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Covering secret societies, mysterious ancient traditions, and the often-mistaken history of the world's religious symbols, this book takes readers on a tour through the fascinating world of religious symbolism and reveals the most mysterious and misunderstood facets of religion. Hidden Religion: The Greatest Mysteries and Symbols of the World's Religious Beliefs not only explores the history and origins of widely recognizable symbols, like the Christian cross and the Star of David, but also introduces readers to more obscure symbols from religious traditions around the world—even defunct ones like those of the ancient Aztec and Mayan societies. In addition, the book discusses the "religiou...
Providing an excellent example of why folk artists can be appreciated as carriers of knowledge, even if they are unaware of it, this book could change the ways we understand and appreciate American folk arts. Connecting a sharecropper from Georgia in the Southern United States to a protector and healer in Touba, Senegal, West Africa, the holy city of Mouridism, and the final resting place of its founder, Shaikh Ahmadou Bàmba Mbàcke, it makes an interesting link while examining the cultural aspects of two very different and yet similar paths of life. Historians and art historians alike will find this investigation of African American art and folk culture both interesting and insightful. Not only does this book trace the characteristics of art through the African Diaspora, but it also traces Islam through those same diasporic transportations of colonial exploration and slavery.
Jainism originated in India and shares some features with Buddhism and Hinduism, but it is a distinct tradition with its own key texts, art, rituals, beliefs, and history. One important way it has often been distinguished from Buddhism and Hinduism is through the highly contested category of Tantra: Jainism, unlike the others, does not contain a tantric path to liberation. But in Making a Mantra, historian of religions Ellen Gough refines and challenges our understanding of Tantra by looking at the development over two millennia of a Jain incantation, or mantra, that evolved from an auspicious invocation in a second-century text into a key component of mendicant initiations and meditations t...
The word Atumism derives from ‘Atum,’ the manifestation of the All-Lord in creating the sphere of earth and the creature Adam. The words ‘Atumian’ and ‘Atumianity,’ addressed here by the meaning of ‘Human’ and ‘Humanity,’ are derived from ‘Atum’ who is ‘Adam.’ In the Egyptian literature, there is a thin line that differentiates ‘Atum’ and ‘Atum.’ Why denominate the Egyptian Religion by the term “Atumism”? The answer is found in multitude of diverse notions embedded in the Egyptian speech and makes the term in its profoundness the most right for a religion that has been of divine revelation millennia ahead of A. D. This book is a fusion of the earlier research titled “Ancient Egypt: The Primal Age of Divine Revelation, Volume I and II.
United States Secret Service agent Wesley Charles is furious when his racist boss forces him to attend a seminar at the new law enforcement complex in Dallas. Wes knows the seminar is a monumental waste of his time; he belongs on the Chicago streets, doing what he does best, which is busting counterfeiters. The presence of Charles old friend Secret Service agent Louis Boron, Seattle cop James Allen, and beautiful DEA agent Wendy Weissman provide a welcome distraction from the mind-numbing classes. The four inadvertently discover that something menacing is lurking behind The Complex's facade of inter-agency cooperation. When their investigations reveal a conspiracy that threatens the very fab...
"Decoding the Enigma of “Natural Man” in Mark Twain’s Works" is an unexpected journey to the very heart of the utterly brightest American author, Mark Twain, the way he presented the phenomenon of “natural man” one of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s philosophy cornerstones. In this book, completely new for the genre, Taro Maeyashiki reveals the unique plan of Mark Twain’s fantastic worlds of literary characters using the one of the most noble and philosophical topics prisms. Maeyashiki, noticing, as the thick conceptual fog dissipates around the concept of “natural man,” explores how “natural man” can in fact be truly natural or free or innocent but at the same time, individual...
For the first time in English, Benebell Wen reveals the rich history and theoretical principles underlying the ancient practice of crafting Fu talismans, or magical sigils, in the Chinese Taoist tradition and gives detailed instructions for modern practitioners who would like to craft their own Fu. Fu talismans are ideograms and writings typically rendered on paper and empowered by means of invocations, ritual, and transferences of energy, or Qi. Talismans can be used for many purposes, such as strengthening or weakening personality characteristics, finding love, earning more money, or easing emotional tensions in the home. The Tao of Craft shows how metaphysical energy can be harnessed to a...
From the public television host, a tour of the US’s oldest and greatest dining spots—with “delightful tales, delicious recipes, and hundreds of photographs” (Ted Allen, host of Food Network’s Chopped). Come along on a pilgrimage to some of the oldest, most historic restaurants in America. Each is special not only for its longevity but also for its historic significance, interesting stories, and, of course, wonderful food. The oldest Japanese restaurant in the country is profiled, along with stagecoach stops, elegant eateries, barbecue joints, hamburger shops, cafes, bars and grills, and two dueling restaurants that both claim to have invented the French dip sandwich. The bestsellin...
This groundbreaking book examines marital relationships in contemporary Mormon polygamous families.