Book Description
An intimate glimpse into the world of ancient Peruvian spiritual practice and cosmology
• Reveals the mysteries of the world of living energy (kawsay pacha) through intensive in-depth interviews with six Q’ero mystics
• Explores the energetics, spirits, tools, and practices of Andean mysticism--the real story behind the fictionalized accounts in The Celestine Prophecy
Known as the “keepers of the ancient knowledge,” the Q’ero Indians of Peru are the most respected mystics of the south-central Andes. In 1996 Joan Parisi Wilcox traveled to the Andes and was able to record the mysteries of
kawsay pacha, the multidimensional world of living energy, through more than 40 hours of intensive interviews with six Q’ero paqos, masters of the ancient spiritual traditions of Peru.
The Q’ero are known for having preserved the Inca spiritual tradition more purely than any other indigenous population in the Andes. The in-depth interviews presented in this book recount the direct words of these masters so readers can discover for themselves the mind and heart space of these people. Four new chapters of this revised edition focus on the work of the mesa, the Andean form of a spiritual medicine bundle, and its use as a conduit for the healing energies of nature. The mesa is called the “heart’s fire” because it represents the finest energy--the energy of compassion--that a paqo cultivates while walking the sacred path. Wilcox provides instructions on how to make, activate, and work with a mesa, as well as other practical exercises showing how we can use the power of the Andean spiritual tradition in our own lives.
Customer Reviews:
Masters of the Living Energy: The Mystical World of the Q'ero of Peru.......2007-05-07
Was exactly what Iwas looking for. Book is in perfect shape and was shipped on time. Very pleased
Light work .......2007-03-06
Having recieved rites from the Q'ero I found Joan's book to be an impressive body of work.
Her intention to share the teachings of the shaman in an unbiased informative way felt impeccable to me. The work is devotional in presenting their truths as she struggled through two language translations. Her pointed questions allowed these masters to convey their wisdom within our frame of reference.
Her book is a reminder of our deep connection to the divine, at once a resource and a tool for our own work. I feel grateful to her for putting this divine mystery into words. I have not found any other resource to be as detailed reguarding the message the Q'ero wish to convey to us.
I recommend this book to anyone on the path of seeking more light for this universe.
A Book of Integrity - Reviewed by John M. Weiskopf.......2006-12-18
Over the last half of the 20th Century, alternative religions and spiritual practices have found increasing numbers of followers in Europe and North America. The practices of Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Meditation and Yoga have spread rapidly giving millions of people, who were once socialized in a more traditional Christian or Judaic philosophy, a new way to "connect" to the spiritual, find answers within themselves, and ultimately find meaning in today's world. Some people, whose religious philosophy and practice were rooted in European based religions, even found a preferred spiritual expression in the Native American traditions of the medicine wheel, spirit guides, ceremonial rituals, and dream prophecy.
However, this religious force has moved predominately from the East to the West. It has been only in the last few years that there has been a growing interest in spiritual healing and shamanic practices from below the equator, namely from the Amazon and the villages of the Andes in South America.
In her exceptional book Masters of the Living Energy, Joan Parisi Wilcox captures the ancient and sacred traditions of the Andes, namely the mystical world of the Q'ero of Peru. Of all of the Andean communities, the Q'ero Inca seemed to have been singled out to be, what Wilcox calls "the keepers of the ancient knowledge." What is extraordinary about her book is, by writing this book in a purist and painstaking way, that she too has become a keeper of this ancient knowledge. Through dozens of persistent and careful interviews with the most powerful Q'ero shaman, she has preserved not just the core of the Q'ero healing practices, but every detail of their rituals, the hierarchy of Q'ero paqos (shaman), the comprehensive energy body, the levels of Apus, the meaning and gift of the mesa, the despacho, and a comprehensive semantic which explains the intricate architecture of the Q'ero's spiritual cosmological system.
