Tap into the age-old, secret power of runes to create a better and more enriching life. Generally associated with the ancient Northern Europeans, runes are magical symbols that convey the story of creation, life, destruction, and rebirth, and how these forces constantly affect our many levels of being. Runes connect with your body, mind, and spirit, as well as the environment, and are ideal for use in psychological integration, spiritual growth, healing, and magic. Learn the history of runes and the meanings and associations of each symbol. Then discover a wide variety of ways runes can help you find answers to personal questions, increase self-awareness, relieve stress, gain a sense of personal empowerment, and clear out blockages in your life. As you work with these mystical tools you’ll find within them the power to transform yourself.

This comprehensive and thoroughly engaging reference examines the origins and meanings of thousands of first and last names, presented alphabetically. It also lists the 40 most popular male and female given names in the United States since 1930; the 1,000 most commonly found family names in the U.S. organized according to popularity; and the top 100 family names in each of the 50 states. An indispensable encyclopedia for anyone interested in looking up his or her name or finding one for a baby.

Broken up into categories such as Animals, Astrology, Dreams, and Flowers, this fascinating dictionary will alert you to thousands of beliefs, omens, and proverbs that you may never have known. Many other subjects range from Clothing to Food to Marriage numbers.

For your amusement, for your edification and inspiration, for livening up that speech you have to give: proverbs have an irresistible power. These little pockets of wisdom say volumes about a culture--so take a tour around the world in words. You'll encounter the lively and colorful sayings from all around the world: Africa and its diaspora (Haiti, Jamaica, and African-American); Central and South America; Mexico; Native American; China, Japan; Italy; Ireland; Scotland; Israel; and the Arab nations.

Open yourself up to a higher power and find peace, solace, and healing. If you're looking for more to life than the material world offers, these hundreds of meditations, prayers, and blessings from a wide variety of the world's traditions will bring comfort and well-being. Meditation cuts through and calms the tangled mass of feelings that rage through our minds. Nurture the positive spark that lies within by practicing daily meditations to expand the mind, contact energy, and manage pain. Some of them employ candles, sacred symbols, mantras, music, and nature. For each, there are instructions on breathing, posture, and visualization. If meditation encourages listening to a greater spirit, prayers address God--and here are ones for adoration, petition, and silent communion that come from Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jain, Native America, and more. Some are nondenominational. Finish with blessings, a powerful way to praise the Divine and share loving energy with others. The author lives in Brooklyn, NY. 512 pages, 4 3/16 x 5 1/4.

This extraordinary reference covers witches, shamen, voodoo priests and priestesses, and oracles; provides the low-down on pentagrams, exorcisms, coven rituals, and conjuring spirits; and tells how to cast spells for protection, invisibility, and illness prevention. Illustrations.

"Whether you invite friends over for a couple of rounds of Ace-duce-jack or organize a family night with the kids to play Slapjack, you're in for a good time with this huge collection of cards games. A cross-referenced index makes it easy to find a game by name, number of players, or type (general, gambling, solitaire, children's), while easy-to-understand rules and strategies make getting started a breeze. Here's one encyclopedia that's packed with great entertainment!"--Back cover

Have fun while you expand your powers of deductive reasoning! Every one of these puzzles calls for conclusions based only on the information provided; the answers don't depend on previous knowledge, memory, wordplay, or deception--just a logical mind. Accept the alternatives that lead to the correct response and discard all faulty assumptions until you've arrived at the only possibility that makes sense. There are eight kinds of puzzle, and in most cases diagrams help organize your results. Here's one example: A supermarket theft has occurred. Someone took a fully loaded cart without paying for the groceries. One of the three suspects is guilty--but which one? The guilty party's statement is true; the other two are false. Who is guilty? A. B took the cart loaded with groceries B. A's statement is true C. A's statement is false Answer: C is the guilty party.

Details, details, details. Planning a wedding can be a nightmare, and few of us are experienced.

"There is no such thing as fun for the entire family."--Jerry Seinfeld. That's an example of a one-liner. It packs a wealth of meaning into a few words and produces a chuckle along with its wisdom. Here's another one: "My luck--I was waiting at the airport when my ship came in."--Henny Youngman. There are many more laugh-inducing one-liners like these in this collection! Some are attributed to famous people; others have no source. They span many different topics. One thing's for sure. These one-liners not only say something, but they say it in a memorable way. Here are two more: * "Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons."--Woody Allen. * "I was so ugly as a kid we never had a jack-o'-lantern. They just stuck me in the window."--Rodney Dangerfield. Perrett lives in Westlake Village, GA. 512 pages, 4 3/16 x 5 1/4.