Practices category: 4429 books

Matthew Todd reflects on two millennia of religious action, reaction, and inaction with the arts. His composition mines the question, "What attitudes have shaped the Church's use of the arts?" The book briefly addresses a range of diverse attitudes encompassing the disciplines of theology, philosophy,...

Worship is the work of the people of God. Patterns of worship shape how we pray and how we live. Despite its centrality to church life, worship is too often taken for granted as something a congregation experiences rather than collectively creates. The Work of the People simply and clearly explains...

Explore the realm of the ancestors with author and Pagan scholar Raven Grimassi.  In this fascinating and far-ranging guide, you will learn practices and rituals both ancient and new for communing with the ancestors, specifically:   How to build shrines and altars and make offers.   Where...

As an English-language manual for IFA priests that provides important translations for the Odus, Orunmila’s Words Don’t Touch the Floor: IFA Odu Synthesis stands as a rarity in the IFA religion. Religious workers have few English resources, and the creative approach taken in this book will heighten...

The Church in Act explores the dynamics of ecclesial and liturgical theology, examining the body of Christ in action. Maxwell E. Johnson, one of the premier liturgical specialists in the field, provides in this volume historical and doctrinal thinking on a diversity of liturgical subjects under the...

Magic and the Supernatural in Fourth Century Syria presents an in-depth investigation of a variety of ‘magical’ practices with a focused study in the late antique Syria and Palestine. Offering new research using both archaeological and literary sources, and blending Classical, Jewish, and...

In the not-too-distant past, visits to the Blessed Sacrament and participation in Forty Hours Devotion were almost extinct practices. Yet today devotion to the Eucharist has regained its popularity as a pathway to a deep and intimate union with the Lord. A new generation of believers is longing for...

Self-Dedication, Initiation and Some Final Thoughts. Year 1 in Witchcraft: A Wiccan Themed Series How to mark the end of your first year of Wiccan study? You are now at an important stage in your Wiccan life; having completed the basics you are in an excellent position to answer the question...

An examination of the sacred botany and the pagan origins and rituals of Christmas • Analyzes the symbolism of the many plants associated with Christmas • Reveals the shamanic rituals that are at the heart of the Christmas celebration The day on which many commemorate the...

A large majority of the South African population adheres to some form of traditional belief and this book considers whether indigenous African religions, independent African churches, and traditional practices deserve constitutional protection and recognition by the state. It also discusses what the...

The greatest Witches of folklore practiced their craft by conjuring spirits and employing a familiar spirit. Now, centuries later, these arts—supposedly the domain of ceremonial magicians only—can be perfected by modern Witches. In this groundbreaking book, Witch and ritual magician Frater Barrabbas...

Crow Christianity speaks in many voices, and in the pages of Crow Jesus, these voices tell a complex story of Christian faith and Native tradition combining and reshaping each other to create a new and richly varied religious identity. In this collection of narratives, fifteen members of the Apsáalooke...

Providing a unique anthropological perspective on Jewish mysticism and magic, this book is a study of Jewish rites and rituals and how the analysis of early literature provides the roots for understanding religious practices. It includes analysis on the importance of sacrifice, amulets, and names, and their underlying cultural constructs and the persistence of their symbolic significance.

Then We'll Sing a New Song is a fascinating examination of how African religions have shaped belief and practices in America. Not just the story of the development of African American religions or the black church, this book tells the often-unrecognized, but important story of how African religions...