Russian Magic


Book Description

In the heart of Russia, old ways of perceiving the spirits of home and nature still prevail. Fairy stories, folk art, and calendar customs carry hints of the old gods and offer a now rare way of linking human life to the landscape. This is as true for city dwellers and villagers, for the Russian soul is open to the power of myth and the mysteries of the universe. This book explains how Russia's concept of soul ("dusha") and sensitivity to the landscape extends to archaeologists, scientists, and doctors in Russia, who retain an open-minded approach and a keen interest in psychic phenomena, along with folk traditions and faith healing. Author Cherry Gilchrist has traveled often to Russia and researched its traditional lore, gaining knowledge she interweaves into this book. She blends that first-hand knowledge with serious research to paint a lively picture of these remarkable magical traditions and their enduring power.




The Sun Maiden and the Crescent Moon


Book Description

Siberia. From this strange and beautiful land comes an oral tradition that has altered little in two thousand years. Here is a true spiritual democracy and purity of folk art rarely found in traditional tales.




Sex and the Goddess


Book Description

It has been over twenty years since the full manuscript of my book was edited for publication in 1998. I had begun writing it in the previous decade, the 1980’s... a period of flourishing women’s liberation movements against the patriarchal status quo. Books about women’s sexuality and spirituality were flooding the bookstores, and many writers were producing profound studies of the untold heroism of women throughout history. I was a pioneer in the burgeoning field of Sex therapy and education at the University of Minnesota Medical School’s “Program in Human Sexuality.” In addition, I conducted women’s self-enrichment groups and workshops in my private practice... “Woman’s Discovery Institute” ... where I also gave professional Astrology readings and classes. This rich mix of psychology, philosophy, spirituality, and a knowledge of the cyclic patterns of life shown by astrology created within me an avid interest in researching women’s unsung heroism throughout history. It brewed in me a heady fascination to stitch it all together in a circle montage that connects all women and all aspects of our multi-layered lives. I based my theory on the lunar cycle, which is eternally linked to women’s menstrual, emotional, and psychic cycles. With a friend, I created a series of workshops for women to celebrate their many-faceted selves and gain confidence to pursue their goals. Yet for various reasons my book manuscript remained in my own bookshelf, never getting published. Until now... the times again call for women to claim their autonomy and gain equality in an overly male-dominated and viciously callous world. I am blessed to find in Xlibris a publisher ready to take on the project with me. I am thrilled to finally see my “Life’s Masterwork” in print. You will find many divergent ideas in these two volumes. No single woman encompasses all that are described, but as you read and recognize these characters in yourselves and your friends, I hope it will help you gain a full appreciation of your own awesome erotic spirit and sacred sexual powers.




Merciless


Book Description

On a frigid December night, Karen sits at the edge of Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River, dressed in a flowing gown, like a visitor from the distant past. A beautiful and shining young woman, she gazes up at a bone-white winter moon like a fairy-tale princess frozen in time. At first glance, one might not even notice that she is dead, coated in a glistening patina of ice. Homicide cops Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano take the lead on the case, uncovering a plethora of eerie clues–each more warped and spine-chilling than the last. Yet the identity of Karen’s pitiless killer remains a mystery. Then the next victim is found upriver at an abandoned waterworks, posed with an unlikely object in her clasped hands. Struggling to link the victims and make sense of the madman’s agenda, Byrne and Balzano follow his twisted trail, which stretches into a past of dark crimes forgotten by all but a few. Now the past roars back into the present with a vengeance as the ingenious killer unleashes a torrent of rage upon the streets of Philadelphia. As Byrne and Balzano sift through suspects and clues, they unearth a shocking secret history: a legacy of malevolence and cold-blooded retribution dating back twenty years. And the farther they make their way up the body-strewn banks of the Schuylkill River, the closer they get to a villain from their worst nightmare, an evil as patient as it is merciless. Lightning fast and razor sharp, this jolting thriller from acclaimed author Richard Montanari coils back in time to deliver a fiendish mystery, a shattering revelation, and one hell of a wild ride. Lock your doors and turn up the lights. Montanari’s terrifying bedtime story will keep you up all night.




Drama


Book Description




Tarot and Magic


Book Description

Here is unfolded the fascinating history and development of the Tarot, from its fifteenth-century beginnings as a conjunct to playing cards, to the massive explosion of its popularity as a system of occult symbolism. Gareth Knight presents his analysis of the basic archetypal principle behind each card and gives practical examples of magical work with the Tarot images in pathworkings and rituals. Several different approaches are adopted which can be used to develop familiarity and skill with the Tarot system. Originally published in 1986 as The Treasure House of Images, and later re-issued in the USA as Tarot & Magic, this new, expanded edition includes six extra chapters, pulling together many of the new insights garnered over the 25 years since it was first published.




The Drama


Book Description




Winter Tales


Book Description

A treasury of stories celebrating the wonders of winter, and the qualities within that warm our hearts through the long cold. This stunning book brings together a selection of wintery tales from all over the world - from North America to Siberia, Scotland, France, Russia and Norway. Written by award-winning author Dawn Casey and with beautifully detailed artwork by illustrator Zanna Goldhawk, this is a magical book to be treasured for generations to come.




A Maiden's Grave


Book Description

A bus full of children is taken hostage in this “screaming hit” (The New York Times Book Review) from the author of The Never Game and The Bone Collector. Along a windswept Kansas road, eight vulnerable girls and their helpless teachers are forced off a school bus and held hostage in an abandoned slaughterhouse. The madman who has them at gunpoint has a simple plan: One hostage an hour will die unless the demands are met. Called to the scene is Arthur Potter, the FBI’s best hostage negotiator. He has a plan. But so does one of the hostages—a beautiful teacher who’s willing to do anything to save the lives of her students. Now the clock is ticking as a chilling game of cat and mouse begins.




Sophia's Return


Book Description

Sophia's Return is an exploration of Goddess spirituality and an instructional book. It encourages women to lead their own sacred circle using the Celtic Wheel of the Year and shows them how to run a sacred or spirituality circle. This book includes the script for eight ceremonies typically used for the Celtic Wheel of the Year, for example, Summer Solstice, Autumn Equinox, Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. Each ceremony includes a guided meditation and information about the Goddess honoured during that ceremony. Sample Maiden, Mother and Crone ceremonies as well as a personal memoir recounting the author's own story and Goddess experience are included. This book is a beneficial tool for women of all ages who might be feeling a call for spirituality with the Feminine at its centre. One of the goals with this book is to give the reader the basic tools and foundation of knowledge to get started to run their own sacred circle in a simple and easy-to-use format.