Pistis Sophia is an important Gnostic text. It relates the Gnostic teachings of the transfigured Jesus to the assembled disciples including his mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Martha. Pisti Sophia recounts that Jesus remained on earth after the resurrection for 11 years. In it the complex structures and hierarchies of heaven familiar in Gnostic teachings are revealed.

Rav Michael Laitman's words on "Shamati" (as appeared in "Attaining the Worlds Beyond"): 'Among all the texts and notes that were used by my teacher, Rabbi Baruch Shalom Halevi Ashlag (the Rabash), there was one, special notebook he always carried. This notebook contained transcripts of his conversations with his father, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Halevi Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), author of the "Sulam" (Ladder) commentary on "The Book of Zohar", "The Study of the Ten Sefirot" (a commentary on the texts of the Kabbalist, Ari), and many other works on Kabbalah.'Not feeling well on the Jewish New Year in September 1991, the Rabash summoned me to his bedside and handed me the notebook, whose cover contained only one word - 'Shamati' (I Heard). As he handed me the notebook, he said, 'Take it and learn from it'. The following morning, my teacher perished in my arms, leaving me and many of his disciples without guidance in this world'. Committed to Rabash's legacy to disseminate the wisdom of Kabbalah, Michael Laitman published the notebook just as it was written, thus retaining the text's transforming powers. Among all the books of Kabbalah, "Shamati" is a unique and compelling composition.

He was called "the greatest of all mystical theologians" by spiritual teacher Thomas Merton. And when St. John of the Cross was proclaimed to be a Doctor of the Church, Pope Pius XI praised his work as "a guide and handbook for the man of faith who proposes to embrace a life of perfection." The writings of the pious Carmelite priest, as well as those of St. Teresa of Avila, are regarded as the peak of Spanish mysticism. This remarkable guide to the spiritual life stands as his most popular work.
Imprisoned in Toledo during the sixteenth century, St. John wrote about his spiritual struggles with a unique poetic vision, illuminating a path for the faithful to grow closer to God. He believed that a spiritual union was open to us, but not before experiencing the confusion and despair of a dark night of the soul. Yet John's words are uplifting, lyrical, and filled with hope for any soul who aspires to the Divine union. By emptying ourselves of earthly distractions--memory, will, and sensual desires--we can make room for the pure light of God's grace. A primer to his "Dark Night of the Soul, " this acclaimed translation will resonate with modern pilgrims searching for wisdom.

The Divine Will; Mystical Awakening; Agnostic and the Mystic; Logic of the Supernatural; The Mystical Mood; Going in t the Silence; Invisible Powers; The Fusion of Spirit and Matter His Miraculous Progress; A Prophetic Witness; Lincoln's Simplicity and Clairvoyant Wit; A Prophetic Vision of Hades; Shakespeare and Lincoln; A Prophecy Fulfilled; The Ordinances of Heaven; Lincoln's Face; The Great Debate; Forecasting and Premonitions; Illumination of the Spirit; Tycho Brahe an Lincoln; The Great Books; Veneration and Truth; The Great Puzzle.

This long-awaited companion volume to "The Literature of the Sages," First Part (Fortress Press, 1987) brings to completion Section II of the renowned Compendia series. The Literature of the Sages, Second Part, explores the literary creation of thousands of ancient Jewish teachers, the often- anonymous Sages of late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Essays by premier scholars provide a careful and succinct analysis of the content and character of various documents, their textual and literary forms, with particular attention to the ongoing discovery and publication of new textual material. Incorporating groundbreaking developments in research, these essays give a comprehensive presentation published here for the first time. This volume will prove an important reference work for all students of ancient Judaism, the origins of Jewish tradition, and the Jewish background of Christianity. The literary creation of the ancient Jewish teachers or Sages - also -called rabbinic literature - consists of the teachings of thousands of Sages, many of them anonymous. For a long period, their teachings existed orally, which implied a great deal of flexibility in arrangement and form. Only gradually, as parts of this amorphous oral tradition became fixed, was the literature written down, a process that began in the third century C.E. and continued into the Middle Ages. Thus the documents of -rabbinic literature are the result of a remarkably long and complex process of creation and editing. This long-awaited companion volume to 'The Literature of the Sages, First Part' (1987) gives a careful and succinct analysis both of the content and specific nature of the various documents, and of their textual andliterary forms, paying special attention to the continuing discovery and publication of new textual material. Incorporating ground-breaking developments in research, these essays give a comprehensive presentation published here for the first time. 'The Literature of the Sages, Second Part' is an important reference work for all students of ancient Judaism, as well as for those interested in the origins of Jewish tradition and the Jewish background of Christianity.

