Bøker av Sorita D'Este

The Shekinah is the manifestation of the Wisdom Goddess of the Kabbalah, the Old Testament and Merkavah Mysticism. She encompasses the primordial light of creation, the wisdom of the serpent and the inspiration of the dove. She is the beauty of the lily and the embodiment of the Tree of Life. She is also the World Soul, heavenly glory, mother of angels, inspiration for prophecy, and source of souls, as well as being the Shabbat Bride and the wife of God.In The Cosmic Shekinah the authors present a concise history of the different influences of earlier wisdom goddesses on the development of the Shekinah. These goddesses include the Sumerian Inanna, the Egyptian Ma'at, the Greco-Egyptian Isis, the Semitic Anat and Astarte and the Canaanite Asherah. They show that from these ancient sources arose the unnamed Wisdom Goddess and wife of God portrayed in the Old Testament and early Jewish wisdom literature. It is this unnamed Wisdom Goddess who would subsequently become the source for the development of the Shekinah as well as the Gnostic Sophia. The influence of the feminine divine as the Shekinah has continued to find expression, with the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit of Christianity and the Sakina of Islam all being shaped by the enduring influence of the Wisdom Goddess.Through tracing her roles, myths and functions the authors show that in addition to her modern-day resurgence, the Wisdom Goddess has always been present throughout history, even when she has been suppressed and disguised by deliberate exclusion and mistranslation. Drawing on numerous sources including medieval Kabbalistic works, Hekhalot texts of Merkavah Mysticism, ancient literature such as the Egyptian, Sumerian and Ugaritic myths, the Old Testament, Gnostic texts and recent finds in Biblical archaeology, The Cosmic Shekinah draws attention back to the light of divine feminine wisdom.

Wicca is an initiatory magickal tradition incorporating both Pagan spiritual philosophies and witchcraft practices, with ceremonial magick. In doing so it combines magick, mysticism and spirituality into an experiential, practice-based tradition which works with the divine as both masculine and feminine, emphasising growth through balance and discipline. It provides a spiritual way of life, constantly growing and evolving, placing the responsibility for spiritual growth and fulfillment firmly back into the hands of the individual.This book explores the core practices of the Wiccan Tradition, providing insights on the symbolism and the ceremonies, including: * The divine feminine & masculine, Goddess & God * Wiccan ritual structure * The ritual tools * Planning your ritual * Preparing your temple space * The magick circle * The Guardians of the Watchtowers * Ritual content (including spells, divination & invocation) * Cakes and wine * Ritual refinements (including the use of visualisation and voice) * Purifcation and psychic protection * Ritual timing (including lunar, planetary, solar and elemental) * Elemental and other magickal gestures * Elemental pentagrams and landscapesCircle of Fire - A Practical Guide to the Symbolism and Practices of Modern Wiccan Ritual by Sorita d'Este and David Rankine was first published in 2005. The second edition was been revised and expanded by the authors in 2008.