America John Climacus: The Ladder of Divine Ascent edited and translated by Colm Luibheid and Norman Russell notes on translation by Norman Russell, preface by Kallistos Ware Prayer is the mother and daughter of tears. It is an expiation of sin, a bridge across temptation, a bulwark against affliction. It wipes out conflict, is the work of angels, and is the nourishment of everything spiritual. John Climacus (c. 579-649) The Ladder of Divine Ascent was the most widely used handbook of the ascetic life in the ancient Greek Church. Popular among both lay and monastics, it was translated into Latin, Syriac, Arabic, Armenian, Old Slavonic, and many modern languages. It was written while the author (who received his surname from this book) was abbot of the monastery of Catherine on Mount Sinai. As reflected in the title, the ascetical life is portrayed as a ladder which each aspirant must ascend, each step being a virtue to be acquired, or a vice to be surrendered. Its thirty steps reflect the hidden life of Christ himself. This work had a fundamental influence in the particularly the Hesychastic, Jesus Prayer, or Prayer of the Heart movement. Pierre Pourrat in his History of Christian Spirituality calls John Climacus the most important ascetical theologian of the East, at this epoch, who enjoyed a great reputation and exercised and important influence on future centuries. +

    Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan has therefore translated the Sefer Yetzirah the oldest and most mysterious of all kabbalistic texts, and now brings its theoretical, meditative and magical implication to light. He expounds on the dynamics of the spiritual domain, the worlds of the Sefirot, souls and angels. When properly understood, the Sefer Yetzirah becomes the instruction manual for a very special type of meditation meant to strengthen concentration, and to aid the development of telekinetic and telepathic powers. These powers were meant to help initiates perform feats that outwardly appeared magical. The magical kabbalah is closely related to the meditative kabbalah, and uses various signs, incantations, and divine names by which initiates could influence or alter natural events. This translation includes the meditation in five dimensions, the transition from Binah to Chakhmah consciousness, the point of infinity, kabbalistic astrology, Ezekiel's vision according to the Sefer Yetzirah, and the mystery of the 231 gates.Also included is a digest of all major commentaries on the text of Sefer Yetzirah and a bibliography of many of the major kabbalistic works that discuss it, as well as extensive notes regarding various aspects of the translation, Rabbi Kaplan's translation is based on the Gra version, which has been thought to be the most authentic. Also included is the short version, the long version, and the Saadia version, making this volume the most complete work on the Sefer Yetzirah in English.

    The real identity of the person who chose to write under the pseudonym of Dionysius the Areopagite is unknown. Even the exact dates of his writings have never been determined. Moreover the texts themselves, though relatively short, are at points seemingly impenetrable and have mystified readers over the centuries. Yet the influence of this shadowy figure on broad range of mystical writers from the early middle ages on is readily discernible. His formulation of a method of negative theology that stresses the impotence of humans' attempt to penetrate the "cloud of unknowing" is famous as is his meditation on the divine names.Despite his influence, relatively few attempts have been made to translate the entire corpus of his written into English. Here in one volume are collected all of the Pseudo-Dionysius' works. Each has been translated from the Migne edition, with reference to the forthcoming Göttingen critical edition of A.M. Ritter, G. Heil, and B. Suchla.To present these works to the English-speaking public, an outstanding team of six research scholars has been assembled. The lucid translation of Colm Luibheid has been augmented by Paul Rorem's notes and textual collaboration. The reader is presented a rich and varied examination of the main themes of Dionysian spirituality by René Roques, an incisive discussion of the original questions of the authenticity and alleged heresies in the Dionysian corpus by Jaroslav Pelikan, a comprehensive tracing Dionysius' influence on medieval authors by Jean Leclercq, and a survey by Karlfried Froehlich of the reception given the corpus by Humanists and sixteenth-century Reformers.

    The special feature of this book is the detailed description of the various kinds of samadhi. Devanagri text with English translation and notes.

    Gregory of Nyssa This great spiritual master of the fourth century was born as the general persecution of Christians was ending. One of the Greek Cappadocian Fathers (the other two were Gregory's brother, St. Basil the Great, and their mutual friend, St. Gregory Nazianzen), Gregory has come to be regarded increasingly as the most brilliant and subtle thinker and most profound mystical teacher of the three. Whether or not one agrees with Jean Danielou who saw Gregory as the founder of mystical importance within the Christian tradition.The Life of Moses has special significance because it reflects Gregory's spiritual sense of the Scriptures. He maintained that the ultimate purpose of the Bible was not its historical teachings but its capacity for elevating the soul to God. Gregory saw the totality of the spiritual life as an epektasis, a continual growth or straining ahead, as in the words of St. Paul, Forgetting the past, I strain for what is still to come. Gregory frames an immensely significant synthesis of the earlier Hellenistic and Jewish traditions in this work. He describes the spiritual ascent as taking place in three stages, symbolized by the Lord's revelation of Himself to Moses, first in light, then in the cloud and, finally, in the dark. This translation and introduction, winner of the Christian Research Foundation Award, has been expertly rendered by Professors Abraham Malherbe of Yale University and Everett Ferguson of Abilene Christian University.

