Thomas Ryan

Trust the Creativity within You—Then Get Out of Its Way “[This] is the invitation of the inner creative spirit: you are created to create. The creative potential within you is one of the things that makes you ‘in the image and likeness of God.’ Whether your medium be music, watercolors, clay, gardening, woodworking, writing, cooking, dance or voice, the Creator has gifted you with creativity. Your gift in return is to use it.” —from the Conclusion This inspiring guide shows you how to cultivate your creative spirit, particularly in the second half of life, as a way to encourage personal growth, enrich your spiritual life and deepen your communion with God. Each chapter provides questions for reflection to help you identify your creative energy, overcome your insecurities, and connect with your chosen method of expression. Practical exercises at the end of each chapter help you awaken your creative spirit within. Whether you’re a novice or expert; young adult, middle age or golden age; you will be challenged by this invigorating call to set free your creative potential.

The Sacred Art of Fasting serves as a welcoming introduction to the whys and ways of fasting. This ancient practice has roots in nearly every religion around the world. In different forms in different faiths, people fast as an expression of God-consciousness, humility, repentance, purification, and concern for others. A companion for the reader's journey as well as a practical guidebook, The Sacred Art of Fasting shares helpful insights that will inspire readers to begin or deepen their own fasting practice through a comprehensive look at fasting as practiced in many spiritual traditions, inspiring reflections from people who practice fasting, and advice on how to incorporate fasting into spiritual life.

Open your mind and heart and discover how the sacred art of fasting can strengthen your spiritual appetite "Fasting as a religious act increases our sensitivity to that mystery always and everywhere present to us…. It is an invitation to awareness, a call to compassion for the needy, a cry of distress, and a song of joy. It is a discipline of self-restraint, a ritual of purification, and a sanctuary for offerings of atonement. It is a wellspring for the spiritually dry, a compass for the spiritually lost, and inner nourishment for the spiritually hungry." —from chapter 9 Though fasting is practiced in some form by nearly every faith tradition throughout the world, it is often seen as scary or something only for monastic life. But fasting doesn't have to be intimidating. And it doesn’t have to mean going weeks without food. The Sacred Art of Fasting invites you to explore the practical approaches, spiritual motivations, and physical benefits of this ancient practice by looking at the ways it is observed in several faith traditions. Inspiring personal reflections, helpful advice, and encouragement from people who practice fasting answer your questions, allay your fears, and reveal how you too can safely incorporate fasting into your spiritual life.