Table of Contents & Extract on line!

A working version of the Table of Contents and an extract is available online. Download as a PDF @ Inner Traditions: click here

Table of Contents

> Introduction - The Origins of Our Questions

> Chapter One - Life and Meaning in Myth

Unearthing the Evidence and the Methodology of Initial Study

> Chapter Two - Myths of Creation and the Arising of Self

Origins and Evolution of the Sumerian Creation Myths

The Beginning in Sumerian Creation Myths

Comparisons between Egyptian and Sumerian Creation Myths

The Sumerian Creation of Men and Women The Egyptian Creation of Men and Women

The Summing-Up

> Chapter Three - A Dialogue of the Ages

A Conversation between Friends

Final Comments

> Chapter Four - Gilgamesh: The Struggle for Life

The Meeting of Gilgamesh and Enkidu and the

Two-sided Nature of Being

 The Character of Enkidu

Aspects of the Foundation of Personality in Gilgamesh and Enkidu

The Partnership Continues

Further Illusions in the Land of the Living

Difficulties of Matching Aspirations with Abilities

The Power of Discrimination; The Story of the Flood

An Important Aspect of the Love of Self

> Chapter Five - Ancient Egyptian Myths of the Arising of Self

Our Basis of Understanding of the Osiris Myth

Myths of the Mystery of Existence in Ancient Egypt

Symbols of Family Relationships

The Myth of Osiris and Isis

The Roles of Osiris and Isis

The Continuing Situation of Osiris in Relation to the Egyptian Experience

A Bald Generalization from the Egyptian Myths of the Mystery of Existence

> Chapter Six - Journeys through the Netherworld

Ancient Egyptian Literature and Tradition on Consciousness

Creation Symbols That Accompany the Creation of Atum The Dwat

Reflections on the Nature and Effects of Entropy Continuation of the Main Theme

Concepts of the “Afterlife” in the Sumerian Tradition

Evaluation of Differences between the Sumerian and Egyptian Netherworld

Egyptian Symbolism of Time A Summary

> Chapter Seven - Search for Wholeness and the Self

Two Principles of Creation: The Personifications of Heka and Maat

The Case for the Importance of Heka

Characteristics of Heka Relating to the Arising of Self

The Relationship between Heka and Maat

The Need to Awaken to the Larger View of Reality

A Final Word 

> Appendix 1 - Lineage of Myth

The Egyptian Lineage

The Sumerian Lineage

The Potential for Some Shared Influences Distinguishing Ancient from Primitive

 > Appendix 2 - Meanings Contained in Glyphs

> Appendix 3 - Creation Represented in Number Systems

> Notes

> Bibliography

> Index

Very excited to share the first excerpt from our book!

https://www.innertraditions.com/books/awakening-higher-consciousness

Pre-orders now available.

Book Excerpt

A Dialogue of the Ages

 The idea of an arising of Self within us is as old as the stories of the gods themselves. That the concept should appear new in our time is a sobering reminder of how limited our culture is to the difficult questions of reality. We seem confined to differentiating between “reality” and “illusion” behind our perceptions of that special part of our natures that might be considered “spiritual” there is an unrecognized fear of the illusory. The solid ground of reality is clearly not easy to discover, and our desire for a better understanding of reality is one of the reasons for studying ancient myths.

 One of the oldest of the Hebrew myths is the story of Adam and Eve, which relates the story of the creation of humankind. By paying special attention to some of alternative translations, we may be able to discern what constitutes illusion and what is true knowledge.

 From the Upanishads of India to the dialogues of Plato, an important literary vehicle has been the presentation of ideas in the form of conversations between a pupil and teacher. We therefore propose to listen in on a conversation between two friends--Aquarius and Pisces.

> For the full extract go to: 

https://www.innertraditions.com/books/awakening-higher-consciousness#excerpt

Hamlet's Mill - a book exploring the effectiveness of myth in communicating through millennia

While we don't agree that all myths are based in archaeoastronomy, we do agree with de Santillana and von Dechend in their book Hamlet's Mill that myths contain information on important themes relevant to modern day societies.

The time keepers Saturn and Jupiter in conjunction in December 2020.

Here is an excellent link presenting the conjunctions surrounding the "Birth of Christ": https://uofgts.com/Magi.html.