Este livro é uma magnífica recompilação de estudos de René Guénon sobre simbolismo, realizada com extrema dedicação por seu seguidor Michel Vâlsan, publicada originalmente em 1962, pela Gallimard, na França. - Mas, afinal, o que é um símbolo ? - Segundo a tradição, os símbolos fazem a intermediação entre o mundo espiritual e o mundo manifestado, onde nos encontramos presentemente. Pode-se depreender, por isso, a importância verdadeiramente transcendental que os símbolos representam para todas as formas tradicionais sem exceção, desde o Hinduísmo até o Islã, passando pelo Budismo, Taoísmo, Judaísmo, Cristianismo e todas as demais doutrinas autênticas. É importante assinalar que a obra não se destina exclusivamente a estudiosos ou acadêmicos, mas a todos que tenham interesse sobre o assunto. Guénon demonstra grande domínio e maestria, sem ser obscuro ou impenetrável, muito pelo contrário. Ao todo, são nada menos que 75 estudos/capítulos distribuídos em 8 partes/temas, abrangendo um amplo leque que contempla vários aspectos tradicionais de praticamente todas as religiões e doutrinas hoje existentes. René Guénon nos fala dos símbolos de "Centro e do Mundo", nas tradições antigas ( como os Druídas, por exemplo ), dedicando a este tema 10 estudos, entre eles, "As flores simbólicas", "Os Guardiães da Terra Santa", "O Zodíaco e os pontos cardeais", e "A letra G e a swastika". Outro tema geral abordado é o "Simbolismo Construtivo", com 11 estudos específicos, entre eles "Lapsit exillis", "Pedra negra e pedra cúbica", "Pedra bruta e pedra talhada", "O domo e a roda", "A porta estreita" e outros. Sobre o simbolismo axial, temos "A árvore do mundo", "O simbolismo da escada, " A passagem das águas", "Laços e nós"; sobre o simbolismo do coração, temos "O coração e o cérebro", "O olho que tudo vê" e outros. O Instituto René Guénon de Estudos Tradicionais há vários anos vem lecionando sobre temas tradicionais, e seu curso básico "Olhar Oriental", assim como os demais, são inteiramente fundamentados sobre a obra magistral de René Guénon. "Símbolos Fundamentais da Ciência Sagrada" é um livro importantíssimo e indispensável a quem tem verdadeiro interesse pelo assunto, de importância capital para todas as religiões e doutrinas. LUIZ PONUAL IRGET

This book is a magnificent recompilation of studies of René Guénon about symbolism, accomplished with extreme dedication by his follower Michel Vâlsan, published originally in 1962, by Gallimard, in France. - But, actually, what is a symbol? - According to the tradition, the symbols make the intermediation between the spiritual world and the manifested world, where we are at present. It can be inferred then the transcendental role that the symbols represent for all the traditional forms without exception, from the Hinduism to Islam, including the Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity and all the other authentic doctrines. It is important to mark that the work is not destined exclusively to studious or academics, but to all that have interest on the subject. Guénon demonstrates great domain and mastery, without being obscure or impenetrable. These are nothing less than 75 chapters distributed in 8 thematic parts, embracing a wide approach that contemplates several traditional aspects of practically all the religions and doctrines today existent. René Guénon in tells us of the symbols of " The Center and of the World ", in the ancient traditions (like Druids, for instance), dedicating to this theme 10 studies, among them, "The symbolic flowers", "The Guardians of the Holy Land", "The Zodiac and the cardinal points", and "The letter G and the swastika". Another general theme is the construtive symbolism, with 11 specific studies, among them "Lapsit exillis", "Black Stone and cubic stone", "The dome and the wheel", "The narrow door". About the axial symbolism, we have "The tree of the world", "The symbolism of the stairway", "The passage of the waters"; about the symbolism of the heart, we have "The heart and the brain", "The eye that sees everything" and much more. "Fundamental Symbols: the Universal Language of Sacred Science" is a very important and indispensable book to anyone who has true interest for this subject, of capital importance for all the religions and doctrines. Luiz Pontual IRGET

