{"id":27186,"date":"2022-10-01T01:10:30","date_gmt":"2022-10-01T05:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/?p=27186"},"modified":"2022-09-27T20:56:54","modified_gmt":"2022-09-28T00:56:54","slug":"book-review-the-magick-of-birthdays-by-hannah-hawthorn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2022\/10\/01\/book-review-the-magick-of-birthdays-by-hannah-hawthorn\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review \u2013 The Magick of Birthdays by Hannah Hawthorn"},"content":{"rendered":"

Book Review
\n<\/b><\/span>The Magic of Birthdays: <\/b><\/span>
\nRituals, Spells, and Recipes\u00a0<\/b><\/span>
\nfor Honoring Your Solar Return<\/b><\/span>
\nThrough Rootwork and Conjure<\/b><\/span>
\nby Hannah Hawthorn<\/b><\/span>
\nPublisher: Penguin Random House<\/b><\/span>
\n269 Pages<\/b><\/span>
\nPublication date: July 12, 2022<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

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Bright Blessings!<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I am thrilled to share an amazing new book with you that discusses exactly what the title says it does \u2014 birthdays and all the magic that comes along with them. I don\u2019t read all that much for myself, because my day job entails plenty of research. As somebody who has to share facts and history on a weekly basis, I have to say I really appreciated how well researched this book was, and how much good historic factual information the author packed in there.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If you want a fluffy guide to who you are most likely to hit it off with so you can date them based on your birthdate, this book is not for you. If you want a book full of great information related to the magic and lore of birthdays, this is your book. I will go ahead and take the liberty to call this an excellent reference book and tell you it\u2019s one every Pagan ought to have. Without further ado, I will share some content from Hawthorn\u2019s amazing book so you can see what I am so impressed with. In this tome of 269 pages, Hawthorn has simply broken it up in six chapters, not including bibliography, notes, acknowledgements, intro and forward of course. The chapters are as follows:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 1- A Walk Through Birthday History<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hawthorn has done the research and explains astrology through the ages beginning with Mesopotamia astrology from 2000 BCE when people developed the first known calendar, and it is believed people first noticed patterns in the heavens. She points that in 700 BCE people developed the first known zodiac, and goes on to list what the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians later contributed. If you are a fact geek like I am, you are going to gobble up all the good info Hawthorn shares. For example, she writes, <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn our quest to find more answers, we travel across the Mediterranean Sea to the grand city of Rome where we find Romulus and Remus, twin sons of Mars. As legend has it, these demigods founded Rome on the banks of the Tiber River in 753. Hellenistic astrology made its way to Rome by way of Greece, where it was embraced with widespread admiration and credibility. While this fascination with astrology flourished in the early Greco-Roman societies, it also began to make its way around the globe, and other cultures began their prophetic study of the stars. Astrology and birthdays became a central figure in Roman culture. And they were the first people to commemorate the birth of nonreligious figures.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 2- What Do the Stars Have in Store for You?<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

