Americans all, they were among the famous figures whose paths intertwined with the mystical and esoteric movement broadly known as the occult. Brought over from the Old World and spread throughout the New by some of the most obscure but gifted men and women of early U.S. history, this “hidden wisdom” transformed the spiritual life of the still-young nation and, through it, much of the Western world.Yet the story of the American occult has remained largely untold. Now a leading writer on the subject of alternative spirituality brings it out of the shadows. Here is a rich, fascinating, and colorful history of a religious revolution and an epic of offbeat history. From the meaning of the symbols on the one-dollar bill to the origins of the Ouija board, Occult America briskly sweeps from the nation’s earliest days to the birth of the New Age era and traces many people and episodes, including:•The spirit medium who became America’s first female religious leader in 1776 •The supernatural passions that marked the career of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith •The rural Sunday-school teacher whose clairvoyant visions instigated the dawn of the New Age •The prominence of mind-power mysticism in the black-nationalist politics of Marcus Garvey•The Idaho druggist whose mail-order mystical religion ranked as the eighth-largest faith in the world during the Great Depression Here, too, are America’s homegrown religious movements, from transcendentalism to spiritualism to Christian Science to the positive-thinking philosophy that continues to exert such a powerful pull on the public today. A feast for believers in alternative spirituality, an eye-opener for anyone curious about the unknown byroads of American history, Occult America is an engaging, long-overdue portrait of one nation, under many gods, whose revolutionary influence is still being felt in every corner of the globe.

    Emphasizing the Mother, the Healer, the Lover, and other archetypes of one's relationship with the sacred body, the author provides a uniquely Wiccan approach to achieving a healthy, new self-perception as Goddess.Praise: "This topical guide to reclaiming a positive self-image, which builds on foundations presented in Sylvan's earlier work and is written in a very personal and approachable style, is not imbued with self-help jargon and platitudes but with the author's hard-won self-respect and perspective."--LIBRARY JOURNAL"Marrying cultural critique with user-friendly how-to, [Sylvan] urges readers to reject society's insistence that they spend countless hours and billions of dollars trying to look thin and youthful. Rather, says Sylvan, women should embrace their bodies for what they are--incarnations of the Goddess. Above all, this book is practical... What distinguishes this book more than anything is Sylvan's sense of humor--she's tackling a serious topic, but she'll have readers laughing from page one."--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

    In Grimoires: A History of Magic Books, Owen Davies illuminates the many fascinating forms these recondite books have taken and exactly what these books held. At their most benign, these repositories of forbidden knowledge revealed how to make powerful talismans and protective amulets, and provided charms and conjurations for healing illness, finding love, and warding off evil. But other books promised the power to control innocent victims, even to call up the devil. Davies traces the history of this remarkably resilient and adaptable genre, from the ancient Middle East to modern America, offering a new perspective on the fundamental developments of western civilization over the past two thousand years. Grimoires shows the influence magic and magical writing has had on the cultures of the world, richly demonstrating the role they have played in the spread of Christianity, the growth of literacy, and the influence of western traditions from colonial times to the present.

    These practices can help us to re-imagine the possibilities available to us and to shift our lives into more beneficial forms.The Black Book is a journaled form of hypersigil, a long-form written approach to magic that allows us to write the life we desire into being.The Corridor is an imaginal tool used to visit other times and places. Through it we can shift unhelpful influences from past events in positive directions and connect with our future selves to help manifest the lives we desire.The Fever Stone is a magical process for releasing energy trapped in traumatic events and ancestral pain-states. We can then transmute this energy into raw power for use in creating the internal and external changes we seek.Weaving Fate is for those willing get their hands dirty in the guts of the thoughts, memories, internal, and external forces that shape our lives. It is for those who understand that our fates are mutable and that we have great power to influence them.

    Formerly handed down under oath of secrecy, this clear, concise handbook discusses: the fundamental principles of alchemy; directions for the formation of an inexpensive home laboratory, with illustrations of the necessary equipment; stepbystep instructions for the work of the Lesser Circulation, the alchemical transformation within the plant kingdomthe necessary prerequisite for any work in the mineral kingdom.

    LaVey ponders such topics as nonconformity, occult faddism, erotic politics, the "Goodguy badge," demoralization and the construction of artificial human companions.

    Familiars may take the form of a beloved pet, a totem animal, or even a helpful nonphysical entity.Explore the fascinating history of Familiar spirits in The Witches' Familiar. Written by one of today's leading authorities on both Wicca and traditional hereditary Witchcraft, this book is your complete guide to finding and working with a Familiar.You'll read about the three types of Familiars: physical, astral, and spiritual. Learn how to call a Familiar to you, and how to choose an appropriate name. Discover how to use magical seals and sigils to command or release a nonphysical Familiar. Protect yourself and your loved ones by asking your Familiar to guard your home. Make your magic even more potent by enlisting your Familiar's aid in spellwork and ritual. Keep your bond strong, and find out how to release a Familiar when its work is done or it has passed from the physical plane.This is the first book to present never-before-published traditional Craft methods for working with Familiars as well as historical examples from Western ceremonial magic. Your magic will be even more powerful when you combine forces with a Familiar face.

