Musing Mystical

✨ A Gathering Place for Magical Readers and Writers ✨

Author Archives: Holly

About Holly

Holly is a witch, photographer, tarot reader, artist, and freelance writer from Appalachia. She's driven by her passion and stubbornness to follow her dreams of becoming a successful artist and writer. She can be found on Instagram under @hermitwitchholly.

Shadows of Tarot, by Emma Howard

Shadows of Tarot: A Tarot Spread Journal, by Emma Howard
Sacred Scribe Publishing, 979-8990956032, 162 pages, October 2025

Shadows of Tarot by Emma Howard is a beautifully presented tarot spread journal. I loved the aesthetic the moment I laid eyes on it. The red and black hardcover journal with all the moths on the cover– three of my favorite things wrapped in one journal. Plus, the ribbon bookmark is nice to have so I don’t lose my place!

If you love tarot spreads like I do and you’re currently working on the shadow aspects of yourself, this journal will help give you better insight. At the start we are greeted by a guide on how to use this journal. There’s a side with the tarot spread and a side with questions and prompts, laying the blueprint for all the future queries.

Then journal gets right into the spreads. There’s a lot of good spreads in this book– 66 in total! Each spread has a different amount of cards, most of which are around 5-7 cards. The longest one in the journal is at the beginning and is called the “Long Bag”. I decided to pick out the spread that called to me most and tried it out. The spread I tried out was “Hidden Depths”.

“Hidden Depths” helps you to understand both conscious and hidden traits. It’s all about self-discovery and understanding. For this spread I used my deck Magic of Tarot by Liz Dean. Each respective question for the pull was as follows:

“What unknown trait lies within my shadow self?”
“How does this hidden trait manifest in my daily life?”
“What messages does my shadow self have for me?”
“How can I bring this shadow aspect to consciousness?”
“What gift does this shadow aspect hold for me?”

The cards I pulled respectfully one through five were Page of Cups, Five of Cups, Nine of Wands, Two of Cups, Knight of Swords.

This reading made a lot of sense to me. Since the Page of Swords was upright, my mind instantly went to imagination. Lately, every now and then, my mind has been flickering to self doubt in the path I’m forging as an artist and writer; I’ve been down on myself for lacking in imagination. Five of Cups was reversed and that told me my worry and doubt blocks my manifesting of my imagination. I’ve been working hard on overcoming these traits. This reading has been an eye opener for me to understand that all I need is already what I have within me. I don’t need to doubt myself.

Nine of Wands reversed told me to stop letting my stress and pressure consume me, which with what I just explained, yes, yes I do. Two of Cups being upright on the other hand reminded me that meeting other creatives is the boost I need. I just have to overcome my social anxiety (huge shadow right there). So far I’m slowly coming out of my shell; I just think patience is needed on my end. Lastly Knight of Swords reversed, the gift of unavoidable challenges, made a lot of sense. This one reading alone was enough to impress me.

The top of the question/prompt side has a line to rewrite an affirmation and a line to record the deck used that day. There’s plenty of space for you to write your interpretation. There’s also lines for reflecting on what the higher self feelings the reading is about and the actions the reading inspires. For instance, for the question the journal asks, “How does this reading inspire me to take action?”, I wrote: “It inspires me to combat all of the challenges in my way.” This reading gave me a lot of realization that I needed.

There’s also lines to fill out the most prominent shadow in this reading, reflective thoughts and feelings, and the elemental influence. Water was my biggest elemental influence for this reading. I took that as a sign that I’m more in-tune with my emotions than I realize or give myself credit for. 

All the more that I can say is I’m really impressed with Shadows of Tarot and I enjoyed the tarot spread and filling out the questions. It’s great because for me this really gave me a mental check in. It made me realize I’m straying from what I’m trying to not be anymore. If you’re looking for more insight into yourself, want to check in where your shadow is at, or start your shadow journey with tarot, this is the journal for you. It is great for beginners and experienced readers!

Magic from the Hilltops and Hollers, by Leah Middleton

Magic from the Hilltops and Hollers: Folk Witchery, Superstitions, and Healing Practices from Appalachia, by Leah Middleton
Weiser Books, 1578638801, 240 pages, September 2025

Magic From the Hilltops and Hollers: Folk Witchery, Superstitions, and Healing Practices from Appalachia by Leah Middleton impressed me a lot with how informative and detailed it is. Coming from near the Alleganies, I really enjoyed how this book included all of Appalachia and not just the south! It was nice to learn more about the place I call home.

At the same time, it was interesting  to learn about Appalachia from a Southerner’s experience. I loved reading Middleton’s experiences and travels down South in addition to the history. Chapter one, “The Southern Hills of Appalachia: Welcome Home”, did an excellent job at summarizing the history of the region. Middleton provides a nice overview of the Civil War. We can never forget the history that shaped these mountains. Out of the two other books I’ve read on Appalachian magic, this is the first book I’ve read that included the Civil War. It was a great refresher for me!

