Holy Fools


Book Description

Joanne Harris, bestselling author of Chocolat, presents her most accomplished novel yet -- an intoxicating concoction that blends theology and reason, deception and masquerade, with a dash of whimsical humor and a soupçon of sensuality. Britanny, 1610. Juliette, a one-time actress and rope dancer, is forced to seek refuge among the sisters of the abbey of Sainte Marie-de-la-mer. Reinventing herself as Soeur Auguste, Juliette makes a new life for herself and her young daughter, Fleur. But when the kindly abbess dies, Juliette's comfortable existence begins to unravel. The abbey's new leader is the daughter of a corrupt noble family, and she arrives with a ghost from Juliette's past -- Guy LeMerle, a man she has every reason to fear and hate. This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.




Holy Fools


Book Description

Pastor Woodley offers a fresh view of "holy folly," an ancient spiritual approach that combines humor, irony, spiritual discipline, surprise, radical compassion, and passionate faith--many qualities that the postmodern world hungers for. (Practical Life)




Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond


Book Description

There are saints in Orthodox Christian culture who overturn the conventional concept of sainthood. Their conduct may be unruly and salacious, they may blaspheme and even kill - yet, mysteriously, those around them treat them with even more reverence. Such saints are called 'holy fools'. In this pioneering study Sergey A. Ivanov examines the phenomenon of holy foolery from a cultural standpoint. He identifies its prerequisites and its development in religious thought, and traces the emergence of the first hagiographic texts describing these paradoxical saints. He describes the beginnings of holy foolery in Egyptian monasteries of the fifth century, followed by its high point in the cities of Byzantium, with an eventual decline in the twelfth to fourteenth centuries. He also compares the important Russian tradition of holy fools, which in some form has survived to this day.




Symeon the Holy Fool


Book Description




The Path of the Holy Fool


Book Description

The Path of the Holy Fool: How the Labyrinth Ignites Our Visionary PowersThe Path of the Holy Fool summons each of us to become a Holy Fool: one who is accountable, stands for equality and social justice, embraces an ecological vision, and encourages community spirit. Lauren Artress, who established the two permanent labyrinths at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, is a leading force in the Labyrinth Movement. Her new book The Path of the Holy Fool: How the Labyrinth Ignites Our Visionary Powers expands upon her earlier work in Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Practice. Through the Parsifal story Artress suggests the labyrinth serves as a Grail that is discovered in the invisible, imaginative, in-between world symbolized by the Grail Castle. Most importantly this book invites readers to explore and reflect upon their own uniquely configured imaginations. It is through the imagination that self-reflection and raw experiences of the Holy occur. Once we navigate our imaginative processes without fear, the labyrinth experience ignites our creativity, heals our wounds and opens our big picture vision that nurtures empathy and gives us eyes to see and ears to hear-even through the sorrows of the pandemic-the call for a life-enhancing future. The labyrinth offers the Holy Fool an unwavering path as we learn to takes risks, create new modalities and find a way to contribute to our evolving world. ISBN (eBook): 978-1-7359188-0-8




Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond


Book Description

The image of St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow's Red Square is a familar Russian landmark. Yet few people know what made Basil so famous. He was a saint who wandered about naked, bullied passers-by, brawled in the market-place, and once even smashed a revered icon. Saints such as Basil overturn the conventional concept of sainthood - what, we may ask, is saintly about them? This book aims to solve the mystery by exploring the figure of the holy fool in Byzantium and in later Russianhistory.




Perfect Fools


Book Description

This title, by John Saward, explores foolishness and fools in Catholic and Orthodox spirituality.




The Holy Fool in European Cinema


Book Description

This monograph explores the way that the profile and the critical functions of the holy fool have developed in European cinema, allowing this traditional figure to capture the imagination of new generations in an age of religious pluralism and secularization. Alina Birzache traces the cultural origins of the figure of the holy fool across a variety of European traditions. In so doing, she examines the critical functions of the holy fool as well as how filmmakers have used the figure to respond to and critique aspects of the modern world. Using a comparative approach, this study for the first time offers a comprehensive explanation of the enduring appeal of this protean and fascinating cinematic character. Birzache examines the trope of holy foolishness in Soviet and post-Soviet cinema, French cinema, and Danish cinema, corresponding broadly to and permitting analysis of the three main orientations in European Christianity: Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant. This study will be of keen interest to scholars of religion and film, European cinema, and comparative religion.




Dark Knights & Holy Fools


Book Description

Covering all of Gilliam's work from Monty Python's Flying Circus to the 1998 big screen version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The book is fabulously illustrated featuring many previously unseen photographs, storyboards and drawing from Gilliam's private archive. Each chapter features an interview with Gilliam which gets his take on the work. Chapters include Early Years: childhood and early collaborations with John Cleese and Woody Allan; Monty Python - for the first time Gilliam talks about the creation of the cultiest of cult TV shows; Python and the Holy Grail first attempt at directing includes interviews with John Cleese and Terry Jones; Jabberwocky, includes interviews with Michael Palin; Time Bandits; Brazil including the inside story of the infamous ad war with Universal, interview with co-writer Tom Stoppard; The Budget fiasco which was Baron Munchausen; Fisher King includes interview with Robin Williams; Twelve Monkeys includes an interview with Bruce Willis; Fear and Loathing Hunter S. Thompson talks about Gilliam's adaptation. Also includes the abandoned projects A tale of Two Cities with Mel Gibson and Defective Detective with Nicholas Cage, as well as work in progress on Time Bandits II.




Transformational Speaking


Book Description

You can change the world—one audience at a time! Today's challenging times call for passionate visionaries who are authentic and articulate communicators. Speaking coach and consultant Gail Larsen presents a proven program that liberates the "speaker within" and transforms even the reluctant orator into an agent of change. While most books on public speaking focus on polishing your presentation and overcoming fear, Larsen's holistic blend of spirit and logic goes far beyond the standard format, making TRANSFORMATIONAL SPEAKING a must-read for even the most seasoned speechmakers. With her uniquely inspirational approach, Larsen reaches out to those who want to make a genuine difference in our world by changing minds through touching hearts. TRANSFORMATIONAL SPEAKING offers insightful advice on everything from defining your message and refining your delivery, to managing the dynamics of a room, handling logistics like a pro, and building a connection with an audience of any size. Larsen has helped business executives and entrepreneurs, community and social change leaders, and healers and life coaches become active movers and shakers through the power of effective communication.