The House Witch: Your Complete Guide to Creating a Magical Space with Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home


Arin Murphy-Hiscock - 2018
    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!

Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution


Howard Rheingold - 2002
    The coming wave, says Rheingold, is the result of super-efficient mobile communications-cellular phones, personal digital assistants, and wireless-paging and Internet-access devices that will allow us to connect with anyone, anywhere, anytime. From the amusing ("Lovegetty" devices in Japan that light up when a person with the right date-potential characteristics appears in the vicinity) to the extraordinary (the overthrow of a repressive regime in the Philippines by political activists who mobilized by forwarding text messages via cell phones), Rheingold gives examples of the fundamentally new ways in which people are already engaging in group or collective action. He also considers the dark side of this phenomenon, such as the coordination of terrorist cells, threats to privacy, and the ability to incite violent behavior. Applying insights from sociology, artificial intelligence, engineering, and anthropology, Rheingold offers a penetrating perspective on the brave new convergence of pop culture, cutting-edge technology, and social activism. At the same time, he reminds us that, as with other technological revolutions, the real impact of mobile communications will come not from the technology itself but from how people use it, resist it, adapt to it, and ultimately use it to transform themselves, their communities, and their institutions.

A History of Zionism


Walter Laqueur - 1972
    s/t: From the French Revolution to the Establishment of the State of IsraelDiscusses the European background, the prehistory of the movement, five decades of Zionist activities, and ends with the establishement of the state of Israel.

The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction


Mark Dice - 2009
    Often the infamous Illuminati is mentioned as the core of conspiracies which span the globe. The Illuminati is actually a historical secret society which had goals of revolutions and world domination dating back to the 1770s.Since then, rumors and conspiracy theories involving the Illuminati continue to spread, sometimes finding their way into popular novels like Dan Brown's Angels & Demons and Hollywood movies like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. More recently, music videos, award shows, and sporting events are said to be somehow connected. Some men have even come forward claiming to be former members, offering details of what they allege are the inner workings of the organization.When you sift through all of the information available on the subject, you may be surprised that the truth is stranger than fiction. In The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction, conspiracy and occult expert Mark Dice separates history from Hollywood and shows why tales of the secret society won't die.- Original Writings and Documents - Purported Texts - Freemasonry's Connections - The Georgia Guidestones - Alleged Victims and Defectors - Aliens and Reptillians - Activists and Eyewitnesses - Fictional Books - Fictional Films - TV references - Mainstream Media Manipulation - Documentary Films - The Music Industry - Rappers and Pop Stars- Pre-Illuminati Organizations - The Luciferian Doctrine - The Federal Reserve - Skull and Bones - The Bilderberg Group - Bohemian Grove - The Council on Foreign Relations - The Franklin Cover-up - Sex Magic - Election Fraud - The Necronomicon - The Secret Doctrine - Emerald Tablet- The Book of Thoth - The Book of Dzyan - The Report From Iron Mountain - Protocols of the Elders of Zion - The Holy Grail - MK-ULTRA Documents - The Satanic Bible - The Secret Doctrine - David Rockefeller's Memoirs - Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism - Secret Societies and Subversive Movements - Occult Theocrasy - Externalization of the Hierarchy - None Dare Call It Conspiracy- Magick: In Theory and Practice - Bloodlines of the Illuminati - The Lexicon of Freemasonry - Morals and Dogma - The Secret Teachings of All Ages - Myron Fagan - Edith Miller - Gary Allen - Abbe Barruel - Nesta Webster - Anthony J. Hilder - John Robison - Johnny Gosch - William Morgan- Chris Jones, former Bohemian Grove employee - Ted Gunderson former FBI Agent - John Todd - Bill Schnoebelen - Mike Warnke - Cathy O'Brien - Aleister Crowley - Alice Bailey - Benjamine Creme - William Cooper - Carol Quigley - Zeitgeist's Peter Joseph - Helena Blavatsky - Phil Schneider- Benjamin Fulford - Hal Turner, FBI informant - Manly P. Hall - Fritz Springmeier - Albert Pike - Anton LaVey - David Icke - And MoreBy the author of The New World Order: Facts & Fiction

Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene


Donna J. Haraway - 2016
    Haraway offers provocative new ways to reconfigure our relations to the earth and all its inhabitants. She eschews referring to our current epoch as the Anthropocene, preferring to conceptualize it as what she calls the Chthulucene, as it more aptly and fully describes our epoch as one in which the human and nonhuman are inextricably linked in tentacular practices. The Chthulucene, Haraway explains, requires sym-poiesis, or making-with, rather than auto-poiesis, or self-making. Learning to stay with the trouble of living and dying together on a damaged earth will prove more conducive to the kind of thinking that would provide the means to building more livable futures. Theoretically and methodologically driven by the signifier SF—string figures, science fact, science fiction, speculative feminism, speculative fabulation, so far—Staying with the Trouble further cements Haraway's reputation as one of the most daring and original thinkers of our time.

