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A Story Waiting to Pierce You: Mongolia, Tibet and the Destiny of the Western World
A Story Waiting To Pierce You is a breathtaking account of our past and our future as human beings. Firmly and gracefully it traces the ancient threads that connect Mongolia, Tibet and Native Americans to ancient figures such as Pythagoras and the very origins of western civilization -- showing how these sacred ties have shaped our lives today.
This remarkable book by the acclaimed author of Reality and In the Dark Places of Wisdom is a work both of magic and of the finest scholarship. With haunting simplicity and power it tells the true story of where our western culture really came from -- and of where it is taking us now.
This remarkable book by the acclaimed author of Reality and In the Dark Places of Wisdom is a work both of magic and of the finest scholarship. With haunting simplicity and power it tells the true story of where our western culture really came from -- and of where it is taking us now.
192 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2010
About the author
Peter Kingsley
11 books277 followersClassical scholar and spiritual teacher Peter Kingsley was born in the UK. He received his BA from the University of Lancaster, his Master of Letters from King's College, Cambridge University, and his PhD from the University of London. He is a former Fellow of the Warburg Institute in London and has held honorary professorships or fellowships at universities in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Kingsley's early writings are traditionally academic, and culminate in the 1995 Ancient Philosophy, Mystery, and Magic: Empedocles and Pythagorean Tradition. His more recent works emphasize the lived experience and daily application of the ancient mystical tradition that helped give rise to the western world.
He continues to write and teach, working to make the spirituality and meditative disciplines of Empedocles, Parmenides, and those like them available to people today. His most recent book, Catafalque: Carl Jung and the End of Humanity, is due to be published in November 2018 and for the first time it shifts the focus of his work directly onto our modern world.
Kingsley's early writings are traditionally academic, and culminate in the 1995 Ancient Philosophy, Mystery, and Magic: Empedocles and Pythagorean Tradition. His more recent works emphasize the lived experience and daily application of the ancient mystical tradition that helped give rise to the western world.
He continues to write and teach, working to make the spirituality and meditative disciplines of Empedocles, Parmenides, and those like them available to people today. His most recent book, Catafalque: Carl Jung and the End of Humanity, is due to be published in November 2018 and for the first time it shifts the focus of his work directly onto our modern world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
December 4, 2017
This a truly remarkable book! It ties Central Asian shaman to ancient Greece! Abaris, the Skywalker, from Hyperborea crosses the mountains and deserts, in a state of ecstasy, to confirm Pythagoras as the incarnation of Apollo. Thus the foundation of Western civilization rests on transcendent, non-dualistic wisdom. The 'phurba' used in Tibetan Bon and Buddhist riturals comes from the 'arrow' mentioned in this story.
I have read this book twice and plan to read it again and again! And not as fiction but as creative, spiritual inspiration!
I have read this book twice and plan to read it again and again! And not as fiction but as creative, spiritual inspiration!
June 27, 2014
The story pierced my heart and mind as an arrow. Especially do I recommend this mythic and scholarly work to those interested in deep spirituality together with the Mongolian-Greek-Tibetan-Amerindian seeds of our consciousness.
June 28, 2018
Revealing a forgotten truth of how nothing arises out of nothing. There are reasons that our western world is as it is. We have forgotten those reasons and the connections to ancient others. We have forgotten our connections to everything including ourselves. This book is a reminder.
of what we have forgotten. Highly recommended.
of what we have forgotten. Highly recommended.
March 7, 2018
I can't easily think of a book I've enjoyed less than this insufferable, pretentious bit of sermonizing by Peter Kingsley. I gave it a chance largely on the strength of the supportive blurb by Walter Burkert, the great scholar of the ancient world, but then Professor Burkert is himself rather tone-deaf when it comes to style.
Kingsley's book, in an excruciating and witless device, is divided in two sections. The first half is written in the smug style of a self-styled guru, who lays it down to us about the arrival of ancient wisdom in the West. I was genuinely repelled by the presumptive, patronizing tone of his sermonizing, which assumes a great deal about what "we" are like in the west, and what "we" may find difficult to understand, and what "we" need to learn from the oh-so-wise east. Nothing Orientalist there.
Kingsley argues that core ideas at the heart of the western tradition ultimately derive from Mongolia. I find it odd, that his thesis claims that so-called east and west are more intertwined than we normally think, but the book is stuffed with crude generalizations about what "westerners" and "easterners" are like.