Chapter two, “On Front Porches and in Garden Beds: Folkways of the Southern Mountaineer”, covers a typical homestead and gardening. One thing I’ll have to try out once I have the yard space is planting by the moon cycle! Also covered in this chapter is the kitchen, where we also get our first spell to try out. The next topic that is covered is folk art, and then faith is also discussed as well.

That brings us to chapter three, “By the Devil’s Hand: Witchery in Southern Appalachia”, which goes more in depth on faith in the Appalachians. I enjoyed all the local witch tales, especially Uncle Johnnie’s story. Chapter four, “To Help or to Harm: Southern Mountain Folk Practioners”, goes over the different types of practitioners found in the region, superstitions, and what items are used. Chapter five, “The Mountain’s Helping Hands: Folk Healing in Southern Appalachia”, goes deeper into practices such as healing, dreams, cartomancy, and even commonly used herbs!

Then that brings us to the last two chapters. Chapter six, “A Tale Worth Telling: Exploring Southern Appalachian Superstitions, Stories, and Omens” shares more stories and superstitions from the Appalachia’s, while chapter seven, “The Finished Binding” gives more insight on the practice and concludes the book.

Overall, Magic from the Hilltops and Hollers is very meaningful and well written. I didn’t get a chance to try the “From Mamaw’s Book of Spells” sections yet, but I do plan on doing some of these soon like the Apple jam and biscuits for connection. I will make this when I have company over!

I really enjoyed every last second I spent with this book. A lot of these superstitions and stories are things I was hearing for the first time, but it is true when Leah writes:

“The region is vast, with many hands involved. I have met practitioners from the same county whose work varies from my own.”1

This is all seemingly very accurate based on what I’ve personally experienced within the practice myself and what I’ve read, heard, and researched on this practice thus far. I think this is a great book for those who live in Appalachia or may want to connect with ancestors from the region, those who enjoy witchy history, or those who just want to seek out spiritual practices in America. Also, for the intermediate witch looking to expand their magical knowledge, this is a good book for you!

Feral Magick, by Denny Sargent

Feral Magick: Unleash Your Inner Animal Self, by Denny Sargent
Weiser Books, 1578638518, 208 pages, July 2025

Feral Magick: Unleash Your Inner Animal Self by Denny Sargent is an insightful read on the world of animism. The book’s title initially is what caught my attention. I have no experience with animism or with feral magic, but this book is a perfect stepping stone for those who want to have a deeper connection with the animal spirit inside of them.

“When you “wake up” to the wild world of Neo-Animism, you find yourself in a world that is filled with many amazing spirits and awesome powers.”2 

The book is divided into two parts: “Discovering Wild Nature” and “Feral Magick Practices”. “Discovering Wild Nature”, which goes through chapter six, is described as a sort of spiritual training manual, while “Feral Magick Practices” is preparing us for more complex work.

In the beginning of part one, we learn how to connect with that animalistic side by reconnecting with nature and the spirits of nature. Sargent teaches how to become more open to the wild and work alongside your spirit animal. With all of this being a very new topic for me, Sargent explained the process of getting connected and in tune with these animal spirits quite well in chapter two, “Return to Deep Nature”, and in chapter three, “Sensing Nature”. She guides you into reconnecting with nature spirits by listening and paying attention to the sounds around you, taking in the scent of the forest around you, and just simply relying on your senses to connect you on a deeper level with the animal spirit.

Then after connection comes working on intuition, instinct, and insight. Some other things covered are working with the primal spirits, how to differentiate from helpful and harmful spirits, and how to approach each one. Chapter six, “Communing with Nature Spirits” goes over learning about the spirit-kin and how to work with it. I was very excited to see Eikthyrnir being mentioned when learning about divine associations! Great example!

Then we move into part two, which gets into the nitty gritty of it all, the more complicated work. Chapter Seven covers what tools are used and what is needed for a proper altar. Then the rest of the chapters into this go into the more intermediate topics. Chapters Eight through Chapter Sixteen cover topics ranging from unleashing your animal self and discovering the Genius Loci to classifying the sacred animals, bonding and trance states, and shapeshifting.

I found it cool to learn about the Ulchi people. I’ve never heard of them before so I ended up doing my own learning adventure on the tribe. This gave me more insight on how other tribes practice animism, such as the Hopi that were also mentioned. Sargent was very helpful in providing a history lesson on animism. It’s extraordinary to think that this practice goes all the way back to 100,000 years ago!

Another thing this book taught me was how to slip into a liminal state. The method taught by Sargent really seemed to help me more than the other methods I’ve been trying. Right now, I don’t feel ready to try more advanced exercises or practices, but some of the practices I do daily are meditation and journaling. Down the line, I think trying the dream magick practice in this book down the line would be fun. I also might try out the “Recapturing Spirits of Childhood” practice too.

