Philosophy and Religion

Contemplation begins with intellectual understanding. As contemplation deepens, the mind shifts from the accumulation of data to the unfolding of direct gnostic apprehension. This dissolves the idea that outer and inner or personal and cosmic distinctions exist, allowing phenomena to return to its basis as a single, uninterrupted continuum.

Before he became the film maker and graphic novel author known throughout the world today, Alejandro Jodorowsky studied with Zen master Ejo Takata in Mexico City. In THE FINGER AND THE MOON, Jodorowsky recounts how he became Takata's student and offers his interpretations of the teaching tales, initiatory stories, koans and enigmatic haikus he learned at the feet of his great and humble teacher.

During Paris's Belle Époque (1871–1914), many cultural movements and artistic styles flourished - Symbolism, Impressionism, Art Nouveau, the Decadents - all of which profoundly shaped modern culture. Inseparable from this cultural advancement was the explosion of occult activity taking place in the City of Light at the same time.

· Reveals the practices of Vamachara, known as the Left-hand Path but more accurately translated as the Path of Shakti · Includes a Kali ritual from the Nirrutara Tantra, translated here for the first time · Presents devotional chants, meditations, and mudras specific to Tantric worship of Kali According to traditions going back to pre-Vedic times, Kali sprang from the third eye of the ...

In THE PATH OF MODERN YOGA, Elliott Goldberg shows how yoga was transformed from a sacred practice into a health and fitness regime for middle-class Indians in the early 20th century and then gradually transformed over the course of the 20th century into an embodied spiritual practice - a yoga for our times.

After returning from a tour of duty during the war in Afghanistan, Alex Seymour needed a way to cope with the extremes he experienced as a member of the Royal Marine Commandos, losing 7 men in his unit and having his best friend critically injured by a Taliban bomb.

In this philosophical, psychological, and spiritual exploration of enlightenment, Jason Gregory addresses how to access the original spontaneous awareness we all came into this world with. He exposes the illusion that we must strive to reach enlightenment, uncovering how our yearning for future accomplishments, attachment to the past, and reliance on authority outside the self are social ...

Shamanism is humanity's oldest spiritual tradition. In much of the Western world, the indigenous pre-Christian spiritual practices have been lost. Yet at the northern fringes of Europe, Christianity did not displace the original shamanic practices until the end of the Viking age.

Freemasonry bears the imprint of the society in which it exists and Freemasonry in North America is no exception. While keeping close ties to French lodges until 1913, American Freemasonry was, also, deeply influenced by the experiences of many early American political leaders, leading to distinctive differences from European lodges.

Since the beginning of history, people have sought remedies for the many ills that have beset them, from illnesses afflicting the body to threats posed by evil and hostile individuals. In many folk healing and pagan traditions, it was believed that one must gain the assistance of the guardian spirit of a healing plant or substance through prayers or offerings before its chemical properties would ...

Balance your chakras, enhance health and prosperity, and connect with the gods and goddesses through meditative colouring · Contains 40 illustrations by Indian artist and spiritual teacher Harish Johari · Includes chakra imagery to balance your energy body; power yantras to enhance health, prosperity, peace, and love; and illustrations of Hindu gods and goddesses such as Ganesh and Hanuman to ...

Our dreams, the most intimate part of us, form the truest expressions of our feelings and emotional beliefs about the world. Our dreams, also, reflect the complex connections of our unconscious minds with those of our families and close friends, connecting us through our dreams to loved ones near and far, living and passed on.

· Explores living resurrection initiation practices from world cultures, including Egyptian, Greek, Gnostic, Chinese, Celtic, and Native American traditions · Describes the secret chambers and temples where Mystery Schools practiced “raising the dead” · Shows why this practice was branded a heresy and suppressed by the Church More than two thousand years before the resurrection of Jesus, ...

In November 1949, architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, announced the death of “the greatest man in the world,” yet few knew who he was talking about. Enigmatic, misunderstood, declared a charlatan and recently dubbed “the Rasputin who inspired Mary Poppins,” Gurdjieff's life has become a legend. But who really was George Ivanovich Gurdjieff?

Set within the dramatic tableau of the mediaeval Crusades, this story of initiation, adventure and romance follows members of the Knights Templar and Assassins as they discover a mystical tradition with the potential to unify, protect and liberate humankind - the very heresy for which the Knights Templar were later condemned.

Explaining the evolution and core of the Universal Healing Tao system, Master Mantak Chia and William U. Wei offer a condensed approach to the Inner Alchemy practices taught to Master Chia by his first Taoist Master, Yi Eng, more than 60 years ago.

A vivid journey back to the time of Krishna, his holy city, and the Mahabharata War · Recounts ecstatic celebrations, Krishna's love for his wives and sons, and events surrounding the Mahabharata War · Offers potent spiritual lessons from Krishna's teachings and stresses Krishna's ability to contain all opposites and stand above duality · Provides a historical timeline and real dates for the ...

With the end of marijuana prohibition on the horizon, people are now openly seeking a spiritual path that embraces the benefits of cannabis. Drawing upon his decades of experience as a teacher of Buddhism, breathing, yoga and embodied spirituality, Will Johnson examines Eastern spiritual perspectives on marijuana and offers specific guidelines and exercises for integrating cannabis into spiritual ...

Surprised by the number of attendees from Western spiritual traditions at his Buddhist retreats, Will Johnson wanted to understand what drew them to this type of spiritual experience. He found many devoted Christians were in search of a more direct experience of God beyond faith alone, so he began exploring what breathing practices could be found in the sacred texts of Western monotheistic ...

Set in the 13th century, this sweeping historical novel opens on the island of Torcello, outside Venice, in 1219, after the Crusaders have lost possession of Jerusalem. Yehezkel, a young yet revered kabbalist and student of Maimonides, is on the island for a secret meeting of rabbis.