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.

In my mailbox: The Bardic Book of Becoming

I want to thank Weiser Books for the advance copy of “The Bardic Book of Becoming: An Introduction to Modern Druidry” by Ivan McBeth. You can expect to see this one at your favorite bookstore April 1st (no kidding). Amazon: http://amzn.to/2BT4kvv

The Bardic Book of Becoming is a warm, user-friendly, eclectic introduction to modern Druidry that invites you to take the first steps into the realms of magic and mystery.

In this book you will be introduced to the various techniques and practices of a Druid in training. Written by Ivan McBeth, the cofounder of Vermont’s Green Mountain School of Druidry, with Fearn Lickfield, the book incorporates lessons, visualizations, rituals, and magical stories. Many different activities and exercises are included that provide the reader with hands-on learning. Ivan also provides personal stories that demonstrate his own journey from spiritual seeker to Druid.

In my mailbox: The Elements of Spellcrafting

Another cool book landed in my mailbox today, The Elements of Spellcrafting: 21 Keys to Successful Sorcery by Jason Miller. I want to thank the publisher New Page Books for this free review copy and congratulate them on becoming a member of the Weiser Book company ( http://redwheelweiser.com/ ).

I’m just passionate about that company … I really love them.

( http://amzn.to/2GBksAT )

There is no shortage of spells out there. Some books highlight thousands of spells, but do any of them actually work? And how well do they work? I don’t mean just getting a result—I mean getting a result that matters, a result that will impact your life or the lives of those you work for. The Elements of Spellcrafting provides the most effective and efficient ways to get things done with magic.

The Elements of Spellcrafting identifies and explains 21 keys to successful sorcery—a best practices of sorcery—in three sections:

• Principals and strategies for how best to apply magic before you begin.
• Methods and tactics that will ensure a positive outcome.

How to take spells to the next level—building a life of spiritual accomplishment and material success beyond the basics.

If you have ever cast a spell that didn’t work, The Elements of Spellcrafting will help you figure out why.

If you regularly cast spells that seem to work but you still wind up in the same circumstances, this book will definitely help you chart a new course for victorious spellcrafting.

In my mailbox: The Lunar Nomad Oracle

Weiser Books was kind enough to send Shaheen Miro‘s “The Lunar Nomad Oracle”. I have been working with it all morning and I plan to do a video review of it in the next few weeks.

I’m about half-way through the guide book and I’m stunned by the beautiful artwork of the included deck of cards.

Expect to see this set of cards at your favorite bookstore March 1st.

The Lunar Nomad Oracle is a set of keys for unlocking and understanding your intuitive side, your “lunar self.” As a nomad on the path of the lunar self, you will awaken your sense of wonder and discover your creative desires to facilitate introspection, awareness, and lasting change.

The Lunar Nomad Oracle is inspired by the traditional Lenormand system, but unlike the Lenormand, this deck comprises 43 cards and additional significator cards that are multiracial and multiethnic. The Lunar Nomad Oracle cards are rich with layers, colors, and imagery, all designed to speak to the intuitive self. The book and deck allow users to explore their inner depths, looking for clues and prompts to activate their lunar side–their creativity, intuition, and inner wisdom. The symbolism of the cards helps the user formulate a story or reading. The process will be familiar to followers of tarot, but because The Lunar Nomad Oracle does not have suits or a linear structure, readers have the freedom and fluidity to really explore the deck and add their own insights and interpretations.