Gateway Books

The book is an easy read upon the concepts of Theosophy, which is a complex subject, indeed. The author's personal way of writing conveys the material in an easy to read, but correct and direct way.
Excellent book!

One should watch the video production from the theosophical website as a company product for this book. That is how I have started it. The book is just a hardcopy version as a reference to the wonderful production. The problem is with Madame Blavatsky's books and other esoteric works is the Oxford English used that most ill educated Americans either have hard time reading and/or understanding.

Theosophy and ancient wisdom are fascinating subjects. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of good introductory reading material in the field aimed at the armchair philosopher/theologian. The few introductory books I have explored through the decades seem to presume both previous knowledge and the readers desire to decode a lot of arcane thinking. Or the subject is downgraded into New Age self-help.

"Secret Gateway" is a book I suspect many have been waiting for. It is by far the most clear and practical introduction to theosophical theory I have seen. Using illustrative examples that are easily grasped, the author gives a no-nonsense introduction to esoteric principles reflected in worldwide wisdom traditions, and demonstrates many possible connections to modern scientific theory as well. Chopra is probably more marketable, but for clarity and accuracy "Gateway" is as good as it gets.

Members and friends of the Theosophical Society have long benefitted from Ed Abdill's lectures and classes. With this book, his perspective on the inner tradition as presented in Theosophy is finally available to a wider audience. In his accessible style, Abdill ranges across topics from the metaphysics of Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine to the founding and history of the Theosophical Society to instructions for meditation. For anyone interested in Theosophy as a spiritual path, Abdill's book is an ideal place to start.

Richard's well well rounded, broad based, super grounded presentation is invaluable to anyone interested in a deeper understanding and meaning of yoga. The material is spiritual without new age fluff or ego getting in the way. Priceless.

The Yoga Matrix is an excellent and in depth study of yoga from many different angles. It is an invaluable aid for serious students of yoga of all traditions. I will listen to it again and again as each time one discovers more subtle aspects of this fascinating discipline.

These tapes are simply as good as it gets. To have some human being with the most intimate knowledge (from practice and academics) of the myriad of yoga forms commit to media his insights is truly a gift from the yogic Gods. Thank you O unknowable One.
He is the king of metaphors. This allows the inducement of one's own imagination to embrace what is largely un-embraceable subject due to its variagated, misquoted, misunderstood and paradoxical nature. He reads Sanskirt so this is not the hearsay one might get from 99.9% of Western teachers. He has studied the major texts and minor texts so he understands the context from which he imparts his wisdom and commentaries. He also has a firm grip of our Western socio-cultural perspective from which most of us will listen to these words. And yet there is an informal tone that comes from someone who speaks from the heart, from terse notes, from years of Dharma talk experience.
Not since Alan Watts have we had an East West translator as compelling as Richard Freeman. One need not be labled "yogi" or "student of yoga" to appreciate and gain from these talks.
After listening over and over when learns to approach the world with "fresh eyes" and the art of letting paradox be.

3 Years ago a yoga teacher told me to buy the Yogamatrix and listen to it. Because Richard Freemann teaches Ashtange Vinyasa Yoga I didn't buy the item. Now that I bought the item I can only applaude and bow in deep respect to Richard Freemann. During the whole audio book he does not mention Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga once or for that matter any other specific Hatha Yoga system. He has a beautiful voice and I listen to his different chapters over and over again. I'm a Yogateacher and have practised Yoga for 10 years and tought it for 3 years now. I've been to India many times. This audio book is abundant with truth and knowledge about Yoga in a simple, compact way. If every teacher of yoga and ever student of yoga would listen to this book the Yogaworld would be an even better place.

I have really enjoyed reading "Calling Our Spirits Home:Gateways to Full Consciousness" by Carla Woody

I have been on a self-improvement/self-awareness path for the last few years. All things that I have done seem to lead to spirituality.

