Showing titles in Customs & Traditions

Daniel Loxton and Donald R. Prothero have written an entertaining, educational, and definitive text on cryptids, presenting the arguments both for and against their existence and systematically challenging the pseudoscience that perpetuates their myths. After examining the nature of science and pseudoscience and their relation to cryptozoology, Loxton and Prothero take on Bigfoot; the Yeti, or Abominable Snowman, and its cross-cultural incarnations; the Loch Ness monster and its highly publicized sightings; the evolution of the Great Sea Serpent; and more.

For many outsiders, Thailand still conjures up images of the East at its most mysterious and enchanting - a view largely formed by Hollywood films like The King and I. Never conquered by foreigners, this proud and ancient land has been shaped by Buddhism, the monarchy, and the military. Today, it is ranked among the tiger economies of Southeast Asia. It is a manufacturing powerhouse, the world’s largest rice exporter, and a tourist paradise that welcomes 22 million visitors a year to its beach resorts and its vibrant capital, Bangkok.

The past is coming back. The ancient myths that were told, are now available in an audiobook format. Listen to the narration, and you will find yourself amazed by the intricate details of age-old civilizations like that of the Celts, the Vikings, the Greeks, and others. This combination of books focuses on several separate societies that have a long, well-known history of believing in multiple gods, goddesses, crazy creatures we now suppose are fiction, and a myriad of other interesting superstitious or valuable assumptions.

In this fourth volume in The Masks of God series - Joseph Campbell’s major work of comparative mythology - the preeminent mythologist looks at the birth of the modern, individualistic mythology as it developed in Europe beginning in the 12th century AD up through the modernist art of the 20th century. The Masks of God is a four-volume study of world religion and myth that stands as one of Joseph Campbell’s masterworks.

Aimed towards students and enthusiasts alike, Greek and Roman Myths and Legends will provide you with a detailed survey of the spiritual beliefs and fascinating tales of the world's most intriguing ancient societies.

Welcome to the United States of Cryptids, where mysterious monsters lurk in the dark forests, deep lakes, and sticky swamps of all fifty states. From the infamous Jersey Devil to the obscure Snallygaster, travel writer and chronicler of the strange J. W. Ocker not only uncovers the bizarre stories of these creatures but investigates the ways in which communities have embraced and celebrated their local cryptids.

In this strange and wonderful book, thirty elders of the ancient Hopi tribe of Northern Arizona—a people who regard themselves as the first inhabitants of America—freely reveal the Hopi worldview for the first time in written form. The Hopi kept this view a secret for countless centuries, and anthropologists have long struggled to understand it. Now they record their myths and legends, and the meaning of their religious rituals and ceremonies as a gift to future generations.

This book is a guide for leaders seeking to build a community, to strengthen the community they already have, or who may not think of themselves as community leaders but who are envisioning a group they hope to create. These communities can be formal, with official memberships and administrations, or informal, tied by shared values and commitments.

For millennia, societies have told tales of their fears incarnate—otherworldly couriers of plague, death, temptation, and moral decline. The Penguin Book of Demons summons these supernatural creatures—and the humans who have hunted and been haunted by them—across cultures and continents.

A leaf from an oak tree . . . a wildflower . . . water from a sparkling stream . . . dirt from a cool dark cave-these are the age-old tools of natural magic. Born of the earth, possessing inherent power, they await only our touch and intention to bring their magical qualities to life. The four elements are powerful magical tools. Using their energies, we can transform ourselves, our lives, and our world. This much-loved, classic guide offers more than seventy-five spells, rites, and simple rituals you can perform using the marvelous powers of the natural world.

This book is a guide to heart-centered living through the wisdom of the Sumerian Goddess of Love. With a combined psychotherapeutic and spiritual approach, Seana Zelazo offers rituals and practices to help listeners connect directly with Inanna. From harnessing your sensual energy to reclaiming the generative capacity of the Divine Feminine and identifying and amplifying your life's purpose, you will discover the ways Inanna's process is your own.

Dive into the mystical world of ancient Japan and uncover its incredible deities, mythical creatures, and heroic tales, even if you're new to folklore! Are you fascinated by Japan's rich culture and history?Discover captivating tales of Shinto gods, Yōkai, and legendary heroes that shape Japan's cultural heritage.

Jason and the Golden Fleece is one of the finest tales of Ancient Greece, an epic journey of adventure and trial standing beside similar stories of Perseus, Theseus and the Labours of Heracles. The finest classic account comes from Apollonius of Rhodes, the Greek poet of the 3rd century BCE and librarian at Alexandria. Though less well-known than Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and much shorter, it is an epic poem which is both exciting and moving, with remarkably vivid portraits of the main characters, Jason and Medea.

Did the early Christians believe their myths? Like most ancient—and modern—people, early Christians made efforts to present their myths in the most believable ways.

"One of the few places left to look for meaning in our contemporary culture is in story and myth," suggests Michael Meade. Weaving rhythm and words, this master storyteller, drummer, and scholar of mythology takes us on a compelling journey of self-discovery down the "roads of fire and water". Through two timeless stories - "The Spirit in the Bottle" and "The Water of Life" - we will learn how to relocate the spirit in our lives and awaken "the elder", an inner wisdom source.

Explore the realm of North Americas elusive beings, in Monsters and Us; Revealing the Mysteries of Cryptids in North America. This book guides listeners through the woods of the Pacific Northwest and the foggy marshes of the South on a captivating adventure delving into the origins of entities such as Bigfoot, the Skunk Ape and the Wendigo.

Haunted doesn't just thrill with the tales of the inexplicable, but also asks why are we so fascinated by ghost stories and what do they tell us about the community and people who cultivate them. Why are some tropes universal, while others are very much unique to the place they haunt? Do we actually care about the identity of the ghost? Or are we more concerned about how the alleged sighting made us feel?

Martín Prechtel revives a hitherto unknown Guatemalan Tzutujil Mayan tale of the beginnings of the world with a poetic retelling of the story. Prechtel authoritatively retells the powerful tale of the Tall Girl who weaves the world in a loom, her parents the Sun and the Moon who repudiate her suitors, and the mysterious man who disguises himself as a hummingbird to lure her away.

Exploring the transformative impact of Native American spirituality on contemporary events, this is the third book in Ken Carey's trilogy.

In Jean Shinoda Bolen’s bestselling, game-changing Goddesses in Everywoman, myths came to life in a whole new way that resonated with our own lives. Even fictional character Bridget Jones was reading that book. Now comes Artemis: The Indomitable Spirit in Everywoman, a groundbreaking new audiobook that explores the archetype of the activist. Indomitable means untamed, unsubdued. It is the one-in-herself quality in girls and women who will not be victims, no matter what.