60s & Further

Ancient Wisdom Bookstore I The Theosophists

Welcome to the
Ancient Wisdom Bookstore1

Hi Folks-this store (1-3) took 3 months to research and it was worth every minute.
At the end of it I realized that all the "New Age" and "Pagan/Wiccan" books
are just personal-self-absorbed attempts at 'glamour ministries'
and the knowlege we all yearned for has already been here for thousands of years,
millenniums and aeons, and that Nature perhaps may be the single one greatest teacher.

In the 60s & 70s during the' Revolution'-the "Hippie Movement,"
many of us dropped out of college-
although many of us did complete the courses and were granted our degrees.
I learned early on that learning never stopped for us.,
even if we had dropped out, we still studied whatever came to us..
through music, art, poltical and civil rights upheavals,
through the 'psychedelic round table's' (drug induced nights with friends),
present day philosophers, scholars, and guru's, and our own unquenchable thirst for 'truth.'

It occurred to me while I was arranging these particular bookstore's,
that if you want to study life's 'truths',
the ways of the ancients, astrology, myths and mythology, the occult and magic,
all the World has to offer is in a spiritual dialogue--
first read the Theosophists,
then Joseph Campbell...and then pick your favorites for your daily fare.
Mine have been Yogananda, Ram Dass, Thich Nhat Hahn and many others.

I was told by my grandfather when I was very little,
that to know history was to know who we are today..
in this age of remembering past lifetimes and recalling our own soul's ancient pathway-
-it's fascinating, to me, to delve into the ancient cultures, lost continents,
and familiar planetary alliances-of the past and in the Now...
blending it together and arriving at a spiritual truth
that I can live by and base my perceptions on.

I hope, will illustrate my point.

This project is in no way complete..
and will be ongoing-- thyme permitting.

Om Shakti, Shakti, Om

LionHeart
August 2008

Painting above "Tired Cupid" by William Bouguereau

The Theosophists

According to lexicographers, the term theosophia is composed of two Greek words
theos, "god," and sophos, "wise." So far, correct.
But the explanations that follow are far from giving a clear idea of Theosophy.
Webster defines it most originally as
"a supposed intercourse with God and superior spirits,
and consequent attainment of superhuman knowledge,
by physical processes, as by the theurgic operations of some ancient Platonists,
or by the chemical processes of the German fire- philosophers."

Theosophy and Theosophists have existed ever since the first glimmering of nascent thought
made man seek instinctively for the means of expressing his own independent opinions.

It is a noticeable fact that neither Zoroaster, Buddha, Orpheus, Pythagoras,
Confucius, Socrates, nor Ammonius Saccas, committed anything to writing.
The reason for it is obvious.
Theosophy is a double-edged weapon and unfit for the ignorant or the selfish.
Like every ancient philosophy it has its votaries among the moderns;
but, until late in our own days, its disciples were few in numbers,
and of the most various sects and opinions.

"Entirely speculative, and founding no school,
they have still exercised a silent influence upon philosophy;
and no doubt, when the time arrives, many ideas thus silently propounded
may yet give new directions to human thought and behavior."

Theosophy is a body of ideas which holds that all religions
are attempts by man/woman to ascertain "the Divine",
and as such each religion has a portion of the truth.

Theosophy, as a coherent system of thought,
developed from the writings of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (also Hélène).
Together with Henry Steel Olcott, William Quan Judge, and others she founded the Theosophical Society in 1875.

A more formal definition from the Concise Oxford Dictionary describes Theosophy as
"any of various philosophies professing to achieve a knowledge of God by spiritual ecstasy,
direct intuition, or special individual relations, esp.
a modern movement following Hindu and Buddhist teachings and seeking universal brotherhood."

Adherents of Theosophy maintain that it is a "body of truth" that forms the basis of all religions.
Theosophy, they claim, represents a modern face of Sanatana Dharma, "the Eternal Truth", as the proper religion.

The five prominent symbols visible in the seal (above) of the Theosophical Society are
the Star of David, the Ankh, the Swastika, the Ouroboros, and above the seal is the Aum (not shown).
Around the seal are written the words:
There is no religion higher than truth.

The Theosophical Society intends to demonstrate or to describe
a synthesis of philosophy, ancient spiritual mysticism and modern science.

-H.P. Blavatsky-

Kybalion: A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece
by Three Initiates

Contents: Hermetic Philosophy; Seven Hermetic Principles; Mental Transmutation;
The All; the Mental Universe; Divine Paradox; "The All" in All; Planes of Correspondence;
Vibration; Polarity; Rhythm; Causation; Gender; Mental Gender; Hermetic Axioms.

The most important part of this book - other than pointing out these principles is that they are UNIVERSAL -
they allways work, they express throughout nature and if you use them and apply the consciously,
you can create whatever you can possibly desire in your life.
You will know then that there is a law and that it works with mathematical precision, and that you can ALWAYS count on it.

The moment you grasp this truth, you will never ever again wish or hope for something to happen,
you will know that you have the power to create it and you will be certain of it.
And when you use this principles consciously and experience the truth of them -
no one in the entire world will ever be able to talk you out of fulfilling your heart's desires.
Even if the entire world doubts and laughs at you, you will not care because you'll KNOW that you CAN.
You will have the "key".

Helena Petrova Blavatsky
(1831-1891)
http://www.blavatsky.net/

Born of Russian Aristocratic parents,
Blavatsky, a flamboyant and charismatic personality,
was from an early age aware of her psychic abilities. 
She spent much of her life travelling through Europe,
the Middle East, Asia, and America. 
Through her travels and under various teachers
she was able to further develop her psychic powers.
She claimed to have several times entered Tibet,
which at that time was practically inaccessable to foreigners. 
It was there that she claimed to have met the secret Masters or Adepts
who she said appointed her as their worldly representative.

In New York in 1875, Madam Blavatsky,
with the help of an American lawyer and former soldier
Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (1832-1907),
and an Irish-born lawyer William Q. Judge (1851-1896),
founded a new society "to collect and diffuse
a knowledge of the laws which govern the Universe".
  They called it the Theosophical Society, from theosophy,
a Neoplatonic term meaning "Divine Wisdom" or "Wisdom of the Gods".

Travelling to India, Blavatsky and Olcott established themselves at Adyar,
near Madras, the proporty they aquired there eventually becoming
the world headquarters of the Society. 
| They then vistited Ceylon, where they converted (at least nominally). 
Then in Europe they established the nucleus of the movement in Britian,
and no less than three Theosophical Societies in Paris.

Coming at a time when Spiritualism and Mesmerism were all the rage, when Darwin's scientific discoveries had undermined the authority of the church, and a magical-occult revival was underway in France, the time was certainly propitious.  The new society flourished, disseminating occult and Eastern teachings to the intelligent public at large, and providing a powerful alternative to the restrictive dogmas of the conservative churches, the arid vision of materialistic science, and the fairy-floss superficialities of Spiritualism.

