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.

    The Element Encyclopedia of Birthdays couldn't be simpler to use -- just turn to the page of your birthday and discover the secret to exactly who you are, based on a unique combination of astrology, numerology, tarot, colour theory and psychology. This combination of approaches provides a uncannily accurate profile for each birthday of the year. But you don't just get an indepth personality profile, you get practical advice and guidance on what to do to maximise the opportunities that life throws your way: / Find out what your greatest challenges are and how to solve them; / Discover your best side (as well as your dark side) and how to make the best of both; / Every birthday has its own unique Luckmaker -- find out what yours is so that you can arm yourself with good luck every day! / The book reveals your lucky numbers, lucky days, planets, tarot cards, and favourable days of the month; / Find out who those special people are that you are drawn to, and the special years in your life that will be significant; / Discover your career and life goals, how to manage love and relationships, and how to maximise your health. This compelling reference book gives you insight into your own profile, and you'll also be quickly turning the page to find out all about your friends, family, lovers and colleagues too!

     € With the integration of witchcraft into pop culture (e.g. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed on TV) interest in these topics is going ever more mainstream € According to FoxNews.com, Wicca is growing on college campuses...Lehigh and the University

    With this book, Ellen Cannon Reed a High Priestess of the Isian tradition brings the symbolism of the Qabala into a new light so pagans can see its value and use it to enhance the Great Work.Reed explains the Tree of Life the primary symbol used to represent the universal energies as "revealed" by the Qabala and how its spheres and paths correspond to elements in the pagan tradition. Teachers can use the Qabala to understand the growth of students and their problems, using the Vices and Virtues to recognize stages of growth. Reed also provides exercises, meditations, and encouragement to students who are studying without a teacher. She discusses the Qabala as it appears in everyday life, which spheres of the Tree of Life to use for specific workings, and details two rituals using the Tree: a Dedication to the Journey, and the Rite of mending Love. Reed's command of the material allows teachers and students alike to gain powerful insight into their own search for spirituality. First published in 1983 as Witches Qabala Book 1: The Goddess and the Tree, this revised and updated edition is enhanced with Reed's thirteen additional years of experience.

    Depending on where you live, you might be able to find a coven or circle where you can meet fellow Wiccans and ask questions, but most newcomers to Wicca find themselves traveling solo.Luckily, there is no shortage of information about the "Old Religion" in print and online. Yet with all of the diverse and often conflicting perspectives out there, it can be hard to know where to begin. That's why best-selling author Lisa Chamberlain created the Wicca Starter Kit, bringing together 3 of her top guides-Finding Your Path, Magical Deities, and Living a Magical Life-to get your journey well underway.Finding Your Path: A Guide to Wiccan Traditions, Solitary Practitioners, Eclectic Witches, Covens and CirclesOne of Wicca's greatest strengths as a spiritual practice is the variety of paths one can choose from. Perhaps you want to join a coven within an established tradition, or maybe a more individualized practice is your calling. In Finding Your Path, you'll learn about the wide spectrum of contemporary Wiccan practice, from traditional "orthodox" covens to looser, more "eclectic" covens and circles, as well as the more recent phenomenon of solitary practice, which has appeal for both traditional and eclectic Wiccans alike.Lisa covers everything you need to know about covens and circles, including their history, their structures, and how to find your Wiccan community. You'll also be introduced to the main Wiccan traditions: Gardnerian, Alexandrian, and Dianic, as well as other less common traditions. If you don't already have a sense of the amazing diversity of this innovative religion, you certainly will after reading this book!Magical Deities: A Guide to the Wiccan God and Goddess, and Choosing a Deity to Work Magic WithMagical Deities provides an orientation to the concept of divinity within the Wiccan belief system. You'll learn about the Wiccan Goddess and God-the ageless, timeless manifestations of the feminine and masculine energies at work in our world-and their various names, forms, and representations found in contemporary Wiccan practice. As with so many elements of Wicca, beliefs about divinity are varied, with some emphasizing traditional duotheism and others taking a polytheistic approach.You'll learn about the difference between these two spiritual orientations, and find advice for developing your own unique connection with the divine masculine and feminine. You'll also be introduced to sixteen ancient deities who often function as "aspects" of the God and Goddess within Wiccan practices, drawn from ancient civilizations that have influenced modern Wicca: the Egyptians, the Greeks and Romans, and the Celts. Finally, you'll find ideas for honoring and working with these deities in your magical practice.Living a Magical Life: A Guide to Initiation and Navigating Your Journey in the CraftNew Wiccans will encounter two essential questions: 1) should you formalize your practice of the Craft with an initiation ritual? and 2) how do you integrate your new beliefs into your day-to-day life?In Living a Magical Life, Lisa addresses questions regarding coven initiation and solitary self-dedication, as well as less often-discussed topics like navigating common obstacles along your spiritual path, leaving behind old beliefs that no longer serve you, and developing and strengthening your inner psychic guidance system. There's also a step-by-step solitary initiation ritual you can p

