Soul Dust

Soul Dust
Author: Nicholas Humphrey
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2012-11-11
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0691156379

A radically new view of the nature and purpose of consciousness How is consciousness possible? What biological purpose does it serve? And why do we value it so highly? In Soul Dust, the psychologist Nicholas Humphrey, a leading figure in consciousness research, proposes a startling new theory. Consciousness, he argues, is nothing less than a magical-mystery show that we stage for ourselves inside our own heads. This self-made show lights up the world for us and makes us feel special and transcendent. Thus consciousness paves the way for spirituality, and allows us, as human beings, to reap the rewards, and anxieties, of living in what Humphrey calls the "soul niche." Tightly argued, intellectually gripping, and a joy to read, Soul Dust provides answers to the deepest questions. It shows how the problem of consciousness merges with questions that obsess us all—how life should be lived and the fear of death. Resting firmly on neuroscience and evolutionary theory, and drawing a wealth of insights from philosophy and literature, Soul Dust is an uncompromising yet life-affirming work—one that never loses sight of the majesty and wonder of consciousness.

The Magic of Awareness

The Magic of Awareness
Author: Anam Thubten
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Total Pages: 161
Release: 2012-05-16
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 083482910X

A Tibetan Buddhist teacher offers guidance on maintaining a state of awareness—demonstrating how enlightenment can be found at any time, in our everyday lives The paradox of awareness is very profound and yet very simple. It can't be described because it has no objective qualities and no limitation. Sometimes it comes naturally to the surface when we are fully in the present moment and no longer lost in thought or mental projections. Pure consciousness is neither high nor low, neither pleasant nor unpleasant, neither good nor bad. No matter where we are, no matter what we are doing, we always have an immediate access to that inner stillness. It can be experienced in an instant in all circumstances once we know how to pay attention to it. It is utterly peaceful and it is also insightful, so it sees through all illusions. Whenever there is a moment of being deluded, we can use that moment to practice settling in the very perfect sphere of the Buddha mind without trying to change anything. When we reside in that liberated mind, we find the very thing we have been seeking all along.

Mind Magic

Mind Magic
Author: Bill Harvey
Publisher:
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2012-12
Genre: Consciousness
ISBN: 9780918538000

Harvey explains how to effortlessly rechannel energies to clarify one's life's mission and achieve it.

The Magic of Self-Respect

The Magic of Self-Respect
Author: Osho
Publisher: Osho Media International
Total Pages: 309
Release: 2010-05-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0880507667

So much of the experience of everyday life, says Osho in this insightful guide, is shaped by religious and social conditioning — and we are not even aware of the fact. We are constantly being pulled away from the unique nature that is our birthright. In place of that original and unique self, a false self called the “ego” is constructed that eventually gains control of our creativity, our ideas about what it means to be successful, our relationships, and our very experience of who we are. At the same time, he argues, the collection of egos known as “society” shapes our political, educational, and religious institutions, which in turn combine to force the same old patterns onto new generations. In this book, Osho shows how to discard these old patterns in favor of a new and nurturing trinity of watchfulness, awareness, and alertness. The bundled DVD lets readers directly experience the insights of this important modern mystic.

Magical Consciousness

Magical Consciousness
Author: Susan Greenwood
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 309
Release: 2015-08-20
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317517202

How does a mind think magically? The research documented in this book is one answer that allows the disciplines of anthropology and neurobiology to come together to reveal a largely hidden dynamic of magic. Magic gets to the very heart of some theoretical and methodological difficulties encountered in the social and natural sciences, especially to do with issues of rationality. This book examines magic head-on, not through its instrumental aspects but as an orientation of consciousness. Magical consciousness is affective, associative and synchronistic, shaped through individual experience within a particular environment. This work focuses on an in-depth case study using the anthropologist’s own experience gained through years of anthropological fieldwork with British practitioners of magic. As an ethnographic view, it is an intimate study of the way in which the cognitive architecture of a mind engages the emotions and imagination in a pattern of meanings related to childhood experiences, spiritual communications and the environment. Although the detail of the involvement in magical consciousness presented here is necessarily specific, the central tenets of modus operandi is common to magical thought in general, and can be applied to cross-cultural analyses to increase understanding of this ubiquitous human phenomenon.

Conscious Living

Conscious Living
Author: Gay Hendricks
Publisher: HarperOne
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2001-01-09
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 9780062514875

In his bestselling book Conscious Living, pioneering therapist Gay Hendricks taught couples how to find balance and happiness in relationships.Now he gives us Conscious Living, a practical guide for the individual that brings new insights into a fundamental truth of daily truth of daily life. Five simple lessons of "conscious living", rooted in the ancient traditions of Stoicism and Taoism, help us overcome obstacles and fears and awaken our own creativity.

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
Author: Julian Jaynes
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 580
Release: 2000-08-15
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0547527543

National Book Award Finalist: “This man’s ideas may be the most influential, not to say controversial, of the second half of the twentieth century.”—Columbus Dispatch At the heart of this classic, seminal book is Julian Jaynes's still-controversial thesis that human consciousness did not begin far back in animal evolution but instead is a learned process that came about only three thousand years ago and is still developing. The implications of this revolutionary scientific paradigm extend into virtually every aspect of our psychology, our history and culture, our religion—and indeed our future. “Don’t be put off by the academic title of Julian Jaynes’s The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind. Its prose is always lucid and often lyrical…he unfolds his case with the utmost intellectual rigor.”—The New York Times “When Julian Jaynes . . . speculates that until late in the twentieth millennium BC men had no consciousness but were automatically obeying the voices of the gods, we are astounded but compelled to follow this remarkable thesis.”—John Updike, The New Yorker “He is as startling as Freud was in The Interpretation of Dreams, and Jaynes is equally as adept at forcing a new view of known human behavior.”—American Journal of Psychiatry

The Power of Consciousness

The Power of Consciousness
Author: Elle Sommer
Publisher:
Total Pages: 116
Release: 2021-06-19
Genre:
ISBN:

Life is so much easier than you think: All you need to know is how to harness the power you already have. Take the next step toward working magic in your world with The Power of Consciousness, the first volume in the Guide to Manifesting Your Brilliant Life series. Follow my journey as I reveal how I accidentally stumbled upon consciousness at work in my life - and how I eventually put into practice deliberate ways to use this inner power for transformation. I went from a life of loss and misery to one of security, fulfillment and joy - and you can too. This first installment of the Guide to Manifesting Your Brilliant Life series lays the framework for using the power of consciousness. Mastering the basics of the laws of consciousness, or the law of attraction or creation, - no matter how you label the concept - is but a first step. It's the actual foundation upon which you build your base of knowledge before moving on to operating the techniques - techniques that have worked for me and which I know will work for you - techniques that will be found in Book two of this series. If you're ready, I want to show you how to become an active participant in the creation of your brilliant life. A life that is beyond good. A life that is phenomenally brilliant.

The Book of Immortality

The Book of Immortality
Author: Adam Gollner
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 416
Release: 2014-09-30
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 1439109435

An exploration of one of the most universal human obsessions charts the rise of longevity science from its alchemical beginnings to modern-day genetic interventions and enters the world of those whose lives are shaped by a belief in immortality.