Within a few short years other movements and organisations had sprung up alongside the Spiritualists and Blavatsky's Theosophical Society.  Mary Baker Eddy's Christian Science, the Society for Psychical Research, and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn were perhaps the three most important.  The Occult rennaisance was well and truely flourishing.  But it was to last only a few decades before conservatism once again took over.  Not until the Counterculture movement of the mid-sixties would any comparable revolution of consciousness occur.

The Secret Doctrine : The Synthesis of Science, Religion, and Philosophy (Volumes 1 and 2)
by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
 Almost 100 chapters. Partial contents: One Key to all Sacred Books; The ABC of Magic; Chaldean Oracles; The Book of Hermes; Three Ways Open to the Adept; Names are Symbols; Characters of the Bible; The Book of Enoch; Hermetic and Kabalistic Doctrines; Numbers and Magic; Occult Weapons; The Duty of the True Occultist; Two Eternal Principles; St. Paul the real founder of Christianity; Apollonius no Fiction; Biographies of Initiates; Kabalistic Readings of Gospels; Magic in Antioch; The Septenary Sephira; Seven Keys to all Allegories; The Mystery of the Sun; Magical Statutes; Masonry and Jesuits; Mysteries and Masonry; Egyptian Initiation; Root of Races; Celestial Wheels; Christian Star Worship; Defense of Astrology; The Seven Rays; Secret Books; Tibetan Prophecies; Swedenborg; Occult Secrecy; and much more! Blavatsky was an occult master. If you are a serious mystical student, you'll need this rare and illuminating book.
These volumes are a great testament in spiritual literature. They expound on the mysteries of the universe and man--their nature and evolution. All this gives rise to explaining how spiritual laws function. She says in the preface that the truths contained in the volumes are the essence of all world religions; her job being one of rescuing these truths from "degradation." Blavatsky was an early leader of the theosophist movement. In this work, she goes stanza by stanza using the "occult" (spiritual) teachings of the book of Dzyan. Of course, what makes these volumes come to life is her commentaries. As one current spiritual writer has already noted, she was a prophet of the current trend toward the emerging spirituality which is lighting up our planet. Well-travelled and well-connected with diversity, Blavatsky identifies the basic tenet of spiritual literature: we are all one! This is definitely for the intrepid.

Isis Unveiled (Volumes 1 and 2)
by H. P. Blavatsky
One of the most remarkable productions of the century.
Helena P. Blavatsky was a world traveler and fearless investigator of unexplained mysteries in cosmic and human nature.
NOT A LIGHT READ BY ANY MEANS!- BUT NECESSARY IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE BASIS BEHIND MANY BELIEFS. (READ ALL OF HER WORK) ONE OF THE KEYS TO FINDING "THE TRUTH" IS TO FIND THE HINT OF TRUTH FROM ALL THE ANCIENT BELIEF SYSTEMS. THIS SET OF BOOKS IS A BIG HELP. THIS WOMAN SPENT HER WHOLE LIFE TRAVELING AND SEARCHING FOR THE TRUTH. SHE SET A LOT OF PEOPLE THINKING AND CHANGED A LOT OF LIVES THROUGH HER WORK. YOU MUST OWN THIS COLLECTION IF YOU HAVE ANY INKLING FOR WANTING TO KNOW THE REAL TRUTH.-sapphirewind-

The Key to Theosophy
by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
The name "Theosophy" is derived from the ancient Greek for "Divine Wisdom," and is used by the Theosophical Society (founded 1875) to describe a synthesis of philosophy, ancient spiritual mysticism and modern science.
But be aware that Theosophical works such as 'The Key to Theosophy' present a rather controversial view of the universe, and the reader should be prepared for a long process of in-depth study and consideration of ideas that do not follow the normal mainstream of traditional dogma.
The unorthodox philosophy contained in 'The Key to Theosophy' has been abused by such infamous figures as Adolf Hitler and others. But great personalities such as Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and Mahatma (Mohandas) Ghandi have also been associated with Theosophical studies. This work is a classic among intellectuals of the 19th and 20th centuries.
'The Key to Theosophy' describes the Universe in terms of Pantheism (which refers to the intimate connection between Divinity and Nature, not "multiple gods" as is commonly misunderstood), and in this way, explains in logical terms a common set of fundamental principles behind many of the religions of the world. Theosophy shows the relationship of the Inner Essence of the soul of mankind to the Divine Source, and makes clear the "how" and "why" behind the Golden Rule and all the moral teachings of the various religions.

The Voice of the Silence: Chosen Fragments from the "Book of the Golden Precepts"
by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
After Madam Blavatsky reintroduced the esoteric, perennial, spiritual wisdom back into mainstream western consciousness, she realized that there were two very different types of seekers who would make use of such knowledge. There were those who would seek it for personal power and selfish benefit, and those who would seek it to attempt to educate and liberate all of humanity. The difference between these paths was transcendence of the personal ego to reach the realm of the Higher Self. This book was an attempt to see that her gift of esoteric knowledge would not be passed unquestioned and unchallenged to those who were not fit to receive it.
his particular edition is a verbatim copy of the original of 1889. As carefully as Madam Blavatsky chose her words, it would be unthinkable to edit them to be more "accessible" to a modern audience. If the reader has difficulty with the technical Sanskrit terms there are detailed glossaries included for all three sections.

Helena Blavatsky
by Helena Blavatsky, Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke (Introduction)
At the age of 17, rejecting nineteenth-century materialism, Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891) left her native Russia and traveled through India, Tibet, Egypt, Europe, and the Americas seeking out the sources of ancient wisdom as a key to spiritual truth. In 1875 in New York, she co-founded the Theosophical Society for the study of occult traditions. Many popular ideas of rediscovered ancient wisdom, including reincarnation and karma, trace their origin to Helena Blavatsky and Theosophy. This anthology includes material on her life and travels, as well as excerpts from her major works.

Alice A. Bailey
(1880-1949)

A prolific writer on mysticism and the founder of an international esoteric movement, Alice Bailey was born on 16th June 1880, in Manchester, the daughter of an engineer. After a cloistered upbringing she entered on a period of evangelical work with the British army, which took her to India. In 1920 Alice married another Theosophist, Foster Bailey, and in 1923 they started The Arcane School to teach disciples how to further the Great Universal Plan under the guidance of the inner hierarchy of spiritual masters led by Christ. After her death in 1949 the school was carried on by her husband.  It still flourishes as a large international organization, and an organisation, the Lucis Trust, was formed to overlook the legal aspects of the School and the published books. The influence of Ms Bailey's difficult writings has been, if anything, even greater than that of Blavatsky in the New Age movement.

