The Tragedy of Doctor Gnosis


Book Description

The Tragedy of Doctor Gnosis reveals that even the most learned of men can fall prey to the desires for love and superficial beauty. Author Steve Cirrone reveals his passion for Renaissance drama in his first full-length play. A modern interpretation of Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustas, Cirrone's work carefully adheres to the dramatic principles of the Renaissance period. Skillfully crafted, the language and literary devices used throughout the text reflect the dynamics of dramatists writing during the Elizabethan era. The Tragedy of Doctor Gnosis explores the force of cosmic destiny in the world today by compelling us to examine the human desire for everlasting life against modern concepts of love, superficial beauty, and the divine. As in Marlowe's play, the central conflict in The Tragedy of Doctor Gnosis shows us that self-delusion mixed with exorbitant pride can lead to one's tragic end. The play's powerful drama is rooted in the protagonist's absolute devotion to a young lover--despite its cost to his reputation and his life. The Tragedy of Doctor Gnosis challenges readers and audiences alike to think deeply about consequences when boundaries between self and the divine are erased by a misguided will.




Pharmako/Gnosis, Revised and Updated


Book Description

Delving deep into the world of psychoactive plants, including ayahuasca, Pharmako/Gnosis serves as a comprehensive and standalone guide. Celebrated by readers as a modern classic, this is a must-have for anyone interested in the science, history, and lore of psychoactive substances. In this third and final volume of the Pharmako trilogy, Dale Pendell embarks on a captivating journey through the botanical and cultural landscapes of a diverse array of mind-altering "teachers." From plant-based psychedelic substances to their synthetic derivatives, Pendell illuminates each with an erudition and playful wit uniquely his own. He delves into the worlds of traditional use and modern interpretations of substances such as: Amanita muscaria Ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi) Blowfish/Puffer Fish (Tetradontidae) Bufo alvarius Iboga (Tabernanthe iboga) Jurema (Mimosa hostilis) Ketamine Kratom (Mitragynia speciosa) Mescal Bean (Sophora secundiflora) Morning Glory (Ipomoea, Rivea spp.) Peyote Psilocybe (Teonanacatl) San Pedro Cactus Tropane alkaloids Peganum harmala Pharmako/Gnosis offers more than a mere historical or pharmacological background of these substances. Pendell delves into the nuances of each substance's effect on consciousness with a poetic finesse, bringing to life our profound and intricate relationship with these potent compounds. He approaches the topic with genuine curiosity, acknowledging the transformative power these substances wield over individuals, societies, and cultures. The narrative, enriched by a wealth of quotations from acclaimed writers, is as intoxicating as the substances it explores, brewing a unique literary concoction. Taking the reader beyond the confines of traditional scientific discourse, Pendell's distinctive narrative style weaves in personal experiences, anecdotal evidence, and a profound sense of the sacred, resulting in a reading experience that is as deeply engaging as it is informative.




Introduction to Gnosis


Book Description

In ancient times, the Gnostics sought for salvation through personal, experiential knowledge of the Divine. Their methods of self-reliance and their sublime knowledge profoundly impacted society, such that the dominant powers felt threatened and the tradition was forced to disappear from public view. Now, after centuries of obscurity, the Gnostics have re-emerged, still carrying their profound message of Gnosis: knowledge of self and the Divine. In a simple and elegant way, Samael Aun Weor explains the basic methodology for people in today's world to begin to approach the greater mysteries of the Gnostics. In this basic and practical guide, Samael Aun Weor offers a breadth of exercises guiding the reader to discover within themselves a wealth of insight and understanding. Gnosis, after all, is Greek for knowledge, and the seeker is told, "Know thyself, and thou shalt know the universe and its Gods." "A great author deduced that the human being needs eight important things in life: health and the conservation of life, nourishment, sleep, money and the things money can buy, life in the beyond, sexual satisfaction, the well-being of his children, and a sense of proper importance. We synthesize these eight things into three: 1. Health 2. Money 3. Love "If you really want to acquire these three things, you should study and practice everything that this course teaches you. We will show you the path of success." - Samael Aun Weor Includes the lecture "How to Make Light Within" and the pamphlet "Marriage, Divorce, and Tantra." Topics include: An Exercise to Control Your Anger; The Power of Thought; Mental Force; Concentration of the Mind; The Law of Karma; Favorable Circumstances; The Descent of Cosmic Vibration; Prana; The Names of the Tattvas; Properties of the Tattvas; Money; Clairvoyance; Alcoholism; Meditation and Intoxication; Osmotherapy; Mental Relaxation; Concentration; Meditation; Contemplation; The Universal Mind; Imagination and Will; Mental Action; Mental Epidemics; Mental Hygiene; Vegetarian Diet; Self-observation; Chatter; “I’s” in the Five Centers; Matrimony, Divorce, and Tantra; and more.










Pharmako Gnosis


Book Description

Contemporary alchemist Dale Pendell completes his poetic study of botany, chemistry, spirituality, psychology and history in a volume covering the composition and uses of visionary plants. Chapters including Phantastica, Hypnotica and Telephorica explore the hallucinogenic plants, the bringers of sleep and the bearers of distance.




Moving Spaces


Book Description

Moving Spaces: Creolisation and Mobility in Africa, the Atlantic and Indian Ocean addresses issues of creolisation, mobility, and migration of ideas, songs, stories, and people, as well as plants, in various parts of Africa, the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean worlds. It brings together Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone specialists from various fields – anthropology, geography, history, language & literary studies – from Africa, Brazil, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific. It is a book which, while opening new perspectives, also intriguingly suggests that languages are essential to all processes of creolisation, and that therefore the latter cannot be understood without reference to the former. Its strength therefore lies in bringing together studies from different language domains, particularly Afrikaans, Creole, English, French, Portuguese, and Sanskrit. Contributors include Andrea Acri, Joaze Bernardino, Marina Berthet, Alain Kaly, Uhuru Phalafala, Haripriya Rangan, Fernando Rosa, António Tomás and Shaun Viljoen.




Metagnosis


Book Description

Bridging memoir with key concepts in narratology, philosophy and history of medicine, and disability studies, this book identifies and names the phenomenon of metagnosis: the experience of learning in adulthood of a longstanding condition. It can occur when the condition has remained undetected (e.g. colorblindness) and/or when the diagnostic categories themselves have shifted (e.g. ADHD). More broadly, it can occur with unexpected revelations bearing upon selfhood, such as surprising genetic test results. Though this phenomenon has received relatively scant attention, learning of an unknown condition is often a significant and bewildering revelation, one that subverts narrative expectations and customary categories. How do we understand these revelations? In addressing this topic Danielle Spencer approaches narrative medicine as a robust research methodology comprising interdisciplinarity, narrative attentiveness, and the creation of writerly texts. Beginning with Spencer's own experience, the book explores the issues raised by metagnosis, from communicability to narrative intelligibility to different ways of seeing. Next, it traces the distinctive metagnostic narrative arc through the stages of recognition, subversion, and renegotiation, discussing this trajectory in light of a range of metagnostic experiences-from Blade Runner to real-world mid-life diagnoses. Finally, it situates metagnosis in relation to genetic revelations and the broader discourses concerning identity. Spencer proposes that better understanding metagnosis will not simply aid those directly affected, but will serve as a bellwether for how we will all navigate advancing biomedical and genomic knowledge, and how we may fruitfully interrogate the very notion of identity.