I would say once you are on the part of your journey where you’ve acquired the knowledge and the confidence to try a new path, this would be the time to get Feral Magick; it’s best for an intermediate witch. Additionally, if you are looking into nature-based paths, I would recommend adding this to your reading list. As Sargent writes, “Everything about feral magick and Neo-Animism is about nature. Everything.”3 The topics in this book are very interesting and worth the knowledge!

Sacred Forest Bathing, by Ellen Dee Davidson

Sacred Forest Bathing: The Healing Power of Ancient Trees and Wild Places, by Ellen Dee Davidson
Bear & Company, 1591435471, 224 pages, April 2025

Sacred Forest Bathing: The Healing Power of Ancient Trees and Wild Places by Ellen Dee Davidson will guide you through the forest while revealing its powerful healing benefits. Each chapter has profound wisdom, helpful advice, and activities to help us connect with nature on a deeper level. Davidson also shares her whimsical forest adventures too as well as others experiences with nature!

This book truly teaches us how to connect with the forest and listen to what it has to say. Within the first three chapters, we learn to tune into nature’s healing frequency through connection. Davidson recommends connecting with a specific spot at least twice a month and setting aside a couple of hours to spend here in nature.She notes this location doesn’t even have to be a forest–any wild places will do!

Davidson provides some awesome tips and information throughout. For instance, she mentions some good reminders on safety, such as knowing the hazards of your surroundings before proceeding with your meditation, remembering to be aware of your surroundings, checking for ticks, and so on. Davidson also tells us about the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, which I’ll be looking into more because I was unaware of them until I started reading this book! We also learn about the significance of the healing powers of trees in some different cultures.

In chapter five, we learn something about coral reefs that I found interesting: the musical sounds of fish apparently help coral reefs thrive! This is important to know because we gain more guidance towards the end not about a forest but bodies of water! This is my favorite form of nature therapy. Here’s what Davidson has to say about bodies of water:

“Blue spaces have similar powerful healing effects to being in forests. Time by rivers, oceans, lakes, waterfalls, and even fountains is shown to boost mood, lower stress, and increase health and well being.”4

This is indeed all very true. In personal experience, I could leave the house in a bad mood and then spending three hours near a stream would help me greatly.

Nature truly heals. We see this in chapter one where Davidson talks about her health. But, moving forward, chapter seven presents us with Davidson’s experience hiking after some storms, choosing a less popular trail. She shares with us this lovely wisdom:

“I get up again for another easy stretch of trail, knowing that we face many obstacles, but the flowers are still blooming and they are worth our attention.”5

We continue our journey with Davidson, sharing her experiences out in the woods. In chapter nine she get into some deep topics about how the Hopi believe that we are in the fourth world and how this world will end in violent weather and turn to the fifth world. Truly some interesting stuff to dive into deeper at some point in my freetime! She shares this on the whole idea of this evolution:

“And all prophecies indicate that realizing the potential for our evolution into a more peaceful world depends on the choices we make.”6

Very well spoken wisdom once more!!

Chapter ten we learn about her experience with Celtic nature magic, which she describes further into chapter twelve. As we keep reading, we get to read more of Davidson’s experiences with other intuitive individuals. She shares some more of her personal experiences, such as her dreams, what she experiences while meditating in the forest near one of her trees, as well as one walk where she finds a baby owl. As a side note, I also love and appreciate how each tree she forms a bond with has a specific name like “Grandmother Dragon Tree”!

At the end of each chapter is a section called “Forest Guidance”, which gives us some activities to try out. My favorite one that I tried out was on page 134, which opens readers up to the idea of your chosen spot being a realm of imagination. This was really fun to just let go and go back to a childlike sense of wonder and creativity once again.

I took the time to read this book for a week and follow many of these activities. This book truly gave me some fun and magical experiences. I sincerely appreciate the moments of reflection and insight I had. The guidance you receive out of these makes you very whole and complete; I would also even add satisfaction. I began feeling more connected to the places I’ve already felt deeply connected with! I’m very pleased with how much this book has been teaching me more about healing with nature. I’ve only been healing with nature for a few years now, and it seems like there’s a lot more to know–Davidson is the perfect guide!

In conclusion, I believe anyone can benefit from reading Sacred Forest Bathing. Davidson proves through her research and personal experience how nature is a powerful force that can help us heal. Even if you are skeptical, hear me out when I say that through my own experience reading this book that everything written will most definitely guide you along your healing journey. This book was such a good read and I highly recommend it.

A Gothic Witch’s Oracle, by Raven Digitalis and John Santerineross

A Gothic Witch’s Oracle, by Raven Digitalis and John Santerineross
Crossed Crow Books, 1959883690, 188 pages, 40 cards, February 2025

A Gothic Witch’s Oracle by Raven Digitalis with illustrations by John Santerineross is an oracle deck that approaches witchcraft in a dark and gothic way! I loved how different this deck was.

