a longing to find meaning to life ... a yearning to discover a sanctuary of serenity and peace ... a hunger to have your heart and soul touched by that Divine love that brings comfort to life ... a passionate desire to have a closer relationship with your creator, then the Tao Te Ching is for you. The Tao Te Ching provides an intuitive insight into the art of living an authentic life, and introduces you to the laws of nature on how to live in this world in peace and joy. With a knowing of the Tao Te Ching, you will see resistance and opposition fade away. Conflict and stress will become distant memories. The issues of life become irrelevant or will simply disappear once you start living your authentic self with the Tao. The Tao shows how to transcend all those insurmountable obstacles that the ego has created. The Tao contains the power to liberate you from the ego-imposed prison of the dualistic world. Living in the Tao can bring a deep inner peace and a reconnection to the divine source. The wisdom of the Tao is in a practical sense, a way to live life with the clarity of knowing the universal truth. The Tao is an ancient philosophy of living in the natural world. It shows the way of how to get back to being your Authentic Self, your Spiritual Self. The Tao has the power to help you reclaim your life from the temporal ego identity that is imprisoning you. With the Tao you can discover your Authentic Identity. You can get back to the being-ness and oneness of living in the Divine Consciousness by learning the truths of the Tao Te Ching. Through discovering these truths you can become the creators of your own universe instead of being the passive observer that you have been. You can learn to live a fuller life in the infinity of the moment verses living in the clutches of the Ego. The Tao can show you how to grow detached from the ego identity by becoming in direct contact with your true intent and motives that was meant for you. When you do, you begin to see yourself as you truly are. It is being authentic that you become reconnected to the divine source.The Tao Te Ching will show you how to develop a more rewarding spiritual experience and obtain a higher sense of awareness through connecting with the Divine Source, and help you realize that the Power is within you to achieve this. It makes no difference what your religious background or beliefs are, the teachings of the Tao Te Ching are universal and available to everyone. Following the way of the Tao Te Ching is a spiritual path to finding true joy and ecstasy.For those who wish to learn more, may I suggest my book, "The Way of the Tao, Living an Authentic Life" This book has several essays on the deeper meaning of the Tao including modern day examples to demostrate the timelessness of the Tao.

    More than this, you may safely trust her practical guidance, which is drawn from a long and varied experience of working alone and with others. She is a gifted teacher, perceptive and critical: perhaps more important, she is also human . . . there is no question but that the magical path is a hard road that requires dedication, discrimination and a solid dose of common sense . . . if you are determined to follow the magical path, and if you employ these three qualities, you will be hard pressed indeed to find a better guide than Magical Knowledge." RA Gilbert Magical Knowledge book I is the first in a series of three that takes the reader through the bends and twists of serious magical study. This book tackles some of the more pressing issues surrounding the early quest for knowledge from the world of magic, along with techniques, exercises and warnings for those ready to dip their toe in the scalding hot water of power. Using her usual no nonsense down to earth approach, McCarthy outlines in depth some of the rarely tackled issues and problems that face a serious modern magician, offering advice and reflections based on 30 years of practical work. The book follows no specific magical path; rather it takes the reader to the layers of consciousness beneath such paths and shows us the various techniques, powers and dynamics that underpin most Western Mystery schools and lodges. The reader is shown how ritual actually works, what an inner contact actually is, how to make visions work, how to turn an object into a magically charged implement, how to read tarot, how to clean and protect yourself, and most importantly of all, how to spot the bullshit. Josephine McCarthy is a seasoned occultist and author living in the Dartmoor National Park in the UK. She has taught and led magical groups in the USA and UK for many years, and has written a variety of magical fiction and non fiction. Her more recent publications include 'The Work of the Hierophant' and 'The Exorcist's Handbook'.

    

    Ranging from intellectual treatises on sacred geometry, biomorphism and the symbol of the serpent in kabbalistic theory and practise, to a poetic twilight language of ecstatic devotion.Produced as a lavish small folio with generous margins and a classic typographic style, "The Sacrificial Universe" presents David’s key artworks of the last four years as full-page images, with the triptychs and quadriptych offered as folding plates. The complex and evocative iconographic symbolism is also explored through commentaries. And yet "The Sacrificial Universe" is more than a homage to those seventeenth century books of hermetic mysticism. Structured according to the classic kabbalistic text Sefer Yetzirah, "The Sacrificial Universe" may be approached on three levels (world, year, and soul) to offer the reader a view of gnostic surrender within a vision of the self-consuming nature of phenomena.

