Buy new:
£16.09
£8.69 delivery Thursday, 1 August
Dispatches from: Amazon
Sold by: Amazon
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

A Geography of Consciousness: 2nd expanded edition Paperback – 21 Oct. 2019


{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"£16.09","priceAmount":16.09,"currencySymbol":"£","integerValue":"16","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"09","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Au4r5fxE%2BlqAk8%2F8%2BC58AmnRfB2TgnLhtkH%2BTViYU6RZZvQbG9GPzcUqXXCk6MyEXfTUSPT2ZPT6ACrxZlO2axsi3EyB4yrrZH0Afs1IO674BWTv20qlEBE4FmQ5AZ2f","locale":"en-GB","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"£8.41","priceAmount":8.41,"currencySymbol":"£","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"41","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Au4r5fxE%2BlqAk8%2F8%2BC58AmnRfB2TgnLhgS25m6JcyNxx%2FqgQu5SEaL2y0sFhoblwZczvhwck%2B%2FaGRe9TZ5%2FrkInYXWBCfcq2ZZMYBvMDezMokXgljdEIl%2FcYaKBdT1PHe36Ie4ItB3hpZM9u7btfhSxbBrTlLfBG8pNHeLRa3gBLKb6pdbNvAw%3D%3D","locale":"en-GB","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

William Arkle's magnum opus A Geography of Consciousness, now in a new and expanded second edition!

William Arkle was a painter, a philosopher, and a deeply original spiritual thinker and teacher. Here, he presents his vision of the human condition, and of what it means to be children of God in this world.

"among the half dozen most remarkable men I have ever met ... a true mystic and visionary” - Colin Wilson

"the most recent representative of a lineage of Romantic authors and artists that could include Blake, Coleridge, Owen Barfield, CS Lewis and Tolkien in England; Goethe, Novalis and Rudolf Steiner in Germany; and Emerson, Thoreau and Whitman in the United States.” - Bruce G Charlton

This new edition of
A Geography of Consciousness features William Arkle's "Letter From A Father," as well as a new Introduction by Arkle scholar Bruce G Charlton.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (21 Oct. 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 248 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1695308662
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1695308664
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 1.57 x 22.86 cm
  • Customer reviews:

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
3 global ratings
Unique
5 out of 5 stars
Unique
A singular perspective on spiritual and religious matters from William Arkle (d.2000), a man with his head in the stars (as painter and mentor) and his feet on the ground (as naval engineer and Bristolian landlord).The material is presented in quasi-scientific format, with diagrams ('maps'). Possibly a legacy of his engineering training, I take them to be metaphorical representations of his deepest intuitions. The reader may confirm them by personal intuition using whatever self-knowledge he has, fitting this into the master's grand scheme. By the by, he uses the word evolution in the sense of change rather than in the sense of natural selection.In Chapter 2 he introduces 'Bodies of Communication' which I think of as Russian Dolls. For each growth of self-knowledge and self-awareness another doll is added. One identifies with this outer shell and remains aware of, and partially in control of, the inner dolls. The precise number and types are unknown but myself I think of them as (1) physical body, (2) personality/intellect, (3) emotional core, (4) <redacted>, (5) ....?The key point is that they are *communication* devices which permit us to interface smoothly with the world and to communicate with other beings. The purpose of which is to learn about ourselves and to engage in co-creation, the paradigmatic example being family life. They always operate, but as our awareness of them progresses, they will operate more harmoniously (e.g. 'Awareness of matter is failure to communicate' p.125)He distinguishes in Chapter 16 between what we normally think of as will power, more accurately termed 'mind-power' or 'desire-power', and our true Will which emanates from the Real Self or Absolute Self (p.190) This puts me in mind of Hamlet (Act 5, Scene 2), 'There's a divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will'. What we cannot do is to *use* this Will for purposes other than its own (p.191). Because it is *our* Will. Yet many of us are frequently attempting to do just that in our lives, causing disharmony and self-defeating behaviour.A couple of other bits:p.148 'To be pure is [....] to eradicate from our attitudes the hesitations and suspicions which prevent us acting and experiencing with intensity and conviction.' [Take note those who feel overly-obsessed with social media or addicted to some substance]p.167 'All children are lazy, destructive and insolent if they are allowed to be..' [Not an idea commonly expressed by gurus or experts!]Errata:(p.113 top) 'basic' --> 'basis',throughout, 'discreet' --> 'discrete'
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry, we couldn't load the review

Top review from United Kingdom

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2019
A singular perspective on spiritual and religious matters from William Arkle (d.2000), a man with his head in the stars (as painter and mentor) and his feet on the ground (as naval engineer and Bristolian landlord).

