Divine Books

Kristin Masterton has a fluidity and an ease of expressing the unexpressible- the language of the heart.
This book ought to be in every school curriculum and is a must for those feeling disheartened and confused by the focus on what is not real. This is the perfect gift to connect deeply with those with whom we are priviledged to share our lives.
This is poetry to be read silently to open up the space within or be read aloud when intimacy is lacking and needs to be established . Brava Kristin and thank you for accomodating our dance with the Divine in us.

These heart-warming poems weave together our human frailties and our Divine essence.
Much like Daniel Ladinsky's versions of the lyrical poems of the great Persian poet Shams-ud-din Muhammad Hafiz (c.1320-1389),Kristin Masterton expresses in her poems how love can dissolve our personal boundaries and bring us to the source of all love, the Divine. As Kristin says in her Author's Note, "Love is our True Name."

Kristin R. Masterton does a splendid job on all of her work! I know this because I'm her daughter and know how hard she works to achieve all her goals. From Poetry to normal everyday life she is definetley an author to try. If your stuck in the world with troubles or even if you want a fun read try DANCING WITH THE DIVINE!
-Hannah M.

In DANIEL,Fr. Daniel Berrigan,priest,poet,prophet takes on that strange book of the Biblical prophet Daniel.As in his earlier works,Isiah,Ezekiel and after this in Jeremiah,Berrigan seamlessly[well,most of the time]relates modern day society with the doomed cultures of which the prophets spoke.Daniel Berrigan has been,for some,a pain in the neck,a,burr,for others, as a previous reviewer wrote, the sanest man of the 20th century. What struck me in this book is how GROUNDED Berrigan is in the scriptures, unlike many catholics of his or any generation.Poetically, Daniel Berrigan once more shows how these ancient, musty texts are alive,not simply relevant but breathing.If he is not the sanest man of the 20th century,he's damn close.

While serving the Catonsville (Maryland) Presbyterian Church in the early 1980s, I often would make lunchtime pilgrimages (three blocks!) to the Knights of Columbus building where Daniel Berrigan and eight others poured napalm and blood on draft files more than a decade earlier to protest America's involvement in the Viet Nam war. Always I sensed myself to be standing on holy ground, for, despite the lapse of years, the asphalt still contained the imprimatur of gospel proclamation.

Daniel Berrigan is a poet, prophet, and priest. Sometimes he is more poet than priest, other times more prophet than poet, still others more priest than prophet. But, oh, how these vocations all are mixed in him so that, in my estimation, Berrigan was the sanest person of the twentieth century.

In these twilight years of his life, Berrigan has written a progression of books about the major prophets of the First (Old) Testament. He is harvesting a lifetime of dogged fidelity to the gospel of Jesus Christ and these books ("Daniel: Under the Siege of the Divine;" "Isaiah: Spirit of Courage, Gift of Tears;" "Ezekiel: Vision in the Dust;" and "Jeremiah: The World, the Wound of God") bear and share the fruit of his radical obedience. Ostensibly about the biblical prophets of long ago, these books are as up-to-date as this morning's sports page. Taken together, they are a clarion call to people of faith and conscience not to be seduced by the spirit of the age nor to acquiesce to the principalities and powers of the "empire."

"Daniel: Under the Siege of the Divine" is really a book about "seeing"- seeing deeply, seeing truly, seeing beyond the appearances of things to the truth of things. Not only is scripture's vision of "the new heaven and new earth" in which peace will reign and "all manner of things shall be well" championed by Berrigan in this book; we are given "prolonged glimpses" of the paths we must walk in order to "get there from here."

What Berrigan proposes out of his spiritual encounter with the biblical Daniel is "dangerous faith"- dangerous to the empire because it subverts the present arrangement of things in which the powers-that-be are so heavily invested and to which they want so desperately to cling, and dangerous to those who seek to speak truth to those powers because the empire is not in the least bit loathe to strike back.

"Daniel" is Daniel at his best. Herein, Berrigan eloquently and passionately demonstrates that the first step in saying "yes" to life is saying "no" to death in all of its multi-faceted and seductive forms, no matter what the cost.

To me, the power of the gospel is that, in Jesus, it was lived. That gives me hope that I, also, however imperfectly, can move out of the house of fear and into the house of love. Berrigan is our contemporary guide.

