What is the significance of an amulet versus a talisman?
Who was the founding father of the Radical Faeries movement?
How is Jungian psychology connected to Neo-Paganism?
What are the five points of Starhawk’s Pentacle of Pearl?
Whether you’re looking for information on blessings, the Green Man, divination, ritual components, or spellwork, you can find it all in the Encyclopedia of Modern Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism. Here is the ultimate source of information on all things Wicca and Neo-Pagan, an indispensable tool for anyone wanting to learn about the history, traditions and major figures of modern non-traditional religions. Organized alphabetically and designed to be both clear and comprehensive, this book provides definitions and detailed entries on a wide range of subjects—including Witchcraft, Shamanism, Gaia theory, the Burning Times, Pagan festivals, Wiccan holidays, and much more. There are essays on Witchcraft and Paganism’s influence on pop culture, including the crop of Wicca-inspired books, movies, and television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, The Craft, and the Harry Potter series. Discover a wealth of information on such topics as:
Tools of the Art—Athames, Bollines, Pentacles, Anointing Oils, Censers, Chalices, Mirror Boxes
Goddess Worship—“Mother of all Living,” Isis, Hathor, “Star of the Sea,” Ceridwen, Astarte, Maiden, Mother, Crone, Warrior-Protectress
Major Pagan Practitioners, Past and Present—Laurie Cabot, Gerald Gardner, Margot Adler, Selena Fox, Vivianne Crowley, Nigel Pennick
Ritual sex and sex magic—“the Sacred Prostitute,” the Great Rite, Cynthia Slater and the Society of Janus, Annie Sprinkle, Wild Women, Queen of Heaven community
The Ritual Year—Midwinter/Yule, Candlemas, Vernal Equinox/Ostara, Beltane, Harvest/Mabon, Samhain
Vast in scope, this authoritative and well-researched volume—with illustrations throughout—will become an invaluable resource not only to Wiccan and Pagan practitioners, but to anyone with an interest in history, religion, or the occult.
Shelley Rabinovitch, Ph.D., is a cultural anthropologist and sessional lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Ottawa. Her class, “Witchcraft, Magic, and Occult Phenomenon” is the largest course on campus. She has researched neo-Paganism in Canada, as well as other new religions, along with specializations in tribal and folk religions. Her past publications include a chapter in “Magical Religions and Modern Witchcraft” (ed. James R. Lewis), “The Compleat Dagger-Licking Good” (historical cookbook), and “English and Scottish Traditional Ballads.” She lives in Ottawa, Ontario, with three cats.
James Lewis is the author of a series of popular books, including The Encyclopedia of Afterlife Beliefs and Phenomena, The Dream Encyclopedia, Angels: A to Z, and The Astrology Encyclopedia, which received the New York Public Library and American Library Association awards. As a world-recognized authority on nontraditional religions, he has served as a consultant for Eastern Mysteries (Time-Life) and for the TV special Ancient Prophecies. He teaches Religious Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, and he lives in central Wisconsin.
The veil between this world and the spirit world is thinnest at two times of the year—October 31st and May 1st? (See Ritual Year)
The term “Feminist Spirituality” was first used by Zsuzsanna Budapest in 1972? (See Feminist Spirituality and Neo-Paganism)
