Theosophy

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

Shadows of the Sacred: Seeing Through Spiritual Illusions

by Frances Vaughan

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"At least once a month a psychotherapy client or a student in a clinical psychology graduate program asks me what to read for a psychologically sophisticated approach to spirituality. Without hesitation I always tell them about Frances Vaughan's "Shadows of the Sacred," a work of such wisdom, warmth, and practicality that, after they read it, they'll probably want to see her for therapy. Vaughan's knowledge of both depth psychology and spiritual traditions is breathtaking. There's no wholly-headed New Age thinking here. This work belongs right next to Scott Peck's "The Road Less Travelled." It will be meaningful to men and women in all walks of life who are searching for the greater life they sense is possible."

Publisher: Backinprint.com | More reviews: amazon.com

Ascended Master Instruction (Saint Germain Series Vol 4)

by Saint Germain

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"Look at the title: Ascended Master Instruction. Have you dreamed of joining the Ascended Masters? Of serving in the highest good? To be the love you feel in your heart? This is the 4th book in a 15 book series. But you only NEED the first 4 to achieve your freedom (IMHO). I cried as I read these books and accepted what they have promised. Don't be afraid. Get all 4 volumes, read, and APPLY them to your life. You can write to me. You can ask any question. But you DO want and need these books if you have been spiritually seeking."

Publisher: St Germain Pr | More reviews: amazon.com

Nature Spirits: Selected Lectures (Selected lectures)

by Rudolf Steiner

In ancient times, people possessed natural spiritual vision and communed with nature spirits. Those spirits — also called elemental beings — became known as the fairies and gnomes immortalized in myth, legend, and children's stories. Rudolf Steiner tells us that such traditional "folk wisdom" is spiritual fact, and that the instinctive understanding humankind once had for such beings should now be transformed into clear, scientific knowledge. If we do not develop a new relationship to these beings, humanity will be unable to bridge the gulf separating us from the spiritual world.

Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Press | More reviews: amazon.com

Creating Miracles: Understanding the Experience of Divine Intervention

by Carolyn Godschild Miller

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"Quick - what's the first thing that comes to mind when you find yourself in a bind? The frantic search for someone to blame? The feeling of victimhood? The lengths to which we are willing to stretch reason in order to find someone else responsible for our woes is nearly comical.This book is as close as you can get to a "how-to" book for miracles. The exalted "A Course In Miracles" is quoted freely in this work, establishing its secure underpinnings in the metaphysics of higher realities (a.k.a. miracles). The key: miracles are a CHOICE.If life is a series of lessons, choosing the "path less taken" often means a conscious decision to see a situation in a completely different light. This might entail compassion for the oppressor, awareness of the "big picture" and the wellbeing of all concerned, or simply a complete surrender to a loving Higher Power. (Interestingly, completely "losing it" later on seems to be OK). When this loving attitude is chosen as the response to a crisis, the lesson may be "called off" as it were. You got it. You passed the test. No need to go further.This is a wonderful book - one that should be read by everybody as an antidote for the "eye for an eye" mentality of the world-mind."

Publisher: H.J. Kramer | More reviews: amazon.com

Inner Life of the Earth: Exploring the Mysteries of Nature, Subnature, & Supranature

by Christopher Bamford

"Our very `I' consciousness is possible because the mineral earth--the first layer of the interior of the Earth--and the other chthonic regions exist. Our human nature is a reflection of the subearthly and supraearthly realms that comprise the macrocosm and the microcosm. `The true meaning of the microcosm-macrocosm analogy is not that the human being is a little cosmos, but that the cosmos is a big human being.' From this perspective, it makes complete sense that the subterranean realms described by spiritual science live within the deepest realms of our human nature and subconscious life of darker feelings and will. Deep within the human being, they radiate into the shadows of thought. This region is more familiarly known as Hell, Hades, or the Abyss. The subterranean spheres, then, are the Earth's `dark side.'" --Paul V. O'Leary (from his introduction) Throughout human history, ancient wisdom and traditional myths have placed human beings between the heavens and the underworld, describing the heavens as the light-filled realm of the gods and the source of goodness, and characterizing the underworld as a demon-filled realm of darkness and the source of evil. Modern science, however, denies the heavens and knows little of the Earth's interior -- even physically -- beyond the first few miles, after which it simply resorts to conjecture based on the extrapolation of existing sensory data. In other words, natural science fails to take into account that the Earth is a living, spiritual being and ignores the presence of its soul-spiritual qualities and influences. To remedy this, during the early twentieth century, Rudolf Steiner researched the psychic, spiritual, and cosmic nature of the Earth's interior. He described how the different layers of the inner Earth affect and interact with human beings living on Earth. More theologically and cosmically, he spoke of the layers of "Hell," through which the Jesus Christ traveled in the period between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, uniting and integrating himself with the Earth and human destiny. The seven authors in The Inner Life of the Earth approach this difficult and little-discussed topic from different directions. They discuss how the forces emanating from the interior of the Earth affect the weather, our atmosphere, human beings, and how human behavior in turn affects them, showing that earthly and human evolution are a unity and should never be thought of as occurring separately. They also discuss the deep significance of Christ's incarnation, by which he united with the Earth to become the Spirit of the Earth. Without Christ's deed, the Mystery of Golgotha, which reunites cosmic and human evolution with the divine, human beings would be unable to work in freedom with Christ or with Sophia, divine feminine Wisdom, in her form as the Soul of the Earth, to overcome evil and help lift all creation toward goodness and greater human, cosmic, and divine fellowship.

Publisher: Steinerbooks | More reviews: amazon.com

Dialogues with a Modern Mystic

by Andrew Harvey

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Interviews with modern-day mystic Andrew Harvey yield a discourse of mystical depth and beauty.

