Spirituality Books

I loved this book. I actually thought it was better than the Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul books. This book is quite uplifting. It is trully a great read!

This book is wonderful! Filled with inspirational stories - some of them tear jerkers - and a correlating Bible verse after almost every story. These are real life stories from real life people, and they really make you think!

I was headed for some or most of these things. Being a teen my self i could relate to all of these things and the feelings in the stories. These stories made me veiw things from a different side. Like my parents i was having fights with them. I thought that they were against me fully. Well after readin these stories i learned the hard way that my parents weren't against me they were with me and only trying to protect me. If you are a teen and in trouble, have questions, or anything else i FULLY recomend this book for you.

This is an awesome book to read anytime and anywhere! Full of a variety of types of stories such as ; uplifting , inspiring , teaching and so much more! This is the type of book most kids , teens and even adults would love to read! Stories that we can relate to in life and that we can enjoy. These stories are garunteed to make any one with a heart (which is everyone) laugh , cry and smile. After reading a few of these stories you will have a whole new positive veiw on life.
I highly recommend you buy this book and I hope you enjoy it! ^_^

Great stories in this book! The stories deal with EVERYTHING a teenager goes thru and then some.

For teens that aren't usually big time readers, this book is great. Short stories that hold their interest....and keep their interest. Maybe they will go on to read more often? :)

This is by far one of the most touching stories I have ever read. The book is an easy read but very moving at the same time.
If you have any fears of the afterlife, this would be a good one to read. It does confirm what I have read before and what I feel in my soul to be correct. Life isn't as hard as we may think, it just all comes down to "New Growth" when it's all said and done.
If this book sparks your interest in channeling the other side, you might find all the books by Abraham Hicks very inspiring as well.

I would give this one more than 5 stars if allowed!!

I sat down with a glass of wine in front of the fire on New Years Eve to read this book. It was the perfect information for me to get as I moved from 2007.. not a great year... to 2008... which is going to be an astounding year. A wonderful reminder of what it is all about and why we are here.
thanks for sharing this with the world

After reading this beautiful story, channeled to the author by her son who is now in heaven, my girlfriend and I began meditating and focusing on cleansing our chakras and opening up our souls to the spirit world. Almost immediately I began to feel a peace when I meditate, and she has already felt the presence of beings from the other side! This book is not only changing our lives, but is bringing us closer together. Amazing and life changing!

An emotional journey of the heart and spirit, this book defies gravity. In my work with others who experience loss, I will be sure to put this read at the top of the list when recommending resources. As Danny's journey beyond continues and his mother heals, he says, "Remember that you are of Heaven... This will keep you open and ventilated". I think A Swan in Heaven will keep readers open and ventilated as well. An inspiration for healing and grace, if not a leap of faith.

Keri Bowers, Normal Films

A Swan in Heaven: Conversations Between Two Worlds

Danny speaks through Terri in ways that are both wise and simple. He reminds me of eternal truths and the challenges of daily living, and shows me the way that the former can make the latter honest and uplifting. He addresses grief, unfairness, fear, and shows me how to find hope, contentment, and joy. And he does it all in the most loving way, speaking directly to my heart.

I recommend this book to anyone seeking a guide on life's path.

This book is a must read!!!

After reading it the first time, I went back and re-read several of the chapters two to three more times. Each time, something new, something hidden, something waiting is evoked.

The words contained in this book really do radiate something very ancient and very powerful through the history, the knowledge, and the humor.

