NAMED A BESTSELLING TOP THEOLOGY BOOK OF 2022 BY QSPIRIT Queer God de Amor explores the mystery of God and the relationship between divine and human persons. It does so by turning to the sixteenth-century writings of John of the Cross on mystical union with God and the metaphor of sexual relationship that he uses to describe this union. Juan's mystical theology, which highlights the notion of God as lover and God's erotic-like relationship with human persons, provides a fitting source for rethinking the Christian doctrine of God, in John's own words, as "un no se que," "an I know not what." In critical conversations with contemporary queer theologies, it retrieves from John a preferential option for human sexuality as an experience in daily life that is rich with possibilities for re-sourcing and imagining the Christian doctrine of God. Consistent with other liberating perspectives, it outs God from heteronormative closets and restores human sexuality as a resource for theology. This outing of divine queerness-that is, the ineffability of divine life-helps to align reflections on the mystery of God with the faith experiences of queer Catholics. By engaging Juan de la Cruz through queer Latinx eyes, Miguel Diaz continues the objective of this series to disrupt the cartography of theology latinamente.

Historians of the early modern witch-hunt often begin histories of their field with the theories propounded by Margaret Murray and Montague Summers in the 1920s. They overlook the lasting impact of nineteenth-century scholarship, in particular the contributions by two American historians, Andrew Dickson White (1832-1918) and George Lincoln Burr (1857-1938). Study of their work and scholarly personae contributes to our understanding of the deeply embedded popular understanding of the witch-hunt as representing an irrational past in opposition to an enlightened present. Yet the men's relationship with each other, and with witchcraft sceptics - the heroes of their studies - also demonstrates how their writings were part of a larger war against 'unreason'. This Element thus lays bare the ways scholarly masculinity helped shape witchcraft historiography, a field of study often seen as dominated by feminist scholarship. Such meditation on past practice may foster reflection on contemporary models of history writing.

The strix was a persistent feature of the folklore of the Roman world and subsequently that of the Latin West and the Greek East. She was a woman that flew by night, either in an owl-like form or in the form of a projected soul, in order to penetrate homes by surreptitious means and thereby devour, blight or steal the new-born babies within them. The motif-set of the ideal narrative of a strix attack - the 'strix-paradigm' - is reconstructed from Ovid, Petronius, John Damascene and other sources, and the paradigm's impact is traced upon the typically gruesome representation of witches in Latin literature. The concept of the strix is contextualised against the longue-duree notion of the child-killing demon, which is found already in the ancient Near East, and shown to retain a currency still as informing the projection of the vampire in Victorian fiction.

From the bestselling author of Practical Magic comes an inspiring, illustrated collection of magical celebrations of nature from around the world-with rituals for incorporating them into your own practice. Nature is what gives us life-it is the source of all magic and power in the world. That is something that humans have understood since the beginning of time, and it is a constant among cultures around the world. However, the ways in which we celebrate it can vary wildly. Bulgarian Baba Marta Day welcomes the arrival of Spring with Martenitsas, little talismans of red and white string, while in Southeast Asia, that same yearly event is celebrated during Holi, a joyful, riotous dance of colors. Yalda, Soyal, Saturnalia, Dong Zhi, and St.Lucia's Day (from Iran, Arizona, Ancient Rome, China, and Scandinavia) are all very different-but they all honor the Winter Solstice. Each of these celebrations is a ritual, a form of magic created by community and tradition. And while their differences can help us understand their various cultural identities, their similarities can create a bond that reaches across space and time. In this beautifully illustrated book from bestselling magical author Nikki Van De Car readers will learn the history and meaning behind 40 of these ritual celebrations, organized by season. Each ritual will include suggestions for participating in and appreciating these storied rituals, while honoring their origins and the cultures from which they come.

Enter the magical realm of the shaman and develop your latent shamanic skills. The Celtic Shaman's Pack offers direct access to the inner cosmos of the Celts, enabling you to make contact with the powerful archetypes to be found there. This pack constitutes your 'shaman's pouch' - your very own collection of items imbued with magical or mystical significance, offering a bridge between the world of the everyday and the world of unseen reality that is a part of every shaman's training. The cards represent key aspects of the Celtic universe, providing you with a set of shamanic journey co-ordinates. By working with the images on a daily basis, for divination and discovery, you will learn to journey on the visionary path and gain a heightened understanding of yourself, as well as insight into your true life direction.

