Tim Pyke's Blog
October 2, 2016
The Swastika
In the western world the image of the swastika is now so linked with the Nazi party that it brings revulsion when seen. But in the eastern world the symbol is still commonly seen adorning temples or religious statues of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
The swastika is one of the most ancient symbols and has been found by archaeologists in almost every area of the world. It's probably most widely seen in India in current times but in fact Europe has the highest prevalence of the swastika in the ruins of all its ancient cultures - Romans, Greeks, Celts, Etruscans, etc - where it can be found in mosaic and on pots and jars. The earliest depiction of the swastika ever found was on a 12,000 year old ivory figurine discovered in Ukraine and the earliest culture known to have used the symbol was the Neolithic culture of Southern Europe.
The word swastika is Sanskrit for lucky, auspicious or well being. It has been in use in English since 1870, before that it was known in Europe by its Greek name, gammadion.
In the late 19th century the symbol experienced a resurgence following the work of archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann. He had found the symbol in the ruins of Troy and he connected it with shapes found on ancient pots in Germany and theorized that it was a significant religious symbol of our remote ancestors that linked the Germanic, Greek and indo-Iranian cultures.
After Schliemann's discovery the swastika became very popular all across the western world as an emblem of their European ancestry. It became the symbol of the theorised Aryan race, and because of its widespread usage was adopted by the Nazi party in 1920.
Because of the atrocities committed by the Nazi party the symbol has left the modern western world with very negative connotations. In Germany it is illegal to depict the swastika and in 2007 they tried to impose a Europe-wide ban on its use but dropped it in the face of opposition mainly from Hindu groups that pointed out that the symbol had been around for 5000 years.
The swastika is slowly beginning to shake off its negative meaning as more people recognise the original meaning of this most ancient symbol.
Please check out my novel :)
The Wheels of Samsara
The swastika is one of the most ancient symbols and has been found by archaeologists in almost every area of the world. It's probably most widely seen in India in current times but in fact Europe has the highest prevalence of the swastika in the ruins of all its ancient cultures - Romans, Greeks, Celts, Etruscans, etc - where it can be found in mosaic and on pots and jars. The earliest depiction of the swastika ever found was on a 12,000 year old ivory figurine discovered in Ukraine and the earliest culture known to have used the symbol was the Neolithic culture of Southern Europe.
The word swastika is Sanskrit for lucky, auspicious or well being. It has been in use in English since 1870, before that it was known in Europe by its Greek name, gammadion.
In the late 19th century the symbol experienced a resurgence following the work of archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann. He had found the symbol in the ruins of Troy and he connected it with shapes found on ancient pots in Germany and theorized that it was a significant religious symbol of our remote ancestors that linked the Germanic, Greek and indo-Iranian cultures.
After Schliemann's discovery the swastika became very popular all across the western world as an emblem of their European ancestry. It became the symbol of the theorised Aryan race, and because of its widespread usage was adopted by the Nazi party in 1920.
Because of the atrocities committed by the Nazi party the symbol has left the modern western world with very negative connotations. In Germany it is illegal to depict the swastika and in 2007 they tried to impose a Europe-wide ban on its use but dropped it in the face of opposition mainly from Hindu groups that pointed out that the symbol had been around for 5000 years.
The swastika is slowly beginning to shake off its negative meaning as more people recognise the original meaning of this most ancient symbol.
Please check out my novel :)
The Wheels of Samsara
April 22, 2016
What the hell is going on?
It is often said in eastern religions and belief systems that the world we see around us is in fact an illusion. By looking at some theories of physics we can see that this is not as far fetched as it may seem. That what we observe is a tiny fraction of what is there and that our own consciousness may in fact be creating it.
Firstly, we can only observe/detect approximately 4% of the universe, 69% is dark energy and 27% is dark matter. So everything ever observed by any instrument, all observable matter (stars, planets, dust, all life), makes up only 4% of the universe. The word 'dark' is used to denote unobservable by any known instrument, its existence is inferred due to missing mass and energy that comes from calculating known observations of how the universe is behaving, which is different than expected.
Secondly from the electromagnetic spectrum, which is all the wavelengths of light, we can only observe the minutest fraction, the narrow band of visible light. From radio waves to gamma waves most of the light that surrounds us is invisible to us. There may even be wavelengths of light we know nothing about stretching beyond the radio and gamma wavelengths.
