Millions of Pagans will be able to relate to this book. Whether they have looked for a community of spirit, found a special mentor or teacher or been part of a wonderful spell, this book shares hopes and dreams and validates endeavours and lives. It is also wortten by some of the best names in this offbeat and growing phenomena, including Lafy Rhea, Eve LeFey and Margot Adler. This really is chicken soup for the pagan soul.
This collection of rituals, practices, and exercises has been drawn from ancient sources, some have been preserved and some rituals have been updated by scholars from various pagan groups. This deluxe one-volume edition is specially designed to be read by candlelight.
Are you living in—or moving to—a small community and wondering how you'll fit in, connect with other Pagans, and live your beliefs in peace? This wonderfully unique book is filled with ways to nourish your Pagan soul in small towns, suburbs, and any place outside the city limits. Along with Bronwen Forbes' own experiences, Pagans from close-knit communities across the country offer hard-won wisdom and advice on all aspects of staying true to yourself and your spirituality. —Starting a coven or study group —Getting along with non-Pagan neighbors —How to find and make ritual tools —Celebrating the Sabbats —Home decoration —Dating non-Pagans —Following Pagan etiquette —When and how to reveal your beliefs —Raising Pagan children After reading the book, join the discussion online at groups.yahoo.com/group/smalltownpagans, where you can make more enriching connections.
Philosophy 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 ,
An examination of the sacred botany and the pagan origins and rituals of Christmas • Analyzes the symbolism of the many plants associated with Christmas • Reveals the shamanic rituals that are at the heart of the Christmas celebration The day on which many commemorate the birth of Christ has its origins in pagan rituals that center on tree worship, agriculture, magic, and social exchange. But Christmas is no ordinary folk observance. It is an evolving feast that over the centuries has absorbed elements from cultures all over the world--practices that give plants and plant spirits pride of place. In fact, the symbolic use of plants at Christmas effectively transforms the modern-day living room into a place of shamanic ritual. Christian Rätsch and Claudia Müller-Ebeling show how the ancient meaning of the botanical elements of Christmas provides a unique view of the religion that existed in Europe before the introduction of Christianity. The fir tree was originally revered as the sacred World Tree in northern Europe. When the church was unable to drive the tree cult out of people’s consciousness, it incorporated the fir tree by dedicating it to the Christ child. Father Christmas in his red-and-white suit, who flies through the sky in a sleigh drawn by reindeer, has his mythological roots in the shamanic reindeer-herding tribes of arctic Europe and Siberia. These northern shamans used the hallucinogenic fly agaric mushroom, which is red and white, to make their soul flights to the other world. Apples, which figure heavily in Christmas baking, are symbols of the sun god Apollo, so they find a natural place at winter solstice celebrations of the return of the sun. In fact, the authors contend that the emphasis of Christmas on green plants and the promise of the return of life in the dead of winter is just an adaptation of the pagan winter solstice celebration.
A hands-on resource for pagan parents and pagan families with hundreds of rituals, prayers, blessings, and meditations for every occasion along with suggestions for creating a sacred home. A Book of Pagan Family Prayers and Rituals provides a reference guide for pagans who wish to celebrate their religion as living, family tradition steeped in pagan ritual and pagan prayer. The book contains: Ritual guidelines for weddings, births, birthdays, seasonal celebrations, lunar phases, coming of age, divorce and death. Suggestions for the creation of the sacred home (including blessings and household shrines). Children’s activities including meditations, mask and rattle making, drumming, and storytelling. Prayers for throughout the day. Tips for teaching children about paganism. References and resources for further information in the appendices. This book was first published in 1995 under the title The Pagan Family: Handing the Old Ways Down. This new edition is substantially revised and includes new, previously unpublished material.
Weave natural magic into your life and explore the threshold of the otherworld with rituals, crafts, and transformative folklore. Within these pages, you will discover how to connect to the energy where you live and develop your skills as a healer, storyteller, and advocate for the earth. Monica Crosson's powerful rituals support the transformation of your spirit while helping you pass ancient knowledge to new generations that will inherit our world. Wild Magical Soul includes enchantments for you to try, like a family protection ritual and the sailor's knot spell, as well as crafting instructions for incense blends, animal spirit meditation beads, a traditional besom (broom), and much more. Written for those who want to live in balance with the land once again, this book guides you on a deep dive into the elemental magic of the wild places as you set your soul free and find your inner wild.
A wide-ranging, illustrated look at the history of Halloween illuminates the holiday from ancient Celtic ritual to billion-dollar industry. 32 halftones & line illustrations.
In Pagan Theology, Michael 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 Paganism's theological perspective and practice. He demonstrates it to be a viable and distinguishable spiritual perspective found around the world today in such forms as Chinese folk religion, Shinto, tribal religions, and neo-Paganism in the West. While adherents to many of these traditions do not use the word “pagan” to describe their beliefs or practices, York contends that there is an identifiable position possessing characteristics and understandings in common for which the label “pagan” is appropriate. After outlining these characteristics, he examines many of the world's major religions to explore religious behaviors in other religions which are not themselves pagan, but which have pagan elements. In the course of examining such behavior, York provides rich and lively descriptions of religions in action, including Buddhism and Hinduism. Pagan Theology claims Paganism’s place as a world religion, situating it as a religion, a behavior, and a theology.
Pagan Studies is maturing and moving beyond the context of new religious movements to situate itself in within of the study of world religions. Introduction to Pagan Studies is the first and only text designed to introduce the study of contemporary Paganism as a world religion. It examines the intellectual, religious, and social spheres of Paganism through common categories in the study of religion, which includes beliefs, practices, theology, ritual, history, and role of texts and scriptures. The text is accessible to readers of all backgrounds and religions and assumes no prior knowledge of Paganism. This text will also serve as a general introduction to Pagan Studies for non-specialist scholars of religion, as well as be of interest to scholars in the related disciplines of Anthropology, Sociology and Cultural Studies, and to students taking courses in Religious Studies, Pagan Studies, Nature Religion, New Religious Movements, and Religion in America. The book will also be useful to non-academic practitioners of Paganism interested in current scholarship.
