G.R.S. Mead. Pistis Sophia. Gnosticism. Occult. Theosophical Society. Quest Society. by Travis Simpkins

G.R.S. Mead. Hermeticism. Gnosticism. Occult. Theosophical Society. Quest Society. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

G.R.S. Mead

George Robert Stow Mead

(1863 - 1933)

Historian, Writer and Translator

Member of the

Theosophical Society

Founder of the

Quest Society

by Travis Simpkins

G.R.S. Mead

For more info, please visit:

theosophical.org

 

G.R.S. Mead. Pistis Sophia. Gnosticism. Occult. Theosophical Society. Quest Society. by Travis Simpkins

Son of Man. The Mystical Path to Christ. Andrew Harvey

Son of Man. The Mystical Path to Christ. Andrew Harvey

 I'm enjoying "Son of Man: The Mystical Path to Christ" by Andrew Harvey.

"Galvanizing, beautifully written . . . a powerful expression of faith in the transforming power of Christ's love."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)Son of Man is Andrew Harvey's most basic statement on Christ, and it has already become a treasured work to readers interested in Christian mysticism. For the first time in any of his books, Harvey provides spiritual exercises--centuries-old rites previously available only to a few--that allow the reader direct experience with the mystical Christ. Son of Man also includes an easily accessible section of classic readings and meditations on the nature of Christ, making it the comprehensive experience in the Christ of the new millennium.

https://amzn.to/4hye7rX

 

Invoking Mary Magdalene. Accessing the Wisdom of the Divine Feminine. Siobhan Houston

Invoking Mary Magdalene. Accessing the Wisdom of the Divine Feminine. Siobhan Houston

 I'm enjoying "Invoking Mary Magdalene: Accessing the Wisdom of the Divine Feminine" by Siobhan Houston.

Recent discoveries of sacred texts such as the Gospel of Mary of Magdala and the Gospel of Thomas tell us that Mary Magdalene was independent, insightful, and courageous—a woman so inspirational that her voice can still be heard across the ages.

In Invoking Mary Magdalene, religious scholar Siobhán Houston invites you to develop your own personal relationship with one of Jesus' closest disciples, as she instructs you in a daily devotional practice of prayers, meditations, and visualizations from around the world.

With the exercises in this book and on the accompanying CD, Houston offers step-by-step guidance for accessing the wisdom of the Divine Feminine that Mary Magdalene represents, as you explore:Novenas, rosaries, and seasonal rituals from the Gnostic, Kabbalistic, and Grail traditions
How to connect to Mary Magdalene in her Dark Goddess aspect to unleash your own fierce power—the energy that turns fear and illusion into healing and renewal
Reveling in bliss: realizing a euphoric adoration of the Divine that eclipses all earthly concerns, and much more


Whether you're discovering Mary Magdalene for the first time or have long felt an unquenchable desire to experience the presence of the beloved luminary, with Invoking Mary Magdalene, you will come to share Mary Magdalene's gnosis—her indwelling knowledge of the sacred—and witness the blessings of the one who has been called "the woman who knew the All".

https://amzn.to/3MvZE21 

 

G.R.S. Mead. Hermeticism. Gnosticism. Occult. Theosophical Society. Quest Society. by Travis Simpkins

G.R.S. Mead. Hermeticism. Gnosticism. Occult. Theosophical Society. Quest Society. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

G.R.S. Mead

George Robert Stow Mead

(1863 - 1933)

Historian, Writer and Translator

Member of the

Theosophical Society

Founder of the

Quest Society

by Travis Simpkins

G.R.S. Mead

For more info, please visit:

theosophical.org

 

G.R.S. Mead. Hermeticism. Gnosticism. Occult. Theosophical Society. Quest Society. by Travis Simpkins

Karen L. King. Professor of Ecclesiastical History. Harvard Divinity School. by Travis Simpkins

Karen L. King. Professor of Ecclesiastical History. Harvard Divinity School. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Karen L. King, Ph.D.

