*; Reveals how mask rituals are akin to shamanic journeying and allow the mask wearer to personify an ancestral presence, spirit, deity, or power *; Examines animal guising and shows how mask customs are tied to creation myths and the ancestral founders of a people, tribe, city, or nation *; Looks at morris dancers and mummers in the UK, Krampuslauf and Perchtenlauf in Germanic areas, the Gorgon myths of Greece, Norse Berserker rituals, and the annual Black Forest rite to awaken ensouled masks every spring There is a spiritual power in masks that transports one into realms unseen and gives voice to things unspoken.
A practical guide to the magical history, customs, and practices of pre-Christian Northern Europe *; Details the everyday magic of the Northern Tradition, including household magic, protection spells, and the significance of the days of the week *; Explores direct natural magic, such as shapeshifting and soul travel, and talismanic or sigil magic, including runes and rituals to unlock the power of crafted objects *; Explains how many of these customs continue to the present day In the pre-Christian societies of Northern Europe, magic was embedded in the practical skills of everyday life.
Ernesto de Martino was a major critical thinker in the study of vernacular religions, producing innovative analyses of key concepts such as 'folklore', 'magic' and 'ritual'.
First published in 1962, Elliot Rose's A Razor for a Goat is a study of witchcraft as a religion, whether the religion was a form of pagan survival or a depraved Christian (or anti-Christian) heresy.
2025 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PUBLISHERS PROSE AWARDS WINNER: EUROPEAN HISTORYIn June 1609, two judges left Bordeaux for a territory at the very edge of their jurisdiction, a Basque-speaking province on the Atlantic coast called the Pays de Labourd.
A firsthand, behind-the-scene account of the controversies surrounding modern explorations at Giza *; Investigates the recent scandals at Giza and claims of secret excavations and tunneling inside the Great Pyramid *; Reveals the historical evidence in support of secret chambers in the Great Pyramid and beneath the Great Sphinx *; Exposes the secret agendas behind the latest explorations on the Giza plateau Since 1993 Robert Bauval has been embroiled in the many controversies involving the search for the lost treasures of the pyramid builders and the quest for the legendary Hall of Records of Atlantis.
As one of the fastest growing Pagan traditions, Feminist Wicca appeals to many through its emphasis on the deep interconnectedness of life and its focus on the woman's religious experience.
*; An examination of the interactions of the Christian Knights Templar and their Muslim counterparts, the Assassins, and of the profound changes in Western society that resulted.
A presentation of seven essential texts, central to the Hermetic Tradition, never before published together*; Includes Theogony, The Homeric Hymn to Hermes, The Poem of Parmenides, The Poimandres, The Chaldean Oracles, Hymn to Isis, and On Divine Virtue, each translated from the original Greek or Latin*; Presents interpretive commentary for each text to progressively weave them together historically, poetically, hermeneutically, and magicallyLinked to both the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth, Hermes Trismegistus is credited, through legend, with thousands of mystical and philosophical writings of high standing, each reputed to be of immense antiquity.
An in-depth study of the sacred meanings behind ancient and enduring symbols *; Explains the multiple forms and uses of symbols from ancient times to the present day, reflecting their roots in folk magic and the Western Mystery tradition *; Examines more than 40 glyphs, such as the cross, fleur de lis, and pentagram, as well as several families of symbols, such as craftsmen's marks and runes *; Includes more than 300 unique woodcuts, drawings, calligraphy, and photographs--many never before reproduced From ancient rock and cave art to the contemporary brand logos of politics and business, human beings have always created symbols to denote specific ideas, groups, or important objects as well as to convey deeper information than can be communicated in words.
Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility.
Reissuing seminal works originally published between 1916 and 1995, Routledge Library Editions: Alchemy (7 volume set) offers a selection of scholarship covering various facets of alchemical traditions.
The first book to explore the history and influence of egregores, powerful autonomous psychic entities created by a collective group mind *; Examines the history of egregores from ancient times to present day, including their role in Western Mystery traditions and popular culture and media *; Reveals documented examples of egregores from ancient Greece and Rome, Tibetan Buddhism, Islam, modern esoteric orders, the writings of H.
Reveals the occult wisdom and multidimensional layers of meaning hidden in the Nordic Rune stones *; Explores the practice of the Uthark divination system encoded within the traditional exoteric Futhark system of reading the runes *; Traces the relationship between the rune stones and numerology, the Cabbala, alchemy, Gothicism, and sigil magic *; Examines the history of the runes and the ancient spiritual mysticism of Odin Uncovering the dark side of the Nordic rune stones hidden beneath their traditional interpretation, Swedish scholar and runologist Thomas Karlsson examines the rune work of Swedish mystic and runologist Johannes Bureus (1568-1652) and professor Sigurd Agrell (1881-1937), both of whom devoted their lives to uncovering the secret uses of rune stones concealed from all but the highest initiates.
Im Herzen des alten Mesopotamiens, wo Götter das Schicksal schrieben und Tinte mehr war als bloße Farbe, liegt das Geheimnis von Borsippa verborgen – einer Stadt, deren Tempel Wissen, Macht und Magie vereinten.
A complete guide to working with the Birth Odus of your Orishas Birth Chart*; Offers step-by-step instructions to calculate your Birth Odus and cast your full Orisha Birth Chart*; Presents detailed interpretations of each of the 16 Birth Odus, showing how their energies manifest in an individual's personality, relationships, financial status, and general approach to life*; Shares self-transformation techniques to help you improve the positive qualities of your chart while embracing, integrating, and neutralizing negative energies and tendenciesMuch like the celestial influences revealed by a natal astrology chart or the numerology of your birth date, African spiritual traditions believe that every person has specific personal energies ruling how we relate to each other and the way we foresee and achieve life goals.
