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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Alternative belief systems > Syncretist & eclectic religions & belief systems > Gnosticism
Spiritual practice is essential to the Johannite tradition, and
this book will show you how to begin. Using the framework of the
Logos Service, the quintessential Johannite practice, you will
learn the basic techniques of many different types of prayer,
meditation, contemplation, asceticism, and esoteric practice from a
Johannite perspective. Whether you attend mass regularly at a
Johannite parish, or if you live far from one, you will find a
practice or two that will help guide you on the path to Gnosis.
This Is A New Release Of The Original 1922 Edition.
At the age of forty, Ethel, who grew up in Los Angeles, California,
decided to take possession of her true name, Hannah-the name on her
Israeli birth certificate. To make a little ceremony of it, she
asked the bishop of an esoteric storefront Gnostic church in
Hollywood to baptize her. Without preconception or preparation, she
found herself pulled into a world of early Christian myths and
symbols. The "dreamtime" world that engulfed her after this baptism
became her guidance, as marriage and family disintegrated. As
Hannah, she was drawn up through church sacraments from a suburban
life she'd never wanted to live, through a mystical initiation she
never asked for, which culminated in ordination to the Gnostic
priesthood. But that attainment was not the conclusion. Hannah
Rappaport's memoir of this journey is mystical and pragmatic,
heartbreaking and healing. "I am mesmerized by Hannah's story. When
a Jewish woman can be utterly transformed by her encounter with an
ancient Christian Wisdom Way, and still honor her roots, there is
hope for peace on earth. Hannah Rappaport is a living example of
the power of the interspiritual life. Highly recommended." Mirabai
Starr, Author of GOD OF LOVE: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism,
Christianity & Islam "Hannah Rappaport's uniquely beautiful and
accomplished tale of spiritual transformation will serve as
guidance and inspiration for those who hear the call of the
transcendent in their own lives." Sean Murphy, Author of: Hope
Valley Hubcap King, Time of New Weather, The Finished Man, One Bird
One Stone
Early Heresiological Works Against the Gnostics
The world of Jesus and the early Christians swarmed with prophets
and exorcists, holy men and healers, who invoked angels and demons,
gods and ghosts. Magic in Christianity: From Jesus to the Gnostics
explores that world through the surviving texts of the first
Christians and their pagan and Jewish contemporaries. Ecstatic
spirit possession, handing opponents over to Satan, sending demons
into swine, striking others dead on the spot by pronouncing curses,
using articles of clothing and parts of corpses to perform magical
healing and exorcism, invoking ghosts and angels for
protection-these are all ancient Christian practices described in
the New Testament, explained in detail by early Christian writers,
and preserved by Christian amulets. Pagans and Jews accused Jesus
and his followers of practicing magic and Christians accused one
another of sorcery. Both pagan and early orthodox writers describe
the rituals of the Gnostic sects in detail, including the magical
passwords required to cross through the gates of the lower heavens.
Magic in Christianity: From Jesus to the Gnostics examines evidence
from the New Testament, the first Christian apologists, early
apocryphal works, curse tablets and amulets to reconstruct the
apocalyptic magical world of Jesus and the first Christians.
From the time of the founding of the Hermetic Order of the Golden
Dawn, over a hundred years ago, there has been a continued and
increasing interest in ancient Egyptian spirituality. Brian Brown's
book, written in 1923, is a wonderfully insightful study of the
Religion and Philosophy of this ancient people, revealing the
astonishing depth and subtlety of the Egyptian world-view. His work
covers such diverse topics as Creation myths and sun-gods, through
the hymns of the 'Book of the Dead', to Hermetic Philosophy and
Egyptian Magic. An invaluable overview of this fascinating subject
that will be of unfailing interest to all those drawn to esoteric
and occult matters.
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