Black Jack Herman

Eva turns 109 as seen on the Today Show 4/9/08.

Quote of the day: "When you've been buried alive, you're not looking forward to the real thing "

The premiere African-American magician of the twentieth century, he was an ardent freedom fighter speaking out against the scourge of Jim Crow-ism and conducting Algonquin style roundtables in his Harlem abode circa 1920's. Intriguingly, he warned people against banks and stocks before the advent of the Great Depression. He continued to entertain and enlighten throughout the crisis that followed. That is, until his mysterious death on stage in April 1934.

Steeped in details of its early twentieth-century setting, the manuscript offers a richly detailed look at the showmanship so popular during that era. In addition, it effectively conveys the mentality of the time, with prohibition, big-name gangsters, and the threat of national economic collapse looming always in the background. Ultimately, "Black Jack: A Drama of Magic, Mystery, and Legerdermain" also serves as a testament to the power of the human spirit, as readers may be struck not only by what Eva endures, but by how she endures it.

Helena Blavatsky's translations of three fragments of ancient Buddhist wisdom, sourced from texts such as The Book of Golden Precepts, are contained in this thought-provoking volume. A valiantly sought collection of sage advice and spiritual instruction, The Voice of the Silence offers readers advice on inner growth. Principally the text echoes the principles of Buddhism, advising readers to put aside personal desires and focus upon fostering the inner wealth of the soul to achieve a life of contentment. Blavatsky's book was published as part of her personal investigations into ancient wisdom pertaining to the human soul and reality. Her hunt turned up the formerly obscure fragments which she painstakingly translated. Although existing scholars generally poured cold water upon her efforts, which they considered a haphazard grouping of ancient precepts and mysticism, the reception was warmer among readers discovering the theosophist principles of spiritualism for the first time.

Supporting three wives, twelve children, and assorted relatives, Mohan Rai is a thoroughly modern man, convinced he's escaped an outmoded duty to follow his father as shaman to his Bhutanese village. But the gods and spirits, ancient protectors of the tribe, have other ideas.

Dishonored and vengeful, they enter his dreams and haunt his days, destroying his business, his health, his sanity, and finally, his freedom.

Based on Mohan's letters from prison, this true account by his first Western initiate will transform your worldview.

"Ellen's retelling of Mohan Rai's first-hand account of his shamanic apprenticeship in Bhutan is a valuable contribution to the preservation of this ancient knowledge." ―Michael Harner, Ph.D., author, "The Way of the Shaman and Founder, Foundation for Shamanic Studies"

"I was fascinated. Like "Autobiography of a Yogi," Mohan Rai's story shares much wisdom. Portraying his training from childhood in the ancient, mystical traditions of the shaman, this book brings a hopeful vision I will carry into my everyday life forever...a reminder of the mysteries that sustain our lives and how little we know of them. The message runs deep." ―Hal Zina Bennett, Ph.D., author, "Spirit Animals and the Wheel of Life: Earth-Centered Practices for Everyday Living"

This is a completely revised and enlarged edition of the well-known classic. In the twenty years since the previous edition was published much progress has been made in regard to the clinical concept of psychoanalysis, and this new edition brings the subject completely up to date. New knowledge of the psychoanalytic process has been added, together

The subject of destiny has attracted various explanations from diverse schools of thought. While some believe in and espouse the philosophy of predestination, others hold that man is the architect of his own destiny-and still others fail to believe in the concept at all. Even among those who believe in the concept of destiny, there is lack of consensus about its definition and its workings given the critical nature of the subject of destiny. There is a need for man to clearly understand and employ the knowledge in his journey from mortality to immortality.

In Have You Discovered Your Assignment with Destiny? author Anthony Ugochukwu Aliche thoroughly examines the concept of destiny and seeks to guides others to an understanding of how this important aspect of our existence functions.

The journey begins with Aliche's lamentation of man's inability to acknowledge and define his destiny with particular reference to his assignment with himself, his obligation with his environment, and his assignment with the Creator and the entire cosmos. He believes that life lived without discovering one's assignment with destiny is life lived without putting God first-and consequently a life tragically wasted. He opens our eyes to the fact that so many lives could make a quantum leap if only they could turn to God and nature for the discovery and manifestation of our destiny.

The world would be a better place if we all discovered that we have a role to play individually and collectively that we can only achieve if we strive to discover our assignment with destiny.

Preceding the time this essay was written in 1933-34, Kabbalah was considered taboo. But Rav Ashlag, the founder of The Kabbalah Centre, was a visionary pioneer. He stood in the face of opposition and made it his mission to plead the case of studying this wisdom. In advance of World War II, he foresaw that darkness would fall upon the world. He believed that learning Kabbalah was the only way for people to reveal Light. Like a revolutionary, fighting the status quo, Rav Ashlag fought for people to unlock their consciousness. He dedicated himself to revealing concealed aspects of the Bible and decoding the messages within. This essay was originally written as an introduction to The Study of the Ten Luminous Emanations -- one of the most difficult and yet profound kabbalistic texts. Edited by Michael Berg, the goal of this essay was to implore the study of Kabbalah. It was Rav Ashlag's belief that walking a kabbalistic path enabled people to find their true purpose and subsequently enjoy a life of fulfillment. This book gives insight into one of the greatest kabbalistic thought leaders of all time. The text is deep and complex. One of the most challenging aspects is the tone of urgency. As people were swept up in pain and suffering, Rav Ashlag tried to explain that despite outer events, the Creator is good. "Choosing life" means challenging the sleepy way most people live. It means forming a connection to God, removing ego and pursuing the spiritual path of Kabbalah. Although written many decades ago, the essays are timeless. The thoughts and messages within this text are what led to the formation of The Kabbalah Centre.

In the ever-recurring passage of the ages, as life, civilizations, cultures and humanity's awareness have evolved, a message has been eternally whispered in man's ear; a continuum of Divine Revelation has unfolded essential to the next pending chapter in the Book of Life, bearing a profound vision of mankind's spiritual heritage. The message contained in this Ageless Wisdom has been one of hope and promise; of a future fulfillment and the possibility of attaining an ecstatic, Unified State termed Heaven, Nirvana, Mecca or Paradise, awaiting mankind at the end of his spiritual journey. The Divine Knowledge (Gnosis) explored in the trilogy, One Solitary Life embodies the coordinates of the Path of man's evolution toward divinity, leading to the attainment of man's Spiritual Legacy; union with the Divine. This Book One of the trilogy, The Vision the Journey and The Quest, begins the unfolding of an arcane teaching whose origin is lost in antiquity, and yet is profoundly relevant today. It sets the stage for an exploration of the nature of man's soul and its pilgrimage, by addressing the spiritual principles that have been handed down throughout the ages in the form of the world's varied religions and philosophies. It speaks to the "Mysteries" that are at the heart of Creation. It puts into context and bold relief the role Christianity and the rest of the world's religions have played in this unfolding cosmic scenario and explores their contradictions and inequities. One Solitary Life, starting with the pristine arcane teaching that has perennially given birth to diverse religions and philosophies; each competing for man's mind and heart, and each professing an absolute interpretation andstewardship of life's inherent meaning; explores the Universal Verities that are the heart and soul of all true religious discourse. It journeys in Book Two through comprehensive levels of metaphysical reality and arrives, in Book Three, at the ultimate consummation of the mystical Path of Light, as personified by Christ.