Last site update April 28, 2008.

Attention: A portion of proceeds from sales of The Third Verse Trilogy volumes goes to support the International Campaign for Tibet. This admirable organization guided by Richard Gere, Chairman of the Board of Directors, is engaged in a major effort to mobilize all Americans who believe in the right of a nation, that harbors one of the world's great ancient spiritual cultures, to survive. If you are interested in contacting ICT, visit www.savetibet.org.

May the boundless compassion, symbolized by many icons throughout all cultures, radiate from the depths of our hearts. We offer this prayer from one of our early teachers:

"Beyond the beliefs of any religion, there is the truth of the human spirit. Beyond the power of nations, there is the power of human heart. Beyond the ordinary mind, the power of wisdom, love, and healing energy is at work in the universe. When we can find peace within our hearts, we contact these universal powers. This is our only hope." -Ven. Tarthang Tulku

(To learn more about Tarthang Tulku's work, visit http://www.odiyan.org/history.html.)

"All the joy the world contains comes through wishing happiness for others. All the misery the world contains comes through wanting pleasure for oneself." -Shantideva, The Way of the Bodhisattva

"I must have the purity of my own heart, stance, and intent toward others. This is the seed of all inner peace." -H. E. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, 1930-2002

Our universe expands with each moment. As diverse as stars in a cosmic swirl, we find novel ways to set aside fixed viewpoints and break out of programmed responses to question what’s real and what’s illusory.

Come along on a voyage into an experience of awakening, vision, and fusion. At a time when we feel vulnerable as never before, our need for glimpses beyond the veil calls to us. Let’s explore together the widening array of possibilities opening up for us that are portrayed in our groundbreaking novels.

Are you among the growing multitude whose lives embrace broader experiences and higher comprehension?

Are you curious about evolving in your inner world, thinking beyond time and space, utilizing helpful methods for spiritual advancement, and learning about how the ancient mystery schools relate to what’s happening right now?

Are you a wisdom seeker concerned with transitions taking place, both personally and globally, and wanting deeper connection with the viewpoints of other spiritual practitioners?

Do you wonder about collective consciousness, the interface of science with spirituality, understanding of higher dimensions and parallel existences, and about earth changes? Do you think more in terms of cosmic perspective than of fixed viewpoints?

We at Blooming Rose Press are committed to exploration of these topics and more through the pages of this website and through the medium of the storyteller. We’re watching and reporting about the diminishing boundaries between science and spirituality, between language and the true nature of reality which is ineffable. We invite you to investigate our online resources through these pages as well as to learn about Lily G. Stephen’s visionary fiction trilogy, novels of modern mythology, now complete. Volume I, The Tenth Muse, and Volume II, The El-eventh Hour, are still available in first edition. On the publication threshold is Volume III, The Twelfth Age.

By clicking on buttons at upper left or on Table of Contents titles below, you may visit pages about the indexed topics, check the resource listings, sample book reviews, and follow links to our colleagues who investigate expanding our daily existence through heightened awareness and collective life purpose.

Our new book cover is a visionary collaborative design with Leanne Krause, created at her studio, Silverlining Designs. More about Leanne appears on the "Our Friends" page. Protected under copyright. Blooming Rose Press logo and all Third Verse Trilogy book covers created by Leanne Krause, Silverlining Designs, Talent, OR. All rights reserved.

Have you ever read a novel that changed your life? In fact, would you even want to? If you have a symbiotic relationship with fiction like we do, your answer is probably, "show me." Then watch this site with attention as we venture into these early days of 2008 for the powerful culmination of The Third Verse Trilogy with petals unfurling like a blooming rose here in previews and reviews.

Coming soon! Take advantage of 20% pre-publication discount for The Twelfth Age. Reserve your copies during this period through the contact form on our Order page. These reservations will be honored not only with 20% off, but also with free shipping within the U.S.A. This is a joyful time, and we wish to share the joy with our readers!

The Latest!

Our Wisdom Forum page has been updated. Enjoy insights from visitors by clicking on the button upper left, or in Table of Contents below.

Tulku Sherdor, Executive Director of Blazing Wisdom Institute, has blessed us with a pre-publication statement about Volume III, The Twelfth Age. To read his statement, please click on Review button. Appearing there as well is a statement from Aubrey Degnan, Ph.D., offering her insights about the relevance of The Third Verse Trilogy in our spiritual lives.

Recently I was in downtown Mount Shasta browsing in a shop. A young man, perhaps in his early 20s, was asked by an older man why he hadn't completed something, I wasn't paying a lot of attention about what the something was. But the younger man's reply made me stop, stock still. He said, "I still have to learn to read." The older man proceeded to share that he has another friend or relative about the same age whom he helped, and said, "We're going to have you reading, starting right now."

