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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…
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Book Review – Fortunate: Tarot Poetry by Kim Rashidi
Book Review Fortunate: Tarot Poetry by Kim Rashidi Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing 168 Pages Release Date: May 3, 2022 Fortunate: Tarot Poetry is a sweet book containing 78 short poems inspired by the 78 cards of the Tarot. The poems are presented in a randomized order in the book, and it is suggested in the short introduction that the reader may wish to use the book as a form of Tarot-inspired bibliomancy. Each poem also comes with a few blank pages, so that the book can be used as a Tarot journal, or as a place where someone may collect notes and reflections on the poems…
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Book Review – The Little Book of Manifestation by Astrid Carvel
Book Review The Little Book of Manifestation by Astrid Carvel Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing 130 Pages Release Date: January 17, 2023 In The Little Book of Manifestation Astrid Carvel presents to us a concise and clear concept – as she does in all of her Little Books. She walks us through the basics of the Law of Attraction, a key concept of manifestation, and covers off on many manifesting techniques. She tells us about the attraction of energies to like energies – if we focus on positivity, we can elevate our frequency and attract similar vibrations. She does clarify that had work is needed – although…
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Book Review – Smolder: An Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Novel by Laurell K. Hamilton
Book Review Smolder: An Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Novel by Laurell K. Hamilton Publisher: Berkley 372 Pages Release Date: March 21, 2023 I have been waiting anxiously for this next adventure with Anita Blake-and it didn’t disappoint! For those of you who are not familiar with the amazing world created by Laurell K., you have no idea what you are missing. This is the 28th book in the series, and it delivered mystery, romance, and of course Anita’s unique sense of humor. There are not too many authors that can continue with one character/series for over 20 years, and the fact that she has been able…
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Book Review – The Wildwood Way: Spiritual Growth in the Heart of Nature by Cliff Seruntine
Book Review The Wildwood Way: Spiritual Growth in the Heart of Nature Written by Cliff Seruntine Publisher: Crossed Crow Books 432 Pages Release Date: November 15, 2022 (Previously published in 2015 by Llewellyn Publications) “In the green, there is room for mystery and enchantment, and there are moments when the amazing can and will happen,” Cliff Seruntine wrote in The Wildwood Way: Spiritual Growth in the Heart of Nature. Part adventure, part instruction manual, part spiritual experiences, and part old tales that get across messages for today, he takes readers on a magical and spiritual journey deep into the forest, imparting knowledge required to venture there safely.…
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Book Review – Pagan Portals: Breath of Spring: How to Survive (and Enjoy) the Spring Festival by Melusine Draco
Book Review Pagan Portals: Breath of Spring: How to Survive (and Enjoy) the Spring Festival by Melusine Draco Publisher: Moon Books 96 Pages Release Date: February 1, 2023 Breath of Spring: How to Survive (and Enjoy) the Spring Festival is another lovely offering from Moon Books’ Pagan Portals series, this time exploring the various festivals of spring as they developed in Western cultures. In the first chapter, author Melusine Draco explores the origins of Candlemas and the related Pagan festival of Imbolc, from possible Greek origins (the return of Persephone) through the Christian era in Britain. This chapter explores some of the historical traditions surrounding the…
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Book Review – Moon Path Yoga: Kundalini Practices and Rituals for Women to Align with the Lunar Cycle by Sierra Hollister
Book Review Moon Path Yoga: Kundalini Practices and Rituals for Women to Align with the Lunar Cycle by Sierra Hollister Publisher: Shambhala Publications 192 Pages Release Date: October 25, 2022 Reading the introduction, I immediately felt a kinship with the author and my curiosity and hopefulness for this book became a wish to find myself within the beauty, wisdom and care that the following excerpt sang of: “No matter how you relate to the moon, know this for certain: she was with you before you were born, when you were just a whisper in the womb, and she will carry you through this life, always…” “The…
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Book Review – The Little Book of the Occult: An Introduction to Dark Magick by Astrid Carvel
Book Review The Little Book of the Occult: An Introduction to Dark Magick by Astrid Carvel Publisher: Moon Books / John Hunt Publishing Ltd. 129 Pages Release Date: March 7, 2023 The Little Book of the Occult presents the concepts of Occult Magick. Astrid Carvel presents the concepts of historical witchcraft in perfect concert with real time practices and the popularity of witchcraft on social media. The chapters are organized in a manner that addresses the What, Why and How of the practice of Occult Magick. In her introduction, Astrid indicates that this book is an introduction to all things magickal, however the delightful surprise is…
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Book Review – Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life by Sharon Black
Book Review Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life Written by Sharon Black Illustrated by Natalie Eslick Publisher: New World Library 320 Pages Release Date: November 29, 2022 In our society, old is more likely equated to deterioration and illness than to gifted and wise. By design, elderhood ends in death, making both unpleasant topics for many people. Thankfully, Sharon Blackie is not one of them. Sharing her own life journey in “Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life,” www.hagitude.org, she explores women’s transformation beginning with perimenopause, through the “hot-flashed fury” of menopause, and crossing the threshold to crone. “Our old women are the dark heart…
