Customer Reviews

The Inner West: An Introduction to the Hidden Wisdom of the West (New Consciousness Reader)

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My own quest for spiritual enlightenment began with a search for what other cultures had to offer, ignoring-out of ignorance-the wisdom contained in the more esoteric Western traditions. And it's in large part thanks to Jay Kinney and the late, lamented GNOSIS magazine that the veil has parted for me, and I can see the deep and majestic spirituality of the West in its full, revealed glory.

This anthology, forming not so much a "best of GNOSIS" (which would take a far larger book) but rather a door-opener and resource guide, is organized into sections that begin with the esoteric roots of the West in alchemy and neoplatonism and take the reader through Christian, Jewish and Muslim mystic traditions; the tarot, astrology, and wicca; brotherhoods such as the Knights Templar, Rosicrucians, and the Masons; and important mystics and teachers from Swedenborg and Blavatsky to Steiner and Guénon.

Scholarly without being dry, well researched without being tedious, thoughtful without draining the life from its subjects, these essays are essential for the new student and a valuable encapsulation for the more knowledgeable reader. It's a great book to loan out or give to people when you want to introduce them to a subject you care about. I've given away two copies already.

_I knew that this would be a quality collection when I saw that it was the work of the founder and editor of Gnosis magazine. I was not disappointed. If I were to choose one introductory book to give to a friend on the subject of the esoteric and spiritual traditions this would be it. These are not brief, superficial articles written by hacks, but are rather perceptive essays that truly capture the core of each individual tradition.

_The book is intelligently organized into five sections. The first, "The Esoteric Roots of the West", deals with Hermeticism, Neoplatonism, and Gnosticism. The second part, "The Inner Side of the Religions of the West", surveys Kabbalah, Christian Mysticism, and Sufism. The third part, "The Secret Teachings", covers the western path of the magus, the Tarot, astrology, Sophia tradition, and Wicca. Part four, "Esoteric Brotherhoods", is the story of the Knights Templar, Rosicrucians, and Masons. While part five, "Mystics and Teachers", explains individual teachers and movements of modern times: Swedenborg, Blavatsky, Steiner, De Lubicz, Gurdjieff, and Guenon.

_Once again, this is no superficial spiritual smorgasbord- having these teachings laid out in a historical sequence actually helps to sense the "golden thread" that connects all genuine spiritual paths. Even if you are already familiar with most of these paths this book is a nice, well-written review.

_In his introduction, the editor points out that "book learning" in and of itself is insufficient in following a true spiritual path. I would agree, on the other hand, the Messengers of Light are always looking for the chance to break through to come to the aid of the ready and receptive spirit. When the student is ready, the master will come.

For those who faithfully collected the late great (and sadly missed) esoteric journal "Gnosis" over the years, you have all of these articles already. For those that don't or who want a collection of some of the more outstanding articles and essays from Gnosis in one volume- Eureka, this is for you. The standard of writing and scholarship in Gnosis was superlative, as this collection will demonstrate. A study of this work comprises a sound Intro to Western Esotericism 101 for anyone. I am at at loss to single out one article over another however, Gary Lachman's essay on Swedenborg is one of the finest pieces and lingers in the mind long after you have put down the book itself. Highy recommended.

At a certain young age, maybe eleven or twelve, I decided that God, as presented by the Catholic Church, did not match my idea of how a god should behave. I asked myself, "How could people, who were unfortunate enough to be born in places where there was no opportunity to know about `my' God, be damned?" At that time I decided that I needed to know a lot more about what others had to say about God and how the world works. I realized that I was too young to figure this all out, so I promised myself that I would study these things when I was older and better educated.

Here it is many decades later and I'm still educating myself. How fortunate I am to have come across The Inner West, which provides information on many aspects of our western esoteric traditions that I was unaware of.

I have studied esoteric traditions from cultures other than my own for many years and I feel reasonably conversant in the teachings of Eastern and Middle Eastern mysticism. What I discovered by reading The Inner West was how little I knew about the esoteric traditions so close to home. There is a wealth of knowledge contained in this highly readable anthology. I consider it a valuable reference book to have available whenever I want to refresh my understanding about a range of subjects that have not been readily accessible to the general public until now.