Book picks similar to
Ascendant: Modern Essays on Polytheism and Theology by Michael Hardy
nonfiction
paganism
spirituality
non-fiction
Whole: Restoring What Is Broken in Me, You, and the Entire World
Steve Wiens - 2017
People and places are broken all around us.We were made for better than this: We were made to be whole, and wholly human, to tend a world that is wholly humane. We were made in the image of God. This book is a quest to recover that image in ourselves and our neighbors, to help us all become human and humane again.For Christians who lament the brokenness in themselves, their neighbors, and the world around them, Whole offers a rallying cry to pursue wholeness together.
Holy Rover: Journeys in Search of Mystery, Miracles, and God
Lori Erickson - 2017
If you've ever been curious about the ancient spiritual practice of pilgrimage, come along with Lori Erickson as she explores a dozen holy sites around the world. Travel writer, Episcopal deacon, and author of the Holy Rover blog at Patheos, Erickson is an engaging guide for pilgrims eager to take a spiritual journey. Both irreverent and devout, Holy Rover describes travels that changed her life and can change yours, too.
Heartwood of the Bodhi Tree: The Buddha's Teachings on Voidness
Buddhadasa Bhikkhu - 1994
"In this remarkable book, Ajahn Buddhadasa teaches us beautifully, profoundly, and simply the meaning of sunnata, or voidness, which is a thread that links every great school of Buddhism....He teaches us the truth of this voidness with the same directness and simplicity with which he invites us into his forest."-- from the foreword by Jack Kornfield
Mornings with Jesus 2021: Daily Encouragement for Your Soul
Guideposts - 2020
Lifting up their voices in heartfelt gratitude, twelve writers consider the character and teachings of Jesus and share how He enriches and empowers them daily and how He wants to do the same for you. Every day you will enjoy a Scripture verse, a reflection on Jesus's words, and a faith step that inspires and challenges you in your daily walk of living a Christlike life.In just five minutes a day, Mornings with Jesus 2021 will help readers experience a closer relationship with Jesus. It's full of inspiring and lasting motivation and spiritual nourishment that fill readers with hope and direction.
The Transcendentalist
Ralph Waldo Emerson - 2000
Worth reading for both it's historical and current value.
The Book of the Law
Aleister Crowley - 1904
Allegedly dictated to Crowley in Cairo, Egypt between noon and 1 pm on three successive days in April 1904, the Book of the Law is the source book and key for Crowley's philosophy and/or religion, Thelema.
Pagan and Christian Creeds: Their Origin and Meaning
Edward Carpenter - 1909
The Nature of the SelfIndexEdward Carpenter (1844-1929) had a Cambridge education, and then joined the church as a curate. He left the church in 1874 and came a lecturer in astronomy. He was born into a wealthy family, but he eschewed the trappings of wealth because he believed that the first step toward Utopia, or the "New Life," was the elimination of the class hierarchy.
The Pagan Book of Halloween: A Complete Guide to the Magick, Incantations, Recipes, Spells, and Lore
Gerina Dunwich - 2000
The number of Wicca practitioners is rapidly growing -- especially among young women -- and popular media has embraced Paganism on television, in movies, and on the internet. This book guides Wiccans, Pagans, and curious non-Wiccans alike in incorporating some of the original meanings and rituals into their Halloween festivities. It explains the rich Pagan/Irish roots of the holiday and includes ancient legends, divinations for telling the future, spells for finding a mate, and potions for gaining knowledge -- not to mention detailed instructions for performing the traditional Halloween ritual and delicious Halloween recipes! Written by a woman who has devoted her life to educating the public about the Old Religion, this handbook reveals the uplifting spiritual energy that people can experience by celebrating a traditional Pagan Halloween.
Thundering Silence: Sutra on Knowing the Better Way to Catch a Snake
Thich Nhat Hanh - 1993
Thundering Silence presents the early teachings of the Buddha on how to see reality clearly without becoming caught by the notions and ideologies.
