The Mystical Life of Jesus

This book by H Spencer Lewis of the Rosicrucian Order AMORC is said to fill in the details of the life of Jesus not in the Bible and provides alternate explanations (sometimes "corrections") for much of what is in the Bible about Jesus as compared to common understanding.

As many other reviewers have noted, the book is well written and flows nicely. However, Lewis refers again and again to ancient records that do not seem to be available to the public. In any case, the book is an interesting read and there is a certain logic to it as well.

A few of the things that Lewis tells us that differ from what is commonly thought about Jesus are (1) Jesus was not really a Jew, but a Gentile; (2) Jesus did not actually die on the cross; and (3) the resurrection was really a rising up from a place of the dead not from the dead.

There is much discussion on the mystical as the book progresses. Gives some interesting perspective, I think.

Whether Lewis is totally accurate or not, the book makes for a good read. Much food for thought.

Istanbul

This is a book by Orhan Pamuk, a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. It is about the city of Istanbul and Pamuk's life there as a child and as a young man.

The city of Istanbul, formerly known as Constantinople, has fascinated me since I was a child. A long and convoluted history there. I came very close to visiting it in 1994, but it didn't happen. A British friend of mine lived there in the late 90's; he complained about the crowds and traffic with little good to say about it. Well, maybe it would be more fun if he had only been a tourist there. I still hope to visit it someday, despite what he said and much of what I read in the book reviewed here.

I thought this book would be more about the city than the author's life, but it is really the opposite if you ask me. Early on, there was some insight as to how wealthier people in Istanbul lived in the middle of the 20th century, which was interesting, but later there was less of even this. The book starts off on an up note, but soon falls into a discussion of melancholy and never comes out of that. Overall, the book told of a city that was once great, but is now dark and depressing, as seen in the author's life in it.

The author seems to have had a fairly depressing late childhood to early adulthood. He tells his story in terms of the melancholy he sees everywhere in the city of Istanbul where he lives. Not exactly what one might read in a tour guide to the city. There are many interesting photographs in the book, but there are no descriptions of them, though they seem to be related to what is going on in the book at the points where they are placed; note they are all in black and white.

The book was translated from Turkish into English, and the translation was not by the author. The sentence structure made the book less than easy to get through. There were many references to things that are not commonly known (like neighborhoods of Istanbul) that were important to understanding the book, yet not explained.

Frankly, I was a little glad to get to the end. I'm not sure I'd recommend this book to just anyone.

The Road Less Traveled

This book is by the late psychiatrist, M. Scott Peck. If you ask me, everyone should read it.

The book was written in the late 1970's, and has sold millions of copies since then. I had seen it many times over the years, but for some reason, I never read it. Several years ago, I got a copy, but it sat on my bookshelf and collected dust. Finally, I picked it up and read it. It was not really what I had expected. And I am very happy I finally read it. Maybe I just waited until the time was right for me.

All that said, I'm not sure I agreed with the author on every point. He at least suggested that about everyone needed analysis, as in the long process of meeting regularly with a professional for the "talking cure". In fairness, maybe this is better than the "pharmaceutical cure" that seems to be way it usually goes now.

The book is divided into four main sections: Discipline, Love, Growth and Religion, and Grace. The Discipline section is very to the point, and the points are made well, though maybe not all that surprising in themselves. If you think you know what love is, then read the Love section and see if you look at it the same way the author does; chances are this will be a no, but well worth the effort in comparing probably. No matter what your take is on religion/spirituality, the last two sections will likely have something that will at least annoy you, but I say read it anyway, as you'll probably still learn something, if only despite yourself. Yes, it is that kind of book.

I read many things in the book that really spoke to me as an individual and helped me to make sense of some things that I never could quite understand in my own life. Maybe it will for you too; chances are it will. Yes, it is that kind of book as well. But, it might take some effort and real honesty on your part.

I'm pretty sure that anyone reading this book, and who makes the effort to understand what the author is saying, will find at least something that will help them in some way. Probably many things. Yes, it is that kind of book.

If you want to know, you'll have to read it yourself. Yes, it is that kind of book.

Extra-Dimensional Universe

This is a book by John Violette.