Thirdly, the observable matter is constructed from atoms. The atom is made up of a nucleus and an electron cloud. 99.94% of the mass of an atom is within the nucleus, but if the nucleus were scaled up to the size of a golf ball the electron cloud would be a radius of one kilometer. So matter is mostly made up of the fuzzy electron cloud. These particles have a dualistic nature in that they are both waves and particles. When not observed or measured, protons, neutrons and electrons act as waves, but when observed they become particles. This is demonstrated by the double slit experiment. So we can see that the very building blocks of matter only become solid when observed by consciousness.
We are essentially blind to most of reality.
It is possible that our mind constructs a consensus reality for us to cope with what is "out there" and filters all this information into a manageable form, but one that our own minds are co-creating with all other consciousness.
This leaves one with the question, what the hell is going on? And why?...
Firstly, we can only observe/detect approximately 4% of the universe, 69% is dark energy and 27% is dark matter. So everything ever observed by any instrument, all observable matter (stars, planets, dust, all life), makes up only 4% of the universe. The word 'dark' is used to denote unobservable by any known instrument, its existence is inferred due to missing mass and energy that comes from calculating known observations of how the universe is behaving, which is different than expected.
Secondly from the electromagnetic spectrum, which is all the wavelengths of light, we can only observe the minutest fraction, the narrow band of visible light. From radio waves to gamma waves most of the light that surrounds us is invisible to us. There may even be wavelengths of light we know nothing about stretching beyond the radio and gamma wavelengths.
Thirdly, the observable matter is constructed from atoms. The atom is made up of a nucleus and an electron cloud. 99.94% of the mass of an atom is within the nucleus, but if the nucleus were scaled up to the size of a golf ball the electron cloud would be a radius of one kilometer. So matter is mostly made up of the fuzzy electron cloud. These particles have a dualistic nature in that they are both waves and particles. When not observed or measured, protons, neutrons and electrons act as waves, but when observed they become particles. This is demonstrated by the double slit experiment. So we can see that the very building blocks of matter only become solid when observed by consciousness.
We are essentially blind to most of reality.
It is possible that our mind constructs a consensus reality for us to cope with what is "out there" and filters all this information into a manageable form, but one that our own minds are co-creating with all other consciousness.
This leaves one with the question, what the hell is going on? And why?...
March 28, 2016
Etidorhpa, the strange history of a mysterious being
Etidorhpa is one of my favourite books, an occult science fiction adventure story that contains profound metaphysical and scientific truths. It was written by John Uri Lloyd, a pharmaceutical manufacturer from Cincinnati, in 1895. The word Etidorhpa is the backward spelling of the name Aphrodite. The book contains many illustrations by J Augustus Knapp and the beautifully haunting images add to the strangeness of the tale.
The book purports to be a manuscript dictated by a strange being named I-Am-The-Man to a man named Llewyllyn Drury. By his account, the speaker is kidnapped by fellow members of a secret society because he is suspected to be a threat to their secrecy. I-Am-The-Man is taken to a cave in Kentucky; there he is led by a cavern dweller on a long subterranean journey into the core of the earth. The cavern dweller was a member of a secret organization whose objective was the preservation of vital knowledge for the future enlightenment of mankind. The adventurous story becomes an inner journey of the spirit as much as a geographical trip through underground realms. The objective of this trip was to reach the inner shell of the earth, where the nameless one was to receive advanced schooling in the mysteries of the universe. Ideas presented in Etidorhpa include practical alchemy, secret Masonic orders, the Hollow Earth theory and the concept of transcending the physical realm.
The journey of I-Am-The-Man is a not-so-subtle allegory of spiritual progression to being a disembodied adept. Along the way he loses his youth, loses sunlight, becomes weightless, stops breathing, can hear without ears, then his heart stops and still he lives. Each of these steps is symbolic of a progression to a more ethereal plane of existence.
Since Lloyd was a pharmacologist, his novel has provoked speculation that drug use contributed to its fantastic and visionary nature, though no real evidence on the matter is available. During the story I-Am-The-Man discovers an unusual green coloured spiral-gilled fungus. He then splits the fungus and 'drinks' the green fluid within. The description of what occurs after this fluid is consumed is a very succinct description of the psychedelic experience. Lloyd's account of the hero's alteration in consciousness is so incredibly precise, it would be difficult to believe that he hadn't had his own personal experience to draw from. John Uri's brother, Curtis Gates Lloyd, is described by one source as one of the leading fungi botanists of his time. So it is possible that he could have come across hallucinogenic mushrooms.
