Book picks similar to
Old Ways, Old Secrets: Pagan Ireland: Myth * Landscape * Tradition by Jo Kerrigan
non-fiction
mythology
history
nonfiction
Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle
Dervla Murphy - 1965
She has written other travel books, including In Ethiopia with a Mule.
Renaissance Nation: How the Pope's Children Rewrote the Rules for Ireland
David McWilliams - 2018
The Black Arts: A Concise History of Witchcraft, Demonology, Astrology, and Other Mystical Practices Throughout the Ages
Richard Cavendish - 1967
This text describes the practice, theory, and underlying rationale of black magic in all its branches - the summoning and control of evil spirits, necromancy, psychic attack, devil worship, witchcraft, evil charms and spells - as well as other branches of occult theory.
Signs, Symbols & Omens: An Illustrated Guide to Magical & Spiritual Symbolism
Raymond Buckland - 2003
From traffic signs to the very letters that comprise these words, symbols are woven into every aspect of daily life. Since prehistoric times humans have used symbolic representation to communicate with each other and with the divine.In Signs, Symbols & Omens, leading occult authority Ray Buckland describes the form and meaning of over 800 symbols from ancient and modern religions, magical traditions, and indigenous cultures around the world:Alchemy Ancient Egypt Astrology Australian Aborigines Aztec and Mayan Buddhist Celtic Ceremonial Magic Chinese Christian Freemasonry Gnostic Greek and Roman Hindu Islamic Judaic Magical Alphabets Native American Norse Rosicrucian Runic Shinto Sikh Travelers Voudoun Witchcraft Omens Understand the symbols used throughout human history and gain a deeper appreciation for the depth of the human experience and the vast uncharted realm of the collective unconscious.
The Golden Bough
James George Frazer - 1890
The Golden Bough" describes our ancestors' primitive methods of worship, sex practices, strange rituals and festivals. Disproving the popular thought that primitive life was simple, this monumental survey shows that savage man was enmeshed in a tangle of magic, taboos, and superstitions. Revealed here is the evolution of man from savagery to civilization, from the modification of his weird and often bloodthirsty customs to the entry of lasting moral, ethical, and spiritual values.
The Witching Way of the Hollow Hill
Robin Artisson - 2006
People all over the world embrace the ideas discussed in this work: the animistic worldview, spiritual communion with the dead and the Unseen World, sorcery and magic. Author and Mystic Robin Artisson explores these mystical themes from the perspective of The Old Faiths and pre-Christian metaphysical impulses of Europe and the British Isles. Bringing a new perspective to these ancient practices and making them more accessible, this book is a key to the door that leads into the mythical dimension of each person, and every feature of the sacred landscape. It helps to unlock the hidden wisdom in folklore, shed light on the enigma of the human being, and manifest an experience of the wisdom of the Old Ways- insofar as a book can. This book is about getting out of books and back into the spiritual dimension of the Land itself, and requires considerable dedication and work.
The Way of the Shaman
Michael Harner - 1980
Ten years after it was first published, this is still the leading resource and reference for all those interested in cross-cultural and current forms of shamanism: now with a new introduction and a list of current shamanic resources.
The Discovery of Middle Earth: Mapping the Lost World of the Celts
Graham Robb - 2013
In six hundred years, the Celts had produced some of the finest artistic and scientific masterpieces of the ancient world. In 58 BC, Julius Caesar marched over the Alps, bringing slavery and genocide to western Europe. Within eight years the Celts of what is now France were utterly annihilated, and in another hundred years the Romans had overrun Britain. It is astonishing how little remains of this great civilization. While planning a bicycling trip along the Heraklean Way, the ancient route from Portugal to the Alps, Graham Robb discovered a door to that forgotten world--a beautiful and precise pattern of towns and holy places based on astronomical and geometrical measurements: this was the three-dimensional "Middle Earth" of the Celts. As coordinates and coincidences revealed themselves across the continent, a map of the Celtic world emerged as a miraculously preserved archival document.Robb--"one of the more unusual and appealing historians currently striding the planet" (New York Times)--here reveals the ancient secrets of the Celts, demonstrates the lasting influence of Druid science, and recharts the exploration of the world and the spread of Christianity. A pioneering history grounded in a real-life historical treasure hunt, The Discovery of Middle Earth offers nothing less than an entirely new understanding of the birth of modern Europe.
The Modern Guide to Witchcraft: Your Complete Guide to Witches, Covens, and Spells
Skye Alexander - 2014
Looking for an enchanting love potion? Want to create your own sacred space and promote good energy? The Modern Guide to Witchcraft helps you harness your own inner power so you can shape your destiny. With the help of spellcraft expert Skye Alexander, you'll tap into your own magic and create incantations, potions, and charms. As she carefully guides you through each step of these witchcraft practices and details ways of personalizing them to your specific situation, you'll gain confidence in your own knowledge and inner force. Once you learn to harness your natural talents as a witch, you'll discover that a whole new world of possibilities exists.
