Tuesday 24 June 2014

Stuff...and lots of it...


I really don't know where this year has disappeared too...

Anyway...lots happening as usual...

I have just started studying on a course to learn about the Hindu religion.  As I have been working with Ganesha for the past year I wanted to be able to honour him properly.  My tutor knows that I am pagan and that I want to work the rituals and devotions into my own pathway and he is totally on board with it - so I am very excited to be starting this journey.

About a year ago Tracey had an idea about Goddesses...so every so often I would poke her and say "have you thought any more about that?" - the idea has now evolved into a website, workshops, a facebook page, online courses and oracle cards as well as a virtual and a travelling goddess temple - all of which we are extremely excited about.  If you want to take a peek the web address is www.goddesspathways.com

We have a day workshop on 31st August to work with eight of the Celtic goddesses where we will journey with them, honour them, make crafts for them and of course worship them with cake.

For those not local we are also running a Celtic Goddess Pathways online course set over eight weeks and sent to your inbox each week covering eight of the goddesses with MP3 meditations, myths, history, crafts, recipes, rituals, spells and devotions.

The oracle cards were launched last week and we think they are beautiful - a set of 30 circular cards in a pretty bag with a meanings booklet.

Our next Kitchen Witch workshop is on Hoodoo (27th July) where we will have a brief overview of hoodoo and then get crafting to make poppets and more...

Very excited to be working with Carol Riley from Twisted Sisters Tarot & Tools on 24th August for a tarot workshop - all levels welcome.

And then we have another spiritual workshop (13th September), Healing with Crystals workshop (9th November) and a Yule Crafting half day workshop (29th November).

Tuesday 15th July will find me at Treadwells book store in Bloomsbury, London doing a short talk about Witchcraft Today 60 Years On (the book was published last week).

You will also find us at the Wandering Witches fayre on Sunday 16th November in Waterlooville.

Also very excited (see I told you there was a lot going on) that my fifth book with Moon Books - A Kitchen Witch's World of Magical Plants & Herbs with will be published on 31st October 2014.

And of course our usual Kitchen Witch rituals at the Queen Elizabeth Country park:
Saturday 19th July
Saturday 13th September
Saturday 18th October

Added to all that we arecurrently looking at webinair for online rituals and study circles for our Kitchen Witch School and even some workshops.

Now I need to lie down in a dark room for a moment...



Thursday 12 June 2014

The Golden Dawn - A Key to Ritual Magic


The Golden Dawn - A Key to Ritual Magic by Gordon Strong

An extremely interesting journey through the life of the Golden Dawn focusing on the various characters that were involved in leading and shaping this prominent institution including an a very good account of the inception and design of the Rider Waite tarot deck. My attention was totally captivated by this book.

"The Esoteric Order of The Golden Dawn was a school of magic, founded during the late nineteenth century, one vowing to reveal all manner of occult knowledge to its members. Celebrated among these were Florence Farr, W.B Yeats, Charles Williams, A.E. Waite and Pamela Colman-Smith. Its figurehead, the autocratic Samuel MacGregor Mathers, inaugurated ceremonies that melded Christian Mysticism, the Qabalah and Hermeticism. Such a potent brew would eventually ensure that the Golden Dawn would burst asunder in an esoteric apocalypse."

Wednesday 11 June 2014

Pagan Portals Blacksmith Gods


Pagan Portals Blacksmith Gods by Pete Jennings

Such a fascinating book absolutely crammed full with history, myth and folklore based around the gods associated with the art of the blacksmith.  Mr Jennings covers the entire globe in search of stories all of which explore these amazing deities.    The ancient art of blacksmith has always struck me as being very magical and this book echoes my beliefs.



Tuesday 10 June 2014

Charnel House Blues


Charnel House Blues by Suzanne Ruthven

Written from a vampire’s eye view I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, what I found was a personal account of life as a vampire through history woven into the myths and stories and introducing all the written and televised works about vampires.  The author sorts through the fiction to find the fact from a personal vampire’s account.  If you are fascinated by the world of vampires then this book is a ‘must have’.


A view of vampire culture through the eyes of Lord Ruthven - the first vampire in the literary world from John Polidori's 'The Vampyre'. Written as faction, Lord Ruthven rarely appears in vampiric anthologies and has never been filmed - neither has he ever been vanquished!



http://www.6th-books.com/books/charnel-house-blues-vampyres-tale

Friday 6 June 2014

The Coarse Witchcraft Trilogy


The Coarse Witchcraft Trilogy found it's way to me and I am extremely glad that it did...

This book is not only truly funny - it had me laughing out loud and shaking my head in despair at the same time, but it is also a very good reflection on what goes on within witchcraft groups.

You will I am sure identify with most, if not all of the characters described within these pages because the fact of the matter is - this book is real, it is true life stories, it tells in a down to earth, no holds barred kind of way how witchcraft and the people that follow it roll.

Truly entertaining but I also love the fact that it gets across the roots of witchcraft, how it is practiced by many, many people without all the fancy schmancy fluffy bits...

If you want a good chuckle and also a good insight into the workings of a real coven you need to read this.

This is Practical Magic meets The Good Life...


http://www.moon-books.net/books/coarse-witchcraft-trilogy