What I have really enjoyed about Carla's book is that it helped me realize that you can have spirituality on your terms. There is no right and wrong. It doesn't matter which path your life has taken you can still improve on it and create the life that was meant to be yours. It was particularly exciting for me because I live in Ohio and enjoyed the Ohio references.

I had bought Carla's book for a friend in the midst of changing careers in hopes of influencing her to follow her soul's intention with greater self-confidence. I read the book myself in order to have better discussions that I know would arise as she employs the book in her life. Well, I in for a surprise...

As a guy who has spent the past half-decade working through personal, emotional pain, feeling I now have a better understand my life (in work, relationship, etc.) I still discovered for myself new paradigms for approaching Life in Calling Our Spirits Home: new ways of looking at the pain and frustrations I still harbor as positive guides toward understanding in relationships, overcoming fears of inadequacy that yet hinder my life's work. In short, I feel I was led to this book through my good intentions to help a friend and was rewarded in kind.

The book is simply written and easily understood. Always pertinent, potentially difficult concepts are wonderfully illustrated through examples of many Individuals' struggles and their interpretations leading to eventual understanding and changes for the better. I found the stories easy to relate to since they often pertain to my own life's experiences, and almost always add a new dimension.

I know this book will do wonders for my friend as it has already helped me in my Life-Work. I hope it will also help you.

The path of transformation and growth toward wholeness can be a lonely, confusing and sometimes frustrating process. What I got from reading Carla's book was validation that my search, albeit eclectic, was not unusual. The path of spiritual consciousness or return to Source has not felt linear, rational, or logical to me. It has been more like as written on the back of this book, "a maze of possibilities," with numerous stops and starts; blazing new trails where it feels like no one else has gone before, and then often retracing my steps to just start all over again. After turning the last page of the book I had a feeling of being nurtured and validated for my "out of the box" way of searching, and a deep sense of compassion for my personal struggles in answering the Call.

This is a book rich with references and resources from others who have traveled this road, a wonderful amalgamation of spiritual wisdom for which I am grateful to have as a "flashlight" to illuminate the course on those dark nights seeking wisdom and guidance.

While this book didn't give me the answers to all the questions I've been asking, it did remind me and suggest ways to "live" the questions. And how to live the questions feels more important to me at this stage than the answers.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for inspiration and/or guidance while trekking the evolutionary path of the soul.

What makes this page turner so remarkable is that it recounts actual events. If this were fiction, I would have dismissed the book as way too "out there" to merit a willing suspension of disbelief. Simply put, I would not have bothered to read such an outrageous "story" as Leonhard describes. But, as they say, truth is stranger than fiction. If you enjoy gripping drama, history, psychology, biography, suspense, and/or all of the above, this book is for you!

A german child growing up inside USSR in the dark age of stalin. Growing up as a young stalinist through the scholar sistem and with his mother prisoner in the gulag. His experience sufering the repression of 1937 - 1938, the WWII and finally the build of the DDR (GDR). This is the vision from an experience and high training soviet scholar, and his progressive discover of the hard and inhuman reality of the soviet system.
Leonhard is one of the most important experts in marxism.

The son of a German communist decides into to seek refuge in the USSR insteadof England,hoping for his dreams of a working class state coming true.After happy years at a school for German communist emmigrants,he is winess of Stalin's turn towards Hitler.The Germen communists,no longer privileged,are sent to Kasakhstan or - shot or sent to the GULAGs.Leonhardt is hapy enough to be trained as a communist functionary at a Komintern school.he is one of the Communist delegation,led by Stalin's messenger ULBRICHT,to fly to Germany.He realises in 1948 at the latest the secret intrigue ULBRICHTS against everyone who wants
a new,democratic Germany and wants his socialist ideals come true.But Ulbricht's policy is a Stalinist system - cynically disguised as a democratic state. In 1948 Leonhardt seeks asylum in the then socialist Yugoslavia.

This book has all the accurate information one needs to know about retiring in the major gringo havens in Mexico. Chocked full of excellent information, much more valuable than any seminar given in Mexico. I highly recommend it.

