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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Alternative belief systems > Occult studies
'Eleanor Porter is a major new voice in historical fiction.' Tim
Clayton Where will her loyalty lead her?Once accused of witchcraft
Martha Spicer is now free from the shadow of the gallows and lives
a safe and happy life with her husband, Jacob. But when Jacob heads
north to accompany his master, he warns Martha to keep her healing
gifts a secret, to keep herself safe, to be a good wife. Martha
loves Jacob but without him there to protect her, she soon comes
under the suspicious eye of the wicked Steward Boult, who's heard
of her talent and forces her to attend to him. If she refuses, he
promises to destroy the good life she has built for herself with
Jacob. Desperate and alone, Martha faces a terrible decision: stay
and be beholden to Boult or journey north to find Jacob who is
reported to have been killed.. The road ahead is filled with
danger, but also the promise of a brighter future. And where her
gifts once threatened to be her downfall, might they now be the
very thing that sets Martha free...? The brilliant follow-up to
Eleanor Porter's first novel of love, betrayal, superstition and
fear in Elizabethan England. A story of female courage, ingenuity
and determination, this is perfect for fans of Tracy Chevalier.
'Eleanor Porter is a major new voice in historical fiction. With
her beautiful use of language and compelling storytelling she
conjures the past with a vividness that lingers in the mind long
after the final page.' Tim Clayton Praise for The Wheelwright's
Daughter:'It's a gripping story and such accomplished writing. I
really enjoyed every moment of working on it.' Yvonne Holland,
editor of Philippa Gregory and Tracy Chevalier 'A brilliant debut
novel' 'An interesting read and an impressive debut novel' 'A
wonderfully written story' 'A skilfully crafted story of love,
betrayal, superstition and fear in 16th century England.' 'This is
a story of courage, trust, betrayal and love.' 'A great historical
novel I loved.'
When Jean-Francois Champollion rediscovered how to translate the
Egyptian hieroglyphs in the early nineteenth century he described
them as "....a complex system, a writing that is figurative,
symbolic, and phonetic all within the same text, a single sentence,
I would even say a single word." Since then, although his
discoveries have led to the translation of most of the ancient
Egyptian texts, the emphasis in modern scholarship is to regard the
hieroglyphs purely as sounds and to disregard or even deny their
symbolic meaning. This book explores how the hieroglyphs function
as a comprehensive system of magical symbolism, the medw neter or
Words of the Gods by which the sacred truths of the Inner worlds of
creation are conveyed to humanity. Their effect is 'magical'
because when we study them and ponder their meaning they cause
changes in our consciousness, enabling us to reach a deeper
understanding of ourselves, of our surroundings and of the
universal principles that lie behind all creation. They also
incidentally teach us a great deal about the magical beliefs and
practices of the ancient Egyptians and their perception of the
relationship between the earthly and spiritual worlds. Using many
examples and illustrations, this book demonstrates how the
hieroglyphs formed the basis of Egyptian magic and were the means
by which it was taught and practiced. It offers an entirely new
interpretation of Egyptian magic, and shows how the hieroglyphs can
be used as a magical tool that is as transformative today as it was
in ancient times.
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