Modern Religion

Twenty-seven years ago, Matthieu Ricard gave up a promising career as a scientist to study Tibetan Buddhism - not as a detached observer but by immersing himself in its practice under the guidance of its greatest living masters. Years later, this project was born, and Richard met with his father, Jean-Francois Revel - a French philosopher who became world famous for his challenges to both Communism and Christianity. At an inn, these two profoundly thoughtful men explored questions that have occupied humankind throughout its history.

Diana Helmuth, thirty-three, is skeptical of organized religion. She is also skeptical of disorganized religion. But, more than anything, she is tired of God being dead. So, she decides to try on the fastest-growing, self-directed faith in America: Witchcraft. The result is 366 days of observation, trial, error, wit, and back spasms. Witches today are often presented as confident and finished, proud and powerful. Diana is eager to join them. She wants to follow all the rules, memorize all the incantations, and read all the liturgy. But there’s one glaring problem.

For numerous centuries, the Talmud—an extraordinary work of Jewish ethics, law, and tradition—has compelled readers to grapple with how to live a good life. Full of folk legends, bawdy tales, and rabbinical repartee, it is inspiring, demanding, confounding, and thousands of pages long. As Liel Leibovitz enthusiastically explores the Talmud, what has sometimes been misunderstood as a dusty and arcane volume becomes humanity's first self-help book. How the Talmud Can Change Your Life contains sage advice on an unparalleled scope of topics.

Build a deep, contemporary practice rooted in ancient Greek traditions. Whether you are Pagan or simply drawn to the Greek pantheon, this book provides everything you need to remember and rebirth these ancient practices in ways that are powerful for modern people. Gwendolyn Reece provides more than seventy exercises, rites, and prayers that help you meet and build relationships with the deities and create a vibrant and balanced spiritual practice, including pathworkings to meet the gods, creating an Omphalos stone, and seeking a healing dream.

Welcome to Generation "Hex" - an era where young Americans know that witchcraft isn't about devil worship and spooky curses and instead are openly embracing meaningful Wiccan rituals that can enrich our lives in real-world ways. In Wicca, 21-year-old Harmony Nice - a YouTube and Instagram star with 700,000 followers - offers modern listeners a guide to overcoming obstacles and maximizing happiness.

Thou shalt in no way use this sacred science to offend the great God, and to work ill unto thy neighbor; thou shalt communicate it unto no living person whom dost not thoroughly know by long practice and conversation, examining well whether such a person really intendeth to work for the good or for the evil. And if thou shalt wish to grant it unto him, thou shalt well observe and punctually, the same fashion and manner, which I have made use of with thee, and if thou doest otherwise, he who shall receive it shall draw no fruit therefrom.

The ultimate guide to witchcraft for every woman craving a connection to something bigger, using the tools of tarot, astrology, and crystals to discover her best self. In these uncertain times, witchcraft, astrology, tarot, crystals, and similar practices are seeing a massive resurgence, especially among young women, as part of their self-care and mindfulness routines. Gabriela helps listeners take back their power while connecting to something larger than themselves.

We know that sleep is vital for rest and rejuvenation, but what if this time could be used for something more? What if our dreams really are telling us something? Psychologist and dream expert Athena Laz has dedicated her career to uncovering the wisdom of our dreams and revolutionizing what it means to be in touch with ourselves and the universe. Packed with exercises and step-by-step instructions, The Alchemy of Your Dreams teaches listeners how to interpret their dreams in order to achieve more in their waking lives.

First published in 1909, this book consists of a series of lectures, first given in Pullman Memorial Church, Albion, New York. The purpose of these lectures is to consider the origin and nature of the Ancient Mysteries and Modern Masonry and to show the relation which they bear one to the other. Chapters include The Egyptian, Hindu and Persian Mysteries, The Christian Mysteries, The Meaning Of True Initiation, Masonic History, and The Origin and History of the Knights Templars.

