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Book Review – I Affirm My Power: Everyday Affirmations and Rituals to Create the Life That You Desire by Phoebe Garnsworthy
Book Review I Affirm My Power: Everyday Affirmations and Rituals to Create the Life That You Desire Written by Phoebe Garnsworthy Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing 130 Pages Release Date: April 25, 2023 A charmingly written book about the importance of positive thinking in setting goals, this first comes across as an uplifting coaching session we all need. Sections of the book however delve into toxic positivity and promote the falsehood that everything will always be okay and you can do anything you want to without fail. Before going into a more detailed review, let’s see who this author is. Phoebe’s page is Phoebe Garnsworthy – Spiritual…
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Book Review – Witchcraft and the Shamanic Journey by Kenneth Johnson
Book Review Witchcraft and the Shamanic Journey by Kenneth Johnson Publisher: Crossed Crow Books 233 Pages Published: January 31, 2023 Are Witches Shamans? Where does witchcraft originate? Is it related to Shamanism and the Shamanic Journey? According to Kenneth Johnson, Witches are the direct decedents of the remnants of European Shamanism. He uses history, written observations by historical figures, courtroom confessions during the European witch trials, and anthropology and archaeology studies to show us the path taken from ancient shamanism, through medieval witch-scares, to modern day witchcraft. First we’re shown what it means to be a shaman, how shamans are spiritual healers who go to the Otherworlds to…
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Book Review – The Magic of Butterflies and Moths by Steve Andrews
Book Review The Magic of Butterflies and Moths Written by Steve Andrews Publisher: Moon Books 72 Pages Release Date: March 1, 2023 In The Magic of Butterflies and Moths, Steve Andrews muses about the wonders of a collection of winged wonders found in England, and their “seemingly magical” transformation from “a tiny egg into a caterpillar, then into a chrysalis, and finally emerging as a beautiful butterfly [or moth].” It’s a handbook with information about twenty species, describing their characteristics, habits, habitats, and lore. It is not a book about magick involving these insects as spirit guides, their uses in spells or rituals having to do…
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Book Review – Earth Witch: Finding Magic in the Land by Britton Boyd
Book Review Earth Witch: Finding Magic in the Land by Britton Boyd Publisher: Hierophant Publishing 184 pages Release Date: December 15, 2022 Earth Witch is a great book for exploring the area otherwise known as green witchcraft. Earth witch is another name for those who identify as “wild” or “green” witches. It is those practitioners who choose to primarily work in nature with the earth, the moon and life upon the planet including trees, plants and herbs. In this easy-to-read book, Ms. Boyd shares with her readers the path in which she has been called to. She shares with us her need to get away from…
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Book Review – The Green Witch’s Guide to Magical Plants & Flowers by Chris Young and Susan Ottaviano
Book Review The Green Witch’s Guide to Magical Plants & Flowers by Chris Young and Susan Ottaviano Publisher: Skyhorse 280 Pages Publication date: June 6, 2023 Plants are my bag, so any book aimed at “Green Witches” is going to be hitting my shelves, sooner or later. The subtitle for this one is, “26 love spells from apples to zinnias,” which startled me a little, as the main title seems to indicate it’s a general guide, rather than a book specifically on love spells. Oh well—as with all things, I approached it with an open mind! First impressions, this book is gorgeous. The artwork from the cover design…
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Book Review – African American Magick: A Modern Grimoire for the Natural Home by Stephanie Rose Bird
Book Review African American Magick: A Modern Grimoire for the Natural Home by Stephanie Rose Bird Publisher: Weiser Books 237 Pages Release Date: June 5, 2023 This book is dedicated to a group of people in the Northern Territory an the outstation of Maparu in Australia and thanking them for six thousand years of ancient ways. The book has been organized with the first few chapters acknowledging the magic and mystery of all the seasons. Then several chapters have been dedicated to each season – highlighting how and what to harvest to honour that season. The information contained within the book was originally published in 2006.…
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Book Review – Church of Birds: An Eco-History of Myth and Religion by Ben Gagnon
Book Review Church of Birds: An Eco-History of Myth and Religion by Ben Gagnon Publisher: Moon Books 248 Pages Publication Date: April 1, 2023 Church of Birds is a compendium of myths, artifacts, and observations of birds throughout the history of humankind and their role in helping our ancient ancestors survive, thrive, and strive to be more connected to the gods and the natural world. Chapter 1: The Language of Birdsong discusses the similarities between the songs birds sing and the evolution of human speech. The author mentions myths from civilizations around the world that have humans descendant from birds at the time of creation. It has myths…
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Book Review – A Walk Through the Forest of Souls; a Tarot Journey to Spiritual Awakening by Rachel Pollack
Book Review A Walk Through the Forest of Souls; A Tarot Journey to Spiritual Awakening Written by Rachel Pollack Publisher: Weiser Books 288 Pages Release Date: May 1, 2023 Oftentimes Tarot books are written to give detailed instruction, formal information, and point us readers towards a final destination of comprehension. Rachel Pollack’s book, A Walk through the Forest of Souls exploded those concrete rules and dogmatic disciplines into a multifaceted, multidisciplinary journey of incomprehensible mythological, spiritual, historical, and religious complexities, back into the profound mystery. She guides us through paradoxes and contradictions, dismantling as well as respectfully illuminating all that has been said about the origins and…
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Book Review – The Cult of the Yew by Janis Fry
Book Review The Cult of the Yew: Tree of Life, Mystery, and Magic Written by Janis Fry Publisher: Moon Books 480 Pages Release Date: April 1, 2023 It is not often a book summons you from the Forest of your Soul and takes you on a journey through time and out of time back into a richer, freer, and more integrated Forest of your Eternal Soul. Janis Fry’s The Cult of the Yew was that catalyst for me. The Yew trees first started whirling in my awareness after a random conversation in the Forest one day with a neighboring woman I met on the trail. She shared…
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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…
