Using humorous analogies and his profound understanding of the Western mind, Dzogchen Ponlop makes the mysterious Tibetan teachings on the bardos--the intervals between waking and sleep, between life and death, and beyond--completely available to the modern reader. Drawing on a breathtaking range of material, this young, popular teacher shows us how the bardos can be used to conquer death. Working with the bardos means taking hold of life and learning how to live with fearless abandon, and Mind Beyond Death demonstrates that the secret to a good journey through death and beyond lies in how we live. Walking skillfully through the bardos of dream, meditation, and daily life, we then travel deep into the mysterious death intervals and become familiar with their dazzling mindscape. This tour de force gives us the knowledge to transform the greatest obstacle of death into the most powerful opportunity for enlightenment.

    This bestselling classic is both an unparalleled reference on the practices and philosophies of Witchcraft and a guide to the life-affirming ways in which readers can turn to the Goddess to deepen their sense of personal pride, develop their inner power, and integrate mind, body, and spirit. Starhawk's brilliant, comprehensive overview of the growth, suppression, and modern-day re-emergence of Wicca as a Goddess-worshipping religion has left an indelible mark on the feminist spiritual consciousness.In a new introduction, Starhawk reveals the ways in which Goddess religion and the practice of ritual have adapted and developed over the last twenty years, and she reflects on the ways in which these changes have influenced and enhanced her original ideas. In the face of an ever-changing world, this invaluable spiritual guidebook is more relevant than ever.

    Influencing the Egyptians, Greeks, and much of Western thought, this work is credited to Hermes, an ancient Egyptian sage who lived around 3000 B.C. and so revered that he was granted the title "Trismegistus" meaning "Thrice-great."Providing a fascinating mystical introduction to the philosophy of ancient Egypt that has influenced and shaped our world for five millennia, The Hermetica is a book for anyone interested in this lasting civilization or in the knowledge of sacred traditions.

    Americans all, they were among the famous figures whose paths intertwined with the mystical and esoteric movement broadly known as the occult. Brought over from the Old World and spread throughout the New by some of the most obscure but gifted men and women of early U.S. history, this “hidden wisdom” transformed the spiritual life of the still-young nation and, through it, much of the Western world.Yet the story of the American occult has remained largely untold. Now a leading writer on the subject of alternative spirituality brings it out of the shadows. Here is a rich, fascinating, and colorful history of a religious revolution and an epic of offbeat history. From the meaning of the symbols on the one-dollar bill to the origins of the Ouija board, Occult America briskly sweeps from the nation’s earliest days to the birth of the New Age era and traces many people and episodes, including:•The spirit medium who became America’s first female religious leader in 1776 •The supernatural passions that marked the career of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith •The rural Sunday-school teacher whose clairvoyant visions instigated the dawn of the New Age •The prominence of mind-power mysticism in the black-nationalist politics of Marcus Garvey•The Idaho druggist whose mail-order mystical religion ranked as the eighth-largest faith in the world during the Great Depression Here, too, are America’s homegrown religious movements, from transcendentalism to spiritualism to Christian Science to the positive-thinking philosophy that continues to exert such a powerful pull on the public today. A feast for believers in alternative spirituality, an eye-opener for anyone curious about the unknown byroads of American history, Occult America is an engaging, long-overdue portrait of one nation, under many gods, whose revolutionary influence is still being felt in every corner of the globe.

    By day, Parsons’ unorthodox genius created a solid rocket fuel that helped the Allies win World War II. By night, Parsons called himself The Antichrist. “One of the best books of the year.”—The Anomalist

    First English translation from ancient unpublished manuscripts, with commentary.

    Jungian psychology based on a little known treatise he authored in his earlier years.

    The culmination of this work, Alter's masterly new translation and probing commentary combine to give contemporary readers the definitive edition of The Five Books. Alter's majestic translation recovers the mesmerizing effect of these ancient stories—the profound and haunting enigmas, the ambiguities of motive and image, and the distinctive cadences and lovely precision of the Hebrew text. Other modern translations either recast these features for contemporary clarity, thereby losing the character of the original, or fail to give readers a suitably fluid English as a point of contact. Alter's translation conveys the music and the meaning of the Hebrew text in a lyrical, lucid English. His accompanying commentary illuminates the text with learned insight and reflection on its literary and historical dimensions.

    Bob Frissell reminds readers that they create their own reality through their consciousness and that improving this reality and living a fuller life is simply a matter of broadening one's perspectives. In this book, he shows people how to reconnect with their multidimensional selves and remake their lives.

