The Spiritual Teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Spiritual Teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson PDF Author: Richard G. Geldard
Publisher: Richard Geldard
ISBN: 9780970109736
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
No one who has felt the life-changing pull of Emerson's enormous planetary mind has ever doubted his power or his greatness, though we are often puzzled to know whether he is primarily a poet, an essayist or a philosopher. Richard Geldard is not puzzled at all by this; he has written a book that plainly shows Emerson to be essentially a teacher, the Socrates of Concord, a man with a message that we need to hear today. Previous generations "beheld God and nature face to face," Emerson says, and adds provocatively that we moderns seem able only to see those things through the eyes of the earlier generations. "Why," he asks-and the question is intended to shatter our complacency-"Why should not we also enjoy an original relation to the universe? Why should not we have a poetry and philosophy of insight and not of tradition, and a religion by revelation to us, and not the history of theirs?" Emerson's life was devoted to showing how one may still attain an original, that is to say, an authentic, relation to the universe, and Geldard's book aims to focus and distill the famously dispersed Emerson and put his central teachings into the modern reader's hand. Previous edition titled The Esoteric Emerson: the Spiritual Teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Click here to read an interview with the author, Richard Geldard

The Spiritual Teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Spiritual Teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson PDF Author: Richard G. Geldard
Publisher: Richard Geldard
ISBN: 9780970109736
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 212

Get Book Here

Book Description
No one who has felt the life-changing pull of Emerson's enormous planetary mind has ever doubted his power or his greatness, though we are often puzzled to know whether he is primarily a poet, an essayist or a philosopher. Richard Geldard is not puzzled at all by this; he has written a book that plainly shows Emerson to be essentially a teacher, the Socrates of Concord, a man with a message that we need to hear today. Previous generations "beheld God and nature face to face," Emerson says, and adds provocatively that we moderns seem able only to see those things through the eyes of the earlier generations. "Why," he asks-and the question is intended to shatter our complacency-"Why should not we also enjoy an original relation to the universe? Why should not we have a poetry and philosophy of insight and not of tradition, and a religion by revelation to us, and not the history of theirs?" Emerson's life was devoted to showing how one may still attain an original, that is to say, an authentic, relation to the universe, and Geldard's book aims to focus and distill the famously dispersed Emerson and put his central teachings into the modern reader's hand. Previous edition titled The Esoteric Emerson: the Spiritual Teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Click here to read an interview with the author, Richard Geldard

The Spiritual Emerson

The Spiritual Emerson PDF Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9781585426423
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
This concise volume collects the core writings that have made Ralph Waldo Emerson into a key source of insight for spiritual seekers of every faith—with an introduction by the bestselling philosopher Jacob Needleman. Here is the essential collection of Emerson’s spiritual thought for those readers who understand the transformative quality of ideas. It is concise and suited to years of rereading and contemplation, offering the essays that trace the arc of the inner message brought by America’s “Yankee Mystic.” The Spiritual Emerson features many of Emerson’s landmark works. Yet also included are overlooked classics, such as the essays “Fate” and “Success,” which served as major sources of inspiration to some of the leading American metaphysical thinkers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The introduction by religious scholar and philosopher Jacob Needleman frames—historically and philosophically—the development of Emerson’s thought and explores why it has such a powerful hold on us today.

American Sage

American Sage PDF Author: Barry M. Andrews
Publisher: UMass + ORM
ISBN: 1613768834
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 343

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Book Description
“Succeeds in making Emerson’s ideas and recommended spiritual practices accessible. . . . [For] those interested in nineteenth-century American spiritualism.” —Publishers Weekly Even during his lifetime, Ralph Waldo Emerson was called the Sage of Concord, a fitting title for this leader of the American Transcendentalist movement. Everything that Emerson said and wrote directly addressed the conduct of life, and in his view, spiritual truth and understanding were the essence of religion. Unsurprisingly, he sought to rescue spirituality from decay, eschewing dry preaching and rote rituals. Unitarian minister Barry M. Andrews has spent years studying Emerson, finding wisdom and guidance in his teachings and practices, and witnessing how the spiritual lives of others are enriched when they grasp the many meanings in his work. In American Sage, Andrews explores Emerson's writings, including his journals and letters, and makes them accessible to today's spiritual seekers. Written in everyday language and based on scholarship grounded in historical detail, this enlightening book considers the nineteenth-century religious and intellectual crosscurrents that shaped Emerson's worldview to reveal how his spiritual teachings remain timeless and modern, universal and uniquely American. “An ideal companion for readers working through Emerson's essays, a reading group on spirituality, and any number of classroom situations.” —David M. Robinson, author of Emerson and the Conduct of Life: Pragmatism and Ethical Purpose in the Later Work “In a style that is both scholarly and highly readable, Andrews offers an insightful account of Emerson's teachings. . . . demonstrating how his ideas are relevant to readers of today who are poised between faith and unbelief.” —Phyllis Cole, author of Mary Moody Emerson and the Origins of Transcendentalism: A Family History

