Prints, drawings, documents, and text illuminate the development of the occult sciences to the nineteenth century

Prints, drawings, documents, and text illuminate the development of the occult sciences to the nineteenth century

Theory -- What Is Magic? -- The Evolution of Magic -- The Gods -- The Elements of Magic -- Initiation and Adepthood -- Types of Magic: White versus Black -- Techniques of Magic -- The Four Elements -- The Kabbalah and Its Magical Correspondences -- The Astral Plane -- Ceremonial Magic -- The Sacred and the Profane Books of Magic -- Talismanic Magic -- The Spirit of Sacrifice -- Possession and Exorcism -- Prophets and Magicians -- Witchcraft and Demonology -- Divination -- Practice -- Rituals and Spells -- Fertility Rituals -- Weather Control -- The Rites for Power: Pagans, Witches, Satanists -- The Rites of the Persians and Babylonians -- The Rites of the Egyptians -- The Rites of the Jews -- The Rites of the Arabs -- The Rites of the Greeks and Romans -- The Rites of India -- The Rites of China and Japan -- The Rites of Africa -- The Rites of Australia -- The Rites of Europe -- The Rites of Haiti and Latin America -- The Rites of Mexico and North America -- Magical Spells -- Spells for Love -- Spells for Wealth and Success -- Spells to Overcome Enemies -- Spells for Health and Protection.

Recent polls show that 96% of Americans believe in God. Why are people turning to religion in greater numbers than ever before? In How We Believe , Michael Shermer presents the results of an exhaustive empirical study in which he asked 10,000 Americans how and why they believe and about details of their faith. The result offers fresh and startling insights into age-old questions.

Histories you can trust. This history provides a readable and fresh approach to the extensive and complex story of witchcraft and magic. Telling the story from the dawn of writing in the ancient world to the globally successful Harry Potter films, the authors explore a wide range of magical beliefs and practices, the rise of the witch trials, and the depiction of the Devil-worshipping witch. The book also focuses on the more recent history of witchcraft and magic, from the Enlightenment to the present, exploring the rise of modern magic, the anthropology of magic around the globe, and finally the cinematic portrayal of witches and magicians, from The Wizard of Oz to Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The Grimoire of Armadel is a do-it-yourself book of ceremonial magic. This edition was translated by Mathers from a seventeenth-century manuscript kept at the Bibliotheque d'Arsenal in Paris. The Grimoire contains detailed descriptions of the natures and offices of the various evil spirits. The sigils-seals giving power over demons-related to the various spirits are reproduced together with their practical uses, according to the particular aspect of the astral world that the reader wants to investigate. With more than forty spells, plus detailed diagrams and conjuring charts-all reproduced here following the method of the original French manuscript.

Examine the infinite variety of charms and fetishes found in every civilization, from the distant past to the present. Learn the entire history of these tools, their geography, how they are part of each man and woman's search for connection with spiritual forces, and how to make and use them. Loaded with hundreds of illustrations, this is the ultimate reference guide.