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Book Review-In Focus: Shadow Work: Your Personal Guide by Stephanie Kirby
Book Review In Focus: Shadow Work: Your Personal Guide By Stephanie Kirby Publisher: Wellfleet Press 127 Page Hardcover + Foldout Wall Poster Release Date: July 2nd, 2024 In Focus: Shadow Work is the book I wish I had when I began my deep shadow work during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Alas, I have it now, and plan to utilize many of the new techniques and perspectives I found within the book. When people hear the term “Shadow Work” many of us tend to cringe, as it’s known to bring up many hurts and traumas we’d rather forget. There is, however, a silver lining if we do the work. The author refers to…
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Book Review-Witches: A Compendium by Judika Illes
Book Review Witches: A Compendium By Judika Illes Publisher: Weiser Books 235 Page E-Book Release Date: October 7th. 2024 Witches: A Compendium is another novice-friendly book on the Craft, this time exploring Witchcraft from all perspectives: from Wicca, Traditional Craft, Voodoo, Vodou and other practices, this book is all-inclusive, covering even different traditions within Wicca and Neo-Pagan Witchcraft. Famous and infamous women, witches and magickal persons are covered, as are magickal tools, animal familiars, crafts, spells and more! At the end of the book, Illes gives a section where you can find out if you, too, are a witch. This book was a refreshing break in my reading, as beginner materials…
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Book Review-A Witch Alone: 13 Moons to Master Natural Magic by Marian Green
Book Review A Witch Alone: 13 Moons to Master Natural Magic By Marian Green Publisher: Weiser Books 202 Page E-Book Release Date: February 3rd, 2025 A Witch Alone: 13 Moons to Master Natural Magic is a contemporary manual on solitary Witchcraft for the beginner. A Witch Alone covers everything a novice witch needs to know; anything from the Sabbats, Lunar Phases, Gods & Goddesses, and more are covered in this tome. Although the author states that this type of witchcraft is “traditional” don’t confuse that for what we call Traditional Witchcraft in America; rather, what’s referred to is a classic version of Wicca, which in the UK, where it started, is what’s…
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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…
