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Author: Annie Besant Publisher: e-artnow ISBN: Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 266
Book Description
The object of this book is to suggest certain lines of thought as to the deep truths underlying Christianity, truths generally overlooked, and only too often denied. The generous wish to share with all what is precious, to spread broadcast priceless truths, to shut out none from the illumination of true knowledge, has resulted in a zeal without discretion that has vulgarised Christianity, and has presented its teachings in a form that often repels the heart and alienates the intellect. Contents: The Hidden Side of Religions The Hidden Side of Christianity The Historical Jesus The Mythic Christ The Mystic Christ The Atonement Resurrection and Ascension The Trinity Prayer The Forgiveness of Sins Sacraments Revelation
Author: Annie Besant Publisher: e-artnow ISBN: Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 266
Book Description
The object of this book is to suggest certain lines of thought as to the deep truths underlying Christianity, truths generally overlooked, and only too often denied. The generous wish to share with all what is precious, to spread broadcast priceless truths, to shut out none from the illumination of true knowledge, has resulted in a zeal without discretion that has vulgarised Christianity, and has presented its teachings in a form that often repels the heart and alienates the intellect. Contents: The Hidden Side of Religions The Hidden Side of Christianity The Historical Jesus The Mythic Christ The Mystic Christ The Atonement Resurrection and Ascension The Trinity Prayer The Forgiveness of Sins Sacraments Revelation
Author: Richard Smoley Publisher: Shambhala Publications ISBN: 1570628106 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 305
Book Description
An eye-opening introduction to the complex world of esoteric Christianity—perfect for the general reader This guide to mystical and esoteric Christianity speaks from a nonsectarian point of view, unearthing insights from the whole of the Christian tradition, orthodox and heretical, famous and obscure. The esoteric tradition has traditionally searched for meanings that would yield a deeper inner knowledge of the divine. While traditional Christianity draws a timeline from Adam's Fall to the Day of Judgment, the esoteric often sees time as folding in on itself, bringing every point to the here and now. While the Church fought bitterly over dogma, the esoteric borrowed freely from other traditions—Kabbalah, astrology, and alchemy—in their search for metaphors of inner truth. Rather than basing his book around exponents of esoteric doctrine, scholar Richard Smoley concentrates on the questions that are of interest to every searching Christian. How can one attain direct spiritual experience? What does "the Fall" really tell us about coming to terms with the world we live in? Can we find salvation in everyday life? How can we ascend, spiritually, through the various levels of existence? What was Christ's true message to humankind? From the Gospel of Thomas to A Course in Miracles, from the Jesus Prayer to alchemy and Tarot, from Origen to Dante to Jung, Richard Smoley sheds the light of an alternative Christianity on these issues and more.
Author: Annie Besant Publisher: e-artnow ISBN: Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 266
Book Description
The object of this book is to suggest certain lines of thought as to the deep truths underlying Christianity, truths generally overlooked, and only too often denied. The generous wish to share with all what is precious, to spread broadcast priceless truths, to shut out none from the illumination of true knowledge, has resulted in a zeal without discretion that has vulgarised Christianity, and has presented its teachings in a form that often repels the heart and alienates the intellect._x000D_ Contents:_x000D_ The Hidden Side of Religions_x000D_ The Hidden Side of Christianity_x000D_ The Historical Jesus_x000D_ The Mythic Christ_x000D_ The Mystic Christ_x000D_ The Atonement_x000D_ Resurrection and Ascension_x000D_ The Trinity_x000D_ Prayer_x000D_ The Forgiveness of Sins_x000D_ Sacraments_x000D_ Revelation
Author: Annie Besant Publisher: ISBN: 9781774816226 Category : Languages : en Pages : 374
Book Description
The object of this book is to suggest certain lines of thought as to the deep truths underlying Christianity, truths generally overlooked, and only too often denied. The generous wish to share with all what is precious, to spread broadcast priceless truths, to shut out none from the illumination of true knowledge, has resulted in a zeal without discretion that has vulgarised Christianity, and has presented its teachings in a form that often repels the heart and alienates the intellect. The command to "preach the Gospel to every creature"-though admittedly of doubtful authenticity-has been interpreted as forbidding the teaching of the Gnosis to a few, and has apparently erased the less popular saying of the same Great Teacher: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine." This spurious sentimentality-which refuses to recognise the obvious inequalities of intelligence and morality, and thereby reduces the teaching of the highly developed to the level attainable by the least evolved, sacrificing the higher to the lower in a way that injures both-had no place in the virile common sense of the early Christians. S. Clement of Alexandria says quite bluntly, after alluding to the Mysteries: "Even now I fear, as it is said, 'to cast the pearls before swine, lest they tread them underfoot, and turn and rend us.' For it is difficult to exhibit the really pure and transparent words respecting the true Light to swinish and untrained hearers." If true knowledge, the Gnosis, is again to form a part of Christian teachings, it can only be under the old restrictions, and the idea of levelling down to the capacities of the least developed must be definitely surrendered. Only by teaching above the grasp of