Book Description
Irene Beckman appears to have a perfect life: two grown children, a house in a prosperous suburb of Copenhagen, and a successful career as a family lawyer. She is cool, sophisticated, and still exotically good-looking, the dyed hair her only concession to time.
Then her husband announces that he's leaving her, and her mother reveals some unexpected information about Irene's father. Suddenly, Irene Beckman is neither wife nor daughter. Nor, she realizes, is it at all clear who she has been all these years. It is time to find out.
From the internationally acclaimed author of Silence in October, An Altered Light is another fascinating exploration of the nature of chance and relationships-between parents and children, husbands and wives, friends and strangers.
Customer Reviews:
Living as an outsider.......2005-12-05
Irene Beckman is 56, has a husband, 2 children, 2 grandchildren, a job as a lawyer and her mother is still alive. In short, she has all a woman can wish. Until her whole world collapses within 24 hours: her husband Martin announces during a family dinner that he wants a divorce because he has a girlfriend and from her mother she gets a notebook in which she reads that her father is not her biological father. Her children and friends try to cheer her up with a lot of well-meant advice, but all Irene feels is an enormous emptiness, which forces her to reconsider her life: the affair she had 10 years ago with the 15 year younger Thomas, her relationship with her mother, her marriage with Martin and the (also sexually) liberated behaviour of her friends in the seventies, in which Martin and Irene never participated.
In the end she decides to trace her father, a Jewish cello player who had to flee from Denmark to Norway in the Second World War. After a series of friends and family members, she traces him in Vienna and ultimately meets him in Ljubljana. He tells the story of his life and history repeats itself, like Irene he is a human being who has lived as a relative outsider. On the way back to Copenhagen she starts to resist for the first time in her life...
A good book, but the middle part with the recollections of Irene is ever now and then a bit boring.
"The life you've lived seems heavier than all your dreams.".......2005-04-24
A 56-year-old Copenhagen lawyer, Irene Beckman, discovers that after more than thirty years, she is being divorced. Her husband Martin has fallen in love with another woman. The "light" by which she views her life has now been "altered," and she must figure out who she really is. In the hands of Grondahl, this age-old story takes on new life as Irene reminisces about the past and how she met Martin, tells about her parents and their relationship, explores her present life, and tries to plan for the future.
When her mother gives Irene a journal from her own early years, in which she tells of her meeting with a Jewish cellist during the war, his escape to Sweden, and her marriage to his best friend, Irene discovers that secrets pervade everyone's life. Her own secrets and Martin's secrets have been as much a part of their relationship and later lives as her mother's secrets or her daughter's secrets have been a part of theirs.
Though the novel is introspective and analytical, it is firmly grounded in realistic detail, which keeps Irene's exploration of her feelings from appearing to be self-indulgent or sentimental. Dry humor leavens the narrative through the character of Irene's friend Ursula, a flamboyant psychologist who gives parties in which various guests lay bare their souls. Characters at Ursula's parties speak in jargon-filled pronouncements, and Irene begins to wonder if she has "just spent the past week overproblematizing her own ambivalence to the point of total dysfunctionality" instead of "getting on with the grief process?"
Ultimately, Irene's search for truth expands beyond her immediate crisis, and she sets off on a journey to Austria and Yugoslavia and an exploration of the larger issues of identity caused by the Holocaust and its aftermath. The close, personal focus on Irene's character broadens, and novel becomes more plot-based, the latter action connected to Irene's domestic problems through the theme of identity, to which every aspect of the novel is subordinated.