C. S. Lewis is generally thought of as a commonsense Christian, one who offers theology that is understandable and morality that is practical. And yet, when writing about Narnia to a class of fifth graders who asked if it were possible to visit Aslan's country, Lewis replied that the only way he knew of was through death but then added this curious qualifier: "Perhaps some very good people get just a tiny glimpse before then." This simple sentence suggests a side of Lewis that most commentators have overlooked. If one takes another look at Lewis, one can find a sense of the mystical all through his writings, from his memoir Surprised by Joy to Perelandra, from his nonfiction essays to his Narnia stories. In this book David C. Downing explores the breadth of Lewis's writing, introducing us to Christian mysticism as Lewis knew it and to the contemplative writers who most influenced him. Though he showed a lifelong interest in mysticism, Lewis was not an uncritical admirer. As Downing highlights, Lewis had areas of concern and points of departure with some mystical thought. Lewis's comments about misguided forms mysticism are especially pertinent in our own era of faddish or eclectic religious thought. Exploring Lewis's sense of the mystical can help us safeguard ourselves from false mysticisms even as it opens the way to a deep and full experience of God's very presence with us. In the end we too may find ourselves drawn--as Lewis put it--"into the region of awe."

Contained within this volume is the first part of "Abandonment to Divine Providence" by Jean-Pierre De Caussade, a treatise on the practice of total abandonment to Divine Providence, or in other words, completely giving yourself over to God's will. A spiritual classic, "Abandonment to Divine Providence" will delight readers of all faiths as they discover the spiritual guidance that this volume has to offer.

The paradise or gardens of the holy Fathers being histories of the anchorites, recluses, monks, coenobites and ascetic fathers of the deserts of Egypt between A.D. 250 and A.D. 400 compiled by Athanasius Archbishop of Alexandria, Palladius Bishop of Helenopolis, Saint Jerome and others.

"My heart wandered through the world
constantly seeking after my cure,
but the sweet and delicious water of life
had to break through the granite of my heart."

When the words of Rumi enter your heart, something softens, breaks, and is subtly reborn. That he wrote the words seven hundred years ago in a medieval Persian world that bears little resemblance to ours makes their uncanny resonance to us today just that much more remarkable. Here is a treasury of daily wisdom from this most beloved of all the Sufi masters--both his prose and his ecstatic poetry--that you can use to start every day for a year, or that you can dip into for inspiration any time you need to break through the granite of your heart.

Life is a Pilgrimageis an inspiring and thought provoking selection of the

discourses sent by Sufi teacher Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan to his students

from 1983 to 2004. In these pages he offers spiritual guidance and insight

on world affairs, meditation and everyday life, science and faith,

psychology and addiction, freedom and creativity, mastery and service,

leadership, death and resurrection.

"Pir Vilayat's brilliant understanding and his embodiment of that lovely,

hilarious, grieving, courageous, magnificent mystery called Sufism, or the

lineage of the Sufi masters, was and is a great gift to Western

Civilization." -Coleman Barks, poet and translator of Rumi

"Pir Vilayat was an elegant writer as well as a captivating speaker. But

his genius lay in transcending boundaries - cultural, philosophical, and

religious - and 'thinking like the universe'." -Yoga Journal

Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan (19 June 1916 - 17 June 2004) was the eldest son

of Sufi Murshid Hazrat Inayat Khan and Ora Ray Ba

This book explores a series of powerful artifacts associated with King Solomon via legendary or extracanonical textual sources. Tracing their cultural resonance throughout history, art historian Allegra Iafrate delivers exciting insights into these objects and interrogates the ways in which magic manifests itself at a material level. Each chapter focuses on a different Solomonic object: a ring used to control demons; a mysterious set of bottles that constrain evil forces; an endless knot or seal with similar properties; the shamir, known for its supernatural ability to cut through stone; and a flying carpet that can bring the sitter anywhere he desires. Taken together, these chapters constitute a study on the reception of the figure of Solomon, but they are also cultural biographies of these magical objects and their inherent aesthetic, morphological, and technical qualities. Thought-provoking and engaging, Iafrate's study shows how ancient magic artifacts live on in our imagination, in items such as Sauron's ring of power, Aladdin's lamp, and the magic carpet. It will appeal to historians of art, religion, folklore, and literature.

