The concept behind clickbait is not nearly as new as the web itself, however. Magazines, newspapers, book titles, TV news programs, and other forms of media have been over-hyping headlines and titles for quite a while now at this point.

You may be wondering why I am beginning a book review post with a brief overview of clickbait. The reason lies in the fact that I generally approach books with certain phrasing in their titles with a generous pinch of salt.

“Secret History” of just about anything is one such term that I try to view with an open mind, keenly aware all the while that it may be used as a marketing tool.

Note, I said “tool”, not ploy. In many cases, I do not believe there is genuinely ill intent on the part of either the author or the publisher.

Rather, knowing the psychology of marketing, they realize that certain keywords will draw readers in and make them more apt to purchase an item.

After all, who doesn’t want secret knowledge on just about any topic – let alone one they likely already have an interest in?

The irony is that, even if the proverbial tea was spilled for the first time publicly on a given subject, once it is out there in print (or another media) form, the secret element largely vanishes.

For much of human history, and certainly in many respects to this day (despite what social media might have you believe), witchcraft was frequently done in secret – whether by choice or necessity.

And that fact alone makes the inclusion of the word “secret” in the title of the book we will be exploring here more apt than if it were present in relation to a fair number of other topics.

Released in 2020, Witchcraft: A Secret History by Michael Streeter takes a captivating look at the origins and dynamic, often turbulent history of witchcraft from ancient times straight on to the 21st century.

Book Specs

Name: Witchcraft: A Secret History

Author: Michael Streeter

Page count: 256

Publisher: White Lion Publishing (an imprint of Quatro)

Binding: Hardcover (this book is also available in paperback)

No secrets, but plenty of interesting facts and viewpoints

Like many of us, some of the first books pertaining to the craft that I cut my witchling teeth on focused primarily on the history of witchcraft.

As a budding Pagan witch living in a modest-sized town during the 1990s, there wasn’t a ton of literature to be had on witchery and Paganism at either my school’s library or our town’s public library.

Unsurprisingly, of the two, the public library offered up moderately more titles. I read every single one from both sources and anything else I could my hands on that even faintly pertained to witchcraft and/or Paganism.

In the ensuing decades, I have read scores of books on a huge range of witchery, occult, Paganism, astrology, tarot, and other related topics – including plenty that focus on the history of witchcraft.

I’m always game to give a new (or new to me) title on this subject a shot. When I spied Witchcraft: A Secret History on sale in 2020 for an absurdly low price, I leapt at the chance to add this particular look at the history of witchcraft to my own personal library.

This book was penned by a British writer and TV researcher named Michael Streeter who has over thirty years of experience working in newspaper journalism (he is a former editor, for example, of the Scottish Daily Express newspaper) and who has extensively researched and written about a wide range of subjects, including the occult.

I do not know – and make zero assumptions about – if Mr. Streeter is a witch, Pagan, or otherwise occult inclined individual or if this is simply an area of study that tickles his fancy.

As you might guess based on the title, this is not a “how-to” book pertaining to witchery, spellwork, or the like.

Witchcraft: A Secret History is, as its name implies, a history of witchcraft. However, various topics such as the sabbats, certain types of witches tools and attire, covens, and other elements that pertain to how some 21^st witches and Wiccans practice their craft are touched on in this book as well.

This book is divided into three sections, each of which houses a few chapters. They are as follows:

The Ancient World

-The Dawn of Witchcraft

-Powerful Goddesses, Powerful Witches

-Magic and the Birth of Christianity

-European and Northern Witchcraft

-The Wheel of the Year

The Medieval World

-The Rise of Christianity

-The Burning Times

-Witches Tools

-New World, Old Horrors

-Salem: A Town Possessed

-The Magic Circle and Pentagram

The Modern World

-The Survival of Witchcraft

-The Birth of Wicca

-Covens

-Wicca Goes West

-Witchcraft Now and in the Future

-What Witches Believe

Each of these chapters is further broken down into multiple subsections, meaning that the space devoted to a given topic is rarely vast, yet as a collective whole, the body of information presented is well structured and provides readers with a generalized look at the history of witchcraft.

Across the span of Witchcraft: A Secret History, the author delves deep into a wide range of topics. Myth and lore, known history and contemporary witchcraft all find their way into this hardcover book’s pages.

Perhaps hoping to tap into the long-standing connection that exists both in the popular imagination and in real life between Halloween/Samhain and witches, this book features just two colours of ink throughout: black and orange.

The wealth of historical images that Witchcraft: A Secret History houses are rendered in orange, black, and the white paper of the pages themselves. (Both the front and back cover of this book share this same colour palette.)

This approach creates a visually captivating, exciting array of images that draw you and hold your attention as they do so.

And while I enjoyed and was not put off by this two-colour approach, at times I felt it might have highlighted the seriousness of the important historical topics at hand had the images appeared either solely in black in white or in full-colour illustrations.

There is, naturally, a finite amount of information that one can pack into 256 pages. I knew going into Witchcraft: A Secret History that this was not likely to be the most detailed or extensive book that I’ve ever read on the history of witchcraft.

However, Streeter took full advantage of the space allotted to him and wasted no time in presenting us with an engaging summation of the history of witchcraft, as well as touching on topics such as “What is Witchcraft?” (which as he notes, is not an easy question to answer), “Folk Magic”,  (the) “Mother Goddess”, and many other areas pertaining to the craft.

This book explores the fact that witchcraft – both as that word was intended in times past and in the present day – has been with humanity for a very long time.

Throughout Witchcraft: A Secret History, we rub shoulders with a wide range of historical and mythical features. From the Witch of Endor to Circes, the ancient Druids to key figures in the development of Wicca and, by extension, modern witchcraft in general, such as Aleister Crowley, Gerald Gardner, and Raymond Buckland.

Beyond the scope of names and dates of the sort one would expect to find in a history book, Streeter presents a fair and empathetic look at the prejudices, persecution, misunderstandings, and wholly unjustified reputation that witchcraft has often been subjected to over the centuries.

Along the way, the author also highlights how certain early deities and mythological figures (for example, the Sumerian Lilitu who is believed to be the prototype for the Hebrew Lilith) have managed to not only survive, but take on new forms over the years, including in terms of the roles that they currently play in the lives of some modern-day witches/Wiccans/Pagans.

As is often the case with books pertaining to the history of witchcraft, this title focuses primarily on how this subject relates to Europe and North America.

If you are seeking a broader global look at the history and origins of witchcraft/sorcery/magick from other parts of the world (such as Africa, for example) you will need to look elsewhere to find it.

While I wouldn’t say that Streeter goes out of his way to make this point, it is important to keep in mind when engaging with anything relating to its history that witchcraft, as it is practiced today by many, is not a directly continuous act that has been carried out in the exact same way since the dawn of civilization.

The manner in which some modern witches around the globe practice witchery and what this act means to them may not always be the same as that of our forewitches.

Many individuals whom we, through the lens of the 21st century, label as witches may not have identified as such in their own time.

They might have been healers, midwives, shamans, cunning folk, herbalists, or other designated individuals, but, again, may not have described or viewed themselves as witches in the way that we generally use and understand that word today.

The concept of yesteryear individuals merrily marching en mass under the banner of witchery is at best a highly romanticized version of the past and at worst, a great disservice to the people and their beliefs that helped to lay the path to modern-day witchery.

Not to mention an affront to those who were accused, often falsely, of practising witchcraft as it was negatively perceived at the time through a highly religious lens.

How Witchcraft: A Secret History by Michael Streeter rates with me

As I suspected going into it, Witchcraft: A Secret History is not chock-a-block with secrets that have been hidden for countless years. No lids – be they of caldrons or otherwise – are blown off in this book.

Those who have been studying the history of witchcraft for a while may find that they’re familiar with much, if not all, of what is covered throughout its pages.

This is not to say that it can’t still make for an engaging read, simply that it is a book which is, in my opinion, especially well suited to those who are just starting to delve into learning about witchcraft and its history.

Indeed, I couldn’t help but think while reading Witchcraft: A Secret History how my vastly younger self would have lapped up every word in this book with wide-eyed gusto and enthusiasm.

While I’m far from jaded and actually tend to enjoy reading different peoples’ takes on subjects that I am already quite familiar with, objectively, there wasn’t a lot in this book that was new to me.

For some people – especially those who are just starting out as witches/Wiccans or beginning to research the history of witchcraft for whatever reason – each page may be filled with information that is sparklingly new to them.

Though heavy subject matter is covered at times (as it should be in a book of this nature), overall, I found Witcraft: A Secret History to be a breezy read that I got through in no time at all.

The tone was lively and this history book flows nicely, leading one straight into the development of 20^th and 21st-century witchery and Wicca.

Those looking for a more in-depth and/or academic overview of the history of witchcraft will likely either wish to search elsewhere or – and this is my personal recommendation – include Witchcraft: A Secret History as one of multiple books you read on the subject.

In particular, if you are seeking a deeper dive into the history of witchcraft and/or magick, I would suggest checking out the following titles (amongst others):

–A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult by DK

–A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience by Emerson W. Baker

–History of Witchcraft by Jeffery B. Russell and Brooks Alexander

–Magic: A History: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present by Chris Gosden

–Obeah, Race and Racism: Caribbean Witchcraft in the English Imagination by Eugenia O’Neal

–The Occult, Witchcraft and Magic: An Illustrated History by Christopher Dell

–The Oxford Illustrated History of Witcraft and Magic by Owen Davies

–The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege by Marilynne K. Roach

–The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present by Ronald Hutton (Hutton’s books in general as a terrific source of information pertaining to the history of witchery and Paganism, including Druidism)

–Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700: A Documentary History edited by Alan Charles Kors and Edward Peters

One point in particular that immediately struck me as a bit strange for a history book is the lack of academic citations, a bibliography, or even a further or suggested reading section at the end which might have given readers an idea of where the author sourced the information in this book from.

We can only speculate as to whether this was an unintentional oversight or a purposeful decision on the part of the author or their publisher. Either way, I felt that a lack of sources and/or bibliography weakened the accuracy with which that some readers may view the information presented in Witchcraft: A Secret History.

Nevertheless, with its undeniably attractive cover, promise of secret knowledge, and general overview of the history of witchcraft, this book has appeal for sure.

It is not my all-time favourite book on the history of witchcraft, but I enjoyed it all the same and appreciate the natural flow of how this Witchcraft: A Secret History is presented. Just as I did the mix of the author’s own take on certain subjects woven throughout his presentation of the historical facts and lore contained in this book.

Is the title a bit clickbait-y? (Or would that be “readbait-y”?) You betcha!

Chances are many readers will understand as much going into this book, though, and won’t be wildly disappointed when they get to the end and are not in possession of some highly classified witchcraft intel.

If you’re looking for a light overview of the history of witchcraft or a beginner book on the subject, you may want to pick this title up for yourself or to give as a gift.

Those who are well versed on the subject may still find this to be a pleasant read, however, you are unlikely to be blown away by this particular book.

Working on a scale of 1 – 5, with five being the highest possible rating, I would give Witchcraft: A Secret History book 3 stars out of 5.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Have you read Witchcraft: A Secret History? What is your favourite book on the history of witchcraft?

The post Book Review: Witchcraft: A Secret History by Michael Streeter appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Though a wide array of books on various different crafts continue to be published each year, exceptionally few pertaining to scrapbooking, card making, and stamping have been released in the past decade.

Granted paper crafting has declined a wee bit in popularity during the 2010s on into the 2020s, but is still a profoundly beloved activity with new paper crafters joining our ranks around the clock.

This makes the absolute dearth of newer cardmaking and scrapbooking related books all the more perplexing. Not to mention frustrating for those of us who would leap at the chance to add some fresh papercrafting titles to our bookshelves.

It is anyone’s guess as to it we will ever see a resurgence in paper crafting books being published again or not.

Naturally, I hope that we will, but as there’s only so long one can hold their breath, I figured it was high time I looked beyond the scope of paper crafting and to the wider world of crafting for a book to review.

Though not the newest title itself, the book at the heart of this review post is ideally suited to October and as such felt like a great choice to start reviewing craft books – be they new, old, or anywhere in between – with here on Witchcrafted Life.

Felt-o-ween: 40 Scary-Cute Projects to Celebrate Halloween by Kathy Sheldon and Amanda Carestio was published in 2014, making this book eight years old at the time this post is being written.

It is a thoroughly charming book that packs a wallop in terms of awesome Halloween themed projects (many of which work awesomely for Samhain, with a selection also being a great fit for Día de los Muertos as well) that are approachable, doable, and enjoyable to boot!

Book specs

Name: Felt-o-ween: 40 Scary-Cute Projects to Celebrate Halloween

Authors: Kathy Sheldon and Amanda Carestio

Page count: 132

Publisher: Lark Crafts

Binding: Softcover

Festive Halloween felting fun for fans of felting, sewing, and crafting in general

From the creativity fuelled minds of two long-time crafters (that would be Kathy Sheldon and Amanda Carestio, respectively), both of whom had previously published crafting books prior to the release of Felt-o-ween: 40 Scary-Cute Projects to Celebrate Halloween, comes this super fun collection of felt projects to make for the spooky season (or all year round, if you’re on team #MakeHalloween365)

Jam-packed with beautiful, detail-rich colour photos (each project includes at least one accompanying image), this book houses 40 awesome Halloween felt projects that were designed in part by the authors themselves, along with quite a few entries from skilled crafters who contributed their own designs to this book.

As such, the projects in this book are connected by the common threads of both felt crafting and Halloween, while experiencing a lovely degree of diversity care of having multiple design contributors.

If you are not much of a sewer and/or haven’t worked a lot with felt, but this title appeals to you all the same, fear not, you’re in luck!

Though hand and/or machine stitching is involved with a fair number of the projects in Felt-o-ween, most of the projects are not overly complex and, in my opinion, should be within the skillset means of many novice sewers.

The book begins with an introduction to what felt crafting is, the primary types of felt that are available on the market, and covers what other types of materials you will need to complete these projects.

An item that appears often throughout the book is freezer paper, as it is one method of transferring patterns onto felt.

While readily available both in physical stores and online in the States, outside of the USA, crafters may have trouble tracking down this product locally.

It has only been, for example, in very recent years that I have seen Amazon.ca start to list a small selection of freezer paper (such as Cut Rite Heavy Duty Freezer Paper and Reynolds Freezer Paper) – and I have still yet to spot it at any brick and mortar shops in this country.