In America she discovered the works of Madame Blavatsky and became active in the Theosophical Society. The narrow, dogmatic Christianity which she had previously followed gave way to wider spiritual horizons, though the figure of Christ remained central to her beliefs. She later grew disillusioned with the petty intrigues of the Theosophical Society and ceased to play an active part in it, but she always recognized the valuable part that Theosophy had played in her life.

A Treatise on Cosmic Fire
by Alice A. Bailey
The information is so profound it takes time to assimilate and a certain level of previous understanding of metaphysical concepts to grasp at all. Not for the beginner on the path, just as a doctorate level physics text is not enjoyable for someone in secondary school. It takes some patience and dedication but is very much worth the effort. Profound.
The reader will soon see that TCF is an ambitious book; its words painting the inner bodies of humanity and a description of the Egoic Lotus or the vehicle of the human soul which "sends down" incarnations.
The remarkable thing about TCF is its coherence as a workable theory. Properly understood, it generalizes just about every New Age and Religious belief system, without being sectarian in any way. It accepts the sanctity of the Buddha, the Christ and other World Teachers. If you understand the "14 Rules of White Magic" from TCF you will have no need for Wicca as all of what it represents is subsumed in the knowledge of various devas and elementals. The "14 Rules" were themselves expanded into AAB's book "A Treatise on White Magic", which is written at a more superficial level than TCF. -DR.Geo-

Glamour: A World Problem
by Alice A. Bailey

This essay or treatise explorers what seduces the minds, hearts aand souls of humans. After reading this you will definitely see -not only your own addictions, but those of your society around you. An eye and heart opener. -LionHeart-

The Seven Rays of Life: A Compilation
by Alice A. Bailey
My whole life has been undergoing a positive change because of my ongoing study of all the volumes written by Alice Bailey. With each reading I understand a bit more because of the life experiences which are provoked by the assimilation of the information contained therein. The whole of my life, every aspect of my being, has been touched by the Alice Bailey books. As my eyes scan the words on the thousands of pages, my consciousness is awakened from day to day, week to week, month to month, year to year. And the process continues, much to my delight. Enlightenment breeds enlightenment leading to the acceptance of the superficial differences, which seem to characterize mankind; but which disappear with time and with each expansion of consciousness,till the realization of the oneness of mankind takes hold and becomes a living truth. -a reader-

Ponder on This: A Compilation
by Alice A. Bailey
In a world in which there are so many books written to help us understand more about ourselves and the universe, Ponder on This is a book like no other. Containing excerpts taken from 30+ books dictated by a Tibetan master to Alice Bailey, this book has answers - and profound questions - for anyone who truly aspires to know more about the world in which we live, and our potential for living a spiritual existence.
If you are a soul seeking the path, or on the path seeking direction, this is a wonderful book to have. I guarantee that if this is your first Bailey book, it won't be your last.

Manley P. Hall
(1901 - 1990)

Manly P. Hall was a seeker and lover of wisdom, the very definition of a philosopher. He had the courage and the raw intellectual energy to look for wisdom in places most men had long since forgotten about, or never knew existed. He lived in an era when most Americans did not look toward other cultures and traditions, without looking down. Yet during such times, Manly P. Hall spoke, and wrote extensively, of the wisdom found in all ancient traditions. In an age when serious study of "other religions" was anathema to most, Manly found deep cross-cultural threads and revealed many interconnected roots of modern religious expression. Neither Guru nor Saint, he made no claim of perfection, far from it; but his work is exceedingly rare in its grand scope, detail and synthesis. He embraced the wisdom of every tradition, and, with a fluid command of their obscure and complex contents, worked to express their unifying truths. His legacy is over 200 printed volumes, 8000 lectures, a hand picked library which is one of the finest in the field, and a Society and University that continue in his spirit of universal exploration and learning."Hence the disciple of the Ancient Wisdom is taught to realize that man is not essentially a personality, but a spirit."—Manly P. Hall--

THE PHILOSOPHICAL RESEARCH SOCIETY
http://www.prs.org/
In 1934 Mr. Hall founded the Philosophical Research Society, dedicating it to the ensoulment of all arts, sciences, and crafts, and devoted to the one basic purpose of advancing the brotherhood of all that lives, to meet all lovers of wisdom on a common ground. The society still hosts a wide range of lectures, seminars, workshops and performances on philosophical subjects and runs a bookstore and library.  Located in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles since its inception, it has for decades been a place of learning for all spiritual traditions and was designated a Cultural Site by Los Angeles City Council in 1994.

The Secret Teachings of All Ages
by Manly P. Hall
n 1928, a 20-something Renaissance man named Manly Hall self-published a vast encyclopedia of the occult, believing that "modern" ideas of progress and materialism were displacing more important and ancient modes of knowledge. Hall's text has become a classic reference, dizzying in its breadth: various chapters explore Rosicrucianism, Kabbalah, alchemy, cryptology, Tarot, pyramids, the Zodiac, Pythagorean philosophy, Masonry and gemology, among other topics. This affordably priced edition would be vastly improved by a new foreword, placing the work in some kind of historical and critical context and introducing readers to the basic contours of Hall's sweeping corpus. Instead, we have a disciple's adulatory 1975 foreword, which merely parrots the same themes of mystery and esoterica that are espoused in the book. Readers who are unfamiliar with Hall's work will be at a loss in ferreting out which chapters have stood the test of time and which have been vigorously debunked (like the one on Islam, which actually uses novelist Washington Irving as a primary source on the prophet Muhammad). However, they will also marvel at the sheer scope of Hall's research and imagination, and at J. Augustus Knapp's famous illustrations, including a 16-page color insert

Reincarnation, The Cycle of Necessity
by Manly P. Hall
Among the subjects discussed are reincarnation in Oriental, Greek, and American Indian systems of thought; the theory as set forth in the Old and New Testaments and interpreted by early Christian Fathers; the rebirth of animals, plants, and minerals; the idea of soul-mates; the memory of past lives; and the fate of the suicide. An extensive bibliography is included.

Twelve World Teachers: A Summary of Their Lives and Teachings
by Manly P. Hall
An illustrated summary of the lives and the philosophies of twelve teachers who possessed in fullest measure those intellectual virtues which sustain civilization. Prophets in their own time, their inspiration led others to more enlightened codes of living. The twelve are: Akhenaten, Lao-tse, Hermes Trismegistus, Plato, Orpheus, Jesus, Zoroaster, Mohammed, Buddha, Padmasambhava, Confucius, and Quetzalcoatl.

