“More Than Machines?: The Attribution of (In)Animacy to Robot Technology” by Laura Voss

"We know that robots are just machines. Why then do we often talk about them as if they were alive? Laura Voss explores this fascinating phenomenon, providing a rich insight into practices of animacy (and inanimacy) attribution to robot technology: from science-fiction to robotics R&D, from science communication to media discourse, and from the theoretical perspectives of STS to the cognitive sciences. Taking an interdisciplinary perspective, and backed by a wealth of empirical material, Voss shows how scientists, engineers, journalists — and everyone else — can face the challenge of robot technology appearing »a little bit alive« with a reflexive and yet pragmatic stance."...>>

“Monsters: An Investigator’s Guide to Magical Beings” by John Michael Greer (10th anniversary edition)

"Of course that monster hiding under your bed when you were little didn't really exist. Vampires, werewolves, zombies, demons―they're simply figments of our imagination, right? After all, their existence has never been scientifically proven. But there is one giant problem with such an easy dismissal of these creepy creatures: people keep encountering them. Join occult scholar John Michael Greer for a harrowing journey into the reality of the impossible. Combining folklore, Western magical philosophy, and actual field experience, Monsters: An Investigator's Guide to Magical Beings is required reading for both active and armchair monster hunters. Between these covers you'll find a chilling collection of fiendish facts and folklore, including: Why true vampires...>>

“Getting Castaneda: Understanding Carlos Castaneda” by Peter Luce

"In 1968 Carlos Castaneda burst onto the scene with his blockbuster story about his apprenticeship with an awesome, authentic Mexican sorcerer, don Juan. Roaming the deserts of Mexico, he participated in the cultivation and use of ‘power plants’, psychedelic drugs he felt were making him lose his mind. As an apprentice of sorcery practised for thousands of years, he survived a leap from a cliff and watched a sorcerer dance across a waterfall. Along the way, he shared with us long-lost secrets about death, dreaming, our other self, and the vast and inexplicable forces of the universe. Or did Castaneda deceive us all? With 12 books written over 30 years, this bestselling American author, philosopher and anthropologist...>>

“Deconstructing Gurdjieff: Biography of a Spiritual Magician” by Tobias Churton

"Beyond Meetings with Remarkable Men into the truth behind the self-crafted mythology of Gurdjieff’s life • Reveals evidence that Gurdjieff was a secret Freemason, relying on hypnotism, psychic research and spiritualism • Explores the profound influence of the Yezidis, esoteric Christianity, and the “gnostics” of Islam, the Sufis, on Gurdjieff’s Fourth Way teachings and the “Work” • Uncovers the truth behind Gurdjieff’s relations with Aleister Crowley • Accurately dates Gurdjieff’s real activities, particularly his enigmatic early life In November 1949, architect Frank Lloyd Wright announced the death of “the greatest man in the world,” yet few knew who he was talking about. Enigmatic, misunderstood, declared a charlatan, and recently dubbed “the Rasputin who inspired Mary Poppins,” Gurdjieff’s life has...>>

“The Master of Speech” by Shannon Dorey

"The Master of Speech deciphers the ancient mythology of the Dogon, an isolated African tribe who live along a 200-kilometre stretch of escarpment called the Cliffs of Bandiagara near Timbuktu. The French anthropologist Griaule recorded the Dogon mythology in 1947 in his book, Conversations with Ogotemmêli. The Dogon had knowledge of the triple star Sirius system that was told to Griaule long before modern astronomers discovered the third star in the system in 1995. The Dogon told Griaule they had obtained their knowledge from amphibious beings who came to Earth from the Sirius star system. After extensive analysis of this mythology, Dorey reveals that these alien beings called Nummo were responsible for human creation through...>>