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Imbolc Correspondences
Evening of Wed, Feb 1, 2023 – Evening of Thu, Feb 2, 2023 Other Names: Imbolg (im-molc)(em-bowl’g) (Celtic), Candlemas (Christian), Brigantia (Caledonii), Oimelc, Festival of Light, Brigid’s (Brid, Bride) Day, La Fheill, An Fheille Bride, Candelaria (Mexico), Chinese New Year, Disting-tid (Feb 14th, Teutonic), DisaBlot, Anagantios, Lupercalia/Lupercus (Strega), Groundhog Day, Valentines Day. Animals & Mythical Beings: Firebird, dragon, groundhog, deer, burrowing animals, ewes, robin, sheep, lamb, other creatures waking from hibernation. Gemstones: Amethyst, garnet, onyx, turquoise. Incense/Oil: Jasmine, rosemary, frankincense, cinnamon, neroli, musk, olive, sweet pea, basil, myrrh, and wisteria, apricot, carnation. Colors/Candles: Brown, pink, red, orange, white, lavender, pale yellow, silver. Tools, Symbols, & Decorations: White flowers,…
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Book Review – Witches, Druids and Sin Eaters: The Common Magic of the Cunning Folk of the Welsh Marches by Jon G. Hughes with Sophie Gallagher
Book Review Witches, Druids and Sin Eaters: The Common Magic of the Cunning Folk of the Welsh Marches by Jon G. Hughes with Sophie Gallagher Publisher: Destiny Books 312 Pages Published: September 2022 Witches, Druids and Sin Eaters: The Common Magic of the Cunning Folk of the Welsh Marches by Jon G. Hughes and Sophie Gallagher represents the collaboration between a lineage Druid and a witchcraft researcher and is a thorough and comprehensive guide to the ancient magickal practices of the people of the Welsh Marches. The insight that Mr. Hughes and Ms. Gallagher bring to this tome is clearly evident in the content as a lineage of…
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Book Review – Rituals for Life: A Guide to Creating Meaningful Rituals Inspired by Nature by Isla Macleod
Book Review Rituals for Life: A Guide to Creating Meaningful Rituals Inspired by Nature by Isla Macleod Publisher: Laurence King Publishing 192 pages Release Date: November 29, 2022 I strongly believe in the power of rituals, which play an important role in my spiritual practice, so I was excited to review Isla Macleod’s book, “Rituals for Life: A guide to creating meaningful rituals inspired by nature.” It makes a wonderful manual for beginners because it goes into depth explaining the their purpose and potential, their gifts, essential components, how to prepare for them, and instructions for creating twenty rituals plus suggestions for variations. With its many…
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Book Review – Essential Tarot Mastery by Alysa Bartha
Book Review Essential Tarot Mastery by Alysa Bartha Publisher: Achillea Fortuna Publishing 500 Pages Published: December 22, 2022 “My love affair with the mystical has been present in my life as far back as I can remember” …this is how Alysa opens the book and begins her About the Author section. The subtitle for the book being “Comprehensive Tarot Readers Guide,” and comprehensive it is. Alysa’s goal was to create a repository of much information, a collection of the things that were not available to her when she was developing an understanding of Tarot. Not only does she detail the structure of the deck and the meaning behind…
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Good God!
Meet the Gods: Attis One of the gods associated with Ostara is Attis (also spelled Atys, Attis, Attin), the mythical consort of Cybele, the Great Mother of the Gods. The two, most likely indigenous to Asia Minor, were worshipped annually upon the return of spring. While there are several different myths, all end with Attis castrating himself and either dying under a tree or being transformed into a fir tree. Zeus is said to have granted that his youthful body never decay. In some of the many tales, Cybele is Attis’ mother; in others Attis is a young, handsome, human shepherd whom Cybele loved and made her priest,…
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Book Review – Introduction to Norse Mythology for Kids: A Fun Collection of the Greatest Heroes, Monsters, and Gods in Norse Myth by Peter Aperlo
Book Review Introduction to Norse Mythology for Kids: A Fun Collection of the Greatest Heroes, Monsters, and Gods in Norse Myth by Peter Aperlo Publisher: Ulysses Press 256 Pages Release Date: May 11, 2021 Introduction to Norse Mythology for Kids is a great book to begin with an overview of Viking Culture, Norse Myths, Norse Gods, Heroes and Monsters. While this book was written for children, it gives a broad overview of Norse Mythology and culture that would be beneficial to anyone interested in this topic. There is also a chapter dedicated to resources to continue your self education with after this book. Our author begins…
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Book Review – Gemstone & Crystal Magic by Gerina Dunwich
Book Review Gemstone & Crystal Magic by Gerina Dunwich Publisher: Weiser Books 231 Pages Published: August 1, 2022 Are You A Crystal Witch? Are you as fascinated by gemstones and crystals as I am? But you’re not sure how to use them in your magickal crafting? Then this book could be the one you’ve been looking for. If you’re more experienced with gem magick, then you might not get as much out of this as a beginner will. But I still think it’s a great addition to anyones’ gemstone and crystal magick library of books. The book starts with an expose of how the author fell in love…
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Jazz’s Gems
Apache Tears Apache tears I find to be an underrated stone. Personally, I have relied on it to get me through some tough times, and it is certainly one of my favourite and most useful in my collection. I suffer from trauma issues, and if you do too- get yourself some Apache tears! If you suffer from depression, anxiety or are going through grief or loss, this is also very helpful as it brings supportive energies that can provide relief. Apache tears are a form of Obsidian but are more lightweight and porous. They are volcanic glass and are classed as a mineraloid. It consists mainly of silicon dioxide, and…
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Crystal Magick
Imbolc also called Saint Brigid’s Day or Candlemas or Oimelc, is the Pagan Sabbat based on a Gaelic traditional festival celebrating the Spring. It symbolizes the halfway point between the winter solstice (Yule) and the spring equinox (Ostara). The word “imbolc” means “in the belly of the Mother,” because the seeds of spring are beginning to stir in the belly of Mother Earth, or Gaia. To celebrate Imbolc, some modern day pagans focus on celebrating Brigid by setting up an altar with the symbols of Brigid, like a corn husk doll, white fowers, a bowl of milk, and candles. Other pagans aim their rituals towards the cycles of…
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The Road to Runes
The Road to Runes News: Possible Oldest Runestone Found in Norway What could possibly be the oldest known rune stone has been found in Norway by archaeologists from the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. The stone is a chunk of sandstone, with clear examples of Elder Futhark runes inscribed upon it. The Historical Museum, connected to the University of Oslo, is calling this find “…a runic scholar’s dream.” The stone will be on display at the museum until February 26th. What are Runestones? The term runestone can be applied to any piece of rock that is found with runic inscriptions on it. There are thousands of runestones across Scandinavia that…