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 – Spark Magic: 50 Ways to Find Your Power by Chronicle Books
Book Review Spark Magic 50 Ways to Find Your Power by Chronicle Books Chronicle Books 50 cardboard matchsticks “Spark Magic” isn’t a book, but an odd little novelty item intended to inspire the imagination. Although it might have easily been a deck of cards or a book of suggestions, “Spark Magic” comes in the form of a box of fifty cardboard sticks shaped like matches that don’t light, but instead, have short, pithy suggestions for introducing and manifesting magic in your life. The design and execution of the box is charming and shiny, and suggests something mystical inside; the matches themselves are cute and well-made. The suggestions…
DVD Review – Mythic Journeys Directed & Written by Steven Boe and Whitney Boe
DVD Review Mythic Journeys Directed & Written by Steven Boe and Whitney Boe Stars Mark Hamill, Tim Curry, Lance Henriksen Imaginal Cells FilmWorks 1h 33min “Mythic Journeys” is an odd movie: half documentary, half claymation mythical narrative, this film explores all sorts of mythical narratives, and the role of mythology in modern media and society. It explores these themes by contemplating the hero’s journey in many different cultural traditions and speaking to many different mythologists, paying homage to Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung along the way. It feels a bit like two different movies, as it goes back and forth between documentary material that includes interviews with Deepak…
Book Review – Moon Bath: Bathing Rituals + Recipes for Relaxation + Vitality by Dakota Hills and Sierra Brashear
Book Review Moon Bath Bathing Rituals + Recipes for Relaxation + Vitality by Dakota Hills and Sierra Brashear Chronicle Books 167 Pages “Moon Bath: Bathing Rituals + Recipes for Relaxation + Vitality” is a book with a simple goal, which is thoroughly explored: its two authors, Dakota Hills and Sierra Brashear, have formulated a set of bath-centered rituals for every phase and season of the moon, thereby turning a mundane task into something truly magical ? even though it is done many, many times over the course of the year. By exploring the New, Waxing, Waning, and Full moon through sixteen individual combinations of moon phases and seasons, the…
Book Review – The Witch’s Guide to Ritual: Spells, Incantations and Inspired Ideas for an Enchanted Life by Cerridwen Greenleaf
Book Review The Witch’s Guide to Ritual Spells, Incantations and Inspired Ideas for an Enchanted Life by Cerridwen Greenleaf 344 Pages “The Witch’s Guide to Ritual” is a surprisingly ambitious book which seeks to catalogue and discuss the use and place of witchcraft in rituals of all kinds. With such a broad subject as ritual, the scope of this book has been tailored: it’s intended for intermediate practitioners, so there isn’t a lot of introductory information about witchcraft in general, and the subject is approached very pragmatically, without too many frills or explanations for beginners. The book is broadly cross-cultural, and discusses many Eastern traditions, but expresses a…
‘The Grief Ritual’ A Ritual and Interview with Bernadette Pleasant, Somatic Healer and Creator of the Emotional Institute
‘The Grief Ritual’ A Ritual and Interview with Bernadette Pleasant, Somatic Healer and Creator of the Emotional Institute It’s almost two o’clock on a sunny Sunday afternoon, and I’m lying on my back on the floor of my stepson’s empty room, sobbing uncontrollably. My feet rest on the carpet and as I feel the fibers between my toes, I remind myself to let it all go: tension, pain, sorrow — everything I don’t want to burden others with, and everything I shouldn’t carry myself. I feel it melt away from my body and into the earth, flowing off of my body like water, lightening me with every shaking…
Book Review – Plant Magic for the Beginner Witch: An Herbalist’s Guide to Heal, Protect and Manifest by Ally Sands
Book Review Plant Magic for the Beginner Witch An Herbalist’s Guide to Heal, Protect and Manifest by Ally Sands 192 Pages “Plant Magic for the Beginner Witch” is a collection of herb-based magical spells for protection, love, abundance, healing, and personal power. Each spell is laid out like a recipe, with the ingredients on one side and a ritual for the spell on the facing page. In addition, there is a short summary of the herbs discussed in each chapter, and their associations. The herbs discussed are mostly traditional European herbs, and are easily grown or bought at any herb store, while the associations are based in European…
Book Review – The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft: A Modern-Day Guide to Making Magick by Anjou Kiernan
Book Review The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft A Modern-Day Guide to Making Magick by Anjou Kiernan 192 Pages “The Ultimate Guide to Witchcraft” is a beautiful and substantial book of full-color (and sometimes full-page) photographs, detailed and thoughtful charts and diagrams, and clearly expressed, well-thought-out explanations of basic witchcraft systems, ritual, and practice. Its focus is to be an introduction to beginner witchcraft, but it’s one which more experienced witches may enjoy enough to use as a reference as some of the diagrams are particularly pleasantly-designed and easy to use. While none of these craft practices is explored in very great depth, the book offers fairly involved summaries…
Book Review – Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers (Revised and Expanded Edition) by Richard Evans Schultes, Albert Hofmann, & Christian Rätsch
Book Review Plants of the Gods Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers (Revised and Expanded Edition) by Richard Evans Schultes, Albert Hofmann, & Christian Rätsch 208 Pages “Plants of the Gods” is a beautiful, extensive book that takes a look at the pharmacological wonders of the plant and fungus kingdoms, and their sacred and religious use by indigenous peoples throughout the world. To students of psychedelic pharmacology, each of these three authors is considered a luminary in his own right; in “Plants of the Gods,” Schultes, Hofmann, and Rätsch combine their knowledge into a pharmacopoeia that weaves together magical, medicinal, and ritual uses of well-known entheogenic plants with…
Book Review – The Serenity Passport: A World Tour of Peaceful Living in 30 Words by Megan C. Hayes, Illustrated by Amelia Flower
Book Review The Serenity Passport A World Tour of Peaceful Living in 30 Words by Megan C. Hayes Illustrated by Amelia Flower 143 Pages “The Serenity Passport” by Megan Hayes is a broad survey of practices from many different cultures around the globe, all of which focus on serenity. The book is divided up into five chapters: “Focus and Awareness,” which discusses mindful, meditative practices; “Body and Wellness,” which discusses movement-based practices, breathing exercises, and health; “Habits and Rituals,” which explores different ways to bring serenity into your daily life or incorporate them into your existing rituals, such as bathing or heating; “Rest and Relaxation,” which explores ways…
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…