The traditions of Celtic-speaking communities in particular offer a highly effective method, expressed through mythology (as in the symbolic apple branch) and implemented through seasonal rituals.Alexi Kondratiev outlines rules for Celtic-circle membership and shows how to become conversant with Celtic culture and mythology, and at least one of the surviving Celtic languages. He also provides the actual formula of words given for each of the Celtic rituals and visualization sequences. These rituals are closely connected with the passage of time, especially the four seasons, as well as other feast days. In this book the ancient traditions of all six Celtic nations are brought to life. Alexi Kondratiev, who knows sixty-four languages well enough to teach them, conducts classes in a variety of Celtic subjects at the Irish Arts Center in New York City, and has been a contributor to a number of magazines and journals, including Keltoi, Carn, and Keltria.

    Featuring beautiful illustrations from award-winning artist Kathleen Edwards, a variety of ways to celebrate the Wheel of the Year, and powerful wisdom from practicing witches, this indispensable, on-the-go tool will make your days more magical.

    In her introduction, Eva Gillies presents the case for the relevance of the book to modern anthropologists.

    Gone are the days of "on Tuesday you will meet your prince charming" horoscopes. Instead, Nicholas is spearheading a radical new approach to astrology. In her hip, inspirational weekly horoscopes, she doesn’t tell readers what will happen to them. Instead, she encourages her devotees to take control—to confront themselves, their desires, and their needs—to fulfill their potential using the power of the stars.Written in her lyrical, cool-girl, feminist writing style, You Were Born for This explains how knowing your star signs and what they mean for your individual character can be revelatory. Understanding the astrological chart can help you refine your intentions, identify your strengths, recognize areas for growth, become more connected to your core self, and steer you on your spiritual path.In an era when growing numbers of people feel a sense of meaninglessness and a desire to learn more about themselves, You Were Born for This teaches you how to harness the zodiac to help you become more in tune with yourself and your place in the universe.

    Jason Ā. Josephson-Storm argues that as broad cultural history goes, this narrative is wrong, as attempts to suppress magic have failed more often than they have succeeded. Even the human sciences have been more enchanted than is commonly supposed. But that raises the question: How did a magical, spiritualist, mesmerized Europe ever convince itself that it was disenchanted? Josephson-Storm traces the history of the myth of disenchantment in the births of philosophy, anthropology, sociology, folklore, psychoanalysis, and religious studies. Ironically, the myth of mythless modernity formed at the very time that Britain, France, and Germany were in the midst of occult and spiritualist revivals. Indeed, Josephson-Storm argues, these disciplines’ founding figures were not only aware of, but profoundly enmeshed in, the occult milieu; and it was specifically in response to this burgeoning culture of spirits and magic that they produced notions of a disenchanted world.   By providing a novel history of the human sciences and their connection to esotericism, The Myth of Disenchantment dispatches with most widely held accounts of modernity and its break from the premodern past.

    This book contains over 100 spells and a list of runes and how they can be used in spell casting and even crafting your own spells. I've collected these spells from several different sources, mostly from witches I have met in my travels and covens I have been a part of. The White magick spells in this book can mostly be used without much hesitation but make sure you have good reason to use any red or black magick spells as The Three-fold law does apply to everyone whether you believe it or not. I've tweaked a few of these spells to fit my needs from time to time and you can do the same as the words aren't what give the spells power, your energy is what really matters, so feel free to do the same and change what you want to suit your own needs. The craft of Magic is a constant fluctuating living thing and our ancestors have borrowed, changed, and made from scratch what we practice today. I hope this book helps you grow as a person and a spellcrafter :) -Brittany Nightshade

    "This is a book," writes Gary Snyder, "about danger: dangerous knowledge, even more dangerous ignorance." Against the greater danger, ignorance, Pendell strikes a formidable blow, as he proves himself a wise and witty guide to our plant teachers, their powers and their poisons. "Pharmako/Poeia is an epic poem on plant humours, an abstruse alchemic treatise, an experiential narrative jigsaw puzzle, a hip and learned wild-nature reference text, a comic paen to cosmic consciousness, an ecological handbook, a dried-herb pastiche, a counterculture encyclopedia of ancient fact and lore." -Allen Ginsberg poet"Dale Pendell reactivates the ancient connection between the bardic poet and the shaman." -Terence McKenna author of True Hallucinations

    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.

    His new-found knowledge spurred him to write Mysteries: An Investigation into the Occult, the Paranormal & the Supernaturalan attempt to apply his theory to all paranormal phenomena, from precognition to Uri Geller's spoon bending. He presents detailed studies of hauntings, possession & demonic hypnosis, as well as magic, the Kabbalah & astrology. At the heart of his work is a fascinating discussion of the Great Secret of the alchemists, which he sees as the key to the mystery of the ladder of selves.

