I have spent more than my share of hours wandering among stacks of books. For there a multitude of worlds collides - not just between the layers of those delicious paper sandwiches, but within ourselves as we hold them and open them and turn their leaves in wonder. A brilliant mentor of mine taught me something that still astonishes me, every time I stop to consider it. Every book, every work of literature, she said, has a voice.

As we read, we hear that voice speak within our inner spaces, and - wonder of wonders! - our own voice answers, and a dialogue begins. In this way, books become friends. In this way, our innocent imagination becomes peopled with strangers eager to impress upon us their version of the universe. So it is that a book presents a portal to the unexplored in the world we see "outside" us, and to fresh and fertile regions within our own mysterious selves. That meeting place, in which we enter a fantastic dialogue with the written word, with the voice of one whom we have quite possibly never met, shows us in very specific ways how fine and good it is to be amazed.

In literature it is only the wild that attracts us.

--Thoreau

Ceci Miller

Ceci Miller is the author of Sacred Visitations: Gifts of Grace that Transform the Heart and Awaken the Soul. The book shares stories of a rich spiritual life in the midst of creative work, family obligations, and the everyday chaos of life (including a couple of close brushes with death). Sacred Visitations teaches the 5 Steps of Sacred Awareness?easy steps that readers of any spiritual orientation can use to explore and expand their awareness of the sacred in everyday life.

A student of meditation since 1976 and a graduate of The Iowa Writers? Workshop, Ceci?s heartfelt stories of spiritual experience and contemplation--shared in articles, books, and public talks--have inspired meditators and seekers throughout the world. Ceci is the author of two children's books on meditation, and has co-authored and edited many published books, including Writing from the Body: For Writers, Artists and Dreamers with John Lee. After editorially developing a number of successful books on meditation and personal growth, in 1999 Ceci launched CeciBooks.com to provide editorial and publishing guidance to authors of uplifting, inspiring books.

Ceci is a dynamic speaker as well as an accomplished writer. Her courses and workshops in the Art of Sacred Awareness, based on her newest book Sacred Visitations, take a lighthearted approach to contemplation, encouraging seekers to discover common ground by sharing their inner adventures.