The Ways of the Lonely Ones
by Manly P. Hall, J. Augustus Knapp (Illustrator)
This is a collection of short stories which thru allegory reveal certain key tenets of Theosophical thought. The stories are to an extent moving, and thought provoking. They expose the reader to certain spiritual truths, but also to the various aspects of the "Path" which are rarely exposed. Here thy are set forth in easy to read fiction form. The stories cover a gamut of topics from Group Soul families, to the work of the silent ones, those progressed souls who return of their own volition to help Mankind make its grindingly slow progress to spiritual development. There are many revelations contained in these pages which deal with the interaction between Humanity "on this side", with what Leadbeater termed the" Hidden Helpers". Its a great read, thought provoking, and unlike much theosophical literature, an easy read, which would make it a wonderful entree into the mystical awakening of people of all ages.

Sages & Seers
by Manly P. Hall
An illustrated presentation of a group of eight sages and seers from the last five hundred years whose lives stand out as examples of mystical idealism, devout aspiration, and sincere dedication. The chapter headings are:
Nostradamus, Seer of France
Francis Bacon, the Concealed Poet
The Mystical Figures of Jakob Boehme
The Shepherd of Children's Minds-Johann Amos Comenius
The Comte de St. Germain
Mysticism of William Blake
Thomas Taylor, the English Platonist
Gandhi-A Tribute

Inner Lives of Minerals, Plants & Animals
by Manly P. Hall
A brilliant essay on the conflicts of man and his environment and how through our bout with nature it is difficult for us to see Nature has its own mind. Manly Hall explores, through various references of mineral, plant and animal texts, that these elements, or forces all have consciousness. If we are patient and observant, we are able to see that there is not only universal consciousness, but also individual consciousness. Manly Hall discloses other information on ritual practices, lores, simple observations, and ancient medicine. Short as this may be, one may feel compelled to dig deeper into the subject. One might check out anything by Christopher Bird, or perhaps some references given in the this text. Overall a great booklet, and really looks at nature in a new way allowing one to appreciate and possibly see the divine harmony in nature and how everthing, mineral, plant, animal and human are all interdependent.

Annie Besant
(1847-1933)

Annie Besant is often described as a Theosophist, educator and friend of India. While words describe parts of her life, they do not say clearly that her whole life seems to have been a courageous search for an all-embracing truth.
She became interested in Theosophy as a way of knowing God. As a member and later leader of the Theosophical Society, Besant helped to spread Theosophical beliefs around the world, notably in India. Here, her long-time interest in education resulted in the founding of the Central Hindu College at Benares (1898).
Here also she became involved in Indian nationalism, and in 1916 established the Indian Home Rule League, of which she became president, as she was of the Indian National Congress in 1917. She would later split with its leader Mahatma Gandhi.
In the late 1920s Besant travelled to the United States with her protégé and adopted son Jiddu Krishnamurti, whom she claimed was the new Messiah and incarnation of Buddha. Krishnamurti rejected these claims in 1929.
Besant eventually became reunited with her own children, but died in India, where her ashes were scattered at the seashore.

The Spiritual Life
by Annie Besant

Thought Power: Its Control and Culture
by Annie Besant
1908. This book is intended to help the student to study his own nature and cooperate with nature to increase his mental nature. Contents: The Nature of Thought; The Creator of Illusion; Thought Transference; The Beginning of Thought; Memory; The Growth of Thought; Concentration; Obstacles of Concentration; The Strengthening of Thought Power; Helping others By Thought.
Annie Besant,as always,writes in clear,inspirational language. This book explains the need for self-mastery and how to achieve it through control of our thinking. A MUST for sincere spiritual seekers. This a book to read and re-read,so packed is it with true wisdom. -dapple-

Death and After and Memories of Past Lives
by Annie Besant
Her writing is clear, focused, and careful as it introduces technical terminology from the Sanskrit. The basic model is straightforward: first the body dies as its energy system (the etheric double) leaves it behind; as this body in turn dissipates, the astral body solidifies into seven layers that must each in turn dissipate before the soul can move on (all of this in the realm of Kamaloka--the desire realm); finally, the soul rises up to its highest mental level and enters a realm of peaceful dreaming (Devachan) where it regathers its energies before becoming incarnate yet again. Besant raises the question: if reincarnation is true, why can't we remember our past lives? Her answer is fascinating; namely, that we can only remember the unconscious potencies of our past lives and deeds when we attain the highest levels of awareness in this life--levels that give us access to the hidden material that can only appear when the conditions for useful memory permit. The analogy here is to the life of the Buddha in which he was only able to remember his past lives at the moment when his final enlightenment was unfolding.
This Manual is a little gem and it is highly recommended for those who believe that the soul survives the death of the body--for it is one thing to believe in immortality, it is another to attempt to delineate just what the post-death state might be like. Annie Besant has done as well as anyone I know of in doing so. Readers of this volume will certainly want to read the other six in the series.

Charles Leadbeater
(1847-1934)
http://blavatskyarchives.com/leadbeaterbib.htm

"The range of [C.W. Leadbeater's] . . . writings, and the wealth of material that flowed from his prolific pen, was vast.  Some forty volumes, even more pamphlets, and for much of his life probably five or six journal articles a week . . . constituted his literary output . . . . The modern occult revival owes more to him than to anyone else; his concepts and ideas, his popularizing of occult and Theosophical terms and principles, run through all modern works on these subjects. . . . " --Gregory Tillett-- 

Leadbeater was an Anglican priest when he joined the Theosophical Society in 1883. The next year he met Helena Petrovna Blavatsky when she came to London. At this time he was the recipient of a few Mahatma letters which influenced him to go to India. In India he claimed to have received visits and training from some of Blavatsky's Masters. See C.W. Leadbeater's "Account of the Development of His Clairvoyance. This was the start of a long career in the Theosophical Society.

He remains well known and influential in his work through clairvoyance with for instance his books The Chakras and Man, Visible and Invisible dealing with the human aura and chakras, and writing on the function of the Sacraments in the Liberal Catholic Church, to name just a few subjects.

His most well-known activity was the discovery of Jiddu Krishnamurti, on the private beach that formed part of the Theosophical headquarters in Adyar, India. Krishnamurti and his family had been living in the headquarters for a few months before this discovery. Krishnamurti was to be the vessal for the indwelling of the coming "World Teacher" that many Theosophists were expecting. This new teacher would, in the pattern of Moses, Buddha, Zarathustra (Zoroaster), Christ, and Muhammad divulge a new dispensation, a new religious teaching. Theosophists believed that the teacher was a spiritual being who would dwell in the body vessal.

Charles Leadbeater stayed in India for some time overseeing the raising of Krishnamurti, but eventually felt that he was being called to go to Australia for the cause. While in Australia he became a leading member of the Liberal Catholic Church.