Masters of the Living Energy is a work of enormous integrity. You feel it on every page. The glossary in the back of the book emphasizes the meticulous detail and discipline of the Q'ero mystic ideology. The traditions of the Q'ero have been passed down by word-of-mouth for centuries from generation to generation. No book, no written record, has recorded this ancient oral tradition so well. The pure ancient Q'ero traditions have been unspoiled in the modern world's search for quick spiritual meaning in the name of healing, unlike offshoots of pure Buddhism, Yoga, and other spiritual practices, which have become popularized to appeal to a more universal following. Joan Parisi Wilcox has recorded the authenticity and complex sacred traditions of the Q'ero Inca. To her enormous credit, she has captured the Q'ero as they were centuries ago and as they struggle to remain.
John M. Weiskopf
Author of "The Ascendancy"
A Reader.......2006-07-25
Whatever you think of the content of this book, you can't fault the author for poor scholarship. One reviewer who does is so wrong on so many fronts that I feel compelled to correct several false and unfair charges. That reviewer obviously hasn't read the book, or he or she would know that Wilcox makes it a point in her text to discuss her choices for transcribing the Quechua. She tells the reader outright that she is using an English convention for plurals instead of the Quechua "-kuna" ending. Quechua is not a "sacred language" as the reviewer suggests. It is among the most widely spoken languages in South America, the language of the indigenous Andean peoples, and was adopted by the Inca during their rule as their administrative language. To claim it is some kind of "sacred language" is not only naive, but is wrong. However, Quechua wasn't a written language until after the Spanish conquest, and so there are various schools of spelling. The author even tells us which academic dictionary she is relying on for her spelling choices, so she covers that aspect of her scholarship, too! Wilcox also mentions why she calls "outsiders" to the indigenous culture "Westerners," which is a catchall term used by some in the Andes to refer to mestizos and to lump together others from the developed, non-rural world who come to work with the indigenous paqos. What is more, Wilcox hired a world expert on gathering Andean oral histories, Ricardo Valderrama, as her Quechua translator, so you can't fault her for the translations. And just to educate the reviewer about his or her own errors, the Spanish word "don" (which means something like "Mr." in English and is a sign of respect) is always lowercased except at the beginning of a sentence, as is the word "indigenous." Again, you may not like Wilcox's views on things, but if you are going to trash her scholarship you should at least be accurate and informed! In my view, if you want a carefully researched and respectful approach to the Andean spiritual tradition, and not some New Age sentimental interpretation, this is a book you can trust in both its scholarship and its respect for the tradition and the paqos she interviewed.
Very enlightning info about the most beautiful people on the planet........2006-03-27
Having been to Peru and studied with shamans (coastal highlands, Q'eros and Amazonian), I found this book to be very accurate in its portrayal of the Q'ero. The rituals apparently haven't changed much since she did her research. Contrary to other reviewers, I noticed that the Q'ero are very adamant in trying to not change and adapt to the influx of westerners. Please keep researching and writing Joan.
Thanks. Munay.
Average customer rating:
- Wonderfully representative of Pompeii
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Eros in Pompeii: The Erotic Art Collection of the Museum of Naples
Michael Grant
Manufacturer: Stewart, Tabori, & Chang
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Looking at Lovemaking: Constructions of Sexuality in Roman Art, 100 B.C. - A.D. 250
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Eroticism in Pompeii
ASIN: 1556706200 |
Customer Reviews:
Wonderfully representative of Pompeii.......2000-06-18
When one visits Pompeii one of the first things that becomes evident is the erotic nature of the art. Even many of the souvenirs are erotic in nature. So, this book seems particularly appropriate. While eros becomes a theme uniting the book, it discusses the history and daily life in Pompeii as well as giving information of the excavation and discoveries of Pompeii.
The book also points out the important fact that many of these erotic art ojects were not strictly for brothels but appeared in every day life. The penis, for instance, was a good-luck charm that appeared on buildings, erotic images were carved onto ordinary household items, so these things did not hold the controversy for ancient Pompeii that they might for readers of more "modern" sensibilities.
This is an excellent book, which, I believe, gives readers a real feeling for the ancient city of Pompeii . It would be quite useful for anyone planning a trip or interested in learning more about the culture of the city.
Book Description
It is a widespread prejudice of modern, scientific society that "magic" is merely a ludicrous amalgam of recipes and methods derived from primitive and erroneous notions about nature. Eros and Magic in the Renaissance challenges this view, providing an in-depth scholarly explanation of the workings of magic and showing that magic continues to exist in an altered form even today.
