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Books > Health, Home & Family > Mind, body & spirit > The Occult > General
Here is a clear and lucid exposition of the Profane Mysteries, the
Lesser or Lunar Mysteries, and the Greater or Solar Mysteries.
These are presented in terms of 1) the popular ideas in occultism,
such as the Solar Myth, the belief that the Anglo-Americans are the
ten lost tribes of Israel, and the speculation that Shakespearean
plays were written by Francis Bacon, 2) the established doctrines
of an age-old esotericism, concerning such matters as transmutation
or the elixir of life, adepts or Masters of Wisdom with miraculous
powers, and man's destiny as charted through karma and
reincarnation, and 3) the organization of all existence and
experience on a Pythagorean basis of number, a Platonic structure
of operational concepts, and an Aristotelian organization through
functional or pragmatic logic.
The history of occult origins and developments is given
considerable detail, together with a thorough account of the
various schools of thought and points of view. Bibliographical
references are unusually full, and over 100 pages of glossary
provides a complete orientation in both Western and Eastern
terminology.
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"
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.
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.
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.
A SPIRITUAL FEAST Even as the moth is drawn to self-immolation in
the brightness of the candle's flame, so is the spirit of the
mystic drawn to self-immolation as it soars to the Sun of its own
being. The earth ceases to exist and the heavens grow ever
brighter. Words are tattered beyond repair and the spirit becomes
one with the living Flame of Love. Such is the ecstasy and the
passion as the mystic reaches ever deeper into the mysterious
Source of all. Once triumphant in the journey, the realized souls
moved by compassion, return to assist others in the upward path.
Individually commissioned as the need arises, they come into the
prison of this world as ambassadors of Truth. All of us are
mystics, but man is an unrealized mystic due to preoccupation with
the gifts of this world and his blind ignorance of the Divine
Giver. We have become saturated with the world, but the true goal
of life is to become saturated with the Divine and return to that
home we left so long ago. Royal has been a student at a number of
schools of esoteric and mystical teachings in Canada, America,
Europe, and the Far East. He states, "Reading these writings of
mine are like dipping your toe at the water's edge along the shore
of the Ocean of Love for one brief moment; may you be brave enough
to dive to the depths." Royal L. Craig
The Book of Baruch is a Bible pseudepigrapha; a deuterocanonical
work attributed to Baruch ben Neriah, the scribe of the prophet
Jeremiah. The Assumption of Moses is a Jewish apocryphal work
concerning hidden prophecies that Moses revealed to Joshua prior to
the latter inheriting his leadership of the ancient Jews. Together
these works constitute typical examples of popular Biblical texts
which are extra-canonical; most Christian and Jewish groups do not
regard their contents as true. Their origins are definitively
proven to be several centuries after the time they purport to be
from. However, theological scholars have expressed some interest,
particularly given the time and context of the writing; being as
these pseudepigrapha are old texts, they themselves carry value.
This edition contains a lengthy, explanatory introduction by W. O.
E. Oesterley, and the well-regarded translations of Bible scholars
R. H. Charles (for Baruch) and William John Ferrar (for Moses).
In Whispers of the Goddess, Carole Anzolletti has compiled an
amazing account of how the Divine whispers among the plainest parts
of our lives. Interested in everything that is born and reborn,
unattached, unique, and provoking, she will darken as well as
illuminate you with the views and thoughts contained in her poetry
and prose. Inspired to reinvent herself and forge a way that worked
for her, Whispers of the Goddess became the scaffold she needed to
build to continue on her creative writing path. "There are soft,
subtle voices that ask us to listen for our own messages and sift
through our own feelings and beliefs to see what it is we are
faithful to and grateful for. We can cultivate, through writing,
this communication with the whole universe in a sacred and centered
way. The words will come to save you, to help you " Whispers of the
Goddess reveals thoughts sculpted by the love of so much in and of
this universe. Carole shares an interesting view of the world
around her, spiritually, emotionally, and genuinely. Her work has
been described as inspiring, deep and raw with truth. "The muse is
always there, waiting to be heard, a voice so silent with power.
The words that come through will be universally understood.
Inspiration walks hand in hand with the animated leaf that scurries
alongside us. The peculiar feeling of sadness on the spray of the
sea. The way the full moon lights up the face of the ocean,
reminding us how very small we really are. We want to do what we
love without the fear of being judged. Everything springs forward
from there."
This book is an investigation into the sphere of production and use
of two related bilingual magical handbooks found as part of a
larger collection of magical and alchemical manuscripts around 1828
in the hills surrounding Luxor, Egypt. Both handbooks, dating to
the Roman period, contain an assortment of recipes for magical
rites in the Demotic and Greek language. The library which
comprises these two handbooks is nowadays better known as the
Theban Magical Library.
The book traces the social and cultural milieu of the composers,
compilers and users of the extant spells through a combination of
philology, sociolinguistics and cultural analysis. To anybody
working on Greco-Roman Egypt, ancient magic, and bilingualism this
study is of significant importance.
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