The secret society that kidnaps the speaker in the book is thought to be based on the Freemasons and relating to the true story of William Morgan. Morgan had announced that he was going to publish an exposé titled Illustrations of Masonry, critical of the Freemasons and describing their secret rites and oaths in great detail. In 1826 at a town called Batavia in the state of New York, on the road to Buffalo, the printing press was burned and it’s owner beaten by a group of masked men. In the press office were fresh prints of the new book. William Morgan was abducted some days later and carried to Canandaigua. He was then taken secretly to Fort Niagara on the Canadian border, where he disappeared. Five prominent Masons in Canandaigua were tried for his murder in January 1827.
Soon after Morgan disappeared, his book was published and became a bestseller because of the notoriety of the events surrounding his disappearance. David Cade Miller, a local newspaper publisher who commissioned William Morgan to write the book, did not say that Morgan had been murdered but that he had been "carried away". The circumstances of Morgan's disappearance and the minimal punishment received by his kidnappers caused public outrage. He became a symbol of the rights of free speech and free press. Protests against Freemasons took place in New York and the neighboring states. Masonic officials disavowed the actions of the kidnappers, but all Masons came under a cloud leading to the anti-freemasonry movement that swept the country.
The cave of Zoroaster, where the speaker begins his journey to the inner earth, is said to be in Kentucky in the story. The journey from when the speaker is kidnapped and imprisoned to reaching the entrance of the cave as described by the speaker bears some similarity to the route from Niagara to the Livingston county area of Kentucky, further reinforcing the belief that the story of William Morgan was used and perhaps is even I-Am-The-Man.
Kentucky is riddled with caves and sink holes. Mammoth Cave, the longest cave system in the world, is located there and many other cave systems still await discovery. So perhaps there really is an entrance to the hollow earth somewhere in this area.
Thank you for reading.
The book purports to be a manuscript dictated by a strange being named I-Am-The-Man to a man named Llewyllyn Drury. By his account, the speaker is kidnapped by fellow members of a secret society because he is suspected to be a threat to their secrecy. I-Am-The-Man is taken to a cave in Kentucky; there he is led by a cavern dweller on a long subterranean journey into the core of the earth. The cavern dweller was a member of a secret organization whose objective was the preservation of vital knowledge for the future enlightenment of mankind. The adventurous story becomes an inner journey of the spirit as much as a geographical trip through underground realms. The objective of this trip was to reach the inner shell of the earth, where the nameless one was to receive advanced schooling in the mysteries of the universe. Ideas presented in Etidorhpa include practical alchemy, secret Masonic orders, the Hollow Earth theory and the concept of transcending the physical realm.
The journey of I-Am-The-Man is a not-so-subtle allegory of spiritual progression to being a disembodied adept. Along the way he loses his youth, loses sunlight, becomes weightless, stops breathing, can hear without ears, then his heart stops and still he lives. Each of these steps is symbolic of a progression to a more ethereal plane of existence.
Since Lloyd was a pharmacologist, his novel has provoked speculation that drug use contributed to its fantastic and visionary nature, though no real evidence on the matter is available. During the story I-Am-The-Man discovers an unusual green coloured spiral-gilled fungus. He then splits the fungus and 'drinks' the green fluid within. The description of what occurs after this fluid is consumed is a very succinct description of the psychedelic experience. Lloyd's account of the hero's alteration in consciousness is so incredibly precise, it would be difficult to believe that he hadn't had his own personal experience to draw from. John Uri's brother, Curtis Gates Lloyd, is described by one source as one of the leading fungi botanists of his time. So it is possible that he could have come across hallucinogenic mushrooms.
The secret society that kidnaps the speaker in the book is thought to be based on the Freemasons and relating to the true story of William Morgan. Morgan had announced that he was going to publish an exposé titled Illustrations of Masonry, critical of the Freemasons and describing their secret rites and oaths in great detail. In 1826 at a town called Batavia in the state of New York, on the road to Buffalo, the printing press was burned and it’s owner beaten by a group of masked men. In the press office were fresh prints of the new book. William Morgan was abducted some days later and carried to Canandaigua. He was then taken secretly to Fort Niagara on the Canadian border, where he disappeared. Five prominent Masons in Canandaigua were tried for his murder in January 1827.
