Historically, the decades just before and after the advent of Christ created remarkable surges of insight and mysticism. Over four decades before the beginning of Christianity, there was a small island (Samothrace) in the Aegean Sea where many renowned mystics resided. The mysteries of the human spirit, its relation to the body, philosophy, and ethical doctrines were all explored in great depth.

William Samuel was a legend who lived life with all the gusto of an adventurer in an epic film. During the Second World War, he commanded OSS troops in China and led an army infantry company in some of the Korean war's fiercest battles. He loved birds, plants, trees, arrowheads and every aspect of wildlife. A prolific writer of metaphysics, Samuel was also a beloved spiritual teacher, with students scattered throughout the world.

The fakir, Sai Baba of Shirdi, is one of India's great contemporary holy men. Though the details of his life are obscure, and he had no specific teaching, the light of his Realization deeply touched people from many faiths. Very little is known about the early life of Sai Baba. He suddenly appeared in the town of Shirdi in 1872. No one quite knew why he chose this simple township. He wandered around the town, often sleeping under a neem tree at night and ate whatever kind-hearted people gave him.