In my mailbox: Living Runes

Living Runes
Theory and Practice of Norse Divination
Galina Krasskova

Look at what landed in my mailbox today! I love those people at Weiser Books! You should see this book in your favorite bookstore June 1st. Living Runes http://redwheelweiser.com/detail.html?id=9781578636662

Living Runes provides a thorough examination of the Norse runes that will challenge the experienced rune worker to deepen his or her understanding of these mysteries.

The book begins with an explication of the story of Odin, the Norse god who won the runes by sacrificing himself on the World Tree. It continues by examining each of the individual runes in turn, both the Elder Futhark and the lesser-known Anglo-Saxon Futhorc. Each rune is studied not only from a historical viewpoint but also from the perspective of a modern practitioner. You will be introduced to the practice of galdr as well as the magical use of the runes and the proper way to sacrifice to them and read them for divination.

Most importantly, the book specifically addresses the runes as living spirits and provides guidance on developing a working relationship with these otherworldly allies.

Galina Krasskova ( https://krasskova.wordpress.com/ ) is a free-range tribalistic heathen, who has been a priest of Odin for more than a decade. Her primary interest is heathen devotional work, and she has written and lectured extensively on the subject. Galina is a Northern Tradition shaman currently residing in New York.

Note: Living Runes was previously published as Runes: Theory and Practice (New Page, 2009) but for several years has only been available from Lightning Source via Ingram. Replaces ISBN 978-1-60163-085-8.

In my mailbox: Conjuring Harriet “Mama Moses” Tubman

I want to thank Weiser Books for the free review copy of Conjuring Harriet “Mama Moses” Tubman and the Spirits of the Underground Railroad by Witchdoctor Utu.

by Witchdoctor Utu

The spirits of Harriet Tubman, John Brown, and other heroes of the Underground Railroad guide readers on a magical path to healing, empowerment, and liberation.

The historical role that magic and soothsaying played in the Underground Railroad has long been ignored out of fear it might diminish the legacy of Harriet Tubman and other heroes of that time. However, Harriet Tubman was a Conjure woman who relied on her dreams and visionary experiences to lead her followers to freedom. Revered as “Mama Moses,” she, along with John Brown, Mary Ellen Pleasant, and others have been venerated since their deaths. They now have emerged in the 21st century as the pantheon of a new and increasingly popular African-Diaspora tradition.

Written by Witchdoctor Utu, founder of the Niagara Voodoo Shrine, this is the first book devoted to the spiritual and magical tradition of the Underground Railroad. In it, the author conjures the spirits of the Underground Railroad, their continued connection to each other, and their “tracks” still leading to freedom from obstacles, bondage, and trouble and tribulations of all kinds. It is a spiritual tradition that is broadly accessible and inclusive, much like the historical Underground Railroad itself, whose participants were black, white, and Native American, male and female, Christians, Jews, Quakers, animists, secret devotees of forbidden African religions, and free thinkers of all kinds.

This revelatory book teaches readers how to invoke the blessings of Mama Moses and her followers, access their healing inspiration and magic powers, and seek their own path to freedom.

In my mailbox: A Book of Pagan Prayer

It’s a dark and chilly day in little part of Florida. A storm rattled through last night but the sky hasn’t cleared up. Today is just the kind of weather for a cup of hot tea and an interesting book.

In my mailbox

Nothing makes me happier than to receive a new book from Weiser Books. The good folks at Weiser are, simply put, awesome.

This time Weiser sent me a free review copy of “A Book of Pagan Prayer.”

I remember this book and look forward to rereading it.

Product description: Steeped in tradition–“Those of us who call ourselves Pagan owe a debt to all those who came before us”–and based on more than a quarter century of research and practice, A Book of Pagan Prayerteaches us to pray in the ways of our ancestors for very modern times and concerns.