Soon after Morgan disappeared, his book was published and became a bestseller because of the notoriety of the events surrounding his disappearance. David Cade Miller, a local newspaper publisher who commissioned William Morgan to write the book, did not say that Morgan had been murdered but that he had been "carried away". The circumstances of Morgan's disappearance and the minimal punishment received by his kidnappers caused public outrage. He became a symbol of the rights of free speech and free press. Protests against Freemasons took place in New York and the neighboring states. Masonic officials disavowed the actions of the kidnappers, but all Masons came under a cloud leading to the anti-freemasonry movement that swept the country.
The cave of Zoroaster, where the speaker begins his journey to the inner earth, is said to be in Kentucky in the story. The journey from when the speaker is kidnapped and imprisoned to reaching the entrance of the cave as described by the speaker bears some similarity to the route from Niagara to the Livingston county area of Kentucky, further reinforcing the belief that the story of William Morgan was used and perhaps is even I-Am-The-Man.
Kentucky is riddled with caves and sink holes. Mammoth Cave, the longest cave system in the world, is located there and many other cave systems still await discovery. So perhaps there really is an entrance to the hollow earth somewhere in this area.
Thank you for reading.
March 19, 2016
London's esoteric bookshops
In this post I'll discuss my two favourite bookshops in my home city of London, Watkins and Atlantis, both long established and well worth a visit.
The late 19th and early 20th century was a time of vigorous questioning of long-held beliefs about the nature of man, his origins and his destiny as well as of the universe, which he inhabited. All these developments were to have a considerable impact on the thinking of many intellectuals preoccupied with spiritual and metaphysical questions. Amidst this intellectual upheaval there arose several organisations putting forward alternative views of man and his spiritual nature. There was an upsurge of interest in the hermetic and kabbalistic traditions, an impulse that lay behind the formation of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Additionally the new interest in the spiritual and metaphysical culture of Asia was to find an outlet in the founding of H.P. Blavatsky's Theosophical Society in America, Britain and India.
Watkins Books is London's oldest esoteric bookshop specializing in esotericism, mysticism, occultism, oriental religion and contemporary spirituality. The book store was established by John M. Watkins in 1897 at 26 Charing Cross road. He had already been selling books via a catalogue which he began publishing in March 1893. In 1901, Watkins Books moved to 21 Cecil Court where it has been continuously trading ever since.
John Watkins was a friend and disciple of H P. Blavatsky and was himself personally involved in seeing the first edition of The Secret Doctrine, her great metaphysical classic, through his printing press. The ideal of founding the bookshop is said to have occurred to Mr Watkins in a conversation with Madame Blavatsky in which she lamented the fact that there was nowhere in London one could buy books on mysticism, occultism and metaphysics. Two frequent visitors in those very early days were the Irish poet W.B. Yeats, himself a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and G.R.S. Mead, author of numerous works on gnosticism and a prominent figure in the Theosophical Society.
Watkins was joined by his son Geoffrey in 1919. John M. Watkins died on the 19th August in 1947, venerably aged 85. As a child Geoffrey met many of the leading occult figures of the time; MacGregor Mathers, W.B. Yeats, George Russell, Aleister Crowley, all visited the shop and A.E. Waite was a lifelong friend of Geoffrey Watkins, as were many other occult authors. The first biography of Aleister Crowley mentions that Crowley made all of the books in Watkins disappear and magically reappear.
After the death of is father, Geoffrey acquired the lease to No.19 Cecil Court. Geoffrey continued to run the day-to-day business, a veritable walking encyclopaedia of philosophy, religion, and the paranormal. At this point Stuart and Robinson, wealthy and regular customers associated with the Gurdjieff and Ouspensky movement arrived to help. They bought Geoffrey Watkins out and rejuvenated the shop, but kept him on as a genteel backroom presence to advise the inquisitive customer on hand.
After Geoffrey's death in 1981 the bookshop was sold to Donald Weiser, the American publisher of oriental and occult books. New ownership meant new energy including a complete refurbishment of our premises, opening up the basement and thereby doubling the amount of bookshop space and allowing for a far greater display of stock. In late 1999 Watkins Books Ltd. once again changed ownership and an ambitious programme of expansion was set in motion. In March 2010, Watkins Books was saved from administration by entrepreneur Etan Ilfeld. Ilfeld has retained the staff and is passionate about ensuring Watkins Books sustainability in the 21st century.
Atlantis Bookshop is an esoteric bookshop established by Michael Houghton and Paul Brunton in 1922. Michael Houghton was a British poet and occultist. He edited the journal Occult Observer (1945-50), with contributions from leading occultists of the period. Under the pseudonym Michael Juste, Houghton published several volumes of poetry and a volume he described as an occult biography, The White Brother (1927). Paul Brunton is famous for his book in A Search In Secret India and popularising Ramana Maharishi.
