Recent decades have seen a revival of paganism, and every summer people gather across the United States to celebrate this increasingly popular religion. Sarah Pike's engrossing ethnography is the outcome of five years attending neo-pagan festivals, interviewing participants, and sometimes taking part in their ceremonies. "Earthly Bodies, Magical Selves" incorporates her personal experience and insightful scholarly work concerning ritual, sacred space, self-identity, and narrative. The result is a compelling portrait of this frequently misunderstood religious movement.
Neo-paganism began emerging as a new religious movement in the late 1960s. In addition to bringing together followers for self-exploration and participation in group rituals, festivals might offer workshops on subjects such as astrology, tarot, mythology, herbal lore, and African drumming. But while they provide a sense of community for followers, Neo-Pagan festivals often provoke criticism from a variety of sources--among them conservative Christians, Native Americans, New Age spokespersons, and media representatives covering stories of rumored "Satanism" or "witchcraft."
"Earthly Bodies, Magical Selves" explores larger issues in the United States regarding the postmodern self, utopian communities, cultural improvisation, and contemporary spirituality. Pike's accessible writing style and her nonsensationalistic approach do much to demystify neo-paganism and its followers.

Christian Approaches to Other Faiths is divided along the same lines as the textbook(9780334041146). In the first section, readings are divided according to the sub-sections, providing at least one reading for each, with those paradigms which have been more influential, receiving most attention. Importantly a number of readings will also be given critical of the approach in question. The second section contains at least two readings per section, both adopting a different way of understanding that faith. This provides a positive and negative attitude to the faith in question, or highlights the work of two influential commentators. While the emphasis is on contemporary works, important historical readings are included. A short introduction to each text means that, like the Core Text, the work can be used as a stand alone text.

When the eclipse has passed off, they should bathe with their clothes on, and those who are householders should distribute gifts according to their ability. Other persons (who have no worldly means) should engage in the worship of the supreme Lord (Vish.nu).

Revised and Expanded The Vedic Prophecies take you to the end of time This is the first book ever to present the unique predictions found in the ancient Vedic texts of India. These prophecies are like no others and will provide you with a very different view of the future and how things fit together in the plan for the universe. Now you can discover the amazing secrets that are hidden in the oldest spiritual writings on the planet. Find out what they say about the distant future, and what the seers of long ago saw in their visions of the destiny of the world. This book will reveal predictions of deteriorating social changes and how to avoid them; future droughts and famines; low-class rulers and evil governments; whether there will be another appearance (second coming) of God; and predictions of a new spiritual awareness and how it will spread around the world. You will also learn the answers to such questions as: Does the future get worse or better? Will there be future world wars or global disasters? What lies beyond the predictions of Nostradamus, the Mayan prophecies, or the Biblical apocalypse? Are we in the end times? How to recognize them if we are. Does the world come to an end? If so, when and how? Now you can find out what the future holds. The Vedic Prophecies carry an important message and warning for all humanity, which needs to be understood now

The problem of the universe has never offered the slightest difficulty to Chinese philosophers. Before the beginning of all things, there was Nothing. In the lapse of ages Nothing coalesced into Unity, the Great Monad. After more ages, the Great Monad separated into Duality, the Male and Female Principles in nature; and then, by a process of biogenesis, the visible universe was produced.

"A wonderful story of a modern woman's journey from worldly pursuits - fame, fortune, love - to initiation into an ancient, sacred traditional lineage of Hindu monks. How Jeanette O'Shea becomes Swamini Nityananda on the banks of Ganges in a city where sooner or later all freedom seekers come."
Mary Lou (Meya) Miller

From a life of privilege, of luxury yachts, Gucci t-shirts and Louis Vuitton handbags, newspaper journalist Jeanette O'Shea left it all for a Himalayan hermitage, and ultimately initiation into the sacred order of Vedic monks. This is a story of the world's most ancient and profound teachings, its teachers and the rare few who come to listen. This is an insight into life as a sadhu, one who leaves everything to plumb the spiritual depths in a bid to know the secrets of the soul.

1927. By the study of Yoga, darkness or ignorance is replaced by light, and undesirable tendencies are eliminated and by degrees man becomes the master. This book claims to develop the individual to a Master within the shortest possible time. It provides daily automatic practice of these systems which enable an individual to develop even while busily engaged at his occupation.

1912. A system of Culture, including Soul Culture, Health Culture, and the Natural Method for Rejuvenation of the Body of Man and the Consequent Regeneration of his whole Being and the Immortalization of the Soul.

1927. By the study of Yoga, darkness or ignorance is replaced by light, and undesirable tendencies are eliminated and by degrees man becomes the master. This book claims to develop the individual to a Master within the shortest possible time. It provides daily automatic practice of these systems which enable an individual to develop even while busily engaged at his occupation.

