Vodou Shaman
by Ross Heaven

Providing practical exercises drawn from all aspects and stages of the Vodou tradition, Vodou Shaman shows readers how to contact the spirit world and communicate with the loa (the angel-like inhabitants of the Other World), the ghede (the spirits of the ancestors), and djabs (nature spirits for healing purposes). The author examines soul journeying and warrior-path work in the Vodou tradition and looks at the psychological principles that make them effective. The book also includes exercises to protect the spiritual self by empowering the soul, with techniques of soul retrieval, removing evil spirits and negative energies, overcoming curses, and using the powers of herbs and magical baths. This is a 284-page trade softcover book.

Haitian Vodou Handbook
by Kenaz FilanIn

The Haitian Vodou Handbook, Kenaz Filan, an initiate of the Socit la Belle Venus, presents a working guide to the proper methods of interacting with the full Vodou pantheon, explaining how to build respectful relationships with the lwa, the spirits honored in Haitian Vodou, and how to transform the fear that often surrounds the Vodou religion. Until recently, the Haitian practice of Vodou was often identified with devil worship, dark curses, and superstition. Some saw the saint images and the Catholic influences and wrote Vodou off as a Christian aberration. Others were appalled by the animal sacrifices and the fact that the Houngans and Mambos charge money for their services. Those who sought Vodou because they believed it could harness evil forces were disappointed when their efforts to gain fame, fortune, or romance failed and so abandoned their voodoo fetishes. Those who managed to get the attention of the lwa, often received cosmic retaliation for treating the spirits as attack dogs or genies, which only further cemented Vodou’s stereotype as dangerous. Filan offers extensive background information on the featured lwa, including their mythology and ancestral lineage, as well as specific instructions on how to honor and interact fruitfully with those that make themselves accessible. This advice will be especially useful for the solitary practitioner who doesn’t have the personal guidance of a socit available. Filan emphasizes the importance of having a quickened mind that can read the lwas’ desires intuitively in order to avoid establishing dogma-based relationships. This working guide to successful interaction with the full Vodou pantheon also presents the role of Vodou in Haitian culture and explores the symbiotic relationship Vodou has maintained with Catholicism. This is a 283-page trade softcover book.

Cuban Santeria
by Raul J Canizares

A revealing window into the secret and seductive world of Santeria. A Santeria priest discloses information never before revealed to outsiders; removes the veil of occultism from Santeria to show it as a highly spiritual, thriving religion. Initiated into the Santeria priesthood at the age of seven, Raul Canizares unveils in Cuban Santeria the secret and seductive world of this rapidly growing, yet largely misunderstood, Afro-Cuban religion. With the knowledge of an insider and the insight of a scholar, Canizares astutely examines the practice of Santeria, revealing many of its hidden dimensions while simultaneously providing a fascinating account of its unique textured mix of African, Cuban, and Catholic traditions. The Cuban-born author describes the practices and rituals of the followers of Santeria--from magical herbal prescription and healing to spiritism and animal sacrifice--and explains how for many years the religion has been maintained under the guise of Catholicism to avoid religious persecution. Most initiates are sworn to a code of silence, but Canizares believes that the time has come to move Santeria, a religion of beauty and resilience, out of the darkness and into the light so that a more accurate picture of this rich tradition can emerge.

Talismans & Amulets
by Felicitas Nelson

Since the beginning of time, people have seized upon magical objects to guard against danger, assure good luck, and gather strength along life’s journey. Amulets and talismans still possess this power and this fascinating reference showcases ancient and revered examples from cultures throughout the world. They come from the goddesses of antiquity, Egypt, the I-Ching, Chinese zodiac, Celts, runes, and medieval Europe. Each symbol serves a different purpose: Udjat, the Egyptian Horus Eye, is the protective amulet, warding off evil and blindness, while the tai chi encircled by eight trigrams fosters self-knowledge and the Venus talisman enhances attractiveness, harmonizes relationships, and cultivates love. This is a fully illustrated 265-page trade softcover book.

The Goodly Spellbook
by Coven Oldenwilde

You’re not alone – the majority of the world’s people believe that its neither men nor money that rules the world but magic. Millions continue the age-old tradition of casting goodly spells to achieve health, wealth, peace, strength, and joy in their lives. Folks who do such spellwork are justifiably proud. Blessed with both common sense and conscience, they need never waver in the certainty of what is and always has been. Many still wish on stars, plant by the Moon, and bid the rain to "go away, come again some other day." They still glory in the innate power of their wind-swept hair and become enchanted when a balefire meshes with the shadows like well-woven cloth. Some of us, ecstatic few, delight that by our own rites, we make the seasons turn and the corn grow tall. We take away colic and lullaby the world to sleep with whispered songs we remember fondly from childhood. Sparkling, ecstatic eyes that mirror moonlight are our most common feature. Like innumerable midwives, Gypsies, and granny doctors who preceded us, spellworkers still thrive, devotedly working hand in hand with the powers of Nature. This is a 475-page softcover book.