In this chapter she discusses the seven planets and what they control, or rule in our birth charts. In case you don\u2019t know about birth charts, those are something we all deserve to have case so we can learn about ourselves. A birth chart used to have to be done by hand by a highly educated astrologer who had countless books with information in it. The calculations took time, and were based on birth date, birth time, and birth location. Now, sites like caf\u00e9 Astrology online will cast our birth chart for free in seconds, and include in it a summary of all the heavenly bodies that were above at our moment of birth. She writes that:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour Sun Sign is so much more than your \u201cbasic personality.\u201d It is your essence, the permanent part deep inside you. Your Sun is what your life is evolving around, and often that is a goal. It is career-based fame. It is what you are known for. It is how you shine. It\u2019s who you aspire to be and what you are driven to do through egoic creativity. Embracing your Sun sign will make you feel more fulfilled, provide direction, and give you a sense of purpose.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She further discusses the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and then the outer planets, Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus. Each of these planets influence us in our daily lives, and knowing what planet was where at our moment of birth will explain a lot about who we are, how we function and behave, and then where we are going in life. She discusses each of the zodiac signs even sharing crystals, flora and fauna, metals, colors, and deities associated with each sign. She further discusses each of the Twelve Houses! So much good info!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 3- The Moon<\/strong> and Chapter 4- The Sun<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Moon and Sun both get their very own chapters. She discusses Moon phases, and their meanings, the days of the week and what planets rule them, what a \u201csolar return\u201d means and shares a ritual for your solar return. She talks about Solar altars, and discusses the Sun in solar return in each of the Houses. She teaches how to calculate a personal number and what each means, and also talks in depth about correspondences of the Sun. She also shares spellwork. For example, she writes:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHigh Noon Magic<\/strong>
\nThe Sun reaches the height of its power at midday, when the rays are so overwhelming, they can be painful. Depending on where you are and what season it is, that is roughly between 12 P.M. and 2 P.M. This raw power represents true strength and the will to use it. Harness this time for more intense spells surrounding protection, control, long-term projects, fame, passion, and abundance.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She then shares some spells and even recipes!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Chapter 5 is called Lighting the Wick<\/strong> and is about candle magic, and Chapter 6 is called Honoring Your Day, Your Way<\/strong>. I will let you read these chapters and won\u2019t spoil all the good things in those chapters for you.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This is an excellent book for Pagans and people who use astrology in their lives, and don\u2019t just want to know what sign they are so they know who is more likely to be harmoniously involved with them. Every aspect of your lives is governed by the moment of our birth and the heavenly bodies that we draw power from. After all, the Book of Genesis 1:14 states,<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd God said, \u2018Let there be light in the expanse of the heavens, to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and for years.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Pick up this book to see all about how your birthdate and time affects your life, and enjoy every minute of all the good facts Hawthorn shares.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Hannah Hawthorn is a pagan witch who began sharing her practice online during quarantine of 2020. Unbeknownst to her, her content would resonate with thousands and she would amass a large following across various social media platforms under the username @simplywitched<\/strong>. Today Hannah continues to post in hopes of lifting the veil of misconception surrounding witchcraft and paganism, to destigmatize the craft and make it feel approachable and accessible to all. The Magic of Birthdays<\/em> is her debut book.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

The Magic of Birthdays on Amazon<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

**<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lady Saoirse<\/b> is a practicing witch, and initiated Wiccan of an Eclectic Tradition. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A recovered Catholic, she was raised to believe in heaven and hell, that there is only one god, and only one way to believe. As she approached her late 20\u2019s, little things started to show her this was all wrong. She was most inspired by the saying \u201cGod is too big to fit into one religion\u201d and after a heated exchange with the then associate pastor of the last Xtian church she attended, she finally realized she was in no way Xtian, and decided to move on to see where she could find her spiritual home.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Her homecoming to her Path was after many years of being called to The Old Ways and the Goddess, and happened in Phoenix, Arizona. She really did rise from her own ashes!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Upon returning to Ohio, she thought Chaos Magic was the answer, and soon discovered it was actually Wicca. She was blessed with a marvelous mentor, Lord Shadow, and started a Magical Discussion Group at local Metaphysical Shop Fly By Night. The group was later dubbed A Gathering of Paths. For a few years, this group met, discussed, did rituals, fellowship, and volunteering together, and even marched as a Pagan group with members of other groups at the local gay Pride Parade for eight years. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

All the while, she continued studying with her mentor, Lord Shadow, and she became a Third Degree High priestess in 2022. She belongs to the Black Dragon Clan.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She is a gifted tarot reader, spellworker, teacher, and was even a resident Witch at a Westerville place dubbed The Parlor for a time. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Aside from her magical practice, she is a crocheter, beader, painter, and a good cook. She has been a clown and children\u2019s entertainer, a Nursing Home Activities Professional, a Cavern Tour Guide, a Retail Cashier, and a reader in local shops. Her college degree is a BA in English Writing. She tried her hand at both singing and playing bagpipes, and\u2026well\u2026let\u2019s just say her gifts lie elsewhere! She loves gardening, reading, antiques, time with friends and soul kin, and lots and lots of glorious color bedecking her small home!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

