Ancient Spirituality

There is not just a desire but a profound human need for enhancement - the irrepressible yearning to become better than ourselves. Today, enhancement is often conceived of in terms of biotechnical intervention: genetic modification, prostheses, implants, drug therapy - even mind uploading. The theme of this book is an ancient form of enhancement: a physical upgrade that involves ethical practices of self-realization. It has been called 'angelification' - a transformation by which people become angels.

Within the chapters of this little volume are to be found some of the most priceless gems belonging to the deepest phases of the Christian religion.

For the faithful, religion remains a guiding force for every aspect of life. An understanding of the world's major religions is not only essential to the study of history, but also in order to comprehend today's complex global community. The Story of Religion introduces the six most dominant world faiths, explaining the origins, philosophies, and evolution of these incredibly influential belief systems. Discover how intricately these religions are entwined in the state of the world today.

Though it’s often too subtle to see, much of modern Christianity has fallen prey to the ancient Gnostic heresy which taught that the material world has no lasting spiritual value. Rediscovering the Goodness of Creation diagnoses the problem, takes us through its history, and helps us discover “the purposefulness of the material world, the goodness of the human body, and the eschatological hope of a transformed universe.”

The Essene Teacher of Righteousness was Apollonius of Tyana, who, in the year AD 325 at the Council of Nicea, was replaced by a fictitious messiah called Jesus Christ: the greatest fraud in history. Here, Raymond Bernard, PhD, has discovered several sources that supposedly tell the true stories about Jesus and his family as members of the Essene Jewish sect. The story of his life is commingled with tales of his alleged traveling to India and Japan. Jesus appears to be a person whose life and story were developed by the Essenes.

In this book, I have the great honor of introducing you to a number of women about whom I have not previously written, as well as sharing with you additional stories with several of them. Each new story can be applied to help us move into harmony and a state of grace with the world around us...and the articles are designed to make the wisdom of the Sisterhood of the Shield more accessible in our daily lives.

Are you a spiritual person? A mature Christian? The apostles do not think that you are unless you have mastered the basic principles of the oracles of God.

The 20th-century elder Abba Matta of Egypt, known in the West as Matthew the Poor, is widely regarded as the greatest Egyptian elder since St. Antony the Great. He produced a huge and varied body of work in Arabic, only a little of which has been translated into English. In addition, a great many of his informal talks to monks and visitors were recorded. This volume is the first appearance in English of a small selection of these talks.

Join the world renowned expert, Adrian Gilbert (a best-selling author of numerous books on the subject), as he explores the world of the Hermetic Tradition and leads us through the complexities of the mystery traditions and their role in the history of the world of secret societies. Gilbert discusses the Egyptian god Thoth, the Emerald Tablet, Yin-Yang, the Third Force, Leonardo da Vinci, life after death and much more. Did our ancestors understand more than us?

Mary is the flower of femininity to some, a woman of power to others. She has been seen as a paragon of obedience as well as an instrument of liberation. Some have piled her status so high that it rivals that of her Son. Other do their best to ignore her. Behind all of those images is a girl who grew up to be the mother of Christ.

Around 13,000 years ago, three things happened at once: (1) Global temperature suddenly stopped rising and plunged back to ice age-frigidity. (2) The Western Hemisphere’s largest mammals, including the horse, camel, woolly mammoth, saber-toothed cat, and dozens more, went extinct. And (3) the uniquely beautiful stonework of the early American Clovis people disappeared from the archeological record. For the past half-century, scientists have struggled to explain the three events. Were they independent of each other, or could they have had a common cause?

Dr. Matthew Barnes (chemist, biochemist, doctor, and bestselling author of The Emerald Tablet 101, The Bhagavad Gita 101, and The Tao Te Ching 101) presents his interpretation of the third of the twelve primary Hindu Upanishads, and he does so in a way that is powerful yet unusually simple, straightforward, and easy to absorb. In this work you will learn the true and intricate meaning of the word Om (AUM) ... you will learn all the secrets contained within this single intonation, and there are many!

Despite a long and noble ancestry stretching back to 1500 BC, Freemasonry has enjoyed mixed fortunes in recent times. Banned in some places while flourishing in others, the brotherhood has been vilified and applauded in equal measure. This book explores its fascinating history and examines the laudable aims espoused by its founding fathers.

Ireland has a rich folklore. Everyone knows about the fairy folk and leprechauns and many have heard of the fearsome banshee. There are also the usual ghost stories found in every old land. The stranger side of the Emerald Isle goes much deeper than that, however, with tales of phantom armies marching through the sky, sea monsters swimming in the waters around the island, and stories of strange powers and dark magic.

From wearing make-up, braiding your hair, making soap, or creating candles, ancient magic is already a part of you. Find out how much of your daily life comes from traditions and beliefs passed down through the generations, and how to perform your own ceremonies, rituals, and spells, with the Ancient Magic audiobook.

This program is read by the author. A revolutionary process based on the four chambers of the heart and rooted in Toltec wisdom that brings emotional clarity, healing, and freedom. The Warrior Heart Practice is a powerful new method to reconnect with our sense of authenticity and inner-knowing...

In our modern age the biblical Genesis flood account has been probed and analyzed for answers to scientific, apologetic, and historical questions. It is a text that has called forth flood geology, fueled searches for remnants of the ark on Mount Ararat, and inspired a full-size replica of Noah's ark in a biblical theme park. Some claim that the very veracity of Scripture hinges on a particular reading of the flood narrative. But do we understand what we are reading? Longman and Walton urge us to ask, what might the biblical author have been saying to his ancient audience?

Father Thomas Hopko draws on the wisdom of the Orthodox Christian Church and the Holy Scriptures to help us understand same-sex attraction, with both compassion and clarity. Combining theological and pastoral insights, this small gem will aid pastors, those who experience same-sex desires, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the nature of our identity and our sexuality. This book is in reality a primer on how to overcome the passions through the traditional Christian ascetic struggle, which, of course, applies to everyone.

In the mid-20th century, one of the most important religious discoveries of all time was made in a series of caves near the Dead Sea, which had hidden remnants of nearly 1,000 texts, some of which were included in the Hebrew Bible and others which were extra-biblical. In addition to being the oldest surviving copies of such documents, the mixture of languages and different kinds of papers helped shed light on the people in the region at the time, making the Dead Sea Scrolls vitally important to the world's major religions.

El Kybalión es un documento que contiene el conjunto de enseñanzas de la filosofía hermética, también conocidos como los siete principios del hermetismo. Escrito en los albores del siglo XX, su autoría se debe a un grupo anónimo de personas autodenominados Los tres Iniciados, aunque las bases del hermetismo se atribuyen a un alquimista de algunas logias ocultistas llamado “Hermes Trismegisto”, cuya existencia pudo haber transcurrido en Egipto antes de la época de los faraones.