08.06.2022

“The Illusionist Brain: The Neuroscience of Magic” by Jordi Cami and Luis M. Martinez

Magick Matters
"The Illusionist Brain: The Neuroscience of Magic" by Jordi Cami and Luis M. Martinez
"How magicians exploit the natural functioning of our brains to astonish and amaze us How do magicians make us see the impossible? The Illusionist Brain takes you on an unforgettable journey through the inner workings of the human mind, revealing how magicians achieve their spectacular and seemingly impossible effects by interfering with your cognitive processes. Along the way, this lively and informative book provides a guided tour of modern neuroscience, using magic as a lens for understanding the unconscious and automatic functioning of our brains. We construct reality from the information stored in our memories and received through our senses, and our brains are remarkably adept at tricking us into believing that our experience is continuous....>>
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08.06.2022

“Death, Burial, and the Afterlife: Dublin Death Studies” edited by Philip Cottrell and Wolfgang Marx

Magick Matters
"Death, Burial, and the Afterlife: Dublin Death Studies" edited by Philip Cottrell and Wolfgang Marx
"The essays incorporated into this volume share an ambitious interest in investigating death as an individual, social and metaphorical phenomenon that may be exemplified by themes involving burial rituals, identity, and commemoration. The disciplines represented are as diverse as art history, classics, history, music, languages and literatures, and the approaches taken reflect various aspects of contemporary death studies. These include the fear of death, the role of death in shaping human identity, the ‘taming’ of death through ritual or aesthetic sublimation, and the utilization of death — particularly dead bodies — to manipulate social and political ends. The topics covered include the exhumation and reburial of Cardinal John Henry Newman;the funerary monument of John Donne...>>
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08.06.2022

“Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens, and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years” by Philip Jenkins

Magick Matters
"Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens, and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years" by Philip Jenkins
"The Fifth-Century Political Battles That Forever Changed the Church In this fascinating account of the surprisingly violent fifth-century church, Philip Jenkins describes how political maneuvers by a handful of powerful characters shaped Christian doctrine. Were it not for these battles, today’s church could be teaching something very different about the nature of Jesus, and the papacy as we know it would never have come into existence. Jesus Wars reveals the profound implications of what amounts to an accident of history: that one faction of Roman emperors and militia-wielding bishops defeated another."...>>
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08.06.2022

“The Chakra Book: Energy and Healing Power of the Subtle Body” by Osho (kindle ebook version)

Magick Matters
"The Chakra Book: Energy and Healing Power of the Subtle Body" by Osho (kindle ebook version)
"A comprehensive and in-depth discussion of the human energy centers known as chakras. The book offers a unique understanding of how these centers, also referred to as “subtle bodies” can be identified and experienced, along with how they are related to personal transformation and health. In this volume, Osho gives an overview of the Eastern science of the subtle energy centers in the human body that are sometimes known as “chakras.” It is a science that underlies traditional Chinese medicine, Indian Ayurveda, and the practice of kundalini yoga, among other disciplines that recognize the deep connection between mind and body. Osho also shows how these same principles apply to human psychological growth and maturation, and...>>
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08.06.2022

“The Magic Power of Pragma-Psychics” by Tom C. Lyle

Magick Matters
"The Magic Power of Pragma-Psychics" by Tom C. Lyle
"Pragma-Psychics is learning in its most important sense. If what you are doing is familiar and comfortable, the truth is you are not really learning. The performance of a feat very unfamiliar to us seems like an act of magic. Such an essence of mystery is due solely to its strangeness and unfamiliarity. When we come to understand just how such a feat is done, it loses its mystery and becomes familiar. This period of transition from strangeness tofamiliarity is the true essence of learning. Familiarity breeds contempt. It also produces boredom, which in turn causes fatigue, with or without physical exertion. Yet we are ever seeking new, exciting and challenging experiences, despite our...>>
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