Modern paganism, Druidry and earth religions Books

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Book SynopsisMeet the many incarnations of the divine feminine, past and present, with bestselling author Shelley A. Kaehr's reference guide to hundreds of goddesses around the world.

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Book SynopsisFans of Ilona Andrews, Jeaniene Frost, Patricia Biggs and Christine Feehan will fall under the spell of New York Times bestseller Yasmine Galenorn''s spectacular fantasy romance series. Enter Whisper Hollow at your own risk, for in this town spirits walk among the living, and the lake never gives up her dead.Whisper Hollow is no ordinary place. In this haunted town, people don''t stay buried.Kerris Fellwater isn''t your usual human. She''s a spirit shaman who drives the dead back to their graves.Fifteen years ago, Kerris ran away from her hometown. But now she''s back, and there are deadly magical forces at work, wreaking havoc.Whisper Hollow holds painful memories for Kerris, but a lot has changed. There''s a mysterious new guy in town, Bryan, who Kerris feels powerfully drawn to. Together they unearth a horrifying family secret, and unravelling the mystery means working with - rather thTrade ReviewAutumn Thorns mesmerized me...A fantastic, perfect blend of myth and modern, nightmare and dream, love and loss. I want to return to Whisper Hollow again and again! -- Rachel Caine, New York Times bestselling authorYasmine Galenorn creates a world I never want to leave -- Sherrilyn Kenyon, No. 1 New York Times bestselling authorErotic and darkly bewitching...a mix of magic and passion sure to captivate readers -- Jeaniene Frost, New York Times bestselling authorSpectacularly hot and supernaturally breathtaking -- Alyssa Day, New York Times bestselling authorSimmers with fun and magic -- Mary Jo Putney, New York Times bestselling authorYasmine Galenorn is a powerhouse author; a master of the craft who is taking the industry by storm, and for good reason! -- Maggie Shayne, New York Times bestselling authorYasmine Galenorn's imagination is a beautiful thing * Fresh Fiction *Galenorn's gallery of rogues is an imaginative delight * Publishers Weekly *Always enchanting, full of life and emotion, as well as twists and turns that keep you reading long into the night * Romance Reviews Today *Intriguing characters, intricate plot layers, and kick-butt action * Romantic Times *

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Book SynopsisFans of Ilona Andrews, Jeaniene Frost, Patricia Biggs and Christine Feehan will fall under the spell of New York Times bestseller Yasmine Galenorn''s enchanting fantasy romance series. Enter Whisper Hollow at your own risk, for in this town spirits walk among the living, and the lake never gives up her dead.Fifteen years ago, Kerris Fellwater ran away. But Whisper Hollow wove its spell and called her back. In this haunted town, people don''t stay buried, and it''s up to spirit shaman Kerris to drive the dead back to where they belong.There''s no such thing as a quiet life in Whisper Hollow and this time, local Peggin is under a curse. Determined to save her best friend, Kerris and her soul mate Bryan vow to break the hex.Battling dark magic, they unearth a violent mystery of the past. A secret so shocking that some will do anything to protect it, even if it means sacrificing Whisper Hollow. Will Kerris and Bryan rescue their town Trade ReviewA fantastic, perfect blend of myth and modern, nightmare and dream, love and loss. I want to return to Whisper Hollow again and again! -- Rachel Caine, New York Times bestselling authorYasmine Galenorn creates a world I never want to leave -- Sherrilyn Kenyon, No. 1 New York Times bestselling authorErotic and darkly bewitching...a mix of magic and passion sure to captivate readers -- Jeaniene Frost, New York Times bestselling authorSpectacularly hot and supernaturally breathtaking -- Alyssa Day, New York Times bestselling authorSimmers with fun and magic -- Mary Jo Putney, New York Times bestselling authorYasmine Galenorn is a powerhouse author; a master of the craft who is taking the industry by storm, and for good reason! -- Maggie Shayne, New York Times bestselling authorYasmine Galenorn's imagination is a beautiful thing * Fresh Fiction *Galenorn's gallery of rogues is an imaginative delight * Publishers Weekly *Always enchanting, full of life and emotion as well as twists and turns that keep you reading long into the night * Romance Reviews Today *Intriguing characters, intricate plot layers, and kick-butt action * Romantic Times *

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Book SynopsisIt is said that Pagan traditions are the fastest-growing religious group in America. Numbers are tricky to come by, but we know that contemporary Pagans report themselves as living in every American state, and in countries around the world. This volume reviews the shifting landscape of current Pagan spirituality, the unique culture and needs which must be understood in order to engage with contemporary Pagans, and the implications for future leadership, including organizational models, training and educational needs. The author has interviewed Pagan leaders about their own experiences and looks at data from the Pagan Engagement and Spiritual Support survey of 2016 to answer questions such as What does "ministry" mean for Pagans? Who do Pagans turn to for spiritual support? Who ought to be providing that support? Do Pagans want leaders who are trained for ministry? What kind of training do they need, and how do they get it? If you are a Pagan who wishes to support others in these ways, you will find here a framework for your own work, including stories and examples. If you are an interfaith minister, a chaplain, or a spiritual leader who finds that Pagans are intersecting with your work, you will become acquainted with the culture of this old-but-new spirituality. If you are an educator, may you find Constellated Ministry useful in teaching seminarians and students of religious studies.Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: The Changing Landscape of Today’s Spiritualities Chapter 2: Who Are Contemporary Pagans? Chapter 3: A New Ministry Model Chapter 4: Stories from Pagan Leadership Chapter 5: Moving into the Future Conclusion: Vision for the Future Resources Appendix: Group or Solitary: Choices and Spiritual Care Needs in Contemporary Pagan Practice

