Reviews
I discuss my direct experience with a book, product, or other service or item.
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Review: Waking the Witch
Waking the Witch is a delightful review of the Witch archetype as it has moved through media, pop culture, and mainstream media. From our cinema beginnings with the first “Good Witch” in The Wizard of Oz through our present day Witch Revival both socially and in the media, Pam Grossman takes us on a journey that explores the Witch in all her various media facets. We explore the cautionary tales told to teens and young women about all-consuming power and danger, the association with witches and the Devil, the stigma of being a woman without children (by choice or circumstance) through to modern day witch-based political movements, protests, demonstrations, and…
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Review: Backwoods Witchcraft by Jake Richards
Backwoods Witchcraft was not the book I had expected it to be. I was expecting something much more like a Witchcraft 101 book with a bit of Appalachian Charm thrown in, but this book is SO much better than that! Jake Richards, the author, shares with us an inside view of his familial and community practice – from what factors has made the Appalachian communities different, socially, from other regions of the United States to how historically other cultures have influenced this practice and when. I have never seen such a thorough and detailed accounting of folk magic in the United States at all. to make it even more delightful,…
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Book Review: Evil Archaeology by Heather Lynn
Evil Archaeology is a fun, archaeological perspective on those more nefarious practices and rites that humans have practiced since the beginning of civilization. The book begins with a discussion of trepanning, one of the earliest surgical processes we ever practiced – the act of drilling or creating a hole in the skull to allow various issues to escape (demons, bad spirits, pressure, haunting thoughts) and providing mental and physical relief. Other topics discussed include human sacrifice, exorcisms and demon summoning, cursed objects, and places believed to be evil unto themselves. Dr Heather Lynn approaches the topic with humor but without judgment, which is a complicated task, and through the eyes…
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Tarot (and Oracle!) Card Apps?
Using Tarot (and Oracle) Deck Apps! Are they reliable? How do you use them? How to choose a good one? What should you look for? What are the pros vs cons?
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Tarot Readings – There’s an App for That!
In one of the groups I am in online, the topic of tarot apps (applications for your phone, tablet, or computer) with electronic card decks came up. I think everyone I knows has had the same initial reaction: “what?! no! Can’t be!? Well… maybe…?” It’s that moment of confusion, rejection, and then reconsideration. So, I want to talk about my reasoning for using them (and when I don’t). First, I want to go back to something I am probably telling people way too much: Tarot cards are just ink and paper (and a little plastic gloss). Ink and paper. That’s it. Those things are not inherently any more psychic or…
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Review: The Awakened Aura by Kala Ambrose
I received this book to review back at the beginning of the year and, yes, it has taken me most of the year to get through it. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad book, though – to the contrary, it means that there’s a lot of stuff in here that is really important! For me, it meant that there were a lot of foundational topics that I had to revisit, such as what is energy and how does it work. I admit, I was stuck for a long time on the arrangement of energy bodies and actually trying to SEE the aura. I was able to achieve the first step…
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Road Trip!!!!
Years and years ago, I was 17. I was young, I was graduating high school and I had an inheritance coming to me. Not huge, but maybe a year’s worth of money. I was embracing my wild self, I looked like a hippy gypsy in long skirts, crop tops, and anything that jingled. I had fallen in love with this beautiful Vardo. Not familiar with a Vardo? They are those beautiful gypsy wagons. I even did the research and made sure my little mustang could pull a Vardo behind it. I was going to see the world, learn all of The Things, and wring my youth for all it was…
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Book Review: Spirit and Dream Animals by Richard Webster
Richard Webster’s Spirit and Dream Animals is a multidisciplinary view of modern, mythical, and shamanic practices regarding animal spirit guides (totems), power animals, and shape-shifting. For those who have studied shamanism and mysticism for awhile, this reading may be a tad on the light side, but it does discuss interesting topics such as using the numerology of your name and birth date to find your own personal power animal. The book begins with a discussion of the importance of dreams according to various philosophies and mythologies, exploring each idea briefly and noting any interconnectedness. After this, it goes on to discuss the frequency and importance placed on animals and animal…
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Flower Energy Cards
I just found out about these beautiful cards from Alaskan Essences, Inc. They are a pictorial deck that features affirmations and information on the energy that each flower embodies and carries with it. All the flowers pictured are native Alaskan wildflowers, so I would especially recommend a deck like this for anyone from Alaska who wants to become more knowledgeable about and connected to the native energies of the Earth in that area. I wonder if I can find a similar deck for Arizona!
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Harvest Moon Jewelry
In honor of the recent Harvest Moon, I’d like to direct your attention to one of the jewelry pieces I have available right now! It’s name is Harvest Moon and it’s a lovely piece of Jasper wrapped in copper. Being related to the Harvest Moon, this piece is all about taking action to reap the benefits of your effort. Which is to say that it helps you with achieving what you’ve been working on. The crescent shape is also a wonderful reminder of the cycles of the moon and remind us that things have their own place and time and that we can work with the cycles to help add…
