How can we better understand ourselves and others? The classical concept of the four temperaments--the four personality types characterized as the fiery choleric, the airy sanguine, the watery phlegmatic and the earthy melancholic--has been revered by many significant thinkers over the ages. In a refreshing treatment, Dr. Childs demonstrates that this ancient doctrine remains relevant to our modern lives. He shows how we can recognize the temperaments in others, as well as in ourselves, and how to understand the ways in which they function. Understanding their influences can boost personal development and help improve interpersonal relationships. Conversational in tone and easily digestible, this book features fascinating discussions of the relationships between adults of various temperaments. Childs reviews matters of compatibility in partnership, family and workplace situations, liberally spicing his commentary with amusing examples of likely scenarios. He investigates the origins and manifestations of the temperaments in both their psychological and physiological aspects. Also included is a section on the temperaments of children, along with helpful and practical advice on dealing with individual issues.

The primary contention of this book is that, as a spiritual being, each of us lives beyond death, and eventually returns to earth in a new human body. With this knowledge in mind, the authors give much sound practical advice as to how parents, and others who spend time with children, can welcome a soul to the world and help it grow into a healthy and responsible human being. Mainstream educational policies and practises can result in children being pushed prematurely towards adulthood, before having had a chance truly to experience childhood. As the authors demonstrate, an understanding of the nature of the human being as comprising body, soul and spirit leads to the conclusion that every child should be allowed to grow slowly into the world. 'One of the main purposes of this book', write the authors, 'is to demonstrate that human beings are primarily of spiritual nature, and only secondarily of bodily nature'. They explain how these two natures complement each other in the processes of maturation and development from the period before birth, or incarnation, to maturity. As well as a firm philosophical grounding, Your Reincarnating Child discusses critical questions surrounding the pre- and antenatal periods, including issues connected to clothing, food, play, work, technology, discipline, and much more.

For many years theologians have agonized over the contradictory accounts of the birth of Jesus as given in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew. How can they be reconciled, given their utterly different nature and contents? Demonstrating a remarkably erudite and authoritative knowledge of biblical sources and other primary texts, Gilbert Childs throws new light on arcane disputes by revealing some of the secrets of esoteric Christianity - in particular the mystery of the two Marys and the two families of Jesus. Such secrets, including the meaning of the 'virginal conception', have lain hidden and protected in Mystery Centres and by initiates over the ages, although in modern times they can be spoken of openly. Dr Childs begins by carrying out a thorough examination of the doctrine of Adoptionism - the notion that Jesus was 'adopted' as the Son of God after his birth. Did Christ incarnate into Jesus at the Baptism in the River Jordan, as some Biblical authorities claim? The author gives an overview of the Gospels, introducing the seminal research of Rudolf Steiner as a key to penetrating some of their enigmas. He then studies the relevance of the ancient Mystery Centres to Christianity, and discusses how Christianity itself can be viewed as 'Mystery'.