Sarah McMenomy
Sarah McMenomy is an artist and witch. Her craft incorporates herbalism, spellwork, trance, divination, auras, and more. Her work can be found at https://sarahmcmenomy.tumblr.com
Book Review – Psychedlic Mysteries of the Feminine Edited by Maria Papaspyrou, Chiara Baldini & David Luke
In “Psychedelic Mysteries of the Feminine,” a diverse group of authors, artists, historians, scientists, ecologists, herbalists, shamans, poets, doctors, lawyers, and therapists deliver an interdisciplinary message of hope and healing for our traumatized and increasingly poisoned world. This book is a well-balanced collection of essays which draw on a large number of original sources and academia to explore the history of feminine themes in the tradition and usage of psychedelic pharmaka, from beer and cannabis to ayahuasca and LSD. The psychological narrative of the book includes discussion of Jungian archetypes of women as earth mother, goddess, medicine woman, and more, as well as exploration into what psychedelics can teach us…
Book Review – Finding Your Higher Self: Your Guide to Cannabis for Self-Care by Sophie Saint Thomas
Book Review Finding Your Higher Self Your Guide to Cannabis for Self-Care by Sophie Saint Thomas 223 Pages Almost a blog in book form, “Finding Your Higher Self: Your Guide to Cannabis for Self-Care” is a book which asks the same question that “Enhancement Smoker” Jon Stewart did in “Half Baked”: did you ever do the stuff you normally do… but on weeeeed? In the spirit of Saint Thomas’ central message — to take care of yourself and use cannabis’ relaxing properties to make your everyday activities more pleasant — I’m writing this review while stoned. The introduction to “Finding Your Higher Self” has a short…
Book Review – The Ayahuasca Test Pilot’s Handbook by Chris Kilham
Book ReviewThe Ayahuasca Test Pilot’s Handbookby Chris Kilham230 Pages “The Ayahuasca Test Pilot’s Handbook” by Chris Kilham is a small but information-packed book perfectly sized for travel and guidance. While the Ayahuasca experience is clearly immense and varied, Kilham focuses on traditional use and the rituals surrounding Ayahuascero shamanism, and creates a book that tells you just about everything that you’ll need to know if you’re planning to travel to Iquitos (or a nearby region) for an Ayahuasca ceremony. What this book won’t tell you is how to make your own brew, how to dose, where to source ingredients, or much else that would help you prepare Ayahuasca at home;…
Book Review – Magic Medicine: A Trip Through the Intoxicating History and Modern-Day Use of Psychedelic Plants and Substances by Cody Johnson
Book ReviewMagic MedicineA Trip Through the Intoxicating History and Modern-Day Use of Psychedelic Plants and Substancesby Cody Johnson323 pp Cody Johnson’s “Magic Medicine” lives up to its subtitle, “A trip through the intoxicating history and modern-day use of psychedelic plants and substances.” More politics, history, and anecdote than chemistry or medicine, this book contains twenty-three chapters which profile a diverse number of substances: the 2C-B and the 2C family, 5-MEO-DMT, Ayahuasca, DMT, DOM and the DOX family, LSD, Morning glory, Peyote, Psilocybin mushrooms, San Pedro, Yopo and Vilma beans, MDA, MDMA, DXM, Ketamine, Nitrous Oxide, Salvia, Amanita Muscaria, Cannabis, Dipt, fish and sea sponges, Iboga, and Mad Honey. Over…
Book Review – Herbal Magick: A Guide to Herbal Enchantments, Folklore, and Divination by Gerina Dunwich
Book Review Herbal Magick: A Guide to Herbal Enchantments, Folklore, and Divination By Gerina Dunwich 240 pp. Red Wheel/Weiser “Herbal Magick: A Guide to Herbal Enchantments, Folklore, and Divination” is a wonderful collection of mythology, superstitions, traditions, and lore surrounding herbal medicine and magic. While there are many herbal books which include some of this type of content while dwelling primarily on medicine, foraging, gardening, or just repackaging information, “Herbal Magick” really focuses on easily-digestible tidbits of lore. Some of this lore is quite well-known to herbalists and students of the craft — like the lore of the mandrake’s shriek — but there are also some more obscure…
Book Review – Consciousness Medicine: Indigenous Wisdom, Entheogens, and Expanded States of Consciousness for Healing and Growth by Francoise Bourzat with Kristina Hunter
Book Review Consciousness Medicine: Indigenous Wisdom, Entheogens, and Expanded States of Consciousness for Healing and Growth by Francoise Bourzat with Kristina Hunter 270 Pages In a market increasingly saturated by books espousing the virtues of psychedelic and alternative therapies, Françoise Bourzat’s “Consciousness Medicine” stands apart in its focused dedication to psychedelic therapy as a method of self-directed healing and growth. While other tomes contain more information about the chemical and neurological effects of psychedelic use, this book focuses on time-tested methods of preparation such as talk therapy and journaling, the psychological experience of journeying, and — one of the most overlooked and important aspects of psychedelic therapy —…
Book Review – Wellness Witch: Healing Potions, Soothing Spells, and Empowering Rituals for Magical Self-Care By Nikki Van de Car, Illustrated by Anita Makhoul
Book Review Wellness Witch: Healing Potions, Soothing Spells, and Empowering Rituals for Magical Self-Care By Nikki Van de Car, Illustrated by Anita Makhoul 136 pp. Running Press “Wellness Witch: Healing Potions, Soothing Spells, and Empowering Rituals for Magical Self-Care” is a lovingly crafted book of simple herbal remedies, self-care rituals, and spells for the mind, body, and home. Full of recipes for teas, tinctures, and other herbal preparations, “Wellness Witch” is a book whose focused approach is likely to appeal to experienced herbalists as well as novices. This is not a particularly ambitious book, but it gathers together a short collection of personal care rituals, recipes, and spells,…
Wreathing the Wheel
A Miracle Tomato, First Harvest, and Kitchen Witchcraft This is my miracle tomato. I’ve been trying to grow tomatoes for years, but after repeated failures, I gave up on the idea, and figured I’d just have to remain happy with store-bought. Which is why this is my miracle tomato: I did not plant or buy this tomato; I have no idea where this tomato came from. This planter was supposed to have nothing in it but dirt, but a month or two ago, it started pushing up this little mystery sprout. It didn’t look like any of the weeds I tend to eradicate from my garden, so I decided to…
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Wreathing the Wheel
Watching the Summer Skies Summer is a great time to get outside, go camping, and watch the stars come out. This is something I like to do at least once a summer, and more than that if I can manage it. This year, my interest in stargazing has a new dimension: I have been studying astrology, and am now watching stellar bodies with renewed interest. In the interests of getting serious about learning the ropes of astrology, I decided to make some bullet journal spreads as a reference to help me study. Natal Chart and Astrological Reference One of the things that most new astrology students do is to study…
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Wreathing the Wheel
Wreathing the Wheel: June – Summer Solstice and Project Planning The month of June contains my favorite of all the quarter days: the summer solstice. This day is high noon for the year, a time when transformative, fiery powers are at their peak, warming the earth and helping plants grow to their fullest. Litha is about action, so this month I’ve decided to get serious about planning some of my personal projects. While there are many different types of projects, I’ll be using the example of this column as our template. Here’s a basic, five-step road-map that can be used for both cyclical and linear projects, from the start of…