No ordinary memoir, this book aspires to be more than a mere exercise in narcissism. A street person in a zany California beach town at the end of the author's days provides the theme: planet Earth is the Galaxy Lunatic Training Asylum upon which each of us has been planted with one purpose, namely to rise from the stupidity and the darkness around us into the light, to regain in fact our sanity. Mama Earth is really tired of it all, the Lady opines, and recommends a journey inward. Taking a literary look back at his life, he sees she was right. In a series of poignant vignettes, it becomes clear that he and the whole country have been progressively descending into hopeless lunacy. Ah but theres more; there's an agend here. It seems its all been a macho ego trip---the whole of human history in fact---an unfortunate male mistake, a mere prelude to the new paradigm, the return of the goddess---meaning the spiritual androgyny that Jesus talks about in the Gospel of Thomas. We need to restore the balance between male and female. In a hilarious final chapter set in the aforementioned California city, it all comes together: Mama Earth, the Goddess Sophia and the Cosmic Lady, who is vindicated in an eschatological grand finale. She was right all along.

In this book, Daniel Scheid draws on Catholic social thought as a foundation for a new type of interreligious ecological ethics, which he calls the cosmic common good. By placing this concept in dialogue with tenets from other spiritual traditions, such as Hindu dharmic ecology, Buddhist interdependence, and American Indian balance, Scheid constructs a theologically authentic moral framework that re-envisions humanity's role in the universe.

Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide, and formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the nineteenth century and feminist movement during the 20th century. In some countries, these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behavior, whereas in others they are ignored and suppressed. They differ from broader notions of human rights through claims of an inherent historical and traditional bias against the exercise of rights by women and girls, in favor of men and boys. Women's Rights and Social Change focuses attention on the way in which women from a number of traditions have been able to bring about change and the manner in which rights have either facilitated or inhibited women's participation in the process of change. In the face of injustice, people band together to work for change, and through their influence, what was once unthinkable becomes common. This book traces the history of the women's rights movement, including the key players, watershed moments, and legislative battles that have driven social change. This book should be of interest to all those interested in gender development and women empowerment and researches and students.

Brilliant, young scientists are drawn together by a Nobel Laureate who has "proved" that space is not empty; it is a continuous fabric made of tiny, entwined "strings". His team is to devise experiments that show his acclaimed equations are true. The professor draws criticism from some faculty for his profound, Christian views. He displays Christian art in his office and teaches a popular Sunday School class across the street from the University. A deadly love triangle erupts among the researchers. A lovely girl is wooed by two very different men: one a devout young Christian, the other a demon-possessed, suave, rich and handsome young man. The rivalry is resolved in a bizarre sequence of events. The tale progresses through a verbal tapestry of intriguing scenarios, filled with emotion, surprises and fascinating facts.

Like the hourglass, astrology has been used to keep track of time since the beginning of civilization. While some have sought to debunk its science, it has stood the test of time. It’s not a belief or superstition limited to frivolous horoscopes, and this book explains why. Theresa H. McDevitt, a professional astrological counselor, presents cold hard facts that can be verified through observation and by studying history. She examines: • planetary cycles and their connection to life expectancy; • cosmic energy and how it affects every organism on Earth; and • generational life cycles and the legacies that individuals leave behind. The author also goes beyond history to show the hidden powers behind the functional workings of the world and humanity—the how, when, and why everything happens. By gaining a clear picture of what you’ll encounter from birth to death, you’ll be empowered to contribute more to the world. Go beyond being informed and discover true knowledge with The Cosmic Hourglass of Life.

The history, culture, politics and sexuality of San Francisco's Castro, America's most famous gay neighbourhood, are brought to life in this groundbreaking book. Included is work by over 35 gay/lesbian/transgender writers, including Harvey Milk and Jewelle Gomez, plus more than 150 photos, covering all aspects of Castro's life and activism over the past 30 years.

PREFACE Each man born into the world is born like Shelton in this book—to go a journey, and for the most part he is born on the high road. At first he sits there in the dust, with his little chubby hands reaching at nothing, and his little solemn eyes staring into space. As soon as he can toddle, he moves, by the queer instinct we call the love of life, straight along this road, looking neither to the right nor left, so pleased is he to walk. And he is charmed with everything—with the nice flat road, all broad and white, with his own feet, and with the prospect he can see on either hand. The sun shines, and he finds the road a little hot and dusty; the rain falls, and he splashes through the muddy puddles. It makes no matter—all is pleasant; his fathers went this way before him; they made this road for him to tread, and, when they bred him, passed into his fibre the love of doing things as they themselves had done them. So he walks on and on, resting comfortably at nights under the roofs that have been raised to shelter him, by those who went before. Suddenly one day, without intending to, he notices a path or opening in the hedge, leading to right or left, and he stands, looking at the undiscovered. After that he stops at all the openings in the hedge; one day, with a beating heart, he tries one. And this is where the fun begins.

A returning Veteran is bent on cleaning up the neighborhood...but when he meets a girl half his age he gets more than he bargained for. Now they are cleaning up the multiverse with the help of the Grey Aliens.

Contributed essays.

You awake expectantly. To your eager hands the body you occupy this morning is unfamiliar, though gratifyingly firm and sleek. You find a mirror. Narcissist and voyeur, you pose and gaze in awe. Exceptional you are, yes, but unsatisfied. You feel compelled to soak up just a few more carefully selected souls. Within hours you will shift, as you call it, again, for the life you are now living is merely another stepping stone. Each coming shift will bring with it new wisdom but erase recent memories. Gaps and lapses will challenge you. You will make mistakes. Yet you will succeed, as always. You have journeyed far from the icy roadside ditch where this all began, to your continuing astonishment, with a rape and a death, five hundred shifts ago. Time for celebration. Go out, have fun, do the town, but do not for one instant lose sight of the upcoming seduction representing your ultimate achievement. That body is far less beautiful than your current one, but physical perfection alone has become a bore. Now you want power.