Each card features different gothic individuals and some art of baby dolls, jars, old photographs, and skulls. Santerineross’s artwork is so realistic that I thought these were from a photography shoot! The details are insane! Literally almost every goth witch’s dream is wrapped into this deck. The deck depicts themes from witchcraft, featuring cards like “Creating Dark Art”, “Enchanting Jewelry & Accessories”, “Embracing Musical Healing”, and “Bonding with the Elements”. There’s a great variety of cards with different activities that are performed in witchcraft.

The overall vibe is very witchy, whimsical, dark, and gothic. The art is beautifully peculiar and each card is, like I said prior, insanely realistic, very intriguing, and full of detail. There’s a lot of diversity involving the fashion of each card. Raven Digitalis says in the preface of the guidebook:

“It doesn’t matter what type of goth or witch you identify as. Both lifestyles are incredibly unique and diverse.”7

It’s amazing to hear and see such a diversity of style being put to place and accepted here. Two communities harmonizing in one deck is pretty cool. The fashion shown on the card varies, but it stays true to sticking with the dark, edgy, and risque theme the deck carries. Warning: There are some cards that involve some nudity, so just be prepared for that if you do purchase this deck!

I think hands down my favorite card in this deck was “Constructing a Shadow Shrine”; the skull pictured is epic. This deck had opened my mind to various different topics I heard of but really never looked into further until now. For instance, this card mentions building a shadow shrine, which is new to me.

The guidebook shows a full picture of the card with key themes underneath, then it provides a summary and a section called “Activating the Insight”. I found both of these helpful while I was reading more about this card. There’s three key themes for each card.

This deck has taught me valuable lessons, especially the card “Taming the Ego”. One of the key themes for “Taming the Ego” was “Considering helpful and harmful aspects of the ego”8. Then jumping into the “Activating the Insight” section told me more on how to go about taking this information into practice. In this card case, Digitalis asks readers to look at our attachments and then offers some questions that we must ask ourselves as we look inwards. I love exercises like this because I personally feel like I always end up learning something new about myself that I never realized before.

Outside of the artwork for the deck and the guidebook, the cards are very nice, sturdy and thin cards that shuffle quite nicely. This deck has been very awesome to shuffle. I can’t put into words at this very moment what makes it stand out from the other cards I shuffled, but this is the first deck that just shuffles like pure magic. The deck feels good in my hands.

Overall, I have to say that the guidebook is well written and it explains each oracle card excellently. This deck is perfect for any gothic, fashion, or glamour witch, who enjoys the darker sides of the craft and decks that involve a subculture in fashion. I would say that this deck is for the more intermediate practitioners in the sense of witchcraft.

For the average reader, on the other hand, this deck is cool to have to explore your craft further while applying the knowledge you will hopefully learn soon about witchcraft. But I just have to recommend caution, if you don’t feel ready to try something just yet, play it safe, and listen to your intuition always!

I love A Gothic Witch’s Oracle and enjoy working with the deck. Digitalis has written a creative, engaging guidebook. And the artwork alone is worth getting this deck because the detail is amazing, I had to do a double take when it said “Art by” on the box cover. I was deep into this review when I realized that these were not a part of a photography shoot (though I did find out that Santerineross does do photography but he is mostly inspired by Greek mythology and world religions!). Very cool to find out! This is most definitely worth trying out if any of these topics strike your fancy!

Manifestation Perfected, by Baptist De Pape

Manifestation Perfected: Six Steps to Embody Your Soul Purpose, by Baptist De Pape
Findhorn Press, 979-8888502518, 256 pages, March 2025

Manifestation Perfected by Baptist De Pape is a book that will help guide the soul into alignment while finding your authentic self and learning how to find your soul’s purpose. This book is excellent for beginners.

The first step, “Part One: Recognizing that You are a Soul”, brings us to chapter one and shares with us evidence through the stories of others who have gone through a soul experience. Each story is drastically different from one another, but all share one thing in common: when storytellers accepted their soul’s path, they gained the success that they have now.

We get evidence from the stories of Anita Moorjani who had a near-death experience that essentially changed her in many ways; she knew her work wasn’t completed and her body healed. We also read about J.K Rowling’s story of her getting stuck for several hours on a train when suddenly the inspiration for Harry Potter struck her. She chose to let herself explore these ideas instead of finding other ways to pass her time.

Seeing how others were able to realize that this is what they needed in order to transform not only shows that it’s possible but this can open our eyes to how we can come into alignment as well. Throughout the book we are greeted with many other stories that give us more clarity as well as evidence to what De Pape is explaining.

The next topic of discussion is about souls. Here we learn a little more about souls and how when we’re aligned with our soul miracles happen. De Pape teaches when we’re trying to align with our soul that we can’t also align with our fearful side. Focusing on what you do and don’t have and trying to impress others leads to forgetting who you actually are.

Chapter two tells us exactly why we should be interested in finding the soul’s voice as well as our authentic selves. From this chapter I gathered the knowledge that without finding your authentic self, you can’t manifest because you cannot hear your soul’s voice.

