Best of
Spirituality

1949

Jesus and the Disinherited


Howard Thurman - 1949
    Jesus is a partner in the pain of the oppressed and the example of His life offers a solution to ending the descent into moral nihilism. Hatred does not empower—it decays. Only through self-love and love of one another can God's justice prevail.

Whispers from Eternity: First Version


Paramahansa Yogananda - 1949
    Illustrated throughout with evocative nature photos and works of art, many in full color.

The Ever-Present Origin


Jean Gebser - 1949
    The central contribution of this book is Gebser's analysis of the history of culture -- mainly but not exclusively Western culture -- in terms of the predominance of different modes of consciousness. Gebser details five structures of consciousness: the archaic, the magical, the mythical, the mental, and the integral (or aperspectival). His theory seems to be that these structures unfold in a sequential but non-linear fashion (i.e. in quantum increases in the self-transparency of consciousness), and have different kinds of characteristic ways of experiencing self, other, and world. With each leap, the previous structures of consciousness are superceded and yet retained in a subordinate fashion. Meanwhile, the other structures lie largely latent and untapped. VERY briefly, the archaic is instinctual and primitive. The magical is tribal and involves participation mystique. The mythical is imaginative and often involves seeing through complementary polarities (darkness and light, good and evil). The mental is analytical, dualistic, and skeptical of the other structures of consciousness. And the integral structure allows for a re-membering of all of the structures of consciousness without the problematic reification of their respective "worlds". The integral or aperspectival structure additionally involves going beyond the previous four structures in something akin to Buddhist or Christian (a la Meister Eckhart) enlightenment as understood in terms of the perennial philosophy.

The Yoga of Power: Tantra, Shakti, and the Secret Way


Julius Evola - 1949
    Drawing from original texts on self-mastery, Evola discusses two Hindu movements--Tantrism and Shaktism--which emphasize a path of action to gain power over energies latent within the body.

Collected Letters of St. Therese of Lisieux


Thérèse de Lisieux - 1949
    

The Power of Pentecost


John R. Rice - 1949
    

Theologia Mystica: Discourses on the Treatise of St. Dionysius


Osho - 1949
    

Yoga: Mastering the Secrets of Matter and the Universe


Alain Daniélou - 1949
    Unexpurgated version with sanskrit texts and new introduction.Based on original Sanskrit sources, this book gives an authentic account of the methods of yoga in its different forms, including the challenging "left-hand" paths, as well as practices best suited to Western students.