Essential Reading in the Search for the Divine
349267
Philip Coppens' meticulous research and inspired questing once again leads us quickly to the heart of exciting new concepts and considerations of the past.  Though the evidence has lain before us for millennia plain sight is often the most enigmatic hiding place of all.  Land of the Gods is welcome confirmation for those of us who have increasingly suspected that Edinburgh, Lothian and the land surrounding has long been viewed in sacred terms.  The treasure is at our feet.
2959492
This splendid book, written by one of the greatest influences on western occultism, is highly recommended for the sincere and serious students and initiates of the Western Occult Tradition.  The book is broken down into two books of 22 chapters, 22 to signify the 22 Greater Arcanum of the Tarot and Kabballah.  Yet, sadly, as most of the modern great occult minds are confused with the new age isms and skisms, the secret keys of this Kabbalistic, Gnostic treatise is either lost or forgotten.  There is another book, that has been recently translated from its original language that not only unveils the Kabbalistic synthesis within all ancient religion (as Levi beautifully expounds upon) but also this book reveals the ancient and secret keys that are the "foundation" of all the Occult traditions.  This book was written by the Gnostic Master Samael Aun Weor.  The book is called "The Initiatic Path in the Arcana of Tarot and Kabalah".  It is difficult to find, yet one can contact a Gnostic Institute nearest you (gnosticinstitute.com).
4912671
Existence and the Fall is an essential read for those who are interested in understanding God, themselves, the world, and the relation(s) between all three. The book attempts to explain both our origin and end, which is none other than God Himself, and helps us to understand exactly what it means to live within this world, and especially the modern world, and be an entity which is, as the Qur'an says, "returning to God." It is both theoretical and practical, and its beautiful style of writing gives both inspiration and a deeper understanding of the aforementioned entities.

The book begins by discussing what is beyond the physical realm or, as the Qur'an terms it, the `ghayb.' It discusses the different levels beyond physical nature and the specific qualities each has, and also the relations between the different levels.

An important discussion then takes place regarding the `fall' mentioned in the title. For what exactly does it mean for man to `fall'? The author gives a beautiful explanation of what creation and entry into the realm of being, especially this world, actually means. Because we are so accustomed to the physical world, it is necessary to understand the reality of our entry into this world, and Dr. Parsania does a fantastic job of opening the reader's eyes to the reality of our creation and existence in this world.

Dr. Parsania  then explains that just as the fall takes place, an ascent back to the higher realms, and God Himself, is possible, and begins to explain how such an ascent takes place. This ties in directly with the next chapter, in which Dr. Parsania explains that God is the true and real beloved of man, and that is that love of God which fuels the ascension back to Him. He gives a fantastic discussion of the different types of love, and explains the harms and benefits of each. I found this discussion extremely valuable and important, especially within our modern context in which there are so many "loves" and endless attractions everywhere we look.

The book ends with a more in-depth discussion of that polytheism means, and finally ends with an analysis of the "alienation" of modern man from his true reality and connection with God.

I cannot recommend and praise this work enough. It is one of the most enlightening reads I have ever experienced, and an incredibly valuable tool for anyone who, to borrow the words of Imam Ali, wishes to "know himself and His Lord."
153061
This book is well written, and essential when exploring the 'road less taken' in spiritual self-discovery.
1535053
The great spiritual master Ramana Maharshi has transformed the lives of many thousands of people worldwide, both before and after his passing sixty years ago. And yet Ramana's message comes to us today in books that can be daunting to read; his generosity and breadth of mind was such that he responded to questions from his inquirers and devotees in many different ways, each in line with the questioner's intentions and needs. The result is a sometimes confusing blend of complex Sanskrit terminology, straightforward response, indirection, and contradiction. (Ramana knew that the Truth is more vast than any formulation, and often his most powerful messages were delivered in silence.)

Cathy Rosewell Jonas' heartfelt book is not only a testament to her long and devoted spiritual search, it is one of the best ways in to Ramana's teaching that I know. She narrates her discovery of what the great saint's message is for her, and in the process clarifies many important elements of his teaching, especially the Heart (hridiya) and Self-Inquiry (atma-vichara, "Who Am I?") The clarification comes, as it should, not by the explanation of concepts, but in the process of telling the story of her discoveries, in America and India, as she does her best to dwell in the heart-space of love, and to rest in (not wrestle with) the great "Who am I?" inquiry. And her vivid stories of time spent on and near the holy mountain Arunachala are magical entry-points into this sacred landscape. I have been reading Ramana's transcribers and recorders for something like seven years, but it was this book that finally showed me the way into self-inquiry and into the Heart.

