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Book Review: Heal Yourself Oracle
Title: Heal Yourself Oracle: Intuitive guidance to transform your soul Author: Inna Segal Illustrators: Cris Ortega and Drazenka Kimpel Publisher: Rockpool Publishing Release Date: April 2, 2024 Pages: 36 Cards and 96-Page Guidebook The “Heal Yourself Oracle” deciphers the darker as well as the lighter side of life with three dozen cards to help you get in touch with all aspects of yourself. The deck’s raw, emotional illustrations and unflinching text can trigger deep feelings. By delving into the different aspects of wellness, spirituality, love, relationships, and soulfulness – and not avoiding the delicate themes – Inna Segal seeks to empower readers. With this oracle, she encourages them to explore,…
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SpellCrafting: Cord Cutting With a Candle
There are multiple ways of doing a cord cutting. This one uses two candles and a looped cord. The ritual energetically cuts ties with something – be it a person, a place, a habit, etc. Unlike a binding and some other forms of magick, this will not create a bond with what you cut from your life. If possible, do this work on a dark moon, or when it is waning, for an added boost. Choose a candle to represent yourself and one to represent what you wish to cut loose. White for you and black for the other person or thing are probably the most commonly used, but the…
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WitchCrafting: Shell Rattle
Merry meet! If you are anything like me, you have an ever-growing collection of shells, rocks, feathers, pine cones, dried herbs, wood, and such. I put some of these items together to make a rattle. A pouch storing shells was getting full, and after months of looking, I found a Y-shaped twig. Working with the elements under a full moon in sacred space, I sorted shells, setting aside those with natural holes. Placing them back-to-back, I strung the shells on waxed floss. I wrapped and tied off each end multiple times to secure it and keep the floss taut. Then I added other elements for beauty and energy – feathers…
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WitchCrafting: Treasure Chest
Merry meet! Dollar Tree is a magical place for finding magickal supplies. One of my favorite five-quarter finds is a small wooden box with a clasp. I painted this one to make a treasure chest for the dragon on my bus. Every day I’d sit with her I would add another bauble to her collection. I painted another brown and used it to hold offerings I made to the land on which a friend’s house will be built. I will use a third for a banishing spell – I will put the name or likeness of a negative influence, harmful habit, limiting belief, or toxic person I want to eliminate…
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Good God!: Cronus
Cronus was the youngest of the 12 Titans – Greek deities who ruled the world before Zeus. The primordial deities Uranus (Father Sky) and Gaia (Mother Earth) were his parents. Uranus prevented all his children from leaving Gaia’s womb. The mother begged her children to do something. All but Cronus were too afraid to act. He escaped Gaia’s womb and used a stone sickle she gave him to castrate his father. He threw the testicles into the sea and it’s said Aphrodite arose from the white foam while blood dripping from Uranus created the Gigantes (giants), Erinyes (furies), and Meliae (nymphs). Cronus freed most of his siblings and took his…
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The Rite Way: Blessing Tools at Imbolc
Imbolc marks the return of spring, even as winter continues its reign. It’s a time of rebirth and fertility, hope and new growth. It’s time to prepare for the warm spring days to come and for the renewal of Mother Earth and her bounty. This ritual is written for a group but can easily be modified for a solitary practitioner. The goddess most associated with Imbolc is Brigid, a triple goddess, the patron of poets and bards as well as healers, magicians, and smiths. She was especially honored when it came to matters of prophecy and divination. She is the keeper of the flame, the protector of the home, and a…
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Book Review: Faerie Wisdom
Title: Faerie Wisdom: Magical Guidance and Wisdom Author: Gillian Kemp Illustrator: Emma Garner Publisher: Cico Books Release Date: March 12, 2024 Pages: 52 Cards and 64-Page Guidebook Gillian Kemp begins the guidebook with faerie “folklore as old as the hills in which faeries have lived since time immemorial.” Page after page draws readers into the magical world as their customs, rituals, foods, occupations, habitat, and means of transportation are introduced. The illustrated handbook depicts faeries as varied and their world being not unlike that of humans when life was simpler. Kemp notes some fairies are the size of humans and can live in each others’ worlds. She describes the fae…
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WitchCrafting: Pinecone Fire Starters
Merry meet! This time of year pinecones are fairly easy to find, and Yule is celebrated with bonfires and Yule logs. Combine the two by making fire starters from pinecones. It’s an easy, quick craft. Begin by collecting pinecones. They must be completely dry. If they are damp from being on the ground, you can put them on a parchment-lined sheet pan and leave them in a 150-degree oven for an hour, or until any sap has melted and the cones open fully. If you are doing many, you’ll want to melt wax – preferable bees wax because it burns the cleanest – in a metal or ceramic bowl…
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Good God!: Cernunnos
Meet the Gods: Cernunnos Merry meet. Cernunnos is one of the Ancient Ones, as old as the earth. A nature and fertility god, he is said to have been born of the All Mother Anu, working his magic in the wildwood as the first humans on earth came to be. He was part of evolution, seen “as a shape-shifting, shamanic god of the Hunt” in prehistoric times, according to the article, “Cernunnos – Ancient Celtic God” by J. M. Reinbold. His image was painted on cave walls and carved into cliffs. People dressed in skins, bones and feathers danced to communicate with him. They still do a dance in his…
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Book Review: Radical Self-Care
Title: Radical Self-Care: Rituals for Inner Resilience Author: Rebecca Moore Publisher: Leaping Hare Press Date: July 9, 2024 Pages: 144 In “Radical Self-Care,” Rebecca Moore offers forty of her go-to rituals for self-care to counter stress and negativity, avoid burnout, and build a reserve of inner resilience. She shares her own story of burnouts, and offers tips and cautions. Each of the eight chapters addresses a topic. Moore introduces the theme that is followed by five rituals to bring about the desired outcome. Each technique, practice, and exercise has a quote, a short narrative, and clear step-by-step instructions. Simple line drawings and tranquil photographs contribute to an overall feeling…