Mysteries of Druidry: Celtic Mysticism, Theory, and Practice (A Training Manual for the Modern-Druid)
Brendan Cathbad Myers - 2005
This is a book I would be delighted to recommend to my students, to members of my Druid order, and to anyone interested in Celtic spirituality as a living path for today.” —John Michael Greer, former Grand Archdruid, Ancient Order of Druids in America and author of The Druidry Handbook The Druids were the mystics, philosophers, and magicians of the ancient Celtic world. Their spirituality was borne from their near-worship of poetry and music, their warrior prowess, and the world of nature. The Mysteries of Druidry reveals this mystical romanticism as it was in ancient times, and shows various ways to bring it to life today. It includes:A professionally researched survey of Druidic history, tradition, and customs.Detailed descriptions of the mysteries of Celtic spirituality, including the Sacred Truth, the Great Marriage, the Hero’s Journey, and the Otherworld.Practical guidance for meditation and ceremony, for individuals and for groups.The Celtic story of the creation of the world, presented together with a plan for re-enacting the story in ritual.
The Guises of the Morrigan: The Irish Goddess of Sex & Battle
David Rankine - 2005
She is a Goddess of sex and battle, the Irish Bestower of Sovereignty, and it is she who shapes the land and rules the fairy as Queen. Her raw power manifests through the Irish myths and legends, a prophetess and shapeshifter who uses her potent magic to shapeshift, assuming the forms of numerous wild animals and delivering victory to her chosen heroes.Her manifold roles, titles and guises weave a rich and colourful tapestry showing the continued dominion of the Morrigan in mythology, folklore and literature. She was the tutelary goddess to the ill-fated hero Cu Chulainn, she was the Fairy Queen and the Washer at the Ford. She was also the wise crone the Cailleach, and the battle crow Badb, the frenzied Nemain and Warrior Queen Macha.Her roles and guises which are brought together for the first time in this carefully researched volume, the work of many years of study, demonstrate clearly the significant status that she held in the ancient Celtic world and continues to enjoy today.
The Pagan Christ: Recovering the Lost Light
Tom Harpur - 2004
Now, in his most radical and groundbreaking work, Harpur digs deep into the origins of Christianity.Long before the advent of Jesus Christ, the Egyptians and other peoples believed in the coming of a messiah, a virgin birth, a madonna and her child, and the incarnation of the spirit in flesh. While the early Christian church accepted these ancient truths as the very basis of Christianity, it disavowed their origins. What had begun as a universal belief system built on myth and allegory was transformed, by the third and fourth centuries A.D., into a ritualistic institution based on a literal interpretation of myths and symbols. But, as Tom Harpur argues in The Pagan Christ, "to take the Gospels literally as history or biography is to utterly miss their inner spiritual meaning."At a time of religious extremism, Tom Harpur reveals the virtue of a cosmic faith based on ancient truths that the modern church has renounced. His message is clear: Our blind faith in literalism is killing Christianity. Only with a return to an inclusive religion where Christ lives within each of us will we gain a true understanding of who we are and who we are intended to become. The Pagan Christ is a book of rare insight and power that will reilluminate the Bible and change the way we think about religion.
Dialogue with Death: A Journey Through Consciousness
Eknath Easwaran - 1981
Why am I here? Is there a purpose to my life? What happens when I die? These deep questions are addressed with clear wisdom, vivid images and memorable stories.
Unlearning God: How Unbelieving Helped Me Believe
Philip Gulley - 2018
And then we're faced with a choice--retreat to spiritual security and the community that comes with it, or strike out into the unknown. With his trademark humor and down-home wisdom, Philip Gulley serves as just the spiritual director a wayward pilgrim could warm to, inviting readers into his own sometimes rollicking, sometimes daunting journey of spiritual discovery. He writes about being raised by a Catholic mother and a Baptist father across the street from a family of Jehovah's Witnesses--all three camps convinced the others are doomed. To nearly everyone's consternation, Philip grows up to be a Quaker and a pastor. In Unlearning God, Gulley showcases his well-loved gift as a storyteller and his acute sensibilities as a public theologian in conversations that will charm, provoke, encourage, and inspire.