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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Alternative belief systems > Occult studies
Fragments of ancient belief have been incorporated into folklore
and Christian dogma with the result that its original tenets have
merged with the myths and psychologies of the intervening years.
Hilda Ellis Davidson sifts through centuries of cultural and
religious influences to locate evidence of these "lost" pagan
beliefs.
Davidson illustrates how northern pagan religions have been
represented and misinterpreted by the Christian tradition and
throws light on the nature of such beliefs and how they have been
preserved. "The Lost Beliefs of" "Northern Europe" stresses both
the possibilities and the difficulties of investigating
pre-Christian faiths and emphasizes the need to separate
speculation from scientific proof.
This book will be a useful tool for students with a serious
interest in archaeology as it illustrates with examples how
objectivity is not necessarily the driving force in forming our
supposedly scientific view of the past. It will also appeal to the
general reader who wants to understand the true nature of Northern
European pagan belief as opposed to the oversimplified view
popularized by the media.
"The Lost Beliefs of Northern Europe" argues for intellectual
rigorousness rather than romanticization of the past, and
challenges the reader to rethink accepted interpretations.
An exploration of the traditional rites of auspicious building and
crafting * Explains the ceremonial beginnings and Hermetic
principles in the laying out of foundations not only for sacred
buildings like temples but also for homes and barns * Examines the
principles and ceremonies of electional astrology and details how
to compute natural time, as opposed to clock time * Shares examples
from ancient Egypt, Iran, India, and Europe that range from the
Stone Age to the Renaissance and include secret societies When we
make things--whether a building, a sacred space, or a magical
object--there is a precise moment when the artifact comes into
being as a separate entity. That moment in time possesses its own
unique quality, and because of this, there is a right time to do
something and a wrong time. And, as Nigel Pennick reveals, we have
the power to select favorable moments for our creations, just as
our ancestors did. Illustrating ancient principles of divination,
chronomancy, and electional astrology, Pennick examines all the
factors behind the ancestral art of geomancy: the auspicious
creation and alignment of sacred buildings as places of power.
Sharing examples from ancient Egypt, Iran, India, and Europe that
range from the Stone Age to the modern day, including secret
societies like the Rosicrucians and the Freemasons, he explains how
many cities were constructed on specially selected sites and
founded ritually at precise, predetermined moments. Looking at the
traditional rites of creating places of power, Pennick explains the
ceremonial beginnings and Hermetic principles in the laying out of
foundations as well as the use of sacrifice in the building of many
notable structures. Examining the role of sacred geometry in
geomancy, Pennick explains the Hermetic meaning assigned to each
direction in traditional European cultures as well as the
principles of natural measures and the science of understanding
lucky and unlucky days. Revealing how geomantic principles are
rooted in the structure of the world and the cosmic patterns of
space and time, the author shows how they transcend the ages and
are just as meaningful today as they were to our ancestors.
A perfect entry point for anyone interested in green magick, this
all-in-one guide explains everything you need to know before
beginning your own nature-inspired practice. Author Annabel
Margaret runs the popular YouTube channel, The Green Witch, where
she teaches everyday tools and techniques for leading a more
magickal life. In this must-have handbook, she'll guide your on
your green witchcraft journey from embracing intent and intuition
to creating and casting spells, all utilizing easy-to-find items
and simple methods. Ward the home with protective herbs; bake love,
abundance or luck into tasty treats; create purpose-infused spell
bags or craft soothing salves, energizing sprays and cleansing
infusions. With clear instruction, straightforward information on
foundational principles and tons of witchy wisdom, the magickal
opportunities are endless.
