Inner Traditions

The mainstream position of the Christian church on sexuality was perhaps best summed up by Pope Innocent III (1160-1216) when he stated that the sexual act is so shameful that it is intrinsically evil. Another Christian theologian maintained that the holy Ghost is absent from the room shared by a wedded couple. What Philip records in his gospel is that Christ said exactly the opposite: the nuptial

According to Zen masters, by adopting a belly-centered posture and correct breathing, one can cultivate inner tranquility and balance: the state called Hara. Karlfried Graf Durckheim shows the Western world how to overcome the physical and spiritual decay of modern life by adopting the age-old techniques of Japanese Zen masters.

Gnosticism was contemporary to early Christianity and its 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 neo-Platonists and the magical traditions of the Middle Ages to the beliefs and

The Mysteries of Mithraspresents a revival of the magical practices and initiatory system of Mithraism, the ancient Roman mystery religion that was immensely popular in the Roman Legions from the late second century B.C. until A.D. 400 and was taken to every corner of the Roman Empire. As the last pagan state religion in Europe, it was the most important competitor to early Christianity and heavil

One of the cache of codices and manuscripts discovered in Nag Hammadi, THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS, unlike the canonical gospels, does not contain a narrative recording Christ's life and prophecies. Instead it is a collection of his teachings: in fact what he actually said. These 114 logia or sayings were collected by Judas Didymus Thomas, whom some claim to be Jesus's closest disciple. No sooner was thi

In Kabbalah and the Power of DreamingCatherine Shainberg unveils the esoteric practices that allow us to unlock the dreaming mind's transformative and intuitive powers. These are the practices used by ancient prophets, seers, and sages to control dreams and visions. Shainberg draws upon the ancient Sephardic Kabbalah tradition, as well as illustrative

The Spandakarika, the ""Tantric Song of the Divine Pulsation,"" is said to have been transmitted directly to the sage Vasugupta from the hands of Shiva on Mount Kailas. In his commentary on these fifty-two stanzas, the sage Ksemaraja described them as the heart of the Mahamudra. The oldest masters of Spandakarika viewed everything in the universe, including matter, as consciousness and created a y

Taoist adepts developed tai chi as both a martial art and a way to cultivate their physical body, energy body, and spirit body. Like all Taoist exercises, its main purpose is to form a connection to the basic energy that is the foundation of all life: chi.Until the beginning of the twentieth century, tai chi was considered a secret practice that was passed down only within a closely knit structure

The Golden Number, or Phi (Ö), is a geometric ratio found throughout nature, often underlying the dimensions of objects considered especially beautiful. Simplified as 1.618 and symbolised by the Fibonacci sequence, the Golden Number represents the unique relationship within an object where the ratio of a larger part to a smaller part is the same as the ratio of the whole to the larger part. It app

Presents a revolutionary new theory that bridges the divide between science and spirituality • Discloses the ramifications of non-localized consciousness and how the physical world and spiritual experience are two aspects of the same reality • Includes contributions from Jane Goodall, Ed Mitchell, Stanislav Grof, Ralph Abraham, and Christian de Quincy, among others What scientists are

Fusion of the Five Elements teaches the practice of Inner Alchemy showing you how to control the energies of your inner universe to better connect with energies of the outer universe. It teaches the essential first-level meditations in Taoist practice, also known as Fusion of the Five Forces, for promoting self-healing and emotional and spiritual development.

Long before the advent of firearms, Iron Shirt Chi Kung, a form of Kung Fu, built powerful bodies able to withstand hand-to-hand combat. Even then, however, martial use was only one aspect of Iron Shirt Chi Kung, and today its other aspects remain vitally significant for anyone seeking better health, a sound mind, and spiritual growth. In Iron Shirt Chi KungMaster Mantak Chia introduces this ancie

The techniques of Chi Nei Tsang evolved in Asia during an era when few physicians were available and people had to know how to heal themselves. Many people today have symptoms that modern medicine is not able to cure because a physical source for the problem is not easily found. The energies of negative emotions, stress, and tension--all common in modern life--and the weight of past illness accumu

Most Westerners believe that a daily physical exercise program helps slow the aging process. Yet those whose bodies appear most physically fit on the outside often enjoy only the same life span as the average nonathletic person. It is the internal organs and glands that nourish every function of the body, and it is the bone marrow that nourishes and rejuvenates the organs and glands through the pr

The Western concept of massage primarily concerns muscle manipulation. In the practice of Chi Massage, internal energy, or Chi, is manipulated to strengthen and rejuvenate the sense organs--eyes, ears, nose, tongue, teeth, and skin--and the internal organs. The Taoist techniques in this practice are more than 5,000 years old and, until very recently, were closely guarded secrets passed down from m

After his overwhelming and life-altering encounters with Shams of Tabriz, Rumi, the great thirteenth-century mystic, poet, and originator of the whirling dervishes, let go of many of the precepts of formal religion, insisting that only a complete personal dissolving into the larger energies of God could provide the satisfaction that the heart so desperately seeks. He began to speak spontaneously i

Bee shamanism may well be the most ancient and enigmatic branch of shamanism. It exists throughout the world--wherever in fact the honeybee exists. Its medicinal tools--such as honey, pollen, propolis, and royal jelly--are now in common usage, and even the origins of Chinese acupuncture can be traced back to the ancient practice of applying bee stings to the body’s meridians. In this authoritative

An exploration of the origins and influences of number from prehistory to modern time • Reveals the deeper meaning of the symbols and esoteric knowledge of secret societies • Explains the numerical sophistication of ancient monuments • Shows how the Templar design for Washington, D.C., represents the New Jerusalem The ubiquitous use of certain sacred numbers and ratios can b

In The Haitian Vodou Handbook, Kenaz Filan, an initiate of the Société la Belle Venus, presents a working guide to the proper methods of interacting with the full Vodou pantheon, explaining how to build respectful relationships with the lwa, the spirits honored in Haitian Vodou, and how to transform the fear that often surrounds the Vodou religion. Until recently, the Haitian practice of Vodou was

CRUSADE AGAINST THE GRAIL is the book that popularised the legend of the Cathars and the Holy Grail. The first edition appeared in Germany in 1933 and drew upon Rahn's account of his thrilling explorations of the Pyrenean caves where the heretical Cathar sect took refuge during the 13th century. Over the years the book has been translated into many languages and exerted a large influence on, for e