    This volume contains the text of the Upanishad and Gaudapada's Karika in Devanagari, their translation, and also the translation of Shankaracharya's commentaries on them along with exhaustive notes. A critical and scholarly preface by the learned translator adds to the worth of the book.It is difficult to imagine how the abstruse subject matter of this Upanishad and Shankaracharya's commentary could be made more easy of comprehension.

    But The Choice Was Not Wrong. Guru Arjan Was The Very Embodiment Of Love, Humility And Courage. His Greatest Contribution To Sikhism Was The Compilation Of The Guru Granth Sahib And The Construction Of The Har Mandir Sahib In Amritsar. He Was The First Sikh Martyr And By His Death Inspired His Followers To Uphold The Truth Under Any Pressure./A

    

    Dodds has provided a critical text based on a personal examination of some forty manuscripts, together with an English translation and a philosophical and linguistic commentary. This second edition includes an Appendix of Addenda et corrigenda and is still widely regarded and respected as the definitive edition of the text today.

    While the Upanishads lay the foundation of the loftiest reach possible for humanity and the Brahmasutras logically elucidate the intricate issues involved in the Upanishads, the Bhagavadgita blends together the Transcendent and the Immanent features of the Ultimate Reality, bringing together into an integrated whole knowledge and action, the inner and the outer, the individual and the society, man and God, all which are portrayed as facets of a Universal Operation, presenting entire life and all life as a perfectly complete organic wholeness, leaving nothing unsaid and attempting to solve every problem in life.

    It goes over intersections of biology and culture, how to map trauma using astrology, and asks you to work with yourself creatively. Read an excerpt here.If you'd like to start a writing group or storytelling circle using this book with three or more people, I can offer you $5 off each copy. Just email me."I recommend this book to anyone who wants a 21st century, progressive, and honest portrayal of western astrology that can be used to create a beautiful work of literature while still facilitating deep education...This is not your traditional, descriptive, uniform astrology book. It is progressive, blunt, intersectional, and even critical of astrology at times. The clear goal of this book is to help you use astrology practically in your life, not worship it as ultimate truth that dismantles free will." ―earthandfiretarot$20

    Each work has a lyric emphasis of its own, as the theme of both is our relationship with God.

    

    In fact there were several of his paintings and I could not believe my eyes. Until then I had only been aware of his name and had been conscious of seeing the recurring and hauntingimage of “PAN”, which was actually a section of the late pastel called “The Vampires Are Coming.” This image was widely used in the seventies on several occult type book jackets and was a key figure in the promotion of the eclectic magazine series ‘Man, Myth and Magic"

    The Jat peasantry took up arms in the district of Mathura. The Satnamis rebelled in the Punjab but these rebellions were mercilessly crushed. In the Deccan however, Shivaji's powers continued to be on the rise and in 1674, he proclaimed himself king. This made Aurangzeb even more ruthless in his religious persecution. Denied the freedom to follow their faith, the Hindus of Kashmir approached Guru Tegh Bahadur for help and guidance. The Guru carried the conviction - more than four hundred years ago, when religious intolerance and persecution were common all over the world - that every individual must have the freedom to worship the faith of his or her choice. He wrote to the Emperor, reminding him that the Holy Koran does not sanction forcible conversion. He expressed his willingness to hold discussions on the subject with the Emperor and his advisers on matters of religion and added, "If they succeed in converting me to their opinion, I will embrace your Islam and all the Hindus too might do the same. If on the contrary, they do not succeed in converting me to their opinion, then I request that henceforth all religious persecution should be stopped." Great ingenuity was used in devising new kinds of torture for the Guru and his closest disciples, but Aurangzeb failed to crush their spirit. Thus for a great principle which today is cherished by people in most parts of the world, the Guru laid down his life. Even to this day, he is remembered as Hindi-di-chadar (literally, the coverlet of India), protector of India's honor.

    THIS BOOK IS ABOUT:• saturn and the moon. what the histories of these two symbols have meant through traditional and modern astrology.• how both saturn and the moon accumulated meaning through white supremacy• ways to work with saturn and the moon in community accountable ways• the violent and unjust history of capital as a magical, not scientific, system of valuesYou should read this book if:• you desire to work with an astrology that is in resistance to cultures of neoliberalism and supremacy• you want to understand saturn and the moon in the real, white supremacist context they have developed within• you strive to re-mix symbols of power so that they benefit community and not capital

    

    But humanity has been given a second chance. Nature has only just begun to regrow and the returning humans must learn to survive in harsh, desolate conditions.When Maya gets separated from her tribe, she is sure she won't survive alone. But her unlikely companionship with a young bear becomes a source of strength.The threat of Sky Consciousness hangs more heavily than ever in the air now that the planet is vulnerable. There are many mysteries that Maya must uncover, including metaphysical powers that have been dormant within her. But she alone cannot defeat the Sky Consciousness. And she won't.There are four others with powers that compliment hers.Who are they? And how does she find them on a desolate planet?

    Originally recorded as audios and transcribed in this book due to popular demand, these potent transmissions are delivered in a simple, contemplative style and blend practical advice drawn from Richard’s life, as well as poetic insight and gentle humour to probe the depths and dilemmas of the Gene Keys.