Este livro é uma magnífica recompilação de estudos de René Guénon sobre simbolismo, realizada com extrema dedicação por seu seguidor Michel Vâlsan, publicada originalmente em 1962, pela Gallimard, na França. - Mas, afinal, o que é um símbolo ? - Segundo a tradição, os símbolos fazem a intermediação entre o mundo espiritual e o mundo manifestado, onde nos encontramos presentemente. Pode-se depreender, por isso, a importância verdadeiramente transcendental que os símbolos representam para todas as formas tradicionais sem exceção, desde o Hinduísmo até o Islã, passando pelo Budismo, Taoísmo, Judaísmo, Cristianismo e todas as demais doutrinas autênticas. É importante assinalar que a obra não se destina exclusivamente a estudiosos ou acadêmicos, mas a todos que tenham interesse sobre o assunto. Guénon demonstra grande domínio e maestria, sem ser obscuro ou impenetrável, muito pelo contrário. Ao todo, são nada menos que 75 estudos/capítulos distribuídos em 8 partes/temas, abrangendo um amplo leque que contempla vários aspectos tradicionais de praticamente todas as religiões e doutrinas hoje existentes. René Guénon nos fala dos símbolos de "Centro e do Mundo", nas tradições antigas ( como os Druídas, por exemplo ), dedicando a este tema 10 estudos, entre eles, "As flores simbólicas", "Os Guardiães da Terra Santa", "O Zodíaco e os pontos cardeais", e "A letra G e a swastika". Outro tema geral abordado é o "Simbolismo Construtivo", com 11 estudos específicos, entre eles "Lapsit exillis", "Pedra negra e pedra cúbica", "Pedra bruta e pedra talhada", "O domo e a roda", "A porta estreita" e outros. Sobre o simbolismo axial, temos "A árvore do mundo", "O simbolismo da escada, " A passagem das águas", "Laços e nós"; sobre o simbolismo do coração, temos "O coração e o cérebro", "O olho que tudo vê" e outros. O Instituto René Guénon de Estudos Tradicionais há vários anos vem lecionando sobre temas tradicionais, e seu curso básico "Olhar Oriental", assim como os demais, são inteiramente fundamentados sobre a obra magistral de René Guénon. "Símbolos Fundamentais da Ciência Sagrada" é um livro importantíssimo e indispensável a quem tem verdadeiro interesse pelo assunto, de importância capital para todas as religiões e doutrinas.

LUIZ PONUAL IRGET

Oh my gosh! This is the best book. It is about a girl whosecretly joins the boys football team. Then they find out somethingshocking! Read this book to find out. All I can say, WOW!

I love how Elaine Moore described the characters . In most books everything always goes right , I don't like that, but this book didn't. it was so funny , espically when they found out she was a girl.

I thought this book was hilarious! It was definitely a very fitting sequel to the first. I am sure that if there are any more sequels, they will be equally funny!

An interesting read, this book was more like a dream state than a first person narrative. Short, concise visuals, and vivid characters describe village life in post war Naples. This book will keep you reading straight through to the end. Loved the ending.

this is one of those rare stories that is written with such simplistically elegant prose that it can't help but be beautiful. it is not the plot of the book that captivates the reader, but rather the almost plain and 'delicate' way in which the story is narrated. to anyone in search of a new "classic," i highly recommend this book.

GOD'S MOUNTAIN is only the second book I've read by Erri De Luca (SEA OF MEMORY being the other) ' and I'm pretty sure these are the only works available in English by him. He's a writer of amazing talent and sensitivity. GOD'S MOUNTAIN gets under the reader's skin so easily ' his economy of language is perfect for this story of a boy's passage into manhood.

Montedidio (God's mountain) is a poor sector of Naples. The story is set in 1960 ' there are still fresh memories of World War II among the inhabitants (a theme that also plays an important part in SEA OF MEMORY), but there is a new, young president in America and despite the political tensions between the East and the West, there is a palpable sense of freshness and hope even amidst the poverty in which these characters dwell. The young narrator has started to keep a diary ' and the observations he makes, the things that he sees as moving and important, are very telling. He is a special soul ' he aches to become a man, but can still look back with genuine affection on the days of his childhood. He honors his parents and the man who employs him ' as well as his other friends. He works hard and feels the glow of it in his soul. He sees the struggle in the wrinkles of older people, and he respects them for it ' and he hears the wisdom in the words they pass on to him.

