Kindle Edition Amazon The End of Religion, The Beginning of Self The End Of Religion Category:  Religion Publisher: Xlibris Pages: 712 Copyright: Nov 14, 2012 ISBN-13: 9781465337054 Price: $9.99 (eBook) My book investigates the hidden meaning of the Hebrew Alphabet which may induce a revelation of the Self. Its aim is to motivate new investigations in the most wrongly translated book of all times. The Hebrew Alphabet is a collection of symbols representing differnt states of organization of the One energy. As we go into the meaning of each individual letter, words become equations whose solution is their meaning. My hope is that as you study each chapter handling about one letter of the Hebrew Alphabet and shedding light on each from different perspectives, you become more accustomed to the fathomless depth of the power of expression of these glyphs and become receptive to the revelation of your Self, timeless and ever evolving. Far from being a religious description that includes worship and other rituals, my book instills the earnesty of things as they are and to pierce through the veil of their appearence into their heart, linked to yours. Excerpt (See http://books.google.com/books?id=sG3e1qnnftEC for TOC, excerpts, clickable index and more.) From the first chapter: "For every letter of the Hebrew alphabet we will undertake an excursion in its particulars, showing how it relates to the other letters. Why are we going to do it, and what will be the result? In the first place, we are going to study them because these letters have intrinsic meaning, and their meaning should be public knowledge. Not sharing this knowledge is a crime against humanity. That is how strongly I feel about this. The study of the letters will enable us to pierce through the holes in our understanding of history and through the holes in the understanding of ourselves." "The Aleph is the sword of union between opposites. Let me explain this assertion. We all know the sword of division. It is the knife that cuts the cake, leaving two halves at best still edible, but the union is gone; one is different from the other, either bigger or smaller, either heavier or lighter, eiether left or right. In a more devastating form, the sword of division is every ideology that comes between two human beings where there has not been a division before. The sword of union is equally painful, for it asks to embrace the horns of the oxen to survive. the oxen's horns symbolize the extremes of life that have to be integrated in the psyche. And then by jumping on the oxen's back, even to tame it. This means to consciously live on the edge of this conflict, where life unfolds as the answer to itself. Seriously, the sword of union stirs up all the unknown things that reside unconsciously in your psyche for you to embrace and love, in order to survive. It may be painful and difficult, but the solution has been given. We are delving into psychological truths that are shattering the shells of lies and superstitions in order for you to find your soul, which is being deeply buried. In fact, the Aleph is being suffocated deep within you."

Brilliant, beautiful, and life-changing. The importance of this book is titanic.

I have so much to say about this book, and yet trying to explain what it means to me is a task words seem incapable of accomplishing. Nevertheless, it gives me great pleasure to write a review of Bruno Curfs' first book, though even the word 'book' utterly fails to describe what is nothing less than a living revelation that has taken roots within my psyche as a result of this adventure. For what this 'book' represents is an original work of profound importance and timeless beauty, and what it contains is the clearest mirror you've ever looked into, providing answers to the deepest questions if you're willing to check your preconceived notions and prejudices and allow this book and its message to plum the depths of your soul and show you the true beauty of who and what you are in a world that is far more amazing than you've ever imagined. But beware, this isn't any ordinary book. No, this is something beyond words, yet it will open you to understand the Living Word. This book has transformed me in ways too numerous to describe, and the process has only begun. What is more, it is a process that has no conceivable end. I was meant to discover this book. How about you?

Sound too good to be true? Let me tell you that three years ago I would have laughed at someone like me talking or writing about anything spiritual or religious, but that's simply because like most people I was groomed to fear anything I didn't understand, and therefore ridicule it so as to mask my ignorance - and total lack of curiosity about the most profound writings bequeathed to humanity. Oh yes, my blindness was legion, yet I postured as someone who was certain that his vision was far better than that of most people. However, my inability to continue deceiving myself reached a breaking point as the pain, unhappiness, confusion, and lack of meaning in my life became unbearable. That was exactly three years ago, and at that time my solution was to journey into the bowels of the Peruvian Amazon to work with ayahuasca shamans. In short, that journey shattered my existence and blew my mind wide open in an unspeakably beautiful way, leading me to the Bible, a book I had never once even tried to read. In fact, anything related to "God" or religion was the very last thing I expected (or had any interest in pursuing) upon entering the jungle, and yet this was only the beginning of waking up and learning to always expect the unexpected.

