Originating in the wild imagination of French poet and playwright Alfred Jarry and his schoolmates, resisting clear definition, purposefully useless, and almost impossible to understand, 'pataphysics nevertheless lies around the roots of Absurdism, Dada, futurism, surrealism, situationism, and other key cultural developments of the twentieth century. In this account of the evolution and influence of 'pataphysics, Andrew Hugill offers an informed exposition of a rich and difficult territory, staying aloft on a tightrope stretched between the twin dangers of oversimplifying a serious subject and taking a joke too seriously. Drawing on more than twenty-five years' research, Hugill maps the 'pataphysical presence (partly conscious and acknowledged but largely unconscious and unacknowledged) in literature, theater, music, the visual arts, and the culture at large, and even detects 'pataphysical influence in the social sciences and the sciences. He offers many substantial excerpts (in English translation) from primary sources, intercalated with a thorough explication of key themes and events of 'pataphysical history. In a Jarryesque touch, he provides these in reverse chronological order, beginning with a survey of 'pataphysics in the digital age and working backward to Jarry and beyond. He looks specifically at the work of Jean Baudrillard, Georges Perec, Italo Calvino, J. G. Ballard, Asger Jorn, Gilles Deleuze, Roger Shattuck, Jacques Pr?vert, Antonin Artaud, Ren? Clair, the Marx Brothers, Joan Mir?, Max Ernst, Marcel Duchamp, James Joyce, Flann O'Brien, Raymond Roussel, Jean-Pierre Brisset, and many others.

    A 'saint' of the 'Gnostic' church, Crowley subtitled his six-volume work 'an autohagiography'. He describes his initiation into magic, his world-wide travels and mistresses, his experiments with sex and drugs, and the philosophy of his famous Book of the Law which contains the gospel that Crowley proclaimed for all mankind: the Law of Thelema, or Do What Thou Wilt.Generations before his time, Crowley invoked sex, drugs, and Eastern philosophy in his perpetual and often bizarre search for self-realization. The Confessions, skillfully edited and annotated by John Symonds and Kenneth Grant, serves as the perfect introduction to Crowley's extraordinary life and thought.

    is the name of the series: Keep It Simple Guides. And if this stellar introduction is representative, this new D.K. line will flourish. Using an attractive variant of the much-loved D.K. format, Astrology: K.I.S.S. presents the rudiments of astrological philosophy, the characteristics of each sign, and the basics of preparing your own birth chart and horoscope. Inviting foreplay.

    

    Fully illustrated, this book includes an Indian song-and-dance version of Dracula; Turkish version of Star Trek and Superman; China's "hopping vampire" films, and much more.

    Now, Harry shares many of his hilarious insider tips.

    No valley is as vast as grief, no journey as personal and life changing. Compassionate and wise guides Raymond Mitsch and Lynn Brookside shine a light on the road through grief. They can help you endure the anguish and uncertainty; understand the cycles of grief; sort through the emotions of anger, guilt, fear, and depression; and face the God who allowed you to lose the one you love. A series of thoughtful daily devotions, Grieving the Loss of Someone You Love shares wisdom, insight, and comfort that will help you through and beyond your grief.

    Ask for a coin, and perform some of the tricks in this book. Because you will not have been aided by special stage apparatus, the results will be all the more astonishing. As tricks with coins are so readily improvised, they are among the most impressive forms of legerdemain.This book is the most complete treatise ever written on sleight-of-hand coin conjuring. Celebrated magician J. B. Bobo has gathered here the best and most useful of all coin tricks — not only his own, but those of some four dozen notable prestidigitators, including such greats as Robert-Houdin, Professer Hoffman, and — the greatest of all coin conjurers — T. Nelson Downs.All the tested, traditional methods of coin magic are here. Bobo has added to these the best of the modern innovations, while eliminating all of the out-of-date and impractical sleights of his sources. You will learn all about palms, holds, flips, switches, change-over, steals, cuffing, sleeving, and other sleight-of-hand techniques; coin tricks requiring special devices are also included. The author guides how systematically from basic techniques, concealments, and vanishes, through integrated tricks, to complete routine acts (18 in all). His clear explanations are splendidly complemented by 510 of Nelson C. Hahne's crisp illustrations.Sleight-of-hand magic has consistently earned the respect of professional magicians. If you are yet an amateur, this easy-to-follow manual — together with regular practice — is the surest route to professional-level competence. For professionals, this volume is a convenient encyclopedic reference that gathers in one place all the best coin magic from antiquity to modern times.

    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.

    Within it lie the secrets of eternity, the forbidden knowledge of the darkunknown.Every journey into the shadows requires careful, measured steps—a proficient execution of the necessary rituals and spells, and an understanding and appreciation of the history of the world beyond.The Gates of the Necronomicon is an invaluable companion to the Mad Arab's original work. In it are essential keys to the nuance and complexities of the ancient grimoire, enabling all who dare to pass through the magical gates that separate the body, mind, and spirit; the past and future; the living and dead.The journey begins . . .

    Angel-like Blengins with butterfly wings, natural catastrophes, innocent girls, and murderous soldiers all appear in Darger's scenes, which are reproduced in this book in double-page and gatefold spreads. In the volume's introductory essay, Klaus Biesenbach examines the radical originality of Darger's art, including his use of collage, incorporation of religious themes and iconography, and frequent juxtaposition of innocence with violence. An essay by Brooke Davis Anderson illuminates Darger's source materials and techniques. Michael Bonesteel puts Darger's life in the context of his work and selects key texts to accompany the illustrations. The book also includes for the first time the text of Darger's History of My Life, A" the artist's autobiography. The only book of its kind, Henry Darger offers an authoritative, balanced, and insightful look at an American master

    . . DAVID BLAINEwho was Buried AliveFor Seven Days and Seven Nights.The one and same who becamethe world’s ONLY LIVING ICE CUBE in world-famous Times Squareand who . . .stood as still as a statue10 stories above Manhattanonly to leap to his life below.—————————————The book in your hands nowRevealsSome of David Blaine’s most closely guarded SECRETS. Such asWHO IS HE?WHERE DID HE COME FROM?HOW DOES HE DO IT?The reader will alsoLEARN a multitude of inside SECRETS with which he or she too can mystify anyone.THE MYSTERIOUS MR. BLAINEFOR THE FIRST TIME IN RECORDED HISTORYWILL READ YOUR THOUGHTS THROUGH THE WRITTEN WORD“A latter-day Houdini.” —The New York Times“The hottest name in magic.”— USA TodayHIS SECRETS WILL BECOME YOURS——————————————————————————————

    Tracing through history, art, and culture, this illustrated book offers an innovative and fresh approach to sigil magick that is accessible and intuitive. You don't need a degree in art or magick to make effective sigils!Learn how to manifest your will through your very own designs. Explore traditional and modern meanings of shapes, symbols, numbers, letters, and colors, while receiving guidance on how to add personal meaning to your marks. Sigil Witchery includes methods of application, tips for choosing materials, and important considerations for both temporary and permanent sigils. This book helps you improve your drawing techniques, use sample exercises to challenge yourself, and gain deeper metaphysical insight and inspiration--all to guide you to develop your own powerful sigil magick.

    The focus is on understanding why and how we sabotage our own best intentions with needless delay, and how we can reduce this procrastination in our lives. Based on psychological research, and supplemented with short stories and comics to help make the content memorable, the digest format of the book provides a concise summary of key concepts and strategies for change. You will learn about the psychology of self-regulation failure and how to more successfully achieve your goals.

    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.