Dramatic rituals for the seasonal ceremonies and festivals linked with the waxing and waning of the natural year.

Fully revised and expanded with fresh insights, this new edition of The Elements of Ritual is a must-have resource on Wiccan ritual. Not only does it teach you step-by-step how to cast a circle, but it also explains why each step is important. Deborah Lipp looks at every phase through an elemental lens, revealing the process (earth), mythology (water), mystical inspiration (fire), and theology (air) behind it. The Elements of Ritual now features updates throughout on gender and polarity as well as all-new sections on the history of elemental associations and raising the cone of power. This edition also includes alternate orders for the traditional steps of ritual. You will learn how to write your own rituals, discover new ideas on magical tools, and use meditations to deepen your understanding of Wicca's most enduring rite.

Learn everything you need to know about setting up and running your own Wiccan coven--including how you can use aspects of astrology to help guide you--when you get The Witch's Circle (previously titled Circle of the Cosmic Muse) by Maria Kay Simms. Although there are many excellent guides to setting up covens, The Witch's Circle is by far the most complete. It covers all of the theory and practice you need to run a coven: The New Renaissance of spirituality and how it relates to astrological ages The ethics and practice of contemporary Wicca Magick: theory, healing, protection, raising energy, and more The order and parts of ritual Astrology and ritual Rituals for the eight Sabbats Full Moon rituals for a year: the astrological moons Other rituals including: handfasting, memorials, healing, cleansing and charging a place, and more How to find or start a circle Making ritual accessories including robes, wreaths, masks, and wands Herbs and oils Music for ritual, including over two dozen songs and chants The Witch's Circle is a serious Wiccan Book of Shadows that will teach you to incorporate the archetypes of astrology into your practice. Wicca and astrology together create a potent tool for understanding the dualities of the Wheel of the Year--and for expressing them in powerful new ways. The Witch's Circle is the only book of rituals that uses the deep insights of astrology to unlock the ancient spiritual mysteries of Wicca. This unique joining of Wicca and astrology is key to deciphering the hidden symbolism of Wicca and enriching your spiritual practice. Written by a High Priestess-astrologer of an active Wiccan coven, the living rituals presented in The Witch's Circle are the first of their kind. You can practice them to express the vital energy underlying each Pagan celebration--and to experience Wicca more fully than you ever have before.

“A great reference that explains the ins and outs of one of the oldest recognized traditions in Wicca . . . a marvelous find” (Hermetic Library). Everything is here in this most comprehensive and revealing work on the principles, rituals and beliefs of modern witchcraft, including: The Sabbats, Casting & Banishing the Magic Circle, The Complete Book of Shadows, The Great Rite, Initiation Rites, Consecration Rites, Spells, Witches’ Tools, Witchcraft & Sex, Running a Coven, Clairvoyance, and Astral Projection. A Witches’ Bible is part of The Paranormal, a series that resurrects rare titles, classic publications, and out-of-print texts, as well as publishes new supernatural and otherworldly ebooks for the digital age. The series includes a range of paranormal subjects from angels, fairies, and UFOs to near-death experiences, vampires, ghosts, and witchcraft. “A very good overview and outline of how formal covens work, the structure behind them and a basic framework for these Rites within Gardnerian Wicca . . . this book alone can help those interested in this Path in completely avoiding the mass produced, watered down dreck that passes for mainstream witchcraft books.” —ombre-portee.com

The Study of Witchcraft is a compendium for Wiccans who want to deepen their understanding of their traditions. The Study of Witchcraft reaches beyond Wicca, delving into topics as diverse as history, psychology, divination, and lucid dreaming, The Study of Witchcraft introduces the reader to these topics, discussing each in depth and offering a one of a kind course of study including recommended reading, offering readers increasingly, solitary witches a self study guide and a rich resource. The Study of Witchcraft includes information for all sorts of Wiccans/ traditional, eclectic, radical, groups, and solitary. Wide ranging topics also include Western occultism, myth and folklore, meditation, astrology, the Burning Times, history, herbalism, and much more. Deborah Lipp opens the book with a discussion of the past 40 years of Wiccan history and talks about the diverse people who call themselves Wiccans. Then, throughout the study guide portion, she offers information tailored to different types of Wiccans. Essentially, The Study of Witchcraft is a veritable master's degree in Wicca in book form! * Written for the needs of the modern wiccan, who learns primarily by self study * Written by a noted and respected author, whose work is already used in study groups.

Most new or alternative religious are gravely misunderstood by members of the religious mainstream. Labeled cults or sects, groups and their members are often ridiculed or otherwise disregarded as weird and potentially dangerous by the populace at large. Despite their efforts at educating the general public, the various anti- and counter-cult activists have in fact promoted much more mis-understanding than accurate understanding of the religious lives of some of their fellow citizens. Consequently, they have helped to create a very hostile environment for anyone whose religious practices do not fit within a so-called mainstream. This set rectifies the situation by presenting accurate, comprehensive, authoritative and accessible accounts of various new and alternative religious movements that have been and are active in American society, and it addresses ways of understanding new and alternative religions within a broader context. Determining what actually constitutes a new or alternative religion is a subject of constant debate. Questions arise as to a new faith's legitimacy, beliefs, methods of conversion, and other facets of a religious movement's viability and place in a given culture. How a religion gains recognition by the mainstream, which often labels such new movements as cults, is fraught with difficulty, tension, and fear. Here, experts delineate the boundaries and examine the various groups, beliefs, movements, and other issues related to new faiths and alternative beliefs. Readers will come away with a fuller understanding of the religious landscape in America today. Volume 1: History and Controversies discusses the foundations of new and alternative religions in the United States and addresses the controversies that surround them. This volume helps readers better understand what makes a new or alternative belief system a religion and the issues involved. Volume 2: Jewish and Christian Traditions explores the various new religions that have grown out of these two Abrahamic faiths. Groups such as the Shakers, the People's Temple, the Branch Davidians, Jehovah's Witnesses and others are examined. Volume 3: Metaphysical, New Age, and Neopagan Movements looks at Shamanism, Spiritualism, Wicca, and Paganism, among other movements, as they have developed and grown in the U.S. These faiths have found new and devoted followers yet are often misunderstood. Volume 4: Asian Traditions focuses on those new and alternative religions that have been inspired by Asian religious traditions. From Baha'i to Soka Gakkai, from Adidam to the Vedanta Society, contributors look at a full range of groups practicing and worshiping in the U.S. today. Volume 5: African Diaspora Traditions and Other American Innovations examines the various traditions linked to the African diaspora such as Rastafarianism, Santeria, and the Nation of Islam, alongside traditions that are truly American incarnations like Scientology, UFO religions, and Heaven's Gate. Some of the new and alternative religions covered in these pages include: ; Shamanism ; Wicca ; Black Israelites ; Santeria ; Scientology ; Elan Vital ; Hare Krishna ; Soka Gakkai ; and many more