The Spiritual Power Of Masks

• Reveals how mask rituals are akin to shamanic journeying and allow the mask wearer to personify an ancestral presence, spirit, deity, or power • Examines animal guising and shows how mask customs are tied to creation myths and the ancestral founders of a people, tribe, city, or nation • Looks at morris dancers and mummers in the UK, Krampuslauf and Perchtenlauf in Germanic areas, the Gorgon myths of Greece, Norse Berserker rituals, and the annual Black Forest rite to awaken ensouled masks every spring There is a spiritual power in masks that transports one into realms unseen and gives voice to things unspoken. Within the context of ritual, putting on a mask places the wearer at the intersection between the present and the past, the living and the dead, this world and the Otherworld. Masks make it possible to activate ancient archetypes, with the mask wearer reanimating or personifying an ancestral presence or spirit, a deity or power, an animal or a being of the eldritch world. In this illustrated study, Nigel Pennick explores the magical and spiritual aspects of mask wearing from ancient times to the present. He examines the many mask traditions around Europe and shows how mask rituals are similar to shamanic journeying and near-death experiences and can induce ecstatic states that allow the power signified by the mask to take possession of the individual wearing it. He also looks at the practice of dressing up as sacred animals and mask wearing as it relates to ostenta, events that occur suddenly and without warning that are considered a token or sign from the Otherworld. Unveiling the sacred power of masks, the author shows how masks allow us to transport into realms unseen, embody ancestors and otherworldly entities, and connect with traditions that stretch back to time immemorial.

As a social role the concept of the persona is useful in allowing an individual to move in and out of relationships without being too vulnerable. A persona can be the oil to ease potential social friction. A persona provides for some predictability of relationship, but wearing a mask may become a sub-personality preventing us from embracing our true spiritual identity.

Drawing on secondary works in archaeology, art history, folklore, ethnohistory, ethnography, and literature, the authors maintain that the mask is the central metaphor for the Mesoamerican concept of spiritual reality. Covers the long history of the use of the ritual mask by the peoples who created and developed the mythological tradition of Mesoamerica. Chapters: (1) the metaphor of the mask in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica: the mask as the God, in ritual, and as metaphor; (II) metaphoric reflections of the cosmic order; and (III) the metaphor of the mask after the conquest: syncretism; the Pre-Columbian survivals; the syncretic compromise; and today's masks. Over 100 color and black-&-white photos.

Since childhood, each of us has been trained in the art of wearing a mask. Often passed off as a self-preservation technique to prevent people from seeing what's really going on inside, we've learned how to shield others from discovering our insecurities, our fears, and our past pain.However, what is hidden in the dark will eventually come to light. Emotions like shame, anger, fear, and abandonment that often lie beneath the mask have the power to keep us in emotional and spiritual bondage. We must seek God to heal the broken pieces of our hearts. If you find yourself constantly living in the past, or you feel like you can never let people close enough to you to learn who you really are, this book is for you.This book will: -challenge you to uncover the pain you have hidden behind a mask so you can begin the healing process. -shift your belief that the past can determine your future. -draw you closer to God by removing barriers that prevent intimacy. -help you to identify ways in which God can use your past experiences to help others. God desperately wants you to experience His love and the freedom that belongs to you as a believer. This book will be a valuable tool in helping you get there.

This book unveils the deceptive mask used by the enemy to manipulate millions of innocent souls all over the world. From the pen of an expert in spiritual warfare comes an expose on the enemy's masquerading antics. The characteristics of satanic masks are outlined; principles of destroying the masks are enumerated. Prayer points for destroying the masks of darkness have been carefully compiled in order to lead the reader unto the realm of victory. This book will unleash terror on the kingdom of darkness. The revelations will unmask the enemy and give you resounding victory.

For at least 20,000 years, masking has been a mark of cultural evolution and an indication of magical-religious sophistication in society. This book provides a comprehensive understanding of the mask as a powerful cultural phenomenon--a means by which human groupings attempted to communicate their dignity and sense of purpose, as well as establish a continuum between the natural and supernatural worlds. It addresses the distinctive environments within which masks flourished, and analyzes the mask as a manifestation of art, ethnology and anthropology.

The third volume in Dr. Sky’s inspiring five-part SohKiDo® series, Pathways III and IV: Masks and Rituals focuses on two powerful tools for use in therapeutic healing and self-discovery. SohKiDo, a Japanese hybrid word created by Dr. Sky, essentially means “the way of Transpersonal creativity.” This book explains the third and fourth of its seven pathways. Using masks and rituals as therapy can be extremely effective as an alternative to more traditional and clinical methods. Using a myriad of discoveries from Dr. Sky’s own creative and spiritual journey—including centuries-old Japanese Noh Theater techniques and Finnish lamenting traditions—Pathways III and IV: Masks and Rituals will inspire you to access the healing power available to us all through SohKiDo and its unique and life-changing insights into spirituality and the self.