-
Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary Special: Flowers for Bealtaine Bealtaine is an Irish festival traditionally celebrated on May Eve (April 30th), with many modern celebrations taking place on May 1st. The word is pronounced Bee-ell-tun-uh approximately – at least that’s my best attempt with my very basic Irish! I think it’s important to embrace the correct pronunciation (or as close as you can get) because Irish is a living language and thriving culture, so anglicising Irish words is needless. I pronounced it Bell-tane for many years – now I know better, I try to do better. I’m an English person whose Pagan path is heavily influenced by Irish Paganism, history,…
-
The Kitchen Witch
Using Leftovers ~ Fried Rice We all have leftovers. I have lived with people – men, mostly – who have refused to eat leftovers. But I come from a family who don’t waste anything at all – not food, not clothes, not anything at all – and I am the same way. And honestly – if you throw away food – you’re throwing away money. That’s how I look at it. And I do not like to waste money. Of course – some people think I waste a lot of money – buying books the way I do – but we all have our addictions! I have a three-day rule…
-
Beltaine Correspondences
Also known as: May Day, Bealtaine, Beltane, Bhealtainn, Bealtinne, Festival of Tana (Strega), Giamonios, Rudemass, and Walburga (Teutonic), Cetsamhain (opposite Samhain),Fairy Day,Sacred Thorn Day, Rood Day, Roodmas (the Christian term for Rood Day, Old Beltane, Beltain, Baltane, Walpurgis Night, Floriala (Roman feast of flowers from April 29 to May 1), Walpurgisnacht (Germanic-feast of St. Walpurga), Thrimilce (Anglo-saxon), Bloumaand (Old Dutch) Date: May 1 Animals: Swallow, dove, swan, Cats, lynx, leopard Deities: Flower Goddesses, Divine Couples, Deities of the Hunt, Aphrodite, artemis, Bast, Diana, Faunus, Flora, Maia, Pan, the Horned God, Venus, and all Gods and Goddesses who preside over fertility. Tools: broom, May Pole, cauldron Stones/Gems: emerald,…
-
Book Review – Naming the God – edited by Trevor Greenfield
Book Review Naming the God edited by Trevor Greenfield Publisher: Moon Books 248 Pages Publication Date: May 1, 2022 Naming the God is the latest anthology brought to us by Moon Books who published Naming the Goddess in 2014. This latest work is a collaboration of 70 essays that explores attributes of male deities and individual gods. The first part of the book offers 12 essays where the authors share their perspectives and personal practice working with various gods of different aspects. The rest of the book is arranged with a focus on one god. Many traditions and cultures are represented in this anthology and on its pages,…
-
Book Review – Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Magical Living
Book Review Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Magical Living by Maria DeBlassie Published by Moon Books 128 Pages Published: October 1, 2021 Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Magical Living by Maria DeBlassie is a very readable book that provides the reader with all of the necessary tools to set out to explore a path of magical living. The content is organized in a way that is easy to move through and offers plenty of opportunities to try out spells, rituals and more. Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Magical Living is separated into eight (8) sections, including the Introduction and Conclusion: Conjure Your Own Special Magic.…
-
Book Review – Tarot in Motion: A Handbook to Embody Wisdom Through the Cards by Miriam Jacobs
Book Review Tarot in Motion: A Handbook to Embody Wisdom Through the Cards by Miriam Jacobs Published by Red Feather Published on October 19, 2021 128 pages Tarot In Motion: A Handbook to Embody Wisdom through the Cards is by Miriam Jacobs, published by Red Feather Mind, Body, Spirit, an imprint of Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310. Copyright 2021 by Miriam Jacobs. Tarot in Motion is a 6 inch by 9 inch soft cover book with a matte finish full color front cover showing the book’s title and a back cover containing a description of the book. It contains 128 pages with black…
-
MagickalArts
Time To See With A Fresh Perspective This time of the year always feels ripe with possibilities, so I decided to offer an excerpt from one of my books as inspiration to begin a new astrological year (with the heralding of Aries) as a study in the changing energies and potential held as the Sun stations from one astrological sign into the next. In the February Issue we explored The Magick of Pisces and I would like to continue that exploration as the astrological wheel begins anew with Aries…. *Excerpted from: The Temple of the Sun-An Astrological Solar Year. R. Fennelly. Feb2022 MAGICKAL ARIES: ALL…
-
Book Review – Banishing Snakes with Fire: 13 Rituals to Reclaim Your Authentic Self by James Dey Harris
Book Review Banishing Snakes with Fire: 13 Rituals to Reclaim Your Authentic Self by James Dey Harris Self-published 238 pages Publication date: December 30, 2021 Banishing Snakes with Fire is a beautiful book. Author James Dey Harris takes us on a journey through the inner and outer landscapes of his life from childhood and offers us practices to make this journey in tandem with him. He explains that he wrote the book while doing the work – prospectively – inhabiting each phase of his soulful exploration as he recorded it. It’s not a retrospective look at the healing and self-revelation from the mountain top once he’s already arrived,…
-
A Runic Prayer for Peace
Anyone who follows my blog will know that I’ve recently become reacquainted with Loki, a Norse God primarily associated with mischief and trickery. Most followers of Loki will know that this is a massive simplification of this complex and fascinating God. Loki is a catalyst for transformation, growth – and a welcome reminder not to take ourselves too seriously! As I created my altar for Loki, I knew I wanted a special piece that would be uniquely Loki’s. With that in mind, I commissioned my dear friend who is a jeweler and wire worker to create Loki’s name in runes. These runes represent a transliteration of Loki’s name.…
-
Book Review – The Big Book of Magical Incense by Sara L. Mastros
Book Review The Big Book of Magical Incense by Sara L. Mastros Published by Weiser Books 281 pages Publication date: December 1, 2021 If you haven’t made your own incense before, you might not be aware that the art of making and using incense can be as complex and expressive as any other magical art. Part herbalism, part ritual, and part intuition, incense-making is an art that I didn’t know I needed to engage with until I read this book. “The Big Book of Magical Incense” is a well-researched and thorough book that takes a deep dive into incense mixing and making. The first part of the…