They knew many in the occult network from W.B. Yeats to Aleister Crowley to Dion Fortune. Atlantis has long been a hub for London's occult world. Gerald Gardner, who was instrumental in bringing the Contemporary Pagan religion of Wicca to public attention, attended meetings of The Order of the Hidden Masters in its basement, which was converted into a temple.
Like Watkins, The Atlantis Bookshop served as a meeting place for the 1960s subcultures. After the death of Houghton, the shop was taken over by the Collins family, who had hoped to change the character of the stock by specializing in books on science and microscopy, but the association with occultism was too strong to be broken and they were obliged to continue as an occult bookshop.
Located at 49a Museum Street it is currently owned and run by Geraldine Beskin. The shop hosts art exhibitions and esoteric talks, workshops and book launches.
Thank you for reading.
You can find me on Twitter @timpyke2015 and Instagram @timpyke
Please also check out my book, The Wheels of Samsara.
The Wheels of Samsara
The late 19th and early 20th century was a time of vigorous questioning of long-held beliefs about the nature of man, his origins and his destiny as well as of the universe, which he inhabited. All these developments were to have a considerable impact on the thinking of many intellectuals preoccupied with spiritual and metaphysical questions. Amidst this intellectual upheaval there arose several organisations putting forward alternative views of man and his spiritual nature. There was an upsurge of interest in the hermetic and kabbalistic traditions, an impulse that lay behind the formation of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Additionally the new interest in the spiritual and metaphysical culture of Asia was to find an outlet in the founding of H.P. Blavatsky's Theosophical Society in America, Britain and India.
Watkins Books is London's oldest esoteric bookshop specializing in esotericism, mysticism, occultism, oriental religion and contemporary spirituality. The book store was established by John M. Watkins in 1897 at 26 Charing Cross road. He had already been selling books via a catalogue which he began publishing in March 1893. In 1901, Watkins Books moved to 21 Cecil Court where it has been continuously trading ever since.
John Watkins was a friend and disciple of H P. Blavatsky and was himself personally involved in seeing the first edition of The Secret Doctrine, her great metaphysical classic, through his printing press. The ideal of founding the bookshop is said to have occurred to Mr Watkins in a conversation with Madame Blavatsky in which she lamented the fact that there was nowhere in London one could buy books on mysticism, occultism and metaphysics. Two frequent visitors in those very early days were the Irish poet W.B. Yeats, himself a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and G.R.S. Mead, author of numerous works on gnosticism and a prominent figure in the Theosophical Society.
Watkins was joined by his son Geoffrey in 1919. John M. Watkins died on the 19th August in 1947, venerably aged 85. As a child Geoffrey met many of the leading occult figures of the time; MacGregor Mathers, W.B. Yeats, George Russell, Aleister Crowley, all visited the shop and A.E. Waite was a lifelong friend of Geoffrey Watkins, as were many other occult authors. The first biography of Aleister Crowley mentions that Crowley made all of the books in Watkins disappear and magically reappear.
After the death of is father, Geoffrey acquired the lease to No.19 Cecil Court. Geoffrey continued to run the day-to-day business, a veritable walking encyclopaedia of philosophy, religion, and the paranormal. At this point Stuart and Robinson, wealthy and regular customers associated with the Gurdjieff and Ouspensky movement arrived to help. They bought Geoffrey Watkins out and rejuvenated the shop, but kept him on as a genteel backroom presence to advise the inquisitive customer on hand.
After Geoffrey's death in 1981 the bookshop was sold to Donald Weiser, the American publisher of oriental and occult books. New ownership meant new energy including a complete refurbishment of our premises, opening up the basement and thereby doubling the amount of bookshop space and allowing for a far greater display of stock. In late 1999 Watkins Books Ltd. once again changed ownership and an ambitious programme of expansion was set in motion. In March 2010, Watkins Books was saved from administration by entrepreneur Etan Ilfeld. Ilfeld has retained the staff and is passionate about ensuring Watkins Books sustainability in the 21st century.
Atlantis Bookshop is an esoteric bookshop established by Michael Houghton and Paul Brunton in 1922. Michael Houghton was a British poet and occultist. He edited the journal Occult Observer (1945-50), with contributions from leading occultists of the period. Under the pseudonym Michael Juste, Houghton published several volumes of poetry and a volume he described as an occult biography, The White Brother (1927). Paul Brunton is famous for his book in A Search In Secret India and popularising Ramana Maharishi.
