Best of
Mysticism

1957

Happiness and Contemplation


Josef Pieper - 1957
    What, in fact, does one pursue in pursuing happiness? What, in the consensus of the wisdom of the early Greeks, of Plato and Aristotle, of the New Testament, of Augustine and Aquinas, is that condition of perfect bliss toward which all life and effort tend by nature?In this profound and illuminating inquiry, Pieper considers the nature of contemplation, and the meaning and goal of life.

The Temple of Man: Apet of the South at Luxor


R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz - 1957
    This exhaustive and authoritative study reveals the depths of the mathematical, medical, and metaphysical sophistication of Ancient Egypt. Schwaller de Lubicz's stone-by-stone survey of the temple of Amun-Mut-Khonsu at Luxor allows us to step into the mentality of Ancient Egypt and experience the Egyptian way of thinking within the context of their own worldview. His study finds the temple to be an eloquent expression and summary--an architectural encyclopedia--of what the Egyptians knew of humanity and the universe. Through a reading of the temple's measures and proportions, its axes and orientations, and the symbolism and placement of its bas-reliefs, along with the accompanying studies of related medical and mathematical papyri, Schwaller de Lubicz demonstrates how advanced the civilization of Ancient Egypt was, a civilization that possessed exalted knowledge and achievements both materially and spiritually. In so doing, Schwaller de Lubicz effectively demonstrates that Ancient Egypt, not Greece, is at the base of Western science, civilization, and culture. To understand the temple of Luxor, twelve years of field work were undertaken with the utmost exactitude by Schwaller de Lubicz in collaboration with French archaeologist Clement Robichon and the respected Egyptologist Alexandre Varille. From this work were produced over 1000 pages of text and proofs of the sacred geometry of the temple and 400 illustrations and photographs that make up The Temple of Man. The Temple of Man is a monument to inspired insight, conscientious scholarship, and exacting archaeological groundwork that represents a major contribution to humanity's perennial search for self-knowledge and the prehistoric origins of its culture and science.

The Fourth Way


P.D. Ouspensky - 1957
    Ouspensky. Consisting of verbatim records of his oral teaching from 1921 to 1946, it gives a lucid explanation of the practical side of G. I. Gurdjieff's teachings, which Gurdjieff presented in the form of raw materials, Ouspensky's specific task having been to put them together as a systematic whole. Just as Tertium Organum deals with a new mode of thinking, so The Fourth Way is concerned with a new way of living. It shows a way of inner development to be followed under the ordinary conditions of life -- as distinct from the three traditional ways that call for retirement from the world: those of the fakir, the monk, and the yogi.The Fourth Way is a guide for those who seek a true way of inner growth under conditions open to the men and women of today.

The Mystical Qabalah


Dion Fortune - 1957
    This Weiser Classics edition is newly re-typeset and include a new foreword by Judika Illes and a new afterword by Stuart R. Harrop, co-director of the Society of Inner Light (founded in 1924 by Dion Fortune).Dion Fortune's classic, The Mystical Qabalah, explores all aspects of the Qabalah, including the esoteric sciences of astrology and tarot, which form the basis of the Western Mystery Traditions. It provides a key to the practical working of this mystical system for both novice and initiate alike.

Eight Upanishads, with the Commentary of Sankaracarya, Vol. I


Adi Shankaracharya - 1957
    Volume One covers the Isa, Kena, Katha, and Taittiriya Upanishads. Each verse has the Devanagri Sanskrit, with English translation and commentary, with further commentary by Sankaracarya. Also included is an Index to texts in Devanagri Sanskrit.

The Essential Writings


Meister Eckhart - 1957
    Blakney, here are the essential writings of Meister Eckhart, the celebrated 14th Century German-born Dominican philosopher, mystic, and spiritual master, including his famous, brilliantly reasoned defense against charges of heresy during a local Franciscan-led Inquisition. Perhaps the most daring and profound Christian philosophy in the history of Western mysticism, the writings and teachings of Meister Eckhart at once challenge and inspire all who wish to deepen their experience of God.

Scientific Christian Mental Practice


Emma Curtis Hopkins - 1957
    great book.

On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah


Gershom Scholem - 1957
    These ideas about God, human beings, and creation continue to fascinate and influence spiritual seekers of all persuasions today.In clear and easy-to-understand prose, Gershom Scholem, the pioneer of the modern study of Jewish mysticism explains the basic concepts of the Kabbalah: the mystical "form of the imageless God"; good and evil; the Tsaddik or righteous soul; the Shekhinah, the feminine aspect of God; gilgul, the transmigration of souls; and tselem, the concept of the astral body. For anyone seeking to taste the mysteries of the Kabbalah, this is an essential book.