Within The Heart Of Hearts

Within the Heart of Hearts is a journey into the mystical secrets of the heart. Designed to be read like a medieval book of hours, it uses prose, poetry, and images as a series of meditations on the stages of love's mystical journey, from the initial experience of searching and the heart's longing, to the ecstatic union with God, the lover united with the Beloved. This simple but powerful description of the Sufi journey reminds us of this living tradition of divine love. Beautiful images speak directly to the soul, as do the poems that touch the heart. Here is the poetry of Rumi, Hafiz, Ibn 'Arabi, and other Sufi masters placed within the context of the stages of the heart's opening to God. Speaking the universal language of love, they allow each of us to feel the mystery, wonder, and bliss that belongs to the heart of hearts, the mystical secret that is hidden within us. They draw us deep within our own heart, where this intoxicating relationship of lover and Beloved takes place. The popularity of Rumi has shown a thirst in the West for mystical love. This small book is a way to drink deeply of this wine of love, this tradition of lovers of God. Written by a contemporary Sufi, Within the Heart of Hearts is based upon a lived experience of the Sufi path and the inner experiences of the heart. "... a gentle and uplifting introduction to the mystical ground of being, weaving the voices of legendary Sufi poets such as Rumi, Hafiz, Rabi'a, Ghalib, Abu Sa'id, and Nizami. Reading this book is like sitting in a circle of ancient pilgrims as they share their inner journeys on a mountain at sunrise." —MARK NEPO, author, The Endless Practice and The Book of Awakening "Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee has a gift. He dives into the deep ocean of classical Sufi teachings, and comes up again and again with pearls of beauty that speak to our hearts today. This is more than merely translating, it is that rare ability to re-present teachings here and now. Recommended for spiritual seekers who are drawn to the path of Divine love." —Prof OMID SAFI, Ph.D, Director of Duke University's Islamic Studies Center; international speaker appearing on PBS, NPR, NBC, CNN, The New York Times, Newsweek, the Washington Post, and other international media; and author of Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition "... a crucible for transformation ...The poems Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee has gathered here, activated by his own distilled reflections, and illumined by Anat Vaughan-Lee's luminous images, have the power to awaken the heart's deepest longing and simultaneously meet the heart's highest hopes for union with the Beloved. I wept my way through this encounter, and I am not the same." —MIRABAI STARR, translator of John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, and author, God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity & Islam

Celebrate feelings in all their shapes and sizes in this New York Times bestselling picture book from the Growing Hearts series! Happiness, sadness, bravery, anger, shyness . . . our hearts can feel so many feelings! Some make us feel as light as a balloon, others as heavy as an elephant. In My Heart explores a full range of emotions, describing how they feel physically, inside, with language that is lyrical but also direct to empower readers to practice articulating and identifying their own emotions. With whimsical illustrations and an irresistible die-cut heart that extends through each spread, this gorgeously packaged and unique feelings book is sure to become a storytime favorite.

This collection of heart imagery highlights how a universal symbol can be creatively interpreted and constantly reinvented. It captures the breadth of art and design imagery exploring the meaning and representation of hearts. Although the focus is on the contemporary, it also touches on the history of the symbol – from the Sacred Heart cult to the invention of the Valentine, from heart tattoos to pictograms. The Book of Hearts is an exploration of the meaning and representation of love and emotion through one of the most recognisable signs in the world.

King mesmerizes readers with fiction deeply rooted in the sixties, exploring in five interconnected narratives, spanning 1960 to 1999, the haunting legacy of the Vietnam War. "Engaging . . . King's gift of storytelling is rich".--"The Los Angles Times Book Review".

In today's increasingly electronic world, we say our personality traits are "hard-wired" and we "replay" our memories. But we use a different metaphor when we speak of someone "reading" another's mind or a desire to "turn over a new leaf"—these phrases refer to the "book of the self," an idea that dates from the beginnings of Western culture. Eric Jager traces the history and psychology of the self-as-text concept from antiquity to the modern day. He focuses especially on the Middle Ages, when the metaphor of a "book of the heart" modeled on the manuscript codex attained its most vivid expressions in literature and art. For instance, medieval saints' legends tell of martyrs whose hearts recorded divine inscriptions; lyrics and romances feature lovers whose hearts are inscribed with their passion; paintings depict hearts as books; and medieval scribes even produced manuscript codices shaped like hearts. "The Book of the Heart provides a fresh perspective on the influence of the book as artifact on our language and culture. Reading this book broadens our appreciation of the relationship between things and ideas."—Henry Petroski, author of The Book on the Bookshelf

A heart can be hopeful, or silly, or happy. A heart can be rugged, or snappy, or lonely. A heart holds every different feeling, and debut author-artist Michael Hall captures each one with a delicate touch. For each feeling, the bold, graphic artwork creates an animal out of heart shapes, from "eager as a beaver" to "angry as a bear" to "thoughtful as an owl." An accessible and beautiful debut, My Heart Is Like a Zoo is everything a classic picture book should be: honest, sincere, and speaking directly to even the very youngest child. Ages: 0 - 5

Couldn't get enough of Love, Simon or Red, White and Royal Blue? This is the (slightly NSFW) book for you! 'Jack of Hearts might be the most important queer novel of the decade' Gay Times 'Jack of Hearts won my heart' Courtney Act 'This book is filth' Julian Clary --------------- 'My first time getting it in the butt was kind of weird. I think it's going to be weird for everyone's first time, though.' Meet Jack Rothman. He's seventeen and loves partying, makeup and boys - sometimes all at the same time. His sex life makes him the hot topic for the high school gossip machine. But who cares? Like Jack always says, 'it could be worse'. He doesn't actually expect that to come true. But after Jack starts writing an online sex advice column, the mysterious love letters he's been getting take a turn for the creepy. Jack's secret admirer knows everything: where he's hanging out, who he's sleeping with, who his mum is dating. They claim they love Jack, but not his unashamedly queer lifestyle. They want him to curb his sexuality, or they'll force him. As the pressure mounts, Jack must unmask his stalker before their obsession becomes genuinely dangerous... Praise for Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) 'The affirming, sex-positive, brilliant new book that puts the "adult" into young adult literature' Attitude 'Humane, sex-positive writing of the funniest, filthiest and most heartening kind' The Guardian

One of the most beloved and trusted mindfulness teachers in America offers a lifeline for difficult times: the RAIN meditation, which awakens our courage and heart Tara Brach is an in-the-trenches teacher whose work counters today's ever-increasing onslaught of news, conflict, demands, and anxieties--stresses that leave us rushing around on auto-pilot and cut off from the presence and creativity that give our lives meaning. In this heartfelt and deeply practical book, she offers an antidote: an easy-to-learn four-step meditation that quickly loosens the grip of difficult emotions and limiting beliefs. Each step in the meditation practice (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture) is brought to life by memorable stories shared by Tara and her students as they deal with feelings of overwhelm, loss, and self-aversion, with painful relationships, and past trauma--and as they discover step-by-step the sources of love, forgiveness, compassion, and deep wisdom alive within all of us. A PENGUIN LIFE TITLE

Valentines come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some are homemade and some are store-bought. Some are funny and some are not. Sam wants to give just the right valentine to the most popular girl in the class, Tiffany. But what kind is the right kind? Mary Ann helps Sam figure out how to make all sorts of valentines. But will Tiffany even notice Sam if he gives her a special valentine? Laura Malone Elliott and Lynn Munsinger’s charming story shows how the best friends are often the ones you may not know you have—until Valentine’s Day!—and even a simple string of hearts can show a friend how special he is.