A lavish heavyweight Dorling Kindersley visually impactful publication about the earliest signs of feminine worship in the Indian subcontinent and early goddesses seen in the Indus Valley civilisation. Archaeological excavations have yielded hundreds of enigmatic female figurines which have been widely interpreted as having religious relevance. They have elaborate headdresses, prominent eyes and thick lips. The breasts are separately moulded and attached to the body, and the navel is deep. They show complex arrangements of hair and flowers and rarely nude; clothing includes short skirts, belts and necklaces and bangles often in semi-precious stones. The volume offers a different perspective from votive offerings and cult figures from Mohenjo-Daro 2700-2100 BCE which is about 90" in height and the black residue suggests that these sculptures may have been used to burn oil or some sort of incense and of religious significance. She is benevolent and nurturing, fierce and terrible, a warrior and a lover. She creates and gives life, is death personified, and the one who grants eternal salvation. She is the ultimate form of reality, the cosmos. The Goddess inspires deep devotion and has been worshipped and revered across homes in India. Shakti delves deep into her fascinating mythology and rituals and unravel the philosophy and adaptation within many belief systems. From the origins of the Goddess in the ancient civilisation of Harappa to her evolution and changed character in contemporary times, the narrative brings together the diverse threads from different cultures, regions and traditions. Stunningly beautiful colour photography throughout, many full page including the famous image by the Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma's rendition of Kali with his blue skin trampling on Shiva to invoke fear. 392pp, 24.2 x 28.4cm.
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Many reminiscent of Arthur Rackham here are 44 beautiful, magical vintage illustrations from early 20th century popular literature including the foremost fantasy illustrators such as Margaret Tarrant, Rene Cloke, Molly Brett and Hilda Miller. Each beautiful colour artwork has on the facing page an outline drawing of the same image for you to colour in, at your own pace, in your own colours if you wish, and either side may be removed for framing. Softback 9" x 11".

Using the Law of Attraction and the powerful concept that like calls to like, find your power and unlock the infinite potential to create the life of your dreams. Step inside the world of MANIFESTING, a practice which empowers you to become the very best version of yourself and embody the person you want to become. Practice happiness, embrace the present, meet the future, nourish the past and create your plan to live the dream. A Best Self Box is a tangible reminder and a Manifestation Journal can be your book about all things beautiful. There are cruel quirks of fate, but Manifesting gives us hope. Chapters include Clarification Medicine, A Happiness List, A Full Body Scan, Gratitude List, A Core Value Cloud, Nourishing Your Inner Child, Making A Vision Board, A Focus Wheel and Affirmation Meditation. Beautifully designed colour artworks, 128pp.

Sub-titled 'Symbolic Numbers and The Sacred Union In Christianity', this is a welcome reprint of the 2003 classic book on creation and spirituality. Author Margaret Starbird decodes the symbolic numbers embedded in the original Greek phrases of the New Testament, revealing the powerful presence of the feminine divine. The New Testament contains wide use of gematria, a literary device that allows the sums of certain phrases to produce sacred numbers. Exploring the hidden meanings behind these numbers, Starbird reveals that the union between Jesus and his bride Mary Magdalene formed a sacred partnership that was the cornerstone of the earliest Christian community. She demonstrates how the crucial teaching of the sacred marriage that unites masculine and feminine principals, the Heiros Gamos, is the partnership model for life of our planet and the ultimate blueprint for civilisation. Her research challenges the concept that Christ was celibate, and establishes Mary Magdalene as the human incarnation of the sacred bride. She also reveals the true meaning of the '666' prophesied in the Book of Revelation. Chapters include The Blueprint of the Cosmic Temple, Architects of the Christian Faith, the Apocalypse Agenda and The Holy Name of Mary among them. With useful glossary. 170pp in large paperback.

Cat's Cradle, Soaring Bird, the Tiger Whiskers that honour your intuition or the two-person sequence of practicing mindfulness with a friend, these ten mindful string games offer you a new sense of inner peace. Includes a tiny instruction book and a golden string is included in the box with a sliding drawer.