Renaissance magic, according to Ioan Couliano, was a scientifically plausible attempt to manipulate individuals and groups based on a knowledge of motivations, particularly erotic motivations. Its key principle was that everyone (and in a sense everything) could be influenced by appeal to sexual desire. In addition, the magician relied on a profound knowledge of the art of memory to manipulate the imaginations of his subjects. In these respects, Couliano suggests, magic is the precursor of the modern psychological and sociological sciences, and the magician is the distant ancestor of the psychoanalyst and the advertising and publicity agent.
In the course of his study, Couliano examines in detail the ideas of such writers as Giordano Bruno, Marsilio Ficino, and Pico della Mirandola and illuminates many aspects of Renaissance culture, including heresy, medicine, astrology, alchemy, courtly love, the influence of classical mythology, and even the role of fashion in clothing.
Just as science gives the present age its ruling myth, so magic gave a ruling myth to the Renaissance. Because magic relied upon the use of images, and images were repressed and banned in the Reformation and subsequent history, magic was replaced by exact science and modern technology and eventually forgotten. Couliano's remarkable scholarship helps us to recover much of its original significance and will interest a wide audience in the humanities and social sciences.
Customer Reviews:
Uncanny insights poorly expressed .......2007-09-30
According to Couliano, "the crowning wish of the historian of ideas is...to glimpse" a historical period's unique "hermeneutic filter." The 'hermeneutic filter' is the set of biases and prejudices with which a generation interprets and distorts the ideas it has inherited. Judged by this standard, the book is a huge success. The diligent reader will unearth many uncanny insights into the renaissance mind and its understanding of magic.
However, the writing is just TERRIBLE. This seems to be the author's fault and not the translator's. Expect to wrestle with vague pronouns, run-on sentences, undefined terms, and a general lack of both chronological order and topical focus. 'Eros' itself is never defined or explicitly distingished from 'Platonic love,' 'Socratic love,' 'courtly love,' or 'lust.' When Couliano mentions "the Philosopher of Stagira' the reader is expected to know he is refering to Aristotle. Similarly 'the Florentine Plato' is (presumably) Marsilio Ficino (but that's just my guess). Despite the brevity of this text, the level of academic detail is mindnumbing, and the reader must endure many sterile pages between each 'money shot.'
The problem seems to be Couliano's own 'hermeneutic filter.' Since he was writing for other historians of the Renaissance he presumes a high level of specialized knowledge. Since he was addressing the french academy of the early 1980's, the book is steeped in continental philosophy and written in obnoxiously florid prose. If you are not this sort of specialist, you will still find a lot of valuable stuff - just be be prepared to do some intellectual history of your own.
magic still among us.......2007-06-29
Great book. Some people think he was murdered for spilling the beans. He was fondly called the 'professor' by the librarians at the Vatican Library to give you an idea of his grasp of the subject matter...This book traces modern mass hypnosis (media) back to its roots and the 'bonding' of the masses elucidated by Bruno among others in the Renaissance. One of the unstated themes of the book is that modern man is really in worse shape than his Medieval ancestors who could see 'magic' for what it was. Today, the same magical bonds, manipulation and delivery system are disguised in psychology, pharmamcology, religion, medicine, scientific world-views and its state-sponsored perfection is masked behind static stage sets named things like public policy, public relations, communications studies, think tanks...they sell their 'bonds' with catch phrases like 'personal freedom', 'liberation', 'progress', 'free-markets'... Couliano had a personal history that allowed him to witness two different types of state sorcery : communist Romania and later the west and the United States. The book delivers a subtle warning to the West that they may be leaving the 'magical' manipulation the Western States have practiced since the Renaissance and moving toward a new form of state savagery perfected by the communist regimes in the 20th century...a situation made possible by man's inability to see the magic or having been completely put to sleep by it...a dangerous vulnerability and trust in the 'experts'-cum-magicians. The mass consciousness is becoming unconscious, swaying with every trend and nod and wink from the puppet masters...This book is heavy duty if you read between the lines...i think the powers-that-be feared his next one...God Bless His Soul. Pax Vobiscum.
philosophies of science and magic.......2006-02-12
This book argues that modern science is born after the Renaissance, and represents an entirely new manner of acquring and working with knowledge. As such, Couliano argues, modern science does not represent a linear extension or progression of Renaissance science, but rather a wholesale replacement, which essentially abandons avenues of exploration opened by the Greeks and later re-opened by Italian Neoplatonists, such as Giordano Bruno and Marsilio Ficino. Couliano goes so far as to suggest that our trust in quantitative science is so central to our contemporary worldview that the subjectivity of a Renaissance-era thinker would strike us as fundamentally unrecognizable.
