Audiobooks by Richard Smoley

The Growth of the American Republic: Part Two: 1860–1917 Lincoln, Secession, Civil War through Woodrow Wilson

"This audio volume, Part Two, features chapters 30–49, covering 1860–1917, Lincoln, Secession, Civil War through Woodrow Wilson. The Growth of the American Republic tells the story of how an insignificant string of colonies on the Eastern Seaboard transformed itself into the richest and most powerful nation in history. This account, by renowned historians Samuel Eliot Morison and Henry Steele Commager, gives a full, sweeping overview of the United States between 1763, the end of the French and Indian War, and World War I. First published in 1930, it remains unsurpassed for the range and depth of its coverage, extending from social, geographical, and economic factors to the events, personalities, and conflicts that shaped the history of this nation. The Growth of the American Republic also stands among historical writings as a paragon of readability, clarity, and accessibility. Samuel Eliot Morison (1887–1976) was a prolific and much-admired historian. In addition to his work on general American history, he wrote extensively on naval history and on his native New England. He received his PhD from Harvard University and taught there for forty years. Honored by many as “the dean of twentieth-century American historians,” he was known for avoiding excessive theorizing in his works. Instead, he chose to present his account of events in a clear and reader-friendly manner. Henry Steele Commager (1902–98) was another highly distinguished historian of twentieth-century America. Teaching at New York University, Columbia University, and Amherst College, he is credited with 40 books and 700 essays and reviews. Known not only for his academic research and writing, he was also vocal and active in social matters, being a prominent opponent of the McCarthyite frenzy of the 1950s and, later, of the war in Vietnam. In an age of increasingly narrow specialization in the academic world, The Growth of the American Republic, reproduced here in its groundbreaking first edition, remains essential for anyone interested in history—and indeed for all Americans. Richard Smoley’s foreword updates this classic work and shows how many of its main themes, including immigration and protectionism, have continued into the present."

Henry Steele Commager, Richard Smoley, Samuel Eliot Morison (Author), Jason Leikam (Narrator)

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The Growth of the American Republic Part One: 1763–1859 Liberty and Empire Through The Irrepressible Conflict

"This audio volume, Part One, features the first 29 chapters, covering 1763–1859, Liberty and Empire through The Irrepressible Conflict. The Growth of the American Republic tells the story of how an insignificant string of colonies on the Eastern Seaboard transformed itself into the richest and most powerful nation in history. This account, by renowned historians Samuel Eliot Morison and Henry Steele Commager, gives a full, sweeping overview of the United States between 1763, the end of the French and Indian War, and World War I. First published in 1930, it remains unsurpassed for the range and depth of its coverage, extending from social, geographical, and economic factors to the events, personalities, and conflicts that shaped the history of this nation. The Growth of the American Republic also stands among historical writings as a paragon of readability, clarity, and accessibility. Samuel Eliot Morison (1887–1976) was a prolific and much-admired historian. In addition to his work on general American history, he wrote extensively on naval history and on his native New England. He received his PhD from Harvard University and taught there for forty years. Honored by many as “the dean of twentieth-century American historians,” he was known for avoiding excessive theorizing in his works. Instead, he chose to present his account of events in a clear and reader-friendly manner. Henry Steele Commager (1902–98) was another highly distinguished historian of twentieth-century America. Teaching at New York University, Columbia University, and Amherst College, he is credited with 40 books and 700 essays and reviews. Known not only for his academic research and writing, he was also vocal and active in social matters, being a prominent opponent of the McCarthyite frenzy of the 1950s and, later, of the war in Vietnam. In an age of increasingly narrow specialization in the academic world, The Growth of the American Republic, reproduced here in its groundbreaking first edition, remains essential for anyone interested in history—and indeed for all Americans. Richard Smoley’s foreword updates this classic work and shows how many of its main themes, including immigration and protectionism, have continued into the present."

Henry Steele Commager, Richard Smoley, Samuel Eliot Morison (Author), Jason Leikam (Narrator)

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The Truth About Magic

"Magic, the occult, the mystical—is there anything behind those words? If there is, is it anything beyond horror-movie clichés? People the world over have always known and interacted with these hidden forces. But in our culture, there are very few ways to sort out truth from nonsense. In this book, Richard Smoley, an expert on the occult, delves into the world of mind power, magic, suggestion, and the realms of the unseen. He speaks simply and clearly, in common-sense terms, about these mysterious forces, how they can work for you, and what you need to avoid. This trip through unseen worlds could be most exciting adventure of your life, and possibly the most important, as you learn about: Meditation The Colors of Magic The Life Force The Astral Light Thought Power Prophecy Psychic Powers Astrology The Tarot Ghosts, Angels, and Spirits Life after Death Evil Witchcraft and Satanism Atlantis and Lost Civilizations The Last Judgment The Kingdom of God Healing Reincarnation The Brotherhood Psychedelics and Spirituality Richard Smoley is editor of Quest: Journal of the Theosophical Society and former editor of Gnosis: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions. He has published eleven books, including Forbidden Faith: The Secret History of Gnosticism; Inner Christianity: A Guide to the Esoteric Traditions; and Supernatural: Writings on an Unknown History. He has spent over 40 years studying the world’s mystical traditions."