In 1598, the English clergyman John Darrell was brought before the
High Commission at Lambeth Palace to face charges of fraud and
counterfeiting. The ecclesiastical authorities alleged that he had
"taught 4. to counterfeite" demonic possession over a ten-year
period, fashioning himself into a miracle worker. Coming to the
attention of the public through his dramatic and successful role as
an exorcist in the late sixteenth century, Darrell became a symbol
of Puritan spirituality and the subject of fierce ecclesiastical
persecution. The High Commission of John Darrell became a
flashpoint for theological and demonological debate, functioning as
a catalyst for spiritual reform in the early seventeenth-century
English Church. John Darrell has long been maligned by scholars; a
historiographical perception that this book challenges. The English
Exorcist is the first study to provide an in-depth scholarly
treatment of Darrell's exorcism ministry and his demonology. It
shines new light on the corpus of theological treatises that
emerged from the Darrell Controversy, thereby illustrating the
profound impact of Darrell's exorcism ministry on early modern
Reformed English Protestant demonology. The book establishes an
intellectual biography of this figure and sketches out the full
compelling story of the Darrell Controversy.
Enlivened with 102 photographs and 50 figures and maps, "Shamans,
Witches, and Maya Priests" explores the "old ways" that still
prevail in the Q'anjob'al, Akatek, and Chuj communities of the
remote northwestern Cuchumatan Mountains. Krystyna Deuss provides
vivid descriptions and images of the traditional rites and rituals
she witnessed during fifteen years of fieldwork. These sacred
moments include blood sacrifices for the good of the community and
private shamanic rituals--as well as black magic. Deuss also
includes a selection of the prayers she recorded.
Industry of Magic & Light is a love letter to the
counterculture of the 1960s and a requiem for its passing. The
much-anticipated prequel to Keenan's cult classic debut, This is
Memorial Device, Industry of Magic & Light is set in the same
mythical Airdrie in the 1960s and early 70s and centres on a group
of hippies running their own psychedelic light show. Told in two
halves - the first in the form of an inventory of the contents of a
caravan abandoned by one of the hippies, the second in the form of
a tarot card reading - it is not so much a book about the 1960s as
a direct channelling of the decade's energies, bringing to life how
even the smallest and dreariest of working class towns felt so full
of possibility in the wake of the psychedelic moment. Via artefacts
from the time - everything from poetry chapbooks, record reviews
and musical instruments through bubblegum wrappers, bicycle repair
kits and mysterious cassette recordings - the book opens out into
adventures along the hippy trail in Afghanistan and behind the Iron
Curtain that leads a cast of new and returning characters - as well
as the authorities - to believe that they are literally making
magic. Simultaneously a forensics of the 1960s, a detective novel,
an occult thriller, a vision quest, and the hallucinatory
exposition of a moment where it felt like anything was possible,
Industry of Magic & Life brings to life the streets of small
working class towns as transformational sites of utopian joy.
'Allyson Shaw has built a monument in words to the thousands
persecuted as witches in Scotland. A fascinating and necessary
book.' Peter Ross 'It's summer. I stand where perhaps Ellen stood,
in this ground thick with new thistle and long grass. She would
have ken this coast in all weathers: in the summer when it was as
gentle as a lake and in the winter, with the high winds and
stinging salt spray.' A moving and personal journey, along rugged
coasts and through remote villages and cities, in search of the
traces of those accused of witchcraft in seventeenth-century
Scotland. In Ashes and Stones we visit modern memorials and
standing stones, and roam among forests and hedge mazes, folklore
and political fantasies. From fairy hills to forgotten caves, we
explore a spellbound landscape. Allyson Shaw untangles the myth of
witchcraft and gives voice to those erased by it. Her elegant and
lucid prose weaves together threads of history and feminist
reclamation to create a vibrant memorial. This is the untold story
of the witches' monuments of Scotland and the women's lives they
mark. Ashes and Stones is a trove of folklore linking the lives of
contemporary women to the horrors of the past, a record of
resilience and a call to choose and remember our ancestors. 'A
compelling and intimate pilgrimage across Scotland' Helen Callaghan
First published in 1981. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor &
Francis, an informa company.