The Chakras
by Charles Leadbeater
If you ever wanted a serious and reputable book on the Chakras, then look no further because Leadbeater's classic book covers everything you need to know fundamentally about them.
He not only talks about the chakras, but also about the different energies of man, the subtle bodies, the multi-dimensional universe etc. His findings are completely Hindu based, with the various contributions from Theosophy, Buddhism and medieval Christianity, all interwoven with pictures, diagrams and charts.
Forget about all the "New Age" pseudo-info on spiritual issues and matters and remember the true pioneers of the Occult like Blavatsky, Steiner, Heindel, Manly P. Hall, Besant...and Leadbeater.

The Masters and the Path
by Charles Leadbeater
The personalities, home life, nature, and powers of the Mahatmas.
This book contains a remarkable array of spiritual Truths, all dealt with in depth. It is a great work; invaluable for the true seeker of spiritual Wisdom. Each page and chapter contains priceless gems to meditate on and ponder. It deepened my own committment to God & the Path. Leadbeater writes eloquently yet understandably of the Spiritual Realms and the Higher Planes of existence,as well as of well-known Spiritual Masters and Teachers. It is inspiring and uplifting; giving hope to a troubled World of perfection to come. I recommend this book to all who seek to Know and Understand the Divine.

Secrets Revealed: Clairvoyance, Magic and the Reality of Spirits
by C. W. Leadbeater
This book is composed of a rare collection of lectures never before published in a volume by itself. Leadbeater was an extremely prolific and respected writer on psychic development and was once a spiritual teacher at the renowned Theosophical Society. This is Leadbeater's "lost book," now found. We gave it this title, "Secrets Revealed", because it is a collection of amazing information and stories on mind power, magic and ghostly apparitions. Those who have spent years delving into these subjects will often wonder why they have never seen or heard of this information before.

Astral Plane: Its Scenery, Inhabitants and Phenomena
by C. W. Leadbeater
Partial Contents: Scenery: seven subdivisions, degrees of materiality, characteristics of astral vision, the aura, etheric double, records of astral light; Inhabitants: human, the adept or chela, psychically developed person, black magician, the dead, ordinary person after death, the shell, the suicide, victim of sudden death, black magician after death; Nature Spirits; Elementals formed consciously; Phenomena: churchyard ghosts; apparitions of the dying, haunted localities, bell ringing, fairies, communicating entities, clairvoyance, precipitation of letters, transmutation, repercussion.

Rudolf Steiner
(1861–1925)

Rudolf Steiner became a respected and well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, particularly known for his work on Goethe's scientific writings. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he began to develop his earlier philosophical principles into an approach to methodical research of psychological and spiritual phenomena. His multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, philosophy, religion, education (Waldorf schools), special education (the Camphill movement), economics, agriculture (biodynamics), science, architecture, and the arts (drama, speech and eurythmy). In 1924 he founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which has branches throughout the world.

Steiner's life was devoted to building up a complete science of the spirit, to which he gave the name Anthroposophy. Foremost amongst his discoveries was his direct experience of the reality of the Christ, which soon took a central place in his whole teaching. The many books and lectures which he published set forth the magnificent scope of his vision. From 1911 he turned also to the arts - drama, painting, architecture, eurythmy - showing the creative forming powers that can be drawn from spiritual vision. As a response to the disaster of the 1914–18 war, he showed how the social sphere could be given new life through an insight into the nature of man, his initiative bearing practical fruit in the fields of education, agriculture, therapy and medicine. After a few more years of intense activity, now as the leader of a world-wide movement, he died, leaving behind him an achievement that must allow his recognition as the first Initiate of the age of science. Anthroposophy is itself a science, firmly based on the results of observation, and open to investigation by anyone who is prepared to follow the path of development he pioneered - a path that takes its start from the struggle for inner freedom set forth in this book.

Rhythms of Learning : What Waldorf Education Offers Children, Parents & Teachers
by Rudolf Steiner, Roberto Trostli
In numerous lectures and through teaching teachers for the first Waldorf school, Rudolf Steiner described and suggested methods of education based on the rhythmic unfolding of spirit, soul, and physiology in children as they grow. In each section of "Rhythms of Learning," Waldorf teacher Roberto Trostli introduces the reader to lectures on specific aspects of children's rhythms of development and how Waldorf education responds. We are shown how Waldorf teachers must, through their own inner capacities and awareness, learn to recognize and meet each new stage of development in children as they unfold new capacities on every level of their being.
This collection is the clearest introduction to the ideas of Waldorf education currently available. "Rhythms of Learning" contains Steiner's most important lectures on teaching and child development. It is an excellent resource for everyone interested in taking education successfully into the 21st century.

Enlivening the Chakra of the Heart; The Fundamental Spiritual Exercises of Rudolf Steiner
by Florin Lowndes
In addition to meditation, the foundation of every spiritual path, Rudolf Steiner suggested certain essential exercises to protect against dangers that can accompany meditation itself. These "accompanying" exercises protect by helping us develop inner certainty and strength achieved, for example, by intensifying thinking, controlling the will, and mastering our emotions.
Such exercises are described in detail, with advice on how to practice them. The author also tells us that they help develop and strengthen living thinking, and consequently a whole new means of perception the heart chakra. Here is encouragement and stimulus for any path of spiritual development.

Theosophy : An Introduction to the Spiritual Processes in Human Life and in the Cosmos
by Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner's Theosophy: An Introduction to the Supersensible Knowledge of the World and the Destination of Man provides a precise, phenomenological description of his own supersensible experiences and the supersensible phenomena revealed by them. Theosophy is organized in four parts. First, Steiner builds up a comprehensive understanding of human nature, beginning with the physical bodily nature and moving up through the soul nature to our spiritual being: the "I" and the higher spiritual aspects of our being. This then leads to the experience of the human being as a sevenfold interpenetrated being of body, soul, and spirit. Secondly, Steiner gives an extraordinary overview of the laws of reincarnation and the workings of karma as we pass from one life to the next. Thirdly, Steiner shows the different ways in ;which we live, during this life on earth and after death, in the three worlds of body, soul and spirit, as well as the ways in which these worlds in turn live into us. Fourthly, a succinct description is given of the path of knowledge by which each one of us can begin to understand the marvelous and harmonious complexity of the psycho-spiritual worlds in the fullness.

