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What's practical about Dreamcrafting is that being busy is taken into account. Giving gifts to my future self, time relaease motivators, being my own nay sayer...just a few of the really great suggestions. Living with one foot in tomorrow makes so much sense. After reading the book, I realized that I was being hooked to yesterday (fear).
I'm referring this book to friends and by writing this review (a first for me) I guess I'm recommending it to you. Dreamcrafting is easy to read but more importantly really practical and exciting to implement. I've transformed what was a cloudy fantasy into a well defined dream that's on its way to becoming a reality. I'm feeling better about day to day commitments because I've let go of many things that weren't really necessary. And like the book promised, I'm starting to grow by letting go.
Once my dream was focused, the proposed next steps just fell into place. So far so good.
What a wonderful book during these trying times!
With an ever so changing world around us, this book sheds
light on the inner abilities that lay within us all.
I feel rejuvinated and have the skills and "know how" to accomplish my goals, my dreams. Kudos extended to authors, Art & Paul for a wonderful illustration filled with honesty, humor and most of all the 5 macro skills to unleash the power that lay within us all. I highly recommend this to everyone and anyone who has a passion to live life to the fullest! This book would serve as a wonderful gift for all occasions.
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While early on in "The History of the Church" Eusebius extensively quotes from Josephus, Ireaeus and other early historians, later on, he uses more and more personal observation and experience. His extensive reliance on other writers should indeed not be considered a negative thing, but a positive for the reader, thus demonstrating that writers like Josephus are clearly to be trusted with accuracy.
For a christian, "The Church History" offers inside information on the beliefs of the early church, beliefs that in many cases differ from the contemporary, 21st century american church. A few examples are:
"Papias supplies other stories that reached him by word of mouth, along with some strange parables and unknown teachings of the Savior, as well as other more legendary accounts. Among them, he says that after the ressurection of the dead there will be a thousand-year period when the kingdom of Christ will be established on this earth in material form. I suppose that he got these notions by misunderstanding the apostolic accounts, not realizing that they had used mystic and symbolic language. For he was a man of very limited intelligence, as is clear from his books. Due to him, however, many church writers after him held the same opinion, relying on his early date: Irenaeus, for example, and any others who adopted the same views." - Church History 3.39 - Eusebius talking about the writings of Papias, saying that Christ reigning on earth in a material or flesh form is a mistaken belief and an unknown teaching of the Savior
"Such was the reward for the guilt and impiety of the Jews against the Christ of God. It is worth appending to it the infallible prediction of our Savior regarding these very things in this prophecy:
Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For at that time, there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. [Matthew 24:19-21]" - Church History 3.6 - Eusebius clearly saying that in Matthew 24 Jesus was indeed talking about the destruction of Jerusalem, not about the end of the world
"Those who wish may trace precisely from Josephus's history the disasters that overwhelmed the entire nation, especially how the residents of Judea were driven to the limits of suffering; how many thousands of men, women, and children died by the sword, famine, and countless other forms of death; how many famous Jewish cities endured horrors under siege; and in particular the terrors of those who fled for refuge to Jerusalem as an "impregnable fortress". They can study all the details of the entire war and how in the end the Abomination of Desolation, declared by the prophets, was set up in the very temple of God, celebrated of old, when it was utterly destroyed by fire." - Church History 3.5 - Eusebius saying that the entire Matthew 24 was fulfilled when Jerusalem was destroyed, and ended with the Abomination of Desolation setting itself up in the temple before it was burned to the ground
"The Church History" is a great resource, and a must buy for every studious christian.
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In addition to a court of thirteen fairies representing each season (with a Lady, Knave, King, Queen, and Ace), there are eight fairy festival cards (Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Midsummer, Lughnasa, Herfest, Samhain, and Yule). It's easy to sense at a glance which fairies are good to work with and which are not, since each card conveys through use of color, expression, and lighting the feelings being described. THE FAIRY RING book further clarifies which fairies are helpful and provides advice regarding how best to obtain help from them (such as Habetrot, Asrai, the Sea Mither, Brownies and Leprechauns), and which fairies are best avoided because they are known for being treacherous, illusory, or inaccessible (such as the Changeling, Will o' the Wisp, or Jenny Greenteeth). For those who need a little help asking the fairies for guidance, nine different divinatory spreads are provided, along with a sample reading for the Fairy Market spread.
If you already feel an affinity for fairies and are willing to read through the stories and divinatory meanings for each card, this deck will quickly become an invaluable aid. I received meaningful guidance and advice from THE FAIRY RING deck after using it twice!
Ms. Franklin, a practicing pagan and high priestess, has spent more than twenty years collecting and exploring fairy lore and legends. Her time at this pleasurable occupation has been spent commendably, for she offers us a deck where each card has its legend or lore, divinatory and reversed meanings, ways to work with each fairy - or whether it is wiser not to work with them.
