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F H E HEALERS, WICCANS, MAGICIANS, A D E R F CELTS, RABBIS
self. This is not a normal state of consciousness for most people, yet when we maintain these points of attention, we discover our true essence and move closer to God. Endredy undergoes dozens of spiritual journeys with peyote as he makes the pilgrimages to the five sacred Huichol sites with Peyote Jesus. He is shocked by his vision of the Virgin Mary while under peyote’s guidance and learns of the deep relationship—strictly on Huichol terms-—between their cosmology, Gnosticism, and Christianity, especially Jesus Christ. Providing an inside look at the major ceremonies and peyote rituals of the Huichol, this unexpectedly powerful book reveals the Huichol worldview, their beliefs in the afterlife, and their spiritual work on behalf of all of humanity. “…will carry you along a river of learning into new realms of thinking, of being, and of exploring who and what we areally are… It just takes cleaning the lens of perception to see and know the deeper dimensions of reality. James and his teachers have been there. Now you can glimpse it as well.” — Tom Pinkson, author, The Shamanic Wisdom of the Huichol
Native American Medicine THE MAKING OF A HEALER Teachings of My Oneida Grandmother by Russell FourEagles
$25.50, paper. Quest. 245 pages
Once Oneida healer Russell FourEagles (Atuneyute Keya) went to see his friend Bob, whom doctors had declared incurably paralyzed following a stroke. Within minutes of FourEagles’ attention, Bob was kicking the covers off the bed. “This stuff is amazing. You should write a book,” Bob later encouraged. And here it is. FourEagles’ grandparents escaped the reservation-school education that obliterated Native American culture, preserving the healing abilities that can be traced in an unbroken lineage back two hundred grandmothers. In The Making of a Healer, he openly shares his knowledge in an effort to keep the old wisdom and practices from being forgotten. Recounting sacred Oneida myths and cosmology, he describes the healing powers of the Fire Ceremony, energy exchange, and humor; discusses natural remedies; and explains how he healed himself from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in the Vietnam War. I know nothing of writing or how to do it. I can’t spell for sour beans, but with the help of spell checker and some of the friends I have made over the years, as you see, the book got done.
“A heartfelt man, a clear and loving elder, an ancient tradition, the goodness of Mother Earth, and powerful faith in the Creator: all create a wonderful teaching to serve you well no matter what your lineage. Highly recommended!” —Brooke Medicine Eagle, author of The Last Ghost Dance “Russell FourEagles beautifully honors his grandmother’s timeless wisdom and wealth of ceremonies to assist in our healing. His inspiring personal stories touched me deeply. Powerful and brilliant!” —Sandra Ingerman, author of Medicine for the Earth
THE PATH OF THE SACRED PIPE
Journey of Love, Power, and Healing by Jay Cleve $24.95, paper. Quest.150 pages
In these days of global crisis, thoughtful seekers increasingly turn to Native Americans for healing wisdom. “The Sacred Pipe is the medicine,” says Jay Cleve in this informative and practical guide to a key practice of Native American spirituality. Cleve shows how the Pipe can facilitate transformation on both the personal and planetary levels. He explains its use in rituals such as the sweat lodge, the vision quest, and the sun dance and in relation to the Medicine Wheel. He also provides practical information on obtaining and caring for a Pipe and on preparing for and performing the Pipe ceremony. Seers and sages, past and present, are predicting a time of a world shift and a need to move into a larger mind—transforming and raising consciousness to align with the radical shift, expansion, and evolution of earth energies. And how better to help ease and facilitate this transition than performing the Sacred Pipe ceremony? This ceremony, perhaps more than any other, helps humans connect with, bless and heal the earth. The pipe ceremony is a heart-centered, Mother Earth honoring ritual to help heal the earth and humankind and to facilitate our transition into a New World Age.
An apprentice to Sun Bear and the Bear Tribe for many years, Jay Cleve has received extensive training in the Sacred Pipe, sweat lodge, medicine wheel and other aspects of Native spirituality.
Wicca & Magick TAKING SACRED BACK
The Complete Guide to Designing & Sharing Group Rituals by Nels & Judy Linde $26.50, paper. Llewellyn. 360 pages, 7x9, b/w photos, diagrams
Whether you’re designing a group ritual for fifty people or five hundred, Taking Sacred Back will help you define your intent, create an outline, and bring your ritual to life. Join authors Nels Linde and Judith Olson-Linde as they explore creative and unique ideas for all the stages of ritual— entering into the liminal, making the space sacred, engaging the subconscious of all attendees, creating awe and wonder, raising and directing energy, and ending the ritual. Discover advice on hardware and prop-making (and tips on using props effectively); scaling up or scaling down for larger or smaller groups; and lists of books, websites, CDs, and other useful resources. Complete with examples of rituals the authors have conducted as well as problem-solving advice, Taking Sacred Back is a rich, evocative and visually helpful resource guide for all ritualists or folks who seek meaningful community traditions as BRANCHES OF LIGHT F
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participation in conventional religions continues to decline. Nels and Judy Linde have been guest ritual leaders/weavers at Pagan Spirit Gathering, Heartland, and Sacred Harvest Festival, among others.
