Book Excerpts:

SpiritSite.com is pleased to offer excerpts from the following books.  You may click on a book's cover to begin, or on the links below:

Selections from Aldous Huxley's The Perennial Philosophy:

Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Aldous Huxley was born in 1894, to a family of famous scientists and writers.  He is perhaps best known for his novel Brave New World, which portrays a dark society of the future.  After Mr. Huxley had established himself as a prominent European writer, he emmigrated to the United States and worked as a screenwriter.  In 1944, his nonfiction work The Perennial Philosophy was immediately hailed as a classic study of religious texts from around the world.  The New York Times wrote in a review, "even an agnostic... can read this book with joy."

The Perennial Philosophy

Aldous Huxley refers to the perennial philosophy as a "Highest Common Factor" that runs throughout the theologies of the world.  In his book, he brings together selections from the world's religions and philosophical systems to illustrate this common thread.  Mr. Huxley identifies the spiritual beliefs of various religious traditions and recasts them in terms which are personally meaningful. Chapters include Self-knowledge, Faith, The Miraculous, Spiritual Exercises and more.