Kiely and Christina McKenna faithfully recount ten contemporary cases of demon possession, haunted houses, and exorcism, and profile the work of two living, active exorcists: Canon William Lendrum, a Protestant, and Father Ignatius McCarthy, a Roman Catholic. Kiely and McKenna conducted countless interviews with victims, families, witnesses, and clergy who assisted in performing multiple rites of exorcism. Many of the accounts are very recent and, in some cases, ongoing. Kiely and McKenna serve as trustworthy guides on this suspense-filled journey into the bizarre, offering concrete advice on how to avoid falling prey to the dark side. Exorcists Canon Lendrum and Father Ignatius reveal their fears, failings, and victories as they reflect on their forty years of service battling the Devil and his minions.The Dark Sacrament includes the following chilling stories:A woman is tormented by her evil dead grandmother, causing her to coil like a snake, snarl, and be invaded by several demons.A housewife is haunted by the answers from her children playing on a Ouija board and by a historical character who sexually terrorizes her so much that she is too ashamed to admit it even to her husband.A young girl experiences astral travel when the Angel of Death enters her body and takes her along on a frightening journey.A boy's temperament turns dark as he is tortured by demons, causing him to become harmful to others—an unresolved 2007 case that is ongoing.Thoroughly researched and impressively wide-ranging, The Dark Sacrament contains an appendix with detailed historical analysis, translated prayers of exorcism, and fascinating notes on important terms and practices.

    But those that aren't, those that purport to document or comment on such phenomena in what passes for "real life" vary across such a wide range of quality, credulity & comprehensibility that it's tempting to dismiss them all as pure badly-written hokum. Of course, as in any genre, no matter how microscopic, there are classics. Charles Fort's Book of the Damned is surely in the forefront. But once you get past the looming shadow of Charles Fort, matters become far murkier. Patrick Harpur's Daimonic Reality is a work that would surely make the top ten lists of many Fortean scholars. Subtitled A Field Guide to the Otherworld, Daimonic Reality synthesizes the reports of many different phenomena into a single Unified Field Theory of the Strange. It's an audacious attempt that largely succeeds. Harpur has a low key writing style that makes this work easy to read. His comprehensive knowledge of a wide variety of inexplicable events is impressive & entertaining. Most importantly, he has drawn together these disparate elements with a rather interesting philosophical take that looks to Jung, Fort, Blake, Yeats & beyond. There are enough elements in this stew to make it a really tasty treat for the hungry mind. Daimonic Reality is divided into three sections thru which Harpur journeys ever deeper into the mind behind the perceptions. But he's careful not to shortchange the perceptions & events themselves. Part One: Apparitions covers apparitions of all kinds, from UFOs to lights in the sky, from aliens & fairies to sightings of Black Dogs & Big Cats. Harpur's economical coverage of these subjects makes it easy for any level of Fortean reader to enjoy the individuality of each experience. But this treatment also enables the reader to step back & see the bigger picture, to move towards the idea of the otherworld. The individual reports are carefully chosen & beautifully written. Harpur takes a more substantial step towards the otherworld in Part Two: Vision. Starting with a discussion of "seeing things", he moves on to visions of Ladies, which are dominated by (but not exclusively) visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He discusses the evidence that these encounters leave behind, from fairy shoes to crop circles. (Coming soon to a theater near you.) He talked about the part that Imagination plays in the otherworld & finally reaches the mythic land itself. In Part Three: Otherworld Journeys, Harpur gives both practical & philosophical advice for otherworld journeys. He discusses the variety of journeys that one can have, from missing time to alien encounters, from a trip to fairyland to an out-of-body experience. When Harpur sticks to the practical, he has practically no peer in writing compelling prose about otherworldly experiences. His philosophical thoughts aren't quite as page-turning, but they're pithy, fascinating & pertinent. Harpur isn't content to merely provoke thought. He wants to invoke internal debate in the reader, & does so with some formal philosophical discussion that is difficult to pull off with the authority that Harpur achieves. He's a remarkably intelligent writer & his work requires a reader of nearly equal intelligence. You don't have to be a philosopher to read Harpur's work, but it certainly helps to be philosophically inclined. This isn't mere reportage of events, but a reasoned analysis, with conclusions that go well beyond 'Is it real or are they all just a bunch of crazy yahoos?' That there is an audience for this sort of thinking is shown by the eternal sales of the works of writers such as Carlos Castenada, not to mention the immense & increasing popularity of Fortean fiction, horror, science fiction & fantasy. That's because Harpur is looking to snatch something from the center of creation, something that is partly in the human mind & partly in the otherworld. Daimonic Reality does an excellent job grasping at the ineffable & getting it in print. As of 2/2003, this title is back in print by Pine Winds Press/Idyll Arbor. They've chosen an equally nice cover print, & are publishing the book as a sturdy US hardcover. Better yet, they're a small press, so you can buy directly from them. Since Harpur has managed to wrestle the ineffable into print, we've got to thank Pine Winds Press for keeping it in print.--Rick Kleffel

    That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.

    The perfect introduction to magic and the occult, it explores forms of divination from astrology and palmistry to the Tarot and runestones, mystical plants and potions such as mandrake, the presence of witchcraft in literature from Shakespeare's Macbeth to the Harry Potter series, and the ways in which magic has interacted with mainstream religions.The most comprehensive illustrated history of witchcraft available, A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult will enthrall and fascinate you with its lavish illustrated, accessible entries, whether you are a believer or a skeptic.

