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Book Review-Enchanted Tales: Magical Fairy Tales from Around the World, written by Laura Sampson, illustrated by Quang and Lien
Photo Credits: Stock Photo of Enchanted Tales, courtesy of publisher Enchanted Tales: Magical Fairy Tales from Around the World written by Laura Sampson, and illustrated by Quang and Lien, is a 95 page book, published by Running Press Kids Publishing, of which I received an e-book copy. This is a beautifully illustrated kids’ book, filled with fairy tales, folklore and myths from various regions of the world. If you’ve been looking for a diverse book of kids’ fairy tales, either for them to read themselves, or be read to, this book is worth consideration, especially. for those looking to keep our lore, collectively, as humans, alive and well in the next generations.…
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Motanka – Slavic Power Dolls That Make Dreams Come True
by: Kimberly Anne – Teachings of the Mythic Past Before the modern era of technology, the internet, and instant responses, life went much slower and flowed with the rhythm of the seasons and stages of life. Wise and wild women of the past endured many trials in their lives and believed that they could alter their fate by following customs and conducting rituals that were passed on through generations. Customs and traditions are unique ways that groups of people timelessly connect with one another. In Slavic culture, part of women’s traditions include the creation of dolls and the superstitions and magic that are attached to them. In Eastern Europe, particularly…
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Book Review – The Magic of Mushrooms: Fungi in Folklore, Superstition, and Traditional Medicine by Sandra Lawrence
Book Review The Magic of Mushrooms by Sandra Lawrence Publisher: Welbeck Publishing 208 Pages Release Date: August 9, 2022 The world of fungi is a bit of an odd area; even amongst botanists, mushrooms are often viewed and treated with skepticism and concern. Mushrooms can be difficult to identify properly, and there are many members of the fungus kingdom which are dangerous to ingest, to the point of death. In addition to this, many people simply don’t like mushrooms, or don’t like engaging with the damp, wet, weird conditions in which mushrooms flourish. Perhaps it is for these reasons that mycophiles are often seen as being…
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Book Review – Kitchen Witch: Food, Folklore, and Fairy Tale by Sarah Robinson
Book Review Kitchen Witch: Food, Folklore, and Fairy Tale by Sarah Robinson Published by Womancraft Publishing March 18, 2022 275 pages I’m reading an advanced “review” e-book copy of this fabulous book and I am telling you right now that as soon as I see it in hard-copy, I am buying it! I’m old school – I like my literature between in old-fashioned book form, so I can curl on my couch and get all comfy-cozy as I read, but even on an annoying screen, I couldn’t put this book down. Believe me, no matter how you like to read your books, Kitchen Witch: Food, Folklore and Fairy…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Clover Clover is also called trefoil, literally “three-leaves”, and grows in most places around the world. Although many clover plants look similar, there are around 300 species of Trifolium and they’re in the same plant family as peas. Both the round, joyful flowers and the iconic triplet of small, round leaves have a ton of folklore around them – and some surprising modern research, too. The Kitchen Garden Red and white clover are the most common where I live, and often pop up in lawns without any encouragement from gardeners. As well as being a fantastic food source for bees and other insects,…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Stinging Nettles Called nettles, stinging nettles, or common nettle, this jagged-leafed plant is a hardy little medicine cabinet packed with folklore and magic. Urtica Dioica is the scientific name for the most commonly recognised species, and it’s found all over the world in hedgerows, woodlands, and anywhere where there is space for it to grow. Gardeners may hate nettles for stinging their fingers unexpectedly when weeding, and anyone who has been out hiking in shorts knows what a nettle sting on the leg feels like! But these feisty and fierce “weeds” have more uses than you would imagine, and can easily be forgiven for…
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Bees in Folklore, Religion, and Superstition
This is an adapted extract of a video I did recently for Pagan Aid to help raise awareness of their campaign to raise money for Bees for Development, an organisation that helps some of the poorest communities in the world create livelihoods through beekeeping. You can view the original video here. There are over 250 species of bee in the UK and around 4,000 native species in the United States. Even humble bumblebees have at least 24 separate species, from orange and black red-tailed bumblebees to the classic white, yellow, and black tree bumblebees. However, it’s the honeybee that gets the most attention, generally, when it comes to…
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GoodGod!
Meet the Gods: Krishna Krishna is a major deity in Hinduism, one of the most popular and widely revered. He is worshipped as the eighth incarnation or avatar of Lord Vishnu and also as the supreme God in his own right. He is the god of love, compassion and tenderness. Hindu mythology portrays him as a prankster, gentle lover, universal supreme being and child-like God. People consider Krishna their leader, hero, protector, philosopher, teacher and friend all in one. He’s influenced Indian life and culture – not only its religion and philosophy, but also its folklore, painting, sculptures, literature, music, dance, poetry, and mysticism. He is…
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Book Review – Slavic Witchcraft: Old World Conjuring Spells & Folklore by Natasha Helvin
Book Review Slavic Witchcraft Old World Conjuring Spells & Folklore by Natasha Helvin 224 Pages I was asked by the Editor of PaganPagesOrg if I would be interested in reviewing this book because my background/experience does involve some Slavic practices and traditions, and she wanted to see if I would mind giving an honest opinion based on what I’ve learned already. I most certainly agreed to it as I was curious how it might compare to what I learned while living in Croatia and what I’ve studied in the USA. Let me explain briefly a little about my perspective and experiences: My father’s family is originally from today’s…
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Book Review – The Mythic Journey: Use Myths, Fairy Tales and Folklore to Explain Life’s Mysteries by Liz Greene and Juliet Sharman-Burke
Book Review The Mythic Journey Use Myths, Fairy Tales and Folklore to Explain Life’s Mysteries by Liz Greene and Juliet Sharman-Burke 240 Pages This lovely collection of myths, fairy stories and folklore is brought to us by Liz Greene and Juliet Sharman-Burke, who collaborated on The Mythic Tarot. It appears to be a re-working of the book originally published in 2000. The tales included continue to inform our psyches today as the authors see with the eye of the mythic imagination past form into the heart of being. The stories included in the book come from many cultures and traditions: Buddhism, the Old Testament, ancient Greece, Minoan Crete, Maori…
