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The Poetry of Author David Sparenberg
WORD Before the written word, there was the spoken word. Before the chronicles of history, there were stories. Before tabloids and the messy spawn of scandalous gossip, ballads and epic poems sounded in mouths of bards and minnesingers. Against the blind furies of forgetfulness, arose high cultures of memory. Long before civilized humanity slumped into pulp fiction and sado-masochistic fantasies, myths were weaving threads of truth into archetypes, extending the dimensions of reality. Guiding words of fire’s intensity and eloquence resonate joyously through the alchemic laboratories of time! You who have befriended Tolkien and the Shire, Arthur, Merlin, and voyagers to the Isle of Women, far, far off in…
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Wishing and Willing – An Excerpt from the Book Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering by Dr. Peg O’Connor
Wishing and Willing (The following is an excerpt from Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering by Dr. Peg O’Connor.) A person’s attitude matters enormously. Does he wish to stop using or does he will to stop using? Willing and willingness need to be distinguished from desiring and wishing. The latter two can lead to incredible frustration and suffering. The former makes possible great transformation. James defines desire as wanting to feel, to have, or to do what presently is not felt, had, or done. Desires can be about anything. We desire material goods like cars, houses, a good meal, etc. We also desire immaterial goods such…
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Book Review – Flower Essences from the Witch’s Garden: Plant Spirits in Magickal Herbalism by Nicholas Pearson
Book Review Flower Essences from the Witch’s Garden Plant Spirits in Magickal Herbalism by Nicholas Pearson Publisher: Destiny Books 512 Pages Publication Date: April 5, 2022 Flowers have always been magical. Long ago, magic and medicine were intertwined, and here they are again. I am a witch who uses and has made flower essences. I am excited to find Nicholas Pearson has done something I haven’t seen anyone else do — merge the medical and the magical sides of healing flower essences that work on a spiritual level. “Flower Essences from the Witch’s Garden” is a tome that has it all — a comprehensive reference for the beginner…
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Book Review – Pagan Portals: Scrying- Divination Using Crystals, Mirrors, Water and Fire by Lucya Starza
Book Review Pagan Portals Scrying-Divination Using Crystals, Mirrors, Water and Fire by Lucya Starza Publisher: Moon Books 86 Pages Publication Date: March 1, 2022 This was the first book I have read on scrying. I liked that it is a shorter book, but don’t let the length fool you. There is a lot of great information packed in here. As an avid reader, and bit of a nerd, I loved how it opened with a Lord of the Rings reference. There are quite a few references to Lady Galadriel and her mirror. Lucya explains that scrying isn’t the same as using things like tarot cards, but you…
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Book Review – The Witchy Homestead: Spells Rituals and Remedies for Creating Magic at Home by Nikki Van De Car
Book Review The Witchy Homestead Spells Rituals and Remedies for Creating Magic at Home by Nikki Van De Car Publisher: Running Press Adult 144 Pages Publication Date: August 17, 2021 I’m always on the lookout for books focused on everyday magic that makes home and family life easier and, perhaps, that little bit more wonderful. This one is so eye-catching with its promise of spells, rituals, and remedies for creating magic at home. Yes please! The book is handily split into three sections: Enchanting Your Food, Enchanting Your Health, and Enchanting Your Home. I love the idea of enchantment as an everyday practice to weave into all aspects of…
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Book Review – Confronting the Crisis: Essays and Meditations on Eco-Spirituality by David Sparenberg
Book Review Confronting the Crisis Essays and Meditations on Eco-Spirituality by David Sparenberg Publisher: Moon Books 112 Pages Publication Date: November 1, 2021 Confronting the Crisis is a small volume of collected essays, meditations and occasional verse by ecosophist, poet and shamanic storyteller David Sparenberg. The subject of the essays range from the nature of humanity’s current relation with nature to the nature of reality itself, but the common thread throughout, weaving in and out of focus, is the looming specter of what Sparenberg calls Earth Crisis. Earth Crisis is the culmination of all the crises that we are currently facing: climate change, environmental disasters such as ubiquitous…
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Book Review – The Modern Art of Brujeria: A Beginner’s Guide to Spellcraft, Medicine Making, and Other Traditions of the Global South by Lou Florez
Book Review The Modern Art of Brujeria A Beginner’s Guide to Spellcraft, Medicine Making, and Other Traditions of the Global South by Lou Florez Publisher: Ulysses Press 192 Pages Publication Date: May 31, 2022 I like how he writes. Before I took the book review, I had read the ‘look inside’ portion available at Amazon and I liked what I saw. You will find inspiration here from Latin American and Afro-Caribbean regions written in a very readable style. There are tips for ancestral communication, instruction for spiritual cleansing, various types of candle magic, and oh so much more! Lou Florez is not a beginner. He has studied with…
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Book Review – Pagan Portals: Aos Sidhe- Meeting the Irish Fair Folk by Morgan Daimler
Book Review Pagan Portals: Aos Sidhe Meeting the Irish Fair Folk by Morgan Daimler Publisher: Moon Books 104 Pages Publication Date: August 1, 2022 The Pagan Portals range from Moon Books is a popular and wide range of introductions to various topics connected to Paganism. Morgan Daimler’s latest instalment in this series explores the Aos Sidhe – who they are, how they fit into folklore and mythology, plus the many different beings that can be classed as Aos Sidhe. For those that don’t know, Aos Sidhe are the “folk of the fairy mounds,” Irish beings often called fairies, the Fae, or more cautiously and safely, the Good Neighbours.…
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Book Review – Sacred Sex: The Magick and Path of the Divine Erotic by Gabriela Herstik
Book Review Sacred Sex: The Magick and Path of the Divine Erotic by Gabriela Herstik Publisher: TarcherPerigee 352 Pages Publication Date: July 12, 2022 “Sacred Sex: The Magick and Path of the Divine Erotic” is a complete guide to making sexuality a central part of any spiritual practice. Conversational and straightforward, Gabriela Herstik defines sex as “anything with the potential to bring you an expansive sense of pleasure, with the possibility of orgasm.” A devotee of the Goddess of Love and Lust, she defines “sacred sexuality as a spiritual philosophy and practice rooted in conscious pleasure, and connection to the sexual self as a path to inner wisdom,…
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Book Review – The Yorkshire ‘Av’mal by Dan Coultas
Book Review The Yorkshire ‘Av’mal by Dan Coultas Publisher: Independently Published 69 Pages Publication Date: June 12, 2022 Lissen up yuh daft apeth, an’ let mi tell thi… about a new book that manages to combine one of the most well-known and celebrated parts of the Poetic Edda with a quirk of the English language known widely across the North of England but perhaps not very much anywhere else, these days. What language am I talking about? It’s the striking and, in the opinion of myself and many others, very beautiful Yorkshire dialect. My opening sentence was a little snippet of Yorkshire, written phonetically – more or less.…