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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Alternative belief systems > Syncretist & eclectic religions & belief systems

Esalen (Paperback): Jeffrey J. Kripal Esalen (Paperback)
Jeffrey J. Kripal
R524 Discovery Miles 5 240 Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Jeffrey Kripal here recounts the spectacular history of Esalen, the institute that has long been a world leader in alternative and experiential education and stands today at the center of the human potential movement. Forged in the literary and mythical leanings of the Beat Generation, inspired in the lecture halls of Stanford by radical scholars of comparative religion, the institute was the remarkable brainchild of Michael Murphy and Richard Price. Set against the heady backdrop of California during the revolutionary 1960s, "Esalen" recounts in fascinating detail how these two maverick thinkers sought to fuse the spiritual revelations of the East with the scientific revolutions of the West, or to combine the very best elements of Zen Buddhism, Western psychology, and Indian yoga into a decidedly utopian vision that rejected the dogmas of conventional religion. In their religion of no religion, the natural world was just as crucial as the spiritual one, science and faith not only commingled but became staunch allies, and the enlightenment of the body could lead to the full realization of our development as human beings.
"An impressive new book. . . . [Kripal] has written the definitive intellectual history of the ideas behind the institute."--"San Francisco"" Chronicle"
"Kripal examines Esalen's extraordinary history and evocatively describes the breech birth of Murphy and Price's brainchild. His real achievement, though, is effortlessly synthesizing a dizzying array of dissonant phenomena (Cold War espionage, ecstatic religiosity), incongruous pairings (Darwinism, Tantric sex), and otherwise schizy ephemera (psychedelic drugs, spaceflight) into a cogent, satisfyingly completenarrative."--"Atlantic Monthly""" "Kripal has produced the first all-encompassing history of Esalen: its intellectual, social, personal, literary and spiritual passages. Kripal brings us up-to-date and takes us deep beneath historical surfaces in this definitive, elegantly written book."--"Playboy"

God Is Not Great - How Religion Poisons Everything (Paperback): Christopher Hitchens God Is Not Great - How Religion Poisons Everything (Paperback)
Christopher Hitchens 3
R519 R393 Discovery Miles 3 930 Save R126 (24%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

In the tradition of Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris's recent bestseller, The End of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case
against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos. With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope's awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry
of the double helix.

How Do I Find the Christ? (CD): Rudolf Steiner How Do I Find the Christ? (CD)
Rudolf Steiner; Read by Peter Bridgmont
R157 Discovery Miles 1 570 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

How does one find the Christ today? Rudolf Steiner emphasizes the importance of striving for self-knowledge, the significance of experiencing powerlessness, and the eventual resurrection from powerlessness. In this important lecture he also speaks about the ancient Academy of Gondishapur, the significance of the year 666, the mission of Islam, as well as the crucial consequences of the Ecumenical Council of 869. This audio, single CD editions, complete and unabridged, is read by respected actor and speech teacher Peter Bridgmont, author of Liberation of the Actor.

Kingdom of Agarttha - A Journey into the Hollow Earth (Paperback): Marquis Saint-Yves D'alveydre Kingdom of Agarttha - A Journey into the Hollow Earth (Paperback)
Marquis Saint-Yves D'alveydre
R469 R245 Discovery Miles 2 450 Save R224 (48%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

First English translation of the book that introduced the realm of Hollow Earth
- Explores the underground world of Agarttha, sometimes known as Shambhala, a realm that is spiritually and technologically advanced beyond our modern culture
- One of the most influential works of 19th-century occultism
- Written by the philosopher who influenced Papus, Rene Guenon, and Rudolf Steiner
The underground realm of Agarttha was first introduced to the Western world in 1886 by the French esoteric philosopher Alexandre Saint-Yves d'Alveydre with his book "Mission de l'Inde," translated here for the first time into English. Saint-Yves's book maintained that deep below the Himalayas were enormous underground cities, which were under the rule of a sovereign pontiff known as the Brahatma. Throughout history, the "unknown superiors" cited by secret societies were believed to be emissaries from this realm who had moved underground at the onset of the Kali-Yuga, the Iron Age.
Ruled in accordance with the highest principles, the kingdom of Agarttha, sometimes known as Shambhala, represents a world that is far advanced beyond our modern culture, both technologically and spiritually. The inhabitants possess amazing skills their above ground counterparts have long since forgotten. In addition, Agarttha is home to huge libraries of books engraved in stone, enshrining the collective knowledge of humanity from its remotest origins. Saint-Yves explained that the secret world of Agarttha, and all its wisdom and wealth, would be made available for humanity when Christianity and all other known religions of the world began truly honoring their own sacred teachings.

