Review Of Literature
(Exam
questions are not drawn from the Review Of Literature section)
The Ancient Art Of Color Therapy (1975), by Linda Clark. Due
to the abundance of material, this book was not actually quoted from for
this course, however, it remains an inspiration and contains much useful
information, therefore it is suggested reading for UMS students, as Clark
explains in the Author’s Preface, “This book is the result
of twenty years of research; it covers the information found in nearly
every major book ever written on the subject.” Clark starts with
the basic history and function of light and then goes on to explain how
it has been used by doctors and other practitioners (who’s names
have been removed for security) to effect psychological and physical health
including nutrition and eye problems. She then goes on to explain what
colors to use associated with gemstones and amulets. Clark is not a practitioner
herself, but an author of numerous books on healthful living and editor
of Grace magazine.
Color Test: The Remarkable Test That Reveals Your Personality Through
Color (1969) by Max Luscher, translated by Ian Scott. This book is
yet another test that describes personality through the patterns of colors
a person chooses based on affinity, as the jacket states, “The principle
of the Luscher Color Test is that accurate psychological information can
be gained about a person through his choices and rejections of colors.”
While the test can be given by laypersons, it is meant for psychologists,
physicians, and other professionals. This book takes a psychological approach,
suggesting anxiety managements, and strategies for conflict resolution
based on the results of the test. Most of the information for this course
came from Chapter 6: The Meaning Of The Eight Colors (grey, blue, green,
red, yellow, violet, brown, and black). Max Luscher is a Swiss psychologist
and color consultant who developed the color test in the 1940’s
and popularized its use in Europe as a test for psychologists, physicians,
and even job screenings.
The Encyclopedia Of Religion (1987) edited by Mircea Eliade.
This comprehensive work provides information on all types of religious
traditions, ideas, practices, persons, and phenomena from earliest times
to the present. Eliade was educated as a philosopher with long periods
of study in India at the University of Calcutta. He directed the History
of Religions department at the University of Chicago for thirty years,
and has published extensively on the history of religions, notably on
shamanism, yoga and cosmological myths. He speaks 8 languages fluently
including Romanian, French, German, Italian, English, Hebrew, Persian
and Sanskrit.
“What Is The Enneagram?” (2004) by Helen Palmer and David
Daniels was used in this course. The information came from their website www.theauthenticenneagram.com. Helen Palmer is also the author
of several acclaimed books on the enneagram including The Enneagram:
Understanding Yourself And The Others In Your Life. From their website:
“Helen Palmer is a teacher of psychology and intuition. She has
authored five books in the literature of consciousness, including two
international bestsellers on the Enneagram topic, which… have sold
over half a million copies worldwide. Helen is currently the subject of
a public television documentary ‘Breaking Out of the Box: Discovering
the Enneagram,’ and together with David Daniels, M.D., co-directs
The Trifold School organization that reflects her thirty year commitment
to bridging personal and spiritual realities.
David Daniels, M.D., a leading developer of the Enneagram, is Clinical
Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford
Medical School. Dr. Daniels maintained a private psychiatric practice
in Palo Alto, California for over 30 years and is a long-time teacher
of the Enneagram. Together with Helen Palmer, he pioneered the Enneagram
Professional Training Program… “designed to bring high-quality
Enneagram knowledge to individuals working in fields ranging from business
to psychology…” He has developed many applications of the
Enneagram, including individual and couples therapy, dream work, coaching,
leadership styles analysis, and conflict resolution. Dr. Daniels served
as co-director of the First International Enneagram Conference at Stanford
University in August, 1994. He also was a founding Director of the International
Enneagram Association (IEA) and did much to assure its success. This site
is very user-friendly and useful. It is jam-packed full of information,
self-tests to determine Enneagram type, and information for each type
to effect change in their reality. It is a fabulous resource.
The Everything Understanding Islam Book (2003) by Huda. Huda
is an educator, freelance writer, editor, and has been About.com's Guide
to Islam since 1998. Huda holds a M.Ed. degree in Montessori Education.
The Gathas (1995) by Hazrat InayatKhan is in volume 13: Sacred
Readings or a 14 volume set. Khan is without a doubt the supreme authority
on Sufism.
