Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Tao of Physics - Fritjof Capra


The Tao of Physics Fritjof Capra

The Tao of Physics
Fritjof Capra


Quote from book - "I also hope to find among my readers many physicists with an interest in the philosophical aspects of physics, who have not come in contact with the religious philosophies of the East. They will find that Eastern Mysticism provides a consistent and beautiful philosophical framework which can accommodate our most advanced theories of the physical world"

Originally published in 1975 this book was the first of its kind, and its findings still apply some thirty years later.

Fritjof explores eastern mysticism in the from of Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese thought, Taoism and Zen, with devoting many pages to introduce them and provides the reader with a good insight into these religions.

Fritjof does not inject much humour into his work, but does have quite an interesting take on discoveries in that discoveries, most often come to people in an almost daydreaming state, as did this book come into being. His writing is clear and at times concise, at others, elaboration on the subject is very well included and there is little in this book to get bored with.

What Fritjof does is take excerpts from the different schools of thought and shows how this correlates with scientific findings of the 20th century; he does this with ease and grace. The main thing to be taken away from this book is the idea that some of those things were written 1000's of years ago, and science has been playing `catch up' with the mystics. Definitely worth reading if you like science or not, but more so if you like science. 

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THE BOOK OF PLEASURE (SELF-LOVE) - Austin Osman Spare

THE BOOK OF PLEASURE (SELF-LOVE) THE PSYCHOLOGY OF ECSTASY By Austin Osman Spare


THE BOOK OF PLEASURE (SELF-LOVE)
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF ECSTASY
By Austin Osman Spare

Quite simply the most important contribution to the western esoteric tradition during the 20th century. There are those who will claim Crowley was the best - but among many circles he is regarded as a showman, not a shaman.
The work of Austin Spare has never been allowed to shine because it nestled in Crowley's shadow, but his work is outstanding - he is the 'Real Deal'

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Saturday, December 18, 2010

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray  by Oscar Wilde


The Picture of Dorian Gray 
by
Oscar Wilde


A lush, cautionary tale of a life of vileness and deception or a loving portrait of the aesthetic impulse run rampant? Why not both? After Basil Hallward paints a beautiful, young man's portrait, his subject's frivolous wish that the picture change and he remain the same comes true. Dorian Gray's picture grows aged and corrupt while he continues to appear fresh and innocent. After he kills a young woman, "as surely as if I had cut her little throat with a knife," Dorian Gray is surprised to find no difference in his vision or surroundings. "The roses are not less lovely for all that. The birds sing just as happily in my garden." As Hallward tries to make sense of his creation, his epigram-happy friend Lord Henry Wotton encourages Dorian in his sensual quest with any number of Wildean paradoxes, including the delightful "When we are happy we are always good, but when we are good we are not always happy." But despite its many languorous pleasures, The Picture of Dorian Gray is an imperfect work. Compared to the two (voyeuristic) older men, Dorian is a bore, and his search for ever new sensations far less fun than the novel's drawing-room discussions. Even more oddly, the moral message of the novel contradicts many of Wilde's supposed aims, not least "no artist has ethical sympathies. An ethical sympathy in an artist is an unpardonable mannerism of style." Nonetheless, the glamour boy gets his just deserts. And Wilde, defending Dorian Gray, had it both ways: "All excess, as well as all renunciation, brings its own punishment."

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

The Pillars of the Earth  by Ken Follett


The Pillars of the Earth 
by
Ken Follett


Tom Builder's dream is to build a cathedral, but in the meantime, he must scrounge about to find a lord that will hire him. His search pulls him and his family into the politics of 12th-century England, as different lords vie to gain control of the throne in the wake of the recently deceased king. Prior Phillip, a man raised in the monastery since childhood, also finds himself drafted into the brewing storm as he must protect the interests of a declining church. Richard E. Grant seduces readers early on with a soft and deliberate voice that is like a loud whisper. However, his full range quickly reveals itself as he delves into characters with animated voices that exert their true essence. Even throughout the narrative, Grant musters a lively voice that imbues energy into the story. The only shortcoming is that the abridgment of Follett's 1989 novel proves to be too choppy. Though the story appears complete, there still remain abrupt moments throughout the tale.

The Return Of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Return Of Sherlock Holmes  by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle


The Return Of Sherlock Holmes 
by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

After an absence of three years, when Dr. Watson and the world thought he had perished at the hands of his arch-enemy Professor Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes returns from his watery grave, his skills of deduction sharper than ever. No case is too slight for his attention. He uses his skills to find an abducted pupil from the Priory School; to save a young girl who is being stalked by 'a solitary cyclist'; and to search for the missing 'three-quarter' of a Rugby team. He rises to the challenge of deciphering the secret code of the 'dancing men' which leads to a sinister connection with America. High society calls for his services as he saves the Government from the threat of war after a top secret document goes missing, and exposes the murky world of the blackmailer Charles Augustus Milverton. With colourful cases involving the Mafia and Russian nihilists, Conan Doyle shows he has lost none of his narrative skills in this collection of stories published in The Strand magazine as 'The Return of Sherlock Holmes' between 1903 and 1904. Once again, as in 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Dr. Watson, Holmes's trusted friend and chronicler accompanies him in his pursuit of justice.