Brian Bates Bücher

Gesichter faszinieren uns. Selbst auf Babies üben sie eine geradezu magische Anziehungskraft aus. Diese Faszination ist angeboren und hält ein Leben lang an

Today, many of us hunger for guidance on how best to live our lives. In this fascinating and scholarly book, psychologist Dr Brian Bates offers a journey into a way of wisdom which once was ours a thousand years ago when our ancestors lived as indigenous peoples in ancient Europe. To them the archaic word 'Wyrd' meant all that was sacred and unexplainable - the force which underlay all life. This force was at the heart of their spiritual tradition which, in its scope and depth, had remarkable parallels to the Eastern Tao and the Native Americans' Great Spirit. Drawing on twenty years of research, Brain Bates gives a rich description of the creative, organic vision of the world which our ancestors held - at the centre of which were the shamans, powerful figures who mediated directly with the spirits and the pulse of the earth's rhythm. He also shows how, through practical techniques and mediations, as well as through extraordinarily fertile stories from our past, we can once again rediscover and reclaim our sacred heritage - a wisdom which is still deep within us all, and needs only to be brought to the surface.

The Human Face explores the intriguing story of our most familiar features, delving into the evolutionary, social, and psychological aspects of the face. It raises questions about the purpose of having a face and how we can instantly recognize familiar ones among the six billion human faces. The face serves as a key to identity, defining who we are. Despite having only seven universally recognized facial expressions—anger, fear, happiness, sadness, disgust, surprise, and contempt—we can produce approximately 7,000 distinct expressions. This raises questions about how we interpret these expressions and the ways we may conceal our true feelings. The text also examines the concept of beauty, suggesting that perceptions of attractiveness may be more universal than subjective. It investigates the connection between facial beauty and sexual allure, questioning whether our focus on appearance stems from a simple desire to fit in or if deeper subconscious motives are at play. Additionally, it considers our obsession with the faces of celebrities, pondering whether this fascination is merely a product of media influence or rooted in more profound reasons. Through striking photography and insightful analysis, this book offers a deeper understanding of human nature and the significance of our facial features.

An intelligent popular history of the magically enchanting early English civilisation on which Tolkien based his world of Lord of the Rings.Tolkien readily admitted that the concept of Middle-earth was not his own invention. An Old English term for the Dark Age world, it was always assumed that the importance of magic in this world existed only in Tolkien's works; now Professor Brian Bates reveals the vivid truth about this historical culture. Behind the stories we know of Dark Age king and queens, warriors and battles, lies the hidden history of Middle-earth, a world of magic, mystery and destiny. Fiery dragons were seen to fly across the sky, monsters haunted the marshes, and elves fired poisoned arrows. Wizards cast healing spells, wise trees gave blessings, and omens foretold the deaths of kings. The very landscape itself was enchanted and the world imbued with a life force. Repressed by a millennium of Christianity, this belief system all but disappeared, leaving only faint traces in folk memory and fairy tales. In this remarkable book Professor Brian Bates has drawn on the latest archaeological findings to reconstruct the imaginative world of our past, revealing a culture with insights that may yet help us understand our own place in the world.

Set on a mission deep into the forests of pagan Anglo-Saxon England, Wat Brand, a Christian scribe, finds his vision of the world turned upside down. He finally journeys to the spirit world on a quest to encounter the true nature of his own soul.