Archive for the ‘Books’ Category
Friday, November 18th, 2011

Image via Wikipedia
Most people are aware of midsummer (the summer solstice) as a key time when the realm of the fairies overlaps with our own. Not as many realize though that there is another time of year when the veil is thin: the winter solstice, or Yule. It’s obvious when you think about it since characters like Santa, his elves, and Jack Frost are so connected to Yule.
Some branches of ancient and modern Paganism have close ties with fairies, with some revering the Good Neighbors as deities while others treat them more as spirits, sometimes even considering them to be the spirits of deceased humans. Few see Them in the stereotypical way portrayed by Disney and in children’s picture books. (more…)
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Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)
Tags: Brian Froud, faerie, faery, Fairy, Feri, Folklore, Midsummer, oracle, William Sharp, Yule
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Friday, November 18th, 2011
In the late 1500s and early 1600s in the English county of Lancashire in Pendle Forest a cunning woman known by the nickname Old Demdike served the local populace. Demdike, whose real name was Elizabeth Southerne, lived in the ruins of Malkin Tower with her daughter Liza and her grandchildren James (Jamie), Alizon, and Jennet. In 1612 a local magistrate who wished to attain favour with the witch-hating King James mounted a witchhunt in Lancashire. Demdike, along with nineteen others including her daughter and two of her grandchildren, were charged and jailed. While four were acquitted and set free, one was found guilty of bewitching a horse and sentenced to stand in the pillory; Demdike died in prison before her trial and the remaining fourteen accused, including Demdike’s daughter and two of her grandchildren, were hung. (more…)
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Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)
Tags: Catholicism, England, fiction, History of England, Lancashire, Pendle, witchhunts
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Friday, November 18th, 2011
This slim volume (running one hundred and thirty four pages, including the index and extra materials) is a challenging read and not one I would recommend to beginners. The subtitle “Wise Words from a Crone on the Path,” implies it is an exploration of the deeper meaning of Wiccan practice and philosophy from one who is an Elder of the religion. Despite the author’s years of training and experience as a high priestess, the book has a number of major flaws which are difficult to overlook and could be confusing to a novice.
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Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)
Tags: BTW, Coven, eclectic Wicca, Ellen Cannon Reed, traditional Wicca, Wicca
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Friday, November 18th, 2011

Mike Nichols - Image via Wikipedia
Back in the pre-internet days computer geek Pagans like me would use our dial-up modems to connect with bulletin board systems where we could download text files, send and receive email, and participate in online discussion on a wide variety of topics. There were dozens of different networks that individual BBSs would hook into covering all sorts of interests – including PODSNet, which specialized in Pagan topics.
We didn’t have a lot of material widely available back then. There were only a handful of relatively good books available on Pagan topics, and they were often hard to find in local bookstores unless you knew the title or author and could special-order them. If you were lucky enough to have bumped into some Pagan people who lived nearby you might have someone to share with and learn from. A lot of information was fragmented. (more…)
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Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)
Tags: celebration, Mike Nichols, sabbat, seasons, Wheel of the Year, Wicca, Wiccan, Witchcraft
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Friday, November 18th, 2011
Poet, mystic, and visionary are words often used to describe Victor H. Anderson. Ecstatic seeker, wise elder, grand high priest, and beloved witch would also be accurate. Victor and his wife Cora are the founders of the highly influential Feri tradition of Witchcraft. A mixture of Hawaiian mysticism, European folk magic, Pagan spirituality, and Wiccan theory, it is one hundred percent Witchcraft. In “Etheric Anatomy” one of the central teachings of Feri is presented in Victor’s and Cora’s own words, supplemented with an informative preface and a list of further books to explore.
Feri witchcraft teaches the theory of the tripartite self: each of us has three distinct spiritual bodies that together make up the human soul. This book explains the three parts of the soul, describing their composition and function, explaining them by drawing on a variety of spiritual and mystical traditions in a logical synthesis. Victor and Cora use poetic yet straightforward language. As you read the book it’s easy to imagine you are sitting next to them on a porch gently rocking in rocking chairs as they talk to you. Cora and Victor speak like loving relatives sharing their knowledge; they do not talk down to their students or lecture as some nonfiction authors do. Their genuine, practical mysticism comes across clearly in what they say and teach. (more…)
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Rating: 9.5/10 (2 votes cast)
Tags: Cora Anderson, Etheric body, Feri, Victor Anderson
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