Book picks similar to
Origins of Modern Witchcraft: The Evolution of a World Religion by Ann Moura
non-fiction
history
paganism
witchcraft
Jung and Tarot: An Archetypal Journey
Sallie Nichols - 1980
Through analogy with the humanities, mythology and the graphic arts, the significance of the cards is related to personal growth and individuation. The major arcana becomes a map of life, and the hero's journey becomes something that each individual can relate to the symbolism of the cards and therefore to the personal life.
The Chaos Protocols: Magical Techniques for Navigating the New Economic Reality
Gordon White - 2016
Study hard, work hard, buy a house, retire happy. It's all a lie, spun for the benefit of a tiny elite. The richest eighty-five people on earth have as much wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion. Each month, the numbers change but they never improve.Magical and spiritual discourse has failed to keep up with this new reality. The Chaos Protocols aims to fix that.Join Gordon White as he shows you how to use chaos magic not only to navigate these trying times, but to triumph as well. Discover how to become invincible through initiation, and wage the mind war that will keep you moving toward what you really want. From sigil magic to working with spiritual allies, The Chaos Protocols helps you act on the unwavering belief that your life should matter and you're not going to let something as trifling as the apocalypse get in the way of it.Praise: Gordon White gives a master class on the hard economic realities and the kind of low down and dirty magic for which he has become famous. Pragmatic, sharp, and funny, The Chaos Protocols is a treasure of a book.--Peter Grey, author of Apocalyptic WitchcraftTake two parts Magick Without Tears, a measure of The Wealth of Nations, a pinch of Ian Fleming and a dash of Noel Coward and you have this almost promiscuously readable text. Whoever said books on magick can't be fabulously entertaining as well as eminently practical has obviously not read up on their Gordon White. Remedy that situation.--Chris Knowles, author of The Secret History of Rock n' Roll and Our Gods Wear Spandex
The Faery Teachings
Orion Foxwood - 2003
This attunement occurs through the application of age-old lore, techniques, folk practices, inner contacts and wisdom of Faery Seership. The stream of mystical teachings contained herein arises from the underworld of creation and babbles through the dark forests of the spirit-world bringing fresh inspiration and deep meaning to the seeker. The source of this stream lies in the stars and deep within the planet nourishing each living thing. It is available to quench the spiritual thirst of the committed seeker of truth. Orion Foxwood is an Elder in Celtic and Romano-Celtic Traditional Craft, a High Priest in Alexandrian tradition and is the Founding Elder of Foxwood Temple of the Old Religion. He is co-director of the Moonridge Center, a land-based nature sanctuary and mystical educational center located in Maryland. He holds a Master of Human Services degree and is a Licensed Professional Counselor. He is a traditional Faery Seer and has taught these practices as well as psychic development, American Southern folk magic and traditional Craft for nearly 20 years.
The Isles of the Many Gods: An A-Z of the Pagan Gods & Goddesses Worshipped in Ancient Britain During the First Millenium Ce Through to the Middle
David Rankine - 2007
For many thousands of years successive waves of invaders each brought their own gods & goddesses with them, often assimilating the beliefs of the tribes they conquered. The Celtic races merged with the indigenous people, they were conquered by the Romans, who brought with them deities from all over the Roman Empire (including Greece & Egypt). After them came the Saxons & other Germanic tribes, further adding to the rich tapestry that forms part of our spiritual heritage today. The Isles of the Many Gods brings together, for the first time, information on the worship of these deities in Britain, in an easy to use A-Z. It includes both the native & immigrant gods & goddesses, from well known gods like Apollo, Brigit, Freya, Herne, Isis, Mars & Woden to lesser known ones like Abandinus, Arianrhod, Genii Cucullati, Midir, Vitiris & the Wheel God. There are more than 240 entries providing information regarding the evidence of their worship in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland & the Isle of Man. Drawing from archaeology, architecture, art, artefacts, currency, place-names & literature thereby providing an excellent reference work for those interested in the spiritual beliefs of our ancestors. About the Authors Sorita D'Este and David Rankine are internationally recognized for their research and writing on mythology, spirituality and magickal practices of both ancient and modern times. They have collaborated on a number of projects in the past, including "The Guises of the Morrigan" and "Circle of Fire." Between them they have authored more than a dozen books, sometimes working with other authors with expertise in a particular area. In addition to books, Sorita and David have also contributed many articles to magazines, journals and websites over the years. Notably they were major contributors to the very successful D'Agostini "Enhancing Your Mind Body Spirit" partwork. They live and work in Wales (UK). For more information visit: www.avalonia.co.uk
