Musing Mystical

✨ A Gathering Place for Magical Readers and Writers ✨

Soul Helper Oracle, by Christine Arana Fader

Soul Helper Oracle: Messages from Your Higher Self, by Christine Arana Fader and illustrated by Elena Dudina
Earthdancer, 978-1-64411-468-1, 43 cards, 128 pages, April 2022

When I first opened the Soul Helper Oracle: Messages from Your Higher Self by Christine Arana Fader, I was eager to start working with the deck. I shuffled for a bit, said my usual blessing for a new deck, asked a question, and selected a card. I pulled the “Success and Happiness Are Coming” card, which, ironically, is the card whose illustration by Elena Dudina adorns the box cover and the front of all of the cards.

I placed the card in front of me, spending time looking at the glorious illustration of a woman, her under-eye area ringed with small purple jewels, a crystal located over her third eye, and her flaming red hair crowned with peacock feathers. She tells me to enjoy and celebrate life – a message I definitely needed to hear.

Before looking up the card’s meaning in the accompanying small book, I read the introduction that explained how to use the cards, interpretation methods, and consulting an oracle. In hindsight, I would have been better served to have read the introduction that Christine offers first. She describes how the deck guides a person to notice when our souls are speaking to us (which is really all of the time) and to heed its advice, meaning to go deeper into the storm of life facing us to find peace, to search for the truth within, and recognize our potential.

The deck is meant to be used to discover the core issue facing us when a card is pulled, to find the essence of the matter at hand, and to work with the recommended soul helpers. To do so, she recommends pulling only one card and working with the issue at hand for 21 days.

This is not the deck to use for a fast answer, but rather to work with the four soul helpers associated with each card: power animals, herbal essential oils, healing crystals, and numbers. Through a deep 21-day dive on what is being communicated, your soul’s messages will reveal themselves. It is through this extended focus and soul support that the vibrations offered by the soul helpers can help bring “clarity, divine light, and wisdom and will immediately bring about a change for the better, opening doors and guiding you toward happiness.”1

The accompanying booklet describes the characteristics and associated vibrations of the four soul helpers and how to work with them over the 21 days. For example, with the herbal essential oils you can put the recommended oil in a diffusers, or onto your crown chakra, or spritz it in a spray bottle filled with spring water and the oil to mix with your aura.

I’ve lived with this deck for a few months, and just before sitting down to write this review, I pulled another card: “Nature is Calling You”. The card states Nature wants to touch, fulfill, and protect me with its healing powers. With a wink and a nod from my soul, this was the same card that I pulled three weeks ago. And, its message is one that I not only need to hear, but to believe and then live willing to accept the help that is given so freely to me by my soul.

The predominant color of this card is green. A girl clothed in what looks to be a bikini of green leaves, holds some moss to her ear, much like we sometimes hold seashells to our ear when at the ocean. Her head is cocked to one side as she listens, surrounded by ferns, a small waterfall in the background. The power animal of the card is a puma; the herbal essential oil is tea tree; the healing crystal is emerald; and the number is 2.

The wisdom of the card’s offering is spot on for me and it reminds me that the issue raised by the card is not necessarily an easy one but an urgent one. It resonates with me tremendously. I will willingly work with the four soul helpers, heed the message, and work on the prodding that tells me to let go of lower, negative energies and forgo the dark paths of victimhood and begin to shine in my true light instead.

Christine Arana Fader and Elena Dudin have birthed an amazing beautifully illustrated and written deck. I loved Christine’s statement that “your soul is telling you to enjoy life, even its storms and silences, to treat everything as if it were a game in which you are the winner. It tells you to have faith in yourself and your strengths, and to trust your own magic.”2 The challenge for me has been to actually live my belief in this. Working with this deck has given me guidance on how to trust my soul to guide me on this path and to not resist or overthink, or to allow myself to override the divine light of the soul.

I highly recommend Soul Helper Oracle but remind the reader that to fully access the help offered within that you really do need to sit with your chosen card and work with the associated four soul helpers for the 21 days. Invest the time in yourself, your soul is waiting for you to listen and work in concert. As Christine reminds us, “those things that you heal and liberate within yourself will heal and liberate the whole world.”3

Anti-Consumerist Druid Interview with Katrina Townsend

Alanna: Hello Katrina! Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today about the upcoming release of your book Anti-Consumerist Druid: How I Beat My Shopping Addiction Through Connection With Nature. I absolutely loved it, and as someone who often tends to overspend during the holiday season, I thought this was the perfect time to read it and reconnect with my reverence for nature.