Chapter three is the start of “Part Two: Finding Alignment with Your Soul”. The next step in the soul’s journey to discover your purpose, but after chapter three it seems like chapter four comes so quickly! The chapters are pretty short, there’s a total of twenty nine chapters to cover. I’ll give the overall summary of each one!

Chapter three tells us more about Higher Awareness, which was mentioned in the previous chapter. Here De Pape teaches us how to become more connected with Higher Awareness by listening to our intuition. Chapter four goes over some of the progress we’ve made so far, from recognizing how we are souls, to Higher Awareness now to explaining Source and our connection to the Universe’s endless creativity.

Then chapter five goes into detail about why you should be listening to your soul. Chapter six discusses how to connect to the soul, finding stillness and quiet is the core, but that connection can be found in nature, spending time with a pet, meditation, and so on. Then Chapter seven shows us what it means to align with your school and how you align with it. Now moving into chapter eight we learn about some practical ways to align with your soul successfully.

Then chapter nine is the start of “Part Three: Staying in Alignment with Your Soul”. This chapter teaches us the power of our emotions, while chapter ten explains how we need both infrastructure and intention. It’s explained that not only when we manifest do we need the intention but we must also take into consideration the infrastructure, what makes the manifestation functional. This topic I feel isn’t brought up enough when I see or hear anything about manifesting. It’s important to think clearly and cover every moving part that is needed to make the manifestation successful!

But after learning the importance of having a solid base for manifesting. We move into chapter eleven and learn and understand more on intuition, mainly focusing on primarily where intention comes from. Moving onward to chapter twelve and thirteen we learn about synchronicity. Chapter fourteen teaches us how to tell when we are in alignment with our soul.

Now we’re on “Part Four: Identifying the Intentions of Your Soul”. Chapter fifteen tells us how to trust your soul. Chapter sixteen discusses how to stay connected when we feel totally disconnected. Chapter seventeen talks about the soul and the material world, while chapter eighteen dives into the soul and health, chapter nineteen covers the soul and humor.

Now we are brought to “Part Five: Manifesting from the Intention of the Soul”. This section begins with chapter twenty, which guides us through the money and the soul, along with how to manifest wealth as well. Chapters twenty one and twenty three talk about success stories while chapter twenty two briefly goes over manifesting negative things. Chapter 24 helps us understand more on the purpose of the trials we face, we must all face trials at some point or another, it’s simply a part of life itself. De Pape teaches:

“Every trial is an opportunity for spiritual development. Oppositions ask us to learn about trusting our Souls.”9

This is a great way to look at the trials of life in a more positive manner; they are only an opportunity to learn!

Chapter twenty five goes over manifesting and the unconscious. Then chapter twenty six is just a brief recap on the essentials of manifesting before we dive into the last step.

Finally reaching “Part Six: Our Task Is to Manifest”, De Pape starts with chapter twenty seven and the discussion of why we’re here. Chapter twenty eight follows how we can live a magical life. Lastly, twenty nine discusses the highest form of abundance and this is where our journey with this book comes to an end!

This book’s information is well organized. At the end of each chapter I found the “In a Nutshell” section very helpful to digest the information I just took in. These are little exercises to help guide the soul in the right way to alignment.

Getting to read many soul transformation stories of successful individuals was uplifting. Seeing how and where they were before they became successful is proof that once we align to our souls we become one with our journey and purpose entirely. Truly anything becomes possible then!

Manifestation Perfected is a good read for when you feel off track in life. It’s absolutely possible for you to get back into the right flow of things if your soul isn’t falling into alignment, and this book is a good pick me up if you’re feeling this way. Everything covered in this book will help you expand your knowledge and hopefully help you manifest like a pro!

Sun-Steeped, by Shannon Christine

Sun-Steeped: A Golden Hour–Infused Affirmation Deck, by Shannon Christine
Red Wheel, 1590035801, 64 pages, 54 cards, June 2025

Sun-Steeped: A Golden Hour-Infused Affirmation Deck by Shannon Christine is a deck that is truly inspired by the Sun. Each and every message is bursting with positivity and very wonderful and helpful advice. This oracle deck is absolutely amazing in so many ways, but what stands out most to me is its simplistic artwork and powerful messages.

The guidebook that the deck comes with is short and sweet, but each message fills you with warmth and positivity and you gain knowledge that will help you grow and expand. Every message is meaningful and easy to understand just by looking at the card itself.

The artwork is simple but there is a warmth that surrounds each card. There is a teacup on the back of each card which adds more of the pleasant warm vibe, I also enjoyed the light and colorful color scheme. The imagery fits the messages of the cards very well. For example the card “I light the light in everywhere I can” shows a heart with a sun inside of it and the background has sun rays behind it. The card’s message matches the artwork gloriously.

Each card is numbered, but it’s really small and can be found on the bottom right corner of each card. I didn’t notice this until pulling my fourth card. This is the only complaint I have about this deck; it would be helpful if the numbers were just a little bigger. But otherwise, the art for each card was crafted with care, to make each and every message stand out and make sense.

