Alternative belief systems and spiritual worldviews Books

Book SynopsisJourney into the Wilderness Within and Around You Through a series of guided meditations that lead you from one solstice to another and back again, H. Byron Ballard empowers you to journey into the uncharted and feral lands of your imagination, where you will connect to the primal mother?the Goddess. Ballard shows you how to leave your domesticated world and enter a place of wild worship and joy, a feral church unbound by dogma or liturgy. Your spiritual pilgrimage will take you to places familiar and unknown, both internal and external. Framed as one big pathworking, this book guides your journey with a new meditation, plus a section to reflect on what you discovered, in every chapter. As you find your way to the Goddess, you will step into the darkness, reconnect with ancestors and various spirits, and emerge ready to live your fullest life.

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Book SynopsisExamines the Spiritualist movement''s role in disseminating eugenic and hard hereditarian thoughtStudying transatlantic spiritualist literature from the mid-19th to the early 20th century, Christine Ferguson focuses on its incorporation and dissemination of bio-determinist and eugenic thought. She asks why ideas about rational reproduction, hereditary determinism and race improvement became so important to spiritualist novelists, journalists and biographers in this period. She also examines how these concerns drove emerging Spiritualist understandings of disability, intelligence, crime, conception, the afterlife and aesthetic production. The book draws on rare material, including articles and serialized fiction from Spiritualist periodicals such as Light, The Two Worlds and The Medium and Daybreak as well as on Spiritualist healing, parentage and sex manuals.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; List of Figures; Series Editor's Preface; Introduction; Radical Determinism and the Natural History of the Medium; Spirits in Mind: Madness, Idiocy, and the Cultural Capital of Ignorance; Eugenic Summer Lands: Sexual Reproduction and Family Engineering in the Spheres; Blended Souls: Paschal Beverly Randolph and Occult Miscegenation; Criminal Man and Recidivist Spirit: Spiritualism, Criminal Anthropology, and Thanato-Rehabilitationism; Dead Letters: Bio-Aesthetics and the New Realism in Fin-de-Siecle Spiritualism; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis intimate guide introduces readers to the Celtic Goddess Brighde in a fantastical setting.

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Book SynopsisNicholas Campion is Associate Professor in Cosmology and Culture, Principal Lecturer in the Institute of Humanities and Education, and Programme Director of the on-line, distance-learning Master's degree in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, UK.Trade Review"It shines light on the heaven for scholars and amateurs alike; its narrative is dense but rich, readable and suggestive." Literary Review"Table of ContentsIntroduction; Chap 1 Distant Echoes: Origins of Astrology; Chap 2 Prehistory: Myths and Megaliths; Chap 3 The Mesopotamian Cosmos: The Marriage of Heaven and Earth; Chap 4 Mesopotamian Astrology: The Writing of Heaven; Chap 5 The Assyrians and Persians: Revolution and Reformation; Chap 6 Egypt: The Kingdom of the Sun; Chap 7 Egypt: The Stars and the Soul; Chap 8 The Hebrews: Prophets and Planets; Chap 9 Greece: Homer, Hesiod and the Heavens; Chap 10 Greece: The Platonic Revolution; Chap 11 The Hellenistic World: The Zodiac; Chap 12 The Hellenistic World: Scepticism and Salvation; Chap 13 Hellenistic Astrology: Signs and Influences; Chap 14 Rome: the State, the Stars and Subversion; Chap 15 Christianity: A Star out of Jacob; Chap 16 Rome: The Imperial Heaven; Chap 17 Christianity: the Triumph of the Sun; Afterword; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisFunerals are among the most important life events in Western society, and fashioning a personalized ceremony for yourself or for a loved one is often the most meaningful way to celebrate the life of the deceased. For those wanting non-religious or secular funeral ceremonies, this step-by-step guide begins by identifying what you want from the funeral and showing how you can make it happen. With sections on society's views of mortality, our need for rituals and crafting the actual ceremony, this guide provides the tools and philosophy to understand, plan and tailor a funeral for individuals. Includes all the tools necessary for the creation of a ceremony, such as a Ritual Profiles, checklists, and many other handy resources.Trade ReviewJeltje Gordon-Lennox has captured every conceivable aspect of what makes a meaningful funeral ritual, and condensed it into an easily digestible and enjoyable format to read. It's hard to imagine you would need another resource than this one. It has everything, and it's so well done. -- Kyle Tevlin, I Want a Fun FuneralA modern and comprehensive guide for navigating the complex emotions and multitude of tasks related to the death of a loved one. Jeltje's practical approach includes a "ritual profile" and other thoughtful tools that help mourners bridge the gap between the past and the future by creating meaningful, healing and authentic experiences through the power of ceremony and ritual. -- Linda Stuart, Life-Cycle Celebrant, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaI find this book incredibly helpful as I return to parish ministry after a decade away. I can throw away my antiquated funeral resources and just use the creative process offered by Jeltje Gordon-Lennox. -- Rev. Sara G. Armstrong, Montezuma Valley Presbyterian ChurchInevitably, we all pass away. Whether the funeral we need to prepare is 2 months or 20 years away, or for ourselves or someone who died leaving no instructions, most of us are at a loss to know what to do. Jeltje slips her hand into yours and accompanies you, step by step, through the process of crafting rituals that honour life and relationships. This guide fills a huge void. It is equally useful for the deeply religious, those who claim no religion and those somewhere in-between. -- Suzanne P. de Boer, Educational Consultant for children with special needs, Modesto, California, USAEven young children understand the importance of commemorating a death with others. A friend and I once buried a baby bird that had fallen from its nest. We marked the spot with a lily and precious drops from our ice cream cones. With humility and care, this book brings us back to the authenticity of early funeral rituals. -- Mia Mohr, artivist with a transatlantic group of artists and lives in Talca, ChileTable of ContentsRitual Toolbox: List of Tools with Their Icons; List of Figures; Foreword by Margaret Holloway; Acknowledgements; Preface; Part I - MortaliTy; 1. My Death Waits; a) Notes on last wishes; 2. Gone Too Soon; a) Notes on ritual profile and strategy; Part II - our need for ritual; 3. The Sense of Ritual; a) Notes on repackaging ritual; 4. Preplanning Makes Sense; a) Seven destressing techniques; b) Questionnaire on my ritual profile; c) Coronach will; d) Inventory on ritual profilefor funerals; Part III - Crafting theceremony; 5. Planning the Ceremony; a) Toolbox for the planning phase; b) Notes on the pillars of ritual design; 6. Creating the Ceremony; a) Toolbox for the creating phase; b) Notes on rules for ritual design; 7.Realizing the Ceremony; a) Toolbox for the realizing phase; b) Notes on funerals for sensitive situations; Part IV - the FUTURE OF THE DeaD; 8. New Mourning; Glossary; Resources; a) Notes on mortality, illness and dying; b) Notes on solace for the bereaved; References; Index

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Book SynopsisThis study reveals an unorganized and previously unacknowledged religion at the heart of American culture. Nature, Albanese argues, has provided a compelling religious center throughout American history.

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