These Spells


Book Description

A poetic novel set in a stormy, supernatural world. A gothic vision of love and loss. A dark and abstract fantasy. In the centre of everywhere, in the middle of nowhere, between quantum and zen; below and above the All, gods play, ghosts shuffle, lovers separate between life and death, chaos assembles as skies redden, and the web that holds them all together - continue to tighten. Two lovers in opposing worlds slowly re-experience the fragmented moments that have bought them to a vague and dangerous realm. Drifting between various states of semi-consciousness he remembers a kiss, and the storm that followed. She rests, lifeless beside him, half buried in the dark, damp earth. This search for her spirit discovers a darker place, but he is quickly ushered away by a shadowy form called ‘Whisperer’. In the background a handful of other players, including a rook, work at the threads of destiny to deprive Whisperer of his new bride. Red skies and phantom horses dominate their progress. Liberation, however, finally unravels in the vast courts of the Creator. Very soon two new stars will appear in the evening sky.




Ultimate Encyclopedia of Spells


Book Description

Delves into the rich & fascinating tradition of using spells & white magic to enhance your life, realize your desires & make your dreams come true. Provides a comprehensive examination of the long history of spells & gives clear explanations as to their true nature, as well as tips on the proper way they should be used. A number of spells, from healing spells to love spells, are covered in more depth, making this an easy to use practical workbook. Chapters: Witchcraft Past & Present; The Basics of Tools & Rituals; Magic in Many Guises; The Spell's the Thing; The Book of Shadows; Spells to Find Love; Spells for When Love Is Dead; Spells to Settle Arguments; Spells for Health; Spells to Attract Money; Spells for Job Seekers; & a Miscellany of Spells. Illus.




The Lost Words


Book Description

The Lost Words by composer James Burton takes its inspiration and text from the award-winning 'cultural phenomenon' and book of the same name by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris: a book that was, in turn, a creative response to the removal of everyday nature words like acorn, newt and otter from a new edition of a widely used children's dictionary. Both the book and Burton's 32-minute work, which is written in 12 short movements for upper-voice choir in up to 3 voice parts (with either orchestral or piano accompaniment), celebrates each lost word with a beautiful poem or 'spell', magically brought to life in Burton's music. At its heart, the work delivers a powerful message about the need to close the gap between childhood and the natural world. Burton's piece was co-commissioned by the Hallé Concerts Society for the Hallé Children's Choir and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The piano accompaniment version was premiered at the Tanglewood Festival in 2019 by the Boston Symphony Children's Choir, of which Burton is founder and director. The Hallé Children's Choir will premiere the orchestral version of the full work in Manchester, UK, post-pandemic. Vocal Score Co-commission by Boston Symphony and Hallé Concerts Society for their respective Children's Choirs. Two versions - with orchestral or with piano accompaniment. The vocal score is the same for both versions. James Burton is a composer but also a conductor. He is conductor of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and choral director of the Boston Symphony. The book The Lost Words, exquisitely designed, has won multiple awards and is an international best-seller. The vocal score includes Jackie Morris's beautiful imagery in its cover design.




Dream Spells


Book Description




Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft


Book Description

"This complete self-study course in modern Wicca is a treasured classic - an essential and trusted guide that belongs in every witch's library."---Back cover




The Rise of the Forgotten #1


Book Description

In the vast world of fantasy literature, Wesley Wang's "The Rise of the Forgotten" emerges as a distinctive gem. This novel presents a tale that is both deeply rooted in reality and expansively fantastical. Wang, with his attention to detail and vivid imagination, spins a captivating story filled with mystery, resilience, and strategy from the outset. The narrative unfolds with a young man's harrowing escape from a fate he didn't deserve, propelling him on an epic journey of discovery and valor. Revealed as the last descendant of an esteemed noble family, and under the wing of an enigmatic protector, he ventures into a realm laden with covert plots and timeless sorcery. Navigating through the intricacies of magic and combat, his every choice and newly formed alliance bring forth insights that upend his views on the world and his destined role within it. "The Rise of the Forgotten" is remarkable for its intricately designed Western fantasy landscape, drawing readers into a world where the magic systems are complex, the cultures are richly varied, and the map of empires and domains is drawn with precision. Through Wang's storytelling, readers embark on a voyage across a broad spectrum of emotions and societal intricacies, delving into themes of identity, authority, and salvation, all set against the canvas of ancient mysteries and divine conspiracies.