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Book SynopsisThrough the perspective of having grown up among "HinJews" in the Ram Dass community and cannabis legalization movement, Madison Margolin takes the reader on a journey inside New York's Jewish counterculture and the Hasidic underground, reconciling her roots, tackling ancestral Jewish trauma, and finding intersectionality between the Jewish and psychedelic experience. Exile and Ecstasy sets out to explore the psychedelic path that occupies the crossroads between the Ram Dass movement and Hasidism. It's a path of seeking and escape, rebellion and return, medicine and magic. Bridging the polar ends of the Jewish and psychedelic worlds, while buttressing the experience with expert reportage, Madison Margolin prods at Be Here Now to find its relevance and utility in a new generation, facing different issues than those Ram Dass faced as a generally well-to-do boomer. In doing so, she looks at solutions to our lack of presence and offers practices that help us integrate our psychedelic experiences in mundane life, as well as in the context of our roots and religious identities. This book is for anyone looking to feel spiritually kindled, to make peace with where they come from, and to reconcile seemingly disparate experiences of spirituality and psychedelics, with traditional religion.

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Book SynopsisI Send a Voice is the gripping, first person account of what happens inside a Native American Sweat Lodge. Evelyn Eaton writes of her resolve to become worthy of participating in a Sweat Lodge healing ritual. She undergoes tests and ordeals inside and outside of the Lodge following the spiritual path to learn the shamanic secrets, and eventually daring to ask for a healing Pipe of her own.This classic book remains one of the definitive accounts of the training and work of a Pipe-carrier and provides a unique insight into Native American culture and their sacred and esoteric rites. It will be essential reading for everyone with an interest in Native American culture, shamanic rituals or holistic healing.Trade ReviewSend a Voice provides valuable insights into the sacred ways of Sweat Lodge ceremonies and rituals in Native American culture, told in immensely readable form by a remarkable woman. Republished by Singing Dragon in 2012 I Send a Voice is highly recommended for anyone interested in shamanism or Native American culture. -- Therapeutic Practice - Indie Shaman MagazineA beautifully written, unique and deeply touching account of the author's transformative spiritual journey into the sacred ways of Native American sweat lodge ceremonies, rituals, teachings and shamanism, culminating in her initiation as a pipe-carrier. We learn much about those sacred ways as Evelyn Eaton describes her trials, tribulations and personal development with self-reflection, humour and great honesty and, whilst she allows us to accompany her on her journey, we gain much insight into the wisdom and integrity of this ancient path and its teachers. A page turner, written by a remarkable woman describing a remarkable journey. -- Christa Mackinnon, author of Shamanism and Spirituality in Therapeutic Practice, founder and director of Kamdaris Psychological Consultancy and Training, and Honorary Fellow of Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, UKThe story is a fascinating one... -- Ashland Daily IndependentI gobbled it. I just sat right down and bolted it, seeds, rind and all. -- Helen WycherleyTable of ContentsAuthor's Note. Introduction. Chapters 1 - 27. Epilogue.

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Book SynopsisBased on Shamanic principles and the philosophy that laughter and play are basic human needs that feed the soul and unleash natural creativity, the tried, tested and proven activities in this book can be used with all ages. They are helpfully split into different sections, covering everything from warm-up games to verbal improvisation games, theatre games and warm-downs. Drawing on decades of experience in this substantially revised and expanded new edition, the author shares the games, improvisations and dance structures that he has found most effective in his work as a group leader and participant, and includes tips throughout on how to be a good facilitator and run a successful group.With lists of resources, including a musicography, the book is an inspiring and practical resource for anyone running a group.Trade ReviewThis is a wonderful, practical and inspiring book for anyone who teaches or works with groups. Filled with wisdom, insights and workable hints. Highly recommended. -- William Bloom, author and educator in modern spiritualityThis Book of Games is a wonderful tool for self-development. These Games can enrich your life and they can release your free child enabling you to be spontaneous, release your creativity and develop your self-awareness. Insight is gained through role play and interaction with others, yet it is non-confronting and non-judgmental. Absorbed in the moment, the creativity can be magical and fun. Leo's workshops, using these games, were always like a party, yet they changed my life and my direction. I will always treasure those times. -- Trisha Powell, Pink EnergyTable of ContentsPreface. 1. Why Play? 2. A Guide to Being a Facilitator. 3. Warm-up Games. 4. Helping People to Meet. 5. Verbal Improvisation Games. 6. Theatre Games and Improvisations. 7. Game of Thrones: Power and Status Games. 8. Dance Games. 9. The Blamer, the Placater the Computer and the Distractor. 10. Closing a Session. In Conclusion. Bibliography. Musicography. Resources. List of Games.

