Seeking the MysteryAn Introduction to Pagan Theologies
Contemporary Paganism focuses on practice, often neglecting theology. Yet belief and practice are intertwined. As the religious movement continues to grow, so does the need for intellectual frameworks for practice and ways of approaching the controversial question of belief. In this book, Christine Hoff Kraemer asks central questions about the varieties of Pagan belief: Why is multiplicity so important to contemporary Pagan understanding of deities? How do Pagans experience divinity in nature? In what way can the human body be a sacred site? And what are “virtue ethics” for Pagans? With more than 1.2 million Pagans in the United States and significant numbers elsewhere, Seeking the Mystery is important for Pagan self-understanding and also for non-Pagans who want to understand what their Pagan neighbors believe. This short introduction to Pagan theology – or better, theologies – is a valuable primer for students and practitioners alike. Includes chapter summaries, discussion questions, and activities for individual and group study. (147 pages, 6"x9")
Pagan PolyamorySecond Edition of the Tribe of Hearts
Neo-Paganism has always been an umbrella religious movement which appreciates and celebrates many different kinds of love, including non-monogamous relationships. We understand that love can be sacred, no matter how it evolves and changes. Pagan Polyamory, the manual for the Sacred Tribe of Hearts, has been there for a long time, helping people find their feet on this path. This new second edition expands the horizons as the polyamory demographic has itself expanded with new imaginings and ways of connecting with each other. (372 pages, 6"x9")
Casting a Queer CircleNon-Binary Witchcraft
Many people come to traditional Wicca or Witchcraft seeking the benefits of shared ritual, spiritual community, and formalized training, but the inherent sex and gender binaries that permeate modern Wicca can make anyone who exists outside of that polarity feel unimportant or excluded. Even people who identify within a gender binary but want their spiritual or religious practice to reflect a spectrum of life experiences can feel stifled and smothered in the biases of Wicca-based Paganism.
Thista Minai has created an alternative.
Casting a Queer Circle describes Spectrum Gate Mysteries, a new ritual system conceived as a direct answer to those of us who appreciate the wisdom and power of traditional Wicca, yet need something more inclusive. Here you'll find the fundamentals of queering witchcraft, from casting a Circle and celebrating the Wheel of the Year, to Rites of Passage and creating a coven. Bring your identity into your sacred work, and worship on your own terms. (180 pages, 6"x9")
Pagan Consent Culture
Building Communities of Empathy and Autonomy
In this collection, Druids, Wiccans, Heathens, Polytheists, and others show how to ground good consent practices in Pagan stories, liturgies, and values. Although many Pagans see the body and sexuality as sacred, Pagan communities still struggle with the reality of assault and abuse. To build consent culture, good consent practices must be embraced by communities, not just by individuals—and consent is about much more than sexuality. Consent culture begins with the idea of autonomy, with recognizing our right to control our bodies in all areas of life; and it is sustained by empathy, the ability to understand and share the emotional states of others. (536 pages, 6"x9")
Odin's ChosenA Handbook of Ásatrú
Odin's Chosen: A Handbook of Ásatrú was written for Odinist/Asatruar seeking to expand their knowledge of the Old ways and for individuals who are seeking a comprehensive guide that encompasses the essentials of our religion. Within this text you will find: The History of Ásatrú; The Norse Creation Myth; Ragnarök; Yggdrasil and the Nine Worlds; The Soul and Afterlife Concepts; Runes of the Elder Furhark; A Calendar of Our Holy Days; How to Conduct a Blót, Feast, and Sumble; Burial Customs, Kindred Structure; and much more... (246 pages, 6"x9")
Calling to Our Ancestors
The Ancestors can be found by many roads: by blood, adoption, the Gods we worship, and the Elements that sustain us. They can be found in the newly or ancient Dead, in the old forests or the candle flame. The devotional is dedicated to giving a voice to those roads, and to those who seek the Ancestors. (112 pages, 6"x9")
Candles in the Cave
Northern Tradition Paganism for Prisoners
Hope and faith are candles that burn in the soul, in even the darkest cave – including the prison cell. This book explores the prayers and practices of Northern Tradition Paganism, in a version written specifically for prisoners. Each prayer and ritual can be done alone in a cell if necessary, with only pencil and paper, or not even that. Many practitioners both on the inside and outside contributed their words to this book, sharing their joys, their faith, and their anchor in the storm. May the Gods be hailed, even in behind chains and bars, and may their worshipers be blessed!