How to Know Higher Worlds: A Modern Path of Initiation
by Rudolf Steiner, Christopher Bamford (Translator)
An extraordinary and invaluable offering, pathway and challenge to any person interested in personal growth and the higher reaches of the mind. I thought I was familiar with this work of Steiner's, but through the spoken - rather than the written word, a new level of undersanding opened, even as the mystery of mind deepened, awesome and disturbing as well as challenging. -Joseph Chilton Pearce-
Steiner explains in this great guide the reasons why we should walk the spiritual path to self-realization and how this happens if we so decide find the courage to do it. He talks about karma, higher beings, higher worlds, reincarnation, initiation, etc based on his own experiences. He also gives many practical excercises in it.
Steiner who had a highly developed intellect and spiritual faculties well-awakened makes use of his genius to explain the path in a simple and easy to understand way. I was shocked at how easy it was for me to read it, compared to some of his other important writings!
This book is essential and extremely important for anyone who is interested in learning about the path and higher worlds.

Secret Brotherhoods: And the Mystery of the Human Double
by Rudolf Steiner
In the age of the internet and the proliferation of "conspiracy theories," ideas that secret groups are trying to gain control of humanity are no longer rare. But this was not true in 1917 when Rudolf Steiner spoke of such matters in the extraordinary lectures contained in this book. His unique contribution to this controversial topic is not based on abstract theories; it arose from exact research methods that use advanced forms of perception and cognition.
Using the firsthand knowledge available to him, Steiner takes us behind the scenes of events in outer history and contemporary culture to reveal a dark world of secret elitist brotherhoods that are attempting to control the masses through the forces of economics, technology, and political assassinations. These hidden groups, he explains, seek power through the use of ritual magic and suggestion.
Among his many topics, Steiner speaks about the geographic nature of the American continent and the forces that arise from it; the nature of the double (or doppelganger) and the dangers of psychoanalysis; the spiritual origin of electromagnetism; the abuse of inoculations and vaccinations; the meaning of Ireland for world development; confused ideas about angels in relation to higher beings and divinity; and, above all, the need for clear insight into world events based on spiritual knowledge.

Agriculture: An Introductory Reader: A Collection
by Rudolf Steiner, Richard Smith Thornton (Editor)
Steiner's original contribution to human knowledge was based on his ability to conduct spiritual research, the investigation of metaphysical dimensions of existence. With his scientific and philosophical training, he brought a new systematic discipline to the field, allowing for conscious methods and comprehensive results. A natural seer from childhood, he cultivated his spiritual vision to a high degree, enabling him to speak with authority on previously veiled mysteries of life.
Topics include: the evolving human being; cosmos as the source of life; plants and the living earth; farms and the realms of nature; bringing the chemical elements to life; soil and the world of spirit; supporting and regulating life processes; spirits of the elements; nutrition and vitality; responsibility for the future.

A Way of Self-Knowledge
by Rudolf Steiner
"I hope that reading this book can become a kind of inner conversation. If this conversation unfolds in such a way that it reveals the hidden inner forces that can be awakened in every soul, then reading this book may lead to genu ine, inner soul work. As a result you may find yourself gradually impelled to undertake that journey of the soul which truly leads to vision of the spiritual world." —Rudolf Steiner
Part one, "A Way of Self-Knowledge," contains eight meditations that take the reader on a journey through human experience. Beginning with ordinary experience, Steiner offers ways to imagine and understand the physical body, the elemental (or etheric) body, the elemental world, the Guardian of the Threshold, the astral body, the I-body (or thought body), the nature of experience in suprasensory worlds, and ways of perceiving previous earthly lives.
Part two, "The Threshold of the Spiritual World," contains sixteen short chapters in which Steiner provides aphoristic thoughts on trusting one’s thinking, cognition of the spiritual world, karma and reincarnation, the astral body and luciferic beings, how to recognize suprasensory consciousness; the true nature of love; and more.

Dr. Douglas Baker

Douglas Baker, English born and raised in South Africa has done extensive scientific research into those hinterlands of the mind which one might call psi-semantics.
Douglas Baker has led the field in esoteric astrology, producing with a team, his magnum opus, a Dictionary of Astrology for the 21st Century in three volumes. This is in addition to the already existing 11 volume set of text books on the same subject.

His most recent production is a comprehensive video course on Esoteric Astrology which explores the impact of astrology on all aspects of life and consciousness in a new and unique fashion, full of relevance to the modern and future world.

He is presently engaged in research work extending the discoveries in the field of Occult Chemistry, particularly dwelling on background radiation and special characteristics of the carbon atom and the role it plays in organic chemistry. He is also looking into the esoteric factors related to weightlessness in space physiology.

His previous research into the Akashic Records is well know and documented. These have produced compelling answers to such mysteries as the true authorship of the works of Shakespeare.

Human Aura
by Douglas M. Baker
There are two classics works on the subject, one by C. W. Leadbetter and this one by Douglas Baker. The aura is an energy field which surrounds all living things. A person's mental, emotional and spiritual states are reflected in the color, size and shape of their aura. Some people can actually see auras, certainly Baker is one who can see the aura. This book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding their real Self.

Opening of the Third Eye
by Douglas Baker
The third eye is the product of the arousal and interplay of three etheric head centres, and is responsible for extensions of awareness into higher states of consciousness. This book is a practical manual for the development of these powers.

Techniques of Astral Projection
by Douglas M. Baker
The author has experienced many thousands of astral projections and lucid dreams. He presents techniques for the development of astral consciousness and describes what one may find when entering the Astral World in a fully conscious state.
This book is the best way to learn the techniques which are vital to self unfoldment. The techniques are safe and entirely natural. A must read book for anyone on the path to enlightenment.

Joseph Campbell
(1904-1987)
http://www.jcf.org/about_jc.php

In 1988, millions were introduced to his ideas by the broadcast on PBS of Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers, six hours of an electrifying conversation that the two men had videotaped over the course of several years. When he died, Newsweek magazine noted that “Campbell has become one of the rarest of intellectuals in American life: a serious thinker who has been embraced by the popular culture.”
   In his later years, Joe was fond of recalling on how Schopenhauer, in his essay On the Apparent Intention in the Fate of the Individual, wrote of the curious feeling one can have, of there being an author somewhere writing the novel of our lives, in such a way that through events that seem to us to be chance happenings there is actually a plot unfolding of which we have no knowledge.
   Looking back over Joe’s life, one cannot help but feel that it proves the truth Schopenhauer’s observation.

Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth DVD
Starring: Joseph Campbell, George Lucas
Actors: Joseph Campbell, George Lucas, Bill Moyers, See more
DVD Release Date: October 9, 2001
Run Time: 360 minutes
An exhilarating journey into the mind and spirit of a remarkable man, a legendary teacher, and a masterful storyteller, conducted by TV journalist Bill Moyers in the acclaimed PBS series. Includes The Hero's Adventure, The Message of the Myth, The First Storytellers, Sacrifice and Bliss, Love and the Goddess, Masks of Eternity. 360 minutes.

