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Darkness looms over the church. Evil pervades the thoughts of many. Deception seeps into church altars. Satan and his cohorts have intensified their attack. Are ourminds fooled by his ploys? Have our hearts been made numb to his devices? With seemingly blinded eyes and deaf ears, church members have been manipulated into an almost hypnotic existence. Like sleepwalkers or mere puppets on a string, many have fallen prey to the undiscriminating control of those seated right next to them. This must cease!

The Norse gods are as vivid and powerful as the rugged elemental landscapes they ruled over. From Scandinavia the Vikings raided, traded and settled across Europe and beyond, leaving their mark through their deities in place names, literature and particularly through the derivation of the names of the days of the week from Tuesday to Friday. Marion Pearce sets the major Norse gods like Odin, Thor, Loki, Tyr, Baldur, Freya and Frigg into a context of both time and place, telling their tales in a unique manner and through doing so she introduces numerous other gods, giants, heroes, dwarves and monsters from the Norse myths and legends. The author also writes on the Germanic Saxon gods, who sprang from the same roots, and explores the conflict between the Norse and Saxon gods and Christianity. The influences of the Norse and Saxon gods are considered further through their survival in British folk customs and significant calendar festivals. Drawing on numerous sources, including the Eddas and Sagas, the tale of Beowulf, contemporary Arabic writings and early British laws, the author demonstrates the threads which unite the days of the week and the Norse and Saxon gods with other early civilizations and classical sources from Pliny, Tacitus and Ravenna to the Old Testament. From the world tree Yggdrasil to its gods and creatures, from the Norse creation myths to the cataclysmic Ragnarok, from magic charms to ritual practices, The Viking Gods by Marion Pearce is an evocative journey through the rich tapestry of Norse paganism, history and cosmology, illustrated with numerous original line drawings by visionary artist Emily Carding. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marion Pearce is the author of numerous articles on Celtic, Norse and Roman history and culture published in magazines in the UK and internationally. She is the editor of Pentacle Magazine, the biggest independent pagan magazine in the UK, which she founded in 2002; and was formerly the editor of Pagan Dawn, the magazine of the Pagan Federation.

Halloween, or Hallowe'en, is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31. Traditional activities include trick-or-treating, bonfires, costume parties, visiting "haunted houses" and carving jack-o-lanterns. The term Halloween (and its alternative rendering Hallowe'en) is shortened from All-hallow-even, as it is the eve of "All Hallows' Day", which is now also known as All Saints' Day. Irish and Scottish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century. Halloween is celebrated in several parts of the Western world, most commonly in Ireland, the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom and occasionally in parts of Australia and New Zealand. (Quote from wikipedia.org)About the AuthorRuth Edna Kelley (1893 - 1982)Ruth Edna Kelley (8 April 1893 - 4 March 1982) was an American librarian and author. She is chiefly remembered for The Book of Hallowe'en (1919), the first book-length history of the holiday.Kelley was born in Massachusetts, the only child of Charles F. Kelley, a carpenter, and his wife Mary. She grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts, and received a master of arts degree. Her other book was A Life of Their Own (1947), which dealt with immortality and spirituality.Kelley died in Marblehead, Massachusetts at the age of 88. (Quote from wikipedia.org)About the Publisher Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.http://www.forgottenbooks.org

Stellar Magic by Payam Nabarz A Practical Guide to Rites of the Moon, Planets, Stars and Constellations The practical rites and ceremonies in this Liber Astrum are created using a myriad of hymns and tales, drawing inspiration and material from many ancient, classical and medieval sources including: the Hymns of Orpheus, Ovid's Metamorphoses , Plato's Timaeus, the Hermetica: The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius, the Greek Magical Papyri, the Chaldean Oracles, the Persian Shah Nameh 'Epic of Kings' by Ferdowsi, Scipio's Dream by Cicero, the Persian Pahlavi Texts, book of Enoch, Bible Ezekiel chapter, Egyptian temples and texts, The Golden Ass by Lucius Apuleius, the Zoroastrian Yasht hymns, Sufi works of Ibn Arabi and Rumi, the Kabalistic Sefer Yetzirah, the Mithras Liturgy, Persian Burj Nameh, the Picatrix, Hesiod Works and Days, Homer's The Odyssey, Porphyry's On the Cave of the Nymphs and Aratus' Phaenomena. In bringing these ancient rites into modern times, stellar related material and ideals by modern poets such as WB Yeats, Robert Graves, Sylvia Plath, and esoteric writers such as John Milton, John Dee, Elias Ashmole, Francis Barrett, Rudolf Steiner, Aleister Crowley, Gerald Gardner have also been included, giving a Bardic blend of the ancient and the modern. The rites here 'set the scene' and after all the poems and invocations are uttered, the point is reached in the rite where the magus has to make his/her direct connection, and to draw inspiration from the stellar well directly. The rites here are the beginning steps on your stellar journey, it is recommended that you write your own poems and invocations to the constellations and make your Path to the stars. This is a highly accessible, succinct and practical book on this complex subject. It is written in such a way that it can be used as a manual and workbook for practicing stellar magic or simply read for gaining insight into star lore. -------- Praise for Stellar Magic: "In Stellar Magic Dr Nabarz provides both the reader and the practitioner with an invaluable book filled with the rich lore of stars and a series of stunning and powerful rituals to enable a deeper awareness of the effect these have on our daily lives. Drawing on rare and out of the way materials Dr Nabarz has assembled a veritable treasure house of wisdom and lore. This is an absolute must for anyone even remotely interested in Star Lore and for any practicing magician or seeker after truth." John Matthews (Author of many books including Walkers Between Worlds, The Grail Tarot, The Arthurian Tarot, The Celtic Shaman, Taliesin).