A complete guide to working with the Birth Odus of your Orishas
Birth Chart * Offers step-by-step instructions to calculate your
Birth Odus and cast your full Orisha Birth Chart * Presents
detailed interpretations of each of the 16 Birth Odus, showing how
their energies manifest in an individual's personality,
relationships, financial status, and general approach to life *
Shares self-transformation techniques to help you improve the
positive qualities of your chart while embracing, integrating, and
neutralizing negative energies and tendencies Much like the
celestial influences revealed by a natal astrology chart or the
numerology of your birth date, African spiritual traditions believe
that every person has specific personal energies ruling how we
relate to each other and the way we foresee and achieve life goals.
Called the birth Odus, these inner energies influence your choices
and decisions throughout life, defining and differentiating you
from everyone else--and revealing the best ways to maximize your
potential and meet the challenges you face. Offering a complete
guide to discovering, interpreting, and working with your birth
Odus, Diego de Oxossi details step by step how to calculate your
birth Odus and cast your full Orisha birth Chart. He explains the
Afro-Brazilian concept of numerology and its relationship with the
16 Odus and their related Orishas, the deities of the
Afro-Brazilian spiritual tradition. He explores how to determine
the influences in the major and minor houses of your Orisha birth
chart, including those related to personality and identity, career
and success, relationships and love, and challenges and personal
evolution. Presenting case studies from his practice, the author
offers detailed interpretations of each of the 16 birth Odus,
showing how their energies manifest in an individual's life. He
looks at the positive and negative aspects of each Odu, including
how the negative aspects represent the shadow forces that one has
to overcome to succeed in life. He offers self- transformation
techniques to help you improve the positive qualities of your chart
while embracing, integrating, and neutralizing the negative
energies and tendencies. Revealing how to better know yourself and
understand the spiritual dynamics behind your choices and
behaviors, this guide shows you how to work with the energies of
the Odus and the strength of the Orishas to improve your
communication and relationship skills, overcome life's challenges,
and ensure success and happiness on your life's path.
Offers a full introduction to and survey of runes and runology:
their history, how they were used, and their interpretation. Runes,
often considered magical symbols of mystery and power, are in fact
an alphabetic form of writing. Derived from one or more
Mediterranean prototypes, they were used by Germanic peoples to
write different kinds of Germanic language, principally Anglo-Saxon
and the various Scandinavian idioms, and were carved into stone,
wood, bone, metal, and other hard surfaces; types of inscription
range from memorials to the dead, through Christian prayers and
everyday messages to crude graffiti. First reliably attested in the
second century AD, runes were in due course supplanted by the roman
alphabet, though in Anglo-Saxon England they continued in use until
the early eleventh century, inScandinavia until the fifteenth (and
later still in one or two outlying areas). This book provides an
accessible, general account of runes and runic writing from their
inception to their final demise. It also covers modern uses of
runes, and deals with such topics as encoded texts, rune names, how
runic inscriptions were made, runological method, and the history
of runic research. A final chapter explains where those keen to see
runic inscriptions can most easily find them. Professor MICHAEL P,
BARNES is Emeritus Professor of Scandinavian Studies, University
College London.
A hands-on guide to using flower essences in magick, spellcraft,
alchemy, and healing * Provides detailed instructions for making
single-flower essences and magickal and therapeutic essence blends
* Shares new magickal uses for flower essences, from creating
sacred space to dressing candles to preparing incense, as well as
how to use essences in meditation, potions, spells, spagyrics, and
ritual * Includes a detailed directory of 100 flower and plant
essences, complete with astrological, elemental, and magickal
correspondences In this practical guide to using flower essences in
witchcraft, alchemy, and healing, Nicholas Pearson provides
detailed instructions for making and using flower essences based on
traditional Western magick practices. He shares new uses for
essences--from creating sacred space to dressing candles to
preparing incense--and explains how to use them in meditation,
potions, spells, spagyrics, and ritual. He shares exercises for
connecting more deeply to the energies of the green world and
exploring how essences can be used in traditional sacraments of
witchcraft like the Great Rite. In the hands-on formulary, the
author provides recipes for essence combinations for the eight
sabbats and formulas based on familiar blends like traditional
flying ointments of European witchcraft. He shares his method for
creating flower essence spagyrics--alchemical preparations made
from the body, mind, and soul of the plant that offer the highest
vibrational potency for therapeutic and spiritual uses. Pearson
also provides a detailed directory of 100 flower and plant
essences, complete with astrological, elemental, and magickal
correspondences and the therapeutic indications for each essence.
