The Sacred Knife

For as long as humanity has existed, a war has waged between the forces of Darkness and Light. Serving the Dark are Rewera, people possessed by demons, their immortality bought through human sacrifice. The only ones who can stop them are the Pegasi: a special race of mortals who must wield a sacred blade, the Sagrado Cuchillo, in order to banish the demons back into the depths of Hell. Little does eleven-year-old Jason Carver know that he is a Pegasi, and that he was born to play a crucial role in protecting the realm of Light. After his parents are murdered in a devastating car crash, Jason is sent to live with his Uncle Richard, a callous man with a hidden and violent past. Before long, Jason realizes that he is still being stalked by an unspeakable evil: a Rewera who will stop at nothing in making sure that Jason-and his Pegasi powers-are wiped clean off the earth. Jason's only hope for survival lies in his own ingenuity, his ability to trust his mysterious uncle, and the help of a boy who died 160 years earlier. In a story that stretches across the centuries, The Pegasi Chronicles: The Sacred Knife is a stunning portrayal of loss and the will to survive. As the first book in an upcoming series, readers won't want to miss this thrilling introduction to an imaginative world that's much like our own-a world that is pulled between the forces of destruction and compassion....

YOU MUST REMEMBER ALLY WESTER is about to start college, and she wants nothing more than to do well in her studies. But the nightmares of the winged shadows, the flying hunters, will not stop haunting her. KYLE ALLARD needs to turn a quick buck, right now. So when a wealthy Senator offers him a high-paying job, he knows only an idiot would turn it down. He never dreamed it would mean blood on his hands. ARRAN BELPHON is the last Knight of the Sacred Blade. With his homeland destroyed and no other hope, he embarks on a desperate quest to find the one man who can defeat the darkness. A quest that will take him into the darkness of the TOWER OF ENDLESS WORLDS...

The prehistoric native peoples of the Mississippi River Valley and other areas of the Eastern Woodlands of the United States shared a complex set of symbols and motifs that constituted one of the greatest artistic traditions of the pre-Columbian Americas. Traditionally known as the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, these artifacts of copper, shell, stone, clay, and wood were the subject of the groundbreaking 2007 book Ancient Objects and Sacred Realms: Interpretations of Mississippian Iconography, which presented a major reconstruction of the rituals, cosmology, ideology, and political structures of the Mississippian peoples. Visualizing the Sacred advances the study of Mississippian iconography by delving into the regional variations within what is now known as the Mississippian Iconographic Interaction Sphere (MIIS). Bringing archaeological, ethnographic, ethnohistoric, and iconographic perspectives to the analysis of Mississippian art, contributors from several disciplines discuss variations in symbols and motifs among major sites and regions across a wide span of time and also consider what visual symbols reveal about elite status in diverse political environments. These findings represent the first formal identification of style regions within the Mississippian Iconographic Interaction Sphere and call for a new understanding of the MIIS as a network of localized, yet interrelated religious systems that experienced both continuity and change over time.

The Sacred and the Impure in Judaism examines the radicalization of certain Orthodox Jewish groups through the lens of kashrut, or Jewish dietary laws. Mata F. Topel begins with a historical look at chumratization--the tendency among rabbis toward more rigorous interpretations of Jewish law--beginning in Hungary in the late 19th century and on through the nascent radicalization of Israeli Orthodox Jews in the 1950s. Then, drawing on Orthodox kashrut manuals and interviews with kashrut supervisors, ritual butchers, and a diverse group of Orthodox men and women, Topel shows how changes to dietary laws have had a profound effect on the ritual density of everyday life in these communities. Detailed descriptions of the difficulties that Orthodox housewives have in carrying out preparations for the Jewish Passover reveal a certain obsession with following the commandments and customs mandated by authorities. Contrasting medieval practices with current ones, Topel shows that the number of rules for celebrating Passover has increased exponentially in recent decades, an important indication of the chumratization process that effects significant segments of this population. However, she also finds exceptions: While many Orthodox rabbis demand that kashrut supervisors and housewives take great pains to avoid ingesting insects that may be found in vegetables and fruit, they have also become significantly more lenient when it comes to consuming non-kosher meat--so much so that most meat consumed by Orthodox communities today is not kosher. The Sacred and the Impure in Judaism reveals considerable changes in the content and function of kashrut for Orthodox Jews in Israel and its diaspora, which contradicts ideas of purity within this community and the notion that their beliefs and practices are identical to European Judaism of the 18th and 19th centuries, while highlighting the multiple and intricate relationships that exist between a community's religion, food, and identity.

For many, the word Druidry conjures up images of white-robed figures involved in esoteric rituals. But modern Druidry is not wrapped up in a veil of secrecy - it is celebrated openly, in the sunlight of the meadow or the shady leafiness of forest glade. Druids are passionate about the environment, and their worship is above all focused on Nature through the celebration of the changing seasons of the year. Spirits of the Sacred Grove is a very personal journey through the seasons seen through the eyes of a modern female Druid. Emma Restall Orr takes the reader through the cycles of nature, from the chaos of Samhain or Hallowe'en into the dark of winter, through the energy of spring and into the bright summer months - then back through autumn to Samhain. At the same time she acts as a guide along the paths of the sacred rituals. Spirits of the Sacred Grove reveals Druidry as an accessible and compelling spiritual path that offers enormous potential for personal healing and empowerment. Exploring rites of passage and weaving in references to many other spiritual traditions, this book is an intensely rich mixture of the ideas and images of a Pagan Druid priestess.

Answer Brujería's Call and Become a Magical Healer Featuring hands-on exercises, simple techniques, and how-to instruction from a professional bruja, this beginner-friendly guide is the best choice for understanding and practicing Brujería—the healing witchcraft of Mexico and the American Southwest. The Sacred Art of Brujería is adapted from a twelve-month series of classes and presents a wide variety of topics, including magical tools, the body's energetic systems, and effective spellcasting. This practical book covers everything from the history and divine figures of Brujería to the healing, protection, and money magic that you can use in daily life. Explore power words and breath work, treat spiritual maladies, perform different types of limpias (cleansings and clearings), and learn about Brujería as a business. Katrina Rasbold gives you an insider's look at this sacred practice and how it helps others as well as yourself.