: A Pilgrimage from Esoteric India to Pagan Europe
by Cederberg, Aki
From a small collection.
Superficial wear to the book's exterior. Priced accordingly.
Ever since the Beatles, India has had its fair share of 'spiritual' tourists. Aki Cederberg is not one of them. The gurus and babas he described having encountered there obviously viewed him as a sincere spiritual pilgrim. His odyssey to the East seems best summed up in the lines of a poem by T. S. Eliot in Four Quartets: 'And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.', Aki Cederberg is an outsider in the modern, spiritually barren West. His quest for a sense of spiritual place takes him to the exotic East. There he is an outsider as well but is allowed something close to an insider's participation in a living pagan religious tradition. Instead of satisfaction, he finds only more yearning--for the largely forgotten traditions of his own people. Cederberg's journey--which makes for a highly colorful, absorbing tale--functions as a kind of initiation into those traditions. It is a journey home., Aki Cederberg's Journeys in the Kali Yuga offers a visceral, gritty, and at times humorous account of the dreamlike world of Indian Naga Babas. A story of an ongoing search for something real in a world where the deepest concerns of human spirit have become mere commodities, this is a timely book about timeless topics., This book is as much a classical adventure story as it is a tale of genuine spiritual progress. Cederberg's travels in search of the roots of pagan/religious culture and how they affect us is both a personal vision quest and a wider speculation. Every plant has its roots, and Cederberg is generous to share his own roots exploration in such an eloquent way. The book is inspiring, intelligent, and a truly great read., Unlike the congratulatory stories told by self-proclaimed gurus or superhero yoga masters, this is the spiritual autobiography of a guy like you or me who's just trying to figure it all out in a world that has lost its way., Written in poetical prose that is sharp, witty, and honest, the book is a valuable offering to all seekers and pilgrims on the eternal search of self., In his rip-roaring English-language debut, Cederberg sets himself as neither guide nor guru, allowing readers to truly participate in his journey without worrying about what exactly they are supposed to learn., This book promises to be a pagan classic. It took rare initiations into the wonders and horrors of sacred India for Cederberg to recognize the same gods, under different names, stirring in his Nordic homeland. His pilgrimage will inspire anyone who seeks or glimpses these 'beacons of spirit in a soulless age.', Cederberg has made the outer and inner journey from one end of the geography of tradition to the other, which is only an outer reflection of the inner journey many pilgrims make from the outer world to inner experience. What is remarkable about Cederberg's journey is that he, like Odysseus of old, found his way home again. The knowledge he gathered on his journeys gave him the tools he needed to discover the inner treasures of his own homeland. By reading this book you can gather some of this knowledge without ever going to India., From the erotic passion of Shiva to the surreal bliss of the Khumb Mela, Aki Cederberg chronicles his search for meaning in modern India. But, as he discovered, 'Pilgrimages have to come to an end. Ultimately, one must return home'--not just physically but spiritually as well. His story of how his own native European gods called to him is powerful, beautiful, irresistible. This book bears an important message for our times and delivers it in a way that captivates the reader. I recommend Journeys in the Kali Yuga without reservation., Often one has to travel far afield to the farthest edge to find out where one belongs. Aki Cederberg tells us the fascinating tale of his journey to the wild heart of mythical India, a journey that changed his life and led him back to his roots., Whereas most Westerners drawn to Indian spirituality have an interest in yoga or meditation, it was his passion for magic that led Aki Cederberg to the Naga Babas. With a background within European pagan magic, he is particularly capable of appreciating the esoteric dimensions of the yoga tradition--dimensions largely shunned within modern Western yoga.
