Earth-Based Religions Books - Page 6

The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Goddess: 20th Anniversary Edition

Starhawk

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 139 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The twentieth anniversary edition of The Spiral Dance celebrates the pivotal role the book has had in bringing Goddess worship to the religious forefront. This bestselling classic is both an unparalleled reference on the practices and philosophies of Witchcraft and a guide to the life–affirming ways in which readers can turn to the Goddess to deepen their sense of personal pride, develop their inner power, and integrate mind, body, and spirit. Starhawk's brilliant, comprehensive overview of the growth, suppression, and modern–day re–emergence of Wicca as a Goddess–worshipping religion has left an indelible mark on the feminist spiritual consciousness.

In a new introduction, Starhawk reveals the ways in which Goddess religion and the practice of ritual have adapted and developed over the last twenty years, and she reflects on the ways in which these changes have influenced and enhanced her original ideas. In the face of an ever–changing world, this invaluable spiritual guidebook is more relevant than ever.

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic

Scott Cunningham

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 59 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I was pretty disappointed with this book. While there is some information in it, I found it to be lacking. There are SO many stones with SO many uses. I had hoped that more would have been covered. Also the book had few pictures. I would not recommend this book.

Editorial Review:

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic

The Classic Guide to Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic

Practice an ancient magic that is both natural and powerful—the elemental Earth magic of rock, stone, and metal. This comprehensive and clear guidebook by Scott Cunningham has introduced over 200,000 readers to the secrets of over 100 gems and metals.
Learn how to find and cleanse stones and use them in divinations, spells, and tarot readings. Discover how to determine the energies and stories contained within each stone, and the symbolic meanings of a stone's color and shape. Also included in this classic guide are:  
• A 16-page full-color insert, new with this edition
• Birthstone and jewelry magic lore
• Tables listing both planetary and elementary rulers of stones, magical intentions, and magical substitutions

Separate Reality

Carlos Castaneda

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

To Carlos, with gratitude 2 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Carlos Castaneda was one of the most controversial writers of the twentieth century. Some in academia branded him a fraud for claiming his stories were biographical rather than fiction, while lauding him as a great novelist for exposing a mass audience to otherwise inaccessible philosophical abstractions they claimed were largely plagiarized. Each of his works is a piece of a larger puzzle, which makes it impossible to critique any one book without addressing the larger context into which it fits.

His first two books, "Teachings of Don Juan" and "A Separate Reality" describe experiences induced by ingesting psychotropic hallucinogenics prepared by a Yaqui Indian shaman from Sonora, Mexico he called don Juan Matus, and accounted for his becoming a guru to a generation seeking short cuts to spiritual enlightenment, as well as his lifelong interest in the relationship between perception and reality, a theme now explored in many popular books on consciousness and quantum physics. Unfortunately, these books remain his best selling works, in spite of Castaneda refuting their importance in his later works. Readers would be best served to skip these and avoid the risk of being turned off to Castaneda and missing the more stimulating works that followed.

His third and fourth works were "Journey to Ixtlan" and "Tales of Power." In Ixtlan he admits to over-estimating the value of his drug experiences, which caused him to overlook the more profound teachings of don Juan which became the focus of future writings. What emerges is a spiritual discipline dating back to the Pre-Colombian Toltec sorcerers of Latin America, culminating with don Juan's departure from our world, effectively ending Castaneda's direct affiliation.

In his fifth and sixth works "Second Ring of Power" and "Eagles Gift" Castaneda suffers strange flashbacks of what seem to be memory fragments of events he is unable to fit into any logical time sequence. In his seventh and eighth works, "Fire From Within" and "Power of Silence," Castaneda succeeds in reconstructing his lost memories, which derive from teachings previously administered by don Juan while Castaneda was in a "heightened" state of awareness.

In books nine and ten, "Art of Dreaming" and "Active Side of Infinity," Castaneda focuses on what he describes as inorganic predators from another dimension, some having the power to imprison humanity in "ordinary reality" so they can feed on the dark emotional energies we produce when succumbing to the negative thoughts they insert into our minds.

In later years several seemingly substantiating works appeared by two of Castaneda's female apprentices, Taisha Abelar and Florinda Donner-Grau. In addition, two scathing exposés were also published by two of his ex-wives. The first, "Magical Journey with Carlos Castaneda" by first wife, Margaret Runyon, offers little corroboration, since her marriage pre-dates the time when the bulk of Castaneda's adventures were claimed to have occurred. While steadfast that Castaneda was a sorcerer, she doubts the existence of don Juan, even claiming authorship of many of the concepts Castaneda ascribed to him.