References to mass graves in the Balkans and ethnic cleansing parallel later scenes regarding the Holocaust, and Irene's journey to Vienna and Yugoslavia parallel journeys taken by other characters, at other times. When she picks up a hitchhiker, she feels a remarkable kinship with him. "For you everything is still undecided, for me it's already late," she thinks. But, she then realizes, "It is still the same beginning. Life is ceaselessly altering, and there isn't a place in the world where we belong." Those who enjoy novels of self-analysis will love this one. Mary Whipple
"If you can't say yes you have already said no.".......2005-04-08
An Altered Light is the thoughtful novel of a successful Copenhagen attorney of 56, Irine Beckman, who suddenly finds her marriage ending, confronted as well with questions about her past, a way of life that changes overnight. Irine has come to terms with her life, or so she thinks, an uneventful but pleasant marriage and the unavoidable ageing process: "She no longer believes the world will be better or worse than it is."
Martin Beckman doggedly pursues the young Irine when first they meet in Paris, years before. She is escaping the restrictions of small town life with a trip to the cosmopolitan city, never expecting to meet a man like Martin, who is unrelenting, determined that they shall be together. Eventually Irine succumbs to the weight of Martin's affection, drawn along by his surety. Still, years later, she is not surprised at his infidelity, only vaguely curious that she has not noticed. After championing wronged spouses as a divorce attorney, Irine finds herself in the unenviable position of the soon-to-be-divorced,albeit prepared to move on without recrimination.
Not especially grief-stricken, Irine reminisces over the marriage, raising children, enduring the tumultuous 60's ("the tyranny of emancipated lust") without the need to participate in the sexual revolution. Irine is brutally honest with herself, her aspirations and shortcomings, setting the emotional tone for the novel. Visiting her ailing mother, Irine learns that some of her assumptions about the past are in error and the world she knows shifts beneath her, suddenly less predictable. Mother and daughter have never been close, but these new concerns open Irine's heart, allowing compassion for the mother she has judged and found wanting.
Irine is forced into a rebirth, an awakening in late middle age, a vital search for the self she has so long ignored, if not entirely neglected. While this journey is painful, it is not without rewards, as this protagonist releases and embraces her authentic self, free of resentments. The author subtly reveals Irine's complexities, her clear-eyed approach to the world and her willingness to experience whatever comes her way, undiminished by a broken marriage or the failure of expectations. Tender and painfully honest, An Altered Light is a pathway to acceptance, the joy of unexpected rewards: "The sun is warm on her face and she fancies it is the future shining on her." Luan Gaines/2005.
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A Diary of Altered Light: Poems
James Applewhite
Manufacturer: Louisiana State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 20th Century
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| United States
| World Literature
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Applewhite, James
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ASIN: 0807131261 |
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- Not Free SF Reader
- Another Excellent Adventure from Richard Adams
- A Gripping, Provocative Book
- Vividly Descriptive and a Real Thrill
- Gritty and perhaps a little strange, but more believable than most fantasy titles.
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Shardik
Richard Adams
Manufacturer: Overlook TP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | Classics | Contemporary | General | Historical | Humor | Letters & Correspondence | Middle | Old | Poetry | Renaissance | Shakespeare | Short Stories
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ASIN: 1585671827 |
Book Description
"Shardik is a powerful work, dipping deep into old forms-allegory, epic, myth-resonating in the caverns of the readers' unconscious . . . It is an exciting story, the adventures compelling." (Los Angeles Times)
"Grips with suspense, haunts with mystery . . . a memorable work, not to be read once only but to be reread as loved books are . . . a human saga." (The Wall Street Journal)
Richard Adams's Watership Down was a number one bestseller, a stunning work of the imagination, and an acknowledged modern classic. In Shardik Adams sets a different yet equally compelling tale in a far-off fantasy world.
Shardik is a fantasy of tragic character, centered on the long-awaited reincarnation of the gigantic bear Shardik and his appearance among the half-barbaric Ortelgan people. Mighty, ferocious, and unpredictable, Shardik changes the life of every person in the story. His advent commences a momentous chain of events. Kelderek the hunter, who loves and trusts the great bear, is swept on by destiny to become first devotee and then prophet, then victorious soldier, then ruler of an empire and priest-king of Lord Shardik-Messenger of God-only to discover ever-deeper layers of meaning implicit in his passionate belief in the bear's divinity.
