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.

    And yet Thelemic Magick, separate from Crowley's admittedly polarizing exploits and personality, remains one of the most effective and well-documented systems of ritual magick available to modern spiritual seekers. Rodney Orpheus does a remarkable job presenting this magical system in a way that will have even neophytes practicing magick—and more importantly, understanding it—in no time. Abrahadabra covers the meditation, ritual, and philosophy that form the foundation of magical study in a fun and casual style and balances this theory with hands-on exercises. Abrahadabra is an excellent introduction to Crowley's form of magick, and it presents a workable system of magick for anyone interested in "The Science and Art of causing Change in accordance with the Will."

    The Chanel toe. Jackie O's pump. Marilyn's stiletto. And lotus shoes and fetish shoes, shoes made for coronations and inaugurations, Cinderella's slipper, shoes of tulle, brocade, rhinestone, python, fish scales, and feathers, and much, much, more, including the two-foot-high wooden chopines of the 16th century and their resurgence as the platform shoes of the 1960s and 1970s.Shoes, now with over 357,000 copies in print, is an obsessive, over-the-top extravaganza-chunky, full-color, and irresistible, it contains page after page of seductive photographs and information about women's shoes.Created for the woman who's a passionate shoe lover-and what woman isn't?--Shoes features over 1,000 glorious photographs, most of them taken for the book. Includes Footnotes (fascinating facts about shoes); Foot Soldiers (profiles of master shoemakers from David Little to Andrea Pfister); and The Shoe that Left an Imprint, focusing on one shoe that changed history-remember Courrage's futuristic go-go boot? Shoes is, as they say, to die for.

    Once reserved for a "spiritually gifted" few, this infinite source of wisdom and healing energy is now available for readers everywhere to answer questions big and small. How can I find freedom from my past? What are my life purposes? With How to Read the Akashic Records, healer and teacher Linda Howe offers the first book of its kind to help navigate these timeless "Records of the Soul." Drawing from more than 15 years' experience with the Akashic Records, Howe teaches us: The Pathway Prayer Process-a "password" for admittance into the Records How to work with your "MTLOs" - your Masters, Teachers, and Loved Ones-for assistance within the Records Insightful tips to glean the most critical information, whether you're reading for yourself, other individuals, or even your pet"The time has come for us to be our own spiritual authorities and access this illuminating, rich source directly," explains Howe. With How to Read the Akashic Records, anyone who desires to read the Records now has immediate access to this valuable life resource. "The Akashic Records contain everything that every soul has ever thought, said, and done over the course of its existence-as well as all its future possibilities. This valuable information can help you with any aspect of your life journey. And because the Records are also a dimension of consciousness, they are available anytime and everywhere." -Linda Howe The universe is alive-and it has a memory just like you. Known as the Akashic Records, this energetic archive of soul information stands ready to lovingly guide you. Once accessible to rare spiritual masters, now the Records are available to anyone-anytime, anywhere. After a lifelong search for truth, master teacher and healer Linda Howe has developed an infallible method for accessing this reservoir of information: the Pathway Prayer Process. By lifting you to a divine level of consciousness, this sacred prayer opens the doors of the Records, where your "soul blueprint"-everything you need to know about your soul's destiny-awaits you. There you will work with your Masters, Teachers, and Loved Ones to cultivate a rich relationship with the Records and ultimately learn to unleash your highest potential. Grounded with the success stories of dozens whose lives have been touched by the Records, this comprehensive guidebook will help you confidently read the Records for yourself-or another-and find inspiration for your own spiritual path. "Accessing the Akashic Records provides an opportunity to align with your soul and develop your own spiritual authority," teaches Linda Howe. Now with How to Read the Akashic Records you can learn to connect with this divine source for infinite joy, inner peace, and fulfillment. Contents Part One: How to Read the Akashic Records Chapter One: An Introduction to the Akashic Records What Are the Akashic Records? Who Uses the Akashic Records, and Why? How Do People Access the Akashic Records? How Will We Access the Akashic Records in This Book? Chapter Two: Guidelines and Ground Rules for Reading the Akashic Records How Should I Prepare to Read the Akashic Records? What Kinds of Questions Work Best in the Akashic Records? What Should I Expect When I Open My Akashic Records for the First Time? What Kinds of Information Will I Get, and How Will I Get It? Chapter Three: The Pathway Prayer Process Understanding the Pathway Prayer Process: Reading for Yourself Reading Your Akashic Records for the First Time The Difference Between the Akashic Records and Intuition Exercise: The Akashic Records and Intuition Common Questions and Concerns about the Akashic Records Receiving the Help of Your Masters, Teachers, and Loved Ones Different Uses for the Akashic Records Chapter Four: Reading the Akashic Records for Others Understanding the Pathway Prayer Process: Reading for Others Tips on Reading for Others Developing an "Altitude of Consciousness" From Initiate to Beginning Practitioner Part Two: Using the Akashic Records to Heal Yourself and OthersChapter Five: Energy Healing in the Akashic Records How Does Energy Healing Occur in the Akashic Records? As An Akashic Reader-Practitioner, What Are My Roles and Responsibilities? The Three Levels of Healing in the Akashic Records How Can I Recognize the Three Levels of Healing? Exercise: The Three of Healing (Working in Your Akashic RecordsExercise: The Three Levels of Healing (Working in Someone Else's Akashic Records) Chapter Six: Healing Ancestral Patterns in the Akashic Records Who Are My Ancestors How Do Souls Join Acestral Lines? What Is My Responsibility to My Ancestors? How Can I Explore My Ancestors and Their Influences on My Life?Exercise: Identify the Divine Intent of Your Lineage Exercise: Explore the Space Between Lifetimes Exercise: Identify and Clear Unwanted Ancestral Influences on the Present Exercise: Healing a Difficult Bond or Tie Chapter Seven: Healing Past Lives in the Akashic Records What Are Past Lives? How Does Past-Life Healing Occur in the Akashic Records? Exercise: Working in the Akashic Records for Past-Life Healing Exploring Positive Past Lives in the Akashic Records Exercise: Exploring Positive Past-Life Experiences Chapter Eight: Life with the Akashic Records The "Absolutes" The Three Nots Final Thoughts on the Akashic Records: The Past, the Present..and the Future"

