THE GODS OF ABOVE AND BELOW FROM THE LEFT HAND PATH Perhaps you have sought for the hidden mysteries of the old gods, only to find a one-sided "white light" interpretation, the shadow often being diluted to suit general public consumption. If you have sought the Pagan gods in their balanced form - being of both light and darkness, you will be able to pass through the veiled tests of "good" and "evil" to understanding human nature and spirituality. Magick of the Ancient Gods presents techniques adapted from ancient hymns, spells and rituals from long overlooked Greek, Roman and Eastern religious lore as well as the role of the Olympian and Chthonic Gods in spirituality. The Left Hand Path offers instruction and guidance towards working with these Gods and Goddesses to become "God Manifest" or transforming the self into a living deific power.
Discover the secrets of the Norse people and their magical practices to manifest an enchanted life. Embark on a sacred journey into the marvellous and mystical world of Norse magic, with Wiccan medieval scholar Cerridwen Greenleaf as your guide. Gain insight into the wonders of runes, including the art of divination, spells for protection and how to imbue treasured objects with your personal magic. Learn about Norse mythology, including the stories of the major gods and goddesses and how to call upon them for support and wisdom. Discover the basics of tree magic, such as the legend of Yggdrasil, the tree of life, and how to read omens in nature to avoid misfortune. With Cerridwen Greenleaf's vast knowledge of medieval studies, The Book of Norse Magic is an eminently useful and inspirational handbook on harnessing this ancient power for modern life to bring wellness, calm, love, money and luck.
A Witch's 21-Century Guide to Making Magick with the Greek Gods The ancient Greek gods surround us even now in our modern world. From Aphrodite to Zeus, this book reveals the origins of more than sixty deities and other mythological figures, including the Olympians, Titans, and Primordial Forces. Explore how they've been worshipped across the centuries and how you can work with them in your own practice. You'll meet the gods one by one, exploring their history, unique correspondences, and personal insights from contributing authors who work with them magickally. This book also provides rituals and spells to connect with each deity. Draw down the moon with Selene, cast a courage spell with Ares, and reclaim lost parts of yourself with a ritual for Persephone. By inviting these divine beings into your practice, you can cultivate a magickal life that satisfies your soul to its very core.
Here is a handy, comprehensive reference guide to the myths and deities from ancient religions around the world. Now you can easily find the information you need to develop your own rituals using the Gods/Goddesses with which you resonate most strongly. More than a mythological dictionary, this book explains the magical aspects of each deity as well as various magical practices.
In the religious systems of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Mediterranean, gods and demigods were neither abstract nor distant, but communicated with mankind through signs and active intervention. Men and women were thus eager to interpret, appeal to, and even control the gods and their agents. In Prayer, Magic, and the Stars in the Ancient and Late Antique World, a distinguished array of scholars explores the many ways in which people in the ancient world sought to gain access to--or, in some cases, to bind or escape from--the divine powers of heaven and earth. Grounded in a variety of disciplines, including Assyriology, Classics, and early Islamic history, the fifteen essays in this volume cover a broad geographic area: Greece, Egypt, Syria-Palestine, Mesopotamia, and Persia. Topics include celestial divination in early Mesopotamia, the civic festivals of classical Athens, and Christian magical papyri from Coptic Egypt. Moving forward to Late Antiquity, we see how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam each incorporated many aspects of ancient Near Eastern and Graeco-Roman religion into their own prayers, rituals, and conceptions. Even if they no longer conceived of the sun, moon, and the stars as eternal or divine, Christians, Jews, and Muslims often continued to study the movements of the heavens as a map on which divine power could be read. The reader already familiar with studies of ancient religion will find in Prayer, Magic, and the Stars both old friends and new faces. Contributors include Gideon Bohak, Nicola Denzey, Jacco Dieleman, Radcliffe Edmonds, Marvin Meyer, Michael G. Morony, Ian Moyer, Francesca Rochberg, Jonathan Z. Smith, Mark S. Smith, Peter Struck, Michael Swartz, and Kasia Szpakowska. Published as part of Penn State's Magic in History series, Prayer, Magic, and the Stars appears at a time of renewed interest in divination and occult practices in the ancient world. It will interest a wide audience in the field of comparative religion as well as students of the ancient world and late antiquity.