    The doctrine codified in The Book of the Law and the numerous other Holy Books known as Thelema revealed Aleister Crowley as the Prophet of the new Aeon.In this ground-breaking book, author J. Daniel Gunther provides a penetrating and cohesive analysis of the spiritual doctrine underlying and informing the Aeon of the Child, and the sublime formulas of Initiation encountered by those who would probe its mysteries. Drawing on more than 30 years of experiences as a student and teacher within the Order of the A.·.A.·., the author examines the doctrinal thread of Thelema in its historical, religious, and practical context. This book is written in clear, precise language that will aid those students who seek to navigate the difficult terrain of the spiritual quest. More advanced students will find tantalizing clues to serve as guideposts and eventual confirmation of direct experience. With numerous diagrams and detailed references encompassing ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic texts, the Apocrypha, the Old and New Testaments, alchemy, hermetic Qabalah, and tarot, as well as the writings of Carl Jung and Aleister Crowley.

    English authors such as J.R.R.Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Terry Pratchett, and J.K.Rowling, dominate the world of magic in fiction, but from the earliest times, England has also acted as home to generations of eccentrics and scholars who have researched and explored every conceivable kind of occult art. Most people are torn between a fascination with magic and an almost instinctive fear of the occult, of a world redolent with superstition and illusion. And yet more people now practice magic in England than at any time in her history. The Book of English Magic explores this hidden story, from its first stirrings to our present-day fascination with all things magical. Along the way readers are offered a rich menu of magical things to do and places to visit.

    DeKorne is a "psychonaut" exploring the "imaginal realms" through Personal experimentation and scholarly research. He guides the reader through the history and lore of psychotropic plants, with advice on how to handle the eerie "Entitles" one encounters in "hyperspace". Plants and covered include: Belladonna Alkaloids; Acid Amide; Mescaline; Ayahuasca; DMT from Plants; Psilocybin; and more.

    Featuring over ninety exercises, this groundbreaking book helps your magick and your senses reach their full potential.Witchcraft and psychism are two sides of the same coin--they complement and strengthen one another. Psychic Witch provides everything you need to not only master the perception and manipulation of energy, but also to perform magick anywhere and at any time. This ingenious book teaches you how to use subtle energy in new ways and manifest your perceptions into instant magickal results.

     Take an enlightening journey through occult history, exploring 100 dramatic incidents, arcane knowledge, and key historical figures from around the world. John Michael Greer delves into two millennia of tradition, from the earliest alchemists to pagan rituals; from the Philosopher’s Stone to Cabala, the first tarot, and the Knights Templar; and from the first horoscopes to fortune-telling trials and the birth of modern witchcraft, or Wicca. Each entry features a stunning image or intriguing item of ephemera.

    The main thread of the book is the exploration of the Qliphoth and the dark mysteries which have for so long been a repressed part of western esotericism. Instead of ignoring and denying the dark side, the author reveals, step by step, how man can get to know his Shadow and, through this, reach a deeper knowledge of the Self. By exploring and not by repressing the Shadow it can be transformed from a destructive force into a creative power. The book deals with the problem of evil, the symbolism behind the fall of Lucifer and mans creation process according to Qabalistic philosophy. The theories that are presented in this book are also linked to practice. Several examples of rituals, meditations, magical exercises and occult correspondences can be found within. Qabalah, Qliphoth and Goetic Magic contains more than one hundred demonic sigils and pieces of art that were created specifically for this book. A unique collection of all the sigils from the classic grimoires Lemegeton: The Lesser Key of Solomon and the infamous Grimorium Verum are also included.