Asphodel Press is proud to be able to offer this book at heavily discounted price to anyone currently in prison. If you are ordering this book for a prisoner, include the prisoner's full name and ID number with the prison address. Please be aware of any mailing restrictions the prison has, as we cannot give refunds for books destroyed by prison officials. (416 pages, 6"x9")
Horn and BannerRituals for the Northern Tradition
As long as we have had Gods and ancestors, we have created rituals to honor them and to mark the turning points in our lives. Although the rites of the ancient people of northern Europe were almost all obliterated, modern inheritors of this tradition are creating new ceremonies to bless our lives and celebrate our Gods. Horn and Banner contains a rainbow of Norse/Germanic-inspired rites contributed by practitioners around the world, and from many branches of the Northern Tradition. May they light your way and guide your path. (362 pages, 6"x9")
Bull of Heaven
The Mythic Life of Eddie Buczynski
And the Rise of the New York Pagan
As a teenager, Eddie Buczynski had dreamed of becoming a Jesuit Priest. Rejected by the Church because of his questioning mind and budding homosexuality, his feet were soon set on a different path-one that would lead from his childhood home in Ozone Park to the raucous streets of ‘60s Greenwich Village, through the burgeoning Neo-Pagan spiritual movement of the ‘70s, before depositing him into the academic realm of Classical & Near Eastern archaeology. Bringing together the threads of disparate subcultures, social movements, spiritual paths and characters, “Bull of Heaven” weaves Buczynski’s life into a tapestry that encompasses the history of contemporary Paganism and the occult in New York City. And in so doing, it offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of GLBT men and women whose heretofore untold contributions helped to shape the face of contemporary Paganism. Part biography, part history, Bull of Heaven shines a spotlight on that rarest of beasts -- a previously unstudied slice of New York City history. (724 pages, 6.14"x9.21")
EarthBoundPagan Homesteading
A guide to rural living, small farming, and self-sufficiency as an earth-centered spiritual discipline. While it has hundreds of tips on simple, practical skills, its greatest gift lies in the words of its contributors -- Pagan and Heathen homesteaders across the continent. This book is not only about what we do, it's about how and why we do it, and what that means to our souls. Whether you homestead yourself, or you'd like to someday, or you simply want to drink in the virtual life around many different Pagan homesteads, this book will educate you in many ways. Five different photographers and one artist donated their work to this lavishly illustrated, full color book. Revised second edition, now available for download. (459 pages, 8.5"x11")
Dealing With DeitiesPractical Polytheistic Theology
Polytheism―the worship of multiple Gods and Goddesses―is still a fledgling movement in Western civilization after centuries of oppression and near-obliteration. Many consider it mere superstition, but a new wave of polytheists are analyzing their faiths in the same way that mainstream religions have done. Dealing With Deities delves into one theology of polytheism with clear and consistent explanations of belief, placing it on the same stage as any other players in an interfaith examination. For polytheists who want to take a deeper view of their faith, and for non-polytheists who want to learn about what goes on across the many-colored side of the religious fence, this book is a valuable and sensible resource that shows the power and profundity of a modern look at this ancient path. (135 pages, 6"x9")
Sacred MasqueEnsemble Rituals for Pagan Groups
Mystery plays, interactive sacred games, teaching rituals with casts of dozens? As Neo-Pagan groups grow in size and scope, large public rituals with a cast of dozens are becoming more popular. This book holds fifteen years of ensemble rituals from the First Kingdom Church of Asphodel, ready for any Pagan group to use part or all of them as part of their large religious rites. May the Gods and spirits bless us all! (219 pages, 6"x9")
The Pagan In Recovery
The Twelve Steps From A Pagan Perspective
