BooksConscious Love: Insights from Mystical Christianity
"No subject in human life shows up one's limitations quite as much as love. Its universality exposes the limits of one's vision, even of one's soul. The monk grasps love from his perspective, the romantic from another; even whores and libertines have their insights. But the very fervor with which they clutch at their own little corners of this immeasurable continent suggests that they may not be able to raise their eyes and see the whole vista." —From the Introduction Though love is a perennial topic for writers of all kinds, much of what is written about love is simplistic and unsatisfying. In Conscious Love, Richard Smoley—an expert on the esoteric traditions of mystical Christianity—incorporates insights and wisdom about love from noted thinkers in literature, art, philosophy, sociology, cultural criticism, and even neurology. This remarkable book offers a blueprint for infusing conscious love into human relationships. As Smoley explains, among the world's religious traditions Christianity has a distinctive focus on love at the very center of all its teachings—love of God and love of neighbor. Although love has existed as long as the human race itself, it was Christ who posited this mysterious force as being the center of experience. Yet what that love means and requires is not altogether clear—even to Christians. Richard Smoley reveals that a true understanding of love requires exploration of the deepest teachings of Christian mystery and the unconditional love at the heart of the universe. In Conscious Love, he reflects on how that kind of love can transcend the bargains and negotiations that are characteristic of what he calls transactional love. Forbidden Faith: The Secret History of Gnosticism
A paperback edition of Forbidden Faith (with a new subtitle: The Secret History of Gnosticism) was published in the spring of 2007. Who were the Gnostics? Were they heretics, or were they ancient visionaries who possessed the keys to the deepest secrets of Christianity? Where did they come from? Did they leave any descendants? Why were they suppressed by the early church? And why do their ideas keep reappearing throughout history? Forbidden Faith traces the Gnostic legacy from its ancient roots in the Gospel of Thomas, discovered in Egypt; early Gnostic communities in the Roman Empire; and the Manichaeans of Central Asia. The book also shows how the Gnostic legacy was publicly repressed but survived underground in various forms of Christianity, surfacing again with the Cathars, a mysterious group of heretics who inspired the tradition of courtly love but were wiped out by the Inquisition. Since then, the Gnostic legacy has survived into the modern era with the help of the Jewish Kabbalah; the Freemasonry of our Founding Fathers; the poetry of William Blake; the Theosophists; and the psychology of Carl Jung. Finally, the book shows how some of the key teachings of the Gnostics are being revived today in the literary criticism of Harold Bloom, the science fiction of Philip K. Dick, and in popular Hollywood films like The Matrix and The Da Vinci Code. Praise for Forbidden Faith Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) "Tackling the perplexing...topic of Gnosticism has proved a daunting challenge for most who have tried to introduce it to the general reading public. Not so for Smoley, former editor of the journal Gnosis. This clear, concise...primer traces the Gnostic threads of philosophy, religion, science and popular culture from their biblical references through to their 21st-century appearances in novels and film....Smoley reinforces that Gnosticism is, and always has been, here to stay. He paves a wide, clear path to understanding it, accessible even to the weekend seeker." Library Journal Smoley...provides a popularized history of the ancient, esoteric religion known as Gnosticism. Drawing on an impressive mastery of the subject matter, he traces Gnosticism from the first century C.E. to the present....A thoroughly enjoyable read; highly recommended." Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions
In this highly acclaimed book, coauthored with Jay Kinney, founder of Gnosis magazine, Smoley explores the mystical and esoteric traditions that underlie Western civilization. This intelligent but highly readable work introduces readers to subjects ranging from Kabbalah and Gnosticism to ritual magic, shamanism, Sufism, Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, the Secret Brotherhood, and the teachings of C.G. Jung and G.I Gurdjieff. Suggested reading lists at the end of each chapter make it possible to explore each of these teachings further. The Essential Nostradamus
From his uncanny prediction of the death of the French King Henri II in the sixteenth century to his reputed forecast of World War II, Michel de Nostradamus has arouse continual fascination--and exploitation--in the West. During the Second World War, both the Nazis and the Allies used his prophecies as propaganda. Today, many search his elliptical verses for new truths about 9/11 and the "End Times," while supermarket tabloids routinely falsify his pronouncements. What is the nature of the prophetic tradition in the West, and how does Nostradamus fit into it? The Essential Nostradamus provides a sourcebook on this life and message of one of history's most peculiar figures. This volume offers a host of advantages over other collections of Nostradamus's work. Many commentators have taken serious liberties in their translations, confusing the matter of what the prophecies actually said. The Essential Nostradamus presents a fresh, scholarly, and literal translation of Nostradamus's Middle French, allowing readers to make their own determinations about the prophecies' relevance and accuracy. The book also supplies detailed commentary on Nostradamus's key verses, with a sharp eye toward the political and social events of his era. An authoritative biographical essay--highlighting Nostradamus's separate roles as physician, astrologer, and prognosticator--rounds out the volume. A final essay suggests why prophecy continues to be such a source of fascination today. Inner Christianity: A Guide to the Esoteric Tradition
This book explores a little-known but extremely profound part of the Christian tradition: its mystical teachings that lie at the heart of the Christian experience. Inner Christianity goes beyond fundamentalism and literalism to explore what is truly meant by "the kingdom of heaven." In this book, Smoley discusses lost and discarded aspects of Christianity to help the reader understand such issues as: the meaning of the Fall; the work of Christ; the nature of the soul and spirit; what gnosis, or inner illumination, really is. Simple but powerful exercises are also given to give an experiential understanding of these concepts. |
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