The Poison Oracle


Book Description

"I think Peter Dickinson is hands down the best stylist as a writer and the most interesting storyteller in my genre." —Sara Paretsky, author of Breakdown Praise for The Poison Oracle: "I have no idea if any of this talk and ac-tion is authentic, and I don't care. Either way it's marvellous."—Rex Stout "Intelligent, elegantly written . . . a thoroughly enjoyable read."—Sunday Times Praise for Peter Dickinson's mysteries: "He is the true original, a superb writer who revitalises the traditions of the mystery genre . . . incapable of writing a trite or inelegant sentence . . . a mas-ter."—P. D. James "Consummate storytelling skill."—Peter Lovesey Take a medieval Arab kingdom, add a ruler who wants to update the kingdom's educational facilities, include an English research psycholinguist (an Oxford classmate of the ruler) invited to pursue his work on animal communication, and then add a touch of chaos in Dinah, a chimpanzee who has begun to learn to form coherent sentences with plastic symbols. When a murder is committed in the oil-rich marshes, Dinah is the only witness, and Morris has to go into the marshes to dis-cover the truth. The Poison Oracle is a novel of its time that exposes in the everyday language people use humanity's thinking and unthinking cruelties to one another and to the animals with whom we share this earth. Peter Dickinson has twice received the Crime Writers' Association's Gold Dagger. His novels include Death of a Unicorn, A Summer in the Twenties, and many more. He lives in England and is married to the novelist Robin McKinley.




Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic Among the Azande


Book Description

An abridged version of the 1937 an-thropological study of the Azande of the southern Sudan, the theoretical insights of which have proven increasingly influential among both anthropologists and others




The Oracle Glass


Book Description

New York Times and USA Today Bestseller! "An outstanding historical novel of 17th–century France ... based on a real–life scandal known as the Affaire des Poisons, this tale is riveting from start to finish."—Library Journal Her ability to see the future may prevent her from living in the present... For a handful of gold, Madame de Morville will read your future in a glass of swirling water. You'll believe her, because you know she's more than 150 years old and a witch, and she has all of Paris in the palm of her hand. But Madame de Morville hides more behind her black robes than you know. Her real age, the mother and uncle who left her for dead, the inner workings of the most secret society of Parisian witches: none of these truths would help her outwit the rich who so desperately want the promise of the future. After all, it's her own future she must control , no matter how much it is painted with uncertainty and clouded by vengeance. More Praise for The Oracle Glass: "Absorbing and arresting."—New York Times "Fascinating and factual."—Los Angeles Times "Chilly, witty, and completely engrossing ... great, good fun."— Kirkus Reviews "Take a full cup of wit, two teaspoons of brimstone, and a dash of poison, and you have Judith Merkle Riley's mordant, compelling tale of an ambitious young woman who disguises herself as an ancient prophetess in order to gain entry into the dangerous, scheming glamour of the Sun King's court. Based on scandalous true events, The Oracle Glass brims with our human foibles, passions, and eccentricities; it's a classic of the genre and unlike any historical novel you have ever read."—C. W. Gortner, author of The Confessions of Catherine de Medici




Art and Oracle


Book Description

Twenty-eight African cultures are represented here by artifacts created to communicate with ancestors, spirits, and gods, about such issues as health, conception, and determination of guilt or innocence. Issued in conjunction with an April-July 2000 exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, this catalog contains extensive ethnographic, descriptive, and interpretive text in connection with each of 50 pictured pieces, as well as a 13-page essay about divination in Sub-Saharan Africa (by John Pemberton III) and an introductory essay by LaGamma. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR




The Last Oracle


Book Description

In this superb thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author James Rollins, Sigma Force must battle a group of rogue scientists who have unleashed a diabolical project that could bring about the extinction of mankind. Salvation . . . or annihilation? What if scientists could bio-engineer the next great world prophet—the next Buddha, Mohammed, or even Jesus? Would it mark the Second Coming or initiate a chain reaction leading to the end of mankind? Formed during the Cold War, a think tank of world scientists known as the JASONS have discovered a way to manipulate and enhance autistic children who show savant talents—mathematical geniuses, statistical masterminds, brilliant conceptual artists. Yet among their young patients a strange side-effect begins to arise. Before it can be analyzed fully, a rogue group of the JASONS begins their own secret experimentation with a cadre of the best children. Their goal, to create a world prophet for the new millennium, one who can be manipulated to create a new era of global peace . . . a peace on their own terms, that is. But such manipulation has grim consequences as a biological meltdown among the children begins to occur—turning the innocent into something far more frightening. To stop the JASONS before they engineer the extinction of mankind, Commander Gray Pierce of SIGMA Force races against time to solve a mystery that dates back to the first famous oracle of history—the Greek Oracle of Delphi. But can the past save the future?




