06.06.2021

“Vampires of Great Britain” by Tom Slemen

Magick Matters

"Best-selling author Tom Slemen spent years researching and compiling the stories and reports for this book, which delves into the eternal subject of vampires If you thought that vampires were only found within the Twilight films and the pages of Anne Rice's books, think again. Tom shows us that they can, and do, turn up in the most ordinary and extraordinarv places, from suburban bedrooms, kitchens, disused coalmines and royal castles to an iceberg adrift in the frozen wastes of the North Atlantic ocean. And if you thought that all vampires had the same modus operandum, think again! It is true that many vampire attacks do fit the classic formula of a cloaked stranger sucking...>>

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06.06.2021

“The Eternal Hermes: From Greek God to Alchemical Magus” by Antoine Faivre

Magick Matters

"Hermes, the fascinating, mercurial messenger of the gods, eloquent revealer of hidden wisdom, and guardian of occult knowledge has played a central role in the development of esotericism in the West. Drawing upon many rare books and manuscripts, this highly illustrated work explores the question of where Hermes Trismegistus came from, how he came to be a patron of the esoteric traditions, and how the figure of Hermes has remained lively and inspiring to our own day."...>>

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06.06.2021

“A General Theory of Magic” by Marcel Mauss

Magick Matters

"First written by Marcel Mauss and Henri Humbert in 1902, A General Theory of Magic gained a wide new readership when republished by Mauss in 1950. As a study of magic in 'primitive' societies and its survival today in our thoughts and social actions, it represents what Claude Lévi-Strauss called, in an introduction to that edition, the astonishing modernity of the mind of one of the century's greatest thinkers. The book offers a fascinating snapshot of magic throughout various cultures as well as deep sociological and religious insights still very much relevant today. At a period when art, magic and science appear to be crossing paths once again, A General Theory of Magic presents...>>

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06.06.2021

“Shape: The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy, and Everything Else” by Jordan Ellenberg

Magick Matters

"How should a democracy choose its representatives? How can you stop a pandemic from sweeping the world? How do computers learn to play Go, and why is learning Go so much easier for them than learning to read a sentence? Can ancient Greek proportions predict the stock market? (Sorry, no.) What should your kids learn in school if they really want to learn to think? All these are questions about geometry. For real. If you're like most people, geometry is a sterile and dimly remembered exercise you gladly left behind in the dust of ninth grade, along with your braces and active romantic interest in pop singers. If you recall any of it, it's plodding...>>

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05.06.2021

“On My Right Michael, On My Left Gabriel: Angels in Ancient Jewish Culture” by Mika Ahuvia

Magick Matters

"Angelic beings can be found throughout the Hebrew Bible, and by late antiquity the archangels Michael and Gabriel were as familiar as the patriarchs and matriarchs, guardian angels were as present as one’s shadow, and praise of the seraphim was as sacred as the Shema prayer. Mika Ahuvia recovers once-commonplace beliefs about the divine realm and demonstrates that angels were foundational to ancient Judaism. Ancient Jewish practice centered on humans' relationships with invisible beings who acted as intermediaries, role models, and guardians. Drawing on non-canonical sources—incantation bowls, amulets, mystical texts, and liturgical poetry—Ahuvia shows that when ancient men and women sought access to divine aid, they turned not only to their rabbis or to...>>

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