The deck shows a lot of imagery of figures and hands, but some of the cards like “I take action from a place of love” and “Unapologetically is the way to be” depict a heart and sun respectively. At one point I came across a card with artwork of the Earth as well.

This deck has many teachings that need to be seen and heard, such as “When my cup runneth over, I pour into others”. In this day in age where selfishness rules the world, it’s a great reminder that if you have extra, give to others that may need it.

Every card I’ve pulled has been what I needed to hear in that exact moment as well. For example, “My energy is a currency, I choose to spend it wisely” is a card I pulled as I was struggling to find the motivation to get better at time management. This card truly called me out when I needed it most. At the time, I was struggling to find time to work on the twelve other projects. The message was a helpful realization for me to pull through and manage my time better. In the guidebook, Christine writes:

“Time to audit your energetic finances and see what needs to be prioritized, and what needs to be given the chop.” (Page 30)

Each card has the most helpful advice along with a strong message, a prime example was when I pulled a collective message and the card that I pulled read, “I have the grace to know when it’s time to let go”. This is a powerful message to send out to the collective I felt. We all carry something that burdens us. But it’s important for us to let go of what has been burdening us for so long and relieve ourselves of the weight that it carries for the greater good. We must do this for ourselves at some point.

It didn’t take me long to connect with this deck, I’ve worked with it for about three or four days now, and the energy that radiates from this deck is very caring and empathic. With each and every card I had pulled there was an instant connection of understanding, even when I got called out, it was still from a place of caring. A truly beautiful thing indeed.

The cards felt like they belonged in my hands and they shuffled with ease. The cards are thin but very strong. The box is very simple but nice, there’s artwork underneath the cards and when you flip the lid over the box, you reveal a message saying “Peace can be found in the present moment.”

Sun-Steeped has been very helpful in aiding me with some well-needed daily positivity as well. I would have to say if you are looking for a deck that provides you with positivity, encouragement, kindness, and understanding, well then look no further! This deck will provide you with this type of support. This deck has been very lovely and has been presented beautifully; the art is very eye-catching and stunning. I have found the messages to be helpful and gentle reminders of things I must do in order to take care of myself and grow.

Loki, by L. Dean lee and The Saxon Storyteller

Loki: An Illustrated Guide to the Trickster God, by L. Dean Lee and illustrated by The Saxton Storyteller
Red Wheel, 1590035747, 128 pages, April 2025

Loki: An Illustrated Guide to the Trickster God is illustrated by The Saxon Storyteller and written by L. Dean Lee. First off, I have to say the illustrations are awesome. Page 68 is my favorite depiction of Loki in this book, the snakes for each chapter were very nice as well. I love how almost every page also has an illustration, from objects to creatures to more depictions of Loki. The Saxon Storyteller has done a truly amazing depicting Loki to life in these pages.

At the beginning of this book, Lee starts by teaching about how to define a god. We learn that the Norse gods are similar to us in certain ways and that instead of being the rulers of certain aspects, it’s just their personality. For example, Loki would rule over chaos and mischief, but that’s not the case for the Norse pantheon. After some more pre-reading knowledge, we are introduced to the first piece of lore on Loki, which is about where his parents are from, Jotunheim, the land of giants.

At the beginning of this book, Lee starts by teaching about how to define a god. We learn that the Norse gods are similar to us in certain ways and that instead of being the rulers of certain aspects, it’s just their personality. For example, Loki would rule over chaos and mischief, but that’s not the case for the Norse pantheon. After some more pre-reading knowledge, we are introduced to the first piece of lore on Loki, which is about where his parents are from, Jotunheim, the land of giants.

Lee has done an outstanding job with research because everything I read about Loki checks out (I have prior knowledge of Loki, as I have read the Poetic Edda and have done extensive research on the Norse pantheon). I haven’t found many books on the Norse pantheon that have been accurate, but I can happily say that you will get accurate knowledge on Loki from this book.

Moving forward to the end of chapter two, we learn about Loki’s decently large family. There’s an illustration that shows you Loki standing next to each family member, and there’s also a helpful family tree diagram.

In chapter three, Lee turns to the folklore and mythology that surrounds Loki: the story of when Loki stole Freyja’s necklace, the one time Loki cut Sif’s hair off, all of Loki and Thor’s adventures, when Loki saved the son of a farmer by hiding him, when Loki made Skadi laugh, and then to when Ragnarok breaks out.

That brings us to chapter four now, which is about Loki in the world. Lee covers Loki during the Viking age, his origins remaining a mystery. Loki in medieval times (from the 1000s to the 1700s), discussing Loki in the Prose Edda, which was created after the Christian Conversion. Then Lee shifts focus to Loki in modern times. Around the 1700s and 1900s, the interest in the occult grew, bringing back the Norse gods to mind. Then we move forward once more to Loki in Europe and America and then the pop culture surrounding Loki. Lastly, closing this chapter, Lee lists Loki’s kennings, which in Old Norse poetry is an indirect phrase referring to someone.

