Cliff Truesdell has narrated 7 audiobooks on Listento.it by 5 authors, with an average listener rating of 3.8★ across 3 ratings. The most-rated is Aleister Crowley.
Aleister Crowley
Summary
Ask almost anyone their view on Aleister Crowley and opinions will polarize: he was a genius; a psychopath; a drug-riddled sex maniac; a champion of sexual freedom against the restrictions of Victorian prudery and hypocrisy; he was a secret agent; a lost-soul poet; a playboy with little better to do than dabble in magic; a lifestyle imitator of Oscar Wilde and Richard Burton; a drug addict; a narcissistic sadist; a visionary artist. Few commentators are qualified to critique Crowley's esoteric motivations and ambitions and most simply dismiss him as a black magician who had fallen from the path. But if he did fall, why? Exactly where did he imagine the path led in the first place? And how far did he actually succeed in his life-long mission to overthrow the established order and herald a new age of magick? Ashe thinks he knows and has written a narrative that presents a lively biography from the perspective of understanding Crowley's roots in the magic of the Order of the Golden Dawn. Crowley was not the first of the great English magicians and certainly will not be the last. This work has been written for the general audience with a simple elegance, but has enough surprises to delight the most hackneyed Crowley expert.
©2015 Steven Ashe (P)2015 Steven Ashe / Cliff Truesdell
The Enchanted Land
Summary
This book describes the life and work of eight Indian mystics, including Ramana Maharshi, Sawan Singh, Paramahansa Yogananda, Baba Faqir Chand, Sushil Kumar, Tripta Devi, and Pratap Singh. Includes the author's personal interaction with several of them, as well as a detailed account of shabd yoga and the inner journey that occurs during meditation.
©1984, 2008, 2015 David Christopher Lane (P)2016 David Christopher Lane
American Legends: The Life of Bruce Lee
Summary
It would be nearly impossible for someone to pack more action into 32 years than Bruce Lee, whose name remains practically synonymous with martial arts excellence and kung-fu movies. He was undoubtedly the forerunner to martial arts stars who came in his wake, including Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan, a feat made all the more impressive by the fact that he grew up as a sickly child. His upbringing was simultaneously one of great privilege and hardship, which had a huge impact on his career down the road; even when he began to fill out his skinny frame, trouble on the streets created a whirlwind set of circumstances that all but required Lee to move to America before he was 20. Despite being the most famous star of the genre and the man who almost singlehandedly popularized martial arts in the West, the films that helped make Lee a global icon were not even made in the United States but were instead shot and produced in Hong Kong, after which they received large-scale international distribution. Furthermore, for all of his fame, none of Bruce Lee's movies are commonly regarded as masterpieces, and they have always been viewed more as popular entertainment than as significant artistic achievements. Some might be able to name the short list of movies in which he starred and may know that Enter the Dragon (1973) is his most iconic picture, but his movies were never among those considered for Academy Award nominations. Nonetheless, Bruce Lee has not been neglected by serious scholars of cinema, a fact that attests to the cultural significance of his films and his own star image. That Lee was able to become an international icon is all the more remarkable in light of the fact that he died suddenly and unexpectedly before the age of 33, leaving many to reasonably argue that he had yet to even reach the pinnacle of his career. As it was, the list of accomplishments speaks to his relentless work schedule and unparalleled drive. Bruce Lee was arguably the greatest martial artist who ever lived, but he's also remembered today for being spiritual and philosophical. In addition to writing at length about those topics, Lee considered those elements essential to his physical fitness and training. In reference to a form of martial arts that came to bear his name, he explained, "Too much time is given to the development of skill and too little to the development of the individual for participation...[Jeet Kune Do] ultimately is not a matter of petty techniques but of highly developed spirituality and physique."
©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors
Quantum Weirdness: Einstein vs. Bohr
Summary
This book explores the famous quantum debate between Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr. A clear and precise exposition of a most complicated issue concerning the implications of indeterminacy and photon entanglement.
©2014 Andrea Diem-Lane (P)2015 Andrea Diem-Lane
Secret Symbols of the Tarot
Summary
This work details the subtle historic threads which have contributed to the development of Tarot Cards. Pagan and Christian influences are equally examined, as are the theories of early Hermetic influences such as Court de Geblin, Eliphas Levi, A.E. Waite and Pamela Coleman Smith, Aleister Crowley, and the Golden Dawn. A refreshing overview of the insights of important Tarot scholar Gertrude Moakely are also included in relation to the carnival tradition of Northern Italy and the influence of Petrarch (the founder of humanism and mentor of Dante). The second part of this work examines each of the cards of the Major Arcana and the numbered and Court cards of the Minor Arcana as they relate to the art of Divination/Tarot reading.
©2011 Steven William Ashe (P)2015 Steven Ashe / Cliff Truesdell
Wicca for Beginners
Summary
Everything you need to know about the peaceful Wicca religion This audiobook will show you the charming beliefs and traditions of the Wiccan way of life. This book is a great start for anyone interested in and curious about the Wiccan religion or already practicing Wiccans who want to learn more and go deeper into Wiccan rituals, traditions, and spells. There are lot of misunderstanding of the real Wiccan lifestyle and way of life, but now there is a great number of people who are becoming interested in other forms of spirituality that are more in tuned with nature and the human spirit. Here is a preview of what you will learn in this book: What Wicca is Rituals, magick and spells in Wicca Healing spells Money spells Love spells New Years rituals Making a scrying mirror Ostara ritual Wicca mythology Finding a Coven and creating an Altar Wicca book of shadows
©2015 SW (P)2015 SW
Rosicrucians & Alchemists of La Belle Epoque
Summary
A fascinating insight into Rosicrucian and alchemic secret societies popular in France during La Belle Epoque, 1880-1914, and beyond. Beneath the esoteric and spiritual eccentricities detailed in this work lies a tradition of serious esoteric inquiry that occupied some of the greatest minds of the day. The real identity of Fulcanelli is investigated fully and revealed, as are the international roots of the Rosicrucian revivalists of this era. During this period, France was gripped by an anti-Freemasonic and anti-secret society wave of hysteria promoted by the Church and the immense popularity of Rosicrucianism and alchemy arose as a response to this. This is a story of immensely wealthy patrons of esoteric lore - some even able to afford the redesign of numerous chateaux in the style of tarot card iconography - and the influential writers and thinkers who defined the era.
©2011 Steven Ashe (P)2015 Steven Ashe / Cliff Truesdell