The Hymns of Arcanus (New Edition)
The Hymns of Arcanus (New Edition)

Author: Steven Parris Ward

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2012-12-28

Total Pages: 112

ISBN-13: 1479768340

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Revealed in a dream, the angel Arcanus observes the sufferings of mankind on Earth, and offers with its tears, hymns of condemnation and consolation. These carefully wrought poems represent a complete cycle, focusing on the spiritual, religious, environmental and political issues that have sometimes troubled the people of this planet. The angel Arcanusis the poetic representation of mankind's higher faculty- the faculty of the Imagination- the unity of love and reason, and that which is expressed in compassionate behaviour. The poet callsfor the awakening of this higher faculty, and for the human race to fulfil its realisation throughaltruistic behaviour towardsallliving creatures on this planet. The awakeningwill result in agreater unity and harmony with the cosmos as a whole, free from the limitations of the ego, and itsimpetus to dominate for its own sake; adesiretodominate, whichhas characterised the human species to date, causing suffering both to itself and other life forms.The faculty of Imagination, and the activity of compassion, represents the next stage in human evolution, and its awakening will enable mankind to develop beyond its currentmental and spiritual limitations, and the perils which plague it. The poems represent allegories addressing these issues and intimate the means by which we might continue to progress.

The Dance Macabre
The Dance Macabre

Author: Steven Parris Ward

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2010-07-13

Total Pages: 62

ISBN-13: 1453535926

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The Dance Macabre (Paean on the nature of life and death as a Humanist Philosophy)in six cantos Danse Macabre (French), Danza Macabra (Italian and Spanish), or Totentanz (German), is a late-medieval allegory on the universality of death. Irrespective of one's class in life, the dance of death unites all. The idea consists of the personified death leading a row of dancing figures to the grave, typically with an emperor, king, youngster, and beautiful girl in the troupe. The image above reminds people of how fragile their lives and how vain the glories of earthly life are.[1] Its origins are postulated from illustrated sermon texts; the earliest artistic examples being in a cemetery in Paris circa 1424.

The Key
The Key

Author: Rune Odegaard

Publisher:

Published: 2011-03

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 9788299824378

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"It is not the time of the creation in itself that disturbs us, nor is it the so-called fall or the time when mankind wandered the world between light and darkness. What disturbs us is what we suspect transpired in the time before time." Magister Amarantus Sodalitas Sanctum Seth Classical Gnosticism points to a path, which is not a path, but rather a path between the paths. It is a story told at the strike of the thirteenth hour on the mystical dial of the wise; from a mental position between truth and falsehood, reality and dream, in a spiritual place that unites all things in a point without a centre. The tradition, to which this book refers is based on Biblical stories of creation, the nature of God, how man came to live on earth, and how we may recapture what humanity lost. This tradition has a systematic enquiring approach to redemption. It thus relies on our own understanding and our own experiences to grasp it. This is the path called Gnosticism; Sethian Gnosticism.

Classical Antiquity in Heavy Metal Music
Classical Antiquity in Heavy Metal Music

Author: K. F. B. Fletcher

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2019-10-03

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 135007537X

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This book demonstrates the rich and varied ways in which heavy metal music draws on the ancient Greek and Roman world. Contributors examine bands from across the globe, including: Blind Guardian (Germany), Therion (Sweden), Celtic Frost, Eluveitie (Switzerland), Ex Deo (Canada/Italy), Heimdall, Stormlord, Ade (Italy), Kawir (Greece), Theatre of Tragedy (Norway), Iron Maiden, Bal-Sagoth (UK), and Nile (US). These and other bands are shown to draw inspiration from Classical literature and mythology such as the Homeric Hymns, Vergil's Aeneid, and Caesar's Gallic Wars, historical figures from Rome and ancient Egypt, and even pagan and occult aspects of antiquity. These bands' engagements with Classical antiquity also speak to contemporary issues of nationalism, identity, sexuality, gender, and globalization. The contributors show how the genre of heavy metal brings its own perspectives to Classical reception, and demonstrate that this music-often dismissed as lowbrow-engages in sophisticated dialogue with ancient texts, myths, and historical figures. The authors reveal aspects of Classics' continued appeal while also arguing that the engagement with myth and history is a defining characteristic of heavy metal music, especially in countries that were once part of the Roman Empire.