The material is presented in quasi-scientific format, with diagrams ('maps'). Possibly a legacy of his engineering training, I take them to be metaphorical representations of his deepest intuitions. The reader may confirm them by personal intuition using whatever self-knowledge he has, fitting this into the master's grand scheme. By the by, he uses the word evolution in the sense of change rather than in the sense of natural selection.

In Chapter 2 he introduces 'Bodies of Communication' which I think of as Russian Dolls. For each growth of self-knowledge and self-awareness another doll is added. One identifies with this outer shell and remains aware of, and partially in control of, the inner dolls. The precise number and types are unknown but myself I think of them as (1) physical body, (2) personality/intellect, (3) emotional core, (4) <redacted>, (5) ....?

The key point is that they are *communication* devices which permit us to interface smoothly with the world and to communicate with other beings. The purpose of which is to learn about ourselves and to engage in co-creation, the paradigmatic example being family life. They always operate, but as our awareness of them progresses, they will operate more harmoniously (e.g. 'Awareness of matter is failure to communicate' p.125)

He distinguishes in Chapter 16 between what we normally think of as will power, more accurately termed 'mind-power' or 'desire-power', and our true Will which emanates from the Real Self or Absolute Self (p.190) This puts me in mind of Hamlet (Act 5, Scene 2), 'There's a divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will'. What we cannot do is to *use* this Will for purposes other than its own (p.191). Because it is *our* Will. Yet many of us are frequently attempting to do just that in our lives, causing disharmony and self-defeating behaviour.

A couple of other bits:

p.148 'To be pure is [....] to eradicate from our attitudes the hesitations and suspicions which prevent us acting and experiencing with intensity and conviction.' [Take note those who feel overly-obsessed with social media or addicted to some substance]

p.167 'All children are lazy, destructive and insolent if they are allowed to be..' [Not an idea commonly expressed by gurus or experts!]

Errata:

(p.113 top) 'basic' --> 'basis',
throughout, 'discreet' --> 'discrete'
Customer image
5.0 out of 5 stars Unique
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2019
A singular perspective on spiritual and religious matters from William Arkle (d.2000), a man with his head in the stars (as painter and mentor) and his feet on the ground (as naval engineer and Bristolian landlord).

The material is presented in quasi-scientific format, with diagrams ('maps'). Possibly a legacy of his engineering training, I take them to be metaphorical representations of his deepest intuitions. The reader may confirm them by personal intuition using whatever self-knowledge he has, fitting this into the master's grand scheme. By the by, he uses the word evolution in the sense of change rather than in the sense of natural selection.

In Chapter 2 he introduces 'Bodies of Communication' which I think of as Russian Dolls. For each growth of self-knowledge and self-awareness another doll is added. One identifies with this outer shell and remains aware of, and partially in control of, the inner dolls. The precise number and types are unknown but myself I think of them as (1) physical body, (2) personality/intellect, (3) emotional core, (4) <redacted>, (5) ....?

The key point is that they are *communication* devices which permit us to interface smoothly with the world and to communicate with other beings. The purpose of which is to learn about ourselves and to engage in co-creation, the paradigmatic example being family life. They always operate, but as our awareness of them progresses, they will operate more harmoniously (e.g. 'Awareness of matter is failure to communicate' p.125)

He distinguishes in Chapter 16 between what we normally think of as will power, more accurately termed 'mind-power' or 'desire-power', and our true Will which emanates from the Real Self or Absolute Self (p.190) This puts me in mind of Hamlet (Act 5, Scene 2), 'There's a divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will'. What we cannot do is to *use* this Will for purposes other than its own (p.191). Because it is *our* Will. Yet many of us are frequently attempting to do just that in our lives, causing disharmony and self-defeating behaviour.

A couple of other bits:

p.148 'To be pure is [....] to eradicate from our attitudes the hesitations and suspicions which prevent us acting and experiencing with intensity and conviction.' [Take note those who feel overly-obsessed with social media or addicted to some substance]

p.167 'All children are lazy, destructive and insolent if they are allowed to be..' [Not an idea commonly expressed by gurus or experts!]

Errata:

(p.113 top) 'basic' --> 'basis',
throughout, 'discreet' --> 'discrete'
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
6 people found this helpful
Report