Author & Scholar

Professor of Ecclesiastical History

Harvard Divinity School

Cambridge, Massachusetts

by Travis Simpkins

Karen L. King - "Jesus said to them, my wife."

For more info, please visit:

harvard.edu/karen-l-king

Karen L. King. Harvard Divinity School. Revelation of the Unknowable God. by Travis Simpkins

Elaine Pagels. Professor of Religion. Princeton University. The Gnostic Gospels. by Travis Simpkins

Elaine Pagels. Professor of Religion. Princeton University. The Gnostic Gospels. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Elaine Pagels, Ph.D.

Author of "The Gnostic Gospels"

Harrington Spear Paine Foundation

Professor of Religion

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey

by Travis Simpkins

Elaine Pagels - Price Lecture. Trinity Church, Boston

For more info, please visit:

religion.princeton.edu/elaine-pagels

Elaine Pagels. Princeton University. Adam, Eve and the Serpent. by Travis Simpkins

The Ceremony of the Grail. John Michael Greer. Holy Grail. Freemasonry

The Ceremony of the Grail. John Michael Greer. Holy Grail. Freemasonry

I'm enjoying "The Ceremony of the Grail" by John Michael Greer.



Delve into Ancient Mysteries with Some of Freemasonry's Most Guarded Secrets

The Holy Grail. The medieval stories of Merlin. The ancient Greek Mysteries. Discover the connection between them all with this phenomenal book by 32nd-degree Freemason and celebrated author John Michael Greer. He uses careful research to fit together seemingly unrelated traditions and topics, drawing on translated texts and published documents that, until recently, were jealously guarded. A must-read for anyone interested in occult Freemasonry and the Grail mysteries, this book provides answers that have eluded seekers for centuries.

Using the earliest surviving Masonic ritual texts as well as pioneering insights and writings by Jessie Weston, William Morris, and other renowned scholars, this book reconstructs the Grail ritual and provides guidelines for performing it. Greer also presents Freemasonry's origins, full translations of pivotal essays, and fascinating history from megalithic to modern times. The Ceremony of the Grailpieces together a puzzle that has captivated practitioners throughout the ages.

https://amzn.to/48hsviO

Karen L. King. Professor of Ecclesiastical History. Harvard Divinity School. by Travis Simpkins

Karen L. King. Professor of Ecclesiastical History. Harvard Divinity School. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Karen L. King, Ph.D.

Author & Scholar

Professor of Ecclesiastical History

Harvard Divinity School

Cambridge, Massachusetts

by Travis Simpkins

Karen L. King - "Jesus said to them, my wife."

For more info, please visit:

harvard.edu/karen-l-king

Karen L. King. Harvard Divinity School. The Gospel of Mary of Magdala. by Travis Simpkins

Elaine Pagels. Professor of Religion. Princeton University. The Gnostic Gospels. by Travis Simpkins

Elaine Pagels. Professor of Religion. Princeton University. The Gnostic Gospels. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Elaine Pagels, Ph.D.

Author of "The Gnostic Gospels"

Harrington Spear Paine Foundation

Professor of Religion

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey

by Travis Simpkins

Elaine Pagels - Price Lecture. Trinity Church, Boston

For more info, please visit:

religion.princeton.edu/elaine-pagels

Elaine Pagels. Professor of Religion. Princeton University. Revelations. by Travis Simpkins

The Gospel of Mary Magdalene. Gnosticism. Divine Feminine. Jean-Yves Leloup

The Gospel of Mary Magdalene. Gnosticism. Divine Feminine. Jean-Yves Leloup

I've read the text of the Gospel of Mary Magdalene many times, but not this particular translation. I'm interested in reading the commentary.


