Alchemists, Mediums, and Magicians

Alchemists, Mediums, and Magicians PDF Author:
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834821664
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
Here is an introduction to the magical and mystical realm of Taoism through biographical and historical sketches of Taoist adepts over two thousand years. This panoramic view of the many faces of Taoism and its intimate connection with Chinese culture and society includes intriguing accounts of the Taoist secret societies that carried out mystical exercises and powerful consciousness-altering techniques, including sensory deprivation, incantation, visualization, and concentration. This collection of sketches, compiled by Zhang Tianyu, a Taoist priest in the fourteenth century, and translated by renowned translator Thomas Cleary, portrays more than one hundred remarkable individuals from the eleventh century B.C.E. to the thirteenth century C.E. It introduces us to a broad and fascinating range of personalities including philosophers and scholars, magicians and mediums, alchemists and physicians, seers and soothsayers, and artists and poets, among many others. Cleary’s expert translation and informative footnotes make this collection a lively and accessible read.

Alchemists, Mediums, and Magicians

Alchemists, Mediums, and Magicians PDF Author:
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834821664
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 208

Get Book Here

Book Description
Here is an introduction to the magical and mystical realm of Taoism through biographical and historical sketches of Taoist adepts over two thousand years. This panoramic view of the many faces of Taoism and its intimate connection with Chinese culture and society includes intriguing accounts of the Taoist secret societies that carried out mystical exercises and powerful consciousness-altering techniques, including sensory deprivation, incantation, visualization, and concentration. This collection of sketches, compiled by Zhang Tianyu, a Taoist priest in the fourteenth century, and translated by renowned translator Thomas Cleary, portrays more than one hundred remarkable individuals from the eleventh century B.C.E. to the thirteenth century C.E. It introduces us to a broad and fascinating range of personalities including philosophers and scholars, magicians and mediums, alchemists and physicians, seers and soothsayers, and artists and poets, among many others. Cleary’s expert translation and informative footnotes make this collection a lively and accessible read.

Declarations of the Perfected, PART ONE

Declarations of the Perfected, PART ONE PDF Author: Thomas E. Smith
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1931483817
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 359

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Book Description
The first four books of Tao Hongjing's compilation of Shangqing or Higher Clarity Taoism, complete and annotated.

The Way of the World

The Way of the World PDF Author:
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834823152
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
The dynamic relationship between the individual and society has been a central concern of Taoism from its ancient beginnings—which is perhaps why certain Taoist classics, like Sun Tzu’s Art of War, are so often consulted these days for leadership advice. This anthology presents a wide range of texts revealing the processes of integrating personal spirituality with social responsibility central to Taoist tradition across the centuries and throughout the schools. There are a wealth of approaches to life in the world presented here, but at the heart of each is an understanding that even a mystic must be socially responsible and that self-cultivation is primary preparation for anyone called to lead.

Tao Te Ching

Tao Te Ching PDF Author: Lao Tzu
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834827379
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 207

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Book Description
This version of the Tao Te Ching presents the classic in a unique light, through the eyes of a renowned master of the Rinzai Zen tradition. Takuan Soho, who lived from 1573 to 1645, was an acerbic, witty, free spirit who; a painter, poet, author, calligrapher, gardener, and a tea master. He was also a confidante and teacher to shoguns and many other powerful and famous figures, among them the the famed swordsman Yagyu Munenori, and (according to legend) Miyamoto Musashi. True to the teachings of the Tao Te Ching itself, as well as to the tradition of Zen, Takuan draws from everyday experience and common sense, to reveal the basic sanity of nature and the inherent wholeness of life. Takuan reveals how the Tao Te Ching applies to a wide range of concerns, including health, personal relationships, and individual lifestyle. He interprets the text through a philosophical and psychological lens, and also elucidates its radical social and political concepts.

Training the Samurai Mind

Training the Samurai Mind PDF Author: Thomas Cleary
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 083482308X
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
A fascinating, eclectic collection of writings—spanning four hundred years—on samurai ethos, training, and education, from premier translator Thomas Cleary Through the ages, the samurai have been associated with honor, fearlessness, calm, decisive action, strategic thinking, and martial prowess. Their ethos is known as bushido, the Way of the Warrior-Knight. Here, premier translator Thomas Cleary presents a rich collection of writings on bushido by warriors, scholars, political advisors, and educators from the fifteenth century through the nineteenth century that provide a comprehensive, historically rich view of samurai life and philosophy. Training the Samurai Mind gives an insider’s view of the samurai world: the moral and psychological development of the warrior, the ethical standards they were meant to uphold, their training in both martial arts and strategy, and the enormous role that the traditions of Shintoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism had in influencing samurai ideals. The writings deal with a broad range of subjects—from military strategy and political science, to personal discipline and character development. Cleary introduces each piece, putting it into historical context, and presents biographical information about the authors. This is an essential read for anyone interested in military history and samurai history, and for martial artists who want to understand strategy.

