Santa Muerte Book Trailer

source: Weiser

Death welcomes everyone. This is the foundation for the veneration of Santa Muerte, or “Holy Death.” Considered to be the female personification of death, she is associated with protection and safe passage to the afterlife. She is also the patron saint of people who live on the fringes of society and often face violence and death. In recent years her constituency has expanded to include the LGBT community and people who are marginalized or whose jobs put them at significant risk of death such as military and police personnel. Santa Muerte is hailed as their potent and powerful protector, capable of delivering them from harm and even granting miracles.

Santa Muerte is a complete ritual guide to working with this famous—and infamous!—Mexican folk saint. It takes us beyond the sensational headlines to reveal the truth about why Santa Muerte is so beloved by so many. Author Tracey Rollin presents simple, straightforward methods for working with Holy Death that may be used alone or easily incorporated into your own magical practice.

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My booktube review of The Witches’ Almanac issue 37

My booktube review of the Witches’ Almanac issue 37

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Weiser Books and The Witches’ Almanac. 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.”

 

My review of The Magical Art of Crafting Charm Bags by Elhoim Leafar

My review of The Magical Art of Crafting Charm Bags by Elhoim Leafar.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from 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.”

Charm bags, also known as mojo bags and gris-gris bags, may be the most popular style of amulet or talisman in the world today. Around the globe, they are crafted by people from many cultures and spiritual traditions and are created for many purposes. Until now there has been no definitive guide to the art of creating these magical power objects. The Magical Art of Crafting Charm Bags remedies this situation.

 

In my mailbox … or why my mailman hates me

Today, my poor mailman walked to my front door ( in the heat and humidity of Florida ) and dropped off 4 books. You just know he hates me…

I can almost hear his grumbling even now. At any rate, Weiser was very good to me. The Weiser folks sent me a copy of a booklet celebrating their 60 years of publishing. It’s packed with quotes from many of the authors published by Weiser.

The books are “The Weiser Book of Occult Detectives” by Judika Illes, “The Witches Almanac” issue 37, and “The Magical Art of Crafting Charm Bags” by Leafar. As you know, the best time for reading a Weiser Book is during the Fall but these books will not  last that long — bwahahahahaa.

 

Review: Tarot Plain & Simple: The Only Book You’ll Ever Need

Tarot Plain & Simple: The Only Book You’ll Ever Need by Leanna Greenaway

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I guess at this point I have read about 4 of Greenaway’s books. For the most part, I have enjoyed them and I’ve scored them in the 3 to 4 star range. As you can guess from the title, the book introduces the reader to the basics of Tarot.
I think that Greenaway covered the subject very well but I would like to have seen more. It was as if all of the tools were there but Greenaway came up just short of turning the key. For my money, I’d suggest Sasha Fenton’s “Fortune Telling by Tarot Cards” also published by Hampton Roads. I think Fenton gives you a little more bang for the buck.
That being said, “Tarot Plain & Simple” is a fine introduction to Tarot.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Hampton Roads Publishing. 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.”

View all my reviews

 

Review: Odin: Ecstasy, Runes, & Norse Magic

Odin: Ecstasy, Runes, & Norse Magic by Diana L. Paxson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“A turkey-and-cheese sandwich completed the process of linking spirit and body again.” Read as I was eating a turkey and cheese sandwich. Okay Diana, you got my attention.
Sometimes a book falls into your hands at just the right moment — so it was for me with this one. I was ready to explore someone’s Norse-based spiritual system. I enjoyed reading about Odin, there is just so much more to Odin than I knew. While I enjoyed reading Bullfinch’s Mythology, I want and need more. I plan to try some of the books in Paxson’s “suggested reading”.
I also enjoyed reading about Odin’s myths and Paxson’s rituals. On the downside, the music didn’t really do anything for me. I also didn’t care for the interior artwork.
That being said, the book is excellent. While Paxson shared her Odin with us, she shared a lot more of herself and that is the real magic of any book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Red Wheel/Weiser. 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.”

View all my reviews

 

Review: Witches and Wizards

Witches and Wizards: Astonishing Real Life Stories Behind the Occult’s Greatest Legends, Myths and Mysteries by Lucy Cavendish

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Witches and Wizards” by Lucy Cavendish is a quick, enjoyable read targeted at an audience who would like a quick, down and dirty, introduction to the legendary characters and events in the esoteric community. As you might imagine at 146 pages, the book does not go into any depth.
I loved the artwork and little extras like the bookmarker. The book itself is beautiful and I intend to keep it on display on an end table.
It’s certainly a keeper. I want to thank Rockpool Publishing and Red Wheel/Weiser for the free review copy.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Red Wheel/Weiser. 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.”

View all my reviews

Full of astonishing real life stories behind the occult’s greatest legends, myths, and mysteries, Witches and Wizards reveals the real-life stories of the most notorious and powerful occult personalities of all time. Within its pages you’ll discover the amazing stories behind the legends: from King Arthur’s Merlin to the infamous Aleister Crowley, right through to the modern icons of Witchcraft. Shining light on the Salem witch trials, the Burning Times, the Magickal Battle of Britain, and beyond, Witches and Wizards is a thrilling read for anyone who loves the mysterious, the true, and the strange. Written by renowned Witch and author Lucy Cavendish, Witches and Wizards is an unforgettable read brimming with Magick, myth, and mystery.

