Notable Books

Notable Books 30

Something New

Everyday Dharma: Seven Weeks to finding the Buddha in You, Lama Willa Miller, Theosophical Publishing House, Quest Books, 2009, Pages 268, $15.95

This is a Quest book that has been around for seven years or so. It is an excellent presentation to Buddhism in the Tibetan tradition.  It is very clear in its arrangement of topics and extremely well written. I think it should be more widely known. Perhaps one of the reasons it is not as well-known as some Quest books is because it also falls under the classification of ‘Self-help’ books. The author has apparently anticipated this and in her introduction includes the following:

“Many new students of spirituality and Buddhism do not initially have contact with a teacher.  They start with books, so it seems to me there should be books available that show people how to start a practice”

Something New

The One True Adventure: Theosophy and the Quest for Meaning, Joy Mills, Foreword by John Algeo, Theosophical Publishing House, Quest Books, 2008, Pages xiv + 361, $24.95 paperback.

Joy Mills has left us Theosophist quite a legacy with her talks and her writings. This book is a collection of some of her best presentations and publications. It is perfect for any study group, or individual. The compilers explain how the selections were chosen and best of all, Joy seems to have the last word on their selection and order.

The book is divided into four themes: The Human Condition, Our Hidden Potential, Esoteric Teachings, and Self-Transformation. There are numerous items in the Reference section for follow-up and an adequate Index.

Something New 

Masters of Wisdom: The Mahatmas, Their Letters, and the Path, Edward Abdill, Tarcher/Penguin (May 19, 2015), 288 pages. This book was previously reviewed on Theosophy Forward in March 2015; however, the review was short and offered few details.

Because Ed, along with his wife Mary, will be speaking during The European School of Theosophy later this year in Austria and the School’s theme will be similar to his book title, we decided to have another and more in-depth look at this excellent book.

Details of the upcoming event can be found here:  http://www.europeanschooloftheosophy.com/ 

Something New

Invisible Worlds: Annie Besant on Psychic and Spiritual Development, Essays compiled by Kurt Leland, Theosophical Publishing House, Quest Books, 2013, Pages xii + 411. 

Simply stated: This is a terrific book! How I wish this well-organized book had been available when I first began reading the works of Annie Besant. Starting over forty years ago I read Besant somewhat arbitrarily without any plan. Frequently, I felt her books and articles were, to some extent, random. Kurt Leland has taken the randomness out of the picture and arranged selected talks such that the power and coherency of thoughts are front and center.   

The subtitle of this book is: Annie Besant on Psychic and Spiritual Development.  Besant already thought she had accomplished this goal for herself and wanted to share this with others. Leland stresses, “…the goal of occult training, as taught by Besant, was to develop the bodies as vehicles of consciousness so that student could rise to the spiritual plane, where they might be further educated by the Masters.”

Something New

Sorry, don`t want to play today … want to read

A Most Unusual Life, Kirsten van Gelder and Frank Chesley, Wheaton, IL. Theosophical Publishing House, Quest Books, 2015, Pages xiii + 358.

This is a book that belongs on every Theosophist book shelf; not just here in America, but worldwide because Dora was someone who belonged to everyone.

When people ask me about Dora, I would normally say: “She was a very complex person.”  However, I like the title of the book better. She was indeed “A most unusual person.” There are many theosophist who knew Dora longer and better that I did; however, I spent a little over twelve years working closely with her, and I think the authors did a very good job in bringing out those salient characteristics and nuance’s that made Dora … well ‘one of a kind’ Dora.  

A book and a rose …quite a combination

Something New…

Ravi Ravindra, The Pilgrim Soul, Wheaton, IL:  Quest Books, 2014.  Paperback, $15.95, 140 pages.

Dr. Ravi Ravindra is Professor Emeritus at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Back in the late 1970s and most of the 80s, Ravi serves on several Theosophical committees that I also was on. These were very exciting years when Dora Kunz was the president of the TSA and science was becoming very important in lending support to many of the claims that Theosophy had been making for years.

Ravi was in the perfect position to help us connect the various areas since he held positions at Dalhousie in physics, comparative religion, and philosophy departments. I was amazed at Ravi’s breadth of knowledge not only in religion and physics, but he was widely diverse in other spiritual traditions.  Since those early days, I have always stayed up with the latest books he has been producing since I know that I always will learn something new. This book is no exception.