Emerson As Spiritual Guide

Emerson As Spiritual Guide PDF Author:
Publisher: Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
ISBN: 9781558965782
Category : Religion in literature
Languages : en
Pages : 156

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Book Description
"I believe Emerson is best understood as a spiritual guide and a spokesperson for an alternative American spiritual tradition. I have tried to make his message accessible and relevant to contemporary religious seekers." - Barry M. Andrews Includes resources for further study and reflection. "To finish the moment, to find the journey's end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom." - from "Experience" by Ralph Waldo Emerson Though we may debate whether Ralph Waldo Emerson is primarily a poet, an essayist or a philosopher, for Barry Andrews, he is above all a spiritual teacher. His fiery genius ignited not only Thoreau but also Whitman, Fuller and many others. Though his life was riddled with loss, including the deaths of his first wife, two brothers and his first son, this remarkable man produced dozens of inspirational essays and poems and became the most widely quoted author in America today. Andrews' commentary shows a new generation of Americans how Emerson's spiritual journey joined an open heart with a critical mind. This will appeal to readers who consider themselves spiritual though not necessarily religious.

Living from the Soul

Living from the Soul PDF Author: Alexander Marchand
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 58

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Book Description
The first ever comic book presentation of Ralph Waldo Emerson's life and ideas! Living from the Soul distills the essence of Ralph Waldo Emerson's philosophy. It provides an overview of Emerson's life and reveals the seven principles that carried him through his darkest days. These principles that are just as relevant and vital to us today. 1. Trust Yourself All that you need for growth and guidance in life is already present inside you. 2. As You Sow, You Will Reap Your thoughts and actions shape your character, and your character determines your destiny. 3. Nothing Outside You Can Harm You Circumstances and events don't matter as much as how you deal with them. 4. The Universe Is Inside You The world around you is a reflection of the world within you. 5. Identify with the Infinite Center your identity on the soul and your life's purpose will unfold. 6. Live in the Present The present moment is your point of power. Eternity is now. 7. Seek God Within The highest revelation is the divinity of the soul. This PhilosoComics edition is adapted by cartoonist Alexander Marchand from the prose book by Sam Torode, which is available at amazon.com/dp/1671283708.

Spiritual Laws

Spiritual Laws PDF Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781545144251
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Book Description
Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 - April 27, 1882) was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champion of individualism and a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society, and he disseminated his thoughts through dozens of published essays and more than 1,500 public lectures across the United States. Emerson gradually moved away from the religious and social beliefs of his contemporaries, formulating and expressing the philosophy of transcendentalism in his 1836 essay "Nature." Following this work, he gave a speech entitled "The American Scholar" in 1837, which Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. considered to be America's "intellectual Declaration of Independence." Emerson wrote most of his important essays as lectures first and then revised them for print. His first two collections of essays, Essays: First Series (1841) and Essays: Second Series (1844), represent the core of his thinking. They include the well-known essays "Self-Reliance," "The Over-Soul," "Circles," "The Poet" and "Experience." Together with "Nature," these essays made the decade from the mid-1830s to the mid-1840s Emerson's most fertile period. Emerson wrote on a number of subjects, never espousing fixed philosophical tenets, but developing certain ideas such as individuality, freedom, the ability for humankind to realize almost anything, and the relationship between the soul and the surrounding world. Emerson's "nature" was more philosophical than naturalistic: "Philosophically considered, the universe is composed of Nature and the Soul." Emerson is one of several figures who "took a more pantheist or pandeist approach by rejecting views of God as separate from the world." He remains among the linchpins of the American romantic movement, and his work has greatly influenced the thinkers, writers and poets that followed him. When asked to sum up his work, he said his central doctrine was "the infinitude of the private man." Emerson is also well known as a mentor and friend of Henry David Thoreau, a fellow transcendentalist.

