Vision Books

This is in outstanding piece of work! It has become one of my books of the year.

Radical Prince is an exploration of an array of exceedingly important ideas, seen through the lens of the life and work of the Prince of Wales. Misunderstood by many, the Prince has already made major contributions in a number of different fields. From an early age, he has dedicated his life to the betterment of humanity.

Many outstanding teachers have gravitated towards him. Not so much because he is a Prince, but because of his inner spiritual Being.

It is difficult to imagine anyone other than David Lorimer - the former director of the Scientific and Medical Network - being able to write this book, which needed forays into so many different areas of our existence: health, ecology, architecture, education and several others.

For anyone with even a passing interest in a broader view of our lives and our place in the Universe, this is a "Must read."

He is a prince of the new paradigm. Reactions to Britain's Prince Charles are often extreme, representing a profound division not only about social and cultural values, or even about the relationship between humans and the rest of the natural world-but also about our deepest worldviews, about the very nature of reality itself.

Charles is not merely a radical prince, he is also a radical philosopher, and he uses his role and status to address a wide range of issues-including ecological, agricultural, architectural, medical, economic, educational, and religious. He has made it his business to stay abreast of the key challenges in each of these domains, and he is not shy about speaking out to support worthwhile causes in the face of overwhelming social and corporate pressures.

For many years, I've been aware of Charles' outspoken views on architecture and the environment, and sensed his passion for beauty and balance in our lives and how we fit into the rest of nature. However, until I read David Lorimer's Radical Prince, I was not aware just how deeply committed the Prince of Wales is to what is nothing less than a multi-faceted challenge to the dominant paradigm. Like any insightful and "radical" philosopher who questions worldviews, Charles sees that the root cause of the malaise is ultimately metaphysical.

What is needed now, perhaps more than ever, is a radical revisioning of what it means to be human, inextricably rooted in an ecological matrix of physical and spiritual processes. In short, Charles challenges the currently dominant metaphysical notion, which underlies most of modern science and society, that the ultimate nature of reality is purely physical stuff-nothing but purposeless "atoms in the void." This materialist assumption is not only philosophically meaningless, it is also extremely dangerous socially, psychologically, and spiritually. And, paradoxically, materialism also poses a severe threat to matter itself-to our bodies-not just to mind, soul, and spirit.

Why is materialism "meaningless"? The short answer: If it were true, there would be no possibility for any meaning whatsoever. A slightly longer answer is that materialism harbors a self-destructive contradiction. The only reason materialism exists as a worldview is because beings with consciousness invented it. However, the indisputable fact of consciousness is precisely what materialism is utterly at a loss to explain. In the absence of an explanation for consciousness, materialism must insert a miracle to account for mind emerging from wholly mindless matter. But miracles are precisely what materialism denies are possible. In a nutshell, the problem is this: In order to be true, materialism must be false! Philosophically, that's a real problem.

This is what I explore in Radical Nature and Radical Knowing. And whereas I show how the philosophy of "radical naturalism" offers an alternative that includes and honors both matter and spirit, Lorimer's Radical Prince (and Charles' own writing) spells out in clear detail the dangerous and even disastrous consequences of a paradigmatic denial of a more-than-physical world. But beyond that: We see a prince ceaselessly enacting a radically different worldview.

Lorimer skillfully takes us into the heart and soul of this controversial prince, and shows us why Charles is "radical" in three important ways. "First, he insists that we need to rediscover our roots in a living tradition in order to retain a sense of meaning and direction" [as a society and as a species]. "Second, the Prince identifies the root cause of many of our current problems in the one-sided philosophy of modernism" [i.e., materialism]. Third, Charles sees that in order to redress these profound and widespread problems, "the kind of action required is that which addresses the level of causes rather than tinkering with symptoms, and that one of the best ways of demonstrating that is through example."

"Through example . . ." Therein lies the potency of this book and Charles' lifework. Reading Radical Prince, we realize that Lorimer's words ring true: "The Prince is no armchair philosopher, but a man of action with a passion." We learn that he is not just a profoundly caring philosopher who has contributed new-paradigm visions and ideas to a wide spectrum of social and ecological issues, but that he is also a tireless and pragmatic "man of action," who walks his talk. The second half of the book offers readers deep insight into the motivations and actions behind the long list of charities, trusts, and foundations set up and managed by the Prince of Wales and his team.

