A Bardon Companion


Book Description

Expanded and updated second edition of Rawn Clark's practical commentaries on Franz Bardon's three books: "Initiation Into Hermetics", "Practice of Magical Evocation" and "Key to the True Kabbalah". Includes a new, more in-depth commentary on IIH. Fully indexed!




The Aleister Crowley Manual


Book Description

This is a no-nonsense, practical guide to working the magick of Aleister Crowley in modern times. Marco Visconti has taught Aleister Crowley's Magick to hundreds of aspirants, proving to himself and others its transmutative powers. This book brings together the effective techniques and practices from those lessons. We all live very busy lives in increasingly small spaces, but this book shows that to practice magick you don’t need fancy tools or robes or marbles halls. Magick is truly for everyone, because all you need to practice it is a will set in stone. Each chapter in this manual is a lesson, which will add a new tool to your magical arsenal: the nature of the Body of Light what Prana is and how to harness it the 4 Hermetic Elements that make up the foundations of the Magical Pyramid the Quintessence the Pentagram Hexagram rituals the Astral Light invoked through the Middle Pillar The benefits gained from bringing Magick into your life are manifold. You will gain a deeper understanding of your role in the universe, the ability to communicate with the Other, and the wisdom that comes from such relationships. Overall these practices offer a new and deeper sense of awareness of your own role in the universe.




The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English


Book Description

In simple and straightforward language, Bhante Gunaratana shares the Buddha's teachings on mindfulness and how we can use these principles to improve our daily lives, deepen our mindfulness, and move closer to our spiritual goals. Based on the classic Satipatthana Sutta, one of the most succinct yet rich explanations of meditation, Bhante's presentation is nonetheless thoroughly modern. The Satipatthana Sutta has become the basis of all mindfulness meditation, and Bhante unveils it to the reader in his trademark "plain English" style. Contemplating the Four Foundations of Mindfulness—mindfulness of the body, of feelings, of the mind, and of phenomena themselves—is recommended for all practitioners. Newcomers will find The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English lays a strong groundwork for mindfulness practice and gives them all they need to get started right away, and old hands will find rich subtleties and insights to help consolidate and clarify what they may have begun to see for themselves. People at every state of the spiritual path will benefit from reading this book.




The 231 Gates of Initiation


Book Description

Sometime around the middle of 1998, during my work with the original Eight Temples Meditation Project, I "discovered" that both the Western Hermetic and Hebrew Tree of Life symbols held within them exactly 230 geometric shapes of a certain nature. Along with this discovery came the realization that these 230 shapes, plus the Tree as a whole, held a direct correlation to the 231 "Gates" mentioned in the Sepher Yetzirah and throughout Kabbalistic literature. So I began drawing these "231 Gates" by hand on paper... And as I drew, I explored...The following couple of years were spent in extensive exploration of all these Gates and eventually in 2002 I published "Book 231" online. At the same time, I created the "32 Paths of Wisdom Tarot" and wrote an article titled "The 32 Paths of Wisdom" which was published in the Autumn 2002 Journal of the Western Mystery Tradition. The main theme of this article was to illustrate the differences between the Western Hermetic and Hebrew versions of the Tree of Life and present the Hebrew Tree in the context of a Western Hermetic path of initiation. And then, in 2005, the "32 Paths of Wisdom" article and Tarot were integrated with the 231 Gates of the Hebrew Tree and I digitally published "The 231 Gates of Initiation" for the first time online.This present edition in paperback differs quite a bit from the 2005 digital edition. First of all, my understanding of the Tree of Life has deepened considerably since 2002, especially my understanding of how and why the planets are attributed to the Hebrew Letters. As a result, some of the planetary attributions have been corrected in this version. Secondly, I have removed 99% of the Hebrew words and substituted their English equivalents in an effort to make the Tree symbol much more accessible.




The New Meditation Handbook


Book Description

The New Meditation Handbook is a practical guide to meditation that teaches us how to make ourself and others happy by developing inner peace, and in this way making our lives more meaningful. Without inner peace there is no real happiness at all. Problems, suffering and unhappiness do not exist outside the mind; they are feelings and thus part of our mind. Therefore, it is only by controlling our mind that we can permanently stop our problems and make ourself and others truly happy. The twenty-one Buddhist meditation practices presented in this book are actual methods to control our mind and experience lasting inner peace. This extremely practical guide is an indispensable handbook for those seeking happiness and meaning in their lives.




Modern Buddhism


Book Description

Based on teachings from the Kadampa Buddhist Tradition, Modern Buddhism is a special presentation that communicates the essence of the entire path to liberation and enlightenment in a way that is easy to understand and put into practice.




Eight Steps to Happiness


Book Description

This inspiring book reveals essential methods for developing universal love and compassion, the source of true happiness for both self and others. It gives a detailed and practical commentary to eight beautiful verses that comprise one of Buddhism's best-loved and most enduring teachings, Eight Verses of Training the Mind. Composed by the great Tibetan Bodhisattva, Langri Tangpa, this short poem shows how we can transform all life's difficulties into valuable spiritual insights. For centuries, these liberating meditation practices have brought lasting peace, inspiration and serenity to countless people in the East. Now, in this book, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso shares the immeasurably rich insight of this ancient wisdom with all those seeking lasting happiness and greater meaning in their modern lives.




The New Meditation Handbook


Book Description

Perfect for both beginners and experienced meditators, this practical guide offers an introduction to the expansive inner world of meditation as well as a series of 21 step-by-step meditations, leading to increasingly peaceful and beneficial states of mind, which together form the entire Buddhist path to enlightenment. By following simple meditation instructions, readers can experience the inner tranquility and lightness of mind that comes from meditation, to reduce life's difficulties and bring greater happiness for ourself and others. Clear and relevant meditation break practices are revealed, so readers can integrate the meditations into their daily activities to reduce tension and improve relationships.




Eight Steps to Happiness: The Buddhist Way of Loving Kindness


Book Description

This inspiring book explains how to meditate on eight beautiful verses that comprise one of Buddhism’s best-loved teachings, Eight Verses of Training the Mind. Composed by the great Tibetan Bodhisattva, Geshe Langri Tangpa, this short poem shows how we can transform all life’s difficulties into valuable spiritual insights. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso reveals practical ways in which we can use this timeless wisdom to find meaning and lasting happiness in our busy modern lives.




Branding Bhakti


Book Description

How do religious groups reinvent themselves in order to attract new audiences? How do they rebrand their messages and recast their rituals in order to make their followers more diverse? In Branding Bhakti, Nicole Karapanagiotis considers the new branding of the Hare Krishna Movement, or the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Known primarily for their orange robes, shaved heads, ecstatic dancing on the streets, and exuberant Hindu-style temple worship, many contemporary ISKCON groups are radically reinventing their public presentation and their style of worship in order to attract a global audience to their movement. Karapanagiotis explores their innovative and complex approaches in both the United States and India by following three new ISKCON brands aimed at gathering new followers. Each is led by a world-renowned ISKCON guru and his global disciples, and each is promoted through a mix of digital and social media and the construction of an innovative "worship-scape." These new spaces trade ISKCON's traditional temples for corporate work-life balance programs, posh yoga studios, urban spiritual lounges, edgy mantra clubs/lofts, and rural meditative retreat facilities. Branding Bhakti not only investigates the methods the ISKCON movement uses to position itself for growth but also highlights devotees' painful and complicated struggles as they work to transform their shrinking, sectarian movement into one with global religious appeal.