    A Druid’s Herbal shows the reader how to use herbs when creating rituals to celebrate festivals and significant life passages such as births, house blessings, weddings, funerals, and naming ceremonies. Drawing on extensive research and a deep personal experience with Pagan traditions, Ellen Evert Hopman explores the history and folklore surrounding the eight major Celtic festivals: Samhain, Winter Solstice, Imbolc, Spring Equinox, Beltaine, Summer Solstice, Lugnasad, and Fall Equinox. Included in each discussion are complete instructions on the medicinal and magical uses of the herbs associated with each celebration. Using these Celtic traditions as examples, the author suggests ways to incorporate the symbolic and magical power of herbs into personal rituals that honor all phases of life from childbirth to last rites. Also included are chapters on how to prepare herbal tinctures, salves, and poultices; herbs used by the Druids; herbal alchemy and the planets; and the relationships between herbs and sacred places. Filled with practical information and imaginative suggestions for using herbs for healing, ceremony, and magic, this book is an indispensable and comprehensive guide to age-old herbal practices. A master herbalist, psychotherapist, and lay homeopath, Ellen Hopman is the author of Tree Medicine, Tree Magic and the video Gifts of the Healing Earth, and co-author of People of the Earth: The New Pagans.

    Today many Pagans are discovering this path, by accident or by design. Simultaneously, many practitioners of secular BDSM are finding themselves having spiritual experiences in the middle of their most secular scenes. This book explores the crossover points between both these communities and practices, a cross-section which is growing steadily, baring controversial articles on topics as diverse as sacred pain, bondage, hook suspension, cathartic Pagan ritual, the spirituality of dominance and submission, and being the slave of the Gods. With contributions by noted authors and activists in both communities, and stunning photography by artist and Shibari-Do master Bridgett Harrington, this book is an awe-inspiring gateway into the Realm of the Underworld. and back again.

    Your home is an important part of who you are—it makes sense to tie your practice of witchcraft closely to the place where you build your life. In The House Witch, you’ll discover everything you need to live, work, and practice in your own magical space. Follow expert Arin Murphy-Hiscock on a journey to building and fortifying a sacred space in your own home, with essential information on how to: -Create magical cookbooks of recipes, spells, and charms -Prepare food that nourishes body and soul -Perform rituals that protect and purify hearth and home -Master the secrets of the cauldron and the sacred flame -Call upon the kitchen gods and goddesses. -Produce hearth-based arts and crafts. …and much more! Learn how easy it is to transform your home into a magical place that enhances your practice and nurtures your spirit!

    Rain and Aiden James! Gabriel Radu isn’t your average 'thirtyish' detective... that’s because he's a three-hundred-year-old warlock. Residing in the quaint but quirky town of Denmark, Tennessee, the semi-immortal 'Gabe' is called upon from time to time to assist local law enforcement in solving unusual crimes that often end in murder. And, by unusual, the crimes always involve something he's quite familiar with: Magic. When Sheriff Billy McCain comes calling for help in solving the brutal slayings of a pair of homeless men, whose corpses have been marked by a dark snake and scythe symbol beneath the napes of their necks, Gabriel eagerly accepts the challenge to help solve the case and bring the killer, or killers, to justice. But the assignment comes with a terrifying caveat... the mark left upon both victims points to an ancient entity that rarely visits our world. Known in Gabe’s Romanian homeland as the Sufletul, or Soul Taker, in the previous centuries this immortal fiend has arisen, it has left widespread death and destruction in its wake. The initial killings soon begin to multiply, and the mysterious reasons behind why this ancient menace has chosen the tiny town of Denmark begin to come into focus for Gabriel. Relying on his investigative instincts and courage, as well as precious insights from trusted friends and his family of witches and warlocks, the quest to stop the growing body count before it erupts into uncontrolled carnage brings Gabriel closer and closer to a confrontation with... The Soul Taker.

    'Traditional Witchcraft for Urban Living' deals with the constant barrage of psychic problems that confront the urban witch on a daily basis.

    He felt that achieving purity by avoiding meat and refraining from committing harm further promoted the pursuit of a peaceful life. Elements of the worship of Dionysus, such as shape-shifting and ritualistic ecstasy, were fused with Orphic beliefs to produce a powerful and illuminating new religion that found expression in the mystery cults. Practitioners of this new religion composed a great body of poetry, much of which is translated in The Orphic Hymns.The hymns presented in this book were anonymously composed somewhere in Asia Minor, most likely in the middle of the third century AD. At this turbulent time, the Hellenic past was fighting for its survival, while the new Christian faith was spreading everywhere. The Orphic Hymns thus reflect a pious spirituality in the form of traditional literary conventions. The hymns themselves are devoted to specific divinities as well as to cosmic elements. Prefaced with offerings, strings of epithets invoke the various attributes of the divinity and prayers ask for peace and health to the initiate. Apostolos N. Athanassakis and Benjamin M. Wolkow have produced an accurate and elegant translation accompanied by rich commentary.