A gripping tale of war, adventure, horror and romance, Shardik, on a deeper level, is a remarkable exploration of mankind's universal desire for divine incarnation.
Customer Reviews:
Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03
Ursine avatars can be a bit tedious.
Shardik being that avatar in the religion of the native people, and more particularly, the native character that this book is about. He convinces people of this really big bear's religious significance. This gets him a position of religious power, and what do people often do with that? Yep, want to go and do a bit of that large scale killing war stuff.
It isn't all quite that simple though for the main guy as his attitude changes throughout.
Another Excellent Adventure from Richard Adams.......2007-05-08
Finally finished this the other day. The third book by Richard Adams I've read. The other two: Watership Down and Plague Dogs, and my second favorite of the three behind WD (yeah, yeah, yeah - it's hard to shake the nostalgia of this one going way back to my youth). I read somewhere that Richard Adams considers Shardik his best work, and I can see that, as it is a rousing and well-rounded adventure that covers all the bases. The third act was superb, always the sign of a great anything - the 'third act', I couldn't put it down at that point.
It's an adventure/journey type story that takes a person from humble beginnings and then throws him to the wind and powers much greater than himself and he travels across the world and experiences great highs and lows and then in the end it all comes together to make sense and the effect of which gives his life meaning, his purpose, much from the past transgressions that in turn shape his view of the future to come. In a way, the hero comes full circle through his trials and deeds. Great book, better even than Salmond Rushdie's Midnight's Children which I read before this - although it is a powerful and visionary book as well.
A Gripping, Provocative Book.......2007-03-30
Richard Adams' "Shardik" is less well-known than "Plague Dogs" or "Watership Down," but undeservedly so, in my opinion. It's a well-told story that is one of the most satisfying books I've read.
Shardik is the enormous and allegedly divine bear that is the title and center of the story. With the exception of the first chapter, the reader never gets a glimpse into Shardik's mind; only into the minds of those affected by Shardik's actions. The first person we meet is Kelderk, a lowly hunter from Ortelga, nicknamed "play-with-children" by his peers. One day when Kelderek is hunting, a leopard corners him, and he's certain that he's dead. But out of nowhere, a huge bear comes and kills the leopard with one swipe of his paw. After towering over him for a moment, the bear vanishes. Kelderek feels certain that this is Shardik, the Power of God, who is believed will return some day and restore greatness to the Ortelgans. Eventually, Kelderek goes to the island of Quiso, where the leader of the Cult of Shardik, the Tuginda, resides. (The Tuginda and all of those on Quiso, are women; an interesting plot feature.) The Tuginda, some women from Quiso, Kelderek, and a few others from Ortelga go in search of Shardik, and eventually find him. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse when Ta-Kominion, an Ortelgan leader, insists on drugging and capturing Shardik to use him in conquering neighboring Bekla and building an empire. The Tuginda wants nothing to do with it, and Ta-Kominion effectively puts her under house arrest on Quiso. Ta-Kominion eventually catches a fever and dies. However, in the battle with the Beklans, Shardik breaks out of his cage at a crucial battle and kills several soldiers, as well as a crucial leader. The Ortelgans go on to conquer Bekla and much of the neighboring provinces, since there's no longer anyone to stand in their way, and Kelderek becomes the Priest-King of Bekla.
Three years later, the Beklan Empire is engaged in a war against the forces of the neighboring provinces and the Beklans who managed to flee before the Ortelgan takeover, led primarily by General Santil-kè-Erketlis. To finance the war, the Ortelgan generals revive the slave trade, to which Kelderek consents. Nonetheless, Kelderek is not portrayed as the villain, and he is dismayed by the corrupt military regime that he supervises. He is always obsessed more the Shardik than the goings-on of the empire.