the little evolved can the way be opened up for a restoration of arcane knowledge, and the study of the Lesser Mysteries must precede that of the Greater. The Greater will never be published through the printing-press; they can only be given by Teacher to pupil, "from mouth to ear." But the Lesser Mysteries, the partial unveiling of deep truths, can even now be restored, and such a volume as the present is intended to outline these, and to show the nature of the teachings which have to be mastered. Where only hints are given, quiet meditation on the truths hinted at will cause their outlines to become visible, and the clearer light obtained by continued meditation will gradually show them more fully. For meditation quiets the lower mind, ever engaged in thinking about external objects, and when the lower mind is tranquil then only can it be illuminated by the Spirit. Knowledge of spiritual truths must be thus obtained, from within and not from without, from the divine Spirit whose temple we are and not from an external Teacher. These things are "spiritually discerned" by that divine indwelling Spirit, that "mind of Christ," whereof speaks the Great Apostle, and that inner light is shed upon the lower mind. This is the way of the Divine Wisdom, the true THEOSOPHY. It is not, as some think, a diluted version of Hinduism, or Buddhism, or Taoism, or of any special religion. It is Esoteric Christianity as truly as it is Esoteric Buddhism, and belongs equally to all religions, exclusively to none. This is the source of the suggestions made in this little volume, for the helping of those who seek the Light-that "true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world," though most have not yet opened their eyes to it. It does not bring the Light. It only says: "Behold the Light!" For thus have we heard. It appeals only to the few who hunger for more than the exoteric teachings give them. For those who are fully satisfied with the exoteric teachings, it is not intended; for why should bread be forced on those who are not hungry? For those who hunger, may it prove bread, and not a stone.
Author: Ron MacFarlane Publisher: ISBN: 9780994007735 Category : Languages : en Pages : 326
Book Description
When Christ-Jesus walked the earth, over two thousand years ago, he established a two-fold division in his teaching that has continued to this day. To the general public, he simplified his teaching and presented it in pictorial, allegorical and figurative imagery in the form of stories, parables and lessons that could be imaginatively and intuitively understood. To his inner circle of disciples (who were sufficiently prepared), however, he taught more plainly and directly in the form of intellectual concepts, clear ideas and logical reasoning that could be understood on a much deeper and wider level of comprehension. As biblically explained: Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them [the general public] in parables?" And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given ... This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." (Matt 13:10, 13) Moreover, in union with the divine, Our Saviour was able to reveal sacred knowledge that had never been previously presented in the entire history of mankind: "I will explain mysteries hidden since the creation of the world" (Matt 13:35). This sacred and revealed knowledge has been termed "Christ-mysteries" or "mysteries of the Son." After his glorious resurrection and ascension, Christ-Jesus institutionalized his two-fold mystery-teachings through St. Peter and St. John (the Evangelist, not the apostle). Through St. Peter, Our Saviour instituted a universal, Christian religion and theology to preserve, promote and convey the more basic and simplified mystery-teachings that are intended for the general public. Through St. John, Christ-Jesus instituted a universal, Christian philosophy and theosophy to preserve, promote and convey the more comprehensive and complex mystery-teachings that are intended for the more advanced disciples (Christian initiates). In esoteric terminology, the institutionalized teachings through St. Peter are known as the "lesser mysteries of exoteric Christianity." The institutionalized teachings through St. John are known as the "greater mysteries of esoteric Christianity." While both mystery-teaching approaches are equally sacred, profound and intended to complement each other, corrupt and intolerant authorities within the universal institution (Church) of St. Peter, for many centuries, persecuted and attacked any public expressions of esoteric Christianity. Consequently, genuine historical forms of esoteric Christianity, such as the Knights of the Holy Grail and the Fraternity of the Rose-Cross, were forced to be secretive and publicly-hidden during the past two thousand years. Thankfully today, the social, political and intellectual climate has progressed to the point where the greater mystery-teachings of esoteric Christianity can begin to be publicly revealed for the first time. This modern-day outpouring really began with the twentieth-century establishment of anthroposophy by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). The information and approach presented in The Star of Knowledge: The Five Guiding Mysteries of Esoteric Christianity, is intended to augment and continue the mystery-teachings of Christ-Jesus as safeguarded by the Rosicrucian Fraternity and publicized through anthroposophy. Consequently, this particular discourse delves much more deeply and comprehensively into the cosmos-changing, salvational achievement of Christ-Jesus: the historical and cosmic preparations; as well as his birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension. While much of this mystery information may be unfamiliar, unknown and unexpected to mainstream (exoteric) Christianity, it in no way is meant to criticize, denigrate or displace the profound teachings of the universal Church; but rather, to complement, to enhance and to enlarge - for the betterment of true Christianity and, thereby, the betterment of all mankind.