Changes to this revised edition include rearranged chapters and prayers and the addition of two new chapters, all of which make the book easier to use. The chapters are now arranged in an order that follows a ritual, and all the litanies have been moved to their appropriate chapters. Two new chapters–“General Requests and Offerings” and “Travel, Protection, Imprecatory”–combine two types of prayers out of the general “Petitions” into one. Prayers have been labeled with the deities to which they are addressed and arranged in logical order within each chapter. Prayers to new deities have also been added. In addition, a major problem with the first edition has been corrected: prayers for Lughnasadh/Lammas and Midsummer, two of the eight great neopagan holidays, have been added.

A unique collection of nearly 500 prayers written to fulfill the needs of contemporary pagans from a variety of traditions, A Book of Pagan Prayer is a book to turn to again and again.

Son of Chicken Qabalah

Thank you Weiser Books for the free advanced review copy of “Son of Chicken Qabalah: Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford’s (Mostly Painless) Practical Qabalah Course” by Lon Milo DuQuette. Expect to see this book in your favorite bookstore November 1st.

This simultaneously funny and serious book provides the easiest, fastest way for readers to painlessly attune themselves to the mysteries of the Hebrew alphabet and immerse themselves in the fundamentals of practical Qabalah. It is a road map from the Godhead to your head—a clear and lucid guide to an extremely complex, mystical topic. By performing the exercises and rituals in the book, the reader can complete the self-initiatory process comprising the three main degrees of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford’s Practical Qabalah course.

In my mailbox: Black City Dragon

I want to thank the good folks at Pyr for the free advance copy of “Black City Dragon” by Richard Knaak.

A historical urban fantasy set in Prohibition-era Chicago, which combines action, mystery, and romance against a backdrop of gangland wars and the threat of supernatural horror.

For sixteen hundred years, Nick Medea has guarded the gate between our world and Feirie, preventing the Wyld—the darkest Feirie of all—from coming into Chicago to find human prey. But since he defeated Oberon, more and more Wyld have been slipping through. Nick and his Feirie companion, the shapeshifter, Fetch, have been busy hunting them down.

Nick keeps coming across the Dacian Draco, the sign of his ancient enemy Galerius, including a tattoo worn by a human thug. Unfortunately, every trail ends as if years old. Claryce, Nick’s reincarnated love, has narrowly escaped two attempts on her life, and when Nick sees her wearing a broach with the Draco on it, he knows they must look more deeply into her former lives.

With Wyld and gangsters wreaking havoc in Chicago, Nick and Claryce must confront the secrets of their pasts if they are to have any hope of finding out Galerius’s plans before it’s too late to stop them. Nick will need the help of all his friends, both human and Feirie, and the powers of the dragon within him, to keep Galerius from endangering the gate, Chicago, and all of humanity.

Storytelling Alchemy

I have been hiding in a cool, dark, air conditioned room waiting for the last hot thunderstorm-laden days of Summer to ebb.  While my little corner of humid Florida is still feeling the effects of the oppressive heat, I can still enjoy a quiet evening of tea and a good book. The good folks at Weiser Books have sent an interesting title by Renee Damoiselle (link).

Storytelling Alchemy
Write Your Own Happy Ending
Renée Damoiselle
ISBN: 9781578636389
Book (Paperback)

We all have stories we tell ourselves, personal narratives that define who we are. These stories take root in our subconscious and limit us, like a shadow holding us back from our full potential. But words and storytelling also have the power to free ourselves from these shadows and to profoundly transform our lives.

Storytelling Alchemy provides tools and exercises designed to help you change your relationship to your personal stories in a way that is empowering and transformative. Included here are:

• • Journaling and creative writing exercises
  • Prompts for reflection and self-examination
  • Tips on dream analysis
  • Simple spells and enchantments for insight, transformation, and lasting change

 

Renée Damoiselle hosts the Witchin’ the World Meetup in Phoenix, open to all who are interested in ritual, metaphysics, paganism, magick, and diverse spiritual practices. Events include open discussions, ritual circles, and empowering workshops. Renée also hosts personal development and spiritual retreats, such as Goddess Divine and the Storytelling Alchemy Retreat held in beautiful destinations such as Sedona, AZ and the New England countryside.

http://ReneeDamoiselle.com

I want to take a moment to thank Weiser Books for this free review copy. It’s always a joy to go to the mailbox and find something special.