Weaving together magickal herbalism, traditional plant lore, and
flower essence therapy, this guide allows you to see flower
essences not just as vibrational remedies but also as powerful
tools for transformation, magick, and spiritual practice.
Packed with strange stories and spectacular illustrations, The
Devil's Atlas leads you on an adventure through the afterlife,
exploring the supernatural worlds of global cultures to form a
fascinating traveler's guide quite unlike any other. From the
author of the critically acclaimed bestsellers The Phantom Atlas,
The Sky Atlas, and The Madman's Library comes a unique and
beautifully illustrated guide to the heavens, hells, and lands of
the dead as imagined throughout history by cultures and religions
around the world. Packed with colorful maps, paintings, and
captivating stories, The Devil's Atlas is a compelling tour of the
geography, history, and supernatural populations of the afterworlds
of cultures around the globe. Whether it's the thirteen heavens of
the Aztecs, the Chinese Taoist netherworld of "hungry ghosts,"
Islamic depictions of Paradise, or the mysteries of the Viking
mirror world, each is conjured through astonishing images and a
highly readable trove of surprising facts and narratives, stories
of places you'd hope to go, and those you definitely would not. A
traveler's guide to worlds unseen, here is a fascinating visual
chronicle of our hopes, fears, and fantasies of what lies beyond.
DISCOVER THE BEYOND: From the depths of underworlds to the heights
of heavens and everywhere else a life after death may be spent,
this atlas explores the geography, history, and supernatural
populations of the afterworlds of global mythologies. A GLOBAL
SURVEY: From the demon parliament of the ancient Maya, to the
eternal globe-spanning quest to find the Earthly Paradise, to the
"Hell of the Flaming Rooster" of Japanese Buddhist mythology (in
which sinners are tormented by an enormous fire-breathing
cockerel), The Devil's Atlas gathers together a wonderful variety
of beliefs and representations of life after death. UNUSUAL AND
UNSEEN: These afterworlds are illustrated with an unprecedented
collection of images. They range from the marvelous "infernal
cartography" of the European Renaissance artists attempting to map
the structured Hell described by Dante and the decorative Islamic
depictions of Paradise to the various efforts to map the Garden of
Eden and the spiritual vision paintings of nineteenth-century
mediums. EXPERT AUTHOR: Edward Brooke-Hitching is a master of
taking visually-driven deep dives into unusual historical subjects,
such as the maps of imaginary geography in The Phantom Atlas,
ancient pathways through the stars in The Sky Atlas, and the
literary oddities lining the metaphorical shelves of The Madman's
Library. Perfect for: Obscure history and mythology enthusiasts
Anyone with an interest in the occult Spiritual curiosity seekers
Map lovers
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, entire communities,
particularly in central Europe were gripped by a fear of witches
and witchcraft, and pursued witches in order to bring them to
justice. Professor David Nash unlocks the sometimes opaque history
of the phenomenon of witchcraft in Britain, Europe and America. The
book explores the development of witchcraft and belief in witches,
the obsession with witches and witchcraft that spawned
witch-hunting, the hey-day and decline of witch-hunting, and the
fascinating 'afterlife' of witchcraft: covering not only the
survival of some beliefs into the nineteenth century but the
academic interest in witchcraft in the early twentieth century,
which culminated in the interest shown in the phenomenon by experts
serving the interests and ideology of Nazi Germany. Among the
themes that the author will examine are the geographical spread and
regional differences in witchcraft and witch-hunting across
Britain, Europe and America; the theories on the rise of
witch-hunting; and gender differences: why so many more women were
accused and convicted of witch-hunting than men.