Anyone interested in the practical implications of realigning the worlds of science and spirit (in holistic medicine and food production, in integral ecology and education, in enlightened business and urban planning, not to mention consciousness studies) will benefit greatly from reading this book. If you are someone who is aware of Charles mainly as the problematic prince in the life of Princess Dianna, Lorimer's book should open your mind and heart to the depth and passion of a visionary who far transcends the superficial soundbytes and paparazzi images portrayed in the popular press.

As Lorimer notes: Radical Prince Charles is a visionary monarch "ahead of his time"-a shining example of someone using the power of tradition and privilege to light the way to a brighter future for all.

This book might best be described as a companion to an earlier volume entitled "Reagan, In His Own Hand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan that Reveal His Revolutionary Vision for America," The format is identical to the earlier book and the content is similar, but, in my view, this is a much superior work. I say that because a larger percentage of the commentaries included in this volume focus on Reagan's thoughts and ideas concerning the national and international affairs of his time, the thoughts and ideas which shaped his presidency and which made him one of America's greatest, most successful, and most revered presidents.

Like the earlier volume, this is the kind of book which can be read a bit and then set aside and returned to later with no loss of continuity, since each brief essay is a stand-alone item. And best of all, since these commentaries were written by Reagan for broadcast on the radio they reflect the soft easy-going literary style of America's "great communicator." The book also includes a CD containing twenty of Reagan's broadcasts.

But if you are not inclined to read the entire book, at least read a few of his brief essays. My suggestions would be: Medical Care (pg. 181); Inflation (pg. 186); Farm Day (pg. 268); Bakke (pg. 274); Budget (pg. 276); Local Control I (pg. 279); Local Control II (pg. 280); Government Security (pg. 291); Health Care (pg. 302); Oil (pg. 309); Drugs (pg. 313); Money (pg. 314); Salaries (pg. 315); Stamps (pg. 320); Inflation (pg. 328); District of Columbia (pg. 363); Pensions (pg. 371); Business Tax (pg. 385); Textbooks (pg. 388); Birthday Party (pg. 393); Patent Medicine II (pg. 406); Inflation (pg. 425); Jonestown (pg. 435); Three Mile Island I (pg. 438); Three Mile Island II (pg. 440); Oil (pg. 442); and Vietnam War (pg. 453).

If you read these, you will learn a lot about how our government really works; about centralized government, the federal bureaucracy and the problems they cause; and about how some of our nation's current problems came about and, most enlightening, Reagan's views as to what must be done to fix them. Of course, if you read them you may also decide that you really do want to read the rest of the book.

Having already read almost fifty books by and about Ronald Reagan, his family, and his administration, I must admit that I was suffering severe Reagan burnout when I encountered this one. But, despite some mixed feelings, I read it and once again marveled at the depth of Reagan's insight, his patriotism, and his humanity, as well as the broad scope of his reasoning. Many professional politicians seem to crave the power of America's presidency but do nothing to earn it. Through these essays, Ronald Reagan actually prepared himself for the job. I wonder if anyone else has ever done that.

Never the lightweight portrayed by the media, this collection of 300 addresses shows how Ronald Reagan honed his message in the crucial years leading up to his presidential run.

The late 1970s were times of tumult. Following Vietnam and Watergate, the country was adrift, unsure of its foreign and domestic mandate. Between 1975 and 1979 Reagan delivered more than 1,000 radio addresses, of which he himself wrote 680.

Reagan argued in vain against the Panama Canal treaties. He was against the prevailing view that the Vietnam War was wrong. He counseled against détente with the Soviet Union; against the growth of regulation; and against the tax burden.

Yet he was fundamentally an optimist. His positive positive, values-based prescriptions for the economy and for Soviet relations were welcome prescriptions during this period of what President Jimmy Carter termed "malaise." Reagan told inspiring stories; he applauded charities and small businesses that worked to overcome challenges.

In short, he touched voters. This history of Reason's pre-presidential thoughts provides unique insights not just into Reagan's policy thinking, but also into his status as a master communicator.