Paths and Goals of the Spiritual Human Being - Life Questions in the Light of Spiritual Science (Paperback): Rudolf Steiner Paths and Goals of the Spiritual Human Being - Life Questions in the Light of Spiritual Science (Paperback)
Rudolf Steiner
R580 Discovery Miles 5 800 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Speaking to audiences in Denmark, Germany and France, Rudolf Steiner discusses a wide range of topics: from positive and negative human soul capacities, true self-knowledge and karma, to changes in human consciousness, from ancient times to the modern era - all in the context of the incarnation of Christ on earth. The lectures illustrate the diversity of Steiner's approach when speaking to different audiences. Reflecting on the polymath Novalis, for example, he is urgent about the responsibility of spiritual science to help humanity awaken to the new age. A few months later, talking of Hegel and deploring the fact that an interest in spiritual matters often fails to be accompanied by an equal interest in logical thought, Steiner uses a dispassionate, philosophical tone. But throughout the lectures he is consistent in his view that spiritual science does not reject conventional science. Trained philosophical thinking leads to different conclusions than materialism, he says, but there is nothing in the field of spiritual science that need be rejected by rigorous scientific thought. Although the lectures were given to a variety of audiences, ideas recur from different perspectives and in different contexts, with strong thematic links binding them together. These include the relationship between philosophy and science; the nature of clairvoyance; Christ's presence in the etheric realm; reincarnation and karma; the mystery drama The Portal of Initiation; Christmas and its symbols; and the transformation of consciousness that occurred when Christ incarnated physically on earth. In the final lectures, Rudolf Steiner speaks inspiringly about the Christmas festival, contrasting the feeling of inwardness that people used to experience with the hectic cultural environment of modern cities. However, this does not lead Steiner to be nostalgic about the past. Rather, he states, we should seek to recreate a mood of inwardness in a new way, appropriate to our modern age and consciousness. These lectures give us the tools to bring such a contemporary spiritual approach to our lives.

The Indigo Children - New Age Experimentation with Self and Science (Paperback): Beth Singler The Indigo Children - New Age Experimentation with Self and Science (Paperback)
Beth Singler
R1,151 Discovery Miles 11 510 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The Indigo Child concept is a contemporary New Age redefinition of self. Indigo Children are described in their primary literature as a spiritually, psychically, and genetically advanced generation. Born from the early 1980s, the Indigo Children are thought to be here to usher in a new golden age by changing the world's current social paradigm. However, as they are "paradigm busters", they also claim to find it difficult to fit into contemporary society. Indigo Children recount difficult childhoods and school years, and the concept has also been used by members of the community to reinterpret conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and autism. Cynics, however, can claim that the Indigo Child concept is an example of "special snowflake" syndrome, and parodies abound. This book is the fullest introduction to the Indigo Child concept to date. Employing both on- and offline ethnographic methods, Beth Singler objectively considers the place of the Indigo Children in contemporary debates around religious identity, self-creation, online participation, conspiracy theories, race and culture, and definitions of the New Age movement.

