Philosophy and Religion

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. He is chosen to travel to Jerusalem to seek definitive proof of the Talmud's antiquity, a search that grows to incl

We are in the midst of a revival of an ancient way of looking at the world - an approach that enabled great civilisations of the past to bring forth inventions of great beauty and power. This school of thought envisioned the natural world and the solar system as an interlocking matrix of harmonious numbers. Exploring the art and science of harmonics, John Oscar Lieben shows how to create harmoniou

· Explains Shiva's contradictory forms, such as destroyer or benefactor and how his form depends on the needs of the devotee· Reveals how Shiva's teachings allow one to see through the illusions at the root of all grief and alienation in human life· Explores Shiva's relationships with Durga, Shakti, Sati and Parvati and with his sons Ganesha and KartikeyaShiva, the most ancient and complex deity o

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

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 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

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

In The Science of the Dogon, Laird Scranton demonstrated that the cosmological structure described in the myths and drawings of the Dogon runs parallel to modern science - atomic theory, quantum theory and string theory - their drawings often taking the same form as accurate scientific diagrams that relate to the formation of matter. Scranton, also, pointed to the close resemblance between the key

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

THE FUSION OF THE EIGHT PSYCHIC CHANNELS practice builds upon the 'Fusion of the Five Elements' and 'Cosmic Fusion' practices and is the final step in preparation for the 'Practice of the Immortal Tao.' Master Mantak Chia shows how to open the Great Bridge Channel and the Great Regulator Channel - the last of the eight psychic channels that connect the twelve organ meridians and enable energy to f

Thousands of years ago Taoist masters discovered that a healthy organ vibrates at a particular frequency. They found six sounds with the correct frequencies to keep each organ in optimal condition. To accompany these Six Healing Sounds, six postures were developed to activate the acupuncture meridians, or energy channels, of the corresponding organs.In THE SIX HEALING SOUNDS Master Mantak Chia exp

Freemasonry, as a fraternal order of scientists and philosophers, emerged in the 17th century and represented something new--an amalgam of alchemy and science that allowed the creative genius of Isaac Newton and his contemporaries to flourish. In Isaac Newton’s Freemasonry, Alain Bauer presents the swirl of historical, sociological, and religious influences that sparked the spiritual ferment and t

"Snakes and Ladders", the popular children's game, is derived from the ancient Hindu game Leela, or Snakes and Arrows, which charts the ups and downs of the soul's path toward reunion with the Infinite. Snakes and Arrows was designed by the seers and saints of India as a tool for understanding the relationship of the individual self to the Absolute Self.

How to work with the chakra centers to heal unresolved psychic wounds • Reveals how psychic injuries become lodged within the energy body • Links one major developmental stage with each major chakra • Provides a detailed guide to healing and clearing the tensions each chakra holds The chakra system identifies eight centers in the psycho-anatomy of humans, each one associated

Banned after promising research in the 1940s, '50s and '60s, the use of psychedelics as therapeutic catalysts is now being rediscovered at prestigious medical schools, such as Harvard, Johns Hopkins, NYU and UCLA. Through clinical trials to assess their use, entheogens have been found to ease anxiety in the dying, interrupt the hold of addictive drugs, cure post-traumatic stress disorder and treat

In 1973, in Mawangdui, China, a large number of silk manuscripts were discovered at an early Han burial place. Among these were two versions of the Tao Te Ching by Lao-tzu. Dated to around 200 BCE, these manuscripts were much older than all existing versions and included, quite surprisingly yet deliberately, the Four Canons of the Yellow Emperor - a long-lost treatise never-before seen in modern t

· Investigates the Moon as the home of an alien intelligence who controls humanity· Examines several of NASA's Apollo missions and the findings they concealed· Reveals the many holes in the "Giant Impact" theory about the Moon's origins and the evidence for a hollow, artificial Moon· Explores the deep influence of the Moon on the collective mind of humanity and occult teachings about the Moon from

“I rejoice in Tsem Rinpoche's endeavours to make these liberating instructions available to an international audience. His skills at conveying timeless wisdom in a contemporary way make him a precious spiritual friend to have.” —His Holiness Lungrik Namgyal Rinpoche COMPASSION CONQUERS ALL reveals the heart of Buddhist wisdom in eight short verses, as elucidated by a fearless pioneer of contempora

Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles? Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you'll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doo

Regular meditation practice has a powerful impact on the mind and body, rewiring the brain and bringing us all kinds of benefits: contentment and well-being, resilience and focus, better mental and physical health, and greater empathy and compassion. This wide-ranging anthology brings together pioneering Tibetan Buddhist teachers, scientific researchers, and health professionals to offer fascinati