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Book SynopsisThis is a fascinating collection of traditional Celtic stories to amaze and entertain. Animal tricksters, boasters and heroes all dwell herein, set amidst the dazzling universe of Celtic lore. Using the web link included in the book, play the drumming music, and allow yourself to be safely carried on a wave of sound, to experience your own shamanic journey. In this gentle trance you can find your totem Animal, and the 20 Totem Animal cards included will help you choose animal helpers for particular situations. Ask for guidance on life issues - for self-empowerment or simply for fun.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Experiments with Power is an ethnographically and theoretically rich monograph contributing thoughtful provocations to religious studies. The book is effective in drawing attention to the shortcomings of religious theories when put in conversation with Black Atlantic religious experience. Crosson thoughtfully presents his interlocutors as forceful agents experimenting with power beyond the rule of law. This book should be read by all those interested in postcolonial ethnographies of religion, race, and politics." * Sociology of Religion *"Covering a woefully under-studied set of traditions and making important and timely interventions in Religious Studies, Anthropology, Science and Technology Studies, and African Diaspora Studies, this is a must-read for scholars across these fields and beyond." * Nova Religio *"In Experiments with Power, Crosson has tackled an oft-misunderstood subject and engaged with it in an innovative way. By muddling Western definitions of science and religion, Crosson reveals similarities in their practice and experimentation. . . . This is a book that cultural anthropologists, historians, and scholars of religion alike will find both thought-provoking and exciting." * H-Net *"Experiments with Power is a remarkable ethnography, offering an intimate engagement with spiritual work. With it we step, alongside Crosson’s interlocutors, into the science of crafting postcolonial justice. This important study is a must read that will make lasting contributions to debates on modernity’s key terms, including the nature of religion, sovereign power, and the violence of liberal governance." -- N. Fadeke Castor, author of Spiritual Citizenship: Transnational Pathways from Black Power to Ifá in Trinidad"In this excellent ethnography, Crosson shows how productive the question of defining obeah is, reframing the very logics used in trying to contain the word. The book models the importance of listening to the expertise of one’s interlocutors and pushes against the limits of modernity’s ‘purifying’ projects. With its pointed political message about justice, the book is a timely contribution." -- Kristina Wirtz, author of Performing Afro-Cuba: Image, Voice, Spectacle in the Making of Race and History"Crosson makes a dramatic contribution to the study of religion, showing how confounding the very term is in the mouths of spiritual workers, who instead use words like ‘science,’ ‘work,’ and ‘experiment.’ The gambit works wonderfully—like magic. Often beautiful and chilling at once, this is creative work and makes for a gripping read." -- Paul Cristopher Johnson, coauthor of Ekklesia: Three Inquiries in Church and State"Experiments with Power is a timely text that weaves together anthropology, Caribbean studies, and religious studies to study one of the Black Atlantic's most misunderstood practices. It is a richly interdisciplinary text that draws widely from several fields of study and brings them to bear on important ethical and social concerns. Further, through his use of science and technology studies, Crosson demonstrates how 'science' and 'religion' as disciplines have much to gain from the other. Readers from a wide array of disciplines will find Crosson's text to be a useful resource for examining colonial pasts and presents, and it will serve as an excellent guide for thinking beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries." * Reading Religion *Table of ContentsPreface IntroductionPart One. The DepthsInterlude 1. Number Twenty-One Junction Chapter 1. What Obeah Does Do: Religion, Violence, and LawInterlude 2. In the Valley of Dry Bones Chapter 2. Experiments with Justice: On Turning in the GraveInterlude 3. To Balance the Load Chapter 3. Electrical Ethics: On Turning the Other CheekPart Two. The NationsInterlude 4. Where the Ganges Meets the Nile, I Chapter 4. Blood Lines: Race, Sacrifice, and the Making of ReligionInterlude 5. Where the Ganges Meets the Nile, II Chapter 5. A Tongue between Nations: Spiritual Work, Secularism, and the Art of CrossoverPart Three. The HeightsInterlude 6. Arlena’s Haunting Chapter 6. High Science Epilogue. The Ends of Tolerance References Notes Index

