The Conquest of Anxiety

Fear and anxiety are likely to affect every one of us at some point in our lives, hindering our ability to live fully and to interact well with others. In this book Eugene Halliday offers practical exercises through which we can begin to overcome this difficult state of mind and learn to live a more whole and positive life. The author places this problem within the context of a comprehensive holistic and spiritual approach to life.

In his book “The Conquest of Anxiety” Eugene Halliday deals with the fact that a state of fear and anxiety is present, to some extent, in the minds of all people of this world. Here he offers a way to overcome this negative state of mind, which, whether consciously or unconsciously, hinders our interaction with the world and our fellow human beings. He shows the underlying logic of our problem and gives practical exercises – a step by step process – which is clearly explained to the reader. This is most welcome in today’s fraught emotional, social and political climate.

Eugene Halliday’s “Collected Works”, a series of fifteen books, contain a complex of ideas set in relation to each other in such a way that a consistent and logical flow leads the reader from the beginning right through to the end of the series. This complex, based on one main leading idea to which all other ideas relate harmoniously, forms a consistent whole, as one body made of many parts.

Halliday’s books are unusual in that they deal not only with more than one idea per book, or per chapter, but even with one or more ideas per sentence. In “The Conquest of Anxiety” he sets out in the first place to define the terms which he uses in the book, thus preventing the usual confusion of undefined terms found so often in general discourse. This is most helpful for those seeking to attain a consistent state of mind, able to reflect the things of this world and of the next in their true form, where all are related to each other. For the reader who loves truth and consistency this book is a very helpful companion on the way to a truly happy life.

“Conquest of Anxiety” has been translated into German by Christian Handschug, and published as “Die Eroberung der Angst” (2017).

Christian Philosophy

“We are going to study Christian Philosophy. But before we do so, we will first shortly define the difference between Christian philosophy, philosophy in general, and science. … Christian Philosophy derives its authority, not from masses of scientific information gained by using our physical sense organs, nor from ideas assumed to be basic in the human mind. Christian philosophy rests on the words spoken by Jesus Christ. Only that philosophy which can be shown to derive logically from Christ’s words can legitimately be said to be Christian. Let us examine some of the words of Jesus and draw from them the basic truths of Christian philosophy.” Eugene Halliday.

 The first instalment of Through the Bible by Eugene Halliday was published in St Michael’s Church Magazine in July, 1980, and continued in monthly instalments without a break, until Part 78 in December, 1986. As Eugene Halliday died in July 1987, it is possible that Through the Bible was his last major piece of writing. The complete series of 78 instalments was subsequently edited by David Mahlowe and published in four hardback editions as Volume 7 of the Collected Works of Eugene Halliday (The Melchisedec Press, 1994 – 1997).

 Eugene Halliday employed an hermeneutic approach in writing Through the Bible. He spoke in his lectures of four levels of interpretation: literal, allegorical, homiletic (moral) and mystical. He said, many times, that “The Bible is a book in code”, by which he meant that it was not to be taken literally.

Contributions from a Potential Corpse

“Contributions from a Potential Corpse” was written by Eugene Halliday between the 1950s and the 1980s. In his Foreword Halliday writes “What drives me incessantly to think, to read, to write? The will to love. Nietzsche says “the will to power”. But I say that the will to power is perverted love, and that love wills to love, and that love is work for the development of the functional potentialities of being, infinitely.” Chapter One opens with a meditation on the meaning of death containing a very positive message. The first five chapters of Book 1 are an excellent ‘primer’ of Halliday’s teaching. Subsequent sections of the book are aphoristic, a series of meditations on many topics of profound esoteric interest. Book 2 was written in the mid-1970s and contains many graphic illustrations – Halliday was an artist, and used his pen to sketch as well as to write, his diagrams clearly illuminating his writings. Book 3 opens with “Ecclesia Para Hexon”, a favourite concept of the author’s: the body of faithful souls who worship the God of gods. The second part returns to shorter aphoristic writings, the whole illustrated with diagrams. Book 4 continues in aphoristic form covering many and various topics. The four volumes are a manual of self-development for Everyman and Everywoman, a unique treasury of wisdom. David Mahlowe, Halliday’s close friend and Editor wrote “To have dwelt within the ambience of this work has been a crown experience. May it be to you, Dear Reader, as great a sourcebook of perennial wisdom as its author was and is to all who love him”.