You immerse your fingers in the warm sacred oil and sweep the golden liquid across your brow. Pungent myrrh incense billows and the air quivers with the words of an ancient prayer. Oil lamps flood the sanctuary with light and magic of the Near and Middle East.

Anointed is a collection of art and articles, poems and prayers, recipes and rituals inspired by Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Arabia, and the Levant. The deities honored within include Athirat, Asherah, Ba'al Hadad, Tiamat, Atargatis, 'Anat, Inanna, Marduk, Allah, Tanit, Nikkal, Cybele, Attis, Ishtar, El, and more.

Cook a Sumerian dinner. Make a balm for dreams or a set of prayer beads. Celebrate the moon Mesopotamian-style or sing a hymn to a Hurrian goddess. Learn about the indigenous polytheisms of the Near and Middle East and about their modern revivals. Let the joy of the deities fill your life.