The chief disciple of C. G. Jung, analyst Marie-Louise von Franz uses her vast knowledge of the world of myths, fairy tales, visions, and dreams to examine expressions of the universal symbol of the Anthropos, or Cosmic Man—a universal archetype that embodies humanity's personal as well as...

"Whenever illness is associated with loss of soul," writes Shaun McNiff, "the arts emerge spontaneously as remedies, soul medicine." The medicine of the artist, like that of the shaman, arises from his or her relationship to "familiars"—the themes, methods, and...

The field of art therapy is discovering that artistic expression can be a powerful means of personal transformation and emotional and spiritual healing. In this book, Shaun McNiff, a leader in expressive arts therapy for more than three decades, reflects on a wide spectrum of activities aimed at...

Art is a spiritual path—not a religion, but a practice that helps us knit together the ideals and convictions that guide our lives. Creating art can be prayer, ritual, and remembrance of the Divine. And the sharing of this creativity with others in small groups can serve as sanctuary, asylum,...

Making art—giving form to the images that arise in our mind's eye, our dreams, and our everyday lives—is a form of spiritual practice through which knowledge of ourselves can ripen into wisdom. This book offers encouragement for everyone to explore art making in this spirit of self-discovery—...

To scholars in the field, the need for an up-to-date overview of the art of South Asia has been apparent for decades. Although many regional and dynastic genres of Indic art are fairly well understood, the broad, overall representation of India's centuries of splendor has been lacking. The Art...

As its teachings spread from the Indian subcontinent in all directions across Asia, Buddhism influenced every culture it touched—from Afghanistan to Korea, from ...

Most Westerners are familiar with Taiji Quan (often spelled T'ai Chi Ch'uan), the graceful, dancelike exercise movements practiced by the Chinese to promote health and longevity. However, many do not realize that Taiji is also a martial art, and that it includes practice with weapons, including...

Feelings either flow naturally, like a river, or get dammed up. If our emotions become blocked, we can become tense, unhappy, anxious, or depressed. This book offers simple techniques for using art to embrace, understand, and release our emotions so that we can experience a greater sense of well-being...

Introduction

Not all confrontations can be resolved from a standing position. You may be forced to the ground, or you may already be there. Consequently, your ability to attack or defend from the ground is as important as your ability to fight while standing. Today, this reality is widely...

Here is an extraordinarily lucid and intelligent self-help book, inspired by the Abhidamma, an ethical-psychological teaching presented in the body of ancient Buddhist scriptures of the same name. Based on various techniques of Buddhist mind training, the Abhidamma represents the systematic knowledge...

This illuminating work outlines the essential principles and techniques that define the art of holding in most martial arts. More than 1,300 outstanding photographs introduce over 155 practical techniques encompassing all types of holds: joint-lock holds, chokes, head locks, nerve holds, pressure...

This lively introduction to Japanese joinery not only delves lovingly into the unique history and development of Japanese carpentry, but also reveals many secrets of Japanese joinery. Presenting 48 joints, selected from among the several hundred known and used today, this visually exciting book...

The original purpose of iaido was to slay an opponent with one stroke of the sword upon unsheathing; today it is practiced as a martial art, one that improves concentration, develops strength and coordination, and cultivates awareness of an ancient culture and its traditions. This manual of Eishin-Ryu...