I began reading the Bible, the lives of the saints, and eventually I went to Catholic Mass daily, bombarding the priests with questions. All I did was read book after book, unable to quell my curiosity or satiate my hunger for answers. After delving into Hinduism, Buddhism, mythology, science and New Thought/New Age works, I realized I wanted nothing to do with any organized religion or church, for I discovered that religion as it currently stands is a mold that must be broken, not conformed to. (As Emerson said, "A man must consider what a rich realm he abdicates when he becomes a conformist.") What had taken root within me was far too big to be contained by any institution or structure whatsoever, for my true essence was beginning to assert itself in ways that far exceeded rituals, dusty and formulaic teachings, convoluted myths, and literal translations of Scripture. I knew I was on to something BIG.

Then through my voracious reading of reviews on Amazon I found The Cipher of Genesis by Carlo Suarès about four months ago, and just as in the jungle almost three years earlier, a bomb was planted and detonated in my psyche. I had discovered Qabala (or did Qabala discover me?), and this led me to The End of Religion, The Beginning of Self by Bruno Curfs. Nothing could have prepared me for what Curfs had accomplished and set out to share with the world. I began studying this book almost daily two months ago, and my thinking has already been altered radically. What is more, after reaching out to the author via email when I first became aware of his journey and how much it resonated with my own, we quickly began a regular correspondence in which I asked countless questions, every one of which received a thoughtful response. I had literally been drawn in first by simply reading Curfs' extended bio. As if this beautiful book wasn't a wonderful gift in itself, being exactly what I was looking for after discovering Carlo Suarès, the author became an intimate friend and confidant, helping and teaching me in ways that have allowed me to help and teach myself.

Right away the reader knows that Curfs is writing from a point on the mountain you've only imagined or read about in some less-accessible book. But some may ask, "With what authority has a mathematician set out to write such a book?" Well, considering that the Hebrew alphabet is comprised of glyphs that are letter-numbers, his background certainly comes in handy when deciphering the code of the Old Testament. What is more, Curfs has a prodigious knowledge of grammar, logic, rhetoric, science, philosophy, and he possesses an astounding intimacy with the New Testament. However, you needn't be a mathematician to understand the key to unearthing the deeper meanings in the Bible. All you need is a desire to live in earnest and a willingness to study the autiyut, or Hebrew alphabet, and there is no book more suitable to that purpose than The End of Religion, The Beginning of Self. And for those who have grown up Christian and don't think they need anything other than faith, well, what is a branch without the roots of the tree it receives life from? Jesus was a Jew who taught in Hebrew, right? When you get down to the work of digging you learn firsthand how Hebrew can't be translated, for it is far different than our languages in the West. However, Hebrew isn't just a language to be learned but an energy to be experienced, and I say this as someone who has been penetrated by the letter-numbers. Once again, studying Hebrew was even lower on my list of things I imagined doing three years ago, yet here I am like a child during show and tell declaring my love for something I want to share with anyone who will listen, especially those searching for answers to the deepest questions.

Earlier I used the term 'work of genius' to describe this book, but as you begin to understand Qabala you come to realize that Curfs is simply letting you ride shotgun on his own personal journey, all the while revealing to you that what he has accomplished doesn't set him apart from the rest of us, because he goes to great lengths to teach you how to reach the same heights and insights, but in your own unique way. Curfs is a trailblazer, and he is so smitten with love for the Bible and words in general that he's left eloquent signposts everywhere you look. But instead of trying to get everyone to follow him on the path he's discovered he shows you how to open the Scriptures with the key of Qabala so that you can forge a path of your own, beginning at the root of your own heart where your own signs and interpretations will take shape. In short, Curfs has put together a tour de force that suffices to turn every student into a teacher. Not only that, but he cheers on and awaits anyone and everyone to join him in what he describes as a "merging" of souls in the One. And while the book invites the reader to experience nothing less than the most sublime pinnacles of what it means to be an integrated human being, Curfs is not shy about pointing out the errors he made along the way, reminding us that despite the tremendous love and wisdom poured into the pages of this book, he is a man who possesses no small amount of integrity and humility. The determination with which Curfs pursued his lifelong desire to know God is outstripped only by his determination to share his beautiful and immensely important journey with the rest of us.

