Weiser Concise Guide

Yoga today connotes many images and ideas -- from holy men on a high mountaintop to throngs of young women toting designer mats. Yoga, meaning 'union,' is actually a many-layered discipline designed to help an individual attain health, serenity, focus, and ultimately, union with the Divine. Aleister Crowley was one of the first Europeans to practice yoga and believed the practice was essential to spiritual growth, stating that 'Magick is a Pyramid built layer by layer. The work of the Body of Light -- with the technique of Yoga -- is the foundation of the whole.' This succinct and uniquely helpful book explores the frequently overlooked importance of bringing a healthy body and a clear-thinking mind to the practice of ceremonial magick or Wicca. While many books on magick discuss the importance of ritual, almost none point to the physical, spiritual, and moral quality necessary to make those rituals effective. Spiritual power demands physical health and the contemporary western practitioner can learn much from the ancient tradition of yoga.

Shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding, Aleister Crowley is one of the 20th century's most revered occult figures. With The Weiser Concise Guide to Aleister Crowley, readers are given a careful, comprehensive overview of Crowley's life from poet to practicing magician as well as his life's work, including the basic principles and rituals of his magical practices. Set aside your preconceptions and dismiss the rumors. Crowley was certainly a complex, controversial, and colorful man, but the truth is far more interesting than the legend.

The ultimate herbalist's bible.Herbalism is one of the cornerstones of magical work, and The Weiser Concise Guide to Herbal Magick presents this vast subject in an accessible, practical manner. While it includes those plants classically associated with magick, such as mugwort, mandrake, and nightshade, it also provides lore and usage of more common plants, such as olive, coconut, tiger lily, orchids, and palms. Other herbs include heliotrope, lotus, mallow, nettle, oak, yew, and willow.This groundbreaking book offers a broad overview of the art of herbalism, along with specific practical instruction in using herbs in magick. It also provides a thorough overview of the historical relationship between herbs and the practice of magick. This uniquely helpful guide supplies the novice with a solid foundation of herbal magick knowledge and history, and more experienced practitioners will benefit from the author's unique and erudite perspective and skill. No other herbal magick book offers this level of information in such a concise form.

In The Weiser Concise Guide to Practical Astrology, Priscilla Costello introduces the reader to the basic principles of modern astrology and unveils the secrets of this elegantly developed language of symbols. Costello shares with the reader both the philosophical and esoteric world view of astrology, while exploring the meanings of signs, planets, houses, and aspects on many levels, as well as its connection to psychology, religion and spirituality, and related esoteric studies. The Weiser Concise Guide to Practical Astrology serves as both a primer for the new student of astrology and a handy reference for the more seasoned practitioner. As complete as it is concise, this course of study delves deeply into the history and true spirit of astrology, making it accessible to all.