Colin Byrne is a pickpocket, an artist, and an occasional consultant for the police. He’s also an ex-felon, an initiate into the feral, unspoken magic that only prisoners know: how to vanish, how to tell fortunes, how to steal souls. Now the man who put him in prison wants him to return to Railburg State Correctional Facility to help investigate a case. Some things at Railburg haven’t changed. His protégé Noel is still the best ink artist in the prison, and their mentor Gutierrez still talks to God. The gangs are still the ones with all the power. But some things are different: there’s a young Blood named Laney who sees demons, and an inmate Colin helped to imprison is poisoning Railburg’s food. With mysterious forces aiming to incite a prison riot and the Aryan Brotherhood constantly harassing Laney, Colin has bigger problems than the one he went to Railburg to solve… Also available for purchase in hardcopy at http://http://extribulum.wordpress.com/trace/...

Kabbalah Revealed: The Ordinary Person’s Guide to a More Peaceful Life is a clearly-written, user-friendly guide to making sense of the surrounding world while achieving inner peace. Each of the six chapters in this book focuses on a different aspect of the ancient wisdom of Kabbalah, shedding new light on a teaching that has too often been shrouded in mystery and misconceptions. A subtle, yet profound idea weaves the book’s chapters into a coherent and concrete whole.The first three chapters in Kabbalah Revealed tell us why the present world is in a state of crisis, explaining how our growing desires promote progress as well as alienation, and why the biggest deterrent to achieving positive change is rooted in our own spirits.Chapters Four through Six offer a prescription for positive change. Therein, we learn how we can use our spirits to build a personally peaceful life in harmony with all of Creation.For the first time ever, the timeless principles of Kabbalah are explained f...

Kabbalists state that there is no reality at all, but something called His Essence, the Upper Force, and this is what we perceive as our world. As uncanny as it sounds, this notion hides in its wings the very prospect of freedom, for every person, for every nation, and for the entire world. The structure and the perception of reality are the surface of this book. But the story of humanity, or more accurately, of the human soul, is the undercurrent that drives the reader forward in this book. It is about you, about me, about all of us. This book is about the way we were, the way we are, the way we will be, and most importantly, it is about the best way to get there. In this neatly structured composition, every part speaks of a different aspect of Kabbalah. It starts with our perception of reality, our perception of the Creator, and the evolution of our soul in the spiritual worlds (including explanatory drawings). The book also clears up misconceptions about Kabbalah and explains, in plain words, how to experience the spiritual realm of our lives....

Excerpt: An open letter on Translating by Dr. Martin Luther, translated by Dr. Gary Mann is a publication of the Pennsylvania State University. This Portable Document File is furnished free and without any charge of any kind. An Any y per person son using this document file file, for or an any y pur purpose pose pose, and in an any y w way y does so a at t his or her o own wn risk....

Critical Questions, Wise Responses In the past two decades, the growth of takfiri groups has been increased in West Asia. These extremist groups, influenced by Wahhabism and Salafism, are seeking to promote and institutionalize violence in the region. These groups, by a strategic premeditation and/or by mistake, have changed the priority of fighting and apprising of Zionist regime crimes to takfir of noble trend of Shiism. Many of them, who call themselves sheikhs, by taking advantage of the ignorance of the laity, issue fatwas of killing Muslims in general and Shiites in particular. Meanwhile some by raising unfounded doubts over Shia principals provoke this wave of violence and attempt to institutionalize hate between Muslims. Therefore, in order to prevent the promotion of violence, it is obligatory on every compassionate Muslim to be sensitive and give appropriate answer and inform the masses of these dangerous methods. The content of this book which is in response to questions posed against the Twelver Shiite (Athna'ashariyyah) would be evaluated in this context. This book contains 70 of the most important questions and doub...