This book works both as a fascinating elaboration of this alien Renaissance mindset and a critique of the modern scientific worldview, with Couliano firmly rejecting the notion that its rise represents a kind of "progress." In Couliano's view, the Renaissance sciences-including astrology, alchemy, the art of memory, and demon-magic-serve as strategies for working with the unconscious or imagination, and that their abandonment serves as a sort of psychological crippling. Actually, as Couliano explains in his final chapters, these methods are less "abandoned" and are more supressed by the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, who jointly align these sciences with heresy and persecute the practicioners. (It is interesting to note that this alignment is still with us: see for instance the continued resonance of the Faust legend, which represents a man of knowledge as a servant of the devil, or any of the countless films or other cultural products which have depicted Satan as an erudite Italian.)
This book also makes a compelling case that these suppressed methods of knowledge-work continue to exist today in the form of various sciences and quasi-sciences: advertising, mass media, psychology, cryptography, and what Couliano calls "applied psychosociology." As these sciences are commonly used in the services of mass control, those of us who want to understand control logics would do well to attempt a more complete understanding of these techniques-which involves understanding their roots in the Renaissance. A difficult task, perhaps, but Couliano's book provides an excellent starting point.
A good 'secondary' work - but read D. P. Walker too........2000-07-11
This text has a twofold project. One, Couliano wishes to elucidate what he sees as the defining charachteristic of Renaissance Magic, that of "Eros," and also to account for the shift in thinking that reportedly heralded the "decline" of magic in the sixteenth and seventeenth century.
The "eros" of Renaissance magic started out with optical theory and other medical concerns with Aristotle (and perhaps Plato), who held that there was a substance called the "pneuma." In Aristotle's thinking, the pneuma was a substance that was located as a thin shield around the body. In Stoic medical theory, this became a substance commesurate with the "soul" or "spirit." This substance was a "prima materia," a fundamental substance that contained the physiological ability to transmit information to the senses, especially the ocular sense. The heart was the center for a generational organ that in turn centered the pneuma, This pneumatic organ was called in Greek --- the "hegimonikon." Forming images in the pneuma for sensory transmission was necessary before a person could percieve something or someone. Through the works of late antiquity, such as the Corpus Hermeticum and medieval physicians such as Albert the Great, the doctrine of the pneuma became common discourse and was incorporated into popular culture such as the courtly love tradition. Taken by the bishop Synesius's (d. ca. 415) synthesis of previous pneumatic doctrine and courtly love practices, Ficino develops a universal doctrine of the relation of man to the universe through Eros mediated by the Universal and Particular pneuma. While mentioning Pico della Mirandola as a sparring partner of Ficino, the main emphasis in this narrative turns to Giordano Bruno, whom Couliano believes modified and perfected this doctrine in terms of personal manipulation and excitation through the powers of Eros.
Couliano, in the last part of the book, strives to develop an alternate account of the "fall" of magic by highlighting the role of the Reformation. Having defended the notion that the Renaissance was about a revival of pagan culture, he in turn emphasizes the role of imagery and "phantasy" in the doctrine of the pneuma. The Reformation and the Counter Reformation were primarily about the eradication of pagan culture from Christiandom. As such they were about the eradication of imagery, manifested in terms of Luther's accusations of Catholic "magic" in the Eucharist, iconoclasm, the witch hunts. For Couliano the witch hunts are a social counterpart to the eradication of religious-magical imagery--- both are manifestations of "human phantasy." When "qualitative" statements become suspect (as they involve imagery) then strictly "quantitative" science becomes the only legitimate route for knowledge. When these scientists wax inductive, they are threatened by the Church(es).