If you are unable to easily obtain freezer paper either online or off where you live, there is another virtually identical product that often goes by names such as Quilter’s Freezer Paper and Craft Freezer Paper that you may be able to track down instead.

Examples of this product include:

–C. Jenkins Freezer Paper Sheets

–Quilter’s Freezer Paper Sheets

–Sew Easy Freezer Paper

–Taunton Press Best Applique Freezer Paper

The book does not mention this fact, perhaps because Freezer Paper itself is so readily available in the States where, if I’m not mistaken, both of the authors reside.

If none of these products are available in your area, happily, there is still no need to despair. As detailed in Felt-o-ween, many of the pattern templates lend themselves well to being scanned and/or photocopied, enlarged, printed and then used as tracing and/or cutting guides when pined to your felt.

This point hopefully sorted, you can now get on with exploring the forty different delightful Halloween craft projects housed in Felt-o-ween.

Are you on the hunt for festive fall home décor such as wreaths and candle mats? What about darling felt jewelry, accessories, or socks? Care for a felt cupcake topper in the shape of a tombstone, a plush vampire, tiny pumpkin shaped treat holders, or some eye-catching All Hallows’ Eve bunting, look no further!

Felt-o-ween has you covered on each of these fronts and plenty more.

Most of the projects in this book can be made with the felt of your choice/availability, though in some instances, a particular type of felt (such as wool felt, for example) may work better.

Good quality wool felt is a superb crafting material, no two ways about it, but if like me you’re allergic to wool (felt-on-skin contact swiftly gives me a very bad case of hives) or it isn’t in the budget, that is totally okay!

Most of the projects in Felt-o-ween can be whipped up using other types of felt, such as bamboo, eco felt, or acrylic just as easily.

As well, each time I’ve read this book cover-to-cover (three times and counting), I have been struck by how well I suspect many of these projects would turn out when rendered in paper crafting form.

Not all of them per se (especially when it comes to the wearable felt craft projects), but a decent number of them for sure.

And, naturally, many other types of fabric beyond felt could be used here as well. In some cases, they may need to be backed or otherwise stabilized so that they hold their shape similar to that of felt.

Throughout Felt-o-ween: 40 Scary-Cute Projects to Celebrate Halloween one encounters a good assortment of projects, many of which are not overly complex, time-consuming, or difficult for those who are not yet seasoned stitchers.

I know my way around the basics of sewing but I am by no means an advanced or even intermediate sewer.

I’d place my sewing practical abilities somewhere between beginner and intermediate and my theoretical knowledge on the subject a grade or two higher.

To date, I have not felt compelled to make sewing a primary crafting focus, but I still greatly enjoy finding ways to engage with this timeless art as I go about my crafty year.

Working with felt is a stellar way to do just that, whether one has been sewing for decades or has yet to learn how to turn a hem or what a presser foot is used for.

Want to jazz up your Halloween home décor, make fa-boo-lous party decorations, whip up a wonderful Halloween costume or accessory, or create a festive piece for your crafty space? If so, this is the book for you.

Naturally, it would also make for a top-notch gift to give to fans of sewing and/or Halloween.

Felt-o-ween: 40 Scary-Cute Projects to Celebrate Halloween is an appealing book both on its own merits and in terms of the additional chain of creative inspiration it may set off as you lap up its photo-filled pages.

How Felt-o-ween: 40 Scary-Cute Projects to Celebrate Halloween Kathy Sheldon and Amanda Carestio rates with me

As you flip through Felt-o-ween, it is hard to restrain yourself from dropping everything and rushing off to craft up a litany of delightful fall time felt projects.

The crafts in this book are inviting and adorable. They come housed with easy-to-follow instructions, patterns are included, and they would make for equally terrific crafts to make for yourself or give to any Halloween fan.

Speaking of which, if you have any little ones in your life who go wild for October 31^st, chances are they would be delighted to either help you make – or try their hand at creating (if they’re old enough to safely to do so) – many of these festively fun Halloween felt crafts.

A breezy read that is chocked-full of fantastic project ideas starring the wonderfully versatile material that is felt, this book is apt to be one that many crafters return to time and time again.

It is worth noting that while photos of each completed project are included in Felt-o-ween there are not images of the steps involved with actually making the crafts in this book.

I have not yet tried my hand at making any of the Halloween crafts that reside in Felt-o-ween – but definitely hope to do so once I can pick up some more felt and a roll/package of freezer paper.

In particular, the Creepy Crawly Wreath (seen on the cover), Candy Corn Bunting, “The Birds” (Hitchcock-worthy felt crows/ravens), Spooky Friends Wall Hanging, Bat Mobile, Darkling Roses, and Skull Hairbows really jumped out at me.

Some of those projects (plus various others in this book), my fellow goth and alternative aesthetic inclined readers will be happy to know, could easily work for year-round home décor and fashion purposes.

Got(h) to love that!

(Just as you do the fact that felt, as a general rule, does not fray – meaning all the more ease of completion and longevity of your finished projects.)

The Halloween projects in Felt-o-ween are cute, sweet, relatively easy, and kid-friendly in terms of the end results they create.

Plus, every one of them is a perfect fit for a #MakeHalloween365 project share.

Those who who are aiming for a much more elegant, darkly macabre, or vintage inspired Halloween look might find a few of these project ideas tick those kinds of boxes, but may otherwise be better served by different craft project sources.

Brought to you by the same authors of Fa la la la Felt: 45 Handmade Holiday Decorations, ‘Tis the Season to Be Felty: Over 40 Handmade Holiday Decorations, and Heart-Felt Holidays: 40 Festive Felt Projects to Celebrate the Seasons, this book is teeming with fresh, joyful Halloween craft projects that are sure to have you beelining for your felt stash – or the nearest fabric store – faster than a bat whizzing across the crisp, cool October sky.

Working on a scale of 1 – 5, with five being the highest possible rating, I would give Felt-o-ween: 40 Scary-Cute Projects to Celebrate Halloween by Kathy Sheldon and Amanda Carestio 4.5 stars out of 5.

Have you read Felt-o-ween: 40 Scary-Cute Projects to Celebrate Halloween by Kathy Sheldon and Amanda Carestio?Do you enjoy crafting with felt? 

The post Book Review: Felt-o-ween: 40 Scary-Cute Projects to Celebrate Halloween by Kathy Sheldon and Amanda Carestio appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Amongst the most common of which is a return to seeing and hearing a greater number of bird species.

This is both a harbinger of the current season as it approaches, as well as further proof that spring is here again once.

While our house is technically in a residential neighbourhood, it is situated between two parcels of beautiful woodland and our own (literal) backyard is jam-packed with lofty birch and evergreen trees.

For a forest adoring soul like myself, this really is a dream backyard and not a day goes by that I don’t thank my lucky stars for it.

If their numbers are any evidence, the local birds that flock to the trees on our property clearly adore this spot of woodland as well.

In the four (and a tad) years that we have lived at this house so far, we’ve spotted and heard a wide array of birds.

These include, but are not limited to, ravens, owls, hawks, northern flickers, pheasants, Eurasian collared doves, mourning doves, blackbirds, Steller’s jays, finches, sparrows, magpies, robins, chickadees, nuthatches, sparrows, woodpeckers, quail, and even the occasional hummingbird.

Beyond those winged visitors who come to call in our yard, both our town and region are home to many other species – as are British Columbia and Canada in general.

In fact, the Canadian Wildlife Federation informs us that there are approximately 462 known bird species living across this vast country.

And according to a CTV News article published last year, globally that number rises to a staggering 600,000+ species of birds.

It is no surprise then that birds have played important roles in the lives of a tremendous number of cultures around the world since time immemorial.

Whether revered and worshiped, used for food, feathers or other body parts; captured in art, written or sung about, or simply appreciated for their talents and beauty, birds have impacted the lives of countless people across the span of history.

The spiritual significance that birds have long held for many individuals cannot be overstated.

In some instances, gods and goddesses were believed to exist in bird or bird-human hybrid form (i.e., the falcon-headed Egyptian god named Horus), in others birds or images, figures, etc depicting them have been used both ritualistically and magically.

Many religions that could be dubbed modern “mainstream” faiths due to their widespread prevalence and large number of followers, as well as those of a more ancestorial and/or esoteric nature have made birds a part of their traditions and stories.

For both myself and a fair number of other Pagans, witches, and Wiccans, birds play important roles in our beliefs, practices, and, where applicable, magickal workings.

I have connected spiritually to birds my whole life and have spoken with numerous fellow witchy/Pagan souls who shared that the same applies to them as well.

While birds are not everyone’s favourite animal and ornithophobia (the fear of birds) is a relatively common fear, it is likely safe to say that far more people – regardless of their personal faith/beliefs – like birds than loath or fear them.

Birds enchant and delight us. They hold traditional meanings and can be seen as messengers that are here to transmit something important to us.

Their ability (barring a few species) to take flight and soar through the air, reaching high up in the sky has likely fascinated and inspired us since humans first appeared on this planet. And it is no surprise that an animal who ascends towards the heavens would have deep spiritual meaning for many individuals.

Birds do what a lot of us wish we (easily) could: leave the bounds of terra firma and sore above the earth, experiencing both the freedoms and challenges that come from such a lofty vantage point.

While I have always liked birdwatching and keep my eyes peeled for birds that may appear to me as messengers, signs, and spiritual allies, I am not a hardcore hobbyist bird watcher – nor have I ever worked with birds in a professional capacity.

Naturally, one does not have to be a serious birder to look out for and work with birds in whatever ways align with your interests and beliefs.

Though the last vestiges of winter have yet to vanish entirely from our tree-studded yard, spring officially started a couple of weeks now and that means many an avian visitor and seasonal resident alike is returning to our area once again.

I know that the same rings true for plenty of my readers as well. As such, I thought it was high time I reviewed a relatively recently released book pertaining to the spiritual meanings of birds: The Hidden Meaning of Birds: A Spiritual Field Guide by Arin Murphy-Hiscock.

An elegant volume on the subject of birds and meanings, this title was penned by one of today’s best-selling and well-known Pagan authors. The Hidden Meaning of Birds does a great job of melding scientific fact with folklore and spiritual traditions, and serves as a lovely read for those at all levels of knowledge on the subject of birds and their spiritual connections.

Book specs

Name: The Hidden Meaning of Birds: A Spiritual Field Guide

Author: Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Page count: 240 pages

Publisher: Adams Media (a division of Simon and Schuster)

Binding: Softcover

A book on the spiritual meaning of birds that is worth chirping about

There are exceedingly few corners of the globe in which one cannot find at least a species or two of birds. They reside in both the Arctic and Antarctic, in the densest jungles, are spotted in the driest of deserts, and can be seen many miles away from shore across the world’s oceans and seas.

Given the astronomical number of birds that exist on earth, it would be impossible for any one book to cover the ascribed spiritual meanings of every variety of bird. Not to mention the plethora of different interpretations and correspondences that many different birds have long been connected with across the planet.

Naturally, The Hidden Meaning of Birds: A Spiritual Field Guide by Arin Murphy-Hiscock does not attempt to do so – nor should it.

That would be an impossible task, as well as an unnecessary one.

Birds are just about everywhere and whether we’re dealing with those in our own neighbourhoods, the species that resonate most deeply with us spiritually, or simply have a love for certain types of birds, it never hurts to leave room for our own interpretations of things.

Penned by best-selling Pagan author – and fellow Canadian – Arin-Murphy Hiscock (whose work include such beloved contemporary titles as The Green Witch’s Grimoire, The House Witch, Spellcrafting, The Witch’s Guide to Self-Care, and The Pregnant Goddess, amongst numerous other titles), The Hidden Meaning of Birds is an appealing look at the spiritual connections and meanings linked to a few dozen species of birds.

Each bird entry that appears in this book is accompanied by a beautiful vintage bird illustration, an overview of the species, symbolism and folklore, and the meanings, omens and divinations associated with that particular type of bird.

Entries in this spiritual field guide to birds span 2 – 4 pages per bird and at the end of each entry, one finds a box in which the associated energies, associated seasons, elemental associations, and colour associations are provided for the bird in question (see image above).

These correspondences are especially handy for those who may wish to work with bird images, energy, feathers, etc in their spiritual and/or magical practices.

Before hopping (or would that be flying?) into the heart of the guide itself, readers are treated to an introduction and three chapters pertaining to the mysteries of birds. These are Historical Bird Divination, Modern Bird Divination, and Working with Birds Spiritually.

Each of these sections does a good job of concisely and informatively providing an overview of the topic at hand.

There is a tone of the serious and the academic to this book that aligns it with many mainstream bird identification and birdwatching guides – a point that is cemented all the more by the use of yesteryear avian illustrations in lieu of photos or modern artwork.

However, the tone is not so dry or encyclopedic as to lose sight of the spiritual elements that are, along with the bird species themselves, at the heart of this title.

Bound in a sturdy, field guide style softcover, this 240 page book is an engaging, informative read that is apt to have even the most seasoned birdwatchers amongst us looking at the feathered residents in their area (and around the world) with deeper interest than ever before.

How The Hidden Meaning of Birds: A Spiritual Field Guide rates with me

As with many of the books I review here on Witchcrafted Life, it is not strictly imperative that one be a witch/Wiccan/Pagan/similar to read, learn from, and enjoy The Hidden Meaning of Birds.

While certainly geared towards the spiritual side of humankind’s connection to birds, those with a general interest in ornithological topics (including both the history and folklore of various bird species) as well as individuals who simply wish to learn more about birds are apt to connect with this book as well.

I appreciate that the species highlighted The Hidden Meaning of Birds are arranged alphabetically and while there are numerous bird species I would have been delighted to see included here that didn’t make the cut, as touched on above, naturally, no single book could ever cover all of the bird species in the world.

What the reader finds instead is a cross-section of bird species from around the globe – think crows, mockingbirds, cardinals, swans, owls, and pigeons to name but six of many featured in this guide.

If you are the type who often sees and/or hears birds and feels a spiritual connection to them or believes that there are deeper meanings to be had when a particular type of bird crosses your path, chances are, you will enjoy this book.

It is by no means the first or only one on the subject of the spiritual meaning of birds, but having been published in 2019, it is amongst the most recent.

The Hidden Meaning of Birds is also one of the most informative that I have personally read to date. And since picking this title up shortly after its release, I have dipped into it many times beyond my initial reading.

Indeed, like many a good field guide, this is the type of book that one is likely to read cover-to-cover at least once or twice and then return to when information on a particular bird species is needed.