Sometimes I struggle reconciling my love of shopping with my nature-based spiritual practice and ecological values, and it was relieving to hear another person’s story of struggling with their own shopping addiction yet finding a way to overcome that through their own spiritual path. To get started, why don’t we give readers a little background on who you are and why you decided to write this book?

Katrina: Hello!  Thank you so much, I’m really glad to hear that you enjoyed the book! It began life as a journal I started keeping in 2019, when I had my first bash at trying to give up shopping. I was in my late twenties, new to motherhood, struggling with my body image, and trying to deal with all of that by, essentially, shopping my way to happiness, which unfortunately doesn’t work.

I’d been using shopping, dieting, social media, and generally fixating on my appearance as a kind of cure-all since I was a teenager, and honestly I hadn’t noticed how much these habits and obsessions had cut me off from nature and the physical world. It was only when I started to break away from those behaviours that I could find my spirituality and start to become more of the person I want to be.

I am a student of Druidry and a devotee of the Goddess Brigid; I live in Hampshire in England and have done so all my life. Writing has always been my hobby and a way to express myself so I’m very excited to have a book in print!

Alanna: I too keep a journal and find it so helpful to notice patterns in my life. How did you get into the practice of journaling, which was a big part of your transformation process, and writing this book especially with a little one to care for at home?

Katrina: It’s been a huge part of the process, I’ve barely missed a day in four years now. Sometimes I wonder where the notebooks will end up after I’m gone – possibly boring my descendants to death, as a lot of my initial process was just exploring my thoughts and feelings about shopping and my self-image, and lists of things I’d bought as I tried to figure out where my money was going.

The little one was only about a year old when I started to realise that my shopping was actually a problem. I had several attempts at buying less, because I could see the money in my accounts starting to dwindle, and I got more and more concerned when I realised how hard it was for me to stop. I started keeping a daily journal to try to get to the bottom of these compulsive urges – I took twenty minutes each morning while the Spud bounced about in his jumperoo, or later on while he napped. When I realised that social media, particularly Instagram, was a big contributor to my out-of-control shopping habit, I started using the journal as an outlet for all those little thoughts and moments I would normally have posted online. It was much more calming and grounding than the frantic online bubble.

Much of the book already existed in my journals and just needed to be spun together, which I did mainly during naptime or after my son was in bed – except the footnotes, which I bashed out over a gritted-teeth weekend while my husband did the child-wrangling.   

Alanna: I think many people will agree a shopping ban, especially one that lasts a whole year, would be extremely challenging. What would you say was the toughest thing about your year-long shopping ban?

Katrina: All of it! Ha, no, honestly looking back I’m kind of appalled by just how difficult it was in the beginning. I’d built this whole identity around shopping and clothes, and those first few months I just had to feel everything I’d been pushing away with those habits. Comparing myself constantly to everyone else, feeling like I had absolutely no idea of who I was, and having to face up to how much time, money and energy I had pretty much just wasted.

Alanna: You mentioned before the impact social media had in feeding your shopping addiction. Can you speak a bit more to this? Overall, do you feel like the internet and social media is driving consumer culture?

Katrina: Oh yes, absolutely. I think I would never have come this far if I hadn’t realised fairly early on that my constant browsing and scrolling was feeding into my obsessive shopping. I had to ask my husband to change my Instagram password to keep me off the app! It was two-pronged, for me – on the one hand, I was constantly seeing beautiful things, useful things, things I didn’t need before that moment but which seemed so much more desirable than the things I already owned, and secondly, I was constantly seeing other people’s wardrobes, bodies and lives, which of course are highly curated and edited but which I still felt I needed to live up to. Shoppable feeds also have a lot to answer for, in my opinion – it’s about the impulse buy, about removing any friction between the shopper and the purchase. 

Alanna: In your book, you describe your journey in confronting your shopping habit, but I’m still wondering, would you say you initially start down this path more for personal reasons? And has your reason for embracing this lifestyle changed through your journey?

Katrina: Initially I’d say my reasons were very prosaic – mainly financial, then emotional. Now I’m a bit evangelistic about how just trying to quit shopping has changed my life. The real deep-down shifts started to occur when I had to find other ways to fill the time and headspace I’d freed up , and started going for long walks in my local nature reserve. It was literally the only way I could think of at first to get away from the temptations of shops and screens, but I soon found that it calmed my constantly chattering mind (and my lively child, which was a bonus!).

After a while I started to really crave my outdoor time, and then things really started to snowball – I got more interested in nature itself which developed into a passionate environmentalism; and I began to experience ‘nudges’  and synchronicities of a more spiritual bent, which I could only be more open to now that my mind was quieter, and which led me to start exploring Paganism; and all these things fed back into and served to intensify that original desire to stop shopping.

