Witchcraft Today


Gerald B. Gardner - 1949
    Commemorating its 50th anniversary is an expanded edition of the first Wicca book, by the father of the Pagan renaissance.

The Unfinished Revolution: How the Modernisers Saved the Labour Party


Philip Gould - 1998
    Blair's majority was the culmination of a long struggle to modernize the party, and the politics of his country. Philip Gould is a political strategist and polling adviser who has worked with the Labour leadership since the 1980s. In this book he describes its rise and explains how the transformation was achieved, at the same time exploring the changed political climate in Britain.

A Brief History of Witchcraft


Lois Martin - 2002
    'A Brief History of Witchcraft' sets out to explore how the witch phenomenon began in medieval Europe and how it has continued to haunt us for the next 500 years.

21 Months, 24 Days: A blue-collar kid's journey to the Vietnam War and back


Richard Udden - 2015
    Threatened by the draft in the late sixties, he enlisted in the Army to avoid becoming a grunt, yet ended up one anyway. He endured a grueling war in Vietnam and then returned to a country too angry to care. While his journey took unexpected turns, his choices got him there, so he did his best to react positively and keep moving forward.Udden delivers his story in a comfortable, friendly style. He conveys the experiences of basic training, advanced infantry training, and what it was like to live, work, guard, patrol, and fight in the jungle. The reader will feel the adrenalin rush of a firefight, the thrill of a wild ride dangling below a helicopter, and the humor in celebrating his 21st birthday on a firebase.Through his words and personal photographs, you will live through his journey exactly as he experienced it.

Another Nice Mess - The Laurel & Hardy Story


Raymond Valinoti Jr. - 2010
    The public not only found Laurel's serene simpleton and Hardy's pompous buffoon hilarious, but they also thought of them as friends. Laurel and Hardy may have been nitwits, but they were loveable nitwits.Another Nice Mess: The Laurel and Hardy Story explores the lives and careers of Laurel and Hardy. The book examines how the comedians teamed up and it explains why, nearly half a century after their deaths, their films continue to enchant people all over the world.Raymond Valinoti, Jr.. is a resident of Berkeley Heights, NJ. He has a Master's in Library Science from Rutgers University and is a freelance researcher. His articles on film have been published in the magazines Midnight Marquee and Films of the Golden Age. He also writes film reviews for an online news publication, The Alternative Press.

Paganism: Pagan holidays, beliefs, gods and goddesses, symbols, rituals, practices, and much more! An Introductory Guide


Riley Star - 2015
    “Paganism” does not refer to a single religion, but to a collection of earth-centric polytheistic philosophies that harken back to belief structures that pre-date Christianity.Pagans of all types believe that there are many paths to reach a harmonious relationship with deity. No single one is more valid than another. Since pagans do not see the world as locked in a cosmic struggle between good and evil, they do not recognize the Christian concept of Satan nor do they worship him.The notion of “pagan” as “heretic” is only valid when seen through the lens of Christianity. In her latest book, author Riley Starr offers a gentle introduction to the world of earth religions aimed at the beginner.Using Wicca, Druidry, and Odinism as exemplars, Starr explains what it means to function both as a pagan within a group and as a sole practitioner. With suggestions for starting a ritualistic life and for adopting the use of protective symbols, Starr opens the door for new followers of paganism to take the first steps in their own journey and encourages them to embrace a lifelong study of the deities and symbols that speak exclusively to them.Pagan holidays, beliefs, gods and goddesses, symbols, rituals, practices, and much more!

The American Civil War Trivia Book: Interesting American Civil War Stories You Didn't Know (Trivia War Books Book 3)


Bill O'Neill - 2018
    Maybe your teacher took the controversial stand that the Civil War was all about states’ rights… or maybe you learned all about the horrors slavery, but never quite figured out why things didn’t get better after the war ended. If you didn’t go to school in the United States, things are even more confusing. When the media is full of references to the Confederate flag, the legacy of slavery, and poverty in the American South, you might have a vague sense that things are bad because of the Civil War… but why? Why does a war that happened over a hundred and fifty years ago still cast a shadow over the United States? This book will tell you why. It will lead you, step-by-step, through the causes of the Civil War, and the effects. But unlike your high school history teacher, it won’t put you to sleep with long-winded biographies and lists of dates. The names you’ll learn are the big players, the ones with big personalities, who made big differences. In just a few minutes a day, you can read bite-sized stories from the Civil War – quick, easy explanations to guide you through the main points, with just enough scary, surprising, or just plain strange facts to keep you coming back for more. Each chapter ends with a bonus helping of trivia and some quick questions to test your knowledge. By the time you’re finished, you’ll know all the facts your history teacher never taught you – from who said slavery was a “positive good” (and why they thought that), to who dressed up in women’s clothing to escape from Union soldiers.