 

In my mailbox: Odin

How many people can say that they found Odin in their mailbox? I found “Odin: Ecstasy, Runes, & Norse Magic” by Diana L. Paxson — it looks awesome!

http://amzn.to/2wbcsTi

Odin is arguably one of the most enigmatic and complex characters in Norse mythology. Revered since the Viking Age, Odin has been called the greatest of the gods―the god of words and wisdom, runes and magic, a transformer of consciousness, and a trickster who teaches truth. He is both war god and poetry god, and he is the Lord of Ravens, the All- Father, and the rune master.

Odin: Ecstasy, Runes, and Norse Magic is the first book on Odin that is both historically sourced and accessible to a general audience. It explores Odin’s origins, his appearances in sagas, old magic spells, and the Poetic Edda, and his influence on modern media, such as Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Each chapter features suggestions for rituals, exercises, and music, so readers can comprehend and become closer to this complicated god.

Author Diana Paxson, an expert on Viking-era mythology, provides a complete portrait of Odin and draws on both scholarship and experience to provide context, resources, and guidance for those who are drawn to work with the Master of Ecstasy today.

 

Review: Fairies, Pookas, and Changelings

Fairies, Pookas, and Changelings: A Complete Guide to the Wild and Wicked Enchanted Realm
by Varla Ventura
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Weiser Books
ISBN-10: 1578636116
ISBN-13: 978-1578636112

Product description:

While it’s true that fairy folk love a good garden and take great pleasure in a tulip, there are dozens of beasties who fall under the fairy domain that are not quite as delightful as the quintessential flower fairy. This book is an exploration of the many things that go bump in the night near the fairy mound. Along with an exploration of folklore and historical literature, readers will delight in fairy tales that demonstrate everything from striking a bargain with a fairy to staving off changelings to laughing with the dwarves.

Included are fairy tales and myths from Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and Scandinavia plus classic stories by Thomas Crofton Croker, Joseph Jacobs, Clara Stroebe, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Yei Theodora Ozaki, and others on goblins, trolls, gnomes, pookas, changelings, banshees, and more!

Chapters include:

• A Fear of Little Men: Elves, Trolls, Leprechauns, Tree Spirits, Brownies, Coblyns, Dwarves, Goblins, Bonga, Trolls and Other Fairy Folk of Glen, Forests and Hearth
• The Hand That Rocks the Cradle: Changelings and Other Greedy Kidnappers of the Fairy Kingdom
• I’m Not Drunk, It’s Just My Pooka: Tales of the Trickster Fairy and Its Wild Counterpart
• Is That All There Is? Faries Who Give, or The Barter System
• Whoops, There It Is: How to Enter the Fairy Kingdom (or How Not To)

If you think fairies are merely delicate beings who follow you about on gossamer wings, you are in for quite a shock: the kingdom of the fairy is one of vengeance, thievery, trickery, and wild creatures. Consider yourself warned!

My Thoughts:

I loved it. Fairies, Pookas, and Changelings is packed with folklore of the Fairyfolk. You might be reading about a pooka one minute or a troll statue under a bridge the next. Everything Varla covered was interesting and my only complaint was that I wanted more.

I won this book in a contest that Varla held and she has added a fan for life to her list. Along with Among the Mermaids and Banshees, Werewolves, Vampires and Other Creatures of the Night, Varla has added another must-have title for your esoteric home library.

5 out of 5 stars!

 

Review: Among the Mermaids

Among the Mermaids Facts, Myths, and Enchantments from the Sirens of the Sea
http://amzn.to/2v0HHjy
by Varla Ventura
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Weiser Books
ISBN-10: 1578635454
ISBN-13: 978-1578635450
Barry’s score 5 out of 5 stars.

Product description:
From Homer’s Odyssey to Pirates of the Caribbean, Mermaids have fascinated popular culture for centuries.

Among the Mermaids is an enchanting collection of classic stories, facts, and tales of mermaids from around the world that will thrill every lover of this romanticized mythological creature.

Compiled by Book of the Bizarre author and Magical Creature devotee Varla Ventura, Among the Mermaids includes turn of the century tales of merfolk from Bret Harte, T. Crofton Croker, and W.B. Yeats, along with tantalizing trivia, facts, first-hand accounts, and speculations about mermaids in popular culture.

Some facts about the fluid and the fair from the book:

• Many people believe today that early explorer sightings of mermaids were manatees. (Scurvy + many days away from your lady = a blubbery creature looking supple and bodacious.)
• Blackbeard, the fierce and terrible pirate, was afraid of his crew being lured into a watery grave by mermaids, so he ordered his ships to avoid certain areas reputed to have a high number of mermaid sightings.
• Since 2009, the town of Kiryat Yam, Israel has offered a prize of $1 million dollars to anyone who can prove the mermaid off their coast is real. The prize remains unclaimed.

My thoughts:
I was lucky enough to win a set of Varla Ventura’s work and I consider myself to be one of the luckiest men in the world. Ventura’s book Among the Mermaids is superb! I loved every minute of it.

As many of you know, I am a guy that looks at the back of the book first. Among the Mermaids has a nice recommended reading, Bibliography section, and other things for the mer-minded. This can come in handy for those who want to do their own mer-research.

The stories are quick and short, the clipart is delightful, and the book is a real pageturner. I went through the entire book pretty quickly only to return to reread some of my favorite parts.

All in all, I give Varla Ventura’s Among the Mermaids 5 stars out of 5 and I believe that it is a must-have for your home library.

Tell me, lady of the lake, do you sit bere in this unconventional fashion with gentlemen callers? The Mermaid of Druid Lake by Charles Weathers Bump