Best of
Mysticism

2006

Home with God: In a Life That Never Ends


Neale Donald Walsch - 2006
    In Home with God, the last installment of his bestselling Conversations with God series, Neale Donald Walsch asks the questions that everyone has longed to ask and receives the answers readers have all been waiting for. Through his profound and personal dialogue with God, Walsch explores the process by which all human beings must end their days here on Earth and begin their new life in God's Kingdom -- to which all eventually return, regardless of their earthly deeds. An astonishing and spiritual work, Home with God offers hope, comfort, and surprising revelations for all humankind.

A Year with Rumi: Daily Readings


Rumi - 2006
    A Year with Rumi brings together 365 of Barks's elegant and beautiful translations of Rumi's greatest poems, including fifteen never-before-published poems.Barks includes an Introduction that sets Rumi in his context and an Afterword musing on poetry of the mysterious and the sacred. Join Coleman Barks and Rumi for a year-long journey into the mystical and sacred within and without. Join them in recognizing and embracing the divine in the sublime, in the ordinary, and in us all.

Animal Spirit Guides: An Easy-to-Use Handbook for Identifying and Understanding Your Power Animals and Animal Spirit Helpers


Steven D. Farmer - 2006
    In Animal Spirit Guides, Dr. Farmer provides concise, relevant details about the significance of more than 200 animals that may come to you in physical or symbolic form as guides and teachers. With each animal listed, you’ll find general meanings of the visitation; practical ways that they can help you as spirit guides; and how, as your power animal, they reflect characteristics that you possess. You’ll also find a “whom-to-call-on” section that will tell you which animal spirit guide to call on for any specific purpose.

Your Immortal Reality: How to Break the Cycle of Birth and Death


Gary R. Renard - 2006
    Doing so leads beyond theory to an experience of the Divine and the undoing of the ego. Your progress will be accelerated to such a degree that, with continued practice, you can’t help but stop the need to reincarnate . . . once and for all. Like Gary’s first book, The Disappearance of the Universe, this work elaborates on the teachings of two spiritual classics, The Gospel of Thomas and A Course in Miracles. By focusing on a unique brand of quantum forgiveness, rather than the old-fashioned kind, and taking the understanding of the importance of thought up to a whole new level, your goal will become nothing less than to break the cycle of birth and death.

Essence of Prayer


Ruth Burrows - 2006
    Ought we to do so? What do we mean by prayer? What does the word mean in the Christian context? Almost always when we talk about prayer we refer to something we do. From that standpoint, questions problems, confusion, discouragement and illusions multiply. For Ruth Burrows it is essential to correct this view. Our Christian knowledge assures us that prayer is essentially what God does, how God addresses us, looks at us. And what God is doing for us is giving us the Divine Self in love. What then is the core of the central message of the revelation of Jesus? It is the unconditional love of God for us, for each one of us. God the unutterable, incomprehensible Mystery, the Reality of all reality, the Life of all Life. And this means that divine Love desires to communicate its Holy Self to us. This is the richness of the vision of a contemplative nun who contradicts the heresy of so much modern writing about the spiritual life--namely that we reach God by running faster. The growing fascination for the public of the contemplative and monastic life is evidence of the profound appeal of this approach. For this there is a real hunger. At its simplest we do no look for success so as to be assured that we do believe. We give ourselves over completely to divine love. Ultimately, we live for God and not for ourselves.