Restores to the forefront of the Christian tradition the importance of the divine feminine

•The first complete English-language translation of the original Coptic Gospel of Mary, with line-by-line commentary

• Reveals the eminence of the divine feminine in Christian thought

• Offers a new perspective on the life of one of the most controversial figures in the Western spiritual tradition

Perhaps no figure in biblical scholarship has been the subject of more controversy and debate than Mary Magdalene. Also known as Miriam of Magdala, Mary Magdalene was considered by the apostle John to be the founder of Christianity because she was the first witness to the Resurrection. In most theological studies she has been depicted as a reformed prostitute, the redeemed sinner who exemplifies Christ's mercy. Today's reader can ponder her role in the gospels of Philip, Thomas, Peter, and Bartholomew--the collection of what have come to be known as the Gnostic gospels rejected by the early Christian church. Mary's own gospel is among these, but until now it has remained unknown to the public at large.

Orthodox theologian Jean-Yves Leloup's translation of the Gospel of Mary from the Coptic and his thorough and profound commentary on this text are presented here for the first time in English. The gospel text and the spiritual exegesis of Leloup together reveal unique teachings that emphasize the eminence of the divine feminine and an abiding love of nature over the dualistic and ascetic interpretations of Christianity presented elsewhere. What emerges from this important source text and commentary is a renewal of the sacred feminine in the Western spiritual tradition and a new vision for Christian thought and faith throughout the world.

The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered. Robert Eisenman. Michael Wise

The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered. Robert Eisenman. Michael Wise

"The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered" by Robert Eisenman and Michael Wise is concise and insightful.


Two scholars compile and interpret fifty documents that are key and previously inaccessible portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls.


"For the first time the public will be able to see the most interesting and exciting texts from the unpublished corpus and judge for itself. Providing precise English translations and complete transcriptions into modern Hebrew characters, The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered makes generally available in a clear and accessible style fifty of the best texts. Accompanied by incisive and readable commentaries aimed at both lay person and scholar alike, these texts provide exciting and ground-breaking insights into Messianism, an alternative presentation of the flood story, ecstatic visions, prophecies, Mysteries, astrology, divination, and much more." "This is nothing less than the literature of the Messianic Movement in Palestine. Responsible for the uprising that led to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, its later stages are virtually indistinguishable from the rise of Christianity in Palestine. Professors Eisenman's and Wise's research will go a long way towards solving the problem of the Scrolls in the context of Jewish history of the period and shed new light on the formation of early Christianity."

The Gnostic Discoveries. The Impact of the Nag Hammadi Library. Marvin Meyer

The Gnostic Discoveries. The Impact of the Nag Hammadi Library. Marvin Meyer

I'm enjoying "The Gnostic Discoveries" by Marvin Meyer. He passed away about 10 years ago and is still one of my favorites among Religion scholars.


The archaeological find of the twentieth century was the astounding discovery by an Egyptian peasant in December 1945 of a large storage jar filled with ancient papyrus manuscripts. Painstakingly restored and translated, these fragments came to be known collectively as the Nag Hammadi library. Through them we glimpse a fascinating alternative perspective on Jesus and many of his earliest followers, including the influence of Gnosticism on their beliefs.
"Gnosticism," a term alluding to special mystical knowledge, designates a series of religious movements that have existed since ancient times. This philosophy permeated Judaism, Greco-Roman religion, and what now appear to be different varieties of Christianity. Some of these alternative views, including Jesus’s relationship to Mary Magdalene, have revolutionized biblical scholarship and were recently sensationalized by Dan Brown in his bestseller, The Da Vinci Code.
The struggle to publish these ancient manuscripts has at times seemed like an ancient story of Egyptian magic -- filled with curses and drama. Included in these discoveries are several gospels of Jesus’s life that never made it into the modern Christian Bible as well as a treasury of lost, esoteric wisdom that portrays a side of Christianity suppressed by the institutionalized church. Meyer provides an overview of all the texts and their contents, grouping the codices by their respective genres, schools of thought, or attributed author, and discussing their meaning and significance for us today. He also provides an appendix that for the first time offers a quick survey of all the texts of the Nag Hammadi library and the Berlin Gnostic Codex, summarizing the contents of each of the texts and offering select quotations to illustrate their character and style.
The Gnostic Discoveries is the best available guide to the history and significance of the find at Nag Hammadi- an amazing archaeological link to the founding of the largest religion in the world.


