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Book Review-Celtic Tree Alphabets: Mystic Signs and Symbols of Ogham and Colebren by Nigel Pennick
Book Review Celtic Tree Alphabets: Mystic Signs of Ogham and Coelbren By: Nigel Pennick Publisher: Destiny Books 176 Page Paperback Release Date: July 23rd, 2024 Celtic Tree Alphabets: Mystic Signs and Symbols of Ogham and Coelbren by Nigel Pennick is as much an academic book on the Ogham and Coelbren alphabets used by Druids and Bards of Ireland, Wales and even Scotland, as it is instructional. Pennick doesn’t disappoint, and gives accurate information; instead of providing instructions, as other books often do concerning ancient alphabets and divination/magical uses, instead shows their uses and meanings, associations, and the like throughout history, inspiring the reader (as it did me) to learn and incorporate…
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Book Review-The Silver Branch and the Otherworld: Forest Magic with Plant and Fungi Allies by Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue
Book Review The Silver Branch and the Otherworld: Forest Magic with Plant and Fungi Allies By Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue Publisher: Bear & Company 265 page paperback Release Date: July 16th, 2024 The Silver Branch and the Otherworld: Forest Magic with Plant and Fungi Allies is a book filled with the wisdom of O’Donoghue’s Irish Celtic ancestry, weaving the use of entheogens like Mushrooms and Cannabis into a cohesive, animistic practice infused with witchcraft. The Silver Branch and the Otherworld starts off by covering basic theory and philosophy of O’Donoghue’s practices, even giving Wheel of the Year Rituals for the 4 Sabbats of Beltaine, Lughnassád, Samhain and Imbolc. O’Donoghue then moves the reader into…
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Book Review: Celtic Druidry by Ellen Evert Hopman
Celtic Druidry: Rituals, Techniques, & Magical Practices by Ellen Evert Hopman, published by Destiny Books, an imprint of Inner Traditions publishing, runs a grand total of 242 pages. Celtic Druidry starts off by explaining exactly what a Druid is, and isn’t, then goes on to cover what we know historically about Druids, which is of course, scarce and biased against them, coming from Greek and Roman historians attempting to paint them in a bad light for imperialist reasons. After that, Hopman goes on to give a run-down of the different Gods and Goddesses of the Druids, from Irish, to Welsh, to even Gaulish and continental Celtic deities, giving a description of each and…
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Book Review: Celtic Goddess Grimoire by Annwyn Avalon
Overview of Celtic Goddess Grimoire Celtic Goddess Grimoire: Invoke the Enduring Power of the Celtic Feminine Divine by Annwyn Avalon is packed with spells, rituals, sacred practices, and meditations with a litany of Celtic goddesses from areas like Gaul, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and other continental Celtic goddesses. The book covers some well known Celtic goddesses, as well as some that aren’t as well known to witches, but are to Druids, like Nemetona. Celtic Goddess Grimoire also covers some faery woman as well, such as Morgan le Fay and others. Avalon artfully weaves the the mythologies and known information about each goddess, and then follows each with a section of spells, rituals, invocations and…
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Road to Runes
Road to Runes: Making a Rune Set Runes have been used for divination for many years, and are often incorporated into Norse-inspired magic and spiritual practices. While there are many digital tools for drawing runes, it’s normal to want to have a physical set of your own if you want to use them regularly. That way, you can draw a rune wherever you are, even if you’re in the middle of the woods or high up a mountain—although perhaps don’t go as far as to try and use them while hanging from a tree! One of the cheapest and most satisfying ways to get your own runes is…
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Book Review – Celtic Tree Mysteries by Steve Blamires
Book Review Celtic Tree Mysteries By Steve Blamires Publisher: Crossed Crow Books 248 pages Publication Date: May 16, 2023 Author Steve Blamires gives readers a wealth of detailed information about the Tree Alphabet and Ogham script – how the two systems differ and how they may be used together for magical purposes. Celtic Tree Mysteries also serves a manual to connect and communicate with twenty magical trees, bringing about heightened spiritual awareness. The book begins with an academic overview of Ogham, an ancient alphabet comprised of a series of notches and short horizontal or diagonal lines spaced along the vertical edge of a stone found throughout…
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Book Review – Celtic Tree Mysteries by Steve Blamires
Book Review Celtic Tree Mysteries Written by Steve Blamires Publisher: Crossed Crow Books 250 Pages Release Date: May 16, 2023 A Llewellyn author, Steve Blamires has traveled to all the continents and is known as an authority in Celtic mythology and paganism. He has worked for National Geographic and he leads group tours to Scotland, hosts a radio show, and is on the Board of Directors of American Center for Folk Music. The Llewellyn site wrote this about him: “Steve Blamires was born in Ayr, Scotland, and is one of the foremost Celtic scholars in the world. He is a co-founder of The Company of Avalon,…
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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 – Spirit Weaver: Wisdom Teachings from the Feminine Path of Magic by Seren Bertrand
Book Review Spirit Weaver: Wisdom Teachings from the Feminine Path of Magic by Seren Bertrand Publisher: Bear & Company 256 Pages Publication Date: May 24, 2022 Housewives down through ages have not been heroes going off on valiant quests. Their work is women’s work. As Seren Bertrandr explains in Spirit Weaver: Wisdom Teachings from the Feminine Path of Magic, women’s work is magic; it’s domestic witchcraft. There’s women’s magic in the humble arts of sewing, spinning, knitting, weaving, stitching, and even cooking; when done with intention, they are spells. By sharing stories, wisdom teachings, and rituals from the feminine path of magic, as well as from her own…
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Book Review – Journeys with Plant Spirits by Emma Farrell
Book Review Journeys with Plant Spirits by Emma Farrell Published by Bear & Company 288 pages Publication date: October 26, 2021 In part one of Journeys with Plant Spirits, Emma Farrell delves into several broad spiritual and supernatural topics that are shared by many shamanic traditions, such as healing wounds from past lives and navigating shamanic journeys through the upper, middle, lower, and other worlds. This introduction takes a primarily animistic view of the plant spirits, with a heavy emphasis on using intuitive practices like meditation to connect to the spirits of the plants. While many of these notions are now well-trod traditional pathways of plant spirit medicine…