Book picks similar to
How the World Is Made: The Story of Creation according to Sacred Geometry by John Michell
sacred-geometry
philosophy
art
spirituality
Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View
Richard Tarnas - 1996
Drawing on years of research & on thinkers from Plato to Jung, Tarnas explores the planetary correlations of epochal events like the French Revolution, the world wars & 9/11. Whether read as astrology updated for the quantum age or as a contemporary classic of spirituality, Cosmos & Psyche is an important work of sophistication & learning. importance.Preface1 The transformation of the cosmos. The birth of the modern selfThe dawn of a new universe Two paradigms of historyForging the self, disenchanting the worldThe cosmological situation today 2 In search of a deeper order. Two suitors: a parableThe interior quest Synchronicity & its implicationsThe archetypal cosmos3 Through the archetypal telescope. The evolving traditionArchetypal principlesThe planets Forms of correspondence Personal transit cycles Archetypal coherence & concrete diversityAssessing patterns of correlation 4 Epochs of revolution. From the French Revolution to the 1960sSynchronic & diachronic patterns in historyScientific & technological revolutionsAwakenings of the DionysianThe liberation of natureReligious rebellion & erotic emancipationFilling in the cyclical sequence The individual & the collectiveA larger view of the sixties5 Cycles of crisis & contraction. World Wars, Cold War & 9/11Historical contrasts & tensionsConservative empowermentSplitting, evil & terror"Moby Dick" & nature's depthHistorical determinism, realpolitik & apocalypseMoral courage, facing the shadow & the tension of oppositesParadigmatic works of artForging deep structures 6 Cycles of creativity & expansion. Opening new horizons Convergences of scientific breakthroughsSocial & political rebellions & awakeningsQuantum leaps & peak experiencesFrom Copernicus to DarwinMusic & literatureIconic moments & cultural milestonesGreat heights & shadowsHidden births 7 Awakenings of spirit & soul. Epochal shifts of cultural visionSpiritual epiphanies & the emergence of new religionsUtopian social visions Romanticism, imaginative genius & cosmic epiphanyRevelations of the numinous The great awakening of the Axial Age The late 20th century & the turn of the millennium8 Towards a new heaven & a new earth. Understanding the past, creating the futureObservations on future planetary alignmentsSources of the world orderEpilogueNotesSourcesAcknowledgmentsIndex
The Church at the End of the Twentieth Century: Including The Church Before the Watching World
Francis A. Schaeffer - 1970
We are facing present pressures and a present and future manipulation which will be so overwhelming in the days to come that they will make the battles of the last forty years look like child's play." --Francis A. Schaeffer Today the pressures and battles Schaeffer predicted have engulfed the evangelical church. They come from the moral decay of the surrounding world. They come from the conflict between Christian principles and political ideologies. They come from the growing compromise morally and theologically within the church and among evangelicals in particular. Dr. Schaeffer's insights, republished here, have crucial significance in helping Christians to understand and confront these battles."Does the church have a future in our generation?" Schaeffer's answer challenges every Christian to examine his or her life for a reality rooted in a personal relationship to Jesus Christ and lived out in an orthodoxy of doctrine, Christian compassion, and true community.
Practical Sigil Magic: Creating Personal Symbols for Success
Frater U∴D∴ - 1985
For the most part, it can be performed without complicated rituals, needs hardly any paraphernalia, is independent of philosophical and dogmatic premises and, due to its simplicity, can be learned easily and quickly. Most important of all, none of the magical techniques we know of today is more efficient and will give even beginners the immediate chance to convince themselves of its power and their own abilities. These reasons alone support a volume like the following to show the possibilities of this discipline and to explain its techniques and its rationale. The reader—the complete tyro and the advanced practitioner alike—will receive an introduction which will accompany him/her in his/her magical practice for a long time.
