As human beings, we are on a daily journey of growth and development. Encountering change has become almost the one constant in modern-day life. How you undertake this journey, and how you embrace and cope with such change, is the key to successful development and fulfilling your potential in work and life in general. This book, written by two leading practitioners and coaches in human development, provides confidence and a practical roadmap to help anyone find their way along their personal development pathway, overcome change and create a more fulfilling life. Using the vehicle of the Arthurian legend, Merlin, they make the work of many theorists accessible, culminating in a practical 7-stage framework to engage readers and enable them to undertake the challenges ahead with confidence.
The legend is famous but the truth is less well known: Merlin was a real historical figure, a champion of the old way of the Druids, a British man who hailed not from England or Wales, as traditional wisdom would have it, but from Scotland. Adam Ardrey, who stumbled upon some of the hidden sources of Merlin's life while researching the history of a Scottish clan, offers compelling evidence that links a very real Merlin figure into the histories of other real and prominent sixth century figures. Finding Merlin uncovers new evidence and reexamines the old. The places where Merlin was born, lived, died, and was buried are identified, as are the people surrounding him -- his nemesis, the fanatic Mungo, and his friend, the hero Arthur. In this impressively researched and accessibly written book, Merlin leaps from the pages of legend into history.
“Well-made arguments backed by archaeology, etymology, and geography” about the origins of the legend “will have readers rooting for a Scottish Arthur.” (Kirkus Reviews) As writer and activist Adam Ardrey discovered, the reason historians have had little success identifying the historical Arthur may be incredibly simple: He wasn’t an Englishman at all. He was from Scotland. Finding Arthur chronicles Ardrey’s unlikely quest to uncover the secret of Scotland’s greatest king and conqueror, which has been hidden in plain sight for centuries. His research began as a simple exploration of a notable Scottish clan, but quickly it became clear that many of the familiar symbols of Arthurian legend--the Round Table, the Sword in the Stone, the Lady of the Lake--are based on very real and still accessible places in the Scottish Highlands. Sure to be controversial, Finding Arthur rewrites the legend of King Arthur for a new age. Adam Ardrey is the author of Finding Merlin: The Truth Behind the Legend of the Great Arthurian Mage. A writer and attorney, he lives in Scotland.
The third book in the Legends of the Grail Series: These stories are a collection of Celtic myths and legends told in the traditional way with a twist. Each heroine tells her story in her own way, freeing herself of centuries of misunderstanding. In this stand alone book, Nimue, who was held responsible for sealing Merlin in a tree, describes her love for the great wizard and her resistance to her fate. Waking up in modern day Manhattan, she begins to realize who she is and that it is now time to free Merlin from his silvery prison - if she can find him!
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A “brilliant [and] entrancing” (The Guardian) journey into the hidden lives of fungi—the great connectors of the living world—and their astonishing and intimate roles in human life, with the power to heal our bodies, expand our minds, and help us address our most urgent environmental problems. “Grand and dizzying in how thoroughly it recalibrates our understanding of the natural world.”—Ed Yong, author of An Immense World ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—Time, BBC Science Focus, The Daily Mail, Geographical, The Times, The Telegraph, New Statesman, London Evening Standard, Science Friday When we think of fungi, we likely think of mushrooms. But mushrooms are only fruiting bodies, analogous to apples on a tree. Most fungi live out of sight, yet make up a massively diverse kingdom of organisms that supports and sustains nearly all living systems. Fungi provide a key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel, and behave. In the first edition of this mind-bending book, Sheldrake introduced us to this mysterious but massively diverse kingdom of life. This exquisitely designed volume, abridged from the original, features more than one hundred full-color images that bring the spectacular variety, strangeness, and beauty of fungi to life as never before. Fungi throw our concepts of individuality and even intelligence into question. They are metabolic masters, earth makers, and key players in most of life’s processes. They can change our minds, heal our bodies, and even help us remediate environmental disaster. By examining fungi on their own terms, Sheldrake reveals how these extraordinary organisms—and our relationships with them—are changing our understanding of how life works. Winner of the Wainwright Prize, the Royal Society Science Book Prize, and the Guild of Food Writers Award • Shortlisted for the British Book Award • Longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize
The legendary magician Merlin works to unlock the secrets of his past and his future destiny in this fantasy adventure. “Everyone seems to know me. After fifteen hundred years, they remember me. Everyone knows Merlin. I am, of course, delighted . . . “This is the story of King Arthur and mad Merlin . . . ” In the tradition of The Mists of Avalon and Mythago Wood, J. Robert King weaves an epic tale of Avalon, Excalibur, the Once and Future King, and the mad magician Merlin as he draws on the ideas and writings of Joseph Campbell to shape and interpret the legendary Arthurian mythos. “A nicely written and engaging perspective on the wizard’s actual identity, the book’s sad in spots, funny in others and a worthwhile read.” —San Diego Union-Tribune
"Young sorcery fans . . . set aside Harry Potter and pick up Merlin! ["The Mirror of Merlin" is] ingeniousIfilled with rich images [and] surprising touches of humor.U--"Cincinnati Enquirer. TRich with magic."--"The New York Times Book Review."