The Legacy of Demetrius of Alexandria 189-232 CE - The Form and Function of Hagiography in Late Antique and Islamic Egypt... The Legacy of Demetrius of Alexandria 189-232 CE - The Form and Function of Hagiography in Late Antique and Islamic Egypt (Paperback)
Maged Mikhail
R1,236 Discovery Miles 12 360 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

This is the first full-length study of Demetrius of Alexandria (189-232 ce), who generated a neglected, yet remarkable hagiographic program that secured him a positive legacy throughout the Middle Ages and the modern era. Drawing upon Patristic, Coptic, and Arabic sources spanning a millennium, the analysis contextualizes the Demetrian corpus at its various stages of composition and presents the totality of his hagiographic corpus in translation. This volume constitutes a definitive study of Demetrius, but more broadly, it provides a clearly delineated hagiographic program and charts its evolution against a backdrop of political developments and intercommunal interactions. This fascinating study is a useful resource for students of Demetrius and the Church in Egypt in this period, but also for anyone working on Early Christianity and hagiography more generally.

Exploring New Monastic Communities - The (Re)invention of Tradition (Paperback): Stefania Palmisano Exploring New Monastic Communities - The (Re)invention of Tradition (Paperback)
Stefania Palmisano
R1,263 Discovery Miles 12 630 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Examining the recent radical re-invention of monastic tradition in the everyday life of New Monastic Communities, Exploring New Monastic Communities considers how, growing up in the wake of Vatican II, new Catholic communities are renewing monastic life by emphasizing the most innovative and disruptive theological aspects which they identify in the Council. Despite freely adopting and adapting their Rule of Life, the new communities do not belong to pre-existing orders or congregations: they are gender-mixed with monks and nuns living under the same roof; they accept lay members whether single, married or as families; they reject enclosure; they often limit collective prayer time in order to increase time for labour, evangelization and voluntary social work; and are actively involved in oecumenical and interreligious dialogue, harbouring thinly-veiled sympathy with oriental religions, from which they sometimes adopt beliefs and practices. Offering unique sociological insights into New Monastic Communities, and shedding light on questions surrounding New Religious Movements more generally, the book asks what 'monastic' means today and whether these communities can still be described as 'monastic'.

The Ways Out - Utopian Communal Groups in an Age of Babylon (Hardcover): John R. Hall The Ways Out - Utopian Communal Groups in an Age of Babylon (Hardcover)
John R. Hall
R3,047 Discovery Miles 30 470 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

A comparative analysis of both secular and religious communal groups in contemporary America, this study, originally published in 1978, shows that contemporary communalists stand in relation to collectivism much the same as early Protestants stood in relation to individualism - as the self-proclaimed pioneers of the new age. There is great diversity among communal groups, a diversity which is found to stem from alternative orientations towards time and alternative assumptions about the cognitive status of the social world. The author has made use of a phenomenologically derived typological framework to organize the data he has obtained through living in and visiting a number of communal groups. Within this framework, Alfred Schutz's 'mundane' phenomenology and Max Weber's interpretive sociology are employed as ways of approaching the situated sociology of knowledge in various communal groups. Six ideal types of communal groups are described: the commune, the intentional association, the community, the warring sect, the other-worldly sect and the ecstatic association. Two of these types - the intentional association and the community - are identified as participants' efforts to demonstrate 'worldly utopian' models for the reconstruction of society at large.

Knowing Beyond Knowledge - Epistemologies of religious experience in classical and modern Advaita (Paperback): Thomas A... Knowing Beyond Knowledge - Epistemologies of religious experience in classical and modern Advaita (Paperback)
Thomas A Forsthoefel
R1,029 Discovery Miles 10 290 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

This title was first published in 2002. This book builds on contemporary discussion of 'mysticism' and religious experience by examining the process and content of 'religious knowing' in classical and modern Advaita. Drawing from the work of William Alston and Alvin Plantinga, Thomas Forsthoefel examines key streams of Advaita with special reference to the conditions, contexts, and scope of epistemic merit in religious experience. Forsthoefel uniquely employs specific analytical categories of contemporary Western epistemologies as heuristics to examine the cognitive dimension of religious experience in Indian Vedanta. Showing the developing nuances in the analysis of religious experience in the thought of Shankara and his immediate disciples (Suresvara and Padmapada) as well as in the teaching of Ramana Maharshi, an understudied but important South Indian saint of the 20th century, this book offers a substantial contribution to studies of Indian philosophy as well as to contemporary philosophy of religion. Using the tools of exegesis and comparative philosophy, Forsthoefel argues for a careful justification of claims following religious experience, even if such claims involve, as they do in the Advaita, a paradoxical 'knowing beyond knowledge'.