The Meaning of the Nag Hammadi, now in paperback opens the with the thrilling adventure story of the discovery of the ancient Papyrii at Nag Hammadi. Muhammad Ali, the fellahin, discovered the sealed jar, he feared that it might contain a jinni, or spirit, but also had heard of hidden treasures in such jars. Greed overcame his fears and when he smashed open the jar, gold seemed to float into the air. To his disappointment, it was papyrus fragmenst, not gold, but for scholars around the world, it was invaluable.
Meyer then discusses the pre–Christian forms of wisdom that went onto influence what Christians believe today. In addition, some Nag Hammadi texts are attributed to Valentinus, a man who almost became Pope, and whose rejection changed the church in significant ways. Text by text, Meyer traces the history and impact of this great find on the Church, right up to our current beliefs and popular cultural fascination with this officially suppressed secret knowledge about Jesus and his followers.

Elaine Pagels. Professor of Religion. Princeton University. The Gnostic Gospels. by Travis Simpkins

Elaine Pagels. Professor of Religion. Princeton University. The Gnostic Gospels. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Elaine Pagels, Ph.D.

Author of "The Gnostic Gospels"

Harrington Spear Paine Foundation

Professor of Religion

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey

by Travis Simpkins

Elaine Pagels - Price Lecture. Trinity Church, Boston

For more info, please visit:

religion.princeton.edu/elaine-pagels

Elaine Pagels. Princeton University. The Origin of Satan. by Travis Simpkins

Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. Elaine Pagels. Sex and Sin. The Holy Bible. Early Christianity

Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. Elaine Pagels. Sex and Sin. The Holy Bible. Early Christianity

Elaine Pagels is one of my favorite religion scholars. "Adam, Eve, and the Serpent" is her examination of how the beliefs regarding sex and sin evolved during the early centuries of Christianity.

How did the early Christians come to believe that sex was inherently sinful? When did the Fall of Adam become synonymous with the fall of humanity? What turned Christianity from a dissident sect that championed the integrity of the individual and the idea of free will into the bulwark of a new imperial order—with the central belief that human beings cannot not choose to sin? In this provocative masterpiece of historical scholarship Elaine Pagels re-creates the controversies that racked the early church as it confronted the riddles of sexuality, freedom, and sin as embodied in the story of Genesis. And she shows how what was once heresy came to shape our own attitudes toward the body and the soul.

The Woman with the Alabaster Jar. Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail. Margaret Starbird

The Woman with the Alabaster Jar. Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail. Margaret Starbird

"The Woman with the Alabaster Jar" by Margaret Starbird has become somewhat of a classic in the Mary Magdalene genre. This book was Starbird's reaction after reading (and being deeply affected by) the controversial book "Holy Blood, Holy Grail."


Margaret Starbird’s theological beliefs were profoundly shaken when she read Holy Blood, Holy Grail, a book that dared to suggest that Jesus Christ was married to Mary Magdalen and that their descendants carried on his holy bloodline in Western Europe. Shocked by such heresy, this Roman Catholic scholar set out to refute it, but instead found new and compelling evidence for the existence of the bride of Jesus--the same enigmatic woman who anointed him with precious unguent from her “alabaster jar.”

Karen L. King. Professor of Ecclesiastical History. Harvard Divinity School. by Travis Simpkins

Karen L. King. Professor of Ecclesiastical History. Harvard Divinity School. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Karen L. King, Ph.D.

Author & Scholar

Professor of Ecclesiastical History

Harvard Divinity School

Cambridge, Massachusetts

by Travis Simpkins

Karen L. King - "Jesus said to them, my wife."

