08.08.2021

“The Truth of Myth: World Mythology in Theory and Everyday Life” by Tok Thompson and Gregory Schrempp

Magick Matters

"The Truth of Myth is a thorough and accessible introduction to the study of myth, surveying the intellectual history of the topic, methods for studying myth cross-culturally, and emerging trends. Readers will encounter insightful commentaries on such questions as: What is the relation of mythology to religion? To science? To popular culture? Did the events recounted in myths actually occur? Why does the term "myth" have so many contradictory definitions and connotations? Offering serious students with an intellectual "toolkit" for launching into this fascinating field, the book is especially useful in conjunction with case studies of individual mythological traditions."...>>

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08.08.2021

“Cult Cinema: A Personal Exploration of Sects, Brainwashing and Bad Religion in Film and Television” by Howard David Ingham

Magick Matters

"Religious extremism is one of our most acute current anxieties, but it has been with us for centuries. And from the birth of Christianity right through to the post-Trump era, it has always been tied to personalities and the cults they inspire. And the stories we tell about them reflect that. Cult Cinema uses cinematic and televisual depictions of isolated sects, self-help pyramid schemes, pagan village conspiracies, evangelical grifters and more to shine a lens upon what happens when belief goes bad. Drawing from sources ranging from situation comedy to exploitation horror and beyond, this book examines why people join abusive religious groups, what we really mean by “brainwashing”, and what it means to...>>

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08.08.2021

“Passionate Engines: What Emotions Reveal about the Mind and Artificial Intelligence” by Craig DeLancey

Magick Matters

"In this unique contribution to philosophical debate, Craig DeLancey shows that our best understanding of emotion provides essential insight on key issues in philosophy of mind and artificial intelligence. DeLancey offers us a bold new approach to the study of the mind based on the latest scientific research, and provides an accessible overview of the science of emotion and explanation of the technical issues that arise, with minimal jargon."...>>

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08.08.2021

“Open Source Intelligence Techniques: Resources for Searching and Analyzing Online Information” by Michael Bazzell (8th edition)

Magick Matters

"Completely rewritten 8th edition (2021) contains over 650 pages throughout 31 chapters! It is time to look at OSINT in a different way. For many years, and within the previous editions of this book, we have relied on external resources to supply our search tools, virtual environments, and investigation techniques. We have seen this protocol fail us when services shut down, websites disappear, and custom resources are dismantled due to outside pressures. This book aims to correct our dilemma. We will take control of our investigative resources and become self-reliant. There will be no more need for online search tools; we will make and host our own locally. We will no longer seek pre-built...>>

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08.08.2021

“Seasons of a Magical Life: A Pagan Path of Living” by H. Byron Ballard

Magick Matters

"An invitation to return to a simpler time of earth-based spirituality and ritual living, through writings from a small forest-farm in the Appalachian Highlands. This book looks at the agricultural year as a starting space for a deepening of earth-centered spirituality. It gives a set of backstories to ease the reader into a time between the pre-industrial era and the modern one, into a place where the fast-moving stress of American life can be affected by a better connection not only to the natural world but to the elegant expression of the year as expressed through seasonal festivals and celebrations. The chapters are broken into four seasons, with the quarter days a highlight within each, and...>>

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