Irenaeus of Lyons and the Mosaic of Christ - Preaching Scripture in the Era of Martyrdom (Paperback): James G. Bushur Irenaeus of Lyons and the Mosaic of Christ - Preaching Scripture in the Era of Martyrdom (Paperback)
James G. Bushur
R1,265 Discovery Miles 12 650 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Recent theological scholarship has shown increasing interest in patristic exegesis. The way early Christians read scripture has attracted not only historians, but also systematic and exegetical scholars. However, the Christian reading of scripture before Origen has been neglected or, more often, dominated by Gnostic perspectives. This study uses the writings of Irenaeus to argue that there was a rich Christian engagement with scripture long before Origen and the supposed conflict between Antioch and Alexandria. This is a focused examination of specific exegetical themes that undergird Irenaeus' argument against his opponents. However, whereas many works interpret Irenaeus only as he relates to certain Gnostic teachings, this book recognizes the broader context of the second century and explores the profound questions facing early Christians in an era of martyrdom. It shows that Irenaeus is interested, not simply in expounding the original intent of individual texts, but in demonstrating how individual texts fit into the one catholic narrative of salvation. This in turn, he hopes, will cause his audience to see their place as individuals in the same narrative. Using insightful close reading of Irenaeus, allied with a firm grounding in the context in which he wrote, this book will be vital reading for scholars of the early Church as well as those with interests in patristics and the development of Christian exegesis.

On Epidemics - Spiritual Perspectives (Paperback): Rudolf Steiner On Epidemics - Spiritual Perspectives (Paperback)
Rudolf Steiner
R239 R215 Discovery Miles 2 150 Save R24 (10%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

'If we can bring nothing up out of ourselves except fear of the illnesses which surround us at the seat of an epidemic, and if we go to sleep at night filled with nothing but thoughts of this fear, then we create unconscious replicas, imaginations, which are drenched in fear. And this is an excellent method for nurturing bacteria...' - Rudolf Steiner Based on brief, pithy quotations from Rudolf Steiner's collected works, the 'spiritual perspectives' in this volume present core concepts on the subject of epidemics. These brief extracts do not claim to provide exhaustive treatment of the subject, but open up approaches to the complexity of Steiner's extraordinary world of ideas. Some readers will find these fragments sufficient stimulus in themselves, whilst others will use the source references as signposts towards deeper study and understanding.

John's Gospel - The Cosmic Rhythm, Stars and Stones (Paperback): Hermann Beckh John's Gospel - The Cosmic Rhythm, Stars and Stones (Paperback)
Hermann Beckh; Translated by Alan Stott
R700 R637 Discovery Miles 6 370 Save R63 (9%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

That there is a living stream of Johannine Christianity can no longer be doubted. There is now an abundant literature from Rosicrucian and esoteric traditions - from the deepest prayer and meditation - that addresses the exalted nature of John the Evangelist as expressed through his Gospel, Letters and the Book of Revelation. Yet it fell to Hermann Beckh to elucidate clearly how the individual known as 'John' became the source of such undying love and wisdom in Christ. According to Rudolf Steiner, John was the ailing Lazarus, called from death to a new life as 'the disciple Jesus loved'. Beckh demonstrates how John's invaluable writings were based on personal spiritual knowledge and experience, expressing the divine work of the Cosmic Christ on human nature and on the Earth, leading far into the future. Whilst Beckh's authorship originated within the context of the emerging Christian Community founded in 1922, his profoundly original books could not be confined to its framework. Not only could Beckh tackle original texts in Tibetan, Sanskrit and Avestan, but - through his independent vision - he was able to establish new links with philosophical Alchemy, Jakob Boehme, Goethe, Nietzsche and Novalis. He thereby stands with these figures as a co-worker in a greater community. Having prepared the way with his Mark's Gospel of 1928, John's Gospel could be described as the capstone of Beckh's writings - as a triumphant announcement that theology and the study of John's Gospel have finally come of age. Appearing here in a freshly revised translation by Alan Stott, the current volume is enhanced by a series of valuable addenda that shed further light on Beckh's significant achievements.

