M  I  N  I    R  E  A  D  E  R  

   

10  Books  That  Belong  on  the    Shelf  of  Every  Spiritual  Seeker

Compiled  &  Edited  by  Stan  Madson  and  the  Staff  of  the  Bodhi  Tree

Issue  109  December  2015  

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.   Design for Dying

by Timothy Leary with R.U. Sirius

2.   The Secret of the Shadow: The Power of Owning Your Whole Story by Debbie Ford

3.   The Tree of Life: An Illustrated Study in Magic by Israel Regardie Edited & Annotated by Chic Cicero & Sandra Tabatha Cicero

4.   The Mustard Seed: The Revolutionary Teachings of Jesus the Mystic by Osho

5.   The Glance: Songs of Soul-Meeting by Rumi Translated by Coleman Barks

6.   Emotional Repair Kit: 50 Tools to Liberate Yourself from Negative Emotions by Judith Orloff

7.   A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough by Wayne Muller

8.   The Feeling Buddha: A Buddhist Psychology of Character, Adversity and Passion by David Brazier

9.   The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy by Raj Patel

10.   The Evolution of God by Robert Wright

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Design For Dying

by Timothy Leary with R.U. Sirius “Ride the light into space! We are the light… we are the light-bearers. Our purpose is to shine the light on others. I have sought the light . . . to use light . . .to be in space. Light is the language of the sun and the stars where we will meet again.”

– Timothy Leary As the fringe guru himself put it, "Mademoiselle Cancer moved in to share my body." But in the days before he died, Timothy Leary--no stiff when it came to partying--used his approaching death to create an exuberant new vision of what dying can be. Optimism, courage, joy, and spirituality were central to Leary's final days and his death. Design For Dying--Leary's last book--shows us how we too can make dying the high point of life. In a typically irreverent and thought-provoking way, Leary's parting shot urges us to take control of our deaths, and, if possible, determine when and how we will die. Leary relates his own plan for "directed dying," a death we plan and orchestrate to reflect our own unique lives and values. The psychedelic prophet doesn't rest there, but lays out a whole new range of beyond-death possibilities for the wired generation, from downloading consciousness onto the Net--so our souls can outlive our bodies--to the frozen-bones promise of cryogenics and the ways technology can enhance the final days of the final frontier. Speaking to everyone who has ever wondered if there's more to death than death--if death is really the end, if dirges and hearses and funeral flowers are really how we want to be remembered--Leary's flamboyant final statement reveals revolutionary ways to die, and redefines, with his trademark creativity and joy, how the living can think about death. A lengthy addendum concludes the book, that features fascinating remembrances by many of Leary's friends and associates, including Ram Dass, John Perry Barlow, David Byrne, Laura Huxley, Paul Krassner, Ralph Metzner, Doug Rushkoff, and Robert Anton Wilson. This may have been the last book by Leary, but it wasn’t the final chapter in his story. In the 90s, a vial of Leary's remains, suspended in low orbit, circled the globe every 90 minutes. Eventually the vial dropped out of orbit, burned up upon reentering earth's atmosphere and scattered his remains to the heavens in a burst of light.

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The Secret of the Shadow: The Power of Owning Your Whole Story

by Debbie Ford “When we can love ourselves when we’re crazy, hateful, jealous, or sad, we are truly free. All

we need to begin is the willingness to forgive ourselves completely. Nobody can make us forgive. Only we can do it, and the time is now… We must uncover the pain and embrace the flaws and inadequacies that come with our humanity. Until we come to terms with who we are and why we are here, and understand the tremendous lessons that life is teaching us, we will remain trapped inside the smallness of our own personal dramas.”

