The Cross and the Grail – Esoteric Christianity for the 21st Century
193 Pages | First Quest Edition, 1997 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. } ISBN: 0835607607.
Many Christians today yearn for a deeper, more inward practice of their faith. Drawing on the ancient wisdom tradition and the themes and symbols of medieval romance, Robert Ellwood shows Christianity at its most profound to be a philosophical, meditative, and mystical path.
The two symbols at heart of Christian belief - the Cross and Grail - represent the two faces of contemporary Christianity. The Cross is its outward face - masculine, public, exalted. The Grail is its hidden and esoteric face - magical, feminine, sought by many, found only by those who are able to ask the right questions. This book teaches you to ask the right questions. Its readings, stories, prayers, and practices can help you plumb into the hidden depths of a faith you may have taken for granted.
From the Preface (p. x & xi):
" The Grail of medieval and Arthurian and Christian romance, reminds us that the Path is also a great quest for the holy, for that which will transform us and the world. There are many versions of the Grail story. It is not my purpose here to sort them out, and in the end the Holy Grail means something unique to each sincere seeker of the hidden and eternal treasure it represents. However, in one way or another, the narratives generally tell of a knight, who journeys to a blighted land, perhaps ruled over by maimed king. Reaching the country's center, the knight dares to enter a castle containing as its great treasure a chalice of imperishable brightness, which is guarded by knights and maidens bearing enigmatic tokens, such as a broken sword or a lance dripping blood. The puzzling question: 'Whom does the Grail serve?' must be asked by the knight in order to transform himself and restore the wasteland. In all versions there is a feeling of magical and dreamlike strangeness, suggesting, that the story is ultimately about initiation and a transformation taking place inwardly, at the deepest levels of consciousness from which come dream and inspiration. "
The Cross and the Grail – Esoteric Christianity for the 21st Century
193 Pages | First Quest Edition, 1997 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. } ISBN: 0835607607.
Many Christians today yearn for a deeper, more inward practice of their faith. Drawing on the ancient wisdom tradition and the themes and symbols of medieval romance, Robert Ellwood shows Christianity at its most profound to be a philosophical, meditative, and mystical path.
The two symbols at heart of Christian belief – the Cross and Grail – represent the two faces of contemporary Christianity. The Cross is its outward face – masculine, public, exalted. The Grail is its hidden and esoteric face – magical, feminine, sought by many, found only by those who are able to ask the right questions. This book teaches you to ask the right questions. Its readings, stories, prayers, and practices can help you plumb into the hidden depths of a faith you may have taken for granted.
From the Preface (p. x & xi):
” The Grail of medieval and Arthurian and Christian romance, reminds us that the Path is also a great quest for the holy, for that which will transform us and the world. There are many versions of the Grail story. It is not my purpose here to sort them out, and in the end the Holy Grail means something unique to each sincere seeker of the hidden and eternal treasure it represents. However, in one way or another, the narratives generally tell of a knight, who journeys to a blighted land, perhaps ruled over by maimed king. Reaching the country’s center, the knight dares to enter a castle containing as its great treasure a chalice of imperishable brightness, which is guarded by knights and maidens bearing enigmatic tokens, such as a broken sword or a lance dripping blood. The puzzling question: ‘Whom does the Grail serve?’ must be asked by the knight in order to transform himself and restore the wasteland. In all versions there is a feeling of magical and dreamlike strangeness, suggesting, that the story is ultimately about initiation and a transformation taking place inwardly, at the deepest levels of consciousness from which come dream and inspiration. “