For thirty years, Daniel Berrigan has spoken truth to power, and in the process has paid the price of scorn and jail. In our day, when our social ethic is as unsteady as jello, when the mantra of our morality is "it depends," who better to remind us of some powerful, prophetic truths than this modern "Daniel?" Berrigan translates the word of his namesake into a poetry sweet enough for even the M-TV generation to understand. The message that justice and love are our tickets to peace is just as true now as in "Daniel's" time. This book should be required reading for anyone who believes that the truth of nonviolence is still true.

This book will guide you through finding the two words that describe your unique divine assignment: your greatest strength and central passion. My divine assignment is "relating understanding." A woman named Jennifer, used as an example in the book, says her divine assignment is "nurturing peace." For me, these two words describe what I have been trying to do my whole life. They give me purpose and a beautiful understanding of what I'm here for. I highly recommend this book.

What an uplifting and positive way to dig deeper into discovering what the Almighty yet Loving God wants for us in our lives. The author stresses developing a loving relationship with God above all else, and she backs up her writing with Scripture. A purely delightful journey!

Most of us, at one time or another, question why we are here on earth. What is our purpose? Where are we supposed to be, and what are we supposed to be doing? Robin Chaddock believes that the answers to these important and powerful questions are with God. We need to ask and listen and then act.

Through stories, study questions, prayers and Chaddock's learned experience as a life coach, Discovering Your Divine Assignment helps the reader. She advises how to negotiate the path from confusion to awareness and the excitement that comes from exploring your passions, making goals and then stepping up and out to accomplish those goals.

Chaddock provides the reader with a through and concise way in which they can live their divine assignment. Different portions of the book will to speak to you in a deeply personal way. While all of the chapters were insightful and extremely helpful, my personal favorite portions were The Power of Partnering with God and Who's Winning Your Mind Games.

Armchair Interviews says: Read the book thoughtfully, follow the suggestions and then refer to it often as you begin your exciting journey.

"Discovering Your Divine Design" is an ideal text for those who are looking to get more out of life. With the premise that we were designed as original creations for a specific purpose. The book helps those who are confused about life's direction. The author advocates looking to the way we are made in order to determine what we are to do with our lives. The 50-chapter format allows the author to take the concept of "Divine Design" and apply it in all arenas of life including family, work, and service. I heartily recommend this book to any who desire to learn more about their Divine Destiny.

How many ways can you hear about God's goodness? Probably not enough. This book by Dr. Bishop helped me celebrate the extraordinary work God did on my behalf. Rarely can printed word encourage my heart like the reading of this book by Dr. Bishop. Kudos to the personal way in which he approached a topic that could feel academic. I will never look at myself the same way again, and for that, I thank Dr. Bishop wholeheartedly. I can't wait to read your next volume.

Discovering Your Divine Design is an easy, thought-provoking read. It helps you to drill-down to the basics of who you are and why you do the things you do. This books helps you to identify and accept parts of your personality as being God-given which can shift your focus to more rewarding and better fitting life choices. It offers a fresh perspective and specific steps to understand where God wants you to be.

Ask a question about prayer, about happiness, about how God is important in your life. This book is organized in such a way that you will find an answer. It's a guide to walking through life with practical feet and a spiritual mind and heart. An inspiration to anyone, but especially those who are familiar with the Baha'i Faith.

This book is not one to be read from cover-to-cover in one sitting. It is not a novel, but rather a reference work with insightful, spiritual solutions to everyday living. It is a work that one carries with him throughout the day for quick perusals. The book provides glimpses of spiritual insights which add the dimension of meaning and purpose in life. Divided into chapters where extracts of relevant subject matter are presented, its main theme is God and virtues or spiritual qualities. Here one can find answers to the meaning of prayer and meditation and why we should pray; answers to what faith and certitude are and how they should be practised; and answers to how one is to put into action such noble virtues as detachment, sacrifice, humility, love, unity. It also answers such questions as, how can we learn to know and love God? But each subject goes beyond merely showing us "how," it also tells us about the "what" and "why" of a subject. For example, What is faith? What is eternal life and how do we achieve it? What are tests and afflictions and why do we have to have such calamities in our personal lives? The Divine Art of Living is a book of inspiration and upliftment. It is a gateway leading the reader to spiritual peace and understanding

This is an excellent guide to the thoughts of the founders of the Baha'i Faith, especially as it is entirely in their own words taken from many other works. As cliched as it may sound, this book changed my life. It is not a history or an analysis, but just the words of the masters collected together on the subjects people need to ask of any system of faith. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Warren Hunter taps into the power of intimate worship in his book "The Divine Attraction." The book is rich in scriptural content filled with examples illustrating the depths of God's love and how "God inhabits the praises of His people."