There is a young girl named Maria who lives in the same building as his family ' she is thirteen, and the depiction of their blossoming friendship and subsequent romance is rendered in such a lovely manner by De Luca's prose. They are each reaching out to discover the nature of love ' out of curiosity, of course, but also out of a burning need that flames within each of them, a need to replace the ties of love they see shredding in their own lives. They are drawn to each other naturally and innocently ' every aspect of their romance is tender and new. Love that includes sensuality, without being driven by lust, is a beautiful thing ' it's a joy to see it in such grace-filled writing.

One of the young man's friends is an old man ' a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust ' who is a cobbler. He has a workbench in the carpentry shop where the boy is employed. The cobbler's generosity ' he repairs the shoes of the poor of Naples for free ' as well as his wisdom and stories touch the boy deeply. The old cobbler has a physical deformity ' a hunchback ' that he decides are angel wings waiting to burst forth, allowing him to fly to the Holy Land. His belief in this ' and the belief of the boy as well ' make it real.

The boy's father has given him a boomerang ' a gift from a sailor friend, brought back from Australia. The boomerang is mystical and mysterious to the boy ' he practices with it every night on the roof of his building. He practices throwing it up to the point of actually letting it go ' he rightfully sees the time when he will actually allow it to fly as a turning point in his life. He is both thrilled and frightened to see that time arrive.

The book reads fairly quickly ' but it's one that should be savored. There is so much wisdom and LIFE contained in these pages, that it mustn't be hurried. After all, life passes by too fast as it is'

This is a little treasure.

The entire book was based on true story, written as fiction to get around the DOD security regulations. I read it when I was 12- joined SF and sent the next 25 years "freeing the oppressed."

Robin went to Afghanistan where he was the only one let inside the Special Forces bases and operations- his new book, THE HUNT FOR BIN LADEN will be available...

enjoy
de oppresso liber

I read this book while I was at US Army Basic Training, Ft Ord, June 1965. One of my buddies who had enlisted for Special Forces had the book. Little did I know I would be at some of the places in the book, doing the same things. I arrived "In Country" during May 1968 as a member of the 5th Special Forces Group. I learned first hand that Robin knew what he was talking about, and that he had a wonderful way of telling it. Enjoy the book. It is as real as it can get.

I read this book on the recommendation of a dear friend who was a member of the Green Berets in Viet Nam. I was in high school when it was published and like many others I tried my best to pretend the War wasn't happening. The humanism, realism, drama and humor in the book touched my heart. Reading it made the War seem real to me and gave me an even deeper appreciation and admiration for the men who risk thier lives so that the rest of us might be free.

My son and I watched Between the Lions and they read this book today. My son LOVED it, and so did I. My husband often travels for business, me less so, and this is a great book for showing kids we will do anything to get home to them. I'm getting two copies of this book before either of us takes one more trip, and the away parent can read it to my son over the phone before bed!

This book is by far the best "feel good" book I have read to my children since, "Guess How Much I Love You" by Anita Jeram.
The fantastic phone dialogue, between this traveling mother and her child, who is at home missing her, shows children that there is NOTHING a mother will not do to be with her children. There is a great geographical variety in this book, from the desert, filled with camels and sand, to a past time and place where magical dragons exsist. In the end the child and mother are reassured that mom will be coming home soon-no matter what. This book is a must for all children, especially those who have traveling mothers.

It is relatively recent that my nearly 5 year old will be still and interested in reading stories and it's been impossible to predict just what will hold his interest. Well, after initially refusing to read this book, now he reads it nightly to me because he has every single word memorized. We share such sweetness and warmth reading this together.

Autobiographically written by Jerry Wennstrom, The Inspired Heart: An Artist's Journey Of Transformation is the story of an artist's journey in search of truth. In 1979, New York artist Jerry Wennstrom destroyed his own paintings, gave away his money and possessions, and sought to purge his personal identity, and in the process, open himself to wonder. This remarkable artist's memoir is enhanced with black-and-white photographs and a 16-page inset section of full-color plates showcasing a series of magnificent interactive box art. The Inspired Heart is a unique and quite remarkable contribution to 20th Century Art History reading lists.