At times, I do wish that a larger volume of meaning was connected to certain birds featured in Murphy-Hiscock’s guide to our avian friends.

As well, it would have been great if the author had linked each bird species she covered to one or more of the sabbats that comprise The Wheel of The Year. Though, to be fair, as she does connect each species to one or more seasons, that information appears in a roundabout way all the same.

As someone who madly adores vintage and antique illustrations, I found the choice to use them here instead of modern artwork or photos added to the charm and interest of this book.

Some readers, however, may have preferred contemporary art or photos – especially if they were trying to identify a particular species of bird that crossed their path.

Thankfully though, on top of traditional birding guides, the internet is rife with sites and apps to help you do just that, if you are not able to find a given bird amongst the dozens included in this book.

Birds are a vital part of life as we know it here on earth.

For some of us, birds serve as spirit allies and guides (aka, “spirit animals”, though I try to refrain from using this term in most contexts, as it belongs to certain traditional cultures and belief systems), appearing to us with messages and meanings both of the type that may jive with those in books and others that might be highly personal to our own lives + spiritual paths.

The Hidden Meaning of Birds is not the absolute last word on the subject of spirituality and birds. No book or blog post could ever be.

Birds, like the air they traverse, are malleable and astonishing.

Humankind has long connected certain meanings, correspondences, superstitions, traditions, and lore to various birds.

These elements possess a degree of broad universality. However, it is ultimately up to each of us to interpret what our connections to, and encounters with, various types of birds mean in the context of our own lives and belief systems.

Having The Hidden Meaning of Birds to hand makes that job all the easier and more enjoyable, and as such it is a title that I am happy to recommend.

Or, if you prefer, just say to people that a little birdie told you about this book.

Working on a scale of 1 – 5, with five being the highest possible rating, I would give The Hidden Meaning of Birds by Arin Murphy-Hiscock 4 stars out of 5.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Have you read The Hidden Meaning of Birds? Do you feel a spiritual connection to our avian friends?

The post Book Review: The Hidden Meaning of Birds by Arin Murphy-Hiscock appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Little by little, the last vestiges of winter are melting back into the seasonal ethers.

For some, spring weather and new life begin as early as February. For others, it gradually inches its way out in March, April, or even May.

No matter when spring begins in your particular corner of the Western Hemisphere, it is safe to say that the dark, soulful, mysterious days of autumn may not be the first thing on everybody’s mind.

Exceptions made for those of us who are fall-obsessed and rarely, if ever, go a day without thinking about our beloved autumn.

At first glance, these fresh days of mid-spring might not seem to have a lot in common with autumn – let alone with the month of October.

Sure, they both lean towards lovely temps and a hearty mix of rain + sunshine, but beyond that, they are, admittedly rather different creatures.

And yet…

Much like opposite sides of a colour wheel that compliment and have a natural affinity for one another, so too do spring and autumn jive surprisingly well.

And I am not just talking about Springoween (awesome as that is!).

The present season of spring starts or recharges much of the natural world anew and autumn witnesses its eventual demise. One houses Beltane, the other Samhain.

Mid-spring and mid-autumn are linked by the poignant fact that both are highly liminal times. Periods of transition and change, when the veil between the world thins and, in some instances, reality can be perceived differently or feel altered in various respects.

Both time and places can be liminal. In the case of the latter, they are often called liminal spaces – though this term, can somewhat confusingly (especially for those who are new to the concept of liminality), also be applied to liminal time periods.

Like many a modern word, “liminal” has its roots in ancient Latin. Stemming in this instance from “limen”, which means threshold.

Practitioners of witchery, Paganism, and magically inclined paths often view liminal times as being a threshold between this world and that of the next, and/or of spirits, fairies, elementals, and other beings that are both of and outside of our own mortal realm.

Liminal times (including the annual solstices and equinoxes, cross-quarter dates, and leap years) are exceptionally well suited to working and communicating with ancestors, the departed in general, faeries, spirit guides, and other entities of a nonhuman nature.

As well as a terrific period in which to engage in acts such as meditation, astral travel, divination, hedgeriding, spellwork, sacred rituals, dumb suppers, visiting burial grounds, and starting or wrapping up shadow work journeys.

In the Northern Hemisphere, many view Samhain as the most liminal chapter of the year. I hold this view myself, but have long felt that at least a few other points in the calendar came quite close to Samhain on the liminality front.

Samhain’s partner sabbat (that is to say, the sabbat that sits directly across from it on The Wheel of the Year and which occurs in the Southern Hemisphere as we are celebrating its partner sabbat on this side of the globe) is Beltane. As such, there is a great deal of liminality to this sacred Pagan date.

Now, Autumn, I hear you thinking, this is interesting and topical (given that many who observe it will be celebrating Beltane tomorrow), but what does it have to do with the book that this post provides a detailed review for?

Excellent question, my inquisitive friend.

Given the liminal nature of the days surrounding and housing Beltane, it is natural to think about and work with the spirit world (be it in literal, archetypical, or metaphorical form).

One of the most engaging, well-researched, and delightful books I have read on the subject of some of the entities which call the other side of the veil home is Susan Owen’s highly acclaimed, Ghosts: A Cultural History.

This in-depth look at the history of spectres was first published in 2017, making it a relatively young book still.

While it will no doubt hold particular appeal for many a fellow witch/Wiccan/Pagan, The Ghost: A Cultural History is in no way targeted specifically towards this audience.

Instead, this book is a historical peek behind the curtain – or would that be the white bedsheet? – at how the concept of ghosts has impacted and shaped history, literature, art, and daily life in general for many a century now.  

Book Specs

Name: The Ghost: A Cultural History

Author: Susan Owens

Publisher: Tate Publishing

Page Count: 288

Binding: Hardcover (also available in paperback)

A hauntingly engaging look at the history of ghosts… in the United Kingdom

A sleek, elegant cover in shades of mysterious black and equally beguiling white greets the reader as they approach The Ghost: A Cultural History by Susan Owens.

Though not a huge book in terms of page count, this title has some heft to it thanks to the thick, high-quality cover and paper that the pages themselves are printed on.

Make no mistake, this is a beautiful-looking book. It is one which you may be inspired to not only post a cover shot of on social media, but to display prominently on a bookshelf, coffee table or elsewhere in your humble abode.

The title of this book would, at the onset, lead most readers to assume that The Ghost: A Cultural History cast a wide net in terms of the geographical locations it covers.

However, for all intents and purposes, the focus of this book is squarely on the history of ghosts throughout the British Isles.

Occasional mentions of ghostly happenings in continental Europe and other international locations are made throughout the book. However, again, the United Kingdom is where we find ourselves for the bulk of The Ghost: A Cultural History’s 288 pages.

The Brits have a long-standing history of ghosts. Throughout the UK, apparitions have made countless appearances in literature, art, plays, films, folklore, the popular imagination, and the lives of many a living soul – both past and present – alike.

Though I do think a more accurate subtitle for this book would have been something along the lines of “A British Cultural History” or “The British Ghost”, I understand that it may not have appealed to as broad an audience had it been billed outright as such.

I would not call the title false advertising per se, but do feel that the omission of wording pertaining to the UK or otherwise specifying that this book is not a global history of ghosts would have been a more factually accurate approach.

Putting that point aside and diving straight into this book, it is easy to quickly fall head-over-heels for The Ghost: A Cultural History by Susan Owens.

As this book touches on, even in the fast-paced, electronically driven 21^st century, ghosts – or, depending on who you ask about the subject, the archetype of apparitions – are still with us in a litany of forms. And, likewise, ghost sightings show no signs of slowing down.

Whether ghosts spook, terrify, thrill, delight, perplex, comfort, or amuse us, there is little denying their ability to weather the passing of time, pervading religious views, and scientific scrutiny alike.

Nor can one easily discount the inspirational springboards – not to mention money-making potential – ghost sightings, haunted locations, ghost stories, and other spirited going-ons have long provided for innumerable books, plays, movies, works of art, and Halloween, over the course of time.

This book does not set out to prove or disprove the existence of the spectral entity that we generally refer to as ghosts. Nor, by any means, is it a ghost hunting how-to guide.

The Ghost: A Cultural History instead presents a relatively unbiased look at how ghosts have impacted and influenced British culture for many hundreds of years.

Arranged chronologically, this title brings ghosts to life, so to speak, via not only historical accounts and the author’s own insight, but also through a vast array of cultural figures whose work tackled the subject of ghosts in one form or another.

No less illustrious names than William Blake, Shake sphere, Mary and Percy Shelley, Samuel Pepys, Henry James, Emily Bronte, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Wilkie Collins, and – naturally – Charles Dickens, amongst others, all visit us from the other side of the veil care their own words and works.

In addition, one finds a curated selection of relevant artwork from centuries past right on up to our own lifetime housed in this book.

Beginning in the Middle Ages (although ghostly happenings during earlier ages are touched on at times as well) and floating straight on into the start of the 21^st century, The Ghost: A Cultural Review is a riveting exploration of how and why ghosts have embedded themselves so much in the lives and minds of Britons for a great many years now.

This book examines why that is, where some of our common beliefs about ghosts arose from, how the concept of apparitions has changed over the years, and ultimately ponders why ghosts will not just go gently into that good night which is our collective human history.

In addition, the evolution of the ghost story itself is explored, with due emphasis given to the immense popularity that ghost stories enjoyed during the 1700s to early 1900s. A popularity, which as this book discusses, is still with us in a wide range of forms to the present day.

Throughout The Ghost: A Cultural History a steady course is plotted that shows how the perception and appearance of British apparations have changed over the course of the last millennia or so. And, in doing as much, also asks how it may continue to redefine itself for future generations yet to come.

In this book, author Susan Owens posits that ghosts can be seen as a sort of mirror for a society, its beliefs (both religious/spiritual and secular), customs (including such things as burial attire), and the perpetual question of if there really is something waiting for us on the other side of this mortal coil.

Sandwiched between an introduction and a heartfelt postscript (as well as a bibliography, source notes, and an index), one finds seven chapters (each with a few subchapters apiece) in The Ghost: A Cultural History.

The chapters are as follows:

1. The Living and the Dead

2. Questionable Shapes

3. Ghosts for a New Age

4. Terror and Wonder

5. Appearances and Disappearances

6. Haunted Century

7. Re-inventing Ghosts

As someone with an immense lifelong passion for history, I greatly enjoyed that this book kicks off in the 11^th century and across the course of those seven engaging chapters, leads us all the way up to the 2010s.

I have a particular penchant for history that spans the 18^th to the mid-20^th century, so was especially pleased that Owens paid these periods no shortage of attention.

Delving into (as she does throughout the book in general) the cultural role that spirits and ghost sightings have played throughout those years, as well as how they helped to influence a wide range of artists, writers, playwrights, and plenty of other folks, too.

As we reach the 19^th century, topics such as séances, Spiritualism, and spirit photography are all covered. As one would hope for and expect in a book about the history of British ghosts (or ghosts in general).

Upon getting to the 20^th and 21^st centuries, I really appreciated that Owens explored the shifting face and nature (in some contexts at least) of ghosts as they have been portrayed through mediums such as film, TV, literature, and the internet.

I was also very pleased to see her raise the point that as ghosts began, for a time at least, to hold less cultural sway during the early to mid-20^th century, aliens and the concept of a different forms of life other than our own took hold all the more in (Western) society’s collective mind.  

The Ghost: A Cultural History does a wonderful job of merging scholarly research and a corresponding academic tone with friendly, lively writing that feels akin to a lecture on the history of ghosts from the kind of professor one would instantly adore taking any course from.

How The Ghost: A Cultural History by Susan Owens rates with me

The Ghost: A Cultural History probes deep into the heart of the past to explore why ghosts matter, how they have adapted and changed with time, and what fate ghosts may experience in the thus far unwritten future.

This book is not a sensationalistic, hokey, slapdash, or heavily recycled look at the age-old subject of spirits. Rather, it is a respectful and insightful investigation of the topic that gives ghosts their rightful place alongside the (then) living over the course of many centuries.  

Whether you are a skeptic, firm believer, or rather agnostic when it comes to the possibility of actual phantasms, if one has even the slightest interest in the history and cultural significance of ghosts, this book is for you.

Ghosts and the spirit realm have fascinated me for my entire life. I have experienced what I believe to be ghost/apparition encounters on multiple occasions, and involve both the concept of spirits and the other side of the veil that they inhabit extensively in my spiritual practices all throughout the year.

At this highly liminal time, with Beltane returning here and Samhain reappearing in the Southern Hemisphere, I feel intuitively all the more connected with the spirit realm. Therefore, it does not surprise me that some of my own ghostly encounters over the years have occurred right around this poignant date.

Coincidence? Possibly, but the connection remains all the same and as such, I have come to associate apparitions nearly as much with mid-spring as I do when they take centre stage come October.

Despite its title, as touched on above, The Ghost: A Cultural History is not a global or even single continent-based look at the history of spirits.  

Once you move beyond that, however, this book is rife with thought-provoking discussions, as well as myriad excellent quotes and works of art from some of history’s most famous names. All coupled with a thorough sociological overview of how and why ghosts, despite their ethereal nature, are firmly cemented in our collective conscious.

Working on a scale of 1 – 5, with five being the highest possible rating, I would give The Ghost: A Cultural History by Susan Owens 4.5 stars out of 5.

Have you read The Ghost: A Cultural History? Do you have any ghostly encounters of your own that you’d like to share?

The post Book Review: The Ghost: A Cultural History by Susan Owens appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

However, that doesn’t mean that I am not a huge admirer of many people and their wonderful work.

In terms of authors who write about Pagan/witchery/earth-based spirituality topics, high up on that list ranks Maia Toll.

For more than a decade now, my husband and I have run a free new book email notification service called AnyNewBooks.com that we founded back in 2010. (It generates important income for us via sponsors and affiliate programs.)

Virtually every week since then, a not-insignificant portion of my working hours have been spent compiling the lists of new books that we email out to subscribers (at present, we send out more than 300,000 emails per month).

The lists that we pull our selections from come via Amazon (US) and in the eleven going on twelve years since we launched Any New Books?, I have had the pleasure of seeing many thousands of new book releases each year.

Naturally, I keep a keen eye out for titles pertaining to my many diverse interests – those relating to my spirituality very much included.

I knew the moment, back in 2018, when I first caught sight of author Maia Toll’s inaugural book, The Illustrated Herbiary, that this was not your run-of-the-mill title.

