Rating: 
Summary: Worth the Trouble
Review: This is an odd and interesting book that has deepened my appreciation for Greek history. Basically, it explores the mystical orientation of many of Greece's greatest thinkers, including Pythagoras and Parmeneides. Most importantly, it shows that in their mystical orientation they were more than "thinkers". Kingsley explores how Plato sought to change the direction of Greek thought by focussing more on rational thought, a turn away from the experiential spirituality of the earlier philosophers. He explores that experiental spiritual tradition which was "mainstream" prior to Plato's usurpation of it. Kingsley attributes Platonic philosophy's eclipse of this earlier and more deeply rooted tradition to Athenian military beligerence. In our understanding of the history of Greek thought, it sometimes appears that the early portion of that history involved oral myth and inspired poetry, while the latter portion is devoted to liberating man from the superstitions of the past, through rational thought. Kingsley shows us Greek thinkers who understood the value of myth and of exploring the depths of the psyche, for revelation, for healing, for finding wholeness and connection to a realm beyond death, the realm of "heros" who attain immortality through exploration of truth. We don't have a lot of written material attributed to Parmeneides or written about him from reliable witnesses. Therefore, much of this little book contains Kingsley's inspired interpretation and analysis of this limited amount of material, utilizing the considerably greater amount of information we have on the world in which Parmeneides and his peers lived. Some might not like this, but for me it was useful and meaningful that he brought this material to life for me, convincingly.
Rating: 
Summary: Apollo God of the Lair
Review: Until I read this book, I thought philosophy was boring. I thought that there was no way for me to really understand the ancient Greeks. It seems like everything that I learned about them in school was dusty and tired. Their mythology was no more than a bunch of immortal clowns constantly creating scandals and dragging mortals intio their own grudges. It's hard to find anything spiritual about tales of adultery and malice. In this book I discovered that there is a lot lost in our narrow modern understanding of this mythology. Apollo is suddenly a dynamic character. He is the father of both science and mysticism. In his hands the two blend together as though they are one. He is also the representation of eternal youth and eternal life. I came away with a spiritual understanding and a much greater respect for the fore fathers of our medical practice and our society. You need this book.
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