The Complete Book of Superstition, Prophecy, and Luck


Book Description

Strange beliefs and even stranger omens have liferated through the ages. Here is a ripe collection which might change minds about broken mirrors, black cats and other ingrained beliefs.







Elizabethan Popular Culture


Book Description

Leonard R. N. Ashley delights readers with a collection of facts and folklore of the people of Queen Elizabeth I's era. He describes sports and pastimes, religion and superstition, cooking, life in town and country, and the rising bourgeois class. In chapters titled as "Cakes and Ale," "The Playhouse and the Bearbaiting Pit," and "Hey nonny nonny," Ashley paints an enlightening portrait of a time made memorable by Shakespeare and his contemporaries.




The Wiccan's Dictionary of Prophecy and Omens


Book Description

THE WICCAN’S DICTIONARY OF PROPHECY AND OMENS Divination—the art of obtaining knowledge of the future or of secret things—has played an important role in ancient cultures and religions as well as in modern times. It was once a method of sacred communication with the spirit world and a way to determine the will of the gods by means of visions and predictions. In the present age, divination, including astrology, palmistry, and the I Ching, continues to be a popular method of looking into the future or past, as well as revealing that which was once unknown. In fact, a large number of our contemporary customs and superstitions are remnants of the once-powerful divinatory rituals of the ancient pagan religions. The Wiccan's Dictionary of Prophecy and Omens details over two hundred methods of divination, from those used in antiquity to those in use today. It traces the history of these practices and provides examples of nearly every known divinatory art. This is an essential resource for followers of today’s Wiccan lifestyle by modern Wiccan expert Gerina Dunwich.




They Don't Wash Their Socks


Book Description

Have you ever wondered what the story is behind the strange sports superstitions you hear about? Gay's collection of superstitions in sports runs the gamut from fishing to football, from amateur players to professionals, from individuals to teams, and from ancient times to the present.




Eating Your Auntie Is Wrong


Book Description

Crossing continents and centuries Stephen Arnott brings us invaluable information about all kinds of bizarre regional customs - from sexual practices to the received wisdom on cannibalism - that could save you from embarrassing local faux pas while travelling. Did you know that amongst the Tartars, relations of the bride and bridegroom would traditionally divide into two groups and fight each other until some had suffered bleeding wounds? It was thought that causing blood to flow in this way would ensure the couple had strong sons; or that in Hungary, a cure for infertility was to beat a barren woman with a stick? The stick having previously been used to separate mating dogs; or that amongst some Aboriginal tribes of New South Wales that men who had any contact with their mothers-in-law would suffer terrible hard luck? The threat was so great that married men even avoided looking in their mother-in-law's general direction.




LIVING LANGUAGE


Book Description

LIVING LANGUAGE is 25 essays on many aspects of a big subject. It is authoritative, by the long-time president of The American Society of Geolinguistics (ASG). ASG was founded in 1965 by Mario A. Pei for the study of language in action in the modern world as it affects culture, commerce, politics, personal and national identity, and indeed the whole macrosociolinguistic picture. ASG publishes the journal Geolinguistics and holds an annual international conference and it publishes the proceedings of participants from Europe, Asia, Australia, Central America, US, UK, etc. From those and other sources along with some brand new materials here is a variety of essays, presented in a familiar style, chiefly on American and British English but also English as the world’s second language, and more. This book is wide-ranging, wise, witty, opinionated, deeply researched, useful, & controversial.




A World of Luck


Book Description

Explores the facts surrounding games of chance, luck, coincidence, and probabilities.




Wicca A to Z


Book Description

A must for the modern Wiccan’s library, this comprehensive resource explores the fascinating world of Witchcraft from ancient legend to contemporary paganism. No aspect of Wicca is overlooked, with well over 500 entries and numerous illustrations on the traditions, rituals, folklore, amulets and talismans, herbs and gemstones, and pagan goddesses of the Wiccan lifestyle. This unique encyclopedia is an excellent guide for all who are interested in Goddess worship, folklore, the New Age, the occult sciences, and the Wiccan Craft as a positive spiritual path and way of life.




Wicca Love Spells


Book Description

This essential guide from one of the world's bestselling and best-known Wiccan authors is now repackaged and reissued for modern readers interested in the many aspects of love magick. In the ever-shifting landscape of modern relationships, the ancient art of love magick, practiced for countless centuries on every continent by every culture in one form or another, remains an indispensable aspect of the modern Witch. Love potions and love spells are two of the most popular and best-known examples of love magick, but there are many other aspects as well, including charms, amulets, talismans, herbs, omens, astrology, palmistry, and the divinary arts, to name just a few. Wicca Love Spells reaches far beyond the limits of traditional love spells and presents a magickal journey of love from ancient times to modern times. Everything you need to know about the magickal side of love can be found within this book.