One of the best books I've ever come across. Teachings of a Toltec Survivor is a tool for every serious person on the path of self-realization and a doorway for any being who wishes to enter initiation and thus begin their magical journey. A good start for anybody just on the curious side.
When I began to read this book, it was apparent to me from the very start that it does not contain any fluff for the serious student. Full of knowledge, history, legend and folklore, Toltec "survivor" Koyote takes you into the very center of the esoteric teachings of the Toltec. Every chapter is a potential lesson, complete with both proven and experimental exercises for anyone to try. Koyote also shares some powerful techniques that are usually meant for the initiated or the serious student.
This book is not Koyote's own writings. It is actually the offspring of an intensive class by Koyote which lasted three months. Thirty-something students signed-up for it, most of them made it to the end. The classes were video taped and recorded and typed on the spot. The material was collected and arranged in an almost as-is style. Notes from Koyote's students were checked against the video for accuracy. All was made in a hasty way to comply with deadlines, and the book was published.
In this book you will find many keys which are valuable for anybody who is looking for the Work. In this book you will find exercises which are designed to trigger experience which is hidden from us by the powers that be. It is not hocus-pocus type of stuff, but simple techniques which have simply been hidden away from the masses.
Now, it is said that true knowledge doesn't come from a book, and I believe that. This book has what is necessary for you to begin the exploration of a hidden self. This book is a very practical tool if used in a practical way, that is, if it is used as an experimentation. Do the exercises and see what happens.
This book can also be effective in group situations, and in fact, it will more likely than not be more effective if used that way. Gather a group of friends and/or relatives that are interested in self-exploration, awakening, transformation, the occult, esoteric, hidden knowledge, etc. Meet once a week, consistently, to read a chapter a week. Go over the exercise and do it, practice it during the following days until you meet again. Then you can discuss, share experience, ask questions, etc., and always keep a journal!
This book is also just full of facts and information on, from, and of that ancient society, from spiritual practices to social and political data and history and legend. This book is also fun to read and it is full of Koyote's jokes, which, as he constantly states, is where the Teaching is contained.
If nothing more, this book is a key. Forget the words that are in here. Forget the exercises and the esoteric teachings and the forgotten formulas - they are not real! Just a possibility...
What is real is a physical copy of the book itself...a possible crystallization of Koyote's teaching itself...a map to a living Teacher on the path to Mastery. If you don't believe me, just skip to the very last page and see!

I encountered Koyote the Blind's _Teachings of a Toltec Survivor_ when I edited it. Although it is irregular for the editor of a book to review it, the experience was so unusual I wish to share some of it.

The material in this book on what has been called in the West "the Great Work" is taken from Koyote's orally delivered teachings. Although I had attended the extemporaneous lectures of Koyote from which the book is taken, I was unprepared to discover that the lectures (chapters) relate to one another as an organic tapestry. From the ancient roots of spiritual evolution in the three-layered temples to the Pyramid of the Sun to fractals to esoteric Christianity, the text behaves as a seemingly complex but ultimately simple expansion of a theme. For me and for others I have talked to, the result is a book you can read over and over again without it ever seeming to be the same. A slight variation in my state renders the experience of reading the book astonishingly new.

_Teachings of a Toltec Survivor_ contains esoteric and Toltec oral history, practical exercises, exposition of esoteric philosophy, and (the real Teachings) jokes! I feel a physical charge run through my body when I read this book. Synchronicity increases. There is something strange about it.

Historians, particularly those of the Fourth Way, will appreciate the documentation of students' and apprentices' experiences, captured in comments and a panel discussion. You can watch as the weird experience of being in that classroom (reflected in nonordinary shifts in temperature, mood, lighting, pressure) disarm the defense mechanisms of those present. How do different personality types (as for example those in the Enneagram scheme) cope with the strains of real spiritual experiences? Read and see!

I wish to make it known that I worked on this book entirely as a service to the Work. I was awed and would not give up the experience for any amount of money. Sometimes you know that magic has happened.

Teachings of a Toltec Survivor is a powerful tool for those who are on the path of self-realization. The knowledge conveyed in this book is practical, inspirational and yes, at times, offensive. It is unlike anything I have come across. It cuts through our social conditioning and dogmatic beliefs to awaken within us that which is unseen by the human eye.

I was actually a very fortunate participant in the lectures that make up this book. I haven't even read the whole book from cover to cover, but I have done flip opens from it and I will tell you that every page has something to say! This is not just a book it is a tool to help unlock something that is eternal within.

Sometimes offensive and often funny it speaks to each person differently yet the same at the same time. I didn't have any Toltec knowledge previously, but felt the teachings familiar from a place within that I only seem to be able to touch when Truth is being spoken.

Oh, I wanted to be offended and walk out a couple times during these lectures, but that something that I have been speaking of kept me planted in my seat and I was never sorry I stayed. This book transforms. You will come away from it different and not in a "good" way, but in a real way.

If you are a truth seeker don't miss it. If you just want to feel good likely not the book for you. If you want to laugh check it out, but don't be fooled by the jokes there is teaching there as well.

Thank you for reading my review of this awesome book.

