The Mysteries Of The Holy Grail

"Mystics believe that the Holy Grail represents our Real Self, or Higher Self. In eighteen chapters Elizabeth Clare Prophet, inspired by Archangel Gabriel, unlocks the mystery of true Selfhood in the ongoing quest for the Holy Grail. Each chapter unlocks a mystery of self and offers keys to the soul’s reunion with God, including unknown aspects of psychology, keys to self-discovery and self-fulfillment, lessons on karma. A formula for practical day-to-day self-mastery unfolds—transforming the spirit, arming us to meet each crisis, personal or planetary, with equanimity and empowerment. You will also come to understand the inner workings of the cosmos as you learn about the unseen forces that shape our existence and how the conflicts we see all around us are part of a great drama, a battle of light and darkness, that began long ago. And you’ll discover spiritual strategies for dealing with the most complex problems of our time."

From the ancient British tales of King Arthur and his knights through the medieval Central European sagas of Parzival, right up to modern-day blockbuster novels and films, the Grail has long maintained its enigmatic presence in western culture. It is said to be many things: a lost and priceless treasure, the chalice cup of the Last Supper, the cup that caught Jesus Christ's blood from the cross on Golgotha, or even a secret royal bloodline...Basing his presentations on far-reaching spiritual research, Rudolf Steiner gave profoundly esoteric, multifaceted insights into the mysteries of the Holy Grail. Collected together for the first time in a single volume, together with commentary and notes, these passages offer vivid tableaux with a multiplicity of meanings: a story that speaks to the human soul with a depth and complexity that intellectual interpretations alone cannot begin to fathom. Just as Parzival had to encounter and engage with veils of illusion and valleys of shadow and doubt, Rudolf Steiner presents us with a similarly challenging path. This book is more than a treasure of thought and insight: it invites us to embark on a personal quest to develop the abilities and vision required for grasping the elusive Grail itself. As editor Matthew Barton writes: "The vessel of the Grail gradually descends towards us and comes into focus as we raise ourselves individually to it by piercing through the illusions of materialism, acknowledging that we ourselves can ultimately become true vessels for the spirit."

In this important study of the meaning of the Grail, one of Europe's greatest esoteric philosophers discloses the pre-Christian and initiatic sources of this symbolic motif that is so central to Western mythology and culture. He demonstrates how the main features of the legend are from an older tradition analogous to the great heroic sagas and cycles of the North, and that the Grail itself is a symbol of initiation. Evola uncovers the hidden meaning in the often surreal adventures of the knights who searched for the Grail, interpreting them as inner experiences and tests for the seeker. He also explores the history of the myth in the Middle Ages, its use by the Knights Templar and the Cathars, its legacy during the decline of the Holy Roman Empire, and its links with Rosicrucianism, alchemy, and Masonry. This excursion into the realm of the Grail throws new light on an endlessly fascinating subject.

From the Mysteries to Christianity; Death and Resurrection in Ancient Egypt - the Miracle of Initiation; The Mystery of Golgotha; The Mystery of the Higher Ego - the Holy Grail; The Grail and the Spiritual Evolution of Humanity; The Gnostic Crisis and the Loss of the Mysteries; Stages of Evolution - Archaic Clairvoyance; The Role of the Mysteries; The Secret of Evolution - the Holy Grail.

Recent works of fiction and popular history have promoted the idea that the Holy Grail symbolizes a physical bloodline resulting from the union of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. This, supposedly, is the 'secret' that esoteric movements have kept tirelessly for the past 2,000 years. From her groundbreaking research, Sylvia Francke exposes this notion to be a blatant misinterpretation of the mystery traditions that preceded and ran parallel to the birth of Christianity. She traces the ancient spiritual paths of knowledge from the Cathars, the Knights Templar and the enigmatic Rosicrucians, to the work of Rudolf Steiner in the twentieth century. Here, she concludes, is true Grail knowledge: the Tree of Life and the Holy Grail itself explained in their metaphysical context. From her research she suggests a solution to the riddle of the sudden wealth and strange behaviour of Bérenger Saunière, the mysterious priest of Rennes-le-Château in southern France. True Grail knowledge, she concludes, has nothing to do with bloodlines or worldly status, but is an ancient lifeline to the spiritual origins of creation. Its energetic forces ray up from the earth and down from the constellations and planets while interacting with individual human beings. It holds the key to the fulfilment of mankind's quest, a step to the next phase of human evolution... The recent explosion of interest in an alternative history of Christianity - the shadow Grail - prompted Sylvia Francke to revise The Tree of Life and the Holy Grail, first published in 1996. The result is a completely reworked and expanded book that constitutes a powerful and convincing refutation of distorted esoteric truths.

From the Mysteries to Christianity; Death and Resurrection in Ancient Egypt - the Miracle of Initiation; The Mystery of Golgotha; The Mystery of the Higher Ego - the Holy Grail; The Grail and the Spiritual Evolution of Humanity; The Gnostic Crisis and the Loss of the Mysteries; Stages of Evolution - Archaic Clairvoyance; The Role of the Mysteries; The Secret of Evolution