Alanna: I’ve noticed that a lot of people feel more secure in having a home full of things, whether it’s decor, clothes, books, appliances, etc. which drives them to make unnecessary purchases. Do you think there is an aspect of “safety” that comes from having hoards of stuff? And if so, how do you feel Druidry provides this in a healthier way?

Katrina: In a way I suppose there is. I can picture my younger self piling up mountains of clothing and shoes and cosmetics and tchotchkes as a kind of emotional bulwark against all these fears and insecurities I didn’t know how to confront, this sense that deep down I wasn’t very interesting, not very pretty or worthy of notice, and the more flamboyantly I dressed or the more conspicuously I consumed the more attention I got. And then the things I had and the process of accumulating more things became my whole identity, to the point that I didn’t have any other interests, didn’t know what I liked any more or even have any sense of myself as a person. So I guess you could say that was my “safety”.

Druidry changed me very slowly and gently, and I have very gradually come to realise that how I look and what I buy are the least interesting things about me, that there is a whole world out there that is awake and alive and communicative, and the absolute last thing it cares about is what I am wearing when I show up.

Nowadays I feel  a deeper sense of security, a rootedness in the core of myself, and I feel like that stems from finally feeling aware of what Mary Oliver called my ‘place in the family of things’. I’m not struggling or striving to be something all the time, I don’t need to prove anything, I’m happy in my skin. And one massive benefit of Druidry is, hey, if people don’t get me, that’s fine, I can always go hang out with the trees.

Alanna: One thing I really enjoyed in reading your book is the honesty about  the many times you’ve fallen off the wagon. Yet each time it seems like you’re coming back to yourself and re-committed to starting fresh. What advice do you have for others when they too fall back into old habits?

Katrina: I frustrate myself in that way – I very much wanted to write this linear story of my amazing no shopping year, but I just couldn’t do it straight off the bat. I think I had to make those mistakes so I could learn a bit more about myself and build in some better coping mechanisms. When you’ve worn yourself a groove, it is so easy to keep sliding back into it. But you do eventually learn the difference between cutting yourself some slack and just giving yourself loopholes. I’m mixing my metaphors a bit here I think! 

The point is, when you mess up, you can forgive yourself without giving up on yourself. One blip doesn’t mean you jack the whole thing in. 

Alanna: I also enjoy how you are upfront about your beginner status in Druidry, as well as your dedication to forging your own path. I thought it was brave to admit you’re not an expert on the topic but still willing to share your beliefs. Have you ever felt any sense of gatekeeping on your spiritual path? And if so, how did you overcome the need to fit yourself into other people’s version of this spiritual path and move forward with your own?

Katrina: Thank you very much! I figured it was better to be upfront rather than pretend to have knowledge and experience that I just don’t have. I hope that I can show people that you don’t need to be ‘good at’ Druidry, or have decades of personal gnosis, or be a powerful magician or whatever, to have very tangible and magical experiences and start relating to the world in a different way.

Gatekeeping… Not since I was a teenager on Wiccan chat rooms at silly o’clock in the morning, but I saw enough then that I take the simple approach of only discussing my personal practice in fairly vague and broad terms, and generally only with people I trust, so that I can get on with what I’m actually doing instead of tying myself in knots over the opinion of people I don’t know. I’ve seen lots of snottiness about other people’s paths, the right way to do things, names like ‘white lighter’ and ‘fluffy bunny’ being flung around.  And I’ve seen it in myself too, when I want to make comments to my husband about people being all show and no substance (when really, how would I know?), or those moments when I wonder what on earth I think I am doing, writing a book.

I keep moving forward simply by dealing with what I’m experiencing in my practice at any given time. I have an attentive matron goddess who will not be ignored, which makes it pretty easy to keep focus and stay in my own lane. 

Alanna: Since a big part of your spiritual journey was noticing signs from the Celtic Goddess Brigid, I’m wondering, are you still cultivating your relationship with Brigid?

Katrina: Oh yes! Brigid has become a huge part of my life, her altar is at the heart of my home. She is like a touchstone for me. I must admit, after growing up in a Church of England school, it has taken me a while to come to terms with having a very vibrant and reciprocal relationship with deity. After years of skepticism, I am still surprised that when I ask,  she answers, but it’s wonderful and I love it.

Actually, once my eyes were opened to Brigid and her role throughout the history of Britain, I came to see that she is absolutely everywhere. Her signs , symbols and mythology are woven through our culture and landscape even today. I said to someone recently that it feels as though someone has pulled back a curtain and I am only now seeing what was here all along.