Every Witch Way: Spells and Advice from Two Very Different Witches


Ellen Dugan - 2014
    Journey with authors Ellen Dugan and Tess Whitehurst as they contrast their differences, illuminate their similarities, and generally give you the lowdown on the Craft as they know it. Investigate different sides of oft-debated magickal issues as these very different witches square off on subjects such as: • Psychic and energetic protection • Can you be a Christian Witch? • Does “harm none” mean you shouldn’t eat meat? • Angel magick: when is it appropriate? • House cleansing/ clutter clearing • Faerie Magick: Romantic idea or invitation to trouble? Packed with plenty of useful charms, spells, rituals, and magickal principles- and served with a generous helping of wit, wisdom and humor- this fun little compendium will inspire you to happily live the magickal life, while letting your inner power shine bright.

The Octavo: A Sorcerer-Scientist's Grimoire


Peter J. Carroll - 2010
    In this Octavo we have assembled scattered secrets for a Supreme Grimoire forRoundworld, the universe in which you're standing. To this end we have taken some inspiration from Pratchett's Discworld, and a lot from Theoretical Physics and Practical Chaos Magic. "The most original, and probably the most important, writer on Magick since Aleister Crowley." -Robert Anton Wilson, author of the Cosmic Trigger trilogy. Peter J. Carroll is one of the founders of the Magical Pact of the Illuminates of Thanateros (IOT) which he led for a decade. He has spent thirty-seven years in research and experiment and is the author of three other books Liber Null & Psychonaut, Liber Kaos: the Psychonomicon, and Psybermagic, and The Apophenion.

Tales of Norse Mythology


Hélène A. Guerber - 1908
    Folklorist Helene Adeline Guerber brings to life the gods and goddesses, giants and dwarves, and warriors and monsters of these stories in Tales of Norse Mythology. Ranging from the comic to the tragic, these leghends tell of passion, love, friendship, pride, courage, strength, loyalty, and betrayal.

Demons of Magick: Three Practical Rituals for Working with The 72 Demons


Gordon Winterfield - 2017
    Demons will demolish enemies, enrich bold ventures, satisfy material desires, and provide you with wisdom, charisma, healing and persuasive dignity.The beauty of demonic magick is that spiritual growth arises from material pleasure. If these are works of darkness, they bring great light.Demons of Magick provides you with three rituals for working with the seventy-two demons of Goetia.The first method is a way to petition for a simple result. The second method is Connective Evocation, where you sense the presence of the demon, to obtain knowledge.The third method provides you with the instructions for a Full Evocation, with the demon brought to visible appearance.Each of the seventy-two demons is proficient in several areas, and all of their powers can be used alone or in combination. You have thousands of sophisticated powers at your disposal.Gordon Winterfield says, 'My intent in creating this book has been to offer something genuinely original, and unobtainable elsewhere, based on the wisdom of experienced, practicing occultists. I have no interest in peddling the same weary methods that can be found elsewhere. It is therefore unavoidable that the contents of this book will challenge much of what has been said on the subject. The magick in this book is a modernized, workable method, and will violently contradict many beloved theories and beliefs. This book may offend you, but if you are open-minded, I believe you will find a method that works for you quite readily.'You will discover: The secret Evocation Keys for attracting the demon to you.The names of 288 angels used to constrain the demons.144 demonic and angelic seals.72 colored sigils for working the rituals.The Ritual Opening that calls on five archangels.Words of Power for achieving altered states of consciousness.The safest and simplest methods for evoking demons.

Shaman Pathways - Elen of the Ways: British Shamanism - Following the Deer Trods


Elen Sentier - 2013
    Elen Sentier grew up in a long family lineage of following the Deer Trods; in this book she tells of the old, forgotten ways of our ancestors. Through her own experience, stories, practical exercises and journeys with the deer, Elen takes you into the realm of the Boreal Forest, of which Britain is a part, to show how the Deer Goddess is the spirit of this land. To walk the deer trods is to realise how close and connected you are to nature and everything in this beautiful world which we share with our non-human brethren. You learn, too, that our everyday world and otherworld are intertwined. Elen of the Ways is both here and there at the same time. You will find her everywhere.

