Discover the richness of Rumi's spiritual tradition--through facing-page commentary that brings his writings to life for you.

"This book you are now holding is a selection of what I believe are the best of Rumi's accounts of the compassionate actions, sayings, and qualities of the Prophet, which include Rumi's own inspired comments and explanations. It is my hope that you will be surprised and uplifted by the profound wisdom that Jalaluddin Rumi conveys through these stories and sayings."
--from the Preface

This great Sufi poet and teacher can become a companion for...

Wise and practical prescriptions for how to live with an honest perception of reality
can become a companion for your own spiritual journey.

More than commonplace truisms, the biblical Book of Proverbs is an anthology of teachings designed to help you live with a sense of self-responsibility. Its wisdom, compiled in the seventh century BCE and credited to King Solomon, transcends nationality and politics, addressing instead the individual seeking the true satisfaction and tranquility that comes from living with an honest perception of reality.

In this...

Let the Psalms help you forge a deeper connection to the Divine.

Showing how the Psalms give profound and candid expression to both our highest aspirations and our deepest pain, the late, highly respected Cistercian Abbot M. Basil Pennington shares his reflections on some of the most beloved passages from the Bible's most widely read book. In this companion volume to The Song of Songs: A Spiritual Commentary, Pennington is once again joined by Jewish artist Phillip Ratner, whose evocative works will lead you into more meaningful contemplation of the inner spirit of...

The Eastern Christian "Love of the Beautiful" can be a companion on your own spiritual journey

A collection of writings by monks from the fourth to fifteenth centuries, the Philokalia more than any other text reflects the Eastern Church's interpretation of the Bible's meaning. Simply translated, the title means "love of the beautiful," which reflects the text's emphasis on mystical and contemplative practices to engage all of our senses in the acts of worship and prayer.

This introduction to the wisdom of the Philokalia illuminates a text that until...

The spiritual teachings of many faith traditions can help you step beyond the limits of any one tradition to the reality that can't be named.

The fastest growing spiritual movement in the United States today is that of the religiously unaffiliated. These spiritual seekers make up 20 percent of the adult American population; they are the spiritual equivalent of political independents. Refusing to limit themselves to one religion or another, these seekers without borders are open to wisdom wherever it can be found.

This is a "bible" for this vast and growing social...

The wisdom from these stories can become a companion on your own spiritual journey.

Native American Stories of the Sacred are intended for more than entertainment: they are teaching tales containing elegantly simple illustrations of time-honored truths. From tales of Creation to "Why?" stories that help explain the natural world around us, these stories highlight the sacredness of all life and affirm that we are each an integral part of all that is holy.

Drawn from tribes across North America, these are careful retellings of traditional stories such as Son of...

Teachings from this fourteenth-century mystic provide spiritual direction and call for you to open yourself, body and soul, to divine love.

Many people are familiar with the phrase "All shall be well" but do not know much, if anything, about Julian of Norwich, the fourteenth-century English mystic who wrote those words. Thomas Merton declared her to be "without a doubt one of the most wonderful of all Christian voices," and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams says that her writings "may well be the most important work of Christian reflection in the English...

The teachings of Judaism's greatest medieval philosopher can be a companion on your own spiritual journey.

No Jewish thinker has had a more significant impact on Jewish religious thought than Moses Maimonides (1138-1204). A medieval philosopher whose vision covered an extensive range, he created a method of mediating between revelation and reason that laid the groundwork for a rational, philosophically sophisticated Judaism. He also provided an approach to biblical interpretation and philosophy that remains relevant for people of all faiths who follow a religion...

John and Charles Wesley provide a vision of God that beckons to anyone interested in a spiritual life.

John Wesley (1703-1791), Anglican priest, theologian and church reformer, and his brother Charles Wesley (1707-1788), one of the greatest hymn writers of all time, cofounded Methodism, a major movement of Christian renewal. Their vision of Christian discipleship included important spiritual practices that fueled the revival of the eighteenth-century Church of England. Their holistic theology/spirituality affords guidance for the contemporary spiritual seeker who...