This is not a slickly written or slickly produced book. It is an honest attempt to communicate complex states of mind and aspiration, packed with stories that convey the reality of the spiritual search--hope, disappointment, ecstasy, error, discovery, devotion, and homecoming.
2464712
The Magical Union of East and West: The Spiritual Path to New Aeon Tantra makes much of the philosophies and practices of the Ordo Sunyata Vajra (OSV) widely available for the first time.  In this important work, the public is invited to learn about the OSVs groundbreaking approach to Thelema with a system that has been lovingly practiced by its members since 1999.  This system draws upon Eastern Tantrik magic and the authors own extensive background in various esoteric traditions.  Readers will be guided step-by-step into an exploration of the practice of New Aeon Tantra including preliminary practices, mantras, rites of dedication, purification, consecration, energization, invocation and more.  An invaluable gift of this book includes in-depth discussion of tools for attaining Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel and the discovery of your True Will.  In addition, the OSVs central public rite, the Diamond Sapphire Gem of Radiant Light, is included with extensive explanation and visualizations.  This book is sure to be an essential reference for all OSV members and an invitation to all who are interested in the crossroads between eastern and western esoteric traditions.
4393679
A vast treasure trove of deep knowledge and mystical thought
2695258
Children of Eden by Martin Hinde is a fascinating read, a book that explores the origin of humankind. Starting with the myth of Creation, with the story of Adam and Eve, the author follows a diligent path that unveils the mystery about who we are, demonstrating with known and available evidence, how we have evolved. The author states that we have been created with great spiritual prowess, but that our spiritual nature is bonded to a physical primate, making us some form of slaves to our physical bodies.

But the understanding of what we are made of can help us pierce the veil of mystery and access higher knowledge that can transform us, allowing us to embrace our spiritual dimension in its plenitude.  This is book with powerful insights about humanity, one that will appeal to those who want to explore spiritual themes as well as anthropologists and seekers of higher knowledge. This book contains knowledge that can transform the way we see ourselves and others.
4623600
I found this book in Mountain View, CA, within the library some years ago. Obscure and hidden, I began to read it, and could not put it down. This, like many books, were (I believe) divined to me. The information was a compilation, there was no actual Author (it is part of the clandestine Zarathustrian faith). It's hard to say where the information came from, but it is made available by those who know. I will be ordering my copy soon. Saadis life as a boy, and later the divine feminine influence, points at a world, which can only be seen/experienced through the eyes of purity. The hero's journey~
2827430
The world of ancient Egypt was home to a deep and richly intricate  spiritual tradition.  This is readily apparent in ancient Egyptian  iconography, but for most people, those arcane symbols remain a closed  book.  Lucy Lamy's book is a masterpiece that opens these ancient vaults of  wisdom to the modern reader.  I found extraordinary spiritual insights in  what I have previously seen as a dry and opaque tradition.  After the essay  in part one, part two ("Plates") and part three ("Themes") present images  with text explaining where they fit into Ms. Lamy's analysis.  Having read  the essay, the images made sense - I understood where they fit in this  elaborate mythological system.  If you have ever been captivated by, but  have failed to understand, Egyptian iconography, this is the perfect book  for you.  I also highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the  history of esoteric spiritual traditions.
257865
The quotes presented in this book are dream-like, conceptual; ultimately, valid since there is a sense of a source of unquestionable veracity.  They are presented in order so that the reader can absorb them at leisure and sip on them as one would a fine wine.  This is an important book, not just for the scholarly ontologist but also for those with a basic curiosity about existence.  It compels the reader to ponder being.  It's also a revelation at a most profound level.
4024662
A long sought book . . . a very important and practical book for all seeking and in contemplation
1311417
Seeds of Contemplation is a great gateway to Merton's many profound and enriching works on prayer and spirituality. It contains many short chapters which deal with the basics of the contemplative life - solitude and community, silence and words, consolations and dark nights, faith and doubt, etc. It is a helpful and essential guide for any who aspires to be a 'contemplative' - that is, to grow in the life of prayer and communion with God (and Merton would caution that we use this loaded word carefully). It clears the ground by explaining what contemplation is and is not, the unmasking of the false self, the place of solitude and silence vis-a-vis the community, the experiences of distractions and dryness and interacts with the traditional imageries of the 'living flame' and being 'touched by God' that one frequently encounters in the classical mystical writings (such as John of the Cross, Cloud of Unknowing). It really is an excellent introduction of the contemplative life for the beginners. Yet, he has said elsewhere too that if anyone desires to be a contemplative, let him not think of himself as anything else but a beginner!

This book is a combination of clarity and profundity and few books succeed in making sense of the contemplative life to the lay reader without making it sound either pedestrian or esoteric. The beauty with which it is written and the timeless quality of its counsels to people in every age that thirst for authenticity and a life of deepening union with God makes it an enduring classic.
365389
This slim volume is one of my favorites from Father Maloney, as it succinctly describes the theological rationale behind the Greek Fathers' theology of grace, which for them (and the Eastern Orthodox tradition) is the means by which humanity is united to divinity. Before you discount this as hokey pop-spirituality/transcendental meditation from the drug-laced 1960s, consider that for the Christian East the whole concept of salvation has always had at its root this sharing in the life of the Holy Trinity owing to the Incarnation, resurrection and sending of the Holy Spirit. This is what all dogma is fundamentally about: salvation as union with God in Christ (and the key to St. Paul's soteriology by the way). At a time when so many people are looking to eastern religions to fill the gap of spirituality that is missing in their lives, the rediscovery on a wider scale of the Orthodox tradition is sorely needed.

