"Santo Daime: A New World Religion" deals with a young, exotic and controversial religious movement. Emerging in the Brazilian Amazon in the 1930s, Santo Daime has since spread to many of the world's major cities. Santo Daime is a mixture of indigenous, popular Catholic, Afro-Brazilian, esoteric, Spiritist, and new age beliefs and activities. Ritual practice is centred on the consumption of a psychotropic beverage called 'Daime' which members believe enhances their interaction with the supernatural world. Because Daime is treated as an illegal narcotic in many parts of the world, outside of its Brazilian homeland most Santo Daime rituals are practised clandestinely. This book unites extensive fieldwork experience with an established theoretical background and makes a significant contribution to understanding the contemporary interface of religion and late-modern society. Individualization and religious subjectivism, pluralization and religious hybridism, transformation and detraditionalization, globalization and religious identity, and commoditization and religious consumption are among the many issues engaged by this book. "Santo Daime: A New World Religion" is an accessible and multi-disciplinary book suitable for undergraduate students and researchers working in Religious Studies, Sociology of Religion, Anthropology, Cultural Studies and Latin American Studies.

Shawn wrote this book based upon his life experiences as a struggling business owner trying to remain spiritually grounded in 2013. His personal relations with an angel appearing as his ex-girlfriend had a profound impact on his life. He felt driven to share this unique story with the world. He lives eight months out of the year in Homer Glen, Illinois. The extended winter months, he lives at different locations in Hawaii. His personal life is always an adventure. He enjoys spending time with the angels, while doing his best to stay on a clairvoyant path. Dream and reality merge, and "Dreamality" forms while experiencing God's pace in his life.

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

Magic is usually defined as a non-modern phenomenon, contrasted with modern rationalism and science. However, the idea of magic has remained persistent in scholarly discourse throughout history from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment and beyond. This volume explores how the notion of magic is articulated and theorised in the writing of history. Departing from writing "about" magic in history, this volume addresses magic as it relates to the trajectories of intellectual history as a whole, with particular reference to a diverse series of case studies in thought about magic. The author also engages with the history and philosophy of science; operating within this framework, the author argues that magic has always been figured as "medieval" in the formulation of the discourses of modernity, and that thinking or writing about magic has engendered multiple epistemological crises. Through these controversies, the idea of magic and the occult has profoundly unsettled the understanding of history in Western culture. The resulting study is an investigation of the implications of magic (and the study of magic) for intellectual history.

We all desire to live truer, happier and more meaningful lives; yet, many of us are uncertain how exactly to go about achieving enduring success and happiness. In her guidebook "Awaken and Unleash Your Victor," author Ogor Winnie Okoye shares time-tested principles, personal experiences, and dynamic strategies in order to help others awaken and unleash their inner victor.

In the wake of a miscarriage, a crumbling marriage, and a life overrun by immense stress and worry, Ogor Winnie Okoye was surprised to discover that the secret to enduring self-contentment, and triumph was buried deep within her soul. While relying on what she learned on her own journey of self-discovery, Ogor Winnie Okoye shares the victor-driven principles that will assist others in not only transforming their lives for the better, but also in helping to positively change and impact the world around them. Self-fulfillment and happiness seekers can learn how to

face fear and stop worrying about what others think;

embrace strengths and acknowledge weaknesses;

change negative thinking patterns;

attract positive and inspiring sensations;

manifest desires and goals.

"Awaken and Unleash Your Victor" shares inspiring advice that will encourage anyone to step out of the normal and onto a courageous path toward self-improvement.