Introduction to the Occult
Door Richard Smoley
174 Pagina’s | 2022 | Softcover | Uitgeverij Gildan Media (G&D Media) | ISBN 9781722505899
Magie, het occulte, het mystieke: zit er iets achter die woorden behalve clichés uit horrorfilms? Mensen over de hele wereld hebben deze verborgen krachten altijd gekend en er mee omgegaan. Maar tegenwoordig zijn er maar heel weinig manieren om waarheid van onzin te onderscheiden. In dit boek duikt Richard Smoley, een expert op het gebied van het occulte, in de kracht van de geest, magie, suggestie en de rijken van het ongeziene. Hij spreekt eenvoudig en duidelijk, in termen van gezond verstand over deze mysterieuze krachten, hoe ze voor je kunnen werken en wat je moet vermijden. Deze reis door ongeziene werelden zou wel eens het meest opwindende avontuur van je leven kunnen zijn als je leert over: meditatie, magische kleuren, de levenskracht, het astrale licht, gedachtekracht, profetie, paranormale krachten, astrologie, de tarot, spoken, engelen en geesten, leven na de dood, kwade hekserij en satanisme, atlantis en verloren beschavingen, het laatste oordeel, het koninkrijk van God, genezing, reïncarnatie, de Broederschap, en psychedelica en spiritualiteit.
Richard Smoley is redacteur van Quest, het officiële tijdschrift van de Theosofische Vereniging in de Verenigde Staten, en voormalig redacteur van “Gnosis: A Guide to, the Western Inner Traditions”. Hij heeft elf boeken gepubliceerd, waaronder Forbidden Faith: The Secret History of Gnosticism, Innerlijk christendom: een gids voor de esoterische tradities, en Supernatural: geschriften over een onbekende geschiedenis. Hij heeft meer dan vijfenveertig jaar studie gemaakt van de mystieke tradities van de gehele wereld.
Pyramids and Stonehenge
By Alfred Percy Sinnett (1840 – 1921).
27 Pages | Softcover | First published in 1893, 3rd edition 1958, reprinted 1970 | Henry Ling Limited, The Dorset Press, Dorchester, Dorset | ISBN: 722952503.
Two lectures delivered before The Theosophical Society, London, in 1892-93 and now reprinted in 1958 in respose to repeated requests arising out of modern interest in the Pyramids, Stonehenge and also Atlantis. Their value is felt to lie in the text as originally given, and no attempt has therefore been made to revise them.
Vedic and Mesopotamian Interactions
90 Pages | Published in 2007 | Softcover | The Adyar Library Pamphlet Series No. 62 | The Adyar Library and Research Center | ISBN: 818514155X.
The Rgveda retains a large portion of common Indo-European mythological heritage. The worship of sun, moon, fire etc. are universal motifs. In his essay, Kazanas conducts very interesting and serious studies on some common elements found in the Vedic and Mesopotamian traditions and cultures and shows that they are originated in India. Some of the themes and legends described here are the horse-sacrifice, the seven seers, the flood, the cow of plenty, the tortoise, kingship, mathematics, astronomy etc.
Vedic Vac & Greek Logos as Creative Power – A Critical Study
57 Pages | Published in 2009 | Softcover | The Adyar Library Pamphlet Series No. 65 | The Adyar Library and Research Center | ISBN: 8185141622.
The creation of this wonderful universe has always been problematic, and several theories are propounded in classical texts. Vedic Vac is a creative deity and the Vac-Brahman doctrine presents creation of the universe through speech. The Greek Logos doctrine also signifies creation through word and reason. In this book Kazanas introduces an interesting discourse on Word’s cosmogenic power as found in the Vedic, Christian, Judaic, Greek and Egyptian traditions and cultures.
The Language of MA – The Primal Mother: The Evolution of the Female Image in 40,000 Years of Global Venus Art
587 Pages | Published in 2013 | Softcover | Uitgeverij A3 Boeken | ISBN: 9789082031300.
This is the first pioneering study of global ‘Venuses’, who are part of an ancient and contemporary art traditionally called ‘Venus Art’ – the Art of Primal Mother(s), the Art of the female ancestors. Venus Art reflects the consciousness of egalitarian societies of peace, in which women and feminine values play or have played a central role, in which MA or the MATER or MOTHER and the primal mothers of the clan are central.