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.

Ein anonymer Autor hat im letzten Viertel des 14. Jahrhunderts in England Schriften zur geistlichen Theologie verfasst, fur die sich in der Forschung der Arbeitstitel "Cloud-Gruppe" eingeburgert hat. In den sieben Werken dieser in mittelenglischer Sprache verfassten Textgruppe bringt der Autor ein mystisches Wissen zur Sprache, mit dessen Hilfe man sich in die Fahigkeit zur mystischen Einungserfahrung einuben und den Weg dorthin deuten und verstehen kann. Im Buch von Steinmetz wird dieses mystische Wissen mit dem zentralen Thema der mystischen Einungserfahrung erhoben und dargestellt."

Negative emotions have much to teach us about ourselves and our relationships with others and the world at large. In "The Kabbalah of Envy, "Rabbi Nilton Bonder draws on the wisdom of the Talmud, Hasidic tales, and Jewish mystical lore in presenting insights into the effects of envy, jealousy, hatred, and anger. He shows that whether we are on the giving or the receiving end of these unpleasant emotions, we can learn to transform them and live peacefully in the spirit of the biblical commandment "Love your neighbor as yourself." Among the topics discussed are: the consequences of malicious gossip, slander, and insults
cultivating humility as the middle path between pride and lack of self-
esteem
learning to rejoice in the happiness and success of others
knowing when it's better "not "to be nice
the proper way to correct or criticize others
living with ill-will and avoiding fights
forgiveness and reconciliation
turning your enemy into your best friend

ANAG, VOCABULARIO LUCUM (El Yoruba que se habla en Cuba.) Lydia Cabrera

"The Scandal of Kabbalah" is the first book about the origins of a culture war that began in early modern Europe and continues to this day: the debate between kabbalists and their critics on the nature of Judaism and the meaning of religious tradition. From its medieval beginnings as an esoteric form of Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah spread throughout the early modern world and became a central feature of Jewish life. Scholars have long studied the revolutionary impact of Kabbalah, but, as Yaacob Dweck argues, they have misunderstood the character and timing of opposition to it.

Drawing on a range of previously unexamined sources, this book tells the story of the first criticism of Kabbalah, "Ari Nohem," written by Leon Modena in Venice in 1639. In this scathing indictment of Venetian Jews who had embraced Kabbalah as an authentic form of ancient esotericism, Modena proved the recent origins of Kabbalah and sought to convince his readers to return to the spiritualized rationalism of Maimonides.

"The Scandal of Kabbalah" examines the hallmarks of Jewish modernity displayed by Modena's attack--a critical analysis of sacred texts, skepticism about religious truths, and self-consciousness about the past--and shows how these qualities and the later history of his polemic challenge conventional understandings of the relationship between Kabbalah and modernity. Dweck argues that Kabbalah was the subject of critical inquiry in the very period it came to dominate Jewish life rather than centuries later as most scholars have thought.

This distinctive comparison of Islamic and Christian mysticism focuses on the mystic journey in the two faith traditions - the journey which every believer must make and which leads to the Divine. The author clears away misconceptions and highlights similarities and differences in the thought and lives of six key mystics: Al-Kalabadhi, Al-Daylami, Al-Qushayri, Julian of Norwich, Thomas A. Kempis and Teresa of Avila. He considers the ways of Perfection on the Mystic Path and asks in what ways these authors have embarked on the mystic journey. He looks at the themes they have in common, as well as their differences, and asks how they envisage the concept of 'union' with the Deity. Readers will gain a broad understanding of the interdisciplinary and intertextual nature of the subject, as well its the diverse intellectual and historical contexts. Key Features Highly interdisciplinary: embraces both Eastern and Western mystical traditions Surveys themes as diverse as secular chivalry and union with the Divine Examines the role of al-Khidr/ al-Khadir/ Elijah/ Elias/ St George in both the Islamic and Christian mystical traditions Considers the negative and positive articulations of each tradition Assesses and compares three major Islamic and three major Christian mystics A companion volume to Islam, Christianity and Tradition: A Comparative Exploration by Ian R. Netton (978 0 7486 2392 1)

"The Scandal of Kabbalah" is the first book about the origins of a culture war that began in early modern Europe and continues to this day: the debate between kabbalists and their critics on the nature of Judaism and the meaning of religious tradition. From its medieval beginnings as an esoteric form of Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah spread throughout the early modern world and became a central feature of Jewish life. Scholars have long studied the revolutionary impact of Kabbalah, but, as Yaacob Dweck argues, they have misunderstood the character and timing of opposition to it.