Marta

I completely enjoyed reading this book. The author does an excellent job of writing about real events and what he learned from each one. As a fellow firefighter, I have to say that I've been through a lot of the same experiences and have come to some of the same conclusions. You may find some of the philosophical discussions distracting, but they are presented well and are integral to the book. I would recommend this book for any firefighter or firefighter family!

This is a good book on Volunteer Firefighters. My husband chuckled everytime he read an anecdote that reminded him of his volunteer fire department over the last 25 years.

This is a great book, I live about 15 miles from his volunteer Fire house, and I am a volunteer fire fighter myself. I just became a volunteer about 2 months ago, and so far my fire house and his seem very a like. This book, lets the world know what goes on in a small town volunteer fire departments like my own. Perfect book, describes everything in great detail, and is a great read, I could not put it down.

I highly recommend Dr. Frank's book as it shows us so adroitly how each of us can gain wisdom and love for our fellow man through service to our community. It is also a great tribute to the firefighters and EMTs across the country who keep us safe every day and night (with no holidays off). I would expect that the average firefighter, if there is such a thing, is not likely to write a book about his experiences. Dr. Frank, an outsider like ourselves when he joins their ranks, carries us into their world and helps us see what these amazing people do and why they do it.

As an attorney who first became a volunteer firefighter at the tender age of 45, I found this book to be a great read. I have used it as a way to try to explain to others (my family, mostly) why someone my age would become a volunteer. I found the book to be well written, enlightening, and best of all, funny. I highly recommend it.

As a Catholic with nineteen years of formal Catholic education and one who has worked extensively within the church, I found this book to be inspiring, encouraging and deeply moving. Daniel gives voice to my own experience of God and life. His insights are at once affirming and challenging. The Transcended Christian is a book that begs to be shared and would make a terrific basis for a discussion group.

Once again, Daniel has once again boldly told the story which needs to be proclaimed from the housetops. For anyone who wishes to embark on a serious journey of Christian faith maturity, this is a must-read, along with his other wonderful book (which has saved the lives of many), What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality. In this latest book, he unflinchingly states what has been on the minds of many sincere Catholic (and other) Christians who love the Church but wish to go deeper into the true message of Jesus, without the unnecessary layers of tired, outdated dogma with which the institutional church has burdened the Faithful. This book, as with his other writings, can certainly help one in the journey of, as he writes, "Achieving deep spiritual peace, knowng the mind of Christ, arriving at psychological and Christian maturity . . . ." In other words, he challenges all of us to "grow up!"

Daniel Helminiak's book The Transcended Christian was the right book for me at the right time. I have been struggling for years, trying to match faith with reason in Fundamentalist America, and this book did it. It isn't easy being Catholic, liberal, and a scientist; however, Daniel's calm, rational, warm, and earthy presentation of what it means to be a modern Christian, without pompous dogma and medieval magic, has saved my faith. It is an encouraging night light for those of us experiencing a dark night of the soul.

This is another great book by a terrific author. Daniel Helminiak has tackled life and its meaning from every angle and come up with wonderful insights and perceptions. After reading The Transcended Christian I felt enlightened, uplifted, and challenged. I recommend the book to anyone whose spirit is hungry for greater fulfillment.

"The Transcended Christian" is one of the most important books I've read. It gives me a new sense of what church really means, a new perspective in the way I approach old beliefs, and a hope for the church and the world tomorrow.The two distinguishing characteristics of the book are honesty and clarity. The honesty is brutal and necessary. The clarity is total and all-pervading. Several quotes from Helminiak himself illustrate this."Spirituality has less to do with church and prayer and more to do with daily living.""Whether God is Trinity or not, the world still goes on and we are left to live in it.""Whether Jesus was truly God or not, we still need to live virtuous lives, and Jesus still provides a powerful example."As a lover of rich liturgy, I appreciate that Helminiak is not telling us to stop singing the hymns we know and love. But he is telling us to be aware of the liturgy of daily living. When we are conscious that the Heavenly Bread is on the altar and also in the pews in us and among us and our neighbors, we must get on with our daily lives, using this spiritual truth to love and respect believer and non-believer alike. Helminiak shows there is a spiritual wisdom that is ever the same ultimately for all religions and for those who do not believe at all. Once we get past the histories, the legends and the mythologies, we can share this wisdom with those who believe like us, differently from us, or not at all.There are many treasures in this book. I was particularly impressed with the profound meaning of "Body of Christ" which Helminiak develops and also with his ideas surrounding the Holy Spirit. I understand that when all is said and done the Holy Mysteries are still holy and still mysteries. But I have a new sense of where I am going with them in this world, here and now. I did not rush through this book, but read it slowly and thoughtfully. It was a beautiful and luminous journey.

