Marc Edmund Jones is not the most readable writer, but this is an authoritative text on the fascinating and mysterious world of the Sabian symbols: a Marc Edmund Jones is not the most readable writer, but this is an authoritative text on the fascinating and mysterious world of the Sabian symbols: a set of 360 dreamlike images derived from a series of clairvoyant visions in the 1920s, one for each degree of the zodiac. Rather like tarot cards, each one is intended to provide symbolic or poetic insight into the meaning of the particular degree that it describes, and the astrologer can use this insight to deepen a reading for any particular planet or cusp that occupies that degree. I think it makes a useful and intriguing addition to the astrologer's toolkit....more
A truly unusual read: occult theme, operatic plot, histrionic characters, and florid prose. But it's directed at intelligent, educated, and sensitive A truly unusual read: occult theme, operatic plot, histrionic characters, and florid prose. But it's directed at intelligent, educated, and sensitive readers, so I was happy to stick with it....more
Clear, heartfelt language and the author speaks from a deep well of suffering--powerful stuff, but I had some concerns with how this book was structurClear, heartfelt language and the author speaks from a deep well of suffering--powerful stuff, but I had some concerns with how this book was structured. I'll say no more!...more
A lot of information, well and carefully organized. A great reference for anyone who wants to move further into the realm of magical practice. As for A lot of information, well and carefully organized. A great reference for anyone who wants to move further into the realm of magical practice. As for the accuracy of all these magical correspondences--well, that remains to be tested!...more
The last and biggest of Arthur E. Powell's 4 volumes of the findings of the clairvoyant researches of the Theosophists of the late 19th and early 20thThe last and biggest of Arthur E. Powell's 4 volumes of the findings of the clairvoyant researches of the Theosophists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries sets out what is known about the highest and most inaccessible parts of our spiritual selves.
According to these students of the "occult" world, reality is composed of 7 levels or planes, and our lives are actually lived on all of them simultaneously. The body that we think of as our physical self is just one--the lowest one--of the "vehicles" that our actual self, the "ego," makes use of in order to evolve toward complete self actualization. The vitality and coherence of that physical body is due to a separate but closely connected vehicle known as the "etheric" body. Our sensations of pleasure and pain and our emotional nature are the manifestations of the vehicle known as the astral body, which functions on its own plane of reality that differs from ordinary physical reality not in location but in the fineness of its matter. Our concrete thoughts--our thoughts about specific objects--are formed of the matter of the mental plane, a still finer level of reality "above" the astral. Our abstract thoughts, our thoughts about ideas and not merely about concrete things, are formed of the matter of the higher mental plane. This is the plane of our "causal" body, the vehicle that sets the vehicles below it in motion.
The levels beyond the higher mental plane are also addressed in this book, to the extent that the investigators could learn about them. Above the mental plane is the plane they call "buddhic," the source of our intuitive knowledge, and the "atmic," which is the plane of our will. There are two further planes that are so far above and beyond our ordinary consciousness that they cannot really be known or described. To move upward through the planes of reality is to move ever closer to God or ultimate reality. To function on any plane above the astral is possible only to the extent that we have transcended selfish motives. All planes are populated by many beings, human and nonhuman.
This is mind-stretching stuff. The material is dense but well organized by the author, who spent years collecting and collating the various Theosophical writings in order to distill their contents into a single coherent overview. This reader thinks that he succeeded very well.
Do you believe in the findings of a group of clairvoyants? That's up to you. The test--the only test available to us who currently lack these clairvoyant powers--is how well the teachings accord with one's own experience. As far as I'm concerned, they accord very well. And if we're inclined to doubt, we shouldn't forget that William James observed that doubt needs to be justified as much as belief does.
We already know that the universe is a big place. These books reveal that it's actually a lot bigger than we think it is--and much more structured and meaningful. They deal with topics that are of the utmost importance to every sentient being, and it turns out that even the things we call "minerals" are sentient beings for this purpose. Our existence is much more wondrous than we imagine.
If your mind is open, or is capable of becoming so, then I would heartily recommend that you plunge into this series of books by Powell, starting with The Etheric Double: The Health Aura of Man, which deals with phenomena that are closest to our familiar physical life. The books should certainly be read in order; let your mind be stretched slowly!
There's a great deal more that I could say about these books. My own spiritual training has been Buddhist, and the Theosophists make use of Buddhist terms and concepts, even as it appears that their view of reality is quite other than what was taught by the Buddha. I'll say only this for now: appearances can be deceiving. Let's just leave it at that....more
A high-quality exploration of the meanings of Sun, Moon, and their relationship from the astrological point of view. The authors are counselors and thA high-quality exploration of the meanings of Sun, Moon, and their relationship from the astrological point of view. The authors are counselors and therapists as well as astrologers, and the material is steeped in the deep insights of these fields. This reader was especially wowed by the examination of the Sun and its horoscope placement in terms of the mythical journey of the hero, as described by Joseph Campbell in his superb The Hero With a Thousand Faces. In brief, Greene and Sasportas see the Sun as showing how we find a sense of meaning and purpose in life, and the Moon as showing how we relate to our everyday physical existence and in particular our relationships.
The book is aimed at the practicing astrologer. If you are one, or if you have a serious interest in astrology for any reason, you will find a wealth of inspiring and thought-provoking ideas here....more
This is an authoritative summary of the contents of the so-called Abhidamma Pitaka or "basket" of the philosophical and psychological teachings of theThis is an authoritative summary of the contents of the so-called Abhidamma Pitaka or "basket" of the philosophical and psychological teachings of the Buddha. Some of it makes for dry, formulaic going, but it appears that those sections were never intended to be read as sequential text, but rather consulted as a reference source, or perhaps studied for memorization.
Nyanatiloka Mahathera was a German-born musician and composer who traveled to Burma in 1903 to become ordained as a Buddhist monk at age 25. He became a noted scholar of the Buddhist teachings and a translator of them into German and English. Unlike many other European writers on the Buddhist teachings, Mahathera's work was written from the "inside"--from the perspective of an ordained and practicing monk, and his account of the dharma is scrupulously orthodox and correct. His summary of the Buddha's doctrine of dependent origination, given in an appendix near the end of this book, is probably still one of the best accounts of it available in English.
But this book is mostly heavy going. If you're reading it, it's because you have a serious interest in discovering exactly what the content of the Abhidhamma Pitaka is. For the serious student of dharma, or, to use the appropriate Pali term, dhamma, this book serves those needs very well....more
Accessible, practical look at how to benefit from the new science on the microbiome of our gut. Many health problems appear to have their origin here,Accessible, practical look at how to benefit from the new science on the microbiome of our gut. Many health problems appear to have their origin here, and often a shift in diet can lead to dramatic improvement. The author, for example, cured himself of type 2 diabetes this way. For me, the most astonishing single revelation: our alimentary tract contains a layer of neurons--brain cells--so we actually do think with our guts....more
A well-written, attractively illustrated guide to "natural magic"--that is, the magical properties and powers of herbs, stones, metals, and winds--thaA well-written, attractively illustrated guide to "natural magic"--that is, the magical properties and powers of herbs, stones, metals, and winds--that is structured as both an introductory "how to" book and a reference to a couple of hundred individual species from the natural world. The book is not flaky or spacey, and it is not wicked: the author strongly discourages the practice of negative or harmful magic, and strongly encourages the environmentally responsible use of natural things....more
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