– Debbie Ford We may spend our entire lives trying to deny our feelings of laziness, selfishness, greed, but in fact, says Debbie Ford, they may be essential to our existence. Each individual’s life is a unique recipe that includes both our strengths and our weaknesses. Those traits we perceive as our flaws often define a story, which is nothing more than an on-going, self-defeating, often abusive, internal dialogue that convinces us we are unloved, unworthy or unable to achieve what we desire. The Secret of the Shadow shows us that we devise our story to support a false self in which we feel trapped in our own self-imposed limitations. However, instead of teaching us to get rid of our stories, Debbie Ford explains how to use them to uncover their origins in our traumas and losses. Her process enables us to move past our stories’ inhibiting refrains and, as a result, to access the deeper truth of our own uniqueness and divinity. Each chapter ends with a well-crafted journal exercise, healing action steps, and contemplation mantra, which allow the book’s wisdom to be fully integrated into our lives.

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The Tree of Life: An Illustrated Study in Magic

by Israel Regardie

Edited & Annotated by Chic Cicero & Sandra Tabatha Cicero

"For Magic, let me insist, is lucid. It is definite and precise. There are no vague formulae or dubieties comprehended within the sphere of its exactitude; all is clear-cut and devised for practical experiment. Its system is absolutely scientific, and each part thereof is capable of verification and demonstrable proof. The writer desires to render intelligible and comprehensible to the ordinary intelligent layman, to the student of the Mysteries and those versed in the lore of other mystical systems and philosophies, the root principles from which the tremendous high-towering structure of Magic is built."

– Israel Regardie Israel Regardie was the author of many books on magic and modern occultism, including perhaps his best known work, The Golden Dawn. Another cornerstone of his work, The Tree of Life: An Illustrated Study in Magic, has provided spiritual seekers and aspiring magicians with a comprehensive study of magical theory and practice ever since its first publication in 1932. Regardie viewed magic as a precise scientific discipline as well as a highly spiritual way of life. He pointed out the fundamental principles common to all magic, regardless of any particular tradition or spiritual path. Encyclopedic in scope, The Tree of Life presents a massive amount of material that brings together ancient wisdom and modern magical experience. Topics in Part One: Preliminaries include magic and yoga, a defense of the magical arts, the qabalah, the astral light, and man the microcosm. Part Two, entitled Theory and Practice, explores magical correspondences and tools, the training of the will, astral projection, sacred magic and alchemy, initiations and rituals, magical evocations, and prayers, hymns, and invocations. Regardie's goal was to bring magic into the light of modern understanding. To this end, two of his Adept associates have enhanced his original text in this updated and expanded edition. There are also new annotations with additional commentary and explanatory notes. The introduction, glossary, bibliography, and index are also new. In addition, the Hebrew has been translated to common Sephardic, and a large number of new illustrations appear throughout. This particular edition remains true to Regardie's mission -- that magic be delivered from obscurity and misconception into understanding and usefulness.

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The Mustard Seed: The Revolutionary Teachings Of Jesus The Mystic

by Osho “The whole human problem consists of choosing between the momentary and the eternal. If

you choose the momentary you are building your house on sands—it is going to fall. If you choose the eternal, then something is achieved which is going to be forever and forever.”

– Osho

Osho (1931-1990) is a contemporary mystic whose life and teachings have influenced millions of people. His talks to disciples and seekers from all over the world have been published in more than six hundred volumes, and translated into over thirty languages. As the creator of radical contemporary therapies and active meditations, Osho is thought to be a revolutionary contributor to the science and art of inner transformation. Most of his teachings come to us through parables and stories, as he is a master storyteller.

In this book Osho presents his perspective on the Gospel of Thomas, which was one of recently discovered Nag Hammadi texts once suppressed by the early Church. His vision of Jesus is radical and revolutionary—a Jesus who makes demands that run counter to the safe and gentle personage of traditional Christian teaching.

Osho’s interpretation of this ancient Gnostic text breathes new life into the teachings of Jesus, finding in them hidden and radical truths applicable to the lives of fearless spiritual seekers of all traditions.