To date Venus Art has been understood, neglected and not integrally researched. The Art has become eroticised and sexualised. The purpose of this book is to rehabilitate Venus Art with Venus seen and honored as manifestation of the divine Mother MA.
From Chapter 2 – ‘The Book in a Nutshell’ (p. 15):
” Part 1 consists of eight chapters, part 2 the same. This is no coincidence. Three and four make seven. Seven plus one makes eight. In eight begins a new octave, a new time, a new mankind. In the lemniscate of the eight. the independent feminine and masculine come together in perfect balance. By bringing the forgotten feminine into the picture, balance and connection is created with the masculine. Unity. “
Remember MA • Welcome a new art historical approach that defi nitively maps the contribution of woman to evolution and brings to an end a male world history without women. • Remember the primal mothers, who much later were called ‘Venuses’ and sometimes pin-ups. This book rehabilitates them as the first leaders of humanity. • Learn about a global feminine system of symbols that shows an astonishing consistency and coherency. • Witness how prehistoric cultures produced much more feminine art than masculine art. • Understand why the feminine was pictured so often in old and modern female-friendly societies of peace and balance. • Learn to discern an ancient primal mother from a later goddess, priestess and worshipper. • See how a male system of symbols is laid over the older feminine system of symbols; now the female image is devalued and the world is changed in a valley of tears. • Meet the lost Lady of Old Israel in images and texts and see how she is transculturally transformed into Mary, the Lady of all Nations in Christianity. Dr Annine E.G. van der Meer (1953) is a Dutch historian of religion and holds a PhD in theology from the University of Utrecht. She is the author of several books. She has travelled widely to retrace the universal hidden Mother in sacred texts, art and symbols. She is founder and president of the Dutch PanSophia Academy, school of Wisdom, where she also teaches. In July 2010 33 women of international standing in their particular fields were honoured in the ‘Manifest Female Energy’. Annine van der Meer was one of six Dutch women to be decorated. According to the manifest, they have contributed to transformation processes in the world; a new world, in which feminine and masculine energies mutually inspire each other and are growing towards a new, powerful and creative world order.
The Practice of Dream Healing – Bringing Ancient Greek Mysteries into Modern Medicine
291 Pages | First Quest Edition 2001 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 9780835607995.
A Sacred Journey to bring Soul back into Treatment.
Asklepios was the gentle Greek God of healing. Like Christ, he was said to have walked the earth performing miracle cures. His medicine was practiced by priests known as therapeutes (the first therapists) who interpreted patients’ dreams, in which the God gave advice. The results, as well-documented in literature and thousands of ancient testimonies, reveal the root of modern medical science and psychotherapy.
In this classic work, psychotherapist and Greek scholar Dr. Edward Tick explores the God as an archetype of the divine physician symbolizing the Self. What he discovers restores the foundation for a truly holistic medicine. First, he transports us through myth and history on an imaginal pilgrimage based on his journeys with patients to ancient Greek healing sites, where they recreate the dream incubation ceremonies once held in Asklepian temples. Then, from case-studies he crafts practical methods that today’s healing professionals and lay readers can use anywhere, with or without the help of specialists. His radical model shows how consulting rooms, hospitals, and any place of rest can become sanctuaries for the recovery of the whole person.
Homeric Hymn to Asklepios:
” Doctor of our ailing, Asklepios, I begin your praise,
Son of Apollo, awakened through Mother Koronis
Of the Dotion Plains, daughter of King Flegion,
Great to humanity, soother of cruel suffering.
. . . Και συ ουτω χαιρε, αναξ. Λιτομαι δε σ’αοιδη.
. . . And thus are you welcomed, Master. By this song I beseech you. “
For two decades, Dr. Edward Tick has researched and applied this age-old art in contemporary settings. Now he leads us through myth and history on an imaginal pilgrimage based on actual journeys he has made with clients to ancient healing sites. He also provides techniques we can use anywhere, without the help of specialists. His radical model shows how a consulting room, hospital, or any place of rest can be a haven for the recovery of the whole person. A review in Dream Time the Journal of the Association for the Study of Dreams, concludes with “The Practice of Dream Healing is many different books woven into one fascinating whole: travelogue, personal journey, historical narrative, mythological study, psychological inquiry. As travel writing and personal narrative, it is compelling and enjoyable to read; as historical, psychological, and philosophical inquiry, it has much to offer contemporary dreamworkers and others in the healing professions.” Edward Tick, Ph.D., has practiced psychotherapy since 1975. He began treating severely traumatized Vietnam veterans in 1979. By the mid-1980s, he was convinced that more radical transformative techniques were necessary to heal the deep wounds to the soul each survivor endured. Thus, he embarked on a worldwide exploration of traditional healing practices. He began teaching the Greek tradition and leading healing and growth workshops in the early 1990s. Since 1995, he has led eight healing journeys to Greece and Turkey, during which he has focused on the powerful dream healing techniques of Asklepios. He is the director and senior psychotherapist of Sanctuary: A Center for Mentoring the Soul in Albany, New York.
