Best of
Religion

1912

Kybalion: A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece


Three Initiates - 1912
    This concise guide offers a modern interpretation of the doctrine, distilling its teachings with seven compelling principles that can be applied to self-development in daily life.

Magick: Liber ABA: Book 4


Aleister Crowley - 1912
    The original manuscript of The Book of the Law was re-scanned for this edition, using the latest technology, for the clearest facsimile possible.Aleister Crowley devoted twenty-five years to writing and producing the four parts of this book. It is his magnum opus, in which he systematically expounds the mystical and magical theories and techniques taught in his magical orders, the A∴A∴ and the O.T.O.This profusely illustrated new edition brings together the complete texts of all four parts of Liber ABA (Book 4) in one volume under the overall title Magick. This edition incorporates Crowley`s own additions, corrections, and annotations, and restores dozens of passages omitted from all earlier editions.Magick is the fundamental textbook of modern magick in the New Æon. It also has invaluable teachings for students of Yoga and meditation. Crowley mastered the practices of Yoga during his studies in the East, and writes about them lucidly, without recourse to the imprecise language of mysticism.Beginning with a discussion of the universal origin of world religions in mystical revelation, Magick then explores the theory and practice of mysticism and magick in the light of modern scientific thought. Crowley`s own revelation, The Book of the Law, is then treated as a case study, with an autobiographical study of events leading to its reception.Extensively cross-referenced and annotated, this edition features over 100 diagrams and photographs, as well as a glossary, bibliography, and detailed index.

The Mystical City Of God: A Popular Abridgment


Mary of Agreda - 1912
    Pope Clement XI and Benedict XIV gave like decisions.

The House of the Lord: A Study of Holy Sanctuaries Ancient and Modern


James E. Talmage - 1912
    Small oval windows were set above eye level on the north and south to admit only indirect, soft light and to focus worshippers’ attention inward.Since patrons enter through underground passages, there is no street noise. Nor is there a visible clock, or music—in short, little to distract from meditation. On the lower level one hears chant-like repetitions of prayers softly uttered and the rhythmic dripping of ritual oil and water into small basins as officiators anoint novices. On the middle floors worshippers are presented with allegorical presentations of morality and theology. On the uppermost level, people sit motionless to contemplate God’s plan of salvation. On entering the building, patrons change into plain robes so that for a few hours worldly concerns can be left far behind.Because non-Mormons are not allowed inside LDS temples, curiosity seekers have tried through a variety of means, especially upon completion of the Salt Lake City edifice in 1893, to ascertain what the interior looks like and what activities transpire therein. This inordinate interest prompted church leaders to commission Professor James E. Talmage in 1911, three months before being ordained an apostle, to compile a visual and textual representation for the general public. Despite an earlier unauthorized foray into the temple by a camera-toting intruder, Talmage’s assignment would represent the first time that good quality views of the interior would be framed and that the ordinances would be discussed in print with the church’s blessing.In The House of the Lord, more was revealed than anyone had previously thought possible. Members had customarily refrained from speaking about any aspect of their experience there, even to fellow Saints. So through this bold gesture by Elder Talmage and the First Presidency, the cloak of mystery was removed and the temple revealed to the public for what it was—a sanctuary similar to a monastery—or perhaps an ashram or kiva, depending on one’s tradition—where adherents focus undivided attention on attaining spiritual insight. We hope you enjoy this insight into the LDS Temple.

The Luggage of Life


F.W. Boreham - 1912
    It is both unnecessary and impossible to disguise it. The breath of the bush is on them. There were, however, so many who found them good, either for food or for medicine, in these Britains of the South, that it was suggested that the plant might survive the ordeal of transplantation to a northern clime. England is a land of noble hospitalities. And, after all, men are built pretty much the same way all the world over. A thing that is true under these soft southern skies is no less true where northern constellations burn. A word that wakens thought beneath the shadow of the wattle may lead a man to rub his eyes under a spreading English oak. A message that brings back the smile of courage to the bronzed face of a disheartened squatter may relieve a bruised spirit in London's central roar. And so I venture! I only hope that I may take the sob from one throat, or make one song more blithe. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

From Religion to Philosophy: A Study in the Origins of Western Speculation


Francis Macdonald Cornford - 1912
    M. Cornford showed that the remarkable burst of abstract speculation among pre-Socratic thinkers of the sixth century B.C. emerged directly from the religious thought of the preceding era in Greece. Combining profound classical scholarship with striking anthropological and sociological insight, Cornford rejected the post-Darwinian rationalist assumption that religion and philosophy are fundamentally different from each other. His book supplies a needed reminder of the intricate connections between critical scientific thought and social and emotional experience. As he probes the mythic antecedents of such persistent metaphysical concepts as Destiny, God, Soul, Substance, Nature, and Immortality, Cornford warns us that "unless we have some grasp of that history [of myth], we are not likely to understand the speculation, which, however scientific its spirit may be, constantly operates with these religious ideas, and is to a large extent confined in its movement within the limits already traced by them." Classicists, historians of religion, students of ancient history, and everyone concerned with the subject of myth will find this lucid and highly original work to be a source of rich insights about the organic nature and continuity of Western thought.