Water Witchcraft


Book Description

"Water witch Annwyn Avalon presents a comprehensive guide to Celtic water lore including spells, rituals, water spirits, and merfolk. She explores the magic of the sea, but also features lakes, rivers, canals, swamps, and other watery locations as well as the craft and magic that have been and continue to be practiced at these places. Within these pages, you will learn how to set up your own personal water altars and shrines, gather or craft the magical tools of water witchery, and access the power of rain and ice. Most crucially, you will learn how to connect and communicate with the water spirits themselves."--Back cover.




Veneficium


Book Description

In many esoteric traditions, there exists an iconic or linguistic corollary between the concepts of 'poisoner' and 'sorcerer', suggesting a sinistral magical kinship often interchangeable with witchcraft or maledictive magic. Indeed, the use of plant, animal and mineral toxins is a strand of magic originating in remotest antiquity and reaching the present day. Beyond its mundane function as an agent of corporeal harm, poison has also served as a gateway of religious ecstasy, occult knowledge, and sensorial aberration, as well as the basis of healing cures. Allied with Samael, the serpent of Eden whose Hebrew name in some translations is 'Venom of God', this facet of magic wends through the rites of ancient Sumer and Egypt, penetrating European Necromancy. Alchemy, the arcane the rites of the Witches' Sabbath, and modern-day folk magic survivals. This second edition of Veneficium, newly expanded, examines the intersection of magic and poison, collecting the authors early essays on this magical kinship, and exploring the toxicological dimensions of occult power




The Goddess Book


Book Description

An illustrated seasonal celebration of goddesses "The Goddess Book is a joyful celebration of perennial goddess wisdom that nourishes, expands, and inspires.” —HeatherAsh Amara, author of Warrior Goddess Training This is a book of mediations that celebrate the divine feminine. It is an exploration of representations of the goddess throughout history. Here are heroines, queens, witches, healers, proud princesses, courageous daughters, and cranky crones. Organized by the four seasons, author Nancy Blair groups these goddesses according to the seasons in which their energies are most potent. These meditations and affirmations challenge readers to: Awaken the divine feminine Join the seasonal circle of goddesses Create meaningful, simple, heart-nourishing rituals Let the goddess inform daily life Create the life you want Here is a book of earth-based spirituality, informed by perennial goddess wisdom. The words and the stunning art of artist Thaila Took create a sacred space that will nourish women around the world. From Aphrodite, Brigit, Hekate, and Lilith to Baba Yaga, Kuan Yin, Oshun, and Sekmet this is a treasury to let the goddesses empower and inspire you. "Every woman needs this book on her bedside table. An active and animated must-read.”—Emma Mildon, bestselling author of The Soul Searcher’s Handbook and Evolution of Goddess




Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle (2015-) #1


Book Description

STARRING HEROES FROM THE PRE-FLASHPOINT DCU! Just as they've finally been reunited, the romance between Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon is sentenced to execution by Flashpoint Hawkman and Hawkwoman!




The Wild Unknown Archetypes Deck and Guidebook


Book Description

In this wholly original, never-before-seen box set, the New York Times bestselling author who has redefined tarot for the twenty-first century takes seekers on a journey of self-discovery deep into the collective unconscious and through the realm of archetypes, where dreams and myths meet. In this original box set, Kim Krans illuminates the revelatory power of archetypes—the ancient, universal symbols that have endured across time and cultures and reside deep in our shared psyche. Illustrated in her unmistakable “Wild Unknown” style, an emotionally evocative combination of elegant line art and lush watercolor painting, The Wild Unknown Archetypes Deck and Guidebook fosters a profound understanding of our complex personalities, behaviors, and tendencies. The Wild Unknown Archetypes deck includes 78 gorgeous circular oracle cards divided into four suits: The Self, The Place, The Tool, and The Initiation. Each archetype has been carefully selected for its symbolic potency and the lesson at the core of its nature, such as The Poet, representative of deep emotional creativity and the drive to find our truth, and The Resting Place, symbolic of a pause on our journey and the need to seek replenishment. Accompanying the deck is a 200-page hand-lettered, fully illustrated guidebook written and designed by Krans, which details the meaning behind each card and offers clear, grounded explanations of the many spreads, practices, and concepts that power the Archetypes deck. A beautiful and inclusive tool for self-exploration, The Wild Unknown Archetypes Deck and Guidebook is sure to enchant readers drawn to personal study, symbology, and lore. Destined to become a treasured keepsake, The Wild Unknown Archetypes Deck and Guidebook is an exquisitely designed work of art that embodies the mystery, glamour, and allure that made Krans’s previous work collectible sensations, while introducing a whole new realm of magic and depth to The Wild Unknown.