THE EPIC OF ARYA: In Search of the Sacred Light [Paperback]

Abir Taha (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 26, 2009

THE SPIRITUAL BIBLE

"I am searching for the Light... not the light made by man, but the Light that made man."

"Know that it was but one god who died on the cross, and many are waiting to be born."

THE EPIC OF ARYA is about man's eternal quest for the divine. It depicts man's perennial inner struggle between light and darkness, and teaches him to re-conquer his lost divinity by unveiling the "god within", the Inner Light. Overcoming the "death of God" declared by Nietzsche, THE EPIC OF ARYA speaks about the redemption of the divine and its rebirth in man. To redeem God in men: that is Arya's sacred mission.

Half-woman, half-goddess, Arya is torn between Love and Truth, between passion and duty. Confused, she wonders: should she accept her human plight, or fulfil her divine destiny? A fundamental question ever haunts her: is Love human or divine? In that fateful question lies the future of humanity, for in each man, the divine flame slumbers, waiting to be kindled by the Light of Awakening. Rising above her fears, and breaking her idols, Arya, awakened and liberated, preaches the Eternal Religion which is above men's fleeting religions, narrow identities, and imperfect creeds, heralding a new, higher consciousness beyond the frontiers erected within man and between men.

An inner journey of self-discovery, this inspirational, allegorical novel is the spiritual bible: it heals, awakens, transforms. Arya's epic conveys a universal message of unity, hope, and salvation in a world torn apart by the clash of civilisations and religions, offering a spiritual alternative to the two scourges plaguing mankind today: the scourge of religious fundamentalism - God idolatry - and the scourge of atheist materialism - God denial -, for only a spiritual awakening can save man from his own blind folly.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Versed in philosophy and spirituality, Abir Taha has a particular interest in Nietzschean thought, theosophy, Western and Eastern esotericism and mysticism. Thinker, poet, diplomat, holder of a postgraduate degree in Philosophy from the Sorbonne University in Paris, the author espouses a pantheistic, holistic vision of the world based on the eternal principles of the Naturreligion, the Religion of Nature which views God as immanent in nature and in man. Taha believes that the fulfilment of the Divine is life's ultimate purpose and man's highest vocation.

This vision, which finds its full expression in the present work, also transpires in the author's previous book, LE DIEU À VENIR DE NIETZSCHE, OU LA RÉDEMPTION DU DIVIN ("Nietzsche's Coming God, or the Redemption of the Divine") (Paris : Éditions Connaissances et Savoirs, 2005), which explores the spiritual dimension of Nietzsche's philosophy, as opposed to the atheistic interpretations of the German philosopher's thought.

This spiritual Weltanschauung, or worldview, equally transpires in Taha's book on Nietzsche and Nazism: NIETZSCHE, PROPHET OF NAZISM: THE CULT OF THE SUPERMAN - Unveiling the Nazi Secret Doctrine (Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse, 2005). (Portuguese language rights: Madras Editora, Sao Paolo, Brazil). In this book, the author unveils the esoteric nature of the Nazi ideology, which, she argues, was greatly influenced by Nietzsche's "spiritual Aryan paganism."

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

When Arya, the human goddess of Light, woke up from her long dream, following an endless night in the arms of Eternity, she found herself in a strange land where darkness reigned supreme, a gloomy world she had hitherto never seen. "Am I still dreaming?" she asked her perplexed mind, overwhelmed by the boundless obscurity surrounding her, "or have I just awoken? Is not Night the time for the soul's awakening? Does not the soul blossom in the depth of the night, and dance with the stars and gods above, even as reason rules the earth and men below during the day? Am I awake, or is my awakening itself a dream?" "My eyes, wide-open, tell me that I'm conscious, but what do my eyes know of consciousness! They belong to the earth and see only the crude things of the earth, the hollow shell and the outer form; they remain blind to the subtle essence of divine truth and higher consciousness. The spirit alone, this spark of infinity, this glimpse of eternity, is blessed with divine sight, while the body totters aimlessly in the eternal darkness of blind matter. My eyes tell me that I am awake, yet my spirit looks beyond and contends that reality lies elsewhere, that what men call `the world' is but a deceptive dream, a cruel illusion of the senses, a shadow of reality."