On the encouragement of a loved one several years back, she searched for a publication to write for, and is right at home at PaganPagesOrg.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She is currently residing in Central Ohio with her husband, and furbabies.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Saoirse can be contacted at <\/span><\/span>actpipe@yahoo.com<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/u><\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Review The Magic of Birthdays: Rituals, Spells, and Recipes\u00a0 for Honoring Your Solar Return Through Rootwork and Conjure by Hannah Hawthorn Publisher: Penguin Random House 269 Pages Publication date: July 12, 2022                     Bright Blessings! I am thrilled to share an amazing new book with you that discusses exactly what the title says it does \u2014 birthdays and all the magic that comes along with them. I don\u2019t read all that much for myself, because my day job entails plenty of research. As somebody who has to share facts and history on a weekly basis, I have to say I really appreciated how well researched this book was, and how much good historic factual information the author packed in there. If you want a fluffy guide to who you are most likely to hit it off with so you can date them based on your birthdate, this book is not for you. If you want a book full of great information related to the magic and lore of birthdays, this is your book. I will go ahead and take the liberty to call this an excellent reference book and tell you it\u2019s one every Pagan ought to have. Without further ado, I will share some content from Hawthorn\u2019s amazing book so you can see what I am so impressed with. In this tome of 269 pages, Hawthorn has simply broken it up in six chapters, not including bibliography, notes, acknowledgements, intro and forward of course. The chapters are as follows: Chapter 1- A Walk Through Birthday History Hawthorn has done the research and explains astrology through the ages beginning with Mesopotamia astrology from 2000 BCE when people developed the first known calendar, and it is believed people first noticed patterns in the heavens. She points that in 700 BCE people developed the first known zodiac, and goes on to list what the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians later contributed. If you are a fact geek like I am, you are going to gobble up all the good info Hawthorn shares. For example, she writes, \u201cOn our quest to find more answers, we travel across the Mediterranean Sea to the grand city of Rome where we find Romulus and Remus, twin sons of Mars. As legend has it, these demigods founded Rome on the banks of the Tiber River in 753. Hellenistic astrology made its way to Rome by way of Greece, where it was embraced with widespread admiration and credibility. While this fascination with astrology flourished in the early Greco-Roman societies, it also began to make its way around the globe, and other cultures began their prophetic study of the stars. Astrology and birthdays became a central figure in Roman culture. And they were the first people to commemorate the birth of nonreligious figures.\u201d Chapter 2- What Do the Stars Have in Store for You? In this chapter she discusses the seven planets and what they control, or rule in our birth charts. In case you don\u2019t know about birth charts, those are something we all deserve to have case so we can learn about ourselves. A birth chart used to have to be done by hand by a highly educated astrologer who had countless books with information in it. The calculations took time, and were based on birth date, birth time, and birth location. Now, sites like caf\u00e9 Astrology online will cast our birth chart for free in seconds, and include in it a summary of all the heavenly bodies that were above at our moment of birth. She writes that: \u201cYour Sun Sign is so much more than your \u201cbasic personality.\u201d It is your essence, the permanent part deep inside you. Your Sun is what your life is evolving around, and often that is a goal. It is career-based fame. It is what you are known for. It is how you shine. It\u2019s who you aspire to be and what you are driven to do through egoic creativity. Embracing your Sun sign will make you feel more fulfilled, provide direction, and give you a sense of purpose.\u201d She further discusses the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and then the outer planets, Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus. Each of these planets influence us in our daily lives, and knowing what planet was where at our moment of birth will explain a lot about who we are, how we function and behave, and then where we are going in life. She discusses each of the zodiac signs even sharing crystals, flora and fauna, metals, colors, and deities associated with each sign. She further discusses each of the Twelve Houses! So much good info! Chapter 3- The Moon and Chapter 4- The Sun The Moon and Sun both get their very own chapters. She discusses Moon phases, and their meanings, the days of the week and what planets rule them, what a \u201csolar return\u201d means and shares a ritual for your solar return. She talks about Solar altars, and discusses the Sun in solar return in each of the Houses. She teaches how to calculate a personal number and what each means, and also talks in depth about correspondences of the Sun. She also shares spellwork. For example, she writes: \u201cHigh Noon Magic The Sun reaches the height of its power at midday, when the rays are so overwhelming, they can be painful. Depending on where you are and what season it is, that is roughly between 12 P.M. and 2 P.M. This raw power represents true strength and the will to use it. Harness this time for more intense spells surrounding protection, control, long-term projects, fame, passion, and abundance.