This surprisingly neutral book compares the enormous variety of religious beliefs throughout history, with particular attention paid to Christianity. While not an in-depth text, it will serve as an introduction to critically examining the development and spread of religion.

Christians should definitely read his chapter on Christianity; Mencken considers the 1611 King James Version to be one of the most beautiful books ever written.

While his chapter hypothesizing the origins of religion is rather speculative, any such hypothesis is bound to be - at the very least it will pique your interest in the subject. The chapter on the variety of religions is particularly interesting, as it attempts to show how the same general ideas were molded into vastly different beliefs; in particular, the section on the various conceptions of heaven(s) and hell(s) will definitely be engrossing to anyone.

If you're used to the snappy quotables we've (all?) come to expect from Mencken and love, you may be somewhat disappointed. "Treatise..." contains more carefully fleshed out analysis and argument than his sociocultural criticism.

In this mode, without so much of the caustic wit, his writing style actually doesn't impress quite as much. But, to make up for it, his quality of argument and inventiveness is surprisingly rich. I'd always considered Mencken to be quite a philosopher, as well as a snappy come-backer. Here, he proves it: coming up with some quite brilliant hypotheticals about the origin of religion in early man, especially. And his re-telling of the concise history of Religion shows that he has a knowledge of considerable breadth. There are a few very dramatic turns of phrase here (the fun stuff), some awkward delivery, but a lot of interesting subject matter.

Pleasant, easy to read, and thorough overview of religion from the beginning of humanity, with an emphasis on Christianity, from the position of an atheist.

From the preface: "My book is mainly factual. Its purpose is simply to get together, in handy and I hope readable form, the material data about the embryology, anatomy, and physiology of theology, with an occasional glance at its pathology....Religion was invented by man just as agriculture and the wheel were invented by man, and there is absolutely nothing in it to justify the belief that its inventors had the aid of higher powers, whether on this earth or elsewhere....There is no purpose here to shake the faithful, for I am completely free of the messianic itch..."

Chapter I "Its Nature and Origin" - Mencken describes his view of how early priests came into being in prehistoric society: "One Spring there came great rains in the valley and on their heels a flood of melting snow...One night the flood rolled into the lowermost cave, cut off the occupants, and drowned a mother and her child...The rising water to them seemed like a living thing...One fellow steps boldly forth...He goes close to the edge and bombards his enemy with stones...Growing bolder, he stalks into the water and belabors it with his club...the next morning the flood begins to recede...This first priest could accomplish something that other men were incapable of...What more natural than to give thanks?...True religion was born at that moment...He took on the aloof, philosophical air of a dermatologist contemplating a rash: he learned how to avoid making promises and yet hold the confidence of his customers... He gave some thought to the form and content of his first incantations, and thereby invented the first ritual...The gift of blarney went with the sacerdotal office, in the early days as now...the new trade of priesthood had attractions that were plainly visible to any bright and ambitious young man...When he let it be known that there were certain things, done by the people, that would gratify the gods and insure their aid, these things began to be regarded as virtuous, upright, moral. When he announced that other things were frowned upon, they straightaway became sins...The priest found himself a law-giver...Did the fires rage and the sky remain dry? Then it was because the faithful had forgotten their plain duties...It was not the priest's fault...calamities were plentiful in those days, as they are now. They remain the most potent weapons in the armamentarium of the priest...Theologians, as a class, are practical men. Immortality, as they preach it in the modern world, is but little more than a handy device for giving force and effect to their system of transcendental jurisprudence: what it amounts to is simply a threat that the contumacious will not be able to escape them by dying...I am myself a theologian of considerable gifts, and yet I can no more imagine immortality than I can imagine the Void which existed before matter took form. Neither, I suspect, can the Pope."

Chapter II "Its Evolution," continues as an academic treatise, but sprinkled liberally with condescending and clever phraseology: About creation myths: "In no department of theology is there a vaster accumulation of amusing rubbish." About afterlife: "Even in India, the very gonad of theology..." About contradictions in the Bible: "The collection of tracts called the New Testament is so full of inconsistencies and other absurdities that even children in Sunday School notice them."