Before going further, please note that this book is written with an average reader in mind. No special scientific or mathematical knowledge is required.

Basically, the author's contention is that we actually live in a universe with 4 spacial dimensions, and what we perceive as time is motion in extra (fourth) dimensional space. In our present, usual state of consciousness, we cannot perceive this 4th spacial dimension, but, if our consciousness expands, the 4th spacial dimension is extracted from what we ordinarily perceive as time.

For this to make sense, the author explains by analogy to beings living in one and two dimensional worlds interacting with two and three dimensional worlds, respectively. The book, Flatland by Abbott, explains this in more detail, and it may be helpful to read this short, but interesting work before tackling Violette's book.

From his basic contention of an extra (fourth) spacial dimension, which also leads to a different time concept, the author takes the mystery out of the mystical experience, psychic phenomenon, UFO's (including abductions) and life after death. He notes how people who have experienced these phenomenon describe them in very similar ways; the 4th spacial dimension seems to be in the inside out direction. Their consciousness expands, at least temporarily, and they then can see this 4th spacial dimension, and the world they came from is a small part of the new world they enter.

The book concludes with a chapter on extra dimensional theory and the new physics - quantum theory, string theory etc. It is written so that an average reader can understand, so don't panic if science is not your forte. Very interesting how this all fits together, and there is plenty weirdness here to keep readers entertained and get them thinking at the same time.

I thought the book was a little unclear here and there and could have been shortened in parts to make for better flow. I still highly recommend it, since the subject matter is so interesting.

Hidden Wisdom

This is a review of Hidden Wisdom by Smoley and Kinney. The subtitle of the book is A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions.

Overall, I liked the book, and it was well written for the most part. My only real problem with it is that it often left me wanting to know more on the various traditions it covered. That might actually be a good thing depending on one's point of view, however. Also, the authors did supply lists of Suggested Reading at the end of each chapter where more relevant information could be found.

There were 12 chapters, each on a different tradition or different set of related traditions. There was quite a range, starting with Jung and the Unconscious and ending with the New Age. Lots of useful and interesting background was provided, along with explanation of the main points of the traditions.

Reading this book inspired me to make further investigation into 3 of the traditions covered. I'll get started on that very soon.

A History of Civilizations

This book by Braudel covers the history of the main civilizations of the world. Overall, I liked the book, but it is a very slow read I thought.

Braudel was French and intended this book as a high school textbook in France; perhaps for better students. It was not accepted for this purpose. I tend to agree that it might have been a bit much for people of high school age, but maybe his point was to raise standards to what they might possibly be. I'll leave that debate to others.

The author did not follow the usual "kings, dates and battles" approach. It seemed to me that he took the viewpoint of someone above the fray and included economics, arts and other important aspects of civilizations to a greater extent than usual, and put it all in some sort of context, including where different civilizations come into contact. Made the history all the more interesting I think.

As an American, I found it interesting to see how things looked from a French perspective. It was somewhat different from what I usually read by American and British authors. That being said, it is a bit difficult to explain that difference. Maybe it was the context and examples being taken from French history and experience that are often less well known to Americans (and the British perhaps as well). Given that there was a lot of ground to cover in a limited amount of space, many examples were mentioned in quick passing, so it could be hard to keep up so to speak.

This book was translated from French by Richard Mayne, who is British. Braudel apparently used some very complex sentence structure that the translator maintained using British English. The result was something that I found difficult to read other than slowly. Took a lot of the enjoyment out of the book for me.

The book was first written in the 1960's, but some updates were present in this edition, at least up to the 1990's. Not sure at all how that was done, since Braudel died in 1985.

There is a large amount of introductory material in the book. I'd say to read it as it explains Braudel's approach, among other things, which is helpful in making sense of the big picture he is going for in the book.

I found the chapters on Islamic civilization quite interesting. Made many current events in that part of the world make much better sense to me.

Braudel also seemed to be quite "respectful" when talking about American civilization which not every French author seems wiling to do. This is also much on how Anglo-Saxon civilization and the use of English became and still are (to large extent at least) so dominate.

There is more that could be said covering other parts of the book, but I will leave that to others to discuss.

The book is about 600 pages, and I think would take a while for most people to get through. Still, I think it a worthwhile read I think.