“Merlin: Knowledge and Power through the Ages ” by Stephen Knight

"Merlin, the wizard of Arthurian legend, has been a source of enduring fascination for centuries. In this authoritative, entertaining, and generously illustrated book, Stephen Knight traces the myth of Merlin back to its earliest roots in the early Welsh figure of Myrddin. He then follows Merlin as he is imagined and reimagined through centuries of literature and art, beginning with Geoffrey of Monmouth, whose immensely popular History of the Kings of Britain (1138) transmitted the story of Merlin to Europe at large. He covers French and German as well as Anglophone elements of the myth and brings the story up to the present with discussions of a globalized Merlin who finds his way into...>>

“Heaven on Earth: Temples, Ritual, and Cosmic Symbolism in the Ancient World” edited by Deena Ragavan

"The volume is the result of the eighth Annual University of Chicago Oriental Institute Seminar, held on March 2-3, 2012. Seventeen speakers, from both the US and abroad, examined the interconnections between temples, ritual, and cosmology from a variety of regional specializations and theoretical perspectives. The seminar revisited a classic topic, one with a long history among scholars of the ancient world: the cosmic symbolism of sacred architecture. Archaeologists, art historians, and philologists working not only in the ancient Near East, but also Mesoamerica, Greece, South Asia, and China, re-evaluated the significance of this topic across the ancient world."...>>

“The Book of Witchy Wellbeing: Rituals, recipes, and spells for sacred self-care” by Cerridwen Greenleaf

"A practical and enchanting handbook for creating personal magic and wellness, filled with healing spells, intentions, rituals, and recipes—the essentials of witchy self-care and wisdom. Nowadays, it is all too easy to feel overwhelmed, uneasy, and often in need of essential self-care and enchantment. The Book of Witchy Wellbeing is a book for these times, offering tried and true spells, rituals, recipes, and meditations to help get your life to the next level of wellness. Cerridwen Greenleaf shares easy-to-do practices informed by her decades of implementing the power of intention-setting in her life, from setting up your wellness altar to healing movements, affirmations, and crystals, as well as healthy and nurturing recipes for magical teas...>>

“Wiccan Feasts, Celebrations, and Rituals” by Silja

"A beautifully illustrated guide from a Celtic Wiccan High Priestess to celebrating the Wiccan way, from Halloween to handfastings, as well as everyday rituals to enhance all areas of your life. The Wiccan calendar is marked by significant festivals, called sabbats. The most famous is Halloween, also known as Samhain, but you will be familiar with others, too, such as the Summer and Winter Solstices. Wiccans celebrate these sabbats with rituals, crafts, and food and drink, and in this book, Silja reveals how you can bring some of that magic into your life, even if working as a solitary witch. She also details other special days, such as August 23, the Roman festival of Vulcanalia,...>>

“Spellcraft for Hedge Witches: A Guide to Healing Our Lives” by Rae Beth

"Village wisewomen and men, the community's witches, have always helped to heal wounded lives. When disaster strikes, such as serious illness or some kind of abuse or loss, or when we're struggling through things such as divorce or family conflict, today's hedge witchcraft can still give us the means to help ourselves or others. There are, for example, spells to banish the spirits of cruelty or injustice. There are ways of countering the ill effects of spiteful thoughts which others may hold about us. We can rebuild our sense of ourselves by magic that holds us true to our real life purpose, throughout any crisis. What is presented here is not superficial and not...>>