\u201d She then shares some spells and even recipes! Chapter 5 is called Lighting the Wick and is about candle magic, and Chapter 6 is called Honoring Your Day, Your Way. I will let you read these chapters and won\u2019t spoil all the good things in those chapters for you. This is an excellent book for Pagans and people who use astrology in their lives, and don\u2019t just want to know what sign they are so they know who is more likely to be harmoniously involved with them. Every aspect of your lives is governed by the moment of our birth and the heavenly bodies that we draw power from. After all, the Book of Genesis 1:14 states, \u201cAnd God said, \u2018Let there be light in the expanse of the heavens, to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and for years.\u201d Pick up this book to see all about how your birthdate and time affects your life, and enjoy every minute of all the good facts Hawthorn shares. Hannah Hawthorn is a pagan witch who began sharing her practice online during quarantine of 2020. Unbeknownst to her, her content would resonate with thousands and she would amass a large following across various social media platforms under the username @simplywitched. Today Hannah continues to post in hopes of lifting the veil of misconception surrounding witchcraft and paganism, to destigmatize the craft and make it feel approachable and accessible to all. The Magic of Birthdays is her debut book.               The Magic of Birthdays on Amazon   ** About the Author: Lady Saoirse is a practicing witch, and initiated Wiccan of an Eclectic Tradition. A recovered Catholic, she was raised to believe in heaven and hell, that there is only one god, and only one way to believe. As she approached her late 20\u2019s, little things started to show her this was all wrong. She was most inspired by the saying \u201cGod is too big to fit into one religion\u201d and after a heated exchange with the then associate pastor of the last Xtian church she attended, she finally realized she was in no way Xtian, and decided to move on to see where she could find her spiritual home. Her homecoming to her Path was after many years of being called to The Old Ways and the Goddess, and happened in Phoenix, Arizona. She really did rise from her own ashes! Upon returning to Ohio, she thought Chaos Magic was the answer, and soon discovered it was actually Wicca. She was blessed with a marvelous mentor, Lord Shadow, and started a Magical Discussion Group at local Metaphysical Shop Fly By Night. The group was later dubbed A Gathering of Paths. For a few years, this group met, discussed, did rituals, fellowship, and volunteering together, and even marched as a Pagan group with members of other groups at the local gay Pride Parade for eight years. All the while, she continued studying with her mentor, Lord Shadow, and she became a Third Degree High priestess in 2022. She belongs to the Black Dragon Clan. She is a gifted tarot reader, spellworker, teacher, and was even a resident Witch at a Westerville place dubbed The Parlor for a time. Aside from her magical practice, she is a crocheter, beader, painter, and a good cook. She has been a clown and children\u2019s entertainer, a Nursing Home Activities Professional, a Cavern Tour Guide, a Retail Cashier, and a reader in local shops. Her college degree is a BA in English Writing. She tried her hand at both singing and playing bagpipes, and\u2026well\u2026let\u2019s just say her gifts lie elsewhere! She loves gardening, reading, antiques, time with friends and soul kin, and lots and lots of glorious color bedecking her small home! On the encouragement of a loved one several years back, she searched for a publication to write for, and is right at home at PaganPagesOrg. She is currently residing in Central Ohio with her husband, and furbabies. Saoirse can be contacted at actpipe@yahoo.com.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":211,"featured_media":27187,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10005],"tags":[10365,14060,10095,10015,14061,10030,10075,10054,10053,14059],"class_list":["post-27186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","tag-astrology","tag-birthday","tag-book","tag-book-review","tag-hannah-hawthorn","tag-recipes","tag-review","tag-rituals","tag-spells","tag-the-magick-of-birthdays"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/211"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27186"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27190,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27186\/revisions\/27190"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}