ISBN 978-1-923523-81-4
PAPERBACK
What is truth? What is reality?
Whether we are fully conscious of it or not, truth and reality are at the centre of our lives and extremely important to us. We constantly use the words ‘truth’ and ‘reality’. We constantly assert or imply that we know what is true and real, often in very fundamental ways. We live according to what we believe is true and real. We invest all that we have in what we believe is true and real. In times of crisis and suff ering, the importance of what is true and real becomes acutely manifest. And for those of us on a Spiritual path, we become increasingly conscious that the realisation of truth and the realisation of reality are essential and intrinsic aspects of both our journey and our Destination.
But what do we mean by the words ‘truth’ and ‘reality’? How shall we define them? What fulfills these definitions? By what means do we ascertain what is true and real: reason, logic, intuition, experience, mystical experience? How do we live according to what is true and real? What is it to live with integrity? Is there an absolute foundation for our integrity or virtue? These are profound and difficult questions and matters—and they are crucial for all of us.
The Way of Truth and Reality is an exploration of the nature of truth and reality and their importance and place in our lives, in particular, as part of any Spiritual path. We shall see that reality is nothing less than the Spiritual universe, of which our lives on Earth are a small but essential part, and that truth is the absolutely accurate, certain, unchanging, and objective knowing of the Spiritual universe or aspects of it. We see also, the capacity for truth is inherent to and grounded in the Divine including our own Divine nature as Spiritual Beings or Souls. And we see that the realisation of truth and of reality are necessary to dissolve our suff ering and, more positively, for the increasing realisation of our Spiritual Nature which is our true and real fulfillment.
ISBN 978-1-923386-58-7
PAPERBACK
ISBN 978-1-923386-59-4
HARDCOVER
Thoughts for a Soulful Life
Who are you? What are you?
The ancient answer to these questions, still the answer, is that you are a Soul—a ray of the Divine.
Thoughts for a Soulful Life is, for the most part, a collection of short passages on the nature of the Soul, oneself, and what it means to live a Soulful or Spiritual life. As such, it considers questions such as: What is the Soul? What is the relation of the Soul to the ego or personality and the body? What does it mean to be receptive to the Soul and to give expression to oneself as a Soul or, what is the same, to live a Spiritual life? What is the relationship of the Soul to that which may be called God but which is given different names in different traditions? And what is the relationship between the Soul that you are and the Spiritual universe of which you are part?
If you have picked up this book, maybe you have been pondering some of these questions, thinking about the Soul, for like attracts like. If so, then my sincere wish is that this book will shed some light for you upon this path which you are now undertaking—the first, last, most important and, essentially, the only path.
ISBN 978-1-923443-62-4
PAPERBACK
What does it mean to live with integrity, with Spiritual integrity?
Essentially, Spiritual Integrity is an exploration of the truth and reality that each of us is a Spiritual being of infinite value, what has traditionally been called the Soul, and in this light, what it means to live with integrity. We begin by looking at the place of the human Soul within the Spiritual universe. We see that each of us, each Soul, has depths, normally hidden, which reach to the very source of all existence—
That which has been given various names but which we may call the Spirit. We see also, that the true Conscience is a voice emerging from the depths of the Soul (that one is) to guide our self-expression, and that to hear and honour the Conscience is to live with Spiritual integrity.
We experience Spiritual integrity to be an inseparable current of truth, love, power, peace, joy, freedom, goodness and beauty. As such, it is an embodiment and expression of our intrinsic Spiritual Qualities. As we live with Spiritual integrity we naturally deepen into the fullness of our Spiritual nature—in truth, there is no other way.
While this path is intrinsically valuable, for its own sake, in this way we also bring our unique gifts to the world and give the most to others.
The book unfolds to consider the relationship between Spiritual integrity and many key areas of life including self-value, individuality, love, truth, relationships, well-being, growth, vocation, success, daily life, society, freedom, the State, and the Divine.
About the Author
Neil Hamley initially trained as an occupational therapist, graduating from University of South Australia in 1994. For many years he worked in the area of mental health, in both hospital and community settings and with both government and private organisations. In conjunction with his work as a therapist and counsellor he pursued his life-long love of Spiritual research.
In 2003 he completed a Bachelor of Arts (Humanities) at the University of Adelaide, and in 2008 he completed a PhD in the area of ancient Greek philosophy at Monash University, Melbourne.
His thesis was on the nature of the human Soul in the Enneads, the work of the mystic-philosopher Plotinus, regarded as the founder of Neoplatonism. Spiritual Integrity, along with a prior work, Thoughts for a Soulful Life, are outcomes of decades of devoted Spiritual investigation, and the attempt to live according to the Spiritual truths found along the way.