The Witchcraft Reader (Hardcover, 3rd edition): Darren Oldridge The Witchcraft Reader (Hardcover, 3rd edition)
Darren Oldridge
R4,099 Discovery Miles 40 990 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The Witchcraft Reader offers a wide range of historical perspectives on the subject of witchcraft in a single, accessible volume, exploring the enduring hold that it has on human imagination. The witch trials of the late Middle Ages and the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries have inspired a huge and expanding scholarly literature, as well as an outpouring of popular representations. This fully revised and enlarged third edition brings together many of the best and most important works in the field. It explores the origins of witchcraft prosecutions in learned and popular culture, fears of an imaginary witch cult, the role of religious division and ideas about the Devil, the gendering of suspects, the making of confessions and the decline of witch beliefs. An expanded final section explores the various "revivals" and images of witchcraft that continue to flourish in contemporary Western culture. Equipped with an extensive introduction that foregrounds significant debates and themes in the study of witchcraft, providing the extracts with a critical context, The Witchcraft Reader is essential reading for anyone with an interest in this fascinating subject.

Signature of the Celestial Spheres - Discovering Order in the Solar System (Paperback): Hartmut Warm Signature of the Celestial Spheres - Discovering Order in the Solar System (Paperback)
Hartmut Warm
R790 R715 Discovery Miles 7 150 Save R75 (9%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

"A milestone in modern research on the the harmony of the spheres." - Novalis magazine "This book reignites the debate on the harmony of the spheres." - Das Goetheanum Is the solar system ordered, or is it simply the result of random and chaotic accidents? This book takes us on a powerful and compelling journey of discovery, revealing the celestial spheres' astonishingly complex patterns. The movements of the planets are found to correspond accurately with simple geometric figures and musical intervals, pointing to an exciting new perspective on the ancient idea of a "harmony of the spheres". Hartmut Warm's detailed presentation incorporates the distances, velocities and periods of conjunction of the planets, as well as the rotations of the Sun, Moon and Venus. Numerous graphics - including colour plates - illustrate the extraordinary beauty of the geometrical forms that result when the movements of several planets are viewed in relation to one another. In addition, the author describes and analyses the concepts of the "music of the spheres", with special consideration given to Johannes Kepler's revolutionary ideas. Current scientific beliefs about the origin of the universe and the solar system are explained, enabling the reader to understand fully how Warm's remarkable research supplements contemporary materialistic views of the cosmos. An appendix includes his mathematical and astronomical methods of calculation as well as detailed discussion of their accuracy and validity based on modern astronomical algorithms.

Inside an Autistic World - Spiritual Experiences of People with Autism (Paperback): Hilke Osika, Andreas Osika, Erik Osika Inside an Autistic World - Spiritual Experiences of People with Autism (Paperback)
Hilke Osika, Andreas Osika, Erik Osika; Edited by Wolfgang Weirauch
R416 Discovery Miles 4 160 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Many individuals with autism are highly intelligent and gifted, but some are effectively imprisoned in their bodies and unable to communicate verbally. However, developments in technology have enabled autistic people to transmit their thoughts directly. In this true account, three autistic people, two of them brothers, speak via the method of 'facilitated communication', with the aid of a computer keypad. What is conveyed are not just everyday thoughts and experiences, but surprising and sometimes shattering spiritual and metaphysical perceptions. The conversations reveal remarkable clairvoyant gifts, such as the ability to read other people's thoughts, to see past lives, and to communicate with supernatural entities. Erik speaks of a past life during the Second World War, and the horrendous experience of being killed at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. As a result of this, his soul had no desire to reincarnate on earth - although he also describes encounters with Christ, and how these eventually led to his present life. Andreas speaks of his perceptions of elemental beings - nature spirits - and how we can develop more intimate contact with such entities, for example through special kinds of music. He also describes Christ's workings in nature as well as his Second Coming. Each of the interviewees discuss meditation and how it can engender vital spiritual processes and perceptions. Together, their insights provide an astonishing glimpse into the way some people with autism appear to experience the world, and how their knowledge can enrich our own. Additional interviews with educators and therapists, working with people with disabilities in the autistic spectrum, give a broad view of progressive and inspirational educational methods.

