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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Alternative belief systems > Syncretist & eclectic religions & belief systems > General
'Required reading for anyone remotely curious about how they came
to be remotely curious' Observer 'Enthralling' Spectator What is
human consciousness and how is it possible? These questions
fascinate thinking people from poets and painters to physicists,
psychologists, and philosophers. This is Daniel C. Dennett's
brilliant answer, extending perspectives from his earlier work in
surprising directions, exploring the deep interactions of
evolution, brains and human culture. Part philosophical whodunnit,
part bold scientific conjecture, this landmark work enlarges themes
that have sustained Dennett's career at the forefront of
philosophical thought. In his inimitable style, laced with wit and
thought experiments, Dennett shows how culture enables reflection
by installing a profusion of thinking tools, or memes, in our
brains, and how language turbocharges this process. The result: a
mind that can comprehend the questions it poses, has emerged from a
process of cultural evolution. An agenda-setting book for a new
generation of philosophers and thinkers, From Bacteria to Bach and
Back is essential for anyone who hopes to understand human
creativity in all its applications.
"What if religions are neither all true nor all nonsense? "Alain
de Botton's bold and provocative book argues that we can benefit
from the wisdom and power of religion--without having to believe in
any of it.
He suggests that rather than mocking religion, agnostics and
atheists should instead steal from it--because the world's
religions are packed with good ideas on how we might live and
arrange our societies. De Botton looks to religion for insights
into how to build a sense of community, make relationships last,
overcome feelings of envy and inadequacy, inspire travel, get more
out of art, and reconnect with the natural world. For too long
non-believers have faced a stark choice between swallowing lots of
peculiar doctrines or doing away with a range of consoling and
beautiful rituals and ideas. "Religion for Atheists" offers a far
more interesting and truly helpful alternative.
Rudolf Steiner is perhaps best known for his influence and wisdom in the fields of education, agriculture, medicine, science, and art. It is often forgotten that it was as a spiritual teacher that he made these contributions. Unfortunately, while his immediate students had the advantage of Steiner as a personal guide to their inner lives, later readers have had only his written works to guide them. Steiner, however, did give a few lectures on inner development -- especially on beginning a path of practice. This book now collects these lectures -- some of which have never been in English -- for the first time. It also contains a number of the basic meditations and exercises shared by Steiner with his students. Here readers will find descriptions of various practical exercises, including exercises for the moral qualities that students must develop, and for the various qualities of consciousness that inner development requires. This book is not only for beginners. Wherever you are on the path, this book will be your companion.
'We have shown how in the course of time the being who was present
in Elijah appeared again at the most important moments of human
evolution on Earth - appeared again so that Christ Jesus Himself
could give him the initiation he was to receive for the evolution
of mankind. For the being of Elijah reappeared in Lazarus-John -
who are in truth one and the same figure ...' Thus spoke Rudolf
Steiner in his 'Last Address' to members of the Anthroposophical
Society. This was his first and only indication of the connection
between John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. As Prokofieff
points out, Steiner intended to develop and bring to full clarity
the short comment reproduced above, but his terminal illness
prevented him from doing so. In this brief but enlightening
booklet, Sergei O. Prokofieff addresses the mystery of the 'two
Johns', solving many unanswered questions. In particular, he throws
light on issues of 'incarnation and incorporation', the nature of
John the Baptist's and John the Evangelist's respective
initiations, the significance of their mutual work at the 'Turning
Point of Time', and its relevance to our present day.
Prokofieff draws on the whole extent of Rudolf Steiner's work and
combines it with his own original spiritual research to form an
intricate picture of the cosmic forces at play between Christmas
and Epiphany. We are led on a tour through the circle of the zodiac
and spiritual hierarchies, and shown how they form a path from
Jesus to Christ. The author further explains that the Starry Script
is a key to anthroposophical Christology, and shows how it relates
to the conception of the First Goetheanum. Prokofieff guides us
imaginatively through the interior of Steiner's architectural
masterpiece, destroyed by fire in 1922, whose structure and
decorations are seen to constitute a coherent esoteric map. Our
task now, he suggests, is to build the First Goetheanum in
ourselves and, through a new schooling of the self, strive for a
truly modern path of initiation. Supplementary essays focus on the
cosmic aspects of Sophia as well as the being of Michael.
Prokofieff's seminal study offers a rich source of inspiration for
those wishing to penetrate the mysteries of the Twelve Holy Nights
and their relation to spiritual beings.
