Translation, with full explanatory notes, of the two works of Teresa de Cartagena, the fifteenth-century Spanish nun. This affordable, engaging and important translation of Teresa de Cartagena's works significantly expands and enriches the current canon of medieval women writers. ANNE CLARK BARTLETT, DePAUL UNIVERSITY Teresa de Cartagena was born in Burgos in about 1415-20, into a powerful family of Jewish origin. All we know of Teresa comes from her work: she was deaf and not physically strong, she was a nun, and - perhaps the source of her resilience -she was well-educated, above all in religion and moral philosophy. Deaf from early womanhood, her consolatory treatise Grove of the Infirm is a reflection on the spiritual benefits of illness; her second work, Wonder at the Works of God , was apparently written to counter the contention of her critics that a handicapped woman had nothing of value to say. This artful manipulation of the familiar devotional genre of "the treatise of consolation" reveals a woman writer intimately familiar with the cultural practices of her era; overall, both works allow a rare glimpse into the world of women in fifteenth-century Spain. DAYLE SEIDENSPINNER-NUNEZ is Professor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literature at the University of Notre Dame.

This book of poems has intent, design, and purpose. They are written to touch something hidden deep within you, something latent, undiscovered, and mysterious. I hope that you may wish to discover more about that of which I speak.For there are answers to your questions if you but seek. That hidden something is true of everyone, almost without exception, but most of us have fallen asleep to the yearning and the searching that it can give rise to. If you are not in the category of the walking dead--and you are truly searching-- perhaps this book will be for you. If you loved fairy tales as a child, would rather travel to ancient sites than take cruises or hang out on a beach, appreciate the mythology from other cultures, enjoy classical art, perhaps read philosophy and great literature, are enthralled by the wonder of the natural world--and the list goes on and on--this book may be of interest to you. Even if your yearning takes other forms, you may love what I've written as well. But the book is not an answer to your yearnings. It can, though, be a window into a world where those same yearnings are addressed, satisfied, and shown a further and meaningful path to take. I wrote it in the language of today (including a small amount of crude language), with some references to literary or artistic works of the past. Despite the simplicity of many of the poems, there is great depth of meaning, if you are open to it. My suggestion would be to read only a few poems at a time, trying to ponder what I am talking about, letting them sink in emotionally, rather than dissecting them intellectually. And certainly don't continue to read until your eyes glaze over, as that will not profit you in the least. Enjoy!

Joel Goldsmith studied the spiritual literature of the world and he writes, "Insofar as I have observed from my study of the spiritual literature of the world, the truth stated in this book has never been fully revealed before, yet it is the absolute basis for true spiritual living." The Thunder of Silence is based on the principle that there is an inner Grace available to all that does not operate through or by physical might or mental powers. Most people are not aware of this Grace, but when It is consciously realized, it will bring into expression everything that is necessary to our unfoldment. But, Goldsmith says, there is a price: this Grace operates only when we are willing to relinquish faith in anything and everything less than God - even faith in the "God" the world thinks it knows. In the first part of The Thunder of Silence, Goldsmith presents the vision of this spiritual way of life and invites the reader to come into the awareness of the abiding Presence within. In the second part of the book, he treads confidently into the often puzzling subject of mind, answering the many questions that always surround that topic. The whole secret, says Goldsmith, lies in "making the transition from a thinking human mind to a mind at rest in a state of awareness." In the third part of the book, Goldsmith gives the reader an illumined interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount, which reveals the innermost secrets to attaining the realization of the Presence within. Effortlessly relating the Infinite Way principles to this extraordinary teaching of Jesus, Goldsmith works extensively with its challenging passages and reveals their deep meanings. He shows how practicing these ancient principles can help us to live in the world, but not of it. If we are fed by meditation in the blessed Silence that thunders with Truth, he says, we can live by the grace of God as the Light of the world. Speaking about The Thunder of Silence, Goldsmith says, "It is a radical book. It will blow sky-high concepts of God that have been built up over the centuries." But he cautions: "Readers of this book cannot expect that the mere reading of it will enable them to live by its revealed principles. Those who feel a thrill of recognition in their first reading should make this book their constant companion day and night until their materialistic state of consciousness begins to yield." The Thunder of Silence will surely be a great help to spiritual seekers who want to reach that state of consciousness in which they can truthfully say, "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me."