Shortly thereafter, I was able to purchase a copy and it took a mere few lines in to have my suspicions confirmed.

From the tremendously lovely illustrations by artist Kate O’Hara to the deck of oracle cards included at the back of the book to the personable, inviting, knowledgeable way the author wrote, I was hooked.

And based on the roughly 1,800 reviews (nearly all of which are glowingly positive) that this book currently has on Amazon as of March 2022, it is safe to say that many others instantly fell in love with Maia’s warm, wonderful writing as well.

In the time since The Illustrated Herbiary was released, Maia has penned three more books.

The Illustrated Bestiary, The Illustrated Crystallary, and, most recently, Maia Toll’s Wild Wisdom Companion.

In addition, larger-sized decks of the oracle cards included at the back of each of Maia’s books are also available for sale. They are printed on sturdier paper than those that come with her books, so if you plan to use one or more of Maia’s decks quite often, you may wish to invest in those high-quality decks. Which are as follows:

–The Illustrated Herbiary Oracle Cards: 36-Card Deck of Bewitching Botanicals

–The Illustrated Bestiary Oracle Cards: 36-Card Deck of Inspiring Animals

–The Illustrated Crystallary Oracle Cards: 36-Card Deck of Magical Gems & Minerals

Plus, you can now purchase images from some of Maia’s work in puzzle form as well (as a big jigsaw puzzle fan, you can imagine how much my eyes lit up when I heard about that!).

If you or someone in your life adores jigsaw puzzles, you’ll want to check out the following three offerings based on Maia’s books.

–The Illustrated Herbiary Puzzle: California Poppy

–The Illustrated Bestiary Puzzle: Monarch Butterfly

–The Illustrated Crystallary Puzzle: Garden Quartz

As 2021 began to wind down, I was contacted by a publishing rep and asked if I would be interested in reviewing Maia’s latest book.

Already a big fan of her earlier works (of which, thus far, I own two – The Illustrated Herbiary and The Illustrated Beastiary, respectively), I was honoured by the offer and replied with a very resounding, “Yes, please!”.

In addition, I suggested that I interview Maia by email and then weave that chat into my book review blog posts. Happily, it was then their turn to respond enthusiastically.

Before delving into the coven’s worth of questions that I asked Maia, I am going to provide you with my thoughts on her most recent release, Maia Toll’s Wild Wisdom Companion.

Please note that while I was provided with a complimentary copy of that book and three decks of Maia’s oracle cards (visible in many of the photos throughout this post), all thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own and would not differ in any way, had I purchased those items myself.

Book specs:

Name: Maia Toll’s Wild Wisdom Companion: A Guided Journey into the Mystical Rhythms of the Natural World, Season by Season

Author: Maia Toll – Connect with Maia on her website | Instagram |Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Page count: 192 pages

Publisher: Storey Publishing

Binding: Hardcover

A passionate look at the year as viewed from a nature and spirituality-based standpoint

Let me begin by saying that, while the content housed within the pages of Maia Toll’s Wild Wisdom Companion is bound to find favour with many witches, Wiccans, Pagans, and the like around the globe, it is an inclusive title that can be enjoyed by those from a wide array of spiritual paths.

As many of my blog posts attest to, I have immeasurable love of, and appreciation for, each of the eight Pagan sabbats that comprise The Wheel of the Year (TWOTY) – just as I do, the year’s annual seasons.

I literally get giddy as a new season approaches, no matter which one it is! And by the same token, often feel a touch of melancholy as we bid farewell to a departing chapter of the year.

Since early childhood (years before I would first officially encounter the concept of TWOTY), I have felt as though each of the four seasons was more like two smaller seasons combined under the same header.

In some respects, I even viewed each individual month as a mini-season unto itself.

I am not alone in seeing and feeling that the year naturally divides itself into each roughly equal chapters: Early Winter, Late Winter, Early Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, and Late Fall.

You can well imagine then how delighted I was to see that in the Wild Wisdom Companion, Maia opted to present us with a look at a full year laid out in that very format.

Across the 192 pages of this gorgeously illustrated hardcover book (which was released in 2021), the author guides readers through the natural rhythms and cycles of the year.

She begins each chapter in an endearingly charming and whimsically creative way: by presenting us with a fictional conversation between the Sun and the Earth.

Each chat we are privy to presents a touching picture of how these two mighty celestial forces interact and the timeless dance that they enact so that life as we know it on this planet is able to continue onward.

I wholeheartedly loved this element of the book, just as I did many other things about the Wild Wisdom Companion.

In addition to the delightful imaginary conversations mentioned above, each chapter leads us through other factors that are presented for the year’s eight seasons.

These include an Element, an energy centre in the body, a plant medicine, an animal medicine (the presence of that term instantly reminded me of the book Spirit Animal Guides in which author Chris Luttichau uses very similar terminology), a crystal medicine, and three different seasonal symbols.

While some of the selections for each of these entries feel like a very natural fit, others are wonderfully unexpected. They help to prove a fun, fresh take on various plants, animals, mythical figures and so forth that are linked to each season.

In addition, beautiful quotes from other people are peppered throughout this book as well.

Though you might easily think that it would, the Wild Wisdom Companion does not specifically focus on the Pagan sabbats that comprise TWOTY.

However, the dividing points at which Maia has chosen to portion out the year do essentially correspond with each of the eight annual sabbats (those being Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lammas, Mabon, Samhain, and Yule).

No doubt some readers will wish that there was more of a sabbat focus here. Yet, by not placing the sabbats in the spotlight Wild Wisdom Companion is able to become just that – a welcome companion – to a far broader spectrum of readers.

Instead of the sabbats, the year’s two Solstices and two Equinoxes are explored. These are astronomically determined points on the calendar that the whole planet experiences and thus they are an integral component of the human experience.

In her lovely introduction to this book, Maia states: “Wild wisdom is feeling in accord with the hawk flying overhead; it’s feeling sisterhood with the willows; it’s knowing that the stones are millennia older than humans and have much to teach about the passage of time. Wild wisdom is the sense of being in sync with the world around you, so much so that you feel safe and at home in your own skin. It’s a feeling we’re all looking for but very few achieve.”

She goes on to elaborate regarding ways to find or connect all the more with your own innate wild wisdom before sharing with us how she broke down the year into eight different segments, presenting that information as it applies to both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

In addition, Maia begins her year – when divided into eight parts – in Late Autumn.

A good many witches/Wiccans/Pagans feel that doing so aligns with their personal beliefs and their connection to nature (they don’t call Samhain the witch’s new year for nothing!), so that was a very welcome change of pace to observe in this book.

Throughout each season, Maia invites readers to journal and/or deeply contemplate their connection to some of the topics she addresses, as well as in regards to the seasons themselves.

If journaling is not your cup of tea (and it is 100% okay if that is the case), I feel that one can easily reflect on these topics in other ways, too.

For example during meditation, while sitting peacefully in nature, as part of spellwork, under the light of the moon or sun, or in just about any other way that feels right to you and your own path.

The Wild Wisdom Companion begins in late autumn, guides readers through an insightful, highly relatable walk through the seasons, and culminates with Early Autumn. Thus beginning the eternal cycle over again.

In fact, as you get to the final pages of this terrific book, Maia poses the question, “What if you stay right here and begin it again?”.

In doing so, she both invites and reminds of us the cyclical patterns of the seasons and the important place they hold in each of our lives.

It is a call to embrace the shifting seasonal tides all the more and to grow closer, in doing so, to Mother Earth herself.

Having experienced a whole year in a matter of hours or days (or longer), depending on the pace at which one reads this book, we are treated to the marvellous gift of a lovely deck of square-shaped oracle cards + one suggested spread for working with those cards.

Each of the double-sided cards corresponds with one of the various medicines or symbols that Maia presented us with throughout the Wild Wisdom Companion.

If one opts to work with those cards (and I highly suggest that you do, they are thoroughly lovely), this continuance between themes presented in the book and on the cards themselves is a great way unto itself to grow ever-closer to the seasons.

How Maia Toll’s Wild Wisdom Companion rates with me

This book weaves together powerful elements from each of Maia’s previous titles and opens us even more of her wisdom for us to learn from and, potentially, feel a sense of kinship with.

I knew back in 2018 when I read Maia Toll’s first book that she was a radiant beam of new light in the field of nature spirituality-based writing.

Four years on, I can tell you with unflinching certainty that not only has that light grown stronger, but it has helped to illuminate the paths of many thousands upon thousands of readers around the planet in the process.

I adore each of Maia’s books and card decks, returning to them time and time again throughout the year.

However, I must say that the Wild Wisdom Companion is my very favourite of Toll’s works to date.

I highly recommend this book to those both inside and out of the Pagan/witchy realm (and cannot help but feel that it is a title that many gardeners, nature lovers, and animal fans would delight in reading).

Maia Toll’s Wild Wisdom Companion is a well-written, intuitively presented, and extremely approachable look at the year and ways we can tap (all the more) into our own innate, incredible wild wisdom.

Working on a scale of 1 – 5, with five being the highest possible rating, I would give Maia Toll’s Wild Wisdom Companion 5 stars out of 5.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

An interview with educator, best-selling author, herbalist, and all-around lovely person, Maia Toll

Thank you with the deepest of appreciation, Maia, for sharing your time and knowledge with Witchcrafted Life’s readers. I sincerely appreciate it and cannot begin to tell you how much joy getting this opportunity to chat one-on-one with you means to me.

1. Welcome, Maia! It is a heartfelt joy and honour to chat with you regarding your latest book release – Maia Toll’s Wild Wisdom Companion – and Paganism in general. For those who are being introduced to you here today for the first time, could you please share a few points about yourself and where your passions lay most strongly at present?

Hi Everyone! I’m an author fascinated by the ways in which we can connect and learn from the natural world. Exploring the mystic has been a passion for me since I was quite young—for most of my life, I’ve been asking why are we here? And how can I be comfortable in this human skin?

These questions led me to an apprenticeship with a clinical herbalist and green witch in Ireland. That experience has informed who I have become in the time since. Like Autumn, I feel like there’s a deep bond between creativity and spirituality, so that’s a place from which I often dive into this work.

2. Wild Wisdom Companion is your fourth book to date. Is being a book author something that you long felt pulled towards becoming or did the desire and opportunity to do so develop more organically in recent years?

I have been writing since I was a kid. My first story was about a unicorn who got stuck in a bottle. I was eleven. As an adult, I would often joke that I was a writer without a story; I loved the process of writing—the peeling back of layers and the playing with words—but I didn’t have anything in particular to write about.

I had also made a rule for myself (I’m a Capricorn rising—creating, and then struggling against, rules is part of my nature) that I wouldn’t write a book unless I was bringing something new, and never before seen, to readers. It took a long while for me to get over myself and start sharing the way I see the world, even if I’m not the very first person to put those thoughts to paper.

3. What have you found to be the most rewarding and, conversely, most challenging aspects of being a highly successful author – and do you have any advice for those seeking to become first time authors in our sphere of Paganism/herbology/witchery and the like?

One of my personal goals when I started getting published was to meet other authors. Authors tend to be creative, thoughtful, widely read, and self-motivated, which is how I prefer my humans. I have two pods of authors I gather with regularly. Those get-togethers are key for my sanity, perspective, and general joie de vivre. Finding my people is one of the greatest rewards of this career path.

Just like any job, there is a myriad of challenges. Most of them are small obstacles, easily overcome. I try to get creative with the larger hurdles. Currently, I’m chewing on the way books are categorized. I believe that connection with the natural world, and the seasonal living it inspires, as well as exploring the mystical side of life are essential elements for being a whole human.

This way of looking at life nurtures creativity and helps you understand how to get through life’s rough patches. It’s much more universal than niche categories like “occult,” where I am often shelved, suggest. But which category should we highlight? Self-help? Nature writing? Spirituality?

It is an ongoing frustration that my books are shelved in a way that may keep people who would enjoy and benefit from them from finding them. And, truthfully, no matter what my opinion is, once the bookstores receive the books, they shelve them wherever they want, so my ruminations are rather pointless.

For first time authors, my number one piece of advice is write. Do the work, don’t just think about doing it. Writing, like most everything else in life, is a practice. The only way to get proficient is to put pen to paper. Once you’ve moved beyond thinking about writing to actually writing, remember that you’re writing for someone else to read. Who is your reader and what’s useful for them? What do you want them to know, feel, and do? Everything from subject matter to individual sentence structure should be crafted with the reader in mind.

4. Wild Wisdom Companion is a beautiful, eloquently penned ode to the timeless magic(k) of the seasons. I am an unwavering fan of all of your books and the wonderful sets of oracle cards they house, but must say, Wild Wisdom Companion is my absolute favourite.

Of these eight segments of the year, are there one or two in particular that you feel a particular connection to and/or affinity for – and is there one chapter of the year that you would describe as your seasonal soul mate? (Autumn is mine. )

The Wild Wisdom Companion is so many people’s favorite and I LOVE that. I’ve learned so much from writing each book and I would hope the newest one is always the favorite—that my growth as an author allows readers to go deeper with each new book.

Like you, autumn has long been my time of year. But a few years back we moved to a house in the woods. Living on some undisturbed acreage has given me a chance to lean into the entire wheel of the year in a fresh way. While I still love autumn, especially the quality of the light in the time between Samhain and winter solstice, I’ve come to adore late winter.

We have trillium, trout lilies, and some funny little ground orchids which pop up before the trees have leafed out. It is such a stunning time—the trees are still bare, letting me see through their branches to the mountains, but the ground is carpeted with leaves hiding little nodding flowers. It makes me smile just thinking about it.

5. What inspired you to write Wild Wisdom Companion? Was it a book you had long envisioned coming into being or one that sprang into being as a natural progression from your three previous titles?

This is a long (and rather tiresome) story! The short version: when I signed a contract for the book that became Wild Wisdom, it wasn’t meant to be a part of the series. Then, because the other books were doing so well, my publisher wanted it to be part of the collection. But the book I had written didn’t fit in. So, I rewrote it. Twice. And it still wasn’t right. By that point, I was exhausted and disheartened. So, I asked myself two questions:

1- If I were starting from zero, instead of trying to rejig an existing manuscript, what would best tie together the previous books? I kept thinking about a conversation with an editor who was not on my team but who was at my publishing house. We were chatting at a little wine and cheese get-together when I visited. She said, “You know, one thing you haven’t covered is time.” That comment stuck with me, and I kept chewing on it.

2- The second thing I asked myself was: what would be easy? I needed easy. I was pretty close to burned out.