Emerson

Emerson PDF Author: Robert D. Richardson Jr.
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520918371
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 705

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Book Description
Recipient of the Francis Parkman Prize from the Society of American Historians Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the most important figures in the history of American thought, religion, and literature. The vitality of his writings and the unsettling power of his example continue to influence us more than a hundred years after his death. Now Robert D. Richardson Jr. brings to life an Emerson very different from the old stereotype of the passionless Sage of Concord. Drawing on a vast amount of new material, including correspondence among the Emerson brothers, Richardson gives us a rewarding intellectual biography that is also a portrait of the whole man. These pages present a young suitor, a grief-stricken widower, an affectionate father, and a man with an abiding genius for friendship. The great spokesman for individualism and self-reliance turns out to have been a good neighbor, an activist citizen, a loyal brother. Here is an Emerson who knew how to laugh, who was self-doubting as well as self-reliant, and who became the greatest intellectual adventurer of his age. Richardson has, as much as possible, let Emerson speak for himself through his published works, his many journals and notebooks, his letters, his reported conversations. This is not merely a study of Emerson's writing and his influence on others; it is Emerson's life as he experienced it. We see the failed minister, the struggling writer, the political reformer, the poetic liberator. The Emerson of this book not only influenced Thoreau, Fuller, Whitman, Dickinson, and Frost, he also inspired Nietzsche, William James, Baudelaire, Marcel Proust, Virginia Woolf, and Jorge Luis Borges. Emerson's timeliness is persistent and striking: his insistence that literature and science are not separate cultures, his emphasis on the worth of every individual, his respect for nature. Richardson gives careful attention to the enormous range of Emerson's readings—from Persian poets to George Sand—and to his many friendships and personal encounters—from Mary Moody Emerson to the Cherokee chiefs in Boston—evoking both the man and the times in which he lived. Throughout this book, Emerson's unquenchable vitality reaches across the decades, and his hold on us endures.

Self-Reliance

Self-Reliance PDF Author: Richard Whelan
Publisher: Harmony
ISBN: 0307816796
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
A finely honed abridgement of Emerson's principal essays with an introduction that clarifies the essence of Emerson's ideas and establishes their relevance to our own troubled era. This is the first truly accessible edition of Emerson's work, revealing him to be one of America's wisest teachers.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson PDF Author: Maurice York
Publisher: Wrightwood Press
ISBN: 0980119006
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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Book Description
Emerson once wrote that the times we are born in are the best of times, if only we know what to do with them. His life spanned the crucial years of the nation's youth-the first tests of its shop-new Constitution; the explosive expansion into the untamed West; the great conflagration of the Civil War and the destruction of slavery; and the pains of rebirth and reconciliation that carried the United States to the eve of emerging as a world power. In the midst of this swirl of upheaval and change, Emerson turned his attention inward to the citizen, the individual, who must find his or her own inmost truth and bring that one fact of being to perfect expression in the world-must learn to believe the faintest presentiment of the self against the testimony of all history. As a lecturer and essayist, Emerson was a catalyst who sought through his daily work to wake the long-slumbering soul of the farmer, mechanic, businessman, politician-to show the common person that the divine and extraordinary are present in every hour of the day. His efforts triggered a cultural tidal wave, inspiring a generation of authors, poets, teachers, and social activists who built the very foundations of culture in America. This biography takes a fresh look at Emerson through his Journals to trace the story of his own self-development, and the hidden life's work that makes him as relevant to our time as to his own.

Representative Men

Representative Men PDF Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson
Publisher: Cosimo Classics
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
"Other men are lenses through which we read our own minds." ― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Representative Men Representative Men is a collection of seven lectures by Ralph Waldo Emerson, published as a book of essays in 1850. The first essay discusses the role played by "great men" in society, and the remaining six each extol the virtues of one of six men deemed by Emerson to be great. Emerson was inspired by the Romantic belief that there exists a "general mind" that expresses itself with special intensity through certain individual lives. It reflects an appreciation of genius as a quality distributed to the few for the benefit of the many.