that permeate all systems and develop an "earthly order," that is socially functional and sustainable. Current debates in politics often present what should constitute a "world order" while scientists have wrestled with what are fundamental conditions of "natural order." Author Saleem H. Ali provides a readable synthesis of these debates with practical guidance for the public with a host of current examples around environmental decision-making by consumers, the government and industry. Twitter: @saleem ali

Ego and Spirit both speak profoundly within our lives. Can you hear what they are saying to you? These two voices are the main energies that rise up and give shape to our thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and physical health. As we go about meeting lifes challengessuch as change, adversity, stressors, conflicts, relationships, self-esteem, achievement, and our ability to experience genuine happinessthe voice of an unconscious, imbalanced ego is unfortunately the one we more often hear and heed, leading us into a lesser version of ourselves. The Two Voices Within: Balancing the Energies of Ego and Spirit to Enhance Your Life invites you to more clearly hear what both of these voices are saying so that you can speak with more of your true voice and recognize the One Voice of the Universe. This awakening will enable you to be the best version of yourself and optimally meet lifes challenges.

“We’re living through the greatest loss of faith in the history of the Catholic Church,” a refrain reverberating thru Catholic America. Likely, you are familiar with the statistics: · 25% percent decline in Mass attendance. · 15% of churches closed and/or consolidated. · 65% of Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence. · Catholicism, the largest Christian creed followed closely by fallen away Catholics. America’s religious decline is not new. Experts claim, “Christianity has been on decline since the removal of prayer from public schools in 1962.” Catholic school enrollment declined concurrently. Yet prayer was not removed from Catholic schools. Predictably, Mass attendance followed. What changed? Catholic authorities proffered explanations and recommendations; none of which stemmed the tide . . . a sure sign the root cause was not rightly identified. As a cradle-Catholic father, grandfather, and amateur student of Mass, I offer an assertion supported by my love of Catholicism, logic . . . and a book! “What changed” was the equivalent of removing the pillar of prayer from public schools . . . Mass was removed from Catholic catechesis - school, CCD, RCIA, adult formation, ambo, and domestic church. A cursory look at a Baltimore Catechism, the 1950-60s field manual for Catholics, reveals a 30-page segment, “Catechism of the Mass,” immersing students in liturgical details. A cursory look at current Catholic curricula reveals a paucity of information on Mass ranging from a few paragraphs in school texts to “take home” trifolds for CCD, RCIA, etc. Is Mass that important? Did you know Mass . . . · Is the most perfect way for man to praise and give thanks to God? · Is the only sacrifice perfect, pleasing, and acceptable to God? · Is the most sacred function of the Church, surpassing all others in efficacy? · Is the Church’s greatest prayer? · Is an offering for the whole Mystical Body of Christ? · Is the highest form of prayer for the faithful? · Is the Church’s #1 effort to save souls? · Is the same sacrifice Christ made on the Cross? · Is the perfect answer to prayer as it brings mercy and salvation Christ won for us? · Is required attendance every Sunday and six Holy Days a year but Communion only once? · Is the Source and Summit of our Faith? Seemingly, Mass is the answer to everything integral to Catholicism. Why is it not taught in Catholic education settings? How do we reverse the tide? Pope John Paul II: “Mass is Heaven on Earth. What we celebrate on Earth is a mysterious participation in the heavenly liturgy.” If Catholics realized Mass is tantamount to Heaven on Earth, would we be witnessing “the greatest loss of faith in the history of the Catholic Church?” Emphatically, “No.” As one Priest opined, “We’d have to double Masses and they’d be SRO.” We would witness the greatest flood of student enrollment and Mass attendance since the inception of Catholicism in America. We would have to double Catholic school classes and reopen shuttered schools and churches. Catholics must re-assess school, CCD, RCIA, adult formation and domestic church catechesis to make space for a deep dive into Mass. To fulfill the need, I submit a book series, “Heaven on Earth: The Order and Meaning of Mass:” · “Heaven on Earth” second edition text for adults. · “Curriculum” for students and educators. · “Workbook” of lesson reviews for students. “Heaven on Earth” is not a theological or academic treatise but a user-friendly, step-by-step guide to Mass for the faithful unlike anything available elsewhere. Author’s Promise: “You will never ever go to church, attend Mass, or receive Communion the same way again.”

The Byzantine World presents the latest insights of the leading scholars in the fields of Byzantine studies, history, art and architectural history, literature, and theology. Those who know little of Byzantine history, culture and civilization between AD 700 and 1453 will find overviews and distillations, while those who know much already will be afforded countless new vistas. Each chapter offers an innovative approach to a well-known topic or a diversion from a well-trodden path. Readers will be introduced to Byzantine women and children, men and eunuchs, emperors, patriarchs, aristocrats and slaves. They will explore churches and fortifications, monasteries and palaces, from Constantinople to Cyprus and Syria in the east, and to Apulia and Venice in the west. Secular and sacred art, profane and spiritual literature will be revealed to the reader, who will be encouraged to read, see, smell and touch. The worlds of Byzantine ceremonial and sanctity, liturgy and letters, Orthodoxy and heresy will be explored, by both leading and innovative international scholars. Ultimately, readers will find insights into the emergence of modern Byzantine studies and of popular Byzantine history that are informative, novel and unexpected, and that provide a thorough understanding of both.

Caves have been used in various ways across human society but despite the persistence within popular culture of the iconic caveman, deep caves were never used primarily as habitation sites for early humans. Rather, in both ancient and contemporary contexts, caves have served primarily as ritual spaces. In Sacred Darkness, contributors use archaeological evidence as well as ethnographic studies of modern ritual practices to envision the cave as place of spiritual and ideological power and a potent venue for ritual practice. Covering the ritual use of caves in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, Mesoamerica, and the US Southwest and Eastern woodlands, this book brings together case studies by prominent scholars whose research spans from the Paleolithic period to the present day. These contributions demonstrate that cave sites are as fruitful as surface contexts in promoting the understanding of both ancient and modern religious beliefs and practices. This state-of-the-art survey of ritual cave use will be one of the most valuable resources for understanding the role of caves in studies of religion, sacred landscape, or cosmology and a must-read for any archaeologist interested in caves.

Ecclesia et Violentia is an interdisciplinary anthology that explores the phenomenon of violence in relation to the medieval Church, as well as within the structures of that institution. The volume provides a clearer understanding of hostile and violent acts against both religious institutions and clergy, and explores the interpersonal aggression between clergymen or forms of violent behaviour of medieval clerics. It investigates, furthermore, the role of violence in maintaining discipline within religious communities, as well as religious, legal and cultural interpretations of the aforementioned issues. However, despite the many points of view expressed here, the central question the authors reconcile is how the phenomenon of violence interacted with the most important medieval institution, and official Church thinking regarding concepts such as power, rank, feudal loyalty and protection and ownership. Through the geographical diversity of the contributions and the variety of disciplinary perspectives, this book highlights how important violence was in the life of the clergy and how it formed an integral part of the legal culture and social bonds in many regions of medieval Europe.