Chapter III "Its Varieties" is a study of comparative religions. This is a well-done academic piece with fewer "Mencke-isms."

Chapter IV "Its Christian Form" is a beautifully written history of Christianity, highly complimentary of the Old Testament as poetry and Literature, and is the best chapter in the book. He reviews the well-accepted J, E, D, & P authorship of the Torah, with brief mention of how it was compiled. (for more info on this, read "Who Wrote the Bible," by Friedman). This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. According to the bibliography, he gets much of his factual material from James Hastings' Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics.

Chapter V "Its State Today," resumes "Menckeisms," such as, "The church as an organization has thrown itself violently against every effort to liberate the body and mind of man. It has been, at all times and everywhere, the habitual and incorrigible defender of bad governments, bad laws, bad social theories, bad institutions."

I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining and informative book and highly recommend it. For a different approach to the same subject, I recommend Atran's book, "In Gods We Trust."

H. L. Mencken was a rare man indeed. He was a hard headed skeptic of the theological arts, but took an intense, scholarly interest in it, and it was a boon to the universe of thoughtful men when he decided to report back to them on what he found there. The book he wrote will stand for a long while as the best of its kind--at once dispassionate and informative, with more than a little of his trademark wit thrown about with an undisguised glee. His enthusiasm for his subject bubbles out all over the place.

The book begins with an imaginary story of how religion must have gotten started among the first primitive men. It is a story well told, and reveals what Mencken imagines is at the root of men's heart much of the time--a fear of the unknown, and an understandable aspiration to master that fear by some means. Then, very early on, the con men step in to utilize the fear for their own ends--power and cash. To successfully create a job for himself, he proceeds to invent embellishments unintelligible to the poor saps, and rituals that only the initiated, such as himself, can perform.

The book continues with some comparative religion, basing most of it on what the Romans sneered at, that the Greeks made dramas about, what the Jews borrowed from the Babylonians, and what the Asiatics actually first dreamed up. He finds in all of this the roots of Christianity, and especially the stuff that Christ had never thought of, which the theologians later added for the most practical of reasons.

His account of the early church and the evolution of the bibles is gratifying in its scholarship and clarity of description. He makes the ancient theological quarrels come to life, imparting an understanding that is a valuable addition to any freethinker's equipment. Occasionally, the real Mencken peeks through, enlivening and enlightening as he goes.

The best part of the book, though, is when he shows how religion is inadequate for the job, and is in a full retreat before the onslaught of science and rational methods, leaving the truly civilized man with " a way of facing the impenetrable dark that must engulf him in the end, as it engulfs the birds of the air and the protozoa in the sea ooze....not perhaps with complete serenity, but at least with dignity, calm, a gallant spirit."

In this sardonic, blasphemous and sometimes ferociously cynical pamphlet, H.L. Mencken castigates the irrationality and incredibility of all religions, e.g. there are 175.000 discrepancies in the manuscripts of the Christian New Testament.
But he considers religion rightly as one of ( for him) the greatest inventions of all times, giving the clergy enormous economical (all the temples became extremely rich) and political power. For Mencken, their power comes from the fear of Hell. The God of love that they preach invariably turns out to be a God of harsh and arbitrary penalties and brutalities. Religion is not only cruel (human sacrifices), but also a source of enormous human misery: 'Is a Catholic bishop a good citizen, when he commands, on penalty of Hell, that poor and miserable women convert themselves into mere brood sows?'(p. 270)
'The priest is the most immoral of men.' (p. 271)
His major targets are Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
'Calvin was the true father of Puritanism, which is to say, of the worst obscenity of Western Civilization.' (p. 245) His God is an 'appalling monster'. (p. 272)
The Churches are well aware that science is their natural enemy. Therefore, they try to control education. They are always on the defensive (Galileo, Darwin) and they are opposed to all attempts of rational thinking. For Mencken, religious education is the same as organized ignorance.
He lambasts those who defend religion for 'practical' reasons: 'the fact that threats of Hell have their social uses is ... simply an argument against the human race!' (p. 268)
However, H.L. Mencken has a dark side: 'the democratic pestilence'. Like Plato, he was disgusted with the masses which were a source of a cancerous proliferation of demagogy. More, 'the reigning theologians heated up the mob against the enlightened minority.' (p. 255)
It shows his deep pessimism: the masses could not be educated and the mighty priests kept them in an irrational darkness.
This is an important flaw in his reasoning and it turned out to be a false prophesy. In many democratic countries, the religious right is on the defensive and is losing (lost) important battles.
This treatise is one of the most violent pamphlets I ever read: a Homerian battle of the enlightened one against the powerful caste of the priests.
A must read.