The second, and more credible work, is "Sorcerer's Apprentice," by well-known writer Amy Wallace, daughter of the late best selling novelist Irving Wallace. Here again, we find little corroboration since the time of the events she describes is well after the period when Castaneda's relationship with don Juan is alleged to occur. What the book does provide is a troubling look inside Castaneda's final years, a picture of descent into what seems sexual addiction and possibly madness, leaving one to wonder if Castaneda was just one cup of cool-aid short of a Jonestown.

Many have asked why I put any stock whatsoever in Castaneda. A story from my autobiography, "The Vortex" may shed some light. A year before Castaneda published his first book I had an experience that would remain a mystery until Castaneda published "Power of Silence" twenty years later.

For a brief time, in my youth, I became a practicing Muslim, meticulously performing the complex prayer ritual five times a day. Then one night, sitting in my car, frustrated and complaining at not being able to find the address of my next sales appointment, something inside me snapped. It was as if some part of me had disconnected from my body and assumed control, lecturing me about my lack of discipline. A profound calm settled over me, rendering me simultaneously detached and engaged. For two days my sales figures soared. It was as if no one could say no to me. On the evening of the second day I decided to put my new state of being to the acid test by visiting my parents. Their behavior was so uncharacteristically supportive I hardly recognized them. It was enough to convince me that I was now living in an altered reality. But by the following morning I had returned to "normal." So distracting had this event been that I completely forgot to perform my Muslim prayers, and in fact, never did so again.

Twenty years later, in a chapter of "Power of Silence" entitled "Place of No Pity" Castaneda describes a very similar experience. In the aftermath of the event don Juan explains that humans are like televisions stuck on a channel called "self-preoccupation," lacking the energy to tune into any of the vast array of other channels available to us. To change channels, he explains, we first need to accumulate energy, by practicing rituals that are deliberate, precise and repetitious. Do this long enough and eventually our stored energy precipitates a shift to a channel where self-importance and self pity become impossible. Once this happens we connect with the force that controls the entire universe, a force don Juan called "intent," and everything can be bent to our will and even more channels can be opened, assuming we remember to keep practicing the rituals that save our energy.

This one realization alone was enough to inspire me to dedicate my autobiography "To Carlos, with gratitude."

Maxwell Austin van Lack, Author of The Vortex: A True Story of Passion and Karma

Editorial Review:

"A man of knowledge is free...he has no honor, no dignity, no family, no home, no country, but only life to be lived."--don Juan

In 1961 a young anthropologist subjected himself to an extraordinary apprenticeship to bring back a fascinating glimpse of a Yaqui Indian's world of "non-ordinary reality" and the difficult and dangerous road a man must travel to become "a man of knowledge." Yet on the bring of that world, challenging to all that we believe, he drew back.

Then in 1968, Carlos Castaneda returned to Mexico, to don Juan and his hallucinogenic drugs, and to a world of experience no man from our Western civilization had ever entered before.

Christ of the Celts: The Healing of Creation

J. Philip Newell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Mostly metaphors 1 out of 5 stars.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I liked Listening for the Heartbeat of God far better than this work. In Christ of the Celts, Newell makes God to look like what he wants humanity to look like. The metaphorical language quickly becomes laborious, and leads to sentimentalism, in my opinion. It's simply vague metaphor after metaphor until the vision of Christ he creates is far more cloudy than clear. This work is full of abstract ideas and words that the author uses to validate his viewpoints. It's heavy on emotion and wanting for balanced perspective. For example, Newell's criticism of Christianty as influenced by the Roman empire does not give due justice to the many branches and traditions of the Christian faith that have developed since the fourth century (including many of the Protestant descendants of the Reformation) - who take very seriously the call to safeguard truth.
Newell villainizes the impact of the Roman Empire, and though correcting the romanticized view of Western historical influence is important, the author seems to write off centuries of sincere and faithful Christian thinkers, and relegate them to pawns of the power-obsessed Roman ("Western") worldview. I'm sorry, but I simply will not buy that the "Christ of the Celts" is diametrically opposed to the Christ of the Apostle Paul, or that Celtic theology is irreconcilable with orthodox Christianity as defended for the last 1500 years - and more to be honest, for the books of the Bible are older than the non-biblical sources Newell cites, and their teachings confirm many of the ideas he tries to dismiss. The book has a pretty cover, though ... but you know what the old saying is about a book and its cover...