The Hidden History Of Jesus And The Holy Grail: The Early Christian
Church Leaders Adopted Scripture And Teachings That Would Obscure The
Truth About The Royal Bloodline Of Jesus (1997) by Sir Laurence Gardner
is a lecture. This lecture was based on Gardner’s book Bloodline
Of The Holy Grail: The Hidden Lineage Of Jesus Revealed. For over
ten years Gardner has been the historian and sovereign genealogist to
thirty-three royal families in Britain and Europe. This lecture unraveled
the layers of meaning and symbolism behind the story of Jesus, the Messiah,
Mary Magdalene, as well as other key figures in the Bible. Gardner reveals
mistranslations, cover-ups, and hidden agenda’s in an academic and
logical analysis of authentic historical records. This is a fascinating,
easily-understood, and convincing discussion of the manipulation of the
Church by corrupt leaders to control society, eliminating the role and
authority of women. I loved this article (which shows my bias). If there
is one thing that I recommend as further reading for students, this would
be it.
How To Heal With Color (1992), by Ted Andrews. This book gives an
overview of color therapy, instructing readers in the development of color
sensitivity and teaching them techniques to heal the chakras (and thus
effecting the person mental, emotional, and physical well-being) using
candles, air and water, nature, and mandalas. Most of the information
for this course came from the chapter Colors And Their Effects, which
contains lists of physical problems and corresponding beneficial colors
as well as a synopses of how the different colors work in general. Ted
Andrews, “is a full-time author, student and teacher in the metaphysical
and spiritual fields. He conducts seminars, symposiums, workshops and
lectures throughout the country on many facets of ancient mysticism…
past-life analysis, auric interpretations, numerology, the tarot and the
Qabala as methods of developing and enhancing inner potentials.”
Andrews is a certified Spiritualist medium, hypnotist, acupressurist,
and is involved in herbology.
Jewish Literacy, Key Concepts, Star Of David (2002) was
written by Rabbi Shraga Simmons. From the Jewish Literacy Project Homepage
at www.aish.com, “Rabbi Shraga Simmons is an Israeli, Orthodox
rabbi, who works as a writer and editor for Aish.com and has volunteered
to answer questions for the About Judaism site.” This article was
very informative.
Life Colors (1991) was created by Pamala Oslie. The Aura LifeColors
Quiz in the course came from this book. The quiz allows people to identify
themselves with a LifeColor, and then discusses the LifeColor in categories
such as Relationships, Sex, Red Parents, Red Children, Problem-Solving,
Money, Success, Occupations, and Health. The information on the life-purpose,
talents, obstacles, and strategies for fulfilling life-destiny of the
LifeColors was the most useful for this course. From her website, www.auracolors.com,
“Pamala Oslie is an author, consultant, speaker, lecturer, and professional
psychic. For more than fifteen years, she has traveled extensively throughout
the country presenting seminars and conducting workshops about the emerging
human potential, psychic abilities, auras, and the power of our beliefs
to create our reality.” Oslies work is recommended for further reading.
Man And His Symbols (1964) was written by Carl Jung. Okay, here
he is, Carl Jung, the famous pioneer of Jungian psychology. From the publishers:
“Illustrated throughout with revealing images, this is the first
and only work in which the world-famous Swiss psychologist explains to
the layperson his enormously influential theory of symbolism as revealed
in dreams.” Since dreams are covered in depth in the UMS course
Dreams And Dreaming, Jung’s work was not extensively used in this
course on Symbols and Colors. Marie-Louise von Franz contributed two of
the six essays in this book, as well as completing the editing after Jung
died.
Man, Myth And Magic: The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Mythology, Religion
And The Unknown, (1995), was edited by Richard Cavendish. This 21
volume encyclopedia set is a common library reference for anthropological
studies of religion and spirituality. According to the “Reader's
Guide” found in volume 1, it is designed to provide an “unbiased
exploration” into the religions and cultures of the world, past
and present, and their belief systems. It is a comprehensive guide to
all the world's major (and many of the minor) faiths, philosophies, legends,
mythologies, and folklore, as well as literature, symbolism, superstition,
and the supernatural, from the remote past to the present day. The encyclopedia
is a series of articles by different authors and was extremely useful
in its thoroughness.
Mandala Symbolism (2005) by Michael Brown Ed. S. Michael Brown
is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist,
National Board Certified Diplomat in Clinical Hypnotherapy, and Organizational
Consultant. Since 1972, he has been conducting individual, family, couples
and group therapy. He leads outdoor retreats, seminars, and weekend workshops,
and gives presentations to conferences, radio, and TV programs on counseling
issues, creativity, personal growth, professional development, and spiritual
renewal. The mandala exercise for this course comes from the section of
his website titled Mandala Symbolism, which is reprinted from Coastal
Pathways, Volume 3, No. 6, July, 1991, Virginia Beach, Va. This is
a lovely explanation of what mandalas are and how they can be used in
one’s personal life.
