From ancient times to the present there have been special days that mark the passage of time, announce the arrival or retreat of the sun, moon, and stars, and signify holy days and holidays alike. Celestially Auspicious Occasions presents a fascinating cross-cultural exploration of the rites and rituals inspired by heavenly events, from Valentine's Day to the blue moon to connection between ancient Egyptian beliefs and Easter eggs.
From ancient times to the present there have been special days that mark the passage of time, announce the arrival or retreat of the sun, moon, and stars, and signify holy days and holidays alike. Celestially Auspicious Occasions presents a fascinating cross-cultural exploration of the rites and rituals inspired by heavenly events, from Valentine's Day to the blue moon to connection between ancient Egyptian beliefs and Easter eggs.
The fall equinox signals the time of year when we gather our harvests and give thanks for their bounty. With accessible, lyrical prose and vibrant illustrations, this nonfiction picture book explains the science behind autumn and the social history of harvest-time celebrations. We Gather Together presents a remarkable range of cultural traditions throughout the ages and the world, many of which have influenced our contemporary Thanksgiving holiday. Simple science activities, ideas for celebrating in school and at home, and a further reading list are included in the back of the book.
A guide to taking a break from everyday life and creating a personal and rejuvenating magickal retreat. Includes plans for focusing on magickal skills, home arts, green magick, psychic arts, and more.
Steven Farmer is a best selling author, teacher, shamanic practitioner, and Soul Healer. Sacred Ceremony gives you clear and simple guidelines for designing and performing ceremonies for any purpose—from healing emotional or physical wounds to honoring important life passages and celebrating seasonal cycles. Whatever your spiritual background or experience with ceremonies, this is a book you’ll want to refer to again and again! "Sacred Ceremony is the most through, thoughtful, and accesible book on ritual ceremony that exists today. It is a treaure that can help you connect to the Source of Life, renew in times of transition, find healing and guidance, celebrate the cycles of life, and maintain a vibrant cnnection to the Sacred every day. Thank you, Steven, for compiling such a meaningful and practical guide." - Joan Borysenko, PhD.
A spiritual guidance system with rituals to tap into and manifest feminine divine energy through the Motherpeace deck • Contains over 20 rituals, exercises, and readings that integrate tarot with spiritual practice, rites, and celebrations • Demonstrates how Motherpeace cards may be used to improve health, relationships, and personal insight; celebrate holidays; and commune with the divine forces of the universe • By the cocreator of the Motherpeace deck (more than 200,000 copies sold) First printed during the crest of the women’s spirituality movement, the Motherpeace deck created a sensation as a multicultural tarot designed specifically for women. Depicting people of color, older women, children, animals, and balanced roles for men and women, the Motherpeace deck embraces images from ancient cultures and contemporary tribal peoples to convey the fundamental principles of cooperation, relatedness, egalitarianism, and ecstatic communion. Rituals and Practices with the Motherpeace Tarot offers a deep spiritual practice that taps into and manifests the divine feminine through ritual readings, rites of passage, daily meditative practice, and seasonal celebration. Vicki Noble teaches how to use the imagery of the Motherpeace deck to read the past, present, and future; invoke good health on all planes; nurture healthy relationships; receive divine guidance during critical decision-making; and celebrate sacred holidays. Her book is a useful tool for both beginners and those with extensive knowledge of tarot.
For expectant and new mothers, Celebrating Motherhood is a beautiful companion for every stage of motherhood from anticipation to embrace. This moving compilation of contemporary essays, literary excerpts, ancient wisdom, ritual, and image presents motherhood as a life-transforming adventure to be savored and treasured. As co-author Andrea Gosline writes, "I was moved to compile a book celebrating motherhood because I knew I was not alone in my quest for heightened spiritual awareness as a woman, more peace and knowingness as a parent." With readings by Isabel Allende, Maya Angelou, Thich Nhat Hanh, Marlene Dietrich, Princess Grace of Monaco, Vladimir Nabokov, Adrienne Rich, Amy Tan, Carl Jung, Mother Teresa, E. B. White, Ursula LeGuin, Mary Wollstonecraft, the Dalai Lama, Simone De Beauvoir, and many others. Celebrating Motherhood gathers folklore, birth stories, naming customs, and spiritual guidance for first- or fifth-time mothers. An exquisitely illustrated celebration of life, filled with comfort and joy, this book is an original insight into the sacred journey of motherhood. The perfect gift!
An experiential guide to the wisdom preserved in Europe’s far north • Includes shamanic journeys to connect with deities and your ancestral shamans • Provides step-by-step instructions to prepare for and conduct a seiðr ceremony • Draws on archaeological evidence and surviving written records from Iceland • Reveals the long tradition of female shamans in northern European shamanism Shamanism is humanity’s oldest spiritual tradition. In much of the Western world, the indigenous pre-Christian spiritual practices have been lost. Yet at the northern fringes of Europe, Christianity did not displace the original shamanic practices until the end of the Viking age. Remnants of Norse shamanic spirituality have survived in myths, folk traditions, and written records from Iceland, providing many clues about the ancient European shaman’s world, especially when examined in conjunction with other shamanic cultures in northern Eurasia, such as the Sami and the tribes of Siberia. Reconstructing the shamanic practices of the hunter-gatherers of Scandinavia, Evelyn Rysdyk explores the evolution of Norse shamanism from its earliest female roots to the pre-Christian Viking Age. She explains how to enter Yggdrasil, the World Tree, to travel to other realms and provides shamanic journeys to connect with the ancestral shamans of your family tree, including the Norse goddess Freyja, the very first shaman. She offers exercises to connect with the ancient goddesses of fate, the Norns, and introduces the overnight wilderness quest of útiseta for reconnecting with the powers of nature. She explains the key concepts of Ørlög and Wyrd--the two most powerful forces that shape human lives--and provides exercises for letting go of harmful behavior patterns and transforming simple knowledge into profound wisdom by connecting with Óðinn. Thoroughly examining the shamanic rituals of seiðr, the oracular magic of the Nordic cultures, the author provides step-by-step instructions to prepare for and conduct a seiðr ceremony, including creating your own seiðr staff and hood, and explores the ancestral use of shamanic songs or varðlokur to accompany the ceremony. Woven throughout these exercises, Rysdyk provides archaeological evidence from Neolithic sites supporting the long tradition of venerating wise women, grandmothers, and mothers in ancient cultures and the important role of female shamans at the heart of northern European shamanism. Providing an accessible guide for anyone trying to fulfill their shamanic callings, these powerful rituals can provide personal healing and a clear path for finding our way into a harmonious relationship with the natural world.
The mysterious powers of gems, crystals, and minerals are finally explained in this practical guide to creating talismans. Casting a modern light on the age-old practice of talismans, gemologist Henry M. Mason correlates the mystical properties of these wondrous objects with the science of gemology. Connecting with the universal life force, the proper talisman can focus and magnify your own qualities—helping you fulfill dreams and desires. Mason's seven secrets explore how crystal structure, color, and chemistry contribute to a talisman's natural energies for aiding in attraction, protection, self-improvement, creativity, tranquility, spiritual awakening, and more. From selecting and preparing the proper mineral to empowering your talisman, this guide takes you through every step of creating and using talismans and amulets for optimum effect.
