Demons And Spirits Of The Land

Author : Claude Lecouteux
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1620554003
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.05/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Demons and Spirits of the Land written by Claude Lecouteux and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-07-17 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An exploration of the wild spirits that once roamed the lands and inhabited the waters and the pagan rites used to gain their good will • Explores medieval stories and folk traditions of brownies, fairies, giants, dragons, will-o’-the-wisps, and demons • Explains the specific rites performed to negotiate with the local spirits and ensure their permission before building on new land • Shows how these beliefs carried through to modern times, especially in architecture Our pagan ancestors knew that every forest has brownies and fairies, every spring its lady, and every river malevolent beings in its depths. They told tales of giants in the hills, dragons in the lakes, marshes swarming with will-o’-the-wisps, and demons and wild folk in the mountains who enjoyed causing landslides, avalanches, and floods. They both feared and respected these entities, knowing the importance of appeasing them for safe travel and a prosperous homestead. Exploring medieval stories, folk traditions, spiritual place names, and pagan rituals of home building and site selection, Claude Lecouteux reveals the multitude of spirits and entities that once inhabited the land before modern civilization repressed them into desert solitude, impenetrable forests, and inaccessible mountains. He explains how, to our ancestors, enclosing a space was a sacred act. Specific rites had to be performed to negotiate with the local spirits and ensure proper placement and protection of a new building. These land spirits often became the household spirit, taking up residence in a new building in exchange for permission to build on their territory. Lecouteux explores Arthurian legends, folk tales, and mythology for evidence of the untamed spirits of the wilderness, such as giants, dragons, and demons, and examines the rites and ceremonies used to gain their good will. Lecouteux reveals how, despite outright Church suppression, belief in these spirits carried through to modern times and was a primary influence on architecture, an influence still visible in today’s buildings. The author also shows how our ancestors’ concern for respecting nature is increasingly relevant in today’s world.

Author : Michael W. Cuneo
Publisher : Crown
ISBN 13 : 0767911415
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.12/5 ( download)

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Download or read book American Exorcism written by Michael W. Cuneo and published by Crown. This book was released on 2002-10-15 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A guided tour through the burgeoning business of exorcism and the darker side of American life. There is no other religious ritual more fascinating, or more disturbing, than exorcism. This is particularly true in America today, where the ancient rite has a surprisingly strong hold on our imagination, and on our popular entertainment industry. We’ve all heard of exorcism, seen the movies and read the books, but few of us have ever experienced it firsthand. Conducted by exorcists officially appointed by Catholic archdioceses and by maverick priests sidestepping Church sanctions, by evangelical ministers and Episcopal charismatics, exorcism is alive and well in the new millennium. Oprah, Diane Sawyer, and Barbara Walters have featured exorcists on their shows. The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Time, and other publications have charted the proliferation of exorcisms across the United States. Last year, the Archdiocese of Chicago appointed its first full-time exorcist in its 160-year history; in New York, four priests have officially investigated about forty cases of suspected possession every year since 1995. American Exorcism is an inside look at this burgeoning phenomenon, written with objectivity, insight, and just the right touch of irony. Michael W. Cuneo attended more than fifty exorcisms and interviewed many of the participants–both the exorcists who performed the rituals and the people from all walks of life who believed they were possessed by the devil. He brings vividly to life the ceremonies themselves, conjuring up memories of Linda Blair’s astonishing performance in the 1973 movie The Exorcist and other bizarre (and sometimes stomach-churning) images. Cuneo dissects, as well, the arguments of such well-known exorcism advocates as Malachi Martin, author of the controversial Hostage to the Devil, self-help guru M. Scott Peck, and self-professed demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren of Amityville Horror fame. As he explores this netherworld of American life, Cuneo reflects on the meaning of exorcism in the twenty-first century and on the relationship between religious ritual and popular culture. Touching on such provocative topics as the “satanic panics” of the 1980s, repressed memory, and ritual abuse, American Exorcism is a remarkably revealing, consistently entertaining work of cultural commentary.