If you paste this web address into your browser - http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312130,00.html - you will bring up an article about the latest National Endowment for the Arts report, a 99-page study, "To Read or Not to Read," that points out the decline in reading. The NEA chairman calls this "perhaps the most important socio-economic issue in the United States." Another good piece of coverage is found at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16739654.

Blooming Rose Press has launched a reading promotion program, pursued regionally, to begin with. As a visitor to this site, take seriously the opportunity to give the gift of a good book, or a few, to those you care about - especially to teens! The Third Verse Trilogy is awesome entertainment captured in the written word, does not promote the common negative themes found in "best-sellers," and expands our perceptions about human consciousness. Through words we are enabled to encounter realms which are beyond words. It is urgently needed for us to encourage young people to go beyond...to explore, to investigate, and to perhaps become the storytellers of our future.

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Those interested in collective consciousness will appreciate an update with a link to the Wholeness Seminar. Click on the "Collective Consciousness" button and scroll to the bottom.

Special announcement: It is our goal to have The Third Verse Trilogy, be the adamantine jewel that is called for, in the highest mystical and spiritual sense. Now at the onset of 2008 we are about to go to press. Soon many announcements will appear at this site.

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Aspire to evolve higher...

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Myths, legends, and stories about Mount Shasta signify this sacred mountain as a powerful enigma throughout the world. Travelers from afar often first see her snowcovered grandeur from distant valleys, to gape at a vision seeming to have appeared out of a fairy tale. Myriads have been drawn to Mount Shasta's realm, to commune with all the mountain offers, and to delve into a treasure house of esoteria that has come down through the ages regarding this mysterious peak. Aha! What about Mount Shasta's future role in Earth's advancement through the accelerated changes we perceive? The stage has been set in The Tenth Muse and The El-eventh Hour. This trilogy of novels that take us deep within the mountain and through the dimensions into the omniverse is about to culminate in The Twelfth Age. If you are curious about Mount Shasta's unfolding master role, it is time to prepare for the coming crescendo by reading Volumes I and II. The invitation is extended. You do not want to postpone the experience of a story that surpasses entertainment - that constitutes a mythological signpost to help us interpret our personal roles.

We invite you to stop by our To Order page for a personal message from the Blooming Rose Press team. We continue to fill orders for The Tenth Muse and The El-eventh Hour individually, as well as for the two-volume set. All two-volume-set orders receive a double discount.

Glimpses into the scope of The Third Verse Trilogy are available on our Reviews page and Book Previews page.

In response to feedback, we have added to our order page a section featuring slightly damaged books at discount prices. If finances are an issue, scroll down to the bottom of the order page for shopping cart selections.

Stay tuned for: A new spiritual essay page - "Significances of Tibetan Buddhist Iconography." Please click on the Spiritual Novels button for the newest essay on "The Relationship between Fiction and Spirituality"

Also, enjoy our newest essay and biographical reflection, Creative Discontent, linked from our About Us page. Authors will appreciate the article, Getting a Story Out of Nowhere. Just click on button at upper left. New comments also appear on philosophical investigation into Reincarnation or Eternal Recurrence.

For those interested in our beautiful part of the country, there has been an exciting rediscovery of a high Castle Crags waterfall here in Mount Shasta's realm. For more on this, click on the "Gallery" button and link to the Mount Shasta Information page.

Click on our Reviews button to sample two recent perspectives (and more). Paul Lappen, a devotee of independent and unusual books, has given The El-eventh Hour star status with our book cover on the front of his Dead Trees Review, annual science fiction/fantasy issue #32. Paul's review reflects opinions of a reviewer who reads out of love for literature. His review also appears on the Midwest Book Review website, and he rates The El-eventh Hour with five stars on Amazon.com.

Also enjoy comments from John Aiello—journalist, poet, Beat Generation expert, editor and publisher of The Electric Review.

Mount Shasta, California is one of several fascinating settings for The Third Verse Trilogy. We at Blooming Rose Press offer viewers visual displays of this sacred mountain of North America. Recently added is Page Two through a link on Page One of the Gallery. Updates also appear about volcanic and geological findings. View recent regional quake event information, along with the latest on seismic monitoring, as part of our Mount Shasta Information resource. Just click on the "Gallery" button and link to the Mount Shasta Information page. Also included are details about a land deal that may form a balanced precedent for other forests surrounding Mount Shasta. This will be especially interesting to those concerned about protecting forestlands while allowing intelligent timber harvesting. An excerpt from Geology Professor Bill Hirt appears in the Mount Shasta Information, along with a link to his Mount Shasta Companion containing several chapters of in-depth geological resources.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

A note to readers who care about Earth's future: Blooming Rose Press is committed to preserving ancient forests and natural resources. We have elected to print our books on recycled paper and have joined other publishers dedicated to reducing their use of fiber sourced from endangered forests through our membership in Green Press Initiative. Go to "Our Friends" page for more information about GPI.