A book focused on the wheel of the year was the answer to those two questions. I had been teaching on the wheel of the year for a while, so it wasn’t difficult to gather my notes and lessons and use them as a foundation. The book built up pretty quickly from there and voila! The Wild Wisdom Companion. 

6. What are some points that you feel the general public – and perhaps even some who are new to areas such as Paganism and witchcraft – would benefit from knowing about the Wheel of The Year and the perpetually vital role that it plays in the lives of all creatures great and small who inhabit our planet?

The pattern of the seasons, as they happen in more temperate climes, teaches us so much of what we need to know about the cycles of our own lives. When I’m working on a book and I’m frustrated, I ask myself where I am on the wheel: have I let go of what needs to go (autumn)? Am I gestating (winter)? Understanding where I’m at in my creative cycle lets me know what comes next and how to move forward.

This applies to other aspects of life as well. When I have birthed something new (spring), I know I still need to keep feeding it energy so it will flower (summer). When I’ve suffered a loss (autumn), I realize I might need winter’s hibernation to recover and heal.

Once you find this rhythm in your own life, you can look outward and find it in the lives of the plants, trees, and animals. It is a constant breath: inhaling energy toward you, exhaling energy out.

7. It is safe to say that the world has been through the wringer massively over the past two years due to the global pandemic. In the face of this profound ongoing challenge, what are some things pertaining to nature and/or self-care and spirituality that you feel people can do to help create a better sense of stability and wellness (emotional, physical, spiritual – or all of the above) again?

I wrote The Wild Wisdom Companion during the first tenuous months of the pandemic. Tuning in to the seasons got me through. And it’s still getting me through. Step out the door, feel the air, breathe. Our human world might be disrupted, but everything else is carrying on. Tune into that sensation.

8. How have you personally been faring during these tremendously difficult times? Have you found that they have deepened your connection to the seasons, the plant kingdom, the universe or any other facet of your spiritual journey?

The isolation from other people has been less difficult for me than most. Serendipitously, I moved to the woods a few months before Covid hit. Because I’m writing, I don’t have to go out to work. So, my days are synced to the natural rhythms. I’m getting to know this land, making friends with the trees and the creek, and working on my writing craft. Because this is what I was moving toward before Covid, for me, the inner work of the past couple of years doesn’t feel Covid related.

9. While Wild Wisdom Companion, much like your other titles, is apt to appeal to witches, Wiccans, Pagans and others of our ilk in general, I feel it is a very approachable and inviting book for all those who experience a strong connection to Mother Nature.

Can you please share a few easily doable, potent ways that just about anyone, regardless of their personal beliefs, can create or strengthen their bond with the natural world?

I love a practice that naturalists use called a “sit spot.” It’s simple, really: return to the same spot every day. Sit. Breathe. Observe. Be sure to pay attention to both the big picture stuff and the small stuff—the macro and the micro. Explore how to connect with the world around you. Try having a little dialogue in your head with a dandelion or singing to an oak. Play with what’s possible.

That’s it! Hone your powers of observation and connection.

10. At the time of this interview’s publication, we are sitting between the first two spring sabbats of Imbolc and Ostara. What are some of the key components/lessons/inspirations that you feel this wonderful point in the calendar, as the mighty return of new life and warm sunlight looms near again, can teach or remind us all?

This is a season when the energy is rising. The tiny cotyledons of the plants are reaching upward, sprouting leaves. I try to tap into that rising energy, letting it come up through the soles of my feet. And then I ask myself what do I want to grow? Sometimes I want to grow a feeling—like joy. Sometimes I want to nurture a new way of seeing the world. And sometimes I want to encourage myself to act, to bring something new into being, like a book. Our culture puts a lot of emphasis on this last one, on action. But I think the first two are equally as important.

Also, if you’re reading this and you aren’t comfortable with, or can’t relate to, words like sabbat, Imbolc, or Ostara, just leave the language by the wayside. I do, all the time. I try to think about the seasons in terms of their energetics, what I can feel in my body. In the Wild Wisdom Companion, I don’t us pagan names for the seasons because I don’t often use those words in my life.

The other day someone said Litha and I had to look up what that meant! I always try to choose words that mean something to me personally. So, I do use Samhain and Imbolc because, when I was studying in Ireland, those were the names my teacher used. I celebrated both Samhain and Imbolc with her and so those words have a resonance for me.

11. Your writing, the important messages it conveys, and the support it offers to others are all very special elements that – not unlike the magnificent illustrations from artist Kate O’Hara that are housed in your books and oracle card decks – speak to scores of people around the world.

What sorts of points do you find easiest to connect with your audience over – and are there things you have learned from them since starting your journey as an author that you did not know or (yet) fully appreciate before that point in your life?

In general, book writing happens at a distance. I sit and think and write in my space and then someone reads and reflects in theirs. I’m sure there are places in my books where readers nod along and feel resonant with what I’m saying, and other places where they think no, that’s not how I see it.

As the author, I’m not usually privy to these thoughts. Sometimes I’ll get to have conversations around this sort of thing at live events and, if you had asked me this pre-Covid, I probably would have had specific stories to share. But I have had limited contact for the past two years. I’m looking forward to once again being able to have robust conversations and share, back and forth, in person.

12. Rapid fire style… What are your favourite books that you are currently reading (or have recently read)?

Here’s my current stack:

Matrix by Lauren Groff

The Heroine with 1,001 Faces by Maria Tartar

The Awakened Brain by Lisa Miller

Still Life with Oysters and Lemon by Mark Doty

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Missing Witches: Recovering True Histories of Feminist Magic by Risa Dickens and Amy Torok

Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown

Three Simple Lines: A Writer’s Pilgrimage into the Heart and Homeland of Haiku by Natalie Goldberg

The one witchy must-read from the last couple years is The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow.

And if you’re into herbal medicine, Energetic Herbalism by Kat Maier should definitely be on your bookshelf.

Kim Krans’ The Wild Unknown Archetypes Deck has been my go-to deck recently.

Crystals are in bowls and on shelves around my desk. I just reach for whatever my fingers want and hold it for as long as seems necessary. The thinking and analyzing part of my brain got over-used writing The Illustrated Crystallary so I’m in pure, unquestioning, intuition mode.

13. And last, but certainly not least… If you are able to divulge anything on this front, can you please tell us about your next book?

This is perfect timing because I’m just now able to talk about my next project! The Night School will be released August 9, 2022 and I am over-the-moon excited.

It was my first time writing in a narrator’s voice, instead of my own, and it was a blast. The Night School is for anyone who wishes they could go to a school for witches, wizards, or mystics. But it’s not fiction: the book contains the lessons you might learn were you to attend such an esteemed institution.

Thank you again, dear Maia. Not only for chatting with me and my audience, but for the extraordinary insight, care, passion, teachings, and – very aptly – wisdom that you impart to society. The earth is blessed to call you one of its own, and I know that your work will long continue to inspire, help and resonate with countless souls the world over.

Thank you, Autumn!

~*~*~*~*~*~

In closing, I would like to once again thank both Maia and her generous publisher for helping to put the wheels in motion for this blog post’s existence.

I am on the edge of my seat with anticipation regarding the forthcoming release of The Night School and hope, in time, to have the opportunity to review that title here as well.

Have you read Maia Toll’s Wild Wisdom Companion? How many seasons/half seasons does it feel most natural for you to divide your year into?

The post Author Interview & Book Review: Maia Toll’s Wild Wisdom Companion by Maia Toll appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

In 2020, when this blog was mere days old, I shared an entry called 12 Ways to Live a More Magickally Focused Year.

The next year, in February 2021, as a bit of a follow-up to that entry, we explored 14 Ways to Love Your Witchcraft Even More.

The ideas housed in these posts are well worth visiting (or revisiting, as the case may be) now that 2022 is officially underway.

They are, of course, far from the only ways to connect further and deeper with your witchery and/or spirituality (as, indeed, witchcraft can be practiced independently from faith or spirituality).

As dawn rises on a new year, a spiritually significant topic that frequently springs to mind for me is that of our animal spirit guides.

Please note that I did not say “spirit animals”. To my mind and those of many nowadays, this particular term is primarily usually reserved for those of certain ethnic groups, particularly indigenous peoples from around the globe.

While you might be inclined to say that reversing the order of the words is akin to splitting hairs, such is far from the case.

Guides – be they celestial, land-based, otherworldly, amongst the departed, part of the animal realm or otherwise are generally things that anyone on earth can connect with.

Any one of us can feel that we have one or more power/guide animal spirits with us or seek such out if they are not already a part of our lives and spiritual practices.

Many books that were published during the 1990s, 2000s, and even some of those from the 2010s do not necessarily make this distinction and veer into what a lot of folks today would rightly view as cultural appropriation.

I am very happy to say that this is not the case with the first book that I’m reviewing here this year: Spirit Animal Guides: Discover Your Power Animal and the Shamanic Path by Chris Luttichau.

This tremendously lovely book was first published in 2009 (with the title of Animal Spirit Guides) and has subsequently been reprinted over the years.

The copy that I am reviewing in this post was printed in 2019 and was purchased with my own funds.

Book specs:

Name: Spirit Animal Guides: Discover Your Power Animal and the Shamanic Path

Author: Chris Luttichau

Publisher: CICO Books

Page count: 160 pages

Binding: Hardcover

A contemporary approach to an ancient tradition

Chris Luttichau, this book’s author, is a well-known and highly respected teacher and healer who has traversed the globe learning traditional ways from knowledgeable teachers, practitioners, shamans, and others who possess time-honoured wisdom and approaches to life.

He holds tremendous respect for the earth and its inhabitants, very much including those of the animal variety, and keenly weaves elements of ancestor work, prayer, and dreaming into western (neo)shamanism.

The topic of shamanism enters the picture in Spirit Animal Guides. It is done so with immense reverence, broad strokes, and a reminder to us all that nearly every early culture around the world had spiritual leaders, healers and teachers who today could easily fall under the header of having been shamans.

This is true for my ancestors from locations such as the frozen north of Russia and the verdant Celtic + Norse lands, much as it is for many of us with far-reaching roots to Oceania, North America, Central America, South America, Asia, Africa, and other parts of Europe as well.

In 1998, Chris – a native of Denmark who currently resides in the UK – founded an international teaching organization and accompanying website called the Northern Drum Circle, where he periodically writes on topics pertaining to animal spirit guides and shamanism.

I have never met or interacted with Mr. Luttichau (who travels far afield to hold workshops through North America and Europe). However, it only took a few paragraphs into his book Spirit Animal Guides for me to sense that we would likely hit it off well and share many points in common.

Spirit Animal Guides: Discover Your Power Animal and the Shamanic Path features a gorgeous array of full-colour illustrations by artist Melissa Launay, each of which helps to bring the topics that Luttichau talks about and the selection of animals that he highlights to life all the more.

At 160 pages, this is not a huge book by any means. However, the information it houses far exceeds that of many longer titles on the subject of animal spirit guides.

First split into two sections (Section 1 and Section 2, respectively), then broken down into five chapters (plus a handy index), and further divided into numerous subchapters, this book has an excellent flow to it leads you to want to read it from cover-to-cover.

I have done so now three times since this book entered my life and have enjoyed it all more with each reading.

Spirit Animal Guides by Chris Luttichau begins with the opening lines, “The purpose of the teachings in this book is for you to discover whether they feel true for you. Find out if they awaken a remembrance within yourself and your body of an ancient instinctual bond between you, nature, and animals.”

True to its word, that is precisely what this book not only sets out to do but accomplishes with skill, insight, and inspiration aplenty.

The author addresses the topic of animal spirit guides and the long-held relationship between those who engage in shamanism, while also delving into the fact that humans from many walks of life have sought out (or been chosen by, as the case may be) animal spirit helpers/guides since time immemorial.

Early on in the book, he talks openly about his own spiritual journey, guides readers through methods they can undertake if they are presently seeking an animal spirit guide, and explains what he means when through this book he describes the “animal medicine” associated with the critters featured therein.

Before delving into the selection of animals that Luttichau has chosen to shine the spotlight on, readers are treated to the author’s thoughts pertaining to such areas as “The power animal as your mirror”, (a brief look at) “Shamanism and spiritual reality”, “Dream recall”, “The drum journey”, and various ways of working with your power animal.

In the section regarding shamanism and spiritual reality, Luttichau states that “The teachings given here about power and animals are closely linked to the shamanic tradition. Shamanism does not constitute a religion, and it gives each human being the freedom to explore reality with an open mind and heart to find her or his own truth.”

To my mind, this is one of the most accurate, even-handed and approachable descriptions of this subject I have yet to encounter.

It jives with my own views on the subject, though I readily acknowledge that under the broad banner of shamanism and traditional beliefs, certain elements are closed culture to those outside of those specific groups/ethnicities.

Luttichau discusses how many of us have – or can have if we are not already consciously connected to such – at least one primary “power animal guide”.

He leads readers through ways to find, connect with, and strengthen the bond between themselves and their primary power animal guide, as well as what might be termed secondary animal spirit guides – of which the author states he believes many of us have at least four.

One being our lead animal spirit guide and the other three being members who – along with said power animal – form what the author terms our “Circle of [Animal Spirit] Allies”.

Thusly called because each one is thought to represent or hold a place within the four cardinal points of a circle (those being east, west, north and south, respectively)

He goes on to discuss how each of these four is likely to embody different traits, serve to teach us various lessons, and how we ourselves can be seen in some respects as a manifestation of the creatures that comprise our Circle of Allies.

Furthermore, Luttichau thoughtfully reminds us that “There is no rush to find all four animal spirits in your circle. In fact, it is generally a good idea to take your time, letting the search unfold in a natural, general way”.

The information pertaining to one’s Circle of Allies is housed in the final pages of the book.

Sandwiched between that section and the beneficial introductory topics (some of which I touched on above), one finds the bevy of animal friends that Chris Luttichau opted to shine the spotlight on in this book.

He chose to do so by corralling various animals into groups based on where the critters in each spend the majority of their time.

As such, they are categorized as Earth Animals, Air Animals, Water Animals, and Water/Earth Animals for those creatures (think frogs, otters, and beavers, for example) who divide their time between both environments.

The selection for each group varies a bit in size, though multiple entries appear for each category of animal.

Naturally, no book or other type of resource (i.e., a website on the topic) can possibly cover every animal on earth.

Objectively, there are titles out there with larger amounts of animal spirit guides listed in them.