Alanna: I certainly know what it feels like to be guided by a goddess. I love your very authentic story; you don’t go out of your way to embellish it, which is what makes it so relatable. As we near the end of this interview, what would you most like readers to take away from reading your book?

Katrina: That the world is a deeply magical place. That we are born to be so much more than consumers. That we can free our minds and hearts from the consumerist trap and rediscover enchantment.

Alanna: Any future projects on the horizon for you? I would love to read more about your thoughts as a millennial eco-advocate!

Katrina: I am tinkering around on a new book with a friend, but the going is slow as we both have high maintenance life stuff to juggle! But yes, there is definitely the potential for more in the pipeline, hopefully in the not too distant future. 

Alanna: Amazing! I can’t wait to read more of your writing. Thank you so much for speaking with me today, Katrina! Truly my pleasure. 🙂

For those whose interest is sparked by this interview, The Anti-Consumerist Druid: How I Beat My Shopping Addiction Through Connection With Nature will be released by Moon Books on November 25th, 2022. I highly recommend it for this holiday season, especially if you’re thinking about decluttering or lessening your own shopping habits for the upcoming new year!

Witches, Druids, and Sin Eaters, by Jon C. Hughes with Sophie Gallagher

Witches, Druids, and Sin Eaters: The Common Magic of the Cunning Fold of the Welsh Marches, by Jon C. Hughes with Sophie Gallagher
Destiny Books, 9781644114285, 296 pages, September 2022

Witches, Druids, and Sin Eaters beckons one to the Welsh Marches – the ancient borderland of Wales and England. It is a brilliant collaboration between Jon Hughes, a fifth-generation Druid living in a remote part of Wales and Sophie Gallagher, a Welsh-born witchcraft researcher with a deep knowledge of the ancient witches of the Welsh Marches. 

Seeking to explore and bring to light the “treasure trove of untapped information relating to the ancient Druids and arcane witchcraft that evolved in the Welsh Marches”4 while incorporating the current practices in this area, Hughes and Gallagher looked at artifacts, texts, museum archives, and even the natural landscape. They soon discovered that there were more similarities than differences in the practices of the Druids and the witches. The book delves into regional practices such as sin eaters and eye biters and even includes the area’s influence on the writing of J. R. R. Tolkein.

Accompanying photographs of artifacts, sites, and buildings bring to life the artifacts and markings of these people. The most widespread witch marks found in the area’s buildings are of taper burns, intentional in their making and not by the random flicker of a flame too close to a wall. Photographs of items such as a curse doll, a wooden witch’s coffin curse, and protective amulets and devices found in walls and floorboards, illustrate the influence of the witches and Druids in this region.

“People have secretly hidden objects in their houses for centuries (things like bottles, shoes, and bodies of cats) to protect themselves and their families from various forms of supernatural menace (evil spirits, witches, hostile magic, malign influences) to influence events or to take revenge on people that have wronged them.”5 

The work is comprehensive in its exploration of the significance of the earth-based practices of the Druids and witches in the Welsh Marches. The Druids have lived in this area for over 6,000 years, from around 3,800 B.C. The region, of course, experienced tumult since the first ancient people arrived there. The book also details encounters of these people with the Romans in their first invasion, with reminders that the Romans were also pagan until 313 A.D.

Historical references put things into context. I was particularly struck by the reading about the Walton Basin, on the Welsh side of the border, which archeologists believe was a national ceremonial center. A timber henge, approximately 328 feet in diameter, was discovered that is felt to be a prototype for a stone henge that was not built. There were similarities between the deposits found at this site and Stonehenge.

Tolkein enters the picture in Lydney Park, Gloucestershire, England, where he joined British archeologist, Sir Mortimer Wheeler, at Dwarf’s Hill in the late 1920s. Dwarf’s Hill contained a labyrinth of tunnels and was thought to be the home of little people. A tablet bearing a curse was also found. Silvianus, a Roman, had lost a ring and cursed all who bore the name of Senicianus, the supposed thief.

Wheeler invited Tolkein to examine the site of Noden’s Temple at Dwarf’s Hill after which Tolkein contributed to a report on the origin of the name, Noden. When Tolkein later wrote The Hobbit “it became impossible not to speculate upon the connection between his experiences at Lydney and his epic tales of Middle Earth,“6 including Hobbits and a ring.

