This essay portrays the sacrificial Sun Dance of the North American nomadic Indians performed as an act of union with the Divine. It continues with a thorough description of the rhythmic dance itself, which allows the participant the crucial power needed in order to fully unite with the Universe. Schuon illustrates several other symbols that recreate this cosmic circle and connect it with the Sun Dance, including: the central tree, the rites of the Sacred Pipe, and the sacral image of the Feathered Sun.

Sherrard examines the apparently contradictory theories of emanation and the Christian theory of creation. He discusses these dichotomous theories in the context of their allowance for evil to occur due to the fact that while God’s nature is perfect what he creates is not necessarily a part of His perfect nature. However, Sherrard’s argument maintains that, in both Platonic and Christian logic, the actual presence of evil is not necessarily a consequence of creation but rather creates only the possibility, which, he argues, is an entirely different matter.

Corbin’s purpose during this lecture is to demonstrate the significance of traditional philosophy to present-day Iran, and he does so through the theories of several individuals. He primarily uses the writings of Sayyid Haydar Amuli as the “authentic concept of the traditional sciences.” Amuli defines tradition in two ways: as “knowledge acquired from outside” (`ulûm kasbiya) and “knowledge possessed by right of innate heritage” (`ulum irthiya). Redefining tradition in this sense allows the theories of differing metaphysics, such as Suhrawardi and Mulla Sadrâ Shirâzi, to function as the conjunction of philosophical knowledge with spiritual experience that “absolves and frees the past of ancient Iran from its discontinuity in relation to Islamic Iran.”

Deed dramatically recounts the story of Jonah, a biblical figure about whom very little is known other than his tale of self-discovery after being swallowed by a “great fish” in response to his disobedience to God. In Deed’s argument Jonah acts as both a prototype of Jesus Christ and an encapsulation of the forgiveness of God.

Bishop’s essay regards the question of why Christianity, Judaism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism differ when considering the question of forgiveness. He explains this phenomenon in the variance of initial presuppositions. While Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism are grounded in the concept of love and multiple forgiveness; Confucianism, Judaism, and Islam exemplify a foundation in justice. Bishop thoroughly elucidates his point by drawing from the sacred writings of all these religions.

Nasr encapsulates the argument of his essay when he states: “The Universal Man…is then the sum of all degrees of existence, a total mirror before the Divine Presence and at the same time the supreme archetype of creation.” Meaning that, it is man’s embodiment of the qualities of God that permit him to remain human. It is only the attraction to a higher power that prevents man’s descent into a sub-human life. Nasr cites the Quran and R¬umi throughout this writing in order to emphasize the importance of conquering one’s inner nature and maintaining spiritual disciplines in order to remain fully human.

L. Lang-Sims reviews the book The Grave of God, by Robert Adolfs. He clearly indicates his feelings regarding this work when he declares it “by no means exceptional.” He summarizes the book as an “example of the travesties of Catholic teaching at present invading the Church” and an “explicit plea to the Church to accept the secularization of mankind.” Ultimately the reviewer declares this book “exceedingly strange,” and out rightly disagrees with the author’s perspective.

Edited by Roger C. Owen, James J. F. Deetz, and Anthony D. Fisher, Whitall N. Perry reviews The North American Indians: A Sourcebook. It is “a compilation of articles from scientific studies that cover specialized aspects of Indian culture” and is “directed less to lovers of Indians than to lovers of anthropology.” The reviewer seems to find its “excesses of erudition” and lack of photographs irritating, but overall, is very impressed with the range of articles presented as well as the comprehensive list of educational films and bibliography.

J.C. Cooper reviews Reverend Sidney Spencer’s latest work on Mysticism. The reviewer claims that it “is not only eminently readable for the layman, but is written in a scholarly manner; is well documented, and has an excellent bibliography. The book shows a total lack of bias, with a sympathetic understanding of the traditions of the East and every aspect of mysticism in the West.” The review includes the history of mysticism and an examination of the influence mysticism has had on the great world religions.

Michael Anis reviews Magic And Mystery In Tibet, a new edition of Alexandra David-Neel's With Mystics and Magicians in Tibet, which first came out more than thirty years ago. It is “the outcome of ten years private investigation into and experience of those strange concomitants of advanced states of spiritual realization.” The reviewer feels that this book’s value “lies in the fact that Mme. David-Neel describes only that which she personally witnessed, experienced or heard of first-hand, and her own scepticism lends considerable authority to her accounts of telepathy, levitation and many different kinds of psychic phenomena.” Despite Anis’ praise of the content of this book, he finds that the new publication is “slip-shod” and contains an introduction that “completely missed the point of this extraordinary work.”

D.M.M. reviews The Indian Muslims, written by M. Mujeeb. The reviewer describes it as a difficult text but “of great interest both as a study of the interaction at various levels between Islam and Hinduism and for its account of the thought and work of influential figures among Indian Muslims of modern times, both those well known in the West like Sir Muhammad Iqbal and Maulana Muhammad `Ali and others hardly known at all in the West.” The author himself is a Sunni Muslim of Northern India; however, he addresses a range of sects, including those with Hindu or aboriginal influences.