Fictional Practice: Magic, Narration, and the Power of Imagination

Fictional Practice: Magic, Narration, and the Power of Imagination
Author:
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2021-09-27
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 9004466002
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Tying on case studies from late antiquity to the 21st century, this is the first volume that systematically explores the inter-relationship between fictional narratives about magic and the real-world ritual art of practicing magicians.

Storytelling and Collective Psychology

Storytelling and Collective Psychology
Author: Darren Kelsey
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 214
Release: 2022-04-21
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 3030936600
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This book examines the work of psychological illusionist Derren Brown to understand the significance of storytelling and ancient philosophy in our society. Reflecting on the social disconnection and political polarisation of recent times, Darren Kelsey considers how we can rebuild a sense of collective cohesion and common good, weaving together contemporary psychology with ancient Stoicism to cut through the noise of modern life. Kelsey shows that Brown is more than a stage performer: he’s an enlightened magician who offers us guidance for navigating the challenges life throws at us, using his skills and wisdom to help us better understand ourselves and enable human flourishing. In this rigorous examination of Brown’s work, Kelsey makes a compelling case for paying closer attention to our personal, cultural and political stories and beliefs to help create a better future – for ourselves, our communities, and the planet.

The Routledge Handbook of Fiction and Belief

The Routledge Handbook of Fiction and Belief
Author: Alison James
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 815
Release: 2023-12-22
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1000993361
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The Routledge Handbook of Fiction and Belief offers a fresh reevaluation of the relationship between fiction and belief, surveying key debates and perspectives from a range of disciplines including narrative and cultural studies, science, religion, and politics. This volume draws on global, cutting edge research and theory to investigate the historically variable understandings of fictionality, and allows readers to grasp the role of fictions in our understanding of the world. This interdisciplinary approach provides a thorough introduction to the fundamental themes of: Theoretical and Philosophical Perspectives on Fiction Fiction, Fact, and Science Social Effects and Uses of Fiction Fiction and Politics Fiction and Religion Questioning how fictions in fact shape, mediate or distort our beliefs about the real world, essays in this volume outline the state of theoretical debates from the perspectives of literary theory, philosophy, sociology, religious studies, history, and the cognitive sciences. It aims to take stock of the real or supposed effects that fiction has on the world, and to offer a wide-reaching reflection on the implications of belief in fictions in the so-called “post-truth” era.

The Path of Desire

The Path of Desire
Author: Hugh B. Urban
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2024-03-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0226831116
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A provocative study of contemporary Tantra as a dynamic living tradition. Tantra, one of the most important religious currents in South Asia, is often misrepresented as little more than ritualized sex. Through a mixture of ethnography and history, Hugh B. Urban reveals a dynamic living tradition behind the sensationalist stories. Urban shows that Tantric desire goes beyond the erotic, encompassing such quotidian experiences as childbearing and healing. He traces these holistic desires through a series of unique practices: institutional Tantra centered on gurus and esoteric rituals; public Tantra marked by performance and festival; folk Tantra focused on magic and personal well-being; and popular Tantra imagined in fiction, film, and digital media. The result is a provocative new description of Hindu Tantra that challenges us to approach religion as something always entwined with politics and culture, thoroughly entangled with ordinary needs and desires.

Magic and Witchery in the Modern West

Magic and Witchery in the Modern West
Author: Shai Feraro
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2019-06-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 3030155498
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This book marks twenty years since the publication of Professor Ronald Hutton’s The Triumph of the Moon, a major contribution to the historical study of Wicca. Building on and celebrating Hutton’s pioneering work, the chapters in this volume explore a range of modern magical, occult, and Pagan groups active in Western nations. Each contributor is a specialist in the study of modern Paganism and occultism, although differ in their embrace of historical, anthropological, and psychological perspectives. Chapters examine not only the history of Wicca, the largest and best-known form of modern Paganism, but also modern Pagan environmentalist and anti-nuclear activism, the Pagan interpretation of fairy folklore, and the contemporary ‘Traditional Witchcraft’ phenomenon.