Author: Annie Besant Publisher: ISBN: Category : Body, Mind & Spirit Languages : en Pages : 300
Book Description
Early Christianity held secrets equal to those of other great religions, says Annie Besant. Its first followers guarded them as priceless treasures. After an increasingly rigid hierarchy began to bury these truths in the early centuries A.D., they were known only to a few initiates, who communicated them privately, often in obscure language. In Esoteric Christianity, Besant's aim is to restore the secret truths underlying Christian doctrine. As public interest grows in the Gnostic Gospels and the mystical side of Christianity, Besant's remarkable book, first published in 1901, is attracting new attention.
Author: Pekka Ervast Publisher: Quest Books ISBN: 0835608921 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 162
Book Description
The Divine Seed interprets the lessons of the Schoolmaster Jesus Christ through the way of the truth-seeker, illuminating his parables, teachings to his disciples, and practical advice on how we should honestly live. In this way, Pekka Ervast helps readers examine Jesus' life as it contains the deepest, most secret meaning in the Gospels. In decoding the Gospels, he shows us how to free ourselves from intellectual bondage and allow the divine seed contained within the soul to germinate freely and grow.
Author: Ron Levitan Publisher: Xlibris Corporation ISBN: 1543479901 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 125
Book Description
Most of us think there are only two possible answers to the question: Do you have a soul? Either we have a soul, which will live beyond death, or there is no such thing as a soul, and when we die, nothing of us remains. But what if neither of those answers is correct? What if, instead, we are not born with a soul, but we have the possibility of growing one? Our potential for growing a soul was recognized by early gnostic Christians who practiced esoteric Christianity, which dates back to and originated in ancient pre-sand Egypt. It is a sacred science of being, a long hidden, esoteric teaching that G. I. Gurdjieff brought to the West early in the last century and is called the Fourth Way.How do we grow a soul? Gurdjieff tells us, The whole secret is that one cannot work for a future life without working for this one. We must learn how to be present to ourselves in each moment, to integrate body, senses, mind. The techniques and practices Gurdjieff brought in the Fourth Way can show us how. Is there life after death? Thats the primordial human question. Yes, you have a soul. How do you know? Isnt it just societal belief? If you have no soulokay, heres how to live after dying. (William Patrick Patterson, author of Georgi Ivanovitch Gurdjieff: The Man, The Teaching, His Mission) For those who have felt the wish or recognized the need to grow in themselves something higher, the Levitans introduce Gurdjieffs authentic way of self-transformation to do so. They also explore other ways stemming from the same source, throughout centuries and millennia up to the present time, showing how Gurdjieff presented methods that completed what had been mostly lost, forgotten, or left out. (Mary Ellen Korman, author of A Womans Work with Gurdjieff, Ramana Maharshi, Krishnamurti, Anandamayi Ma & Pak Subuh) Essential reading conveying with unique clarity and directness a distillation of the deep spiritual ideas contained in Gurdjieffs Fourth Way teaching. Faced with the question of soul, Ron and Claire Levitan lead us to the deep esoteric meaning of that word and the responsibility it carries in giving significance to our lives, the Earth and beyond. Gurdjieffs language of neologisms, often inaccessible, is presented in a straightforward manner, explaining the direct path to higher consciousness and conscience. If youve ever wondered what soul is or what is meant by growing a soulthis is the book youve been waiting for. (Teresa Adams, instructor, Haida yoga, the Online Fourth Way School)
Author: Annie Besant
Author: Annie Besant
Author: Richard Smoley
Author: Annie Besant
Author: Annie Besant
Author: Annie Besant
Author: Ron MacFarlane
Author: Annie Besant
Author: Pekka Ervast
Author: Annie Besant
Author: Ron Levitan