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Book SynopsisIn 2011, Trinidad declared a state of emergency. This massive state intervention lasted for 108 days and led to the rounding up of over 7,000 people in areas the state deemed crime hot spots. The government justified this action and subsequent police violence on the grounds that these measures were restoring the rule of law. In this milieu of expanded policing powers, protests occasioned by police violence against lower-class black people have often garnered little sympathy. But in an improbable turn of events, six officers involved in the shooting of three young people were charged with murder at the height of the state of emergency. To explain this, the host of Crime Watch, the nation's most popular television show, alleged that there must be a special power at work: obeah. From eighteenth-century slave rebellions to contemporary responses to police brutality, Caribbean methods of problem-solving spiritual work have been criminalized under the label of obeah. Connected to a justicTrade Review"Experiments with Power is an ethnographically and theoretically rich monograph contributing thoughtful provocations to religious studies. The book is effective in drawing attention to the shortcomings of religious theories when put in conversation with Black Atlantic religious experience. Crosson thoughtfully presents his interlocutors as forceful agents experimenting with power beyond the rule of law. This book should be read by all those interested in postcolonial ethnographies of religion, race, and politics." * Sociology of Religion *"Covering a woefully under-studied set of traditions and making important and timely interventions in Religious Studies, Anthropology, Science and Technology Studies, and African Diaspora Studies, this is a must-read for scholars across these fields and beyond." * Nova Religio *"In Experiments with Power, Crosson has tackled an oft-misunderstood subject and engaged with it in an innovative way. By muddling Western definitions of science and religion, Crosson reveals similarities in their practice and experimentation. . . . This is a book that cultural anthropologists, historians, and scholars of religion alike will find both thought-provoking and exciting." * H-Net *"Experiments with Power is a remarkable ethnography, offering an intimate engagement with spiritual work. With it we step, alongside Crosson’s interlocutors, into the science of crafting postcolonial justice. This important study is a must read that will make lasting contributions to debates on modernity’s key terms, including the nature of religion, sovereign power, and the violence of liberal governance." -- N. Fadeke Castor, author of Spiritual Citizenship: Transnational Pathways from Black Power to Ifá in Trinidad"In this excellent ethnography, Crosson shows how productive the question of defining obeah is, reframing the very logics used in trying to contain the word. The book models the importance of listening to the expertise of one’s interlocutors and pushes against the limits of modernity’s ‘purifying’ projects. With its pointed political message about justice, the book is a timely contribution." -- Kristina Wirtz, author of Performing Afro-Cuba: Image, Voice, Spectacle in the Making of Race and History"Crosson makes a dramatic contribution to the study of religion, showing how confounding the very term is in the mouths of spiritual workers, who instead use words like ‘science,’ ‘work,’ and ‘experiment.’ The gambit works wonderfully—like magic. Often beautiful and chilling at once, this is creative work and makes for a gripping read." -- Paul Cristopher Johnson, coauthor of Ekklesia: Three Inquiries in Church and State"Experiments with Power is a timely text that weaves together anthropology, Caribbean studies, and religious studies to study one of the Black Atlantic's most misunderstood practices. It is a richly interdisciplinary text that draws widely from several fields of study and brings them to bear on important ethical and social concerns. Further, through his use of science and technology studies, Crosson demonstrates how 'science' and 'religion' as disciplines have much to gain from the other. Readers from a wide array of disciplines will find Crosson's text to be a useful resource for examining colonial pasts and presents, and it will serve as an excellent guide for thinking beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries." * Reading Religion *Table of ContentsPreface IntroductionPart One. The DepthsInterlude 1. Number Twenty-One Junction Chapter 1. What Obeah Does Do: Religion, Violence, and LawInterlude 2. In the Valley of Dry Bones Chapter 2. Experiments with Justice: On Turning in the GraveInterlude 3. To Balance the Load Chapter 3. Electrical Ethics: On Turning the Other CheekPart Two. The NationsInterlude 4. Where the Ganges Meets the Nile, I Chapter 4. Blood Lines: Race, Sacrifice, and the Making of ReligionInterlude 5. Where the Ganges Meets the Nile, II Chapter 5. A Tongue between Nations: Spiritual Work, Secularism, and the Art of CrossoverPart Three. The HeightsInterlude 6. Arlena’s Haunting Chapter 6. High Science Epilogue. The Ends of Tolerance References Notes Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewContemporary Korean Shamanism is ethnographically based, uses a wide range of sources and materials, and contains extensive interviews with shamans both female and male (Korean shamans are predominantly female). The book does not discuss in detail specific individual rituals or shamanistic traditions, all of which can be found in other sources. It is principally about the transformation of the image of a religious tradition and how this occurred. As such, it is of interest not only to ethnographers, folklorists, and students of religion, but also to scholars concerned with social and cultural change. -- James H. Grayson * Folklore *Table of ContentsAccessing Audiovisual MaterialsAcknowledgmentsNote on TransliterationIntroduction1. Gods on Stage: A Mediated Performance2. The Changing Image of Musok in Films3. Agendas, Power, and Ideology in Museum Displays of Korean Shamanism4. Getting to Know a Korean Shaman through Television Representations5. Shamans Online: Internet Promotion of Musok PractitionersConclusion: From Ritual to the World Wide Web and BackReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisFrom the turn of the fifth century to the beginning of the eighteenth, Christian writers were fascinated and troubled by the "Problem of Paganism," which this book identifies and examines for the first time. How could the wisdom and virtue of the great thinkers of antiquity be reconciled with the fact that they were pagans and, many thought, damnedTrade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2015 "[An] excellent book... If Marenbon leaves a stone unturned ... I didn't notice it... [He] builds a powerful case."--Peter Adamson, Times Literary Supplement "Fascinating ... Marenbon constantly cuts across the standard discussions at a fresh angle, bringing new connections to light."---Noel Malcolm, Standpoint "This reviewer has been waiting for this book for a long time... [Pagans and Philosophers] is fascinating, exciting, compelling, and well worth the wait."--Choice "Overall this is a magnificent study in the history of ideas, executed with great lucidity and exemplary scholarship."--John Cottingham, The Tablet "Beautifully written, highly interesting (never dry or dull), and deserves a wide readership. It is enthusiastically recommended."--Carole M. Cusack, SpeculumTable of ContentsPreface ix A Note on References and Citations xi Introduction: The Problem of Paganism 1 Part I: The Problem Takes Shape Chapter 1 Prelude: Before Augustine 19 Chapter 2 Augustine 23 Chapter 3 Boethius 42 Part II: From Alcuin to Langland Chapter 4 The Early Middle Ages and the Christianization of Europe 57 Chapter 5 Abelard 73 Chapter 6 John of Salisbury and the Encyclopaedic Tradition 95 Chapter 7 Arabi, Mongolia and Beyond: Contemporary Pagans in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries 109 Chapter 8 Aristotelian Wisdom: Unity, Rejection or Relativism 127 Chapter 9 University Theologians on Pagan Virtue and Salvation 160 Chapter 10 Dante and Boccaccio 188 Chapter 11 Langland and Chaucer 214 Part III: The Continuity of the Problem of Paganism, 1400-1700 Chapter 12 Pagan Knowledge, 1400-1700 235 Chapter 13 Pagan Virtue, 1400-1700 263 Chapter 14 The Salvation of Pagans, 1400-1700 281 Epilogue: Leibniz and China 301 General Conclusion 304 Bibliography 307 Index 339

