1 comments about The Essential Ananda K. Coomaraswamy (The Perennial Philosophy Series).

1. The "communication society" in which we live submerges us with raw information in terms of numbers, dates, facts and figures. The net result is that our mind becomes cloged.
   
   More than ever, it is necessary to harmonize information with real knowledge.
   Only few writers of our epoch have the gift of combining pure information and pure wisdom. Ananda Coomaraswamy is one of them.
   
   The writings collected by his son, the noted Christian traditional theologian Rama Coomaraswamy, constitute an outstanding instance of how to apply an immense erudition to the service of truth.
   This stimulating book demonstrates that Ananda Coomaraswamy is one of the few truly "essential" writers of our time.

3 comments about Beautiful Necessity: The Art and Meaning of Women's Altars.

1. Beautiful work that shows the souls of women, and how they arrange their personal space to display what is important to them.

   Many of the illustrations and texts focus on Mexican and Mexican-American women and their Catholic shrines/altars (this is what the author has studied the most), but there are also illustrations of Goddess, Celtic, African, Hindu, Buddhist, and Orthodox altars pictured in the book. The text is well written, but the pictures are definitely the highlight of the book.




2. This book provides a thorough and well written discussion of various aspects of women's altars. If you maintain a home altar, you may experience a deep revelation of how women across cultures and religions have similar practices and understandings of the sacred altar space. Turner's book does a wonderful job with photographic images of altars created by women practicing different traditions, including Goddess worship, Catholicism, and Buddhism. I was unaware of how altar traditions are often passed down through women in the family or that women are the primary caretakers of altars in certain cultures. Turner's discussion of techniques that are shared by women, such as collage, was wonderful to read. I thought some of the practices I had been doing were unique to me, since I was not taught them. How great to discover women share these creative practices and approaches to the spiritual realm collectively. This book is a true gift.



3. Kay Turner's Beautiful Necessity graces its readers with balance and bounty. In its image-filled pages, one finds scholarship and story, history and anecdote, ritual and spontaneity, tradition and innovation, honor and humor: in all, the elements of a living altar. For those versed in altar tradition and practice, Beautiful Necessity affirms the sacred act of connection to that larger than the self; for those new to the tradition, welcome after welcome is given. Anyone who has ever -- who hasn't? -- found or made a meaningful connection to the sacred through objects or images will see themselves reflected here. One surprise after another greets readers throughout the book: perhaps one of the biggest surprises is the enduring and unquestionable connection between the altars themselves, made by women separated by time, place and history. Turner focuses on the ritual gestures of offering -- physical, spiritual, incantatory, conversational-- and manages, through carefully distinct chapters, to bring together the whole of altar practice via attention to distinct aspects and traditions; detail after detail stands out, and still the different altars come together into a practice, a way of being. This is remarkable, since even the contemporary altars vary from ephemeral performance art installations in New York City to long-enduring, cherished domestic altars in homes on several continents. Buy the book. Read the book. Make an altar, or return to the altar you have, or to your appreciation of another, refreshed and restored by this wide-ranging illumination of spiritual and artistic practice and belief. You need this book.

1 comments about The Beauty of the Cross: The Passion of Christ in Theology and the Arts from the Catacombs to the Eve of the Renaissance.

1. This work is a wonderful scholarly work that is rich in theology. Most Theological Aesthetic works lean heavily on art history with very little theological content. But this book is heavy on theology and balanced with art history. It shows how theology of various periods in the church affected the creation of the crucifix. The Passion of Jesus Christ is central to the faith of Christianity. What Viladesau does is dig into how theology is reflected in the making of the crucifix during early periods of Christianity.
   
   This book is a wonderful journey through the earliest years of Christianity and the theology that affects our understanding of the crucifixion today.
   
   I would highly recommend this book to artists, art historians, theologians, and pastors. The wealth of material in this work makes it one that will cause me to refer back to it on my bookshelf time and time again.

1 comments about Sophia-Maria: A Holistic Vision of Creation.

1. If you have ever sensed that there is a gap in Christianity - and that Our Lady somehow fills that gap in an indefinable way - you will find all the answers which are already there in your heart in this book. Beautifully illustrated, unbeatable scholarship - it is all here for you. Open your heart to Sophia Mary by reading this book, and She will remain with you for a lifetime.

1 comments about Infinitas Gracias: Contemporary Mexican Votive Painting.

1. Retablos are oil paintings on metal that give thanks for divine intervention in a tough time, like escaping before your best friend finds you in bed with his wife. There is very little text besides a translation of the explanation of each event painted on each picture. There are probably about 100 pictures of retablos in this book, mostly by Afredo Vilchis Roque or his sons.There are a few from the artists own collection going back to the 1920's. There are twenty different sections based on subject like prostitution, drowning, circus accidents and September 11. The artwork is very colorful and humble, if someone fell from the roof she is pictured upside down, the way a child would probably paint it. The prayers are written in a more phonetic Spanish, for example, gracias is spelled grasias, vende becomes bende, etc. A great introduction to the subject and you can't beat the price.

No comments about Art As Spiritual Activity: Rudolf Steiner's Contribution to the Visual Arts (Vista Series, Vol 3).

1 comments about Hieronymus Bosch: Garden Of Earthly Delights.

1. I love it. It shows all the paintings and information. I used it for a school project. It rocks. Go buy it .
   IT ROCKS

No comments about Icon and Devotion: Sacred Spaces in Imperial Russia.

1 comments about Symbols of Sacred Science (Guenon, Rene. Works.).

1. Guenon's Symbols of Sacred Science prooves to be one of his most important works, wonderfully translated and in an impressive new edition.

5 comments about Symbols of the Church.

1. This booklet (it is just under fifty pages) packs enough information regarding Western Christian symbols for those doing embroidery or hand-drawn signs and banners. It is a good, quick survey of many symbols and their very general meanings. For the researcher, it is a good place to start exploring iconography, and a useful directory for reading Christian art.
   Church publications and even embroidery shops with digital equipment look forward to the CD carrying the clipart and commentaries.



2. I bought this book wanting to learn more about symbolism and I found this book to be quite useful, good pictures, but nearly as informative as I wanted. Still a good reference book, but don't rely too heavily on it, if you want in depth explanations or stories behind the icons.



3. As a person interested in chuch banner-making, I was rather disappointed. While there is a lot in this little book, the pictures were too tiny (about an inch high) to be very useful.



4. Wow ! What a collection of sysbols.AND with explanations. For anyone who sews or makes church banners, this is a must have book. Glad I bought it.



5. This is a wonderful little guide. It gives you many symbols and a brief explanation of their meaning. It's broken into sections for easier reference, i.e. symbols of the apostles, symbols of saints, crosses, etc. It also includes liturgical colors and seasons of the church year. I only wish it had more symbols defined! A very handy, quick reference, and a good place to start to find out what basic symbols really mean.