'Barfield towers above us all... the wisest and best of my
unofficial teachers.' - C.S. Lewis --- 'We are well supplied with
interesting writers, but Owen Barfield is not content to be merely
interesting. His ambition is to set us free from the prison we have
made for ourselves by our ways of knowing, our limited and false
habits of thought, our "common sense".' - Saul Bellow --- Owen
Barfield - philosopher, author, poet and critic - was a founding
member of the Inklings, the private Oxford society that included
the leading literary figures C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Charles
Williams. C.S. Lewis, who was greatly affected by Barfield during
their long friendship, wrote of their many heated debates: 'I think
he changed me a good deal more than I him.' Simon Blaxland-de
Lange's biography - the first on Owen Barfield to be published -
was written with the active cooperation of Barfield himself who,
before his death in 1997, gave numerous interviews to the author
and shared a large quantity of his papers and manuscripts. The
fruit of this collaboration is a book that penetrates deeply into
the life and thought of one of the most important figures of the
twentieth century. It studies the influences on Barfield by the
Romantic poet Coleridge and the philosopher Rudolf Steiner (founder
of anthroposophy), and elaborates on Barfield's profound personal
connection with C.S. Lewis. The book also features a biographical
sketch in his own words (based on personally conducted interviews),
and describes Barfield's strong relationship with North America and
his dual profession as a lawyer and writer. This updated edition
features vital new material including Barfield's own 'Psychography'
from 1948 and an illustrative plate section.
Start Now! offers an extensive and representative sample of
Steiner's spiritual instructions and meditative practices,
including meditation instructions; mantric verses; daily, weekly
and monthly practices for the development of soul qualities; karmic
exercises and meditations for working with the dead, the angelic
hierarchies and our guardian angel. This is a unique volume in any
language. No one serious about spiritual practice--whether beginner
or advanced practitioner--should be without it!
There is a mental malaise creeping through the collective human
mindset. Mass psychosis is becoming normalized. It is time to break
free... One of the key problems facing human beings today is that
we do not look after our minds. As a consequence, we are unaware of
the malicious impacts that infiltrate and influence us on a daily
basis. This lack of awareness leaves people open and vulnerable.
Many of us have actually become alienated from our own minds,
argues Kingsley L. Dennis. This is how manipulations occur that
result in phenomena such as crowd behaviour and susceptibility to
political propaganda, consumerist advertising and social
management. Mass psychosis is only possible because humanity has
become alienated from its transcendental source. In this state, we
are prisoners to the impulses that steer our unconscious. We may
believe we have freedom, but we don't. Healing the Wounded Mind
discusses these external influences in terms of a collective mental
disease - the wetiko virus (Forbes), ahrimanic forces (Steiner),
the alien mind (Castaneda), and the collective unconscious shadow
(Jung). The human mind has been targeted by corrupt forces that
seek to exploit our thinking on a grand scale. This is the
`magician's trick' that has kept us captive within the social
systems that both distract and subdue us. In the first part of this
transformative book, the author outlines how the Wounded Mind
manifests in cultural conditioning, from childhood onwards. In the
second part, he examines how `hypermodern' cultures are being
formed by this mental psychosis and shaping our brave new world. In
an inspiring conclusion, we are shown the gnostic path to freedom
through connecting with the transcendental source of life.
God occupies our nation's consciousness, even defining to many what
it means to be American. Nonbelievers have often had second-class
legal status and have had to fight for their rights as citizens. As
R. Laurence Moore and Isaac Kramnick demonstrate in their sharp and
convincing work, avowed atheists were derided since the founding of
the nation. Even Thomas Paine fell into disfavor and his role as a
patriot forgotten. Popular Republican Robert Ingersoll could not be
elected in the nineteenth century due to his atheism, and the
suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton was shunned when she questioned
biblical precepts about women's roles. Moore and Kramnick lay out
this fascinating history and the legal cases that have questioned
religious supremacy. It took until 1961 for the Supreme Court to
ban religious tests for state officials, despite Article 6 of the
Constitution. Still, every one of the fifty states continues to
have God in its constitution. The authors discuss these cases and
more current ones, such as Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.,
which address whether personal religious beliefs supersede secular
ones. In Godless Citizens in a Godly Republic, the authors also
explore the dramatic rise of an "atheist awakening" and the role of
organizations intent on holding the country to the secular
principles it was founded upon.
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And Yet . . .
(Paperback)
Pedro A.Sandin- Fremaint; Foreword by Carter Heyward
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R260
R240
Discovery Miles 2 400
Save R20 (8%)
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Ships in 18 - 22 working days
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This collection of 14 articles, condensed and edited from
theosophical publications, is an invitation to inquirers to explore
and enjoy the depth and beauty of theosophy. The Theosophical
Society is dedicated to making universal brotherhood better
understood and more deeply felt in human hearts. Its philosophy,
drawn from the universal wisdom tradition of mankind, offers
timeless principles that stimulate intuitive knowing and cast light
on any question. These principles provide tools that can help
students discover truth within themselves and unlock the mysteries
of nature, fostering altruism and compassion for all beings.
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