A first and coherent enquiry on vernacular religions across Monsoon
Asia and critically questioning why they have been frequently
alienated in the elitist discourse of mainstream Indic religions.
Filled with spells, recipes, and crafts, this book helps you
discover the magical rhythms of the natural world. Join Anna
Franklin, bestselling author of The Hearth Witch s Compendium, as
she shares time-honoured recipes and step-by-step instructions for
bringing enchantment and joy into your life. You will discover
dozens of incantations and spells to help you celebrate the cycles
of the seasons, honour the gods and spirits, and release negative
energy and anxiety. The world is filled with magic, if we can just
slow down and learn how to channel it. The Hearth Witch s Year
provides hands-on tips for sabbats, solstices, saints days, and
more than 100 other auspicious dates so you can connect with the
earth s natural energies and manifest your deepest desires.
This book explores local cultural discourses and practices relating
to manifestations and experiences of the demonic, the spectral and
the uncanny, probing into their effects on people's domestic and
intimate spheres of life. The chapters examine the uncanny in a
cross-cultural manner, involving empirically rich case studies from
sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Europe. They use an
interdisciplinary and comparative approach to show how people are
affected by their intimate interactions with spiritual beings.
While several chapters focus on the tensions between public and
private spheres that emerge in the context of spiritual encounters,
others explore what kind of relationships between humans and
demonic entities are imagined to exist and in what ways these
imaginations can be interpreted as a commentary on people's
concerns and social realities. Offering a critical look at a form
of spiritual experience that often lacks academic examination, this
book will be of great use to scholars of Religious Studies who are
interested in the occult and paranormal, as well as academics
working in Anthropology, Sociology, African Studies, Latin American
Studies, Gender Studies and Transcultural Psychology.
A beautiful and inspirational guide to colour and its magic. Magic
can take many forms, whether it be a desire, a wish, or a spell. It
can even be a simple act of kindness for friends and family, and
importantly for yourself too - like a lovingly hand-made object, a
comforting meal or a home-cooked gift. Many people are turning to
alternative ways to find connection and meaning. Something as
simple as, 'Are you ok?' has great strength, power and empathy.
Thoughtfulness is key and this book has kindness at the heart of
its magic to create a more forgiving and considerate community.
Curated into colour chapters, Sam takes a look at each colour and
what it represents. The book brims full of magical spells, poems,
charms, rituals, recipes, makes and wishes to create a helpful
guide - a comfort, a tonic - something that is available to
everyone, whether you feel like you are a witch or not. Chapters
are: White, Yellow & Orange, Red, Pink, Violet, Blue, Green,
Brown, Black & Grey, Silver & Gold Projects include: Orange
blossom spell, Clay incense holder, Lucky red wrist ribbon, Hanging
crystal grotto, Witch's knots, Friendship jar spell, Crescent moon
and amethyst make, Making a wand, Secret message jewellery, Moon
biscuits.
Feeling Exclusion: Religious Conflict, Exile and Emotions in Early
Modern Europe investigates the emotional experience of exclusion at
the heart of the religious life of persecuted and exiled
individuals and communities in early modern Europe. Between the
late fifteenth and early eighteenth centuries an unprecedented
number of people in Europe were forced to flee their native lands
and live in a state of physical or internal exile as a result of
religious conflict and upheaval. Drawing on new insights from
history of emotions methodologies, Feeling Exclusion explores the
complex relationships between communities in exile, the homelands
from which they fled or were exiled, and those from whom they
sought physical or psychological assistance. It examines the
various coping strategies religious refugees developed to deal with
their marginalization and exclusion, and investigates the
strategies deployed in various media to generate feelings of
exclusion through models of social difference, that questioned the
loyalty, values, and trust of "others". Accessibly written, divided
into three thematic parts, and enhanced by a variety of
illustrations, Feeling Exclusion is perfect for students and
researchers of early modern emotions and religion.
