Book picks similar to
Element Encyclopedia of Secret Signs and Symbols: The Ultimate A-Z Guide from Alchemy to the Zodiac by Adele Nozedar
nonfiction
reference
non-fiction
history
Imbolc: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Brigid's Day
Carl F. Neal - 2015
A well-rounded introduction to Imbolc, this attractive book features rituals, recipes, lore, and correspondences. It includes hands-on information for modern celebrations, spells and divination, recipes and crafts, invocations and prayers, and more! Imbolc--also known as Brigid's Day--is a time to start making plans for the future, sowing the fields of the land as well as the mind. This guide to the history and modern celebration of Imbolc shows you how to perform rituals and magic to celebrate and work with the energy of the re-awakening earth.
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.
Yule: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for the Winter Solstice
Susan Pesznecker - 2015
It includes hands-on information for modern celebrations, spells and divination, recipes and crafts, invocations and prayers, and more!Yule—also known as Midwinter—is when nighttime has reached its maximum length, but there is a promise of brighter days to come as candles are lit and feasts are enjoyed. This guide to the history and modern celebration of Yule shows you how to perform rituals and magic to celebrate and work with the energy of the winter solstice.
A Kitchen Witch's Cookbook
Patricia J. Telesco - 1994
"A Kitchen Witch's Cookbook" provides magical sustenance for family and guests with over 300 carefully selected recipes whose ingredients were especially chosen to promote magical goals--and plain good eating! Encourage psychic insight, prosperity, luck, creativity, and more--through the food that you eat.
Astrology for Real Life: A Workbook for Beginners
Theresa Reed - 2019
Astrology for Real Life goes beyond simple sun-sign interpretation and at the same time cuts through the complications of horoscope analysis to make understanding your chart in depth, simple and easy. The goal is to make astrology accessible to total newbies and provide a working reference guide for intermediates.The book is presented in workbook format exploring each part of chart interpretation—signs, planets, houses, aspects—with exercises following each chapter and fill-in-the-blank lessons that take the reader through all the just-learned steps. The tone is warm, fun, and personal, and the exercises give the reader experiential hands-on practice.The end result: once you learn the basics in Astrology for Real Life, you can easily navigate the cosmos by making them work for you. It’s kind of like a roadmap where we begin by understanding the terrain and the tools available. From there, the planets will guide you in making brave, excellent choices in love, work, and life. It’s profound, fun, and practical. You’ll learn how to interpret your chart with confidence and use astrology in a practical, proactive way, with no astro excuses (blaming the stars for your issues).
Grimoires: A History of Magic Books
Owen Davies - 2009
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.
The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols
Jean Chevalier - 1982
Compiled by an international team of experts, each entry is given its complete range of interpretations - sexual and spiritual, official and subversive, cultural and religious - to bring meaning and insight to the symbol.
Linda Goodman's Love Signs: A New Approach to the Human Heart
Linda Goodman - 1978
Lively, entertaining, and informative, this book will help you better understand your partner and your relationship.From your finances to your lover's secret hopes, from your quirky habits to what you'll fight about, from avoiding war to making peace, this book will tell you what to expect and what to look out for. Whether you're embarking on a first date or are seriously involved, Linda Goodman's Love Signs will help you open up the lines of communication and unlock the power of your relationship.
Kitchen Table Tarot: Pull Up a Chair, Shuffle the Cards, and Let's Talk Tarot
Melissa Cynova - 2017
She's heard all the questions and misconceptions that can confuse newcomers (and sometimes more experienced readers, too). Kitchen Table Tarot was written as a guide for anyone looking for no-nonsense lessons with a warm, friendly, and knowledgeable teacher.Join Melissa as she shares straightforward guidance on decks, spreads, card meanings, and symbols. Filled with real-life examples and personal explanations of what it's like to read the cards, this book tells it like it is and provides the information you need to read with confidence.
Aradia: Gospel of the Witches
Charles Godfrey Leland - 1899
What is certain is that this 1899 classic has become a foundational document of modern Wicca and neopaganism. Leland claimed his "witch informant," a fortune-teller named Maddalena, supplied him with the secret writings that he translated and combined with his research on Italian pagan tradition to create a gospel of pagan belief and practice. Here, in the story of the goddess Aradia, who came to Earth to champion oppressed peasants in their fight against their feudal overlords and the Catholic Church, are the chants, prayers, spells, and rituals that have become the centerpieces of contemporary pagan faiths. American journalist and folklorist CHARLES GODFREY LELAND (1824-1903) was editor of Continental Monthly during the Civil War and coined the term emancipation as an alternative to abolition, but he is best remembered for his books on ethnography, folklore, and language, including The Gypsies (1882), The Hundred Riddles of the Fairy Bellaria (1892), and Unpublished Legends of Virgil (1899).
