This book documents the structure of religious diversity in Australia and examines this diversity in the context of the law, migration, education, policing, the media and interfaith communities.Focusing on Melbourne and Tasmania, it articulates the benefits and opportunities of diversity, alongside the challenges that confront religious and ethnic minorities, including discrimination and structural inequalities generated by Christi...

The writers of Practising the Witch's Craft 'provide deep insights for newcomers and for experienced witches into what it means to be a contemporary witch and how witches practise their art and integrate their magic with everyday life.Vivianne Crowley, author of Wicca: The Old Religion in the New Millennium and The Natural MagicianPractising the Witch's Craft tells the stories of ordinary people who have discovered that life is enchanted ...

Offering a detailed introduction to the practice of data analysis, this book is both user-friendly and theoretically grounded. Drawing on his extensive experience of qualitative research, Douglas Ezzy reviews approaches to data analysis in established research traditions including ethnography, phenomenology and symbolic interactionism, alongside the newer approaches informed by cultural studies and feminism. He explains the difference between inductive, deductive and abductive theory build...

Faunalia is a controversial Pagan festival with a reputation for being wild and emotionally intense. It lasts five days, 80 people attend, and the two main rituals run most of the night. In the tantalisingly erotic Baphomet rite, participants encounter a hermaphroditic deity, enter a state of trance and dance naked around a bonfire. In the Underworld rite participants role play their own death, confronting grief and suffering. These rituals are understood as "shadow work" - a Jungian term ...

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Christians details the processes through which LGBT Christians resolve the fraught tensions between their religious, sexual and gendered identities, and examines the associated changes to their religious practice in the pursuit of “authenticity.” The book moves between richly described first-person accounts and clear theoretical analysis, contextualising the disucssion within contemporary theories of religion and same-sex attraction. Through ...

Drawing on the emerging field of narrative theory in sociology and psychology, this book argues that an individual’s response to job loss is a product of the shape of the story a person tells about their experience. This, in turn, is a product of both individual creativity and the structuring effects of their social location. Based on a qualitative study of the experience of unemployment in Australia, three main types of job loss narratives are identified. First, romantic narratives descri...

Do you work magic with herbs? Do you use them in spells, for talismans or simply use their innate powers? If you don't have Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, you need to get it right away. This book has become a classic in its field. Paul Beyerl, a respected author on herbs calls it "…an essential reference book by students of herbalism and magick alike … Scott's personable charm touches every page… I highly recommend this book." And Jeanne Rose, famous author of books o...

Cunningham's classic introduction to Wicca is about how to live life magically, spiritually, and wholly attuned with nature.

"A treasure trove of practical magic for both novices and . . . experienced practitioners . . . beautifully crafted spells that invoke the alchemy of possibility." — PanGaia Magazine

Practice an ancient magic that is both natural and powerful-the elemental Earth magic of rock stone and metal. This comprehensive and clear guidebook by Scott Cunningham has introduced over 200 000 readers to the secrets of over 100 gems and metals. Learn how to find and cleanse stones and use them in divinations spells and tarot readings. Discover how to determine the energies and stories contained within each stone and the symbolic meanings of a stone's color and shape. Also included in ...

From the author of Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner , a guide that's "fascinating for anyone who is interested in food or magic, or both!" (Marion Zimmer Bradley, New York Times– bestselling author)There's a reason caviar has a reputation as a love food, but a little vanilla or peppermint can work wonders too! You'll savor mushrooms like never before after experienci...

Deborah Blake Presents Thirteen Practical, Powerful RitualsDiscover a Witch’s dozen of the most commonly requested and helpful rituals from Deborah Blake, noted author and Witch. These ready-made rituals are designed for popular magickal intentions, including love, healing, divination, and protection. Whether you’re a beginner or a well-studied Witch, each ritual features easily found ingredients and simple steps you can adjust to your personal lev...