The cards are split into the four seasons called the courts, which I find a huge plus for not only those of the fae path but also for hedgewitches whose day to day lives are also lived by the seasons and elements. Along with the four suits of court cards, there are also the eight major fairy festival cards. This I have not seen before and I enjoy working with these as well. There are nine spreads, a sample reading and a guide for meditations for the cards. All in all, the book was written for the basic reader and is very user friendly.
Mr. Mason is truly a visionary. Using photography and artistry together, he blends the cards into a beautiful masterpiece that is his own signature. Bringing fantasy, imagination, illusion and desire into the cards, he has managed to create symmetry of grand proportions!
The Fairy Ring is one of grandeur, from the beautiful fairies to the distorted ogres, and all in between. You will want to work with the oracle on a daily basis to give you the divine inner wisdom that you seek! Anna Franklin and Paul Mason, together, have created a treasure in The Fairy Ring.
M.L. Benton, Publisher, Echoed Voices
Copyright © October 2002
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The other thing that comes with using these tools is, that by implementing the connection process, one seems to be able to draw on deep, limitless power. I know of no other process that brings the same sense of innate strength that helps you persist and carry out the tasks that need to be done to transform your life. Thus batteries are included.
What will make the difference here, is whether you can make a time every day to work the six simple steps Margaret presents. It doesn't take a lot of time. It takes consistency and growing an awareness to know when it's time to use the simple tools. Once you get the basics down, it's something you can do driving in your car, waiting in line at the grocery store, or lying in bed at night before you go to sleep. For me it's become as natural as eating and breathing. Her latest book ties together all her earlier works and focuses on the spiritual dimensions of this connection process. One does not have to believe in God to do this work, or FOR IT TO WORK. I can guarantee that. I've seen many people use the tools without focusing on the spiritual aspects. I can also tell you that if you value or seek a realtionship with God/a Higher Power, this connection process will greatly enhance that relationship. Personally, as I have been able to work with and deepen the connection process, I have directly experienced God to a greater and greater extent in my everyday life.
Do I Have to Give Up Me to Be Loved by God is a beautiful work for those that want to heal the parts of their lives that hurt. For those that want to take that a step further and reap the spiritual rewards of this connection process, this book is a wonderful guide.
For those familiar with Dr. Paul's work, this book takes it deeper. I had wonderful Aha's, as the lightbulbs turned on deep in my being. This book describes the tools, that if practiced with consistency, can be the best gift you ever give yourself!
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Although the achievements of most of the interviewed (Alain Aspect, John Bell, John Wheeler) are more extensively explained in other books by themselves or others, these direct dialogues give the authors an excellent opportunity to summarize their work and to reflect on that of others.
I was particularly impressed by the interview with Rudolf Peierls, where he interprets the 'many universes' (multiverse) theory of Everett as 'possibilities' or as a 'dictionary of possibilities', rather than 'universes'.
Not to be missed. Congratulations to the BBC.
Quantum theory itself is based "on a profound and disturbing paradox that has led some physicists to declare that the theory is ultimately meaningless." And yet no experiment has contradicted the predictions of quantum theory. Physicists agree that quantum theory "correctly describes the world to a level of precision and detail unprecedented in science". The problem is philosophical, not technical.
I highly recommend "The Ghost in the Atom" as an excellent starting point for exploring the fascinating implications of quantum theory. P. C. W. Davies (physicist) and J. R. Brown (BBC producer) offer us an intelligent examination of the conflicting and controversial interpretations of this fundamental theory.
"The Ghost in the Atom" begins with a brief exposition (about 40 pages), titled "The Strange World of the Quantum", that summarizes quantum theory and introduces the interpretation problem. A remarkable set of interviews follow: eight noted physicists describe with enthusiasm, even passion, the bizarre implications of quantum theory as they see it.
Alain Aspect, a French experimental physicist, describes his 1982 experiment that challenged our view of reality by apparently confirming that non-locality is an attribute of our universe.
John Bell, a theoretical physicist at CERN, is known for his Bell's Theorem that provided the basis for Aspect's experiment. He discusses whether free will might be an illusion, suggests that we revisit Einstein's theory of relativity, and states that he is "quite convinced that quantum theory is only a temporary expedient".
John Wheeler, Director of the Center for Theoretical Physics at UT Austin, largely agrees with the conventional Bohr interpretation (also called the Copenhagan interpretation) and argues the importance of the conscious observer in the quantum measurement process.
Rudolp Peierls, who formerly held the Wykeham Chair of Physics at Oxford, objects to the term "Copenhagan interpretation", as it suggests that there is more than one acceptable interpretation. He considers other interpretations to be largely speculation.
David Deutsch, Research Fellow in Astrophysics at both Oxford and UT Austin, argues strongly for the many-universes interpretation. He is a proponent for objective reality.
John Taylor, Professor of Mathematics at Kings College, London, argues for the ensemble interpretation (or statistical interpretation). By abandoning any attempt to describe individual systems, he contends that there is no need to associate the collapse of the wave function with the presence of a conscious observer during the measurement process.
