This book was conceived by Adi Da Samraj at the end of 2005. He was first moved to make his own rendering, or 'interpretive translation', of a traditional Advaitic text, The Heart of the Ribhu Gita, in order to elucidate (and thereby honor) its full meaning. Adi Da Samraj then did the same with other great teachings from the traditions of Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism. In each case, he brought the essence of the instruction to the fore, with elegance and illumined understanding. Texts whose meanings were only partially (or cryptically) expressed even in the original suddenly shone forth, like rough gems cut by an expert hand. Such was the original kernel of The Gnosticon, an anthology of these masterful 'translations', together with discourses about the traditional texts, given by Adi Da Samraj. Avatar Adi Da's final work on The Gnosticon (only months before His passing in November 2008) included the addition of the essays Atma Nadi Shakti Yoga and The Boundless Self-Confession.

Contemporary renderings of the dharma of the great sages of Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism from the Realized Spiritual Master Avatar Adi Da Samraj • Includes transmissions of wisdom teachings of the great sages Gotama Sakyamuni, Nagarjuna, Shankara, and Ribhu • Presents classic texts of spiritual realization from the perspective of a Realized Teacher • Provides insight into the ultimate realization possible when dualistic consciousness has been transcended In this book Avatar Adi Da Samraj offers his unique renderings of the dharma of the great sages of Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism, including Gotama Sakyamuni, Nagarjuna, Shankara, and Ribhu. Rather than simply translate their teachings from available source texts, Avatar Adi Da, himself a Realized Master, respeaks them as one who has personally realized their truth, revealing that the Buddhist “Nirvana” and the Advaitic “Brahman” point to the same transcendental condition. Avatar Adi Da’s transmissions restore to these texts the profound communication intended by the spiritual masters who created them. The ego nurtures the illusion of separation, an illusion that cannot be removed by the ego’s own efforts. It is only the spiritual master who makes possible the realization of egoless consciousness. The great sages proclaimed a state of spiritual realization that exceeded both worldly dualism and mystical seeking. They had awakened to a reality that spoke of abiding in a state of consciousness only. Avatar Adi Da brings these remarkable declarations back to life and then concludes with his own unique description of a realization that transcends even these extraordinary utterances--the realization of Reality As It Is, free of all forms of the ego’s search.

Paganistan - a moniker adapted by the Twin Cities Contemporary Pagan community - is the title of a history and ethnography of a regionally unique, urban, and vibrant community in Minnesota. The story of the community traces the formation of some of the earliest organizations and churches in the US, the influence of publication houses and bookstores, the marketplace, and the local University, on the growth and sustenance of a distinct Pagan community identity, as well as discussions of the patterns of diversifying and cohesion that occur as a result of societal pressure, politics, and generational growth within it. As the first ever study of this long-lived community, this book sets out to document Paganistan as another aspect of the increasing prevalence of Paganism in the US and contributes to the discussion of the formation of new American religious communities. Revealing how canonical theories about community formation in anthropology do not always fit comfortably nor accurately describe how a vibrant Pagan community creates and sustains itself, this book will be of interest to scholars of religion and new religious movements worldwide, and offers a valuable contribution to discussions within both urban anthropology and sociology.

This is the stranger-than-fiction story of two soul mates who rejected the status quo and embraced higher ideals...and had a whole lot of fun while they were at it. Reclaiming Pagan as a spiritual identity—and living in an open marriage for over four decades—Oberon and Morning Glory Zell truly embody the freedom to think, to love, and to live. Telling the stories of their singular lives in this unique oral history, Oberon and Morning Glory—together with a colorful tribe of friends, lovers, musicians, homesteaders, researchers, and ritualists—reveal how they established the Church of All Worlds, revitalized Goddess worship, discovered the Gaea Thesis, raised real Unicorns, connected a worldwide community through Green Egg magazine, searched for mermaids in the South Pacific, and founded the influential Grey School of Wizardry. Join Morning Glory and Oberon as they share the highs and lows of their extraordinary lives, and explore the role they played in shaping the community of Witches and Pagans that thrives in the world today. Includes a 16-page color photo insert.

A history of wicca and neopaganism in the United States focusing on the post-WW II period.

The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements both covers the current state of the field and breaks new ground. Its contributors, drawn form both sociology and religious studies, are leading figures in the study of NRMs.

A valuable resource for students and general audiences, this book provides a unique global perspective on the history, beliefs, and practices of emergent faith communities; new religious traditions; and religious movements worldwide, from the 19th century to the present. New Religions: Emerging Faiths and Religious Cultures in the Modern World provides insightful global perspectives on the emergent faith communities and new traditions and movements of the last two centuries. Readers will gain access to the information necessary to explore the significance, complexities, and challenges that modern religious traditions have faced throughout their history and that continue to impact society today. The work identifies the themes and issues that have often brought new religions into conflict with the larger societies of which they are a part. Coverage includes new religious groups that emerged in America, such as the Seventh-day Adventists, the Latter-day Saints, and the Jehovah's Witnesses; alternative communities around the globe that emerged from the major Western and Eastern traditions, such as Aum Shinrikyo and Al-Qaeda; and marginalized groups that came to a sudden end, such as the Peoples Temple, Heaven's Gate, and the Branch Davidians. The entries highlight thematic and broader issues that run across the individual religious traditions, and will also help students analyze and assess the common difficulties faced by emergent religious communities.

Contemporary Paganism is a movement that is still young and establishing its identity and place on the global religious landscape. The members of the movement are simultaneously growing, unifying, and maintaining its characteristic diversity of traditions, identities, and rituals. The modern Pagan movement has had a restless formation period but has also been the catalyst for some of the most innovative religious expressions, praxis, theologies, and communities. As Contemporary Paganism continues to grow and mature, new angles of inquiry about it have emerged and are explored in this collection. This examination and study of contemporary Paganism contributes new ways to observe and examine other religions, where innovations, paradoxes, and inconsistencies can be more accurately documented and explained.

A definitive spiritual handbook and political manifesto for the new millennium. A magical, practical journey into multidimensional reality; deeply revealing, refreshing, and transforming for all seekers on the Path.

Through a childhood characterised by mystical experiences under the most difficult life circumstances, the Master "unrecognised" accompanies His disciple's spiritual search to India, who takes refuge in meditation and retreat, until the brightly radiating, transcendental spiritual revelations of the Heart-Master, as the Divine Person, the Maha Purusha, the promised God-Man, in the Old University of Freiburg im Breisgau. The search ends from one moment to the next and the disciple's life takes an unexpected turn and undergoes a profound transformation. In the eternal relationship between Heart-Master Avatar Adi Da and His devotee, the path of Avatar Adi Da's 7th stage of Perfect Realisation is revealed step by step. After many years of waiting and countless visions, the author finally reaches the longed-for island of Naitauba. All his expectations and ideas about the ashram of a Maha Siddha and the island community are disappointed on all levels. He is confronted with an insider cult of the first generation of devotees. The wisdom teaching of the Heart Master has fallen prey to a revision and a "monarchist" insider cult, behind which the first generation of disciples hides with high priestly words and empty proclamations. Despite this difficult and unexpected circumstance, the disciple receives the Transcendental Spiritual Revelations and teachings of his Heart-Master. The Transcendental Spiritual Reality emerges as the source of all beings and things in the face of the greatest possible failure, confrontation with the fatal insider cult of a spiritual community, exile and banishment.