“The Nocebo Effect: When Words Make You Sick” by Michael Bernstein et al

🕵️🐷🕵️ zero-day🕵️🐷🕵️ "An investigation of the nocebo effect—the placebo effect's evil twin. Can beliefs make you sick? Consider "The June Bug" incident from a US textile factory in the early 1960s. Many employees began to feel dizzy, had an upset stomach, and vomited. Some were even hospitalized. The illness was attributed to a mysterious bug biting workers. However, when the CDC investigated this outbreak, no bugs or any other cause of the illnesses could be identified. Instead, it appears to be an illness caused by the mind — that is, sickness due to expectation. The June Bug story is one of many striking examples of the nocebo effect, a phenomenon best summarized as the occurrence of...>>

“The Greater and Lesser Worlds of Robert Fludd: Macrocosm, Microcosm, and Medicine” by Joscelyn Godwin (alternate rip)

"An illustrated reference book on a seminal figure of occult philosophy and Renaissance thought • Explains Fludd’s thoughts on cosmic harmonies, divination, the kabbalah, astrology, geomancy, alchemy, the Rosicrucians, and multiple levels of existence • Includes more than 200 of Fludd’s illustrations, representing the whole corpus of Fludd’s iconography, each one accompanied by Godwin’s expert commentary • Explores Fludd’s medical work as an esoteric Paracelsian physician and his theories on the macrocosm of elements, planets, stars, and subtle and divine beings and the microcosm of the human being and its creative activities, including material never before translated One of the last Renaissance men, Robert Fludd (1574-1637) was one of the great minds of the early modern period. A...>>

“The Seven Lucky Gods of Japan” by Reiko Chiba

"This Japanese Shinto book profiles each of the "Seven Luck Gods"—important deities in Japanese culture. The Seven Lucky Gods of Japan are a group of deities whose origins stem from Indian, Chinese, and indigenous Japanese gods of fortune. Not all of the gods are mythical beings. One of them is an actual historical person. Each of the seven gods has been recognized as a deity for more than a thousand years and each has had its own large following of believers. Gradually, however, these gods were transformed from remote and impersonal deities to warmer and more benevolent teleological patrons of those professions, arts, and skills practiced by the Japanese."...>>

“The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal” by Chris French

🕵️🐷🕵️ zero-day🕵️🐷🕵️ "An accessible and gratifying introduction to the world of paranormal beliefs and bizarre experiences. Ghostly encounters, alien abduction, reincarnation, talking to the dead, UFO sightings, inexplicable coincidences, out-of-body and near-death experiences. Are these legitimate phenomena? If not, then how should we go about understanding them? In this fascinating book, Chris French investigates paranormal claims to discover what lurks behind this "weird shit". French provides authoritative evidence-based explanations for a wide range of superficially mysterious phenomena, and then goes further to draw out lessons with wider applications to many other aspects of modern society where critical thinking is urgently needed. Using academic, comprehensive, logical, and, at times, mathematical approaches, The Science of Weird Shit convincingly debunks...>>

“The Magic of Tarot: A Modern Guide to the Classic Art of the Cards” by Leanna Greenaway

🕵️🐷🕵️ zero-day🕵️🐷🕵️ "From traditional to modern, from magical to mundane, this card-reading handbook is a one stop shop for anyone interested in the ancient art of Tarot. Tarot experts Leanna and Beleta Greenaway tackle romance, marriage, health, careers, safety, children, and much more, as well as situational knowledge for those interested in taking on Tarot as a profession. In The Magic of Tarot, readers will discover: the history and origins of the Tarot, how Tarot is moving with the times, tips on unleashing the power of the cards, housing and cleansing your decks, various card layouts for different situations, as well as full descriptions and explanations of each of the 22 Major Arcana cards, and 56 Minor...>>