Theosophy

Esoteric Christianity

by Annie Besant

Average Rating:

"_I have read this work three times over the years and I still find it hard to believe that it was first published in 1901.

_The author's goal is no less than the revitalization of true Christianity- by the restoration of its mysteries. She does an excellent job of examining the historical record to show both that 1) all other religions have their outer and inner teachings, and 2) it is only Christianity that seems to have had its inner teachings purposely amputated. She shows through examination of scripture and the writings of the Apostolic Fathers that such teachings undoubtedly existed. She shows Paul to have been a true Gnostic.

_In an attempt to reconstruct the inner, esoteric, teachings she shows that all one can ever really write or reveal are the lesser of the mysteries. These are the allegorical interpretations of the deeper spiritual truths and symbolism contained in the parables told to the masses. These are the truths that would just confuse minds that are not ready for them. It is reflection upon these lesser mysteries and their meaning that may open the door to the divine revelation of the greater mysteries, where the teachers are angelic and Christ is the hierophant.

_It is shown that even though an apparent war was waged to expunge the mysteries from Christianity by the Church bureaucracy (who apparently could not, or would not, comprehend them) the tradition never the less survived. The golden chain is shown to stretch across the ages in the teachings of the receptive whether there are attempts to suppress it or not: Pythagoras, Plato, Proclus, Iamblichus, Plotinus, Psuedo-Dionysis, Aquinas, Tauler, Eckhart, Thomas a Kempis, Giordano Bruno, Bohme, etc., etc., etc. In spite of persecution and isolation, the Divine Wisdom, the Gnosis, the Philosophia Perennis, the Theosophia breaks through again and again.

_Why is it so important then that the mysteries be restored to the Church? Without them, it is essentially an empty shell. Any good that is done is superficial- if not accidental. Worse, it becomes a barrier to those who seek the reunion with the Divine that all men and women inherently hunger for. When the ineptitude and corruption of a supposedly spiritual institution drives good people away from God then it must be reformed or bypassed.

How many priests have been ordained in anticipation of the revealing of the inner mysteries- only to find that no one else in the priesthood knew any more about them than they did.... "

Publisher: Quest Books | More reviews: amazon.com

Jung and the Lost Gospels

by Stephan Hoeller

Average Rating:

"Among the many scores of books on Gnosticism now available, there are two which I consider essential reading: "The Gnostic Gospels" by Elaine Pagels and this book, "Jung and the Lost Gospels", by Stephan Hoeller. Pagels elucidates the nature and historical roots of Gnosticism while introducing the Gnostic texts found at Nag Hammadi. Hoeller carries the discussion forward to our own time and brings the immediacy of a modern psychological understanding to the ageless message of Gnosis. Readers who delve directly into a reading of the Nag Hammadi Library often find themselves bewildered -- or simply overwhelmed -- by the complexity of the Gnostic worldview. Hoeller offers aid by clearly and systematically examining the central themes and myths of Gnosticism. His discussion of the Essene communities (whose writings we find in the Dead Sea Scrolls) helps further develop a basic understanding of the creative and heterogeneous visionary environment in which Christianity was born. The name "Jung" (as in C. G. Jung, the Swiss psychologist) may attract some readers, while undoubtedly frightening many others. Hoeller is not overbearing in his use of Jung. This is a book about the birth and continuing life of Gnosticism. Those seeking a living understanding of "Gnosis" will find here wonderful new insights into both Gnosticism, Jung, and themselves."

Publisher: Quest Books | More reviews: amazon.com

Choices of Love

by Dorothy Maclean

Average Rating:

"Dorothy Maclean is that wonderful combination of a profound mystic and a loving, down-to-earth person who embodies the best of a spiritual tradition. A book by her is always a special feast of insights, and this book, her first after too many years, is no exception. I commend its spirit and its richness to you."

Publisher: Lindisfarne Books | More reviews: amazon.com

The Battle for the Soul (Social Ecology)

by Bernard Lievegoed

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Dictated to a friend in the months leading up to his death in December 1992, Bernard Lievegoed considered this book his last spiritual testament, having struggled with the themes for over sixty years. In a very personal, intimate way, Lievegoed shares his thoughts about three spiritual streams in human evolution led by three individuals: Rudolf Steiner, Christian Rosenkreutz, and Manu. He courageously explores their karmic connections and past lives, shedding light on how these spiritual streams are active today. The last chapter is a sobering look at the strategy of the opposing powers and Lievegoed's intimations about the spiritual challenges we will face in the immediate future.

Publisher: Hawthorn Press | More reviews: amazon.com

The Chakras (Quest Book)

by Charles Leadbeater

Average Rating:

"This book is important as a Western account of what is essentially an Eastern concept. The chakras are very important energy centres in humans, and are used in meditation and in cognition of the inner worlds. Leadbeater's book is fairly easy to read, and has really good colour illustrations which have since been often quoted and reproduced many times over the last 70 years. This book was written in the 1920s when the subject was little known in the Western world. Much of the material was obviously obtained from Hinduism, as the chakras are easy to see illustrated in temples in India. I must say I prefer Dr Hiroshi Motoyama's more comprehensive and recent book, but Leadbeater really did pave the way with this one. I recommend it and give it five stars in the historical and useful context. It's a great introduction to the subject."

Publisher: Quest Books | More reviews: amazon.com

Cosmic Music: Musical Keys to the Interpretation of Reality

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The idea that the universe is created out of sound or music (and therefore is music) is a very ancient one. In this book, Joscelyn Godwin brings together three contemporary German thinkers who exemplify this tradition in its modern variants: Marius Schneider, Rudolf Haase, and Hans Erhard Lauer. The selections draw on ancient Indian sources and mythology; Kepler's Platonic vision of a musical, geometric universe; and the evolution of the tone systems of music.