This book gives down to earth info on relocating to Mexico; it is a great resource. Very readable style. Author reveals his love of the country and people and the reader will most likely have to discard some previous misconceptions about this country. I was ready to pack my bags after reading it.

Well-researched and thorough, Choose Mexico is a no-holds-barred primer for anyone contemplating life in Mexico.

Good book for learning the basics of computer such as hardware, software, and input/output devices, etc.

I used this book when I was teaching junior high computer literacy; that was five years ago and even then it got rave reviews from the students AND parents. While some of the verbiage was a bit complicated for junior high age, I just directed them to skip certain sections. The pictures and explanations continue to be excellent--certainly, the best book I reviewed on the subject.

Great book that summarizes ICT related information for High School computer courses.
Useful as a written resource for both students and teachers, and for teachers trying to help students look for resources beyond Wikipedia...
Basic information only, but covers a lot of ground. The best 'beginners' textbook that I have come across and used.

What is the real purpose of life? Where did it originate? Who or what is God? If there is a Supreme Being, who or what created him? How old is the universe? What was before the Universe? How big is the Universe? Is there intelligent life elsewhere in the cosmos? Are they friendly? Have they visited earth? Do they want to? Is there really paranormal activity? If so, what is its purpose? Can man utilize his brain to achieve alter levels of reality?

Do you want to know the answers to these questions? Many people do but are afraid to seek the answers. Centuries of training by organized religious beliefs has resulted in feelings of guilt for many when searching for answers that seem to conflict with religious beliefs. The quest for the truth is never wrong. Just as there is always more than one side to a story in a modern day courtroom, there must be more than one side to the story of mankind's history. It is said that history is written by the victors...so what really happened?

Shadow People Books are the products of the imagination of Louis Poessel. A student of the many possibilities in the unknown and unproven, Louis believes that there is much more to our existence than we realize. His stories offer the science fiction fan a different twist to the traditional and subject matter for his books and writings can be controversial.

Exploration of the unknown presents fascinating topics. Today's theories include the `string theory' as well as alternate or parallel universes. If in fact this proves to be correct, the `big bang' theory becomes an event that may be a common occurrence. What implications might it have for man and our reality? Perhaps the great distances of the cosmos are but micro measurements in a colossal system of some sort. Or maybe our universe is a microscopic system. We already know that time measured in human terms seems to be an insignificant measure when compared to whatever or whoever this system really is. Perhaps we were never meant to find answers to questions that seem beyond the scope of our understanding. Maybe life and in turn intelligent life is simply a parasite that clings to a system ever changing.

Great minds of the past have provided the basic tools of discovery. Today finding the `theory of everything' is the goal of many. Tomorrow may bring with it answers to many questions but more importantly it will bring more questions that need answers! Those who search will surely discover situations that seem impossible, but only those that dare confront the unknown will find answers in the pages of Shadow People Books.
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This is the best of the best. It combines a great paranormal plot, is just the right length to read when traveling, and will make a great movie! I recommend it to all...sure to become a best seller!

A new talent has emerged from the writing pool. This is a keeper!
Recommend it highly!

If Ronald Reagan is the great communicator, Burke must be the extraordinary communicator. Someone once said that pages of Burke are like sheets of fire.

        During the time he lived, in the 18th century, most political leaders were hereditary aristocrats, but Burke, like Cicero, did not descend from generations of prominent leaders. He earned his leadership in British politics through the power of his mind, by studying political principles and applying them to real circumstances. A superficial look at Burke's career might tempt one to dismiss him as a failure. Most of the causes to which he devoted himself were not successful in his lifetime.

        Prior to the American Revolution, he wrote brilliantly on behalf of conciliation between Britain and the American colonies. He argued for fair treatment of India by Britain. He argued for fair treatment of the Irish by the British and for Catholic emancipation in England. In time these positions won acceptance, but the acceptance came after Burke's death.