Chapter five covers venerating Loki and the different avenues you can take to worship and work with Loki. Lee writes:

“You do not need to be a Heathen or a Norse Pagan in order to venerate Loki.”10

I appreciated that this is explained first and foremost. In this chapter, Lee describes how to build an altar dedicated to Loki. He doesn’t specify what to put on Loki’s altar, but me personally, I have a pirate rubber duck that was randomly handed to me in a Sheetz while I was on vacation in Virginia a month after starting to work with Loki, a little packet of mistletoe, a few rubber snakes, pinecones, a small statue of him, a green candle, a couple joke books, and some spider themed jewelry.

Next we learn about Blót, which means offerings. Lee goes over how to make an offering as well as what to offer Loki. I can attest personally that Loki appreciates the junk food offerings. There’s also a great list of days to honor Loki on as well. Lee provides an amazing amount of information that tells you how to communicate with Loki and make sure you’re actually communicating with Loki, so if you are a beginner with deities I highly recommend giving this book a read. I’d like to pass on the best piece of advice that this book gives on Loki for those seeking to work with the trickster god:

“Just as we give fire a space in our lives, in the form of the hearth, the space we give for Loki must have a boundary.”11

Loki has overall been a very good and informative read. The information was correct to my knowledge, very well presented, and the illustrations were just so awesome and very fitting for the book. This is one of the best books I have read on Loki. I highly recommend this series of books to any who want to work with the Norse Pantheon.

Odin, by L. Dean Lee and The Saxon Storyteller

Odin: An Illustrated Guide to the Allfather, by L. Dean Lee with illustrations by The Saxon Storyteller
Red Wheel, 1590035755, 128 pages, April 2025

Odin: An Illustrated Guide to the Allfather is illustrated by The Saxon Storyteller and written by L. Dean Lee. This book is extremely beginner-friendly and very helpful for learning about Odin.

As I said in my other review on a book in this series, Loki, I absolutely loved and adored the illustrations by The Saxon Storyteller. This book is full of magnificent artwork ranging from Odin, to ravens and objects, as well as creatures representative of Odin, the rune-carver and chief of the Aesir. Every illustration in this book is just really too cool, especially all of the raven imagery; each chapter has a raven with the face of Odin drawn on their body. I just can’t get over how fitting The Saxton Storyteller’s artistic style is for these books. My favorite depiction of Odin has to be on page 94–he really, truly is giving cowboy vibes.

In chapter one, Lee gives us a solid introduction and a great description of who Odin is. The head of the gods is known by many names, but he is best known as Odin. The Norse people recognized Odin for war, leadership, wisdom, and honor. But he’s more than just that, and as you learn about him, you’ll recognize his other qualities more. Another part of Odin is the madman, and you will also come to find out more about this in the book too.

After the introduction, Lee teaches the purpose of folklore and mythology, which goes over the different sources of Norse mythology. Then we learn about how to define a “God” before diving into the Norse Cosmos and discussing the nine realms of the world tree Yggdrasil. Now that brings us to Valhalla and Asgard. Valhalla is Odin’s hall, located in the home of the gods, Asgard. Valhalla is where warriors who meet their fate in battle get carried off to by the valkyries. To end this chapter, Lee lists various Norse entities, explaining their significance.

Now this brings us to the nitty gritty of who exactly Odin is in chapter two. We first start by learning how he got the name he has along with his other known names and their meanings. We also learn more about Odin’s personality: curious, wise, fatherly, and duplicitous. These are most definitely very fitting for Odin. Lee also explains Odin’s characteristics, in which we learn he is a master of disguise and a wanderer. As for his appearance, Lee describes how Odin has two ravens as familiars known as Huginn and Muninn, which mean Thought and Memory, respectively. To note, there’s an awesome depiction of Odin hanging from Yggdrasil on page 27.

This chapter also covers Odin’s other associations. Yes, of course, ravens are one of the most popular and well-known associations, but some of my favorite associations of Odin are madness, magic, and poetry.

Next up on our knowledge quest of Odin, we now find ourselves at a marvelously illustrated depiction of Odin’s family tree. We get a brief description of each family member. Outside of the two ravens Odin has, thanks to this book, I now know that he has two wolves named Geri and Freiki, whose names mean “the greedy one” and “the ravenous one”.

Now we move on to chapter three, which is Odin in mythology and folklore. Lee dives into many stories: the Birth of Odin, the time Odin stole the Mead of Poetry, Odin sacrificing himself upon the World tree, and even the one time that Odin disguised himself as a ferryman to annoy his son Thor, all the way up to Ragnarok.

The next chapter brings us knowledge on Odin and his relationship to the world. First, Lee explores Odin during the Viking age. Then he moves into Odin in modern times, covering Europe and America specifically, along with his role in pop culture.

That now brings us to chapter five which talks about venerating Odin. Lee teaches how to establish a working relationship with Odin. He suggests building an altar for him and sharing Blót, or offerings. He even notes what Odin’s favorite offerings are.

