Part introduction to Tantric traditions, part personal growth guide, this exploration of the Eternal Moon Phase Goddesses—with nightly meditation and journaling practices—is for anyone who wants to embrace the confusion, loss, loneliness, desire and pleasure that make up the spectrum of human experience—and better understand who they already are.

Julie Peters is a yoga teacher, teacher trainer and writer on topics of yoga and wellness. She is a biweekly columnist for Spirituality & Health. She represented Vancouver twice at the Women of the World Poetry Slam.

Wholeness Is Limiting―Possibilities Emerge When We're in Pieces Everyone experiences brokenness at some point in their lives―a romantic relationship fails, a job ends, a dream dies, an illness emerges. During these times it is easy to focus on our human frailty and to want nothing more than to be whole again. But what are we missing when we overlook the ugliness, fear, anger and vulnerability of being in pieces? The Nityas, or the Eternal Moon Phase Goddesses of Tantric philosophy, teach us that we miss the empowerment of the full human experience and the growth that comes from renewing ourselves again and again. This introduction to Tantric mythology as a contemporary resource for personal and spiritual growth guides you to reach into your pain and ask the larger questions about your relationships, not only with your lover but also with your community and with yourself. Each goddess prompts you to explore some aspect of relationship, such as loneliness, true love, equality, instinct, learning from the other, and learning to be alone. In seeking answers to these questions―supported by yogic wisdom, modern research into psychology and sociology, and nightly meditation and journaling practices―you will find empowerment in discovering who you are and what you truly desire.

When the full moon rises in the night sky, it's hard not to be captivated by the light that streams down on earth from our closest celestial neighbour. Even in the modern age, drenched in artificial light, the full moon has a magic that speaks to our most primal selves. This magic was recognised throughout human history, and lives on in the names various cultures have given each full moon as it rises above us. The Full Moon Yearbook combines Native American culture, Medieval Celtic Culture, East Asian culture and Witchcraft to dive into the stories that have led to names like February's Budding Moon, or November's Frost Moon. Over thirteen chapters, the names and mythology associated with each full moon are explored, as well as corresponding crystals, rituals, and yoga practices to make engaging with the energy of the full moon natural and fun. That thirteenth chapter is dedicated to the Blue moon, and in The Full Moon Yearbook readers will discover the reason why this mysterious moon appears in our night skies, along with its even more elusive friend, the Black Moon. Alongside the folk names, The Full Moon Yearbook highlights some of the goddesses that have been dedicated to, or personified, the moon in ancient religions, bringing their stories to life. With the international perspective, lunar festivals and customs from around the world and practical makes and recipes to help celebrate the full moon are included in this illustrated guide, showing how important the full moon has been throughout history to humankind. The Full Moon Yearbook is perfect for anyone who has ever felt a pull towards living in harmony with the moon, and longs to be living a lunar-inspired life.

“Peters takes readers on her own personal journey from trauma to reconnecting with her body, emotions, and eventually her own desire and sexuality.” —Xanet Pailet, bestselling author of Living an Orgasmic Life We know, increasingly, how common and devastating sexual violence is for women, but we don’t always talk about how survivors can recover from the trauma and return to desire, sexuality, trust, and pleasure. Want is the story of how Julie Peters did just that—and how you can, too. In the years after the assault, Julie was in what she calls the fog of trauma: the colorless, tasteless experience of barely getting through the day. No one—not counsellors, support groups, or other survivors—could give her any advice about how to find the desire that could bring her back to joy, intimacy, and connection. She had to make it up on her own. In Want, Julie tells the story of getting from the devastation of trauma to living a full life in eight sometimes challenging, often bumbling, and occasionally delightful steps. Your loved ones may not know how to support you, but they can learn more about your experiences and how to walk alongside you through this book, just as you can learn how to recover from the trauma you’ve experienced. Want offers a window into one person’s experience of recovery—plus the happy ending we all need to know is possible after trauma. “With unwavering honesty, penetrating insight, warmth, humor, and aplomb, she lays out strategies for a tangible, nourishing, and vitally ferocious self-love.” —Jeremy Radin, poet, author of Dear Sal

"Come, sit by me," says Grandmother. "Take this chalk in your hand. Now draw a dot and concentrate all your energy into this one dot. It is the beginning and the end, the navel of the world." So Fawzia Al-Rawi describes her grandmother's first lesson about the ancient craft of Oriental dance. Grandmother's Secretsalways circles back to this grandmother and this young girl, echoing the circular movements of the dance itself. Al-Rawi has written a strikingly graceful and original book that blends personal memoir with the history and theory of the dance known in the West as "belly dancing." It is the story of a young Arab girl as she is initiated into womanhood. It is a history of the dance from the earliest times through the days of the Pharaohs, the Roman Empire, to the Arab world of the last three centuries. It is a personal investigation into the effects of the dance's movements on individual parts of the body and the whole psyche. It is a guide to the actual techniques of the dance for those who are inspired to put down the book and move. Al-Rawi conveys in this book not only the history and technique of grieving and mourning dances, pregnancy and birth dances, but the spirit of these age-old rituals, and their possibilities for healing and empowering women today.