How many times have you been inspired by a book penned by some "guru", "ascended master" or "realized soul" only to find yourself searching for the next book everyone recommends to those on the spiritual path? How many "spiritual" books have you devoured that promise to teach you the supposed secrets to finding love, better health, prosperity, or the life of your dreams? Curfs' book makes no claims whatsoever other than teaching the secret wisdom of the Hebrew alphabet, and yet what that wisdom reveals is in fact the key to realizing your dreams by showing you how to resolve the confusion and remove all the barriers that prevent you from achieving everything you've ever wanted in life, all the while assuring you that the life you were meant to live is here and now. In short, Curfs' book is a wake-up call that allows one to emerge from the dream and enter into Life, thereby making the reader both the giver and recipient of the greatest gift of all: the Love of Self. All you have to do is The Work, which is mapped out for you in terms that have been right under our noses for a few thousand years! But be warned: this book will open you to interpretations of the Bible far more profound—and applicable—than anything you've ever encountered. Studying this book will change you in ways you never even dreamed of.

I've probably read more than a thousand reviews on Amazon over the years, and while I owe countless reviewers for directing me to books that were extremely helpful on my own quest, I never once wrote a review of the innumerable works that eventually led me to Bruno Curfs. However, of all those books I poured through since my awakening in the Amazon three years ago, The End of Religion, The Beginning of Self is by far the most significant and powerful of all, for it helped me to unlock the mystery of the Bible, which is nothing less than a map of the human psyche and therefore a key to the emancipation of man. There is no book I can recommend more highly than this one, and I will be more than happy to respond personally to anyone who would like further information about why I stand so firmly behind this work and its author.

Do you desire real change in your life? Are you curious about your true origin and destiny? Have you ever wanted to learn the laws behind the creation of reality? Do you wish to be made whole? Are you hungry for the bread of the ultimate Mystery? Have you ever wanted to discover the true key to the Scriptures? Do you want to uncover the true teaching of Jesus free from ecclesiastical pap? Are you curious about the deeper significance of Adam and Eve, the serpent, Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Jacob, Samson and Delilah? Do you want to understand the true purpose of Peter and Judas? All this, and much more, is waiting for you, and since this book provides the very key to deciphering the Scriptures as they were meant to be understood, you will have all you need to continue digging deeper for the rest of your life.

If you find any of this hard to believe, let it be known that I would have been equally, if not more, pessimistic—and—derisive - only a few years back. And yet that is one of the many changes that Qabala has provoked in my life - perpetual change and evolution, inside and out, to the point where I am truly alive and growing after so many years of wallowing in a rut I blamed others for creating, though I now take full responsibility for my past, present and future, conscious of my own creative powers and what is truly at stake here and now. I consider this work a gift to humanity, and both the book and its author have given me more than I ever expected. And so I say to you, expect the unexpected; believe in the power you possess within. Trust that indefinable feeling in the fathomless depth of your being that tells you that the world we live in is indeed absolutely magical, that Love is all there truly is, that Life Eternal is our birthright. Bring the Bible back to life and become the Resurrection. There is a reason you've come across this review, just as I came across so many in my own pursuit leading up to this book. I assure you this is a book you will cherish and eventually review yourself down the road so that others can also experience the beauty of returning home, here and now.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God - John 1:1

This book is priceless. Read it and you'll see what I mean.

Peter Sukosky
psukosky@yahoo.com

BlueInk Review
[Excerpts]
Unlike such languages as Italian, French, German, or English, whose primary function is informational, Hebrew has always been venerated as sacred--the living, breathing, and mysterious voice of God. In The End of Religion, The Beginning of Self, author Bruno Curfs seeks to explore the profound and enigmatic nature of the Hebrew alphabet in an effort to unlock sacred wisdom.

Mixing Talmudic and Midrashic teachings with Christian theology and Qabalah, Curfs examines each of the 22 Hebrew letters–-from aleph to tav-–and explains each letter's meaning, its corresponding number, and its use in scripture. What the author seems most interested in is exploring the dual nature and paradox that lies at the heart of these Semitic symbols. For example, the letter cheyt, according to Curfs represents the memory and knowledge; aleph, life and death. For the author, acknowledging the tension between these dichotomies [ . . . ] can lead all of us to a new level of consciousness and lasting peace.

Curfs' book is interesting, ambitious (sans back matter it clocks in at over 670 pages) and dense. It has a certain rambling, free spirit of inquiry that is overall endearing; his poetic voice and insights are appealing.

"A bold idea of a book."