Inprint - New Books of interest

The Miracle Tree: Demystifying the Qabalah by R.J. Stewart. (New Page Books, $14.95, Paperback.)

The Miracle Tree offers a new approach to the Tree of Life from an author who has practiced Western Qabalah for more than thirty years. Stewart uses one simple premise — we are already the Tree of Life.

Written in plain English without exotic terminology, no background in Victorian occultism is necessary to use this book. Many of the practical exercises and forms within are the result of years of spiritual exploration and have never been published before. Because the word “Qabalah” originally meant an oral tradition, the voice of this book is that of a teacher talking with a group of students.

Some secret techniques are described, including Withdrawal from Time, The Qabalah of the Three Suns, Walking Participation, and entering the Inner Temple traditions. These techniques produce powerful and rapid results when the student practices them regularly. They work directly within us, reaffirming the truth that we are already the Miracle Tree.

Another feature of this book is that the author traces the sources of the Tree of Life meditations and visions through medieval times in Europe. He demonstrates a verifiable historical origin for Tree of Life practices that substantially predates the standard texts usually assumed to be the origins of the Qabalah in the West.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Buddhism by Gary Gach. (Alpha, $18.95, Paperback.)

You’re no idiot, of course. You know there’s more to Buddhism than meditation and mantras, but just what is it and how would you go about making it a part of your life?

This book includes an exploration of who the Buddha was and what he means today. The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path are introduced and the major schools such as Vipassana, Zen, and Vajrayana are discussed. Gach also covers the growth and development of Buddhism in America.

You’ll learn how to practice and personalize the precepts, discover the power of tranquility and insight meditation, find a teacher and a sangha, master the basics of Buddhist ecology, use the principles of deep listening and loving speech to improve your relationships, and be mindful and compassionate toward yourself.

Gach also includes sections on appreciating key films in Buddhist cinema, tips on the inner game of sports and martial arts, and lists the best destinations for Buddhist pilgrimages and retreats.

Secret Societies of America’s Elite: From the Knights Templar to the Skull and Bones by Steven Sora. (Destiny Books, $20.00, Paperback.)

Elite and secret societies have always been a major force in the history of Western civilization. The alliances formed in the Knights Templar, the Knights of Christ, and the Freemasons transcended patriotism and religious beliefs and had a powerful influence on the establishment of the United States. Yet while these secret associations succeeded in freeing us from foreign domination, they also used their connections to further their own wealth and power. This book exposes the dark and critical role secret societies play within the ruling families in America and their tremendous influence on our democracy, current events, world history, and contemporary life.

In his introduction the author states, “From the time of the Crusades to the twenty-first century, a handful of families have controlled the course of world events and have built their own status and wealth through collective efforts and intermarriage. Dynasties created through underworld activity and membership in secret societies would pave the way to power that survives into modern times.”

The Templars and the Grail: Knights of the Quest by Karen Ralls. (Quest Books, $22.95, Paperback.)

The powerful Knights Templar, famed monastic warriors of the Crusades, have long been shrouded in mystery. They were believed to conduct mystical rites, guard the Holy Grail, and possess the lost treasures of Jerusalem. They were also bankers to kings, trusted diplomats, farmers, business scions, and navigators.

Dr. Karen Ralls, Oxford-based medieval historian and Celtic scholar, presents the unfolding drama of the Knights Templar through time, examining the many beliefs and theories about their presumed powers and knowledge. Drawing on both academic and popular sources, she provides a solidly researched, up-to-date perspective and includes exclusive photos from Rosslyn Chapel and its museum exhibition.

Money Magic: Unleashing Your True Potential for Prosperity and Fulfillment by Deborah L. Price. (New World Library, $12.95, Paperback.)

Through the boom of the 1990s to the recent decline of the economy, one thing is clear: money has an amazing hold on us. We think having more is always good, but we still think money is “bad.” Even saying that we don’t care about money is still defining ourselves around money.

Making, keeping, and enjoying money isn’t just about investments, salaries, inheritance, or dividends, according to professional money coach Deborah Price. It is also about the games we play around money and the “type” we are in our relationship to money. More often than not, the financial choices we make are unconscious and fear-based, because when it comes to money, most of us feel out of control. This book offers practical steps toward acknowledging the hold of money on our minds and emotions and then using those insights to create not only a better relationship to money but also the wealth and prosperity we desire.

Money Magic describes the games we all play around money, and goes on to define eight money types: The Innocent, The Victim, The Warrior, The Martyr, The Fool, The Creator/Artist, The Tyrant and The Magician. Price offers stories of her own clients to illustrate the various types, and gives exercises in each chapter that help lead us to become The Magician whose attitude toward money is in alignment with deeper life goals.

Setting Your Heart on Fire: Seven Invitations to Liberate Your Life by Raphael Cushnir. (Broadway Books, $21.95, Hard Cover.)

People throughout the world from Buddha to the Beatles have long given the message that all you need is love. Most of us either misunderstand love or close ourselves to its greatest gifts. When a parent disapproves, when a lover rejects, when life doles out losses and disappointments, we shrink from love like it’s the culprit. All too often, we wind up seeing the world as devoid of love or judging ourselves as unlovable.

Raphael Cushnir has come to see love in a wonderfully different light. After a painful divorce, a career setback, a serious illness, and a classic “dark night of the soul,” he began to open himself to the power of love — not the romantic, familial, or platonic kinds, but the primal, dynamic, unifying force that exists all around and within us. From the strength of his experience and his work with thousands of others, he has found a way to invite love’s blazing light into every aspect of life and let it guide us through challenges, stress, adversity, and toward what he describes as “an entirely new kind of existence, one full of passion, presence, and infinite possibility.”