Compendium Maleficarum: The Montague Summers Edition


Francesco Maria Guazzo - 1970
    First published in 1608, the commentaries came at an appropriate time. Contemporary accounts noted that witchcraft and sorcery had "spread in all directions," leaving "no country, town, village, or district, no class of society" free from the practice. This probing work, by a distinguished writer and scholar who perceived the devil as an evil force seeking to destroy men's bodies and souls, was an attempt to help man live piously and devoutly, thus guarding against such seductions and manipulations.Reproduced from a rare limited edition published in 1929 and supplemented with many erudite editorial notes by the Rev. Montague Summers, the Compendium Maleficarum includes profoundly serious discussions of witches' pacts with the devil, finely detailed descriptions of witches' powers, poisons, and crimes; sleep-inducing spells and methods for removing them, apparitions of demons and specters, diseases caused by demons, and other topics. Also examined in detail are witches' alleged powers to transport themselves from place to place, create living things, make beasts talk and the dead reappear; witches' use of religion to heal the sick, laws observed by witches to cause and cure illness, differences between demoniacs and the bewitched, and other subjects from the realm of the supernatural.Here is an encyclopedic tract of incalculable worth to the historians and student of the occult and anyone intrigued by necromantic lore, sabbats, sorceries, and trafficking with demons.

Celtic Religion in Pre-Christian Times


Edward Anwyl - 1906
    It will be used in reference to those countries and districtswhich, in historic times, have been at one time or other mainly of Celticspeech. It does not follow that all the races which spoke a form of theCeltic tongue, a tongue of the Indo-European family, were all of the samestock. Indeed, ethnological and archaeological evidence tends toestablish clearly that, in Gaul and Britain, for example, man had livedfor ages before the introduction of any variety of Aryan or Indo-Europeanspeech, and this was probably the case throughout the whole of Westernand Southern Europe. Further, in the light of comparative philology, ithas now become abundantly clear that the forms of Indo-European speechwhich we call Celtic are most closely related to those of the Italicfamily, of which family Latin is the best known representative. Fromthis it follows that we are to look for the centre of dissemination ofAryan Celtic speech in some district of Europe that could have been thenatural centre of dissemination also for the Italic languages. From thiscommon centre, through conquest and the commercial intercourse whichfollowed it, the tribes which spoke the various forms of Celtic andItalic speech spread into the districts occupied by them in historictimes. The common centre of radiation for Celtic and Italic speech wasprobably in the districts of Noricum and Pannonia, the modern Carniola,Carinthia, etc., and the neighbouring parts of the Danube valley. Theconquering Aryan-speaking Celts and Italians formed a militaryaristocracy, and their success in extending the range of their languageswas largely due to their skill in arms, combined, in all probability,with a talent for administration. This military aristocracy was ofkindred type to that which carried Aryan speech into India and Persia,Armenia and Greece, not to speak of the original speakers of the Teutonicand Slavonic tongues. In view of the necessity of discovering a centre,whence the Indo-European or Aryan languages in general could haveradiated Eastwards, as well as Westwards, the tendency to-day is toregard these tongues as having been spoken originally in some districtbetween the Carpathians and the Steppes, in the form of kindred dialectsof a common speech. Some branches of the tribes which spoke thesedialects penetrated into Central Europe, doubtless along the Danube, and,from the Danube valley, extended their conquests together with theirvarious forms of Aryan speech into Southern and Western Europe. Theproportion of conquerors to conquered was not uniform in all thecountries where they held sway, so that the amount of Aryan blood intheir resultant population varied greatly. In most cases, the familiesof the original conquerors, by their skill in the art of war and acertain instinct of government, succeeded in making their own tongues thedominant media of communication in the lands where they ruled, with theresult that most of the languages of Europe to-day are of the Aryan orIndo-European type. It does not, however, follow necessarily from thisthat the early religious ideas or the artistic civilisation of countriesnow Aryan in speech, came necessarily from the conquerors rather than theconquered. In the last century it was long held that in countries ofAryan speech the essential features of their civilisation, theirreligious ideas, their social institutions, nay, more, their inhabitantsthemselves, were of Aryan origin.

Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy


Mircea Eliade - 1951
    Writing as the founder of the modern study of the history of religion, Romanian emigre--scholar Mircea Eliade (1907-86) surveys the practice of Shamanism over two & a half millennia of human history, moving from the Shamanic traditions of Siberia & Central Asia--where Shamanism was first observed--to North & South America, Indonesia, Tibet, China & beyond. In this authoritative survey, Eliade illuminates the magico-religious life of societies that give primacy of place to the figure of the Shaman--at once magician & medicine man, healer & miracle-doer, priest, mystic & poet. Synthesizing the approaches of psychology, sociology & ethnology, "Shamanism" will remain for years to come the reference book of choice for those intrigued by this practice.