Modern Esoteric: Beyond Our Senses (The Esoteric Series)

"We can overhaul the global financial system, bridge the gulf between science and religion and overcome the divisions that lead to wars. There is a better way, and it's up to us to be the best we can be, says Olsen in his grand-vision book." — Nexus "The introduction of Modern Esoteric alone is the most thought-provoking piece I've read in years. This book is for two kinds of people: Those who already know or suspect that the world is not as we have been led to believe and for those are just beginning to figure that out." —Michael Braunstein, Omaha Reader Brad Olsen is the author of Future Esoteric , In Search of Adventure , Sacred Places Around the World , Sacred Places Europe , and World Stompers . He is a travel columnist for Yahoo! Contributor Network, an editor for World Explorer Magazine , and the author of a syndicated sacred destinations travel column for www.examiner.com. He lives in San Francisco. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Modern Esoteric Beyond Our Senses By Bradford C. Olsen Consortium of Collective Consciousness Copyright © 2014 Bradford C. OlsenAll rights reserved.ISBN: 978-1-888729-50-4 Contents FRONT MATTER:, AUTHOR'S KARMA STATEMENT, INTRODUCTION, BACK MATTER:, CONCLUSION, REFERENCES, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, INDEX, CHAPTER 1 LIFEOLOGY: Natural history, Earth history and human history. With a radical twist. Lifeology is the long and storied alternative narrative of life on this planet. "You take the blue pill — the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill — you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes." –Morpheus, from the film The Matrix "In a world that is constantly changing, there is no one subject or set of subjects that will serve you for the foreseeable future, let alone for the rest of your life. The most important skill to acquire now is learning how to learn." –John Naisbitt, author of the Megatrends series "I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to the protection by Man from the cruelty of Man." –Mahatma Gandhi "Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes." –William Gibson, award-winning novelist "All things share the same breath: the beast, the tree, the man, the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports ... The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected, like the blood which connects one family. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life — he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself." –Chief Seattle "To the travellers who have turned their faces to the Dawn and their Steps toward the Eternal Hills is offered this rich fruit of Wisdom, that, through it, they may achieve the Understanding of Knowledge." –Fabre d'Olivet, Pythagorean mathematician The harmony of the world is made manifest in Form and Number, and the heart and soul and all the poetry of Natural Philosophy are embodied in the concept of mathematical beauty." –Sir D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson, Scottish zoologist "You cannot prevent the birds of sadness from passing over your head, but you can prevent them from nesting in your hair." –Swedish proverb LIFEOLOGY "All the achievements of mankind have value only to the extent that they preserve and improve the quality of life. The human future depends on our ability to combine the knowledge of science with the wisdom of wildness." –Aviator Charles Lindbergh in a 1967 Life magazine article WHO are we? Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? What is our true essence, and what is the human connection to other life? Such is the inquiry of "Lifeology" in this chapter and section, also known as the study of all life. This definition is very broad and includes the seen and unseen realms, and an involved study of our long and storied history on this planet. This inquiry is conducted through the lens of the esoteric, where things are not always as they appear, and may be co-existing "beyond our senses." Lifeology includes a study of the macro level as well as the micro, or as many great teachers have observed: "As above, so below." Life is mercurial and cannot thrive just anywhere. It require Read more