Even its binary structure suggests that he is presenting his argument in eastern and western guise. The first historical fantasy is presented didactically without any argument or evidence whatsoever, presumably in the style of the East? All linear and rational analysis is confined to the second half of the book, which is a mountain of tedious and unreadable long end notes, presumably corresponding to the analytical Western style of wisdom. The effect of this is to subordinate the occident to the orient, rather than to destabilize the boundaries between them. I find that argument reductive, fatuous, and completely unpersuasive.
The experience of reading his book is rather like an author telling you his conclusions over cocktails in an overbearing tone, and when you ask for the basis of his reasoning, he hands you a big pile of hand-written notes.
What we need is an integrated argument, not smarmy sermonizing and a long bibliography. And despite his pontificating, it is Kingsley who divides the world with his spurious dichotomies.
Kingsley's book, in an excruciating and witless device, is divided in two sections. The first half is written in the smug style of a self-styled guru, who lays it down to us about the arrival of ancient wisdom in the West. I was genuinely repelled by the presumptive, patronizing tone of his sermonizing, which assumes a great deal about what "we" are like in the west, and what "we" may find difficult to understand, and what "we" need to learn from the oh-so-wise east. Nothing Orientalist there.
Kingsley argues that core ideas at the heart of the western tradition ultimately derive from Mongolia. I find it odd, that his thesis claims that so-called east and west are more intertwined than we normally think, but the book is stuffed with crude generalizations about what "westerners" and "easterners" are like.
Even its binary structure suggests that he is presenting his argument in eastern and western guise. The first historical fantasy is presented didactically without any argument or evidence whatsoever, presumably in the style of the East? All linear and rational analysis is confined to the second half of the book, which is a mountain of tedious and unreadable long end notes, presumably corresponding to the analytical Western style of wisdom. The effect of this is to subordinate the occident to the orient, rather than to destabilize the boundaries between them. I find that argument reductive, fatuous, and completely unpersuasive.
The experience of reading his book is rather like an author telling you his conclusions over cocktails in an overbearing tone, and when you ask for the basis of his reasoning, he hands you a big pile of hand-written notes.
What we need is an integrated argument, not smarmy sermonizing and a long bibliography. And despite his pontificating, it is Kingsley who divides the world with his spurious dichotomies.
May 19, 2015
Describes a critical mystical link between East and West and focuses our Western attention on re-discovering our own roots and wisdom. Brilliant.
October 28, 2015
I can think of no seeker who should not read this book and think about it deeply.
January 5, 2017
A lovely magical and surprising story of shamanic mystery from Mongolia and its influence on western civilization. A beautiful story that will deeply affect your beliefs!
November 12, 2018
A powerful book that shook me. Ringing truth.
July 31, 2015
This is a difficult one to review which is why I have procrastinated (in?) reviewing it.
The book is almost two equal halves, the first half is quick, persuasive and succinct. And it is philosophically thrilling!
But he says many challenging and surprising things, which is why you will want to flip to the second half which is comprised of dense, slow, heady, and meticulous footnotes.
Thus my advice would be, to read the first half only so you get the gist of his message,
and then re-read the first half a second time, but THIS TIME, stop and read all the footnotes as they pop up.
(Note: I don't always follow my own advice. But who does? (heh heh) {Also in this case I could not have known...}
[And if you do not wish to read the footnotes at all, the first half would still make a wonderful thought provoking read!])
As I said in a previous review of another book by this same author ("In The Dark Places Of Wisdom"),
if I did not agree with his perspectives
I would find his forceful, persuasive tone annoying,
but he IS fighting the status quo of scholars and so he DOES need to make a strong case.
(Which reminds me of "Serpent In The Sky" [Which was also good at citing the sources of contrary viewpoints])
And despite being so darn scholarly, he does have a passionate down-to-earth wish to challenge and revolutionize some of our cultural, temporal (Modernist perhaps?), and ethnic BIASES, that muddy and distort our perspectives on History, various cultures, and even consciousness itself!
Too often we (myself included) dismiss out-of-hand what we don't understand. This is not good.
But when historians, philosophers and scholars do it, it is down-right criminal! :)
So grateful for people like John Anthony West ("Serpent In The Sky") and Peter Kingsley for breathing new and much needed fresh life into our perspectives and world-views of the past,
because indeed that does shape how we see our present,
and how we may see and shape our future!
Highly recommended!
The book is almost two equal halves, the first half is quick, persuasive and succinct. And it is philosophically thrilling!
But he says many challenging and surprising things, which is why you will want to flip to the second half which is comprised of dense, slow, heady, and meticulous footnotes.
Thus my advice would be, to read the first half only so you get the gist of his message,
and then re-read the first half a second time, but THIS TIME, stop and read all the footnotes as they pop up.