    But until now, learning it has never been easy that's all about to change with "Magic," a book that does for close-up magic what "How to Grill" does for barbecue. Written by charismatic young magician Joshua Jay, "Magic" combines expertise, photographs, step-by-step directions showing how to perform 100 tricks, and a DVD that demonstrates 35 of them. Joshua Jay took home the top prize at the World Magic Seminar (the Olympics of magic) when he was just 16 years old. Ten years later, he continues to perform magic, write about magic, eat, sleep, and breathe magic. Here, he brings all his passion and knowledge to teaching magic. Each trick is broken down into the Effect, the Secret, the Set-up, and, most important, the Performance, with lessons on what to say, how to direct the audience's attention, where to keep your hands, and so on. (In other words, how to be smart about the things your audience is surprisingly clueless about.) Here are the Ten Greatest Card Tricks; tricks to dazzle a dinner date; tricks to perform for the boss (poke a hole through his shirt, then magically mend it); tricks especially for kids; and even tricks for an audience in another state with "Australian Self-Help," you can find a participant's chosen card over the phone. It's the Aha book for a subject whose time has come.

    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.

    In Grimoires: A History of Magic Books, Owen Davies illuminates the many fascinating forms these recondite books have taken and exactly what these books held. At their most benign, these repositories of forbidden knowledge revealed how to make powerful talismans and protective amulets, and provided charms and conjurations for healing illness, finding love, and warding off evil. But other books promised the power to control innocent victims, even to call up the devil. Davies traces the history of this remarkably resilient and adaptable genre, from the ancient Middle East to modern America, offering a new perspective on the fundamental developments of western civilization over the past two thousand years. Grimoires shows the influence magic and magical writing has had on the cultures of the world, richly demonstrating the role they have played in the spread of Christianity, the growth of literacy, and the influence of western traditions from colonial times to the present.

    Are such powers really possible? Science says yes.According to noted scientist and bestselling author of The Conscious Universe, Dean Radin, magic is a natural aspect of reality, and each of us can tap into this power with diligent practice.But wait, aren't things like ESP and telepathy just wishful thinking and flights of the imagination? Not according to the author, who worked on the US government's top secret psychic espionage program known as Stargate. Radin has spent the last forty years conducting controlled experiments that demonstrate that thoughts are things, that we can sense others' emotions and intentions from a distance, that intuition is more powerful than we thought, and that we can tap into the power of intention (think The Secret, only on a more realistic and scientific level). These dormant powers can help us to lead more interesting and fulfilling lives.Beginning with a brief history of magic over the centuries (what was called magic two thousand years ago is turning out to be scientific fact today), a review of the scientific evidence for magic, a series of simple but effective magical techniques (the key is mental focus, something elite athletes know a lot about), Radin then offers a vision of a scientifically-informed magic and explains why magic will play a key role in frontiers of science.

    The workbook formats includes exam questions at the end of each lesson, so you can build a permanent record of your spiritual and magical training.

    Sm Quarto, , PP.112, Micro Photography Captures The Fleeting Beauty Of NatureÕs Art

    Deep descriptions and explanations of the details and symbols embedded in the 22 Major Arcana cards of the Crowley Thoth Tarot deck.

    The Tarot is first and foremost a powerful instrument of self-knowledge and a representation of the structure of the soul. The Way of Tarot shows that the entire deck is structured like a temple, or a mandala, which is both an image of the world and a representation of the divine. The authors use the sacred art of the original Marseille Tarot--created during a time of religious tolerance in the 11th century--to reconnect with the roots of the Tarot’s Western esoteric wisdom. They explain that the Tarot is a “nomadic cathedral” whose parts--the 78 cards or “arcana”--should always be viewed with an awareness of the whole structure. This understanding is essential to fully grasp the Tarot’s hermetic symbolism. The authors explore the secret associations behind the hierarchy of the cards and the correspondences between the suits and energies within human beings. Each description of the Major Arcana includes key word summaries, symbolic meanings, traditional interpretations, and a section where the card speaks for itself. Jodorowsky and Costa then take the art of reading the Tarot to a depth never before possible. Using their work with Tarology, a new psychological approach that uses the symbolism and optical language of the Tarot to create a mirror image of the personality, they offer a powerful tool for self-realization, creativity, and healing.

    This collection includes two books in one volume, Eight Sabbats for Witches and The Witches' Way and is the most comprehensive and revealing work on the principles, rituals and beliefs of modern witchcraft.

    Now a new dawn is streaming through the windows of perception. This book is one of those windows. Drunvalo Melchizedek presents the Flower of Life Workshop, illuminating the mysteries of how we came to be.

    With detailed reproductions and explanations, Eden Gray offers explicit advice about the three different methods of reading the cards, and using the tarot for divination and meditation. Both beginning students and advanced devotee will find in this book new insights into the ancient lore of the tarot.