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Book Review – Broth from the Cauldron: A Wisdom Journey Through Everyday Magic by Cerridwen Fallingstar
Book Review Broth from the Cauldron A Wisdom Journey Through Everyday Magic by Cerridwen Fallingstar 280 Pages The stories Cerridwen Fallingstar tells about her life in “Broth from the Cauldron: A Wisdom Journey through Everyday Magic” range from fairly ordinary to well out of the ordinary. Since 1976 she’s been a Wiccan priestess teaching shamanic classes. In 1992 she began teaching year-long apprenticeship programs she calls “Hogwarts for Grown-ups.” The memoir does not follow the classic chronological order. “Sometimes the true way to tell a story is the twisted path, the journey through the labyrinth, the path that doubles back on itself, full of odd turns, improbable coincidences,…
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Book Review – The Junior Witch’s Handbook: A Kid’s Guide to White Magic, Spells and Rituals by Nikki Van De Car
Book Review The Junior Witch’s Handbook A Kid’s Guide to White Magic, Spells and Rituals by Nikki Van De Car 98 Pages I would give anyone ages eight to twelve interested in learning about magic and witchcraft, and desiring to become more empowered in common life situations a copy of “The Junior Witch’s Handbook: A Kid’s Guide to White Magic, Spells and Rituals.” In it, three major areas of a young witch’s life are addressed: friendship, personal fulfillment, and family. Each section includes simple spells, rituals, activities and meditations to heal and empower. For example, a healing spell to let go of hurt feelings is offered in the…
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So Mote it Be
The first time I saw a honey locust tree, I was both intrigued and terrified. Three-inch thorns poked out from around the trunk of the tree at all angles. Near the bottom, you couldn’t see the tree trunk at all for all the thorns. There was no way anything was going to harm this tree! I walked up to it and gently touched a thorn. It was extremely sharp, but it wiggled under my touch, so I pulled a little. It popped off the tree and landed in my palm, as if it was a gift. I wiggled a few more thorns, and though most were firmly attached, the tree…
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Book Review – Make Magic of Your Life: Passion, Purpose and the Power of Desire by T. Thorn Coyle
Book Review Make Magic of Your Life Passion, Purpose and the Power of Desire by T. Thorn Coyle 256 Pages I will admit to pre-judging this book, thinking it yet another New Age tome on how to “attract” your best life. But, John Waterhouse’s painting of Circe Invidiosa, the one of her staring into the bowl of iridescent water as if to see the whole of creation, persuaded me to give it a try. Circe has never led me astray, and she didn’t this time. Once I started, I didn’t put it down, finishing in one sitting. T. Thorn Coyle’s book is a masterpiece of magic, a weaving…
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Self-empowerment and Charisma Spell to Create Your Own Future Book Excerpt from Knot Magic by Sarah Bartlett
Self-empowerment and Charisma Spell to Create Your Own Future Book Excerpt from Knot Magic by Sarah Bartlett It’s hard these days to know what we truly want for our future, isn’t it? This spell will not only empower you with charisma and self-confidence, but enable you to create the future you truly desire right now. WHAT YOU WILL NEED 5 gold rings 5 lengths of gold-colored ribbon or cord WHEN TO CAST SPELL Morning On a very sunny morning, lay the five gold rings in a circle, either outside in full sunlight or in a very sunny place indoors. Take the five lengths of ribbon…
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Book Review – The Magical Writing Grimoire: Use the Word as Your Wand for Magic, Manifestation & Ritual by Lisa Marie Basile
Book Review The Magical Writing Grimoire Use the Word as Your Wand for Magic, Manifestation & Ritual by Lisa Marie Basile 176 Pages …. In The Magical Writing Grimoire I wanted to be able to make space for others to write their truth, to invest in their stories, to write for others’…and to turn a writing practice (one that you have or not) into a sacred, healing, magical act where writing is elevated into transformative ritual. Because when we tap into that power, we find, in many ways, freedom, beauty, light. The only way out is through…Lisa Basile I am an author, ritualist and Witch and love to write and…
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Book Review – Pagan Portals: Sun Magic by Rachel Patterson
Book ReviewPagan Portals Sun Magic by Rachel Patterson 144 Pages “I think sometimes as a witch the moon tends to get pride of place andthe sun perhaps takes a back seat? But it is an incredibly powerfulsource of natural energy and magic.”1. Sun Magic by Rachel Patterson provides a fresh perspective on putting the Sun and solar energies into the same place of interest and mystery that the moon has typically held in practicing the craft. The book reads easily and is parceled out into bite-size pieces. The contents read like a table of correspondences for the sun and each chapter is only a few pages in length. Ms.…
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Book Review – The Mirror of Magic by Kurt Seligman
Book ReviewThe Mirror of MagicA History of Magic in the Western Worldby Kurt Seligman Original Copyright date 1948 512 Pages Mirror of Magic is a comparative religion book. It starts with Mesopotamia and goes all the way to the 18th century. I’m one of those people that I make lots of notes whenever I’m reading a book. So, with this book, I’ve made like seven pages of notes. I made a note of, in Mesopotamia, when it talks about how the Gods were reminded of the misfortune of mortals. Back in Mesopotamia, there is no moral distinction between good or bad, or light and dark; spiteful forces could live…
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Book Review – Backwoods Witchcraft: Conjure & Folk Magic from Appalachia by Jake Richards
Book ReviewBackwoods WitchcraftConjure & Folk Magic from Appalachiaby Jake Richards 211 Pages ”It’s just what the old folks did,” author Jake Richards wrote in his book, “Backwoods Witchcraft: Conjure & Folk Magic from Appalachia.” He explains, “The old-timers have always been superstitious when it comes to ghosts, lightening, death, witches, and curses. Basically, everything that could threaten their livelihood. … These remedies and charms are tradition, and you aren’t supposed to question them. No one does.” Richards grew up in the valleys below Buffalo and Roan Mountain in East Tennessee. His family was mostly farmers in Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina – some going back three hundred years. Most…
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Book Review – Russian Black Magic: The Beliefs and Practices of Heretics and Blasphemers by Natasha Helvin
Book Review Russian Black Magic The Beliefs and Practices of Heretics and Blasphemers by Natasha Helvin 176 Pages I didn’t really know what to make of this book when I received it – I don’t really believe in the reality of “black” magic – or “white” magic, for that matter – magic is magic! – and I don’t care about the practices of so-called “heretics and blasphemers” – where I’m from, spiritually, “heretics and blasphemers” are simply those who do not adhere to the orthodox view, whatever it may be. Which would include me. So although I read it eagerly – I love anything about Russian culture –…