(Note: I don't always follow my own advice. But who does? (heh heh) {Also in this case I could not have known...}
[And if you do not wish to read the footnotes at all, the first half would still make a wonderful thought provoking read!])
As I said in a previous review of another book by this same author ("In The Dark Places Of Wisdom"),
if I did not agree with his perspectives
I would find his forceful, persuasive tone annoying,
but he IS fighting the status quo of scholars and so he DOES need to make a strong case.
(Which reminds me of "Serpent In The Sky" [Which was also good at citing the sources of contrary viewpoints])
And despite being so darn scholarly, he does have a passionate down-to-earth wish to challenge and revolutionize some of our cultural, temporal (Modernist perhaps?), and ethnic BIASES, that muddy and distort our perspectives on History, various cultures, and even consciousness itself!
Too often we (myself included) dismiss out-of-hand what we don't understand. This is not good.
But when historians, philosophers and scholars do it, it is down-right criminal! :)
So grateful for people like John Anthony West ("Serpent In The Sky") and Peter Kingsley for breathing new and much needed fresh life into our perspectives and world-views of the past,
because indeed that does shape how we see our present,
and how we may see and shape our future!
Highly recommended!
August 8, 2021
This book dropped a soft bomb in my head. What if the origin of Western civilisation wasn't logic and rationality, but that they were grounded in spiritual presence? This short book explores the hidden in plane sight relationship between Pythagoras and "Hyperborea" - the geographical beyond to the Greek world far to the east. The poetic prose could not be academic (although there are lengthy footnotes to scholarly sources) as a more scholarly tone would lose connection to the spirit. Who knew that there was a character in Greek history called Hermotimus, who was a western shaman - lying on the ground and leaving his body, to bring messages back to the community.
Not for everyone, but if you have a taste for the shamanic and were dissatisfied the first time you read the Ancient Greeks, Kingsley's book might just be for you.
Not for everyone, but if you have a taste for the shamanic and were dissatisfied the first time you read the Ancient Greeks, Kingsley's book might just be for you.
September 29, 2019
This is an amazing and incredibly powerful book. There are the words that tell the story of the source of the western traditions and there is something else, something special and much much deeper that will take quite some time and multiple readings I think to process fully. I highly recommended this book.
June 10, 2019
Consider this one pierced.
January 7, 2020
Read it and read it again to really understand. Also, don’t skip the notes.
October 14, 2011
I must preface this by saying that I haven't read any of Kingsley's other books (and probably won't now).
It is always said that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover and boy, is that true for A Story Waiting. The reviews on the back cover told me "This is the real thing." "The rich and dense scholarship in this book is admirable, nay incredible, with worldwide scope." "A blazingly alive work of scholarship and spiritual insight."
Okay...so, lets just stop right there: This book is a simply written tale, ignoring a large part of history, written in ambiguous language in which a large proportion of the footnotes lead to the authors own works. That latter piece is enough to have the entire thing disqualified from ever being called a scholarly work. I think Kingsley must have missed that day, in class - or in the initiation into the mysteries, in which it was taught that true scholars do not cite their own work, over and over again, for justification of their theories. There is actually another word for that.
I'm not exactly sure what part of this story was supposed to 'pierce' me. The idea that there was cultural mixing between East and West during the time of Ancient Greece? As much as Kingley acts like this is a new idea, perhaps he should read Joseph Campbell's Masks of God series, first published in 1964. These ideas are not only not new, they are simplistic versions of the truth. Or, perhaps the 'piercing' idea is one in which ancient man believed that he was, or could be, the reincarnation of a sun deity, or any other deity for that matter? Again, read JC. The idea of this has been in the literature for decades as well (see the previously mentioned JC text) and it's no big deal to attribute it to Asia - or, something that is actually piercing, and an idea of Joseph Campbell: to attribute it to the inherent ideas that exist inside of the human psyche, regardless of how a scholar would trace it's path around the earth. Note the ideas in the first chapter of Primitive Mythology....why do newborn chicks run from the symbol of an eagle (a cardboard cutout) being pulled forward across their yard, but they do nothing when it is dragged backwards? Why do all newborn turtles run immediately for the sea, with some inherent sense of that direction, rather than away from it? Why were "cave women" wearing kohl around their eyes as well as other make-up, trying to accentuate some type of symbolic beauty? These things are built into us, somehow, somewhere...maybe there is more to us than merely the physical makeup of our DNA. Now that's actually piercing. THAT'S beautiful. Some ideas, written down in the 21st Century about the influence that Asia had on the Western world? Wakeup dude. Where have you been?
