This book explores philosophical theories which in the Renaissance provided an interpretation of nature, of its laws and exceptions and, lastly, of man's capacity to dominate the cosmos by way of natural magic or by magical ceremonies. It does not concentrate on the Hermetic and Neoplatonic philosophers (Ficino, Pico, Della Porta), or on the relationship between magic and the scientific revolution, but rather upon the interference of the ideas and practices of learned magicians with popular rites and also with witchcraft, a most important question for social and religious history. New definitions of magic put forward by certain unorthodox and "wandering scholastics" (Trithemius, Agrippa, Paracelsus, Bruno) will interest readers of Renaissance and Reformation texts and history.

This new edition of Magick from Aiwass Books includes annotations shedding light on this challenging text. First published in Liber ABA (Part II), Aleister Crowley's dark masterpiece Magick is essential reading for students of Thelema and the occult. This guide to the principle tenets of black magic is a concise version of the more dense four-book magnum opus Liber ABA or 'Book 4' and is recommended to initiates.

Have you ever watched the evening news and wondered why there is so much pain and destruction in our world? Have you ever wondered why so many bad things happen to seemingly good people, perhaps yourself?

So often, when something bad happens, it appears to be nothing more than meaningless suffering. But, what if your challenging experiences were actually loaded with hidden meaning, meaning that you yourself selected before you were even conceived? Could it be that you are the sole entity responsible for your circumstances, that no other source is to blame for your current state of affairs? We plan our life challenges before birth in a process called pre-birth planning, not for the mere principle of enduring pain, but for the personal growth that it affords our soul. Thus, human suffering has the noble purpose of teaching compassion as we each travel our own spiritual path.

Giving meaning to our suffering is vital to our growth as a whole. Understanding the adversity in our lives leads to personal acceptance, freedom and fulfillment. Feelings of fear, anger and resentment are replaced with the motivation to extract as much meaning as possible from each earthly experience. This shift removes us from the victim role and places us in the driver's seat of our own lives.

Based on her personal search for life's meaning, Judy Binda's anthropological research on spirituality led her to write this ethnography. Without God's presence in her life, she would never have been able to overcome the many challenges she faced in her dual journey to grow both as a human being and a spiritual being.

In the first part of this work, through her encounters, Judy learns that her own spiritual path was mirrored in that of her contributors. She engages her applied research in the second part of her study in integrating traditional medicine and healers into Western clinics, in order to find solutions to improve the wellness of people and encourage Native spiritualism as a way of life. These ethnographic studies-conducted with those who walk their Native spiritual journey as spiritual seekers and the traditional medicine people and healers who have the ability to heal through spiritual guidance, traditional practices, and medicines-offer richness and benefits for those seeking different paths to wellness.

The supernatural has become extraordinarily popular in literature, television, and film. Vampires, zombies, werewolves, witches, and wizard have become staples of entertainment industries, and many of these figures have received extensive critical attention. But one figure has remained in the shadows - the female ghost. Inherently liminal, often literally invisible, the female ghost has nevertheless appeared in all genres. Subversive Spirits: The Female Ghost in British and American Popular Culture brings this figure into the light, exploring her cultural significance in a variety of media from 1926 to 2014. Robin Roberts argues that the female ghost is well worth studying for what she can tell us about feminine subjectivity in cultural contexts. Subversive Spirits examines appearances of the female ghost in heritage sites, theater, Hollywood film, literature, and television in the United States and the United Kingdom. What holds these disparate female ghosts together is their uncanny ability to disrupt, illuminate, and challenge gendered assumptions. As with other supernatural figures, the female ghost changes over time, especially responding to changes in gender roles. Roberts's analysis begins with comedic female ghosts in literature and film and moves into horror by examining the successful play The Woman in Black and the legend of the weeping woman, La Llorona. Roberts then situates the canonical works of Maxine Hong Kingston and Toni Morrison in the tradition of the female ghost to explore how the ghost is used to portray the struggle and pain of women of color. Roberts further analyzes heritage sites that use the female ghost as the friendly and inviting narrator for tourists. The book concludes with a comparison of the British and American versions of the television hit Being Human, where the female ghost expands her influence to become a mother and savior to all humanity.