The Routledge Handbook to Religion and Political Parties (Hardcover): Jeffrey Haynes The Routledge Handbook to Religion and Political Parties (Hardcover)
Jeffrey Haynes
R6,138 Discovery Miles 61 380 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

As religion and politics become ever more intertwined, relationships between religion and political parties are of increasing global political significance. This handbook responds to that development, providing important results of current research involving religion and politics, focusing on: democratisation, democracy, party platform formation, party moderation and secularisation, social constituency representation and interest articulation. Covering core issues, new debates, and country case studies, the handbook provides a comprehensive overview of fundamentals and new directions in the subject. Adopting a comparative approach, it examines the relationships between religion and political parties in a variety of contexts, regions and countries with a focus on Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism and Hinduism. Contributions cover such topics as: religion, secularisation and modernisation; religious fundamentalism and terrorism; the role of religion in conflict resolution and peacebuilding; religion and its connection to state, democratisation and democracy; and regional case studies covering Asia, the Americas, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa. This comprehensive handbook provides crucial information for students, researchers and professionals researching the topics of politics, religion, comparative politics, secularism, religious movements, political parties and interest groups, and religion and sociology.

Why Become a Member of the Anthroposophical Society? (Paperback): Sergei O. Prokofieff Why Become a Member of the Anthroposophical Society? (Paperback)
Sergei O. Prokofieff; Translated by Maria St.Goar
R311 Discovery Miles 3 110 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The author developed this booklet from talks that were held for members of the Anthroposophical Society. These became occasions for many to question potential membership of the First Class in a more conscious way, and for some to take the decisive step of entering the Michael School. 'This experience gave rise to the occasion for printing this lecture separately for interested individuals, as a stimulus to consider their relationship to the Michael School on Earth against the background of the karma that guides human beings in their present incarnation to anthroposophy. In this sense, the present text may well be an aid for some interested individuals to grasp to its full extent the unique significance of the establishment of the Esoteric School - carried out as it was by Rudolf Steiner based on the Michael Spirit - so as to gain the courage and will to become a member out of full inner conviction.' (From the Preface)

The Peoples' Bible - New Revised Standard Version, with the Apocrypha (Hardcover): George E. Tinker, Curtiss Paul Deyoung,... The Peoples' Bible - New Revised Standard Version, with the Apocrypha (Hardcover)
George E. Tinker, Curtiss Paul Deyoung, Wilda C. Gafney, Leticia Guardiola-Saenz, Frank Yamada
R1,421 R1,166 Discovery Miles 11 660 Save R255 (18%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Rudolf Steiner's Research into Karma - and the Mission of the Anthroposophical Society (Paperback, Revised edition):... Rudolf Steiner's Research into Karma - and the Mission of the Anthroposophical Society (Paperback, Revised edition)
Sergei O. Prokofieff; Translated by Richard Michell
R238 R214 Discovery Miles 2 140 Save R24 (10%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

In this inspiring lecture, addressed primarily to the anthroposophic movement, Prokofieff gives an overview of how the spiritual hierarchies and Christ, the Lord of Karma, work in the ordering of human karma. We are led to the karma and mission of the Anthroposophical Society, with indications as to what needs to happen before that karmic mission can be fulfilled. Prokofieff explains why true modern Christian research into karma does not arise out of intellectual speculation, curiosity or nebulous mystical experiences. The process of karmic research based on spiritual science should lead to a fundamental transformation of human nature, leading to a full experience of the cosmos.

