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Book Review-Pagan Portals: Venezuelan Folklore: Spirits and Legends of the Dead by Alan U. Dalul
Book Review Pagan Portals: Venezuelan Folklore: Spirits and Legends of the Dead By Alan U. Dalul Publisher: Moon Books 96 Page E-Book Release Date: January 1st, 2025 Another Pagan Portals Book to add to my collection! This particular entry into this wonderful series of booklets concerns Venezuelan folklore, specifically centered around death, spirits and the supernatural. Through my studies of folklore and mythology of many different cultures, I’ve found that a lot of our legends tend to overlap. Venezuelan Folklore adds to the wealth of knowledge out there about Latin American spirituality, folklore and folk practices and beliefs. Aside from being a fascinating examination of these subjects, it also seems to be…
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Book Review-Healing Plants of Renaissance Florence : The Development of Herbal Medicine in Florence by Angela Paine
Book Review Healing Plants of Renaissance Florence: The Development of Herbal Medicine in Florence By Angela Paine Publisher: Moon Books 296 Page E-Book Release Date: January 1st, 2025 Healing Plants of Renaissance Florence by Angela Paine is a fascinating exploration of the foundations and history of herbalism in renaissance Florence, as well as its applications that are known to be accurate. The information within is not only interesting for those with an interest in medicinal herbalism, and its history and development, but also those seeking to find potential homeopathic and natural remedies to everyday things like flatulence, stomach ache, cold & cough, fever and other issues. The herbs contained within this…
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Book Review-Pagan Portals: Maman Brigitte: Dark Goddess of Africa and Ireland by Pauline Breen
Book Review Pagan Portals: Maman Brigitte: Dark Goddess of Africa and Ireland By Pauline Breen Publisher: Moon Books 104 page E-Book Release Date: December 1st, 2024 Pagan Portals: Maman Brigitte is a fascinating exploration of an oft-misunderstood goddess within the Vodou traditions of Haiti and Louisiana. Breen makes clear that she has no “in” with these cultures that have been the subject of centuries of exploitation, from slavery to the appropriation of their beliefs. I appreciate the author’s intent to avoid an attempt at appropriation, but rather the exploration of the Goddess, in this case, Brigid, as she evolved to meet the needs of peoples who had been exploited and sold…
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Book Review-Pagan Portals: Cerridwen: Keeper of the Cauldron by Danu Forest
Book Review Pagan Portals: Cerridwen: Keeper of the Cauldron By Danu Forest Publisher: Moon Books 137 Page e-Book Release Date: December 1st, 2024 Pagan Portals: Cerridwen: Keeper of the Cauldron by Danu Forest is a fascinating examination of Cerrdiwen through mythology, worship and modern Paganism. Danu Forest is a well-known author on Celtic Pagan subjects, and she takes the cake in this book! Cerridwen is a somewhat complex, and multi-faceted goddess; some see her as mother, others as a crone. She’s the keeper of the cauldron of Awen, or inspiration, and the mother of Taliesin. She’s intertwined in the Arthurian Mythos as well, and serves as a central figure in…
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Book Review-Pagan Portals: Circe: Goddess of Sorcery by Irisanya Moon
Book Review Pagan Portals: Circe: Goddess of Sorcery By Irisanya Moon Publisher: Moon Books 112 Page E-Book Release Date: December 1st, 2024 I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; I am a huge fan of the Pagan Portals series by Moon Books. Pagan Portals: Circe: Goddess of Sorcery by Irisanya Moon is no different. I practice Hekatean Witchcraft blended with traditional witchcraft, and Circe is a Goddess/Spirit that I’ve encountered on this path before, but she has always been veiled in mystery, especially as it pertains to her functions in the modern world, in modern witchcraft. This book de-mystifies a Goddess that’s much misunderstood, and maligned throughout history. Pagan Portals: Circe covers Circe’s historical context…
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Book Review-Pagan Portals: Celtic Fairies in North America by Morgan Daimler
Book Review Pagan Portals: Celtic Fairies in North America By Morgan Daimler Publisher: Moon Books 110 page E-Book Release Date: November 1st, 2024 Those of you who read my reviews, and columns, have probably figured out that I’m a huge fan of the Pagan Portals series by Moon Books. Pagan Portals are short booklets, usually no more than 120 pages, that focus on a topic, deity, practice or something relating to paganism and/or witchcraft. They’re excellent for beginners and advanced practitioners alike, and I always find myself coming back to them for inspiration and reference. That said, Celtic Fairies in North America is the perfect addition to my library of works on Fairies and the Fae. Fairies…
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Book Review-Pagan Portals: Mestra The Shapeshifter: Ancient Heroine of the Sacred Grove by Dianna Rhyan
Book Review Pagan Portals: Mestra the Shapeshifter: Ancient Heroine of the Sacred Grove By Dianna Rhyan Publisher: Moon Books 136 page E-Book Release Date: November 1st, 2024 Pagan Portals: Mestra the Shapeshifter is another installment of the Pagan Portals series by Moon Books, and a favorite series of mine. Rhyan tells the story of Mestra from the literary sources that are available, and weaves these sources into a story of Mestra, from birth, to her eventual shapeshifting to flee the oppression of men wishing to marry her. She is the Heroine of the Sacred Grove, and can often be found in the forests, rivers and streams as a bird, an animal, the gentle breeze…
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Book Review-Pagan Portals: The Fallen Women of Mythology: Goddesses, Saints and Sinners by Lady Haight-Ashton
Book Review Pagan Portals: The Fallen Women of Mythology: Goddesses, Saints and Sinners By Lady Haight-Ashton Publisher: Moon Books 100 page E-Book Release Date: October 1st, 2024 Pagan Portals: The Fallen Women of Mythology: Goddesses, Saints and Sinners is the book I think many, especially women, in the United States could probably find benefit from reading. I don’t like to get political, especially in reviews, but the results of Tuesday really put the need for this book at a peak. Human rights to me aren’t political issues. I’m not sure I know where to begin; this book encapsulates so much divine rage from the oppression of women over the millennia (and…
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Book Review-Pagan Portals: Sulis: Solar Goddess of the Spring Waters by Rachel Patterson
Book Review Pagan Portals: Sulis: Solar Goddess of the Spring Waters By Rachel Patterson Publisher: Moon Books 106 page E-Book Release Date: October 1st, 2024 Pagan Portals: Sulis is a continuation of one of my favorite booklet series for Pagans, and on a goddess that is getting more attention and her mysteries are once again being unearthed. Sulis is a goddess I got to know back in 2020 during the pandemic, and since she has appeared and reappeared at seemingly sporadic times in my life. Not much is known about her compared to other Celtic goddesses such as Rhiannon or The Morrigan, and much evidence of her worship has been lost…
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Book Review-Bog Witch: A Semi-Mystical Immersion Into Wild Wetland Habitats, Their Myths, Magic, and Meaning by Mab Jones
Photo Credits: Stock Photo of Bog Witch: A Semi-Mystical Immersion Into Wild Wetlands, Their Myths, Magic and Meaning, courtesy of publisher Bog Witch: A Semi-Mystical Immersion Into Wild Wetland Habitats, Their Myths, Magic, and Meaning by Mab Jones is an 82 page book published by Moon Books, of which I received an E-Book copy. Bog Witch begins with the author’s personal experiences growing up in modern western culture, and its well-known approach to nature as a resource, and in the case of many wetland areas, an eyesore and something to be removed or beautified. Jones then goes into their personal exploration of wetland areas where they live, and then immerses you into the wisdom,…
