Religious Study Guides

Today, practicing shamanism doesn't mean you have to live in a rain forest or a desert. Thanks to a modern renaissance of shamanic spirituality, practitioners from all walks of life now use powerful indigenous techniques for healing, insight, and spiritual growth. With Awakening to the Spirit World, teachers Sandra Ingerman and Hank Wesselman bring together a circle of renowned Western shamanic elders - Tom Cowan, Carol Proudfoot-Edgar, Jose Stevens, and Alberto Villoldo - to present a comprehensive manual for making these practices accessible and available in our daily lives.

Science and Christianity are often presented as opposites, when in fact the order of the universe and the complexity of life powerfully testify to intelligent design. With this comprehensive resource that includes the latest research, you'll witness how the findings of scientists provide compelling reasons to acknowledge the mind and presence of a creator.

If you’re interested in learning about world religions, this book is the place to start. Packed with informative fact sheets and answers to common questions, this beginner’s guide fills you in on the most important aspects of each religion. You’ll learn about fascinating histories, rituals, and festivals as you grow to better understand the belief systems that offer meaning and purpose to billions of people around the globe.

Heathenry is one of the fastest growing polytheistic religious movements in the United States today. In A Modern Guide to Heathenry, listeners will have the opportunity to explore the sacred stories of the various heathen gods like Odin, Frigga, Freya, and Thor, and will be granted a look into the devotional practices of modern votaries.

Ben Connelly guides us through the intricacies of Yogacara and the richness of the "Thirty Verses." His warm and wise voice contextualizes its wisdom, showing us how we can apply its ancient insights to our own modern lives, to create a life of engaged peace, harmony, compassion, and joy. Vasubandhu's "Thirty Verses" lay out a path of practice that integrates the most powerful of Buddhism's psychological and mystical possibilities. The "Thirty Verses" goes to the heart of the matter—how do we alleviate suffering through shedding our emotional knots and our sense of alienation?

Empower your intuition, dive into your dreams, and get to the heart of the matter with this fantastic guide to creating a marvelous, magical tarot practice. Best-selling author and tarot expert Sasha Graham shows you how to bring tarot into daily life with easy-to-use exercises, spreads, and prompts.

Living Wicca takes a philosophical look at the questions, practices, and differences within Witchcraft. Learn the meanings of over 120 Wiccan symbols and how you can magically use them. Discover the power of Wiccan prayers throughout the day and how you can use them to make yourself aware that the Gods and Goddess are everywhere. Learn how to create your own rituals and symbols, develop a book of shadows, and even become a high priest or priestess.

Lost for nearly 1,700 years, newly restored and authenticated, the Gospel of Judas presents a very different view of the relationship between Jesus and Judas. Rather than paint Judas as a traitor, it portrays him as acting at Jesus' request.

Becoming more like Christ is a lifelong endeavor that may seem overwhelming - especially to those who don't know the next steps. Whether you lead a group of people who have just begun their walk with Christ or those who want to go deeper, the Freedom in Christ curriculum will give you the simple, practical guidance to help others weave faith into every aspect of their lives.

Summon. Scry. Spin, spiral, and sweep. Learn how to bend time, draw down the moon's energy, and use mirror magick. Whether novice or adept, a Witch's world is filled with wonder and magick. It's also filled with the hard work and dedication to learning that are part of living the Craft every day. Silver RavenWolf presents a fascinating introduction to the Craft in To Ride a Silver Broomstick. This indispensable guide presents tried-and-true Witch wisdom, dished out with Silver's down-to-earth warmth and humor.

Too often, political questions are framed in impossible ways for the faithful Christian: We're forced to choose between social justice and biblical values, between supporting women and opposing abortion. As a result, it's easy for Christians to grow disillusioned with civic engagement or fall back into tribal extremes. This state of affairs has damaged Christian public witness and divided the church. The authors of this book represent the AND Campaign, which exists to educate and organize Christians for faithful civic and cultural engagement.

You can be defeated by life's unavoidable disappointments, or you can become stronger because of them. Life's disappointments can send you on a dangerous downward spiral into discouragement, depression, or even despair. But in this eye-opening book, Kay Arthur guides you to biblical truths that will help you break that cycle and instead embrace disappointment as the cleansing fire God uses to make you - As Silver Refined - a reflection of his goodness.

People unfamiliar with Scripture often assume that women play a small, secondary role in the Bible. But in fact, they were central figures in numerous Biblical tales. It was Queen Esther’s bravery at a vital point in history which saved her entire people. The Bible contains warriors like Jael, judges like Deborah, and prophets like Miriam. The first person to witness Jesus’ resurrection was Mary Magdalene, who promptly became the first Christian evangelist, eager to share the news which would change the world forever.

In the chaos of daily life, many Christians long for the time and mental clarity to reflect on scripture, to worship, and to pray. The Tarot can become an unexpected tool in this journey, inviting us to pause, contemplate, and find insight and wisdom in our walk. In The Contemplative Tarot, author Brittany Muller draws deeply on Christian tradition and theology to create a tarot practice built on spiritual reflection, prayer, and worship.

The Bible remains the best-selling book of all time, believed by nearly two billion Christians and Jews to be divinely inspired. But in this hard-hitting new book, author Robert J. Hutchinson proposes that it is actually much more than this. The ideas enshrined in the Bible, he says, triggered a revolution in human thought and established the moral and philosophical foundation for Western civilization.

Scott Cunningham's classic introduction to Wicca is about how to live life magically, spiritually, and wholly attuned with nature. It is a book of sense and common sense, not only about magick but also about religion and one of the most critical issues of today: how to achieve the much-needed and wholesome relationship with our Earth. Cunningham presents Wicca as it is today: a gentle, Earth-oriented religion dedicated to the Goddess and God. Wicca also includes Cunningham's own Book of Shadows.

Astrology for Relationships can show you how other people operate, what motivates them, and how to best connect. It is an inclusive, progressive approach to bonding that addresses compatibility across a spectrum of potential pairings. Look beyond the traditional sun-sign focused, traditionally perceived pairings to also explore relationship compatibility among moon and ascendant/rising signs.

Silver RavenWolf dishes out tried-and-true Witch wisdom, covering the essentials of Witchcraft.

Do you read or listen to The Chronicles of Narnia sensing that the stories are full of biblical parallels, even if you're not always sure what they are or where to find them? This user-friendly companion to The Chronicles of Narnia is written for C. S. Lewis audiences like you who want to discover the books' biblical and Christian roots. Listen to it, and you'll find that this chapter-by-chapter, book-by-book examination of The Chronicles will widen your spiritual vision.

Bruce Shelley's classic history of the church brings the story of global Christianity into the 21st century. Like a skilled screenwriter, Shelley begins each chapter with three elements: characters, setting, plot. Taking you from the early centuries of the church up through the modern era he tells a story of actual people, in a particular situation, taking action or being acted upon, provides a window into the circumstances and historical context, and from there develops the story of a major period or theme of Christian history.