How can we create a world without suffering through our spiritual practice? Can spiritual practitioners use daily life experiences to enhance and deepen practice? In so many words, it sounds easy. In practice, it seems impossible. Lama Sherab Dorje has granted his permission for this stirring, relevant article to appear on our website. Click on Recollection at upper left to partake of his teachings, and view "The Minisiddha Path: Facing the challenge to deepen practice while managing a busy life."

For all those interested in Chinese Essence Qigong, please go to our Events page to link with Professor Chen Hui Xian's website, and to access the latest information about upcoming workshops.

A five-star review of The Tenth Muse on our Amazon.com page has been voted the most helpful by viewers. Be sure to click on our Reviews page to gain insight from top-50 Amazon.com reviewer darkgenius.

Our Wisdom Forum page offers viewer opinions, identified only by initials of individuals unless otherwise requested. We have received a beautifully-written essay on Reincarnation and Eternal Recurrence from a viewer. Click on Wisdom Forum to explore.

For viewers interested in Zen spiritual practice, and/or Shasta Zen Abbey, our In Memoriam tribute link can be found on "Events" page.

View informational pages by clicking on buttons at upper left or on Table of Contents titles below and offer your ideas and feedback about Maintaining Equanimity During Dangerous Times, Parallel Existences, Reincarnation or Eternal Recurrence, Collective Consciousness and Intention, Beautiful Minds, and Spiritual Practice Teaching Events and Workshops. All comments and feedback from viewers are welcome.

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"Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent than the one derived from fear of punishment." -Mohandas Gandhi

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Web site hosted by SiteSell.com. More than a web host, SiteSell makes site building possible for us non-techies who need to keep creative time freed up. But that's only a piece of SiteSell's total package that delivers results. Scroll to home page footer for link, or click on "Our Friends" or "Helpers" for more information and links. SiteSell offers proof. They also offer cutting-edge methods through Make Your Links Work. If you have a web site and care about creating a quality network with your links, be sure to click on "Our Friends" and scroll way down for information.

Maintaining equanimity during dangerous times Assistance in the spiritual practitioner's quest for equanimity during times of danger.

Have you ever heard of fiction for wisdom seekers? The significance of novels that bring wisdom to life

Reincarnation or Eternal Recurrence? Essay of life-after-death possibilities of reincarnation and eternal recurrence

Viewpoints on collective consciousness At this critical time, our outlook must embrace collective consciousness. How do we open to our interconnectedness in daily life?

Parallel Existences: Questions, comments, and novel propositions. Our questions and comments about parallel existences, and a novel invitation for your additions.

Beautiful minds - luminaries with compassion, dedication to liberation for all. Role models embodying the truly beautiful mind: those who operate in harmony with cosmic vision.

About Us: Journeys in collective consciousness and Tibetan Buddhism Wisdom seekers evolve through decades and develop novels around stories relating to collective consciousness and Tibetan Buddhism.

Our novels as modern mythology, reviewed in media Media reviews of modern mythological novels for wisdom seekers from Blooming Rose Press

Visionary novels of modern mythology for wisdom seekers Evolutionary novels available with exalted modern mythological themes

Helpers on this novel path Enhance your personal evolution in novel ways through links to our friends and colleagues

Contact Blooming Rose Press: novel approaches to evolution in modern mythology Your contact with wisdom seekers in our journey along paths with a novel relationship in our collective consciousness

Spiritual practice teaching events and workshops Direct Mind Perception (Dzogchen) teachings, Maitreya Project relic viewing events, Essence Qi Gong workshops, and more...

Insights: What are your perspectives? Perspectives and feedback from wisdom seekers, spiritual practitioners, teachers

Previews from The El-eventh Hour and The Twelfth Age A novel view of the emptiness of manifest thought as portrayed in the soon-to-be-published volume of Lily G. Stephen's wisdom-focused fiction trilogy.

Photo gallery of Mount Shasta and settings within the mountain's realm Stunning photographs of Mount Shasta in all its guises along with features of the paradise within its realm.

How can we create a world without suffering? Build habits of recollection Transforming discouragement in spiritual practice through the habit of remembering, recollection

Write a novel beginning with no ideas, and get a story out of nowhere! Practical techniques for getting a story out of nowhere and writing a novel.

How effectively do novels convey spirituality? Why should a wisdom seeker read fiction? Isn't it escapism?