Better than Keith Thomas's 'Religion and the Decline of Magic" but if you're looking for the real explanations of how Renaissance Magic worked, then you should read D. P. Walker's "Spiritual and Demonic Magic" instead.
Would that he were still alive..........2000-05-04
It is unfortunate that Professor Culianu was so violently removed from the world of academia. We are fortunate however, that some few books he was responsible for remain.
Eros and Magic in the Renaissance is an outstanding book. The work is essentially about phantasms (not to be confused with "fantasy") and how, in the past, these phantasms were believed to operate within the soul. Of course, if one accepts for the sake of discussion that phantasms exist and operate within the soul, then discussion of the mechanics of phantasmic operation (e.g. the art of memory, erotic magic, manipulation of desire) naturally follow.
Culianu brilliantly reviews the history of thought regarding the movement of images within the soul and goes yet further to discuss the history of how men believed manipulation of individuals and "the masses" through this process might be effected. Naturally enough he touches on advertising, misinformation, spin and censorship. These very subjects got the conspiratorial Giordano Bruno (who occupies a significant position in the book) burned alive in 1600 by the Catholic Church (an organization understandably averse to anyone tinkering about in the very realm of imaginal manipulation they had such a stake in).
It seems that these issues are still very sensitive to a number of groups with a vested interest in imaginal manipulation. There were a number of people in Rumania after the coup who began to worry about Culianu (a Rumanian expatriate) and his penetrating understanding of the rigid "Police State" with its enforcement of laws and the more flexible "Magician State" with it's enforcement of *desires* (all discussed in this book). That is most likely why Professor Culianu had his head blown off in The University of Chicago Divinity School.
Anyone with an interest in how mankind has enslaved itself with the empty images of manufactured need and sterile consumerism will find Eros and Magic in the Renaissance to be the center of a web of ideas shedding light on this subject. Outstanding Book!
Average customer rating:
- Lots of good info, weak on the synthesis
- amusingly chaotic read!
- Good introductory text
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Chaos, Gaia, Eros: A Chaos Pioneer Uncovers the Three Great Streams of History
Ralph Abraham
Manufacturer: HarperOne
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A New Science of Life
ASIN: 0062500139 |
Book Description
A world-renowned mathematician unveils his theory of the All-and-the-Everything--a dramatic synthesis reexamining history and the inventions of the mind for readers who were fascinated by Godel, Escher, Bach.
Customer Reviews:
Lots of good info, weak on the synthesis.......2005-07-29
The author gives good detail as to the history of culture in respect to the subject matter. In fact, too much detail. All the major actors in history are listed with their contributions to the flow of culture and reemergence of the topic matter. However, there is not enough synthesis or any aspects of beauty here. We are talking about Gaia, yet never lead to feel it, to recognize it in our own experience. This lack leaves the book with an academic feel but not much humanity.
amusingly chaotic read!.......2001-04-14
- a cornucopia of information that mysteriously and interestingly ties together seemingly disparate areas of study into a unified powerful statement.
If you've ever wondered about the origins of Western thought - not to mention thousands of other little intellectual sidestreams, grab this book.
Its nontraditional format that seems to jump around from subject to subject is easily manageable and quite enjoyable. The wealth of information makes the whole process definitely worth it.
I highly recommend it, and would hope to accomplish something similar in my own work.
Good introductory text.......1998-10-13
This was the first book I read on the subject, and it was average - lots of names and facts - like a text book, but no convincing thread pulling it all together and convincing me of the author's view.