Editorial Review:

Christ of the Celts

"I explore the Celtic image of Christ as the Memory of what we have forgotten. He remembers the dance of the universe and the harmony that is deep within all things. He is the Memory also of who we are."
--from the Prelude

"Diagnosing the human soul with a longing for peace in the face of fear and fragmentation nurtured by global political forces and fundamentalisms, Newell offers the ancient traditions of Celtic Christianity as a way forward in healing humankind and the earth."
--Publishers Weekly

"This graceful, wise, and important book is a superb introduction to the treasures of Celtic Christianity for our time."
--Marcus Borg, author, The Heart of Christianity

The Necronomicon

Simon

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Total reviews: 217 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In the past 31 years, there has been a lot of ink - actual and virtual - spilled on the subject of the Necronomicon. Some have derided it as a clumsy hoax; others have praised it as a powerful grimoire. As the decades have passed, more information has come to light both on the book's origins and discovery, and on the information contained within its pages. The Necronomicon has been found to contain formula for spiritual trans-formation, consistent with some of the most ancient mystical processes in the world, processes that were not public knowledge when the book was first published, processes that involve communion with the stars.

In spite of all the controversy, the first edition sold out before it was published. And it has never been out of print since then. This year, the original designer of the 1977 edition and the original editor have joined forces to present a new, deluxe hardcover edition of the most feared, most reviled, and most desired occult book on the planet.

Keep Going: The Art of Perseverance

Joseph M. Marshall

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Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Grandfather says this:

 

“In life there is sadness as well as joy, losing as well as winning, falling as well as standing, hunger as well as plenty, bad as well as good. I do not say this to make you despair, but to teach you…that life is a journey sometimes walked in light and sometimes in shadow.”

Grandfather says this: “Keep going.”
 
From bestselling Native American writer Joseph Marshall III (The Lakota Way, The Journey of Crazy Horse) comes a beautifully packaged, inspirational guide deeply rooted in Lakota spirituality.
 
These thought-provoking lessons, passed down by author Joseph Marshall III’s own Lakota grandfather, will inspire the hundreds of thousands who already know his work—and will tap into the market that has embraced such books as Oriah Mountain Dreamer’s The Invitation.

When a young man’s father dies, he turns to his sagacious grandfather for comfort. Together they sit underneath the family’s cottonwood tree, and the grandfather shares his perspective on life, the perseverance it requires, and the pleasure and pain of the journey. Filled with dialogue, stories, and recollections, each section focuses on a portion of the prose poem “Keep Going” and provides commentary on the text.

Readers will draw comfort, knowledge, and strength from the Grandfather’s wise words—just as Marshall himself did.

Praise for The Journey of Crazy Horse:

 

"Marshall's gloriously poetic and sweeping chronicle ushers in a new genre of American history--indigenous, oral, formerly suppressed, a  thrilling narrative based upon personal stories and hidden accounts only a trusted Indian scholar could collect and only a true-born writer could dramatize....A tour de force."--Peter Nabokov, professor of American Indian Studies and World Arts and Culture at UCLA and author of Native American Testimony 

 

"This story of treachery and honor has never been told better. Crazy Horse is no longer merely a symbol for the Oglala, or even for the Lakota, but has become an inspiration for all. Marshall's scholarship is meticulous, ihs passion gripping. T his is as composed and crafted as a fine novel."--Dr. Roger Welsch, anthropologist, author, and former University of Nebraska professor

 

"...a remarkable portrait of a remarkable man."--Colin  G. Calloway, professor of history and Samson Occom Professor of Native American Studies, Dartmouth College

 

Praise for The Lakota Way

 

"It is rare to find a storyteller who is also a natural healer...ith gentle humor and fierce beliefs, Joseph Marshall places his personal and magical words just so into the human heart, reminding us all through the stiring of memory that full capacity and beauty are still in each soul..."--Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D, author of Women who Run with the Wolves and La Curandera 

 

 

Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (Llewellyn's Practical Magick Series)

Scott Cunningham

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 105 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Thank you 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I would recomend most of Scott Cunningham's books they are very informative and have helped me find my path safely

Great Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Scott Cunningham is a great Wiccan author and I would buy any of his books at any time, they are very easy to read, understand and very informative.

