Michael S. Ridenour's Books

The Greatest Gift Ever Given

A Living Spiritual Mystery, Studies in Esoteric Christianity

By: Michael S. Ridenour

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The Greatest Gift Ever Given

A Living Spiritual Mystery, Studies in Esoteric Christianity

By: Michael S. Ridenour

As a child in a non-religious family, Michael Ridenour found a Bible one day and began reading. Initially excited by its lively stories, he paused at the New Testament, faced with a baffling inner question: Where in the world is Christ today? An unexpected answer came during his teenage years with a spontaneous experience of the Christ being, but this only led to more questions. Later, discovering the work of Rudolf Steiner, he found the authentic vision and language he needed to clarify and better comprehend his own experiences, but the questions kept coming. The Greatest Gift Ever Given is a fruit of Ridenour’s life-long search for answers: a book that is at once deeply thoughtful, humorous, philosophical and poetic. In Part I, ‘Raising the Foundation’, he studies the Judeo-Christian mysteries. After humanity’s ‘fall’ into materialism, these mysteries signal the development of human individuality. The impulse for self-hood continues with Christ, who brings a new path of divine love. But the mystery of Christ leads naturally to his shadow. Today, we can no longer escape the question: Where in the world is Judas? Without Judas’s betrayal, Christ’s greatest gift could never have been given. We can’t reject Judas, but should transform him within ourselves. In Part II, ‘Lowering the Temple’, Ridenour relates the theme of metamorphosis to the contemporary world. Once guided by initiates, personal transformation now needs to blossom from within each individual human soul. The topic of evolution takes us to a consideration of the perennially-controversial Charles Darwin, as well as the intuitive approach of Goethe and the living thinking of Rudolf Steiner. A rich treasure-trove of ideas, The Greatest Gift Ever Given sharpens a dynamic focus on current spiritual needs and contributes a thought-provoking response to them.

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Page Count

310

Publisher

Temple Lodge Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1912230097

ISBN 13

9781912230099

The Star of the Magi

By: Michael S Ridenour

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The Star of the Magi

By: Michael S Ridenour

The Star of the Magi is a Christmas play based on the author's experience teaching in New York to a class of mostly Jewish students.

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Lulu.com

Published Date

ISBN 10

1312592648

ISBN 13

9781312592643

Meditations

on the Greatest Gift Ever Given

By: Michael S. Ridenour

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Meditations

on the Greatest Gift Ever Given

By: Michael S. Ridenour

‘Finding unity with Christ is not a given; it depends on turning the ego – that provides our sense of experiencing ourselves as a unique being – into an instrument of loving perception that connects with other beings. Learning to do this makes the path to Christ a path of self-knowledge, where the freedom to make mistakes and consequent error lets us see ourselves with humility as we come to know how to bring love into what we say and do.’ (From the Introduction.) In order for human beings to progress, contends the author, we can no longer rely on outer authority in the form of dogma, power and control. Rather, we need to find spiritual and creative solutions from within. Fundamentally, we should discover what makes us truly human and not merely animal. ‘The direction of this book is to indicate how this may be addressed in artistic and imaginative terms that touch the powder, so to speak, with a different fire that ignites a different future.’ With Meditations, Michael S. Ridenour provides a fresh and varied look at themes explored in his recent book The Greatest Gift Ever Given. The more meditative, intimate format of this short volume allows content and mode of expression to complement each other by expanding these themes into realms of individual experience. Part One does this by making use of a shorter poetic-commentary presentation, allowing greater variety and flexibility of focus. Part Two builds on paths of individual initiation from the esoteric Christian tradition, showing how they address contemporary concerns for greater spiritual awareness and a more perceptive quality of consciousness. Meditations is a thoughtful work that offers support for understanding and practising the contemporary spiritual path.

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Page Count

116

Publisher

Temple Lodge Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1912230313

ISBN 13

9781912230310

A Brief History of Chemistry

By: Michael S Ridenour

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A Brief History of Chemistry

By: Michael S Ridenour

The book traces the history of chemistry from its ancient origins to the modern day changes that are being made. It is a multifaceted look as the evolution of chemistry as a science that lets the major scientists reveal how they did chemistry and what they thought about their science.

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