Quest Books

For many people, the word mysticism conjures up occult, secretive rituals held after midnight in some dark cave. But true mysticism isn't at all sinister or secretive, says author John Mabry, an Anglican-rite Congregational minister. In fact, mysticism is at the heart of an authentic Christian life.

John Lennon called himself a working class hero. George Harrison was a working class mystic. Born in Liverpool as the son of a bus conductor and a shop assistant, for the first six years of his life he lived in a house with no indoor bathroom. This book gives an honest, in-depth view of his personal journey from his blue-collar childhood to his role as a world-famous spiritual icon.

"A fascinating, heartfelt, and extremely convincing account of spiritual domains, and the beings that inhabit them, that have for far too long been ignored or discounted by the modern world." --Ptolemy Tompkins, author of Paradise Fever, The Divine Life of Animals, and The Modern Book of the Dead "Atala brilliantly provides us not only with an unparalleled view into, and also hands us the ...

Practical Centering enhances physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance with innovative breathing techniques and empowering exercises. It provides an instant vacation in this hectic world, enabling us to elevate our energy, relax our body, strengthen our core, and quiet our mind.

“Margaret Placentra Johnston's Faith Beyond Belief gives us a good way to know the experience of those who have rejected their own church, but who are nevertheless engaged in a spiritual search beyond the conventional language and categories that left them feelinng empty and could not engage them.

The visionary art of Portuguese artist, Joma Sipe, is all about light - not the ordinary light of day but the light of spiritual illumination, which brilliantly radiates from the over one hundred, full-colour images in this stunning book. Sipe thinks of his work as sacred geometry that unites this temporal world with higher planes.

In these days of global crisis, thoughtful seekers increasingly turn to Native Americans for healing wisdom. The Sacred Pipe is the medicine, says Jay Cleve in this informative and practical guide to a key practice of Native American spirituality. The Hopi and other ancient cultures predicted our present age as one of transition into a New World.

“This finely arranged and annotated collection shines a brilliant beam onto the inner planes of Annie Besant's consciousness, showing us both the ordered structure of her thought and the wonderful richness of the realms with which she dealt. With its help, we are invited to join her by exploring and mapping our own inner multiverse.

Although the seven chakras are now accepted concepts among yoga practitioners and those who study and engage in meditative or other "alternative" spiritual practices, they were exotic when C. W. Leadbeater set pen to paper in the 1920s.

"Reality is experience, and experience is reality," says Hawaiian shaman Serge King, speaking of Huna, the esoteric tradition in which he was reared.King emphasizes that all of us have the ability to shift from one world to another.

'A woman in the audience once handed Elvis a crown saying, “You're the King.” “No, honey,” Elvis replied. “There is only one king - Jesus Christ. I'm just a singer.” Gary Tillery presents a coherent view of Elvis' thoughts through such anecdotes and other recorded facts.

The search for inner peace is often met with what seems like a conflicting path– the irresistible pull of love and connection with others to which we are drawn. Reconciling these opposites, John Amodeo shows how spirituality and vibrant relationships are identical. He says that Buddha's concept of the root of suffering is misunderstood.

True to the title, this guidebook directs beginners on the spiritual journey. Author Jan Phillips, reared Catholic, has traveled through Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim cultures merging dualities of East and West. A popular workshop leader for decades, she is a dynamic, upbeat, straight-talking, wise old woman in her own right, and her prose reflects her character.

'"A spiritual tone overlays these authors’ deconstruction of popular movies’ commentary on death and the afterlife. While [the book] reads like a series of columns in a highbrow cinema magazine, the Genellis’ work, like most of the more than sixty movies they mention, is both thoughtful and entertaining.

As the Rig Vedas and Buddhist sutras foretell, as well as the Hopi and Mayan calendars, we are in the midst of complete transformation—ecologically, economically, politically, culturally. This graceful introduction offers creative safe passage through the sometimes overwhelming transition, drawing on ancient and contemporary spiritual practices particularly useful for these times.

"There is no question that Fault Lines is enlightening; indeed, it is as interesting a political treatment as any, and it’s far better researched than many of its cousins. Readable to the point of friendliness, this political examination features extensive research, notes, and appendices. Citing sources ranging from Pat Robertson to Ayn Rand and Starhawk, it is both light and heartfelt.

As a man thinketh, so is he—thus is the biblical King Solomon often quoted by proponents of New Thought, one of the most influential native religious movements in America. Albert Amao provides an engaging and serious history of this and related movements from the eighteenth century to the present. His discussion ranges from Phineas P.

"Dr. King has a marvelous talent for taking apart emotions and showing us how they work, and for providing us with effective techniques and exercises to master them. Happy Me, Happy You is a delightful exploration of the emotional adventure that is relationship. I’ve never seen a more thorough and useful book on the elements of our own happiness, both in and out of relationships!

In the West, Islam has replaced Communism as the new bugbear, while Sufism, Islam’s mystical dimension, is often dismissed as the delusions of an irrational and backward people. Ken Lizzio corrects such misperceptions in this firsthand account of the year he spent in 1991 living with the head of the Naqshbandis, Afghanistan’s largest Sufi order.

'Among books that discern people's reason for living, this one is exceptional for its interfaith perspective and clear text readily accessible to people of all backgrounds. Reverend Poos-Benson mines the wisdom of the great spiritual heroes — Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed, Lao Tzu — to reveal a pattern in how God works in the world.