The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism


Bernard McGinn - 2006
    Uniquely organized by subject rather than by author, The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism explores how human life is transformed through the search for direct contact with God. Part one examines the preparation for encountering God through biblical interpretation and prayer; the second part focuses on the mystics’ actual encounters with God; and part three addresses the implications of the mystical life, showing how mystics have been received over time, and how they practice their faith through private contemplation and public actions.In addition to his illuminating Introduction, Bernard McGinn provides accessible headnotes for each section, as well as numerous biographical sketches and a selected bibliography.Praise for The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism “No one is better equipped than Bernard McGinn to provide a thorough and balanced guide to this vast literature….This is an anthology which deserves to be read not only by those who study Christian history and theology, but by believers who long to deepen their own lives of prayer and service.” -- Anglican Theological Review“Bernard McGinn, a preeminent historian and interpreter of the Christian mystical tradition, has edited this fine collection of mystical writings, organizing them thematically....McGinn offers helpful introductions to each thematic section, author and entry, as well as a brief critical bibliography on mysticism. Published in the Modern Library Classic series, this is a great value.” – Christian Century"No-one is better equipped than Professor McGinn to provide a thorough and balanced guide to this vast literature. A first-class selection, by a first-class scholar." -- Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury “This accessible anthology by the scholarly world’s leading historian of the Western Christian mystical tradition easily outstrips all others in its comprehensiveness, the aptness of its selection of texts, and in the intelligent manner of its organization.” -- Denys Turner, Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor of Historical Theology, Yale Divinity School"An immensely rich anthology, assembled and introduced by our foremost student of mysticism. Both the scholar and the disciple will find God’s plenty here." -- Barbara Newman, Professor of English, Religion, and Classics, John Evans Professor of Latin, Northwestern University"An unusually clear and insightful exposition of major texts selected by one of the greatest scholars in the field of Christian mysticism, based on his vast erudition and uniquely sensitive interpretation. Like his other books, this one too is destined to become a classic.” -- Professor Moshe Idel, Hebrew University, Jerusalem

Astrotheology and Shamanism


Jan Irvin - 2006
    It also brings us into modern times, reviving and supporting the important work of John Marco Allegro. This book reveals how natural entheogens, including the Amanita muscaria mushroom, were used by those seeking higher consciousness and an authentic religious experience. A must read for researchers investigating the origins of religion and the symbology used by the modern religions of today. Includes an extensive bibliography, 185 illustrations and over 500 footnotes.

The Universal Tree and the Four Birds


Ibn Arabi - 2006
    Providing an excellent initiation into the often complex works of Ibn 'Arabi, this brief, delightful tale is the first English translation of an important, early work, complete with Arabic text, commentary, and notes.

Secrets of the Immortal: Advanced Teachings from A Course in Miracles


Gary R. Renard - 2006
    Now, with Secrets of the Immortal, this bestselling author guides you through the complex layers of this modern classic, to help you fully understand its core spiritual teachings.

The Angel Bible: The Definitive Guide to Angel Wisdom


Hazel Raven - 2006
    It’s filled with enlightening knowledge: you’ll learn about angelic calling cards, messages, and visions, and discover how to sense an angel’s presence, create an angel altar, keep an angel gratitude book, and meditate and dream with the angels. Find out about angels of many lands and their hierarchies, and explore the connections between angels and astrology, colors, crystals, essential oils, kabbalah, and the chakras.A quick reference guides you directly to those angels who can offer immediate assistance and teaches you how to call on them for help in any situation.

Howard Thurman: Essential Writings


Howard Thurman - 2006
    His writing influenced a wide audience, from Martin Luther King and Mohandas Gandhi to young students exploring faith and social responsibility.Thurman was among the first preachers to conduct Christian services in a nontraditional way, drawing from such eastern religious faiths as Buddhism and Hinduism. His philosophy of interfaith worship and dialogue is reflected in this collection of his essential writings. It reminds us all that out of religious faith emerges social responsibility and the power to transform lives.Howard Thurman (1900-1981), has been called ""one of the greatest spiritual resources of this nation."" His encounters with Gandhi in India helped instill his commitment to nonviolence. His identification of Jesus as one of the disinherited helped shape the thinking of Martin Luther King, Jr. His embrace of wisdom from other religious traditions emboldened interfaith cooperation and understanding.

The Living I Ching: Using Ancient Chinese Wisdom to Shape Your Life


Ming-Dao Deng - 2006
    Its basic premises are simple: that all the world changes, that change is driven by impersonal forces that can be seen in terms of yin and yang, and that all change is cyclical. The wise person harmonizes with the great cycles of change, and, in order to be a master of change, must understand the I Ching.With this new translation, Deng Ming-Dao, a leading authority on Taoist practice and philosophy, recovers the true wisdom of this ancient classic. The language is friendly, open, and welcoming, and a breathtaking watercolor by the author opens each chapter. This innovative translation brings the ancient Eastern wisdom of the I Ching alive for contemporary readers.

