• Monthly Columns

    Spiritual Preparation for Pregnancy Excerpted from The Pregnant Goddess by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

    Spiritual Preparation for Pregnancy     Is Anyone Truly Ready for Pregnancy? On the surface of that question is the obvious answer: If you can conceive or have conceived, then you are physiologically ready for the state of pregnancy. Whether you are mentally, emotionally, or spiritually ready, well, that’s another story. Even if you have previously been pregnant, that experience serves only as a guideline for how this pregnancy will go and how you will feel and react to the changes in your body once again. It is one of the miracles of pregnancy that every experience with it will be different. Every gestation is unique and you must look…

  • Monthly Columns

    Spiritual Gaslighting: Structures that Prevent It (Part 2)

    (art by Kathleen Dalrymple)     In…2020, we may feel as if the world comes to a halt. This huge global crossroad polarizes the forces of humanitarian consciousness and goodwill, for one, versus ancient and outdated forces of control, manipulation, and abuse of power, on the other hand. The fight can be fierce! One of the most noticeable changes we may observe is that in the coming few years, we’ll see more and more individuals taking full responsibility for their role within the society, living in harmony with one another and with the environment. This is how globally humankind will graduate from the state of teenager/young adult to a fully…

  • Monthly Columns

    Book Excerpt – The Sacred Herbs of Spring Magical, Healing, and Edible Plants to Celebrate Beltaine by Ellen Evert Hopman

      Introduction The month of May is a time of great spiritual power for those who are attuned to natural cycles. In the northern hemisphere the sap is rising in the trees and medicinally beneficial new leaves and flowers are reappearing. For Druids, Witches, and other followers of the Nature Religions, May is the time to celebrate love, fertility and the new growth of summer, and most of this book is dedicated to these magical aspects of the May Day festival. The May Pole The May Pole is a well-known British tradition associated with May Day. The pole was covered all over with flowers and greens, then bound with ribbons…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Revolutionary Witchcraft: A Guide To Magical Activism by Sarah Lyons

    Book Review Revolutionary Witchcraft: A Guide To Magical Activism by Sarah Lyons 158 Pages     “This is a book about magic, politics, and how we can change the world when we blend the two together,” activist and practicing witch Sarah Lyons writes in the introduction to her book, “Revolutionary Witchcraft: A Guide To Magical Activism.” What many refer to as energy, prana or the Force, Lyons likes to call power, noting “politics is about power.” Magic has always been used to channel the power of desperation, pain and rage by people with no other means to achieve justice. And because “[w]itches get their power from a connection with the…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – The Sacred Herbs of Samhain: Plants to Contact the Spirits of the Dead by Ellen Evert Hopman

    Book Review The Sacred Herbs of Samhain: Plants to Contact the Spirits of the Dead by Ellen Evert Hopman 216 pages   What a perfect time of the year to review this book! Ellen Evert Hopman has written a very concise book on herbs to use in and around Samhain, and, most likely, at other time of the year, when one wishes to communicate with their ancestors. It begins with a very basic herbal primer – how to know if your herbs are of good quality, how to make salves, tinctures, poultices and more, all things that herbalists know. Part I is “Herbs of the Spirits and the Dead and…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Tarot for Troubled Times: Confront Your Shadow, Heal Your Self, Transform the World by Shaheen Miro and Theresa Reed

    Book Review Tarot for Troubled Times: Confront Your Shadow, Heal Your Self, Transform the World by Shaheen Miro and Theresa Reed 288 pages     Tarot for Troubled Times: Confront Your Shadow, Heal Your Self, Transform the World is written by Shaheen Miro and Theresa Reed, published with a copyright of 2019 by Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC, 65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950. This is a 6 inch by 9 inch soft cover book with a matte color illustration on the front cover and a book description, author photos and brief author bios, and book reviews on the back cover. There are 274 pages with black typeface printed on…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – One Truth and One Spirit: Aleister Crowley’s Spiritual Legacy by Keith Readdy

    Book Review One Truth and One Spirit: Aleister Crowley’s Spiritual Legacy by Keith Readdy 436 pages     I purposely do not read anyone else’s reviews on a book before I read that book. I do this so that another does not influence my view of the book; I must admit books on Aleister Crowley can be a little dry, and difficult. But there’s always exciting tidbits that I pick up. Mr. Readdy’s book is a history book. Therefore, it reads like a history book, and if you’re a history buff that’s fine. I was still able to find a lot of interesting information within this book. I found it…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Sister Karol’s Book of Spells, Blessings and Folk Magic by Karol Jackowski

    Book Review Sister Karol’s Book of Spells, Blessings and Folk Magic by Karol Jackowski 255 pages     The idea of a book about spells and folk magic written by a religious sister with a Catholic background is fascinating. Sister Karol’s Book of Spells, Blessings and Folk Magic is a beautiful book that explores the impact of mainstream religion on what Sister Karol refers to as the religion of “none”. The religion of “none” is described as persons who are “living at the heart of what the Dalai Lama sees as a spiritual revolution, a shift in consciousness touching the heart of those who seek to save their soul without…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Spiritual Rebel: A Positively Addictive Guide to Finding Deeper Perspective & Higher Purpose by Sarah Bowen

    Book Review Spiritual Rebel: A Positively Addictive Guide to Finding Deeper Perspective & Higher Purpose by Sarah Bowen 244 pages     “Contempt prior to examination is an intellectual vice, from which the greatest faculties of mind are not free.” The author is quoting the writer Paley, who in fact is another Christian writer however that doesn’t make the point less valid. We all come into paganism from other sources, and like it or not those sources effected our own journey on a deeper level. This is not a book for those looking for structured black and white thinking on spirituality. It is experimental and requires engagement to get much…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Dancing with Raven and Bear: A Book of Earth Medicine and Animal Magic by Sonja Grace

    Book Review Dancing with Raven and Bear: A Book of Earth Medicine and Animal Magic by Sonja Grace 144 Pages     Drawing on both her Native American (Hopi) heritage and her Norwegian upbringing, Sonja Grace presents 18 original wisdom stories about Earth Medicine and animal magic. In them she’s woven ancient teachings and everyday practical applications such as grounding, mending a broken heart and dream interpretation. Each chapter is a tale, followed by an explanation of the magic and medicine of Raven, Bear and Earth. Ancient teachings are interwoven with descriptions of such practices as smudging and energizing water for healing. Grace shows parallels between Norse mythology and Native…