Kelderek's world falls apart when Elleroth, a leader in the rebellion against the Beklan Empire, tries to burn down Kelderek's house with Shardik inside. Elleroth is captured, but both he and Shardik escape (I will not reveal now). Kelderek then follows Shardik alone. And here I will stop the plot summary, leaving it to the readers to discover and enjoy the rest for themselves.
"Shardik" is a provocative book that has something for fans of many genres. Religous fiction fans will be gripped by the exploration of the issues of sin and atonement in the book; the author of the introduction says that "Shardik" is a Christian story with no Christian apparatus, and I would agree. Philosophy buffs will enjoy the ambiguous characters of Shardik- is Shardik really a divine incarnation, or just a big dumb bear who's alleged divinity is just an invention by his followers? Furthermore, it's not entirely clear how the Cult of Shardik developed in the first place. Of course, fantasy fans will love this, even though there's no swords and sorcery type stuff. Plus, there's plenty of battle scenes and suspense for action/thriller fans. There's even some romance, although it doesn't come into play until near the end. In conclusion, anyone who appreciate good literature and a good yarn will love this. 5 out of 5.
Vividly Descriptive and a Real Thrill.......2007-03-14
In Richard Adams' book SHARDIK, we start with a city with lost power and glory. After being oppressed by neighboring powers, the people of Ortelga hear news of a gigantic bear (lord Shardik) spotted near their city. They take this as an omen of the return of their long awaited lord incarnate.
Kelderek, the hunter who spotted Shardik, gets swept up in the events and is deemed a priest who can control and understand the bear. The people of Ortlega wage battle against the neighboring oppressors using the massive bear to inspire the fighters.
Adams presents us with questions of morality and uses his fantasy world in a juxtaposition of reality. Both these tools help to spark the critical thinkers interest. The bear Shardik is the perfect metaphor for how fickle life can be. A bear is dangerously unpredictable and uncontrollable as life is.
Richard Adams has created a dynamic epic, which is nothing short of a masterpiece. I would suggest this book to anyone ready for a thrill-ride tale and vividly descriptive read.
Gritty and perhaps a little strange, but more believable than most fantasy titles........2006-05-08
This book touches at the spirit. At the heart of the book's theme, is the question: "how much are we willing to do for the sake of our beliefs?". The prose is excellent, the pacing is good and most importantly, the writing seems natural and fluid. Adams seems to have that rare talent of letting a story run seemingly, on its own free will. Adam has created great characters like Shardik and Kelderek, without settling for predictable character building.
It's a great book that I recommend to anyone.
Product Description
Shardik is a fantasy of somber -- indeed of tragic -- character, centered upon the long-awaited reincarnation of the gigantic bear Shardik and his appearance among the Ortelgan people.Shardik himself dominates the novel, a dangerous, huge and mysterious animal, appearing -- whether by accident or by design of fate -- among the half-barbaric Ortelgans, to be proclaimed by Kelderek the hunter, who discovers the bear and saves its life, as the sacred Messenger of God.
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SHARDIK
RICHARD ADAMS
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 0380366657 |
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Shardik
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 038043752X |
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Shardik
Richard Adams
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KL77PK |
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Shardik
Richard Adams
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NUN2F2 |
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Shardik
Richard Adams
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NUGJUC |
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Shardik
Richard Adams
Manufacturer: Unknown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NPF7Z0 |
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Shardik
Richard Adams
Manufacturer: Simon And Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NTDGA4 |
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Shardik
Richard Adams
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJ4A4Y |
Book Description
As soon as the crew of the Daystar completes one mission, it's on to the next! They're off to the planet Morlandria for rest and relaxation - or so the crew thinks!This time the Commandant has a secret mission for Captain Edge. He must stop the assassination of King Denethor.Yet even though the Jerusha is oblivious to the circumstances surrounding their true reason for landing on Morlandria, she can tell that something on the planet is not quite right. And the rest of the crew soon discovers the same thing. Something evil is lurking in Morlandria!Can the crew get together and stop this evil from taking over? Can they save the king and his family from death?Join the crew of the Daystar as they discover what God can do when we trust Him and how prayer is the most powerful weapon against the forces of darkness.