The Chaldean Account of Genesis
By George Smith (1840 – 1876).
319 Pages | Secret Doctrine Reference Series 1977; photographic reproduction of 1876 edition, with illustrations | Hardcover | Wizards Bookshelf, San Diego, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0913510661.
The complete title of the work is:
The Chaldean Account of Genesis – Containing the Description of Creation, the Fall of Man, the Deluge, the Tower of Babel, the Times of the Patriarchs and Nimrod; Babylonian Fables, and Legends of the Gods; from the Cuneiform Inscriptions.
George Smith (1840 – 1876) was an English Assyriologist, who earned worldwide fame in 1872 by his translation of the Chaldaean account of the Deluge, which was read before the Society of Biblical Archaeology on the 3rd of December.
From Chapter I – ‘The Discovery of the Genesis Legends’ (p. B):
” The fragments of the Chaldean historian Berosus, preserved in the works of various later writers, have shown that the Babylonians were acquainted with traditions referring to the Creation, the period before the Flood, the Deluge and other matters forming part of Genesis. “
The Olympic Odyssey – Rekindling the True Spirit of the Great Games
By Phil Cousineau.
257 Pages | First Quest Edition 2003 | Soft cover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835608336.
This book was purchased by the US Olympic Committee and given to each member of the US Olympic Team of the Summer 2004 Games as well as those participating in the Special Olympics.
In anticipation of the nostalgic return of the Games to Greece in 2004, mythologist and life-long athlete Phil Cousineau has produced a work that, unlike other titles on the subject, delves deeply into the spiritual dimension of the Olympics and potentially all athletic activity. They Olympic Odyssey takes the reader on a mythic journey from the ancient to the modern Games, telling tales of Gods, athletes and coaches in all their splendid pageantry. But their fabled gold medals are only half the story. The autor’s real fascination is for what Olympian Jesse Owens called the athlete’s ‘inner life’, the mysterious source of the drive, deeper than the one to win, to excel for an ideal beyond the self – transcending gender, race, nationality, and perhaps even the line between human and the divine.
To explore this tantalizing territory, Cousineau interweaves mythology, religion, and sports history, quoting from Homer to Whitman, Jim Thorpe to Babe Didrikson, and Yeats to Yogi Berra. His excuberant call to revive the ancient Greek ideal of integrating body, mind, and spirit reminds us that the Games provide marvelous metaphors for how to go about any venture: with passion and compassion, focus and fairness, and a sense for the sacred play at the heart of life.
From page 24:
” With regard to the Olympic Games, the Elean antiquaries say that Kronos first reigned in Heaven, and that a temple was made for him by the men of that age, who were named the Golden Race . . . “
Reaching far back to the mythic and historic origins of the Games nearly 3,000 years ago, Cousineau examines the driving motivation behind these first ancient gatherings, which was peaceful competition in an atmosphere of fair play and brotherhood, as well as the pursuit of excellence in mind, body, and spirit. And following through to the present day, he describes how these same ideals still compel coaches, athletes, and fans to sports arenas today, despite obstacles with doping and bribery we occasionally find in the modern Games. A collector’s dream, this book contains ancient and contemporary illustrations, historic facts, anecdotes, famous quotes, and interviews with Olympic athletes, including three-time medalist Sarunas Marciulionis of Lithuania and legendary swimmer Matt Biondi. Also featured are excerpts from Cousineau’s interviews about the cultural role of sports with mythologist Joseph Campbell and religious historian Huston Smith. THE OLYMPIC ODYSSEY is written for all fans of the game of life who esteem true leadership, aspire to personal wholeness, and seriously question the cultural obsession with winning at all costs. Ultimately, it suggests the deepest reason we so love great athletes is for how they encourage us to achieve the highest level of being possible in our own lives, no matter what the arena in which we play.