Mary Magdalene: The Beloved, (1999) was written by Margaret Starbird,
author of the acclaimed Goddess In The Gospels: Reclaiming The Sacred
Feminine, and The Woman With The Alabaster Jar. This article
comes fromwww.magdalene.org, whose mission is to “educate
visitors about the various perspectives that exist about Mary Magdalene…
sorting out the various threads of history, myth and religion. Magdalene.org
is a secular site; we do not endorse any particular religion or set of
spiritual beliefs.” Starbird however, has her own website, www.telisphere.com/~starbird/ that educates the public about Mary Magdalene and the Bible. Starbird,
a Roman Catholic Scholar, first believed the story of Jesus Christ’s
marriage to Mary Magdalene a heresy. She “set out to refute it,
but instead discovered new and compelling evidence for the existence of
the lost bride of Jesus,” Mary Magdalene, in Starbird’s own
words. Starbird uses extensive study of history, heraldry, symbolism,
medieval art, mythology, psychology, and the Bibleitself to piece together
history. Starbird has an M.A. degree in comparative literature and further
post-graduate study at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Starbird is a delightful
author, combining a talent for story-telling with academic research. I
highly recommend her books.
Pan (2004) was written by Aaron Arsma. This essay came from the
Theoi Project, a site of individual entries of the various divinities
and monsters, containing quotes sourced from a wide variety of classical
texts. The Theoi Project: Guide to Greek Gods, Spirits and Monsters was
created and edited by Aaron Arsma in association with Tim Spalding and
the ancient history/art site www.isidore-of-seville.com.
The Rose: A Marian Symbol (2002) was written by Brother John
Samaha M., S.M. This article is from a website maintained by The Marian
Library/International Marian Research Institute located at the University
of Dayton, a Catholic and Marianist institution of higher learning, in
Dayton, Ohio. Brother John M. Samaha, S.M., belongs to the Pacific Province
of the Marianists, and is currently working at Villa St. Joseph in Cupertino,
Calif. He is a member and officer of the Mariological Society of America.
This article was also thorough and informative.
The Sacred Cauldron (2000)and The Sacred Sword (2000)
by Michael Ragan, from www.danann.org. From Michael Ragan: “The
Temple of Danann is a non-profit organization founded in 1979. Our mission
is to research, teach and practice the life, philosophy and religion of
the ancient Irish. Our teachings and writings are based on extensive research
using a multi-disciplinary approach involving archeology, anthropology,
history, literature, mythology, folklore, language and art. As I learned,
I also wanted to share with similar interests and similar thirsts. So
in 1979 the Temple of Danann was founded as a simple teaching function.
The goal, which has remained unchanged, was to expand the knowledge and
understanding of the Old Religion of Ireland. In the beginning we shared
much with the British influenced Craft. Over the years, continuing research
and study of Irish lore, history and mythology has considerably broadened
our knowledge and greatly focused our vision... Today, we can rightly
be considered Irish reconstructionist… we have developed both an
introductory and an advanced course of study for those interested. We
also publish a quarterly Journal, which provides some of the results of
our ongoing research.” This site is great for getting well-researched,
thorough information on Wiccan symbols, traditions, and practice.
Is The Star Of David Kosher? by Rabbi Rick Chaimberlin. This
article comes from www.yashanet.com. Chaimberlin has extensive
Bibleknowledge and publishes a Messianic Jewish quarterly magazine called
Petah Tikvah Magazine.
Symbols Of Church Seasons And Days (1997) by John Bradner explains
what Christian symbols mean and why they are used at different times of
the year. Arranged according to the chief festivals and seasons, all entries
within each category are alphabetically listed with numerous calligraphic
illustrations. While this book covers the explanations of the symbols
from a Christian point of view, it rarely goes into the spiritual history
of the symbols before Christianity co-opted them.
Symbolic And Mythological Animals (1992) by J. C. Cooper. This
book covers a wide variety of symbolism from traditions world wide. Jean
C. Cooper in educated in Perennial Philosophy, and writes on philosophy,
comparative religion, and symbolism. She was the author of lucid introductory
works on Chinese religion such as Taoism, The Way Of The Mystic (1972), Yin And Yang (1981), and Chinese Alchemy (1984). In
addition, she wrote several works in the field of symbolism, including Fairy Tales: Allegories Of The Inner Life (1983), Symbolism,
The Universal Language (1986), Symbolic And Mythological Animals (1992), and the broad ranging classic in its field, An Illustrated
Encyclopedia Of Traditional Symbols (1978). This book was formatted
like a dictionary and it provides much of the information used in the
Animals section of this course.