Customer Reviews:
One exciting thriller that will leave you in suspense!.......1998-08-30
It's the book of the century! Nothing less of a non-stop adventure! Never before have I read such and exciting book.What more could expect from Gilbert Morris and Dan Meeks!
Product Description
Four pack Set of Books One through
Four in original shrink wrap
Book Description
When most people think of the term yoga, they think of the body-stretching techniques from India. But there are many different forms of yoga, including techniques practiced in secret by the Taoist masters in the Far East. Some of the most important, yet previously secret techniques of Taoist Alchemy and Sexual Kung Fu are revealed for the first time by Taoist Master Eric Steven Yudelove in Taoist Yoga and Sexual Energy.
This is not just a book, it is an entire, fourteen-week course in alchemy, healing, and magick. Perhaps the most important part of this is learning how to manipulate the body's mysterious energies. In order to do this you will learn many breathing techniques, including hair breathing, reverse breathing, bone marrow breathing, and several more. You'll learn the amazing secrets of Chi Gung, including standing, sitting, lying, and moving forms.
In the West, most people think of sounds as merely being music or, when put together in words, a way to communicate. But here you will learn that there are six special healing sounds. Each is associated with a body organ (or, more accurately, the functioning of that organ which may involve other part of the body) and five of them are associated with a color and element. If you don't know, the Taoist elements are different from the Western elements and consist of earth, fire, water, wood, and metal.
These healing sounds are very simple. They are: S-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s, Ch-u-w-a-a-y, Sh-h-h-h-h-h, H-a-w-w-w-w, Wh-o-o-o-o and H-e-e-e-e. The proper way to use them for healing yourself is clearly explained in Taoist Yoga and Sexual Energy.
As the title of the book shows, this book is also about working with the sexual energy. You will learn breathing techniques, visualizations, and massage methods that will allow you and your partner to experience bliss beyond your wildest imagination!
Now is the time for you to investigate improving your life. This book can lead the way.
Customer Reviews:
great qigong manual.......2006-02-16
As a long time practitioner of qigong, I have never been a fan of Mantak Chia's work; I found his books to be too scattered, and difficult to piece together. Yudelove manages to take Chia's system, and not only make it understandable, but also make it safe by adding the element of timing and systematic practice.
This book is clearly written, fun to read, and packed full of good info. The only caution would be that I would not recommend it for beginners; I think that many of the practices are outside the beginning level ability to feel what all those metaphors are talking about. It is a supurb text for those who have some level of development-- this is the difference between high school and 300 level college credits.
All things said and done, this is the best book on the subject matter I have ever read. For better beginning texts, I would check out "opening the energy gates of your body" by B.K. Frantzis, and "the way of energy."
A book for Cultivation of Sexual Energy and Much More.......2004-10-29
Erick Yudelove has been a student of Mantak Chia. He has put together a manual for practice that encompasses the information that could be found in Mantak Chia's books, but is further enhanced, clarified and perhaps simplified by Yudelove's own discoveries.
The book covers some basic practices from Taoist Alchemy such as Six Healing Sounds, Microcosmic Orbit, Inner Smile and some forms of breathing before proceeding with sexual practices. The book also includes the practices related to the Fusion of the Five Elements, Bone Marrow and Standing Chi Kung.
VERY DETAILED - Excellent Descriptions.......2001-07-23
Yudelove did a great job bringing this info to the West. There is so much info and history and understanding in this book, that I can confidently recommend it to any of my Nei Gung or Nei Jia friends or students. Presented more like a workbook than a book makes this book a great training tool. No need to say more.
Very Well Done - 5 Stars!
