Magick Matters

07.07.2022

“Cassell’s Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol and Spirit: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Lore” by Randy P. Conner, David Hatfield Sparks and Mariya Sparks

Magick Matters
"Cassell's Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol and Spirit: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Lore" by Randy P. Conner, David Hatfield Sparks and Mariya Sparks
"Did you know that in medieval French folklore a person might change sex by passing under a rainbow? Or that same-sex unions have been celebrated by peoples of the ancient Mediterranean, Africa, China, and indigenous America? Or that Sappho, da Vinci, Emily Dickinson, Nijinsky, Benjamin Britten, Mishima, Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, Keith Haring, Boy George, and Derek Jarman number among those who have explored the spiritual dimension of gender and sexuality in their works? While the terms many of us employ today to identify ourselves — 'queer', 'lesbian', 'gay', 'bisexual', 'transgendered' — differ markedly from those of peoples of other times and places, we are nevertheless the bearers of a rich spiritual history that has ...>>
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06.07.2022

“Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings” by Rob Brezsny (older 2005 edition)

Magick Matters
"Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings" by Rob Brezsny (older 2005 edition)
"Readers were beguiled by Rob Brezsny’s new approach to the humble horoscope when his Free Will Astrology column first appeared. Instead of the generic, one-size-fits-all style of similar columns, Brezsny used witty parables, tender rants, cultural riffs, and love letters in his playfully positive readings. He brings that same sensibility—and the same message of a benevolent universe—to this self-help book for people who may be skeptical about self-help books. Brezsny persuasively advises readers to go along with the universe’s good intentions. But his rejection of cynicism isn’t rooted in denial. On the contrary, he makes a case for a cagey optimism that requires a vigorous engagement with the dark forces. He asks us to rethink ...>>
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06.07.2022

“The Shamanic Odyssey: Homer, Tolkien, and the Visionary Experience” by Robert Tindall

Magick Matters
"The Shamanic Odyssey: Homer, Tolkien, and the Visionary Experience" by Robert Tindall
"Reveals the striking parallels between indigenous cultures of the Americas and the ancient Homeric world as well as Tolkien’s Middle Earth • Explores the shamanic use of healing songs, psychoactive plants, and vision quests at the heart of the Odyssey and the fantasy works of J. R. R. Tolkien • Examines Odysseus’s encounters with plant divinities, altered consciousness, animal shapeshifting, and sacred topography—all concepts vital to shamanism • Reveals how the Odyssey emerged precisely at the rupture between modern and primal consciousness Indigenous, shamanic ways of healing and prophecy are not foreign to the West. The native way of viewing the world—that is, understanding our cosmos as living, sentient, and interconnected—can be found hidden throughout ...>>
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06.07.2022

“The Shaman’s Doorway: Opening Imagination to Power and Myth” by Stephen Larsen

Magick Matters
"The Shaman's Doorway: Opening Imagination to Power and Myth" by Stephen Larsen
"The Shaman’s Doorway is one of the most significant and inspiring works on the relationship of shamanism to both the psyche and society. Drawing on his experience as a psychotherapist and his understanding of primordial shamanic traditions, Stephen Larsen shows the relevance of this path to the modern world and how it can lead to a creative and affirmative relationship with life. “Life dismembers us,” Larsen says, and a new grasp of these ancient techniques for altering consciousness is required to escape from the alienation and confusion caused by our demythologized and industrialized environment. Defining the task of the shaman as one of bringing meaning and healing into life, Larsen clearly shows how the ...>>
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