Richard Smoley (Author), Richard Smoley (Narrator)

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Forbidden Faith: The Gnostic Legacy from the Gospels to The Da Vinci Code

"The success of books such as Elaine Pagels's Gnostic Gospels and Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code proves beyond a doubt that there is a tremendous thirst today for finding the hidden truths of Christianity--truths that may have been lost, buried, or even forbidden by institutional religion over the last two millennia. Among the most compelling of these lost traditions is Gnosticism--a school of spiritual seekers that flourished in the late Roman Empire between the first and fourth centuries A.D. Gnosticism has survived, in many (sometimes secret) forms and under many names, through individuals and groups such as Egyptian desert mystics, Jewish Kabbalists, the Knights Templar, Freemasons, New Age spirituality, in the novels of Philip K. Dick and Dan Brown, and in films such as The Matrix and National Treasure. "[A] clear, concise primer . . . Smoley reinforces that Gnosticism is, and always has been, here to stay. He paves a wide, clear path to understanding it, accessible even by the weekend seeker."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) ". . . impressive mastery of the subject matter. . . . A compelling and accessible argument. A thoroughly enjoyable read; highly recommended for all libraries."--Library Journal"

Richard Smoley (Author), Bob Souer (Narrator)

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Seven Games of Life

"An eclectic, spicy smorgasbord of philosophical food for thought. - KIRKUS REVIEWS Life can seem to be a serious business. We could also look at it as a game—or a series of games. They include survival, love, power, pleasure, courage, creativity, and the Master Game! In this insightful book, Richard Smoley gives a lively but pro¬found account of these games. He talks about how we play them, the mistakes we make, and how we can play them best. The culmination is the Master Game. Richard explores prac¬tices from the great spiritual traditions to show how to reach this mastery. If you play this game, you will reach new heights of wisdom, courage, kindness, and performance. Richard, the author of thirteen books including G&D’s Intro¬duction to the Occult, interweaves ideas from great thinkers and traditions with his own dry and irreverent wisdom, gleaned from forty years of study and practice, to show how to play the most important game of all. “There is only one question: what are we to make of this life? Most books that aim to help with that central question fail, because they amount to lists: eat this, pray to that, think about the other thing, follow one truth, carry this thingamabob. Richard Smoley offers something better. It is like a conversation with a wise friend who trusts you, talking about this reality so you’re better able to relate to the ones beyond. – Quentin Hardy, Head of Editorial,"

Richard Smoley (Author), Alan Carlson (Narrator)

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The Truth About Magic

"Magic, the occult, the mystical—is there anything behind those words? If there is, is it anything beyond horror-movie clichés? People the world over have always known and interacted with these hidden forces. But in our culture, there are very few ways to sort out truth from nonsense. In this book, Richard Smoley, an expert on the occult, delves into the world of mind power, magic, suggestion, and the realms of the unseen. He speaks simply and clearly, in common-sense terms, about these mysterious forces, how they can work for you, and what you need to avoid. This trip through unseen worlds could be most exciting adventure of your life, and possibly the most important, as you learn about: meditation; the colors of magic; the life force; the astral light; thought power; prophecy; psychic powers; astrology; the Tarot; ghosts, angels, and spirits; life after death; evil; witchcraft and Satanism; Atlantis and lost civilizations; the Last Judgment; the Kingdom of God; healing; reincarnation; the Brotherhood; psychedelics; and spirituality."

Richard Smoley (Author), Richard Smoley (Narrator)

Audiobook

Forbidden Faith: The Secret History of Gnosticism

"The success of books such as Elaine Pagels's Gnostic Gospels and Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code proves beyond a doubt that there is a tremendous thirst today for finding the hidden truths of Christianity—truths that may have been lost or buried by institutional religion over the last two millennia. In Forbidden Faith, Richard Smoley narrates a popular history of one such truth, the ancient esoteric religion of gnosticism, which flourished between the first and fourth centuries AD, but whose legacy remains even today, having survived secretly throughout the ages."

