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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Non-Christian religions > Pre-Christian European & Mediterranean religions > Ancient Celtic religion
The Green Man is an ancient and popular icon of the natural world -
the very spirit of nature. Here, in this remarkable pack, his tree
wisdom and the Celtic Ogam tree alphabet combine to bring you an
oracle of immense power. The beautifully illustrated deck of 25
cards depicts each of the trees that make up this ancient Celtic
alphabet. The Green Man is present in every image - sometimes
obvious, sometimes hidden - inviting you to enter his world. You
will discover tree lore, myths and symbolism, and you will learn
the innermost meaning of each card, and how this age-old knowledge
can guide you in your life today.
The daughters of Danu has been written to encourage people
regardless of where they are on their chosen path, to excite and
encourage the reader to deepen their knowledge by inwardly asking
themselves such questions as; Who are these magical characters, and
what do they represent? Most of the ancient teaching methods were
done through metaphor, symbolism and even parable, why? Because
they work. For any beginner starting out on a Pagan learning curve,
the Pagan scene can be very confusing and even disheartening. The
key is is that once you know what questions to ask, the answers
will be all that much easier to find, and this book will give the
reader the incentive to unearth those questions. On the other hand,
for the established Pagan, this book will be a joy to read and the
roller coaster ride of an adventure that will resonate with what
they have already learned. Regardless of who you are, how old or
young, there will be something within this story that will inspire
your spirit and lift your heart.
The activities of Jesus before the start of his ministry at the age
of thirty have been the subject of much speculation. Did he travel
beyond the bounds of Palestine in his search for wisdom knowledge?
Where did he acquire the great learning which amazed those who
heard him preaching and enabled him to cross swords in debate with
Scribes and Pharisees? A number of legends suggest that Jesus
travelled to the British Isles with Joseph of Arimathea, who worked
in the tin trade. With these legends as his starting point, Gordon
Strachan uncovers a fascinating network of connections between the
Celtic world and Mediterranean culture and philosophy. Taking the
biblical image of Wisdom as the 'master craftsman', Strachan
explores the deep layers of Mystery knowledge shared between the
Judaic-Hellenic world and the northern Druids -- from the secret
geometry of masons and builders, which Jesus would have encountered
in his work as a craftsman in Palestine, to the Gematria or number
coding of the Old and New Testaments. This book is the basis of the
film documentary 'And Did Those Feet' which screened at the BFI in
London in 2010.
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Grimoire
(Paperback)
Robin Robertson
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R309
R279
Discovery Miles 2 790
Save R30 (10%)
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Longlisted for the Highland Book Prize 2020 From the author of The
Long Take, shortlisted for the Booker Prize and winner of both the
Walter Scott Prize and the Goldsmiths Prize. 'I've long admired
Robin Robertson's narrative gift . . . If you love stories, you
will love this book.' Val McDermid Like some lost chapters from the
Celtic folk tradition, Grimoire tells stories of ordinary people
caught up, suddenly, in the extraordinary: tales of violence,
madness and retribution, of second sight, witches, ghosts, selkies,
changelings and doubles, all bound within a larger mythology,
narrated by a doomed shape-changer - a man, beast or god. A
grimoire is a manual for invoking spirits. Here, Robin Robertson
and his brother Tim Robertson - whose accompanying images are as
unforgettable as cave-paintings - raise strange new forms which
speak not only of the potency of our myths and superstitions, but
how they were used to balance and explain the world and its
predicaments. From one of our most powerful lyric poets, this is a
book of curses and visions, gifts both desired and unwelcome,
characters on the cusp of their transformation - whether women
seeking revenge or saving their broken children, or men trying to
save themselves. Haunting and elemental, Grimoire is full of the
same charged beauty as the Scottish landscape - a beauty that can
switch, with a mere change in the weather, to hostility and terror.
The mythologies of the world are collective cultural dreams, and as
such should be analyzed first from cultural perspectives. How do
myths of the ancient Egyptians or Greeks, for instance, reflect the
realities of the Egyptian and Greek cultures? When compared,
however, mythologies reveal certain universal themes or motifs that
point to larger trans-cultural issues such as the place of the
human species in creation or the nature of deity as a concept.
World Mythology: A Very Short Introduction is organized around the
universal motifs. Creation, the Flood, the Hero Quest, the
Trickster/Culture Hero, the Pantheons, the High God, the Great
Goddess. Veteran mythology scholar David Leeming examines examples
of each motif from a variety of cultures-Greek, Egyptian, Norse,
American Indian, African, Polynesian, Jewish, Christian,
Hindu-treating them as reflections of the cultures that "dreamed"
them. He compares and analyzes them, exposing their universal
significance and creating a "world mythology."