        Fortunately, he did live long enough to see the triumph of the greatest work of his life: his effort to awaken his country to the fundamentally destructive but superficially attractive nature of the French Revolution. His thorough and, I believe, inspired condemnation of the French Revolution swept British majority opinion. To Burke, more than any other politician of his time, goes the credit for creating the intellectual force which saved Europe from revolutionary chaos and dictatorship.

        Modern-day conservatives are also profoundly in his debt, as his writings against the French revolution provided the philosophical foundation for anti-communism in particular and ordered liberty in general. Read Burke. All his writings on government and politics are a rich ore, studded with gems of wisdom.

What a heady time were the late 1700's. For hundreds, even thousands, of years, Western man had been saddled with monarchy; kings who were said to rule by divine right. But by the end of the 18th century, Martin Luther, John Locke and Adam Smith had propounded the essential framework for modern liberal capitalist democracy and the Revolution in America had launched a grand experiment based on those ideas. Then came the French Revolution and it was blithely assumed that here again Liberty was on the march. When suddenly, rising to meet the tide of history, came Edmund Burke to excoriate the Jacobins and denounce the Revolution. In so doing, he not only did mankind a great service, by sounding the alarms against unchecked liberty, he also basically gave birth to modern Conservatism. Today, after a long period in the wilderness, particularly during the Cold War, Edmund Burke has come roaring back into fashion. In a sense, he has finally won his argument with the defenders of the French Revolution, two hundred years after the fact, and is reaping the spoils.

For two centuries a controversy has raged over Burke's political philosophy, in particular whether the great defender of American, Irish and Indian rights was inconsistent in opposing the French Revolution. The very existence and the stubborn persistence of this controversy seem to demonstrate either a complete misunderstanding or a willful misrepresentation of Burke's basic arguments. One suspects it's a bit of both. The greatness of Burke lies in the fact that he was among the first, and certainly the most eloquent, defenders of democracy to recognize the dangers it entails; that power in the hands of the masses is just as great a threat to liberty as when it lies in the hand of a dictator or king. This point had been amply demonstrated in France, where the revolutionists had quickly abandoned any concern for personal freedom and had moved on to a bloody demand for equality--freedom's enemy.

It is here that we arrive at the key point that divides the modern Left and Right. The Left believes (a la Rousseau) that man is by nature "good" and all men are born with equal abilities, but that environmental factors and corrupt institutions warp individuals, making some evil and keeping others from realizing their full potentials; which if realized would make them equal to other men. The goal of the Left is therefore to remove, by any means necessary, these environmental and institutional impediments and return to an imagined state of nature where all men are good and are equally able; where Man will be governed by pure reason.

The Right, on the other hand, recognizes that man is inately "evil"; that is, evil in the sense that he is self centered and will generally act in his own interest not the interest of others. Moreover, men are inherently unequal; in the state of nature, the able will tyrannize the less able. It is for these reasons that men form governments in the first place; to protect themselves from one another. The goal of the Right is to provide each individual with the greatest personal freedom and utmost opportunity to realize his potential, consistent with the basic safety concerns that gave birth to the state in the first instance. Conservatives realize that pure reason will not lead men to treat each other with justice, by nature, men will always seek advantage over one another. The State and other institutions safeguard us against this eventuality.

This fundamental difference can not be overstated. Prior to the 18th century, the Left would have included all democrats, while the Right would have been made up of monarchists and supporters of aristocracy. But beginning with the French Revolution, this fissure separated the regnant liberal forces into two competing camps, setting the stage for the two century long contest that ended in the early 1990's with the fall of the Soviet Union. Both sides would produce great men, original theorists, brilliant writers and magnificent orators, but none of them would ever surpass Burke and his mastery of all these fields. Rare are the men who so clearly perceive the fundamental issues that confront mankind. They seem at times to be travelers from the future, come to warn us about what horrors the years to come will hold unless we obey their counsel. Rarer still are the occasions when we heed them. We can only imagine the millions of lives that would have been saved had people followed Burke's vision rather that that of Rousseau and Jefferson and Marx.