Practitioners of Wicca call on the Gods of our ancestors in their rites, they perform rituals to mark the changing seasons of the year and celebrate the Gods in the light of the Full Moon. Wicca provides a system of magick, spirituality and mysticism which allows each individual to develop their own relationship with the Gods and the world around them. Towards the Wiccan Circle was born out of the very popular Avalonia homestudy course of the same name. It was designed by experienced coven leaders to provide a structured course of study for individuals who are interested in Wicca and who want to explore the key principles and practices of the tradition by themselves prior to making a commitment. Likewise, it will benefit individuals who are working by themselves and who are seeking to build a solid foundation from which to further explore the tradition, with or without others. This thoroughly practical self-study course provides an excellent introduction to Wicca as a mystery tradition in seven lessons, each covering a key aspect of the beliefs and practices, these are: Lesson 1 - Paganism, Witchcraft&Wicca Lesson 2 - Magick: Towards an Understanding Lesson 3 - The Gods&Goddesses Lesson 4 - The Four Elements Lesson 5 - The Times Of Magick - Cycles of Nature Lesson 6 - Sacred Space Lesson 7 - Initiation&Rites Of Passage Throughout the book, practical exercises,meditations and simple ceremonies are provided, together with suggestions for further reading. You will learn about the history, whilst exploring the practices and deepening your understanding of the four elements and the natural world, whilst exercising your visualisation skills and building on your understanding of the tradition through an experiential approach.

St. Augustine's masterpiece is an interpretation of history in terms of the struggle between good and evil: the City of God in conflict with the City of the Devil. Abridged for the modern reader.

The raw, ancient and primordial force symbolised by horns has long had associations with mystery, magick and power. Our ancestors often envisaged their gods as anthropomorphic beings who encapsulated this wild essence. Today the gods of the bull, the ram, the goat and the stag still hold tremendous power and are invoked at rituals by a new priesthood who continue to seek the wildness of nature and the inspiration that it holds. These deities transcend the safe and known boundaries of human structure, sometimes even luring us across the threshold of the known into the unknown worlds beyond. This unique anthology brings together the work of more than twenty people, including that of dedicated scholars and modern day mystics. Through their written and artistic contributions they illustrate some of the many manifestations of the Horned God. A true cornucopia of both insightful and well researched essays takes us from the well known Celtic Cernunnos and the legend of Herne the Hunter, to the goat-footed Greek Pan, the lesser known Slavic Veles and Egyptian Khnum. Horned serpents, unicorns, the tale of the Battle of the Bulls in the Irish Táin Bó Cúailnge, the Welsh Gwyn Ap Nudd and the faery Puck are all also considered. Then a wild hunt as we journey with the mystics who share their own experiences of the gods of the wildwood and untamed beasts. Each story is as different as the person who experienced it - and each illustrating in its own unique way a Horned God who is wild, unpredictable, loving - and at heart a trickster. For those who wish to dare a bit more than others, visionary meditation journeys to explore the mysteries of Cernunnos and Gwyn Ap Nudd are included. Horns of power would of course be nothing without the horns of beauty of the feminine divine, and in the final section of this anthology the reader is presented with works exploring horned goddesses, such as the lunar horned Hekate, Selene and Artemis and the antlered Elen. Whether through the mysteries of their existence, the vast scope of their influence or the endurance of their survival through to the modern day, each contribution provides a window into the wonders and mystery of the enduring magick of the horned gods.

ReadHowYouWant publishes a wide variety of best selling books in Large Print and Super Large Print formats in partnership with leading publishers. EasyRead books are available in 11pt and 13pt. type. EasyRead Large books are available in 16pt, 16pt Bold, and 18pt Bold type. EasyRead Super Large books are available in 20pt. Bold and 24pt. Bold Type. You choose the format that is right for you. The shamanic journey is a practice common to all indigenous societies throughout history. By listening to a drumbeat or other rhythmic percussion, the shaman enters "non-ordinary" reality - an altered state of consciousness beyond time and space - to access spiritual guidance and healing, assist others and the planet, and reconnect with the cycles of nature. Shamanic Journeying offers you an interactive learning experience to discover how to journey just as traditional shamans have for centuries. To find more titles in your Large Print or Super Large Print format, Search in Books using EasyRead and the size of the font that makes reading easier and more enjoyable for you.

Internationally respected Peruvian shaman Don José Campos illuminates the practices and benefits of Ayahuasca with grace and gentleness and much respect and gratitude for the gifts Ayahuasca has bestowed on him throughout the 25 years he has been a practicing shaman. He takes the reader on a journey through his own difficulties in the discovery of other worlds, other dimensions, alien entities and plant teachers. Among other things, he discusses his difficulties in coping with some of the concepts taught to him by his plant teachers like the discovery that everything has consciousness. But if we accept this, our entire cosmology shifts for the greater benefit of mankind. Along with Don José s transmission, we meet Pablo Amaringo. The world famous visionary painter talks about his art and his experiences as a shaman and the shocking reasons he stopped. Other voices include Julio Arce Hidalgo, biochemist and philosopher, and Don Solon, at 92 years old, the sole surviving Maestro of Don José. If one is interested in this most fascinating subject but is put off or frightened by the traveller s tales, this is the perfect book to introduce you to the profound experiences of Ayahuasca.