VERY DETAILED - Excellent Descriptions.......2001-07-23
Yudelove did a great job bringing this info to the West. There is so much info and history and understanding in this book, that I can confidently recommend it to any of my Nei Gung or Nei Jia friends or students. Presented more like a workbook than a book makes this book a great training tool. No need to say more.
Very Well Done - 5 Stars!
Brilliant !.......2000-09-18
This is a unique book, a step-by-step tutor to higher levels of Taoist Spiritual Alchemy given in a systematic way. The final God and Goddess exercise is the best technique I have come across - yet it appears as a result from all 14 weeks' exercises woven into an extremely efficient method which puts us in contact with higher forces of the Universe. The books seems like a summary of Mantak Chia's reachings, but in fact it is not. It is a real breakthough.
Just an advice - the book may be used by beginners, but I recommend potential practitioners to start with the "100 Days" book by the author. The Golden Flower will make things REALLY work.
Customer Reviews:
Pleasure equals happiness?.......2003-12-01
Honestly, has anyone acheived happiness through sensations? Granted, we experience some brief enjoyment, but inevitably, disappointment arrives... Those who seek happiness through sensations are always disappointed: that is why we have the symbol of the Satyr. The Satyr is focused on sensations but he is never content... Be sincere with yourself and realize the truth of this in your life: you can never find happiness through supposed "ecstasy" - you may find a brief moment of escape from the problems, but when it is over you are left with the same problems. This is not Tantra. Real Tantra provides the complete transformation of suffering. One cannot transform suffering so long as one has desire. Desire is the root of all suffering. We suffer because we do not have what we desire. When we get what we desire, we suffer because we are afraid of losing what we desire. There is no contentment. Contentment comes when the desire has been removed; then there is nothing missing, there is peace, joy, the true ecstasy of the Consciousness. This is the freedom of the soul: to be free of all selfish desire. This can be achieved through radical work on oneself. Real happiness comes when there is no anger, no pride, no lust, no fear... This is what real Tantra teaches, and this knowledge cannot be found in this book. This book will teach you to deepen your dependence on sensation, to deepen your lust, to adopt practices whose true purpose you cannot see, and to make you more of a slave of desire... To find the true teaching, read the works of Samael Aun Weor (The Perfect Matrimony, The Mystery of the Golden Blossom), the Tibetan Buddhists, the Buddha, Krishna, Jesus... they all agree: there is no happiness so long as the ego lives in us.
Tantra & Sex - THE BIGGEST HOAX.......2002-08-01
TANTRA HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SEX, IT HAS TO DO WITH OVERALL WELLBEING PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY thru yoga. People who combine TANTRA solely for SEX are "SNAKE OIL" Salesman trying to make fast bucks. I am from INDIA and have good knowledge of YOGA and all its branches (Pranayama, Hatha Yoga......)..
Go Where Not All Are Able..........2002-01-04
The greatest pleasure that God and Goddess gave us is the pleasure of our bodies. With beautiful illustrations and photographs of the ancient temples to enhance your journey, you can only go to higher plains in ecstacy with Ecstasy Through Tantra.
With Tantric yoga, Dr. Jonn Mumford carefully guides you through sexual techniques for ritual communion, teaching you to build your passion to new peaks. Learn the technique for the "Rite of Naked Fire" and "White Heat", all while engaging in the higher union with Divinity.
Go where not all are able. Go on a journey of Ecstasy Through Tantra to learn, explore and then explode into erotic dimensions beyond this realm!
M.L. Benton, Publisher, Echoed Voices.
Copyright © December 2001
THE ULTIMATE TANTRIC RESOURCE!.......2001-01-04
Fantastic!