Warren challenges the reader to: "Allow the worship of God from within the Spirit of God to rise within you to meet God in heaven, and touch the face of God." He goes on to explain how worship is created in the heart and how important this is as the primary focus in approaching God.

Examples are drawn from the altar experiences of Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, David, Solomon, and Elijah to emphasize the need "to present our bodies as a living sacrifice" as we move into an intimate worship with God.

I found the meditations of the heart sections of the book to stir my heart in a new synergy of worship resulting in an amazing breakthrough in "establishing an environment of the Spirit."

Hunter writes with power, authority, clarity and conviction as he challenges the reader to examine true hallowed worship and supernatural closeness with the God of heaven as they respond by magnifying and praising Him with their spirit, soul, and body.

This is a book for anyone who wants to know more of the depths of God's love and the worship that follows when we release God's Spirit within us to reach into our innermost being.

This is a blessing book full of teachings for building a personal intimate relationship in Worship of our Lord. It is a God Working With God(GWWG)book. It is life building for all who are searching for intimacy with God. It is a book you read and re-read, and then place it in your stack of books to read for it is refreshing! At the end of most chapters the author provides for the reader GWWG Love and Worship - Meditations of the Heart.

WOW, what a great book about how God wants us to love and worship Him in purity. God wants to encourage and strengthen us through our worship to Him. God inhabits our praises and we should expect God to show up in power every time we praise Him.

For those ready to seriously dive into the Commedia, this book is mandatory. Wonderfully written, exhaustively researched, comprehensive in its scope, this commentary stands alone. Singletons is not my favorite translation. However since the text is in a different volume, I use this commentary with other translations. A landmark work for those who love Dante.The Divine Comedy, I. Inferno. Part 2

This was required reading for a graduate course in medieval history.
Dante Alighieri's (1265-1321) "Devine Comedy" weaved together aspects of biblical and classical Greek literary traditions to produce one of the most important works of not only medieval literature, but also one of the great literary works of Western civilization. The full impact of this 14,000-line poem divided into 100 cantos and three books is not just literary. Dante's autobiographical poem Commedia, as he titled it, was his look into the individual psyche and human soul. He explored and reflected on such fundamental questions as political institutions and their problems, the nature of humankind's moral actions, and the possibility of spiritual transformation; these were all fundamental social and cultural concerns for people during the fourteenth-century. Dante wrote the Commedia not in Latin but in the Tuscan dialect of Italian so that it would reach a broader readership. The Commedia was a three-part journey undertaken by the pilgrim Dante to the realms of the Christian afterlife: Hell, (Inferno), Purgatory, (Purgatorio), and Paradise, (Paradisio).

The poem narrated in first person, began with Dante lost midlife. He was 35 years old in the year 1300 and in a dark wood. Being lost in the dark wood was certainly an allegorical device that Dante used to express the condition of his own life at the time he started writing the poem. Dante had been active in Florentine politics and a member of the White Guelph party who opposed the secular rule of Pope Boniface VIII over Florence. In 1302, The Black Guelphs who were allied with the Pope, were militarily victorious in gaining control of the city and Dante found himself an exile from his beloved city for the rest of his life. Thus, Dante started writing the Commedia in 1308 and used it to comment on his own tribulations of life, and to state his views on politics and religion, and heap scorn on his political enemies.