Starts strong ends strong but still seems to lack 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Cunningham did quite well in putting together this book, he starts strong, continuing where he left off while at the same time simultaneously picking up any new comers along the way. He quite eloquently writes the information that can come in handy for a pretty decent BoS but somehow along the way to the end he misses and loses a few people. The book is strong but probably Borrowing it from your local library first would be a good idea before picking this one up.

Editorial Review:

Selling more than 200,000 copies, Living Wicca has helped countless solitary practitioners blaze their own spiritual paths. Let the wise words of Scott Cunningham guide you toward a new level of practice.
Living Wicca takes a philosophical look at the questions, practices, and differences within Witchcraft. You'll learn how to create your own rituals and symbols, develop a book of shadows, and even become a high priest or priestess. Also covered in this Scott Cunningham classic are tools, magical names, initiation, the Mysteries, 120 Wiccan symbols, and the importance of secrecy in your practice.
• New edit • New interior design

The Inner Temple of Witchcraft: Magick, Meditation and Psychic Development

Christopher Penczak

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Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Explore your Inner Temple--your personal sacred space where there are no boundaries and all things are possible. With study, dedication, and practice, the lessons and exercises in this book will empower you to transform the repetitive rigors of the daily grind into a witch's web of magickal experiences.

The Inner Temple of Witchcraft is a thorough course of education, introspection, meditation, and the development of the magickal and psychic abilities that are the birthright of the witch. Four introductory chapters present the history, traditions, and principles of witchcraft, followed by thirteen lessons that start with basic meditation techniques and culminate in a self-initiation ceremony equivalent to the first-degree level of traditional coven-based witchcraft.

As you progress through this year-and-a-day course of study, you will explore a wide range of topics that support and inform the dedicated witch:

- Ancient and modern magickal philosophy
- Modern scientific theories supporting a new definition of reality
- "Instant" magick  techniques for protection, healing, and serenity
- Energy work and anatomy, including chakras and auras
- Astral travel, dreams, and spirit guides
- Healing techniques for body, mind, and spirit

This book's non-dogmatic presentation encourages an eclectic, personal approach while providing a strong foundation for the practice of witchcraft and magick. Develop your psychic abilities and practice potent magickal techniques as you explore the source of every witch's power--the temple within.

Winner of the 2003 Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Award for Best Magic Book

Mending The Past & Healing The Future With Soul Retrieval

Alberto Villoldo

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Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This fascinating book by psychologist and medical anthropologist Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D., explains the practices for healing outside of ordinary time and space. It shows how to enter the timeless now to heal events that occurred in the past, and to correct the course of destiny. Dr. Villoldo discusses ways in which you can heal yourself and your loved ones by employing intention through practices used by shamans of the Americas—which, until now, have been inaccessible to most of the world. The shamans of old called this journeying. 

In this book, you’ll discover that you have a four-chambered heart in the same way you have a four-chambered soul. In the first chamber, you store away the memory of a wound that derailed your destiny. In the second, you keep the limiting beliefs and soul contracts that you entered into at the time of your loss. In the third, you recover the grace and trust that will make you whole again; and in the fourth, you remember the calling and mission that you choose to unfold in this lifetime.

“While everyone has a future,” Villoldo says, “only certain people have a destiny.” This book shows you how to find and manifest yours.

Mother Earth Spirituality: Native American Paths to Healing Ourselves and Our World (Religion and Spirituality)

Ed Mcgaa

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A true classic 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I read this book while spending the summer backpacking around the Rocky Mountains. Anything that you carry around in a backpack for that long has to be worth the weight and this one definitely was.
Thanks Eagle Man! :)

Native American Paths to Healing 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Eagle Man (Ed McGaa) shares his knowledge of Lakota Sioux spiritual practices as a way to include everyone who wants to heal our world. He calls those who revere Mother Earth and want to ensure her continuation, Rainbow People. He writes in an intimate way, as if talking with friends. He describes the meaning of the various rituals and myths and shares helpful information about how non-Native people may or may not participate. In addition to his personal journey and the sacred practices, he details techniques for building a sweat lodge, making a peace pipe and more. A fascinating book which has earned a place in my personal library.

Editorial Review:

An examination of the Scientific Revolution that shows how the mechanistic world view of modern science has sanctioned the exploitation of nature, unrestrained commercial expansion, and a new socioeconomic order that subordinates women.