The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets (Paperback) by Barbara G. Walker

This fascinating, scholarly hodgepodge spotlights the feminist underpinnings of myth, religion, and culture. Before being lionized as zaftig Norse angels who guided strong warriors to Valhalla, Valkyries may have offered rebirth through cannibalization. "Little Red Riding Hood" was based on Diana, goddess of the hunt. Marriage was once considered a sin, not a sacred union: St. Bernard once proclaimed "it was easier for a man to bring the dead back to life than to live with a woman without endangering his soul." A few of the other topics expounded upon are the Milky Way, Cinderella, the moon, and males giving birth. While some of the references put a cranky feminist spin on words that might in context have different meaning--St. Paul's oft-quoted "better to marry than to burn," for example--much in this vast tome will dazzle dabblers and intellectuals alike.

The Archaic Revival: Speculations on Psychedelic Mushrooms, the Amazon, Virtual Reality, UFOs, Evolution, Shamanism, the Rebirth of the Goddess, and the End of History (Paperback) by Terence Mckenna

McKenna has been exploring the "Wholly Other" for 25 years.
In this spiritual journey, he ponders shamanism, buddhism, and enthnopharmacology. By the phrase "archaic revival," McKenna refers to a return to shamanism, which he believes can be enhanced by current scientific practices. The next level of spiritual transformation, he explains, is achieved by the intelligent use of psychedelics and should be performed only by thoughtful explorers rather than experimenters, scientific or otherwise. The ideas presented in this collection of interviews, speeches, and articles are radical even now, and will challenge the reader. There are many insights on current spiritual movements such as goddess worship, deep ecology, space beings, and virtual reality. Recommended.

Goddesses of the Celestial Gallery
(Hardcover) by Romio Shrestha, Deepak Chopra

In the tradition of CELESTIAL GALLERY, these striking mandala-style paintings of Buddhist goddesses are presented, together for the first time, in a distinctive format, hand-bound and two feet tall. Romio Shrestha and his team of artisan monks render postmodern interpretations of an age-old Tibetan artistic tradition. Made from malachite, lapis, and marigolds, and painted at times with three hairs of a cat’s tail, these paintings are reproduced in hauntingly powerful detail. From the Publisher • A lavishly produced follow-up to the best-selling CELESTIAL GALLERY, featuring Buddhist female deities such as White Tara ("The Divine Mother"), Green Tara ("The Protectress"), Palden Lhamo ("The Dark Goddess"), and more. • Large format art book includes 36 two-foot-tall reproductions of paintings of boldly reinterpreted traditional Tibetan art. • Includes a preface by art curator F. Lanier Graham, a foreword by best-selling author Caroline Myss, and an afterword by noted religious scholar Andrew Harvey.