The realness of Jerry's journey touches my life. Each story teaches me something about myself and I am always in need of just what is being said. Sometimes I don't know I have that need inside but by the end of each story I am comforted and challenged to come to a more honest place about where I create from, live from, love from and am reminded of how unique each person's journey is and how universal. I respond to the book as an art person, a person seeing how God is in simple clear acts and consequences and how the world will survive it's constant greed and destructive enterprises. I have seen Jerry work and his studio and he makes what he does out of junk, simple things and cast offs. I think of the beauty in those bits and how he can see their possibility. He sees that in people and does not write them off as criminal or junkie or even great artist. He finds what they are about by their nature and his own. I think this book is invaluble for teachers, artists, seekers and cynics..It is beautiful as well as intelligent and heartfelt.

Jerry Wennstrom has written something universal and transformational. I could not put his book down. It is a quiet book with a powerful message.

This book describes the way creationists approach evolution. If they can find just one thing that evolutionary biologists have yet to explain, they figure that one thing is enough to throw the whole thing out. Such a view is just wrong, and shows an abysmal understanding - or abuse - of science. There are more than enough transitional fossils to convince a fair minded skeptic, but no creationist would ever agree to classify anything as a transitional fossil. Not Archeoptryx, not Acanthostega (sp?), not the mammal-like reptiles. The beautiful documention of the evolution of the mammalian jaw from the reptilian jaw should convince anybody, but it will never convince a creationist.

Of course, there is a lot that scientists don't know about evolution. But there is a lot that we DO know, and there is just too much evidence to simply toss out evolution. This is a theory that will not go away, although I wouldn't be surprised to see it change as we learn more about genetics.

This book is not written for creationists, but for people who might be sympathetic to their cause. If people would learn more about the nature of science, they would be offended by the utter dishonesty and lack of integrity you find in scientific creationism.

FGTG is a 200-page overview of the 2300-year history of the development of the E/C dispute. As an overview, it has the typical advantages and disadvantages of that genre, being written in very simple language, with only a minimum of technical detail. It would be a good introduction to the subject for someone with little prior knowledge of the history of the dispute, but it might not be very satisfying for people looking for a discussion of the most up-to-date, scientific analysis.

The Preface states that science rests on two principles: (1) scientists must base their analysis about how the world operates, not on idiosyncratic, a priori beliefs, but on empirical data; and (2) scientists must subject their analysis to testing and confirmation by others. In this two-step process, scientists failing to follow step 1, would be caught and exposed by other scientists in step 2. The self-correcting nature of the scientific enterprise is perhaps its most important feature. Any human enterprise is subject to error, so having a built-in, error-correction mechanism is essential.

FGTG describes young-Earth creationist organizations, like the Institute for Creation Research, that do not follow the error-correction methods of traditional science. The logical conclusion from that is inescapable.

FGTG analogizes the E/C dispute to the on-going dispute over the 9,000-year-old Kennewick Man skeleton found in Washington. Scientists want to use traditional scientific methods to identify the remains, but local Indian tribes insist that such tests are unnecessary, because their ancient, tribal, religious beliefs have already led them to conclude that the skeleton is the remains of one of their ancestors; and conducting any scientific tests at all would violate the Indians' religious beliefs. The point here is clear: injecting religion into a debate brings science to a halt.

FGTG reviews some of the differences between religion and science as knowledge systems. Beliefs based on religious considerations have a very strong emotional basis and may produce strong feelings of personal satisfaction. Beliefs based on scientific considerations tend to have a much weaker emotional impact. Scientific beliefs, by their very nature, are tentative, because all such beliefs are based only on the evidence acquired to date, and that evidence is ALWAYS incomplete. No matter how much data has been acquired to date in support of Theory X and no matter how compelling the inferences from that data may be, it is ALWAYS the case that evidence discovered next week may totally invalidate today's "unassailable" theory. Ptolemy gave way to Copernicus, Copernicus gave way to Newton, and Newton to Einstein. Science marches on, and that may be threatening to people craving certainty in their lives. For such people, unchanging, superstitious explanations may be more satisfying emotionally than any rational analysis, no matter how brilliant it may be.