Drawing on a range of previously unexamined sources, this book tells the story of the first criticism of Kabbalah, "Ari Nohem," written by Leon Modena in Venice in 1639. In this scathing indictment of Venetian Jews who had embraced Kabbalah as an authentic form of ancient esotericism, Modena proved the recent origins of Kabbalah and sought to convince his readers to return to the spiritualized rationalism of Maimonides.

"The Scandal of Kabbalah" examines the hallmarks of Jewish modernity displayed by Modena's attack--a critical analysis of sacred texts, skepticism about religious truths, and self-consciousness about the past--and shows how these qualities and the later history of his polemic challenge conventional understandings of the relationship between Kabbalah and modernity. Dweck argues that Kabbalah was the subject of critical inquiry in the very period it came to dominate Jewish life rather than centuries later as most scholars have thought.

Sefer ha-Zohar (The Book of Radiance) has amazed readers ever since it emerged in medieval Spain over seven hundred years ago. Written in lyrical Aramaic, this masterpiece of Kabbalah exceeds the dimensions of a normal book; it is virtually a body of mystical literature, comprising over twenty discrete sections. The bulk of the Zohar consists of a mystical interpretation of the Torah, from Genesis through Deuteronomy. This seventh volume of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition consists of commentary on more than half the book of Leviticus. How does the Zohar deal with a biblical text devoted largely to animal sacrifices, cereal offerings, and priestly ritual? Here these ancient laws and procedures are spiritualized, transformed into symbols of God's inner life, now that both the Desert Tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem no longer exist. For example, the ascent offering, which was totally consumed on the altar, is known in Hebrew as olah (literally, "that which ascends"). In the Zohar, this symbolizes Shekhinah, last of the ten sefirot (divine potencies), who ascends to unite with Her beloved, the blessed Holy One. The biblical narrative describes how two of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, offered alien fire before YHVH and were immediately consumed in a divine blaze. Rabbinic tradition suggested various reasons why they were killed: they lacked the proper priestly garments, or had not washed their hands and feet, or were drunk, or were not married. For the Zohar, marriage enables one to imitate the divine union of male and female energies, and to stimulate that union above. By not marrying, Nadab and Abihu remained incomplete and unfulfilled. According to a related Zoharic passage, their ritual act failed because in their contemplation of the divine qualities they did not include Shekhinah. Without Her, God is incomplete.

Hasidism is one of the most important religious and social movements to have developed in Eastern Europe, and the most significant phenomenon in the religious, social and cultural life of the Jewish population in Eastern Europe from the eighteenth century up to the present day. Innovative and multidisciplinary in its approach, Hasidism: Key Questions discusses the most cardinal features of any social or religious movement: definition, gender, leadership, demographic size, geography, economy, and decline. This is the first attempt to respond those central questions in one book. Recognizing the major limitations of the existing research on Hasidism, Marcin Wodzinski's Hasidism offers four important corrections. First, it offers anti-elitist corrective attempting to investigate Hasidism beyond its leaders into the masses of the rank-and-file followers. Second, it introduces new types of sources, rarely or never used in research on Hasidism, including archival documents, Jewish memorial books, petitionary notes, quantitative, and visual materials. Third, it covers the whole classic period of Hasidism from its institutional maturation at the end of the eighteenth century to its major crisis and decline in wake of the First World War. Finally, instead of focusing on intellectual history, the book offers a multi-disciplinary approach with the modern methodologies of the corresponding disciplines: sociology and anthropology of religion, demography, historical geography and more. By combining some oldest, central questions with radically new sources, perspectives, and methodologies, Hasidism: Key Questions will provide a radically new look at many central issues in historiography of Hasidism, one of the most important religious movements of modern Eastern Europe.