Finalist, 2021 Bram Stoker Awards (Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction) The first collection of essays to address Satan's ubiquitous and popular appearances in film Lucifer and cinema have been intertwined since the origins of the medium. As humankind's greatest antagonist and the incarnation of pure evil, the cinematic devil embodies our own culturally specific anxieties and desires, reflecting moviegoers' collective conceptions of good and evil, right and wrong, sin and salvation. Giving the Devil His Due is the first book of its kind to examine the history and significance of Satan onscreen. This collection explores how the devil is not just one monster among many, nor is he the "prince of darkness" merely because he has repeatedly flickered across cinema screens in darkened rooms since the origins of the medium. Satan is instead a force active in our lives. Films featuring the devil, therefore, are not just flights of fancy but narratives, sometimes reinforcing, sometimes calling into question, a familiar belief system. From the inception of motion pictures in the 1890s and continuing into the twenty-first century, these essays examine what cinematic representations tell us about the art of filmmaking, the desires of the film-going public, what the cultural moments of the films reflect, and the reciprocal influence they exert. Loosely organized chronologically by film, though some chapters address more than one film, this collection studies such classic movies as Faust, Rosemary's Baby, The Omen, Angel Heart, The Witch, and The Last Temptation of Christ, as well as the appearance of the Devil in Disney animation. Guiding the contributions to this volume is the overarching idea that cinematic representations of Satan reflect not only the hypnotic powers of cinema to explore and depict the fantastic but also shifting social anxieties and desires that concern human morality and our place in the universe. Contributors: Simon Bacon, Katherine A. Fowkes, Regina Hansen, David Hauka, Russ Hunter, Barry C. Knowlton, Eloise R. Knowlton, Murray Leeder, Catherine O'Brien, R. Barton Palmer, Carl H. Sederholm, David Sterritt, J. P. Telotte, Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock

Northern Tradition for the Solitary Practitioner is a ground-breaking look at the development of devotional work within the body of polytheistic religious traditions ranging from Theodism to Asatru to Norse Paganism, that comprise the greater umbrella of the Northern Tradition. While interest in devotional and experiential work within these traditions has been growing rapidly over the past few years, this is the first book to offer an inclusive look at the diverse scope and breadth of such practices as a living, modern-day religion. It features an in-depth exploration of altar work, prayer, prayer beads, ritual work, sacred images, lore, and a thorough examination of the common core cosmology that forms the foundation of belief for the vast expanse of Northern Tradition communities.

A revolutionary process based on the four chambers of the heart and rooted in Toltec wisdom that brings emotional clarity, healing and freedom. The Warrior Heart Practice is a powerful new method to reconnect with our sense of authenticity and inner-knowing and realign with our true nature. Author of the bestselling book Warrior Goddess Training, HeatherAsh Amara has trained extensively in the Toltec tradition under the tutelage of don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements. The Warrior Heart Practice is a revolutionary system based on the four chambered structure of the human heart. The Warrior Heart Practice leads to deep insights as readers learn to step outside of their preconceptions to realign with their true purposes and goals. 'Irresistible, engaging, and liberating in a way that only the truth can. A much-needed guide to moving beyond the chatter of the mind and the noise of the emotions to discovering true peace.' - Alberto Villoldo Ph.D. Author of One Spirit Medicine and Shaman, Healer, Sage 'Welcome to the evolution of wisdom! The Warrior Heart Practice is a compassionate, stunningly practical technique for self-discovery and transformation in any situation. HeatherAsh Amara is one of our most gifted and authentic spiritual teachers and her simple elegant process instantly helps us access and embody the deep insight within us all. It became part of my inner toolkit after a single reading.' - Irene O'Garden, award-winning poet, playwright, and author of Risking the Rapids

Writer and scholar Manly P. Hall (1901-1990) is one of the most significant names in the study of the esoteric, symbolic, and occult. His legendary book The Secret Teachings of All Ages has been an underground classic since its publication in 1928. The Secret History of America expands on that legacy, offering a collection of Hall's works - from books and journals to transcriptions of his lectures - all relating to the hidden past and unfolding future of our nation. Hall believed that America was gifted with a unique purpose to explore and share principles of personal freedom, self-governance, and independent thought. PEN Award-winning historian, Mitch Horowitz has curated a powerful collection of Hall's most influential and insightful works that capture and explore these ideas. Never before collected in one volume, the material in The Secret History of America explores the rich destiny, unseen history, and hidden meaning of America.

This unique and helpful approach to wellness with crystals contains the author's trademark methods including pain relief prisms, cranial crystals, and mandala stone patterns for increasing vitality. From curing a headache, to helping the heart and other organs, to overcoming arthritis and other skeletal issues, this remarkable book contains essential information for a healthier and happier life.

The occult art of magical writing begins in pre-history with the creation of the two elemental signs called the dot or egg and the line, serpent or sperm. These two signs are the mother and father of all other signs, symbols and letters that have come into being. The meaning and form of the two signs have been symbolically refined over the millennia by magicians. In the form of magic letters they are signatures, literal and abstract, of the Universal forces of Creation, from whence all knowledge originates. Concisely written and richly illustrated this is the most accessible and informative book on the occult history and graphic origins of the signs, symbols, scripts and ciphers of Western Occultism.

In this ground-breaking new study, Teren Sevea reveals the economic, environmental and religious significance of Islamic miracle workers (pawangs) in the nineteenth- and twentieth-century Malay world. Through close textual analysis of hitherto overlooked manuscripts and personal interaction with modern pawangs readers are introduced to a universe of miracle workers that existed both in the past and in the present, uncovering connections between miracles and material life. Sevea demonstrates how societies in which the production and extraction of natural resources, as well as the uses of technology, were intertwined with the knowledge of charismatic religious figures, and locates the role of the pawangs in the spiritual economy of the Indian Ocean world, across maritime connections and Sufi networks, and on the frontier of the British Empire.