My review of The Witches Almanac issue #36

The theme of Issue 36 (Spring 2017-Spring 2018) is Water: Our Primal Source, and among our lineup of obscurities is Waynaboozhoo – The Great Flood Story of the Ojibwa, Sweet Madness – One Honey of a Mysterious Tale, Drums That Talk – The Sacred Rhythms of Yorubaland, The Fathomless Mystery of the Sea, and Kitchen Magic — Glögg.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from The Witches’ Almanac (http://thewitchesalmanac.com/) and Weiser Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

English Magic Tarot

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This captivating new tarot deck draws us into the vibrant but often hidden world of English magic, evoking a golden age of mysticism when John Dee was Queen Elizabeth’s Court Astrologer, antiquarian John Aubrey rediscovered ancient sacred sites, and the great physicist Isaac Newton studied alchemy.

The English Magic Tarot places the cards in the colorful yet turbulent period of English history that stretches from the time of Henry VIII to the Restoration. During this time of upheaval archetypal forces were very much at play, making this a perfect setting for the cards. Brought to you by renowned artist Rex Van Ryn, colorist Steve Dooley, and writer Andy Letcher, this deck has a dynamic, graphic style. There are unique twists to some of the traditional images, with riddles, references, and lore buried within them that will draw users ever deeper into the mystery and meaning of the cards.

The first deck of its kind to draw explicitly on the English magical tradition, The English Magic Tarotopens up a rich new pathway into the cards that will delight novice and experienced tarot users alike. Learn more by visiting http://www.englishmagictarot.com.

http://amzn.to/2dcKeQL

Former ‘Paranormal State’ star Ryan Buell arrested

rbarrestI hope that this man gets some help soon.

Former “Paranormal State” star Ryan Buell has been arrested in South Carolina. Buell was arrested on September 18 and is currently being held in the Florence County Jail on a detainer f…

Source: Former ‘Paranormal State’ star Ryan Buell arrested

In my mailbox: Rumi’s Little Book of Love and Laughter: Teaching Stories and Fables

Rumi’s Little Book of Love and Laughter: Teaching Stories and Fables
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing (October 1, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1571747613
ISBN-13: 978-1571747617

I want to thank the people at Hampton Roads Publishing for sending me a free advance review copy. This book will be available October 1st and I am certain that most Rumi enthusiasts will love it. I’ve already read half of the book and I’m having trouble putting it down.


Rowdy, ecstatic, and sometimes stern, these teaching stories and fables reveal new and very human properties in Rumi’s vision. Included here are the notorious “Latin parts” that Reynold Nicholson felt were too unseemly to appear in English in his 1920s translation. For Rumi, anything that human beings do–however compulsive–affords a glimpse into the inner life.
Here are more than 40 fables or teaching stories that deal with love, laughter, death, betrayal, and the soul. The stories are exuberant, earthy, and bursting with vitality–much like a painting by Hieronymus Bosch or Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The characters are guilty, lecherous, tricky, ribald, and finally possessors of opened souls.
Barks writes: “These teaching stories are a kind of scrimshaw–intricately carved, busy figures, confused and threatening, and weirdly funny.
This is an entertaining collection from one of the greatest spiritual poets of all time, rendered by his most popular translator.
“The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along.”–Rumi

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Review: The Apothecary’s Curse by Barbara Barnett

The Mad Scientist reviews The Apothecary’s Curse by Barbara Barnett

This genre-bending urban fantasy mixes alchemy and genetics as a doctor and an apothecary try to prevent a pharmaceutical company from exploiting the book that made them immortal centuries ago.

In Victorian London, the fates of physician Simon Bell and apothecary Gaelan Erceldoune entwine when Simon gives his wife an elixir created by Gaelan from an ancient manuscript. Meant to cure her cancer, it kills her. Suicidal, Simon swallows the remainder—only to find he cannot die.

Five years later, hearing rumors of a Bedlam inmate with regenerative powers like his own, Simon is shocked to discover it’s Gaelan. The two men conceal their immortality, but the only hope of reversing their condition rests with Gaelan’s missing manuscript.

When modern-day pharmaceutical company Transdiff Genomics unearths diaries describing the torture of Bedlam inmates, the company’s scientists suspect a link between Gaelan and an unnamed inmate. Gaelan and Genomics geneticist Anne Shawe are powerfully drawn to each other, and her family connection to his manuscript leads to a stunning revelation. Will it bring ruin or redemption?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Pyr. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”