Yet few that I have personally encountered do as good a job of discussing the symbolism, messages, and “medicine” (aka, important lessons) that is linked to each animal featured therein.

For every critter in Spirit Animal Guides, the author relates an encounter or other type of interaction that he has had throughout his life with said animal.

This lends the book an appealing personal quality which helped me to feel all the more connected to the messages of the various animals Luttichau chats about.

Pulling from the whole of the animal kingdom, the author includes creatures from across the world.

Some are commonplace in many of our lives and/or general environments (i.e., cats, dogs, horses, certain types of birds, and buterflies).

Many we may encounter in person only on very rare occasions and others still are animals that (save perhaps outside of locations such as zoos and animal sanctuaries) we may never come face-to-face with in real life.

The author believes (much as I do, too) that as a general rule one does not pick their animal spirit guide(s) at random or based on their favourite creatures.

Rather, it is usually best/most effective to either intentionally seek your animal allies out or allow them to present themselves to you organically. Often, though not always, via one’s dreams.

Therefore, this book is not a shopping list of animals to pick and choose from to get the animal guide that you most want.

Instead, it is excellent resource if you wish to learn more about the overall subject of power animals and how to connect with your own, while deepening your knowledge of the creaturl(s) that you feel are or may become your own animal spirit guides.

(Remember, most of the time they select us, not the other way around. )

The information housed within this book is also handy if you believe a particular crritter has made its presence known to you as a means of delivering a message or serving as a sign and you wish to uncover what that sign/message may be convaying to you.

After all, many of us will engage with, see, think about, and feel pulled towards a substantial number of animals throughout our lives. Not every one of them will factor heavily into our spiritual journeys or serve as an important sign/message.

However, each can be appreciated and help us to remember how incredibly blessed we are to share our planet with countless thousands of creatures from the tiniest insect to the largest blue whale and everything in between.

How Spirit Animal Guides by Chris Luttichau rates with me

As someone who believes strongly in animal spirit guides, has identified and continues to actively work with their own, and who really enjoys this topic, I have read my fair share of books on the subject over the years (including classic titles from other well-known authors in the field, such as Ted Andrews and Steven D. Farmer).

None has felt quite as inviting or enjoyable to me as Spirit Animal Guides: Discover Your Power Animal and the Shamanic by Chris Luttichau.

If you are looking for more of a straight-up reference book, there are titles with larger selections of animals out there. Yet, few of possess the earnest heart and captivating spirit of Luttichau’s look at the topic.

Each time I have reached the last page of this book, I have found myself wishing that it went on for hundreds more.

The author has a friendly, inviting way of writing (not unlike that of David Dillard-Wright, whose book A Mindful Evening I reviewed here last summer) and excels at informatively teaching his readers, while never coming across as preachy, condescending, or know-it-allish.

This makes the book all the more of a wonderful reading experience and helps to cement it as a title many of us are apt to reread in its entirety and/or dip into as needed throughout the course of our lives.

Spirit Animal Guides is not specifically geared towards witches or Pagans. It is open to, and inclusive of, those from a vast swath of different spiritual paths and belief systems.

Anyone who has positive intentions and genuinely wishes to seek out their power animal(s) can do so throughout the course of their life.

I adore the broadness of this book, the methods used for finding and building a bond with one’s animal spirit allies, and the respect that is paid both to the subject of shamanism and to the members of the animal kingdom that are highlighted throughout its 160 pages.

Whether you have numerous books on your shelf pertaining to power animals or are eager to pick up your first, Spirit Animal Guides is a fantastic title that I very highly recommend.

Working on a scale of 1 – 5, with five being the highest possible rating, I would give Spirit Animal Guides by Chris Luttichau 5 stars out of 5.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Have you read the book Spirit Animal Guides – and if so, what are your thoughts on it? Are animal allies a part of your own spiritual journey?

PS: If you are eager to learn more about Chris Luttichau, I encourage you to check out this terrific podcast interview he had with Accidental Gods, visit his website, and look into his latest book (which I have not yet read, but certainly hope to one day), Calling Us Home.

The post Book Review: Spirit Animal Guides by Chris Luttichau appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Case in point, earlier this year I penned an entry called 25 Jigsaw Puzzles That are Perfect for Witches and Pagans (and Puzzle Fans of All Kinds!).

Shortly after this post appeared here, I was contacted by the founder of an exciting new Australian jigsaw company called Pennywinks.

The chap named Phil who launched Pennywinks (we will be chatting with him later on in this very post ) was curious as to if I would like to receive and review their debut jigsaw puzzle design called The Witches Lair.

My answer was a resounding and very appreciative, “Yes, please!”.

On previous blogs that I have run over the years, I often reviewed a broad range of different products. So far on Witchcrafted Life, however, my reviews have been book-centred ones.

Getting the opportunity to not only do, but also review, a beautiful new puzzle was a lovely change of pace and moreover, a fantastic way to introduce you to Pennywinks and their products.

Puzzle specs

Puzzle name: The Witches Lair

Jigsaw puzzle company: Pennywinks

Puzzle piece count: 1,000

Blog: Pennywinks Jigsaw Puzzle Blog

Pennywinks on social media: Instagram | Facebook

Review of The Witches Lair Puzzle from Pennywinks

Let me begin by saying that while I was generously provided with a complimentary review puzzle, I was not financially compensated for writing this post.

All opinions expressed herein are solely my own and would not differ one bit had I bought this puzzle myself.

Fall was just starting to pick up speed around these Canadian parts when a parcel from Australia landed in our mailbox.

I am happy to report that after journeying all the way from Down Under, the puzzle – which was very securely and professionally packaged – reached me in pristine condition.

Once the Halloween and Samhain season had drawn to a close for another year (*sad face*), my schedule permitted me to hop with both feet forward into doing this puzzle.

I commandeered the only space (our dining room table) in the house large enough to do a good-sized jigsaw on and begin to tackle this exciting puzzle.

Different folks approach jigsaw puzzles in various ways. Personally, I almost always start by finding and putting together all four edges of the design.

This is either proceeded by, or done in tandem with, grouping like coloured and/or themed pieces with like.

The Witches Lair is a beautiful, high-quality 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle that measures 75 cm x 52 cm (about 29.5 inches x 20.4 inches).

Included in the box, one finds an accompanying printed full-colour image of the puzzle which measures 29 cm x 19 cm (11.4 inches x 7.4 inches).

The printed page/leaflet not only features a crisp, beautiful rendering of the puzzle image but also, on the reverse side, houses some relevant information both about The Witches Lair design and regarding puzzling in general.

I thought this was an especially nice touch that only further drives home what a quality product Pennywinks has produced with their inaugural jigsaw puzzle design.

This puzzle features a detailed illustration comprised of a fair number of different colours. That said, some colours do dominate more than others, such as various shades of purple, pink, blue, and brown.

The image on The Witches Lair is a fantasy scene depicting three floors of a structure (that would be the “witches lair” itself) in which a wide array of both real and mythical beings and creatures are engaged in various magical going-ons.

The witch figures it includes are those of a more fairytale or Hollywood nature – complete, in one instance, with green skin.

This puzzle’s image is not one that set out to portray real-world witchery or Paganism. It is whimsically and wonderfully fantastical and as such is apt to appeal to a broader range of jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts than if it was a straight-up witchcraft/Wicca-themed design.

The pieces in The Witches Lair are truly amongst the highest quality puzzle pieces I have ever had the pleasure of working with (think Ravensburger level or higher). They are comprised of 1.9 mm (0.075 inch) thick blue board with a matte linen finish.

Sturdy, richly hued, and with a minimal amount of normal puzzle dust (which I have long dubbed “pandruff” – as in “puzzle dandruff” ), these pieces are very well cut and fit together excellently.

Some puzzles house rather ambiguous pieces that leave you wondering (at least until the design is complete) if they really do go where you have placed some of them. I did not get a sense of that at all while doing The Witches Lair.

Knowing that I was working on a deadline for this post, I decided to tackle completing this puzzle over the course of a few larger sessions, with occasional briefer ones sprinkled throughout the process.

I should mention that I did not keep track of the amount of time that it took me (as the sole person working on completing this 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle) to finish it.

That said, I would roughly estimate that I spent about fourteen to eighteen hours combined time putting it together from start to finish.

I did not set out to do this puzzle at breakneck speed. I often watched videos or listened to music on my phone while puzzling, and was up and down for various reasons throughout longer puzzle doing sessions.

Depending on the speed that one puzzles at and the ease with which they find this design, it could easily be possible for one person to finish The Witches Lair in less time. Conversely, it may take you longer.

Puzzling is rarely a race and I feel that no small amount of its enjoyment stems from the fact that doing a jigsaw puzzle helps us slow down, relax and focus on the hands-on task before us.

There is so much detail and creativity at play in the illustration of The Witches Lair puzzle. In fact, it quickly reminded me of the classic I Spy series of books (for example, I Spy Spooky Night: A Book of Picture Riddles) that were highly popular here in North America when I was a little girl.

I found that overall, the colours printed on the pieces in this puzzle were true to those of the images on both the box and the accompanying illustration page.

Here and there, to a very minor degree, there were minimal colour intensity (lightness/darkness) differences. Happily, not to the extent where this might have temporarily tripped me up.

At no point in doing The Witches Lair did my interest in completing it wane. This puzzle kept me engaged every step of the way.

In terms of the 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzles that I have done so far as an adult, I would place The Witches Lair about in the middle in terms of the degree of difficulty involved.

I was never bored, found the design come together at a reasonable/average clip, and was spurred on all the more as the image I was composing with puzzle pieces really started to take shape.

One especially charming element of The Witches Lair is that it includes an appearance by none other than “The Pennywinks” – the brand’s eponymously named mascot – himself (whose origin story you can read more about here).

This is something the company plans to include with each of their subsequent puzzle designs as well. I look forward to seeing where The Pennywinks will appear in future designs from this company.

The Witches Lair is a really fun, richly coloured jigsaw puzzle featuring an original hand-drawn fantasy art design. I suspect that it will appeal to a broad range of different puzzlers – especially those who like a bit of a challenge but don’t want to pull their hair out in the name of completing a puzzle.

At present, The Witches Lair is available to purchase from Amazon in some countries, including Australia and America.

I had a blast putting together every last piece of The Witches Lair. Just as I have enjoyed getting to know the creative soul behind this puzzle company via the emails that we’ve swapped over the past few months.

Read on to enjoy the interview that I recently had with Phil, learn more about bringing a high-quality jigsaw puzzle to market, and get the inside scope on Pennywink’s next exciting puzzle design.

Pennywinks creator interview

Welcome, Phil! It’s a pleasure to chat with you about your company Pennywinks Puzzles. Could you please tell us a bit about your passion for puzzles and what led you to launch Pennywinks?

Thanks, Autumn – it is great to have the opportunity to share my passion for puzzles with the lovely Witchcrafted Life’s readership. 

My passion for puzzles is something that started a few years back. My wife (who is a lifelong puzzle fan) convinced me to try one that had a fantasy theme and I instantly fell in love. I also loved exploring the fantasy world and finding the details in the artwork. Plus, I found it very relaxing, too. 

I was finding it harder and harder to track down new puzzles that specifically matched what I was looking for. Then at the start of the pandemic, I couldn’t get hold of any.

This started the thought process of thinking about creating puzzles. I have also been an avid doodler, creating strange monsters and supernatural stuff. When I was younger I created lots of comics. This was something I was trying to get back into. Then the idea came into my head about creating puzzle artwork that would combine all of these things and thought I would give it a shot.

Your first puzzle, The Witches Lair, is a whimsical take on a fantasy-style witches’ realm, what inspired this design? 

I want our puzzles to take the puzzler into strange worlds and in which they meet weird characters. At the same time, I had a strong vision for the style of art. It had to be atmospheric with really bright glowing colours.

This gave me the idea of adding large colourful potion bottles and et voila, a witches theme was born. After that the storyline was established, the main characters and witches just came from my imagination. 

Is there a target audience that this puzzle is particularly geared towards? 

Anyone who loves a good puzzle. I think families would particularly enjoy doing this together as it has something for all ages. 

Puzzling has seen a massive resurgence in popularity in recent years, including amongst younger generations. This spike in jigsaw puzzle interest has been boosted further by the pandemic and the fact that many of us have been self-isolating at home for long stretches. Do you foresee puzzles continuing to increase in popularity further as the 2020s progress?

I certainly hope so. Once you discover the joy of puzzles it definitely sticks. It is a very therapeutic pastime especially compared to screen-based entertainment.

The fact that the traditional puzzle has grown in an age where we are surrounded by digital devices that are designed to be as addictive as possible is a testament to their timeless appeal. Long may the growth continue!

What are some of the latest trends that you have noticed in the puzzling community?

There are always lots of new and interesting trends. Puzzles that are intentionally difficult/impossible seem to be increasing in popularity (e.g all black) but that could just be a social media trend. Gradients and puzzles with modern art seem to be getting very popular with the average puzzler. 

Are there any misconceptions or misunderstandings about jigsaw puzzles (or people who enjoy doing them) that you’d like to clarify for our readers?

Definitely. I think a common one (that I used to be guilty of) is that they are a waste of time. As with all things in life we humans tend to focus purely on the outcome but the process is always more important.

The process of putting a puzzle together has many proven mental health benefits and is a very pleasant way to relax. The outcome is also great – you have a beautiful piece of art and once they’re done. Many puzzlers choose to glue and hang their favourites.

What are some of your own favourite elements about doing jigsaw puzzles?

For me, it’s an antidote to all the screen time I experience, especially working from home during the pandemic. I find that just a five-minute break in between meetings really helps reset the stress levels. It also allows space to continue to problem solve/think over ideas at the same time.

This is probably why a lot of authors such as Nick Hornsby are into puzzles, claiming it helps with writer’s block. It is also possible to really enjoy an audiobook or podcast and concentrate on both whilst still being very relaxing. I love that. But my favourite element has to be getting completely absorbed in the puzzle and losing all track of time.

I understand that designs often have to stay under wraps until they’re brought to market. However, can you give us any hints about what Pennywink’s second puzzle design will be like?

Happy to give some teasers… If you like the current design you will enjoy the next one, too. All I’ll say is that it is a haunted house theme.

We have two more that are coming into the final testing/tweaking stages but they are still a secret for now.  The next release will take place in 2022 and we will probably release a couple different puzzle designs at the same time. 

What are some of your favourite things about working in the puzzle industry? 