Ecological understanding is a must for all generations. For those with the courage to think through the implications of an ecological world view and want to learn the scientific concepts which help facilitate greater understanding of natural systems, leading to (hopefully) better decisions regarding resource use, this is a great book. By tackling recursion and non-linear causation at multiple time scales and cognitive levels, Harrie-Jones helps enrich the recuriveness of population level learning. Bateson was, NO DOUBT, one of the most challenging thinkers of his generation. Struggling at all times to keep his focus on how to make nature and communication more intelligible to more people so that they would have the tools and wisdom to see the consequences of their action on both other people and the planet. Rigorous and enchanting cognitive medicine for all those working to make a better world.

The best explanation of Gregory Bateson's ideas I have read! An amazing achievement by Peter Harries-Jones! Understand mind in Nature or be doomed! Politics must become aesthetic & beautiful for the optimal survival of humans on Earth or space. Continues examples of nature of autopoeisis, artificial life, Varela & Maturana, and interesting ideas about consciousness in biology... very good on showing biology as closed 'information' systems. A real ecological understanding!

My Aunt just had her eyes done at Long Island Eye Care... her descision was totally influenced by reading this and two other books on eye surgeries. She ended up avoiding Lasik and going with Mike Sable, a master. No scaring or pain, on visible anything 24 hours after the procedure...no dry eye... go to the Jordan of Surgery in your area if you are messing with your eyes. Cut no corners and read and study to inform this most crittical of descisions.

This book gave me all the information that I needed in order to make an educated decision regarding which refractive surgery was right for me. It is written in terms that a regular person can comprehend, which in turn, enabled me to communicate with my own physician more clearly.

I highly recommend this book if you are considering refractive surgery of any kind. You'll be glad you did!

To revive the liberal movement in America and achieve future policy success, Princeton Professor Doug Massey argues that liberals need to articulate how their issue positions will speak and can speak to the everyday needs of people and how this has been done in the past.

Massey points out that the conservative movement benefits very few people, but effective marketing (and the subsequent positioning) has made all of the difference. People honestly believing that they are also included in the 'beneficiaries' of a conservative policy are not necessarily going to stop and read the very fine print.

But, it's the fine print which catches the 'everybody else' every single time. Conservative politicians talk about 'common people's lives' because they have learned this is what brings in the votes, but they remain as detached and self-absorbed as ever. They still want a majority of the wealth concentrated in a compact segment.

A key strength of Massey's work is that it recognizes the power of economic systems to bring about political and social transformation. Viewing markets as autonomous entities apart from politics ultimately proves disastrous and we need to be articulating how our world view will ultimately benefit other people in 'concrete ways' inside their own daily lives.

The best part of the book is Dr. Massey's unflinching view of how the liberals essentially led to their own downfall thanks to the excesses of the 1970s identity politics and neglect of the working poor and middle-class.

His Chapter 3 is worth the price of the book as it outlines a great argument to the conservative's rallying cry of free markets. Liberals need to embrace the concept of "fair markets" as the best response to conservative slurs of liberals as being socialists.

I found this book a very rewarding read. The author is extremely widely read and has the ability to systematize and synthesise a vast number of ideas from different wisdom traditions, bringing out the parallels between western esotericism and eastern spiritual traditions. Having been a little ambivalent about theosophy in the past, I found the discussion of the ideas of authors such as Blavatsky and Annie Besant very interesting, since it illustrated that these authors did have a very genuine and enlightened perspective on spiritual matters. Most of all though, the book shows how enduring and pervasive the perennial philosophy is, running through eastern and western traditions from ancient to contemporary times.

In style and content, somewhere between Huston Smith's "Forgotten Truth" and Helena Blavatsky's "The Secret Doctrine", this is one of the most important works on the esoteric wisdom to emerge in recent years. As Smith himself says on the cover, John Holman's portrait of the esoteric cosmos is close to being magisterial, but what I found most useful was the juxtaposition of esoteric and transpersonal psychology. I would recommend this book to fans of Ken Wilber as well as perennialist authors such as Smith and Blavatsky - it has the potential to become a new classic.