While every music lover senses the power and truth that reside in music, very few actually approach music as a path to cosmic knowledge. Godwin takes literally Beethoven's assertion that "Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom or philosophy." Godwin writes, ". . .to penetrate the mysteries of music is to prepare for initiation into those fathomless mysteries of man and cosmos."

Publisher: Inner Traditions | More reviews: amazon.com

Mother of the Universe: Visions of the Goddess and Tantric Hymns of Enlightenment

by Lex Hixon

Average Rating:

"This is one of the most inspirational collections of devotional poetry I have ever read. Lex Hixon does an excellent job of expressing the essence of Yoga philosophy and Tantra in poetic English. The combination of the ecstatic musings of the 19th century Bengali poet, Ramprasad and the modern lively English of Lex Hixon has created a masterpiece. I would recommend this book to all interested in the devotional experience of Tantra as well as the Vedanta philosophy. The beauty of the book is that you need not be a scholar to experience the mystical vision of Tantra Yoga."

Publisher: Quest Books | More reviews: amazon.com

The Spiritual Hierarchies and the Physical World: Reality and Illusion

by Rudolf Steiner

Average Rating:

"Intriguing book. In it are each of the hierarchies recorded:
- when they became active,
- which planets were formed by which hierarchie
- how hierarchies are related to each other (only mentioned not
explained in detail with the highest hierarchies).

In the book are also mentioned:
- The zodiac and how they are related to the hierarchies; and
what it means when a certain sign is active.
- Some about what parts of the physical body of a human were
already formed in spirit world by the different hierarchies...
Cancer as symbol for the ribcage which was formed for example.
- The seven oracles in Atlantean time (Sun oracle, Venus oracle
etc.) and that the one who had the most developed ether body of
the oracles (the leaders) were selected to work through the 7
rishi's in India in a later time.
- The lowest hierarchies (Angels, ArchAngels and Archia) are
explained in great detail: (a) how they relate to the mineral,
plant and animal kingdom and that their physical body, ether body, astral body and the I are located in different spheres (Angel only physical body in the Earth, ArchAngel physical body and ether body in the Earh, Archia physical, ether and astral body in the Earth while Humans have all four parts in the Earth (in this time!!!).

Also mentioned is difference between Copernicus' astrological system (viewed from physical viewpoint) and the Ptolemeus astrology (viewed from spiritual perspective - i.e. the spiritual hierarchie view).

I found the book to be really intruiging, but it lacked (for me) how the different entities are active now in the Earth, and how can be seen which people have interacted more with certain entities than others... In the book is recorded that Venus entities were present in the Earth to bring greater wisdom at one time, and Mars entities brought about other influences but not beyond: how do they play a role now, when and how did they made their presence felt over time (as the Earth developed) etc.

So: very intruiging book, explanations about several things, but only when they first appeared. Only briefly mentioned activity later on in the 7 rishi's, Jesus, but not on when/how the different entities made their presence felt in the Earth in more recent times (or other times) with the exception of Angels, Archangels and Archia. Especially Angels are explained at length.
But what about other entities... only briefly discussing them makes it harder to see the overall picture: all the times when, and how, the entities made their presence felt.
Besides that it is an intruiging book to read.

PS I read the Ducth version!!!"

Publisher: Anthroposophic Press | More reviews: amazon.com

The Etheric Double (Theosophical Classics Series)

by Arthur E. Powell

Average Rating:

"The Etheric Double, by Arthur Edward Powell, first published in 1925, is well written, clear, comprehensive on the chosen subject and probably completely incomprehensible to modern educated readers. Incomprehensible, not because the writer is obtuse, which he is not, but because the author builds a view of human existence that depends on assumptions none but the most gullible would believe.The author's intention is obviously to make the world a better place for mankind by improving man himself. The method chosen is to explain that there are seven kinds of matter from which man is made. The three most coarse (solid, liquid and gaseous) making up the physical body, and the four more refined (super etheric, etheric, sub atomic and atomic) making up other bodies such as the Etheric Double, the Astral Body, the Mental Body and the Causal Body. Apparently man should be able to improve himself by strengthening and learning how to improve the communication between his several bodies. To give the author credit, the content is a compilation of works by previous students of the occult and is probably a lot easier to read than their works. The only reason I read beyond the first page was because the author was my father. The mystery is: How could my father, who always insisted that logic and commonsense should rule human behavior, how could he have written such balderdash."

Publisher: Quest Books | More reviews: amazon.com

John Ruusbroec: The Spiritual Espousals, The Sparkling Stones, and Other Works (Classics of Western Spirituality)

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The fourteenth century in Europe has been called "the age of adversity." It was a time when medieval society was racked by the Hundred Years' War, the Black Death, and peasant turmoil of the age, saw the decline of its mendicant orders, the "Babylonian Captivity" of the papacy in Avignon, and the rise of wide-ranging heretical movements such as the Free Spirit heresy that disparaged the Church and its sacraments in favor of an immediate experience of God. In this context John Ruusbroec (1293-1381) lived as a monk in the duchy of Brabant and produced a corpus of works on the spiritual life that has made him the most important Flemish mystic in an age of such greats as John Tauler, Julian of Norwich, and Birgitta of Sweden. For the first time in English, four of Ruusbroec's most influential writings have been collected in one volume: The Spiritual Espousals, A Mirror of Eternal Blessedness, The Little Book of Clarification, and The Sparkling Stone. This new translation by James Wiseman offers a fresh, contemporary rendering of Ruusbroec's brilliant discourses that caused Abbot Cuthbert Butler to comment that "in all probability…there has been no greater contemplative; and certainly there has been no greater mystical writer."

Publisher: Paulist Press | More reviews: amazon.com