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Acclaimed author and Archdruid John Michael Greer provides an
in-depth beginner s guide to Druidry a modern tradition of nature
spirituality with ancient roots in Celtic traditions. Although we
know little about the ancient Druids, their reputation for wisdom
and harmony with nature lives on. Today, Druidry is a vibrant,
diverse movement with groups and practitioners on every continent
but Antarctica. Spiritual rather than religious more an attitude
than an ideology it can be embraced by people from different faiths
and backgrounds. Archdruid John Michael Greer explores the history
and basics of Druidry; how to perform Druidic rituals, meditation,
and divination; elements of the lifestyle; and advice for placing
less of a burden on the Earth. Includes a simple self-initiation
ritual for starting on the Druid path, as well as exercises to help
you tap into the elements and learn to pay attention to the natural
world.
An examination of the waxing and waning influence of demoted
planets * Explains in detail how the demotion or proved
nonexistence of a planet marks the beginning of a roughly 30-year
period in which that planet's influence wanes * Explores Pluto's
arc of influence on individual and collective life in depth, from
its discovery in 1930 to the end of its influence in 2036 * Offers
examples from other demoted planets, such as Ceres, whose
fifty-year reign as a planet corresponds very closely to the
Romantic Era of history Recent research in astrology has shown that
the discovery of a new planet correlates with the emergence of a
new set of influences in individual and collective life. As John
Michael Greer reveals, the opposite is also true: the demotion of a
planet correlates with the decline of a set of influences into the
background. Although there are several instances of this over the
last two centuries, Pluto, downgraded to minor planet status in
2006, is the most striking example. Exploring the waxing and waning
of planetary influences in astrology, Pluto in particular, Greer
explains in detail how the demotion or proved nonexistence of a
planet marks the beginning of a roughly 30-year period in which
that planet's influence fades out. He examines several examples of
planet demotion, including Ceres, whose fifty-year reign as a
planet corresponds closely to the Romantic Era of history. Ceres's
influence began to take shape some 30 years before its discovery in
1801 and gradually faded over the three decades following its
demotion in the 1850s. Examining Pluto's astrological influence in
depth, from the beginning of the search for "Planet X" in 1900 to
the end of its influence in 2036, the author shows how during the
Plutonian era the concept of cosmos--from the ancient Greek meaning
"that which is beautifully ordered"--was in eclipse. Pluto's
influence led to the rejection of unity, beauty, and order,
exemplified through the splitting of the atom by physicists, the
splitting of the individual into conscious and subconscious halves
by psychoanalysts, and the splitting of the world into warring
camps by politicians. Offering an essential guide not only to the
astrology of the future but to the twilight of the Plutonian era,
Greer shows how as Pluto's influence fades out in the years ahead,
a great many disruptive phenomena of the recent past will fade with
it and the notion of cosmos--beautiful order--will regain its
traditional role in our individual and collective worlds.
Have you lost an important object? Are you taking on a new job?
Looking for buried treasure? "The Art and Practice of Geomancy"
teaches readers how to divine the answers to life's everyday
questions, such as health, luck, new jobs, and love, as well as the
less mundane: finding buried treasure, predicting the weather,
being released from prison, identifying secret enemies. Greer
delivers to readers an ancient system of divination in an
easy-to-use form, requiring little more than a pen and piece of
paper.Using a system of odd and even numbers, from a deck of cards,
roll of the dice, or even by hitting sand with a stick to generate
patterns, the reader learns to cast their own geomantic chart. And
for those who wish to take the practice further, he offers deeper
exercises for geomantic meditation, and geomantic ritual magic.
"The Art and Practice of Geomancy" will appeal to pagans, followers
of the Western Mystery Tradition, scholars of folk-magic and
divination, and anyone who wants to take their past, present, and
future into their own hands. Each geomantic chart is, in a certain
sense, a snapshot of one set of possibilities arising from the
dance of the four elements in the anima mundi, and a sense of the
dance itself - even if that sense is imperfect, as it may be, and
wordless, as it must be - provides the context for every geomantic
reading.
First published in 1937, Israel Regardie's The Golden Dawn has
become the most influential modern handbook of magical theory and
practice. In this new, definitive edition, noted scholar John
Michael Greer has taken this essential resource back to its
original, authentic form. With added illustrations, a twenty-page
colour insert, additional original material, and refreshed design
and typography, this powerful work returns to its true stature as a
modern masterpiece. An essential textbook for students of the
occult, The Golden Dawn includes occult symbolism and Qabalistic
philosophy, training methods for developing magical and clairvoyant
powers, rituals that summon and banish spiritual potencies, secrets
of making and consecrating magical tools, and more.