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The Glance: Songs of Soul-Meeting

by Rumi

Translated by Coleman Barks "The Glance" —a mystical experience that occurs when the eyes of the lover and the beloved, parent and child, and friend and friend meet—is a major, yet little explored theme in Rumi's poetry. For example, in 1244, Rumi met the wandering dervish Shams of Tabriz and immediately fell into a deep spiritual connection with him. Thereafter Tabriz appeared in much of his work. The newly-translated poems in The Glance range from the ethereal to the everyday, and reveal the unique place of human desire, love, and ecstasy. In the meeting of eyes, there exists not just the union of two souls, but the crux of the universe. Working from Nevit Ergin’s translations of Rumi’s Divan, Highly respected Rumi translator Coleman Barks brings these poems of longing and connection to life.

Both Worlds

There is God's wine, and this other. Don't mix them. There are naked pilgrims who wear only sunlight. Don't give them clothes!

There are lovers content with Hoping. I'm not one of them.

Give a cup of pure fire to your Closest friend, healing salve

to the wounded. To Shams-I Tabriz, offer up both worlds.

-- Rumi

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Emotional Repair Kit: 50 Tools to Liberate Yourself from Negative Emotions

by Judith Orloff In this emotional emergency kit, author Dr. Judith Orloff offers simple exercises for transforming negative emotions into positive thinking and living. The deck of 50 flash cards is divided into seven emotional sections, and each section contains a quick introduction and quiz to help you identify the biological/physical impact of the negative emotion. The cards provide tools for wellness, including meditations, visualizations, dream exercises, and journal prompts that you can use to overcome emotional roadblocks. Follow the easy-to-use action steps to transform:

- Fear into Courage - Frustration into Patience - Loneliness into Connection - Anxiety into Inner Calm - Depression into Hope - Jealousy into Self-Esteem - Anger into Compassion The cards are well suited to daily practice and can be used as a full program for

emotional wellness or as quick resolutions to immediate hang-ups. The beautifully designed cards are perfect for propping up on your desk or next to your bed as inspirational reminders. Dr. Judith Orloff understands the kind of support we need in our daily lives, and has provided it creatively here.

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A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough

by Wayne Muller From the moment we are born, we are seekers. Our culture obsessively promotes the pursuit of money, success and self-improvement. At the end of each activity-jammed day, though, we collapse into bed discouraged by everything we have not checked off on our to-do lists, in despair that whatever we have accomplished is never enough. Worse still, when our dreams become derailed by the inherent tragedies of life-job loss, financial peril, sickness, or the death of a loved one-we feel devastated by the pain and injustice of it all. Nationally renowned author, therapist, and minister Wayne Muller offers healing for the perpetually stressed in A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough. By learning compassion and mercy for ourselves and by recognizing what is most profoundly true about who we are and what we need, we can gain the self-acceptance so that whatever we choose to do, in this moment, it is wholly enough. Muller mixes the writings of great spiritual and political leaders with inspirational anecdotes from his own life, inviting us to derive more satisfaction from less and pull gratitude out of the ashes of grief. The answer to what he describes as "authentic happiness" lies not in seeing the glass as half full instead of half empty. In reality, he writes, the glass is always half full and half empty. The world is neither broken nor whole, but eternally engaged in rhythms between joy and sorrow. With Muller's guidance, we may find ourselves on the most courageous spiritual pilgrimage of our lives.

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The Feeling Buddha: A Buddhist Psychology of Character, Adversity and Passion

by David Brazier

“I think it is clear that Buddhism is, whatever else it may be, a psychotherapy. It is a therapy in

the sense that it has a theory of how suffering comes about and it has a range of practices designed to alleviate this condition, and it is specifically a psychotherapy in that it sees the mind as playing a crucial role in this process . . .”