Witchcraft: Theory and Practice
Lore de Angeles - 2000
With more than three decades of experience she has learned how to bring the teachings alive, combining modern with ancient, so you can better understand the true potential and depth of Witchcraft.Within the pages of this book you will find the secrets and techniques to become a Witch. These can be divided into three categories: philosophical disciplines, spiritual beliefs, and practical techniques. Each part gets a focus in this book.In the first section, you will:Learn meditation and how it can be used for ritual Discover the secrets of visualization, telepathy, and personal power Use the self-analysis techniques to discover who you are and never walk in anyone's shadowIn the second section you can:Uncover the essence of the God and Goddess Discover the festivals of Witchcraft Learn how to make and use the tools of Witchcraft Understand how to do rituals, including the rite of self-initiationAnd in the final section, you'll:Practice psychic protection, shapeshifting, and banishing Master astral projection Learn to interpret omens This really just barely covers some of the information you will find revealed in these pages. Written in a style that is clear and concise, this book will add to your knowledge of Witchcraft. Whether you are new to the Craft or have been practicing for some time, Witchcraft: Theory and Practice will impart wisdom that will fascinate and entice. You will be using this book for many years to come.
A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult
D.K. Publishing - 2020
The perfect introduction to magic and the occult, it explores forms of divination from astrology and palmistry to the Tarot and runestones, mystical plants and potions such as mandrake, the presence of witchcraft in literature from Shakespeare's Macbeth to the Harry Potter series, and the ways in which magic has interacted with mainstream religions.The most comprehensive illustrated history of witchcraft available, A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult will enthrall and fascinate you with its lavish illustrated, accessible entries, whether you are a believer or a skeptic.
The Good Witch's Guide: A Modern-Day Wiccapedia of Magickal Ingredients and Spells
Shawn Robbins - 2017
Illustrated throughout, it teaches you which herbs and spices, oils and aromatherapy, brews, potions, spells, and more, can help you live life to the fullest. And with spells, remedies, and recipes from a roundtable of noted witches, healers, and mystical practitioners, this “spell”-binding book is a must-read for anyone who wishes to celebrate both good health and spirituality.
Runes for Beginners: A Guide to Reading Runes in Divination, Rune Magic, and the Meaning of the Elder Futhark Runes
Lisa Chamberlain - 2018
In fact, the English word “rune” comes to us from the Norse word runa, which means “a secret,” or “to whisper.” As symbols, the runes mean little to the untrained eye, yet the magical energies they activate can be used for positive, impactful change in your everyday life. But what are runes, exactly? On the surface level, runes are the characters in a writing system used by the ancient Germanic peoples of Europe. But unlike our modern letters, the runic symbols had been used for magical purposes long before they were fashioned into an alphabet. This is known from runic inscriptions found on ancient artifacts as well as Germanic myth and lore handed down over the centuries. Indeed, those who work with the runes today are taking part in an age-old magical tradition established by our Northern European pagan ancestors. In Runes for Beginners, best-selling author Lisa Chamberlain shines the light on these ancient symbols, showing you how to discover and utilize their unique magical energies. With both an eye toward tradition and a multicultural spirit, Lisa combines an appreciation for the Germanic roots of the runes with a more eclectic Neopagan approach. Unlike many other books on the topic, Runes for Beginners is completely accessible to those with no experience in Northern European magical traditions, yet it doesn’t ignore those traditions altogether. You will emerge from this guide with a basic understanding of the runes’ role in ancient Germanic paganism, as well as a solid foundation of knowledge to build your own runic practice, regardless of your religious or spiritual path.
Foundations in Runic Magic and Divination
The runes represent various aspects of the human experience of the Universe—both tangible and intangible. Each runic symbol embodies a natural force, or type of energy, which the rune worker can attune to and then manipulate in various ways. Runes can be sent out into the Universe to manifest a magical goal, or they can be used to consult with the unseen realms about a situation at hand. In Runes for Beginners, you’ll learn all you need to know to start working with runes, including: The history of the runes and their role within the framework of the Germanic magical worldview The origins of runic wisdom in Norse mythology An overview of the Elder Futhark, the oldest-known runic alphabet and most widely used rune system in contemporary Neopaganism Basic techniques of rune magic, including rune scripts, bind runes, and creating runic talismans How to make your own runes Instructions for traditional rune-casting as well as contemporary rune spreads Tips for successful divination The divinatory meanings and magical uses of each rune in the Elder Futhark A suggested reading list for further exploring the runes and the magical and spiritual traditions of the ancient Germanic peoples Detailed tables of correspondence for a handy condensed magical and divinatory guide By the end of this guide, you will have a working knowledge of the runes that will enable you to use them with confidence in magic and divination.