    It contains elements of perennial wisdom, much of which has been handed down to it by other orders and cultures throughout the history of civilization. Many have searched, and continue to search, for a singular origin to our Fraternity. This book discusses similarities found in the Initiatic Experiences which have been practiced by people of different cultures from time immemorial. You will find that much of what our lessons teach today, was taught to initiates thousands of years before Freemasonry had even been formed, being passed from Master to Candidate. It shows that some of those Initiatic processes, methods, and lessons, which were passed down to us from ancient times, was done so by some of the most famous thinkers, philosophers, and teachers in human history. Sometimes this knowledge was lost by one civilization only to be rediscovered or rejuvenated by the next. The knowledge and lessons changed nearly as little as the methods of conveying them. It shows a lineage or pathway, so to speak, created by the sharing of knowledge and wisdom from Ancient Egypt and Greece, to Renaissance Europe and even the Middle East. It discusses how the process and impact of the Initiatic experience was used then, and is still used today, to promote and protect certain lessons and concepts throughout the ages, sometimes with deadly consequences. This book talks about some of the challenges certain Orders had in maintaining these lessons in times of social or religious turmoil such as the Knights Templar, Rosicrucians, and even the early Alchemists. For the new and old Freemason alike, this book can provide valuable insight into the meaning behind portions of the ritual, the history behind some of the traditions, and the spirit behind some of the lessons of our Fraternity. Those interested in history will find a concise, chronological order of events making study and familiarization of information quick and easy. Those interested in the more esoteric side of Freemasonry will find both old and new concepts behind the superficial aspects of our Craft and the underlying Western Mystery School tradition as a whole.

    Although it was later revealed that these works had issued from the pen of William Sharp, it was clear that Fiona Macleod was more than a pseudonym; to Sharp she was very much an autonomous entity. What's more, the wealth of previously unknown and unheard of myths, names, traditions and beliefs in her writings, while shone through a Celtic prism, show every sign of having emanated from the Realm of Faery.Steve Blamires presents a ground-breaking assessment of the Faery lore within Fiona Macleod's literary output as part of his ongoing study of this enigmatic writer. Building on the established groundwork of his biography of Sharp, The Little Book of the Great Enchantment, he explores the mythology and traditions of Faery, their symbolic and magical significance, and the devices employed by Fiona in the transmission of Faery teachings and inspirations. Using examples from Fiona's rich and resonant body of work, his detailed interpretation will enable the reader to tease out the Faery gems that are still to be found woven into the lines and verse of her writings.

    ALU, An Advanced Guide to Operative Runology contains completely new and fresh descriptions of all the individual runes based on traditional sources, runepoems, Old Norse literature, and more.Thorsson one of the most respected runic scholars living today, synthesizes the old and the new, the scholarly and the practical, and brings the use of runes in magical work to a new level in ALU, An Advanced Guide to Operative Runology.ALU features:Practical magic Divination practicesReveals new techniques and methodsHow modern English can be used in the creation of runic writings

