Examining the theme of child sacrifice as a psychological challenge, this book applies a unique approach to religious ideas by looking at beliefs and practices that are considered deviant, but also make up part of mainstream religious discourse in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Ancient religious mythology, which survives through living traditions and transmitted narratives, rituals, and writings, is filled with violent stories, often involving the targeting of children as ritual victims. Christianity offers Abraham's sacrifice and assures us that the "only begotten son" has died, and then been resurrected. This version of the sacrifice myth has dominated the West. It is celebrated in an act of fantasy cannibalism, in which the believers share the divine son's flesh and blood. This book makes the connection between Satanism stories in the 1980s, the Blood Libel in Europe, The Eucharist, and Eastern Mediterranean narratives of child sacrifice.

Between the age of St. Augustine and the sixteenth century reformations magic continued to be both a matter of popular practice and of learned inquiry. This volume deals with its use in such contexts as healing and divination and as an aspect of the knowledge of nature's occult virtues and secrets.

A fascinating and enlightening celebration of mushrooms and the magic of the forest for those who revel in mushroom imagery and lore. Mushrooms--as a decorative element, as a signifier of the mystery of the forest, and as an adorable emblem of witchy cottagecore dreams--have proliferated in the collective consciousness as of late. Mushroom Magick is a whimsical collection of mushroom facts and fables divided into three sections: first, profiles of 22 well-known mushrooms include information on biology and common uses as well as a rundown of their energetic properties and suggestions for incorporating them into spellwork. Section two provides a world-spanning collection of mushroom myths and fables. The final section is a taste of the spells and rituals that you can perform with common mushrooms such as creminis, shiitakes, and portobellos--carved candles, floor washes, teas, and even some yummy meals can improve your love life, super-charge your good fortune, or even cast a well-deserved hex upon your most hated enemy.

A Magical Tale About Forgiving Our Past and Believing in Our Future

The enchanting, true story of The Valkyries begins in Rio de Janeiro when author Paulo Coelho gives his mysterious master, J., the only manuscript for his book The Alchemist. Haunted by a devastating curse, Coelho confesses to J., "I've seen my dreams fall apart just when I seemed about to achieve them." In response, J. gives Coelho a daunting task: He must find and speak with his guardian angel. "The curse can be broken," he replies, "if you complete the task."

Rising to the challenge, Paulo and his wife, Cristina, drop everything, pack their bags, and take off on a forty day adventure into the starkly beautiful and sometimes dangerous Mojave Desert--where they encounter more than they bargained for. A masterful blend of the exotic locales, dramatic adventure, and magical storytelling for which Coelho's fictional works are renowned, this true-life account is at once a modern-day adventure and a metaphysical odyssey.