The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: 

A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams

by 

Deepak Chopra

Teilhard de Chardin said, "We are spiritual beings having a human experience." Chopra builds on this powerful thought in this recording that expands his life's work in spiritual approaches to daily living. He explains the laws of pure potentiality, giving, karma, least effort, intention and desire, detachment, and dharma and includes useful suggestions on how to apply these fundamental, natural principles if one is truly searching for purpose and a satisfying life. Ancient Vedic concepts form the basis of this philosophy of living that transcends the Eurocentric theological dogma that seems to preoccupy Western thought, especially among Americans. With Chopra's rapidly growing adherents and his appearance on the glib talk shows, look for this new release to attract attention. The recording, read by the author, is also available in book form (Amber-Allen Pub., 1995), which may appeal to those listeners willing to do the hard work required to successfully implement these principles. For all public libraries.?Dale Farris, Groves, Tex.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc

Read

Awakening Osiris: The Egyptian Book of the Dead

Awakening Osiris: The Egyptian Book of the Dead

 

This is one of the most incredible books I've ever read. In this "translation" of the Book of Going Forth By Day (the original Egyptian name for the Book of the Dead) Ellis sings the world into existence and exposes the very depths of my soul like no other writer ever has. It is not a literal translation, but more of a contemporary reflection of what the various chapters mean, a very poetic, smoothly flowing meditation on "Becoming Osiris" and living life like the gods we are. If you've ever been interested in Egyptian thought or mythology, you will love this book!
I am Osiris. I walk between the two worlds. I am the maker of myths. I remember all that was and what will be. I am eternal, existing for the millions of years. When you see the sun, remember me, remember your Self. 

 

 

Read

BLOOD and GOLD by Anne Rice

BLOOD and GOLD 

by 

Anne Rice

Time heals all wounds, unless, of course, you're a vampire. Cuts may heal, burns vanish, limbs reattach, but for the "blood god," the wounds of the heart sometimes stay open and raw for centuries. So it is for Marius, Anne Rice's oft-mentioned and beloved scholar. We've heard parts of his tale in past volumes of the Vampire Chronicles, but never so completely and never from his own lips. In Blood and Gold, Rice mostly (but not entirely) avoids the danger of treading worn ground as she fills out the life and character of Marius the Lonely, the Disenchanted, the Heartsick--a 2,000-year-old vampire "with all the conviction of a mortal man."

Plucked from his beloved Rome in the prime of his life and forced into solitude as keeper of the vampire queen and king, Marius has never forgiven the injustice of his mortal death. Thousands of years later, he still seethes over his losses. Immortality for Marius is both a blessing and a curse--he bears "witness to all splendid and beautiful things human," yet is unable to engage in relationships for fear of revealing his burden. New readers to the Chronicles may wish for a more fleshed-out, less introspective hero, but Rice's legions of devoted fans will recognize Blood and Gold for what it is: a love song to Marius the Wanderer, whose story reveals the complexities and limitations of eternal existence.

Read

The VAMPIRE ARMAND by Anne Rice

The VAMPIRE ARMAND 

by 

Anne Rice

In The Vampire Armand, Anne Rice returns to her indomitable Vampire Chronicles and recaptures the gothic horror and delight she first explored in her classic tale Interview with the Vampire (in which Armand, played by Antonio Banderas in the film version, made his first appearance as director of the Théâtre des Vampires). The story begins in the aftermath of Memnoch the Devil. Vampires from all over the globe have gathered around Lestat, who lies prostrate on the floor of a cathedral. Dead? In a coma? As Armand reflects on Lestat's condition, he is drawn by David Talbot to tell the story of his own life. The narrative abruptly rushes back to 15th-century Constantinople, and the Armand of the present recounts the fragmented memories of his childhood abduction from Kiev. Eventually, he is sold to a Venetian artist (and vampire), Marius. Rice revels in descriptions of the sensual relationship between the young and still-mortal Armand and his vampiric mentor. But when Armand is finally transformed, the tone of the book dramatically shifts. Raw and sexually explicit scenes are displaced by Armand's introspective quest for a union of his Russian Orthodox childhood, his hedonistic life with Marius, and his newly acquired immortality. These final chapters remind one of the archetypal significance of Rice's vampires; at their best, Armand, Lestat, and Marius offer keen insights into the most human of concerns.
The Vampire Armand is richly intertextual; readers will relish the retelling of critical events from Lestat and Louis's narratives. Nevertheless, the novel is very much Armand's own tragic tale. Rice deftly integrates the necessary back-story for new readers to enter her epic series, and the introduction of a few new voices adds a fresh perspective--and the promise of provocative future installments.

Read

MEMNOCH the DEVIL by Anne Rice

MEMNOCH the DEVIL 

by 

Anne Rice

The fifth volume of Rice's Vampire Chronicles is one of her most controversial books. The tale begins in New York, where Lestat, the coolest of Rice's vampire heroes, is stalking a big-time cocaine dealer and religious-art smuggler--this guy should get it in the neck. Lestat is also growing fascinated with the dealer's lovely daughter, a TV evangelist who's not a fraud.

Lestat is also being stalked himself, by some shadowy guy who turns out to be Memnoch, the devil, who spirits him away. From here on, the book might have been called Interview with the Devil (by a Vampire). It's a rousing story interrupted by a long debate with the devil. Memnoch isn't the devil as ordinarily conceived: he got the boot from God because he objected to God's heartless indifference to human misery. Memnoch takes Lestat to heaven, hell, and throughout history.

Some readers are appalled by the scene in which Lestat sinks his fangs into the throat of Christ on the cross, but the scene is not a mere shock tactic: Jesus is giving Lestat a bloody taste in order to win him over to God's side, and Rice is dead serious about the battle for his soul. Rice is really doing what she did as a devout young Catholic girl asked to imagine in detail what Christ's suffering felt like--it's just that her imagination ran away with her. If you like straight-ahead fanged adventure, you'll likely enjoy the first third; if you like Job-like arguments with God, you'll prefer the Memnoch chapters

Read