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Book SynopsisMichael York situates Paganism - one of the fastest-growing spiritual orientations in the West - as a world religion. He provides an introduction to, and expansion of, the concept of Paganism and provides an overview of its theological perspective and practice.Trade Review"This work will interest anyone investigating the nexus of science, social policy, and the law in modern America." * Sociology of Religion *"An ambitious book, one that argues and then demonstrates that paganism is an important religious perspective by tracing specific themes through a surprisingly wide variety of spiritual traditions. This is the first successful attempt to articulate a theology that is based on what paganism is, rather than on what it is not when compared to Judeo/Christian traditions. York's work is an important contribution to the study of religion in general, and foundational for the emerging field of Pagan Studies. It is the beginning of a whole new dialogue." -- Wendy Griffin,editor of Daughters of the Goddess"Michael Yorks audacious redrawing of traditional religious boundaries and scholarly categories reaffirms paganism's place both as legitimate spiritual expression and as a field of academic inquiry." -- Chas S. Clifton,Colorado State University-Pueblo"Scholarly, but wholly accessible." -- Terry Gifford ,University of Leeds"Folk religionists and those interested in placing 'pagan phenomena' in the context of worldwide religiousity will find York's book interesting." * Missiology: An International Review *"I have little doubt that it will reinvigorate not only the debate over the definition of religion but, perhaps more significantly, the debate over where one religion starts and another ends" * Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction1 Paganism as Religion2 Paganism as Behavior3 Paganism as Theology Notes References Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisPagan parents tend to seek to instil values, such as religious tolerance and spiritual independence, which will remain with their children throughout their livesTrade ReviewAn intriguing, important, and often entertaining look at an under-studied aspect of new religions. Highly recommended. -- Douglas E. Cowan,author of Cyberhenge: Modern Pagans on the InternetKermanis superb interweaving of survey-data, interviews, and observations of Spiral Scout meetings and festivals offers readers a rare glimpse into religious practice from the perspectives of multiple generations. She expertly explores how children and parents co-create their tradition, working together to build a shared history that is as much about remembering a mythic past as it is about forgetting parents struggles with institutional religion. Analyzing the daily practices of pagan familieswho value childlike wonder and playful behavior in adults and preternatural wisdom in childrenKermani demonstrates the often-theorized interdependence of the definitions of 'child' and 'adult' with a clarity that will cause future scholars to rethink their assumptions about the fixed nature of these categories. This excellent volume is a must read for anyone interested in the creation and maintenance of religious practices, American Paganism, and childhood studies. -- Susan Ridgely,University of Wisconsin at OshkoshThis is one of the best and most nuanced ethnographic studies of contemporary Paganism to come along. Kermani takes us into the deeply conflicted religious lives of Pagan families, yet as she so deftly reveals, Pagans are not unique in their ambivalent desires for their children. While paying careful attention to how and why adults refashion their own lost childhoods to create religious traditions for their families, Kermani also attends to the often-uncomfortable ways real children experience these ritual practices and ethical guidelines. In so doing, she highlights a central dilemma in contemporary American cultural and religious life. This sensitively written book offers a powerful model for researching childrens religious worlds, the ways these worlds are constructed by adults and inhabited, resisted, and reshaped by children. -- Sarah M. Pike,author of Earthly Bodies, Magical SelvesThis study of the contemporary Pagan construction of childhood by Kermani (Youngstown State Univ.) is an important addition to academic collections, primarily because it covers an area of inquiry not addressed in the literature until now. Representing about 3 percent of the US population, Pagans are under-studied. This ethnography, drawing on both extensive fieldwork and survey research, provides good thick description and analysis. -- G.J. Reece * Choice *Kermani has provided a valuable window not only onto a & new religious movement but onto the very problem of & religion in America. -- Jack David Eller * Anthropology Review Database *In this excellent book, Kermani explores contemporary Paganism by considering how children and childhood are taken up as conceptual categories within thiseclectic new religious field...Kermani does an extraordinary job balancing the portrayals of her subjects as both modern, average people, and as imaginative and sometimes fantastic individuals defined by their self-assumed alterity...Kermani brilliantly weaves the first-person narratives of her subjects into her rich academic analysis. * Nova Religio *The author is at her strongest when discussing how four different foundation myths of religion result in different and sometimes conflicting views of how children should be integrated into the religion. She gives a very thorough description of the strengths and weaknesses of parents attempts to integrate their children in their world, while at the same time providing them with avenues to question that participation and choose another path.Pagan Family Valuescontributes to the growing literature on childhood within new religions that formed and grew in the 1960s and 1970s. As the first book-length exploration of childhood within Paganism, it makes an important contribution to the field. * Sociology of Religion *Table of ContentsList of Figures Acknowledgments Introduction1 Crafting History 2 Old Souls: Pagan Childhood 3 Parenting in Neverland 4 Don't Eat the Incense: Children in Ritual 5 A Room Full of FireFlies 6 My Dream Come True Conclusion: Building Fairy Houses Appendix A: "American Pagan Families and Family Values" Online SurveyAppendix B: "Second-Generation Pagans: Experiences and Opinions" Online SurveyNotes Selected BibliographyIndex About the Author

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Book SynopsisIn 1948 Robert Graves published The White Goddess. His study of poetic mysticism and goddess worship has since become a founding text of Western paganism. As Wicca emerged from what Graves called, a few hopeful young people in California, to over two million strong, The White Goddess has achieved near liturgical status. This rising appreciation brings all the problems of liturgical texts. Many pagans consider Graves' work like the goddess herself; awe inspiring but impenetrable. Stalking The Goddess is the first extensive examination of this enigmatic text to come from the pagan community and guides readers through bewildering forests of historical sources, poems, and Graves' biography to reveal his unorthodox claims and entrancing creative process. Relentlessly perusing each path it explores the uncharted woods and reveals the hidden signposts Graves has posted. The hunt for the goddess spans battlefields, ancient manuscripts, the British museum, and Stonehenge. En route we encounter not only the goddess herself but her three sacred animals; dog, roebuck, and lapwing. Perhaps the muse cannot be captured on her own grounds, but now at least there is a map.Trade ReviewThe influence of Robert Graves on Wicca cannot be ignored. In Stalking the Goddess, Mark Carter makes an important contribution in understanding the history of the modern pagan movement. This book is compulsory reading for anyone who wishes to understand this history. (Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone) I found this a valuable book, which enabled me to understand Graves himself, and his use of sources, better than any has done before. (Professor Ronald Hutton, Bristol University UK)

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Book SynopsisA Bridge to the Other Side is a collection of articles and traditional folk tales that deal with our feelings about and attitudes towards Death, both our own death and that of those nearest and dearest to us. A bridge between earth and heaven, this world and the next, features in the mythology of many different peoples. For example, in Norse legends, Bifrost or Bilrost is a burning rainbow bridge between Midgard, the world, and Asgard, the realm of the gods. The bridge is known as Bilrost in the Poetic Edda; compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and as Bifrost in the Prose Edda; written in the 13th century by Snorri Stureuson. Both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda alternately refer to the bridge as Asbru (Old Norse Esirs means bridge). The Persians believed in a bridge between earth and paradise too. In his prayers the penitent in his confession would say: I am wholly without doubt in the existence of the Mazdayacnian faith; in the coming of the resurrection of the latter body; in the stepping over the bridge Chinvat; as well as in the continuance of paradise.Trade ReviewThis book, which is a collection of material of different type and origin - ancient folk-tales, myths, poems, even jokes about Death concentrate on the different ways Death is represented in different cultures...after reading it one will want to think about their lives and the numbers of good deeds performed as well as look at Death with less fear! (Professor Manana Rusieshvili, Tbilisi State University, Georgia) his is a fascinating collection , and one that had a profound effect on me. M. Berman has taken folktales and articles from a wide variety of cultural traditions, and these greatly enhance the power of his book. (David Byham, President of MENSA, Geneva)