Book Description
Ancient Greek athletics offer us a clear window on many important aspects of ancient culture, some of which have distinct parallels with modern sports and their place in our society. Ancient athletics were closely connected with religion, the formation of young men and women in their gender roles, and the construction of sexuality. Eros was, from one perspective, a major god of the gymnasium where homoerotic liaisons reinforced the traditional hierarchies of Greek culture. But Eros in the athletic sphere was also a symbol of life-affirming friendship and even of political freedom in the face of tyranny. Greek athletic culture was not so much a field of dreams as a field of desire, where fervent competition for honor was balanced by cooperation for common social goals. Eros and Greek Athletics is the first in-depth study of Greek body culture as manifest in its athletics, sexuality, and gender formation. In this comprehensive overview, Thomas F. Scanlon explores when and how athletics was linked with religion, upbringing, gender, sexuality, and social values in an evolution from Homer until the Roman period. Scanlon shows that males and females made different uses of the same contests, that pederasty and athletic nudity were fostered by an athletic revolution beginning in the late seventh century B.C., and that public athletic festivals may be seen as quasi-dramatic performances of the human tension between desire and death. Accessibly written and full of insights that will challenge long-held assumptions about ancient sport, Eros and Greek Athletics will appeal to readers interested in ancient and modern sports, religion, sexuality, and gender studies.
Book Description
".a mature and sensitive portrait of a mystical system as seen through the eyes of its practitioners.Written with heart and respect.a gateway for serious seekers to discover the world of living energy and.how to live in harmony with each other."--Deepak Chopra.
Walk along the sacred path of ancient wisdom, and learn directly from the Andean shamans who guard and treasure their traditional ways. This groundbreaking and comprehensive look at Peruvian mysticism--written by a woman who immersed herself in the religion and became a high-level "priest"--will bring you to a rare world of living energy. In interviews, Q'ero mystics lay out their life-affirming, empowering cosmology and speak to our place in the great web of being. Their words are like a gift, designed to help us evolve spiritually--and simple exercises will help you begin this journey.
Customer Reviews:
Get the latest edition - Masters Of The Living Energy.......2005-01-14
This work is a serious research into the Q'ero mystical tradition of Peru. There are a few folks out there who claim that everything we read in English on the Q'ero is just wrong. They decry even mixed bloods (mestizo) who are the current leaders of getting the Q'ero ways out into the world. Problem is, most of the complainers are not explicit in what is 'wrong' with the material presented and do nothing themselves to promote understanding. It's easy to complain, not so easy to communicate mystical or spiritual truth. And in today's world pure-bloods are disappearing and so too would all their spiritual traditions if not for works like this.
What the author has done is to document her experiences in talking directly with the Q'ero who represented a genuine lineage behind an ancient tradition which probably reaches back to the Inka. This book is a combination of interviews and reliable information on Q'ero worldviews. The challenge here is that to really step into a living tradition such as that of the paqo/shaman, you need something more than a book, you need some face time, not necessarily in Peru, and not necessarily speaking Quecha, but time with someone who knows their stuff. The author presents information in this book that she knows hers.
If you want to help the Qero, don't buy this book.......2004-10-25
I couldn't agree with the previous reviewer more. Although I've never been to Peru, I've been exploring Native healing practices for over 10 years, in several other countries. I've cooresponded by email with the author, and stopped when she accused me of taking a position I never took about healing practices, and refused to provide evidence that I had done so. This book romanticizes the Qero, and her role in telling their story. Conversations I've had with a Peruvian curandero who has studied with the Qero confirm that she has made errors in her book. Given her lack of both Spanish and Quechua, and all the above, she is clearly not interested in accuracy.
An unfortunate case of not doing ones homework.......2004-07-30
I was disturbed but unsurprised to see the average customer review at 5 stars. My review is not meant to put down the author or the book in question, rather, to express my deep interest in a factual portrayal of friends of mine, their lifestyle and spiritual traditions. I have lived in Cusco, Peru for over two years and have become close friends with a dozen or so paqos-- shaman-mystics-- from Qeros. I speak Spanish and Quechua. I am the godfather of a six month old boy from Qeros. My house has become the place of lodging for five Qero shamans when they are visiting Cusco. I share these statements as a reality check.
The author --apparently-- speaks neither Spanish nor Quechua, and has as her primary source of information, translation, and spiritual guidance two shamans who are decidedly Non-Qeros, these being Ñunez del Prado and Yabar. Rather than state my bias towards these two purveyors of Andean shamanism-mysticism, I would simply use this space to state the obvious-- that the author presents an unresearched and uninformed portrait of the Qero through the eyes of her mestizo teachers. It should come as no surprise, then, that when interviewing her Qero informants, she often realizes that they have no idea what she is talking about. Her statement of the westernized so-called Andean traditions lacks true Andean character. See, for one shocking example, the supposed Quechua names for the chakras-- these are Inventions of Ñunez del Prado!!