They knew many in the occult network from W.B. Yeats to Aleister Crowley to Dion Fortune. Atlantis has long been a hub for London's occult world. Gerald Gardner, who was instrumental in bringing the Contemporary Pagan religion of Wicca to public attention, attended meetings of The Order of the Hidden Masters in its basement, which was converted into a temple.
Like Watkins, The Atlantis Bookshop served as a meeting place for the 1960s subcultures. After the death of Houghton, the shop was taken over by the Collins family, who had hoped to change the character of the stock by specializing in books on science and microscopy, but the association with occultism was too strong to be broken and they were obliged to continue as an occult bookshop.
Located at 49a Museum Street it is currently owned and run by Geraldine Beskin. The shop hosts art exhibitions and esoteric talks, workshops and book launches.
Thank you for reading.
You can find me on Twitter @timpyke2015 and Instagram @timpyke
Please also check out my book, The Wheels of Samsara.
The Wheels of Samsara
March 5, 2016
Samsara
Welcome to my blog, I thought I'd make use of this facility although I'm not sure if anybody will read it.
For my first post I shall give a brief explanation to the meaning of samsara and my reason for choosing it in the title of my book, The Wheels of Samsara.
Samsara is a Sanskrit word pertaining to the endlessly repeating cycle of birth, life and death i.e. reincarnation. A person's current life is only one of many lives that will be lived—stretching back before birth into past existences and reaching forward beyond death into future incarnations. It is a belief in all the eastern religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Taoism etcetera.
During the course of each life, the quality of the actions performed determines the future destiny of each person. Samsara arises out of wrong knowledge about reality. Samsara is a feature of a life based on illusion. Illusion enables a person to think s/he is an autonomous being instead of recognizing the connection between one's self and the rest of reality. Believing in the illusion of separateness that persists throughout samsara leads one to act in ways that generate karma and thus perpetuate the cycle of action and rebirth. By fully grasping the unity or oneness of all things, the believer has the potential to break the illusion upon which samsara is based and achieve Moksha—liberation from samsara. The liberation from samsara is possible by following the path of yoga.
Within my book the protagonist remembers his many previous lives and also discovers the cycles of human civilisation throughout the past. It is for this reason that I chose the name wheels of samsara since life at all levels is made up of turning cycles like a wheel. Also, in my younger days I used to go raving and my favourite club night was one called Escape From Samsara at The Fridge nightclub in Brixton, south London, they played trance and techno. This was the first time I discovered the word.
If you want you can follow my on Twitter @timpyke2015 or on Instagram @timpyke.
Thanks for reading and please check review of my book at the link below, maybe it's something you've been looking for.
The Wheels of Samsara
For my first post I shall give a brief explanation to the meaning of samsara and my reason for choosing it in the title of my book, The Wheels of Samsara.
Samsara is a Sanskrit word pertaining to the endlessly repeating cycle of birth, life and death i.e. reincarnation. A person's current life is only one of many lives that will be lived—stretching back before birth into past existences and reaching forward beyond death into future incarnations. It is a belief in all the eastern religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Taoism etcetera.
During the course of each life, the quality of the actions performed determines the future destiny of each person. Samsara arises out of wrong knowledge about reality. Samsara is a feature of a life based on illusion. Illusion enables a person to think s/he is an autonomous being instead of recognizing the connection between one's self and the rest of reality. Believing in the illusion of separateness that persists throughout samsara leads one to act in ways that generate karma and thus perpetuate the cycle of action and rebirth. By fully grasping the unity or oneness of all things, the believer has the potential to break the illusion upon which samsara is based and achieve Moksha—liberation from samsara. The liberation from samsara is possible by following the path of yoga.
Within my book the protagonist remembers his many previous lives and also discovers the cycles of human civilisation throughout the past. It is for this reason that I chose the name wheels of samsara since life at all levels is made up of turning cycles like a wheel. Also, in my younger days I used to go raving and my favourite club night was one called Escape From Samsara at The Fridge nightclub in Brixton, south London, they played trance and techno. This was the first time I discovered the word.
If you want you can follow my on Twitter @timpyke2015 or on Instagram @timpyke.
Thanks for reading and please check review of my book at the link below, maybe it's something you've been looking for.
The Wheels of Samsara
