While camped by the frozen Danube River defending his empire against invading "barbarian tribes," Marcus Aurelius, emperor of Rome from A.D. 161 to 180 and one of the most influential of the Stoic philosophers, inscribed his thoughts on the right way to live. Written as a personal diary for spiritual development, his "meditations," as they have been called, were not meant for publication or posterity, yet the Golden Emperor's insights on all aspects of the human condition have provided inspiration and guidance for more than eighteen centuries.

Now, after nearly two thousand years, Mark Forstater has adapted the ideas and principles relevant to the Roman world of the second century and made them accessible to twenty-first-century readers. Selecting key meditations, or teachings, he offers a contemporary reinterpretation of this influential philosopher. "Marcus Aurelius's truth remains alive, and the clarity of his mind and being filters down to us almost undiminished by time. We can see mirrored our own attempts to deal with whatever life throws at us without letting ourselves be overcome by the pain and despair that often accompanies life on earth," Forstater explains.

Conveniently arranged into eight thematic sections that will appeal to readers searching for spiritual and philosophical guidance, The Spiritual Teachings of Marcus Aurelius is a book that can be dipped into to find new thoughts or consolations, or can be read according to subject, to reflect on the events that are happening in one's life and how to handle them. Dealing with topics from hope, tolerance, and self-sufficiency to change, greed, and discipline, and from reason, courage, and the nature of good and evil to ambition, civility, and man's position in the universe, this powerful, moving work explores the questions we all have and offers the answers we all need to perfect our souls and better our lives today and every day.

Forstater writes: "Marcus was writing from the heart, and his words vibrate in our souls.... We read him as if he were a contemporary figure, as indeed everyone who lives and writes the truth will always remain timely. Fashions may change, and technology may generate newer and more different societies than ever existed before, but the core of our being stays the same, and the truth of life is always one." A wondrous, illuminating work that can be revisited for years to come, The Spiritual Teachings of Marcus Aurelius offers profound wisdom for all ages about attaining and living a more authentic life.