Table of Content Introduction Terminology Of Shi`a The State of Appearance…………………....1 The founder of the School of Shi`ah …. 7 Shia in Lexicon and Terminology…...……11 Shi`ah in Quran and Tradition…………….. 14 Shia and Resorting to the tradition of “The twelve caliphs”……………….…………. 17 Shia of Islamic community, in comparison with the Jews……………………………………… 21 Quran and appointment of Imam……….. 26 Doubts Over Imamat Doubt of being in the charge of Imamate By child...............................................32 The meaning of Ul al- Amr in Sunni traditions............................................35 The meaning of Ul al- Amr in Shi’ite traditions..................................38 The meaning of Imam in Ma’rifah of Imam Tradition………………….……….…………..…… 43 The meaning of Imam in the verse of "Ibtila"…..........................................… 48 Doubts Over Wilayah The cause of revelation of Wilayah verse according to Sunnis quoting ................52 Traditions confirming the content of Wilayah tradition 61 Ghadir Khom Event of Ghadir 65 Cause of Revelation 78 The opinions of scholars of Sunna abo...

In The Path to San Damiano four friends are drawn into a search for a mysterious stranger with a reputation for acts of kindness. An unanticipated visit by the FBI and Secret Service adds to their curiosity and strengthens their resolve to find him. Their search takes them to Italy, where the elusive stranger seems just beyond their reach. Then, near the ancient town of Assisi, home of Saint Francis, something extraordinary occurs....

Mrs. Macy set down her teacup. Peter knew to remain silent. She began, “I want to make sure I understand this situation correctly. Peter observed a man in rags giving a dying man a sip of water. For whatever reason, he was curious about him. He told his friends and we, in an effort to be supportive, joined in a search to find the man. We have not been successful in our search, although we have encountered some interesting stories along the way. Then, suddenly, the FBI and Secret Service show up at our doorstep, looking for the same man, you think. I'm not quite sure why Peter wants to find him, and I am absolutely befuddled as to why you want to find him. You either cannot or may not, but quite assuredly will not, tell us why. Apparently, you want us to trust you. Have you bugged our phones?” Her last words caught the others off guard. The agents looked quickly at each other. Agent Hardy spoke, “Mrs. Macy, we are familiar with your background and past activities. This is a serious matter and we would prefer to go the cooperative route rather than pursuing court orders, search warrants and the like.” 50 “Agent Hardy, ...

Excerpt: The First Book of the Kings, Commonly Called: The Third Book of the Kings, the Eleventh Book of the King James Version of the Bible.

The first volume of Lea’s monumental work on the Inquisition of Spain, covering its origin and establishment and its relations with the state. Also included are appendices listing Tribunals, Inquisitors-General, and Spanish coinage. (Summary by Ruth Golding)...

History, Religion

Excerpt: CANTO I. In the midway of this our mortal life, I found me in a gloomy wood, astray Gone from the path direct: and e?en to tell It were no easy task, how savage wild That forest, how robust and rough its growth, Which to remember only, my dismay Renews, in bitterness not far from death. Yet to discourse of what there good befell, All else will I relate discover?d there. How first I enter?d it I scarce can say....

Why was that tree in the garden, anyway? Stan Robertson spent his adult life trying to understand what the Bible really was saying. He decided to approach the subject with an open mind and let the Bible itself tell him rather than depending on what tradition says that it means. His book reaches unorthodox conclusions based on well developed and thoroughly justified analyses. His understanding helps reconcile many of the disconnects in traditional views. For instance, how is it that the Lord God of the Old Testament is harsh, demanding, violent, unforgiving, jealous, and destructive while the God of the New Testament is Love? This book develops the idea that each person is a duality of Spirit and flesh, and relates this to scripture. The Spiritual man and the carnal man are separated and the carnal man is subject to the Law while the Spiritual man cannot sin. ...