    The 1st-person accounts, described as conscious experiences & recalled without hypnosis, reveal a worldview that unquestionably accepts the reality of Star People. The stories also reveal cultures that almost universally regard them as ancestors, which allows for interactions that take place without fear & helps explain the uniqueness of the experiences. The stories are told by people from all walks of life. Some had graduate degrees; others never attended school. Some were adept at technology; others had never used a cell phone, owned a computer or a tv. A few of the stories are about events that occurred before the 1947 Roswell incident, however, the majority of the events took place between 1990 & 2010. This book significantly contributes to the knowledge about UFOs from a group that until now have mostly remained silent. Readers will likely never look at the UFO phenomenon in the same way again. Dr Clarke, Professor Emeritus at Montana State University, has dedicated her life & career to working with indigenous populations. She's the author of several children's books & the bestselling 'Sisters in the Blood'. Retired from academia, she continues to work as a consultant to indigenous communities worldwide. See her www.sixkiller.com website.

    Gordon Melton has the credentials: he's a religious historian, author of 25 books about religion and vampires, president of the American chapter of the Transylvania Society of Dracula (founded in Bucharest, Romania), and chairman of the committee that put on Dracula '97: A Centennial Celebration in Los Angeles. The Vampire Book is meticulously researched and well organized. Included are an article on the cultural history of the vampire; a historical timeline; addresses of vampire societies all over the world; a 55-page filmography; vampires in plays, opera, and ballet; a 13-page list of vampire novels; and an extensive index. The A to Z entries, each with a short bibliography, include vampire lore in more than 30 different geographic regions and a comprehensive "who's who," and cover topics ranging from fingernails to sexuality, the Camarilla to Szekelys.

    A New York Public Library Outstanding Reference BookFilled with more than 500 color photographs, charts, maps, and line drawings, this is an incomparable guide to the world's most important mythological traditions.

    To demonstrate his unshakable belief in the spirit world, the celebrated writer published, in 1922, The 'Coming of the Fairies'. It recounts the story of the photos, their supposed provenance, and the startling implications of their existence.One of the great hoaxes of all time, the Cottingley Fairy photographs are proof of mankind s willingness to believe. Conan Doyle s book, reprinted here with the original photographs, offers a unique insight into the mind of an intelligent, highly respected figure, who just happened to believe in fairies.

    Endowed with her own magickal heritage of Scotch-Irish Witchcraft, Elizabeyta stands alone against the dark powers and twisted desires of Jason Blackthorn and his Dark Men. But Elizabeyta isn't the only one pursued by unseen forces and the fallout from a past life. A great battle for mastery ensues between the forces of darkness and light. As the local funeral parlor overflows with victims, Elizabeyta and the townsfolk begin to wonder whether there's anyone—in Heaven or on Earth—who can end the reign of terror and right the cosmic balance…

    But these authors' dark imaginings pale when compared to little-known but well-documented and true tales. In this delightfully spine-tingling tour of all six New England states, Citro chronicles the haunted history and folklore of a region steeped in hardship and horror, humor and pathos.

    Broadly labeled yokai, these creatures come in infinite shapes and sizes, from tengu mountain goblins and kappa water spirits to shape-shifting foxes and long-tongued ceiling-lickers. Currently popular in anime, manga, film, and computer games, many yokai originated in local legends, folktales, and regional ghost stories.Drawing on years of research in Japan, Michael Dylan Foster unpacks the history and cultural context of yokai, tracing their roots, interpreting their meanings, and introducing people who have hunted them through the ages. In this delightful and accessible narrative, readers will explore the roles played by these mysterious beings within Japanese culture and will also learn of their abundance and variety through detailed entries, some with original illustrations, on more than fifty individual creatures. The Book of Yokai provides a lively excursion into Japanese folklore and its ever-expanding influence on global popular culture. It also invites readers to examine how people create, transmit, and collect folklore, and how they make sense of the mysteries in the world around them. By exploring yokai as a concept, we can better understand broader processes of tradition, innovation, storytelling, and individual and communal creativity.

    Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked. Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for.Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies. But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.My name is Ethan Chase.And I may not live to see myeighteenth birthday.

    It was published by Chimera Publishing in 2003. The book is 157 pages of art, with a commentary by Amy Brown for every piece of artwork. The Art of Amy Brown has an introduction by the well-known author Charles de Lint. There are three editions of this book—a paperback, a hardcover, and a special leather-bound edition limited to 750 copies, which will be signed by Amy Brown and Charles de Lint.

    This book is both a tutorial for new witches and a reference book for experienced practitioners. Covers the many ways there are to be a witch -- as a solitary practitioner, or part of a coven following one of many traditions. Holland shares useful information for writing spells, creating rituals, and making tools, charms, and potions. She also includes an index of spells, ancient and modern, making this an all-inclusive reference manual for all skill levels. Glossary. Index. Bibliography. 320 pp.

    Magic and magicians appear in early Babylonian texts, the Bible, Judaism, and Islam. Secret words, spells, and incantations lie at the heart of nearly every mythological tradition. But for every genuine magus there is an impostor.During the Middle Ages, religion, science, and magic were difficult to set apart. The Middle Ages also saw the pursuit of alchemy—the magical transformation of base materials—which led to a fascination with the occult, Freemasonry, and Rosicrucianism.The turn of the twentieth century witnessed a return to earlier magical traditions, and today, magic means many things: contemporary Wicca is practiced widely as a modern pagan religion in Europe and the US; “magic” also stretches to include the nonspiritual, rapid-fire sleight of hand performed by slick stage magicians who fill vast arenas.The Occult, Witchcraft and Magic is packed with authoritative text and a huge and inspired selection of images, some chosen from unusual sources, including some of the best-known representations of magic and the occult from around the world spanning ancient to modern times.