The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation, Including the Demotic Spells, Volume 1
Hans Dieter Betz - 1986
to the fifth century A.D. Containing a fresh translation of the Greek papyri, as well as Coptic and Demotic texts, this new translation has been brought up to date and is now the most comprehensive collection of this literature, and the first ever in English.The Greek Magical Papyri in Transition is an invaluable resource for scholars in a wide variety of fields, from the history of religions to the classical languages and literatures, and it will fascinate those with a general interest in the occult and the history of magic."One of the major achievements of classical and related scholarship over the last decade."—Ioan P. Culianu, Journal for the Study of Judaism"The enormous value of this new volume lies in the fact that these texts will now be available to a much wider audience of readers, including historians or religion, anthropologists, and psychologists."—John G. Gager, Journal of Religion"[This book] shows care, skill and zest. . . . Any worker in the field will welcome this sterling performance."—Peter Parsons, Times Literary Supplement
Backwoods Witchcraft: Conjure Folk Magic from Appalachia
Jake Richards - 2019
This "grounded approach" will be of keen interest to witches and conjure folk regardless of where they live. Readers will be guided in how to build relationships with the spirits and other beings that dwell around them and how to use the materials and tools that are readily available on the land where one lives.This book also provides instructions on how to create a working space and altar and make conjure oils and powders. A wide array of tried-and-true formulas are also offered for creating wealth, protecting one from gossip, spiritual cleansing, and more.
The Secret Language of Dreams: A Visual Key to Dreams and Their Meanings
David Fontana - 1993
a great book to read
The Tradition of Household Spirits: Ancestral Lore and Practices
Claude Lecouteux - 2000
They show that a house is more than a building: it is a living being with a body and soul. Examining the extensive traditions surrounding houses from medieval times to the present, Claude Lecouteux reveals that, before we entered the current era of frequent moves and modular housing, moving largely from the countryside into cities, humanity had an extremely sacred relationship with their homes and all the spirits who lived there alongside them--from the spirit of the house itself to the mischievous elves, fairies, and imps who visited, invited or not. He shows how every aspect of constructing and keeping a house involved rites, ceremony, customs, and taboos to appease the spirits, including the choice of a building lot and the very materials with which it was built. Uncovering the lost meaning behind door and window placement, the hearth, and the threshold, Lecouteux shares many tales of house spirits, from the offerings used to cajole the local land spirit into becoming the domestic house spirit to the good and bad luck bestowed upon those who seek the help of the “Little Money Man.” He draws on studies and classic literature from old Europe--from Celtic lands and Scandinavia to France and Germany to the far eastern borders of Europe and into Russia--to explain the pagan roots behind many of these traditions. Revealing our ancestors’ charms, prayers, and practices to bestow happiness and prosperity upon their homes, Lecouteux shows that we can invite the spirits back into our houses, old or new, and restore the sacred bond between home and inhabitant.
The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge
Jeremy Narby - 1998
This adventure in science and imagination, which the Medical Tribune said might herald "a Copernican revolution for the life sciences," leads the reader through unexplored jungles and uncharted aspects of mind to the heart of knowledge.In a first-person narrative of scientific discovery that opens new perspectives on biology, anthropology, and the limits of rationalism, The Cosmic Serpent reveals how startlingly different the world around us appears when we open our minds to it.
Light Magic for Dark Times: More than 100 Spells, Rituals, and Practices for Coping in a Crisis
Lisa Marie Basile - 2018
They can be cast during a crisis or to help prevent one, to protect loved ones, to welcome new beginnings, to heal from grief, or to find strength. Feminist, easy-to-do, and accessible, this is the perfect guide for anyone looking to live an inspired life. Whether you're working with the earth, journaling for self-growth, healing with tinctures or crystals, meditating through grief, brewing, enchanting, or communing with your coven, Light Magic for Dark Times will help you tap into your inner witch in times of need.