Dante's first leg of his journey out of the dark wood was through the nine concentric circles of Hell (Inferno), escorted by his favorite classical Roman poet Virgil, author of the Aeneid. Dante borrowed heavily from Virgil's Aeneid. Much of Dante's description of hell had similarities to Virgil's description in his sixth book of the Aeneid. Dante's three major divisions of sin in hell where unrepentant sinners dwelled, had their sources in Aristotle and Augustinian philosophy. They were self-indulgence, violence, and fraud. Fraud was considered the worst of moral failures because it undermined family, trust, and religion; in essence, it tore at the moral fabric of civilized society. These divisions were inversions of the classical virtues of moderation, courage, and wisdom. The fourth classical virtue, justice, is what Dante came to believe after his journey through hell that all its inhabitants received for their unrepentant sins. There were nine concentric circles of hell inside the earth; each smaller than the previous one. For Dante the geography of hell was a moral geography as well as a physical one, reflecting the nature of the sin. Canto IV describes the first circle of hell, Limbo, which is where Dante met the shades, as souls where called, of the virtuous un-baptized such as Homer, Ovid, Caesar, Aristotle, and Plato.

In the four circles for the sin of self-indulgence Dante met shades who where lustful, gluttons, hoarders and wrathful. In the second circle of Hell, lustful souls were blown around in a violent storm. In Canto V, one of the great dramatic moments of the poem, Dante had his first lengthy encounter with an unrepentant sinner Francesca da Rimini, who committed adultery with her brother-in-law. Like all the sinners in hell, Francesca laid the blame for her sin elsewhere. She claimed to be seduced into committing adultery after reading the story of Lancelot and Guinevere. At the end of the scene, Dante fainted out of pity for Francesca.

In Canto X, the sixth circle of hell reserved for heretics who are punished by being trapped in flaming tombs, Dante took the opportunity to use the circle to chastise political leaders for participating in political partisanship. A Florentine who was a leader in the rival Ghibbelline political party, Farinata degli Uberti, accosted Dante. Both men aggressively argued with each other, recreating in hell the bitterness of partisan politics in Florence. Farinata predicted Dante's exile. Dante used this Canto to show the dangerous tendencies of petty political partisanship that he harbored.

The seventh circle of hell was subdivided into three areas where sinners were punished for doing violence against themselves, their neighbors, or God. In Canto XIII Dante encountered Pier della Vigne in the wood of the suicides. The shades there were shrubs who had to speak through a broken branch. Pier spoke to Dante about how he had been an important advisor to Emperor Frederick II, and how he blamed his fall, and his suicide, on the envy of other court members. This Canto was especially important because Dante came to grips with his own "future" fall from political power and exile. Pier's behavior served as a strong example to Dante how not to act in exile. Whether he had been tempted to commit suicide is not clear; however, he certainly had been prone to the selfish and despairing attitude that Pier represented.

The last two circles of hell contained the sinners of fraud. In the eighth circle, there were ten ditches for the various types of fraud such as Simony, thievery, hypocrisy, etc. Canto XIX described the third ditch, which contained those guilty of Simony, the sin of church leaders perverting their spiritual office by buying and selling church offices. Simonists were buried upside down in a rock with their feet on fire. Pope Nicholas III mistakenly addressed Dante as Pope Boniface VIII who was the current Pope in 1300, and whose place in hell was thereby predicted. This is not surprising since Boniface was the person most responsible for Dante's exile. In an interesting literary twist, Nicholas "confessed" to Dante, as if he was a priest, his sin of greed and nepotism. He admitted that even after becoming Pope he cared more for his family's interests than the good of the whole Church. Dante responded to Nicholas' "confession" with a stinging condemnation of Simony drawn from the Book of Revelation. After this encounter, Dante came to understand that hell was a place of justice.

Canto XXXIV, the last one in the Inferno, depicted Satan with three heads. Each head was chewing the three worst sinners of humankind. The middle head was chewing on the head of Judas Iscariot, who was a disciple to Jesus and his betrayer. The other two heads were chewing Brutus and Cassius; the murderers of Julius Caesar, and the two men Dante faulted for the destruction of a unified Italy. Dante considered the two ultimate betrayals against God and against the empire as the worst betrayals perpetrated in the history of humankind.

Thus, Dante's intent in his Commedia was to teach fourteenth-century readers that if one wanted to ascend spiritually towards God then one needed to learn the nature of sin from the unrepentant. By doing this, one could learn to overcome the same tendencies found in themselves. He wanted people to realize what he had come to learn that political partisanship would only stand in the way of unifying Italy and keep it from regaining any of its former glory that it enjoyed during the time of the Roman Empire.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in literature and medieval history.

