Art and Imagination Series
Alchemy has been practiced in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, India, China, Japan, and Korea in Classical Greece and Rome, in the Muslim civilizations, and then in Europe up to the 20th century — in a complex network of schools and philosophical systems spanning at least 2500 years. Throughout the ages, the presence, seen or unseen, of winged beings hovering between the human and divine worlds has been felt by men and women. Astrology is the ancient study of cosmic cause and effect - a system combining both poetic symbol and hard fact. Lost Lands, Ancient Wisdom
The Mysteries begin in the frenzy of battle, where the hero is transfigured and the god appears; or in a ghostly circle of stones left by an unknown people; or in the mystic centre of the Celtic cross; or in the stone heads of Gaul and Ireland, which face both ways Man's Introduction to the World
We can learn about dreams from cultures vastly remote from each other in time and place – from the Shamans of Malaysia, India or North America, the visionary artists of Europe and East Asia, the traditions of biblical, Koranic and classical philosophy, the ideas of analytical psychology and experimental science – how to understand the reality which lies in dreams. In nature, in dreams, in art, in legends from around the world and in many forms of mysticism, the eye reflects our gaze inwards. From the dawn of time humankind has instinctively perceived the supreme provider and protector, creator of all life on earth, as female. As a sacred vessel, the Grail has strong links with the Celtic myth and with the Hermetic Vessel and Philosophers’ Stone of alchemy. Cup, stone or jewel, however it is portrayed, the Grail has remained a symbol of spiritual wholeness leading to union with the divine. A Renaissance Man and the Quest for Lost Knowledge
Francis King traces the origins of ritual magic, and its perilous coexistence with witchcraft, black magic and orthodox religion in the days when alchemy, astrology and the Kabbalah formed a powerful undercurrent in the intellectual life of Western Europe. Systems and techniques range from those using deadly weapons to the ‘breath throw’ of Aikido, where an attacker finds himself flying through the air without the slightest touch from the master. Strength arises, not from muscular training, but from the balance of the three energy levels of Body, Breath and Mind. In this original and engrossing book, Jill Purce traces the significance of one man’s central symbols from the double spirals of Stone Age art and the interlocking spirals of the Chinese Yin Yang symbol to the whorls of Celtic crosses, Maori tattoos and the Islamic arabesque. Many of the superb images here were intended as objects of contemplation; for the spiral is a cosmic symbol.Back in stock soon
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