Few authors have achieved such renown as World Fantasy Life Achievement honoree and Science Fiction Writers of America Grand Master Andre Norton. With the love of readers and the praise of critics, Norton’s books have sold millions of copies worldwide. In this great science fiction novel, Andre Norton brings to new life the legendary King Arthur and the wizard Merlin in the light of modern knowledge of a lost period of history and today’s understanding of science and interplanetary communication. Yet, as in all Norton’s wonder novels, this is a fabulous adventure in fantasy. Here is Merlin, half star-born, gifted with the advice of an alien intelligence, given the task of renewing civilization and starting humanity again up the ladder to the stars. Here is Arthur, unaware of his stellar heritage. And here, too, is the Lady of the Lake, akin to Merlin in that she is also a listener to the music of the spheres and obedient to a celestial command post.
The author of the million-copy best-seller Ageless Body, Timeless Mind emerges as a powerful new force in fiction with a luminously written novel about the final act of the Arthurian legend playing out in modern England. The Return of Merlin is a brilliantly realized narrative that begins in Arthurian times and jumps boldly to our own 20th-century dark age of war, pollution, predation, and hatred--with a message of hope.
“Outlander meets Camelot” (Kirsty Logan, author of The Gracekeepers) in the first book of an exciting historical trilogy that reveals the untold story of Languoreth—a powerful and, until now, tragically forgotten queen of sixth-century Scotland—twin sister of the man who inspired the legendary character of Merlin. Intelligent, passionate, rebellious, and brave, Languoreth is the unforgettable heroine of The Lost Queen, a tale of conflicted loves and survival set against the cinematic backdrop of ancient Scotland, a magical land of myths and superstition inspired by the beauty of the natural world. One of the most powerful early medieval queens in British history, Languoreth ruled at a time of enormous disruption and bloodshed, when the burgeoning forces of Christianity threatened to obliterate the ancient pagan beliefs and change her way of life forever. Together with her twin brother Lailoken, a warrior and druid known to history as Merlin, Languoreth is catapulted into a world of danger and violence. When a war brings the hero Emrys Pendragon, to their door, Languoreth collides with the handsome warrior Maelgwn. Their passionate connection is forged by enchantment, but Languoreth is promised in marriage to Rhydderch, son of the High King who is sympathetic to the followers of Christianity. As Rhydderch's wife, Languoreth must assume her duty to fight for the preservation of the Old Way, her kingdom, and all she holds dear. “Moving, thrilling, and ultimately spellbinding” (BookPage), The Lost Queen brings this remarkable woman to life—rescuing her from obscurity, and reaffirming her place at the center of the most enduring legends of all time. “Moving, thrilling, and ultimately spellbinding, The Lost Queen is perfect for readers of historical fiction like The Clan of the Cave Bear and Wolf Hall, and for lovers of fantasy like Outlander and The Mists of Avalon” (BookPage).
