On the small planet of Isphilia, two orphaned boys, Crinia and Natsanori, find themselves amidst a war that had been wrought by its rival planet, Hectom, and its grand ruler, King Peoria’s immediate, commanding assault. The young boys were not ordinary youths, however. At birth, they were entrusted with a rare, mysterious item called an ‘Element’ that not only bestowed them with the ability to use a unique force of nature, but also amplified the amount of ‘Energy’ they could attract from their planet’s magically-enriched atmosphere. King Peoria was desperately seeking this power. Eager to obtain the boys’ unique skills, he orders his own son, Prince Caradin, to stop at nothing until acquiring their abilities.

Analyzes the feelings and problems involved in different types of human love, including familial affection, friendship, passion, and charity.

The World of Odysseus is a concise and penetrating account of the society that gave birth to the Iliad and the Odyssey--a book that provides a vivid picture of the Greek Dark Ages, its men and women, works and days, morals and values. Long celebrated as a pathbreaking achievement in the social history of the ancient world, M.I. Finley's brilliant study remains, as classicist Bernard Knox notes in his introduction to this new edition, "as indispensable to the professional as it is accessible to the general reader"--a fundamental companion for students of Homer and Homeric Greece.

Kierkegaard has often been regarded as a gloomy thinker yet, as an evangelist, his aim was to discover the joy of the truth of Christianity. Both Kierkegaard's belief and his doubt in his own work were the result of his attempt to comprehend the exceptional experiences of biblical characters and to examine what he found most puzzling or offensive. 'The Joy of Kierkegaard' brings together the writings of one of the most influential of Kierkegaard scholars. These essays argue that Kierkegaard's most original thought arises from his struggle with biblical passages and that joy underpins his profound exploration of spiritual alienation.

Day by day for five weeks, these prayers, reflections, stories, and teachings will help readers not only better comprehend the power of Christ's great sacrifice, but come to a better understanding of why and how to accept that power.

An eye-opening introduction to the complex world of esoteric Christianity—perfect for the general reader This guide to mystical and esoteric Christianity speaks from a nonsectarian point of view, unearthing insights from the whole of the Christian tradition, orthodox and heretical, famous and obscure. The esoteric tradition has traditionally searched for meanings that would yield a deeper inner knowledge of the divine. While traditional Christianity draws a timeline from Adam's Fall to the Day of Judgment, the esoteric often sees time as folding in on itself, bringing every point to the here and now. While the Church fought bitterly over dogma, the esoteric borrowed freely from other traditions—Kabbalah, astrology, and alchemy—in their search for metaphors of inner truth. Rather than basing his book around exponents of esoteric doctrine, scholar Richard Smoley concentrates on the questions that are of interest to every searching Christian. How can one attain direct spiritual experience? What does "the Fall" really tell us about coming to terms with the world we live in? Can we find salvation in everyday life? How can we ascend, spiritually, through the various levels of existence? What was Christ's true message to humankind? From the Gospel of Thomas to A Course in Miracles, from the Jesus Prayer to alchemy and Tarot, from Origen to Dante to Jung, Richard Smoley sheds the light of an alternative Christianity on these issues and more.

Contemporary seekers on the hunt for an overview of the Western mystery traditions often face a small selection of dense, out-of-date tomes. Alternatively, Hidden Wisdom is a fresh, coherent, and accessible work that expounds many of the teachings of Western esotericism, examining its key figures and movements.

A collection of the works of American poet Amy Lowell.

"No one carries his learning more gracefully than Knox. That is because he does not, like so many scholars, seal it off from the rest of life. Ancient and current wisdom communicate through him." --Garry Wills