Magick Matters

26.11.2021

“A War Of Witches: A Journey Into The Underworld Of The Contemporary Aztecs” by Timothy J. Knab

Magick Matters

"An overheard plot to do away with an unwanted son-in-law begins this mesmerizing and astonishing journey into the Aztec underworld—a world of magical dreams and mysterious healing, shadowed by a deadly justice. Aided by two local curanderos, or healers, American anthropologist Timothy Knab embarks on a spellbinding adventure of sacred Aztec rituals and mystical dream journeys into Talocan, the underworld of gods and lost souls. Along the way, he begins to understand the Aztec belief system and the art of healing, as well as the dark past of San Martín—infamous through Mexico for its brujos, or witches, and a mysterious “War of Witches” fifty years earlier that may never have ended. Capturing time and place as...>>

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26.11.2021

“A Traveler’s Guide to the Afterlife: Traditions and Beliefs on Death, Dying, and What Lies Beyond” by Mark Mirabello

Magick Matters

"A grand survey of the world’s death and afterlife traditions throughout history: • Examines beliefs from many different cultures on the soul, heaven, hell, and reincarnation; instructions for accessing the different worlds of the afterlife; how one may become a god; and how ethics and the afterlife may not be connected • Explores techniques to communicate with the dead, including séance instructions • Includes an extensive bibliography of more than 900 sources from around the world Drawing on death and afterlife traditions from cultures around the world, Mark Mirabello explores the many forms of existence beyond death and each tradition’s instructions to access the afterlife. He examines beliefs on the soul, heaven, hell, and reincarnation and wisdom from...>>

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26.11.2021

“Wetiko: Healing the Mind-Virus That Plagues Our World” by Paul Levy

Magick Matters

"How to break free from the collective mind parasite of wetiko: • Explores how wetiko covertly operates both out in the world and within our minds and how it underlies every form of self-destruction, both individual and collective • Reveals how wetiko’s power lies in our blindness to it and examines how people across the ages have symbolized wetiko to help see it and heal it • Examines the concept of wetiko as it appears in the teachings of the Kabbalah, Hawaiian Kahuna shamanism, mystical Christianity, and the work of C. G. Jung In its Native American meaning, wetiko is an evil cannibalistic spirit that can take over people’s minds, leading to selfishness, insatiable greed, and consumption as...>>

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25.11.2021

“Gothic Remixed: Monster Mashups and Frankenfictions in 21st-Century Culture” by Megen de Bruin-Mole

Magick Matters

"The bestselling genre of Frankenfiction sees classic literature turned into commercial narratives invaded by zombies, vampires, werewolves, and other fantastical monsters. Too engaged with tradition for some and not traditional enough for others, these 'monster mashups' are often criticized as a sign of the artistic and moral degeneration of contemporary culture. These hybrid creations are the 'monsters' of our age, lurking at the limits of responsible consumption and acceptable appropriation. This book explores the boundaries and connections between contemporary remix and related modes, including adaptation, parody, the Gothic, Romanticism, and postmodernism. Taking a multimedia approach, case studies range from novels like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club series,...>>

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25.11.2021

“Tabletop Role-Playing Games and the Experience of Imagined Worlds” by Nicholas J. Mizer

Magick Matters

"In 1974, the release of Dungeons & Dragons forever changed the way that we experience imagined worlds. No longer limited to simply reading books or watching movies, gamers came together to collaboratively and interactively build and explore new realms. Based on four years of interviews and game recordings from locations spanning the United States, this book offers a journey that explores how role-playing games use a combination of free-form imagination and tightly constrained rules to experience those realms. By developing our understanding of the fantastic worlds of role-playing games, this book also offers insight into how humans come together and collaboratively imagine the world around us."...>>

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