Have you been to Delphi? Tales of the Ancient Oracle for Modern Minds

Have you been to Delphi? Tales of the Ancient Oracle for Modern Minds

"This book of tales of the ancient Oracle at Delphi, freshly interpreted from ancient literature, restores a lost wisdom tradition. This tradition is conveyed not through philosophical or religious exposition but through story, ranging from the grandeur of myth to charming anecdotes and dark riddles. At the Delphic temple of Apollo, for nearly a thousand years, a priestess in trance listened to the urgent inquiries of questioners from all parts of the ancient world and responded on behalf of the god. From this sacred conversation there resulted both a set of enduring values and a collection of tales that relate the encounter with the divine and its consequences in the lives of questioners.

In addition to a generous selection of these wisdom tales, the book also contains chapters on the priestess and ancient concepts of trance mediumship; on the Delphic commandment, "Know thyself": and on the still-surviving Chief State Oracle of Tibet, which offers a living parallel to the ancient Delphic oracle."--Jacket.

Roger Lipsey

Albany : State University of New York Press

2001

Including an afterword with Lobsang Lhalungpa on Tibetan oracles

Series: SUNY series in Western esoteric traditions

Introduction: A Bowl of Myths and Stories -- A Code for Questioners -- Challenging Men to Gentleness: Apollo -- Unfolded Into Light Through a Woman: The Pythia -- Socrates Impoverished and Enriched -- Croesus, King of Lydia: A Tale from the Age of Belief -- A Chapter of Tales -- Tales Mostly of War -- The Sybarites' Question: Tales of Wisdom and Wrongdoing -- One Golden Celery Plant: A Delphic Audit -- "Hasten, Teiresias, Believe!" -- Know Thyself.

Book