“Maneki Neko: The Japanese Secret to Good Luck and Happiness” by Nobuo Suzuki (updated)

🕵️🐷🕵️ zero-day🕵️🐷🕵️ "What does "good luck" look like and how do you achieve it? Lucky symbols, lucky numbers, lucky charms and luck-creating rituals—how is it that a disciplined and hard-working country like Japan is so invested in the idea of luck? And what, exactly, does "good luck" mean? This insightful book—by a leading expert on the subject—explores the ways in which "good luck" symbols and rituals in Japan are used in tandem with diligence and a positive attitude to help people overcome life's many twists, turns and bad patches. It explores how customs and beliefs play a vital role in creating positive expectations and outcomes—and includes practical exercises for bringing good fortune and happiness into your own life. Author...>>

“Midnight Rambles: H.P. Lovecraft in Gotham” by David J. Goodwin

"A micro-biography of horror fiction’s most influential author and his love–hate relationship with New York City. By the end of his life and near financial ruin, pulp horror writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft resigned himself to the likelihood that his writing would be forgotten. Today, Lovecraft stands alongside J. R. R. Tolkien as the most influential genre writer of the twentieth century. His reputation as an unreformed racist and bigot, however, leaves readers to grapple with his legacy. Midnight Rambles explores Lovecraft’s time in New York City, a crucial yet often overlooked chapter in his life that shaped his literary career and the inextricable racism in his work. Initially, New York stood as a place of liberation...>>

“Cursed Are You!: The Phenomenology of Cursing in Cuneiform and Hebrew Texts” by Anne Marie Kitz

"This is a book about curses. It is not about curses as insults or offensive language but curses as petitions to the divine world to render judgment and execute harm on identified, hostile forces. In the ancient world, curses functioned in a way markedly different from our own, and it is into the world of the ancient Near East that we must go in order to appreciate the scope of their influence. For the ancient Near Easterners, curses had authentic meaning. Curses were part of their life and religion. They were not inherently magic or features of superstitions, nor were they mere curiosities or trifling antidotes. They were real and effective. They were employed proactively...>>

“The World Is Your Oracle: Divinatory Practices for Tapping Your Inner Wisdom and Getting the Answers You Need” by Nancy Vedder-Shults

"A global guide to divination that explores ancient and modern tools appropriate for a variety of intuitive styles. The World Is Your Oracle is an invitation to discover ancient and contemporary divination, enabling you to craft your own questions, delve into your inner wisdom, and find the answers you have been searching for. This innovative divination book presents multicultural techniques from around the world—both ancient and contemporary—designed for each person’s unique situation, desire, or intuitive style."...>>

“Maneki Neko: The Japanese Secret to Good Luck and Happiness” by Nobuo Suzuki

🕵️🐷🕵️ zero-day🕵️🐷🕵️ "What does "good luck" look like and how do you achieve it? Lucky symbols, lucky numbers, lucky charms and luck-creating rituals—how is it that a disciplined and hard-working country like Japan is so invested in the idea of luck? And what, exactly, does "good luck" mean? This insightful book—by a leading expert on the subject—explores the ways in which "good luck" symbols and rituals in Japan are used in tandem with diligence and a positive attitude to help people overcome life's many twists, turns and bad patches. It explores how customs and beliefs play a vital role in creating positive expectations and outcomes—and includes practical exercises for bringing good fortune and happiness into your own life. Author...>>