Happily, here in America, James Madison's Constitution embodies many of the same ideas and protects against many of the concerns which Burke expressed. The adoption of representative, rather than direct, democracy; the bicameral legislature and tripartite government; the careful system of checks and balances; the protection of basic rights from government interference: these are all, though we seldom discuss them in these terms, intended to protect the individual from the potentially tyrannical effects of democracy. When commentators speak of the genius of the American system, whether they realize it or not, it is to this central fact that they refer. So while critics have struggled to understand a false dichotomy in Burke's thought, we (and to a lesser extent the Brits) have enjoyed the fruits of a political system which assumes that his critique of democracy is less theory than received wisdom. For whatever reason, it took two hundred years and countless millions of lives before the rest of the world recognized what Burke (the bard) and Madison (the draftsman) had known all along; two centuries that proved them indisputably correct.

GRADE: A+

~Edmund Burke: Selected Writings and Speeches~ is a great anthology of conservative luminary Edmund Burke's political and social writings. Burke is considered by many to be the godfather of conservatism. The Irish-born British conservative entered Trinity College at Dublin in 1744 and later moved to London in 1750. In 1770, in his tract entitled the 'Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents,' he scolded George III for his efforts at undoing the hard-won liberties that were thought to have been secured by the Glorious Revolution. Burke was a champion of the rule of law, and surmised that prerogatives of the king may not usurp that law, and that even the magistrates are to be constrained by the law. He defended the constraining hand of Parliament against the king's usurpations and cronyism in political appointments. He supported principled, calm, deliberative criticism of royal prerogatives by Parliamentarians, which he held to be a vital link in the preservation of the British constitution and ordered liberty.

Burke was an Old Whig, and on the Right side of the political spectrum and had no rosy delusions about human nature. His contemporaries on the Left like Jean-Jacques Rousseau had a positive and a optimistic view of human nature, and in his eyes humanity merely needed to be liberated from the decadent enslaving institutions of civil society. On the other hand, Burke recognized man's sinful nature and innate depravity and incorporated the Augustinian-Christian doctrine of original sin into his political philosophy. "Whatever disunites man from God, also disunites man from man," declares Burke. What is more, Burke does not see equality as self-evident, but he astutely observes that inequality is part of the natural order of things. The ideal equality to strive for was equality before the law, not equality of condition or even opportunity. Burke recognized that the illusive search for equality was in fact destructive of the liberty that was to accompany it because egalitarian ideology was fundamentally at odds with human nature. For this reason, Burke was opposed to the French Revolution and scolded the Jacobin rebellion for its barbarity, its egalitarian tyranny, and the unattainable antinomy of absolute freedom that was sought after. He likewise abhorred the initial English enthusiasm for the events across the sea in France and lamented that such an upheaval would never afflict England. Yet Burke, an Old Whig was a champion of the Rights of the Englishmen, and spoke out on behalf of the American, Irish and the Indian colonials. "Good order is the foundation of all things," quipped Burke in his Reflections on the French Revolution. Burke offered much prescriptive wisdom about reforming and bettering civil society while conserving the vital remnants and traditions so vitally requisite to the continuity of civil society. He yielded his acquiescence of support to the American Cause of 1776 and the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Burke assailed the abuses perpetrated against American colonials in exploitative taxation, arbitrary suspension of the rights of colonials and an overall condescending attitude of contempt that pervaded the attitude of government towards the colonial subjects therein. Burke worked tirelessly for conciliation between British and American colonials, though the Tories prevailed and their efforts to spite and to subjugate the colonials only led to the American colonials' victorious secession by force of arms. Furthermore, Burke was opposed to the aggrandizing of power and the corruption of the law, and recognized that ordered liberty must be upheld. Burke observed, "Bad law is the worst sort of tyranny." He was practical and pragmatic to the extent needed without discarding first principles, as he accepted that, "All government-indeed, every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue and every prudent act-is founded on compromise and barter." Yet Burke was mistrustful of concentrated power and observed, "Those who have been once intoxicated with power, and have derived any kind of emolument from it, even though but for one year, never can willingly abandon it. They may be distressed in the midst of all their power; but they will never look to anything but power for their relief."