– David Brazier

David Brazier is both a psychotherapist and a practicing Buddhist. In this book, he offers his interpretation of Buddha's first teachings, "The Four Noble Truths," which explain the suffering of all living beings (sickness, old age, death, and various unfortunate circumstances), the causes of suffering, and the spiritual path as a solution. Speaking as a psychotherapist, Brazier says that it is unrealistic to want the removal of suffering -- what is more important is our response to it: are we willing to learn, grow, and face suffering with dignity, or do we run away or try to cover it up? And while he writes about the transformation incurred by way of meditation, Brazier says that even advanced practitioners will always have issues to face. He even puts the Buddha "on the couch," so to speak, and discusses the personal issues that may have motivated his spiritual career. As Brazier says, suffering may, indeed, be best in moderation. But this reviewer contends that if you are dying of cancer, or caught in the middle of a war, there is unfortunately no guarantee of “moderation,” and as a result, the question cuts deeper than "noble acceptance" or "personal growth." There are numerous extraordinary methods to be found within Buddhism that address the painful and troubling aspects of life. And, beyond addressing particular issues, these methods allow us to experience the whole process of thinking and feeling in a radically different light.

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The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy

by Raj Patel

Opening with Oscar Wilde's observation that "nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing," Patel shows how our faith in prices as a way of valuing the world is misplaced. He reveals the hidden ecological and social costs of a hamburger (as much as $200), and asks how we came to have markets in the first place. Both the corporate capture of government and our current financial crisis, Patel argues, are a result of our democratically bankrupt political system. If part one asks how we can rebalance society and limit markets, part two answers by showing how social organizations, in America and around the globe, are finding new ways to describe the world's worth. If we don't want the market to price every aspect of our lives, we need to learn how such organizations have discovered democratic ways in which people, and not simply governments, can play a crucial role in deciding how we might share our world and its resources in common. This short, timely and inspiring book reveals that our current crisis is not simply the result of too much of the wrong kind of economics. While we need to rethink our economic model, Patel argues that the larger failure beneath the food, climate and economic crises is a political one. “If economics is about choices”, Patel writes, “it isn't often said who gets to make them.” The Value of Nothing offers a fresh and accessible way to think about economics and the choices we will all need to make in order to create a sustainable economy and society.

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The Evolution of God

by Robert Wright Robert Wright takes us on a sweeping journey through history, unveiling a discovery of crucial importance to the present moment: there is a pattern in the evolution of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and a "hidden code" in their scriptures. Reading these scriptures in light of the circumstances surrounding their creation, Wright reveals the forces that have repeatedly moved the Abrahamic faiths away from belligerence and intolerance to a higher moral plane. And he shows how these forces could today let these faiths reassert their deep proclivity toward harmony and reconciliation. What's more, his analysis raises the prospect of a second kind of reconciliation: the reconciliation of science and religion. Using the prisms of archaeology, theology, history, and evolutionary psychology, Wright repeatedly overturns conventional wisdom: Contrary to the belief that Moses brought monotheism to the Middle East, ancient Israel was in fact polytheistic until after the Babylonian exile. Jesus didn't really say, "Love your enemies," or extol the good Samaritan. These misquotes were inserted in scripture decades after the crucifixion. Muhammad was neither a militant religious zealot nor a benign spiritual leader but a cool political pragmatist, at one point flirting with polytheism in an attempt to build his coalition. Wright shows that, however mistaken our traditional ideas about God or gods, their evolution points to a transcendent prospect: that the religious quest is valid, and that a modern, scientific worldview leaves room for something that can meaningfully be called divine. Vast in ambition and brilliant in execution, The Evolution of God will forever alter our understanding of God.

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MINI  READER  

Compiled  &  Edited  by  Stan  Madson  and  the  Staff  of  Bodhi  Tree  

Published by Bodhi Tree House LLC

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© 2015 Bodhi Tree House LLC All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private use–other than “fair use” as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews–without prior written permission of the publisher. Bodhi Tree™ and the Bodhi Tree leaf are a registered trademarks of Bodhi Tree House LLC.

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