We Christians, as long as we feel that we must keep the Ten Commandments, are shut out of knowing the benefits of grace. Keeping the law demands all of man’s attention leaving no time for anything else. This maintains the veil over our hearts. “The letter kills but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). Even though Paul repeatedly says that we are not under the Law, we feel guilty. Guilt steals our freedom and our knowing the benefits of grace and the Divine Love that comes with it. The Commandments give opportunity for the false accuser to accuse us falsely. Then we accept the false accusation of sin and guilt. From that point on, it is our own conscience that condemns us, and thus, our own thought-power is used against our own selves. The result is depression or sickness or a feeling of being empty, useless. This latter result prevents our praying. We cannot follow both the Law and the Spirit. We cannot serve two masters....

Table of Contents (Note: For a professional review of the first edition of this book, please go to: http://reviewservice.blogspot.com/) Introduction Chapter 1: The Prayer and the Mission of Christ Jesus 1 Separating the Spirit from the Flesh 19 The Purpose of Spirit Is to Lead Us to the Truth 29 Jesus of Nazareth: Flesh or Spirit, Man or God? 36 Satan the Antichrist, Imprisoning Deceiver 54 Who Was Responsible for Jesus’ Death? 60 David Prophesied Crucifixion Not Practiced in His Time 61 The Parable of the Prodigal Son and Predestination 62 Chapter 2: The Mission of St. Paul 67 Faith Overcoming Flesh 71 The Importance of One’s True Intent 77 Walking Our Path Out of the Flesh Daily 84 Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Redemption 92 Guilty Feelings Erased 98 The Carnal Mind 102 Paul’s Explanation of the Status of the Christian 108 Turn Loose of the Commandments? 110 To Spirit, the Spirit, the Spirit Is Sacred— To Flesh, the Flesh, the Flesh Is Sacred 112 Spirit-Given Conviction Instead of Logic 116 Genesis and the Law xxx Did God Change From the Old to the New Testament? xxx...

The Song of Songs [of Solomon] (שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים Šîr haŠîrîm, ᾎσμα ᾎσμάτων Aisma Aismatōn, Cantĭcum Canticōrum) is a poetic courtship that moves from enchantment to consummation. Devoid of religiosity, it has traditionally been understood as metaphor for the relationship of the soul with the Divine – of God with Israel – of Christ with the Church – of Christ with the human soul – or humanistically, as a metaphor for psychological integrity. In his 12th century sermon, ‘On the Title of the Book: The Song of Songs’, St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s meditative reading followed the book of Ecclesiastes, which teaches ‘how to … have done with the false promise of this world’, and the book of Proverbs that enlightens ‘your life and your conduct’. He called these two preliminary books antidotes to the two enemies of the soul – ‘misguided love of the world and an excessive love of self’, and he observed that only ‘the mind disciplined by persevering study’ is made ‘ripe … for nuptial union with the divine partner’. His spiritual marriage between the heavenly Bridegroom and the human bride occurs when the two become one, and that one is the ...

A wise man once set down in song, beauty that in nature rests, for which all hearts forever long like dreams deep in maidens’ breasts : The young woman: “My man, your kiss is my mantle your musk clothes me with alarm, allows my guard be more gentle. Oh, who could resist such charm! Oh, let’s elope to foreign parts, and reveal to me your realm; there let us practice lovers’ arts for we’ll both be overwhelmed. Yes, no one could resist such charm! Sisters of our sober town, You see my skin so sunned from farm, its like a richly gilded gown – a noble robe gifting my hue. Though born beyond your boudoir, underneath I’m the same as you. Why look down on my colour, ...

n.a.

The author has completed his own translation of the Divine Comedy and finds that it is still hard for readers to manage the whole text. He has extracted what he feels is the main spiritual thread and worked with key passages. He has then given the original Italian alongside his translation into English and provided a narrative thread and annotations for clarity. Included in this edition is a talk he gave to the Summer School at the University of Cape Town Summer School on Misunderstanding Dante....