FGTG sketches the development of biological explanations, both supernatural and scientific, from ancient Greece to the present. One interesting tidbit reported that religious groups sometimes incorporated scientific work into their religious beliefs. Galen's scientific studies on anatomy and Ptolemy's on astronomy were incorporated into the religious doctrines of some Christian denominations (Protestant and Catholic), changing their character from tentative statements about science into unchallengeable religious doctrines. So when Michael Servetus, a Spanish physician, pointed out mistakes in Galen's anatomical descriptions, the Catholic Church burned him at the stake in 1553. Giordano Bruno met the same fate in 1600 for preferring Copernican over Ptolemaic astronomy. So empirical data and analysis can be incorporated into religious systems, but the data and analysis are then no longer open to question, which violates the second characteristic of genuine science as described in the beginning of the book.

Another interesting chapter compared the dramatically different versions of creation given in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. If creationists believe that the Bible is inerrant in all its parts, then it is difficult to reconcile the fact that these two chapters are diametrically opposed to each other.

FGTG also points out that none of the original Biblical manuscripts survive and that the copies that do survive are significantly different from each other in many aspects. In the story about Noah's Flood, another key, creationist concept, one version says that only man, land animals, and birds will be destroyed, while another version says that all animals, apparently including even whales and fishes, will be destroyed. Again, if the Bible is supposed to be error free, it is difficult to explain why the Bible contradicts itself.

The history of the study of fossils and early attempts to reconcile them with the Bible was also interesting. The idea that a species could ever go extinct challenged belief in God's "perfect" creation as described in Eccl. 4:14.

FGTG reviews the early history of evolutionary theories, and very briefly reviews the data that evolution explains: sequential order of fossils (including Precambrian organisms); classification of organisms into nested categories (based on both gross anatomy and genetic data); data related to embryonic development (specifically recapitulating the embryonic evolution of the mammalian ear from its reptilian predecessor, and the vertebrate kidney); numerous intermediate forms (especially Archaeopteryx and horses); and radioactive dating.

The last quarter of the book reviews some of the major court battles over evolution education, especially the Scopes and McLean cases. One of the editorial reviewers complained about Moore's presenting evolutionists as "fearless truth seekers," but the sad fact of the matter is that evolutionists really have had to be fearless in opposing the religious bigotry that kept legitimate science from being taught. Michael Servetus, Giordano Bruno, John Scopes, and Bill McLean were indeed demonstrating fearlessness in opposing the religious bigots of their day.

The book's conclusion that both religion and science have a place in human affairs, but that the place of religion is not in a science classroom will come as no surprise. What may be surprising is the list of religious groups that agree with that conclusion, including Presbyterian, Jewish, Episcopal, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Unitarian, and Methodist organizations.

Very interesting book, easy to read, and full of worthwhile insights. I recommend it!

What a breadth of knowledge this man has! What humanity! What generousity of spirit! I read it in one sitting because I found it so fascinating. It was worth sacrificing a weekend.

I had been in Stage 3 Hypertension for at least 6 months and was given a Beta Blocker to lower my Blood Pressure. When I read this book, I stopped taking the Beta Blocker and followed the nutritional quidelines in this book, plus starting taking a Potassium tablet in the morning and the evening. I immediately started feeling better and was able to sleep at night, which was in itself a great relief. This treatment does not cost anything and really works quickly and well. I strongly endorse it! I think it is the right way to treat this disease.

The book,"The High Blood Pressure Solution: A scientifically
Proven Program" by Richard Moore, M.D.has helped me immensely in
lowering my blood pressure to an acceptable level, both with regard to the use of salt in one's diet and discussing the latest
drugs on the market that control high blood pressure.

This book covers it all. If you want to know what causes high blood pressure, it explains it. If you want to know the supporting research, it is there. And if you just want a logical approach to improving your health, this is it. Practical approaches to life style changes that will show immediate results. Take charge of your health, diet, and lifestyle. This book tells you how and why. Easy reading with a great introduction to guide you easily through the chapters. Everyone should read this.

Radiant. Insightful. Enchanting. Beautifully written. This is a book you will fall in love with. Themes of connection, separation, and "living thickly" (p. 69) flow through this collection of twenty essays like a river. Moore teaches philosophy at Oregon State University, and also wrote RIVERWALKING (1995). Derrick Jensen's recent interview with Moore in the Sun magazine prompted me to read this book.