Richard Smoley (Author), Bob Souer (Narrator)

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A Theology of Love: Reimagining Christianity through A Course in Miracles

"A spirituality based on love, not fear • Shares key, inspiring teachings from A Course in Miracles as well as Hinduism, Buddhism, Gnosticism, and the Sefer Yetzirah, the oldest known Kabbalistic text • Cites philosophical wisdom from Kant, Blake, Jung, and Gurdjieff, alongside cognitive science, to reveal how the world is not difficult and flawed, but our fear-based mind-sets lead us to see it that way • Offers a path to help you regenerate from the “fallen” state and experience God as infinite love and light In the West, theology has almost always meant Christian theology--a hodgepodge of beliefs that are hard to make sense of. Why, for example, should an all-loving, merciful God have gotten mad at the human race because someone ate a piece of fruit six thousand years ago? And why would he send part of himself down to earth to be tortured to death? These beliefs, stated baldly, are nonsensical. Millions of people are realizing this and losing their faith. The time has come to reenvision Christian theology without contradictory teachings laced with fear. It is time for a theology of love and miracles. Richard Smoley reframes Christian theology using logical, consistent, and easy-to-understand teachings of unconditional love and forgiveness. He draws inspiration not only from the Bible, but also from Hinduism, Buddhism, Gnosticism, and from esoteric and mystical teachings, such as A Course in Miracles and the Sefer Yetzirah, the oldest known Kabbalistic text. He explains how the “fallen” state of the human condition, not one of sin but of oblivion, leads us to experience the world as flawed and problematic--not wholly evil, but not wholly good. Citing philosophical wisdom from Kant, Blake, Jung, and Gurdjieff, alongside cognitive science, Smoley reveals how it is not the world that is flawed, but the way we see the world. Sharing key teachings from A Course in Miracles, he shows that our fear-based mind-sets--often filled with anxiety, suffering, and shame--lead us to feel separated from God when, in fact, we are all extensions of a God of infinite love and light. Offering a path to help you regenerate from the “fallen” state and see the real spiritual world and loving God that lies behind it, the author provides ways for each of us to craft our own self-consistent theology. He also lays out a vision for the future of spirituality, a path for present-day religion to transform into something higher and more universal."

Richard Smoley (Author), Kathleen Roche-Zujko (Narrator)

Audiobook

How God Became God: What Scholars Are Really Saying About God and the Bible

"This epic, thrilling journey through Bible scholarship and ancient religion shows how much of Scripture is historically false--yet the ancient writings also resound with theologies that crisscrossed the primeval world and that direct us today toward a deep, inner, authentic experience of the truly sacred. From a historical perspective, the Bible is shockingly, provably wrong--a point supported by today's best archaeological and historical scholarship but not well understood by (or communicated to) the public. Yet this emphatically does not mean that the Bible isn't, in some very real measure, true, argues scholar of mysticism Richard Smoley. Smoley reviews the most authoritative historical evidence to demonstrate that figures such as Moses, Abraham, and Jesus are not only unlikely to have existed, but bear strong composite resemblances to other Near Eastern religious icons. Likewise, the geopolitical and military events of Scripture fail to mesh with the largely settled historical time line and social structures. Smoley meticulously shows how our concepts of the Hebrew and Christian God, including Christ himself, are an assemblage of ideas that were altered, argued over, and edited--until their canonization. This process, to a large degree, gave Western civilization its consensus view of God. But these conclusions are not cause for nihilism or disbelief. Rather, beneath the metaphorical figures and mythical historicism of Scripture appears an extraordinary, truly transcendent theology born from the most sacred and fully realized spiritual and human insights of the antique Eastern world. Far from being 'untrue,' the Bible is remarkably, extraordinarily true as it connects us to the sublime insights of our ancient ancestors and points to a unifying ethic behind many of the world's faiths."

Richard Smoley (Author), Richard Smoley (Narrator)

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The Deal: A Guide to Radical and Complete Forgiveness

"Here is the greatest “deal” you will ever find: This concise, deeply practical guide shows how to forgive anyone who has ever hurt you and to receive a payback of enormous personal satisfaction and inner peace. “What I am offering you in this book is the best deal you have ever gotten in your life, or ever will. Even though I know nothing about you, I’m willing to make this claim with complete certainty.” With elegance and absolute persuasiveness The Deal explains how forgiveness – rather than being a squishy, eat-your-vegetables virtue – is actually the key, perhaps the sole key, to a happy life. If you perform the one simple but vital forgiveness exercise in The Deal, you will forgive and be forgiven. You will be free. You will enter a new phase of life. A widely respected spiritual writer and thinker, Richard Smoley doesn’t hand you the standard promise that this book will change your life. When you finish it, he concludes: “It already has changed your life.” This is the simple, radical truth of The Deal."

Richard Smoley (Author), Richard Smoley (Narrator)

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Audiobooks by Richard Smoley

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