{"title":"Books by Jessica Hundley","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9783836585644","title":"Plant Magick. The Library of Esoterica","description":"\u003cp\u003eCelebrating the magick of the natural realm, Volume IV of \u003cem\u003eThe Library of Esoterica\u003c\/em\u003e, delves into the symbolism, ceremony, and our ritual relationships with the botanical world. \u003cstrong\u003eA visual journey through our interdependent evolution with nature\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem\u003ePlant Magick\u003c\/em\u003e celebrates botanicals as creative muse – from ancient Greek sculptures to Renaissance paintings to visionary art inspired by psychoactive plants, cacti, and mushrooms.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eOur myths, beliefs, and shared stories are continually reflected in nature\u003c\/strong\u003e; purity represented by the white lily or spiritual awakening by the bloom of the lotus. Our joys and laments are mirrored in the cycle of the seasons, in the seed birthing sprout, or in the dead leaf falling softly from winter branches. \u003cstrong\u003ePlants, trees, and flowers as signifiers of transition are also deeply embedded within rites of passage rituals across global cultures.\u003c\/strong\u003e Rose petals strewn along the wedding aisle mark the evolution into womanhood and marriage. A wreath of lilies stands sentinel over an open grave. A lover’s bouquet awaits on the doorstep. The wooden May Day pole is circled by girls wearing crowns of woven daisies, celebrating the coming of spring. Birth, unions, and burials – cycles of joyful celebration and deep grieving, all are marked symbolically with herbs, flowers or branches of a tree – \u003cstrong\u003ethe integration of nature into ceremony our method of signifying catharsis\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Since time immemorial, \u003cstrong\u003eplants have also served as potent symbols within the religions of the world\u003c\/strong\u003e; Buddha attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, Eve plucking the Apple of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. From root to vibrant blossom, \u003cem\u003ePlant Magick\u003c\/em\u003e explores the fertile, interconnected history between plants and people, the multitude of ways in which we embrace plants \u003cstrong\u003ein spiritual ceremony, as healing medicine, as creative muse and as gateways into deeper explorations of consciousness\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43127906042034,"sku":"9783836585644","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9783836585644_9d15b02e-8a0f-4cc6-9dc6-5ba0b8670cca.jpg?v=1786035013"},{"product_id":"9783836590600","title":"Sacred Sites. The Library of Esoterica","description":"\u003cp\u003eTaking us on a journey through the history of sacred art and architecture, Sacred Sites explores the myriads of ways in which we imbue our environments with profound and enduring meaning.  From our early designation of nature and the body as temple to our futuristic embrace of imaginary realms, we travel the vast and mystical landscapes of myth, religion, and imagination.  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThrough gathering, we ignite our spaces with spirit, we circle the bonfire, bow down at the forest altar, give praise at the temple to our chosen divinities.  Through pilgrimage, we carve indelible pathways, making our meditative way across continents, generations of footsteps treading, again and again, upon sacred grounds. And through our creative offerings to spirit - we envision new worlds, wildly imaginative odes to what we deem as holy; golden temples hewn of rock, enormous spirals sculpted from sand and soil, silent sanctuaries hidden among wooded groves. We paint the ancient cave walls, carve petroglyphs to mark the way, place roses in veneration at the candlelit shrine.  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSlowly, stone-by-stone, we build monuments to our gods, a cosmic geometry held within our sacred architecture of worship. These hidden patterns can be found in the mysterious, towering pyramids found across the globe and throughout an astounding diversity of cultures, in the marble sanctuaries built to house the Greek and Roman goddesses, and in the windblown mountain monasteries of ancient Asia and the indigenous cliff-dwellings of the American Southwest.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eNature, art, beauty, these are the common elements found both within the places made sacred by our ancestors and in the multitude of environments where we strive to connect to source, and to ourselves.  Tracing a hallowed route from rugged stone temples to transcendent works of modern architecture, the fifth volume in The Library of Esoterica celebrates the collective history of spaces made sacrosanct through human worship.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56310668001653,"sku":"9783836590600","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9783836590600_caa60b98-cc15-43f4-ab9f-54f96f00caf9.jpg?v=1786031441"},{"product_id":"9783836599795","title":"Tarot","description":"\u003cp\u003eTo explore the Tarot is to explore ourselves, to be reminded of the  universality of our longing for meaning, for purpose and for a  connection to the divine. This 600-year-old tradition reflects not only a  history of seekers, but \u003cstrong\u003eour journey of artistic expression and the ways we communicate our collective human story\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e For many in the West, Tarot exists in the shadow place of our cultural  consciousness, a metaphysical tradition assigned to the dusty glass  cabinets of the arcane. Its history, long and obscure, has been passed  down through secret writing, oral tradition, and the scholarly tomes of  philosophers and sages. Hundreds of years and hundreds of creative  hands—mystics and artists often working in collaboration—have\u003cstrong\u003e transformed what was essentially a parlor game into a source of divination and system of self-exploration\u003c\/strong\u003e, as each new generation has sought to evolve the form and reinterpret the medium.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Author \u003cstrong\u003eJessica Hundley\u003c\/strong\u003e traces this fascinating history in this pocket-sized edition of \u003cem\u003eTarot\u003c\/em\u003e from \u003cstrong\u003eTASCHEN’s \u003cem\u003eLibrary of Esoterica\u003c\/em\u003e series\u003c\/strong\u003e. The book \u003cstrong\u003eexplores the symbolic meaning behind hundreds of cards and works of original art\u003c\/strong\u003e, spanning from Medieval to modern, and artfully \u003cstrong\u003earranged according to the sequencing of the 78 cards of the Major and Minor Arcana\u003c\/strong\u003e.  It explores the powerful influence of Tarot as muse to artists like  Salvador Dalí and Niki de Saint Phalle and includes the decks of dozens of\u003cstrong\u003e contemporary artists from around the world\u003c\/strong\u003e,  all of whom have embraced the medium for its capacity to push cultural  identity forward.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56311046177141,"sku":"9783836599795","price":18.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9783836599795_4b0d8589-ee3a-4e8b-b69d-0bc66481cd1d.jpg?v=1786035056"},{"product_id":"mystical-beasts","title":"Mystical Beasts","description":"\u003cp\u003eDragons, mermaids, centaurs and more, \u003ci\u003eLibrary of Esoterica\u003c\/i\u003e’s seventh volume celebrates the divine creatures of mythology and modern fantasy. Through essays, interviews and over 400 works of contemporary and historic art, \u003ci\u003eMystical Beasts\u003c\/i\u003e offers an expansive global bestiary exploring the deep connection between humans and the wild animal realms.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57510106857845,"sku":"9783754400425","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-jessica-hundley.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}