The Beauty of the Infinite: The Aesthetics of Christian Truth
David Bentley Hart - 2003
Hart pays special attention to Nietzsche's famous narrative of the "will to power" -- a narrative largely adopted by the world today -- and he offers an engaging revision (though not rejection) of the genealogy of nihilism, thereby highlighting the significant "interruption" that Christian thought introduced into the history of metaphysics.This discussion sets the stage for a retrieval of the classic Christian account of beauty and sublimity, and of the relation of both to the question of being. Written in the form of a dogmatica minora, this main section of the book offers a pointed reading of the Christian story in four moments, or parts: Trinity, creation, salvation, and eschaton. Through a combination of narrative and argument throughout, Hart ends up demonstrating the power of Christian metaphysics not only to withstand the critiques of modern and postmodern thought but also to move well beyond them.Strikingly original and deeply rewarding, The Beauty of the Infinite is both a constructively critical account of the history of metaphysics and a compelling contribution to it.
Sabbats: A Witch's Approach to Living the Old Ways
Edain McCoy - 2001
In The Sabbats, Edain McCoy reveals the eight major holidays of this faith and the many ways in which they are celebrated.There are two basic types of holidays. The first come at the Solstices and Equinoxes. The others divide the time between those dates in two, resulting in eight major holidays or Sabbats with approximately the same amount of days between them. The balance, here, gives the appearance of spokes in a wheel, so this cycle is commonly called the Wheel of the Year.The holidays represent two things. First, the harvest cycle. Each holiday represents a time in the growth of crops. From planting to growth, from harvesting to letting the lands lie fallow in the cold winter, the festivals follow the agricultural cycles of ancient times. However, they also represent the eternal love of the God and Goddess, following the God's birth from the Goddess and his death before she gives birth to him again. This also follows the pattern of the Sun which moves from warm and high in the sky to cold and low in the sky.The book is filled with ways you can follow the Wheel of the Year, whether you work with a coven, with your family, or by yourself. You will learn the secrets of ritual construction and handicrafts appropriate to each of the festivals. You will also learn recipes for traditional foods for each holiday and even songs appropriate to the Sabbats.This is a wonderful, joyous book filled with color, information, and wisdom. If you are involved with Paganism in any way, this book is a must for your studies and practices. This book functions as both a resource and as a practical manual for the celebration of the holidays. Get your copy today.
The Bond: Connecting Through the Space Between Us
Lynne McTaggart - 2011
But today, a revolutionary new understanding is emerging from the laboratories of the most cutting-edge physicists, biologists, and psychologists: What matters is not the isolated entity, but the space between things, the relationship of things. The Bond. By international bestselling author Lynne McTaggart, The Bond is the culmination of her groundbreaking work. It offers a completely new, scientific story of life and the human experience, one that challenges the very way we conceive of ourselves and our world. The Bond shows that the essential impulse of all life is a will to connect rather than a drive to compete. In fact, we are inescapably connected, hardwired to each other at our most elemental level—from cells to whole societies. The desire to help others is so necessary that we experience it as one of our chief pleasures, as essential as eating and having sex, and we succeed and prosper only when we see ourselves as part of a greater whole. Every conflict that occurs—whether between husband and wife, social or racial groups, or nations—is resolved only when we can fully see and embrace the space—the bond—between us. McTaggart offers detailed recommendations to help foster more holistic thinking, more cooperative relationships, and more unified social groups. Blending interviews and human stories into an absorbing narrative, she shows how: • A simple daily practice conditions the brain to enable you to become more empathetic toward others • A new way of speaking and listening can overcome polarization, helping the staunchest of enemies to become close friends • People who fire together wire together: Whenever a group works together for a common goal, the brains of all parties begin to get on the same wavelength, strengthening the bond within the group • Fairness is more powerful than unfairness: A small group of individuals committed to strong reciprocity can “invade” a population of self-interested individuals and create a fairer society The Bond offers a breathtaking, visionary plan for a new way to live, in harmony with our true nature and with each other, and a new way to heal our relationships, our neighborhoods, and our world.
The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth
Robert Graves - 1948
In this tapestry of poetic and religious scholarship, Graves explores the stories behind the earliest of European deities—the White Goddess of Birth, Love, and Death—who was worshipped under countless titles. He also uncovers the obscure and mysterious power of "pure poetry" and its peculiar and mythic language.