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Book SynopsisPhilosophy was invented by pagans. Yet this fact is almost always ignored by those who write the history of ideas. This book tells the history of the pagan philosophers, and the various places where their ideas appeared, from ancient times to the 21st century. The Pagan philosophers are a surprisingly diverse group: from kings of great empires to exiled lonely wanderers, from devout religious teachers to con artists, drug addicts, and social radicals. Three traditions of thought emerge from their work: Pantheism, NeoPlatonism, and Humanism, corresponding to the immensities of the Earth, the Gods, and the Soul. From ancient schools like the Stoics and the Druids, to modern feminists and deep ecologists, the pagan philosophers examined these three immensities with systematic critical reason, and sometimes with poetry and mystical vision. This book tells their story for the first time in one volume, and invites you to examine the immensities with them. And as a special feature, the book includes summaries of the ideas of leading modern pagan intellectuals, in their own words: Emma Restall Orr, Michael York, John Michael Greer, Vivianne Crowley, and more

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Book SynopsisWhen Ross Heaven, a psychologist and ex-pharmaceutical industry consultant, embarks on a shamanic apprenticeship in the rainforests and mountains of South America his intention is to unlock the secrets of San Pedro, the mescaline cactus that has been used as a sacrament and teacher plant in Peru for millennia, and to learn about love and healing. What he finds is more remarkable, painful, enriching, liberating and extraordinary than he could have imagined.

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Book SynopsisAncient teaching stories from the earth, together with meditations and step-by-step guides to sourcing your own tales from the spirits of the ancestors. Throughout time, indigenous cultures have used storytelling as a way of spreading important teachings to the tribe. Much of our own rich, ancient heritage has been lost over the years, eroded with the coming of mainstream religions and new ideas, yet those teachings and stories are still there, waiting to be rediscovered and told. Through years of working with the spirits of the land, shamanic healer, crafter and teacher Taz Thornton has gathered together a bounty of beautifully crafted stories from our own forgotten past. These teaching stories have been shared directly by the spirits of our ancestors, who have long been waiting for new story weavers to carry these threads from the past into the future.

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Book SynopsisFor many, the word Druidry conjures up images of white-robed figures involved in esoteric rituals. But modern Druidry is not wrapped up in a veil of secrecy - it is celebrated openly, in the sunlight of the meadow or the shady leafiness of forest glade. Druids are passionate about the environment, and their worship is above all focused on Nature through the celebration of the changing seasons of the year. Spirits of the Sacred Grove is a very personal journey through the seasons seen through the eyes of a modern female Druid. Emma Restall Orr takes the reader through the cycles of nature, from the chaos of Samhain or Hallowe'en into the dark of winter, through the energy of spring and into the bright summer months - then back through autumn to Samhain. At the same time she acts as a guide along the paths of the sacred rituals. Spirits of the Sacred Grove reveals Druidry as an accessible and compelling spiritual path that offers enormous potential for personal healing and empowerment. Exploring rites of passage and weaving in references to many other spiritual traditions, this book is an intensely rich mixture of the ideas and images of a Pagan Druid priestess.

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Book SynopsisAn anthology with contributions from nineteen writers, The Goddess in America is a book that identifies the enduring experience of Goddess Spirituality through a four-part discussion focused on the Native Goddess, the Migrant Goddess, the Goddess in relation to other aspects of American culture (Feminism, Christianity, Witchcraft etc.) and the Goddess in contemporary America.

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Book SynopsisWhat is Shamanism? is the product of a collaboration between eleven leading Shaman authors and practitioners each tasked with the discussion of a particular central aspect or theme. The result serves as both an excellent introduction to anyone coming to Shamanism for the first time and a stimulating read for the more experienced Shaman interested in engaging with contemporary thinking and debate. Edited by Trevor Greenfield, What is Shamanism? features essays from Dorothy Abrams, Elen Sentier, Hearth Moon Rising, Imelda Almqvist, Julie Dollman, Janet Gale, Jez Hughes, Kenn Day, Laura Perry, S. Kelley Harrell and Taz Thornton.

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Book SynopsisThe Grail is neither a secret, a world treasure in the shape of a cup, a specific mortal woman, nor a hidden, chosen family. The Grail is a state of heart and mind! An old Spanish manuscript is given to Lars, and for two years it lies untouched in his office until one day the sun falls upon the book and Lars is drawn to pick it up once again. The pages reveal symbols and signs that he had not previously seen, and so begins the final part of his journey to discover the importance of the feminine archetype for our times. His travels take him to the caves of the holy mountain of Montsegur and on to the Southern Pyrenees and Mary Magdalene's secret cave near Perillos. During his travels Lars meets a nameless Being of Light who presents him with the answers to many of today's spiritual dogmas.