As Arya thus questioned Truth, wondering about Life's manifold forms, Her hidden meaning and purpose, she again asked herself: "are we awake when our eyes are open and our reason is sovereign, or does the soul truly see when the eyes are shut and the spirit roams the ether? Does not Night unfold its deepest mysteries and reveal our inner infinity, the god within, as it unravels the secrets of the universe? But who, save a god, could answer such questions?"

"Alas! I am only a human goddess, that is, a goddess with a mission on earth. The law of Nature commands that, lest they become mere idols, all gods must go down to men, must become men, so that men can become gods. It is their divine vocation, for only by going down do they uplift life..."

Product Details

• Paperback: 396 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (February 26, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1438941897
• ISBN-13: 978-1438941899
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,934,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Versed in philosophy and spirituality, Abir Taha has a particular interest in Nietzschean thought, theosophy, Western and Eastern esotericism and mysticism. Thinker, poet, diplomat, holder of a postgraduate degree in Philosophy from the Sorbonne University in Paris, the author espouses a pantheistic, holistic vision of the world based on the eternal principles of the Naturreligion, the Religion of Nature which views God as immanent in nature and in man. Taha believes that the fulfilment of the Divine is life's ultimate purpose and man's highest vocation.

This vision, which finds its full expression in her recent book, THE EPIC OF ARYA: In Search of the Sacred Light, also transpires in the author's previous book, LE DIEU A VENIR DE NIETZSCHE, OU LA REDEMPTION DU DIVIN ("Nietzsche's Coming God, or the Redemption of the Divine") (Paris : Editions Connaissances et Savoirs, 2005), which explores the spiritual dimension of Nietzsche's philosophy, as opposed to the atheistic interpretations of the German philosopher's thought.

This spiritual Weltanschauung, or worldview, equally transpires in Taha's book on Nietzsche and Nazism: NIETZSCHE, PROPHET OF NAZISM: THE CULT OF THE SUPERMAN -- Unveiling the Nazi Secret Doctrine (Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse, 2005). (Portuguese language rights: Madras Editora, Sao Paolo, Brazil). In this book, the author unveils the esoteric nature of the Nazi ideology, which, she argues, was greatly influenced by Nietzsche's "spiritual Aryan paganism."

Visit Taha's website: www-the-epic-of-arya.com

Facebook pages:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Abir-Taha-Page/236100370816?ref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-EPIC-OF-ARYA-In-Search-of-the-Sacred-Light/108834682480113

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining story that asks some thought-provoking questions, September 11, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: THE EPIC OF ARYA: In Search of the Sacred Light (Paperback)

Spirituality and religion are dividing things. "The Epic of Arya" is the story of a half-goddess who finds herself challenged with love, and the polarizing views of the world on faith where people of the faith go to one extreme and atheists go to the other extreme. Tasked with restoring humanity's faith in the divine and finding where her love lies, "The Epic of Arya" is an entertaining story that asks some thought-provoking questions.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Epic of Arya: Prelude to a New Religion, July 14, 2009

By 

Dorian - See all my reviews

This review is from: THE EPIC OF ARYA: In Search of the Sacred Light (Paperback)

If Nietzsche, in his "Zarathustra", spoke of Eternal Recurrence as the Law of Nature and the souls, meaning that Man, like the seasons' cycle, shall ever return to live the same life and accomplish his higher destiny, one can say that the spirit of Nietzsche itself has come back to speak its complete word in Abir Taha's book "The Epic of Arya: In Search of the Sacred Light."

Still, instead of Nietzsche's "Speak your word and break", Arya's word makes the wings of your soul spread in the firmament, burn in the Black Sun, that Luminous Twin of the Sun of Noontide, and embrace the Sacred Light of Awakening and Rebirth.

