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Cody’s Column: How to Un 6-21-3-11 Yourself from Christianity as a Pagan
Greetings! “The Earth does not belong to us. We belong to the Earth.” -Chief Seattle If you grew up in the United States, you likely had education about the Indigenous People, but who told you about them? Did your school invite the elders in to tell the stories? Did anyone make a land acknowledgement ever? You likely had education about the kings and queens of Europe. How were the original inhabitants of Europe treated in those histories? Did you hear about the peoples and languages, customs and traditions of early Pagans? Let’s switch to popular culture then for reference. Halloween was my first introduction to witches, demons, monsters,…
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Opinion: New Age Beliefs Are Bullsh*t, and I’m Happy to Tell You Why
“New Age” beliefs seem to permeate the Pagan, Witchcraft and Occult scene today, and frankly, I’m tired of it. I’m not going to write a swear-word laden, ranting and raving article; instead, I’m going to focus my energies in sharing why I hold this opinion, and hopefully validate many of you, too. To clarify any misconceptions, when I refer to New Age beliefs, I do not mean witchcraft, neo-paganism, occultism or eastern-based practices. New Age beliefs and practices are those which appropriate practices from many cultures without due respect to the parent culture and its customs and beliefs, and which beliefs are generally unfounded. Examples include ancient astronaut theory, the Galactic…
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Book Review-Freyja: An Illustrated Guide to the Goddess of Magic, Love and War by L. Dean Lee, Illustrated by The Saxon Storyteller
Book Review Freyja: An Illustrated Guide to the Goddess of Magic, Love and War By L. Dean Lee, Illustrated by The Saxon Storyteller Publisher: Red Wheel 128 Page Full Color, Fully Illustrated Hardcover Release Date: September 16th, 2025 Ah, the last of the Norse Gods series by Red Wheel that I have to review; I’m at once sad, but also excited, to be finishing this series (or what’s been released to us at this point). Freyja was yet another lovely entry into this series by Red Wheel, and just like the others, beautifully illustrated in full color. For those looking to connect with Freyja, this book would be an excellent starting…
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Review: Living Folk Magic
Title: Living Folk Magic: Crafting Your Own Magical Life Author: Mary-Grace Fahrun Publisher: Weiser Books Date: November 3, 2025 Pages: 224 Mary-Grace Fahrun explains the how’s and why’s of folk magic so readers can build an entire folk magic practice. She shares personal experiences and wisdom gained from her Italian family, as well as sharing customs from other cultures and religions. Folk magic is a way of life rooted in ancestral traditions practiced throughout time in all cultures as people sought to understand, connect with, and control their world, especially when other options failed. It blends superstitions, religious beliefs, customs, folklore, and magic. This magic is not separate from mundane…
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Book Review–Before You Do Magic: Train Your Mind to Awaken Occult Skills, by Donald Tyson
Before You Do Magic: Train Your Mind to Awaken Occult Skills by Donald Tyson Publisher: Llewellyn, Woodburg, Minnesota 248 page E-book. Publication date: December 2025 Tyson lays it all out in his intro: there’s plenty of value in this book, but the reader will have to work to extract it all. Fair and friendly warning–Before You Do Magic is not for the faint of heart. When Tyson says it’s about training your mind, he ain’t kiddin’. Be ready to do mental heavy lifting. (Lots of it!) And bring your “A” game. The main body of this tome consists of twelve chapters. Topics range from meditation to incantations to astral projection. All have exercises. Tough ones. Our author…
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Book Review-Thor: An Illustrated Guide to the Thunder God by L. Dean Lee, Illustrated by The Saxon Storyteller
Book Review Thor: An Illustrated Guide to the Thunder God By L. Dean Lee, Illustrated by The Saxon Storyteller Publisher: Red Wheel 128 Page Fully Illustrated, Full Color Harcover Release Date: September 16th, 2025 Thor: An Illustrated Guide to the Thunder God by L. Dean Lee and beautifully illustrated by The Saxon Storyteller, is the introduction that I wish I had to mighty Thor when I first started out. Thor and I have an interesting relationship; he at once protects me and guides me, but he seemingly tests me at times. One particular quote from this book perhaps sums up why I’ve felt this way when it comes to Thor:…
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Book Review-Magic for the Resistance: Rituals & Spells for Change, Revised and Expanded Edition by Michael M. Hughes
Book Review Magic for the Resistance: Rituals & Spells for Change, Revised and Expanded Edition By Michael M. Hughes Publisher: Crossed Crow Books 290 Page Paperback Release Date: September 23rd, 2025 Magic for the Resistance is a quintessential guide for witches, sorcerers, occultists and other magickal folks who want to fight the oppressive regime currently ruling the U.S. The first edition was released during the first Trump term, and I remember reading through it then, but not embodying many of the practices due to other distractions like a job that was draining every ounce of life out of me at the time. I digress. Here we are, and again, Trump is…
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Weyland’s Whey April 15-May 12 2026 Celtic Tree Willow Month Column
The above months are part of the Ogham tree calendar. They reflect sacred cycles of the Celtic year. The Willow tree is associated with growth and healing. The next new moon will occur on April 17. Called the New Flower Moon, it’s the very first new moon of Spring. Note that since it’s in Aries, it’ll be linked to energies, initiatives and new beginnings. It can be used for setting intentions or kicking off fresh projects, too. (The Gypsy Thread, crazyalchemist.com, www.learnreligions.com, Astro-Seek.com, Fullmoonology, The Old Farmer’s Almanac) The Wrap up. This week is a good time for planning and starting anew, Pilgrims. You’ll have the zeal and gumption for hatching new…
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Review: Bloom & Shadow
Title: Bloom & Shadow: Earth and Moon Spellcraft for Growth, Love, Life, and Beyond Author: Elohim Leafier Publisher: Independently published Date: October 2, 2025 Pages: 405 pages When this book was first published in January 2016 as “Wicca! Lobe & Soul: Teachings and Experiences About Love, Life and White Magic,” Elohim Leafier was just finishing college. He was feeling “the extreme limitations” of the Wiccan coven he had just left and maintaining his Afro-Caribbean background as he published all the rituals he had done up to that point. In the ten years since then, he has met witches and wizards from different practices and places. He has since studied…
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Review: Become an Exceptional Tarot Reader
Title: Become an Exceptional Tarot Reader: The Card Meanings & Skills You Need to Ace Every Reading Author: Ethony Dawn Publisher: Llewellyn Publications Date: December 8, 2025 Pages: 416 A culmination of Ethony Dawn’s twenty-five years teaching tarot, “Become an Exceptional Tarot Reader” takes you through the steps to become confident and successful reading cards. The book is structured so that each chapter builds on the ones before it, therefore it is meant to be read in the order it is written. Information is presented in a logical manner beginning with basics such as myths, how the seventy-eight cards are grouped into segments, and various ways to pick cards.…