Love's Alchemy: Poems from the Sufi Tradition


David Fideler - 2006
    The poems and epigrams collected in Love’s Alchemy represent all of the major poets, including Rumi, of this magnificent art. While many recent bestsellers have been interpretations from other English translations, Sabrineh and David Fideler work from the original Persian sources. The book offers faithful yet elegant translations from 170 of the best poems written in ruba'i form: concise, tightly focused meditations that span only four lines, but which reveal worlds of meaning. The poems explore many aspects of human life and the spiritual path, but center on the liberating power of love. Also included are an extensive introduction, a glossary, and notes that place these wonderful poems in cultural, historical, and religious context.

Chola: Sacred Bronzed of Southern India


Vidya Dehejia - 2006
    This book presents 40 Chola bronzes, exploring how and why these objects came to be made and the role they played within Hinduism and Chola culture.

Blessings of the Cosmos: Benedictions from the Aramaic Words of Jesus (Book & CD)


Neil Douglas-Klotz - 2006
    Since the publication of his bestseller Prayers of the Cosmos (over 100,000 copies sold; Harper & Row, 1990), Neil Douglas-Klotz has become a foremost expert at uncovering the rich layers of meaning and wisdom found in Jesus? original words. Now, in Blessings of the Cosmos, this renowned scholar presents Jesus? best-loved benedictions, including: ? His last messages to the disciples, including the ?great commandment? on love, the ?many mansions? teaching, the blessing of ?greater works, ? and more ? How to find the divine presence in unexpected places ? Invocations of light, joy, peace, and faith ? A wealth of body-based practices designed to bring spiritual energy and insight ? 80-minute CD with many guided prayers in Aramaic Whether for personal inspiration or use in communal worship and rites of passage, with Blessings of the Cosmos, readers now have a heart-opening prayerbook that will ever deepen their experience of the divine.

Lost Masters: Rediscovering the Mysticism of the Ancient Greek Philosophers


Linda Johnsen - 2006
    Alexander the Great had an Indian guru. Pythagoras, Empedocles, and Plotinus all encouraged their students to meditate. Apollonius, the most famous Western sage of the first century c.e., visited both India and Egypt—and claimed that Egyptian wisdom was rooted in India.In Lost Masters, award-winning author Linda Johnsen, digging deep into classical sources, uncovers evidence of astonishing similarities between some of the ancient Western world’s greatest thinkers and India’s yogis, including a belief in karma and reincarnation. Today ancient Greek philosophers are remembered as the founders of Western science and civilization. We’ve forgotten that for over a thousand years they were revered as sages, masters of spiritual wisdom. Lost Masters is an exploration of our long-lost Western spiritual heritage and the surprising insights it can offer us today.

The Arch of Forgiveness


Kenneth Wapnick - 2006
    H. Lawrence in his novel "The Rainbow." As the child in the story was freed to live her life framed by the pillars of love and strength represented by her parents, so Jesus asks us to view our daily lives as framed between the pillars of forgiveness and his love, allowing their quiet strength and gentle protection to nourish our experience and sustain our learning. We thus grow in our recognition of the contrast between life under the arch of his love and outside it. Walt Waltman's thoughts also lend their inspiration to the life of universal love and compassion under the arch: "Whoever degrades another degrades me: And whatever is done or said returns at last to me." The discussion includes guiding students in resolving their specific dilemmas and conflicts from the perspective of Jesus' arch of forgiveness.

Secrets of Heaven 1: Portable


Emanuel Swedenborg - 2006
    Opening with the creation story, Swedenborg describes how each step in the process relates to our growth and development as spiritual people. He traces the inner history of the peoples described in the Bible and connects their story to our own trials and tribulations, showing how the Flood represents the spiritual devastation that urges us to begin our regeneration.

