{"title":"Ted Brandsen","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"mata-hari-a-ballet-by-ted-brandsen-dvd-0880242616289","title":"Mata Hari: A Ballet by Ted Brandsen","description":"California, long a Mecca for eccentric cults, has also hosted more than its share of unusual and unorthodox Christian evangelists and sects. From pre-Gold Rush days to the 21st Century, visionaries seeking to revive or transform the Faith have flocked to California's shores, or have emerged from its environs as native sons and daughters. Their often-idiosyncratic crusades have influenced not only Golden State history and culture, but Christianity as a whole. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eCalifornia Jesus\u003c\/i\u003e tells the little-known yet fascinating stories behind the people and groups that populate Californian Christendom, including: \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e- The Children of God -- Born on the Huntington Beach boardwalk, this Jesus People hippie-ministry turned to prostituting its members and molesting its children in the name of Christ \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e- Bebe and C. Thomas Patten -- married evangelists, these Oakland-based Pentecostal preachers scammed penniless Okie immigrants and major banks alike for millions \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e- Joe Jeffers -- a renegade Baptist minister who started a murderous religious war between his followers and a rival's, made headlines in lurid L.A. sex scandals, and claimed that Yahweh had stashed several billion dollars for him in the constellation Orion \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e- The Metropolitan Community Church -- Gay L.A. evangelist Troy Perry challenges homophobia with a hugely controversial, and much-attacked sect that ministers Christ's love to sexual outsiders \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e- Church of the Holy Family -- film-star Mel Gibson's schismatic, secretive Malibu parish, which claims to be literally more Catholic than the Pope \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e- Holy Mountain -- a huge, bizarre, ever-growing folk-art monument in the Imperial Valley desert built by an aging drifter to glorify God's love, that's now become an international tourist destination\u003cbr\u003e- And many, many more  \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFilled with captivating anecdotes about the state's most colorful and controversial Christian pastors and sects, and accompanied by many rare photos and illustrations, \u003ci\u003eCalifornia Jesus\u003c\/i\u003e illuminates this absorbing yet little-discussed aspect of both state history and culture, and the Christian experience. Believers and doubters alike, as well as anyone interested in the Golden State's unique spiritual heritage, will find this work hard to put down.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49772566479121,"sku":"DVDB01IJR2XXCVG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/B01IJR2XXC.jpg?v=1750778083"},{"product_id":"mata-hari-a-ballet-in-two-acts-by-ted-brandsen-dvd-0880242616241","title":"Mata Hari: A Ballet in Two Acts by Ted Brandsen","description":"Long out-of-print yet often cited in psychedelic literature, THE BOK OF SACRAMENTS, originally published in 1970, was a Holy book from the (now defunct) Church of the Tree of Life, established and incorporated by John Mann. A fundamental belief was that we have the right to alter our consciousness with plants extracts for medical, spiritual, and even recreational (re-creating) purposes. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTHE BOK OF SACRAMENTS consists of introduction and discussion of several sacred plants, most still legal and easy to obtain, that have been used traditionally in religious (spiritual, consciousness expanding) rituals by native people. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhile the Church of the Tree of Life disbanded decades ago, the longing for a spiritual connection continues. One way to achieve such a connection with with the ritual use of magical plants. THE BOK OF SACRAMENTS describes the ceremonial practices and rituals used by natives for thousands of years in some cases and gives guidelines for employing such practices in one's personal worship, including how to prepare the plant and oneself for the ritual. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe mind has self-healing power. Spiritual experiences can lead to dramatic healing. Ritual is a method for organizing experience - mentally- and creating order around an inner experience to enable one to surrender to the experience without fear - due to the security provided by the repetitive and reliable ritual. The ritual helps to conjure up a frame of mind that is conducive to an ecstatic experience. When used properly ritual use of magical plants can open up new channels of awareness. The plants alone cannot bring about the desired results - the individual mind must be engaged. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTHE BOK OF SACRAMENTS identifies over 20 magical plants for ritual use and tells how to prepare the potion and oneself for the journey and gives instructions for classic rituals as well as creating one's own variations. Finally it discusses how to process the experience afterwards to gain the maximum benefit from the journey.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49785671942417,"sku":"DVDB01IJR2XYQVG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/B01IJR2XYQ.jpg?v=1751256361"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/collections\/author-books-by-ted-brandsen.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}