There are parts that save face for both the author and her westernized teachers, like the biographical interviews she conducts. Even so, I was generally saddened to find yet another book written from the point of view of a relatively ignorant foreigner who has decided to share an idiosyncratic, romanticized and westernized image of the Andean spiritual universe. In my experience, when we strip the Qero tradition and other autoctonous traditions of comparative mysticism, or of our western cosmovision, we do ourselves a tremendous favor.
If you want to learn about the Qero or Andean mysticism, come to Peru. If you want to learn about one North American woman and her (mis)conceptions about these people, read this book.
Keepers of the Ancient (Mystical) Knowledge.......2003-02-23
I have been a student on the path of mystical knowledge for over 20 years. This is one of the most detailed and enlightening books I have read. The knowledge for true seekers is what this world needs and Joan has not only done a remarkable job at reseaching the subject, her clear and detailed explanations are right on.
This is one book that any true seeker will gain from. The exercises included, when performed, bring lasting and enlightening results.
Any seeker on the path of truth will tell you there is a lot of "shallow" materal on the market today. This book is anything but shallow. Joan's depth takes you places few have journeyed and I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it. Make sure you "DO THE EXERSICES". Do not just read them, and I am certain you will be recomending this book to others too. Great job Joan.
A True Voice Speaks Out.......2002-04-10
Joan Wilcox has done an exceptional job not in capturing the essence of the Q'ero (it is something that cannot be held prisoner) but at taking down the curtain between their tradition and ours. In a time when many profess to be in possession of a sacred knowledge that flows from them, Wilcox has managed to truthfully allow it to flow through her, acting as a conduit and empowering that ancient wisdom to make its own twists and mysterious turns as it will, and as it has for eons. Keepers of the Ancient Knowledge accurately chronicles the inner story of the Q'ero in all that can be spoken, and at the same time allows for all that cannot be told outside of personal experience to begin to shine its light as well. These are words and experiences from the mouths of the Elders, healers and masters themselves, and I deeply admire the objectivity with which she and her cohorts have chronicled the Q'ero's energetic journey.
Reading the book was like uncovering an overgrown ruin, where on the outside the crumbling walls do not meet your lofty expectations, but on the inside the simple truth emerges as something one could have never quite imagined.
There is an immense amount to be said for the starkness and grace with which she has presented such valuable knowledge at such a dire time of need. Any who take the time to read Keepers of the Ancient Knowledge will only be moved positively on their path of understanding, energy work, and enlightenment, and will be aided with extraordinary tools gifted from the Elders, made manifest by catching a privileged glimpse into an ancient tradition, for which Wilcox has provided here an incredibly clear window.
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The Voice Of Eros: Clairvoyantly Received By Ernest L. Norman
Ernest L. Norman
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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| Religion & Spirituality
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Spiritualism
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ASIN: 1425488374 |
Book Description
The Pulse Of Creation Series, V2.
Customer Reviews:
a delight to read and ponder.......1998-03-13
Farley's topic, a theory of knowledge, sounds dull, but Eros for the Other is thought-provoking, eloquent, mind-transforming. With her previous book, Tragic Vision, she is making me believe she is the greatest young theologian in America.
Average customer rating:
- women's sexual power daunting
- Worthwhile
- An Ideological Reading
- Understanding Greeks
- Confused Rant
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Eros: The Myth of Ancient Greek Sexuality
Bruce S. Thornton
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0813332265 |
Customer Reviews:
women's sexual power daunting.......2006-04-27
Speaking as a very sexually frustrated individual, I'm here to tell you that I fear women unleashing the power of eros. Most gang fights are about women -who did whos girl....Leftist academics don't know about all this, although some of them do graduate students because that's all they get...sort of a "you blank my beep and I'll make sure you get a PhD" as opposed to the good old fashioned "do me and the car I'm driving could someday be yours!" I think it terrible that things have to be this way, but no amount of legislating will prevent Marxist professors from approving their girlfriend's incoherent PhD Dissertations in exchange for moments of "release" from the struggle to get more Marxists PhD's so they can take over sociology departments first in GERMANY! TOmorrow IOWA!