The Way of Transformation: Daily Life as Spiritual Practice


Karlfried Graf Dürckheim - 2006
    Incorporating Zen and depth psychology into his practice, Dürckheim was also one of the earliest transpersonal psychologists. His spiritual practice of combining Jung, Meister Eckhart, and Zazen proved to lead to moments of higher consciousness, which he described as “privileged moments.” In The Way of Transformation, one of his most concise and profound works, Dürckheim shows that once readers scrape away personal barriers and free the divine spark within, these radiant, life-altering occasions can occur at any time. His meditative approach to daily activities turns simple tasks such as making tea, posting a letter, or washing dishes into moments of new awareness: everyday life as a spiritual practice.

Song of Waitaha: Histories of a Nation


Barry Brailsford - 2006
    Now the brave ancestors we have hidden for so long stand again for all to see. With these words the Elders of Waitaha tell us that their ancient and sacred lore is shared for the first time. Bound in secrecy for centuries, protected through the ages by those who gave their lives to keep it safe, this knowledge travels out of the past to be revealed in Song of Waitaha . For years New Zealand archaeologists have been puzzled by a people who lived without weapons and created trading systems that moved industrial stone the length of the country. These writings explain they were a peaceful confederation of over two hundred iwi known as the Nation . It tells their story from the dawntime of exploration and settlement to the final days. Song of Waitaha repairs the torn fabric of our past and opens doors into the future. If we are not gentle with life, the garden within us dies. The Histories tell of a society where many peoples walked in harmony with each other. It shows how they honored the land and waters to sustain life harvesting birds and fish to increase the numbers, cutting tall trees for waka and leaving the forest stronger, carving stone without breaking its spirit, respecting the rivers keeping the environment in balance. This treasure from the days of the ancestors journeys out of timeless realms where the people and the land were one beneath the stars. It carries wisdom born of the ancient trails of the spirit and adds a thousand years of wonder to our past. It reminds us if we lose our story we lose our dream.

Right Here, Right Now: Seeing Your True Nature as Present Awareness


John Wheeler - 2006
    Life is a grand display or flowering within the vast and clear presence of the divine intelligence. Every leaf and piece of dust is cradled in an expanse of light and presence. That presence-awareness that contains all things is also the deep presence of love and peace always. It is your own real being. The universe being revealed in each moment is aflame with the presence of exquisite love. In that, even the most ordinary thing is a unique and wonderful expression of the underlying oneness of all." From chapter 82, The Waiting Game

The Wisdom of St. Isaac of Nineveh


Sebastian P. Brock - 2006
    

Maimonides' Confrontation with Mysticism


Menachem Marc Kellner - 2006
    Few present Maimonides, as Menachem Kellner does against the actual religious background that informed his many innovative and influential choices. He not only analyses the thought of the great religious thinker but contextualizes it in terms of the 'proto-kabbalistic' Judaism that preceded him. Kellner shows how the Judaism that Maimonides knew had come to conceptualize the world as an enchanted universe, governed by occult affinities. He shows why Maimonides rejected this and how he went about doing it. Kellner argues that Maimonides' attmepted reformation failed, the clearest proof of that being the success of the kabbalistic counter-reformation which his writings provoked. Kellner shows how Maimonides rethought Judaism in different ways. It is in highlighting this and identifying Maimonides as a religious reformer that this book makes its key contribution. Maimonides created a new Judaism, 'disenchanted', depersonalized, and challenging; a religion that is at the same time elitist and universalist. Kellner's analysis also shows the deep configuration of Judaism in a new light.If, as Moshe Idel says in his Foreword, Maimonides was able to 'reform so many aspects of rabbinic Judaism single-handedly, to enrich it by importing such dramatically different concepts, it shows that the profound structures of this religion are flexible enough to allow the emergence and success of astonishing reforms. The fact that, great as Maimonides was, he did not overcome the traditional forms of proto-kabbalism shows that the dynamic of religion is much more complex than subscribing to authorities, however widely accepted.'

This Heavenly Wine: Poetry from the Divan-E Jami


Jami - 2006
    Following in the footsteps of the Persian mystical poets Rumi, Hafez, Nizami and others, the timeless works in this collection express the poet's overwhelming devotion to and longing for the Divine Beloved.