Then we have a few pages that teach us about runes–Odin’s gift to humanity. There is a guide teaching you the meaning of each rune, which is awesome to have on hand, and it’s also accurate! Outside of the handy guide, you are also taught how to create a bind rune in this neat section as well. After this, we come to learn about Odin’s special days. Lastly, Lee teaches how to communicate with the Allfather via different methods of communication like divination, clairsenses, and through synchronicities.

For anyone seeking knowledge on the Norse gods and goddesses, Odin is definitely made for the beginner. To those who just want to brush up on their knowledge, this book is a quick and knowledgeable read. I recommend it for all of those looking to connect more with Odin, especially if you enjoy descriptive artwork and not just a bunch of text in a book.

Ending Unnecessary Suffering, by Peter Ralston

Ending Unnecessary Suffering: How to Create a Powerful, Complete, and Peaceful Life, by Peter Ralston
Park Street Press, 979-8888501184, 256 pages, March 2025

Ending Unnecessary Suffering by Peter Ralston is a book that makes you think; this book genuinely provokes the mind. Admittedly, I had to put down this book a few times to let sink in what I was reading. This book has made me think about my life more positively, and I also feel like I understand my brain and emotions a lot better now.

I have been through a great deal of struggle in my life, and I’ve dealt with a great deal of negativity for some time. I thought this book was a perfect fit to guide me on my journey. I have to say that this book has been extremely helpful and encouraging–it’s been a very insightful read. I’ve learned a lot from this book, and I wish I had found this book sooner, as I’ve been applying what I’ve been reading into my life, and I feel like I’ve been improving each day.

In this book, Ralston helps guide you through this journey of understanding concepts and emotions. He references his other work throughout; plus here and there, he throws in quotes from some exceptional individuals, from Albert Einstein to Nelson Mandela. What you’ll get out of this book is learning about the root of unnecessary suffering and how you can overcome the suffering in your daily life.

For example, dissatisfaction and shame are two forms of unnecessary suffering that Ralston teaches you how to combat. His writing is very raw, to the point, and straightforward. This book is truly realistic, and I appreciate how Ralston almost writes as if you are a friend in a way.

In the beginning of the book, Ralston brings up how essentially a three-legged dog isn’t affected negatively by this problem, it continues life as if nothing is wrong. This struck me because he is most utterly correct. He shed a lot of light on how to look at things from another perspective, things we don’t typically think about such as the three legged dog.

Ending Unnecessary Suffering will absolutely be a real eye-opener for some. The advice given in this book has been truly solid and helpful in so many ways. I feel like those who are struggling with a heavily negative mind will benefit greatly. He reminds us of how animals don’t think of these greater deals around them, they don’t contemplate like we do, and they don’t think of future events that may never happen like we do. He writes:

“These simpler creatures don’t worry or fret like we do, or fear the future, or crave anything not available. They don’t imagine that they are somehow flawed or less than they should be. Have you ever seen a three-legged dog? They don’t seem to have any disturbance at all because of it.”11

This book also gives great examples of dealing with and handling certain things emotionally. A good example Ralston gives is laughing at your own folly. Another favorite of mine that I learned from this book is switching between emotions. When you’re feeling one emotion, in that moment, you may not want to experience it, so you switch to another emotion, and then another, and maybe another emotion. I’ve been trying this one when I start to worry too much or when I’m angry.

Lastly, one more thing I took away from this book is the example of freeing experience from past connections. All of these have been insightful on how I can better control my emotions. As you continue to essentially reprogram your brain with these exercises, you find it getting easier and easier as you continue to utilize what you are being taught.

I learned a lot about conceptual thinking from this book, which I was very unfamiliar with, but Ralston explained it in a way that I could understand immediately. (If you don’t know what conceptual thinking is, conceptual thinking is the ability to understand complex ideas by identifying connections and patterns.) As I kept reading this book, it all just kept clicking for me. I appreciated how he worded and explained everything. He made it extremely easy to comprehend and understand.

Throughout the book there are a decent amount of exercises to try out, as well. Once again, a lot of these were easy to understand and fun to do. My favorite one is the mastering emotions exercise. What you do is feel whatever emotion you feel grabs your attention the most, and then you will question the emotion: why it’s there, why it exists, and so on. Once the purpose that drives the emotion is found, you essentially have a better shot at mastering it. I’ve been doing this in my free time, and it is a different and helpful way to fully understand your emotions.

In conclusion, I highly recommend giving Ending Unnecessary Suffering a read, even if you’re not even remotely interested in these types of books. I firmly believe that any reader can finish this book and walk away with something new, whether this be in terms of knowledge or in terms of attitude and mentality. But now, if you are genuinely seeking to end your unnecessary suffering, this book is a good start in reaching that point. This book will help guide you in reading a more peaceful life. I can personally attest that this book has helped me in ending my unnecessary suffering, so it is worth reading.