Showing titles in Customs & Traditions

Container spells are used for all sorts of purposes and, despite their antiquity, are an increasingly popular style of spellcasting. Ingredients are generally found in the home and are personal to the creator. Containers may be portable, such as mojo hands or charm bags. They may also be stationary, such as honey jar spells, which involve placing items into a jar, covering them with honey, closing the lid, and then burning a candle on top of the jar.

A dazzling account of the men (and occasional woman) who led the world’s empires, a book that probes the essence of leadership and power through the centuries and around the world. From the rise of Sargon of Akkad, who in the third millennium BCE ruled what is now Iraq and Syria, to the...

Using a classic business fable, newly promoted executive Debbie Brewster asks her mentor the crucial question: "What is the secret of great leaders?" His reply—"Great leaders serve"—confuses her, but he reveals five fundamental ways leaders succeed through service. Debbie discovers why great...

Penetrate the polite veneer of the people, learn about their customs and traditions, become acquainted with their values and attitudes, and your experience of this green and pleasant land will be greatly enriched.

This audiobook includes tales of gods and goddesses, both major and minor, as well as kings and heroes, both historical and mythical. One such king is the hero of what many scholars believe to be the first written epic: Gilgamesh. In addition to creating connections between the human world and the divine, Sumerian myths explain how the world came to be in the first place. These myths establish the cosmic order, which places the greater gods, or Annunaki, at the top of the hierarchy, with the lesser gods, or Igigi, below them.

Explores the many theurgic themes and events in the Odyssey and the Iliad Analyzes the writings of Neoplatonists Porphyry and Proclus, showing how both describe the technical ritual praxis of theurgy in Homeric terms Examines the methods of telestikē, a form of theurgic statue...

In this book in the series, the most important legends from China will come to light. You will learn about the famous monkey who became a god through his clever trickery and struggles, for instance. This is an amazing story that has inspired millions to depict the protagonist in paintings, sculptures, and other art works.

We think of fairies as little winged people with magic wands, but Irish fairies were flesh-and-blood extraterrestrials who towered over humans. We knew them as angels, demons, phantoms, mermaids, fairies, gods and not-gods, and the Gentry. Giant, chalk-white humanoids with piercing blue eyes, and flaming red or golden-yellow hair cascading in curls over their shoulders, that’s the true appearance of the ancient fairies of Ireland who came down from the cosmos thousands of years ago.

This insider's look at inherited wealth in the United States explores the complex meanings of money and success in American society with a new introduction that examines whether America's privileged class will be willing or able to play a leadership role in the twenty-first century.

UAE - Culture Smart! will help you turn your visit - whether it's for business or pleasure - into a memorable and enriching experience. Its contents include: local customs and traditions; the impact of history, religion, and politics; the Emiratis at home, work, and play; eating and drinking, Emirati style; dos, don'ts, and taboos; business practices; communication, spoken and unspoken; and many practical tips for managing the unexpected.

While doing fieldwork on the remote Indonesian island of Flores, anthropologist Gregory Forth came across people talking about half-apelike, half-humanlike creatures that once lived in a cave on the slopes of a nearby volcano. Over the years he continued to record what locals had to say about these mystery hominoids while searching for ways to explain them as imaginary symbols of the wild or other cultural representations. We follow Forth on the trail of this mystery hominoid, and the space they occupy in islanders' culture as both natural creatures and as supernatural beings.

Christmas is a time of seasonal cheer, family get-togethers, holiday parties, and-gift giving. Lots and lots - and lots - of gift giving. It's hard to imagine any Christmas without this time-honored custom. But let's stop to consider the gifts we receive - the rooster sweater from Grandma or the singing fish from Uncle Mike. How many of us get gifts we like? How many of us give gifts not knowing what recipients want? Did your cousin really look excited about that jumping alarm clock?

This imaginative and stimulating Very Short Introduction audiobook goes beyond a simple retelling of the stories to explore the rich history and diverse interpretations of classical mythology. It is a wide-ranging account, examining how classical myths are used and understood in both high art and popular culture, taking the listener from the temples of Crete to skyscrapers in New York, and finding classical myths in a variety of unexpected places: from Arabic poetry and Hollywood films, to psychoanalysis, the Bible, and New Age spiritualism. 

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Here is a rosary of soaring myth, gripping narrative, and deep wisdom, all told with breathtaking verve that enchants and sweeps us along, from first word to last. A superb, inspiring read.” —GABOR MATÉ, author of The Myth of Normal From "one of the...

An elegant, text-only edition of the New York Times bestseller that’s been hailed as the definitive authority on…everything by Richard Dawkins. Richard Dawkins, bestselling author and the world’s most celebrated evolutionary biologist, has spent his career elucidating the many wonders of...

Through the lens of archaeology, history, and comparative mythology, we strive to shed light on the legacy of the Anunnaki. We examine their representation in popular culture, their impact on language, and their place in contemporary beliefs and spiritual movements.

🌊🏰🌊 A GREAT LOVE. A PALACE BENEATH THE SEA. A DEVASTATING BETRAYAL.🌊🏰🌊 A doomed love story created the city of Ys, it's fitting that another one would end it . . . Nolwenn is sure that her life's purpose is to defend her beloved city of Ys as a lighthouse keeper. But when a...

Raise a glass to the Great British tradition of booze, and the twelve drinks that made it what it is today! CHEERS! The history of Britain, perhaps more so than any other country, is defined by its drinking culture. Built on a foundation of pubs, clubs and watering holes, the UK has remained in...

How did the ancient Vikings live? What was their society like? This and many other questions about history and mythology will be answered in this brief guide. For example, an entire chapter is devoted to women’s roles in Viking society. Other chapters discuss the appearance of trolls and other creatures in Norse myths. You’ll find out why certain popular children’s movies have included Viking clothing and other elements in their narrative, what Viking art is all about. Last but not least, you can learn more about Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the heroes in Viking myths.

The figure of Lilith remains one of the most enduring and complex entities in the history of human mythology; she is a shadow that has haunted the periphery of theology, folklore, and literature for over four millennia. To understand Lilith is to look into a mirror that reflects the changing fears and aspirations of the cultures that birthed her. She does not emerge from history as a singular, static character, but rather as a linguistic and spiritual evolution, a "screech owl" in the desert, a child-stealing demon in a Babylonian incantation, and eventually, the defiant first wife of Adam.