Further ruminations concerning the mysticism, knowledge, and nature of ultimate reality add little to previous volumes by the same author. Cypriot-born Markides (Sociology/Univ. of Maine; Fire in the Heart, not reviewed, etc.) offers this follow-up to his trilogy about the esoteric teachings of two holy men on the island of Cyprus. As the present volume opens, the author has been sought out by Diana, a psychotherapist who has been profoundly affected by his books. Their meeting and conversation form the springboard for the story as he brings her up-to-date. Since his last book, Kostas and Spyros Sathi, the two psychic healers and teachers about whom he wrote, have had a falling out, the cause of which is vague. Furthermore, Markides himself no longer has any association with Spyros. He then, for the benefit of his visitor and new readers, recaps his history with these wise ones. Throughout the remainder of the book, he anecdotally describes his experiences with both these teachers and others at lectures, conferences, and chance encounters. Meetings with clairvoyants and psychic healers abound, as do references to mystics such as Ouspensky, Gurdjieff, Krishna, and the Rosicrucians as Markides discusses a ``hidden knowledge'' that is ``trans-logical'' and ``trans-scientific.'' Seeking to link both Eastern and Western philosophy, he argues for the essential unity of all religions, which at their core carry the ``primordial tradition.'' He claims that seekers may find mystical spiritual teachings and practices within their own Judeo-Christian traditions. Non-devotees of the New Age and nonreaders of Markides's previous efforts are apt to be left out in the cold as the current volume approaches its own hidden wisdom in nearly content-free language.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-670-85780-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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