This book provides an accessible, light, and spiritually thoughtful
introduction to how anyone can live and celebrate Celtic
spirituality every day of the year. Contents: * This book offers
readers from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives a
user-friendly guide into the traditions of the 'Celtic nations' -
Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Brittany, and
Galicia. This book draws on sources from throughout the Celtic
Tradition (myth, folklore, Arthurian romance, poetry, lives of the
saints, and ballads) and presents the universal spiritual
principles at the foundation of the Celtic world view.
"All myths and sagas and legends are like a shimmering veil of many
colours, stirred now and then by the wind of our desires, but still
hiding from most of us that Council of the Wise seated at the Round
Table of the Stars... But between us and them lies the gulf of our
arrogance and the mists of our unbelief." The Flaming Door is
perhaps Eleanor Merry's most famous work and made an important
contribution to the renewal of Celtic mythology. Slumbering in the
ancient sagas and legends are the secrets of initiation: when men
and women found their way through the 'flaming door', the threshold
between the physical and spiritual worlds. The book falls into two
parts: before Christ, which includes studies of The Bards, The
Cauldron of Ceridwen and Hu the Mighty; and after Christ, which
includes the Legends of Odrum, St Columba and the Legends of the
Rose and the Lily.
Following on from Healing Power of Celtic Plants, Angela Paine's
latest book covers a new range of Celtic medicinal plants which are
native to Britain, as well as a few plants, such as Sage and
Rosemary, which were introduced by the Romans. Combining the latest
scientific data on the healing properties of the herbs used by the
ancient Celts with recent archaeological discoveries, written in a
jargon-free, easy to understand narrative style and offering a
botanical description of each plant, an outline of their chemical
constituents, and advice on ways to grow, harvest, preserve and use
each plant, Healing Plants of the Celtic Druids is an essential
guide.
Harness the mythic power of the Celtic goddesses, gods, heroes and
heroines to aid your spiritual quests and magical goals. This book
explains how to use creative ritual and pathworking to align
yourself with the energy of these archetypes, whose potent images
live deep within your psyche. The book begins with an overview of
49 different types of Celtic Paganism followed today, then gives
specific instructions for evoking and invoking the energy of the
Celtic patheon to channel it toward magickal and spiritual goals
and into esbat, sabbat and life transition rituals. Three detailed
pathworking texts will take the reader on an inner journey where
they will join forces with the archetypal images of Cuchulain,
Queen Maeve and Merlin the Magician to bring their energies
directly into the reader's life. The last half of the book clearly
details the energies of over 300 Celtic deities and mythic figures
to evoke or invoke the appropriate deity to attain a specific goal.
The book should help solitary pagans who seek to expand the
boundaries of their practice to form working partnerships with the
divine.
The Celtic Book of the Dead is a 42-card oracle based on the
ancient Irish story of the Voyage of Maelduin, given here in a new
translation by Caitlin Matthews. The locations of Maelduin's voyage
form the route toward the Blessed Isles that lie west of Ireland;
for him, and for the reader, each island reveals the wonders and
challenges as he sails nearer to the heart of the Celtic
Otherworld. As with the Egyptian Book of the Dead, this oracle
gives the soul opportunities to purify, clarify, and refocus.
Filled with wonders, terrors, and transformational experiences,
each island represents a staging post on the reader's own voyage to
self-discovery. As the islands reveal gifts that can be resources
for the human condition, so too, solutions and strategies for
unknotting life's tangles may be found. The cards have three uses:
to divine the path ahead as a guide to the soul's direction, as a
way of meditation for personal and environmental healing, and as a
Book of the Dead for the dying. This oracle offers a grown-up
method of divination and meditation, based on an ancient
northwestern European tradition.
The first and only Druidic book of spells, rituals, and practice.
The Druid Magic Handbook is the first manual of magical practice in
Druidry, one of the fastest growing branches of the Pagan movement.
The book breaks new ground, teaching Druids how to practice ritual
magic for practical and spiritual goals within their own tradition.
What sets The Druid Magic Handbook apart is that it does not
require the reader to use a particular pantheon or set of symbols.
Although it presents one drawn from Welsh Druid tradition, it also
shows the reader how to adapt rites and other practices to fit the
deities and symbols most meaningful to them. This cutting edge
system of ritual magic can be used by Druids, Pagans, Christians,
and Thelemites alike!
* The first manual of Druidic magical practice ever, replete with
spell work and rituals.
* John Michael Greer is a highly respected authority on all aspects
of Paganism.
In this practical and inspiring celebration of the festivals of the
Celtic seasonal Wheel of the Year, Danu draws on her many years of
personal practice and teaching to skilfully revive the ancient
rituals and traditions of all eight festivals - Imbolc, Spring
Equinox, Beltane, Summer Solstice, Lughnasadh, Autumn Equinox,
Samhain and Winter Solstice - helping you weave a more soulful,
nature-centred way of living into your everyday existence.