Reading the Commedia in translation is always second-best to working through it in Italian; but unless you are a native speaker who also knows some Spanish and Latin, it can be tough going. That is where the three Singleton companion volumes are worth their weight in gold. They contain a canto-by-canto analysis of the multiplicity of allusions and references to all things political, philosophical and theological that make the depth of the work virtually unparalled in Western Lit.
While the Commedia isn't for everyone, the Singleton glosses are for anyone who wants to read and understand Dante on his terms. Combine these three volumes with the Grandgent Italian text, e non c'e bisogna d'altre cose per incontrar la via diritta ed esso che move il sole e l'altre stelle.

This is the original edition published in New York and England in 1953. Hard to find and has been re-released. See review above for the new edition

Divine Horsemen was the title used in England by Thames and Hudson. When printed in paperback form in the US, The Voodoo gods became the title.Rare collectors item, if you can get ahold of it.See review for Divine Horsemen elsewhere on this page ( the new released version)

When the original edition Divine Horsemen went out of print, this Vantage paperback edition was released under the name of Divine Horsemen Voodoo Gods of Haiti. Same book, but collectors item for Deren enthusiasts.See review on this page for the new edition of the original work.

This book provides intelligible and practical insight into the traditional spiritual culture of the Veda. While reading, it became clear how integral this material is to understanding the works of all traditional spiritual schools. Along with providing this insight, the author also challenges the status quo previously put forward by scholarship and spiritualist alike, giving the reader wider perspective on this crucial information. With the help of this book, spirituality becomes an approachable, living culture void of blind faith, dogma, misconception and confusion found in many current spiritual philosophies.

This book opens up a whole world of spirituality for the reader. It is a complete and thorough exposition of the meaning behind the ancient spiritual texts. Though the author concentrates on the works of Vedism (Hinduism), his findings are applicable to all religions. If you're tired of having your religious quandries answered by statements like "that's just the way it is", or "we are not meant to know", or "the reasons are lost in the ashes of time", then read this book. It doesn't matter if you have a PhD in Orientology or have never heard of the Veda, this book will have something to offer you in your quest for knowlege.

A marvelous read which both challenges and informs. The author offers a unique take on interpreting the Vedas which has far reaching implications. Once you have read this book and understand the concepts, you are unable to read any scriptures or legends in the same way again. The writing style and text type does take some getting use to, but on the whole doesn't distract from the fascinating content. Well worth reading.

Wow...what a great find!!! This book is so timely! It has been such a blessing to my marriage. This has been a powerful tool for me and my wife. It has become a great way for us to share quality time together and it helps us to see things in a new perspective,(... God's perspective). It's really good to know that we are not the only couple that go through ups and downs. I would encourage everyone to get this book, you will be blessed by it. Thank you for your Godly inspired words of wisdom. Your passion for the institute of marriage is so apparent. I pray for you and your spouse as you pray for so many others. I can't wait for the next book.

My husband and I have started reading this book and we love it! We have been married for an exciting ten years and are very happy. We built our marriage on Christ and love the fact that the author and her husband has Christ as their foundation as well. We look forward to reading this together and discussing the questions together at the end of each tip. We look forward to reading it on Sunday evenings after the children have gone to bed and we are preparing for the week to come. It truly adds to our time together. I even bought an extra book to give to a friend.

After 10 years of marriage, and 20 years of courtship this book has been a blessing to me. I have struggled in so many ways trying to find answers in the wrong places. This book has given me hope through sharing personal experiences and providing resolution by standing on the Word of GOD.

I am not an avid reader, but the format of this book makes it so easy to read and use as a daily reference.

Sometimes as Christians we only want to share the best part about our lives, but this author was bold enough to share intimate experiences to provide comfort that we are not by ourselves in our marital situations. If I had to sum the book up in a sentence it would be, "It's a real life guide of how to bring resolution to your marriage GOD's way, and in return you will recieve the gift of true happiness in your marriage."

A special thanks to the author for writing such an inspirational book that will be a blessing to many marriages.