Author : Monica Black
Publisher : Metropolitan Books
ISBN 13 : 1250225663
Total Pages : 201 pages
Book Rating : 4.65/5 ( download)

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Download or read book A Demon-Haunted Land written by Monica Black and published by Metropolitan Books. This book was released on 2020-11-17 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A Demon-Haunted Land is absorbing, gripping, and utterly fascinating... Beautifully written, without even a hint of jargon or pretension, it casts a significant and unexpected new light on the early phase of the Federal Republic of Germany’s history. Black’s analysis of the copious, largely unknown archival sources on which the book is based is unfailingly subtle and intelligent.” —Richard J. Evans, The New Republic In the aftermath of World War II, a succession of mass supernatural events swept through war-torn Germany. A messianic faith healer rose to extraordinary fame, prayer groups performed exorcisms, and enormous crowds traveled to witness apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Most strikingly, scores of people accused their neighbors of witchcraft, and found themselves in turn hauled into court on charges of defamation, assault, and even murder. What linked these events, in the wake of an annihilationist war and the Holocaust, was a widespread preoccupation with evil. While many histories emphasize Germany’s rapid transition from genocidal dictatorship to liberal democracy, A Demon-Haunted Land places in full view the toxic mistrust, profound bitterness, and spiritual malaise that unfolded alongside the economic miracle. Drawing on previously unpublished archival materials, acclaimed historian Monica Black argues that the surge of supernatural obsessions stemmed from the unspoken guilt and shame of a nation remarkably silent about what was euphemistically called “the most recent past.” This shadow history irrevocably changes our view of postwar Germany, revealing the country’s fraught emotional life, deep moral disquiet, and the cost of trying to bury a horrific legacy.

Author : Sandrea Mosses
Publisher : Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN 13 : 0738740071
Total Pages : 164 pages
Book Rating : 4.72/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Vanquishing Ghosts and Demons written by Sandrea Mosses and published by Llewellyn Worldwide. This book was released on 2014-08-08 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A powerful, rage-filled entity throws a man across a room. An incubus heralds his attacks with the smell of burnt cookies. A demon disguises itself as a guardian angel and humiliates a woman to the point of madness. Vanquishing Ghosts and Demons explores more than thirty terrifying case studies of a spiritualist medium and her colleagues. The bizarre and horrifying true accounts in this book will have readers on the edge of their seats, aghast at what is "out there." Investigating reports of creatures from the astral plane who have entered our world through portals or by invitation, Sandrea Mosses has encountered treacherous spirits, other-dimensional beings, and full-blown demonic infestations. Having removed other-dimensional predators from people, places, and the land itself, Mosses is living proof that with the proper training and tools, dark entities can be beaten.

Author : Ras Michael Brown
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1139561049
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.44/5 ( download)

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Download or read book African-Atlantic Cultures and the South Carolina Lowcountry written by Ras Michael Brown and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-08-27 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: African-Atlantic Cultures and the South Carolina Lowcountry examines perceptions of the natural world revealed by the religious ideas and practices of African-descended communities in South Carolina from the colonial period into the twentieth century. Focusing on Kongo nature spirits known as the simbi, Ras Michael Brown describes the essential role religion played in key historical processes, such as establishing new communities and incorporating American forms of Christianity into an African-based spirituality. This book illuminates how people of African descent engaged the spiritual landscape of the Lowcountry through their subsistence practices, religious experiences and political discourse.

Author : CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publisher : CreateSpace
ISBN 13 : 9781512114737
Total Pages : 98 pages
Book Rating : 4.31/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Demon Experiences in Many Lands written by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2015-05-09 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It has been many years since any serious study of demon experiences has been published, and possibly never before a compilation from competent observers in many parts of the world. The reason for this omission is not clear, but the result has been a feeling on the part of many Christians that these strange (to us moderns) phenomena were only valid in Bible times. But if these things are in fact still going on today, the church should be aware of them; and if true in other lands, as indicated in this book, then a further study needs to be made of demonology here in the United States. Item: Could certain types of cases in mental hospitals be better relieved by prayer than by modern medical treatments? This subject needs study, research and experiment by Christian ministers, as well as secular medical experts. As to the truthfulness of the stories in this book, we believe that all are valid. Most of the missionaries and others reporting are known to us either personally, or by reputation, as being honest and not subject to hallucinations. That the incidents occurred seems indisputable. As to why they occurred, and what caused them- that is another question. On the surface there seems every evidence that strange spirits have seized and often spoken through their victims. Many of these incidents parallel those in the New Testament, where the cause is clearly stated as demon possession. Some who read these pages may wish to put forward other explanations than ones presented in this book, and discussion of these viewpoints should prove valuable. This book is not seeking to prove modern-day demonology. It is attempting to open the subject to those who are interested. -THE PUBLISHERS

Author : Walter A. Elwell
Publisher : Baker Academic
ISBN 13 : 1441200304
Total Pages : 1312 pages
Book Rating : 4.03/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Baker Reference Library) written by Walter A. Elwell and published by Baker Academic. This book was released on 2001-05-01 with total page 1312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fifteen years after its original publication comes a thoroughly revised edition of the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Every article from the original edition has been revisited. With some articles being removed, others revised, and many new articles added, the result is a completely new dictionary covering systematic, historical, and philosophical theology as well as theological ethics.

