In Codex of the Soul, VerDarLuz guides the reader through the multifaceted nature of astrology, focusing on its practical use and spiritual nature. Providing practical and effective techniques for experiencing your birthchart, VerDarLuz explores the planets as an evolutionary force within the soul, seeking to be awakened and realized at certain regular intervals. In part one, VerDarLuz provides a thorough description of the historical, metaphysical, and cosmological foundations of astrology, followed by an overview of a wide-ranging set of cosmologies related to astrology, from the Greek and Roman pantheons to Hindu scriptures, sacred geometry, and archetypes. Part two probes the deeper meanings of planets, signs, houses, and aspects and introduces methods of chart interpretation. Part three explores the connection between planetary cycles and personal rites of passage, helping readers create their own "life reviews" and become better equipped to meet pivotal life changes (such as the Saturn return) as well as the rites of passage of partners and children. Utilizing famous biographies and tools of practical magic, Codex of the Soul paints a mythical map of the entirety of the human journey, offering tools for harmonizing with all of life's initiations.

The first translation of a previously unknown Aztec codex and its initiatory teachings for 2012 • Discloses the potential for great spiritual awakening offered at the end of the Aztec calendar cycle • Presents the only existing English-language transcription of the Aztec codex, with line-by-line commentary • Contains the epic poetry and metaphysical insights of Beat poet Marty Matz (1934–2001 In 1961 an unknown Aztec codex was revealed to Beat poet and explorer Marty Matz by a Mazatec shaman in the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. Originally intended for dramatic performance, this codex presents a profound metaphysical teaching describing how the end of time will bring about a visionary ascent. At the behest of his Mazatec teacher, Matz transcribed this pictorial codex into a literary form that would preserve its initiatory teachings and reveal its secret meanings to a wider audience.Pyramid of Fire is an epic poem that provides a vehicle to transport the initiate into the higher realms of consciousness. It represents a barely surviving thread of teachings that have been passed down in secret since the time of the Spanish Conquest. Revealed are the techniques by which man is transported to the stellar realm after death via the solar energy within what the ancients called the “serpent of consciousness.” Line-by-line commentary by Matz and John Major Jenkins provides insights into the perennial philosophy contained in the codex and its relevance to our times.

Did you know that long before prophetic men living in the desert changed the course of history of our planet, a living prophetic tradition of women preached about a much older religion of a Goddess that is LIFE itself? Long before Jesus talked about love, Her priestesses did. Long before the Quran declared the Divine to be the Light of the heavens, Her priestesses did. Why should something that happened thousands of years ago matter to you today? It matters because the Goddess' prophetic tradition still lives! Just like debar Yahweh (the word of Yahweh) was heard 3000 years ago, abat Ishtar (the word of Ishtar) still cries for you to hear today. "O seeker, if you ask who is Ishtar, look at the stars, they will tell you My story. If you ask where is Ishtar, look deep within your eyes and you shall see Me. If your mind says I don't believe in Ishtar, dwell on the image of your beloved and you will remember Me. In the heart of every man and woman is a star. Seek it and you shall know Me. I am Ishtar and I love you." If you have read the Bible, the Quran, or the Bhagavad Gita, then you owe it to yourself to read the Codex of Love. It is a book that evokes happiness with every reading, whose words of love fall like gentle rain on parched earth. Read it out loud to yourself and be ready to be amazed by the profound sense of love that surrounds you. You will want to read it again and again because the simplicity of its prose hides intensely deep spiritual teachings. Discover what the Goddess' heavenly teachings have to say about: * Living the spirituality of love even if you have been hurt so many times. * Enjoying a more peaceful life in a world filled with war and news of terror. * Finding that true love you always wanted. * Keeping the fires of love, desire, and passion ablaze in your life. * Experiencing intense sacred sex that illuminates your soul. * Walking touched by the spirit of the Goddess every day of your life. Many books have been written on the Goddess, the old religion and neo paganism. Experts talk from an anthropological perspective and some give you basic rituals and hymns. The Codex of Love leaps out, unique in that it is the living words of the Goddess. For the faithful, it is indeed a joy ride of love that gladdens the heart and uplifts the spirit. For the skeptic, it is a pleasurable and tantalizing journey filled with spiritual nuggets of wisdom. No matter your affiliations, if love is your religion at all, you need to read this book.

