If you’re a traveling Pagan, especially during the warmer weather, make your way to southern Illinois to a little town called Makanda. Longitude and latitude of Makanda is 37.6179° north, 89.2090° West. According to the website for this small town, is called the “Gateway to Giant City Park,” the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, and the scenic River to River Trail passes through this village. It’s also been called the most hippie town in southern Illinois. It was incorporated February 7, 1888, named after local Native American chief. It once was a bustling town that was closely tied to the railroad and was the major shipping hub for Chicago for fruits…

Book Review Pagan Portals The Dagda Meeting the Good God of Ireland by Morgan Daimler The Dagda, the Good God of Ireland, is the subject of the book written by Morgan Daimler. She has created a beginner’s book on a Deity that is multilayered and complex. As of 2017, the time of the writing of this book, the author, Ms. Daimler had not heard of a book that was written solely on the Dagda. The author, Ms. Daimler, has broken the five different chapters up into sub-entries. Each entry deals with a different aspect of the Dagda. Even though there are only 77 pages in the e-book, I found myself…

Book ReviewThe Mixology of AstrologyCosmic Cocktail Recipes for Every Signby Aliza Kelly FaragherPublisher- Adams Media The first ten pages of the book are about astrology and mixologist terms, in defining types of glassware used in serving refreshments. From there Ms. Faragher breaks each chapter down into the astrology signs. Each sign has a page dedicated to explaining some of the characteristics of each symbol. Then each sign is paired with 16 different drink recipes. Each recipe gives a bit of an explanation why each goes with that sign, the recipe, serving size, and directions on mixing ins for serving suggestions (kind of glass and garnish) included. There are 192 (yes…

Beads N Botanicals is a shop on the corner of N. Broadway Ave and W. Water St. in Urbana, Illinois. The first question most new visitors, to the shop, notice is a wonderful aroma and they ask: “What is that smell?” This question always elicits a big smile from either the owner, Catherine, or her longtime helper, Ethel, and a giggle from me if I am standing in the sales space. And the answer is: “The shop!” Catherine is a Certified Medicinal herbalist, Hypnotherapist, and Reiki Master. She teaches on a variety of Health, Creative and Spiritual subjects. Catherine has been using her Herbalist knowledge to create some beautiful incense.…

Book Review Dictionary of Gypsy Mythology By Claude Lecouteux Publisher Inner Traditions Length 183 pages I’ll be the first one to admit that I don’t know anything at all about the Roma, so I found the book interesting. There are several sources that Mr. Lecouteux quotes. His primary source is Heinrich Albert von Wlislocki (1856-1907). The author states that there are 15 different gypsy languages, he has tried to remain faithful to everything as it appears in the source text. He also tells whether the words are feminine, masculine, plural, or singular. And he is very faithful in the way he listed the source text from which he gathers his…

Book Review The Witchcraft Handbook: Unleash Your Magical Powers to Create the Life You Want By Midia Star This is a beginner’s book, someone who has some experience may use the spells in this book just as a jumping off point to create some new spells. At the very beginning of the book, the first thing the author writes is “Witchcraft is the practical side of the Wiccan religion.” I have to say that I disagree with that statement because not all witches are Wiccan. I had a hard time on telling what demographic the writer was going after with this book. There are spells for home, sex, work, and…

The Circle of Nine: An Archetypal Journey to Awaken the Divine Feminine Within by Cherry Gilchrist     publisher: Weiser books © 2018 length: 252 pages This book is a rewrite of an earlier work the author wrote in the 1980s; the author talks about what it was like trying to write this book, the first time when the Internet was not yet available to her. When I went looking for the original text, the publication date on Amazon was 1750. I instantly had the thought of “She’s on to something. If she still here using the same name in 2018, and she wrote this book that long ago.” She…

Protection and Reversal Magick A Witch’s Defense Manual by Jason Miller 224 pages In the last chapter Mr. Miller writes something interesting about magickal, psychic and spiritual attacks: he states that attacks are happening every day to everyone. They are being launched not only by offended spirits and malicious magicians, but major corporations and political parties. He asks: “Where does a magical seal, a binding, end and a corporate logo start? Where does the use of neuro-linguistics programming in sales and in the use of sorceress bindings begin?” Mr. Miller says that if you haven’t thought about this as magic, then think again. Mr. Miller dedicates this book more to…

In Focus: Meditation Your Personal Guide   by Jacqueline Towers © Zambezi Publishing Ltd. imprint of Quarto Group page count 144 One of the first things Ms. Towers says about meditations is “meditations aren’t something you need to work because they just start” I like the way this book is laid out, Ms. Towers has done an excellent job of presenting this material. In the first chapter, entitled “About Meditation,” Ms. Towers lists 12 benefits of meditation and eight different techniques. Of the eight different methods of meditation, not all of them require you to quiet your mind. (Which is a good thing, because I never have a quiet mind.)…

In Focus Palmistry Your Personal Guide by Roberta Vernon © Zambezi Publishing Ltd. First published in 2018 by Wellfleet Press an imprint of the Quarto group page count 160 Ms. Vernon has written a very interesting book on palmistry\and reading. This is the subject, that honestly, I have enough knowledge on to fill a thimble. So for me, this book was really interesting. Ms. Vernon talks about looking at the whole hand when doing a palm reading. I like the way Ms. Vernon breaks this book down, she has a chapter for fingers, thumbs, the lines, mounds, and marks, colors, and warts. The writing of the book helps you to…