The seeds of the True Brotherhood of Man, not of brother-religionists or sectarians only, have been finally sown on the sacred soil of India. No Theosophist has ever spoken against the teachings of Christ, no more than he did against those of Krishna, Buddha, or Shankaracharya. If Europeans cry against Brahmanical tyranny, caste, infant and widow marriage, and call every religious dogmatic rule idiotic, pernicious, and devilish, why should we not denounce the abuses and defects of Christian theology and sacerdotalism? The Christian missionaries degrade the pure ethics of Christ by their Jesuitical and deceptive attitude towards the natives by proselytising and enticing them to an inferior kind of worship.
Hendrik Petrus Berlage, the Dutch architect and architectural philosopher, created a series of buildings and a body of writings from 1886 to 1909 that were among the first efforts to probe the problems and possibilities of modernism. Although his Amsterdam Stock Exchange, with its rational mastery of materials and space, has long been celebrated for its seminal influence on the architecture of the 20th century, Berlage's writings are highlighted here. Bringing together Berlage's most important texts, among them "Thoughts on Style in Architecture", "Architecture's Place in Modern Aesthetics", and "Art and Society", this volume presents a chapter in the history of European modernism. In his introduction, Iain Boyd Whyte demonstrates that the substantial contribution of Berlage's designs to modern architecture cannot be fully appreciated without an understanding of the aesthetic principles first laid out in his writings.
This book reveals that much of Christianity and its beliefs had originated in ancient Egypt rather than the Middle East. The author presents us with how, where and why many spiritual Egyptian beliefs were adopted into Christian form and accepted as "history", as opposed to being carried over in their original mythological form. Kuhn states, "The gospels are not and never were histories. They are now proven to have been cryptic dramas of the spiritual evolution of humanity and of the history of the human soul in its earthly tabernacle of flesh." For Christianity to be expressed in the way it was first intended, as experienced during the first two centuries of its existence, one must first acknowledge its pagan roots. This is too much of a leap for most people, but they have not read this book. The author reveals how things were altered in the third century by the existing priesthood and why.
Do you wonder about the future and the destiny of humanity? Do you want to know the true purpose of your existence on Earth and in the Universe? A long-hidden ancient text holds the answers you seek Zinovia Dushkova, Ph.D., is one of the few living people who has gained access to the million-year-old manuscript widely known as the Book of Dzyan. Written in the language of the Gods, called Senzar, it is secretly hidden in the heart of the Himalayas, accessible to only a chosen few over the course of human history, including Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ, Pythagoras, Plato, and Helena Blavatsky. Interpretations of various parts of this secret manuscript, presented in different lights, can be found in all religions and philosophies. Now, for the first time ever, Dr. Dushkova has presented a never-before-seen excerpt from this ancient sacred text in The Book of Secret Wisdom. Beautiful and enlightening, it will reveal not only our past, but also our present and future. To facilitate your understanding of this profound and poetic text, the book contains a comprehensive glossary gleaned from the supreme sources of wisdom. In The Book of Secret Wisdom, you will discover the answers to these questions: What are the ultimate goal and purpose of human existence? What is the cause of destructive weather, natural disasters, and global warming? What really happened in 1999 and 2012? What Great Event occurred invisibly in 2017? When did Armageddon and the Last Judgment occur? What should you expect in the coming decades? Why are people dying, and is there a chance to be immortal? Why does it seem that time is speeding up? What is the famous Philosopher's Stone? and much, much more The all-embracing and undistorted Truth presented in this book was once accessible only to the privileged initiates of ancient civilizations who spent much of their lives seeking it. But now it is available to you in the pages of The Book of Secret Wisdom, a book that offers unprecedented access to the world's most ancient mysteries. "This book is an immeasurable treasure of knowledge. Its depth and scope are incredible." -- 2016 Benjamin Franklin Awards Judge "It reads beautifully like a storybook, feels like a fable, and reveals valuable lessons of love for this lifetime." -- Allyson Gracie, Wellness Specialist, Pilates & Yoga Instructor "One of the most inspiring, all encompassing, volumes of true truth I have read in all my years of seeking truth." -- April Gieseking "It is deep, deeper and vast than you could have ever imagined." -- Aakriti, Goodreads If you are a spiritual seeker who enjoys expanding the boundaries of your understanding, this book is for you. Buy The Book of Secret Wisdom now to unveil the world's most ancient mysteries
Shadow of the Third Century: A Revaluation of Christianity, first published in 1949, begins with the assertions that a true history of Christianity has never before been written and that the roots of the Christian religion lie in earlier religions and philosophies of the ancient world. The author, Alvin Boyd Kuhn, asserts that Christianity as we know it took the form it did due to a degeneration of knowledge rather than to an energization produced by a new release of light and truth into the world. In the ancient world, knowledge was commonly passed down by esoteric traditions, its inner meaning known only to the initiated. The Gospels, according to Kuhn, should therefore be understood as symbolic narratives rather than as history. Sacred scriptures are always written in a language of myth and symbol, and the Christian religion threw away and lost their true meaning when it mistranslated this language into alleged history instead of reading it as spiritual allegory. This literalism necessarily led to a religion antagonistic toward philosophy. Moreover, it produced a religion that failed to recognize its continuity with, and debt to, earlier esoteric schools. As evidence of this, Kuhn finds that many of the gospel stories and sayings have parallels in earlier works, in particular those of Egypt and Greece. The transformation of Jesus’ followers into Pauline Christians drew on these sources. Moreover, the misunderstanding of true Christianity led to the excesses of misguided asceticism. Overall, the book seeks to serve as a “clarion call to the modern world to return to the primitive Christianity which the founder of Christian theology, Augustine, proclaimed had been the true religion of all humanity.” With its many citations from earlier works, Shadow of the Third Century also serves as a bibliographic introduction to alternative histories of Christianity.
The human soul, Tompkins prescribes a cure: to develop our innate perceptions, become conscious of these spirits, and cooperate with them to heal the earth, restore nature, and rediscover ourselves.
A History of Conversion to Islam in the United States, Volume 1: White American Muslims before 1975 is the first in-depth study of the thousands of white Americans who embraced Islam between 1800 and 1975. Drawing from little-known archives, interviews, and rare books and periodicals, Patrick D. Bowen unravels the complex social and religious factors that led to the emergence of a wide variety of American Muslim and Sufi conversion movements. While some of the more prominent Muslim and Sufi converts—including Alexander Webb, Maryam Jameelah, and Samuel Lewis—have received attention in previous studies, White American Muslims before 1975 is the first book to highlight previously unknown but important figures, including Thomas M. Johnson, Louis Glick, Nadirah Osman, and T.B. Irving.
Based on knowledge attained through his highly-trained clairvoyance, Rudolf Steiner contends that folk traditions regarding nature spirits are based on spiritual reality. He describes how people possessed a natural spiritual vision in ancient times, enabling them to commune with nature spirits. These entities - which are also referred to as elemental beings - became immortalised as fairies and gnomes in myth, legend and children's stories. Today, says Steiner, the instinctive understanding that humanity once had for these elemental beings should be transformed into clear scientific knowledge. He even asserts that humanity will not be able to reconnect with the spiritual world if it cannot develop a new relationship to the elementals. The nature spirits themselves want to be of great assistance to us, acting as 'emissaries of higher divine spiritual beings'.