INFERNO V They enter the second circle, the first of Hell proper, which encloses less space, (che men loco cinghia), than the previous one, but has so much greater pain, (tanto più dolor). Minos, the judge, guards the entrance, examines all the souls who are to enter and indicates to them to which circle they will descend. Cosi discesi del cerchio primaio And so I left the first, and to the second giù nel secondo, che men loco cinghia circle went below, where girth is less, e tanto più dolor, che pugne a guaio. but greater are the howls and moans of woe....

Misunderstanding Dante Inferno Purgatorio Paradiso

The Urantia Book (sometimes called the Urantia Papers or The Fifth Epochal Revelation) is a spiritual and philosophical book that originated in Chicago sometime between 1924 and 1955. The authorship remains a matter of speculation. The authors introduce the word "Urantia" as the name of the planet Earth and state that their intent is to "present enlarged concepts and advanced truth." The book aims to unite religion, science and philosophy, and its enormous amount of material about science is unique among literature claimed to be presented by higher intelligences. Among other topics, the book discusses the origin and meaning of life, humankind's place in the universe, the purpose of evil and suffering, the relationship between God and people, and the life of Jesus. The Urantia Foundation, a U.S.-based non-profit group, first published The Urantia Book in 1955. In 2001, a jury found that the English book's copyright was no longer valid after 1983. The English text became a public domain work in the United States, and in 2006 the international copyright expired....

The JANUARY-FEBRUARY-MARCH, 2012, edition of Hinduism's foremost and widely respected spiritual magazine, Hinduism Today, has been released in digital form and is now available for free on your desktop. This issue is a wide-ranging trek through modern dharma, so prepare yourself for the journey. First stop is our 16-page feature article: A Survivor's Manual for the Mount Kailash Pilgrimage. Our sherpa for this amazing pilgrimage is Dr. T.S. Mohan of Bengaluru. Sure, hundreds of thousands have make the trip around the world's most sacred mountain, but no one we know of has returned with so much insight into how to make the trek successful. With maps, a daily chronicle and lists with tips and warnings, he shows us in detail why this is one of those rare and spiritually charged pilgrimages. Not to mention his advice on keeping us safe and sane. From the outer climb to the inner, we are taken into the world of japa and mantra. Vamadeva Shastri and Hinduism Today founder Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami unravel the world of sound and its yogic uses, giving plenty of dos and don'ts so this ancient yoga can be practiced safely and wit...

This issue contains an fully-illustrated, 16-page Educational Insight that takes you on a journey into the life and teachings of one of India's greatest masters, Sri Madhvacharya. His tale is full of philosophical growth, amazing encounters during his youth, magical happenings and deep interpretations of the ancient Dharma. If you ever wanted to understand the pure dual path, and compare it with Sankaran advaita, this is the resource for you. So, which of the Gods is greater, Siva or Vishnu? You've heard the arguments. You've endured the fables and the foibles of those who argue one side or another. Our publisher, Bodhinatha Veylanswami, gives the unifying answer you can use at any dinner party. When an Indian swami crossed the ocean to visit devotees in the West, he was deeply criticized and certain of his worship rights were curtailed. Follow the adventures of Sri Sugunendra Tirtha Swami and in the bargain explore the history of the amazing monasteries and temples in Udupi. In Karnataka one of the foremost swamis of India opens a magnificent temple for Lord Siva. The Kalabhairava Temple is the work of Sri Balagangadharana...

The Teaching that was brought to Earth from God-the-Father by Jesus Christ came to us in the form of Jesus’ conversations with His disciples and other people, His appeals to the Heavenly Father and descriptions of His deeds and miracles that He performed, which were described in Gospels. There are also writings of His disciples which contain information obtained from Jesus, prophecies received from the Holy Spirit and God-the-Father, as well as personal opinions of the authors. Such writings are many, but not all of them got included into the New Testament. It is obvious that the work on making an integral compilation of the Jesus’ Teaching could have been successfully performed only by that person who has himself fulfilled everything that Jesus taught, who has encompassed His Love and cognized God-the-Father. Only this could serve as the criterion for the compiler’s competence. The author of this book has succeeded in reaching the end of the Path to God-the-Father having studied the methodology of advancing along this Path and having built with the help and guidance of God “a stairway” of methods-stairs leading to the Summit. He st...