It is always said that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover and boy, is that true for A Story Waiting. The reviews on the back cover told me "This is the real thing." "The rich and dense scholarship in this book is admirable, nay incredible, with worldwide scope." "A blazingly alive work of scholarship and spiritual insight."
Okay...so, lets just stop right there: This book is a simply written tale, ignoring a large part of history, written in ambiguous language in which a large proportion of the footnotes lead to the authors own works. That latter piece is enough to have the entire thing disqualified from ever being called a scholarly work. I think Kingsley must have missed that day, in class - or in the initiation into the mysteries, in which it was taught that true scholars do not cite their own work, over and over again, for justification of their theories. There is actually another word for that.
I'm not exactly sure what part of this story was supposed to 'pierce' me. The idea that there was cultural mixing between East and West during the time of Ancient Greece? As much as Kingley acts like this is a new idea, perhaps he should read Joseph Campbell's Masks of God series, first published in 1964. These ideas are not only not new, they are simplistic versions of the truth. Or, perhaps the 'piercing' idea is one in which ancient man believed that he was, or could be, the reincarnation of a sun deity, or any other deity for that matter? Again, read JC. The idea of this has been in the literature for decades as well (see the previously mentioned JC text) and it's no big deal to attribute it to Asia - or, something that is actually piercing, and an idea of Joseph Campbell: to attribute it to the inherent ideas that exist inside of the human psyche, regardless of how a scholar would trace it's path around the earth. Note the ideas in the first chapter of Primitive Mythology....why do newborn chicks run from the symbol of an eagle (a cardboard cutout) being pulled forward across their yard, but they do nothing when it is dragged backwards? Why do all newborn turtles run immediately for the sea, with some inherent sense of that direction, rather than away from it? Why were "cave women" wearing kohl around their eyes as well as other make-up, trying to accentuate some type of symbolic beauty? These things are built into us, somehow, somewhere...maybe there is more to us than merely the physical makeup of our DNA. Now that's actually piercing. THAT'S beautiful. Some ideas, written down in the 21st Century about the influence that Asia had on the Western world? Wakeup dude. Where have you been?
October 17, 2012
An interesting story on a Abaris, the walker of the sky who brings from Mongolia an arrow and also holding the God Apollo inside him, during a state of ecstasy. He Finds Pythagoras and gives him the arrow, after walking and flying many miles and in circles to his destination.
The concept that Pythagoras is the reincarnation of Apollo and this is the man that Abaris is seeking, for his journey ends with the handing over of the gold arrow and the search for the Apollo reincarnate is over.
Through a state of ecstasy we transport ourselves towards awakening.
One passage, as an artist, made an impact on me "Each culture is just like a tree whose essence and whole potential are already contained in the seed. Nothing during the course of a civilisation is ever discovered, or invented, or created, which was not already present inside that seed." Makes me feel that we are not the sole creators of our inventions and thoughts and that they are indeed already a part of this existence and we are merely conduits for that information. Bang goes the theory of copyright!
I was moved by the book and have added this concept to my thoughts on why we are really her in this lifetime. To experience ecstasy and hold God-like ideals inside our selves rather than work in mundaneness to obtain items from IKEA.
The concept that Pythagoras is the reincarnation of Apollo and this is the man that Abaris is seeking, for his journey ends with the handing over of the gold arrow and the search for the Apollo reincarnate is over.
Through a state of ecstasy we transport ourselves towards awakening.
One passage, as an artist, made an impact on me "Each culture is just like a tree whose essence and whole potential are already contained in the seed. Nothing during the course of a civilisation is ever discovered, or invented, or created, which was not already present inside that seed." Makes me feel that we are not the sole creators of our inventions and thoughts and that they are indeed already a part of this existence and we are merely conduits for that information. Bang goes the theory of copyright!
I was moved by the book and have added this concept to my thoughts on why we are really her in this lifetime. To experience ecstasy and hold God-like ideals inside our selves rather than work in mundaneness to obtain items from IKEA.
January 24, 2018
This is a fun and quite provocative book. It attempts to illustrate a moment of historical convergence that was previously misunderstood. The book consists of an illustrative story retelling/reimagining a point in history where Greek culture intersected with that of Tibet and Mongolia. More than half the volume is dedicated to extensive footnotes which provide the intellectual thrust of the authors argument.
I would recommend reading this one a few times to get the full draw. I enjoyed my first run through the story section without interruption to read the footnotes. My second pass was a new experience as I thoroughly investigated the footnotes as they appeared. This provided a very different reading, yet I found it as engaging as the story itself. Definitely enjoyed this book!
