Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. CONTENTS v
3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix
4. PREAMBLE 1
5. 1. Back to Beginnings: Basic Embryology 7
6. 2. Rising to Stardom: The Northern Dipper, Jupiter, and Venus 32
7. 3. Under the Sign of Gemini: Companion Spirits 107
8. 4. Beneath the Heavenly Canopy: The Rise of Placenta Deities 163
9. 5. Buddhism Through the Back Door: Matarajin and Okina 230
10. 6. Astral Deities and Lithic Gods: Shukujin and shaguji 273
11. Coda 333
12. Abbreviations 349
13. Notes 351
14. Bibliography 407
15. Index 465
16. ABOUT THE AUTHOR 477