The author masterfully traces the theology of grace that has at its heart the incarnation and resurrection. Based upon this historical reality, the patristic notion of the unknowability of God is discussed as a revealed unknowing, not a mere agnostic acquiescence to a logical conundrum. Why this unknowing? Because God reveals Himself as unknowable. Yet by the very grace of God, the uncreated energies of God, we are able to participate in the Divine life, not as new members of the Trinity, but as humans redeemed in Christ, who deifies our nature as a new creation. The implications of this doctrine of grace extend into a renewed ecological awareness as well, placing humans as the bridge between God and the created world with a vocation of care and responsibility.

This book is not light reading, but it is the single best introduction to the Orthodox teaching of grace as participation in the life of God.

For a more detailed study, please see Vladimir Lossky's monumental&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Mystical-Theology-of-the-Eastern-Church/dp/0913836311/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church</a>.
224041
DiPerna's Streams of Wisdom makes an important contribution to religious studies and to our collective understanding of spirituality and awakening. The author does a good job of interpreting and synthesizing the work of Ken Wilber and Dan Brown, and brings much-needed clarity to several key distinctions and ideas from Integral Theory and research on human development. In particular, the way in which he unpacks the difference between state-stages and structure-stages is an important contribution, and could be very helpful to both meditators and scholars.

In addition to the conceptual clarity the book offers, it is important to note that this is not just an intellectual offering. It is clear that the underlying intention of the book is not simply philosophical or intellectual but practical and social. DiPerna is trying to help more people make progress in their efforts to understand and serve the world in a complex and crucial time, and I appreciate his ability to take sophisticated and esoteric content and translate it in a way that many people can access and digest. I hope that young people especially will find this book and use it as an entry point into deeper and broader pathways for their own growth and awakening.
3606927
Edith Hathaway has given the world a fascinating book! It is a significant work, rich and deep in relevance.  Starting with historical context and collective destiny, she provides an overview of the cycles, timing, and overarching themes of history and culture (especially 20th century to the present), revealing unmistakable threads that tie events and movements together. Sometimes these threads unveil the darker side of human nature, providing a disturbing -- but compelling -- look into particular historical events. The material is so skillfully presented that it pulls the reader effortlessly into each topic, and details once learned and perhaps forgotten are revealed in new light.

The chapter introducing Vedic astrology and philosophy provides insight into the spiritual nature of Vedic astrology.  Among the key concepts is Dharma - which in general describes "the harmony of the universe" and on a personal level is "one's true nature, one's rightful purpose, and the duties and responsibilities therein." The detailed biographies in the remaining chapters emphasize the importance of this right action and the subsequent fruits of karma. With insight, compassion, and masterful precision, Hathaway discusses the lives of various well-known individuals. She presents each one in a fashion that enlightens while holding a reader's attention. There are so many aspects and nuances of the signs and the planets that readers can gain further by comparing their own birth charts to the corresponding information in particular chapters.

In Search of Destiny is suitable for reading by a layperson; to that I can personally attest. Given its depth and the wealth of information, it's likely to be read, reread, and used as reference in this household. For the layperson, especially, I have found the glossary to be an invaluable tool.  But most of all, this book offers a lot to someone searching for meaning in this world and in this time.  I highly recommend this author's work, and I look forward to the publication of the companion volume.

Marie A., Atlanta, GA
342273
I was excited to read this book last year when I first heard about it and just now writing my review of it. This is a book that challenged my perspective of God in a healthy and much needed way! In Yawning at Tigers, Drew Dyck, has approached the gap between divine holiness and divine love by piercing the heart of American Christianity. Readers will leave both convicted and comforted as they encounter a fierce God on the prowl for his glory, who is closer than expected.

The title perfectly depicts the nature of the book. Yawning at Tigers: You Cant Tame God, So Stop Trying, presents God as a roaring tiger full of dangerous holiness and fierce love. However, Dyck writes that in our attempts to domesticate God, we totally miss him.

Theologically, Yawning at Tigers is a book about two paradoxical attributes of God. Dyck examines both Gods transcendence (his otherness) and his immanence (his closeness). God is dangerous, yes, but loving. Hes above and beyond our physical world, yet mysteriously present within itWe worship a God transcendent and immanent, other and intimate, high and lifted up yet closer than our own breath (11).

The book is divided into two major sections, which deal with each attribute respectively. Correctly, I believe, the author begins with Gods transcendence. In the first six chapters, Dyck shows us just how different God is from us. Gods holiness is expounded. In this section, the reader will feel a conviction similar to that of reading David Platts Radical.

I BELIEVE THAT NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE INVEST, FROM STAINED GLASS TO STROBE LIGHTS, WITHOUT AN APPRECIATION OF GODS HOLINESS, OUR WORSHIP IS FATED TO BE SUPERFICIAL AND, AT BEST, MOMENTARILY MOVING (47).

Dyck continuously calls out our attempts to tame the holy God Isaiah encountered in Isaiah 6. Instead of changing God to fit our mold, Dyck calls for reverent awe in the face of a holy God as the only proper response to God. In short, the first half of the book presents us with a God who is strange. Dyck argues that only when we see God as utterly far from us can we fully appreciate his nearness.