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Book Review – Herbal Magic: A Handbook of Natural Spells, Charms, and Potions by Aurora Kane
Book Review Herbal Magic A Handbook of Natural Spells, Charms, and Potions by Aurora Kane Publisher: Quarto Publishing 208 pages Publication Date: 5/25/2021 This book has everything a witch could want to know about magical herbalism. It is “full of purposeful potential and whimsical wisdom to be used wisely,” with a catalog of 78 herbs and 40 rituals. For the herbs it gives the planetary companion, day of the week it corresponds with, elemental correspondence, zodiac sign, and gender. The author explains a plants gender as its energy because it is “relative to plant life [and] not assigned based on gender, but qualities of energy in life”. She…
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Writing “The Magic of Nature” By Author Jessica Marie Baumgartner
Nature is magic. I mean that in every way: figurative, literal, serious, humorous. Like all creatures, humans hold their own place in the balance of existence on Earth. We may get a little out of hand at times, but Mother Nature knows how to keep us in check. When I sat down to write my upcoming Llewellyn Worldwide release, “The Magic of Nature: Meditations & Spells to Find Your Inner Voice,” I had no idea if they would accept it. That didn’t matter. The work has its place and I knew it had to be written. It seems that a lot of people aren’t sure of themselves or their place…
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Book Review – A Visionary Guide to Lucid Dreaming: Methods For Working with the Deep Dream State by Lee Adams
Book Review A Visionary Guide to Lucid Dreaming: Methods For Working with the Deep Dream State by Lee Adams Publisher: Destiny Books 192 Pages Publication Date: 5/4/21 From the Publisher…. ….Humans interact with the world through symbols. We use them to communicate, to define and study life, to interact with our own minds. Symbols are not only the intentional representations of concepts, such as language; they are also the meaning we imbue objects with. An owl can represent wisdom, winter represents dormancy and death, red means danger or stop, green means go. Even characters–in fiction and in dreams–function on a symbolic level as they personify qualities in the…
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ZOOM IN!
Tips and Techniques for Effective Zoom Events COVID-19 and new protocols for safety has resulted in canceled festivals, rituals and workshops leaving many within our community feeling isolated and yearning for interactions with others. Fortunately, we live in a technologically booming age and since creativity is a staple of pagans, these two together can form a winning partnership….. Basic Virtual Etiquette Now that we are using virtual platforms more often there is the need to establish guidelines for appropriate behavior during the virtual event/call. This month’s post provides some of the basic rules of etiquette you may wish to employ. Muting Microphones When you sign into the virtual…
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Book Review – Rebel Witch: Carve the Craft That’s Yours Alone by Kelly-Ann Maddox
Book Review Rebel Witch Carve the Craft that’s Yours Alone by Kelly-Ann Maddox Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide 260 Pages Publication Date: 4/20/21 Like hundreds of other books, “Rebel Witch: Carve the Craft that’s Yours Alone” presents the bare bones of a solitary witch practice – not to teach, but to inspire readers to shape the elements into a unique and personal path of their own. “A witchy practice usually includes rituals, spells and celebration of the natural cycles of Earth,” Kelly-Ann Maddox wrote, also noting witch can be a verb, a way of living. Some witches follow group guidelines or operate within set traditions. This book is for those…
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Book Review – Yoga for Diabetes: How to Manage Your Health with Yoga and Ayurveda by Rachel Zinman
Book Review Yoga for Diabetes How to Manage Your Health with Yoga and Ayurveda by Rachel Zinman Monkfish Book Publishing 314 Pages As a long time practitioner and teacher of Kundalini Yoga, I am well aware of the benefits of yoga and meditation. Like the author, I was deathly afraid of getting diabetes. My beloved grandmother, who raised me, died from complications and I have several cousins who had/have it. Of course, when I was diagnosed, I forgot all about the methods that would be most beneficial to my well-being. This book brings it back into focus for me. Ms. Zinman has gone above and beyond in describing diabetes,…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Jasmine Jasmine, or Jasminum, is a sweet-smelling flowering plant related to the olive tree. Some jasmine plants grow as shrubs but the most famous are probably the climbing varieties. Some can grow as tall as nine metres! Jasmine flowers are white or yellow, with some holding delicate tones of pink or even red. The Kitchen Garden Generally jasmine like partial shade and a warm setting, but there are some hardy varieties that grow happily in cooler climates – hence jasmine making it into our January issue! Winter jasmine, Jasminum nudiflorum, tends to have solitary, yellow flowers and may bloom from November to March…
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Book Review – The Illustrated Herbiary: Guidance and Rituals from 36 Bewitching Botanicals by Maia Toll
Book Review The Illustrated Herbiary Guidance and Rituals from 36 Bewitching Botanicals by Maia Toll Storey Publishing 176 Pages I was asked to review a book on Herbs, that “seemed pretty cool”. That was the understatement of the year. This book was super fun, educational, kept herbs interesting and included rituals and oracle cards. I was beyond pleased with this book, and it was my pleasure to review. I do not know about you, but for me, herbs have been difficult and a little tricky. I always wanted to know what to use, plants’ properties and be educated in herbology, but I found it very hard to stay…
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Tarot Talk
Comparing The High Priestess & The Empress We have done a lot of comparing of two cards in order to discover subtle differences that help with interpretation. This month, we will examine two cards that we already know are different, with the intention of discovering more subtle meanings. I’m in a Major Arcana kind of mood as this year comes to a close, so let’s compare two Major Arcana cards: The High Priestess and The Empress, two aspects of the Sacred Feminine. First, let’s review some terms. If you’ve read my column before, you can skip the next paragraph. There are 22 Major Arcana cards in a Tarot…
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Witch Hunt
There are witches all around us. You can find them anywhere… The Witch on Wheels has been documenting her findings. Meet Kelli P. Cooke Originally from Georgia, Kelli P. Cooke left in 2014 to restart her life after a relationship ended. She called to the universe to direct her to where she belonged and whom she should be with. A friend she’d known for years appeared in her mind, but she dismissed it at the time. About a month later, the two started chatting, two months later they had an official date and about a month later she moved to Connecticut. “Here I’ve found community unlike I’ve…