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Book Review – Moon Phases by Cecilia Lattari
Book Review The Green Witch’s Guide to Magical Plants & Flowers by Chris Young and Susan Ottaviano Publisher: Skyhorse 160 Pages Publication date: April 26, 2022 The tagline for this book is “Use the lunar cycle to connect with nature and focus your intentions,” which straight away seems right up my street. I love moon magic, and indeed the science and astronomy surrounding the moon itself. I also focus on keeping my spiritual and magical path as connected to the seasons and nature as possible, so was keen to get a look at this book. There are thirteen chapters for the thirteen moons of the year, many of…
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Book Review – Fortunate: Tarot Poetry by Kim Rashidi
Book Review Fortunate: Tarot Poetry by Kim Rashidi Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing 168 Pages Release Date: May 3, 2022 Fortunate: Tarot Poetry is a sweet book containing 78 short poems inspired by the 78 cards of the Tarot. The poems are presented in a randomized order in the book, and it is suggested in the short introduction that the reader may wish to use the book as a form of Tarot-inspired bibliomancy. Each poem also comes with a few blank pages, so that the book can be used as a Tarot journal, or as a place where someone may collect notes and reflections on the poems…
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Beltaine Correspondences
Also known as: May Day, Bealtaine, Beltane, Bhealtainn, Bealtinne, Festival of Tana (Strega), Giamonios, Rudemass, and Walburga (Teutonic), Cetsamhain (opposite Samhain),Fairy Day,Sacred Thorn Day, Rood Day, Roodmas (the Christian term for Rood Day, Old Beltane, Beltain, Baltane, Walpurgis Night, Floriala (Roman feast of flowers from April 29 to May 1), Walpurgisnacht (Germanic-feast of St. Walpurga), Thrimilce (Anglo-saxon), Bloumaand (Old Dutch) Date: May 1 Animals: Swallow, dove, swan, Cats, lynx, leopard Deities: Flower Goddesses, Divine Couples, Deities of the Hunt, Aphrodite, artemis, Bast, Diana, Faunus, Flora, Maia, Pan, the Horned God, Venus, and all Gods and Goddesses who preside over fertility. Tools: broom, May Pole, cauldron Stones/Gems: emerald, malachite,…
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Book Review – The Little Book of Manifestation by Astrid Carvel
Book Review The Little Book of Manifestation by Astrid Carvel Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing 130 Pages Release Date: January 17, 2023 In The Little Book of Manifestation Astrid Carvel presents to us a concise and clear concept – as she does in all of her Little Books. She walks us through the basics of the Law of Attraction, a key concept of manifestation, and covers off on many manifesting techniques. She tells us about the attraction of energies to like energies – if we focus on positivity, we can elevate our frequency and attract similar vibrations. She does clarify that had work is needed – although…
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Book Review – Smolder: An Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Novel by Laurell K. Hamilton
Book Review Smolder: An Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Novel by Laurell K. Hamilton Publisher: Berkley 372 Pages Release Date: March 21, 2023 I have been waiting anxiously for this next adventure with Anita Blake-and it didn’t disappoint! For those of you who are not familiar with the amazing world created by Laurell K., you have no idea what you are missing. This is the 28th book in the series, and it delivered mystery, romance, and of course Anita’s unique sense of humor. There are not too many authors that can continue with one character/series for over 20 years, and the fact that she has been able…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Asparagus June is the final month for harvesting asparagus in many places, which makes it an ideal plant to look at for our Summer Solstice edition of Notes from the Apothecary. This unusual vegetable crops up in plenty of mythology and folklore throughout the ages, and is used by many modern witches and pagans for love, lust, and luck magic, among other things. Asparagus, or Asparagus officinalis, is a perennial which means it grows back year after year. It’s a flowering plant, and, if left to mature, may produce small white or yellow flowers and orange berries. It’s one of those plants that looks wildly different…
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Book Review – The Wildwood Way: Spiritual Growth in the Heart of Nature by Cliff Seruntine
Book Review The Wildwood Way: Spiritual Growth in the Heart of Nature Written by Cliff Seruntine Publisher: Crossed Crow Books 432 Pages Release Date: November 15, 2022 (Previously published in 2015 by Llewellyn Publications) “In the green, there is room for mystery and enchantment, and there are moments when the amazing can and will happen,” Cliff Seruntine wrote in The Wildwood Way: Spiritual Growth in the Heart of Nature. Part adventure, part instruction manual, part spiritual experiences, and part old tales that get across messages for today, he takes readers on a magical and spiritual journey deep into the forest, imparting knowledge required to venture there safely.…
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#168 – The Beltane Issue
Welcome Beltane! We’ve got tons of content to help you make the most of your spring fire and flower festivals! In Book Reviews: Moon Path Yoga, Hagitude, Spells for Living Well, Trees Are Our Letters, The Nature of Astrology — and more! Also in this issue: New monthly columns: Stellar Applications, SpellCrafting, Moon Magic, Tarot with Lady Saoirse — and many others! Correspondences to help you plan your May Day celebration! COMING SOON: Ask Magic Myrtle: a new advice column is coming to Pagan Pages! — Go visit our Ask Magic Myrtle page to submit your questions now! Getting eye strain from the background? Just click on the Moon/Sun switch…
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SpellCrafting: Spells for Witches
SpellCrafting: Starting Beltane Fires Merry meet! This issue’s WitchCrafting column has ideas for making fire starters. If you’d like to take it one step further, you can craft them as a spell. Beltane themes such as burning away that which no longer serves your highest good and greatest joy, planting seeds, and nurturing goals can be incorporated when making fire starters. For instance, toilet paper tubes stuffed with dryer lint can be decorated with Beltane colors (green, soft pink, blue, yellow, red, brown), pictures of flowers in bloom, or a sigil made for a specific intention. On it you can write what you are ready to release, what you desire…
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Communing with the Essence
Communing Essence-ly — There is an opening, a space between mental chatter and unconsciousness or even sleep. It’s not a Void but I’ve confused it to be that many times. It is a deeply connected place where you and another, whether pen to paper, hand to tree, belly to water, heart to Soul, or footsteps to Earth merge into pure presence and the rest of the world seems to disappear, at least for those moments. In aesthetics this space is often called The Zone. In the Arts it’s coined as being in the Flow. Meditative studies can be a gateway into this realm, but so too can the full engagement…