Macrina Wiederkehr has a very intimate way of sharing her own spiritual journey, and prividing pathways for others to follow to deepen their own spiritual lives. Inspiring.

This book came to me at a time when I most needed it. My life was undergoing major changes and I needed to make adjustments daily. It was a comfort and a guide to me then, and now. Macrina's writing made a profound difference in my life. I am so thankful for her.

I wanted to write a review on the shipping of this book. I ordered it for my Mother and it arrived within two days!! We were both thrilled. It came from Grandma's Tree, www.fromgrandmastree.com. It was a used book but was in excellent condition.

I absolutely loved this book! Macrina has a beautiful way of leading you through your own journey in finding the beauty in your surroundings. After reading this book I found so much to be joyful about everyday. It really changed the way I look at the ordinary things in my life. This book taught me to gaze instead of glance. I have bought as well as recommended this book for many friends and everyone has loved it.
Lisa Henneke

More Catholic than I would prefer, yet still full of much wisdom and words to ponder. Could easily read it again. She so much loves Nature and sees (and seeks) God there, not in a church. This is the book's strength for me.

this was an excellent book about a journey to the innerself and womanhood
i would recommend this book to anyone

Shamanic wisdom, mystical spirits, Native American culture--if these are your heart topics, and you love the way Lynn Andrews writes, you will love this book.

Lynn Andrews returns to the familiar magical storytelling mixed with the idea that we can all be mystics if we only follow her shamanic wisdom. I'll admit a love-hate relationship to her books. "Jaguar Woman" moved me from my cynical, career-driven bent, but as my own path developed before me, I followed Andrew's less. Possibly because I could not match her shamanic travels, uber-human experiences and amazing way of life.

This paperback is another of the Sisterhood of the Shields series. Here, Andrews explores the inevitability of aging and death. She examines the many "little deaths" that occur in life--getting let go or fired from a job, a death in the family, divorce, the long-term illness of a loved one.

The book is an introduction to 'elderhood' with a recognition of another transition--one in which we accept what is, even as we see our friends begin to age and die. We learn to withstand these times and to grow from them.

As Americans, we generally hide from death or simply defy it. This is a good book to grasp the reality of elderhood.

For about 25 years Lynn Andrews has written memoir after memoir of life as an urban shaman living between both worlds. Tree of Dreams examines getting older and balancing her two lives. This book is less fantastical and the passage of time has lessened the melodrama of her earlier work. I still don't get The Red Dog rival and wonder still if he is some imaginary antagonist to make this Native American like. Overall, an interesting perspective on getting older and holding the medicine wheel in Andrews' world. I just wonder if this belongs in the non-fiction section and whether the Cree tribe in Manitoba, Canada are getting royalties. Having known a Native woman who lived on a reserve in New York State, one thing seems to be common - they don't rejoice at Andrews or her work.

As I've followed Lynn's growth and teachings over the many years that she's written (I have an older copy of Medicine Women with the native women and crow on the front........pages have fallen apart, the cover taped back on, etc.), I was pleased when I came across this newer addition to her volume of work. In this book she descibes her feelings on what it's like to have an ailing parent and the process of death. She describes her on going search for answers which also proves that even for all she's learned, she still does not profess to have "the truth". Quite the contrary, she wonders about good and evil, duality, etc.. Her on-going relationship with Red Dog is put in a somewhat different light. It's almost a love hate relationship. A good read and very down to earth. What is interesting also is the process that was involved to write her first, Medicine Women.

Tree Of Dreams: A Spirit Woman's Vision Of Transition And Change by Lynn Andrews is a deeply moving narrative of her quest for growth, spiritual fulfillment, and better understanding of sacred things. Embracing the power of healing and coping with "little deaths" such as divorce or the sudden loss of a job, as well as the great losses of loved ones to "Time's Eternal March", Lynn Andrews' Tree Of Dreams is a powerful and moving metaphysical reflection. Also very highly recommended are Lyn Andrews' previous books: Medicine Woman and Jaguar Woman.