In my mailbox: Keepers by Brenda Cooper

I want to thank the folks at Pyr  for the free review copy. It’s always nice to find something in the mailbox other than bills.

“Keepers” by Brenda Cooper

Two sisters, one from a megacity and one from the wilderness, work together to protect the wilderness and the reintroduction of wolves from a group more interested in private property than public good.

In a future Earth that’s run by brilliant green cities separated by open land held in common for the good of wild things, two sisters must work together across and between the vastly different environments to root out dangers to both. They must protect the cities and the wild from the Returners, who prefer the toxic past to the difficult present. The older sister, Lou, her protector Shuska, and biologist friend Matchiko have reputations as successful rugged environmentalists. They must stay safe, listen, work, and sleuth out hidden nests of Returners. Oh, and save a few wolves along the way. In the meantime, Lou’s younger sister, Coryn, is learning that working for the most powerful woman behind the scenes in a megacity is far harder than it looks. When the Returners threaten the city, the sisters must find a way to preserve both their ways of life.

Keepers asks, Do humans have enough creativity, responsibility, and generosity to survive?

In my mailbox: The Last Sun

Pyr was kind enough to send me a copy of K.D. Edwards “The Last Sun” (The Tarot Sequence). Looks like I have some Summer reading.

In this debut novel and series starter, the last member of a murdered House searches for a missing nobleman, and uncovers clues about his own tortured past.

Rune Saint John, last child of the fallen Sun Court, is hired to search for Lady Judgment’s missing son, Addam, on New Atlantis, the island city where the Atlanteans moved after ordinary humans destroyed their original home.

With his companion and bodyguard, Brand, he questions Addam’s relatives and business contacts through the highest ranks of the nobles of New Atlantis. But as they investigate, they uncover more than a missing man: a legendary creature connected to the secret of the massacre of Rune’s Court. In looking for Addam, can Rune find the truth behind his family’s death and the torments of his past?

In my mailbox: The Master Mason The Reason of Being

The Master Mason: The Reason of Being – A Treatise on the Third Degree of Freemasonry
by Gregory B Stewart
Hardcover: 194 pages
Publisher: Greg Stewart
ISBN-10: 0986204129
ISBN-13: 978-0986204128
BUY a copy

Third in the journey of the Symbolic Lodge, The Master Mason is a formal exploration of the symbolism and allegory at work in the third degree of Freemasonry. Through that lens, this work seeks to find the hidden esoteric connections and their connections with the centuries-old ritual that crowns the process of becoming a Freemason. As with its predecessors, The Apprentice and Fellow of the Craft, this work seeks to find parallel with its esoteric siblings, the Golden Dawn, Thelema, numerology, tarot, the Kabbalah and other arcane and occult traditions.

The Master Mason is a work that strives to understand the process of becoming a Freemason.

As many traditions hold the keys to achieve a degree of perfection, within the Masonic tradition we are shown this path through the becoming of a master. Truly, this degree opens as a mystery, and concludes on another, illuminating a path towards perfection and purpose.

In my mailbox: Italian Folk Magic

This book hits the shelves May 1st. I have read most of this book and it is excellent. In the next few weeks, I’ll have a review online but I can already see that it will go into my must-read category.

Product description:

Italian Folk Magic is a fascinating journey through the magical, folkloric, and healing traditions of Italy with an emphasis on the practical. The reader learns uniquely Italian methods of magical protection and divination and spells for love, sex, control, and revenge.

The book contains magical and religious rituals and prayers and explores divination techniques, crafting, blessing rituals, witchcraft, and, of course, the evil eye, known as malocchio in Italian—the author explains what it is, where it comes from, and, crucially, how to get rid of it.

This book can help Italians regain their magical heritage, but Italian folk magic is a beautiful, powerful, and effective magical tradition that is accessible to anyone who wants to learn it.