"Sitting on a boulder whitewashed by western gulls," Moore writes, "I resolve to study holdfasts. What will we cling to, in the confusion of the tides? What structures of connection will hold us in place? How will we find an attachment to the natural world that makes us feel safe and fully alive, here, at the edge of the water"(p. 14). In nature, a holdfast is the root-like structure that keeps a plant in place, the "glue" a plant makes from sunshine and saltwater to "stick to a rock" (p. 13), or the connection that allows seaweed to "lean toward land on the incoming tides and swirl seaward as the water falls away" (p. 13), never letting go of the ocean floor. With an eye for natural detail reminiscent of Annie Dillard, Moore finds holdfast images throughout nature, from the grip of bullwhip kelp (p. 13), "oysters clinging to every rock, to each other, layer on layer" (p. 66), and "roots pushing through soil" (p. 68), to the "periwinkles, the urchins, the acorn barnacles and rock-wrack--thousands of tube feet on a single starfish, suction-cup stomachs for gastropods, tufts of black hairs to hold the mussels, bony tubes, sticky feet and calcified plates" (p. 28) in ocean tidepools.

Love, home, a daughter's cross-country move, her dying father--Moore also discovers holdfasts in the tidepools of life. "Humans don't have holdfasts of suction-cup stomachs," she observes, "but we do have hearts and minds. We have strong memories of smells that have held meaning for us since we were small, smells that fill us with joy or bring us to our knees with sorrow and regret. Certain sounds go straight to our hearts--seagulls, wind over water, a child's voice, a hymn" (p. 30). "If there is eternal life," she learns, "it will not be the length of your life, but in its depth" (p. 69). Although I have only given this book a four-star rating, it is not without many such five-star moments.

Another such moment is when she contemplates the house that separates her from the natural world on which it sits: "hardwood floors, a layer of spiderwebs and acoustical tile, eight feet of damp air, a laundry basket of unmatched socks, a slab of concrete, and a six-inch footer of gravel fence me off from the earth. But if I dug under that, I could find an ancient riverbed of round boulders, and below that, sea animals so old they have turned to stone, floating on a lake of burning rock" (p. 69). Moore's essays are like superglue for the soul. They will stick with you long after clinging to every last word.

G. Merritt

I've read most of the chapters in this book twice, some three times. The three sections - Connection, Separation, Connection - enforce the metaphor of the title, the holdfast, the structure that grips the kelp to the ocean floor. So we have holdfasts in life that Kathleen Dean Moore documents here. Love, family, being in the natural world, wondering, creating, remembering, are our connectors. Fear, pain, death, destroying the natural world are our separators. These truths are rooted in what seem simplicities like baking bread, avoiding estate sales, howling with wolves, canoeing a marsh, casting a fly, mastering a field guide, but each reaches out, like the wands of kelp, toward the mysteries of our existence. There is joy here and sorrow, a celebration of life in all its forms. I'll be reading more of Moore and many of these chapters again and again.

This book is part introspective -- looking inward. This book is part extrospective -- looking outward. For me, the books underlying theme was about understanding your connection (home) to all of that.

The author managed to do this all without sounding as vague and cheesy as I just did. :)

I don't want to over-hype. The book didn't revolutionalize my life. Yet, I have found myself returning to these pages for more.

If you are the least bit ponderous or enjoy natural beauty -- or would like to grow in either of those areas. I'd recommend it.

This is a delightful book: it is smart but easy to read. The author burns images and analogies into your mind that are unforgetable. In particular, I cannot forget his treatment of time and privacy. These are the best descriptions of the problems of privacy in the internet and in the compression of time that I have ever read. Overall, this book makes you think but flows easily and conversationally. He is dealing with big issues in an accessible way.

What a great book. This is fun book that also makes your think. Mr. Moore has an easy, conversational style that is both engaging yet provocative. I will never think about time, truth, trust and privacy in the same way again....I learned a lot

Mr. Moore provides a superb framework for understanding how to create competitive advantage in a time of unrelenting pressure on our time. As an E-commerce manager, I found myself challenging my current priorities against "the verities of time, truth, trust, and privacy." This book is incredibly thought provoking.