{"title":"P. D. Newman","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eP. D. Newman\u003c\/strong\u003e explores profound themes within \u003cem\u003eReligion \u0026amp; Spirituality\u003c\/em\u003e, delving into mystical practices and esoteric traditions. Readers can expect thoughtful examinations of spiritual theory, alongside practical guidance that bridges the metaphysical and the everyday.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe works blend educational depth with accessible insight, making them suited for those keen to deepen their understanding of spiritual philosophy and practice. Whether engaging with historical context or modern interpretations, Newman’s books invite reflection and study.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"tripping-the-trail-of-ghosts-by-p-d-newman-9798888500415","title":"Tripping the Trail of Ghosts","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTripping the Trail of Ghosts\u003c\/em\u003e by P. D. Newman delves into the exploration of psychedelic spiritual practices and afterlife beliefs among the Mississippi mound cultures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExamining the Path of Souls or Trail of Ghosts, a Native American model for the after-death journey, the book demonstrates how psychoactive plants were used to evoke the liminal state between life and death in initiatory rites and spirit journeys. It also explores the symbology of the large earthwork mounds erected by the Indigenous people of the Mississippi Valley and how they connect to the Path of Souls.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe use of hallucinogenic substances like peyote and desert tobacco has long played a significant role in the spiritual practices and traditions of Native Americans. While the majority of those practices are well documented, the relationship between entheogens and Native Americans of the Southeast has gone largely unexplored.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eP. D. Newman examines the role of psychoactive plants in afterlife traditions, sacred rituals, and spirit journeying by shamans of the Mississippian mound cultures. He explores in depth the Native American death journey known as the Path of Souls, illustrating how practices such as fasting and trancework, when used with psychedelic plants like jimsonweed, black nightshade, morning glory, and amanita and psilocybin mushrooms, could evoke the liminal state between life and death in initiatory rites and spirit journeys for shamans and chiefs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe book further explores the earthwork and platform mounds built by Indigenous cultures of the Mississippi Valley, suggesting they likely served as early models for the Path of Souls. Newman also draws parallels between the Ghost Trail afterlife journey and the well-known Egyptian and Tibetan Books of the Dead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46658288320748,"sku":"9798888500415","price":52.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/7157883488913.jpg?v=1752516667"},{"product_id":"theurgy-theory-and-practice-by-p-d-newman-9781644118368","title":"Theurgy: Theory and Practice","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConnects the magical practice of theurgy to the time of Homer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExplores the many theurgic themes and events in the \u003cem\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/em\u003e and the \u003cem\u003eIliad\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnalyses the writings of Neoplatonists Porphyry and Proclus, showing how both describe the technical ritual praxis of theurgy in Homeric terms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExamines the methods of \u003cem\u003etelestikē\u003c\/em\u003e, a form of theurgic statue animation and technique to divinise the soul, and how theurgy is akin to shamanic soul flight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFirst defined by the second century \u003cem\u003eChaldean Oracles\u003c\/em\u003e, theurgy is an ancient magic practice whereby practitioners divinised the soul and achieved mystical union with a deity, the Demiurge, or the One.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this detailed study, P. D. Newman pushes the roots of theurgy all the way back before the time of Homer. He shows how the \u003cem\u003eChaldean Oracles\u003c\/em\u003e were not only written in Homeric Greek but also in dactylic hexameter, the same meter as the epics of Homer. Linking the Greek shamanic practices of the late Archaic period with the theurgic rites of late antiquity, the author explains how both \u003cem\u003eanabasis\u003c\/em\u003e, soul ascent, and \u003cem\u003ekatabasis\u003c\/em\u003e, soul descent, can be considered varieties of shamanic soul flight and how these practices existed in ancient Greek culture prior to the influx of shamanic influence from Thrace and the Hyperborean North.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe author explores the many theurgic themes and symbolic events in the \u003cem\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/em\u003e and the \u003cem\u003eIliad\u003c\/em\u003e, including the famous journey of Odysseus to Hades and the incident of the funeral pyre of Patroclus. He presents a close analysis of \u003cem\u003eOn the Cave of the Nymphs\u003c\/em\u003e, Porphyry’s commentary on Homer’s \u003cem\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/em\u003e, as well as a detailed look at Proclus’s symbolic reading of Homer’s \u003cem\u003eIliad\u003c\/em\u003e, showing how both of these Neoplatonists describe the philosophical theory and the technical ritual praxis of theurgy. Using the \u003cem\u003eChaldean Oracles\u003c\/em\u003e as a case study, Newman examines in detail the methods of \u003cem\u003etelestikē\u003c\/em\u003e, a form of theurgic statue animation, linking this practice to ancient Egyptian and Greek traditions as well as theurgic techniques to divinise the soul.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRevealing how the theurgic arts are far older than the second century, Newman’s study not only examines the philosophical theory of theurgy but also the actual ritual practices of the theurgists, as described in their own words.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47455818186988,"sku":"9781644118368","price":69.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/e82c63bb78060fe5ec752ac93762be21.jpg?v=1774817402"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/p-d-newman.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}