• Reviews

    Book Review – Empty Cauldrons: Navigating Depression Through Magic and Ritual by Terence P. Ward

    Book Review Empty Cauldrons: Navigating Depression Through Magic and Ritual by Terence P. Ward Publisher: Llewellyn Publications 288 Pages Publication Date: January 8, 2022     It is very difficult for many people who suffer from depression to talk about it. Some can discuss it with friends and family, some reach out to professionals, and the rare few share their journey on social media and other public forums. There is still a lot of stigma attached to depression and many choose to keep their depression a secret out of fear of being stigmatized or to prevent feelings of being further ostracized. Empty Cauldrons is a pagan perspective that takes a…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies by Rebecca Beyer

    Book Review Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies  by Rebecca Beyer Publisher: Simon & Schuster 240 Pages Publication Date: May 10, 2022     “The spirit of a place.” In “Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies,” Rebecca Beyer gives readers ways to come to know the spirit of a place, forming deep, intimate relationships with its plants, animals, minerals and history. There will be a unique magic of that place, too. A witch and a forager, Beyer specializes in folkloric plant history, as well as magical, edible, and medicinal uses. The detailed information about botanicals, and…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Magical Living

    Book Review Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Magical Living by Maria DeBlassie Published by Moon Books 128 Pages Published: October 1, 2021     Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Magical Living by Maria DeBlassie is a very readable book that provides the reader with all of the necessary tools to set out to explore a path of magical living. The content is organized in a way that is easy to move through and offers plenty of opportunities to try out spells, rituals and more. Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Magical Living is separated into eight (8) sections, including the Introduction and Conclusion: Conjure Your Own Special Magic.…

  • Monthly Columns

    Solar Eclipse Sour Mixed Drink Recipe & More, Excerpted from Moon, Magic, Mixology by Julia Halina Hadas

    SOLAR ECLIPSE SOUR ENERGIES: purification, protection, grounding, spirituality MOON(S): solar eclipse, in Leo     Solar eclipses can often act as doorways to new beginnings, signifying powerful change in one’s life. With elements drawing on the moon and the sun, and a red wine float covering an otherwise bright color just like the moon covering the sun, this 1870 Sour variation is symbolic of the solar eclipse both in visual representation and ingredient alignment. Mix egg white to symbolize rebirth, cinnamon for vibration raising, and blueberry for psychic protection, and you have a concoction to help ground and protect your energy during this celestial event.   Serves 1 4 fresh…

  • Monthly Columns

    Moon Talk

    The Basics of Magick and Debunking Stereotypes Lets take it back to the basics. When I spell “Magick”; you are probably wondering if I misspelled that right? For those who are new to Witchcraft, the word “magic” might bring various images to mind—talented illusionists who pull rabbits out of hats, sparks shooting from wands in Hollywood movies, or a cartoon character who can disappear simply by snapping his fingers. But for people who actually practice magic, the truth is much more subtle, and yet more powerful, than any pop culture fantasy. Back in the late 1300s, the French word “magique” entered the English language and became “magic.” The common French…

  • Monthly Columns,  Spells & Rituals

    Light a Fire Under Your Own Ass: The Magic of Motivation – An Excerpt from ‘Witchcraft Therapy’ by Mandi Em

    Light a Fire under Your Own Ass: The Magic of Motivation     Motivation is a funny thing: It seems like when you need it the most, it’s not there for you to draw from. Many of us struggle with motivation in various areas of life, a problem that, when left unchecked, can suck us down even further into a lazy hole of “I don’t wanna!” There’s also a special relationship between depression and motivation that can leave high hopes feeling like a neglected third wheel. Depression can make even the simplest tasks, like getting out of bed, a monumental challenge. And as the things around you that you should…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Herbal Magic: A Handbook of Natural Spells, Charms, and Potions by Aurora Kane

    Book Review Herbal Magic A Handbook of Natural Spells, Charms, and Potions by Aurora Kane Publisher: Quarto Publishing 208 pages Publication Date: 5/25/2021     This book has everything a witch could want to know about magical herbalism. It is “full of purposeful potential and whimsical wisdom to be used wisely,” with a catalog of 78 herbs and 40 rituals. For the herbs it gives the planetary companion, day of the week it corresponds with, elemental correspondence, zodiac sign, and gender. The author explains a plants gender as its energy because it is “relative to plant life [and] not assigned based on gender, but qualities of energy in life”. She…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Spark Magic: 50 Ways to Find Your Power by Chronicle Books

    Book Review Spark Magic 50 Ways to Find Your Power by Chronicle Books Chronicle Books 50 cardboard matchsticks     “Spark Magic” isn’t a book, but an odd little novelty item intended to inspire the imagination. Although it might have easily been a deck of cards or a book of suggestions, “Spark Magic” comes in the form of a box of fifty cardboard sticks shaped like matches that don’t light, but instead, have short, pithy suggestions for introducing and manifesting magic in your life. The design and execution of the box is charming and shiny, and suggests something mystical inside; the matches themselves are cute and well-made.   The suggestions…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – The Magic of Pathworking: A Meditation Guide for Your Inner Vision by Simon Court

    Book Review The Magic of Pathworking A Meditation Guide for Your Inner Vision by Simon Court Llewellyn 288 Pages     When I saw that this title was available for review, I admit to being rather excited. Pathworkings are my favorite tools of use for teaching, reflection and personal growth. I’ve written them, participated in and learned from the best of the best about the potency and power of their work at all levels of being. So, add to this already impassioned perspective and author’s work background and training is derived from some of the best esotericists, magicians and teachers of Hermetic knowledge and you have all of the ingredients…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – The New Witch: Your Guide to Modern Witchcraft, Wicca, Spells, Potions, Magic, and More by Marie D. Jones

    Book Review The New Witch Your Guide to Modern Witchcraft, Wicca, Spells, Potions, Magic, and More by Marie D. Jones Visible Ink Press 256 Pages     Marie D. Jones wrote “The New Witch: Your Guide to Modern Witchcraft, Wicca, Spells, Potions, Magic, and More” to bridge ancient pagan ways and today’s digital world. She offers ideas to bring together the nature-based traditions of the ancestors, and the powers of social media, to embrace the past and honor the future. It’s seemingly odd that a nature-loving tradition blends with the technology dependent world, but the vast amount of information available and the speed, ease, and options to communicate – not…