MSI Press Blog

  Excerpt from The Rose and the Sword by Nanette Hucknall -- Tend the Light One of the positive qualities of the feminine is beauty in all its forms. The experience of beauty opens one’s heart, and also changes relationships with others. People often think of beauty in a superficial way and fail to appreciate its impact on their lives. The sheer numbers of people who frequent art museums always strikes us: although some may be drawn to a particular artist, or are knowledgeable about art, it is the beauty that draws, and beauty that is the magnet.             A similar experience can occur with all the arts: listening to a concert, watching dance, absorbing great writing – all can touch our hearts, as can, also, nature. Why are we so drawn to beautiful sunsets and sunrises? When nature paints glorious images on the sky canvas, are we not reborn in some way? The following tale illustrates the transformative power of beauty: ...

  excerpt from The Rose and the Sword (Bach & Hucknall) Introduction                  The popular ideal of finding one’s “soul mate” in a partner stems from the relationship between the two basic energies that exist, beyond gender and sexual identity, in each of us. We all possess a mix of these energies. When the inner feminine energy is weak and the inner masculine energy is dominant, a person loses his or her inner direction, for feminine energy is like a guiding system; without its guidance, actions can lead to unchecked aggression. When the inner masculine energy is undeveloped and the inner feminine energy is strong, swirls of inspired thought dissolve like mist, ungrounded in the action needed for manifestation. When these two energies are equally developed, the individual is richly endowed with inspiration and intuition (the feminine) as well as the ability to express these riches in the world (the masculine).  ...

  If you are planning to attend ths year's New York Book Festival, look for The Rose and the Sword by Dr. Judith Bach and Nanette Hucknall! Need some background information about this fan-favorite book? Click HERE .

Patricia Lorenz is an inspirational art-of-living writer and speaker and the author of 14 books. She’s one of the top contributing writers in the country to the  Chicken Soup for the Soul  books with over 75 stories in 60 of the  Chicken Soup  books. She’s had over 400 articles published in numerous magazines and newspapers, is a contributing writer for 26  Daily Guideposts  books and 50 anthologies, and is an award-winning newspaper columnist. Patricia raised two daughters and two sons in Wisconsin as a single parent. These days, Patricia and her hunka, hunka burnin’ love husband live in Largo, Florida where she loves her empty nest and the freedom to follow her dreams while she’s still awake. Her book,  57 Steps to Paradise: Finding Love in Midlife and Beyond , was published in June 2016. For more posts about Patricia and her works, click HERE .

"an exceptional piece of literature" "enlightening and entertaining" "one of my favorite books" "immensely inspired" "meaningful" Read more reviews from Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18654889-the-rose-and-the-sword

The American Library Association Annual Exhibit took place in Washington, DC. The following MSI books were on display. Can you find them in the photo? 100 Tips and Tools for Managing Chronic Illness (Charnas) How to Live from Your Heart (Hucknall) Jesus Is Still Passing By (Easterling) The Rose and the Sword (Hucknall) Thanks to these authors for giving MSI Press a presence at the ALA.

Dr. Bach, seated on the left, is a psychotherapist, writer and artist. She co-founded the Berkshire Center for Psychosynthesis in Massachusetts, and, later, the Psychosynthesis Institute of New York and for many years was a Psychosynthesis trainer, a therapeutic approach that recognizes and works with the creative and spiritual dimension of an individual. In addition to her long-time private practice and her work as a trainer, Dr. Bach has presented seminars in the United States, Austria, Switzerland and Germany.  She is the co-author, with Nanette Hucknall (seated on the right), of   The Rose and the Sword: Balancing Your Feminine and Masculine Energies . It is with sadness that we note that Judith Bach passed away March 3, 2019. Her co-author is alive and well and involved -- and we anticipate that readers will continue to enjoy The Rose and the Sword for years to come!

"How to Live from Your Heart  brings a wonderfully warm exploration of energy-based spirituality into real-world decision-making." So says Jeremiah Rood, reviewer from Foreword Reviews . Read the rest of the article at Foreword Reviews . How to Live from Your Heart is a Book of the Year Finalist and Best Books Award Finalist and was selected as Pinnacle Achievement Award winner and recommended by US Review of Books. Nanette Hucknall is also the co-author of The Rose and The Sword .

Commentary There is no ending to this story or to this book.  We could have wrapped it up like a nice neat package, but that would be totally unreal.  The underlying message of this book is that the integration of the positive masculine and feminine must begin first in each of us as individuals and then spread outward into our relationships and social structures, such as our organizations and communities and ultimately into our national and international relations.  If we look at the chaos that exists in our present world, we can only see the rising tide of conflict in the Middle East and in other corners of the planet where the social systems are still in the Dark Ages in terms of balance of the masculine and feminine.  In this country, we surely have a long way to go, but, at least, over the last century, we have seen movement.  If we look around the world, there are pockets of integration slowly emerging.      Clearly, th...