The very idea that the teachings can be mastered will arouse controversy within Buddhist circles. Even so, Ingram insists that enlightenment is an attainable goal, once our fanciful notions of it are stripped away, and we have learned to use meditation as a method for examining reality rather than an opportunity to wallow in self-absorbed mind-noise. Ingram sets out concisely the difference between concentration-based and insight (vipassana) meditation; he provides example practices; and most importantly he presents detailed maps of the states of mind we are likely to encounter, and the stages we must negotiate as we move through clearly-defined cycles of insight. Its easy to feel overawed, at first, by Ingram's assurance and ease in the higher levels of consciousness, but consistently he writes as a down-to-earth and compassionate guide, and to the practitioner willing to commit themselves this is a glittering gift of a book.In this new edition of the bestselling book, the author rearranges, revises and expands upon the original material, as well as adding new sections that bring further clarity to his ideas.

An Ancient Wisdom Text Revealed . . . Both an ancient, "found" wisdom text and a sumptuous, epic novel, Gaia Codex reveals the hidden histories of a world long forgotten, the secret wisdom of an ancient lineage of women, the Priestesses of Astera. Set in a near future of impending societal and environmental collapse, the novel is a tale of hope and remembrance, as well as an inspired vision of humanity's origins and of the potential we hold for conscious evolution.

The Mind Illuminated is a comprehensive, accessible and - above all - effective book on meditation, providing a nuts-and-bolts stage-based system that helps all levels of meditators establish and deepen their practice. Providing step-by-step guidance for every stage of the meditation path, this uniquely comprehensive guide for a Western audience combines the wisdom from the teachings of the Buddha with the latest research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience. Clear and friendly, this in-depth practice manual builds on the nine-stage model of meditation originally articulated by the ancient Indian sage Asanga, crystallizing the entire meditative journey into 10 clearly-defined stages. The book also introduces a new and fascinating model of how the mind works, and uses illustrations and charts to help the reader work through each stage. This manual is an essential read for the beginner to the seasoned veteran of meditation.

This powerful book draws on the tradition of the prophet emerging from the wasteland to help waken the mystic within each of us, guide our modern spiritual journey into our own inner desert, and there to have a direct experience of God.

In a future so distant that time is almost without meaning, death is defeated and immortality has been made reality through instantaneous cloning and synaptic transfer. Mankind, frustrated by the futility of timeless existence, chooses extinction. All but one man. Far removed from the known universe with only one companion, an AI named Qod, Salem Ben watches the cosmos from afar and relives the digitally reproduced lives of countless souls archived in the Soul Consortium by means of a neuroimmersive device. He hopes to discover the answer to the ultimate question: What lies beyond? But at the birth of the next universe, billions of years before the pattern of life repeats its design, Salem’s quest takes a disturbing turn. Unexplained aberrations appear among the digital souls. To hunt down their source and to continue his search for evidence of life after death, Salem endures four very different lives: Orson Roth, a serial killer in 20th-century Britain; Dominique Mancini, a spiritual medium from 16th-century Lombardy; Plantagenet Soome, a monk sent to the distant Castor’s World; and Queen Oluvia Wade, the creator of the Soul Consortium. As the mystery unfolds, Salem is confronted by a malevolent entity which threatens the future of humanity before it can begin again—and only Salem stands in the way of it breaking free.

Inspired by the pre-Hispanic codices that escaped immolation during colonial invasions, this artists' book opens out in accordion folds expanding to a length of over 21 feet. Rice has created a series of beautiful and jarring montages in which the mixture of languages, slang, poetry, and prose of Gomez-Pena's performance texts are woven through and around Chagoya's collages filled with pre-Hispanic drawings, colonial-era representations of New World natives, and comic book superheroes. Irreverent to the last, Gomez-Pena and Chagoya employ iconic figures and persistent stereotypes to overturn the fantasies of nationalism, ethnocentrism, and historical amnesia that cloud international relations. Rice's masterful typographic compositions orchestrate the text's many voices and views, offering a history of the Americas which must be read forward and backward, in fragments and in recurring episodes - in short, as history itself tends to unfold. About the Authors Guillermo Gomez-Pena was born in Mexico City in 1955 and came to the U.S. in 1978. His work, which includes performance art, poetry, journalism, criticism, and cultural theory, explores cross-cultural issues and North/South relations. He is the recipient of an American Book Award for The New World Border (City Lights) and a MacArthur Foundation Genius Award, among many other honors. Enrique Chagoya is a Mexican-born painter and printmaker who has been living and working in the U.S. since 1977. The recipient of two NEA Fellowships, his most recent show of paintings was at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco. He currently teaches at Stanford University. Felicia Rice is a book artist, typographer, printer, and publisher whose work has earned her many honors. She lectures and exhibits internationally, and her books are represented in the collections of various museums and libraries. She currently directs the graphic design and production program at the University of California, Santa Cruz Extension.