• Reviews

    Book Review – Earth Spirit: Belonging to the Earth – Nature Spirituality in a Changing World by Julie Brett

    Belonging to the Earth by Julie Brett

    Book Review Earth Spirit: Belonging to the Earth – Nature Spirituality in a Changing World  by Julie Brett Publisher: Moon Books 104 Pages Publication Date: February 25, 2022     Connecting to the land is crucial for healing our Mother Earth. In her book in the Earth Spirit series by Moon Books, “Belonging to the Earth – Nature Spirituality in a Changing World,” Julie Brett shares stories about connecting to place. Most are of her personal insights, travels, and events. Five come from interviews with Aboriginal community leaders, activists, and those practicing nature-based spirituality, each connected to a specific land and its history. By telling these stories, she inspires others…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Mountain Conjure and Southern Rootwork

    Book Review Mountain Conjure and Southern Rootwork Previously published as The Candle and The Crossroads: A Book of Appalachian Conjure and Southern Root Work by Orion Foxwood Published by Red Wheel / Weiser Books 256 pages Publication date: January 1, 2021     I have always been drawn to the practice of conjure – maybe it’s the power in the word itself. It evokes the ability to “conjure up” magic, healing, spirits and who know what else. I know little about it, and indeed, have followed other pathways. I took the opportunity to read Mountain Conjure and Southern Root Work find out more. Orion Foxwood was raised in his family’s…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies by Rebecca Beyer

    Book Review Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies  by Rebecca Beyer Publisher: Simon & Schuster 240 Pages Publication Date: May 10, 2022     “The spirit of a place.” In “Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies,” Rebecca Beyer gives readers ways to come to know the spirit of a place, forming deep, intimate relationships with its plants, animals, minerals and history. There will be a unique magic of that place, too. A witch and a forager, Beyer specializes in folkloric plant history, as well as magical, edible, and medicinal uses. The detailed information about botanicals, and…

  • Reviews

    Oracle Deck Review – The Inspirational Visions Oracle by Judy Mastrangelo

    Oracle Deck Review The Inspirational Visions Oracle by Judy Mastrangelo Published by Red Feather Published on September 28, 2020 50 cards, 120 page guidebook     The Inspirational Visions Oracle is an Oracle deck, created by Judy Mastrangelo, artist and illustrator (copyright 2020 by Judy Mastrangelo), and is published by Red Feather Mind Body Spirit, an imprint of Schiffer Publishing, Ltd, 4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19301. The Inspirational Visions Oracle comes in a 6” x 6 1/2” by 1 3/4” inch thick sturdy cardboard magnetic box that looks like a bound book and could easily be stored with other books in a bookcase. The box has a glossy…

  • Reviews

    Tarot Deck Review – The Relative Tarot by Carrie Paris and Tina Hardt

    Tarot Deck Review The Relative Tarot by Carrie Paris and Tina Hardt Published by Weiser Books Published on November 8, 2021 78 cards, 94 page guidebook     The Relative Tarot: A Guidebook for the Diligent Diviner is created, illustrated and written by Carrie Paris (copyright 2020 and 2021 by Carrie Paris) along with Tina Hardt, and published by Weiser Books, an imprint of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC, 65 Parker Street, Suite 7, Newburyport, MA 01950. The Relative Tarot comes in a sturdy 5 ¼” by 7 ¼” magnetic closure box with a matte sepia- toned finish, and a beautiful vintage image on the cover, with card images and a deck…

  • Monthly Columns

    GoodGod!

    Meet the Gods: Triton     The son of the God and Goddess of the sea, Poseidon and Amphitrite, Triton (“try-ton”) is a demigod of the sea. A mighty merman, stories tell of him living with his parents in a golden palace deep in the sea. Because Poseidon fathered many children outside of marriage with both mortals and goddesses, Triton has as many as fifty half-siblings. Triton is said to be the father and leader of three thousand mermaids and three thousand tritons – creatures who were male or female with matted green hair who escorted the marine divinities wherever they wanted to go. “Their entire body was covered with…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Cerridwen: Celtic Goddess of Inspiration by Kristoffer Hughes

    Book Review Cerridwen: Celtic Goddess of Inspiration by Kristoffer Hughes Published by Llewellyn Publications 336 pages Publication Date: March 8, 2021     Cerridwen, keeper of the cauldron, the “Goddess” of Awen, mother of Taliesin—any modern day pagan would be hard pressed to not have heard her story. But, who is she really? What is her history? How did she become so revered? Luckily, author Kristoffer Hughes elegantly answers these questions and more in his new work Cerridwen: Celtic Goddess of Inspiration. Hughes, a native Welshman, Chief of the Anglesey Druid Order, and a Haemus Scholar has given us a definitive guide to all things Cerridwen. As he follows her…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – The Poison Path Herbal: Baneful Herbs, Medicinal Nightshades, and Ritual Entheogens by Coby Michael

    Book Review The Poison Path Herbal: Baneful Herbs, Medicinal Nightshades, and Ritual Entheogens by Coby Michael Published by Park Street Press 256 pages Publication date: October 26, 2021       Despite the abundance of herbal literature available today, it’s still hard to find accurate information on those plants whose physiological effects are dangerous and potent. It’s easy to see why: many authors don’t want to assume any responsibility for what readers might do with this information, nor do publishers. And so, instead of tackling the challenge these plants present, they write them off entirely, give them the label “poison,” and only explore their attributes in order to identify and…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – The Witch’s Book of Simples: The Simple Arte of Domestic Folk Medicine by Mélusine Draco

    Book Review The Witch’s Book of Simples: The Simple Arte of Domestic Folk Medicine by Mélusine Draco Publisher: Moon Books 208 Pages Publication Date: April 1, 2022     Witches have been using medicinal plants for cures of common ailments as part of their Craft for centuries. The most elementary cure is a simple – an infusion, poultice, or compress derived from a single herb. Nothing fancy, just effective: chamomile tea for sleep, elder flowers for coughs, peppermint for nausea – quick household remedies not intended as long-term treatments. Perhaps because they are so basic, they are often overlooked. Mélusine Draco wrote “The Witch’s Book of Simples: The Simple Arte…

  • Monthly Columns,  Reviews

    Witch & Popcorn

      The Exorcist     Bright Blessings film lovers! Classic horror film, The Exorcist has terrified people for decades with the demons, acrobatics of the actress playing a possessed child, and ingrained beliefs in demonic possession- and it’s one I just can’t get enough of. Watch this trailer here:     You wouldn’t know it to talk to me today since I am such a horror fan, but this film literally scared the ever living hell out of me when I was in high school. I was awakening psychically and had gone on a starvation diet that increased my imagination. Seeing the backwards crawl down the steps in that fateful…