Publisher: Quest Books | More reviews: amazon.com

Glamour: A World Problem

by Alice A. Bailey

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* The books of Alice A. Bailey, written in cooperation with a Tibetan teacher between 1919-1949, constitute a continuation of the Ageless Wisdom--a body of esoteric teaching handed down from ancient times in a form which is always suitable to each period. Intended to precede and condition the coming era, the Alice A. Bailey writings offer an unparalleled spiritual approach to such subjects as the teaching on Shamballa and the Path of spiritual evolution; the spiritual Hierarchy; the new discipleship and training in meditation as a form of service; the teaching on the seven rays and the new psychology of the soul; the teaching on esoteric astrology; and the new world religion, which emphasizes the common thread of truth linking all the major world faiths. *This teaching on world glamour, its causes and cures, is one of the specialised subjects first given to the group whose personal instructions appear in the two volumes of "Discipleship in the New Age". The idea that a small group of dedicated aspirants could work together to help dissipate the heavy enshrouding glamours which oppress humanity and deflect the light of truth, was initially quite a startling one. Spiritual progress has for so long held no meaning for the individual other than his own personal growth, that to consider spiritual experience in direct relation to world conditions is for many a revolutionary idea. Nevertheless world glamour - the sum total of human ignorance, fear and greed - can only yield to the enlightened penetration of those in whom these emotional reactions have been transcended in whole or in part. Glamour is, of course, the result of a negative emotional focus; just as illusion results from a negative or unclear attitude of mind out of touch with the reality behind the outer appearance; so a man becomes the victim of strong self-created thought-forms built on personality forces and self-interest. This book deals with the misconceptions existing on all levels of the personality life - maya on the etheric level; glamour on the emotional plane; and illusion on the mental plane; climaxing in the sum total of all three combined in the personality - the so-called dweller on the threshold. The correct methods of working to dissipate world glamour and dispel world illusion, confirm to modern psychological techniques accepted and practiced for individual benefit. A higher form of energy must be brought to bear on the blocked condition. This means in practical terms, maya must be subjected to the inspiration and idealism of the emotional plane; glamour to the illumination of the mental plane; illusion to the light of the intuition. a buddhic energy; and the dweller on the threshold must be confronted by the Angel of the Presence, the soul. As this clarity and transformation of the personality proceed in the individual, he can begin to serve consciously, preferably in group formation, to lift and enlighten the world condition. Certain meditation formulas are given in this book which can safely be used by a group working together, but would require great care in the individual to prevent stimulation of any remaining personal glamours and illusions. We are working at all times with energy as an impersonal force, which can nevertheless produce a dangerous personal effect if the motivation is not selfless enough, the personality insufficiently pure or self-disciplined, and the dynamic power-to-work not sufficiently fused with love of humanity to create understanding and identification. "The need for the service of men and women free from illusion and glamour, has never been so dramatically present as it is today, and it is for these potential servers of a desperate necessity that I have written."

Publisher: Lucis Pub | More reviews: amazon.com

Madame Blavatsky's Baboon: A History of the Mystics, Mediums, and Misfits Who Brought Spiritualism to Ameri ca

by Peter Washington

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"A few years ago I went to a spiritually oriented week-long conference where there were a lot of New Age ideas being discussed and taught. I was open to some of these ideas, but what struck me as odd were the teachers themselves. Very few seemed to have learned the art of critical thinking, but no matter--their lack of intellectual depth was clearly compensated for by the strength of their belief in their special calling and powers. I wondered about the evolution of these so-called "spiritual teachers" and their teachings, and I believe I have found in this book a good portion of what I wondered about. Peter Washington delves into the beliefs of the Theosophists, many of which ideas are quite similar to some of the current New Age ideas (such as the teaching of the Ascended Masters). He presents evidence that most of these ideas were made up by Madame Blavatsky herself. After being propounded by Madame, they were eagerly gobbled up by a large number of credulous followers. These followers were so taken with their new spiritual leaders that they refused to believe any evidence that they were being duped by tactics such as staged seances or missives from the Masters materialized out of thin air. They even held their tongues when it came out that those leaders were practicing child abuse. This book is not just a study in the power grabbing that often goes on among professional spiritual teachers, it also digs into the willingness of seekers to turn over their power to these teachers. In that sense it is a rather painful, sad study of human nature, yet written in a way that is sarcastic, and at times wickedly witty. I recommend this book to any reader who considers him/herself to be on a spiritual path, as there are many valuable lessons in it."

Publisher: Schocken | More reviews: amazon.com

Flight of the Eagle

by J. Krishnamurti

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"J. Krishnamurti, born a sickly Hindi child, was raised and molded for the position of world guru by the Theosophical society. He did become a physically healthy yound man, and the Order of the Star was formed around him to nurture his big awakening. He gave speeches and had a great following. Then during a huge gathering of 2000 of his devotees, he broke the news to them, which was essentially "I am not your leader. I can not make you enlightened. Only you can do that. Do not follow me for I have no answers for you. You must think through life for yourself." This turn, what might have been percieved as a let down, was actually great advice and deep wisdom. After that he continued to speak, but always with the same message, which was basically to do away with all conditioning and to search for the truth of reality without the screens of religions, politics, patriotism, gurus, philosophies, etc. He sought to see reality as it was, not as how people dreamed it should be. This book is a small sample of his talks and writings. But there is so much more to the man and his profound mind than this. Since Amazon may not have this one in stock, check out one of his other books. But it must be noted that many of the books of Krishnamurti are biographies. They are interesting, but to get to the core of his ideas, check out HIS writings and talks."

Publisher: Morning Light Press | More reviews: amazon.com