29.04.2022

“Cunning” by Don Herzog

Magick Matters
"Cunning" by Don Herzog
"Want to be cunning? You might wish you were more clever, more flexible, able to cut a few corners without getting caught, to dive now and again into iniquity and surface clutching a prize. You might want to roll your eyes at those slaves of duty who play by the rules. Or you might think there's something sleazy about that stance, even if it does seem to pay off. Does that make you a chump? With pointedly mischievous prose, Don Herzog explores what's alluring and what's revolting in cunning. He draws on a colorful range of sources: tales of Odysseus; texts from Machiavelli; pamphlets from early modern England; salesmen's newsletters; Christian apologetics; plays; sermons; philosophical...>>
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29.04.2022

“Alchemy: The Art of Transformation” by Jay Ramsay

Magick Matters
"Alchemy: The Art of Transformation" by Jay Ramsay
"Alchemy is best known as the age-old science of turning base metal into gold. But it is much more: essentially, it is a path of self-knowledge, unique in the Western tradition, with vital relevance for the modern world. The symbols of Alchemy lie deep in the collective unconscious, in the world of dreams and imagery: the practices of alchemy are rooted in an understanding of the oneness of spirit and matter through which we celebrate our sexuality and spirituality. Jay Ramsay takes us step by step through the stages of the alchemical process using a wide range of original exercises to create a memorable journey that challenges, inspires and transforms us at every stage. We...>>
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29.04.2022

“Hymns for the Gods From Olympus to Asgard: Prayers in the Orphic and Eddic Traditions” by Heliotroph Books

Magick Matters
"Hymns for the Gods From Olympus to Asgard: Prayers in the Orphic and Eddic Traditions" by Heliotroph Books
"Zeus! The First and Last and Lord Of bright-tipped lighting, Zeus the Head and Center, all things Come to be from Zeus' mind. Jupiter. Odin. Freya. What did ancient pagan peoples really see when they looked to these Gods in worship? Were they really only personifications of the wind and rain and other natural phenomena, or is there something deeper being called upon? Our ancestors left behind a rich tapestry of mythology and religious imagery. By approaching it with reverence and curiosity, and by applying the analytical techniques of Platonic and Vedantic philosophy, we can once again gain a clear picture of what the cosmos really is and who we really are. If we are humble enough to accept the...>>
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29.04.2022

“Johann Wier: Debating the Devil and Witches in Early Modern Europe” by Michaela Valente

Magick Matters
"Johann Wier: Debating the Devil and Witches in Early Modern Europe" by Michaela Valente
"This book deals with a fascinating and original claim in 16th-century Europe. Witches should be cured, not executed. It was the physician and scholar Johann Wier (1515-1588) who challenged the dominant idea. For his defense of witches, more than three centuries later, Sigmund Freud chose to put Wier’s work among the ten books to be read. According to Wier, Satan seduced witches, thus they did not deserve to be executed, but they must be cured for their melancholy. When the witch hunt was rising, Wier was the first to use some of the arguments adopted in the emerging debate on religious tolerance in defence of witches. This is the first overall study of Wier which...>>
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