This book focuses on Abraham Abulafia's esoteric thought in relation to Maimonides, Maimonideans, and Islamic thought in the line of Leo Strauss' theory of the history of philosophy. A survey of Abulafia's sources leads into an analysis of the esoteric meaning on the famous parable of the three rings, considering also the possible connection between this parable, which Abdulafia inserted into a book dedicated to his student, the 13th century rabbi Nathan the wise, and the Lessing's Play "Nathan the Wise." The book also examines Abulafia's universalistic understanding of the nature of the Bible, the Hebrew language, and the people of Israel (or the Sinaic revelation). The universal aspects of Abulafia's thought have been put in relief against the more widespread Kabbalistic views which are predominantly particularistic. A number of texts have also been identified here for the first time as authored by Abulafia.

Part of the enduring fascination of the Salem witch trials is the fact that, to date, no one theory has been able to fully explain the events that ravaged Salem in 1692. Countless causes, from ergot-infected rye to actual demonic posession, have been offered to explain why the accusations and erratic behavior of seven village girls left hundreds accused, over 20 dead, and the townspeople of eastern Massachusetts shaken. Through a multitude of resources, this authoritative source explores this tumultuous episode in early American history, including the religious and political climate of Puritan New England; the testimony and examinations given at the trials; the accusers and their relationships to the accused; major interpretations of the events, from the 17th century to the present day; and the aftermath of the trials and their impact on later generations. This jam-packed documentary and reference guide includes: Five thematic essays exploring the event, including historical background, interpretations, and aftermath biographical sketches of every major player involved in the trials, from ministers to afflicted girls fifty primary document excerpts, including petitions, letters, and revealing trial testimony a chronology of events an annotated bibliography of print and nonprint sources for further research a glossary of key names, terms, and language used at the trials over 25 photos of depictions and historical sites A must-have for any student of American history, this resource gives a unique glimpse into the 17th century politics, religious culture, and gender issues that created the Salem witchcraft episode, and gives context to an impact that still resonates today, in everythingfrom modern political life to popular culture.

This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It contains classical literature works from over two thousand years. Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of international literature classics available in printed format again - worldwide.

This book spotlights individual expressions of atheist, agnostic, and secular humanist opinion-both public and private-to shed light on the phenomenon of religious disbelief throughout history and across cultures. Voices of Unbelief: Documents from Atheists and Agnostics is the first anthology to provide comprehensive, annotated readings on atheism and unbelief expressly for high school and college students. This diverse compilation brings together letters, essays, diary entries, book excerpts, blogs, monologues, and other writings by atheists and agnostics, both through the centuries and across continents and cultures. Unlike most other anthologies of atheist writings, the collection goes beyond public proclamations of well-known individuals to include the personal voices of unbelievers from many walks of life. While readers will certainly find excerpts from the published canon here, they will also discover personal documents that testify to the experience of living outside of the religious mainstream. The book presents each document in its historical context, enriched with an introduction, key questions, and activities that will help readers understand the past and navigate current controversies revolving around religious belief. Documents include book and diary excerpts, letters, blogs, and video and radio scripts, bringing historical settings and individual lives into focus A chronology helps place the writings and writers in history and in relation to each other

This handbook provides a comprehensive survey of current scholarship on Anabaptist and Spiritualist history and theology from 1521 to 1700. Since the last half of the twentieth century, the historiography of the Radical Reformation has been the focus of vigorous and creative debate. The volume-broadly cast in terms of geographic scope and topical coverage-carefully untangles the fluid boundaries of Spiritualism and Anabaptism in Early Modern European history. In addition to a narrative summary, each chapter also provides a bibliography of sources and current scholarship, and concludes with suggestions for future research. This handbook will serve a generation of students as the standard reference work on Anabaptism and Spiritualism. Contributors include: Geoffrey Dipple, Michael Driedger, Hans-Jurgen Goertz, Brad Gregory, Sigrun Haude, Ralf Kloetzer, John D. Rempel, John D. Roth, Martin Rothkegel, C. Arnold Snyder, James Stayer, Piet Visser, and R. Emmet McLaughlin. Originally published in hardcover.