God-the-Father.......3 His Evolution and Us.......5 The Process of Creation.Multidimensionality of Space.......7 The Holy Spirit.......8 Sky — versus Heaven......9 Hell and Paradise.......11 Repentance......14 Jesus Christ.....17 Jesus — about Himself.....22 Spreading of Christianity.....23 Freedom of Will.......27 Destiny......29 Intellectual Self-Perfection.....30 About Alcoholism.....32 Work or Parasitism?......32 People.......34 Patriotism.....35 What Is Man......37 Getting Rid of Diseases.....39 Morals and Ethics.......42 Love to God.....43 Do Not Steal, Do Not Lie, Help Others.....44 Love.......45 Love and Sex......48 Marriage and Divorce.......50 Nudism......51 Man and Woman on Spiritual Path.......52 “Minorities”.......55 Compassion.....56 Struggling with Lower “Self”.......57 Monasticism.......60 Meditative Work.......61 Bibliography......64...

The book was written as a result of a direct instruction from God. It is addressed to all people interested in philosophy, religion, fundamental psychology, sociology and spiritual self-perfection....

1.General Statements.......4 2.How the Word “God” Is to Be Understood......5 3.What Is Man....8 4.Methodological Principles of Spiritual Self-perfection.......9 5.Structure of a Human Organism and Structure of the Absolute ........13 6.What Religious Associations Should Do.......15 7.About Some Principles of State Order.......16 8.Conclusion .......17 Bibliography.....18 Structure of the Absolute....19...

Under The Thelián Sky: Beyond the Great Unknown (updated cover)As everyone knows, God created mankind to his image (Genesis 01:27). What mankind does not know is that God did not create man on Earth, but rather on MARS! When Mars could not sustain life anymore, mankind had to escape the planet and colonized Earth. Many years later, a study was written about the survival of mankind in Sol Four (Mars) and its struggle in Sol Three (Earth). We proved to be a species that has survived wars, slavery and other forms of abuse — always holding on to our faith in God. Doctor Ajidán Edejèm, after finding out that his world was going to die, embarks in the dangerous mission to rescue as many people as possible and search for a new world. All the while, the government wants to keep everything quiet and even kill him for telling others about the unavoidable doom. “We discovered that the seismic activity is increasing and becoming more frequent causing volcanic eruptions, which increase the volume of sulfates in the atmosphere and break down Ozone. In other words, the atmosphere of this planet is bleeding into space. At the rate these p...

This book may be downloaded from: http://www.islamicinformationcenter.info/understandingislam.pdf . This book enables its reader to thoroughly understand what Islam is. It makes strong analysis along with relevant knowledge and hundreds of quotations from the Quran, the main source of Islam. It gives answers to FAQ such as those about Islam and violence, men and women in Islam....

1 Introduction 19 2 The General Features of Islam 20 2.1 Islam Is Based on Logic 20 2.2 Islam Is Based on Loving Allah and Being Careful of Him 22 2.3 Islam Is Comprehensive 25 2.4 Islam Is Universal 26 2.5 Islam Is Based on Peace 28 3 Belief Essentials of Islam 29 3.1 Allah -The One Real God- 30 3.1.1 Belief in God as a General Concept 30 3.1.1.1 The Concept of Belief in General 30 3.1.1.2 Islam and the Other Main Approaches Regarding God 33 3.1.1.2.1 Islam and the Atheist Approach 34 3.1.1.2.2 Islam and the Agnostic Approach 40 3.1.1.2.3 Islam and Beliefs Largely Based on Communication 41 3.1.1.3 Everyone Believes in One or More Gods, Or in Things That Correspond to the Concept of God 44 3.1.2 There Is No God But Allah: This Universe and Its Parts Are Not Absolute, There Is Only One Absolute Power 45 3.1.3 The Methodology to Understand Who Allah Is and Some Key Facts Relating to Him That We Observe in Our Universe 48 3.1.3.1 General Methodology 48 3.1.3.2 Examples 49 3.1.3.2.1 Many Similar Things 49 3.1.3.2.2 Things -Including Causality- Are Parts of Systems 50 3.1.3.2.3 The Sequential Unity 53 3.1.3.3 Thing...