The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World


Edward Dolnick - 2011
    A meld of history and science, this book is a group portrait of some of the greatest minds who ever lived as they wrestled with nature’s most sweeping mysteries. The answers they uncovered still hold the key to how we understand the world.At the end of the seventeenth century—an age of religious wars, plague, and the Great Fire of London—when most people saw the world as falling apart, these earliest scientists saw a world of perfect order. They declared that, chaotic as it looked, the universe was in fact as intricate and perfectly regulated as a clock. This was the tail end of Shakespeare’s century, when the natural land the supernatural still twined around each other. Disease was a punishment ordained by God, astronomy had not yet broken free from astrology, and the sky was filled with omens. It was a time when little was known and everything was new. These brilliant, ambitious, curious men believed in angels, alchemy, and the devil, and they also believed that the universe followed precise, mathematical laws—-a contradiction that tormented them and changed the course of history.The Clockwork Universe is the fascinating and compelling story of the bewildered geniuses of the Royal Society, the men who made the modern world.

Phenomenology of Spirit


Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel - 1807
    It begins with a Preface, created after the rest of the manuscript was completed, that explains the core of his method and what sets it apart from any preceding philosophy. The Introduction, written before the rest of the work, summarizes and completes Kant's ideas on skepticism by rendering it moot and encouraging idealism and self-realization. The body of the work is divided into six sections of varying length, entitled "Consciousness," "Self-Consciousness," "Reason," "Spirit," "Religion," and "Absolute Knowledge." A myriad of topics are discussed, and explained in such a harmoniously complex way that the method has been termed Hegelian dialectic. Ultimately, the work as a whole is a remarkable study of the mind's growth from its direct awareness to scientific philosophy, proving to be a difficult yet highly influential and enduring work.

The Sentient Machine: The Coming Age of Artificial Intelligence


Amir Husain - 2017
    Acclaimed technologist and inventor Amir Husain explains how we can live amidst the coming age of sentient machines and artificial intelligence—and not only survive, but thrive.Artificial “machine” intelligence is playing an ever-greater role in our society. We are already using cruise control in our cars, automatic checkout at the drugstore, and are unable to live without our smartphones. The discussion around AI is polarized; people think either machines will solve all problems for everyone, or they will lead us down a dark, dystopian path into total human irrelevance. Regardless of what you believe, the idea that we might bring forth intelligent creation can be intrinsically frightening. But what if our greatest role as humans so far is that of creators? Amir Husain, a brilliant inventor and computer scientist, argues that we are on the cusp of writing our next, and greatest, creation myth. It is the dawn of a new form of intellectual diversity, one that we need to embrace in order to advance the state of the art in many critical fields, including security, resource management, finance, and energy. “In The Sentient Machine, Husain prepares us for a brighter future; not with hyperbole about right and wrong, but with serious arguments about risk and potential” (Dr. Greg Hyslop, Chief Technology Officer, The Boeing Company). He addresses broad existential questions surrounding the coming of AI: Why are we valuable? What can we create in this world? How are we intelligent? What constitutes progress for us? And how might we fail to progress? Husain boils down complex computer science and AI concepts into clear, plainspoken language and draws from a wide variety of cultural and historical references to illustrate his points. Ultimately, Husain challenges many of our societal norms and upends assumptions we hold about “the good life.”

The Culture Industry


Theodor W. Adorno - 1944
    It is out of this background that the great critic Theodor Adorno emerged. His finest essays are collected here, offering the reader unparalleled insights into Adorno's thoughts on culture. He argued that the culture industry commodified and standardized all art. In turn this suffocated individuality and destroyed critical thinking. At the time, Adorno was accused of everything from overreaction to deranged hysteria by his many detractors. In today's world, where even the least cynical of consumers is aware of the influence of the media, Adorno's work takes on a more immediate significance. The Culture Industry is an unrivalled indictment of the banality of mass culture.

How We Believe: Science, Skepticism, and the Search for God


Michael Shermer - 1999
    Why is this? Why, despite the rise of science, technology, and secular education, are people turning to religion in greater numbers than ever before? Why do people believe in God at all?These provocative questions lie at the heart of How We Believe , an illuminating study of God, faith, and religion. Bestselling author Michael Shermer offers fresh and often startling insights into age-old questions, including how and why humans put their faith in a higher power, even in the face of scientific skepticism. Shermer has updated the book to explore the latest research and theories of psychiatrists, neuroscientists, epidemiologists, and philosophers, as well as the role of faith in our increasingly diverse modern world.Whether believers or nonbelievers, we are all driven by the need to understand the universe and our place in it. How We Believe is a brilliant scientific tour of this ancient and mysterious desire.

Long for This World: The Strange Science of Immortality


Jonathan Weiner - 2010
    A fast-paced, sure-to-astonish scientific adventure from “one of our finest science journalists” (Jonah Lehrer), Weiner’s Long for This World addresses the ageless question, “Is there a secret to eternal youth?” And has it, at long last, been found?

