Bøger udgivet af Quest Books (IL)

The early Christian Gnosis did not spring up in isolation, but drew upon earlier sources. In this book, many of these sources are revealed for the first time. Special emphasis is placed on the Hellenistic doctrine of the Solar Logos and the early Christian symbolism which depicted Christ as the Spiritual Sun, the illumination source of order, harmony, and spiritual insight. Based on 15 years of research, this is a unique book which throws a penetrating light on the secret traditions of early Christianity. It clearly demonstrates that number is at the heart of being. Jesus Christ, Sun of God, illustrates how the Christian symbolism of the Spiritual Sun is derived from numerical symbolism of the ancient divinities.

Achaan Chah spent many years walking and meditating in the forest monastery of Wat Ba Pong, engaging in the uncomplicated and disciplined Buddhist practice called dhudanga. A Still Forest Pool reflects the quiet, intensive, and joyous practice of the forest monks of Thailand. Achaan Chah's humble words, compiled by two Westerners who are former ordained monks, awaken the spirit of inquiry, wonderment, understanding, and deep inner peace.Attachment, according to Achaan Chah, causes all suffering. Understanding the impermanent, insecure, and selfless nature of life is the message he offers for human happiness and realization. To vividly grasp the meaning of attachment leads us to a new place of practice - the path of balance, the Middle Path.

Normandi Ellis brings her rich understanding of Egypt's sacred past to the first book to recover from original sources the history, myths, and pageantry of ancient festivals to Isis, Hathor, and other Egyptian goddesses. Full of folk history, vivid recreations of Egyptian goddess mysteries, and contemporary activities we all can use to mark life's seasons and passages, Feasts of Light will delight lovers of ancient Egypt and of the Goddess in her many guises.

Born on a sugar plantation in Java at the turn of the 20th century, psychic, alternative healer, and writer Dora van Gelder Kunz was to become one of the most unique and unforgettable women of her age.This biography traces her life from her signs of clairvoyant ability in early childhood through her pioneering development, with Delores Krieger, of Therapeutic Touch; her presidency of the Theosophical Society in America; and, finally, her death at ninety-five.Among her several seminal books in the genre of modern esoteric literature are The Real World of Fairies, The Personal Aura, and Spiritual Healing.Those who knew Dora were captivated by her blunt honesty, tremendous perception, deep compassion, and infinite capacity for hilarity. As this book lovingly chronicles, hers was indeed a most unusual life.

Ever since women in the West first started publishing works of fiction, they have written about a heroine who must wander from one place to another as she searches for a way to live the life she wants to live, a life through which she can express her true self creatively in the world. Yet while many have written about the heroine's journey, most of those authors base their models of this journey on Joseph Campbell's model of the Heroic Quest story or on old myths and tales written down by men, not on the stories that women tell.In Jane Eyre's Sisters: How Women Live and Write the Heroine's Story, cultural mythologist Jody Gentian Bower looks at novels by women--and some men--as well as biographies of women that tell the story of the Aletis, the wandering heroine. She finds a similar pattern in works spanning the centuries, from Lady Mary Wroth and William Shakespeare in the 1600s to Sue Monk Kidd, Suzanne Collins, and Philip Pullman in the current century, including works by Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, George Eliot, Elizabeth Gaskell, Charles Dickens, Kate Chopin, Virginia Woolf, Doris Lessing, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Alice Walker, to name just a few. She also discusses myths and folk tales that follow the same pattern.Dr. Bower argues that the Aletis represents an archetypal character that has to date received surprisingly little scholarly recognition despite her central role in many of the greatest works of Western fiction. Using an engaging, down-to-earth writing style, Dr. Bower outlines the stages and cast of characters of the Aletis story with many examples from the literature. She discusses how the Aletis story differs from the hero's quest, how it has changed over the centuries as women gained more independence, and what heroines of novels and movies might be like in the future. She gives examples from the lives of real women and scatters stories that illustrate many of her points throughout the book. In the end, she concludes, authors of the Aletis story use their imagination to give us characters who serve as role models for how a woman can live a full and free life.