The Twelve Steps developed by Alcoholics Anonymous are powerful tools to transform the lives of people who struggle with addiction, co-dependency, and compulsive behaviors. Unfortunately, Pagans in recovery are likely to struggle with the Christian assumptions and language found in many of these programs. This book is intended to support a Pagan's participation in any Twelve Step program, by showing that the effectiveness and relevance of these tools does not depend on a specific religious or spiritual tradition. This book attempts to bridge the gap between the Christian and Pagan understanding of the Twelve Steps, while remaining faithful to the original Twelve Step process. The Pagan in Recovery is the result of Deirdre Hebert's ability to live her Pagan faith in the midst of a program with a deeply Christian heritage, and demonstrates that anyone, of any faith, can experience freedom from addictions, compulsive or co-dependent behaviors through this process. (138 pages, 6"x9")
Spirals & ShardsPagan Poetry from the Back of the Heart
To be a Pagan is to live in a world that is alive, all around you. Trees and stones and rivers have lives and spirits of their own. Gods send omens in the rustle of leaves, the advertisement in the mailbox, the song on the radio. I called this book Pagan Poetry from the Back of the Heart because so many of us write these poems in solitude, not for any other eyes, just scribbled down because we saw and felt and had to do something. These poems are from the part of the heart not often seen, the reclusive part that writes in the wee hours and then carefully saves what may never be seen. We tuck them away, between the old outworn toys from our childhood and the travel brochures for the trip we'll never take. One day, perhaps someone will want them. Who knows? (133 pages, 6"x9")
The Heathen Cookie Book
A collection of Tchipakkan's favorite traditional (and not-so-traditional) cookie recipes, each dedicated to a different Northern Tradition god or goddess. From sandbakkels for Freya to aebelskivers for Iduna, Tchipakkan makes some of the best cookies we've ever had. (43 pages, 6"x9")
Hermaphrodeities
The Transgender Spirituality Workbook (Second Edition)
Transgendered people have long been robbed of their own spiritual history, not knowing that there were once times and places where ours was considered a spiritual path in and of itself. This book explores both our spiritual history and our modern predicaments, shaping the outline of a contemporary spiritual path for those of us who don't fit into just one gender box. This revised and expanded edition of Hermaphrodeities features third gender myths, deities, personal and group exercises, community service project suggestions, rituals, and interviews with people from all over both the transgender spectrum. We are all sacred and it is time that the world knew it. (370 pages, 6"x9")
Walking the Heartroad
The Devotional Path for Spirit-Workers
Passionate, loving devotion forms the heart of many spirit-workers' lives though it is a little-discussed element of practice. This book explores the many ways deities and spirits connect with us, and the ways that we reach out to them. The trials of a dedicated life only serve to illustrate the ability of love to overcome all obstacles, defeating sorrow with hope and compassion. The Heartroad is the devotional path of a life of service, a path that is never walked alone. (58 pages, 6"x9")
Divine Cookies
A celebration of the world's best cookies and the gods and goddesses who inspire them. A veritable who's who in the pantheon of world religions, and 77 cookie recipes which are kid-friendly and delicious. (165 pages, 6"x9")
Dark Moon RisingPagan BDSM & the Ordeal Path
Throughout history, from the Hindu Kavadi ceremony to the Lakota Sun Dance, the Ordeal Path has been an honored spiritual road to the magic of the flesh, and to touching the Gods. Today many Pagans are discovering this path, by accident or by design. Simultaneously, many practitioners of secular BDSM are finding themselves having spiritual experiences in the middle of their most secular scenes. This book explores the crossover points between both these communities and practices, a cross-section which is growing steadily, baring controversial articles on topics as diverse as sacred pain, bondage, hook suspension, cathartic Pagan ritual, the spirituality of dominance and submission, and being the slave of the Gods. With contributions by noted authors and activists in both communities, and stunning photography by artist and Shibari-Do master Bridgett Harrington, Dark Moon Rising is an awe-inspiring gateway into the Realm of the Underworld... and back again. *ADULT CONTENT* (437 pages, 6"x9")