In a circular valley beneath the looming peaks of the Himalaya lies Kathmandu, Nepal. It's a city of shimmering prayer flags, sacred cows, lavish festivals, and violent political turbulence and a world that journalist Jeff Greenwald has come to call home.Snake Lake unfolds during 1990's dramatic  people power" uprising against Nepal's long-entrenched monarchy. The story follows Greenwald as he wins the friendship of a high lama who reveals the pillars of Tibetan Buddhism; embarks on a passionate romance with a spunky but curiously unlucky news photographer; and discovers what democracy means to rural Nepali citizens all while covering the revolution for a major American newspaper. Meanwhile, back in the U.S., Greenwald's brilliant but troubled younger brother descends into a deepening depression. The author is forced to choose between witnessing Nepal's long-overdue revolution and reconnecting with an alienated brother in desperate need of help.Snake Lake is primarily a memoir (though the roles of several characters have been recast). Focused on the life-changing events that unfolded during one calamitous spring, the book weaves a vivid tapestry of Buddhism, revolution, and the often serpentine paths to personal liberation.

The Life-story And Teaching Of The Greatest Poet-Saint Ever To Appear In The History Of Buddhism.

Tao Te Ching is the cornerstone of the Philosophical Taoism, and is one of the defining books to both, the Chinese Buddhism and Religious Taoism. This workbook contains all the teachings and poems in this classic without the numbers that were added only after the creation of the original Tao Te Ching by scholars, and as it encourages the readers to write their interpretations of the teachings, the books creates a deep contemplative atmosphere for readers, and gives writing tips to enforce the creative process when filling the spaces for interpretations. This is a book for all those who seek deeper understanding on the nature of Tao, in the spirit of the universal human a part of the demystified series.

"The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name. (Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth; (conceived of as) having a name, it is the Mother of all things. Always without desire we must be found, if its deep mystery we would sound; but if desire always within us be, its outer fringe is all that we shall see. Under these two aspects, it is really the same; but as development takes place, it receives the different names. Together we call them the Mystery. Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful."

We'll Find the Place tells the fascinating story of the Mormons' exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois, to their New Zion in the West - a story of a people's deliverance that has never before been completely told.Following the journey of the original pioneer camp of 1847 to the Salt Lake Valley and concluding with the first conference of the church there in 1848, Richard E. Bennett shows the inner workings of the Mormon exodus by probing the minds and hearts of those who suffered and triumphed through this remarkably difficult hour in Latter-day Saint history. A work many years in the making, We'll Find the Place looks behind the scenes to reveal Mormonism on the move, its believers sacrificing home, comfort, and sometimes life itself as they sought a safe refuge beyond the Rocky Mountains. It is faithful both to the convictions of the early pioneers and to the records they kept.

This book is the definitive text on the transforming power of yoga. Swami Vivekananda was recognized as an enlightened master with great wisdom. The spiritual aspects of yoga are entirely covered, along with the eight stages that are used, and the correct approach to general and advanced meditation practices. Other subjects include discipleship, reincarnation, concentration, and powers of the mind. The first half of the book is a guidebook, while the second half contains the Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali. These sutras are valued by yoga practitioners and others because of the great wisdom they share. Was written from a practical perspective, meaning the author has experienced these things and shares his methods, rather than having researched and written it from an academic view.

My Vision; I Again Meet the Master; Hardwar; In the Jungle we met Monkeys; The Cave of Nasik; The Cave of Bagh; Hastinapur; Badrinath; Kandarnath; Mansrawar Lake; Muktinath; Lhatse; The Temple Poratat Sanga.

1862. One of the first attempts at the translation of the treasures of Oriental Hymnology of the Eastern Church.

By the study of Yoga, darkness or ignorance is replaced by light, and undesirable tendencies are eliminated and by degrees man becomes the master. This book claims to develop the individual to a Master within the shortest possible time. It provides daily automatic practice of these systems which enable an individual to develop even while busily engaged at his occupation.

A system of Culture, including Soul Culture, Health Culture, and the Natural Method for Rejuvenation of the Body of Man and the Consequent Regeneration of his whole Being and the Immortalization of the Soul.

Collected here in one edition are two of the most important books on the Samurai Way, Bushido: The Soul of Japan and The Book of Five Rings. Bushido: Chivalry is a flower no less indigenous to the soil of Japan than its emblem, the cherry blossom; nor is it a dried-up specimen of an antique virtue preserved in the herbarium of our history. It is still a living object of power and beauty among us. The Book of Five Rings: There are various Ways. There is the Way of salvation by the law of Buddha, the Way of Confucius governing the Way of learning, the Way of healing as a doctor, as a poet teaching the Way of Waka, tea, archery, and many arts and skills. Generally speaking, the Way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.