You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
Synthesizing the evidence for magic and witchcraft in 16th-century Scotland, this book profiles unpublished manuscripts, 19th- and early-20th-century transcriptions, and passing remarks in the histories of shires and boroughs. Preliminary suggestions are made about how these sources can be interpreted, so that nature scholars of Scottish witchcraft in particular will be able to more easily construct their theories with the analyses provided.
Scientific approach to esoteric and mystical themes.
Bringing together extensive research on psychology, psychophysiology and phenomenology of the shamanic trance and altered states of consciousness, this book represents a cross-cultural approach to the study of shamanism. It discusses Buryat shamanism in Siberia in comparison with Buddhist and Hindu Yogic techniques, as well as other esoteric traditions. The phenomenon of the shamanic trance is here investigated from the esoteric point of view as a form of mystical or religious experience. The book explores the inner feelings and psychic states of the shaman during the trance, describing the inner psychic processes and referring to the systems of chakras and subtle channels in shamanism and classical Buddhist and Hindu yoga, as well as other cultural traditions. In addition to its adoption of psychoanalytic and transpersonal approaches, it also uses phenomenological methods in its investigation, representing works from scholars in Oriental studies, as they provide deeper insight into the research of shamanism and mystical experiences.
Divination is any ritual and its associated tradition performed in order to ask a more-than-human intelligence for guidance. A universal human practice, it has received surprisingly little academic attention. This interdisciplinary collection by leading scholars in the field is dedicated to fascinating new insights into divination and oracles arising from recent work in anthropology, religious studies, history and classical studies. Central importance is given to the practical and theoretical perspectives of diviners as well as scholars of divination; several contributors are both. This book explores philosophical issues such as the nature of divinatory intelligence, the relationship between divinatory and metaphorical truth, the primacy of ontology over epistemology, the importance of reflexivity in scholarly studies of divination, and astrology as the principal Western form of divination. The ethnographic and historical examples range from contemporary Nigeria, urban Cuba, Mayan Guatemala and the shamanic cultures of the circumpolar Arctic to classical Greece and ancient Judea.
The field of witchcraft studies is continually over-turning new information and research about traditional witchcraft practices and their meanings. A Deed Without a Name seeks to weave together some of this cutting-edge research with insider information and practical know-how. Utilising her own decades of experience in witchcraft and core-shamanism Lee Morgan pulls together information from trial records, folklore and modern testimonials to deepen our understanding of the ecstatic and visionary substrata of Traditional Witchcraft. Those who identify themselves as 'Traditional' tend to read a lot of scholarly texts on the subject and yet still there remains a vast gulf between this information and knowledgeably applying it in practice; this book aims to close that gap. ,
"You can use Familiars as guardians during dream or astral work or to protect your home and property. This work shows how to obtain a familiar and work with one, and it also provides cautions and remedies for any problems that may occur in this magical partnership."--
The author, one of the most highly respected scholars of historical anthropology, has undertaken extensive research on folk beliefs related to communication with the supernatural sphere. In this book, she examines the systems of such communication known by early modern Hungarians, and the role these systems played in the everyday life of the village. New types of mediators are identified such as "the neighborhood witch, " the healing witch, and the demons seen in dreams. Representing a major contribution to the most up-to-date international research, Eva Pocs draws on significant East European material and literature not previously coordinated with that from the West. In so doing, she makes a valuable contribution to a subject that has recently attracted the attention of several leading scholars.
Fear is ubiquitous but slippery. It has been defined as a purely biological reality, derided as an excuse for cowardice, attacked as a force for social control, and even denigrated as an unnatural condition that has no place in the disenchanted world of enlightened modernity. In these times of institutionalized insecurity and global terror, Facing Fear sheds light on the meaning, diversity, and dynamism of fear in multiple world-historical contexts, and demonstrates how fear universally binds us to particular presents but also to a broad spectrum of memories, stories, and states in the past. From the eighteenth-century Peruvian highlands and the California borderlands to the urban cityscapes...
This volume is a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed print publication, covering all areas of magic, witchcraft, paganism and all geographical regions and all historical periods.
Gender Reversals and Gender Cultures is a collection of specially commissioned essays taking a cross cultural and cross historical perspective on the subject. The book documents the universality of gender reversals, with chapters ranging from early Christianity up to the present. It examines how gender reversals are bound up with taboo, and how this underlies various religious and ritual activities. Gender Reversals and Gender Cultures also shows how attitudes to gender-reversal can reveal much about a particular culture. Anne Bolin, Elon College, Judith Ochshorn, University of South Florida, Karen Torjesen, Claremont Graduate School, California, Julia Welch, Winfried Schleiner, Unive