I would recommend reading this one a few times to get the full draw. I enjoyed my first run through the story section without interruption to read the footnotes. My second pass was a new experience as I thoroughly investigated the footnotes as they appeared. This provided a very different reading, yet I found it as engaging as the story itself. Definitely enjoyed this book!
May 16, 2020
very good book
wish it was longer
this thing of a world wide tradition is very old, but also very new, and, even if it makes total sense, is hard to grasp
I think I'm gonna read it a few times.
wish it was longer
this thing of a world wide tradition is very old, but also very new, and, even if it makes total sense, is hard to grasp
I think I'm gonna read it a few times.
November 29, 2010
Argues for a central Asian/Mongolian shamanistic connection with ancient Greece, particularly with Pythagoras, with extensive footnotes to classical and modern academic sources. However, I found his account of Tibetan Buddhism's dealings with the indigenous Tibetan/Mongolian shamanistic religionists the most eye opening, since information on these events comes almost exclusively from the Tibetan Buddhists. It's like getting all one's information on Native Americans from the conquering Europeans, or all one's information on the Gnostics from the orthodox Church Fathers. The book is written in the author's characteristic mannered style, which he manages to pull off as always.
March 15, 2020
Peter Kingsley is a mad genius. Loved every moment of it.
March 29, 2021
Fascinating revisit of translations and interpretations. Extensively researched.
July 22, 2018
Peter Kingsley was the perfect author to take along on my recent vacation to Maine. His books explore the deep roots of the shamanic and mystical traditions which lay at the heart of ancient Western civilization. His books are a delight to read. The first half, written in his lyrical, rhythmic prose, tells the story of Central Asia's contact with Ancient Greece. The second half encompasses his extensive collection of footnotes and historical references. A scholarly book that appeals to your head, and your heart, is a rare find.
A couple caveats though... From a chronological point of view, this book is a prequel to Kingsley's "In the Dark Places of Wisdom" and "Reality." If you need a little more linear in approaching Kingsley's work, it might be a good start for setting context. And second, if you just read the first half, it's not nearly as in depth as Reality; you might be disappointed in how fast it goes. If you're looking for more, you do need to read the notes and explore the archeological and textual evidence on which he bases his "Story."
A couple caveats though... From a chronological point of view, this book is a prequel to Kingsley's "In the Dark Places of Wisdom" and "Reality." If you need a little more linear in approaching Kingsley's work, it might be a good start for setting context. And second, if you just read the first half, it's not nearly as in depth as Reality; you might be disappointed in how fast it goes. If you're looking for more, you do need to read the notes and explore the archeological and textual evidence on which he bases his "Story."
January 4, 2013
As much as I love and am inspired by the ideas in this book (more like a pamphlet), it left me with too thin an understanding of what he is talking about. I wish there was a happy medium between the superficial although interestingly myth-like quality to the text and the intimidatingly long list of academic sources cited as end notes. In other words, I'm glad this wasn't an academic text but I still needed more.
July 23, 2011
A very inspiring booklet on the common roots of western and eastern civilizations (the first being created through the intervention of a Mongol in Pythagoras' Greek world)!
P.S: Except for the too thick and academical notes, full of many names and books references and few real interesting information. This is why I gave it 4 instead of 5.
P.S: Except for the too thick and academical notes, full of many names and books references and few real interesting information. This is why I gave it 4 instead of 5.
April 10, 2011
too soon to tell, this book is a pebble in the pond, and it's connecting to lots of other things. Mostly it's bringing me back to look at the origins of our western mythos and helping me with a new understanding.
February 3, 2021
I've never liked and disliked a book so much as this. Looking forward to reading it again.
May 27, 2020
Some interesting and informative stuff for sure. But I couldn't shake the feeling that this book was rushed because Kingsley thought we were running out of time as a species for him to tell this story and it would likely fall on deaf ears anyway, so who cares? It's an exercise in speaking the truth because that's what he does for a living--speaks it from depression, in this case. (Not to fear. His next book, "Catafalque," is the return to fire and form and beyond that we've been waiting for. The royal we. Me. A lot of people love "A Story Waiting To Pierce You" and you may, too. So don't discount it based on my take.)
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August 14, 2021Maybe the most horseshit thing I have ever read. Like a cross between a generic self-help book and THE DA VINCI CODE. Ultimately what the author wants isn't peace but power.
April 8, 2023
É para chegar a livros como este que lemos os 'outros' livros.
December 17, 2023
The author got right up my nose.
February 6, 2011
Not quite as piercing as I was expecting, as was the case with other of Kingsley's books (e.g., "Reality" or "In the Dark Places of Wisdom"). This may be better on a second pass, after reading the detailed and scholarly footnotes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews