Tarot has never looked more sophisticated and contemporary! Acclaimed illustrator Lisa Sterle marries the symbolism of the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith deck with youthful, stylish characters and items from our modern lives. With its diversity and all-female celebration of womanhood, this vibrant, fashion-forward, and colorful deck brings fun and fresh air to the tarot!

    First, it is an introduction to Tarot cards and their reading, bringing together historical, philosophical, psychological and magical considerations. Second, it is a practical guide to the “open reading” method, based on looking at the card illustrations rather than learning fixed interpretations by heart. Third, it is a handbook for reading the Tarot de Marseille, which is the classical version of the traditional Tarot. It can also provide you with a deeper understanding of other Tarot decks, which are new adaptations of the same original symbols.Whether you are a novice or an experienced Tarot reader, and whatever deck or reading method you are now using, this book is for you.for more details and additional materials to read and download, see the book's accompanying website http://www.cbdtarot.com

    When you finish reading The Elements of Ritual, you'll know what each step of the circle-casting ceremony means, why it's there, and what it accomplishes. You'll learn several alternative approaches to each step, and you'll be empowered to write your own effective ceremonies using sound magical, theological, and pragmatic principles.Advanced, sophisticated Witchcraft philosophy and practice Delves further into the theology and theory of every phase of ritual, along with practical how-tos and how-not-tos, and much esoteric, hard-to-find information Every step of ritual has at least two sample scripts, including an avant-garde example Provides detailed instructions for writing your own ritual Includes meditations on the deeper meanings of each phase of ritual

    The story tells of his return to his people, his hard initiation back into those people, which lead to his desire to convey their knowledge to the world. "Of Water and the Spirit" is the result of that desire; it is a sharing of living African traditions, offered in compassion for those struggling with our contemporary crisis of the spirit.

    Under her, women's roles were far more prominent than in patriarchal Judeo-Christian cultures. Stone describes this ancient system and, with its disintegration, the decline in women's status. Index, maps and illustrations.

    But what about a wheel of the year for the rest of us pagans and witches? As a witch living in sunny South Florida, longtime hereditary witch Temperance Alden has often felt at odds gearing up to celebrate Yule, for example, when it is 76 degrees and sunny outside.Year of the Witch will help readers create their own intuitive practices in harmony with the climate, culture, and local spirits where they live. It’s of interest to witches coming off the Wiccan path and looking for a more personal approach to celebrating the rhythms of nature. Year of the Witch covers all aspects of this new, seasonal practice: The origins of the neo-pagan wheel of the year and why it is still so relevant today Culture, historical facts, and traditions associated with the major ceremonies Basic principles of land-based magick How to intuitively connect to the nature below your feet and the local gods Being a custodian to the land and its impact on our spiritual practice

    But those that aren't, those that purport to document or comment on such phenomena in what passes for "real life" vary across such a wide range of quality, credulity & comprehensibility that it's tempting to dismiss them all as pure badly-written hokum. Of course, as in any genre, no matter how microscopic, there are classics. Charles Fort's Book of the Damned is surely in the forefront. But once you get past the looming shadow of Charles Fort, matters become far murkier. Patrick Harpur's Daimonic Reality is a work that would surely make the top ten lists of many Fortean scholars. Subtitled A Field Guide to the Otherworld, Daimonic Reality synthesizes the reports of many different phenomena into a single Unified Field Theory of the Strange. It's an audacious attempt that largely succeeds. Harpur has a low key writing style that makes this work easy to read. His comprehensive knowledge of a wide variety of inexplicable events is impressive & entertaining. Most importantly, he has drawn together these disparate elements with a rather interesting philosophical take that looks to Jung, Fort, Blake, Yeats & beyond. There are enough elements in this stew to make it a really tasty treat for the hungry mind. Daimonic Reality is divided into three sections thru which Harpur journeys ever deeper into the mind behind the perceptions. But he's careful not to shortchange the perceptions & events themselves. Part One: Apparitions covers apparitions of all kinds, from UFOs to lights in the sky, from aliens & fairies to sightings of Black Dogs & Big Cats. Harpur's economical coverage of these subjects makes it easy for any level of Fortean reader to enjoy the individuality of each experience. But this treatment also enables the reader to step back & see the bigger picture, to move towards the idea of the otherworld. The individual reports are carefully chosen & beautifully written. Harpur takes a more substantial step towards the otherworld in Part Two: Vision. Starting with a discussion of "seeing things", he moves on to visions of Ladies, which are dominated by (but not exclusively) visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He discusses the evidence that these encounters leave behind, from fairy shoes to crop circles. (Coming soon to a theater near you.) He talked about the part that Imagination plays in the otherworld & finally reaches the mythic land itself. In Part Three: Otherworld Journeys, Harpur gives both practical & philosophical advice for otherworld journeys. He discusses the variety of journeys that one can have, from missing time to alien encounters, from a trip to fairyland to an out-of-body experience. When Harpur sticks to the practical, he has practically no peer in writing compelling prose about otherworldly experiences. His philosophical thoughts aren't quite as page-turning, but they're pithy, fascinating & pertinent. Harpur isn't content to merely provoke thought. He wants to invoke internal debate in the reader, & does so with some formal philosophical discussion that is difficult to pull off with the authority that Harpur achieves. He's a remarkably intelligent writer & his work requires a reader of nearly equal intelligence. You don't have to be a philosopher to read Harpur's work, but it certainly helps to be philosophically inclined. This isn't mere reportage of events, but a reasoned analysis, with conclusions that go well beyond 'Is it real or are they all just a bunch of crazy yahoos?' That there is an audience for this sort of thinking is shown by the eternal sales of the works of writers such as Carlos Castenada, not to mention the immense & increasing popularity of Fortean fiction, horror, science fiction & fantasy. That's because Harpur is looking to snatch something from the center of creation, something that is partly in the human mind & partly in the otherworld. Daimonic Reality does an excellent job grasping at the ineffable & getting it in print. As of 2/2003, this title is back in print by Pine Winds Press/Idyll Arbor. They've chosen an equally nice cover print, & are publishing the book as a sturdy US hardcover. Better yet, they're a small press, so you can buy directly from them. Since Harpur has managed to wrestle the ineffable into print, we've got to thank Pine Winds Press for keeping it in print.--Rick Kleffel

    True high magic is the art (and science) of using little-known or long-forgotten forces and objects from nature to achieve benevolent changes in the individual's consciousness or in the surrounding physical environment. It encompasses a wide array of doctrines and techniques, including the conjuring of spirits and nonhuman entities, ritual divination, the making and consecration of wands, swords, and talismans, and exploration of other universes. The essence of high magic has been captured in this handsomely bound book. The author gives instructions for making a magic altar and creating tools of magic. He also gives basic instruction in divination methods that include geomancy, I-Ching, and tarot cards. He goes on to explain the pentagram, the hexagram, the ritual of the rose cross, and advanced techniques that are intended to invoke deities. Here is practical, lucid instruction in the methods of self-initiation to a wide array of occult traditions.

    With insight and depth impossible to gain from the commonly known sun-sign profiles, the enlightening self-portrait offered by the Nodes of the Moon can explain the life lessons you came here to learn and how to achieve the fulfillment and peace you desire. Jan Spiller shows you how to locate the all-important North Node of the Moon in your astrological chart and provides a detailed interpretation of its influence and exclusive exercises to help you learn about:• The SPECIAL TALENT that is waiting for you, a unique gift that could easily be turned into professional success• The SELF-DEFEATING TENDENCIES in your personality that can hold you back and sabotage relationships• The LOVE PARTNER who can be your soul mate—and the partner whose hold over you can lead to heartbreak• The TRAP or temptation from a past life that can lead to disaster if you are not forewarned• The HEALING AFFIRMATIONS designed to help you release your positive energy and strengthen the qualities that can bring you true happinessJan Spiller is nationally recognized as a leader in the astrology field. She is a faculty member of the American Federation of Astrologers and co-author of Spiritual Astrology.

    A Book of Pagan Prayer provides the pagan community a comprehensive and thoughtful selection of prayers - and shows readers how they too can create their own. After an introduction on why to pray, author Ceisiwr Serith explores how to pray through words, posture, dance, and music. He explains how to prepare for and compose prayers, how to address and honor the deities, and how to conclude a prayer. Serith also answers important questions, such as: Why should pagans pray? Should prayers be spontaneous? What are offerings about? Is all this just trying to buy the gods off? Gathered from many traditions - including Celtic, Germanic, Egyptian, Greek, and Zoroastrian - this guide includes nearly 500 sample prayers organized by purpose: for the family and household; times of the day, month, and year; life passages; thanksgiving, grace, and petition; as well as litanies and mantras. Whether offering a blessing, celebrating new life, safeguarding travel, or honoring the seasons, readers will discover timeless pagan prayers for worship, spiritual connection, and personal relationship with the gods.

    The author assumes no previous knowledge, only a willingness to explore what magick offers, yet its apparent to anyone with a background in the subject that Alan Chapman is drawing on a wide range of experience, from classical Crowleyean Magick, to eastern metaphysics, and back again to Discordianism and Chaos Magick. Chapmans writing-style is humorous, direct, seductively logical, and his enthusiasm for the benefits of magick is both tangible and infectious. The novice magician will indeed find themselves equipped to commence all sorts of magickal operations: trance work, enchantment, divination, and even some of the higher forms of spiritual development. To experienced magicians, Chapman offers a subtler challenge: he revitalises magick by cutting it free from the extreme relativism Chaos Magick bequeathed, provocatively redefining it as: the art, science and culture of experiencing truth.

    Sticking out the tongue is still a polite sign of greeting in northern India and Tibet (see Body Parts).Cosmic Egg In ancient times the primeval universe-or the Great Mother-took the form of an egg. It carried all numbers and letters within an ellipse, to show that everything is contained within one form at the beginning (see Round and Oval Motifs).

    The tools that Gabriela Herstik offers in Bewitching the Elements will help you connect to the universe and your inner light.Through earth, learn how to ground and create compassionate boundaries.Through air, harness the breath, balance the body, and find presence in the moment.Through fire, embody passion, burning away what no longer serves you, and learn to constructively work with anger.Through water, explore your emotional depths and come back to the heart.Through spirit, connect to your own sense of power, embracing all of the lessons of the elements.Committing to a path that serves our authentic selves is a radical act. When we do this work alongside nature, by turning to the elements, we find a map back to our intuitive and energetic wisdom.