Medley

Excerpt from the Avatamsaka Sutra

Details: Published: Thursday, 22 March 2012 01:20

Compiled by Nicholas Weeks – USA

[This is an excerpt from the Avatamsaka Sutra, chapter 11, Pure Conduct. It is a daily practice that uses our mind to uplift ordinary actions into nobler, less self-centered actions. It is from the City of 10,000 Buddhas website: Click here ]

Avatamsaka Sutra

At that time, Manjushri Bodhisattva said to Foremost Wisdom Bodhisattva, “Good indeed! Disciple of the Buddha, out of a wish to bring great benefit and peace to all beings in the world, on whom you take pity, and to benefit and delight gods and humans, you have now asked about such principles.

George Harrison – Working Class Mystic

Details: Published: Tuesday, 22 November 2011 14:27

George Harrison must have known about Theosophy. Working Class Mystic, written by Gary Tillery was recently published by Quest Books. Look out for the review in our next issue.

George Harrison

Many articles have appeared dealing with the “Harrison phenomenon”. He was much more than just a member of the Fab Four. Also Martin Scorcese’s documentary George Harrison – Living in the Material World has contributed to a renewed interest in the life and work of the ex-Beatle.

Love Energy: The Life Force: The Fountain of Youth

Details: Published: Tuesday, 22 November 2011 14:19

Clancy D. McKenzie, M.D. – USA

[Dr. Clancy McKenzie is one of the world’s foremost experts on schizophrenia and mental health. He was one of the speakers during the meeting of the International Theosophy Conferences in Julian California, August 11 – 14, 2011]

Proper nutrition, exercise and relaxation are recognized as vital ingredients for a long and healthy life. But a fourth ingredient, LOVE, can add as much to one’s energy and longevity as all other factors combined, and yet this important factor is all but omitted from current health protocols -- and even from scientific study.

The Path of Self-Reliance

Details: Published: Monday, 26 September 2011 01:39

Compiled by Nicholas Weeks

All you can do is to prepare the intellect: the impulse toward "soul-culture" must be furnished by the individual. Thrice fortunate they who can break through the vicious circle of modern influence and come up above the vapours! ... We have one word for all aspirants: try. [KH in Mahatma Letters, #54; 2nd Ed. #35.]

II 4 O Rama, listen to what I [Vasishtha] am about to say, which instruction is sure to remove the darkness of ignorance. A well-sustained self-effort leads to success in every field of life. Wherever one encounters failure, it is due to lack of self-effort.

Liberation produces selflessness; we lose our selfishness when we come to know the unity of the soul. By effort one can attain knowledge which leads to salvation. This is obvious; but what is called God, destiny or fate is fictitious and is not seen. The dull and the ignorant created God, which is none other than self-effort of a past incarnation affecting one.

Clinton Declares Vegan Victory

Details: Published: Monday, 26 September 2011 01:35

Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH, FACP – USA

Every day Fitness

Living life to the fullest is all about striving for a mind-body balance every day. Achieve a mental, nutritional, and physical transformation for life with tips from wellness expert Pamela Peeke, MD.

While he was president, Bill Clinton packed on the weight. Talk about stress eating! By the time his two terms were up, he was 20 pounds heavier and looking forward to a well-deserved rest.

But he was still gobbling burgers, shakes, and fries. Four years after leaving office, Clinton was on tour promoting his memoir “My Life” and his life took a sudden turn for the cardiac. Chest tightness led to a quadruple bypass and a major come-to-heaven session with himself.

It was time to clean up his act — and his arteries.

For the next five years, Clinton was more diligent about his diet, cutting calories, and increasing his physical activity. But it still wasn’t enough. In 2010, he had to undergo another operation, this time to repair clogged veins from his bypass.

The Symbol-Strewn Landscape: Esoteric and Initiatic Symbolism in European Gardens in the 18th and 19th Century

Details: Published: Monday, 26 September 2011 00:44

Christopher McIntosh – Germany

[This essay was first published in Masonic and Esoteric Heritage: New Perspectives for Art and Heritage Policies. Proceedings of the First International Conference of the OVN, Foundation for the Advancement of Academic Research into the History of Freemasonry in the Netherlands, October 20-21, 2005. Ed. A. Kroon, M. Bax, J. Snoek. The Hague, Netherlands: OVN Foundation, 2005. It is reproduced here in a revised form.]

Dr. Christopher McIntosh is an independent historian and author on history, mythology and western esotericism. This paper is based on his book Gardens of the Gods: Myth, Magic and Meaning, (I. B. Tauris) London 2005. Currently he teaches in the distance MA programme at the Centre for the Study of Esotericism, Exeter University, England. He lives in Bremen, Germany.