The Magical Path to the Acropolis studies the work of the eccentric perfectionist-architect/proto-ecologist Dimitri Pikioni, who, one year short of seventy, was suddenly tasked with a work of major historical and psychological weight: to create new paths to the ancient monument of the Acropolis. His approach was that of a writer constantly revising his drafts. He would draw versions of the paths on rice paper, erase and re-draw, and then when he got to the land itself he would abandon his sketches and improvise. He would kneel to place a stone or large slab on the path, stand back, look at the way the light formed shadows around the new arrangement, take a small mallet or chisel, shape the stone slightly differently, then stand back and look at the outcome once again. He uprooted all the cypresses, planted hundreds of olive trees, and brought in herbs and bushes from the Attic countryside that were consistent with the flora of ancient times. When he worked, the material-the earth, the stone, the land itself-seemed to be an extension of his inner self.
How can tech-forward companies, institutions and non-profits stay relevant long term in today’s fast changing global economy? Written for leaders seeking proven strategies, this book by a veteran business advisor and leadership coach explains what large organizations can learn from family enterprises, and vice versa. When survival is threatened by disruption, or growth has stalled, the book shows why seasoned leaders and rising leaders from both family and non-family organizations should join forces for mutual benefit of combining innovation and long term thinking. Florence Tsai advances the field of family business studies with new evolutionary models, organizational frameworks, and case studies of dozens of leading family companies, including IBM, Corning, and New York Times. The book addresses growing problems of disruption—challenges best addressed by seasoned and rising leaders working together, since they have complimentary skills. Seniors bring stability and judgment, while rising leaders understand new markets and introduces innovative ideas. The world’s best family enterprises are masters of survival; what they can learn from non-family companies is how to stay nimble when change is accelerating at rates never seen before. Non-family organizations facing trust gaps can learn from successful family enterprises’ laser focus on stakeholder engagement. Families like Levi Strauss or Hermès have built trusted brands for generations. Facing disruption, Tsai explains how non-family organizations can insert long term thinking into the DNA of your organization by observing how enterprising families with enduring competitive advantages accomplish it. Strategies include how to develop future-forward mindsets supportive of innovation culture; how to nurture rising leaders who are intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs, and portfolio builders and prepare them to lead in their thirties. Phoenixes rising are the next-generation leaders who lead their family enterprise through intentional transformation in response to inevitable changes and yield successful growth. The book describes this mechanism in detail. Legendary Phoenixes profiled in this book include Irénée du Pont in the U.S., whose tech innovation at Eleutherian Mills transformed the gun powder industry; David René de Rothschild in France, who rebuilt a banking business from scratch; and John Elkann of Fiat in Italy, who led the Agnelli family through a succession crisis to emerge stronger. Stories of successful next generation innovators include John D. Rockefeller, Jr. in the U.S., Cristina Stenbeck of AB Kinnevik in Sweden; and Mikkel Vestergaard, inventor of LifeStraw, in Switzerland. With insights drawn from more than a decade of working closely with leading business families and advising the Chairmen and CEOs of their companies, the author argues that if we want to be guided by their long term success, it’s the pioneer spirit of the family leaders, plus the enterprising culture of the families themselves, not so much their products or their famous companies, that we should pay attention to. Written for the hackers and for the master architects, Phoenix Rising spotlights principled wealth creation and the shared value that comes from doing good while doing good business, engaging partners and stakeholders sustainably, for the lasting benefit of oneself and society.
A comprehensive guide to the history and practice of Angular Magic • Details the development of the magical system of the Nine Angles by the Church of Satan and the Temple of Set, as well as its internal body, the Order of the Trapezoid • Analyzes the 3 key rites of Angular Magic: Die Elektrischen Vorspiele, the Ceremony of the Nine Angles, and the Call to Cthulhu • Explores historical influences on Angular Magic, including Pythagorean number mysticism, John Dee’s Enochian magic, and the writings of H. P. Lovecraft • Includes practical examples, daily practices, and guidance on creating your own rituals Revealing the magical uses of number and geometry as tools for introspection, self-development, and creating change in both the inner and outer worlds, Toby Chappell explores the rites, history, and potent practices of Angular Magic and Infernal Geometry, the Left-Hand Path of Sacred Geometry. Focusing on the advanced magical system of the Nine Angles, he details the system’s development by the early Church of Satan and later the Temple of Set, as well as its internal body, the Order of the Trapezoid. He shows how the system first emerged in the Ceremony of the Nine Angles, written by Michael Aquino and published in Anton Szandor LaVey’s The Satanic Rituals. He explores historical influences on Angular Magic, including Pythagorean number mysticism, John Dee’s Enochian magic, the theories of William Mortensen, and, most importantly, the writings of H. P. Lovecraft as well as other contributors to his Cthulhu mythos. The author analyzes the 3 key rites of Angular Magic: Die Elektrischen Vorspiele, the Ceremony of the Nine Angles, and the Call to Cthulhu, expanding upon them to demonstrate how readers can craft their own rituals. He examines the Nine Angles individually, detailing their keywords, powers, and related deities, and explains how each can be used in magical practices and as part of an ongoing initiatory process. He offers practical examples, including use of Angular Magic in divination, sigils, and magical symbols, and guidance on creating your own practices--a core component of the ever-evolving Left-Hand Path. Offering a self-directed path of magic and empowerment, previously unavailable to those outside the Temple of Set, Chappell shows how the Nine Angles must be worked with and experienced personally in order to effect true transformation and change.