1000 Symbols: What Shapes Mean In Art And Myth (2002) by Rowena
and Rupert Shepherd. The authors, both British art historians, are joined
by 12 other experts in this field to present an amazing array of multicultural
interpretations of the world as condensed into symbolic images. They define
a symbol as "something that a particular culture considers to mean
something else." Chock full of multi-cultural (including Africa,
Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, the Americas, and the Pacific)
religious and cultural information on symbols each with its own accompanying
pictures, this book was user-friendly, interesting, and well-organized
(especially for a subject that can easily get overwhelming). The book
contains eight sections such as "Heaven and Earth," "Characters
and People," and "Objects and Artifacts." This book was
invaluable to me. After sifting through dozens of books on the subject,
this one was fun and easily understood, with perspectives that reached
to every corner of the globe.
The Witch In Every Woman: Reawakening The Magical Nature Of The Feminine
To Heal, Protect, Create, And Empower (1997) byLaurie Cabot. Laurie
Cabot has more than forty years of experience as a spiritual counselor
and practicing Witch. Cabot uses the wisdom of ancient Celtic tales,
stories of her own making, ritual activity, and spiritual communion, to
show how ancient truths can empower and exult the feminine and life paths
to success and personal fulfillment. An enjoyable and informative
book to read, Cabot brings together the ancient wisdom of her wicca with
her own intuited information.
The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983) Barbara
Walker. With 1,350 entries, this feminist encyclopedia is the most used
book for this course. Walker has the ability to tell the whole history
of a symbol, leading them each back to their archetypal beginnings. In
reading and cross-referencing this encyclopedia, the universal mythical
patterns in spirituality and culture emerge. This book is a must have
for anyone who has ever felt like there is a deeper meaning to myths,
legends, and symbols than the muddled, confused retold versions typically
available. Notably, at the heart of most human stories lies the primal
life-issues of birth, reproduction, and death. As such, many symbols are
traced back to surprisingly sexual origins. A researcher and writer, Walker
has authored numerous books including The Woman’s Dictionary
Of Symbols And Sacred Objects, The Crone, The Woman’s Encyclopedia
Of Myths And Secrets, The Skeptical Feminist, The Essential Handbook Of
Women’s Spirituality And Ritual, Feminist Fairy Tales, Amazon, The
Secrets Of The Tarot, The I Ching Of The Goddess, The Book Of Sacred Stones, etc. The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets is 25
years worth of synthesized information on mythology, anthropology, religion,
and sexuality. In 1993, Barbara was named “Humanist Heroine of the
Year” by the American Humanist Association, and in 1995 she received
the “Women Making Herstory Award” from New Jersey NOW. I can
not recommend this book highly enough. It is a must-have for your
bookshelf.
“World Tree,” (2005) from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia website: “Wikipedia is a Web-based, multi-language, free-content encyclopedia written collaboratively
by volunteers and sponsored by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation...
Its purpose is to create and distribute a free international encyclopedia
in as many languages as possible. Wikipedia is one of the most
popular reference sites on the web, receiving around 60 million hits per
day. Wikipedia contains approximately 1.6 million articles…
It began as a complement to the expert-written Nupedia on January
15, 2001… It is edited by volunteers in wiki fashion, meaning articles
are subject to change by nearly anyone. Wikipedia's volunteers
enforce a policy of "neutral point of view" whereby views presented
by notable persons or literature are summarized without an attempt to
determine an objective truth. Because of its open nature, vandalism and
inaccuracy are problems in Wikipedia… The status of Wikipedia as a reference work has been controversial, and it has been both praised
for its free distribution, free editing and wide range of topics and criticized
for alleged systemic biases, preference of consensus to credentials, deficiencies
in some topics, and lack of accountability and authority when compared
with traditional encyclopedias. Its articles have been cited by the mass
media and academia and are available under the GNU Free Documentation
License.” As a research site, Wikipedia is questionable.
However, I cross-checked Wikipedia information with other sources
and found it to be consistently accurate. Its benefit to me was its concise
summaries of symbols such as the World Tree.