This book has proven to be a continual resource of information. It is multileveled, so the beginner and serious student both benefit. Through theNsimple exercises you will learn valuable methods of making love not only to others, but to yourself, awakening mystical union and opening to alchemical transformation. Dr. Mumford has created a rare resource book, authentic through his extensive experience in initiated practices in India, filtered through a western mind to be an easy to read approach and grounded through scientific and medical knowledge. Few other resources have such extensive training. Through the mirrors of Dr. Mumford's expansive research, the vision of Tantra becomes clearer...Patricia, tantra teacher,
Excellent, helpful, and fascinating.......2000-12-07
I highly reccommend this book. It describes the background and philosophy of Tantra without losing the reader. It also provides a guide to Tantric practices, with pictures and instructions, which are easy to follow and positive. This book will show you how to achieve new heights of happiness and enligtenment with the help of a loving partner or alone, although most of the book is geared towards couples and how to work together. I think any couple that reads this book together will benefit their relationship and their individual psyches.
Book Description
In Holding Yin, Embracing Yang, Eva Wong presents translations of three key texts containing the highest teachings of the Eastern and Western schools of Taoist internal alchemyâthe discipline of cultivating health, longevity, and immortality by transforming the energetic structures of body and mind. The texts are primarily concerned with meditation, breathing practices, and sexual yoga with a partnerâall as means for developing within ourselves the same life-giving energy that sustains and nourishes the universe. The texts in this collection offer a clear view of the physical, mental, and spiritual methods of Taoist practice, showing why they are important and how these methods all can work together in the cultivation of mental peace, radiant health, and longevity. This collection will provide inspiration and the essential foundation necessary to begin Taoist practice under the guidance of a teacher. The three classics translated here are: Treatise on the Mysterious Orifice by Xuanweilun (sixteenth century), Discussion on the Cavity of the Tao by Daojiaotan (nineteenth century), and Secret Teachings on the Three Wheels by Sanjubizhi (nineteenth century). Included is an introduction in which Wong discusses the various schools of internal alchemy, as well as their main practices.
Customer Reviews:
Mysteries of immortality.......2005-07-20
Here, Wong presents translations of three Taoist texts, alchemical texts from the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. Taoist alchemy differs dramatically from its Western counterpart, in goals but especially in means. Not a search for gold, it is seeks only enlightenment and immortality.
These texts are cryptic for a variety of reasons. One is that the alchemical tradition draws on many other fields of esoterica including chemistry, geomancy and numerology. It also draws on astrology in use of dates tied to the lunar calendar and tangential reference to retrograde motion of celestial bodies (p.126). Above all, it draws on the ideas of vital force that appear in Chinese traditional medicine, and meditative and yogic practices. These last may be individual exercises for control of the body, or the "paired way" that harvests generative force from sex between the mystic and a consort.
Part of the difficulty in reading this text is the ambiguity between analogies and literal fact. The adepts discuss lead and mercury, and implicitly the amalgam of the two metals, but also use that as an analogy for combining the forces of the two partners. The texts also use fertilization and the fetus in an allegorical sense, but echo the metaphysical meaning in physical coition.
Part of the difficulty is intentional. "The names dragon, tiger, lead, and mercury were used by the immortals and sages to hide the true meanings from unethical practitioners," (p.63) and possibly to shield novices from the risks of advanced practices. Although the last author asserts that the Tao is inherently beyond abuse, the tradition works hard to withold its knowledge from outsiders.
There is only a little commentary on the texts, but some of that leaves me wondering whether modern revisionism crept into the translation. Wong asserts that an adept's consort may be of opposite or same sex, an idea attractive to today's readers. I have no doubt that homosexual experiences offer the full intensity of heterosexual practice, and that yin and yang refer to forces beyond mere biology. The texts use procreation as a central analogy, however, and offer no clear distinction between metaphor and action. Whatever its potency, same-sex sex is not procreative. Would the old masters have seen a piece missing from their formulas? I wonder.
Reading this book is a mysterious experience. It describes mysteries in an allusive, elusive way. More importantly, the whole world view behind it, the many traditions that feed into it are foreign to a Western reader. I found myself reading it with a sense that I saw only the exterior of something, when it's the interior that matters. I also found myself wondering how these lines of though descended from Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu - perhaps the descent is part of the mystery.