Occult Roots of Religious Studies

Occult Roots of Religious Studies
Author: Yves Mühlematter
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2021-06-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 3110660334
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The historiographers of religious studies have written the history of this discipline primarily as a rationalization of ideological, most prominently theological and phenomenological ideas: first through the establishment of comparative, philological and sociological methods and secondly through the demand for intentional neutrality. This interpretation caused important roots in occult-esoteric traditions to be repressed. This process of “purification” (Latour) is not to be equated with the origin of the academic studies. De facto, the elimination of idealistic theories took time and only happened later. One example concerning the early entanglement is Tibetology, where many researchers and respected chair holders were influenced by theosophical ideas or were even members of the Theosophical Society. Similarly, the emergence of comparatistics cannot be understood without taking into account perennialist ideas of esoteric provenance, which hold that all religions have a common origin. In this perspective, it is not only the history of religious studies which must be revisited, but also the partial shaping of religious studies by these traditions, insofar as it saw itself as a counter-model to occult ideas.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
Author: Susanna Clarke
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 1162
Release: 2010-06-05
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 160819535X
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In the Hugo-award winning, epic New York Times Bestseller and basis for the BBC miniseries, two men change England's history when they bring magic back into the world. In the midst of the Napoleonic Wars in 1806, most people believe magic to have long since disappeared from England - until the reclusive Mr. Norrell reveals his powers and becomes an overnight celebrity. Another practicing magician then emerges: the young and daring Jonathan Strange. He becomes Norrell's pupil, and the two join forces in the war against France. But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wild, most perilous forms of magic, and he soon risks sacrificing his partnership with Norrell and everything else he holds dear. Susanna Clarke's brilliant first novel is an utterly compelling epic tale of nineteenth-century England and the two magicians who, first as teacher and pupil and then as rivals, emerge to change its history.

Reading the Fantastic Imagination

Reading the Fantastic Imagination
Author: Dana Percec
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2014-06-26
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1443862975
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The purpose of Reading the Fantastic Imagination: The Avatars of a Literary Genre is the observation of the very hybridity of the fantastic genre, as a typical postmodern form. The volume continues an older project of the editor and a large number of the contributors, that of investigating the current status of several popular genres, from historical fiction to romance. The scrutiny continues in this third volume, dedicated to the fantastic imagination and the plethora of themes, moods, media, and formats deriving from it. FanLit is surely trendy, even if it is not highbrow, despite its noble ancestry. This apparent paradox characterizes many of the literary genres en vogue today, from historical fiction to romance. This very contradiction forms part of the basis for this book. After the success of the previous book in the series dedicated to a “borderline” literary genre – Romance: The History of a Genre was declared by Cambridge Scholars Publishing as the Critics’ Choice Book of the Month in January 2013 – this collection of studies about the fantastic imagination takes a further step into completing a larger research project which seeks to investigate the varieties of popular fiction. Although all contributors in the series teach canonical literary texts, they did not hesitate to plunge into the opposite area of fictional work and, moreover, continued doing so even though such a project caused the “raise of a few (high)brows,” (Percec 2012, 232) as argued in the Endnote of Romance: The History of a Genre.

You're Weird

You're Weird
Author: Kate Peterson
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2017-07-11
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 0143130897
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As seen on Buzzfeed: A quirky and engaging journal that celebrates what makes each of us a little weird Part journal, part activity book, and all fun, You're Weird is a valentine for the inner weirdo in everyone--that part of us that doesn't quite fit in, and secretly isn't even trying. Filled with hand-drawn creatures that are a bit...different...along with lists, writing prompts, activities, and more, it's a delightful and affirming book for creative oddballs everywhere. In our mass-produced world that wants everyone to fit in and fall in line, this quirky book give us permission to celebrate what makes us each unique--and amazing. It's the perfect gift for the creative teen, journal-loving best friend, or indie artist in your life...or for your own weird self.

The Magic of Thinking Big

The Magic of Thinking Big
Author: David J. Schwartz
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 315
Release: 2014-12-02
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 0698198581
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The timeless and practical advice in The Magic of Thinking Big clearly demonstrates how you can: Sell more Manage better Lead fearlessly Earn more Enjoy a happier, more fulfilling life With applicable and easy-to-implement insights, you’ll discover: Why believing you can succeed is essential How to quit making excuses The means to overcoming fear and finding confidence How to develop and use creative thinking and dreaming Why making (and getting) the most of your attitudes is critical How to think right towards others The best ways to make “action” a habit How to find victory in defeat Goals for growth, and How to think like a leader "Believe Big,” says Schwartz. “The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief. Think little goals and expect little achievements. Think big goals and win big success. Remember this, too! Big ideas and big plans are often easier -- certainly no more difficult - than small ideas and small plans."