Although historically marginalized, Buddhist nuns are taking their place in modern Buddhism. Like the monks, Buddhist nuns live by an ancient system of monastic law, the Vinaya. This work investigates various areas of uncertainty and controversy in how the Vinaya is to be understood and applied today....

Introduction 0.1 The Nature of Vinaya 0.2 Vinaya in Context 0.3 Bhikkhunis in History 0.4 The Vinaya Texts 0.5 Schools 1 A Question of Interpretation 1.1 What can we expect from Vinaya? 1.2 The Scope of Vinaya 1.3 The Layers of Text 1.4 What is a Tradition? 2 Principles to be Respected 2.1 Garudhamma 1 2.2 Garudhamma 2 2.3 Garudhamma 3 2.4 Garudhamma 4 2.5 Garudhamma 5 2.6 Garudhamma 6 2.7 Garudhamma 7 2.8 Garudhamma 8 2.9 The Garudhammas​—​an Assessment 3 Towns, Rivers, Journeys 3.1 Some Preliminaries 3.1.1 What does ‘alone’ mean? 3.2 The Rule 3.3 Sectarian Group Similarities 3.4 Traveling 3.4.1 Interpretation 3.5 Crossing a river 3.5.1 Interpretation 3.6 Spending the night 3.6.1 Interpretation 3.7 Lagging behind a group 3.7.1 Interpretation 3.8 Going out in the Day 3.9 Conclusion 4 Bhikkhuni Pārājika 1 4.1 Can a Bhikkhuni Ordain Again? 4.2 Nuns and Rape 4.2.1 Mahāvihāravāsin 4.2.2 Dharmaguptaka 4.2.3 Mūlasarvāstivāda 4.2.4 Who is to blame? 5 Ordination of Nuns by Monks 5.1 Vinaya and variability 6 Vuṭṭhāpana & Upasampadā 6.1 Vuṭṭhāpana, Pavattinī, Sahajīvinī 6.2 Basic Dharma Bhikkhuni...

The writings listed here represent books about Soren Kierkegaard. A fragment of his work, On the Dedication to That Single Individual, has made it to the public domain. Who was Soren Kierkegaard? He was a Danish philosopher and religious author; b. Copenhagen May 6, 1813; d. there Nov. 11, 1855. His father, Michael, a clothing merchant, once cursed God when he was young. This one incident caused him so much distress that it affected him with a deep melancholy, which he transferred to poor Soren. Michael was an evil man. He tricked Soren into thinking that the whole world existed in his own living room by taking him for imaginary walks about the neighborhood, or anywhere Soren wanted to go, as long as it existed in his imagination only. Later in life, when Soren was on his own, he rarely left Copenhagen, but he did walk about the streets and greet passersby, discussing events of the day. After 6 years of “splendid inactivity” he obtained his degree in Theology from the University of Copenhagen with the submission of his thesis paper in 1841, On the Concept of Irony with Continual Reference to Socrates. Just before graduation he fell ...

Philosophy, Religion

THE SIXTY-FOURTH BOOK OF THE HOLY BIBLE CONTAINING THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS TRANSLATED OUT OF THE ORIGINAL TONGUES AND WITH THE FORMER TRANSLATIONS DILIGENTLY COMPARED & REVISED SET FORTH IN 1611 AND COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE KING JAMES VERSION...

Excerpt: The elder unto the well-beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth -- 2. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth -- 3. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth -- 4. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth -- 5. Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers -- 6. Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:...