For two centuries and more our culture has been secular, and no religious doctrine plays a constitutive part in any established branch of knowledge. This title shows that a surprising amount of traditional Christian belief - including a Grand Narrative, and a non-metaphysical theology - is returning to us in secular form.

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.

Assessments of China's importance on the world stage usually focus on a single dimension of China's increasing power, rather than on the multiple sources of China's rise, including its economic might and the continuing modernization of its military. This book offers multiple analytical perspectives—constructivist, liberal, neorealist—on the significance of the many dimensions of China's regional and global influence. Distinguished authors consider the likelihood of conflict and peaceful accommodation as China grows ever stronger. They look at the changing position of China "from the inside": How do Chinese policymakers evaluate the contemporary international order and what are the regional and global implications of that worldview? The authors also address the implications of China's increasing power for Chinese policymaking and for the foreign policies of Korea, Japan, and the United States.

Part intellectual biography, part cultural history and part history of human sciences, this fascinating volume follows renowned anthropologist Margaret Mead and her colleagues as they showed that anthropology could tackle the psychology of the most complex, modern societies in ways useful for waging the Second World War.

Set in Montreal and Ottawa, this book continues the story of Alan Ainslie, idealist, patriot and intellectual, who has a special insight into Russian policy. This time, however, the theme is the conflict between Ainslie and his son Daniel, a young Quebec separatist.