Fairies have long been a part of witchcraft traditions, especially Celtic and Norse witchcraft, paganism, and other traditions deeply tied to the earth. But these fairies aren’t the harmless creatures you’ve read about in children’s tales: They are magical creatures with their own culture and rules that you need to know before venturing into their territory. Now you can explore the world of the fairies and how their magic relates to your own witchcraft practice with The Modern Witchcraft Book of Fairies.

In this dazzling global history that charts five centuries of innovation and change, Alec Ryrie makes the case that Protestants made the modern world. Protestants introduces us to the men and women who defined and redefined this quarrelsome faith. Some turned to their newly accessible bibles to justify bold acts of political opposition, others to support a new understanding of who they were and what they could and should do. Above all, they were willing to fight for their beliefs.

Meet Denver, raised under plantation-style slavery in Louisiana until he escaped the “Man” in the 1960’s by hopping a train. Untrusting, uneducated, and violent, he spends 18 years on the streets of Dallas and Fort Worth. Meet Ron Hall, a self-made millionaire in the world of high-priced deals—an international arts dealer who moves between upscale New York galleries and celebrities. It seems unlikely that these two men would meet under normal circumstances, but when Deborah Hall, Ron's wife, meets Denver, she sees him through God's eyes of compassion.

For centuries, witches have used the tarot to seek insights into the past, present, and future. Today, a new generation is discovering the wonder of divining through the cards. Expert tarot reader Skye Alexander shares the many meanings of the cards within the Major and Minor Arcana. Featuring twelve of the most popular spreads and easy-to-follow explanations of how tarot readings can be interpreted, The Modern Witchcraft Book of Tarot is the essential guide for successful, insightful tarot readings.

Wisdom in Exile provides a new insight into Buddhism's encounter with Western culture and the Western mind in the early 21st century. Jampa Thaye has trained for over 40 years with some of the foremost lamas of Tibetan Buddhism, yet is a Westerner, living in Britain, teaching Buddhism to students throughout Europe and North America. He draws on that knowledge and experience to explain the space that now exists for Buddhism in the West, and identifies critical conflicts and tensions that must be resolved for modern Westerners to grasp the essence of the Buddhist teachings.

Entertaining and insightful, David Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion and The Natural History of Religion are considered to be among the most important philosophical works on the topic of religion. Each investigates the formation and consequences of religious belief.

Modern Genre Theory describes the current state of biblical genre theory (as well as the meaning of form criticism and why it needs to die). Scholar of biblical hermeneutics Andrew Judd then presents a better alternative of interpretation based on the best developments in secular literary theory, linguistics, and rhetorical studies.

The Holy Qur'an was revealed in Arabic over 1400 years ago for the whole of humanity to the last prophet in Islam, Muhammad (peace be upon him). Written down and recorded as it was revealed, The Holy Qur'an remains unchanged, even to this day. The Holy Qur'an is considered the greatest miracle given to the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Expert author Julia Halina Hadas offers in depth explanations about the moon’s energy and history in witchcraft, its phases, and what that means for your magickal spells, rituals, and intentions, and how best to work with the moon to amplify your witchcraft power. And with over 50 spells and rituals based on the moon’s phases, you’ll find the power of the moon is all you need to take your magick to the next level.

In The Modern Witchcraft Guide to Magickal Herbs, learn everything you need to use the most powerful herbs and use them as an essential part of your practice. Including information on which herbs are best for what kinds of spells, how to use herbs in divination and rituals, and step-by-step guides to making herbal bundles, potions, and sprays, this guidebook has all the important facts to make your herbal witchcraft a success.

Jung's primary concern in Flying Saucers is not with the reality or unreality of UFOs but with their psychic aspect. Rather than speculate about their possible nature and extraterrestrial origin as alleged spacecraft, he asks what it may signify that these phenomena, whether real or imagined, are seen in such numbers just at a time when humankind is menaced as never before in history. The UFOs represent, in Jung's phrase, "a modern myth."