The things that people in the modern Western world consider
"occult/' secret, forbidden, or irrational-amulets and talismans,
omens and divinations, spells and charms, spirits good and evil-are
part of everyday life in many parts of the world, and have been for
generations. In this fascinating book, occult scholar and
practitioner John Michael Greer shines light on 100 of the dramatic
incidents, arcane knowledge, and colorful historical figures from
occult traditions over two and a half millennia-from the earliest
alchemists of ancient Egypt, Babylon, and Greece; to pagan rituals;
the Philosopher's Stone; Kabbala; the first tarot; the Knights
Templar; to the Nazi Thule Party; fortunetelling trials; and the
birth of modern witchcraft, or Wicca. Each entry illustrated with a
stunning image or intriguing item of ephemera.
For well over half a century, since the first credible warnings of
petroleum depletion were raised in the 1950s, contemporary
industrial civilization has been caught in a remarkable paradox: a
culture more focused on problem solving than any other has
repeatedly failed to deal with, or even consider, the problem most
likely to bring its own history to a full stop. The coming of peak
oil-the peaking and irreversible decline of world petroleum
production-poses an existential threat to societies in which every
sector of the economy depends on petroleum-based transport, and no
known energy source can scale up extensively or quickly enough to
replace dwindling oil supplies. Not The Future We Ordered is the
first study of the psychological dimensions of that decision and
its consequences, as a case study in the social psychology of
collective failure, and as an issue with which psychologists and
therapists will be confronted repeatedly in the years ahead.
'Mystery Teachings from the Living Earth' reveals one of the great
secrets of the mysteries that the laws of nature are also the laws
of spirit.
For well over half a century, since the first credible warnings of
petroleum depletion were raised in the 1950s, contemporary
industrial civilization has been caught in a remarkable paradox: a
culture more focused on problem solving than any other has
repeatedly failed to deal with, or even consider, the problem most
likely to bring its own history to a full stop. The coming of peak
oil the peaking and irreversible decline of world petroleum
production poses an existential threat to societies in which every
sector of the economy depends on petroleum-based transport, and no
known energy source can scale up extensively or quickly enough to
replace dwindling oil supplies. Resolute action on personal, local,
national, and global levels over the decades just passed might have
staved off a future of economic contraction, political turmoil, and
immense human suffering. Instead, governments and populations of
all the world s industrial nations collectively closed their eyes
to the impending crisis."Not The Future We Ordered" is the first
study of the psychological dimensions of that decision and its
consequences, as a case study in the social psychology of
collective failure, and as an issue with which psychologists and
therapists will be confronted repeatedly in the years ahead. At the
core of the modern world s inability to come to grips with the
challenge of peak oil are a set of beliefs that amount to a civil
religion of progress, in which the concept of progress is credited
with the invincibility and beneficence other religions assign to
their gods. This civil religion of progress lends legitimacy to
policies that subordinate all other values to economic growth,
place blind faith in untested technologies, and rule out serious
consideration of the long-term downsides of today s trends.The
religious faith in progress that makes such policies seem sensible,
and provides justification for the marginalization of alternative
views, has become one of the core factors driving contemporary
societies headlong toward a wrenching confrontation with the hard
limits of a finite planet. As the gap widens between today s
expectations of perpetual progress and tomorrow s experiences, peak
oil will become a significant mental health issue across the
currently industrialized world. When the future we ordered fails to
show up on schedule, cognitive dissonance and other psychological
impacts common in times of severe cultural dislocation will likely
show up as well, driving counterproductive responses on the
personal and collective scales. Understanding the psychology that
backed industrial civilization into a corner called peak oil is a
crucial step in dealing with these consequences, and to this, "Not
The Future We Ordered" offers a clear and readable guide"
A century ago, Celtic groups descending from the famed Hermetic
Order of the Golden Dawn pioneered a fascinating form of ceremonial
magic invoking Pagan Celtic powers instead of relying on the more
commonly used Judeo-Christian names and symbols. Those groups
disappeared many decades ago, and their teachings were lost. But
today, their legacy has been reborn.
Respected occult author and Grand Archdruid John Michael Greer
has re-created a complete magical system based on the Celtic Golden
Dawn traditions. This new book provides students with a complete
curriculum of Druidical magic and occult wisdom, including training
in ceremonial magic, meditation, pathworking, divination, geomancy,
and herbal alchemy, allowing self-initiation into the three degrees
of Ovate, Bard, and Druid. Structured to resemble a long-lost
correspondence course, The Celtic Golden Dawn presents a series of
knowledge lectures, meditations, and rituals leading to mastery of
the most important magical techniques.
The holy grail. The Knights Templar. The Gnostics and ancient
mysteries of Greece. Discover the connection between them all with
this phenomenal book written by 32nd-degree Freemason and
celebrated author John Michael Greer. This book is a must-read for
seekers of the holy grail and those who want to learn about the
inner workings of occult Freemasonry. The Ceremony of the Grail
delves deep into the ancient mysteries, drawing on recently
translated texts and published documents that until recently were
among Freemasonry's most jealously guarded secrets. From the grail
legends to the Picatrix to Jessie Weston's pioneering research,
this book provides answers that have eluded seekers for centuries.
