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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Religious experience > Mysticism
As one of the world's most loved poets, Rumi's poems are celebrated
for their message of love and their beauty, but too often they are
stripped of their mystical and spiritual meanings. The Gift of Rumi
offers a new reading of Rumi, contextualising his work against the
broader backdrop of Islamic mysticism and adding a richness and
authenticity that is lacking in many Westernized conceptions of his
work. Author Emily O'Dell has studied Sufism both academically, in
her work and research at Harvard, Columbia, and the American
University of Beirut, and in practice, learning from a Mevlevi
master and his whirling dervishes. She weaves this expertise
throughout The Gift of Rumi, sharing a new vision of Rumi's classic
work. At the heart of Rumi's mystical poetry is the "religion of
love" which transcends all religions. Through his majestic verses
of ecstasy and longing, Rumi invites us into the religion of the
heart and guides us to our own loving inner essence. The Gifts of
Rumi gives us a key to experiencing this profound and powerful
invitation, allowing readers to meet the master in a new way.
This book comprises responses by a Sufi master, Hadrat Sahib of the
Naqshbandi tradition, to letters written by students of the master.
The questions posed in these letters cover a wide range of issues
including, financial problems, health issues, family matters,
education and bereavement. The advice given by the master reveals a
deep spirituality which places the particular student's problem in
context and details a specific method of offering oneself to God at
all times. It is difficult to find such detail relating to
spiritual practices in Sufi literature. These letters are
inspirational and timeless. They provide a cure to a world
dominated by materialism and all its attendant miseries.
This is an astrology book about the planets in the houses. Clear
descriptions explain the actions of ten planets in each of the
twelve astrological houses that relate to the main areas of life
including money, family, relationships and work. The talents and
abilities that a person may take for granted but, with awareness
could develop further, are described for each planetary placement.
By understanding that challenges are learning opportunities a
person may be able to cope with them better. Spiritual perspectives
suggest what the soul may be learning from daily experiences and
how the spirit of a person is striving to attain its highest
aspirations. The book is straightforward and easy to follow. It can
be used like a textbook by student astrologers and may assist
experienced astrologers to consider a more spiritual way of looking
at horoscopes.
The Holy Quran presents an irrefutable basis and belief system for
the establishment of a stable and harmonious life in this world,
and a triumphant return to Paradise in the Next. There are
misunderstandings about the very source-springs of human well-being
the belief in the spiritual realities of existence, the infinite
love for the Holy Messenger, and the unity regarding the
implementation of the divinely revealed programme for human
society.Young people all over the world, Muslim as well as
non-Muslim, are brought up and educated in an environment permeated
by scientific materialism. It is modern learning which programmes
their minds and causes them to reject anything they find
incompatible with what they have been taught about man and life on
the earth. This book will clarify the misunderstandings and
confusions about Islamic spirituality on scientific
grounds.Scientific orthodoxy refers to magnetic sensitivity in
human beings, electromagnetic energies that permeate our
atmosphere, the flow of positive and negative ions in the
atmosphere affecting human brain activity, the function of the
pineal gland and many other empirical sources of transcendent
experience that are yet to be investigated. This magnetic energy
basis of spiritual experience, which the scientific camp has been
forced into revealing, has proved to be a welcome development of
modern science from the point of view of Islamic spirituality.The
younger generation of modern times will have their belief
reconfirmed by the study of the scientific facts cited in this
book. The scientific reality of Islamic spirituality is
demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt.
Internationally renowned motivational teacher and popular
theologian Caroline Myss has created a transcendent work of unique
insight and revelation in Entering the Castle. A highly original
inner path to self-knowledge, the Castle is also the road to
spiritual knowledge of God and your own soul. In fact the soul is
your spiritual castle and doing interior soul work helps you find
your path in the world.
Teresa of Avila's vision of the soul as a beautiful crystal
castle with many mansions, and many rooms within those mansions, is
the template for this modern spiritual journey on which you meet
different aspects of your self and spirit and prepare for the
ultimate encounter with God and your own divinity. Seven stages of
intense practices and methods of spiritual inquiry develop your
personal powers of prayer, contemplation, and intuition, which in
turn reinforce your interior castle and build a soul of strength
and stamina.With stories and inspiration from mystics of all
traditions, Entering the Castle is a comprehensive guide for the
journey of your life -- a journey into the center of your soul.