Memory - Remembering and Forgetting (Paperback): Rudolf Steiner Memory - Remembering and Forgetting (Paperback)
Rudolf Steiner; Translated by J. Collis, P. King; Edited by A. Neider; Introduction by A. Neider
R458 R414 Discovery Miles 4 140 Save R44 (10%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

What is the meaning of memory in the information age? When all knowledge is seemingly digitised and available for reference at any time, do we actually need human memory? One consequence of the proliferation of digitization is the deterioration of our capacity to remember - a symptom that is apparent in a steady increase in dementia within contemporary society. Rudolf Steiner indicates that memory is the determining factor in awareness of oneself. Even a partial loss of memory leads to loss of self-consciousness and the sense of our 'I'. Thus, memory is crucial for the development of I-consciousness - not only for the individual, but for humanity as a whole. Rudolf Steiner's research on memory, recollection and forgetting has many implications for the way we learn, for inner development and spiritual growth. This unique selection of passages from his works offers insights into how consciousness can remain autonomous and creative in a digital environment. It also provides ideas for improving education and emphasizes the importance of life-long learning. Chapters include: 'The Development of Memory Throughout Human History'; 'The Formation of Memory, Remembering and Forgetting in the Human Individual'; 'Remembering and Forgetting in Connection with Education'; 'How Remembering and Forgetting are Transformed by the Schooling Path - Imagination and Inspiration'; 'Remembering Backwards (Ruckschau) and Memory Exercises'; 'Subconscious Memories of the Pre-birth Period and of Life Between Death and a New Birth'; 'Memory and Remembering after Death'; 'The Development of Memory in the Future'.

Eurythmy, Its Birth and Development (Paperback): Rudolf Steiner Eurythmy, Its Birth and Development (Paperback)
Rudolf Steiner; Translated by A. Stott
R611 R553 Discovery Miles 5 530 Save R58 (9%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

`This gave my mother the opportunity of mentioning to Dr Steiner an idea... Could one affect the physical body in a healing, strengthening and regulating way through certain rhythmical movements of the etheric body - which after all was the centre of all that was rhythmical - as well as of health and illness? Dr Steiner not only enthusiastically affirmed this possibility, but spontaneously declared himself ready to give the necessary directions which I could then work out with my mother's help.' - Lory Maier-Smits Alongside original material by Rudolf and Marie Steiner, this volume features unique first-hand accounts of the birth of the art of eurythmy by a number of its early students and practitioners. The practical and artistic stages of its development are chronicled in detail, alongside reports from the first public performance onwards. Rudolf Steiner offers inspiration to the original eurythmists to make their own discoveries - to perceive and fashion in movement their creative `inner voice'. The artistic principles are established for later development and elaboration, to reveal and foster human creativity in many poetic and musical contexts. Through the text, links between eurythmy and temple-dances, that accompanied ancient initiations, gradually emerge. The impulse to dance is rediscovered as inherent in the `lost Word', or the primordial root language still available in `genetic etymology'- the sounds of speech used in all languages. Music eurythmy, we learn, did not start from dancing, but from the archetypal structure of the musical system. Consequently, we can witness directly how an eloquent performing art can properly develop when technique and inspiration meet. The text is supported by extensive supplementary material, including eurythmy forms, a chronological survey, notes and indexes.

Our Connection with the Elemental World - Kalevala - Olaf Asteson - The Russian People the World as the Result of Balancing... Our Connection with the Elemental World - Kalevala - Olaf Asteson - The Russian People the World as the Result of Balancing Influences (Paperback)
Rudolf Steiner; Translated by Simon Blaxland De Lange
R553 R502 Discovery Miles 5 020 Save R51 (9%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