    In The Wise Heart, one of the leading spiritual teachers of our time offers the most accessible and illuminating guide to Buddhism’s transformational psychology ever published in the West.Trained as a monk in Thailand, Burma, and India, Jack Kornfield experienced at first hand the life-changing power of Buddhist teachings: the emphasis on the nobility and sacredness of the human spirit, the fine-grained analysis of emotion and thought, the precise techniques for healing, training, and transforming the mind and heart. In contrast to the medical orientation of most Western psychology and psychiatry, here is a vision of radiant human dignity, and a practical path for realizing it in our own lives.The Wise Heart is the fruit of a life’s work that includes such classics as A Path with Heart and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry. Filled with stories from Kornfield’s Buddhist psychotherapy practice and portraits of remarkable teachers, it also includes a moving account of his own recovery from a violence-filled childhood. For meditators and mental health professionals, Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike, The Wise Heart offers an extraordinary journey from the roots of consciousness to the highest expression of human possibility.

    The exercises can be enjoyed by an individual or shared with others, making it a popular text for classes and study groups. It uses meditations, rituals, spreads, mandalas, visualizations, dialogues, charts, affirmations, and other activities to help you establish your own relationship with the cards. It offers the best in traditional knowledge and know-how. Learn the many variations of three card spreads and ways of moving around the cards in the Celtic Cross Spread to get far more information than you thought possible. Use Mary Greer's powerful "breakthrough process" with all your readings to turn them into truly transformative experiences.

    Rick Strassman conducted US DEA-approved clinical research at the University of New Mexico in which he injected 60 volunteers with DMT, one of the most powerful psychedelics known. His detailed account of those sessions is an inquiry into the nature of the human mind and the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. DMT, a plant-derived chemical that is also manufactured by the human brain, consistently produced near-death and mystical experiences. Many volunteers reported convincing encounters with intelligent nonhuman presences, especially "aliens." Nearly all felt that the sessions were among the most profound experiences of their lives.Strassman's research connects DMT with the pineal gland, considered by Hindus to be the site of the seventh chakra and by René Descartes to be the seat of the soul. DMT: The Spirit Molecule makes the case that DMT, naturally released by the pineal gland, facilitates the soul's movement in and out of the body and is an integral part of the birth and death experiences, as well as the highest states of meditation and even sexual transcendence. Strassman also believes that alien abduction experiences are brought on by accidental releases of DMT. If used wisely, DMT could trigger a period of remarkable progress in the scientific exploration of the most mystical regions of the human mind and soul.

    " Working magick with the elements helps to connect us to the tangibly present natural powers in our physical world, whilst at the same time we are returning to the building blocks of magick by rooting our feet in the material world. Since Empedocles formalized the system in ancient Greece in the 5th century BCE, the four elements have become an integral part of the Western Esoteric Tradition passing from ancient Greek magick, through the Qabalah, & Grimoire Traditions into modern derivative traditions of ceremonial magick and paganism. In Practical Elemental Magick the authors provide an unprecedented combination of research and techniques for working the magick of Air, Fire, Water and Earth, as well as the spiritual creatures associated with each. The Elemental Gods, Archangels, rulers and other types of elemental beings (including Sylphs, Salamanders, Undines & Gnomes) are discussed and explored. Both the spiritual and physical aspects of the four elements are considered, together with how they interact with each other and their appropriate use for magickal work. The creation and use of Elementaries (Elemental Thought Forms); Elemental Tools, the Elemental Tides and correspondences are all considered in detail, together with previously unavailable original ritual & meditative material including the Unification Rite, the Inner Talisman, the Elemental Pyramids, the Elemental Magick Circle & the Elemental Temples. In mastering the four elements within & without we master ourselves, bringing the external forces of the natural world & the internal forces of our existence into harmony.