This book reveals -- through a compelling mix of scholarly research, global mythology and lucid story-telling -- the spiritual roots of Western culture: shamanism. An in-depth study of the witchcraft trial records and the testimony of the witches themselves proves that the European peasants accused of witchcraft died, in fact, for the sake of the world's oldest spiritual path. Learn why Shamanism has survived in one form or another to this day.

"With characters who grab your attention, illustrations that invite you to play along, and a plot with more twists than a country road, get ready for a fast and fun mystery that will keep you guessing until the end. How do I sign up to join the Gemini Detective Agency?" - James Ponti, Edgar-award winning author of the FRAMED! mystery series "The North Star is mystery and intrigue at its best. I loved putting my observational skills to the test as I searched for clues in the illustrations at the end of every chapter. Captivating. Clever. Compulsively readable. A must-have for all emerging detectives!" - Lauren Magaziner, author of Case Closed series Join the Gemini Detective Agency and help the teenage sleuths solve the theft of a priceless necklace! Twins Zach and Evie Mamuya and their friend Vishal Desai make up the Gemini Detective Agency, which is mainly an excuse to get pizza together or hit the go-kart track. But when a priceless diamond necklace known as the North Star is stolen before an auction, the kids tag along with the twins' crime reporter mom and find a few clues that make them think this was no ordinary robbery. With the help of their classmate Sophia Boyd, the Gemini Detective Agency is on the case! Will they be able to sort through the clues and solve the mystery in time? Readers will love this interactive mystery, where clues can be found throughout the illustrations at the end of each chapter! The Gemini Mysteries: The North Star is an action-packed novel full of twists and turns that will keep readers guessing until the very end.

Buck, the embodiment of commercial aviation in America, recounts his thrilling life in flight in this exhilarating volume, hailed as "absolutely brilliant" by the former director of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

North Star Country is the story of the remarkable transformation of Upstate New York's famous 'Burned-over District;' where the flames of religious revival sparked an abolitionist movement that eventually burst into the conflagration of the Civil War. Milton C. Sernett details the regional presence of African Americans from the pre-Revolutionary War era through the Civil War, both as champions of liberty and as beneficiaries of a humanitarian spirit generated from evangelical impulses. He includes in his narrative the struggles of great abolitionists—among them Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Gerrit Smith, Beriah Green, Jermain Loguen, and Samuel May—and of many lesser-known characters who rescued fugitives from slave hunters, maintained safe houses along the Underground Railroad, and otherwise furthered the cause of freedom both regionally and in the nation as a whole. Sernett concludes with a compelling examination of the moral choices made during the Civil War by upstate New Yorkers—both black and white—and of the post-Appomattox campaign to secure freedom for the newly emancipated.

Cunning Bat and sweet Lynne send Ken an urgent plea for help when the well in Bat's hometown runs dry. Unfortunately, when the notorious gang Jackal follows the Fist to the unsuspecting village, it turns out that bad plumbing is the least of his troubles! Talk about stealing candy from a baby--this horde of vicious thugs steal water from orphans! The Fist faces his fiercest battle yet when Jackal's leader springs a monstrous convict from prison to do his dirty work for him. Then the Fist meets his match in the person of the Fist of the Southern Cross, his astrological opposite. Which of the two uneasy allies will catch the eye of Mamia, a beautiful woman who is the spittin' image of Ken's long-lost love? --

New York Times bestselling author and Life Designs, Inc. creator Martha Beck shares her step-by-step program that will guide you to fulfill your own potential and create a joyful life. In this book, you'll start by learning how to read the internal compasses already built into your brain and body--and why you may have spent your life ignoring their signals. As you become reacquainted with your own deepest desires, you'll identify and repair any unconscious beliefs or unhealed emotional wounds that may be blocking your progress. This will change your life, but don't worry--although every life is unique, major transformations have common elements, and Beck provides a map that will guide you through your own life changes. You'll learn how to navigate every stage, from the first flickering appearance of a new dream to the planning and implementation of your own ideal life. Based on Dr. Beck's work as a Harvard-trained sociologist, research associate at Harvard Business School, instructor at Thunderbird Business School, and especially on her experiences with her clients over the last six years, Finding Your Own North Star offers thoroughly tested case studies, questionnaires, and exercises to help you articulate your core desires and act on them to build a more satisfying life. “Explorers depend on the North Star when there are no other landmarks in sight. The same relationship exists between you and your right life, the ultimate realization of your potential for happiness. I believe that a knowledge of that perfect life sits inside you just as the North Star sits in its unaltering spot.” -- Martha Beck

From the New York Times-bestselling author of The Secret World of Weather and The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs, learn to tap into nature and notice the hidden clues all around you Before GPS, before the compass, and even before cartography, humankind was navigating. Now this singular guide helps us rediscover what our ancestors long understood—that a windswept tree, the depth of a puddle, or a trill of birdsong can help us find our way, if we know what to look and listen for. Adventurer and navigation expert Tristan Gooley unlocks the directional clues hidden in the sun, moon, stars, clouds, weather patterns, lengthening shadows, changing tides, plant growth, and the habits of wildlife. Rich with navigational anecdotes collected across ages, continents, and cultures, The Natural Navigator will help keep you on course and open your eyes to the wonders, large and small, of the natural world.

In his latest historical novel, bestselling author Robert Morgan brings to full and vivid life the story of Jonah Williams, who, in 1850, on his eighteenth birthday, flees the South Carolina plantation on which he was born a slave. He takes with him only a few stolen coins, a knife, and the clothes on his back--no shoes, no map, no clear idea of where to head, except north, following a star that he prays will be his guide. Hiding during the day and running through the night, Jonah must elude the men sent to capture him and the bounty hunters out to claim the reward on his head. There is one person, however, who, once on his trail, never lets him fully out of sight: Angel, herself a slave, yet with a remarkably free spirit. In Jonah, she sees her own way to freedom, and so sets out to follow him. Bristling with breathtaking adventure, Chasing the North Star is deftly grounded in historical fact yet always gripping and poignant as the story follows Jonah and Angel through the close calls and narrow escapes of a fearsome world. It is a celebration of the power of the human spirit to persevere in the face of great adversity. And it is Robert Morgan at his considerable best.

In 1794 a group of Russian orthodox missionaries landed on Kodiak Island, Alaska, with the intent of preaching to native Americans, baptizing those who would accept the Christian life and developing for them both academic and agricultural schools. Of these missionaries, Father Herman lived among the Aleut people for over 40 years, and earned the nickname Apa or Grandfather. He was often involved with local authorities concerning the rights of local natives, who were constantly violated by explorers and foreign authorities. In this volume, author Dorrie Papademetriou captures the essence of the monk and the world of Apa and the Aleut people comes alive in illustrations of northern lights, Kodiak bears, giant cabbages and angel's wings.