The puzzle community. It has been overwhelmingly supportive of our new puzzle company. A special shoutout goes to Adelable based puzzle instagrammer Relishpuzzles who discovered us there.

She is highly supportive of promoting very small puzzle brands from all over the world and encourages people to follow her if they are also interested in supporting smaller puzzle companies that find it hard to get the same exposure as the bigger brands.

Can you share a bit with us regarding the process, from the initial design concept to the finished product, of what it’s like to design and sell jigsaw puzzles?

From a high-level the process of creating a new puzzle looks like this:

I’ll create a theme and story for the puzzle (I’ve got a million crazy ideas in the backlog).

I’ll doodle some very crude character designs for main creatures mentioned in the puzzle and a very rough layout.

This is then given to our artist and an iterative process begins of the artist creating the image and getting feedback from myself. It moves from a draft sketch to a colour version slowly over many iterations.

Once we’re happy with the digital image we get a locally made “prototype” jigsaw to see how it actually puzzles. Usually, we learn a lot from this and then have the artist make more tweaks.

I create the packaging in-house and finalize the story for the end product. Once we think it is ready we order an official sample from our manufacturer. 

We do a final QA test and puzzle the sample. If we’re happy with it, we give the green light to the manufacture to mass produce the design.

It is a process that can take hundreds of hours all in all, but the end result is a unique piece of artwork that has been designed from the ground up with puzzling in mind.

The selling/marketing side is something we are still learning. Right now we sell on Amazon but plan to start selling directly from our website, Pennywinks.com.

Being a small business we have a very limited budget so we are relying on word of mouth – so far the response from the socials has been amazing. 

Now that lockdown has lifted, we’re teaming up with local independent toy/game shops here in Australia.

The dream is to have an established distribution chain not only here in Australia but also in US and UK (right now overseas customers have to pay for international shipping, which can be a bit pricey). Then we can focus more of our efforts on new designs and jigsaw puzzles themselves.    

What are some elements that help to set Pennywink’s offerings apart from other jigsaw puzzles that are currently on the market?

The way we build artwork from scratch for the purpose of puzzling is unique (a lot of jigsaw images can be pretty but not the best to solve as a puzzle; for example, if they house a lot of sky/same colour areas).

We also provide a story with every puzzle to help the puzzler get absorbed in the fantasy world. We are also the only puzzle to contain a portal travelling furball with a magic purple hat called “The Pennywinks”. He’s our mascot and can be found in every one of our puzzles. 

The puzzle quality is also exceptional. We worked hard on making sure the cut and thickness of the jigsaw was premium.

This was all part of trying to reach our aim of creating the perfect puzzle experience. 

And last, but certainly not least, do you have any pro tips for fellow jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts that you can share with us? 

Ha! I’m not sure I would call myself a pro yet but here are my tips to ensure maximum enjoyment when puzzling.

Set up a workspace that is ideal for your puzzle. You want to be working on a hard flat surface so if working on the floor use something like an old canvas, white foam board, or piece of MDF and ensure you have enough space. Consider the completed jigsaw size, then add 20 – 50% more room around it for the pieces.

Secondly, ensure you have adequate lighting. Near a window is great, but having some kind of light overhead is always best (e.g., if you want to puzzle at night, on cloudy days, etc), if possible.

Sorting/prep work at the start is also key to having an enjoyable experience. At the very least, turn over all pieces so that they are face up. Taking it further you can group pieces into colours. The pros seem to use sorting trays but I haven’t progressed to this yet.

However, my number one tip is at the purchasing stage. Don’t just purchase an image you like the look of.

You should also consider how fun the image will be to puzzle based on your skill level and what you are looking for (e.g., is it brightly coloured or dark? Is the image divided into identifiable different sections?).

Try to avoid images with large sections that are all the same colour or designs with too much darkness – unless you relish the challenge!

Awesome answers, Phil! Thank you very much not only for the opportunity to review Pennywick’s debut puzzle, but also for sharing so much about your brand and its offering here with Witchcrafted Life’s readers.

If you or anyone on your gift-giving list this holiday season (or any time of the year) enjoys doing jigsaw puzzles, I cannot recommend The Witches Lair puzzle highly enough.

And for those who may be wondering what rating The Witches Lair receives from me (as I always assign a rating between 0 – 5 to the books that I review here on Witchcrafted Life), that would be a resounding 5 out of 5 stars.

★★★★★

From Phil’s answers above, what did you find most interesting about the puzzle creation process? What design would appear on your dream jigsaw puzzle?

The post Product Review & Founder Interview: The Witches Lair Jigsaw Puzzle from Pennywinks appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

To those of us who bide our time patiently each year for our beloved October, November can bring about a certainly melancholy stemming from the reality that we must begin that long wait over again.

And yet, November’s presence is neither a bad nor an unfortunate thing. Regardless of what the weather may get up to, November is still fall time in the Northern Hemisphere.

In fact, it is the last full month of the present season, which will officially conclude when the Winter Solstice comes calling in December.

Instead of viewing November merely as the first step on the journey until next October, I consciously choose to bask in the lingering afterglow of my favourite month and to celebrate each precious moment of autumn while it is still here.

Since time immemorial, for those in colder climates, fall has often meant a return to heartier fare. One needs sustenance, fortitude, and flavours that both warm the belly and the heart alike as the mercury plummets.

To my mind, few cuisines anywhere on the globe can deliver that quite like the classic offerings that hail from the Celtic lands.

With the nights dropping well below freezing, arctic winds screeching past like frenzied owls, and the near-certain promise of multiple months of bone-chilling winter ahead, November means it is time for me to reach for an especially beloved book once again.

And, moreover, to share some of my thoughts on that very title here with all of you.

The book I’m speaking about is Celtic Folklore Cooking by Joanne Asala.

This title is not particularly new, having first been released in 1998 (I currently own the fifteenth printing, which came out in 2017). Yet, like many an excellent book, it has qualities that make it both endearing and timeless.

As we will soon dive into, Celtic Folklore Cooking is much more than “just” a compendium of excellent Celtic recipes.

This book is also chock-a-block with engaging Celtic folklore, proverbs, and poetry from countries such as Scotland, Ireland, and Wales; and is by far one of the most compressive looks at traditional Celtic cuisine that I have come across.

Book specs

Name: Celtic Folklore Cooking

Author: Joanne Asala

Page count: 384

Publisher: Llewellyn

Binding: Softcover

A feast for the tastebuds and imagination alike

Have you ever walked into someone’s kitchen, be it for the first time or the five hundredth and instantly felt comfortable, at peace, and warmed from the inside out before you’d even eaten a single morsel of food?

Just as some kitchens and the home cooks behind them are able to impart this sense of nurturing serenity, so too are certain books pertaining to the culinary arts.

Celtic Folklore Cooking by Joanne Asala is one of those books.

Asala is the author/compiler of more than 25 books pertaining to folklore, fairy tales, cooking, and traditional customs from various parts of Europe. A native of Chicago, she has travelled across the continent extensively to learn and gather information for her books. This point shines out vibrantly in the depth and scope of knowledge that she imparts throughout Celtic Folklore Cooking.

Clocking in at a touch under 400 pages, this hefty paperback title features more than 200 traditional dishes hailing from the land of the Celts.

While this book does not have any photographs or (save for the front cover) colour illustrations, it does house a selection of charming black and white illustrations that accompany some, but not all, of the recipes and tales that this engaging book includes.

No doubt Celtic Folklore Cooking would have been an even more captivating book with colour photos and/or illustrations. Yet, the strength of the author’s writing and the breadth of fascinating folklore covered here adds proverbial colour to each delightful page in its own right and as such, I rarely find myself longing for photos or drawings when reading this book.  

On top of the 200+ dishes included in this cookbook, one also finds an enchantingly selection of folktales, poems, proverbs, and customs hailing from traditional Celtic lands, such as Scotland and Ireland.

Before we go any further this review, I should mention that though this book will find favour with many a witch, Wiccan, and Pagan, it was not written solely for that audience.  

And while Asala begins her introduction by stating that, “The goal of Celtic Folklore Cooking is to help you select foods to serve at your celebrations of the Sabbats and Esbats”, the dishes and captivating folklore contained within this book can just as easily be utilized for every other day of the year as well.

Celtic Folklore Cooking is a culturally rich, expansive, captivating look at the traditions and history of Celtic cuisine and is bound to appeal to a wide range of readers, both inside and out of the Pagan/witchy sphere.

For those who fall under the former header, you will be interested to know that the author does make a point of mentioning which Pagan sabbats she feels best suit each recipe in the book.

Broadly speaking, I agree with the majority of her choices for corresponding sabbats and if anything, wouldn’t so much change her suggestions as add on an additional sabbat or two in some cases.

Of course, these recipes – like nearly any recipe, for that matter – can be utilized whenever you desire, be it for the sabbats, esbats, or otherwise.

Celtic Folklore Cooking is arranged into the following nine chapters:

-The Celtic Wheel of The Year

-Beverages (which includes recipes for numerous homemade alcoholic beverages such as Mead, Blas Meala, Welsh Posset Cup, Eggnog, and Wassail)

-Breads, Porridges, and Breakfast Foods

-Milk, Eggs, and Cheese

-Soups and Stews

-Vegetables

-Fish, Shellfish, and Seaweed

-Meat and Wild Game

-Desserts

In addition, there is an introduction, bibliography and related reading, glossary, and index. The latter of which is especially handy if you’re keen to look up recipes for a specific ingredient.

Speaking of which, a good many of the ingredients called for in these recipes are classic ones that strive to mirror the traditional cuisine of the Celtic nations.

In the very earliest days of our relationship, Tony and I lived in Ireland (ROI) for a couple of years. Getting to experience both contemporary and traditional Irish firsthand in its homeland stands out as one of my most treasured memories from our adventure in the Emerald Isle.

Each time I dip into Celtic Folklore Cooking, I feel as though I am reliving our time in Ireland and the incredible food we got to experience there.

The recipes in this book are accessible and welcoming. Many are relatively simple and quite a few are fairly budget-friendly.

This book is not geared specifically to any one type of diet (such as vegetarianism or eating gluten-free, for example) and, as with the bulk of generalized cookbooks pertaining to almost any cuisine, if you follow a specific type of diet for medical, cultural, religious or other reasons, some of the recipes in Celtic Folklore Cooking may not work for your dietary requirements.

Or, perhaps, in certain instances, you could alter them so that they were able to work. Switching out, say, animal dairy products nut, plant, or seed options instead. Those (like myself) who eat Low FODMAP could also make certain substitutions, such as using the green parts of scallions/spring onions or leeks in place of onions.

These are just a couple of examples, of course. You know your diet and health best, so should hopefully be able to determine if some of the recipes in Celtic Folklore Cooking are able to be adapted to your specific dietary needs or not.

If the answer is “not” across the board, that is 100% okay, naturally, and you may still enjoy the culinary history and folklore that abounds in this book all the same.

It is worth noting that there are some ingredients in this book that were not native to the lands the ancient Celts inhabited and others that have become commonplace mainstays of these corners of Europe in more recent centuries.

This point doesn’t bother me personally, as I feel it is generally unrealistic to expect most 21^st century cookbooks to ask readers to solely use ingredients that were available in a given part of the world during a specific long-ago time period.

Another element of this book that does not trouble me, but which might put some readers off a touch is that not all of the recipes are presented in the same format. Some are arranged in paragraph form, while most are laid out in the usual contemporary way of presenting recipes (as in the photo above), starting with their ingredients and then how to prepare and cook a given dish.

I am a massive proponent and long-time adoptee of eating traditionally/ancestrally, eschewing heavily processed foods whenever possible and seeking out healthy local offerings for as much of what we consume as is realistically (and economically) possible.

This book embraces traditional foods, cooking methods, and meals that, in many instances, take longer than a few minutes to bring to the table.

That isn’t to say they are challenging or require ages to prepare or make. With relatively few exceptions this is not the case.

Instead, they are homey, classic dishes (think soups, stews, and hot breakfast cereals, for example) that benefit from decent cooking times and which may taste even better when reheated in the following days after they have been prepared.

These are recipes that encourage you, if so desired and if such is feasible, to live (or to live all the more) in tune with the seasons and the foodstuffs that are most readily available through each chapter of the year.

As you lap up the recipes in Celtic Folklore Cooking, you are treated to a multi-course meal for the mind via the delightful array of folklore tales, proverbs, poetry, and general folk wisdom that Asala has generously peppered throughout the book.

Even if one opted to never cook a single recipe from this book, the Celtic lore, charming folk wisdom, and history that call this title home would make reading Celtic Folklore Cooking more than worth it.

Celtic Folklore Cooking is a terrific year-round cookbook. It boasts an impressive selection of over 200 delicious recipes from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Cornwall.

This point is especially refreshing, as it is fairly common for books pertaining to Celtic culture (be it Celtic cuisine or otherwise) to lock their sights on Ireland and budge nary an inch from that one country, when in truth the lands that the Celts called home spanned multiple modern-day countries.

How Celtic Folklore Cooking rates with me

Cooking, the culinary arts, and food history have been some of my greatest passions in life since I was a young child.

Even though the scope of my own diet is profoundly restricted due to needing to eat for/around several different chronic illnesses and I have a metabolism that’s so slow it makes a snail look like a supersonic rocket by comparison, nothing life has thrown my way has dulled this important interest.

I am the kind of person who reads cookbooks with the intensity and interest many reserve for their favourite novels.

Toss not only culinary history and traditions but also folklore into the mix and my head nearly explodes with joy!

Celtic Folklore Cooking by Joanne Asala ticks each of those boxes and more. It is wonderfully well suited to Pagan/witchy individuals, while being no less appealing or accessible to those who are neither of those things.

The layout of its chapters invites you to read this book cover to cover, eager not only to see what recipe comes next, but to savour the captivating Celtic folklore, proverbs, and traditional writing this book houses in abundance as well.

There are many excellent books on Irish, Scottish, Welsh, (broadly) Celtic and similar cuisine to be had these days, but few marry folklore and wisdom with 200+ recipes – nor do so with the same level of knowledge and passion that Asala liberally garnishes each page in this fantastic book with.

Learning more about the traditions and/or folklore associated with each recipe in this book further endears it to my heart – just as I’m sure it will for many fellow readers as well.

This is the kind of cookbook that you don’t just read once, try out a recipe or two from, tuck it away on a shelf and pretty much forget about.

It is an engaging, beautifully written, well-presented book that honours the culinary traditions of the Celtic lands and presents a true feast’s worth of inviting recipes that are sure to appeal to a wide range of people from around the globe.

