Using the Greek story of the Twelve Labors of Hercules, which outlines the progressive stages of spiritual development that spiritual practitioners in all spiritual traditions go through, this book presents full details on the step-by-step progression of the physical transformations that occur to practitioners. Whenever someone starts to consistently cultivate spiritual practice in a devoted way, there are physical changes that will occur to the human body. These physical transformations, called "gong-fu" in the eastern spiritual schools, are non-denominational signposts of spiritual progress. If you cultivate spiritual practice sufficiently then these phenomena will arise. If you don't practice correctly, they simply won't appear. Their appearance is a matter of proper devoted effort. These phenomena include such things as the awakening of kundalini (yang chi) within the body, the opening of the chakras and purification of the body's energy channels, hormonal transformations, the calming of consciousness, the experience of refined mental states described as "emptiness," and various other mental and physical phenomena. Normally people think these phenomena only occur to individuals following eastern cultivations traditions such as yoga, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Vajrayana. However, these phenomena that arise are totally non-sectarian and non-denominational. They equally occur to devoted spiritual followers within Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. If you cultivate spiritual practices sufficiently, these purification transformations will occur and if you don't cultivate meditation or other spiritual exercises, you will not experience them. Your religion has nothing to do with it. All genuine religious traditions employ cultivation practices designed to help you achieve a quiet mind. Because thoughts die down due to these practices, this resulting mental quiet is described as peacefulness, silence, cessation, calming, purity, and emptiness. Your mind empties of busy thoughts and so you begin to experience mental peace. When your mind quiets, proper spiritual practice requires that you remain aware during this experience rather than try to suppress thoughts from further arising. The practice of maintaining awareness while mentally quiet is called witnessing, observing, knowing, or introspection. As the mind quiets, you continue to watch your mental continuum but without attaching to it. The gradual calming of your mind results from successfully letting go of thoughts, and because your body's life force (chi) and consciousness are linked, as you let go of thoughts you also drop the habit of clinging to the energies you normally feel in your body. With proper spiritual practice you learn how to detach from these energies and let them function without interference. Once you learn how to do this, your kundalini energies will arise and their natural circulation will start to transform your body. Those energies will open up your chi channels and chakras and transform your physical body, purifying it. As your chi purifies, so will your emotions and habit energies. As you progressively let go of your chi, it will also revert to its natural circulation which has been suppressed by errant thought patterns. Cultivating a quiet mind leads to your kundalini arising, those energies purify your channels and chakras, that purification leads to a greater degree of mental purity or emptiness, and the two components of body and mind reach ever increasing levels of refinement. This book presents full details on this step-by-step progression of transformations that occur to practitioners on the spiritual trail. It covers the meditation practices that successful adepts have traditionally used throughout history, and non-denominationally links the gong-fu experiences of these practitioners with the stages of the spiritual path and the ultimate quest for self-realization, or enlightenment.

Adventure into the epic and magical world of Greek myths with this brightly-illustrated introduction to the strongest hero Hercules for young readers. Colorful and easy to read, this retelling of Hercules' heroic feats brings ancient myth to life--with a dash of adventure.

Zeus and all the other powerful Greek gods throw one grand party in celebration of Baby Hercules's birthday, enhanced by amusing, colorful illustrations. Movie tie-in.

You're the main character. You make the choices. Can you survive twelve perilous labors in this adapted classic for ages 9 to 13?

From her mythological roots to feminist icon status, this definitive guide to all things Wonder Woman features 192 pages of the greatest images of the Amazon Princess and text by Paul Levitz, author of the Eisner Award-winning 75 Years of DC Comics.

1919 the mystery of the ages revealed. Contents: Creation & the Philosophy of the Universe; the Ages of Heaven & Earth; Recorded history for 6,000 Years; Bible Prophecies; Heavenly Conditions of Earth; the Universal Law. Illustrated - Maps of the.

The Little Book of Stars answers, in the clearest language, the questions anyone might have about our heavenly canopy. How are stars born? How do they die? Why do they shine? How long do they shine? Is our star, the Sun, dying? How can you tell time from the stars? Or navigate? What are the measures of stars? Can we ever travel to other stars? In this engagingly written and concise book, the second in the Little Book series, noted astronomer James B. Kaler shows us "the significance that the stars have had in human life, how we have used them to tell our stories, and how we use them to find who and where we are."

The Little Book of Norwich is an intriguing, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of places, people and events in the city, from its earliest origins to the present day. Here you can read about entertainment, sport, industries, military history, transport, death and religion, crime and punishment, the coast, rivers and waterways. Also included are some of the great men and women, the eccentrics and the scoundrels with which the city’s history is littered. Those curious enough to open this book will be entertained and enthralled and never short of some frivolous fact to enhance a conversation or quiz! Dip in at random or sit back and enjoy, there are no rules.

A charming, richly illustrated, pocket-sized exploration of the world’s beetles Packed with surprising facts, this delightful and gorgeously designed book will beguile any nature lover. Expertly written and beautifully illustrated throughout with color photographs and original color artwork, The Little Book of Beetles is an accessible and enjoyable mini reference book about the world’s beetles, with examples drawn from across the globe. It fits an astonishing amount of information in a small package, covering a wide range of topics—from anatomy, diversity, and reproduction to habitat and conservation. It also includes curious facts and a section on beetles in myths, folklore, and modern culture around the world. The result is an irresistible guide to the amazing lives of beetles. A beautifully designed pocket-sized book with a foil-stamped cloth cover Features some 140 color illustrations and photos Makes a perfect gift

The Little Book of Norfolk is a repository of intriguing, fascinating, obscure, strange and entertaining facts and trivia about one of England's most colourful counties. It is an essential to the born and bred Norfolk folk or anyone who knows and loves the county. Armed with this fascinating tome the reader will have such knowledge of the county, its landscape, people, places, pleasures and pursuits they will be entertained and enthralled and never short of some frivolous fact to enhance conversation or quiz! A reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped in to time and time again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage, the secrets and the enduring fascination of the county. A remarkably engaging little book, this is essential reading for visitors and locals alike.