//wiredweird
Customer Reviews:
A beautifull work for a difficult task.......2007-04-06
I don't want to reiterate what was mentioned by another reviewer entitled 'Reveals the higher meaning of sexual energy'; an excellent review. As stated by Elisabeth Haich, there will be many who cannot handle this information. This is the stone that the builders rejected. Personally, it has taken me many years to come to a greater acceptance regarding giving up the momentary pleasures of orgasm for the many higher and superior benefits as detailed in this book. As you look at esotericism, occultism, alchemy and religion etc, the pieces start to come together and you discover that there is a great truth to what Elisabeth Haich is saying. There is truly a whole science when it comes to this topic, inclusive of mantra, meditation, prayer, and technique etc. Unfortunately, with so many many books trying to cash in on the tantra dollar, you have to tread through a lot of garbage, inclusive of much misunderstanding, distortion and greedy profiteering to finally get to the real truth. This book on the other hand, is for the most part, simply magic; magic because it explains the reasons why one should hold onto and transform one's sexual energy. It explains it so well that the penny's start to drop and you have the strength to succeed.
This book is the foundation in my opinion, the starting point. The message is strong and simple in this book, as are the practical exercises. Elisabeth gives a very nice and effective meditation exercise for raising the sexual energy. She also gives us 3 yoga postures, inclusive of diagrams to help as well. Unfortunately I would prefer to give this book 4.5 stars, but I don't want to devalue its importance and standing. This book is not exhaustive when it comes to Sexual alchemy. I believe that it falls short in saying that sexual alchemy is superior without a partner. I do like this in a way though, as it gives balance and hope to those who are as yet, unable to find an alchemical partner. Still solo alchemy is far superior to no alchemy at all. I believe that it also facilitates finding a person of the opposite sex who also resonates at this same octave. Solo alchemical practice is also endorsed in the book `Sacred Sexuality-Ancient Egyptian Tantric Yoga by Muata Ashby'. Having said this, I would still also recommend this book. On a higher and more complete note though, I would recommend the following books for those who are on the path of seeking lasting happiness and liberation:
The mystery of the Golden Blossom
Samael Aun Weor
ISBN 0-9742755-2-2
Google pdf download available
Treatise of Sexual Alchemy
Samael Aun Weor
Google pdf download available
Above this recommendation would be to find a school in the direct lineage of Sameal Aun Weor, inclusive of having a second chamber.
Reveals the higher meaning of sexual energy.......2003-10-01
I first read this book some years ago, but at the time was not ready for its profound wisdom.Having recently re-read it, I have grasped its message, and gained an understanding of the uses and abuses of sex energy.I believe Haich has got to the core of what human sexuality is all about. Her focus is on the use of sexual energy for spiritual growth.She explains how sex energy can be transformed into spiritual energy.She is not against sex, but shows how it can be used in a positive manner.She is not in favour of promiscuous sex because it has no love. She says people need love, but often they mistake sex for love, or think they can get love through sex.Sex is not a problemin itself, but it becomes a problem when there is no love.This message is very needful today.Haich is against sex renunciation because sex energy is our life force.To renounce it is to renounce our life.She points out that only a few can follow the higher path and transform their sex energy into spiritual energy.In such a case sex energy is not lost, but brings the person closer to God.Haich explains that the dragon in alchemy represents the sex energy.Depictions of fiery dragons in alchemy show the sex energy being transformed into spiritual energy.Sex is not lost, but used for a great purpose.The alchemist him or herself becomes an hermetically sealed vessel, not wasting the precious sex energy, but transforming it into higher energy.This book is not for all, but those who are ready for it can gain deep insights.
Average customer rating:
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Sexual Energy and Yoga
Manufacturer: A S I Publishers Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GYCXVY |
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