The final two physicists, David Bohm and Basil Hiley, both argue that a "hidden variable" interpretation involving a "quantum potential" can accommodate Aspect's non-locality and maintain objective reality.
"The Ghost in the Atom" is quite exceptional and I easily give it five stars. The quantum theory overview alone, as others have pointed out, is worth the price of the book. The interviews are fascinating.
What should you read next? I highly recommend another exceptional book published by Cambridge University Press, "Quantum Physics: Illusion or Reality?" by Alastair Rae. It is more difficult, but does not require mathematics.
Then, it presents views of many important physicists in their own words. So you are not limited to or biased by one particular view.
A very insightful book. I am amazed with the clarity of thought these people have. All of them.
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Simon & Schuster recommends the book for ages 5 to 8, but any child approaching or in his or her early teens would be enchanted by the simplicity of the artwork and the way it so powerfully conveys the story the words tell. Even adults will enjoy this poetic picture book.
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A fascinating read that has enriched my life. Buy it and enjoy....
This book has a lot to offer for the Christ-myth theory. The book explains the Valentinian gnostic reading of Paul's early epistles. "Jews" means literalists, the uninitiated, lower Christians. "Greeks" means spiritualists, the initiated, higher Christians. Paul encouraged the higher Christians to feel united or married with the lower Christians.
The book would greatly benefit from a 2-column listing of the ideas the Valentinians associated with the higher and lower Christians. As a philosopher and theorist of ego death who is looking for a rational reading of the Christian scriptures, I agree with everything that falls into the group of ideas the Valentinians associated with higher Christians, and I disagree with all the ideas that fall into the group of ideas the Valentinians associated with lower Christians.
The two sets of doctrines -- the book The Gnostic Paul divides the religious ideas as follows, from the Valentinian reading of Paul's early writings:
HIGHER, ESOTERIC CHRISTIANITY
"Greeks"
The religion of Heresy
Early Paul
The Truth, wisdom, enlightenment
The initiated, adults
A secret mystery is revealed to some apostles, but not to other apostles
The sacrament of apolytrosis (apo- can mean after-, post-, and separate redemption) in addition to common eucharist
Redemption
Spiritual freedom from moral codes -- but metaphysical determinism/fatedness, predestined election
Reject idea of responsible moral agency and idea of our culpability of sin/guilt
The apple was a gift of gnosis
All blame is placed on the Ground, not us
No death on the Cross (it was mythic and could be seen as a pseudo-death)
Sacrifice is mythic, mental, conceptual, a mental experience
No bodily resurrection
Mythic Christ
Belief in higher and lower Christians (with a principled respect for the lower)
No point in moral-reward heaven or moral-punishment hell
We are spirits, controlled by God
LOWER, EXOTERIC CHRISTIANITY
"Jews"
The Orthodox religion
Peter, The Church Fathers and their forged later Paul
The Lie, error, darkness, foolishness
The uninitiated, children
No secret mystery; all apostles have authority through simple ordinary seeing of miraculous resurrection
The common eucharist, only
Salvation, baptism
Spiritual enslavement to morality -- with delusion of free will and choosing faith oneself
Belief in responsible moral agency and our culpability for sin/guilt
All blame is placed on us
The apple was bad
Jesus died on the Cross
Sacrifice is bodily, bloody, magically effective, physical
Bodily resurrection
Supernaturalist Jesus
Disbelief in higher level of Christianity -- to obtain unity and harmony of the Church
Moral-reward heaven and moral-punishment hell exist, for the responsible agent/soul
We are souls, controlled by ourselves
Each point I listed above should have page references to Pagel's book to prove that the ideas break out this way in her book.
An important reason why Christ-myth scholars should read this book is that Pagels shows how to read the scriptures in a 2-valued ambiguous way, where the meaning deliberately toggles between two distinct readings. It's not just that Paul was misinterpreted; Pagel's treatment seems to indicate that Paul deliberately wrote in an encoded, ambiguous way that flips between the two conceptual systems. If people were confused, it is because Paul meant for them to be confused and carefully chose his words so that they could support both readings: literal and spiritual. The epistles were written as encoded mysteries and should be read as such.
The most remarkable thing presented repeatedly in this book is the idea that the Pauline writings intentionally withheld the higher view from the uninitiated. Pagels never ventures to explain why. Perhaps the Valentinians wanted to protect and preserve the delusion of the ego just as we protect children. This problem extends beyond the Christian mystery-religion; the Greek mystery religions forbade, by punishment of death, publically revealing the things shown in the mysteries. There were political reasons to veil a deterministic belief system, because cosmic determinism has been used to justify an oppressive status quo ("I was meant, fated, and divinely ordained by Necessity to dominate you") rather than democracy. So the Pauline writings were deliberately written in a way that would be read in a supernatural, Literalist way but could be read as a non-supernatural, mystery-religion, mystic allegory.
I benefit a lot from the book's reminder on those "traps" which I have also committed some.
A good value book.