This small book is a powerful work from early Christianity that was popular in its day but excluded from the canon. It has a clarity greater than many of the Gnostic gospels that are read today. I will be giving this small but powerful book as a gift to many friends this year.

The Shepherd of Hermas is an early Christian text which was a serious contender for inclusion in the canon. It was rejected not on doctrinal grounds but on grounds that the anonymous author was not in the direct apostolic line i.e. an apostle or companion / disciple of an apostle. Robert Van de Weyer has provided a very readable condensation of the book.

The book itself consists of revelations including parables, commandments, etc. from which contrition and a desire to know God's ways are enhanced. The primary characters of the revelation are women personifying the Church and/or various virtues and angels especially a "guardian angel" or shepherd. Mountains, stones and trees are frequent images in the building up of the Church or in the judgment of Christians. The recipient of the revelation is an unlettered Christian slave; this leads to an emphasis on understanding with the heart rather than intellectual knowledge.

To give a bit of the flavor of the book, the twelve commandments received by and explained to the slave are:
1. Believe that God is one
2. Be as simple and innocent as a little child
3. Love truth
4. Keep your minds free of any impure thoughts
5. Be courageous and yet prudent
6. Control your temper
7. Always keep faith
8. Fear the Lord, and keep his commandments
9. Show temperance
10. Ensure that you are not two-minded or hypocritical
11. Be joyful
12. Put away from yourself all evil desire, and put on yourself only desires which are good and holy.

This book is useful for those interested in early Christianity or as devotional reading.

Books of this quality are rare. For anyone interested in the underlying patterns which orchestrate existence, this book superbly details, describes, compares and analyzes major cosmological concepts and ideas. I heartfelt wish the author, drawing upon 25 years of living these ideas, would write a sequel discussing what he has learned through his sojourn in Indonesia.

A must read for those interested in seeing the connection of mysticism and our natural world.

This book will stand the test of time. Published in 1975 at the height of the "consciousness movement" of the 60's & 70's this book blends myths, magic and religion to modern natural science and leaves the reader wanting more. Author Blair takes the reader on a step by step journey through the transformation of consciousness from the past to the present supported from the microcosm to macrocosm.

This book is a comfortable read though in its simplicity it evokes the reader's own sense of wonderment about the world around him/her.

This book never gets boring. It stimulates and educates. Next time you fly, turn off that awful in-flight movie and read this book!

This book is every bit as timely as the original 1975 printing. It began as the author's doctoral thesis on mysticism, ultimately blending a variety of disciplines into a multifaceted jewel of perception. The preface to this reprint is an account of the author's looking back, with bemusement, at having written the book and the deep ramifications that this had in his life (which included his later explorations with his brother that led to the "Ring of Fire" PBS series about Indonesia). For anyone who enjoys a synergistic blend of science and metaphysics, served with scholarly, yet very spellbinding, prose bordering on poetry, this book is a must.

outstanding description of the history ,meaning and use of thangkas .good explanations which are easily understood even by those who are not very well versed in buddhism .the kind of book I have been looking for over so many years.

Lucky me. I spent the better part of today at the Metropolitan Museum of Art standing before fifty-five incredible 11th through the mid-15th century paintings from one of the great Buddhist civilizations of Asia. I've got to go back tomorrow. Luckily, in the meantime, I have Sacred Visions.If you can, see this exhibition and do not leave the Museum without the accompanying catalogue with wonderful reproductions and essays by noted scholars such as Steven M. Kossack, of the Met, Jane Casey Singer, Tibetan Art Historian, and Robert Bruce-Gardner, from London's Courtauld Institute. One will learn how Buddhism spread from India through Tibet and the effect the religion had on Tibet's people and, hence, its art.The details of the beautifully reproduced works of art are chosen to help illustrate the subtle and important aspects of the Tibetan artist while diagrams, such as for the Vajravarahi Mandala, further explain the iconography. I brought the book into the exhibition to gleen as much information as I could while standing before each work.If you have any interest in Tibet, rush to this exhibition (it closes 1.17.99) to see some beautifully presented mandalas, book covers, etc. If you cannot, you are not "settling" by any means to peruse the catalogue as you will witness Taras, portraits of Lamas, that are not only unique for their beauty and intelligence, but for the remarkable fact that we have them to admire.