For almost 3,000 years apocalypse prophecies have convinced people
all over the world that the future is about to give them the world
they want instead of the world they've got. All the end time
prophecies splashed across the media in every age have had
something else in common: every one of them has been wrong.
"Apocalypse Not" is a lively and engaging survey of predictions
about the end of the world, along with the failed dreams and
nightmares that have clustered around them. Among the stories
highlighted in "Apocalypse Not" are: the birth of the apocalypse
meme out of archaic star myths in the ancient Middle East; the
failed end time prophecies of Nostradamus, Mother Shipton, and
other famous prophets; the long and murky road from the Great
Pyramid to today's Rapture beliefs; and the real origins of the
belief in apocalypse in 2012 (hint: it's not originally Mayan at
all).
Natural magic is the ancient and powerful art of using material
substances--herbs, stones, incenses, oils, and much more--to tap
into the hidden magical powers of nature, transforming your
surroundings and yourself.
Not just a cookbook of spells, the Encyclopedia of Natural Magic
provides an introduction to the philosophy and ways of thought
underlying this system. It also gives detailed information on 176
different herbs, trees, stones, metals, oils, incenses, and other
substances, and offers countless ways to put them to magical use.
With this book and a visit to your local herb store, rock shop, or
your backyard garden, you're ready to enter the world of natural
magic.
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.
An investigation into the underpinnings and superstructures of the
Pagan world view Pagan religions have tended to be more concerned
with practice that with theory and in a system that has no dogma -
no legislated doctrine - that is as it should be. Yet as the
movement grows and matures, it is inevitable that we will begin to
think in a more abstract way about our models and systems. John
Michael Greer has provided a primer on the kinds of ideas and
themes that must be included in any discussion of the theology and
philosophy of Neo-pagan religions. Much of the book takes
shape in a dialogue with existing ideas in theology, philosophy,
and comparative religion. It looks to find a middle ground between
too much and too little reference to the work of other scholars to
find a comprehensible yet intellectually rigorous middle ground. It
aims to be part of a conversation, that stretches out over the
centuries. Voices of polytheist spirituality have had little
place in that conversation for many years, but much of value has
been said in their absence. The rebirth of polytheism as a
living religious tradition in the Western world will inevitably
force a reassessment of much of that heritage, and pose challenges
to some of its most cherished assumptions. Yet reassessment
is not necessarily rejection, and the traditions of modern
polytheism are deeply enough indebted to legacies from the past
that an attentive ear to earlier phases of the conversation is not
out of place.
From "Aarab Zereq" to "Zos Kia Cultus," this is the most
up-to-date, comprehensive guide to the history, philosophies, and
personalities of Western occultism. Written by an occult scholar
and practitioner with the assistance of hundreds of experts in the
field, this volume presents the latest in scholarly research and
points out errors in previous writings-revealing truths much more
interesting and dramatic than the fictional histories that obscured
them. The New Encyclopedia of the Occult is an invaluable reference
guide to magic, alchemy, astrology, divination, Tarot, palmistry,
and geomancy; magical orders such as the Golden Dawn and
Rosicrucians; important occultists; and religions and spiritual
traditions associated with occultism such as Wicca, Thelema,
Theosophy, and the modern Pagan movement.
"This is an important source for libraries to have in their
collections to assist anyone seeking information about the many
aspects of occult traditions." --Booklist
"Greer delivers a well researched, informative, and unbiased
encyclopedia... Highly recommended for all public libraries and
where interest merits." --Library Journal
COVR Award Winner
After decades of missed opportunities, the door to a sustainable
future has closed, and the future we face now is one in which
today's industrial civilization unravels in the face of
uncontrolled climate change and resource depletion. What is the
world going to look like when all these changes have run their
course? Author John Michael Greer seeks to answer this question,
and with some degree of accuracy, since civilizations tend to
collapse in remarkably similar ways. Dark Age America, then, seeks
to map out in advance the history of collapse, giving us an idea of
what the next five hundred years or so might look like as
globalization ends and North American civilization reaches the end
of its lifecycle and enters the stages of decline and fall. In many
ways, this is Greer's most uncompromising work, though by no means
without hope to offer. Knowing where we're headed collectively is a
crucial step in responding constructively to the challenges of the
future and doing what we can now to help our descendants make the
most of the world we're leaving them. John Michael Greer, historian
of ideas and one of the most influential authors exploring the
future of industrial society, writes the widely cited weekly blog
the Archdruid Report and has published more than thirty books
including The Long Descent, The Ecotechnic Future, The Wealth of
Nature, and After Progress. He lives in Cumberland, Maryland, an
old mill town in the Appalachians, with his wife Sara.
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