Rituals, prayers, and songs to bring the wisdom of the gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt to life. Based on Ellen Cannon Reed's twenty-five years of work with deities of ancient Egypt, this book brings an ancient tradition to modern pagan practice. With it, readers will have the tools to continue learning and developing their own methods of honoring the gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt. Over two dozen gods and goddesses are highlighted, including Osiris, Isis, Ra, Bast, Thoth, Sekhmet, and Tefnut. There is also a section devoted to glyphs. Finally, meditations and techniques bring these deities to life, enriching your spiritual path. The book provides a host of tools and techniques: Songs for the deities Rituals for ancient gods and goddesses Instructions for making your own magical tools Information about hieroglyphs Guides to making incense and oils Recipes for an ancient Egyptian feast Previously published as Circle of Isis.
An accessible historical exploration of the methods and motivations behind using magic in ancient Greece and Rome. In the ancient world, magic was everywhere. The supernatural abounded, turning flowers into fruit and caterpillars into butterflies. In a time before scientists studied weather patterns and figured out what caused the Earth’s most mysterious phenomena, it was magic that packed a cloud full of energy until it exploded with thunderbolts. It was everyday magic, but it was still magical. In Ancient Magic, author Philip Matyszak ushers readers into that world, showing how ancient Greeks and Romans concocted love potions and cast curses, how they talked to the dead and protected themselves from evil spirits. He takes readers to a world where gods interacted with humans and where people could not only talk to spirits and deities, but could themselves become divine. Ancient Magic presents us with a new understanding of the role of magic, combining a classical historiography with a practical how-to guide. Using a wide array of sources and lavish illustrations, this book offers an engaging and accessible way into the supernatural for all.
Ancient Greeks and Romans often turned to magic to achieve personal goals. Magical rites were seen as a route for direct access to the gods, for material gains as well as spiritual satisfaction. In this survey of magical beliefs and practices from the sixth century B.C.E. through late antiquity, Fritz Graf sheds new light on ancient religion. Graf explores the important types of magic in Greco-Roman antiquity, describing rites and explaining the theory behind them. And he characterizes the ancient magician: his training and initiation, social status, and presumed connections with the divine world. With trenchant analysis of underlying conceptions and vivid account of illustrative cases, Graf gives a full picture of the practice of magic and its implications. He concludes with an evaluation of the relation of magic to religion.
This massive, 585 page grimoire begins with historical, mythological, authentic origins of the Gods & Demons of ancient Bronze Age/Iron Age Canaanite Pantheons throughout the Levant. The Gods are described as 'Deific Masks', representations of a type of energy/power which manifests in nature & in relation to the individual. -Descriptions, Cult 'Names of Power', locations of temples including authentic modern rituals and workings with realistic goals for material and spiritual development. -Maps, architecture examples of Baal, Chemosh, Dagan & Baal-Zebub temples, consecration rituals, sorcery, necromancy and demonology and the rites of divination including communion with Dagan and Baal-Zebub by dreams. -Ancient Magickial scripts using authentic Aramaic, Moab/Philistine & Ugaritic cuneiform to inscribe 'Words of Power' for spells.
An entertaining and informative introduction to how ancient Egyptians practiced magic in their daily lives. In the ancient world, if you needed a love charm, wanted to contact your dead wife, or needed the ability to fly like a bird, the magicians of Egypt were the ones who could make it happen. In Ancient Egyptian Magic, Christina Riggs explores how the Egyptians thought about magic, who performed it and why, and also helps readers understand why we’ve come to think of ancient Egypt in such a mystical way. Readers will learn how to cure scorpion bites, discover why you might want to break the legs off your stuffed hippopotamus toy, and uncover whether mummies really can come back to life. Readers can also learn how to save a fortune on pregnancy tests—urinating on barley grains will answer that question— as well as how to use the next street parade to predict the future or ensure that an annoying neighbor gets his comeuppance. Was magic harmless fun, heartfelt hope, or something darker? Featuring demons, dream interpreters, the Book of the Dead, and illustrations from tomb paintings and papyrus scrolls, Riggs breathes new life into ancient magic and uses early texts and images to illuminate the distinctions between magic, religion, and medicine.
