"This fascinating case study focuses on shamanism and the healing practices of the Taman, a formerly tribal society indigenous to the interior of Borneo. The Taman typically associate illness with an encounter with spirits that both seduce and torment a person in dreams or waking life. Rather than use medicines to counter the effect of these discomforting visitors, the shamans - called baliens - use stones that are said to contain the convergence of wild spirits that have come into being during the initiation ceremony".--P. 209.

A ground-breaking study of ceremonial stone landscapes in Northeast America and their relationship to other sites around the world • Features a comprehensive field guide to hundreds of megalithic stone structures in northeastern America, including cairns, perched boulders, and effigies • Details the Wall of Manitou, the Hammonasset Line, landscape astronomy along the Hudson River, and a several-acre area in Woodstock, NY, with large, carefully constructed lithic formations • Analyzes the archaeoastronomy, archaeoacoustics, and symbolism of these sites to reveal their relationships to other ceremonial stone sites across America and the world Presenting a comprehensive field guide to hundreds of lost, forgotten, and misidentified megalithic stone structures in northeastern America, Glenn Kreisberg documents many enigmatic formations still standing across the Catskill Mountain and Hudson Valley region, complete with functioning solstice and equinox alignments. Kreisberg provides a first-person description of the “Wall of the Manitou,” which runs for 10 miles along the eastern slopes of the Catskill Mountains, as well as narratives about related sites that include animal effigies, reproductive organs, calendar stones, enigmatic inscriptions, and evidence of alignments. Using computer software, he plots the trajectory of the Hammonasset Line, which begins at a burial complex near the tip of Long Island and runs to Devil’s Tombstone in Greene County, New York. He shows how the line runs at the same angle that marks the summer solstice sunset from Montauk Point on Long Island, and, when extended, intersects the ancient copper mines of Isle Royal in Upper Michigan. He documents a several-acre area on Overlook Mountain in Woodstock, New York, with a grouping of very large, carefully constructed lithic formations that together create a serpent or snake figure, mirroring the constellation Draco. He demonstrates how this site is related to the Serpent Mount in Ohio and Ankor Wat in Cambodia and reveals how all of the vast, interlocking sites in the Northeast were part of an ancient spiritual landscape based on a sophisticated understanding of the cosmos, as practiced by ancient Native Americans. While modern historians consider these sites to be colonial era constructions, Kreisberg reveals how they were used to communicate with the spirit world and may be remnants of a long-vanished civilization.

A new addition to the premier first chapter book. When Otto gets lost in a deserted fun house, he discovers that it has been invaded by ghosts who once were a band of cutthroats and thieves. Will Otto find the secret exit in time or will he be trapped inside forever?

Derek Stone realizes that to stop the undead Legion army from preying on those around him he must close the Rift, which allows the dead to enter the world of the living.

Like a beacon of light in a dark world, the soul of a young magician walks the border between this world and the next. The spirit rider must unify her kingdom of magic, or all shall perish. The lands of dragons, trolls, goblins, unicorns, fairies, warriors, and magicians collide as the spirit rider seeks unity. Her journey unveils the great strength that each individual on Earth inherently has within them. For great strength lives within us all

Grief binds the worshipers together in an adagio of sorrow as they encounter the sculptural representation of the Entombment of Christ. Located in funerary chapels, parish churches, cemeteries, and hospitals, these works embody the piety of the later Middle Ages. In this book, Donna Sadler examines the sculptural Entombments from Burgundy and Champagne through a variety of lenses, including performance theory, embodied perception, and the invocation of the absent presence of the Holy Sepulcher. The author demonstrates how the action of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus entombing Christ in the presence of the Marys and John operates in a commemorative and collective fashion: the worshiper enters the realm of the holy and becomes a participant in the biblical event.

"A dagger laid against our throat." Such is the description Prince Dar of the Weslands uses for Zakh Gral, a new fortress built by the Horsekin, the ancient enemies of his people. To help him destroy this threat, the elven prince has called upon his allies: the dwarven folk of the northern mountains and the human men of Deverry to the east. Their leaders know that if the Westlands fall to the Horsekin, their own throats will feel that dagger next. Joining them are two powerful dragons, who have their own bitter reasons to hate the Horsekin. But the fanatical Horsekin believe they have the most powerful ally of all, a new goddess. Alshandra's priestesses have announced that She has given the Horsekin the lands belonging to the prince--and that his people must be utterly destroyed....

"In a world where ancient powers stir, the destiny of realms hangs in the balance." Imagine a world where Spirit Energy is the essence of all life, a mystical force harnessed to fulfill everyday tasks and grand endeavors alike. Here, the essence of existence flows through every leaf and stone, empowering those skilled enough to harness its force. In this world of harmony and mysticism, peace is cherished, but beneath the surface, the quest for greater power brews silently. Enter Kai, a young and aspiring spirit engineer, fueled by his father's dream and his own ambitions of success as vivid as the energy he seeks to master. Unbeknownst to him, a twist of fate weaves his path with the deeper secrets of the Spirit World. Innocent yet ambitious, he finds himself at the heart of a past calamity, his destiny inexplicably linked to the very core of the Spirit World. Dark forces, cloaked in the shadows of forgotten lore, emerge with eyes set on Kai. They seek to wield his untapped potential as a key to untold power, threatening to unravel the fragile tapestry of his world. Thrust into a journey far beyond the classrooms and labs, Kai must confront challenges that test his very being. Beside him stand Lena and Tim, loyal friends bound by unbreakable ties. But as the labyrinth of conflict ensnares them, can they protect Kai from the looming shadows that seek to manipulate his powers for their dark ambitions? The answers lie shrouded within the Spirit Veil, where each revelation brings earth-shattering consequences. 'Spirit Veil: The Awakening' invites you to a journey through enchanted lands and darkened paths, where each twist and turn unravels deeper mysteries. It's a story of friendship tested by fire, of courage facing the darkness, and of a young man grappling with a destiny that could shatter the heavens.

On the ancient plains of Krynn arise new perils. The village of Yala-tene is flourishing. Twelve years of peace and plenty have allowed the little settlement to grow into a thriving town. But its peace is threatened--from within by an ambitious priest of the dragon cult, and from without by a savage horde of warriors, bent on conquest. Against this array of evil, Chief Amero and the bronze dragon Duranix strive to hold the fragile threads of civilization together. Best-selling writing team Thompson and Cook return to the world of Dragonlance in the second book of the epic Barbarians trilogy.