While Nietzsche did not complete his work for A New Religion after dismantling monotheism, that rejectionist vision of Life which negates Life itself for the sake of a so-called "Afterworld", thus paving the ground for an `unaccomplished' Nihilism that, if accomplished, would lead to the redemption of "New modes of divinity" - as the great Dionysian philosopher himself says - , Arya in turn comes back to accomplish this gigantic work, namely to found a Lebensreligion, a Naturreligion that affirms Life as the only arena for Man's elevation and perfection in the here and now.

On her Inner Journey, Arya leads you back to the Primordial Light; there, and only there, Man and God meet again. Half goddess, half woman, she guides you into the sacred geography of your own Self, helping you to explore the Archeology of your own mind, until the Moment of Bliss occurs in you, always in you. There, you become your own miracle, your own Big Bang.

There, in your innermost depth, you reach your Highest Peak where your own Aurora Borealis, that untarnished bestowing Light, shines forever.

Arya, in her great work, promises us to get back Lost Arcadia, the land of the gods where your dream itself dreams, and your creation will be nothing but you, you who slept as man, to wake up as god anew... an Übermensch.

I strongly recommend Abir Taha's "Arya" to those who seek divinity beyond good and evil, and inside themselves, first and foremost.

Arya says : "it was but one god who died on the cross, and many are waiting to be born"... it can be you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Spiritual Journey of Self-Discovery beyond Eastern Fundamentalism and Western Materialism, June 5, 2009

By 

Aryana - See all my reviews

This review is from: THE EPIC OF ARYA: In Search of the Sacred Light (Paperback)

"I am searching for the Light... not the light made by man, but the Light that made man."

"Know that it was but one god who died on the cross, and many are waiting to be born."
(Quotes from "The Epic of Arya")

"Alas! The god in man remains a child waiting to mature. Shall man grow into a god, or is he doomed in his humanity?" This question, posed in the prologue of Abir Taha's inspirational new philosophical novel, The Epic of Arya: In Search of the Sacred Light (published by AuthorHouse), is central to the sacred mission of its main character, Arya, who seeks to find the god within.

The Epic of Arya is a spiritual bible, an allegorical novel that follows its narrator on a mesmerizing journey of self-discovery that will heal, awaken and transform readers with its messages on love, truth and spirituality.

Arya has a secret longing and a silent pain: half-woman, half-goddess, she is torn between Love and Truth, between passion and duty. When she wakes up from her eternal sleep into a new world that is surrounded by darkness and confusion, she wonders, "Why has the gloomy veil of Maya, goddess of illusion, covered the radiant face of Gaia our Earth? Where and why has the sun disappeared? Why is God dead?" But what she will discover is that the world has descended into ignorance, wearing the mask of "faith" in the East, when it is truly obscurantist fundamentalism, and the mask of "reason" in the West, which disguises atheist materialism.

In exasperated despair, Arya resolves to roam the Earth in search of the lost sacred light that would end humanity's eternal night. She travels from East to West in search of Hyperborea, otherwise known as Shambhala, the "land beyond the North wind," where legend has it that the sun never sets and where gods first existed on the earth and lived among men by speaking through them.

On her journey, Arya meets various characters that serve as mediators to the discovery of her own identity and divinity, including a wise old man from the East, an old woman from the North, a knight with whom Arya falls in love, the King of the World, and a prophet who is Arya's soul-mate and the invisible, constant presence which guides her.

As Taha explains, these characters are aspects of Arya's own soul and the souls of all people. "Life is first and foremost an inner journey of self-discovery," writes Taha. "All the people we meet on our path are archetypes, symbols, states of mind, milestones that lead us back to our own inner journey on the path of awakening."

Full of practical wisdom, poetic prose and spirituality steeped in philosophy, The Epic of Arya conveys a universal message of unity, hope and salvation in a world torn apart by the clash of civilizations and religions, offering a spiritual alternative.