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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Alternative belief systems
The American Southwest is home to dozens of ghost towns with
fascinating histories and active spirits. This book shares the
captivating spirit communications conducted by Dan Baldwin and
Dwight and Rhonda Hull, who use pendulums and psychic abilities to
help ghosts pass to the other side. Discover the secret spirits of
the Courtland Jail in Cochise County, Arizona. Learn about the
tragic fate of the miners in the Santa Rita Mountains. Feel the
thrill of the investigators conversation with the ghost of Mattie
Earp, the common-law wife of the famous Tombstone lawman. Speaking
with the Spirits of the Old Southwest is filled with spine-tingling
stories and fascinating historical insights into one of the most
spiritually active regions of the world.
As human beings, we have a great longing for community, to feel
part of something. Despite this apparent need, the opposite
tendency is evident everywhere: a growing individualism leading to
the breakdown of relationships, conflict and war. How can we
connect meaningfully with our fellow human beings and build
successful communities, whilst also cultivating a healthy
individuality? Karl Koenig considered that finding answers to these
questions was one of the central tasks of anthroposophy, as well as
its greatest potential downfall. Seventy years ago, he founded the
Camphill Movement as a search for social renewal and healing from
new sources. As part of a growing dialogue between people within
and outside of Camphill, a conference called Community Building in
the Light of Michael took place at the Goetheanum in 2009. The
contributions in this book originate from there; contributors
include Cornelius Pietzner, Virginia Sease, Penelope
Roberts-Baring, Sergei Prokofieff, Peter Selg and Bodo von Plato.
This book is the first comprehensive examination of the ethical
parameters of paganism when considered as a world religion
alongside Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. The
issues of evil, value and idolatry from a pagan perspective are
analyzed as part of the Western ethical tradition from the Sophists
and Platonic schools through the philosophers Spinoza, Hume, Kant
and Nietzsche to such contemporary thinkers as Grayling, Mackie,
MacIntyre, Habermas, Levinas, Santayana, etc. From a more practical
viewpoint, a delineation of applied pagan ethics is then presented
in connection with current moral issues such as same-sex union,
recreational drugs, environmental awareness, abortion and
terrorism. Finally, overviews of sectarian pagan ethics (Shinto,
Santeria, Heathenism, Druidry, Romuva, Slavic, Kemeticism,
Classical and Wicca) provide both the general and pagan reader with
an understanding of the provocative range and differentiation of
pagan ethical thought. The book approaches the Western ethical
tradition as an historical development and a continuing dialogue.
The novelty of this approach lies in its consideration of paganism
as a legitimate voice of religious spirituality rather than a
satanic aberration or ridiculous childish behavior. The book is
aimed at both the contemporary Western pagan and anyone with an
interest in the moral dilemmas of our times and the desire to
engage in the global ethical discussion. Among the more important
features of the book are its presentation of a re-evaluation of
idolatry, the notion of the virtue value, the richness of the pagan
tradition, and the expansion of Western ethics beyond its Christian
heritage.
Historians as well as anthropologists have contributed to this
volume of studies on aspects of witchcraft in a variety of cultures
and periods from Tudor England to twentieth-century Africa and New
Guinea. Contributors include: Mary Douglas, Norman Cohn, Peter
Brown, Keith Thomas, Alan Macfarlane, Alison Redmayne, R.G. Willis,
Edwin Ardener, Robert Brain, Julian Pitt-Rivers, Esther Goody,
Peter Rivi re, Anthony Forge, Godfrey Lienhardt, I.M. Lewis, Brian
Spooner, G.I. Jones, Malcolm Ruel and T.O. Beidelman. First
published in 1970.
Chosen for their powerful symbolism, the illustrations in this book
range from the myths and legends of the ancient world to the icons
used in modern culture and science. You will discover the
fascinating origins and meanings of over 500 signs and symbols,
from the secrets of the Maya calendar to demon-summoning seals and
secretive symbols of the hermetic orders. Divided into seven
thematic sections - astrology; the natural world; sacred writings;
alchemy, numerology and sacred geometry; magic; demonology; and the
western esoteric tradition - this decoding guide is the ultimate
resource for unlocking the secret language of signs and symbols for
the modern occultist.
Contents: a packet for Ezra Pound; stories of Michael Robartes and
his friends: an extract from a record made by his pupils; phases of
moon; great wheel; completed symbol; soul in judgment; great year
of ancients; dove or swan; all soul's night, an epilogue. With many
figures and illustrations.
Demonology - the intellectual study of demons and their powers -
contributed to the prosecution of thousands of witches. But how
exactly did intellectual ideas relate to prosecutions? Recent
scholarship has shown that some of the demonologists' concerns
remained at an abstract intellectual level, while some of the
judges' concerns reflected popular culture. This book brings
demonology and witch-hunting back together, while placing both
topics in their specific regional cultures. The book's chapters,
each written by a leading scholar, cover most regions of Europe,
from Scandinavia and Britain through to Germany, France and
Switzerland, and Italy and Spain. By focusing on various
intellectual levels of demonology, from sophisticated demonological
thought to the development of specific demonological ideas and
ideas within the witch trial environment, the book offers a
thorough examination of the relationship between demonology and
witch-hunting. Demonology and Witch-Hunting in Early Modern Europe
is essential reading for all students and researchers of the
history of demonology, witch-hunting and early modern Europe.