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Book SynopsisAn ancient epic of the United States Pacific Northwest Coast Samish people, transcribed from a live event delivered by spiritual teacher and healer, Johnny Moses, whose traditional name is Whis.stem.men.knee, 'Walking Medicine Robe'. Johnny, a Tulalip Native American, master storyteller and oral historian, carries the Si.Si.Wiss, 'Sacred Breath, Sacred Life' teachings of his peoples. Here, he shares the story of a woman who wears beautiful Medicine Clothes. The woman wears different kinds of clothes when she visits the many different medicine people she is going to get help from, or those she will help. '…Since the beginning of our culture, the First People (Native Americans) have maintained our tradition of storytelling. This was the primary tool for passing on information, for educating, for teaching the philosophy of our culture, for encouraging memory, for highlighting our humor, for focusing on our most talented historians. Johnny Moses brings to this generation the combined gifts of the best of our ancestors...To my knowledge, Johnny is the only individual gifted to relate these ancient stories. He was selected by his elders to listen and to remember each story and their accompanying songs.' Vi Hilbert, Skagit name: Taq.Se.Blu (Excerpt from previous edition, distributed by Bear Song Creations, 2014)

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Book SynopsisThe Good Ship Story Compass sails you away on a potentially life changing journey! Story Compass is a book of word and action, leading the reader on a ship's journey through the Four Directions Medicine Wheel! You step onboard, put on your captain's hat and sail away! Compass points take you sailing North, East, South and West to visit the story fields of the author, lifeline, ancestral banks and the mythical realms. Story becomes understood in a way you have possibly never been able to appreciate before. Archetypes for Mother Goose, Wild Merlin, the Prince from Sleeping Beauty and Anansi the Spider appear as the inspirational teachers for each compass point. Playful in tone, interactive in design and deeply explorative in its action, this startlingly original book is both a healing journey and an instruction manual.

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Book SynopsisImagine a nature-based culture so alive and so connected, spreading like wildfire ... This book is the match!

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Book SynopsisPagans often claim that their spiritual inspiration comes not from a written scripture but from personal experience and original creativity. Yet, there are many written works which also constitute its testament. Some of them are thousands of years old, such as the "Descent of Ishtar", and "The Homeric Hymn to Demeter". Others are more recent, such as "The Charge of the Goddess". "A Pagan Testament" collects these original works together, along with the poetry and prose that inspired the founders of the modern Pagan movement. It also includes the largest collection of circle songs and wisdom teachings ever published, which are the Pagan equivalent of the Biblical Psalms and Proverbs. They were collected by the author in a survey of Pagan folklore, from almost 2,000 people in twelve countries around the world. They show that Paganism is continually expanding and developing. Finally, the book includes an original and valuable philosophical commentary and interpretation.Trade ReviewA remarkable resource for anyone following the Wicca-Pagan path. We highly recommend it. Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone, Authors of A Witches Bible, The Witches Goddess and Progressive WitchcraftBrendan Myers is one of the most important Neopagan voices now alive. Isaac Bonewits, Author of "Real Magic"; founder of Arn Draoicht Fein, America's largest Druidic association

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Book SynopsisKnown as the land of the mountains, Dagestan lies immediately north of the Caucasus Mountains, and stretches for approximately 250 miles along the west shore of the Caspian Sea. With its mountainous terrain making travel and communication difficult, Daghestan is still largely tribal. Despite over a century of Tsarist control followed by seventy years of repressive Soviet rule, there are still 32 distinct ethnic groups in Daghestan, each with its own language, making it unquestionably the most complex of the Caucasian republics. Shamanic practices are still prevalent in this country, where one of the ten lost tribes of Israel can be found, and in which the stories of the elders provide the people with evidence of who their ancient ancestors were and where their roots lie. In Daghestan, as in the neighbouring countries of Georgia, Chechnya, and Azerbaijan, these roots lie in shamanism. This book, one of only a handful available in English on the country, contains the texts of some of these stories as well as commentaries on them.Trade Review"Michael Berman does a valuable service in that he reminds us of the rich and variegated religious-cultural heritage of the Daghestani peoples. For rendering otherwise dispersed source materials readily accessible in a single volume, this book is to be congratulated. Dr Andrew Dawson, Lancaster University, UK"

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Book Synopsis'Everything shifts in the Caucasus, blown by some of the strongest winds on earth. Even the ground moves, splintered by fault lines. In early Georgian myths, it is said that when the mountains were young, they had legs - could walk from the edges of the oceans to the deserts, flirting with the low hills, shrouding them with soft clouds of love' - Griffin, 2001, p.2. But what about those aspects of life which remain relatively constant - the traditional practices of the mountain people, the practices that are reflected in their folktales and their folklore? It is these constants that this study concentrates on, in particular those that relate to shamanism.Trade ReviewBerman's thesis - that shamanic stories represent a specific genre within mythology as well as in folklore - has been developing throughout his excellent previous studies of shamanic narrative. By examining tales from regions situated at the crossroads between Asian and European civilizations he subjects his paradigm to genuinely risky test, thus achieving a theoretical heroism worthy of Karl Popper. His brilliant analysis slices through the layers of denial and obfuscation imposed by Stalinist materialism as well as the enforced acculturation of the Mongols and the opposing claims of both Christian and Muslim transmutations of pagan ideas. Through careful studies of tales from specific regions of the Caucasus, together with detailed descriptions of surviving rituals ( such as jumping over bonfires in Azerbaijan and ritual animal slaughter and blood-smearing in Georgia) Berman shows clear evidence of distinctively shamanic characteristics in the surviving folk cultures. Thus, for example the epic cycle of the Narts demonstrates a thriving contemporary expression of Berman's clearly specified genre. Like the other wonderful stories in this book it conveys the continuing relevance of the pagan understanding of the unity of all being as well as the healing practice of the shaman's journeying between numinous and material semiospheres. (Dr Julienne Ford, formerly a lecturer at the London School of Economics and the founder of the publishing company Superscript.)

