Shimmering Zen

James Stanford utilizes the latest in digital art technique to create mesmerizing mandala designs from digital photos of historic Las Vegas neon signage, and architectural elements from the 1950s and 1960s. Stanford's group of intriguing digital montages convey and respond to the potency of the mandala as a symbol, and its influence and importance to Asian culture worldwide. Shimmering Zen is 264 pages and consists of over 150 of Stanford's original works created over the past 15 years. Includes comprehensive essays by the artist, the curator Elizabeth Herridge and a foreword by Jeff Rosen, Vice President, The Higher Learning Commission, Evanston, Illinois. Author interview by Laura Henkel. The launch of the book is supported by an exhibition of Stanford's visually stunning and intricately constructed modern mandala series, entitled "Indra's Jewels."

James Stanford utilizes the latest in digital art technique to create mesmerizing mandala designs from digital photos of historic Las Vegas neon signage, and architectural elements from the 1950s and 1960s. Stanford's group of intriguing digital montages convey and respond to the potency of the mandala as a symbol, and its influence and importance to Asian culture worldwide. Shimmering Zen is 264 pages and consists of over 150 of Stanford's original works created over the past 15 years. Includes comprehensive essays by the artist, the curator Elizabeth Herridge and a foreword by Jeff Rosen, Vice President, The Higher Learning Commission, Evanston, Illinois. Author interview by Laura Henkel. The launch of the book is supported by an exhibition of Stanford's visually stunning and intricately constructed modern mandala series, entitled "Indra's Jewels."

A study of comparative metaphysics that explores the concepts of Reality and Appearance and their relevance to contemporary religious consciousness. In this pioneering work of comparative metaphysics, Patrick Laude delves into Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, and Jewish concepts of Reality and Appearance to offer a uniquely lucid exploration of metaphysical representations of reality, relativity, appearance, and illusion. Laude includes discussions of the Absolute and the Relative in Hindu Advaita Ved?nta, Kashmiri ?aivism, Sufi wahdat al-wuj?d, and Madhyamaka Buddhism; the metaphysics of salvation in Buddhist and Christian traditions; and the metaphysics of evil and the distinction between Reality and Appearance in the Jewish Kabbalah, ?aivism, Christian mysticism, and the Sufi school of Ibn al-‘Arab?. The book explores how a discerning and subtle apprehension of the relationship between Reality and Appearance may help contemporary readers and seekers respond to the acute predicaments of contemporary religious and spiritual consciousness. “I have rarely read a work that is so lucid in explaining complex philosophical theories across multiple traditions, so articulate in constructing concise ideas, and so strategic in assembling a framework for analysis. This is a unique and special work of comparative metaphysics rarely found in contemporary works on philosophies of religion.” — Lee Irwin, author of Alchemy of Soul: The Art of Spiritual Transformation

Who would have believed a job interview would result in being whisked away from earth, against their will, to a medieval world embroiled in chaos across dimensions, ruled secretly by an elite council who, in their omnipotence, had not considered there could be unforeseen consequences? Their plan was simply to rule the totality of Alluvia. The Certamen of Straterra, a continuum of organized and controlled conflicts regulated through a complex set of rules, commonly referred to as the game was intended to cause and maintain balance not empower an evil that would care more about conquest than rules, more about power than the welfare of any other being, or would challenge their authority and assume control with ruthless efficiency. Greyson and Miry, each considered a pawn in the game, were selected and imprisoned separately with the extraordinary expectation of each giving birth to three representatives drawn from their lineage who have the innate characteristics necessary to stand as a picket against an evil that had not been defeated in 250 rotations of the game. And so the journey begins in the land of Alluvia. A mysterious and chaotic world of multiple dimensions and considerable diversity in populations, Flora and Fauna. Embrace the journey through this world of dwarves and dragons, shapeshifters and shaman, ogres and elves, humans and halflings, mage born and seers. A journey that delves deep into the nuances of life, love, hurt, and hate...the despair of war and the joy of brief respites from the chaos. Be warned, those who choose to enter this world will not emerge unaffected...the folk you meet will seep into your heart and never quite let you go...

"Our greatest modern nature writer in the lyrical tradition." --The New York Times Book Review "Matthiessen is a great travel companion. . . . His knowledge of plants, animals and people is breathtaking." --The Boston Globe Perhaps no writer has better articulated our relationship to the environment than Peter Matthiessen. From Wildlife in America to Men's Lives, his work has captured the wonder of the natural world--and the horrors of resource exploitation, with its violent effects on traditional peoples and the poor. In The Peter Matthiessen Reader, editor McKay Jenkins presents a single-volume collection of this distinguished author's nonfiction. Here are essays and excerpts that highlight the spiritual, literary, and political daring so crucial to Matthiessen's vision. Matthiessen chronicles his 250-mile trek across the Himalaya to the Tibetan Plateau in a selection from the National Book Award winner The Snow Leopard. Wild peoples, wilderness, and wildlife--common themes throughout Matthiessen's oeuvre--are examined with grace and power in The Tree Where Man Was Born. Here too are excerpts from Indian Country and In the Spirit of Crazy Horse, Matthiessen's stunning exposé of the Leonard Peltier case and the ongoing conflict between the U.S. government and the American Indian Movement. Comprehensive and engrossing, The Peter Matthiessen Reader celebrates an American voice unequaled in its commitment to literature's noblest aspiration: to challenge us to perceive our world--as well as ourselves--truthfully and clearly.

Slime is the answer. Fluffy. Crunchy. Smooth. Sparkly. Iridescent. Irresistible. Slime has arrived, bringing with it a tangible sense of serenity. It’s a beautiful substance, enjoyed on many levels: Discover the alchemy of making your own; chill out with slime-playing videos; and get inspired by playful presentations of every iteration slime can take. Whatever your pleasure, The Zen of Slime celebrates it with stunning art, secret recipes, interviews with Instagram sensations, and branding, packaging, and photography advice. Embrace the slime. Your journey has already begun.

What makes a place? Rebecca Solnit reinvents the traditional atlas, searching for layers of meaning & connections of experience across San Francisco.

Gone undercover to investigate a suicide in the Honor Farm—a mansion-turned-prison for dirty cops—Long Island police officer Orin Boyd is thrown together with old cohorts and new enemies. But after a second suspicious death takes place on the inside, Boyd finds himself in deep, and unable to protect his wife and daughter on the outside. Now it’s time to bust loose and strike back on his own.

Things to do: 1. Rescue sister. 2. Murder grandmother. 3. Don't upset the voodoo priestess. The clock is ticking for Sabina Kane. Her sister has been kidnapped by her grandmother, the Dark Races are on the brink of war, and a mysterious order is manipulating everyone behind the scenes. Working on information provided by an unlikely ally, Sabina and her trusty sidekicks--a sexy mage named Adam Lazarus and Giguhl, a Mischief demon--head to New Orleans to begin the hunt for her sister. Once there, they must contend with belligerent werewolves, magic-wielding vampires and--perhaps most frightening of all--humans. But as much as Sabina is focused on surviving the present, the past won't be ignored. Before she can save those she cares about most, she must save herself from the ghosts of her past.