Free e-books for the spiritually curious

I recently read two free e-books downloaded from the apple store: Thought Forms and A Textbook of Theosophy, written in 1091 and 1912 respectively by English clairvoyant and theosophist Charles Webster Leadbeater. Both of these books made for interesting reading.

The first, Thought Forms, is a treatise on the different types of thoughts created by the human brain, their supposed color and shape, as well as their effect on our physical and astral lives. An early precursor to current law of attraction books, this work goes beyond to explain how and why our bodies tend to attract or deflect certain thought forms, depending on which resonate with our own thought processes. The moral of this book is that we own our thought forms and that those we habitually create for ourselves and indulge in tend to define the realities we experience on this earth. Thoughts are “alive”, actual energy bodies with effects and expiration dates… time bombs if you will. Our minds are the safest place to express our truest desires for ourselves and others. With thought forms, our creative potential is endless.

I believe in the power of prayer (good thoughts, good vibes, etc.). The influence of positive suggestion by those we surround ourselves with is also important. If you believe you’ll be provided for, you usually are. If you believe in the goodness of love coming into your life you will treat others with generosity (of thought and action).  The goodness you give out will return to you through providence (cause and effect, karma, etc.). This book’s suggestion that we cultivate the quality, definiteness and strength of our thoughts for the collective good is a timeless, and welcome message.

A Texbook of Theosophy is a very interesting piece that theorizes about the nature of the universe: our origin, the purpose of life and what happens when we die. Also written by C.W. Leadbeater, this book expands on the ideas presented in Thought Forms about the power of thought and explains the role they play in the after life. According to Theosophy, the purpose of life on earth is to evolve into our higher selves or ego spirits through countless experiences that refine us, until our full human potential is reached and we are reabsorbed by the source (Logos). Every death comes with a stop in the astral world, where we experience the lowest thought forms and emotions we indulged in during our physical life. This purgatory of sorts is followed by a time of exquisite, yet limited bliss in the mind world from where we eventually descend to perfect ourselves even more.

The author’s history with the Catholic Church is evident in the way certain concepts are approached. Theosophy seems to combine ideas from Buddhism and Catholicism to explain life and death. The law of karma (cause and effect) is presented as the reason for human suffering and the obstacles we encounter during our human journeys. The final message of the book is that the better we refine our thoughts and actions to reflect the all loving, selfless goodness of our spirits, the happier and more evolved our present and future lives will be.  As we do this, we contribute to the cycle of evolution of fellow-men, animals and plant spirits in our planet.