20.05.2021

“Spiritual Sensations: Cinematic Religious Experience and Evolving Conceptions of the Sacred” by Sarah K. Balstrup

Magick Matters

"The secular, pluralist culture of the West encourages a subjective approach to spiritual truth where stimulating emotional experiences, such as those provided by film, can contribute to personal conceptions of the sacred. Examining Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) as the principal case-study and Gaspar Noé's Enter the Void (2009) and Lars von Trier's Melancholia (2011) as comparative examples, Sarah Balstrup argues that these directors harness the affective properties of film to generate altered states of perception in a manner analogous to religious practice. Powerful feelings of dissociation and indescribable significance typical of mystical testimony appear in viewer responses to these films, demonstrating the continued sacralisation of such states of mind. In their own...>>

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19.05.2021

“The 2-Hour Tarot Tutor : The Fast, Revolutionary Method for Learning to Read Tarot in 2 Hours” by Wilma Carroll

Magick Matters

"For centuries, the Tarot has been regarded as a powerful means of telling fortunes and predicting fates. Now, you too can learn the techniques and skills to read the Tarot — in just two hours! Using this breakthrough manual, anyone with a desire to discover the secrets of the Tarot can find easy-to-follow instructions that will lead to success in Tarot reading, including: the Celtic Cross and Seven Sisters spreads; spreads to answer those unfathomable love questions; sample readings; tips and troubleshooting for beginners; worksheets; interpreting card meanings quickly"...>>

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19.05.2021

“The Pagan Christ : Recovering the Lost Light” by Tom Harpur

Magick Matters

"A provocative argument for a mystical, rather than historical, understanding of Jesus, leading to a radical rebirth of Christianity in our time. For forty years, scholar and religious commentator Tom Harpur has challenged church orthodoxy and guided thousands of readers on subjects as controversial as the true nature of Christ and life after death. Now, in his most radical and groundbreaking work, Harpur digs deep into the origins of Christianity. Long before the advent of Jesus Christ, the Egyptians and other peoples believed in the coming of a messiah, a virgin birth, a madonna and her child, and the incarnation of the spirit in flesh. While the early Christian church accepted these ancient truths as the...>>

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19.05.2021

“Women of Wisdom: The Journey of the Sacred Feminine Through the Ages” by Paula Marvelly

Magick Matters

"An inspiring collection of writings from women visionaries and mystics from an array of religious faiths and traditions. In her introduction, Paula Marvelly offers a definition of mysticism, looks at its feminine aspects within each of the major world religions, discusses what it means to be a woman mystic, and explains why she has chosen the women in this anthology. Her selection features 32 women mystics from all ages and faiths, from Mary Magdalene to Evelyn Underhill. She explores their lives, their experiences and their teachings, and draws out the core underlying themes which relate to the concept of non-duality or ''oneness.''...>>

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19.05.2021

“Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter — Then, Now, and Forever” by John McWhorter

Magick Matters

"One of the preeminent linguists of our time examines the realms of language that are considered shocking and taboo in order to understand what imbues curse words with such power—and why we love them so much. Profanity has always been a deliciously vibrant part of our lexicon, an integral part of being human. In fact, our ability to curse comes from a different part of the brain than other parts of speech—the urgency with which we say "f&*k!" is instead related to the instinct that tells us to flee from danger. Language evolves with time, and so does what we consider profane or unspeakable. Nine Nasty Words is a rollicking examination of profanity, explored from every...>>

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