    Later generations further developed these initial insights, but we have never grown beyond them. Rabbinic Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, for example, were all secondary flowerings of the original Israelite vision. Now, in The Great Transformation, Karen Armstrong reveals how the sages of this pivotal "Axial Age" can speak clearly and helpfully to the violence and desperation that we experience in our own times. Armstrong traces the development of the Axial Age chronologically, examining the contributions of such figures as the Buddha, Socrates, Confucius, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the mystics of the Upanishads, Mencius, and Euripides. All of the Axial Age faiths began in principled and visceral recoil from the unprecedented violence of their time. Despite some differences of emphasis, there was a remarkable consensus in their call for an abandonment of selfishness and a spirituality of compassion. With regard to dealing with fear, despair, hatred, rage, and violence, the Axial sages gave their people and give us, Armstrong says, two important pieces of advice: first there must be personal responsibility and self-criticism, and it must be followed by practical, effective action. In her introduction and concluding chapter, Armstrong urges us to consider how these spiritualities challenge the way we are religious today. In our various institutions, we sometimes seem to be attempting to create exactly the kind of religion that Axial sages and prophets had hoped to eliminate. We often equate faith with doctrinal conformity, but the traditions of the Axial Age were not about dogma. All insisted on the primacy of compassion even in the midst of suffering. In each Axial Age case, a disciplined revulsion from violence and hatred proved to be the major catalyst of spiritual change.

    This witty, inspiring how-to shows how any reader can become a wildly disciplined, fiercely tender . . . lustfully compassionate Master of Rowdy Bliss.

    The Golden Dawn used it. Aleister Crowley used it. A growing number of magicians use it. And now, you can use it too thanks to Donald Tyson and his book, "Enochian Magic for Beginners. "Revealed to John Dee and Edward Kelley over 400 years ago, much of this system has been ignored or misunderstood, even by famous magicians. Some of the source material has been fragmented, obscure, or unavailable. Thankfully, Mr. Tyson has worked long and hard to rediscover what was missing and piece together what had been changed. Make no mistake—this is not a superficial treatment of Enochian magic. Yes, it is written for beginners, but it is also a vital and important resource for those who are currently practicing the Enochian system. Most people today follow the Golden Dawn's method of Enochian magic. But did you know that they left out a major portion of the system? It's true! They did not include the "Heptarchia Mystica," a manuscript discovered amongst John Dee's belongings. In "Enochian Magic for Beginners, " you will learn the secrets of the "Heptarchia Mystica," including such things as the Angelic seven rulers, the preparations for practice of the system, and how to perform the ritual of the system. But the Golden Dawn Enochian system is also quite powerful, and you will learn all of the inner secrets of this system so you can practice it on your own. Also included are two new designs for Enochian typefaces, Donald Tyson's reconstruction of the Enochian Book of Spirits, and much more. If you have found that your magic has not been as successful as you would like, this is the book you need to start a new page in your magical career. If you want to learn about the Enochian system, this book is the best introduction to it to date. And if you are already practicing Enochian magic, you will find this book to be a valuable resource.

    It would alsomake a good RCIA resource as well as a blockbuster stimulus fordiscussions."—Book Nook, Pecos BenedictineThe authors answer the question, "Why Be Catholic?" fairly and squarely, showing a deep appreciation about what is good in Catholicism and a penetrating honesty about the Church's shortcomings. Rohr and Martos also examine what it means to be Catholic in the United States today. Finally, to answer the title question in a more personal way, they present portraits of some outstanding Catholics, especially those we call saints, who have found personal fulfillment by living their faith to the utmost.After reading this book, you will appreciate more fully the unique heritage of the Catholic Church. You will understand how its magnificent tradition enriches the lives of Catholics today and propels the ever-changing Church into the 21st century and third millennium. A popular resource for RCIA, evangelization and religious education.

    It was a true secret society before 1717, and most knowledge of events in those years became lost--but some original documents and many isolated records remained. This wealth of material has now been brought together to shine a surprisingly bright light on the people who shaped Freemasonry and on the development of its secret symbols, rituals and practices. Masonry's controversial relationship with the Knights Templar and Vatican also takes on new and significant meaning. The roots of Freemasonry are traced to the building of Solomon's Temple, the rise of Christianity, and the Crusades in Europe. The emergence of this secretive society in Britain had a strong influence on America. All of this is brought to life by the experiences of actual people who lived through these events--often told in their own words and drawn from remarkable collections of manuscripts and records dating back to those times. This journey of discovery is illuminated by 45 illustrations showing the symbols, people and places that made Freemasonry into what it is--a society with secrets. Sanford Holst is a noted historian and the author of Amazon's #1 book on the Phoenicians--the people who helped build Solomon's Temple. The papers he presented at universities in the USA and overseas resulted in his being elected to the prestigious Royal Historical Society in England. A 32nd degree Mason, he was able to obtain access to Masonic manuscripts not normally seen by the public or most Masons. He explored Masonic and Templar sites ranging from Scotland to the Holy Land, and benefited from the work of local experts. His informative websites are read by over 600,000 people each year.

    Find out the connection between psychic dreams, ESP, precognitive visions and automatic writing -- and whether psychic power is a curse or a blessing. But more importantly, find out your reason for living.