• Interviews,  Reviews

    Book Review and Interview – The Bones Fall in a Spiral: A Necromantic Primer by Mortellus

    Book Review The Bones Fall in a Spiral: A Necromantic Primer by Mortellus  Publisher: Crossed Crow Books 272 Pages Publication: October 3, 2023     “The purpose of an author is to preserve knowledge… the purpose of any who work with the dead is to preserve the history of humanity in flesh and headstone.” – Mortellus I recently had the privilege of talking with Mortellus, author of the newly released title, The Bones Fall In A Spiral: A Necromantic Primer. I had the pleasure of reading their previously published title, Do I Have to Wear Black: Rituals, Customs & Funerary Etiquette for Modern Pagans and was anticipating another great read.…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Icelandic Plant Magic: Folk Herbalism of the North by Albert Björn

    Book Review Icelandic Plant Magic: Folk Herbalism of the North by Albert Björn Publisher: Crossed Crow Books Pages: 306 Rerelease Date: June 27, 2023   There are, without a doubt, plenty of books out there on magical herbalism or green witchery. However, this is the first I have spotted specifically singling out the herbs of Iceland in a magical context. As the author notes, while the mysterious-seeming country of Iceland offers many folk tales and hidden beings, the plants of the island aren’t usually picked out as a point of interest. Albert Björn Shiell has neatly corrected that oversight with this animistic, practical, and beautiful book. This book is laid…

  • Monthly Columns

    Learning Lunar

    Moon Magic and Mystery   The Waning Gibbous Moon Welcome back to Learning Lunar, our regular column looking at different phases of the moon and how you can work them into your spiritual practice. For this Samhain edition of PaganPagesOrg, we’re looking at a waning phase of the moon for the first time: The Waning Gibbous Moon. What Does Waning Gibbous Mean? A waning moon is one that appears to be getting smaller each night, eventually culminating in a dark moon or new moon. As soon as the moon becomes full, the days beyond this are considered the time of the waning moon. A waning gibbous moon falls between the…

  • This Month's Holiday

    Samhain Correspondences

      Evening of Tue, Oct 31, 2023 – Wed, Nov 1, 2023   Other Names: celtic ~ Summer’s End, pronounced “sow” (rhymes with now) “en” (Ireland), sow-een (Wales) – “mh” in the middle is a “w” sound – Greater Sabbat(High Holiday) – Fire Festival Oct 31-Nov 1(North Hemisphere) – Apr 30-May 1 – The Great Sabbat, Samhiunn, Samana, Samhuin, Sam-fuin, Samonios, Halloween, Hallomas, All Hallows Eve, All Saints/All Souls Day(Catholic), Day of the Dead (Mexican), Witches New Year, Trinoux Samonia, Celtic/ Druid New Year, Shadowfest (Strega), Martinmas or Old Hallowmas (Scotttish/Celtic) Lá Samhna (Modern Irish), Festival of the Dead, Feile Moingfinne (Snow Goddess), Hallowtide (Scottish Gaelis Dictionary), Feast of All…

  • Monthly Columns

    Weyland’s Whey

    For Your Deliberation If you were on trial for being a witch, would there be enough evidence to convict you?   Goodbye, My Friend Our feline companion and familiar, Jinx, crossed over the Rainbow Bridge this morning.  Old, gaunt and confused, we knew it would be selfish to keep him with us any longer.  He was a champion.  And he will be missed.   Friendship Is Magic, Too by Weyland Smith It had been a while since I’d talked to my compadre Mihos.  We’d been in the old coven together and had managed to stay in sporadic contact over the years.  It would be fun to talk witchery with him…

  • Monthly Columns

    The Halloweenification of Black Cats

    As the proud kitty mama of my own feline void, we are going to discuss the associations that black cats have with witches and more especially, Samhain. Black cats are most often associated with Halloween, Samhain or witchcraft. In most Western cultures, black cats have typically been looked upon as agents of misfortune. In a lot of other cultures, black cats are seen as lucky. Bringers of prosperity and happiness.   So just how did cats become so intertwined with witches? A number of Pagan deities hold the cat in high esteem. Bastet tops the list with being pictured as a being with a woman’s body and a black cat’s…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Shamanic Reiki Drumming: Intuitive Healing with Sound and Vibration by Faye Johnstone

    Book Review Shamanic Reiki Drumming: Intuitive Healing with Sound and Vibration By Faye Johnstone Publisher: Findhorn Press 208 Pages Release Date: August 15, 2023       The sound of the drum beat softly as I read Faye Johnstone’s Shamanic Reiki Drumming; Intuitive Healing with Sound and Vibration. It’s the first book I’ve read with my drum by my side, periodically drumming and reading as I ventured along the veil of words and worlds. I loved every minute of it. Faye provides extensive materials for beginners as well as the validation and support needed for practitioners in the wide field of healing arts. This book will obviously draw readers who…

  • Monthly Columns

    Pagan Prompts: Journal Prompts for a Witch’s Self Reflection – No. 1

    No. 1: Environment is Everything   Environment has everything to do with your magical and mundane success & health. This month’s Pagan Prompt: what does home look, feel, sound, taste, and smell like for you? How can your home be more energetically receptive and conducive to your work? This prompt is great to do in your environment as an observational exercise. And you can take this as a step toward exploring ways you can make your environment more your own. In Ayurvedic medicine, the first step to healing is identifying the flaws in the environment. It’s not uncommon for an Ayurvedic healer to visit the home of a patient, or…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Emerging from Darkness by Brianna Ladapo

    Book Review Emerging from Darkness: A Spiritual Memoir and Guide Back to the Light By Brianna Ladapo Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing 168 Pages Release Date: June 27, 2023       A long slow exhale and a deep Soulful inhale for Brianna, for myself, and for humanity while reading Brianna Ladapo’s Emerging from Darkness memoir. First I’d like to share that this book speaks of many forms of abuse, manipulation, deceit, and ways of perceiving reality. This book is aimed more for those readers that are unraveling their own belief constructs from the traditional worldviews and narratives of mainstream society, as well as those healing from their own family traumas. I…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – The Unofficial Wednesday Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by the Deliciously Macabre TV Show by Iphigenia Jones

    Book Review The Unofficial Wednesday Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by the Deliciously Macabre TV Show by Iphigenia Jones Publisher: Ulysses Press 144 Pages Release Date: August 29, 2023         My inner child is Wednesday Addams. So when I was offered the chance to review The Unofficial Wednesday Addams Cookbook, how could I refuse? First, the book is in purple and black; those are so my colours. It is entertainingly written. It is not too cutesy, but kitschy enough to be cool. It’s almost too much to hope that the recipes are any good… The recipes are fantastic. They are presented in a simple, straight forward manner (so easy,…