For more info, please visit:

harvard.edu/karen-l-king

Karen L. King. Harvard Divinity School. Reading Judas. by Travis Simpkins

Karen L. King. Professor of Ecclesiastical History. Harvard Divinity School. by Travis Simpkins

Karen L. King. Professor of Ecclesiastical History. Harvard Divinity School. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Karen L. King, Ph.D.

Author & Scholar

Professor of Ecclesiastical History

Harvard Divinity School

Cambridge, Massachusetts

by Travis Simpkins

Karen L. King - "Jesus said to them, my wife."

For more info, please visit:

harvard.edu/karen-l-king

Karen L. King. Harvard Divinity School. What Is Gnosticism? by Travis Simpkins

The Secret Teachings of Jesus. Four Gnostic Gospels. Translated by Marvin Meyer

The Secret Teachings of Jesus. Four Gnostic Gospels. Translated by Marvin Meyer

It feels like a Gnostic kind of evening...
This little book, translated by Marvin Meyer, contains the Secret Book of James, the Gospel of Thomas, the Book of Thomas and the Secret Book of John.


In December 1945, two Egyptian fellahin, digging for natural fertilizer in the Nile River valley unearthed a sealed storage jar. The jar proved to hold treasure of an unexpected sort: a collection of some fifty-two ancient manuscripts, most of which reflect the teachings of a mystical religious movement we call Gnosticism (from the Greek word gnosis, "knowledge"). The texts are also, with few exceptions, Christian documents, and thus they provide us with valuable new information about the character of the early church, and about the Gnostic Christians within the church.

In this volume, Marvin W. Meyer has produced a new English translation for general readers of four of the most important and revealing of these early Christian texts -- the Secret Book of James, the Gospel of Thomas, the Book of Thomas, and the Secret Book of John.

The Gospels of Mary. The Secret Tradition of Mary Magdalene the Companion of Jesus. Marvin Meyer

The Gospels of Mary. The Secret Tradition of Mary Magdalene the Companion of Jesus. Marvin Meyer

I'm enjoying this little book by Marvin Meyer (who passed away about 10 or so years ago). He is one of my favorites among Religion scholars. Note that Gospels is plural in the title. This book is a convenient compilation of all the snippets in ancient texts, both Gospels and Apocrypha, which relate directly to Mary Magdalene. All in all the earliest references to her total about 40 to 50 pages of material. That's it.

There is an actual Gospel of Mary Magdalene dating to the 1st or 2nd Century. It is very fragmentary, with pages missing from the beginning and the end as well as a lost chunk in the middle. It well worth a read, very esoteric, speaking of the inner self and the ascension of the soul. Parts of it are included here, but the complete text has been translated and published elsewhere several times.


Mary Magdalene, Jesus's Closest Disciple
Marvin Meyer, one of the foremost scholars of the Gnostic Gospels:

-translates and introduces the Gnostic and New Testament texts that together reveal the story and importance of Mary Magdalene

-includes new translations of the Gospels of Mary, Thomas, Philip, and related texts about Mary Magdalene

-discloses, with Esther A. De Boer, the long-suppressed story of Mary's vital role in the life of Jesus and in the formative period after his crucifixion
presents as authentically as possible the real Mary Magdalene

Elaine Pagels. Professor of Religion. Princeton University. The Gnostic Gospels. by Travis Simpkins

Elaine Pagels. Professor of Religion. Princeton University. The Gnostic Gospels. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Elaine Pagels, Ph.D.

Author of "The Gnostic Gospels"

Harrington Spear Paine Foundation

Professor of Religion

Princeton University

Princeton, New Jersey

by Travis Simpkins

Elaine Pagels - Price Lecture. Trinity Church, Boston

For more info, please visit:

religion.princeton.edu/elaine-pagels

Elaine Pagels. Princeton University. Adam, Eve and the Serpent. by Travis Simpkins