Showing results by narrator "Keira Grace" in Religion & Spirituality

Al-Ghazālī's writings were meant to help man to live a life in accordance with the sacred law, and by doing so gain a deeper understanding of its meaning. Al-Ghazali believed in practical-ethical perfection and that by exercising his capacity for reason, man would be drawn to the spiritual alchemy that transforms the soul from worldliness to complete devotion to God. This alone, he believed, could produce ultimate happiness.

The Art of Worldly Wisdom was written in 1647. It is a collection of 300 maxims on various topics, each elaborated with a commentary. The sayings offer advice and guidance on how to live well, advance socially, and be a better person.

Cosmic Consciousness: A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind is a 1901 book by the psychiatrist Richard Maurice Bucke. The author explores the concept of cosmic consciousness, which he defines as a higher form of consciousness than that possessed by the ordinary person. He works on a premise of three levels of consciousness: simple consciousness, self-consciousness, and cosmic consciousness.

Harriet Emilie Cady (1848-1941) was a homeopathic physician and author. Her 1896 book Lessons in Truth: A Course of Twelve Lessons in Practical Christianity is considered a foundational text of the Unity Church. The book explains many of the important tenets of the New Thought movement of the late 1800s. Cady emphasizes the indwelling of the divine in each person, and how to transform one’s thoughts, words, and beliefs.

William Stukeley's study of Stonehenge from 1740 is a classic in the field. Stukeley, a fellow of the Royal Society, was a conservationist who complained about the way Stonehenge was treated by landowners and tourists. The book includes his accurate drawings that are still being used by scholars today.

A mysterious work by the physician and mystic Paracelsus. This is a recipe for creating something which is never clearly identified, and might be the philosopher’s stone or its equivalent. Much of the cryptic language seems to be veiled references to scientific principles. The substances involved are metals and minerals, and the text contains many astrological references.

This treatise deals with the practice of alchemy in medicine, and the use of antimony and lead in particular. Roger Bacon provides the recipe for processing antimony to make the famous red oil of the philosophers. In Bacon’s opinion, this elixir was efficacious against a wide array of afflictions like fever, plague, gout, and leprosy.

The great mystic Theophrastus Paracelsus (1493-1541) highlighted the medicinal aspects of the alchemical art. Considered one of his most prominent works, The Aurora of the Philosophers (a.k.a. ‘Monarchia’) deals with the ancient history of magic as practiced in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Persia. It also contains instructions for practical experiments on subjects like the philosopher’s stone, tinctures and transmutation.

Eduard (Édouard) Schuré (1841 in Strasbourg - 1929) was a French philosopher, poet, playwright, and novelist. This book is an esoteric examination of the life of Jesus, who is considered to be the ultimate in a long line of initiates.

The Alchemical Catechism is text in the form of an extended series of questions and answers. It deals with nature, the examination of nature, the elements, the extraction of essences, the formation of gold, transmutation of metals, and the creation of Venus and Saturn among others. The text contains an interesting bibliography or recommended reading list, which includes the authors Raymond Lully, Roger Bacon, John Fabricius, and Jean D’Espagnet.