Showing titles in Customs & Traditions

Best-selling author Frank Delaney deconstructs the Vampire myth through the ages, and shows us how Stoker’s 1897 novel, one of the most widely read books of all time, heightened the allure of sex, the glamour of blood, and the defeat of death in a way that continues to pulse - and faster than ever - on the page and on the screen.

You've heard all about it. You've seen all the pictures. Now it's your turn to experience the wonderful spice and flavor that is Barcelona! Passport to European Travel Guides offers this comprehensive, yet quick and concise, five-day guide to Barcelona, Spain - one of the hottest cities in Europe right now!

The Book of Tea (1906) by Okakura Kakuzō is a long essay which examines the role of chadō (Teaism) in the aesthetic and cultural aspects of Japanese life. The author explains Teaism as “a philosophy founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence”. Originally written in English for a western audience, the essay deals with the spiritual traditions of Zen and Taoism, as well as the secular side of tea in Japanese life.

We're here to help you discover the amazing city of Berlin for yourself! For a limited time, Passport to European Travel Guides offers this comprehensive, yet quick and concise, five-day guide to Berlin. Have no idea where to start? Or maybe you have an idea but could use some great insider tips? Well, listen on! You see, we know your trip begins before you even book your flight, and this guide is chock full of dynamite tips on everything you need to know before you go and much, much more!

Weihnachten ist das größte jährliche Ereignis auf dem Planeten, eine Zeit des Fröhlichseins, der Übertreibung, des Friedens, des guten Willens und des gelegentlichen Familienstreits. Dieses Fest ist so bequem und vertraut wie ein altes Paar Schuhe und dabei trotzdem noch immer voller Glitzer und Aufregung. Aber was wissen wir wirklich darüber? Weihnachten ist vollgestopft mit Traditionen und Ritualen, die die meisten von uns schon unser ganzes Leben lang beobachten, ohne die geringste Ahnung zu haben, woher sie kommen.

The New York Times bestselling author of Up in the Air and Blood Will Out embarks on a journey that begins with the death of his mother - and ends in an inexplicable spiritual awakening. After the utter grief of taking his mother off life support, Walter Kirn is compelled to understand his recurring visions of a Native American holy site. With his children and girlfriend, he follows them. In opening himself up to the mysticism he sees in religion, music, and nature, Walter discovers something magical and transcendent: solidarity and solace in the world around him.

To the discerning few were revealed the esoteric, or spiritual, teachings, while the unqualified received only the literal, or exoteric, interpretations. In order to make simple the great truths of nature and the abstract principles of natural law, the vital forces of the universe were personified, becoming the gods and goddesses of the ancient mythologies. While the ignorant multitudes brought their offerings to the altars of Priapus and Pan, the wise recognized in these marble statues only symbolic concretions of great abstract truths.

Por que amamos? O que está por trás desse sentimento que, segundo dizem, move montanhas? É se debruçando sobre a filosofia, a ancestralidade, mitos africanos, indígenas, orientais, ocidentais e até sobre a biologia que Renato Noguera nos leva a refletir sobre os diferentes significados do amor.

Rich in detail derived from the author's fieldwork and the anthropological literature, this work paints a picture of possession as one of the usually positive and most widespread of human religious experiences. It also details the ritual of exorcism, which is applied when things go wrong.

The legends of the Norse and Germanic regions of Europe—spanning from Germany and Austria across Scandinavia to Iceland and England—include a broad range of mythical characters and places, from Odin and Thor, to berserkers and Valhalla, to the Valkyries and Krampus. In this encyclopedia, Claude Lecouteux explores the origins, connections, and tales behind many gods, goddesses, magical beings, rituals, folk customs, and mythical places of Norse and Germanic tradition.

Namita Gokhale and Malashri Lal, who brought us In Search of Sita: Revisiting Mythology, now present an anthology on the mysterious Radha, the epitome of love, who defies all conventional codes yet transcends social prohibitions through the power of the spiritual and the sensual, the sacred and the erotic. Finding Radha is the first of its kind: a collection of poetry, prose, and translation that enter the historical as well as the artistic dimensions of the eternal romance of Radha and Krishna.

When journalist Laura Krantz discovered that her long-lost cousin, Grover Krantz, a distinguished anthropologist and professor at Washington State University, had devoted much of his career to the search for Bigfoot, she couldn’t quite believe it. A natural skeptic and a strong believer in facts, Krantz decided to conduct her own quest for the most famous and elusive mythical creature. The Search for Sasquatch takes listeners through the big guy’s fun, fascinating, and complex world, posing the question: Could Bigfoot be out there?

The winter solstice, the day the "sun stands still," marks the longest night and the shortest day of the year, and it comes either on December 20th or 21st. Celebrations honoring the winter solstice as a moment of transition and renewal date back thousands of years and occur among many peoples on every continent. The Return of the Light makes an ideal companion for everyone who carries on this tradition, no matter what their faith.

Raised in the Soviet Union, where she grew up steeped in ancient Slavic magical traditions, occultist and hereditary witch Natasha Helvin reveals not only how you are continually and powerfully influenced by your ancestors, but also how you can open the door to your ancestral connections in order to know who you truly are and change the course of your destiny. Presenting an in-depth look at ancestor worship and magic in the Slavic Pagan tradition, Helvin shows how forging a stronger connection to your ancestors can lead to increased power and understanding in life.

Japanese mythology offers a fascinating lens from which to gaze upon the natural world. Through tales of heroic samurai, creepy vengeful ghosts, and deities that wield the mighty powers of nature, these stories and mythical figures emphasize the importance of humans living harmoniously with their surroundings. It is often said that in order to understand a country’s culture and history, one needs to simply look at the stories they tell about the world around them.

Forty-eight stories of brave sparrows, wilds winds, and how to live in times of climate change. A prize-winning book by the natural storyteller Georgiana Keable, sharing long experience with children in the forests and snows of Norway. Meet the girl who became a fish, married a bear, and had a tree as her mum and dad. Meet the boy who tried to stop the wind, fetched fire from the center of the earth on the back of a bird, and whose father was the river.

This true story sets out to chronicle the terrifying encounters that a residential family has had with the creature known as Bigfoot. The story is written in Christine's own words as it unfolds. According to the Bigfoot investigator they contacted, "They aren't going anywhere." As the world gets more crowded with us, "They" are left with less and less habitat. They have learned to live in the shadows and pass through the forests by our homes.

Women today are banding together in magical ways to celebrate and encourage one another, and many are turning to the sacred goddesses of the past to guide their way. Your Goddess Year provides a calendar of 52 goddesses along with fascinating background information, herstory, and reasons why invoking her power can strengthen and benefit you in your day-to-day life.

In this comprehensive book, you’ll learn more about the Indian mythology, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and the worship of Hare Krishna. Get ready to have your eyes opened to another world of beliefs, rituals, and spiritual symbols.

Passport to European Travel Guides offers this comprehensive, yet quick and concise, five-day guide to Greece - one of the most beautiful locales on Earth! Have no idea where to start? Or maybe you have some idea but could use a treasure trove of great insider tips? Well, read on! We know your trip begins long before you even book the flight, so this guide is chock full of dynamite tips on everything you need to know before you go - and much, much more you'll thank us for!