This is a definitive book on the Sufi "way of blame" that addresses the cultural life of Sufism in its entirety. Originating in ninth-century Persia, the "way of blame" (Arab. malamatiyya) is a little-known tradition within larger Sufism that focused on the psychology of egoism and engaged in self-critique. Later, the term referred to those Sufis who shunned Islamic literalism and formalism, thus being worthy of "blame." Yannis Toussulis may be the first to explore the relation between this controversial movement and the larger tradition of Sufism, as well as between Sufism and Islam generally, throughout history to the present. Both a Western professor of the psychology of religion and a Sufi practitioner, Toussulis has studied malamatiyya for over a decade. Explaining Sufism as a lifelong practice to become a "perfect mirror in which God contemplates Himself," he draws on and critiques contemporary interpretations by G. I Gurdjieff, J. G. Bennett, and Idries Shah, as well as on Frithjof Schuon, Martin Lings, and Seyyed Hossein Nasr. He also contributes personal research conducted with one of the last living representatives of the way of blame in Turkey today, Mehmet Selim Ozic.

Originally published: London: Yellow Jersey Press, 2013.

This intricate and profound exploration of Kabbalistic symbolism as applied to the human body is a classic in French esoteric circles. It is the life work of psychotherapist Annick de Souzenelle, whose tremendous depth of thought has been partially inspired by the depth psychology of C. G. Jung.de Souzenelle incorporates the symbolism of the Hebrew language with biblical references and her understanding of Kabbalistic spirituality to present the Kabbalistic tree of life as a pattern of the human body in all its various parts and vital organs, from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head. Not only is hers an important work in the field, it also affords some flavor of the rich French esoteric tradition.The Body and Its Symbolism will be sought after by advanced students of the Western esoteric traditions, especially Kabbalah.

The Eleusian mysteries, the Sanctuary of Apollo, the Theatre of Dionysus, the labyrinths of Knossos, the Delphic oracle---the book leads us to such sacred sites in the ancient way of spiritual pilgrimage. "The gods have not totally vacated the holy places," says Richard Geldard. "Any 'vacating' has to do with our own lack of awareness." He brings to life the mythology that shaped the brilliance of Greek architecture and art, integrating rare historical material with the most recent archeological data. The result is a specialty guidebook comprehensive enough to be the only one you pack, with commentary on: Major and lesser sites of the palace and temple cultures; Greek drama, philosophy, art, and sculpture; Sacred geometry and architecture; Gallery collections in three major museums. Whether you're an armchair or actual traveler, Traveler's Key opens access to the fabled wisdom enjoyed by pilgrims of old and to the living mythology that still has power to transform lives.

Heart, Self, and Soul is the first book by a Western psychologist to explore the rich spiritual tradition of Sufism as a path for personal growth. Western psychotherapy aims largely to help us eliminate neurotic traits formed in childhood and adapt to society. In contrast, the Sufi goal is ultimately spiritual: Yes, we need to transform our negativity and be effective in the world; but beyond that, we need to reach a state of harmony with the Divine. Full of stories, poetry, meditations, journaling exercises, and colorful everyday examples, this book will open the heart, nourish the self, and quicken the soul.

Though many books are available on the 22 major Tarot cards, few look in depth at the 56 Minor Arcana, or suit cards. Simple, accessible, and easy to understand, these "overlooked mirrors" of everyday life can help us access our inner knowing and learn more about ourselves. In refreshingly down-to-earth terms and with a joyous, commonsense wisdom, Kliegman demystifies the Tarot by revealing its "small secrets."

Born to a bewildered and frustrated mother on a somber September day, the lioness Little Tyke set the world thinking anew. She was to fire the deepest thoughts within us and to remind us of ancient prophecy. She was to bring out our heartfelt tenderness in a most unexpected manner.A tragedy and a miracle were to occur minutes apart. The tragedy took only seconds. The miracle would last nine years, and to many it lasts to this very day.