So many different people and groups claim lineage with the Rosicrucians there is no way to really tell which one's are legitimate and which are not. Although this book may be about the true Rosicrucian Order it doesn't mean the information is accurate. It does contain some interesting information but I think it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. And I have to admit that I got bored with the many pages of tarot explainations that were presented as if they represented the true inner teaching of the Order.

Dr. Case was a gift to humanity and True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order is a crown jewel amongst the treasure of material he left behind. It is not for everybody. This book requires patience and many readings to get the full value out of it.

I agree with the other reviewers who say that the BOTA lessons provide a necessary foundation for truly getting the most out of this dense and difficult text. That being said, there is so much value here words fail me.

I have read so many books on occultism. I have started so many "self-initiation" programs. When I found the BOTA I felt like I was coming home. When I then discovered this book I felt like I found a treasure chest in the attic. I have spent the last two years primarily focused on studying this text and no other experience in my life (outside of my marriage) has provided me with such clear exercise and evidence of spiritual development.

I am humbled by Dr. Case and his legacy. My only prayer is that I might become a channel for that Divine Love that has so graciously provided my being. I owe it to Dr. Case that I even have an inkling of the worthiness of that prayer.

Those of us who are serious Seekers can struggle for years before the light begins to dawn. I have been a Freemason for many years and an SRIA member. I have read Boehme, Blake and others. Struggled with Tarot and Qabalah, but on getting into this book the scales fell from my eyes. Many feel within; and struggle to find words. Paul Foster Case finds them for us.

Who were the Rosicrucians? Appearing out of nowhere in 1614, the Rosicrucian fraternity anonymously published two manifestoes and then went silent. Because of this silence, many scholars surmised that the Rosicrucian Order was just an elaborate hoax... but the the Rosicrucian manifestoes undeniably had an immediate and profound impact on the philosophy, science, and politics of the age. Even unto the Twenty-First Century, Rosicrucian thinking continues to play a major role in Freemasonry and many other esoteric organizations.

Paul Foster Case wrote "The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order" because he believed that the original Rosicrucian manifestoes were written in a sort of Qabalistic short-hand, making them clearly understandable to those versed in alchemy and Qabala-- and obscuring much of their meaning from the general reading public. The first portion of Case's book is an exhaustive look at the Rosicrucian manifestoes, gleaning a treasure-trove of Qabalistic symbolism, numerology, and sacred geometry from the literal words printed in the documents; the second half of this book presents a series of highly subjective meditations on Rosicrucian philosophy, using Tarot keys to communicate the wisdom of the Rosicrucian masters.

The first portion of the book, covering the Rosicrucian manifestoes, is hardly light reading. Case spends page after page delving into the esoteric significance of the two Rosicrucian documents, reading deeply between the lines for a hint as to their real meaning. Admittedly, Dr. Case's style is relentlessly analytical, and he writes with a sort of focused intensity that may not appeal to everyone. Much of this material is difficult to grasp, many of Dr. Case's references are obscure, and there are several entire chapters which are little more than advanced occult geometry lessons. Despite these entirely valid criticisms, however, Case's analysis of the Rosicrucian manifestoes stands as a tour de force of Qabalistic Gematria and Rosicrucian philosophy. You simply won't find a better work of this nature anywhere! As Case correctly points out, the Rosicrucian manifestoes were addressed to an "erudite" reading audience, and their occultic significance could not have been missed by the practicing alchemists and philosophers of early Seventeenth-Century Europe.

My favorite parts of the first section of the book are those discussing Brother C.R.C.'s allegorical tale, the geometry of the Vault of the Adeptii, and especially the meaning of the Rosicrucian rose-cross symbol (Case's analysis of this symbol will undoubtedly have special significance to Scottish Rite Masons!).

Where the first half of this book is unnervingly direct, the second half is more subtle. This section covers the traditional Rosicrucian scheme of initiation (patterned after the Qabalistic 'Tree of Life' diagram), and provides the reader with a true system of self-initiation very much in accord with the Golden Dawn tradition. Because each Grade of Initiation is associated with a particular center on the Tree of Life, Dr. Case focuses on one aspect or attribute of that center, and then uses the Qabalistic attributions of the Hebrew letters in that word to establish a set of "doctrines" for each Grade. These doctrines are then exemplified using their associated Tarot Keys, providing the would-be initiate with a complete series of Tarot meditations to guide them up the Path.