The reductionism and sophistry of modern critics casts conservatives as knaves who nostalgically seek preservation of the status quo irrespective of whatever tyrannies and social pathologies afflict the people. However, Burke above all shows that classical conservatism is not quixotic sentimentalism about tradition but rather a desire to conserve those vital remnants so necessary to continuation of ordered liberty while improving civil society through patient, contemplative, informed and calmly deliberative political dialogue. Sometimes standing up to sheer tyranny through resistance and civil disobedience is in order. Though, "Our patience will achieve more than our force," avowed Burke. Burke justly condemned the barbarity of the French Revolution and no doubt considers the interposition of the lesser magistrates as requisite in combating the usurpations of higher magistrates, ministers, and leaders.

All things considered, this brilliant anthology of Burke's more renowned works is certainly a great introduction to the perennial conservative.

Excellent information and many of the origional drawings. The information is very well organized and well researched. A very good semi technical documentation of Victor's work.

By far the very best book in the final 4 part series! If this book doesn't leave you in awe of Viktor Schauberger, and all that he did, then you better re-read it with you eyes open. This book is really only the beginning. It is time to move forward and re-educate people on Viktor's work and how to truly make some very amazing water, unlike most of the weak knock-offs on the market trying to pass themselves off as things Viktor would have approved of. If you love water or have even a small appreciation for all that Viktor did you will love this book.

This book, being the fourth and last of the Eco-Technology series, is an increadible finish. Naturally, all of the book deals with Viktor Schauberger, and his theories on living water, and the environement. This book, however, goes deeper into the actual inventions than the previous ones. It contains almost all of Schauberger's patent information, most of which, even though "lost" originally, is now amplified and explained by Callum Coats. The Trout Motor, the Repulsine, and the rest of Viktor's inventions fall in place like a well stacked deck of cards. You could very easily build these wonderful engines, yourself (with some help from a good machine shop, of coarse!). If you have waited for the conclusion of the series, your wait will be well worth the time. I highly suggest you pick up this copy.

i came across this book some years ago and i have to say it has touched me in a way no other book has. this poor women must frist live threw the pain and guilt of her ex husband shooting himself to death in her own home. then has to go threw the living hell of her only son doing the same a few years later. she goes in to great detail about the guilt she lives with and all of the what ifs. she tells of how she feels her job and boyfriend maybe took up to much of her time. this is a book that all mothers should read ..i still dont know how susan white lived threw this and went on to write other wonderful books god. bless her and her family. this book is so well written i read it in one seating and twice more over the years she tells you all aboyt her sons short life how he would bring her wild flowers his bike raceing the gris he dated and the one who broke his heart. if only someone had come forard and told her of his threats of killing himelf but i myself who as a young gril also tried to kill myself but by the grace of god a stomick pumping and a stay at a wonderful mential hosptail over came and recovered completly .and have become a mother myself of the most wonderful little boy.who i hope has the toos to deal with lifes pain unlike susan son and myself.

Susan's book about her son's suicide is a must read for all parents. It is heart breaking, but in her intensely personal story, she reaches out to help others understand what so many of us do not know. What you find out reading this book could save your child from possible self destruction. As a mother of three sons, I have read this book several times, and learn something about this courageous woman and her family each time. The untimely death of her son touched me deeply, and I feel some of her pain. As I said, it is a must read for parents, and I am pleased to see it available again.

When I first read Susan's book ,many years ago, I wondered how she managed to write a book exposing every raw nerve in her body. But I know why...she saw a chance to shine light on the very complex problem of teen suicide and to help people prevent and understand this tragedy. As far as I am concerned every young person and parent should read this book...it is well written and deals with this problem in a very human and honest way. The lady shows great courage in letting the world see her pain so maybe insight can be gained.