There, peace, God, and a fearless joy wait for you to discover
them...and claim them for your own.
From the earliest centuries there has existed a Christian theology
of mysticism, defining the state which Bernard Lonergan called a
"being in love with God." St. John of the Cross wrote such a
theology for the sixteenth century, calling it "the science of
love." Now, William Johnston, one of the great spiritual writers of
our time, attempts to do the same for the twenty-first century.
In Part One of Mystical Theology Johnston surveys Christian
mysticism through the centuries. Johnson shows that such a theology
today must dialogue with modern science and with Eastern religions.
Part Two provides this dialogue, where Johnston engages Einstein's
theories as well as Zen Buddhism. In Part Three, it becomes clear
how the "science of love" is no longer an esoteric discipline for
monks and nuns. In Johnston's writing it becomes accessible to all
modern people grappling with problems of sexuality, social justice,
world peace, and the protection of the environment.
Mystical Theology is indispensable to all those seeking guidance
as well as intellectual and historical foundations of the Christian
mystical experience today.
"Lash is capable of explaining the mind-bending concepts of
Gnosticism and pagan mystery cults with bracing clarity and
startling insight. . . . [His] arguments are often lively and
entertaining."-Los Angeles Times Fully revised and with a new
preface by the author, this timely update is perfect for readers of
The Immortality Key. Since its initial release to wide acclaim in
2006, Not in His Image has transformed the lives of readers around
the world by presenting the living presence of the Wisdom Goddess
as never before revealed, illustrating that the truth of an
impactful Gnostic message cannot be hidden or destroyed. With
clarity, author John Lamb Lash explains how a little-known
messianic sect propelled itself into a dominant world power,
systematically wiping out the great Gnostic spiritual teachers, the
Druid priests, and the shamanistic healers of Europe and North
Africa. Early Christians burned libraries and destroyed temples in
an attempt to silence the ancient truth-tellers and keep their own
secrets. Not in His Image delves deeply into ancient Gnostic
writings to reconstruct the story early Christians tried to scrub
from the pages of history, exploring the richness of the ancient
European Pagan spirituality-the Pagan Mysteries, the Great Goddess,
Gnosis, the myths of Sophia and Gaia. In the 15th Anniversary
Edition, Lash doubles down on his original argument against
redemptive ideology and authoritarian deceit. He shows how the
Gnostics clearly foresaw the current program of salvation by
syringe, and places the Sophianic vision of life centrally in the
battle to expose and oppose the evil agenda of transhumanism,
making this well-timed update more relevant than ever. "Sometimes a
book changes the world. Not in His Image is such a book. It is
clear, stimulating, well-researched, and sure to outrage the
experts. . . . Get it. Improve not just your own life, but
civilization's chances for survival."-Roger Payne, author of Among
Whales
It's not so long ago that a woman's expressed interest in other
realms would have ruined her reputation, or even killed her. And
yet spiritualism, in various incarnations, has influenced numerous
men - including lauded modernist artists such as Wassily Kandinsky,
Piet Mondrian, Kazimir Malevich and Paul Klee - without
repercussion. The fact that so many radical women artists of their
generation - and earlier - also drank deeply from the same
spiritual well has for too long been sorely neglected. In THE OTHER
SIDE, we explore the lives and work of a group of extraordinary
women, from the twelfth-century mystic, composer and artist
Hildegard of Bingen to the nineteenth-century English spiritualist
Georgiana Houghton, whose paintings swirl like a cosmic Jackson
Pollock; the early twentieth-century Swedish artist, Hilma af
Klint, who painted with the help of her spirit guides and whose
recent exhibition at New York's Guggenheim broke all attendance
records; the 'Desert Transcendentalist', Agnes Pelton, who painted
her visions beneath the vast skies of California; the Swiss healer,
Emma Kunz, who used geometric drawings to treat her patients; and
the British surrealist and occultist, Ithell Colquhoun, whose
estate of more than 5,000 works recently entered the Tate gallery
collection. While the individual work of these artists is unique,
the women loosely shared the same goal: to communicate with, and
learn from, other dimensions. Weaving in and out of these myriad
lives, sharing her own memories of otherworldly experiences,
Jennifer Higgie discusses the solace of ritual, the gender
exclusions of art history, the contemporary relevance of myth, the
boom in alternative ways of understanding the world and the impact
of spiritualism on feminism and contemporary art. A radical
reappraisal of a marginalised group of artists, THE OTHER SIDE is
an intoxicating blend of memoir, biography and art history.
