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lLD-UOURNAL, _RELIGIONReligion n470-2265Saturday,Pages A7-Store stocksunusual arrayof religioustitlesBy Mary HedglonStaff WriterBlack Magic books are banned from the Seven Rays Book Store.But customers with an interest in just about every other unusual religious philosophy will probably find what they're looking for — from astrology to Zoroastrianism, from Chritian mysticism to the occult.The ban on Black Magic is to safeguard innocent persons from destructive rituals detailed in the volumes, said shop owner David Davis.They have rituals to evoke fallen angels, and we don’t want that, he said.The shelves at 508 Westcott St. are packed with a selection on Zen Buddhism, Celtic religious customs, ancient Jewish mysticism, Hawaiian mythology, the Theosophical Society - based on Brahmanie and Buddhistic teachings -and others.A sampling of titles includes “The Lazy Man’s Guide to Death and Dying,” ‘Don’t Look Before You Leap,” “The Secret Doctrines of Jesus” ana “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind.”The Bible and the Koran are available, along with religious classics such as “Dark Night of the Soul” and Thomas Merton’s “Seven Story Mountain. But familiar titles are outnumbered by hard-to-find books, Davis said.“We have people who travel hundreds of miles,” he said, calling Seven Rays the largest store of its genre within a 300-mile radius of Syracuse.In the 1970s, Davis came to Syracuse as a religious brother of the Holy Order of MANS and participated in missionary work on the South Side. The non-deno-minational order is based on the teachings of Jesus, he said.In 1977, he left the order and opened Seven Rays in its first location, 827 E. Genesee StThe shop moved to more spacious quarters on Westcott Street three months ago.Davis said he continues to practice Christianity, but only occasionally visits the local Holy Order of MANS commuDavid Davis displays his wares at Syracuse's Seven Bays BookstoreMefaJd-Journal photo by David Weesnity house. It’s vital for him to retain religious neutrality as Seven Rays’ owner, he said.We recognize the validity of all reli-. gions. People can choose. We’re not teaching one religious line here. There’s a lot of responsibility in this,” said Davis, who runs the store with his wife, Alima.If book publishers had their way, he said, Seven Rays and other book outlets would feature the bestsellers.They try to make the mind of the country,” said Davis.Publishers are pushing profitable books on the occult, a popular topic currently, he said.But, a look between the jacket reveals most are sloppily prepared, Davis said. I really shy away from that stuff, and weed out the junk.”Born Jewish, Davis said he studiedmany religions, including Hinduism, before converting to Christianity.Now content with his religious beliefs, Davis said he only skims books sold at Seven Rays.“People read the books and I read the people,’’ said Davis, a practicing astrologer who said he is now studying the “cos-, mic analogies” of computers.There’s a science in guiding people — without interfering — to the books they want, he said.Seven Rays’ sound system coddles the ears with meditative Gregorian chants. Incense wafts through the air.The walls have been painted hght yellow — the color of intuition, according to Davis.The store carries hundreds of used religious books, along with a stock catering to topics like biofeedback, herbolojry andscience.The name of the store was chosen with care, Davis said. Seven is a number that pops up repeatedly in religion and nature, he said. He cited the seven days of creation, the seven continents and the seven colors of the rainbow.Some customers begin browsing at Seven Rays when an interest in the afterlife is triggered by the death of someone close to them or fear of atomic destruction, he said.Members of uncommon sects and persons with interests in little-known religious practices are perhaps Seven Rays' steadiest customers, Davis said.Besides finding the book they’re after, customers at Seven Rays find a place where they can tap into a network of people with uncommon religious interests, Davis said.
Newspaper Details
Syracuse Herald Journal
Syracuse, New York, US
Sat, Aug 11, 1984
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Onondaga C.
NY, USA 19 Jul 2023
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