The Power of Myth
by Joseph Campbell, Bill Moyers
Among his many gifts, Joseph Campbell's most impressive was the unique ability to take a contemporary situation, such as the murder and funeral of President John F. Kennedy, and help us understand its impact in the context of ancient mythology. Herein lies the power of The Power of Myth, showing how humans are apt to create and live out the themes of mythology. Based on a six-part PBS television series hosted by Bill Moyers, this classic is especially compelling because of its engaging question-and-answer format, creating an easy, conversational approach to complicated and esoteric topics. For example, when discussing the mythology of heroes, Campbell and Moyers smoothly segue from the Sumerian sky goddess Inanna to Star Wars' mercenary-turned-hero, Han Solo. Most impressive is Campbell's encyclopedic knowledge of myths, demonstrated in his ability to recall the details and archetypes of almost any story, from any point and history, and translate it into a lesson for spiritual living in the here and now. --Gail Hudson--

The Hero with a Thousand Faces
by Joseph Campbell
Campbell is unlike other writers on myth; he looks not at an entire myth but at its parts. By the end of the book, he has essentially created the Ultimate Hero Myth, which takes bits of every hero myth from virtually every culture (heavy on Native Americans). Campbell was not a dispassionate academic--this was his gospel, and he lived by it. This book is alive and inspiring like no other book I know. One unique aspect of it at the time it was published was its approach to Christianity. For Campbell, Christ's life had to be seen as a myth. Before him, most Western scholars wouldn't have dare to say such a thing. Others had written on that, but in a skeptical manner. Campbell's view is that the Virgin Birth, miracles, Resurrection, etc have meaning only because they ARE myths. Look, there'd be no "Star Wars" without this. No "Sandman" comics from Neil Gaiman. No "Watership Down." This book is for the intellectual who wants to LIVE, not just to sit sterile at the desk.

Pathways to Bliss: Mythology and Personal Transformation
by Joseph Campbell, David Kudler (Editor)
Joseph Campbell is one of this century's great disseminators of the psychological wisdom of mythology. One of the basic functions of myth, he contends, is to help each individual through the journey of life, providing a travel guide to reach fulfillment - a map to discover "bliss." In Pathways to Bliss, Campbell once again draws on his masterful gift of storytelling to apply the larger themes of world mythology to personal growth and transformation. Looking at the more personal, psychological side of myth, he begins to dwell on life's more important questions - those that are often submerged beneath the frantic activity of our daily life. With characteristic wit and insight, he draws connections between ancient symbols and modern art, schizophrenia and the Hero's Journey, revealing the way myth helps identify one's heroic path.
Campbell assesses life now as pathless: "We are in a sort of free fall into the future." He is, however, perennially hopeful that if we discover our own mythological underpinnings, carried on the wings of artists and poets, we can find our way to individual bliss.

Myths to Live By
by Joseph Campbell
MYTHS TO LIVE BY consists of a dozen essays/talks Joseph Campbell prepared between 1961 and 1971. He described the period as a "new age" where "..we are...participating in one of the very greatest leaps of the human spirit to a knowledge not only of outside nature but also of our own deep inward mystery."
At the time he wrote these essays, Campbell was a professor on a campus, surrounded by young people whom he found hard to understand at times. For example, in his essay "The Moon Walk--the Outward Journey" he relates his own feelings of awe on viewing the Apollo moon landing and contrasts them with the reaction of a student who wrote "So What" on a photo of the moon landing posted on a campus bulletin board. In another essay "Schizophrenia--the Inward Journey" he contrasts the use of mind-altering drugs by shamans and psychotics (including the LSD induced version) as the difference between divers and non-swimmers in "the waters of the unviersal archetypes of mythology."
He suggests creation myths and myths about love and war and peace contain the essence of the truth. Myths are to humans what kangaroo pouches are to baby kangaroos, they provide a "womb with a view." Being born simply isn't enough. We need myths to help us organize and guide our lives. However, our current myths arose in another era and were shaped by tribal mentalities that sustain the notion of GROUP differences. We need new myths for the journey of life.

Myths of Light: Eastern Metaphors of the Eternal
by Joseph Campbell, David Kudler
In this volume of previously unpublished lectures and articles, the late world folklorist and comparative mythologist Campbell extols the myths of Asian religions, though, as always, the whole of humanity is the author's intended audience. With jaunty, American optimism, Campbell delves into the stories and imagery, as he defines them, of Buddhism and Yoga and other "Oriental" systems of belief, to find a well of deep humanistic wisdom in each one, sharply in contrast to the anti-spiritual habits of the West. "You may have practical ethics and that kind of thing, but there is no spirituality in any aspect of our contemporary Western civilization," Campbell writes, suggesting that Western society "is disintegrating as a result" of the loss of religious myth.

The Masks of God: Occidental Mythology
by Joseph Campbell
Campbell organizes his series historically across space, showing how the beliefs of one age and place influenced those of another. In OM he discusses in great depth and with scholarly wisdom how the religions of the Levant were shaped by internal and external forces, and how in turn religious movements that originated in the Middle East interacted with the beliefs of the various peoples of Europe. Religious beliefs apparently do not travel one-way. Among other aspects of religious transmission, Campbell discusses the process of `mythological defamation' the priests of newer religions employ to attempt to demonize the old religions. Using art forms such as statuary and painting, Campbell also demonstrates how themes and ideas from older religions survive in the guise of the newer religion as elements of the older religion become incorporated into the newer religion (if you can't demonize it, incorporate it). Some of the more interesting transformations in the West involve the snake, the Goddess, and the risen Lord, which have an ancient history.
After revealing how the attributes of one religion after another became incorporated in a succeeding religion (Christianity and Islam are covered), Campbell summarizes his thesis. It seems a core theological issues is this: If a Higher Power exists, is it (he/she) transcendent or immanent? The transcendent God is "out there" while the immanent God is "down here". In other words is God, part of his or her creation? Thousands of people have died fighting over this and other difficult questions.

Thou Art That: Transforming Religious Metaphor
by Joseph Campbell, Eugene C. Kennedy (Editor)
The most abiding theme of this collection is that Western religious traditions have suffered from taking their stories and symbols literally instead of metaphorically. Some chapters are dense with ideas and call for careful reading, while other sections are breathtakingly clear in describing mind-opening concepts. In either case, this is a book that will stretch readers to reconsider their interpretation of the stories and symbols of faith and the relationship between personal spirituality and institutional religion.

The Inner Reaches of Outer Space: Metaphor as Myth and as Religion
by Joseph Campbell
While our country was probing outer space, Campbell was travelling through the "wonderland of myth," and exploring the far-reaching relationship between mythology and comparative religion. He made some startling discoveries along the way. He writes, it "occurred to me that outer space is within inasmuch as the laws of outer space are within us; outer and inner space are the same" (p. 2). For Campbell, "the seat of the soul is there where the outer and inner worlds meet" (p. 5). "From the outer world," he writes, "the senses carry images to the mind, which do not become myth, however, until there transformed by fusion with accordant insights, awakened as imagination from the inner world of the body" (p. 5).
In this book, Campbell draws from Space-Age discoveries to demonstrate how mythology allows us to realize and participate in the "transcendence, infinity, and abundance" (p. xx) of religion.

