Grimassi has written extensively about Wicca, and Llewellyn specializes in books sympathetic to occult ways, so the combination is pretty predictable. He describes not only the usual magic practices, but also the religious and spiritual aspects of what believers say is inherited ancient European wisdom and scoffers say is made-up, new-age nonsense. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Praise for the previous editions:"Clearly the best reference work on the subject now available."

The definitive compilation on witchcraft and witch hunting in the early modern era exploring significant people, places, beliefs, and events. Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Western Tradition is the definitive reference on the age of witch hunting (approximately 1430–1750), its origins, expansion, and ultimate decline. Incorporating a wealth of recent scholarship in four richly illustrated, alphabetically organized volumes, it offers historians and general readers alike the opportunity to explore the realities behind the legends of witchcraft and witchcraft trials. Over 170 contributors from 28 nations provide vivid, documented descriptions and analyses of witchcraft trials and locations, folklore and beliefs, magical practices and deities, influential texts, and the full range of players in this extraordinary drama—witchcraft theorists and theologians; historians and authors; judges, clergy, and rulers; the accused; and their persecutors. Concentrating on Europe and the Americas in the early modern era, the work also covers relevant topics from the ancient Near East (including the Hebrew and Christian Bibles), classical antiquity, and the European Middle Ages.

The author of the popular Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells and Encyclopedia of Spirits now explores the exciting magic and power of the mystical world of witches in Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, a comprehensive reference book that covers everything you ever wanted to know about this fascinating topic. Folklore expert Judika Illes introduces readers to mythic witches, modern witches, sacred goddess witches, even demon witches, male and female witches, witches from all over the globe. She takes readers on an enchanting tour through witchcraft’s history, mythology, and folklore, where they will discover a miscellany of facts including magic spells, rituals, potions, recipes, celebrations, traditions, and much more.

A fundamental and well-illustrated reference collection for anyone interested in the role of women in North American religious life.

"You can use Familiars as guardians during dream or astral work or to protect your home and property. This work shows how to obtain a familiar and work with one, and it also provides cautions and remedies for any problems that may occur in this magical partnership."--

Have you ever rubbed a frog on your freckles? Trivia fans and fun fact fanatics will adore this fascinating, flickable encyclopedia of superstitions! Richard Webster presents over five hundred of the most obscure, curious, and just-plain-freaky superstitions of the Western world. Discover batty beliefs about baldness, beans, and the Bermuda Triangle, and peculiar practices regarding hiccups, hearses, and hunchbacks. From modern myths to centuries-old lore, The Encyclopedia of Superstitions offers a wealth of wonderfully weird beliefs on just about every topic you can imagine: Holidays Birth Death Weddings Colors Gemstones Trees Flowers Fairies Weather Numbers Animals Birds Insects Household Items Zodiac Signs Gambling The Human Body Food Praise: "[T]his reference makes for compulsive browsing."—Publishers Weekly

Contains 3,500 alphabetically arranged entries that provide information about various aspects of the world's religions; features thirty in-depth discussions of major religions; and includes illustrations and maps.

This is the stranger-than-fiction story of two soul mates who rejected the status quo and embraced higher ideals...and had a whole lot of fun while they were at it. Reclaiming Pagan as a spiritual identity—and living in an open marriage for over four decades—Oberon and Morning Glory Zell truly embody the freedom to think, to love, and to live. Telling the stories of their singular lives in this unique oral history, Oberon and Morning Glory—together with a colorful tribe of friends, lovers, musicians, homesteaders, researchers, and ritualists—reveal how they established the Church of All Worlds, revitalized Goddess worship, discovered the Gaea Thesis, raised real Unicorns, connected a worldwide community through Green Egg magazine, searched for mermaids in the South Pacific, and founded the influential Grey School of Wizardry. Join Morning Glory and Oberon as they share the highs and lows of their extraordinary lives, and explore the role they played in shaping the community of Witches and Pagans that thrives in the world today. Includes a 16-page color photo insert.

This two-volume set examines women's contributions to religious and moral development in America, covering individual women, their faith-related organizations, and women's roles and experiences in the broader social and cultural contexts of their times. This second edition of Encyclopedia of American Women and Religion provides updated and expanded information from historians and other scholars of religion, covering new issues in religion to better describe and document women's roles within religious groups. For instance, the term "evangelical feminism" is one newly defined aspect of women's involvement in religious activism. Changes are constantly occurring within the many religious faiths and denominations in America, particularly as women strive to gain positions within religious hierarchies that previously were exclusive to men and rise within their denominations to become theologians, church leaders, and bishops. The entries examine the roles that American women have played in mainstream religious denominations, small religious sects, and non-traditional practices such as witchcraft, as well as in groups that question religious beliefs, including agnostics and atheists. A section containing primary documents gives readers a firsthand look at matters of concern to religious women and their organizations. Many of these documents are the writings of women who merit entries within the encyclopedia. Readers will gain an awareness of women's contributions to religious culture in America, from the colonial era to the present day, and better understand the many challenges that women have faced to achieve success in their religion-related endeavors.