This book is born out of the idea that we are all essentially one with a prime source of energy. We are all on a journey of the soul, searching and seeking out our true nature. It has been carefully created to reflect that we are more than we have been taught in our schools and society. We have been placed into a dream, which is an illusionary one but one which our spiritual essence seeks to be awakened from. It has been written to inspire and excite others to follow the path of the heart, the one heart, and realize their full potential of unlimited possibilities that exists when you allow the higher realms to guide ones journey. This book charts the challenges and magical experiences that Michael has uncovered on his path of remembrance. The reader is reminded that the journey is the contract between souls and the heavenly realms, which reveals the truth of their being. The story takes on a personal adventure of ancient discoveries of past lives intermingled with present life clues into Michaels true essence as a spiritual warrior of light. It aims to show the reader that even those people who have assumed that their life has no meaning and who may not have achieved an academic standing still can achieve accolades beyond their wildest imagination just by working for the heavenly realms. The book attempts to nudge the reader to further explore the soul and the many adventures that await those who choose to follow the path back to the light. Michael wishes to pass on the wisdom he has acquired for the benefit of helping other light beings evolve and return the surface of Mother Earth back to the light. By believing in ones self, the reader can be elevated in a direction that, out of faith and the power of love, comes only magical good in ones life. Believing is seeing, not the other way round, as we have been taught. Following this parameter, the initiated and dedicated student of light begins to believe in himself and to find the clues, answers, which open doors for them. Belief is part of your consciousness; your soul already knows whom one is. Now is the time of your remembering!
“This novel succeeds—right from the start…. A superior fantasy…It begins, as it should, with one protagonist’s struggles and moves neatly into a wider circle….” –Midwest Book Review (re Rise of the Dragons) “Filled with non-stop action, this novel is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat from cover to cover….Rice is setting up for an amazing series to rival series such as Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness, with her strong female protagonist making waves in her world and building the confidence of young women in ours.” –The Wanderer, A Literary Journal (re Rise of the Dragons) From #1 bestselling author Morgan Rice, a USA Today bestseller and critically-acclaimed author of the fantasy series The Sorcerer’s Ring (over 3,000 five-star reviews) and the teen fantasy series The Vampire Journals (over 1,500 five-star reviews) comes a groundbreaking new series and genre, where fantasy meets mystery. A bundle of the fourth and fifth books in Morgan Rice’s SHADOWSEER series (ROME and ATHENS). Here are two incredible novels, all in one convenient file with over 100,000 words of reading. SHADOWSEER: ROME (Book Four) and SHADOWSEER: ATHENS (Book Five) continue the story of Kaia, 17, an orphan coming of age in the Victorian Europe of the 1850s. Kaia yearns to escape her horrific orphanage, to discover who her parents were, and to understand why she can sense shadows when others cannot. When the brilliant Detective Pinsley, 45, takes Kaia under his wing and enlists her help in solving the mysterious and bizarre murders sweeping over Europe, the two of them become unlikely partners. Are they part of a greater war of light versus dark? And is Kaia the only one who can stop it? Dark fantasy meets mystery in SHADOWSEER, a page-turning, atmospheric thriller packed with authentic period detail, with twists and cliffhangers that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Kaia, a broken hero, will capture your heart as she struggles to claw her way up from the depths, and to solve unsolvable crimes. Fans of books such as Spellbreaker, The Dresden Files, Mortal Instruments and Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde will find much to love in SHADOWSEER, satisfying fantasy fans who appreciate mystery and suspense, and mystery lovers who want something new, a clean hybrid that will appeal to both adult and young adult readers. Get ready to be transported to another world—and to fall in love with characters you will never forget. “Morgan Rice proves herself again to be an extremely talented storyteller….This would appeal to a wide range of audiences, including younger fans. It ended with an unexpected cliffhanger that leaves you shocked.” –The Romance Reviews (re the paranormal series Loved) “The beginnings of something remarkable are there.” –San Francisco Book Review (re the young adult fantasy A Quest of Heroes)
A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print. One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning—but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.
A tulku is a fully enlightened one (buddha) or highly accomplished adept (siddha) who chooses to be reborn again and again for the benefit of all beings. Most tulkus, though, are the rebirths of well-trained masters who are engaged in spiritual training and serving others. Tibetan Buddhists have, for well over a millennium, been meticulously following the tradition of finding, recognizing, enthroning, training, and venerating these revered figures who provide teachings of liberation for both monks and laypeople. This guide to the tulku tradition covers its long history, separating fact from fiction, giving an overview of how the system works, and providing short biographies of some of the great tulkus of the past and present. Included are accounts of the magical occurrences that are associated with these remarkable beings, and advice for how anyone can set out on the tulku path.
Eternity Pendants are rare magical artifacts used to communicate with those who have died. Historically, the pendants were abused to consult with war heroes from times past. Henrey grew up on a sovereign island that helped forge a fragile peace between two warring magical continents. Orphaned young and raised by the local barkeep, Adoros, he learned early to manage his expectations for the future and make the most of the moment. All this changed when Henrey introduces himself with a sentimental family name when caught eavesdropping on a top-secret military meeting in the bar's back room. Adoros entrusts the care of Henrey to an eccentric group of rebels, thus putting Henrey right into the middle of delicate acts of espionage to prevent the Queen of Assay from acquiring any more eternity pendants. Along with Eryn, Sapphire, and a few others, Henrey must prevent the war from engulfing his new home and his friends, but everything may not be what it seems. Time magic, rescue missions, cults, betrayal, and familiar faces will leave you wondering who to trust and who to support in the endeavor to collect eternity pendants. What would you be willing to sacrifice to save the ones you loved?
