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The Revelation of St. John: The Path to Soul Initiation

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Zachary Lansdowne thoughtfully decodes the little understood last book of the bible, The Revelation of St. John. Going line-by-line through the King James Version, Lansdowne depicts external events, expressed in this book, to be an internal process that an initiate on the spiritual path will encounter on his/her journey towards enlightenment. Though the bible is considered the backbone of Christian faith, the author points to timeless teachings in Revelations that speak to all spiritual or religious seekers throughout the world. As an added benefit to his book, Zachary Lansdowne has added several quick reference tables which further highlights in detail the many symbols found in the Book of Revelation. He's left no "symbol" unturned!

Zachary Lansdowne's The Revelation of Saint John, The Path to Soul Initiation, is a guide toward experiencing the wisdom of the Higher Self and an understanding of the relationship between the personality, the soul, and God.

The Revelation of Saint John is a marvelous journey through the intricacies of one's on mind. Lansdowne has provided a psychological interpretation of the original Revelation that is poignant and pristine. In reading the verses of the King James' version of the Revelation laid alongside Lansdowne's interpretation we are given not only a glimpse into the Revelation of Saint John, but also a psychological peek into the revelation of Zachary Lansdowne as we see him skillfully piece together this work of Love. Using correspondence and analogy to light up the intricacies of symbolism and vivify the imagery of the world's great religions, Lansdowne interprets the last book of the Bible into simple yet effective language such that "the last shall be first" in giving us a new voice for describing the path to soul initiation.

As we read The Revelation of Saint John, our intuitions may give us illumination and understanding about our own psychological experiences as well. We may begin to see ourselves as one with John and so John's Revelation becomes our own as we recognize fragments of our self corresponding with the Revelation's symbols. Using Lansdowne's psychological interpretation we are able translate the meaning of these symbols into the experiences of our present lives. As Lansdowne says, "...the Revelation of St. John deals with the present--that is, with the present of whoever may be reading it. It thus contains information that any reader--including you or I--can apply to become blessed."

What Zachary Lansdowne does in The Revelation of Saint John is bring the 2000 year old Revelation of St. John into the modern era where it can be experienced anew as the Revelation of you and me.

The Revelation of St. John: Path to the Soul Initiation, by Zachary F. Landsdowne is without question the best interpretation of Revelation that I have read thus far. The fantastical visions of St.John, laying and listening to a voice through a crack in a cave, on the Greek Island of Patmos, is, for most people, impossible to understand. Many try to ascribe a worldly and physical view and interpretation to St. John's vision, which leaves, as one can imagine, most, either laughing or frightened.

Zachary F. Lansdowne, on the other hand, has made a giant leap into the spiritual self. By joining his experiences of psychology, philosophy and comparative religions, we have been given a complete process of the development of a spiritual self. The Book of Revelation becomes a progressive spiritual life process rather than a regressive life experience of physical punishment.

The Spiritual self, as the Lamb, is the center of this interpretation while the seven scrolls become the seven paths to enlightenment. Each stage has a set of principles that corresponds to a present state of awareness and continues guiding the reader, helping them move into higher states of being.

With each chapter the reader moves higher in self awareness until he reaches the highest form of consciousness. According to Lansdowne, this is total spiritual awareness or what we call God.

Lansdowne's unique interpretation of Revelation, and I suspect, the original reason St. John layed in a damp cave to write it, gives his readers a practical guide that will bring them knowledge of the true nature of man, revealed through the process of total spiritual awareness.