The heart of this volume comprises Rudolf Steiner's commentary on the elemental forces that are responsible for our earthly nature as human beings - forces that influence us through our membership of a national or geographical group. When such elemental forces are not recognised and understood, he states, they cause conflict and chaos. However, Steiner indicates an important accompanying task that calls upon each human being to develop individuality, emancipating ourselves from the earthly influences underlying national and racial groups.These great themes are framed by Rudolf Steiner's pioneering research into the two major Northern folk-poems, the Kalevala and The Dream Song of Olaf Asteson. The former tells of the elemental spirits who created the conditions for our earthly incarnation, whereas the Dream Song has to do with the drama of excarnation - the journey of the human soul after death. Linking these vast motifs is Steiner's unique description of the mission and tasks of the Russian people and the contrast of their destiny to the North American people (who, he says, are 'dominating the Earth for a brief period of increasing splendour'). Steiner explains how elemental beings, responsible for the balance of land and sea, have created conditions where various peoples are enabled to develop their gifts and fulfil their destinies. Thus he speaks of Finland as the ancient conscience of Europe, Russia as the future bearer of the Christ-imbued Spirit Self, and the differing but complementary environments of Germany and Britain. Strikingly, he states that, 'no souls on Earth love one another more than those living in Central Europe and those living in the British Isles'. Rudolf Steiner also speaks of the necessary work of luciferic and ahrimanic beings that collaborate to enable the solid spatial forms of our physical bodies. Likewise, they influence our etheric and astral bodies, facilitating thinking, feeling and will to be imbued with life and consciousness.

Bees and the Ancient Mysteries (Paperback): Iwer Thor Lorenzen Bees and the Ancient Mysteries (Paperback)
Iwer Thor Lorenzen; Translated by Paul King
R307 R278 Discovery Miles 2 780 Save R29 (9%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

In an extraordinary exposition, Lorenzen - an expert beekeeper and student of contemporary spiritual science - describes the `Logos mysteries', based at the ancient temple of Artemis in Ephesus, where priestesses were known as `Melissas' (`honeybees') and the sacrificial priests were called `Essenes' (or `bee-kings'). These cultic mysteries, he says, bore remarkable parallels to the workings of a bee colony - specifically in the relationship between the queen and worker bees to the spiritual `group-soul' of the bees. Lorenzen commences his unique study with a discussion of flowers and insects, exploring their common origins. He then describes the beginnings of the honeybee, its connection with the fig wasp, and the subsequent controlled transformation of the latter that took place in pre-historic mystery-centres. Breeding the honeybee from the fig wasp - a sacred deed performed at consecrated sanctuaries - was part of the `Fig-tree mysteries'. The initiates behind this task developed the ability to commune with the bees' group-soul and to work consciously on the mutual development of the hive and humanity. This concise but rich work features an illuminating foreword by Heidi Herrmann of the Natural Beekeeping Trust as well as a lucid introduction by translator Paul King that explains the anthroposophical concepts employed by Lorenzen in his text.

Gnostic Philosophy - From Ancient Persia to Modern Times (Paperback, New edition): Tobias Churton Gnostic Philosophy - From Ancient Persia to Modern Times (Paperback, New edition)
Tobias Churton
R650 R511 Discovery Miles 5 110 Save R139 (21%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

GNOSTICISM / MYSTICISMGnosticism was a contemporary of early Christianity whose demise can be traced to Christianity's efforts to silence its teachings. The Gnostic message, however, was not destroyed but simply went underground. Starting with the first emergence of Gnosticism, the author shows how its influence extended from the teachings of Neoplatonists and the magical traditions of the Middle Ages to the beliefs and ideas of the Sufis, Jacob Bohme, Carl Jung, Rudolf Steiner, and the Rosicrucians and Freemasons. In the language of spiritual Freemasonry, "gnosis" is the rejected stone necessary for the completion of the Temple, a temple of a new cosmic understanding that today's heirs to Gnosticism continue to strive to create.The Gnostics believed that the universe embodies a ceaseless contest between opposing principles. Terrestrial life exhibits the struggle between good and evil, life and death, beauty and ugliness, and enlightenment and ignorance: "gnosis" and "agnosis." The very nature of physical space and time is an obstacle to humanity's ability to remember its divine origins and recover its original unity with God. Thus the preeminent Gnostic secret is that we are God in potential, and the purpose of bona fide Gnostic teaching is to return us to our godlike nature.TOBIAS CHURTON is a filmmaker and the founding editor of the magazine "Freemasonry Today." He studied theology at Oxford University and created the award-winning documentary series and accompanying book "The Gnostics," as well as several other films on Christian doctrine, mysticism, and magical folklore. He lives in England.

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