The methods suggested in "The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order" are solid, but unfortunately, this book doesn't provide any instructions for carrying them out. This was probably by design, and there are certainly strong arguments in favor of this omission, but it's easy to see how the would-be initiate might become frustrated with the book's total lack of guidance. Individuals who are already familiar with Case's writing will probably have an inkling about how to use these meditations to their best effect, and for this reason, I would strongly recommend reading Case's other masterpiece, "The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ancients," before attempting to tackle the exercises suggested in this book.

Paul Foster Case was a gifted teacher, and this book is probably his crowning achievement in the field of occultism. Outside of B.O.T.A., the Order that Case founded, you aren't going to find a more open discussion of his techniques. However, because of the complexity of "The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order," this certainly isn't a title that I would recommend to a beginner on the Path.

For more information about B.O.T.A., see http://www.bota.org.

SHALOM!

Paul foster case presents a true understanding of the inner principles of the Invisible Order of The True Rosicrucians based on the two true manifestoes.I was skeptical of course at first,but being a student of occult sciences such as Qabalah,Mental Alchemy,Esoteric Astrology,and yes Esoteric Tarot,he hits it at the heart.He does not claim to be a rosicrucian nor his school to be a Rosicrucian Order as such.He simply states what is clearly seen by those with eyes to see.The True rosicrucian order is in the hearts of all the children Of the ONE INFINITE REALITY,plain and simple.

From the files of FATE Magazine, the oldest of paranormal publications, comes this collection of True Mystic Experiences to set your mind aflame. I have personally always loved the "Believe it or Not" types of tales but have been on the skeptical side until recent years, and taken the stories with a grain of salt. However, this book, being from my favorite paranormal publisher, leaves no room for doubt in my mind. I know the practices of this publisher, being a writer who has submitted to them, and can attest to the fact that every story, such as these, is published only after the author has signed a sworn affidavit of its truth.

What a well-rounded collection is this! From guardian angels and premonitions of death, to psychic dreams and out of body experiences, there is something here to suit every curiosity. The stories come from everyday folks: soldiers at war, daughters in mourning, newlywed couples and more. Some are written in detailed prose, while others are more like a letter from home. But all exude a feeling of "Something wonderful and awesome has happened, and I was a witness to it."

Jennifer Spees has compiled a wonderful collection into chapters of the unexplainable. Whether you sit and read through it all on a rainy, snuggly weekend or savor it bit by bit in moments of peace, True Mystic Experiences will be a book you won't forget. The stories will haunt you and inspire you to look about for signs of your own mystic encounters. And what a wonderful thing to have happen!

This book is one of the greatest books I've ever read. This book is full of fascinating real-life stories of spirits, ghosts, and strange phenomena. If you are really into supernatural unexplainable stuff, this book is perfect for you to read.

I've loved this stuff since I was a kid. Rationalism may be a nice security blanket for those who are scared of the dark -- but just because you've nailed up the closet door it doesn't mean the monster's not still in there! The personal experience of the invisible world is universal, and can't be explained away. These stories are great examples of that experience, and fun reading too.

Ignore the slightly cheesy cover...this book is great. We always had Fate Magazine around the house when I was growing up, and I later subscribed (although the current incarnation of the magazine can't hold a candle to the ones from the 60's, 70's and before). My favorite monthly segments were always "True Mystic Experiences" and "My Proof of Survival"...ordinary readers wrote in to tell their ghostly/paranormal/psychic experiences. It's great to have this collection of stories to take me back...and this has plenty from Fate's 50+ year archives. Hopefully Fate will put out a "My Proof of Survival" book next...I read this in a couple of evenings and want more!

After reading this beautifully compiled book of strange and unusual mystic experiences, the world was not the same for me. Jennifer Spees weaves together a scary, yet poignant fabric of unbelievably true stories, threaded with supernatural, paranormal, and just plain spooky undertones. This is a must have for anyone who has experienced the unbelievable, who has an interest in the paranormal, or who just wants to be entertained. Be prepared to be mystified!