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Book Review – The Magick of Birthdays by Hannah Hawthorn
Book Review The Magic of Birthdays: Rituals, Spells, and Recipes for Honoring Your Solar Return Through Rootwork and Conjure by Hannah Hawthorn Publisher: Penguin Random House 269 Pages Publication date: July 12, 2022 Bright Blessings! I am thrilled to share an amazing new book with you that discusses exactly what the title says it does — birthdays and all the magic that comes along with them. I don’t read all that much for myself, because my day job entails plenty of research. As somebody who has to share facts and history on a weekly basis, I have to say I…
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Book Review – Pagan Portals: Abnoba: Celtic Goddess of the Wilds by Ryan McClain
Book Review Pagan Portals: Abnoba: Celtic Goddess of the Wilds by Ryan McClain Published by Moon Books 112 pages Publication date: October 1, 2022 Ryan McClain’s Abnoba: Celtic Goddess of the Wilds is a straight-to-the-point guide to learning about Abnoba, the Gaulish goddess of the hunt. McClain provides historical evidence of her with examples of artifacts found in the Black Forest region of Germany and references in ancient literature. He discusses similar goddesses of the hunt to help illustrate who Abnoba could have been, and also adds his own UPG to fill in the rest. The book includes epithets and…
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Book Review – Dedicant, Devotee, Priest by Stephanie Woodfield
Book Review Dedicant, Devotee, Priest: A Pagan Guide to Divine Relationships by Stephanie Woodfield Publisher: Llewellyn 202 Pages Publication date: January 8, 2022 Dedicant, Devotee, Priest is an amazing book that provides a comprehensive walkthrough of many of the personal situations we have as witches. Especially if you’re in a situation where you don’t know many others who practice, it can be difficult to even know where to begin on your journey. This book takes you through the layers. How to meet a god. How to cultivate and maintain that relationship. It explores the different levels of closeness to be achieved with the divine. The different kinds of…
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Book Review – The Holy Wild Grimoire by Danielle Dulsky
Book Review The Holy Wild Grimoire By Danielle Dulsky Publisher: New World Library 208 pages Publication: September 13, 2022 From the Publisher: “Claim Your Mythic Purpose: This grimoire — a book of magick, spells, ceremonies, journaling exercises, recipes, and incantations — is an invitation to be Witch and bewitch. As you journey through this book, you will reflect and reshape your story, beholding your life’s poetry and wielding a mythic intelligence. Danielle Dulsky guides you to see through the lens of the five elements, earth, water, fire, air, and ether, and to call upon age-old archetypes to heal and liberate…
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Book Review – Reclaiming the Power of Hoodoo by Alisha J. Brown
Book Review Reclaiming the Power of Hoodoo: A Beginner’s Guide to African American Folk Magic To Cultivate Peace and Abundance in Your Life Through Rootwork and Conjure by Alisha J. Brown Publisher: Independently Published 180 Pages Publication date: April 6, 2022 Bright Blessings! I am thrilled to share all about Alisha J. Brown’s Reclaiming the Power of Hoodoo book. Before I delve into what the book discusses, let me say this is hot off the press, released this year in 2022 and was independently published. It’s an ample 180 pages, and an easy read. Let’s explore Brown’s writings, but first…
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Book Review – Pagan Portals: Polytheism: A Platonic Approach by Steven Dillon
Book Review Polytheism: A Platonic Approach by Steven Dillon Publisher: Moon Book Publication Date: March 22, 2022 144 pages Polytheism is the belief in multiple gods. When I got this book to review, I was expecting a completely different book than what I got. I am polytheistic so I was quite excited by the title. I thought this sounded like an interesting approach and possibly a book I could give to any of my monotheistic friends so that they could maybe get a better understanding of what polytheism was. Sadly, that was not what I got. Instead of a book easy for anyone to read and understand, this…
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Book Review – Ritual as Remedy by Mara Branscombe
Book Review Ritual as Remedy by Mara Branscombe Publisher: Findhorn Press Publication Date: June 7, 2022 288 pages This book is exactly what it says. The author’s quote before the beginning of Chapter 1 states the following and is very much on point! “Rituals are like mirrors that we can hold up to reflect our lives’ journeys. The ceremonial process allows us to step out of time and experience something beyond the mundane, revealing the sacred turning points in our lives and guiding us deeper into our souls’ calling.” This quote struck such a huge cord with me. I was…
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Book Review – Nature’s Hidden Charms by Liz Dean
Book Review Nature’s Hidden Charms Written by Liz Dean Illustrations by Lizzie Harper Publisher: Welbeck Balance 239 pages Publication date: November 2, 2021 Do You Wander in Nature? Nature’s Hidden Charms by Liz Dean, and illustrated by Lizzie Harper, is the book for you if you answered “Yes” to the above question. The book starts with a foreword by Victoria Preston that’s an in-depth look at Nature worship in Europe with sacred wells and springs, “clooties” and coin tossing, and how those old ways of using small, natural objects found on walks can be used to make Charms. Then we…
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Book Review – Zen Rohatsu by Nora D’Ecclesis
Book Review Zen Rohatsu By Nora D’Ecclesis Publisher: Renaissance Presentations, LLC 101 pages Publication: July 1, 2022 From the book description: “Zen Rohatsu is the A to Z of Zen, as it is the backstory of why we meditate, live mindfully and have a spiritual practice. The Zazen Meditation combines the practice with mind and body from a 2,700 year old philosophy. It informs us of the potential enlightenment from suffering that historical Buddha experienced while sitting under a fig tree in ancient times. Meditation keeps us in the present with focus, equanimity and stress management. Rohatsu is a spiritual…
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Book Review – Herbal Tea Magic for the Modern Witch: A Practical Guide to Healing Herbs, Tea Leaf Reading, and Botanical Spells by Elsie Wild
Book Review Herbal Tea Magic for the Modern Witch: A Practical Guide to Healing Herbs, Tea Leaf Reading, and Botanical Spells by Elsie Wild Published by Ulysses Press 224 pages Publication date: November 23, 2021 If you like tea and want to know more about its magical use, you’re certain to enjoy Herbal Tea Magic for the Modern Witch. This book is a modern introduction to basic herbs, mixing and brewing tea, tasseography, and basic herbal magic. The first chapter explores the history of herbalism and tasseography. This history is fairly short, but provides a good basis of context for what follows. Chapter two lists a number of…
