Richard G. Petty, MD

Masters of the Human Spirit

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“The poets, prophets, and visionaries of untold millenniums – Dante, Aquinas, and Augustine, al-Ghazali and Mohammed, Zarathustra, Shankaracharya, Nagarjuna, and T’ai Tsung, were not bad scientists making misstatements about the weather, or neurotics reading dreams into the stars, but masters of the human spirit teaching a wisdom of death and life. And the thesaurus of the myth-motifs was their vocabulary. They brooded on the state and way of man, and through their broodings came to wisdom; then teaching with the aid of the picture-language of myth, they worked changes on the patterns of their inherited iconographies.”         

–Joseph Campbell (American Writer, Editor and Mythologist, 1904-1987)       

“Flight of the Wild Gander: Explorations in the Mythological Dimension: Select Essays, 1944-1968” (Joseph Campbell)                                 

Perceptiveness, Wisdom and Oneness

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“Survival and happiness now depend on tuning in to the overall situation involving ourselves, the people around us, and the total environment of the here and now. Perceptiveness, wisdom, and oneness are now the ingredients of effective and happy living.”  

–Ken Keyes (American “New Age” Author and Lecturer, 1921-1995)       

“Handbook to Higher Consciousness: The Workbook (Keyes, Jr, Ken)” (Jr. Ken Keyes, Penny Keyes)

Genuine Wisdom

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“Genuine wisdom involves humility. The wiser we become, the greater the realization that there is so much more to learn and understand.”          

–Emanuel Swedenborg (Swedish Scientist, Mystic and Philosopher, 1688-1772)

Understanding Wisdom

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“You have achieved wisdom when you no longer have any concern about understanding what is true and good, but are willing and living it.”       

–Emanuel Swedenborg (Swedish Scientist, Mystic and Philosopher, 1688-1772)   

Wisdom and Humility

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“I have seen unlearned men who were truly humble, and they became wiser than the wise. Another unlearned man, upon hearing them praised, instead of imitating their humility, prided himself on being unlearned and so fell into arrogance.”        

–St. Mark the Ascetic (a.k.a. Marcus Eremita, Athenian-born Monk and Desert Father, Fifth Century)       

{On the Spiritual Law: Philokalia Vol. 1″, p. 115, text 79-80}


“The Philokalia Vol 1: 001” (G.E.H. Palmer, Kallistos Timothy Ware, Philip Sherrard)

Harnessing Wisdom and Energy

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I get a lot of questions about the way in which I juxtapose a lot of hard science with comments and quotes that I have extracted from a lifetime studying philosophies from many cultures and peoples around the globe.

This is one part of the answer:




“Unless the wisdom of the East and the energy of the West can be harnessed and used harmoniously, the world will be destroyed.”        

–George Gurdjieff (Armenian-born Adept, Teacher and Writer, c.1873-1949)   

Wisdom is Within

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“All search is vain, until we begin to perceive that wisdom is within ourselves … then we may know the sun is rising, that the morning is breaking for us.”           

–Swami Vivekananda (Indian Hindu Mystic and Spiritual Teacher, 1863-1902)

Wisdom and Humility

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“The wisest man is generally he who thinks himself the least so.”   

–Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux (French Poet and Literary Critic, 1636-1711)  

Eternal WIsdom

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“Eternal Wisdom: ‘I go forth to meet those who seek Me, and I receive with affectionate joy such as desire My love. All that you can ever experience of My sweet love in time is but as a little drop to the ocean of My love in eternity.”

–Henry Suso (a.k.a. Amandus, a.k.a. Heinrich Seuse, German Mystic, c.1300-1366)

“The Soul Afire: Revelations of the Mystics: an Anthology” (H. A. (Editor) Reinhold)

An Empty Mind WIth A Body Full of Light and Heat

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“Always keep your mind as bright and clear as the vast sky, the great ocean, and the highest peak, empty of all thoughts. Always keep your body filled with light and heat. Fill yourself with the power of wisdom and enlightenment.”  

–Morihei Ueshiba (Japanese Martial Artist and Founder of Aikido, 1883-1969)

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