This is the last manuscript of Dr Marie-Louise von Franz, dictated
during the final years of her life. If not only contains a
brilliant historical survey of alchemy since Egyptian times, but
above all, a profound comment on a newly translated Arabic
alchemical text from the 10th Century which is a 'Summa' of her
entire life's experience and work.
A deluxe, new edition of a classical esoteric text with
unparalleled color plates.
Exploring occultist, magician, poet, painter, and writer Aleister
Crowley's longstanding and intimate association with Paris, Tobias
Churton provides the first detailed account of Crowley's activities
in the City of Light. Using previously unpublished letters and
diaries, Churton explores how Crowley was initiated into the Golden
Dawn's Inner Order in Paris in 1900 and how, in 1902, he relocated
to Montparnasse. Soon engaged to Anglo-Irish artist Eileen Gray,
Crowley pontificates and parties with English, American, and French
artists gathered around sculptor Auguste Rodin: all keen to exhibit
at Paris's famed Salon d'Automne. In 1904--still dressed as "Prince
Chioa Khan" and recently returned from his Book of the Law
experience in Cairo--Crowley dines with novelist Arnold Bennett at
Paillard's. In 1908 Crowley is back in Paris to prove it's possible
to attain Samadhi (or "knowledge and conversation of the Holy
Guardian Angel") while living a modern life in a busy metropolis.
In 1913 he organizes a demonstration for artistic and sexual
freedom at Oscar Wilde's tomb. Until war spoils all in 1914, Paris
is Crowley's playground. The author details how, after returning
from America in 1920, and though based at his "Abbey of Thelema" in
Sicily, Crowley can't leave Paris alone. When Mussolini expels him
from Italy, Paris becomes home from 1924 until 1929. Churton
reveals Crowley's part in the jazz-age explosion of modernism, as
the lover of photographer Berenice Abbott, and many others, and how
he enjoyed camaraderie with Man Ray, Nancy Cunard, Andre Gide, and
Aimee Crocker. The author explores Crowley's adventures in Tunisia,
Algeria, the Riviera, his battle with heroin addiction, his
relationship with daughter Astarte Lulu--raised at Cefalu--and
finally, a high-level ministerial conspiracy to get him out of
Paris. Reconstructing Crowley's heyday in the last decade and a
half of France's Belle Epoque and the "roaring Twenties," this book
illuminates Crowley's place within the artistic, literary, and
spiritual ferment of the great City of Light.
The Witchcraft Sourcebook, now in its second edition, is a
fascinating collection of documents that illustrates the
development of ideas about witchcraft from ancient times to the
eighteenth century. Many of the sources come from the period
between 1400 and 1750, when more than 100,000 people - most of them
women - were prosecuted for witchcraft in Europe and colonial
America. During these years the prominent stereotype of the witch
as an evil magician and servant of Satan emerged. Catholics and
Protestants alike feared that the Devil and his human confederates
were destroying Christian society. Including trial records,
demonological treatises and sermons, literary texts, narratives of
demonic possession, and artistic depiction of witches, the
documents reveal how contemporaries from various periods have
perceived alleged witches and their activities. Brian P. Levack
shows how notions of witchcraft have changed over time and
considers the connection between gender and witchcraft and the
nature of the witch's perceived power. This second edition includes
an extended section on the witch trials in England, Scotland and
New England, fully revised and updated introductions to the sources
to include the latest scholarship and a short bibliography at the
end of each introduction to guide students in their further
reading. The Sourcebook provides students of the history of
witchcraft with a broad range of sources, many of which have been
translated into English for the first time, with commentary and
background by one of the leading scholars in the field.
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