Best of
Mysticism

1978

Your Word Is Your Wand: A Sequel to the Game of Life and How to Play It


Florence Scovel Shinn - 1978
    Her books are remarkable and revolutionary in her times. They are profound, full of wisdom and have inspired thousands of people for several decades. She taught that life is a game and in order to play it well, one must learn to understand the universal laws that govern it. She showed her students and readers how to win health, prosperity and happiness by mastering the game. By sharing real-life stories, she illustrates how positive attitudes and affirmations invariably succeed in making one a winner in life - able to control life‘s conditions and release abundance through knowledge of spiritual law. Florence Scovel Shinn had the ability to explain her success principles and how they work in an entertaining and easy-to-read style. She can be considered one of last century‘s most popular success teachers and in 1925, Florence decided to publish her first book —The Game of Life and How to Play It“. After unsuccessfully finding a publisher for her work, she published it herself. Her second book, —Your Word is Your Wand“ followed in 1928 and her final book —The Secret Door to Success“ was published in 1940 shortly before her death on October 17, 1940. A fourth book, —The Power of the Spoken Word“ is a compendium of her notes, gathered by one of her students and published posthumously in 1945.

Bhakti Yoga: The Yoga Of Love And Devotion


Vivekananda - 1978
    

Tao: The Pathless Path


Osho - 1978
    Leih Tzu was a well-known Taoist master in the fourth century B.C., and his sly critiques of a Confucius provide abundant opportunities for the reader to explore the contrasts between the rational and irrational, the male and female, the structured and the spontaneous."Who Is Really Happy" uses the discovery of a human skull on the roadside to probe into the question of immortality and how misery arises out of the existence of the ego."A Man Who Knows How to Console Himself" looks beneath the apparent cheerfulness of a wandering monk and asks if there is really a happiness that endures through life's ups and downs."No Regrets" is a parable about the difference between the knowledge that is gathered from the outside and the "knowing" that arises from within."No Rest for the Living" uses a dialogue between a despondent seeker and his master to reveal the limits of philosophy and the crippling consequences of living for the sake of some future goal."Best Be Still, Best Be Empty" discusses the difference between the path of the will, the via affirmitiva of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, versus the path of the mystic, the via negativa of Buddha and Lao Tzu.A Q&A section addresses how Taoist understanding applies to everyday life in concrete, practical terms.

The Soul's Journey into God / The Tree of Life / The Life of St. Francis


Bonaventure - 1978
    Kenneth L. Woodward Religion Editor of Newsweek Magazine in Publishers Weekly Bonaventure-The Soul's Journey into God, The Tree of Life, The Life of St. Francis translation and introduction by Ewert Cousins, preface by Ignatius Brady, O.F.M. But if you wish to know how these things come about ask grace not instruction, desire not understanding, the groaning of prayer not diligent reading, the Spouse not the teacher, God not man, darkness not clarity, not light but the fire that totally enflames and carries us into God by ecstatic unctions and burning affections. This fire is God and his furnace is in Jerusalem... Bonaventure, 1217-1274 Long before Bonaventure was called The Prince of Mystics by Leo XIII or The Seraphic Doctor by John Gerson, he was known throughout the Christian world as The Devout Teacher. Professor Ewert Cousins says in his introduction, In the history of Western Spirituality, Bonaventure holds a central and pivotal position. The 13th century friar, professor at the University of Paris, minister general of the Franciscan Order, cardinal and advisor to popes, played a major role in the spiritual ferment of the high Middle Ages...when Islamic, Jewish and Christian spirituality were flourishing-he produced one of the richest syntheses of Christian spirituality. Although cosmic in its scope, it was distinctively Christian in its content, grounded in the doctrine of the Trinity and devotion to the humanity of Christ. Within Christianity he achieved a striking integration of Eastern and Western elements. The three works contained in this volume offer the core of his vision. In The Soul's Journey into God, considered Bonaventure's masterpiece, he takes the six-winged Seraph as the symbol for the six stages of contemplation in which the created world is seen as a reflection of God. The Tree of Life is a simple meditation on the life of Jesus, based on the Gospel accounts in which Christ is seen as the Tree of Life on whose branches blossom such virtues as humility, piety, patience, constancy and justice. The Life of St. Francis was the official biography commissioned by the Franciscan Order in 1260. The editor of this volume, Dr. Ewert Cousins, is Professor of Theology, Fordham University and Visiting Professor, Columbia University. He is Director of the Spirituality Graduate Program at Fordham. Ignatius Brady, O.F.M., who wrote the preface to this volume, is one of the world's leading authorities on Bonaventure and early Franciscan spirituality. He is Prefect of the Theology Section of the Franciscan research center, Collegio S. Bonaventura at Grottaferrata near Rome. +

Deep Is the Hunger


Howard Thurman - 1978
    Meditations by Howard Thurman on timeless religious themes: A Sense of History, A Sense of Self, A Sense of Presence, and For the Quiet.Originally written for the bulletin at the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco.

