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Books > Mind, Body & Spirit > The Occult > General
Paul Foster Case was an American occultist of the early 20th
century and author of numerous books on occult tarot and Qabalah.
Perhaps his greatest contributions to the field of occultism were
the lessons he wrote for associate members of Builders of the
Adytum. The Knowledge Lectures given to initiated members of the
Chapters of the B.O.T.A. were equally profound, although the
limited distribution has made them less well known. Case was early
on attracted to the occult. While still a child he reported
experiences that today are called lucid dreaming. He corresponded
about these experiences with Rudyard Kipling who encouraged him as
to the validity of his paranormal pursuits. In the year 1900, Case
met the occultist Claude Bragdon while both were performing at a
charity performance. Bragdon asked Case what he thought the origin
of playing cards was. After pursuing the question in his father's
library, Case discovered a link to tarot, called 'The Game of Man,
' thus began what would become Case's lifelong study of the tarot,
and leading to the creation of the B.O.T.A. tarot deck, a
"corrected" version of the Rider-Waite cards. Between 1905 and 1908
(aged 20-24), Case began practicing yoga, and in particular
pranayama, from what published sources were available. His early
experiences appear to have caused him some mental and emotional
difficulties and left him with a lifelong concern that so called
"occult" practice be done with proper guidance and training.
The Art of Darkness is a visually rich sourcebook featuring
eclectic artworks that have been inspired and informed by the
morbid, melancholic and macabre. Throughout history, artists have
been obsessed with darkness - creating works that haunt and
horrify, mesmerise and delight and play on our innermost fears.
Gentileschi took revenge with paint in Judith Slaying Holofernes
while Bosch depicted fearful visions of Hell that still beguile.
Victorian Britain became strangely obsessed with the dead and in
Norway Munch explored anxiety and fear in one of the most famous
paintings in the world (The Scream, 1893). Today, the Chapman
Brothers, Damien Hirst and Louise Bourgeois, as well as many lesser
known artists working in the margins, are still drawn to all that
is macabre. From Dreams & Nightmares to Matters of Mortality,
Depravity & Destruction to Gods & Monsters - this book
introduces sometimes disturbing and often beautiful artworks that
indulge our greatest fears, uniting us as humans from century to
century. But, while these themes might scare us - can't they also
be heartening and beautiful? Exploring and examining the artworks
with thoughtful and evocative text, S. Elizabeth offers insight
into each artist's influences and inspirations, asking what comfort
can be found in facing our demons? Why are we tempted by fear and
the grotesque? And what does this tell us about the human mind? Of
course, sometimes there is no good that can come from the
sensibilities of darkness and the sickly shivers and sensations
they evoke. These are uncomfortable feelings, and we must sit for a
while with these shadows - from the safety of our armchairs.
Artists covered include Pablo Picasso, Georgia O'Keeffe, Francisco
de Goya, Leonora Carrington, John Everett Millais, Tracey Emin,
Vincent van Gogh, Barbara Hepworth, Paul Cezanne and Salvador Dali,
as well as scores more. With over 200 carefully curated artworks
from across the centuries, The Art of Darkness examines all that is
dark in a bid to haunt and hearten. This book is part of the Art in
the Margins series, following up on The Art of the Occult, which
investigates representations of the mystical, esoteric and occult
in art from across different times and cultures.
Fresh from his latest escapade, the benevolent spirit known as Bean
is back in a new endeavor. But this time he is faced with what
could be the end of humanity as we know it ...After his successful
intervention in the life and family of an autistic child, Bean
meets up with an acquaintance from the past. Called Leader, this
acquaintance is the entity-in-charge for billions of blood-sucking
creatures. He's also on the verge of changing his lifestyle,
leaving his plasmaholic followers in need of management. Leader
turns to Bean for help. But in their quest, Leader and Bean meet
the epitome of evil in the cradle of Western civilization: Lili-It,
and her henchman, Whoever. This duo wants nothing less than the
complete annihilation of civilization in preparation for the
rebirth of immorality. It falls upon Bean and Leader to thwart
those insidious plans. Together, with a cadre of determined allies,
both human and spirit, Bean and Leader prepare to meet Lili-It in a
final conflict, where a fusion of physical and spiritual forces
join in a place called Armageddon. And in this battle, there can be
only one winner ...P AX expands the boundaries of human imagination
and creates an intriguing and altogether fascinating alternate
world.
In her book she ties to share psychic truths in simple stories
about a group of kids in the Karma Klub. She presents the
experiences she's had and read about in an interesting group of
books; book one gives the reader a cast of characters who's lives
intertwine through history and experiences together, that weave a
story of friendship, suspense, love and psychic truths that stand
the tests of time.
The Heart is the meeting place of the individual and the divine,
the inner ground of morality, authenticity, and integrity. The
process of coming to the Heart and of realizing the person we were
meant to be is what Carl Jung called 'Individuation'. This path is
full of moral challenges for anyone with the courage to take it.
Using Jung's premise that the main causes of psychological problems
are conflicts of conscience, Christina Becker takes the reader
through the philosophical and spiritual aspects of the ethical
dimensions of this individual journey toward wholeness. This book
is a long overdue and unique contribution to the link between
individuation and ethics. Christina Becker, M.B.A. is a
Zurich-trained Jungian Analyst in private practice in Toronto,
Ontario Canada.
The Witness of the Stars stands as one of the best explanations of
the constellations in the context of Biblical wisdom. This edition
includes all of E. W. Bullinger's original charts and illustrations
of the heavens above. To compose this book, E. W. Bullinger used
his Biblical scholarship alongside research of the origins of the
astronomical constellations. He demonstrates, through a close
reading of the Old and New Testaments, how each of the star signs
relates to the Bible's stories. Gradually, it is revealed how God
makes himself known to us through the Bible's astronomy. The
symbolism of the star signs are shown as important in the Bible.
Their presence in verse relates not simply to their appearances,
such as Libra's scales or Aries as a ram, but also the way in which
Biblical figures behave after looking at the heavens for guidance.
The Book of Job is highlighted by Bullinger for being significantly
influenced by the stars.
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