    How and why they did so is the subject of UFOs and Government, a history that for the first time tells the story from the perspective of the governments themselves. It's a perspective that reveals a great deal about what we citizens have seen, and puzzled over, from the "outside" for so many years. The story, which is unmasked by the governments' own documents, explains much that is new, or at least not commonly known, about the seriousness with which the military and intelligence communities approached the UFO problem internally. Those approaches were not taken lightly. In fact, they were considered matters of national security. At the same time, the story reveals how a subject with such apparent depth of experience and interest became treated as if it were a triviality. And it explains why one government, the United States government, deemed it wise, and perhaps even necessary, to treat it so. Though the book focuses primarily on the U. S. government's response to the UFO phenomenon, also included is the treatment of the subject by the governments of Sweden, Australia, France, Spain, and other countries.This large-format, fully illustrated book is the result of a team effort that called itself "The UFO History Group," a collection of veteran UFO historians and researchers who spent more than four years researching, consulting, writing, and editing to present a work of historical scholarship on government response to the UFO phenomenon. Michael Swords was the primary author of the United States chapters. The work was coordinated and edited by Robert Powell. Clas Svahn, Vicente-Juan Ballester Olmos, Bill Chalker, and Robert Powell contributed country chapters. Jan Aldrich was the primary content consultant, with additional content consultation and writing coming from Barry Greenwood and Richard Thieme. Steve Purcell was the primary photo illustration editor.From the foreword by Jerome Clark: "While UFOs and Government revisits an often unhappy history, the reading of it is far from an unhappy experience. The authors, eloquent, intelligent, sophisticated, and conscientious, provide us with the first credible, comprehensive overview of official UFO history in many years... Most of the current volume deals with U.S. military and intelligence responses to the UFO phenomenon, but it also features richly informative chapters that expand the story across the international arena. If you're looking for an example of a nation that dealt productively with the UFO reports that came its official way, you will take heart in the chapter on the French projects... From here on, every responsible treatment of UFOs and government will have to cite UFOs and Government prominently among its sources... this is the real story as accurately as it can be reconstructed in the second decade of the new century. I expect to keep my copy close at hand and to return to it often. While it cannot be said of many books, UFO-themed or otherwise, this is among the essential ones. Stray from it at your peril."

    Nichiren Buddhism s is a form of modern Buddhism uniquely geared to the 21st century. Through a story of real world people with real struggles you’ll see how Buddhist philosophy and practices can help you get unstuck and provide you with an opportunity to become happier.Discover:•How to get unstuck and move your life forward•Specific tools and techniques anyone can use to become happier •How to quiet your mind even when the world around you is chaotic•How to successfully negotiate transitions in with grace•A 90-day practice challenge; prepare to be surprised and fascinated by what happens in your life!•Discussions of Buddhist philosophy and how it provides answers for our modern lives•How to experience moments of enlightenmentFrom making transitions like changing a job or losing a loved one, to dealing with internal struggles, or just wanting to be happier, this book provides the tools, techniques, and philosophies to put you on the path to happiness.You might be asking yourself if all this is even possible. The answer is simple: Find out for yourself what some 12 million practitioners of modern Buddhism have come to know. Order a copy of Your Path to Unshakeable Happiness today; it might just become one of your favorite spiritual self-help books.

    It also contains the most up-to-date explanation in print of Place's unique divinatory techniques. This book is also the long awaited companion for any edition of the acclaimed Alchemical Tarot, discussing the symbolism of each card in the deck in detail, and it is an essential text for anyone who desires a deeper understanding of the Tarot's mystical heritage.

    Aleister Crowley's Liber 231 provides the map and Kenneth Grant's Nightside of Eden a travelogue. "Liber 231, apparently started life as a text within the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, as an exercise to develop astral and trance abilities or perhaps in other more elaborate rites. The nightside aspect requires some care and alertness in case of accident. The correct attitude is said to be one of self or ego-less witness. Or maybe it's just one needs Or maybe it's just one needs the use of an all-embracing rather than a limited kind of identity and self-identification?" "The Nightside is always with us. It's so much older than the Dayside. Before the light began to shine, the night was there. Some assume that we are dealing with a simple polarity. On one hand the radiant world of colours and forms, more or less thinkable, reasonable and meaningful. Like the pretty picture of the Tree of Life it has its scenic cites, its hotels, restaurants, shopping opportunities and highways in between. On the other hand the chaotic world of uncertain and incomprehensible mysteries. Both of them connected by the voidness that makes them possible. It looks symmetrical. But when you reach the Nightside it doesn't work like that. The Nightside is not simply a reflection of the dayside with a few confusing and spooky bits thrown in. The Dayside is a tiny island of experience in a huge ocean, the Nightside, full of currents, island chains and continents of the possible and impossible. All and Nothing are present everywhere. Our island is not the opposite of the world-ocean, it is simply a tiny and comprehensible part of it." Jan Fries Nightshades comprises 72 intense drawings prefaced by an explanatory essay detailing the background and genesis of this ultimate magical adventure.