The Discipline of Transcendence, Vol 1


Osho - 1978
    Using modern idiom, Osho extracts the kernel of Buddha's profound insight and understanding and presents his everlasting message to the contemporary reader in a manner that is lucid, straightforward and humorous. In these discourses he discusses the need for doubt and argument in the spiritual search, the nature of desire and the discipline of nonattachment, and much more.

Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism


Gareth Knight - 1978
    He also demonstrates how the Qabalah is applicable to all mystical traditions and religious beliefs, including Christian mysticism, Greek, Egyptian and Celtic mythologies, and even Native American beliefs. It is indeed symbolic of our universal search for the Divine. Included here are two books in one. The first compares the Western Mystery Tradition with the Eastern system of yoga, analyzes the Tree of Life in full detail, and describes the practical application and theories of Qabalistic symbolism. The second gives the most comprehensive analysis ever published of the twentytwo 'Paths of Concealed Glory' that join the Spheres of the Tree of Life taking into account the Hebrew alphabet, astrological signs, and tarot trumps. A large section explores the history of tarot design and the varying systems of correspondence with the Tree of Life.

Meditation and the Bible


Aryeh Kaplan - 1978
    First English translation from ancient unpublished manuscripts, with commentary.

The Triumphal Sun: A Study of the Works of Jalāloddin Rumi


Annemarie Schimmel - 1978
    Rumi's work forms one of the pillars of the Sufi orders, particularly the Mevlevi order, better known in the West as the Whirling Dervishes. In this book Rumi emerges not only as a spiritual master, but also as a fully human being grounded firmly in the Koran and in classical Islamic mysticism.The light of the Divine Sun, in its Beauty and Majesty, manifested itself for Rumi through the person of Shams of Tabriz. Transformed by this light, consumed by this fire, Mowlana Rumi saw the world in a new light. Everywhere he perceived God's Grandeur and his Grace.The book also discusses the theological premises upon which Rumi's work rests, his attitude to the problems of free will and predestination, and his analysis of the mystical stages and stations. The book not only gives a very rich analysis of Rumi's language and poetical art, but also a picture of medieval Konya, whose features the mystical poet transforms and transfigures.

The Heart Sutra: Talks on Buddha


Osho - 1978
    The Heart Sutra includes students questions, from the esoteric to eminently personal, posed directly to

The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the Mysteries


R. Gordon Wasson - 1978
    In this groundbreaking work, three experts—a mycologist, a chemist and a historian—argue persuasively that the sacred potion given to participants in the course of the ritual contained a psychoactive entheogen. The authors then expand the discussion to show that natural psychedelic agents have been used in spiritual rituals across history and cultures. Although controversial when first published in 1978, the book’s hypothesis has become more widely accepted in recent years, as knowledge of ethnobotany has deepened. The authors have played critical roles in the modern rediscovery of entheogens, and The Road to Eleusis presents an authoritative exposition of their views. The book’s themes of the universality of experiential religion, the suppression of that knowledge by exploitative forces, and the use of psychedelics to reconcile the human and natural worlds make it a fascinating and timely read. This 30th anniversary edition includes an appreciative preface by religious scholar Huston Smith and an updated exploration of the chemical evidence by Peter Webster.

The Grass Grows by Itself


Osho - 1978
    

Temptations of Jesus


Howard Thurman - 1978
    With Jesus, we face the Tempter's challenges. We rejoice in the choices Jesus makes, in his insistence on doing God's will, and we pray for his guidance as we face the dilemmas of our own lives.

Ancient Egyptian Magical Texts (Nisaba)


J.F. Borghouts - 1978
    Borghouts. Translations are helpfully annotated and indexed, and Borghouts has provided a succinct overview of Egyptian magic in his Introduction. Readers with Egyptian will find it easy to follow the references to the primary editions.

John Dee on Astronomy: Propaedeumata Aphoristica (1558 and 1568), Latin and English


John Dee - 1978
    While we have attempted to accurately maintain the integrity of the original work, there are sometimes problems with the original work or the micro-film from which the books were digitized. This can result in errors in reproduction. Possible imperfections include missing and blurred pages, poor pictures, markings and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature. ++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++"Propaedeumata aphoristica Ioannis Dee, Londinensis, de praestantioribus quibusdam naturae virtutibus ad Gerardum Mercatorem Rup e]lmundanum, mathematicus & philosophum insignem."Dee, John, 1527-1608.First two words of title in Greek characters.Imprint from colophon.Signatures: *4 (-*4, blank?) A-E4 F2 .The "e" in "Rup e]lmundanum" is found above the "l.." 60] p. Londini: Excudebat Henricus Suttonus impensis Nicolai England, Anno a virgineo parus 1558]STC (2nd ed.) / 6463LatinReproduction of the original in the Yale University Library++++This book represents an authentic reproduction of the text as printed by the original publisher. While we have attempted to accurately maintain the integrity of the original work, there are sometimes problems with the original work or the micro-film from which the books were digitized. This can result in errors in reproduction. Possible imperfections include missing and blurred pages, poor pictures, markings and other reproduction issues beyond our control. Because this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving and promoting the world's literature.

The Books of Jeu and the Untitled Text in the Bruce Codex


Carl Schmidt - 1978