The Taoism Reader

The Taoism Reader PDF Author: Thomas Cleary
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834827808
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 194

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Book Description
From the time of its earliest sages in prehistoric China, Taoism has looked to the underlying Way of all things (the Tao) as a guide to thoughts and actions. For the Taoists, the patterns of nature revealed the answers to their deepest spiritual questions and provided the inspiration for their unique teachings. Over the centuries, Taoism has blossomed into a profound tradition with a variety of forms—all united by a single, core philosophy of radical simplicity and natural living. Today, Taoism is most widely known through the Tao-te Ching, yet its corpus of literature is vast—ranging from philosophical dialogues and essays to astonishing fables, legends, proverbs, and more. This compact collection of Taoism’s greatest masterpieces introduces its most fundamental teachings and reveals the essential spirit of Tao. The Taoism Reader includes: • Tao-te Ching: the foundational source of Taoist thought by the legendary Lao Tzu • Chuang-tzu: philosophical dialogues from one of Taoism’s most famous sages • Huai-nan-tzu: teachings from the time of the Han dynasty on affairs of state, natural science, and Taoist psychology • Wen-tzu: records of further sayings by Lao Tzu on the art of living • Tales of Inner Meaning: fables, stories, and jokes from the Lieh-tzu and others on the subtleties of Taoist philosophy • Sayings of Ancestor Lü: teachings from Lü Yen, a seminal figure in the founding of the Complete Reality school of Taoism and master synthesizer of China’s classic spiritual traditions

Witchcraft: Ancient Origins to the Present Day

Witchcraft: Ancient Origins to the Present Day PDF Author: Richard Marshall
Publisher: Saraband
ISBN: 1908643269
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
This absorbing volume features wise women, Wiccans and warlocks alongside the history of the human tragedy of the European witch-burning era and the Salem trials, and the heroes who risked torture to speak out against the madness. Sorcerors Morgan le Fay, Melusine and Medea are among the diverse and infamous characters whose stories are told. Less well known are the ordinary victims, mainly women denounced by ignorance and ill-will, but sometimes men too, and children as young as four years of age. Because the arts of magic, and the fear of them, are timeless and universal, the scope of this exploration covers all continents and eras.

Women Writers and the Occult in Literature and Culture

Women Writers and the Occult in Literature and Culture PDF Author: Miriam Wallraven
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317581393
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 249

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Book Description
This book visits the occult in literature from the 1880s to the 20th century, analyzing work by women occultists such as Alice Bailey, Dion Fortune, and Starhawk, and revisiting texts with occult motifs by canonical authors. It covers movements such as Theosophy, Spiritualism, Golden Dawn, Wicca, and Goddess spirituality, engaging with how literature creates occult worlds and identities, namely the female Lucifer, witch, priestess, and Goddess. The occult in literature incorporates topical discourses including psychoanalysis, feminism, pacifism, and ecology, hence this book will be of interest to scholars of literary and cultural studies, religious studies, sociology, and gender studies.

Women and the Victorian Occult

Women and the Victorian Occult PDF Author: Tatiana Kontou
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317982517
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
Increasingly, contemporary scholarship reveals the strong connection between Victorian women and the world of the nineteenth-century supernatural. Women were intrinsically bound to the occult and the esoteric from mediums who materialised spirits to the epiphanic experiences of the New Woman, from theosophy to telepathy. This volume addresses the various ways in which Victorian women expressed themselves and were constructed by the occult through a broad range of texts. By examining the roles of women as automatic writing mediums, spiritualists, authors, editors, theosophists, socialists and how they interpreted the occult in their life and work, the contributors in this edition return to sensation novels, ghost stories, autobiographies, séances and fashionable magazines to access the visible and invisible worlds of Victorian life. The variety of texts analysed by the authors in this collection demonstrates the many interpretations of the occult in nineteenth-century culture and the ways that women used supernatural imagery and language to draw attention to issues that bore immediate implications on their own lives. Either by catering for the fad of ghost stories or by giving public trance speeches women harnessed the metaphorical and financial forces of the supernatural. As the articles in this book demonstrate the occult was after all a female affair. This book was published as a special issue of Women's Writing.

Body Psychotherapy

Body Psychotherapy PDF Author: Tree Staunton
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317822412
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
In the past the practice of body psychotherapy has been taken less seriously in professional circles than more traditional psychotherapeutic approaches. Body Psychotherapy redresses the balance, offering insights into a spectrum of approaches within body-oriented psychotherapy. A range of experienced contributors introduce new areas of development and emerging theory and clinical material, covering: * the history of body psychotherapy * theoretical perspectives on body psychotherapy, including post-Reichian and development of integrative methodologies * body psychotherapy in practice, including applications for trauma and regression * the future for body psychotherapy. This book shows how body psychotherapy can be healing, reparative and rewarding. It will make essential reading for postgraduates and professionals, whether they are already involved in this field, or wish to learn more about incorporating it into their own practice.