Author : James Brow
Publisher : University of Arizona Press
ISBN 13 : 9780816516391
Total Pages : 242 pages
Book Rating : 4.91/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Demons and Development written by James Brow and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 1996-10 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In contemporary Sri Lanka, long-established modes of rural life are being disrupted in the name of progress. As this occurs, instances of "demonic possession" have been known to take placeÑincidents that may both express the conflicts that result and attempt to resolve them. When residents of the village of Kukulewa were promised sixty new houses, a factional rift arose between those who benefited from the project and those who did not. The breach between what became in effect two separate villages resulted in both divisive accusations of sorcery and spirit-inspired appeals for cooperation. James Brow witnessed these possession trances and sorcery accusations as they occurred, enabling him to convey this richly textured story interweaving political factionalism and troubled spirits. Official projects of development have proceeded apace in Sri Lanka, but until now there have been few accounts of their tendency to tear apart the fabric of rural society. Demons and Development combines an engaging narrative of how development was experienced in one particular village with an original contribution to theories of hegemony, the social anthropology of South Asia, the ethnography of nationalism, and the sociology of development.

Author : Kris Vallotton
Publisher : Baker Books
ISBN 13 : 1441270167
Total Pages : 209 pages
Book Rating : 4.60/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Spirit Wars written by Kris Vallotton and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2012-01-01 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You know the battle is raging--but are you fighting the right enemy? Just as enemies fought Joshua in the Promised Land, and Nehemiah faced opposition as he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, our enemy will fight us as we approach the spiritual terrain God has promised us. Most Christians retreat at the first sign of conflict because they fail to recognize the true nature of the battle. But you can prevail in freedom and joy. Sharing his deeply personal story of demonic bondage, torment and ultimate deliverance, pastor and bestselling author Kris Vallotton turns the idea of spiritual warfare as we know it on its head. He reveals the diabolical lies and strategies of the enemy--attacks and traps so subtle and deceptive that we may find our souls and hearts imprisoned without even knowing it. No more! Now you can win the invisible battle against sin and the enemy. Victory is within your grasp. Will you take hold? "It is with great excitement that I recommend this book to you, knowing that fruit will increase until Jesus gets His full reward."--Bill Johnson, author, When Heaven Invades Earth and The Essential Guide to Healing, senior pastor, Bethel Church, Redding, California

Author : Claude Lecouteux
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1620551446
Total Pages : 248 pages
Book Rating : 4.48/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Tradition of Household Spirits written by Claude Lecouteux and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-07-21 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines how the ancient customs of constructing and keeping a house formed a sacred bond between homes and their inhabitants • Shares many tales of house spirits, from cajoling the local land spirit into becoming one’s house spirit to the good and bad luck bestowed by mischievous house elves • Explains the meaning behind door and window placement, house orientation, horsehead gables, the fireplace or hearth, and the threshold • Reveals the charms, chants, prayers, and building practices used by our ancestors to bestow happiness and prosperity upon their homes and their occupants Why do we hang horseshoes for good luck or place wreaths on our doors? Why does the groom carry his new bride over the threshold? These customs represent the last vestiges from a long, rich history of honoring the spirits of our homes. They show that a house is more than a building: it is a living being with a body and soul. Examining the extensive traditions surrounding houses from medieval times to the present, Claude Lecouteux reveals that, before we entered the current era of frequent moves and modular housing, moving largely from the countryside into cities, humanity had an extremely sacred relationship with their homes and all the spirits who lived there alongside them--from the spirit of the house itself to the mischievous elves, fairies, and imps who visited, invited or not. He shows how every aspect of constructing and keeping a house involved rites, ceremony, customs, and taboos to appease the spirits, including the choice of a building lot and the very materials with which it was built. Uncovering the lost meaning behind door and window placement, the hearth, and the threshold, Lecouteux shares many tales of house spirits, from the offerings used to cajole the local land spirit into becoming the domestic house spirit to the good and bad luck bestowed upon those who seek the help of the “Little Money Man.” He draws on studies and classic literature from old Europe--from Celtic lands and Scandinavia to France and Germany to the far eastern borders of Europe and into Russia--to explain the pagan roots behind many of these traditions. Revealing our ancestors’ charms, prayers, and practices to bestow happiness and prosperity upon their homes, Lecouteux shows that we can invite the spirits back into our houses, old or new, and restore the sacred bond between home and inhabitant.