THE COMPLETE BOOK OF AQUARIAN MAGIC
by Marian Green, with a foreword by Judika Illes $25.50, paper. Weiser. 285 pages
Here in one volume are two classic practical guides from elder Marian Green for modern witches: Magic for the Aquarian Age and Experiments in Aquarian Magic. Magic for the Aquarian Age is a contemporary manual that unwraps the secret of the inner you, the submerged part of yourself that has the power to completely transform your life. Filled with techniques for getting ready to practice the magical art, it is a textbook that is adapted to contemporary needs. It also includes exercises and techniques designed to awaken perceptions and senses that have been blunted by modern life. “...an absolute gem of a book, written by one of England’s foremost authorities on occultism.” --Insight Experiments in Aquarian Magic is a guide that draws on the ageless store of magical knowledge so that you can make use of its power and life expanding techniques. Included here is information about vision journeys, healing, creating a magic temple, time travel, talismanic magic, and much more. Magic is a matter of experience and reality. It is a combination of inner skills everyone can develop, given time, dedication, practice, and the application of universal laws of nature. There are a number of magical exercises that have to be tried; there are the patterns upon which a personalized ritual can be built; there are notes on symbolism, divination, and equipment to be studied and fitted into your own life pattern… Each of us is different, so each can apply these techniques, master the arts as an individual; and although the skills, methods, and symbols are as old as the hills, they are still relevant if they are applied in the ways of the modern world. All the necessary keys are available to you in these pages.
With Green as your guide and with perseverance and reverence to all powers and life-forces you encounter, the door to magical experience will open for you.
Celtic Spirit TENDING BRIGID’S FLAME
Awaken to the Celtic Goddess of Hearth, Temple, and Forge by Lunaea Weatherstone $20.95, paper. Llewellyn. 258 pages, b/w illustrations
Brigid is worshiped worldwide—and especially in Ireland—as a source of inspiration, protection, and blessing. In Tending Brigid’s Flame, Lunaea Weatherstone presents the beloved Celtic goddess as a true soul-friend for women today, exploring her legends and lore, attributes and allies, holidays, symbols, and sacred places. Filled with rituals, exercises, and meditations, Tending Brigid’s Flame shows how to welcome Brigid into your F SPRING - SUMMER 2016
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home and make sacred all the activities of everyday life, from food magic to faery traditions, and from scrying to personal healing. Using the symbolism of fires that burn in hearth, temple, and forge, this breathtaking book sends you on a journey through the transformative power of one of the world’s most revered goddesses. Brigid crosses the borders of theology, appealing to those who worship in both grove and church, circle and convent… Celtic spirituality is very much an earthly path, connected to the daily and seasonal cycle of time, as well as the timeless of poetry, creativity, and magic. The supernatural and the mystical have never been lost. The Celtic tradition honors many deities, both local spirits of a particular place and those who bless a wider realm of universal understanding. Of these holy ones, Brigid shines brightest. Her influence is invoked to bless all aspects of life, from midwifery to metalcraft. I am a priestess and flamekeeper vowed to Brigid. The purpose of this book is to present her as a fiery force in the world today, specifically as in inspiration in the lives of women.
With illuminating reflections from nineteen wisewoman devotees of Brigid, this book shares ways in which Brigid transforms and inspires through craft and creativity, healing of body and spirit, the power of words, and tempering your skills into personal excellence. It is my hope that you will know Brigid not only as a goddess to be worshiped but as an anam cara, a soul friend.
Christian & Jewish Spirituality HEALING WITH GOD’S LOVE Kabbalah’s Hidden Secrets by Rabbi Douglas Goldhamer, with Peggy Bagley $19.95, paper. Larson. 270 pages
In 1972 Douglas Goldhamer was healed, through prayers a Kabbalistic Rabbi taught him, of a crippling case of Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome. Since then he has devoted his life to demonstrating how anyone can access those same deep healing energies—which he calls God’s loving immanence, or Feminine Presence. He has prayed successfully with people with diabetes, many kinds of cancer, heart ailments, kidney or back or eye problems, arthritis, depression, HIV, hepatitis, mental health issues and much more. Healing with God’s Love synergizes Kabbalistic wisdom and the spirit of Now. Goldhamer’s healing experience, scholarship, deep faith, and entertaining style make powerful healing prayers and intentions accessible to readers from all walks of life. You need to actually feel love and compassion during your healing meditative practices. Without love, all the technical knowledge won’t work.
With engaging stories and a style suitable