The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism
Daniel C. Matt - 1995
A translation of the Kabbalah for the layperson includes a compact presentation of each primary text and features a practical analysis and vital historical information that offer insight into the various aspects of Jewish mysticism.
Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer
Diane Wolkstein - 1983
Illustrated with visual artifacts of the period. With the long-awaited publication of this book, we have for the first time in any modern literary form one of the most vital and important of ancient myths: that of Inanna, the world's first goddess of recorded history and the beloved deity of the ancient Sumerians.The stories and hymns of Inanna (known to the Semites as Ishtar) are inscribed on clay tablets which date back to 2,000 B.C. Over the past forty years, these cuneiform tablets have gradually been restored and deciphered by a small group of international scholars. In this groundbreaking book, Samuel Noah Kramer, the preeminent living expert on Sumer, and Diane Wolkstein, a gifted storyteller and folklorist, have retranslated, ordered, and combined the fragmented pieces of the Cycle of Inanna into a unified whole that presents for the first time an authentic portrait of the goddess from her adolescence to her completed womanhood and godship. We see Inanna in all her aspects: as girl, lover, wife, seeker, decision maker, ruler; we witness the Queen of Heaven and Earth as the voluptuous center and source of all fertile power and the unequaled goddess of love.Illustrated throughout with cylinder seals and other artifacts of the period, the beautifully rendered images guide the reader through Inanna's realm on a journey parallel to the one evoked by the text. And the carefully wrought commentaries providing an historical overview, textual interpretations, and aannotations on the art at once explicate and amplify the power, wonder, and mystery embedded in these ancient tales.Inanna--the world's first love story, two thousand years older than the Bible--is tender, erotic, frightening, and compassionate. It is a compelling myth that is timely in its rediscovery."A great masterpiece of universal literature."--Mircea Eliade
The Kitchen Witch
Soraya - 2011
To the kitchen witch, every recipe is like a little spell bringing hte opportunity to create love and positive energy in the home and for loved oens. This year-round guide to seasonal recipes and rituals for all the pagan festivals will be invaluable to Wiccans wishing to celebrate the good things that are given to us by the land. The Kitchen Witch follows the eight pagan festivals: Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lammas and Mabon. Dyring these festivals bith, life, death, rebirth and union are celebrated. The celebrations involve sharing food with loved ones or friends. Eacho f the eight festivals has delicious recipies using a variety of seasonal foods and items commonly found in most kitchens. There is also information on herbs, plants, spices, flowers and essential oils that you can use for spell or circle work, and homemade lotions and potions. Soraya is a Reiki Teaching Master, white witch and an internationally renowned author and professional psychic.
Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine
Joseph Campbell - 2013
His bestselling books, including The Power of Myth and The Hero with a Thousand Faces, are the rare blockbusters that are also scholarly classics.While Campbell’s work reached wide and deep as he covered the world’s great mythological traditions, he never wrote a book on goddesses in world mythology. He did, however, have much to say on the subject. Between 1972 and 1986 he gave over twenty lectures and workshops on goddesses, exploring the figures, functions, symbols, and themes of the feminine divine, following them through their transformations across cultures and epochs.In this provocative volume, editor Safron Rossi—a goddess studies scholar, professor of mythology, and curator of collections at Opus Archives, which holds the Joseph Campbell archival manuscript collection and personal library—collects these lectures for the first time. In them, Campbell traces the evolution of the feminine divine from one Great Goddess to many, from Neolithic Old Europe to the Renaissance. He sheds new light on classical motifs and reveals how the feminine divine symbolizes the archetypal energies of transformation, initiation, and inspiration.
A Witch Alone: Thirteen Moons to Master Natural Magic
Marian Green - 1991
It is a practical manual of instruction for those who choose the solo path of study and particularly stresses the importance of being in tune with nature. As there are approximately 13 moons each year – the book is divided into 13 parts. Each section is aimed at lasting from the new moon to the dark to make the student fully aware of the changing power in the tides of the sea and the tides of the self. The moon-long sections deal with a variety of taditional arts, skills and mental exercises which enables the aspiring witch to discover the inner world of magic inside him/herself.