Ancient Traditions

The tradition of ancient philosophy is a long, rich, and varied one, in which a constant note is that of discussion and argument. This book introduces listeners to some ancient debates to engage with the ancient developments of some themes. Getting away from the presentation of ancient philosophy as a succession of Great Thinkers, the book gives listeners a sense of the freshness and liveliness of ancient philosophy and of its wide variety of themes and styles. 

From best-selling social commentator and cultural historian Barbara Ehrenreich comes this fascinating exploration of one of humanity's oldest traditions: the celebration of communal joy, historically expressed in ecstatic revels of feasting, costuming, and dancing. Ehrenreich uncovers the origins of communal celebration in human biology and culture, showing that such mass festivities have been indigenous to the West since the ancient Greeks.

Thomas Bulfinch introduces us to the gods of the Greek, Roman, and Norse mythologies. We learn their stories and we also observe the similarities between the deities of yore. Comparing these stories and characters to those of some modern religions may produce some surprising results!

"Drawing on resources as diverse as Sufism, Benedictine Monasticism, the Gurdjieff Work, and the string theory of modern physics, Cynthia Bourgeault has crafted her own unique vision of the Wisdom way in this very accessible book, nicely balanced between concept and practice." (Gerald May, senior fellow, Shalem Institute, and author, Addiction and Grace and Will and Spirit) 

For more than 4,000 years, the people of India have looked to Ayurveda as a pathway to vibrant health and increased longevity. This ancient healing science is treasured as a gift from the Vedas (the world's oldest sacred texts). Ayurveda offers all people a practical way to achieve...

From stories of resurrected mummies and thousand-year-old curses to powerful pharaohs and the coveted treasures of the Great Pyramids, ancient Egypt has had an unfaltering grip on the modern imagination. Now, in Egyptian Mythology, Geraldine Pinch offers a comprehensive introduction that untangles the mystery of Egyptian Myth.

Imagine uttering a simple pattern of sacred sounds and discovering that they promote physical healing, magnify the powers of the mind, and even attract abundance into our lives. Extraordinary? Yes. Yet this is precisely what happened to the yogis of India when they first created the science of...

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF EMPEROR OF ROME AND SPQR 'The rock star scholar of Ancient Rome' FINANCIAL TIMES 'The reigning Queen of Classics' SPECTATOR What's exciting about a piece of bread 4,000 years old? Or some pots of paint abandoned in the eruption at Pompeii? Why should we be bothered...

A special twenty-fifth anniversary audio edition of Celtic spirituality and mysticism by beloved poet and philosopher John O’Donohue includes a new introduction by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins; an afterword by the late author’s brother, Pat O’Donohue; and insightful...

Все мы знаем блистательных мужчин из древнегреческих мифов—могущественных богов и отчаянных героев. А что насчет женщин—вечных и смертных? Они теряются в тени своих мужей, отцов и сыновей, а ведь порой эти особы были не менее (а то и более!) сильны, смелы и мудры. А еще—коварны, мстительны и непредсказуемы.Превратить соперницу в пчелу, наградить ее безумием или отравить ее детей? Эти девчонки умели развлекаться! Аудиокнига Лиззи Тиффин рассказывает о богинях, смертных, титанидах, нимфах и других женщинах, которых мы привыкли считать второстепенными персонажами.

Captured centaurs and satyrs, incompetent seers, people who suddenly change sex, a woman who remembers too much, a man who cannot laugh—these are just some of the colorful characters who feature in the unforgettable stories that ancient Greeks and Romans told in their daily lives. Together they created an incredibly rich body of popular oral stories that include, but range well beyond, mythology—from heroic legends, fairy tales, and fables to ghost stories, urban legends, and jokes. This unique anthology presents the largest collection of these tales ever assembled.

"Simplicity,” wrote legendary occultist Jack Parsons, “has been the key to victory in all the idea wars and, at present, Magick does not have it.” In Practical Magick, acclaimed historian and esotericist Mitch Horowitz responds to this call, distilling magick to its core essentials. Drawing upon ancient, Hermetic, Renaissance-era, and modern sources, Mitch dissects the building blocks of magick and provides formulas of immediacy, simplicity, and potency.

The secrets of the factory of nightmares are free for the taking...and Dungeon Lord Edward Wright intends to claim them. War is coming to Starevos, delivered by the navy of the Kingdom of Heiliges. The only hope Edward and his friends have at surviving the wrath of the Light is an ancient Factory whose defenses are as deadly as those seeking to conquer it. However, Ed is not the only Dungeon Lord who seeks the power of the factory. To save the Haunt, Ed must face war-forged Dungeon Lords older and crueler than he is, and everything he has learned shall be tested to its utter limit.

While much of church planting today is approached as an innovative new effort, church leaders can take comfort in the truth that they are simply stewards of what the faithful church has been doing for millennia. By rediscovering the foundations of our heritage, we are able to build healthier, more faithful, and more effective churches. At the same time, the act of planting new churches can breathe new life into these ancient traditions as they are applied to a variety of cultural contexts.

Celebrate the seasons of the year according to the ancient Pagan traditions. Ancient Ways shows how to prepare for and conduct the Sabbat rites, and helps you harness the magickal energy for weeks afterward. The wealth of seasonal rituals and charms within are drawn from ancient sources but are easily performed with readily available materials.

Longlisted for the 2014 Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction (now the Bailie Gifford) ‘A thrilling and complex book, enlarges our view of Homer … There’s something that hits the mark on every page’ Claire Tomalin, Books of the Year, New Statesman Where does Homer come from? And why does...

Authentic Benedictine Chants You Can Learn at Home Fifteen hundred years ago, St. Benedict established a system of ora et labora prayer and work that monastics still follow today. Central to this prayerful integration of body and spirit is psalmody, or chanting the psalms. On Singing the Psalms...

For over 2,000 years, qigong has been a cornerstone of traditional Chinese healing. While generally unrecognized by Western medical science, this noninvasive, preventative healing system is viewed by millions of Chinese as a way of mastering the energy that permeates all of nature and...

An Original Path to Enlightenment When the prophet Ezekiel described his great vision of a holy chariot flashing like lightning, with eyes all around, he bequeathed to us a mystical tradition that has endured 2,500 years. For Judaism's first mystics, this chariot was a vehicle leading to the...

A fiendishly clever, yet cozy entry in the much-loved mystery series starring Judge Dee, whom the Los Angeles Times ranked with Sherlock Holmes. Early in his career, Judge Dee visits a senior magistrate who shows him a beautiful lacquer screen on which a scene of lovers has been mysteriously...