A beautifully illustrated account of the history and archaeology of an iconic feature of the English landscape, part of the stunning Landmark Library series. Perched on the chalk uplands of Salisbury Plain, the megaliths of Stonehenge offer one of the most recognisable outlines of any ancient structure. Its purpose - place of worship, sacrificial arena, giant calendar - is unknown, but its story is one of the most extraordinary of any of the world's prehistoric monuments. Constructed in several phases over a period of some 1500 years, beginning c3000BC, Stonehenge's key elements are its 'bluestones', transported from West Wales by unexplained means, and sarsen stones quarried from the nearby Marlborough Downs. Francis Pryor is one of Britain's most distinguished archaeologists and he delivers a rigorous account of the nature and history of the monument and explores how antiquarians, scholars, writers and artists and 'the heritage industry' and even neopagans have interpreted the site over the centuries. Extremely well illustrated and beautifully produced paperback, 236pp, full page colour.

This one-volume guide to occult history and practices is an excellent resource and introduction to the subject. Dostoevsky said that if the Devil did not exist, mankind had created him in our own likeness. The author does not believe in a Devil, but he does believe that there are evil forces in the world arising from the dark side of human nature, which we have denied and disowned by projecting them onto the mythical figure of Satan. Duality is at the centre of the three major religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but there is another way, that of the occultist. Starting with conceptions of Satan in the Talmud, Kabbalah, Book of Revelation, and Koran, the author moves on via the Templars and the Malleus Maleficarum to witchcraft, discussing famous instances such as the Salem witch trials, Aleister Crowley, whose voracious sexual appetite and sadistic streak finally discredited him, and the King of the Bexhill-on-Sea witches Alex Sanders, who was initiated into Wicca and never looked back after he inadvertently stepped into a coven led by his grandmother. Societies such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn included famous people among the membership, and the author examines the exercises promoted by the Dawn's megalomaniac founder who insisted on going by the name of McGregor Mathers, Comte of Glenstrae, based on a mixture of Rosicrucianism, eastern yoga, Egyptian ceremonial magic, and Kabbalah. Hitler and the Nazis used occult practices to reinforce their evil, including the quasi-religious rites of the Nuremberg rallies. The author also discusses H. P. Lovecraft, Dennis Wheatley and occultist rock bands such as Led Zeppelin. 256pp, paperback, illus.

With a careful and considered eye, Olliver surveys the origins of magic, considers its relationship to religion and spiritualism, and discusses how we should deal with experiences outside our understanding through the new science of metapsychics. The overview covers the hidden histories of religion, sorcery, esoterica and superstition, delving into symbols, divinatory practices, mediumship, Satanism, witchcraft and even vampires and werewolves. From bizarre beliefs and disturbing rites to the grisly details of various witch trials, Olliver presents everything with a spirit of scientific curiosity in this now-classic work, first published in 1928 under the title 'A Handbook of Magic & Witchcraft'. He also looks at sexual worship, black magic, and the Kabala, and more modern cryptesthesis, telekinesis and ectoplasmia. Fairly large print, 282pp in illustrated large softback.

The two famous stories of Dhruva and Prahlad tell of the difficulties of the spiritual path and the determination necessary to achieve God-realisation and self-realisation. They contain universal truths applicable to all times and ages and are well known to adults and children throughout India. Dhruva was a young, first-born prince, neglected by his father the King. He resolves to attain an elevated position in the universe not even his father or grandfather could aspire to and transforms his wounded pride into genuine self-realisation. Prahlad was a saintly boy who happened to be born the son of a powerful demon king who tried everything to convert the boy who held fast to his faith in Vishnu. The author Swami lectures on the essence of divine love as experienced through bhakti yoga. 157 page paperback with beautiful pencil illustrations.

Colin Wilson was a highly respected and erudite writer on subjects such as the paranormal, the supernatural and philosophy, with bestsellers including The Outsider and Mysteries. This essential collection of his writings on mysticism, existentialism, consciousness studies, psychology, criminology and the occult is an invaluable introduction. It is the only book to collect extracts from his most important work in one volume including The Outsider (1956), A Criminal History of Mankind (1984), The New Existentialism (1966), The Occult (1971), New Pathways in Psychology (1972) and Mysteries (1978), as well as novels such as The Schumacher Lecture, Visions on the Eiger and The Laurel and Hardy Theory of Consciousness, and his fiction works from The Spider World series and many other texts. Fully revised and updated edition with six essential post-1985 essays and chapters chosen by his bibliographer Colin Stanley and other experts. A Watkins large softback, 315pp.