Explores the unified science-religion of early humanity and the impact of Hermetic philosophy on religion and spirituality *; Investigates the Jewish and Egyptian origins of Josephus's famous story that Seth's descendants inscribed knowledge on two pillars to save it from global catastrophe *; Reveals how this original knowledge has influenced civilization through Hermetic, Gnostic, Kabbalistic, Masonic, Hindu, and Islamic mystical knowledge *; Examines how ';Enoch's Pillars' relate to the origins of Hermeticism, Freemasonry, Newtonian science, William Blake, and Theosophy Esoteric tradition has long maintained that at the dawn of human civilization there existed a unified science-religion, a spiritual grasp of the universe and our place in it.
Reveals how Christian mythology has more to do with long-standing pagan traditions than the Bible *; Explains how the church fathers knowingly incorporated pagan elements into the Christian faith to ease the transition to the new religion *; Identifies pagan deities that were incorporated into each of the saints *; Shows how all the major holidays in the Christian calendar are modeled on pagan rituals and myths, including Easter and Christmas In this extensive study of the Christian mythology that animated Europe in the Middle Ages, author Philippe Walter reveals how these stories and the holiday traditions connected with them are based on long-standing pagan rituals and myths and have very little connection to the Bible.
This is the first published edition of a fascinating manuscript on witchcraft in the collection of the British Library, written by an unknown sixteenth-century scholar.
A profusely illustrated history of the occult nature of the tarot from its origins in ancient Persia*; Thoroughly examines the original historical source for each tarot card and how the cards' divinatory meanings evolved from these symbols*; Provides authentic 18th- and 19th-century spreads and divination techniques*; Reveals the divinatory meanings of the cards as understood by diviners in the Middle Ages and RenaissanceThe origins of the tarot have been lost in the mists of time.
Trauma and the Supernatural in Psychotherapy explores how traumatic experience interacts with unconscious phantasy based in folklore, the supernatural, and the occult.
The Moon is not a cold, dead rock but a rich, fascinating world just as alive as Earth *; Investigates the Moon as the home of an alien intelligence who controls humanity *; Examines several of NASA's Apollo missions and the findings they concealed *; Reveals the many holes in the ';Giant Impact' theory about the Moon's origins and the evidence for a hollow, artificial Moon *; Explores the deep influence of the Moon on the collective mind of humanity and occult teachings about the Moon from the Qabbalah, tarot, and other sources Despite being the most prominent celestial body after the Sun, the Moon has many qualities that science has yet to explain.
The truth behind ancient myths and the return of the celestial conditions for a Golden Age of peace and abundance *; Reveals the events preserved in myth that launched humanity into 12,000 years of struggle, selfishness, and false beliefs *; Explores how we can initiate a new Golden Age through ancient Egyptian teachings on the creative power of our imaginations *; Explains how our world system of economics, which benefits a few at the expense of the many, arose as a reaction to global catastrophe in prehistory Since the beginning of recorded history humanity has been in a continuous struggle over land and resources.
*; Explores the five periods of runic revival: the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the Romantic period, the early 20th century, and the late 20th century *; Examines the use of runes by the foremost magicians and scholars of each era, including mystic and scholar Johannes Bureus, who developed his own integrated system of runology known as Adalruna *; Reveals how the Nazi misguided use of the runes showed a lack of comprehension of what was being discovered by scientific rune scholars of the day In this exploration of the history of the runes from 1500 CE to the present day, Stephen Edred Flowers examines the five periods of runic revival: the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the Romantic period, the early 20th century, and the late 20th century.
A comprehensive overview of the Western perennial tradition--the hermetic tradition and the ancient earth wisdom of shamanic indigenous peoples*; Provides practical exercises to reawaken mystical awareness and reconnect with the ancient mystery traditions of our ancestors*; Reveals how earth wisdom and high magic complement one anotherIn Walkers Between the Worlds, the authors reveal the development of both these traditions that were never far beneath the surface of Western culture and how they complement each other.
*; Analyzes the syncretic magical system of Voudon Gnosticism and the traditions from which it is sourced*; Explains the practices of Voudon Gnosticism in detail, including how to speak with the Lwas (spirits) and establish relationships with them*; Explores the history of Voudon Gnosticism and significant teachers like Martinez de Pasqually, Lucien Franois Jean-Maine, and Michael BertiauxThe Voudon Gnostic systema unique melding of Haitian Vodou with Gnosticism, Martinism, and other traditionsis one of the most creative and rich ways to explore magic.
A surrealist exploration of the marvelous in ancient, classic, and modern works from around the world *; Long considered one of the most significant and original books to have come out of the surrealist movement *; Reveals the ';marvelous' in works from William Blake, Edgar Allen Poe, William Shakespeare, Chrtien de Troyes, and Arthur Rimbaud; legends and folktales from around the world; classics from Ovid, Plato, and Apuleius; Masonic ritual texts, Mesopotamia's Epic of Gilgamesh, the Popol-Vuh, Lewis Caroll's Alice through the Looking Glass, Solomon's Song of Songs, and Goethe's Faust First published in French as Miroir du merveilleux in 1940, Mirror of the Marvelous has long been considered one of the most significant and original books to have come out of the surrealist movement and Anas Nin suggested it as a source of inspiration, far ahead of its time.
The essays in this Handbook, written by leading scholars working in the rapidly developing field of witchcraft studies, explore the historical literature regarding witch beliefs and witch trials in Europe and colonial America between the early fifteenth and early eighteenth centuries.
