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Book Review – The Big Book of Candle Magic by Jacki Smith
Book Review The Big Book of Candle Magic by Jacki Smith Publisher: Weiser Books 309 Pages Release Date: July 1, 2022 The latest addition to Weiser’s increasingly well-populated Big Book series, The Big Book of Candle Magic is a wonderful deep dive into the world of candle magic and spellwork of all kinds. Like the other Big Books, this one takes on a single focused area of magical practice, and explores it thoroughly, from the most basic manifestations of this magical art to more advanced and complicated methods. Jacki Smith starts from the ground up in this book, introducing her own approach to magic in the…
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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 – Pure Magic by Judika Illes
Book Review Pure Magic by Judika Illes Publisher: Weiser Books 320 Pages Release Date: April 1, 2022 Originally published as Earth Mother Magic in 2001, and later as Pure Magic in 2007 and The Big Book of Practical Spells in 2016, the newly updated Weiser Classics edition of Judika Illes’ first book Pure Magic boasts a new foreword by Mat Auryn and a new preface by Judika Illes. My own first experience of Illes’ work was when I acquired The Element Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells: The Ultimate Reference Book for the Magical Arts a few years after it came out. That monumental volume has been with me…
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Book Review – Ossman & Steel’s Classic Household Guide to Appalachian Folk Healing by Jake Richards
Book Review Ossman & Steel’s Classic Household Guide to Appalachian Folk Healing: A Collection of Old-Time Remedies, Charms, and Spells By Jack Richards Foreword by Silver Ravenwolf Publisher: Weiser Books 122 pages Publication: August 1, 2022 From the publisher: “A long-treasured but forgotten classic of folk healing, with an introduction and commentary by the author of Backwoods Witchcraft and Doctoring the Devil. Ossman & Steel’s Guide to Health or Household Instructor (its original title) is a collection of spells, remedies, and charms. The book draws from the old Pennsylvania Dutch and German powwow healing practices that in turn helped shape…
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Book Review – The Witchy Homestead: Spells Rituals and Remedies for Creating Magic at Home by Nikki Van De Car
Book Review The Witchy Homestead Spells Rituals and Remedies for Creating Magic at Home by Nikki Van De Car Publisher: Running Press Adult 144 Pages Publication Date: August 17, 2021 I’m always on the lookout for books focused on everyday magic that makes home and family life easier and, perhaps, that little bit more wonderful. This one is so eye-catching with its promise of spells, rituals, and remedies for creating magic at home. Yes please! The book is handily split into three sections: Enchanting Your Food, Enchanting Your Health, and Enchanting Your Home. I love the idea of enchantment as an everyday practice to weave into all aspects of…
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Book Review – Becoming the Witch: The Art of Magick by Danae Moon Thorp
Book Review Becoming the Witch: The Art of Magick by Danae Moon Thorp Published by Llewellyn 408 Pages Published: September 2021 “Becoming the Witch leads you from the origins of Witchcraft to the secrets of sacred thinking and beyond. In a distinct, almost lyrical tone, Danae Moon Thorp teaches you what every beginner must know when starting on the Witch’s path, including the elements, spells, tools, deities, rituals, and more…” Becoming the Witch: The Art of Magick by Danae Moon Thorp is separated into nineteen (19) chapters replete with dozens of spells, an Appendix of Correspondences and a bibliography containing enough reading recommendations to keep a new witch quite…
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Book Review – Tarot Priestess: Using the Cards to Heal, Grow & Serve by Leeza Robertson
Book Review Tarot Priestess: Using the Cards to Heal, Grow & Serve By Leeza Robertson Published by Llewellyn Publications 219 pages Tarot Priestess is a 5 1/4 inch by 8 inch soft cover book with a matte finish full color front cover showing the book’s title and a closeup of an image from The High Priestess of the Major Arcana. My copy is an uncorrected proof (not for sale), with a back cover containing the publishing information and a brief bio of the author. I am assuming the final version would have a different book back. Tarot Priestess contains 219 pages with black print on sturdy off-white paper…
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Book Review – Allow Me to Introduce: An Insider’s Guide to the Occult by Lon Milo DuQuette
Book Review Allow Me to Introduce: An Insider’s Guide to the Occult by Lon Milo DuQuette Publisher: Weiser Books 216 Pages Publication Date: February 1, 2020 Allow Me to Introduce… a most intriguing title. Indeed, this is a proper title for this book. Here, you have a collection of writings on many different occult topics. Mr. DuQuette has collected various introductions that he has penned for books, and has placed them here in this edition. There are many topics he has written about in these book introductions which include: Qabalah, Tarot, Thelemic Magic, Enochian Magic, and Masonry. These brief introductions give an overview of the author’s experiences with…
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Witch & Popcorn
Review of Jeepers Creepers 2 Bright Blessings, film lovers. Today’s review focuses on a horror film- my favorite genre- and how the determination of two men overcome a seemingly invincible force…at least for twenty-three years. The film grossed over $100,000,000 worldwide and at the time of release was the highest grossing film for four days straight. It is now in ninth grossing place of all films released before Labor Day. It was nominated for three prestigious awards including the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. Before reading the review, watch the trailer for Jeepers Creepers 2 here: The plot is- three days after the events of Jeepers Creepers…
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Interview & Book Review – Espiritismo: Puerto Rican Mediumship and Magic by Hector Salva
Interview & Book Review Espiritismo: Puerto Rican Mediumship and Magic by Hector Salva Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser LLC. 242 Pages Publication date: February 1, 2022 Bright Blessings, Readers! I would like to share an exciting new book with you that was written by Hector Salva, and he also goes by Papa Hector. It’s called Espiritismo: Puerto Rican Mediumship and Magic and was published this year, 2022 by Red Wheel/Weiser LLC. The book is a substantial 242 pages and is well written. First, a little about Papa Hector. The book says about him, “Born and raised in a family lineage of brujos (witchdoctors, healers, sorcerers), HECTOR SALVA was raised by…