With autumn out in full force and winter barrelling around the corner, this is the kind of book I reach for time and time again, not only for our own daily meals, but also when we entertain company and when I’m asked to bring a hearty dish to a meal elsewhere.

In addition, I love that as someone whose ancestry is comprised almost exclusively of Celtic, Norse, Germanic, and Slavic origins, the recipes in this book are likely not far off from some of those that were enjoyed by many generations of my ancestors.

Not to mention the fact that this book is many a kitchen witch’s dream cookbook – particularly if you work with The Wheel of The Year and/or British, Scottish, Welsh, Irish or similar branches/traditions of Druidism, Wicca, and/or witchcraft.

If I could only pick one book about Celtic cookery to work with for the rest of my days, Celtic Folklore Cooking by Joanne Asala would surely be it.

And as such, it warms my heart every bit as much as one of the truly delicious traditional Celtic recipes it contains to bestow my highest rating on this book.

Working on a scale of 1 – 5, with five being the highest possible rating, I would give Celtic Folklore Cooking 5 stars out of 5.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Have you read Celtic Folklore Cooking by Joanne Asala? Are you a fellow fan of traditional Celtic cuisine?

The post Book Review: Celtic Folklore Cooking by Joanne Asala appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Though the word “occult” may not carry the same weight and sense of taboo in some circles as it did as recently as two or three decades ago, it is still a concept with a good deal of heft and perhaps even more misunderstanding behind it.

However, as John Michael Greer – author of the book that is at the heart of this review post – reminds us in the introduction to The Occult Book, etymologically speaking, the word “occult” simply means hidden.

Information that is, or which is perceived to be of an, occult nature has often been shrouded in mystery – or even secrecy.

At times, this has been a matter of necessity or even life and death for those in possession of certain information. In other instances, the choice has stemmed from the desire to keep particular concepts or facts within a tightly knit group or community.

Whether you are a fellow witch, Wiccan, Pagan or not, chances are there are various images or thoughts that spring to mind immediately for you when you hear the word “occult”.

Most of us associate it with things of a mystical, esoteric, magical/magickal nature, the supernatural, and perhaps even certain hard or impossible to explain phenomena. Some may link it, often unfairly and inaccurately, primarily to Abrahamic concepts pertaining to evil, the devil, or black magic.

In the broadest of senses, such things do, circumstantially, fall under the header of the occult. However, to focus solely or primarily on that relatively small fraction of a much larger and broader concept is to do the word, and moreover, the field, of the occult a great disservice.

As touched on above, in this book review post, we’re going to be shining the spotlight on The Occult Book: A Chronological Journey from Alchemy to Wicca by John Michael Greer, which was published in 2017.

This gorgeous-looking book is not a handbook or how-to guide on occult subjects, but rather a concise, engaging look at about one hundred key points in the history of the occult over the past two thousand or so years.

Book specs

Title: The Occult Book: A Chronological Journey from Alchemy to Wicca

Author: John Michael Greer

Page count: 224

Publisher: Sterling

Binding: Hardcover

An informative and enjoyable look at the history of the occult

The Occult Book explores the vast history of the occult in chronological order, starting with the oldest dates included here first and working its way up until the year 2012.

At 224 pages, this book is not encyclopedic in size or scope. Nor does it need to be.

There are other titles pertaining to the occult, the history of witchcraft, and related subjects that serve as more exhaustive reference books on the market (including, by the same author, The New Encyclopedia of the Occult).

Instead, it is a fact-filled look at various standout points and/or figures who have left their mark on the worlds of the occult, astrology, divination, witchcraft, alchemy, and magic/magick.

The mix of relevant visuals and lively, fascinating text presented by Greer helps to ensure this book is a page-turner from start to finish.

Each entry is presented in the same way. One page of text is accompanied on the facing page with an image (be it artwork or a photograph) pertaining to the event, person, or group highlighted in said writing.

Beginning in the 6^th century BCE with Pythagoras, The Occult Book guides readers on a compelling and well-laid-out journey from the time of the ancient Greeks to the modern world of Wicca, witchery, and Neopaganism.

Along the way, we encounter a fair number of events, groups, and figures that one would expect in a book on the history of the occult. For example, the horrifically brutal Burning Times to the founding of the Order of the Golden Dawn, Marie Laveau (pictured above in the image of her – a painting by George Catlin from 1835 – included in this book) to Gerald Gardener.

However, we’re also treated to a look at various people and happenings that may be less common occult-related household names for some of us, such as Miriam the Alchemist and Johannes Bureus.

John Michael Greer, the author of The Occult Book is a Druid and Free Mason who has written a wide array of books on topics pertaining to Druidry (for example, The Druid Magic Handbook and The Druidry Handbook, both of which I strongly recommend), the occult, paranormal activity, and politics. In addition to having penned a number of novels.

Widely considered to be one of the modern era’s most knowledgeable experts on these areas, Greer is a prolific author whose titles I’m always happy to encounter and whose writing, both in book and blog post form, I highly respect.

His nonfiction books are generally written in a tone that is upbeat and informative with little perceivable bias, and one senses his own deeply rooted connections to the subjects he covers.

Greer has long been involved with areas pertaining to hermeticism, Druidry (for example, he served for twelve years in the distinguished position of Grand Archdruid of The Ancient Order of Druids in America), ceremonial magic, and astrology.

In the selection of historical events and people highlighted in The Occult Book, these interests shine through and enrich this title all the more.

While various happenings and individuals connected to witchcraft (both past and present) are touched on in this book, it is important to keep in mind as you read through it that The Occult Book is not a history of witchcraft or magick exclusively.

Interestingly, and perhaps intentionally (though such is only a guess) as the book progresses into the 20^th and 21^st centuries, Greer makes little mention of key occult figures who are presently alive.

There are some names – Scott Cunningham, for example – who have passed, however, that I feel this book could have benefited from making mention of. Just as it could have from looking at more of today’s (living) highly influential figures and their works.

Indeed, the number of entries pertaining to the past 125 years or so are relatively small in relation to those from earlier points in history. That isn’t to say they’re lacking, but that there are perhaps some other figures and events that this book would have benefited from touching on as well.

Of course though, as this is not, again, an encyclopedic title, there will always be suitable entries that could have appeared, but which were either not considered or which ultimately did not make the cut.

How The Occult Book by John Michael Greer rates with me

In a way, this book is a bit like a taster menu of occult subjects. Each course (aka, book entry) has its own distinct appeal and fascination, the whole body presented works excellently together, and it is apt to whet your appetite for more.

By this, I mean that each of the entries in this book provides you with enough information to familiarize yourself with the event, group or person covered, but does not, as a single page of text per entry, share every last thing one could learn about a particular topic.

For those who love to use the books we read as springboards for further research, this approach is welcome and useful alike.

One of the things that leaps out at the reader as soon as they encounter The Occult Book is what an aesthetically pleasing book it is both inside and out.

From the sturdy (hard) cover in captivating shades of midnight blue and embossed metallic gold foil to the abundance of terrific images housed between that stunning cover, this book is as much a treat for the eyes as it for the knowledge-seeking mind.

Another point that may strike fellow readers is that, while women are not excluded from this book by any means, the majority of entries do focus on men. In particular, often, though not always, European or North American white males.

It should go without saying that the history of the occult, magick, and witchcraft is one that encompasses the majority of cultures that have existed throughout the course of human civilization and that these areas have been engaged in by people of a wide range of genders and ethnicities.

Naturally, an even broader range of representation would have been welcome here. However, once more, it is important to keep in mind that a book like this, which presents quick summations of “just” a hundred or so points in the colossal history or the occult cannot possibly cover every person or happening pertaining to this topic.

This book is a concise, breezy, name-and-date focused look at the history of the occult world over the past two millennia.

It makes for an excellent introduction to the subject for readers all but the youngest ages (as I was reading it, I found myself reflecting on how much I would have lapped up The Occult Book in my youth), while still being visually and informatively captivating enough to appeal to many whose own knowledge on occult matters is anything but beginner level.

Working on a scale of 1 – 5, with five being the highest possible rating, I would give The Occult Book by John Michael Greer 4 stars out of 5.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Have you read The Occult Handbook? Who, or what, are some events or figures that spring to mind when you think about the world of the occult?

The post Book Review: The Occult Book by John Michael Greer appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Unlike dawn, the evening is the waning of the powers of the day, the last vestige of the tracing hours, a diagram half erased. What transpired this day now lies in the past, already becoming a memory – a wisp of smoke, a reverberation.

~ David Dillard-Wright, PhD

These words are amongst those that greet you on the first page of the beautiful book we will be exploring in this review post: A Mindful Evening by David Dillard-Wright, PhD.

As extroverted, vivacious, and jubilant a season as summer is, there is a certain magnificent serenity to it as well.

I cherish serenity, peacefulness, calm. They are extraordinarily powerful counterpoints to the stresses and troubles, major traumas and minor worries of life alike.

As an ASMR artist, I strive to cultivate and share soothing tranquility with others around the world – just as I aim to do both here and on Instagram as well.

Honestly, I feel compelled to help foster and support serenity just about everywhere I go, and in most things I do, throughout my life.

I am, as you might guess, deeply drawn to books that put an emphasis on peace and tranquility, mindfulness, relaxation, and meditation or meditative qualities.

Dillard-Wright’s works first crossed my path a few years back. I was instantly captivated by the concept of A Mindful Evening and picked it up with part of an Amazon gift certificate that I received for Christmas back at the tail end of 2017.

This book quickly became a beloved favourite and one that I have both dipped in and out of many times and read cover-to-cover on a number of occasions.

Like a caring, dear friend who always seems to both “get you” and know what to say to soothe you to the core, A Mindful Evening is the sort of title you can turn to and be supported and inspired by today and always.

Book specs

Name: A Mindful Evening: Complete each day a calm mind and open heart

Author: David Dillard-Wright*, PhD

(*See note below)

Page count: 249

Publisher: Adams Media

Binding: Softcover

Important note: In researching this book and its author further while preparing this post, I discovered that David Dillard-Wright is now a transwoman named Devi Dillard-Wright, who uses she/her pronouns.

Therefore, going forward in this post, I will use that name and those pronouns when referring to the author.  

As people who may be searching for reviews of this book will likely do so with the author’s past/dead name, which appears on/in the book itself, I have included it here solely to help facilitate finding this post.

Serenity meets eloquent wordsmithery

A Mindful Evening is an absolutely lovely book that marries over 200 quotes from a vast array of individuals with soulful reflections provided by the author on a broad spectrum of topics pertaining to living a more tranquil life.

(In a nod to this point, I knew as soon as I chose to review this book that I wanted to begin my post for it with a quote from the author themselves.)

Each page is intended to serve as a personal point of meditation, a reflection to ponder and connect with as the day winds down (though you can certainly read each page, or as much of the book as you please, at other points in the day as well).

Dillard-Wright’s intelligence, extensive background in philosophy, religion, and ethics, coupled with what is clearly a highly empathetic soul, shine through in her writings and the way she approaches each topic that she suggests we take a few minutes out of our day to reflect on.

The combination of the author’s own eloquently presented insight coupled with those of the excellent quotes highlighted in this book are an appealing, fantastic combination.

Throughout the book, some of the quotes are presented as lovely images filling whole pages (as in the image above). These are the closest thing to illustrations in this book. Coming across one every so often while reading A Mindful Evening makes the experience of this title all the more enjoyable.

This book is not aimed specifically at witches or Pagans. Indeed, while it has leanings towards Eastern religions and philosophies, including those of Hinduism and Buddhism, no one faith or spiritual path is overriding-ly emphasized in this book.

A Mindful Evening is a title that I would place squarely under the header of being spiritual, and yet, objectively, it is not so heavily spiritually focused as to be unappealing to many who count themselves as atheists or agnostics.

For there are few amongst, irrespective of our personal spiritual journeys who cannot benefit from the mindful, meditative messages that this lovely book houses.

I am a born night owl, often coming most alive as much of the rest of the world tucks into bed. This point was one of the reasons why I was first drawn to A Mindful Evening, and I have no doubt it adds to why I am a firm fan of this inspiring, gentle book.

Indeed, there is much to appreciate about A Mindful Evening and its pervading message of making peace with our days as they draw to a close and focusing on ways to actively live a more mindful and serene life.

Early on in the book, Dillard-Wright suggests that we read one page per evening until the book is complete.

This is a charming approach and one that some people may certainly wish to take the author up on.

Others, like myself, may be more inclined (at least for their first reading of A Mindful Evening) to enjoy it from cover-to-cover.

How A Mindful Evening rates with me

This is a book that I sincerely appreciate. I believe that A Mindful Evening offers substantial value to its readers and that it can be a point of help, guidance, and inspiration to many.

In addition to A Mindful Evening, Dillard-Wright is the author of various other titles, including the companion books A Mindful Morning and A Mindful Day.

I do not own, and have not yet had the pleasure of reading, either of these books (though hope to do so as time goes on). Both titles have been written in a similar vein as their evening-focused peer, offering guidance to help us live more mindful, low-stress lives.

A Mindful Evening made me think and smile, and at times, evoked tears stemming from the stirring of various emotions and memories, as well as the sheer loveliness of this tranquil title.

It is, aptly, a book that I often keep on my nightstand, returning to meditate and reflect on many of the insights and inspirations offered within.

I deeply enjoy and appreciate this book, which I suspect will find similar favour with many of you as well.

We need a great deal more tranquility and calm in this world. We need to be gentler on ourselves and others. We need to see life as a bigger picture, but also embrace the blessing of the present moment. We need to think new thoughts and reflect on the insights that other wise souls have shared with the world.

A Mindful Evening guides and supports readers in doing each of these things.

I am grateful to have encountered this book and thankful to Dillard-Wright for sharing their own wonderful approach to philosophy, wellness, serenity, spirituality, and the human experience itself with all of us.

Now that summer’s heady, gorgeous nights here again, I know that A Mindful Evening will be a book I continue to connect with all throughout the warm twilight hours of this magical season.

A smile fills my heart and face alike as I happily, gratefully give this book a glowing review and bestow my highest rating on it.

Working on a scale of 1 – 5, with five being the highest possible rating, I would give A Mindful Evening 5 stars out of 5.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

If you have read A Mindful Evening or are interested in this book, please let me know in the comments below. I would love to hear your thoughts on this tranquil, philosophy-meets-wellness title.

The post Book Review: A Mindful Evening by David Dillard-Wright appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.