• Monthly Columns

    Weyland’s Whey, Samhain 2024 Column

    For Your Deliberation Samhain is my favorite Sabbat!  I observe it (in my own ways) from the day after Mabon until the morning of All Hallows.  Enjoy! VOTE That!  That!!  Dude Looks Like a Cyborg!!! These days when I step out the door, I have a glucose sensor glued to my arm, a Fitbit on my wrist and a cell phone with more gadgets in it than Batman’s utility belt!  Better living through electronics! Granny One Dylan came home.  As he started up the stairs to his apartment, he noticed a new Halloween decoration his landlady had put out near the foot of the stairs: an old crone doll in…

  • Reviews

    Book Review-The Moon Apothecary: Rituals and Recipes for the Lunar Phases by Lorriane Anderson

    Book Review The Moon Apothecary: Rituals and Recipes for the Lunar Phases By Lorriane Anderson Publisher: Rockpool Publishing 265 Hardcover with Full Color Pages & Illustrations Release Date: October 1st, 2024 The Moon Apothecary is an absolutely beautiful, full color hardcover that will exceed the expectations of any Green Witch, or any Witch in general, really. It’s a complete grimoire of self care based on the lunar phases, giving crystal, herb and essential oil correspondences, self-care rituals and recipes for tinctures, salves, lotions, teas and so much more. If you want to get yourself more in tune with the Moon and her phases, and also take steps towards self care (in a witchy…

  • Reviews

    Book Review-Owl Magick: Explore Our Fascinating Connections with These Birds Through Folklore and Magickal Traditions by Rieka Moonsong

    Book Review Owl Magick: Explore Our Fascinating Connections with These Birds Through Folklore and Magickal Traditions By Rieka Moonsong Publisher: Rock Point 159 Page Hardcover Release Date: September 10th, 2024 Do you love owls? I love owls! They symbolize wisdom, intuition, the mind/intellect, and the mysticism of the night. They’re the 2nd most commonly known witch’s familiar after the cat. Do you want to learn more about owls, their magick, deities associated with them, and the like? Look no further, as Owl Magick delivers all of this and more! Packed with spells, rituals, invocations and meditations, Owl Magick will teach you about owls-their anatomy, abilities, and their magickal capabilities. While we can’t (or usually…

  • Reviews

    Book Review-Jim Morrison, Secret Teacher of the Occult: A Journey to the Otherside by Paul Wyld

    Book Review Jim Morrison, Secret Teacher of the Occult: A Journey to the Otherside By Paul Wyld Publisher: Inner Traditions 256 page E-Book Release Date: September 10th, 2024 Jim Morrison, Secret Teacher of the Occult: A Journey to the Otherside by Paul Wyld is a fascinating look into Jim Morrison’s life, and his exploration of the Occult and Hermetic mysteries, coinciding with his musical career and well-known use of psychedelics and other drugs. The book covers Morrison’s life from early childhood, his adolescent and college years, where he began experimenting with LSD, and his career with The Doors and the numerous debacles thrown his way by the Establishment through law enforcement…

  • Fiction

    Cat’s in the Crisper

    Cat’s in the Crisper by Weyland Smith   Syn flew back from the Halloween Convention in Massachusetts straight to Mom’s apartment.  She’d been watching Syn’s old cat, Midnight, while she was gone, and Syn was anxious to retrieve him.   Mom’s words of greeting were, “The cat’s in the crisper.”   It took Syn a second tocatchon: “What?”   “Your cat.  He didn’t wake up yesterday.  I didn’t want to spoil your party, so I put him in the freezer until you got back.”   “Oh.”   “Can you take him tonight?  He’s kind of creeping me out there in the fridge next to my food.”   “Uh, sure.”  Syn…

  • Reviews

    Deck Review-The Vedic Tarot: East Meets West by Dwina Murphy-Gibb

    Deck Review The Vedic Tarot: East Meets West By Dwina Murphy-Gibb Publisher: Red Feather Mind Body Spirit 81 Card Tarot Deck with full color, 287 page guidebook. All come in a magnetically enclosed, sturdy box Release Date: September 28th, 2024 The Vedic Tarot: East Meets West by Dwina Murphy-Gibb is an exquisitely illustrated Tarot deck that is the ultimate fusion of Eastern Philosophy and Western Esoteric Wisdom via the Tarot. In this 81 card deck, so many nuggets of wisdom are given, as these stunning cards not only feature Tarot symbolism, but also wisdom from Hinduism and the Vedas, as well as Hebrew Qabalistic correspondences, and, my favorite part, the Celtic…

  • Monthly Columns

    Weyland’s Whey, October 19th 2024 Column: The Difference Between Halloween and Samain, Part Two, Conclusion

    For Your Deliberation To me, Samhain focuses on a different type and aspect of death than does Halloween.  It’s more familial than scary.  Samhain is for moving on into what’s next instead of hanging around here on this side of the veil making trouble. Of course, there are exceptions….   Waiting for the Dark The houses in our neighborhood share a big leafy backyard which is crisscrossed by a warren of short bridges and long pathways.  Lots of trees, almost woodsy, it hosts a murder of crows, a dray or two of squirrels and an alarming number of very bold skunks.  We have lights back there, but after twilight it can…

  • Reviews

    Book Review-Wisdom Weavers: Explore the Ojibwe Language and the Meaning of Dream Catchers by James Vukelich Kaagegaabaw, Illustrated by Marcus Trujillo

    Book Review Wisdom Weavers: Explore the Ojibwe Language and the Meaning of Dream Catchers By James Vukelich Kaagegaabaw, Illustrated by Marcus Trujillo Publisher: becker & mayer! kids 32 page Harcover in Full Color Release Date: September 3rd, 2024 Another kids book that totally blew my mind! Wisdom Weavers is a beautifully illustrated, full-color book for children with an interest in dream catchers and Ojibwe culture. The book is easy to follow along with, giving the wisdom of the Ojibwe Dream Catchers and their lore, while also teaching phonetically and with spelling how to say certain phrases or words in the Ojibwe language. As the Ojibwe are located in the Great Lakes region,…

  • Reviews

    Book Review-Boys Are Witches, Too! by Ted Enik & Shiloh Penfield

    Book Review Boys Are Witches, Too! Words and Drawings by Ted Enik, Color by Shiloh Penfield Publisher: Red Feather Body Mind Spirit 34 page E-Book Release Date: August 28th, 2024 Oh how I wish these books were around when I was a child! This adorable picture book is great for young boys who have an inkling for Witchcraft, but need to learn their ABC’s as well. Boys Are Witches Too goes through the Alphabet, from A-Z, from Apple to Zodiac, helping young boys learn to read, write, and speak, while also revealing fun facts and mysteries about the Craft, allowing the young boy to get in touch with nature, his elders, and…

  • Reviews

    Deck Review-The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tarot: Headless Horseman Edition by Nick Lawyer

    Deck Review The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tarot: Headless Horseman Edition By Nick Lawyer Publisher: Red Feather Mind Body Spirit 78 card Tarot deck with a 111 page guidebook, in a beautifully designed hardcover box Release Date: August 28, 2024 Let me start this review off by saying that, when the original edition of this deck was released, I was tempted to purchase it, but never did. In retrospect, I find it amusing that I didn’t, because this is a deck based off of one of my favorite pieces of literature, and the edition I’m reviewing dons the Headless Horseman on its’ cover, my favorite feature of this beloved folk…