Throughout the book, beautiful illustrations in the Celtic style
capture the special atmosphere of each festival.* Learn to call
upon the deities to support and assist you in your journey* Explore
Celtic starlore to glean spiritual insights from the heavens* Make
meaningful gifts for friends and family* Cast spells for
creativity, fertility and blessing* Decorate your home with crafts
and altars to manifest sacred space* Use the abundance of nature in
recipes for self-healing and for delicious feasts* Explore the
deeper meanings of the festivals through magical guided
visualizations
The first modern study of prehistoric religion in Ireland to draw
on the combined evidence of archaeology, literature and folklore to
illuminate practice and belief from the earliest human habitation
in the island down to the advent of Christianity in the fifth
century AD. An excellent book... a highly accessible and lively
assessment of continuity and change in belief and religion from
pre-Celtic times through to the arrival of St Patrick. ...Afine
book and to be recommended to a wide readership, especially to all
those who think that Irish history started in 1601. IRISH STUDIES
REVIEW DAITHI O HOGAIN was Professor of Folklore at University
College Dublin.
Romance of the Perilous Land is a roleplaying game of magic and adventure set in the world of British folklore, from the stories of King Arthur to the wonderful regional tales told throughout this green and pleasant land. It is a world of romantic chivalry, but also of great danger, with ambitious kings, evil knights, and thieving brigands terrorising the land, while greedy giants, malevolent sorcerers, and water-dwelling knuckers lurk in the shadows. As valiant knights, mighty barbarians, subtle cunning folk, and more, the players are heroes, roaming the land to fight evil, right wrongs, and create their own legends.
Celtic traditions point to God in the natural elements in this
refreshing take on how to pray. Where is God when we pray? Artist
and priest Ruth Pattison looks to the legacy of Celtic spirituality
to say God is in all of creation that surrounds us-earth, fire,
water, air-and not up in the clouds. She invites the reader into a
grounded spirituality rooted deep in Celtic tradition that sees
everything as infused with the Spirit-including humanity. The
material will deepen the experience of worship with creative
hands-on spiritual practices for the context of liturgy. It can
also be used for creating the structure and substance of retreats,
spiritual formation classes, and for helping parents who want to
learn to pray with children.
A very readable guide which fills the gap between academic analysis
and less critical retellings of the myths and legends. Marytn
Whittock provides an accessible overview while also assessing the
current state of research regarding the origins and significance of
the myths. Since all records of the myths first occur in the early
medieval period, the focus is on the survival of pre-Christian
mythology and the interactions of the early Christian writers with
these myths. A wide-ranging and enthralling introduction to Celtic
mythology, from the Irish gods before gods, the Fomorians, to the
children of Llyr, the sea deity; from the hunter-warrior Fionn mac
Cumhaill, whose exploits are chronicled in the Fenian Cycle, to Cu
Chulainn, the Hound of Ulster; and from the Welsh heroes of the
Mabinogion to Arthur, King of Britain, though the mythical, Welsh
version who predates the medieval legends.
Druidism evolved out of the tribal cultures of Britain, Ireland and
western France over two thousand years ago. In the seventeenth
century it experienced a revival, which has continued to this day.
Contemporary Druids can now be found all over the world, and
Druidry's appeal lies in its focus on a reverence for the natural
world, a belief in the value of personal creativity and of
developing a sense of communion with the powers of nature and the
spirit. Druidry's startling recent growth lies in its broad appeal:
some treat it as a philosophy, others as a religion, still others
as a path of self-development. Druids can be Pagan, or can be
followers of other faiths, and a Druid ceremony might include
Christian and Buddhist Druids alongside Pagan and Wiccan Druids.
Philip Carr-Gomm explains the practical value of following Druidism
today, and examines its core beliefs and relevance to the
contemporary issues that face us all.
Memory and Foresight in the Celtic World delves deep into the
experience of Celtic communities and individuals in the late
medieval period through to the modern age. Its thirteen essays
range widely, from Scottish soldiers in France in the fifteenth
century to Gaelic-speaking communities in rural New South Wales in
the twentieth, and expatriate Irish dancers in the twenty-first.
Connecting them are the recurring themes of memory and foresight:
how have Celtic communities maintained connections to the past
while keeping an eye on the future? Chapters explore language loss
and preservation in Celtic countries and among Celtic migrant
communities, and the influence of Celtic culture on writers such as
Dylan Thomas and James Joyce. In Australia, how have Irish, Welsh
and Scottish migrants engaged with the politics and culture of
their home countries, and how has the idea of a Celtic identity
changed over time? Drawing on anthropology, architecture, history,
linguistics, literature and philosophy, Memory and Foresight in the
Celtic World offers diverse, thought-provoking insights into Celtic
culture and identity.
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