The Hero and the Goddess : The Odyssey as Mystery and Initiation
by Jean Houston
"The Hero and the Goddess" is a beautiful extended meditation on the classic journey of a wounded warrior through many tests and ordeals into profound healing in the realms of women, through the nurturing power of the Divine Feminine. In requickening the remarkable vision journey recounted by Homer (and the anonymous woman writer who may have helped compose "The Odyssey", as Robert Graves believed) Jean Houston helps us understand how the true Guide of our life - the Friend of the soul - is never distant, and is always seeking to help us live from the depths and think from the heart".-Robert Moss-

Carl Gustav Jung
(1875-1961)

Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist, and founder of analytical psychology. Jung met Sigmund Frued in 1907, and became the first president of the International Psychoanalytic Association when it was formed. He broke with Freud in 1912, when Jung published his revolutionary Psychology of the Unconscious, which postulated two dimensions of the unconscious -- the personal (repressed or forgotten content of an individual's mental and material life), and what he termed the collective unconscious (those acts and mental patterns shared either by members of a culture or universally by all human beings). Under certain conditions these manifest themselves as archetypes -- images, patterns, and symbols that are often seen in dreams or fantasies and that appear as themes in mythology, religion, and fairy tales. In Psychological Types (1921) Jung elucidated extroversion and introversion. He held the most significant task for any person to be the achievement of harmony between the conscious and the unconscious. The definitive edition of his collected works in English translation was published between 1951 and 1979.

The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious
by C. G. Jung, Gerhard Adler, R. F.C. Hull
"In psychology one possesses nothing unless one has experienced it in reality." In this volume Jung provides us with his experiences with the human psyche and conclusions about these experiences.
Jung suggests that humans have a psychological makeup that generally exceeds their ability to comprehend it. In this volume he defines and describes these "hidden" aspects of the human psyche, such as: the Ego, the Self, the Shadow, the Anima and others. Jung makes suggestions as to how modern Western humans can discover these unconscious aspects of themselves and how they can be integrated into human consciousness.
This volume hints at a process Jung called individuation, in which the personally unconscious aspects of a human being are united with their normal consciousness, and then this expanded consciousness becomes subservient to a new meta-consciousness, which he called The Self, and which transcends human comprehension, except as an experience. (It is beyond names and forms.) Jung spends a good deal of time describing The Self using Western religious metaphors to make his examples.
Most of Jung's theories have slipped into our collective Western unconsciousness, so that they are now part of our unconscious assumptions, (e.g. projection, shadow, denial, the unconsciousness of our faults) and if you would like to become conscious of these assumptions, a reading of this book might facilitate that experience.

Modern Man in Search of a Soul
by C. G. Jung
One of the most interesting chapters of the book is entitled "Archaic Man." Jung details the psyche of tribes in such places as sub-Saharan Africa and New Guinea. Many of these cultures live the same way today that their ancestors lived thousands of years ago. Their psychological state, like their way of life, has been frozen in time. In essence, they are much the same as primitive man; the same as our own forefathers. Jung dicusses how they tend to explain everything via supernatural happenings. Much of the "reasoning" is anti-logic and extremely ad-hoc. However, Jung points out how such a dangerous and volatile envioronment as the jungle may coerce most anyone into thinking in ways which we "civilized" people would interpret as superstitous.
One of the underlying themes of the book is how we as a human race have become overly-logical today. It may be that primitive tribes may have something to teach us, after all. Somehow, we have descended into apathy after existing for thousands of years as a race that explained everything via the supernatural. This book is a wonderful dissection of the post-modern current state. It is highly recommend for any modern man and woman in search of a soul.

The Varieties of Religious Experience
by William James

When William James went to the University of Edinburgh in 1901 to deliver a series of lectures on "natural religion," he defined religion as "the feelings, acts, and experiences of individual men in their solitude, so far as they apprehend themselves to stand in relation to whatever they may consider the divine." Considering religion, then, not as it is defined by--or takes place in--the churches, but as it is felt in everyday life, he undertook a project that, upon completion, stands not only as one of the most important texts on psychology ever written, not only as a vitally serious contemplation of spirituality, but for many critics one of the best works of nonfiction written in the 20th century. Reading The Varieties of Religious Experience, it is easy to see why. Applying his analytic clarity to religious accounts from a variety of sources, James elaborates a pluralistic framework in which "the divine can mean no single quality, it must mean a group of qualities, by being champions of which in alternation, different men may all find worthy missions." It's an intellectual call for serious religious tolerance--indeed, respect--the vitality of which has not diminished through the subsequent decades.

Charles Darwin
(1809-1882)
http://www.aboutdarwin.com/

Darwin was a British naturalist who achieved lasting fame as the originator of the theory of evolution through natural selection.
He developed his interest in natural history while studying first medicine, then theology, at university. Darwin's five-year voyage on the Beagle brought him eminence as a geologist and fame as a popular author. His biological observations led him to study the transmutation of species and develop his theory of natural selection in 1838. Fully aware of the likely reaction, he confided only in close friends and continued his research to meet anticipated objections, but in 1858 the information that Alfred Russel Wallace now had a similar theory forced early joint publication of Darwin's theory.

His 1859 book The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life (usually abbreviated to The Origin of Species) established evolution by common descent as the dominant scientific theory of diversification in nature. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society, continued his research, and wrote a series of books on plants and animals, including humankind, notably The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex and The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. His last book was about earthworms.
In recognition of Darwin's pre-eminence, he was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to William Herschel and Isaac Newton.

From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin's Four Great Books (Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle, The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals)
by Charles Darwin, Edward O. Wilson (Editor)
Never before have the four great works of Charles Darwin—Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle (1845), The Origin of Species (1859), The Descent of Man (1871), and The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals (1872)—been collected under one cover. Undertaking this challenging endeavor 123 years after Darwin's death, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward O. Wilson has written an introductory essay for the occasion, while providing new, insightful introductions to each of the four volumes and an afterword that examines the fate of evolutionary theory in an era of religious resistance. In addition, Wilson has crafted a creative new index to accompany these four texts, which links the nineteenth-century, Darwinian evolutionary concepts to contemporary biological thought. Beautifully slipcased, and including restored versions of the original illustrations, From So Simple a Beginning turns our attention to the astounding power of the natural creative process and the magnificence of its products. Slipcased hardcover; 101 illustrations, map.