The Body Incantatory


Book Description

Whether chanted as devotional prayers, intoned against the dangers of the wilds, or invoked to heal the sick and bring ease to the dead, incantations were pervasive features of Buddhist practice in late medieval China (600–1000 C.E.). Material incantations, in forms such as spell-inscribed amulets and stone pillars, were also central to the spiritual lives of both monks and laypeople. In centering its analysis on the Chinese material culture of these deeply embodied forms of Buddhist ritual, The Body Incantatory reveals histories of practice—and logics of practice—that have until now remained hidden. Paul Copp examines inscribed stones, urns, and other objects unearthed from anonymous tombs; spells carved into pillars near mountain temples; and manuscripts and prints from both tombs and the Dunhuang cache. Focusing on two major Buddhist spells, or dhāraṇī, and their embodiment of the incantatory logics of adornment and unction, he makes breakthrough claims about the significance of Buddhist incantation practice not only in medieval China but also in Central Asia and India. Copp's work vividly captures the diversity of Buddhist practice among medieval monks, ritual healers, and other individuals lost to history, offering a corrective to accounts that have overemphasized elite, canonical materials.




The Wild Places


Book Description

From the author of The Old Ways and Underland, an "eloquent (and compulsively readable) reminder that, though we're laying waste the world, nature still holds sway over much of the earth's surface." --Bill McKibben Winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature and a finalist for the Orion Book Award Are there any genuinely wild places left in Britain and Ireland? That is the question that Robert Macfarlane poses to himself as he embarks on a series of breathtaking journeys through some of the archipelago's most remarkable landscapes. He climbs, walks, and swims by day and spends his nights sleeping on cliff-tops and in ancient meadows and wildwoods. With elegance and passion he entwines history, memory, and landscape in a bewitching evocation of wildness and its vital importance.




Landmarks


Book Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE From the bestselling author of UNDERLAND, THE OLD WAYS and THE LOST WORDS 'Few books give such a sense of enchantment; it is a book to give to many, and to return to repeatedly' Independent 'Enormously pleasurable, deeply moving. A bid to save our rich hoard of landscape language, and a blow struck for the power of a deep creative relationship to place' Financial Times 'A book that ought to be read by policymakers, educators, armchair environmentalists and active conservationists the world over' Guardian 'Gorgeous, thoughtful and lyrical' Independent on Sunday 'Feels as if [it] somehow grew out of the land itself. A delight' Sunday Times Discover Robert Macfarlane's joyous meditation on words, landscape and the relationship between the two. Words are grained into our landscapes, and landscapes are grained into our words. Landmarks is about the power of language to shape our sense of place. It is a field guide to the literature of nature, and a glossary containing thousands of remarkable words used in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales to describe land, nature and weather. Travelling from Cumbria to the Cairngorms, and exploring the landscapes of Roger Deakin, J. A. Baker, Nan Shepherd and others, Robert Macfarlane shows that language, well used, is a keen way of knowing landscape, and a vital means of coming to love it.




Magic to the Bone


Book Description

Devon Monk is casting a spell on the fantasy world... Using magic means it uses you back, and every spell exacts a price from its user. But some people get out of it by Offloading the cost of magic onto an innocent. Then it’s Allison Beckstrom’s job to identify the spell-caster. Allie would rather live a hand-to-mouth existence than accept the family fortune—and the strings that come with it. But when she finds a boy dying from a magical Offload that has her father’s signature all over it, Allie is thrown back into his world of black magic. And the forces she calls on in her quest for the truth will make her capable of things that some will do anything to control...