Islam in France is often regarded as a political 'issue' and much
of the scholarly and public debates about Islam in contemporary
France over the last three decades have concentrated on the
supposedly 'antagonistic' relationship between France, Islam and
its Muslims. Against such a troubled backdrop, however, this book
looks at the ways in which certain prominent French Muslim
intellectuals seek to articulate a vision of multi-faith
co-existence, which embraces a critical secularism, and which
simultaneously draw on religious and secular humanist traditions.
Intellectuals have historically played a major part in French
public life, yet relatively little is known about the work of
Abdelwahab Meddeb, Malek Chebel, Leila Babes, Dounia Bouzar and
Abdennour Bidar, whose writings and public interventions this book
examines. Secularism, Islam and public intellectuals in
contemporary France will be of particular interest to specialists,
undergraduate and post-graduate students working across the
Humanities and Social Sciences from disciplines such as Francophone
Studies, Anthropology, Religious Studies or Sociology. -- .
Using south-western England as a focus for considering the
continued place of witchcraft and demonology in provincial culture
in the period between the English and French revolutions, Barry
shows how witch-beliefs were intricately woven into the fabric of
daily life, even at a time when they arguably ceased to be of
interest to the educated.
Men and masculinities are still inadequately incorporated into the
historiography of early modern witch trials, despite the fact that
20-25% of all accused 'witches' were male. This book redresses this
imbalance by making men the focus of the gender analysis and also
covers the issue of regional variation in the gendering of witch
persecution.
This personal yet scholarly journey into the confusing and
clandestine world of ritual abuse survivors sheds light on their
catastrophic experiences and their efforts to heal afterward.
Revised, updated, and expanded, this third edition of a classic
study is one of the most authoritative and evenhanded volumes to
tackle its hotly debated subject matter. Incorporating the authors'
firsthand observations, the book provides historical,
anthropological, and psychological context for contemporary reports
of both ritual abuse and ritual crime. In addition to sharing
patient vignettes and a history of cult and ritual abuse in
society, the authors explore fascinating topics related to these
practices, among them what triggers personality shifts for victims
even many years after the abuse has stopped. Importantly, the book
shows how ritual abuse affects society as a whole, influencing
civil and criminal law, politics, legislation, social movements,
social welfare, and psychological theory. It provides unique
insights into the scientific study, forensic investigation, and
implementation of social services for survivors of cult and ritual
abuse, discusses new research and treatment strategies, and
establishes the foundation for a psychological diagnosis to be
called Cult and Ritual Trauma Disorder. Features recalled histories
of ritual abuse and vignettes of patients who have experienced
dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple
personality disorder) Discusses techniques used to create and
manipulate altered states of consciousness Explores how media
sensationalizes and inaccurately depicts ritual abuse Critiques the
argument that ritual abuse stories are the result of false memories
and advances the idea that reports of ritual abuse are understated
Expresses the position that clinicians have an ethical duty to
achieve competence in recognizing and treating the psychological
effects of ritual abuse Concludes that clinicians, lawmakers, law
enforcement, social services personnel, journalists, and others
need to treat allegations of ritual abuse seriously and evaluate
each report on its own merits
This textbook demonstrates the relevance and importance of humanism
as a non-religious worldview. Each chapter includes a helpful
pedagogy including a general overview, case studies, suggestions
for further reading, and discussion questions. Making this the
ideal textbook for students approaching the topic for the first
time. The textbook explores controversial topics that will
instigate debate such as human rights, sexuality, relationship
between science, humanism and religion, abortion, euthanasia, war
and non-human life.
"A fascinating theory about the origins of the witch hunt that is
sure to influence future historians. . . . a valuable probe of how
myths can feed hysteria." --The Washington Post Book World "An
imaginative reconstruction of what might have been Tituba's past."
--Times Literary Supplement "A fine example of readable
scholarship." --Baltimore Sun In this important book, Elaine
Breslaw claims to have rediscovered Tituba, the elusive,
mysterious, and often mythologized Indian woman accused of
witchcraft in Salem in 1692 and immortalized in Arthur Miller's The
Crucible. Reconstructing the life of the slave woman at the center
of the notorious Salem witch trials, the book follows Tituba from
her likely origins in South America to Barbados, forcefully
dispelling the commonly-held belief that Tituba was African. The
uniquely multicultural nature of life on a seventeenth- century
Barbadan sugar plantation--defined by a mixture of English,
American Indian, and African ways and folklore--indelibly shaped
the young Tituba's world and the mental images she brought with her
to Massachusetts. Breslaw divides Tituba's story into two parts.
The first focuses on Tituba's roots in Barbados, the second on her
life in the New World. The author emphasizes the inextricably
linked worlds of the Caribbean and the North American colonies,
illustrating how the Puritan worldview was influenced by its
perception of possessed Indians. Breslaw argues that Tituba's
confession to practicing witchcraft clearly reveals her savvy and
determined efforts to protect herself by actively manipulating
Puritan fears. This confession, perceived as evidence of a
diabolical conspiracy, was the central agent in the cataclysmic
series of events that saw 19 people executed and over 150
imprisoned, including a young girl of 5. A landmark contribution to
women's history and early American history, Tituba, Reluctant Witch
of Salem sheds new light on one of the most painful episodes in
American history, through the eyes of its most crucial participant.
Elaine G. Breslaw is Adjunct Professor of History at the University
of Tennessee, Knoxville, and author of the acclaimed Tituba,
Reluctant Witch of Salem: Devilish Indians and Puritan Fantasies
(also available from NYU Press).
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