The ways of magic are revealed in nature...The secrets are written in meandering streams and drifting clouds, whispered by the roaring ocean and cooling breeze, echoed through caves and rocks and forests. When you draw a heart in the sand, call on the four winds for assistance, or ask the rain to wash away a bad habit, you are practicing earth magic. By working in harmony with nature, we can transform ourselves, our lives, and our world. This tried-and-true guide offers more than one hundred spells, rites, and simple rituals you can perform using the powerful energy of the earth. Scott Cunningham was a greatly respected teacher and one of the most influential members of the modern Craft movement. A practitioner of elemental magic for twenty years, he wrote more than fifty books, including the seminal Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner.

Creatine and Androstene: They`re the natural supplements that scored with Mark McGuire--are they help or hype? When Cardinals first baseman Mark McGuire broke baseball records with the most home runs in one season, he was hailed as an outstanding athlete-but he also made news for another reason. McGuire was taking Androstene (a brand-name for androstenedione) and creatine, two natural supplements used to build muscle and enhance athletic performance. But how much can sports supplements improve performance? How safe are they? And how ethical is the use of such supplements in sports? These and many other compelling questions about performance-enhancing supplements are expertly answered here, along with: -The hazards of steroids: both prescription and natural, and how the two compare -How safe it is for children and teens to take sports supplements -An overview of Androstene and other testosterone-enhancing supplements -How the use of amino acids such as creatine aids in performance -Other athletic-enhancing supplements, including antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and more -Q&As, resources, and organizations of interest Find out the pros and cons of all kinds of performance enhancing sports supplements-culled form the latest research and coaches and athletes themselves-to see if you can safely benefit from these natural power builders.

An "eye-opening, sometimes alarming, and ultimately inspiring" natural history of rivers and their complex and ancient relationship with human civilization (Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction). Rivers, more than any road, technology, or political leader, have shaped the course of human civilization. They have opened frontiers, founded cities, settled borders, and fed billions. They promote life, forge peace, grant power, and can capriciously destroy everything in their path. Even today, rivers remain a powerful global force -- one that is more critical than ever to our future. In Rivers of Power, geographer Laurence C. Smith explores the timeless yet underappreciated relationship between rivers and civilization as we know it. Rivers are of course important in many practical ways (water supply, transportation, sanitation, etc). But the full breadth of their influence on the way we live is less obvious. Rivers define and transcend international borders, forcing cooperation between nations. Huge volumes of river water are used to produce energy, raw commodities, and food. Wars, politics, and demography are transformed by their devastating floods. The territorial claims of nations, their cultural and economic ties to each other, and the migrations and histories of their peoples trace back to rivers, river valleys, and the topographic divides they carve upon the world. And as climate change, technology, and cities transform our relationship with nature, new opportunities are arising to protect the waters that sustain us. Beautifully told and expansive in scope, Rivers of Power reveals how and why rivers have so profoundly influenced our civilization and examines the importance this vast, arterial power holds for the future of humanity. "As fascinating as it is beautifully written."---Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel, Collapse, and Upheaval

When Nature Power was first published twelve years ago, the practice of herbal medicine in Nigeria and in most parts of Africa was identified with witchcraft, sorcery, ritualism, and all sorts of fetish practices. Because herbal medicine was associated with paganism, African Christians secretly patronize traditional healers, and the educated elite and religious figures did not want to be associated in any way with traditional African medicine. Nature Power, like a lonely voice in a wilderness, was written to correct the misconception that African herbal medicine is synonymous with paganism, ritualism, and fetishism. Since its publication, Nature Power has been reprinted more than eight times. It has contributed immensely in changing the attitudes of both the government and Christians toward the practice of herbal medicine. Nature Power has also helped show that health is more than an absence of disease. Health is wholeness of mind, soul, and body. Much of the information in this book is age-old secrets, which herbalists keep close to their chests. I have made them available here so that humanity may profit from them.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.