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Book Review-Crystals for Psychic Self Defense: 145 Gemstones for Banishing, Binding, and Magickal Protection by Nicholas Pearson
Book Review Crystals for Psychic Self Defense: 145 Gemstones for Banishing, Binding, and Magickal Protection By Nicholas Pearson Publisher: Destiny Books 340 page E-Book Release Date: January 7th, 2025 Crystals for Psychic Self Defense: 145 Gemstones for Banishing, Binding and Magickal Protection is a wonderful addition to anyone’s library, especially if they, like myself and so many others, work with crystals and gemstones for a myriad of reasons, especially self defense from magickal and psychic attack. As the world continues hitting hard, we as magickal folks must sometimes hit back. I’ve used crystals since the onset of my magickal and spiritual journey, and protection with them is one area I…
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Book Review-At The Borders of the Wondrous & Magical: Nature Spirits, Shapeshifters, and the Undead in the Never Ending Middle Ages by Claude Lecouteux
Book Review At The Borders of the Wondrous & Magical: Nature Spirits, Shapeshifters, and the Undead in the Never Ending Middle Ages By Claude Lecouteux Publisher: Inner Traditions 273 Page E-Book Release Date: January 7th, 2025 At The Borders of the Wondroud & Magical: Nature Spirits, Shapeshifters, and the Undead in the Never Ending Middle Ages is another wonderful addition to the body of Claude Lecouteux’s work, compiling folklore, magic, grimoires and more from many different periods of history, from more Archaic periods, to the Modern period, specifically as they spread throughout Europe. This book encapsulates a fascinating examination of spirits-where they be of land, of the dead, or something else…
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Book Review-Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist, and Witch of the Woods by Kris Spisak
Book Review Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist and Witch of the Woods By Kris Spisak Publisher: Hampton Roads 208 Page E-Book Release Date: September 3rd, 2024 Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist and Witch of the Woods is a relatable, easy to understand (re)telling of Baba Yaga’s stories as they’re presented in Slavic mythology and folklore. Anyone wanting to learn more about the precarious Earth Mother should definitely give this book a read! Instead of focusing on magick & witchcraft workings with Baba Yaga, Spisak instead explores Baba Yaga through her various myths. Baba Yaga is a mysterious, and sometimes scary, Goddess to come into contact with; she’s the oldest of crones…
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Book Review-Pagan Portals: Venezuelan Folklore: Spirits and Legends of the Dead by Alan U. Dalul
Book Review Pagan Portals: Venezuelan Folklore: Spirits and Legends of the Dead By Alan U. Dalul Publisher: Moon Books 96 Page E-Book Release Date: January 1st, 2025 Another Pagan Portals Book to add to my collection! This particular entry into this wonderful series of booklets concerns Venezuelan folklore, specifically centered around death, spirits and the supernatural. Through my studies of folklore and mythology of many different cultures, I’ve found that a lot of our legends tend to overlap. Venezuelan Folklore adds to the wealth of knowledge out there about Latin American spirituality, folklore and folk practices and beliefs. Aside from being a fascinating examination of these subjects, it also seems to be…
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Book Review-Healing Plants of Renaissance Florence : The Development of Herbal Medicine in Florence by Angela Paine
Book Review Healing Plants of Renaissance Florence: The Development of Herbal Medicine in Florence By Angela Paine Publisher: Moon Books 296 Page E-Book Release Date: January 1st, 2025 Healing Plants of Renaissance Florence by Angela Paine is a fascinating exploration of the foundations and history of herbalism in renaissance Florence, as well as its applications that are known to be accurate. The information within is not only interesting for those with an interest in medicinal herbalism, and its history and development, but also those seeking to find potential homeopathic and natural remedies to everyday things like flatulence, stomach ache, cold & cough, fever and other issues. The herbs contained within this…
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Book Review-Voudon Gnosticism: An Introduction to the Rites & Practices by Frater Vameri
Book Review Voudon Gnosticism: An Introduction to the Rites & Practices By Frater Vameri Publisher: Destiny Books 152 Page E-Book Release Date: July 9th, 2024 While taking a break for the Solstice and dealing with illness, I’ve had time to request & read numerous books, and this is one of the requests I was given to review! How I wish I had this book about 7 years ago when I first purchased The Voudon Gnostic Workbook of which I’ve owned several copies as I would attempt to work it, get frustrated due to lack of understanding (usually with cosmology and methodology) as I’m not exactly privy to all of the OTO material, only…
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Book Review-Pagan Portals: Maman Brigitte: Dark Goddess of Africa and Ireland by Pauline Breen
Book Review Pagan Portals: Maman Brigitte: Dark Goddess of Africa and Ireland By Pauline Breen Publisher: Moon Books 104 page E-Book Release Date: December 1st, 2024 Pagan Portals: Maman Brigitte is a fascinating exploration of an oft-misunderstood goddess within the Vodou traditions of Haiti and Louisiana. Breen makes clear that she has no “in” with these cultures that have been the subject of centuries of exploitation, from slavery to the appropriation of their beliefs. I appreciate the author’s intent to avoid an attempt at appropriation, but rather the exploration of the Goddess, in this case, Brigid, as she evolved to meet the needs of peoples who had been exploited and sold…
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Book Review: Faerie Wisdom
Title: Faerie Wisdom: Magical Guidance and Wisdom Author: Gillian Kemp Illustrator: Emma Garner Publisher: Cico Books Release Date: March 12, 2024 Pages: 52 Cards and 64-Page Guidebook Gillian Kemp begins the guidebook with faerie “folklore as old as the hills in which faeries have lived since time immemorial.” Page after page draws readers into the magical world as their customs, rituals, foods, occupations, habitat, and means of transportation are introduced. The illustrated handbook depicts faeries as varied and their world being not unlike that of humans when life was simpler. Kemp notes some fairies are the size of humans and can live in each others’ worlds. She describes the fae…
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Book Review-Pagan Portals: Cerridwen: Keeper of the Cauldron by Danu Forest
Book Review Pagan Portals: Cerridwen: Keeper of the Cauldron By Danu Forest Publisher: Moon Books 137 Page e-Book Release Date: December 1st, 2024 Pagan Portals: Cerridwen: Keeper of the Cauldron by Danu Forest is a fascinating examination of Cerrdiwen through mythology, worship and modern Paganism. Danu Forest is a well-known author on Celtic Pagan subjects, and she takes the cake in this book! Cerridwen is a somewhat complex, and multi-faceted goddess; some see her as mother, others as a crone. She’s the keeper of the cauldron of Awen, or inspiration, and the mother of Taliesin. She’s intertwined in the Arthurian Mythos as well, and serves as a central figure in…
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Book Review-Pagan Portals: Circe: Goddess of Sorcery by Irisanya Moon
Book Review Pagan Portals: Circe: Goddess of Sorcery By Irisanya Moon Publisher: Moon Books 112 Page E-Book Release Date: December 1st, 2024 I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; I am a huge fan of the Pagan Portals series by Moon Books. Pagan Portals: Circe: Goddess of Sorcery by Irisanya Moon is no different. I practice Hekatean Witchcraft blended with traditional witchcraft, and Circe is a Goddess/Spirit that I’ve encountered on this path before, but she has always been veiled in mystery, especially as it pertains to her functions in the modern world, in modern witchcraft. This book de-mystifies a Goddess that’s much misunderstood, and maligned throughout history. Pagan Portals: Circe covers Circe’s historical context…