Philosophy and Religion

Important Symbols presents an extensive compilation of the symbols of ancient cultures, describing the context and usage of each symbol around the world and throughout time. Adelaide Hall groups the symbols into categories, each comprising a chapter of the book. Chapters including "The Halo and the Crown," "Fabulous Creatures," "Architectural Forms," "Military Emblems," "Plants and Blossoms," "A

First published in 1912, William Gemmell's translation of The Diamond Sutra was one of the first books to introduce general readers in the West to Buddhism. It still stands as a refreshing, easy-to-understand look at an ancient and enduring tradition. The Diamond Sutra, a sacred Buddhist text, recounts the Buddha's discourse to one of his disciples. It discusses fundamental Buddhist practices,

WABA is J. Marvin Spiegelman's mnemonic for the various manifestations of the experience of the divine: Within, Among, Between, and Around. He details how Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, and the Kabbalah exemplify the divine within/ the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca clearly illustrates the divine among/ the Alchemical model exemplifies the divine between/ and the numinous experiences we find in nature, ar

William Greene was unique among his fellow Christian writers on the Kabbalah in that he saw clearly both its significance for Freemasonry and its application to radical thought. He prefaced his study, first published in 1872, with a stirring account of the significant Masonic symbol of the Blazing Star - a symbol also of liberty of conscience and political freedom, goals that must still be sought

This is the first of the authors' four books dealing with the mid-life crisis. At mid-life, each of us is faced with crucial questions: Will I or will I not hold fast to the security of the familiar? Will I or will I not go on living the second half of life out of the same meanings, values, and goals as I did in the first half of life? Will I petrify? Will I regress? Using Jungian personality theo

In The House of the Hidden Places, first published in 1895, Adams clearly lays out evidence that the Great Pyramid at Giza corresponds architecturally to the initiation ritual detailed in the Egyptian Book of the Dead (which Adams preferred to call what he felt was its rightful title, The Book of the Maste). The House of the Hidden Places was the first book to go beyond the current speculations

The Divine Names and The Mystical Theology were written by a theologian who professed to be St. Paul's Athenian convert, Dionysius. Rolt, however, places him in the time of Proclus, in the 5th century a.d. These works of Neo-Platonic Christian mysticism had an important influence on the early church and other Western esoteric orders and continue to be essential in the serious study of theology.

This book is a milestone in Western magical practice. Often erroneously called a forgery, it is in fact six separate books in one, the first two being by Agrippa (1486-1535). One of them, Of Magical Ceremonies, is Agrippa's clearest step-by-step formulation of how to perform an evocation, much more openly expressed than in his Three Books of Occult Philosophy. In addition there is the key grimoire

From the latches on our kitchen cabinets to the magnetic strips on our credit cards, we take magnetic forces for granted every day. Magnets are a relatively new technology, although people have remarked on naturally-occurring magnets, or loadstones, for hundreds of years. Mickaharic, in his inimitable, no-nonsense style relates the history and folklore of magnets and how they work, and explains

This little book is an engaging treatise on prayer throughout history, how people have prayed, what true prayer is, and what it can do. Originally published in 1912, it contains truths that stand fast today. Wright says "the object of prayer is not to change that which is immutable, a self-evident impossibility, but to alter the conscious or unconscious rebellion of the individual against such

In Riding the Wheel to Wellness, Charles Atkins explains why meditation, prayer, chanting, and visualization are effective and how they can be used to restore wellness on all levels of our lives. Although Atkins's spiritual approach is based on Nichiren Buddhism, his mission is to help alleviate the suffering of all people, so the techniques he describes are interdisciplinary and have been utili

This book is a work of love born of the author's desire to share with her family and her friends her discovery of what she calls the Way of Life as expressed in the classic of Eastern wisdom the Tao Te Ching. Written during the 6th century B.C. the Tao Te Ching is difficult for many Westerners to fathom as it attempts to describe what cannot be described: the way of the universe its workings in hu

This abridgment of Il Direttorio Mistico, written by G.B. Scaramelli (1687?-1752) is a foundational work for people seeking the contemplative life that leads to the Spiritual Marriage, or reintegration of the human spirit with God. Nicholson's translation has been skillfully abridged to include the most cogent material. Step-by-step, Scaramelli describes mystical theology in general and then moves

The Jesus Prayer is based on the power of the name of the Lord. In this exceptional translation of Bishop Brianchaninov's essay on the Jesus Prayer, we are introduced to a spiritual exercise known as Hesychasm. Hesychasm gives expression to the method of enlightenment that has been in use in Christian monasteries in the East almost from Apostolic times. The practice of Hesychasm falls into three p

Jeff Raff has written about the ally (which has been called many different names in different traditions) in his books Jung and the Alchemical Imagination, Healing the Wounded God, and The Wedding of Sophia. Here, he shares with readers the techniques he has developed and taught in his workshops and lectures for achieving intimate contact with the divine. The ally is a divine being, a face of G

Based on the ancient Hindu scripture, the Devimahatmya, The Veiling Brilliance includes wisdom found in many other Hindu classics such as the Rigveda Samhita, the Upanishads, the Bhagavadgita, the Yogasutra of Patanjali, and traditional tantric works. The title refers directly to that essence of Shakti, Hindu worship of the goddess - although hidden or veiled from the eyes of those caught up in

The Book of Jubilees, or, as it is sometimes called, The Little Genesis, purports to be a revelation given by God to Moses through the medium of an angel and contains a history, divided up into "jubilee periods" of 49 years, from creation to the coming of Moses. Although the actual narrative of events is only carried down to Moses's birth and early career, its author envisages the events of a late

In The Serpent Myths of Ancient Egypt, William Ricketts Cooper focuses on the serpent myth and ideology in ancient Egypt and how it applies to the Ritual of the Dead. He supports his study with copious illustrations showing the two aspects of the serpent: protector and destroyer. A group discussion with the themes of the serpent in history and myths of other cultures is included in the appendix,

This volume contains three of Jan van Ruysbroeck's best works: The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage, The Sparkling Stone, and The Book of Truth. These works are remarkable for their combination of lofty spiritual philosophy and robust common sense. As we read them, we feel that we are in touch with a man who, in his ecstatic ascents to God, never loses hold of the actualities of human life. I