    It forms the third volume of the five essential ‘Way of Mastery’ texts. Jeshua shares: “The Way of the Heart... is that pathway that begins with a commitment to healing and awakening, and is founded on the premise that you are perfectly free at all times. And everything that is experienced has been by your choice. And at no time has there been any other cause.” His invitation to us is to wake up from every illusion that we have ever been separate from God, and to remember the deepest Truth of who we are: Christ. This is the only authorized version, precisely it was first given and including the original question and answer sections. Nothing has been added in the transition from audio to text: no chapter titles appear, nor themes given to sub-sections - for He gave none. Read the first chapter in the book preview and experience the energy of these exquisite teachings for yourself!

    Yet scholars have largely neglected one of the intellectual currents underlying his work: Western esotericism, specifically the lineage of hermetic thought that extends from Late Antiquity into the Renaissance through the work of figures such as Iamblichus, Nicholas of Cusa, Pico della Mirandola, and Giordano Bruno. In this book, Joshua Ramey examines the extent to which Deleuze's ethics, metaphysics, and politics were informed by, and can only be fully understood through, this hermetic tradition.Identifying key hermetic moments in Deleuze's thought, including his theories of art, subjectivity, and immanence, Ramey argues that the philosopher's work represents a kind of contemporary hermeticism, a consistent experiment in unifying thought and affect, percept and concept, and mind and nature in order to engender new relations between knowledge, power, and desire. By uncovering and clarifying the hermetic strand in Deleuze's work, Ramey offers both a new interpretation of Deleuze, particularly his insistence that the development of thought demands a spiritual ordeal, and a framework for retrieving the pre-Kantian paradigm of philosophy as spiritual practice.

     Keyed to the corresponding book for each complete practice, such as Healing Light of the Tao and Chi Self-Massage, this guide includes 220 exercises from more than 20 of Master Mantak Chia’s practice systems, including the Inner Smile, the Six Healing Sounds, the Microcosmic Orbit, Iron Shirt Chi Kung, Wisdom Chi Kung, Tao Yin, Chi Nei Tsang, Cosmic Detox, Bone Marrow Nei Kung, Cosmic Healing, Tendon Nei Kung, and Karsai Nei Kung. Offering a comprehensive reference to the beginning and intermediate practices of the Universal Healing Tao, this book allows you to build a regular Taoist practice combining internal and external chi and sexual energy exercises from the full range of Master Chia’s teachings, enabling you to purify, transform, regenerate, and transcend not only your own energy but the energy around you as well.

    This unique and ground-breaking book combines scholarship and practice, as Georgi Mishev provides a thorough and detailed overview of the magical practices of Bulgaria and the surrounding Balkan countries, tracing them from the ancient world through Christian and Islamic overlays to their existing forms.Drawing on numerous ancient sources including the Hittite ritual texts, Greek Magical Papyri, Derweni Papyrus and many others, the author demonstrates the continuity of magical practice in Balkan communities for millennia. At the same time he also presents a huge wealth of folklore and practices from the Balkan peninsula never previously available in English.The enduring worship of the Great Goddess is considered in depth, both as figures such as Hekate, Artemis and Bendis, as well as in forms such as the Mother of the Sun, the Mountain Mother, the Virgin Mistress of fire and the She-Wolf, and her transmission into various saints such as the Mother of God, Fiery Marina, Petka and Nedelya.Key figures including Orpheus, Musaeus, Eumolpus, Zalmoxis, Rhesus and the nymph Thrake, and their roles in the transmission of the ancient mysteries are discussed to help demonstrate the distinctive flavour found in folk practices of the Balkan Peninsula.By exploring the contrasting roles of the healer (as valued member of the community) and the magician (as necessary evil) in Bulgarian traditional culture, together with their continued practice through family lines, the author demonstrates the way that traditional practices have survived and even flourished alongside the Christian church in a way not seen in western Europe.Chapter Keywords: Thracian Magic, Bulgaria, Balkans, Rituals, Orpheus, Orphic, Musaeus, Eumolpus, Zalmoxis, Rhesus, Prophetess of Dionysos, Thrake, Mystery Tradition, Secret Knowledge, Healer, Healing, Magician, Concept of the Goddess, Mother of the sun, Mountain Mother, The Virgin Mistress of Fire, She-Wolf