Worthwhile.......2006-04-14
To begin with, pace the Kirkus Review reviewer, whose review is not worthy of being posted: this book is not an apologetic for Greek or any other misogyny. Feminists usually understand the fact that just as it is not equivalent to anti-Semitism to be in opposition to certain policies of the State of Israel, it is also not equivalent to misogyny to disagree with certain claims that are advanced under the banner of feminism (particularly of radical feminism). In this book, Thornton does question certain claims that have become status quo in at least the form of fairly radical feminism that has become the current orthodoxy in academia and the American Left; so what? Does this make his book a "misogynist" work? Not at all, and the Kirkus reviewer claiming that it is such should think twice before making such an accusation, as should all people.
Nor, for that matter, is this book an "antifeminist diatribe." Yes, as noted above, Thornton takes issues with certain aspects of what has become de rigeur radical feminism. This does not make the work "antifeminist" unless one means "anti-certain-trends-within-radical-feminism" which is a much less catchy but more accurate phrase that desccribes almost everyone I know -- probably including the Kirkus reviewer. Feminism is not a monolithic block of consistently brilliant and great ideas: like every huge movement it has spawned silly and unadmirable things along with the great things (such as women voting) for which it is largely responsible. Many feminists disagree with each other on many things, and many people would not consider themselves feminists but are not misogynists. It is simply foolish to call a searching book like this names like that.
This is not the greatest book I have ever read in my life, but it's interesting and should be read by people interested in the subject. Those who call this "an ideological reading" should probably ask themselves whether other readings they prefer aren't ideological. The answer may frustrate them. Further, I have yet to read a negative review of the book that seemed TO ME to evaluate it on its own merits. Several reviewers, including the Kirkus review, seems to dislike Thornton's anti-theory approach, by calling his careful scrutiny and report of evidence "pedantic"; many have simplified his argument. Yes, Thornton is a fan of Hanson, and a friend; however, last time I checked, ideas are to be evaluated on their own merits, not on with whom someone has dinner. Further, the reviewer below who wishes to paint Thornton as an "apologist for the status quo" is treading on dangerous turf: does he wish to reduce all scholarship to the question of whether they uphold or "subvert" the "status quo"? And what exactly is the "status quo"? Should a scholarly work report on what it discovers in the evidence or should it use the evidence to undermine the "status quo"? Only the most foolish doctrinaire postmodernist believes the latter. Must all works of scholarship be evaluated on whether or not they support a given reviewer's perception of what the Revolution is trying to accomplish?
In this book, among other things, Thornton clearly wishes to demolish what he probably would regard as a namby pamby view of the Greeks as being unproblematically in favor of homosexuality. He has combed through centuries of texts to do this. The book is polemical and not heavy on social or literary theory, and should be read alongside and in contrast to something like David Halperin's utterly contrasting work to get a fuller picture of what is at stake here. Thornton's nods to Camille Pagila actually made the book very interesting to me: she is a startling and original thinker in certain respects, especially in her opposition to the Romantic, Rousseauian nature-worship aspect of modern thought, and if you liked her "Sexual Personae" and want to see how that set of ideas could be applied to classical literature regarding sex, this is an interesting effort.
An Ideological Reading.......2005-11-16
This is not a fair and balanced work of scholarship. Thornton has an axe to grind. If this kind of apologetic for the status quo appeals to you then read Camille Paglia instead, at least she is witty. Kenneth Dover's book is still the best study around and it was written by a heterosexual Oxford don!
Understanding Greeks.......2005-10-11
Dr. Thornton's views are from a "Greek" perspective and his conclusions can't be judged by modern standards of love and romance. The discussion of Odysseus and Penelope's relationship is very enlightening. It is perhaps the best discussion of marriage in the ideal sense that I have ever read. As a matter of fact, it is an inspiration. I re-read my Homer.
Confused Rant.......2004-06-27
The Kirkus review is right on target. This book is an ugly, confused invective by an acolyte of the embittered former classics scholar Victor Davis Hanson. Thorton seems to mistake personal disappointments for scholarly argument.
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