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Book SynopsisExtraordinary true story of a woman living the ultimate life style who wakes up one morning to find she can see into the future, she is also aware of dramatic events happening simultaneously miles away. For six weeks she moves in this mystical realm without the Western rational concept of time, this ability suddenly vanishes and knowing her life can never return to how it was, she sets out on a spiritual quest. This search takes her on adventurous journeys, to synchronistic meetings and initiations and ceremonies with indigenous people in the furthest reaches of the world. These days she is recognized and respected as a healer and shapeshifter and honored by powerful shamans from many different Countries as far as Siberia, South Africa and Brazil.Trade ReviewShaman in Disguise is one of those rare books that tells the story of outer journeys that lead the author, and the reader, deep into the psyche, as well as to new levels of higher consciousness. It also depicts the powerful path into age old forms of shamanism chosen by a modern woman, and the power, wisdom, and energy she receives as a result. (John Perkins. shaman and bestselling author of Confessions of an Economic Hitman.)

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Book SynopsisIn finding your way into the world of paganism you will have surely had a calling and embarked on lots of study and practice, even if you are still seeking your own personal path. You may have read a beginner book, then lots of books and discovered something that you like and fit in with. If this is describing you, where do you go now? You have some knowledge, but what do you do with it, and who can you share your thoughts with? Perhaps now is the time to get out and about into the wonderful world of Pagans. And so the adventure begins. Whether a beginner of any age or witch, pagan or teen who has already done much in the way of reading, this is a guide for you. This book from two Crusty Crones takes an educational, insightful and often humorous look at the modern Pagan lifestyle as seen from the inside and out.Trade ReviewA very informative book which, clearly from the humour in it is based on the experiences of the two Priestess authors. We'd certainly recommend it for anyone coming into the Craft for the first time, or has been in it for a while and does not mind laughing at themselves. (Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone, authors of A Witches Bible, The Witches Goddess, The Healing Craft and Progressive Witchcraft.) A need in a world of inflated egos and misconceptions for truth and humour, wisdom and compassion such as this book. (Cassandra Eason, Popular author of many books including Every Woman a Witch) So embarrassingly true...told as it really is! (Dr. She' D'Montford, Teacher, Healer, Author, Promoter, Activist and founding editor of Spellcraft magazine) If you were to be invited to sit down at campfire at your first Pagan gathering, may it be with one of these lovely ladies, who will hand you a cup of tea and tell you all the things you need to know that all those fancy books never told you. Second best would be to sit down near a cozy fire with the hot beverage of your choice and this book in your hands.(Phaedra Bonewits www.neopagan.net www.facebook.com/isaac.phaedra.bonewits)

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Book SynopsisThe daughters of Danu has been written to encourage people regardless of where they are on their chosen path, to excite and encourage the reader to deepen their knowledge by inwardly asking themselves such questions as; Who are these magical characters, and what do they represent? Most of the ancient teaching methods were done through metaphor, symbolism and even parable, why? Because they work. For any beginner starting out on a Pagan learning curve, the Pagan scene can be very confusing and even disheartening. The key is is that once you know what questions to ask, the answers will be all that much easier to find, and this book will give the reader the incentive to unearth those questions. On the other hand, for the established Pagan, this book will be a joy to read and the roller coaster ride of an adventure that will resonate with what they have already learned. Regardless of who you are, how old or young, there will be something within this story that will inspire your spirit and lift your heart.

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Book SynopsisCómo trabajar con los centros de los chakras para sanar heridas psíquicas no resueltas• Revela cómo las heridas psíquicas se alojan en el cuerpo energético• Relaciona las etapas clave de desarrollo con un chakra principal• Proporciona una guía detallada para sanar y limpiar las tensiones que se alojan en cada chakraEl sistema de chakras identifica ocho centros en la psicoanatomía de los seres humanos, cada uno asociado con una parte diferente del cuerpo físico o energético. Susan J. Wright, una chamana activa y psicoterapeuta Gestalt, utiliza su propio viaje por la vida para mostrar que cada chakra también está ligado a una etapa diferente del desarrollo emocional y espiritual. En Chakras en la práctica chamánica, ella identifica ocho etapas claves de desarrollo de la vida, del nacimiento hasta la vejez/muerte. Cada una de estas etapas de la vida tiene varios retos de desarrollo y potenciales eventos traumáticos que pueden ocurrir dentro de nuestra cultura y afectar la salud y bienestar del individuo. Wright explica que los traumas de la vida experimentados en etapas particulares de desarrollo llegan a estar clavados dentro del cuerpo energético cuando se aferran a su chakra correspondiente. Al identificar y trabajar con el chakra involucrado, se puede abrir un portal a un mundo de imágenes transformadoras, permitiendo que técnicas chamánicas poderosas curen estas heridas psíquicas. Además de ejercicios físicos y meditaciones guiadas que utilizan las técnicas de la recuperación del alma, trabajo con animales de poder y formas de trascender el trauma, Wright ofrece a los practicantes una manera de recoger y nutrir las partes fragmentadas de su cuerpo energético y de guiarse hacia el bienestar físico, emocional y espiritual.Trade Review“Las creaciones de Susan Wright son el vivo ejemplo del verdadero sentido de la magia. Nos llevan a nuevos niveles de conciencia, empoderándonos para lograr metas que antes solo nos imaginamos, para realizar nuestros sueños más profundos. Lea, aprenda, goce y cambie de forma al mundo y a usted mismo”. * Del prólogo por John Perkins, escritor éxitoso de Confesiones de un gángster econ *Table of ContentsPrólogo de John Perkins Agradecimientos Introducción Evolución de un chamán 1 • La tierra es nuestra madreUn viaje a la confianza 2 • La mujer de las olasUn viaje a la libertad emocional 3 • Los fuegos de transformación Un viaje para encontrar nuestra misión 4 • El sagrado matrimonio internoUn viaje a la conexión5 • Un portal a tus sueños Un viaje a la expresión del espíritu 6 • Abrir el corazón de la menteUn viaje a la claridad 7 • Canalizar el amor universal Un viaje a la maestría 8 • Expandirse más allá de la muerteUn viaje a la unidad Bibliografía Lista de tareas y ejerciciosÍndice analítico

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Book Synopsis

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