The New Orleans Voodoo Handbook
Kenaz Filan - 2011
John • Exposes the diverse ethnic influences at the core of Voodoo, from the African Congo to Catholic immigrants from Italy, France, and Ireland One of America’s great native-born spiritual traditions, New Orleans Voodoo is a religion as complex, free-form, and beautiful as the jazz that permeates this steamy city of sin and salvation. From the French Quarter to the Algiers neighborhood, its famed vaulted cemeteries to its infamous Mardi Gras celebrations, New Orleans cannot escape its rich Voodoo tradition, which draws from a multitude of ethnic sources, including Africa, Latin America, Sicily, Ireland, France, and Native America. In The New Orleans Voodoo Handbook, initiated Vodou priest Kenaz Filan covers the practices, tools, and rituals of this system of worship as well as the many facets of its origins. Exploring the major figures of New Orleans Voodoo, such as Marie Laveau and Dr. John, as well as Creole cuisine and the wealth of musical inspiration surrounding the Mississippi Delta, Filan examines firsthand documents and historical records to uncover the truth behind many of the city’s legends and to explore the oft-discussed but little-understood practices of the root doctors, Voodoo queens, and spiritual figures of the Crescent City. Including recipes for magical oils, instructions for candle workings, methods of divination, and even directions to create gris-gris bags, mojo hands, and Voodoo dolls, Filan reveals how to call on the saints and spirits of Voodoo for love, money, retribution, justice, and healing.
Ireland's Immortals: A History of the Gods of Irish Myth
Mark Williams - 2016
The first account of the gods of Irish myth to take in the whole sweep of Irish literature in both the nation's languages, the book describes how Ireland's pagan divinities were transformed into literary characters in the medieval Christian era--and how they were recast again during the Celtic Revival of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A lively narrative of supernatural beings and their fascinating and sometimes bizarre stories, Mark Williams's comprehensive history traces how these gods--known as the Tuatha De Danann--have shifted shape across the centuries, from Iron Age cult to medieval saga to today's young-adult fiction.We meet the heroic Lug; the Morrigan, crow goddess of battle; the fire goddess Brigit, who moonlights as a Christian saint; the mist-cloaked sea god Manannan mac Lir; and the ageless fairies who inspired J.R.R. Tolkien's immortal elves. Medieval clerics speculated that the Irish divinities might be devils, angels, or enchanters. W. B. Yeats invoked them to reimagine the national condition, while his friend George Russell beheld them in visions and understood them to be local versions of Hindu deities. The book also tells how the Scots repackaged Ireland's divine beings as the gods of the Gael on both sides of the sea--and how Irish mythology continues to influence popular culture far beyond Ireland.An unmatched chronicle of the Irish gods, Ireland's Immortals illuminates why these mythical beings have loomed so large in the world's imagination for so long.
An Irish Country Childhood: A Bygone Age Remembered
Marrie Walsh - 1995
Her memoirs take the reader to a time and a way of life now long disappeared, exploring lives that were inticately bound with the natural world in a small, close-knit farming community that was as resourceful as it was poor. Poor in worldly wealth and tied to the land but rich in love, kindness and good spirit, the people brought to life in this book are an inspiring reminder of a way of life lost in the past.
The Great Cosmic Mother: Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth
Monica Sjöö - 1987
Now, with a new introduction and full-color artwork, this passionate and important text shows even more clearly that the religion of the Goddess—which is tied to the cycles of women’s bodies, the seasons, the phases of the moon, and the fertility of the earth—was the original religion of all humanity.
Elsewhere: One Woman, One Rucksack, One Lifetime of Travel
Rosita Boland - 2019
In the last thirty years she has visited some of the most remote parts of the globe carrying little more than a battered rucksack and a diary.Documenting nine journeys from nine different moments in her life, Elsewhere reveals how exploring the world – and those we meet along the way – can dramatically shape the course of a person’s life. From death-defying bus journeys through Pakistan to witnessing the majestic icescapes of Antarctica to putting herself back together in Bali, Rosita experiences moments of profound joy and endures deep personal loss.In a series of jaw-dropping, illuminating and sometimes heart-breaking essays, Elsewhere is a book that celebrates the life well-travelled in all its messy and wondrous glory.'Beautifully authentic writing, full of humanity and gumption' Irish Independent ____________________
The Mist-Filled Path: Celtic Wisdom for Exiles, Wanderers, and Seekers
Frank MacEowen - 2002
Using his own travels and teachings along with Celtic stories and myths, he explores how to find a personal spirituality that also works for the greater good.