Math for Mystics: From the Fibonacci Sequence to Luna's Labyrinth to the Golden Section and Other Secrets of Sacred Geometry


Renna Shesso - 2007
    Whether you were the king's court astrologer or a farmer marking the best time for planting, timekeeping and numbers really mattered. Mistake a numerical pattern of petals and you could be poisoned. Lose the rhythm of a sacred dance or the meter of a ritually told story and the intricately woven threads that hold life together were spoiled. Ignore the celestial clock of equinoxes and solstices, and you'd risk being caught short of food for the winter. Shesso's friendly tone and clear grasp of the information make the math "go down easy" in this marvelous book.BONUS: This book has over 100 illustrations! Click on the Google Preview link to get a glimpse.Excerpt from Math for Mystics: “It’s our collective malaise: Post-Traumatic Math Disorder.“Yet despite how we personally feel about mathematics, our distant ancestors willingly used numbers as pathways into the great patterns of Nature, avenues to understanding the Universe and their own place in it. Many ancient cultures had specific gods and goddesses they credited with inventing mathematical skills. With the aid of divine inspiration and assistance, humans nourished this numerical invention, continually pushing their skills and seeking greater clarity of expression. “Our starting point may seem like a Zero. But for now, before looking at numbers and math, let’s simply see it as a circle. No matter what our spiritual practice, we each live within the circle of creation, each within the circle—the cohesiveness—of our own form...” From John Michael Greer, Grand Archdruid, Ancient Order of Druids in America and author of The Druidry Handbook:“As thoughtful as it is readable, Renna Shesso’s Math for Mystics is the book I wish I had when I first started trying to make sense of the mathematics that underlie so much of modern magic and traditional occult lore. Not the least of its virtues is the way it makes magical number theory accessible even to those who think they don’t like or can’t handle math. It provides a first-rate introduction to a fairly neglected branch of magical lore.”

Witchery: Embrace the Witch Within


Juliet Diaz - 2019
    Are you ready to answer the call and embrace your own inner witch? In this book, third-generation Witch Juliet Diaz guides you on a journey to connect with the Magick within you. She explains how to cast off what doesn't serve you, unleash your authentic self, and become an embodiment of your truth. You'll also learn the skills and techniques you need to build your own Magickal craft. Within these enchanted pages you'll discover how to:  *  Connect with the power of your inner witch  *  Create spells, potions, and rituals for love, protection, healing, manifestation and more  *  Amplify your energy by working with a Book of Shadows  *  Create an altar and decorate it according to the seasons  *  Work with the Moon and the Seasons of the Witch  *  Connect with your ancestors to receive their wisdomFilled with Magick, inspiration, and love, Witchery is your guide and companion on a wickedly delicious journey to true self-empowerment.

Artificial You: AI and the Future of Your Mind


Susan Schneider - 2019
    Given the rapid pace of progress in AI, many predict that it could advance to human-level intelligence within the next several decades. From there, it could quickly outpace human intelligence. What do these developments mean for the future of the mind?In Artificial You, Susan Schneider says that it is inevitable that AI will take intelligence in new directions, but urges that it is up to us to carve out a sensible path forward. As AI technology turns inward, reshaping the brain, as well as outward, potentially creating machine minds, it is crucial to beware. Homo sapiens, as mind designers, will be playing with tools they do not understand how to use: the self, the mind, and consciousness. Schneider argues that an insufficient grasp of the nature of these entities could undermine the use of AI and brain enhancement technology, bringing about the demise or suffering of conscious beings. To flourish, we must grasp the philosophical issues lying beneath the algorithms.At the heart of her exploration is a sober-minded discussion of what AI can truly achieve: Can robots really be conscious? Can we merge with AI, as tech leaders like Elon Musk and Ray Kurzweil suggest? Is the mind just a program? Examining these thorny issues, Schneider proposes ways we can test for machine consciousness, questions whether consciousness is an unavoidable byproduct of sophisticated intelligence, and considers the overall dangers of creating machine minds.

Bad Science


Ben Goldacre - 2008
    When Dr Ben Goldacre saw someone on daytime TV dipping her feet in an 'Aqua Detox' footbath, releasing her toxins into the water, turning it brown, he thought he'd try the same at home. 'Like some kind of Johnny Ball cum Witchfinder General', using his girlfriend's Barbie doll, he gently passed an electrical current through the warm salt water. It turned brown. In his words: 'before my very eyes, the world's first Detox Barbie was sat, with her feet in a pool of brown sludge, purged of a weekend's immorality.' Dr Ben Goldacre is the author of the Bad Science column in the Guardian. His book is about all the 'bad science' we are constantly bombarded with in the media and in advertising. At a time when science is used to prove everything and nothing, everyone has their own 'bad science' moments from the useless pie-chart on the back of cereal packets to the use of the word 'visibly' in cosmetics ads.