    Renowned practitioner Madame Pamita guides you every step of the way as you perform spells and gain the confidence to create your own. The Book of Candle Magic empowers you to manifest more happiness, love, prosperity, and fulfillment. Learn to make candles from scratch, do candle readings, start your personal grimoire, add some pizzazz to your rituals, and much more. It's time to reclaim your birthright of using fire to reach your magical goals--this irresistible book shows you how.Includes a foreword by Judika Illes, author of Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells

    B.'s Guide to Household Witchery." Whether you're sweeping the floor, making a meal, or cleaning out that junk drawer, domestic witch Kris Bradley, creator of the popular blog, "Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom," will show you how to create spells and magic to bring happiness and balance into your home. Bradley offers ideas and solutions to make the most out of everyday items, activities, and obligations. From Anchovies to Broccoli, and Wine to Yeast, from sweeping the floor to blow-drying your hair, you can change your outlook on life with a pinch of knowledge and a dash of magic! The book includes simple rituals, spells, and ways to connect with the spirits that watch over your home and family. Includes an appendix of herbs and a complete materia magica from the kitchen pantry."Mrs. B's Guide to Household Witchery" features: Room by Room: How to create magic while you cook, set up a family altar in the living room, or do a junk drawer divination. The Elements for the Domestic Witch: a primer on the 4 elements and how to balance them in your home. The Domestic Witch's Herbal: Magical uses for every herb and food in your pantry, as well as instant magic with prepackaged spice mixes. Simple Sabbats for the Busy Witch: simple ways to celebrate the passing of the seasons. Magical Recipes: More than 100 recipes and spells.

    With hands-on spells, rituals, grids, and other magical methods, The Book of Crystal Spells is a practical and in-depth guide to using stones in creative ways.Find tips on cleansing and charging your stones Learn to craft magical jewelry, amulets, and talismans Incorporate numerology, meditations, elixirs, and crystal grids in your spellwork Expand your magic practice by using glass, sand, metals, quartz crystal points, and more Increase your knowledge of crystal spells with accessible exercises and extensive appendices and correspondences. Whether a beginner or an expert, take your magic to a higher level with the magic of stones, which gives you access to the energetic connection between you and the universe.

    The result of sixteen years of research in Talmudic, gnostic, cabalistic, apocalyptic, patristic, and legendary texts, the classic reference work on angels is beautifully illustrated and its reissue coincides with the resurgence of belief in angels in America.

    English, German, Dutch, Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish peoples are all directly descended from this ancient Germanic cultural stock. According to author Edred Thorsson, if you are interested in living a holistic life with unity of body-mind-spirit, a key to knowing your spiritual heritage is found in the heritage of your body-in the natural features which you have inherited from your distant ancestors. Most readers of this book already "speak the language" of the Teutonic tradition.Northern Magic contains material that has never before been discussed in a practical way. This book outlines the ways of Northern magic and the character of the Northern magician. It explores the theories of traditional Northern psychology (or the lore of the soul) in some depth, as well as the religious tradition of the Troth and the whole Germanic theology. The remaining chapters make up a series of "mini-grimoires" on four basic magical techniques in the Northern Way: Younger Futhark rune magic, Icelandic galdor staves, Pennsylvania hex signs, and "seith" (or shamanism). This is an excellent overview of the Teutonic tradition that will interest neophytes as well as long-time travelers along the Northern Way.Contains four complete handbooks of magical practice in one Gives practical instructions on how to carve runes and make hex-signs Provides the history of the Northern Renaissance Outlines the Germanic Gods and Goddesses

    There's something special in this 'traditional conjure diamond in the rough' for all magical workers Christian and non-Christian alike. Are you ready to learn how truly seasoned and experienced conjure w... Full description

    Tracing through history, art, and culture, this illustrated book offers an innovative and fresh approach to sigil magick that is accessible and intuitive. You don't need a degree in art or magick to make effective sigils!Learn how to manifest your will through your very own designs. Explore traditional and modern meanings of shapes, symbols, numbers, letters, and colors, while receiving guidance on how to add personal meaning to your marks. Sigil Witchery includes methods of application, tips for choosing materials, and important considerations for both temporary and permanent sigils. This book helps you improve your drawing techniques, use sample exercises to challenge yourself, and gain deeper metaphysical insight and inspiration--all to guide you to develop your own powerful sigil magick.

    Featuring over ninety exercises, this groundbreaking book helps your magick and your senses reach their full potential.Witchcraft and psychism are two sides of the same coin--they complement and strengthen one another. Psychic Witch provides everything you need to not only master the perception and manipulation of energy, but also to perform magick anywhere and at any time. This ingenious book teaches you how to use subtle energy in new ways and manifest your perceptions into instant magickal results.