The complete work of the Entered Apprentice, Fellow-craft and
Master-mason's Degrees, with their ceremonies, lectures, etc. It
has doubtless been a matter of comment and surprise among the
Members of the Fraternity that all the books which are avowedly
intended to serve as guides to the Work of a Lodge invariably
contain more or less than their professed object demands. They are
usually deficient in the very points that may be most needed,
rendering the use of a separate Monitor unavoidable; while, on the
other hand, they include a great deal of information on matters
with which every Mason is necessarily perfectly familiar, and which
it is neither needful nor desirable to be communicated to the
uninitiated. It has been the aim of the Compiler of this little
volume to avoid both these defects: first, by omitting all
Passwords, Grips, and other esoteric subjects; and second, by
giving the Work of the first three degrees monitorially as well as
ritually complete, in plain language for ready reference, and
entirely free from the tedious perplexities of cypher or other
arbitrary and unintelligible contractions.
Discover the essential power of the seven chakras, including their
colors, sounds, and key rituals, in this beautifully illustrated
mini guidebook. Get to know your seven energy centers -- muladhara,
svadisthana, mapura, anahata, vishuddha, ajna, and sahasrara --in
this enchanted introduction to the world of chakras. From the
earthiness of the root chakra to the warmth of the solar plexus,
explore the body's energetic focal points and bring balance to your
wellness practice. Gain inspiration as you learn the crystals,
essential oils, and meditations that activate and calm each chakra
in the full-color, illustrated mini book.
The headlines are filled with the politics of Islam, but there
is another side to the world's fastest-growing religion. Sufism is
the poetry and mysticism of Islam. This mystical movement from the
early ninth century rejects worship motivated by the desire for
heavenly reward or the fear of punishment, insisting rather on the
love of God as the only valid form of adoration. Sufism has made
significant contributions to Islamic civilization in music and
philosophy, dance and literature. The Sufi poet Rumi is the
bestselling poet in America. But in recent centuries Sufism has
been a target for some extremist Islamic movements as well as many
modernists. The Garden of Truth presents the beliefs and vision of
the mystical heart of Islam, along with a history of Sufi saints
and schools of thought.
In a world threatened by religious wars, depleting natural
resources, a crumbling ecosystem, and alienation and isolation,
what has happened to our humanity? Who are we and what are we doing
here? The Sufi path offers a journey toward truth, to a knowledge
that transcends our mundane concerns, selfish desires, and fears.
In Sufism we find a wisdom that brings peace and a relationship
with God that nurtures the best in us and in others.
Noted scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr helps you learn the secret
wisdom tradition of Islam and enter what the ancient mystics call
the "garden of truth." Here, liberate your mind, experience peace,
discover your purpose, fall in love with the Divine, and find your
true, best self.
Ibn al-'Arabi (d. 1240) was one of the towering figures of Islamic
intellectual history, and among Sufis still bears the title of
al-shaykh al-akbar, or "the greatest master." Ibn al-'Arabi and
Islamic Intellectual Culture traces the history of the concept of
"oneness of being" (wahdat al-wujud) in the school of Ibn al-
'Arabi, in order to explore the relationship between mysticism and
philosophy in Islamic intellectual life. It examines how the
conceptual language used by early mystical writers became
increasingly engaged over time with the broader Islamic
intellectual culture, eventually becoming integrated with the
latter's common philosophical and theological vocabulary. It
focuses on four successive generations of thinkers (Sadr al-Din
al-Qunawi, Mu'ayyad al-Din al-Jandi, 'Abd al-Razzaq al-Kashani, and
Dawud al-Qaysari), and examines how these "philosopher-mystics"
refined and developed the ideas of Ibn al-'Arabi. Through a close
analysis of texts, the book clearly traces the crystallization of
an influential school of thought in Islamic history and its place
in the broader intellectual culture. Offering an exploration of the
development of Sufi expression and thought, this book will be a
valuable resource for students and scholars of Islamic thought,
philosophy, and mysticism.
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