The book provides simply fascinating information and insight. Sin eaters and eye biters….oh, my. Sin eaters were unique to the Welsh culture and the region of the Welsh Marches. The sin eater (always male) took upon himself the sins of the newly deceased so that the departed could find his/her place in the hereafter. A sin eater was retained by the family of the deceased and would consume a cake called a dead cake which had been placed on the breast of the corpse at sunset. It would remain there until sunrise the following morning where it was thought to absorb the sins of the departed. The sin eater would then consume the cake along with ale.

Eye biters were found among the powerful witches of the Welsh Marches who were thought to have the ability to cast evil curses simply by looking at their victims. Their gaze was as effective as if they were to “bite the jugular vein (of the victim) and watch them bleed to death.”7 Beware the brathwyr llygaid, or eye biters!

As a reference, the book provides a comprehensive list of five prominent occultists (alchemists, astrologers, and occult philosophers) who “influenced the kings and emperors of much of Europe and beyond.”8 These men, while famous, reflect the many unknown practitioners, who live/lived in the Welsh Marches:

“There is little doubt that the unique and extraordinary culture of the Welsh Marches has had a lasting influence upon the history of the occult within the Marches itself and further afield around the globe.”9

Hughes and Gallagher remind the reader that the lore of the Druids and witches was an oral tradition. They bring the reader into the modern era of witches and Druids. “A Druid is a learned pagan, well versed in the oral tradition of paganism and the role of the Druid as a teacher and spiritual leader within it.”10 Like the Druids, witches maintain an ancient understanding of natural magic. The authors write extensively about Neo-Paganism in its many forms.

The book is divided into two sections. The first section, “Witchcraft and Druidic Lore of the Welsh Marches” focuses on all that was written about above. The second section, “Grimore of the Welsh Marches (Yr Llyfr Swynion Gororau Cymru)” opens the reader to the book of spells of the Welsh Borderland. It is a valuable companion to the first part of the book and allows the reader to investigate this natural magic. “While this grimoire is the result of a detailed comparison of witchcraft practices and Druidic lore, it must not be considered an erroneous conflation of the two traditions.”11

The reader is reminded that there are fundamental differences between the two and also varying beliefs and practices within each tradition. “…It is a subtle blending of selective beliefs and practices that have an underlying unity that resonates within both traditions, allowing the merging of both without compromising the fundamental principles of either.”12

There is information on preparing the work space and crafting components, casting a circle, use of botanicals, invocations, protection against malevolent energies, amulets, talismans, and charms. 

Also introduced are witch marks (burn marks), various types of spells, the casting and lifting of spells and curses, the use of wands and the crafting of wands, working with waters and oils, creating poppers (a small doll representing the recipient of a curse). I particularly liked (and was relieved) that the second section of the book ended with elixirs of love. As the authors remind, “in the case of inanimate objects they of course have a material manifestation and are also imbued with a communal spirit; however, they do not have a personal spirit that all living things receive at conception.”13

Overall, Witches, Druids, and Sin Eaters is a very comprehensive look at this unique area of the world, one with a long and deep history of Druids and witches. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a deep dive into this all-important region, particularly if you feel drawn to the aforementioned spiritual paths of Druidry or Witchcraft. There’s so much valuable history revealed in this book that is sure to expand your background knowledge, particularly the impact these lands have had on writers such as Tolkien and those dedicated to exploring the mysteries, such as alchemists, astrologers, and occult philosophers.

The Witch of the Woods, by Kiley Mann

The Witch of The Woods: Spells, Charms, Divination, Remedies, and Folklore, by Kiley Mann
CICO Books, 1800651694, 144 pages, October 2022

Your relationship to your landscape is bound to influence and guide your magical practice, especially in witchcraft. In The Witch of the Woods: Spells, Charms, Divination, Remedies, and Folklore, Kiley Mann highlights this special connection to place by sharing her experiences in the northern region of Michigan. Leading readers through the seasons, folk magic, herbs and omens of this land, Mann takes the reader on a journey into the wilderness of witchcraft.

Witchcraft takes many forms, from witch wounds on the east coast from fiery trails that led to a more fierce practice in the centuries to follow to the more glitzy, New-Age “manifest” witchcraft style of the west coast, but sometimes in the process the essence of being connected deeply to nature and one’s own local folklore gets lost. Mann perfectly revitalizes this connection for readers in this beautiful grimoire that is uniquely centered upon her lived experiences. The unification of witch and land is by far what stands out the most in this book.

“These lands have lessons to teach us, unique in their own characteristics and being. You must walk the land to know it.  You cannot know her if you do not let your feet touch the ground and wander aimlessly as you please. These lessons are taught directly through the land itself.”1

There’s a reverence for the long line of witches that have come before Mann, along with a desire to know the bodies of water, plants, and spirits that share the space with her for their own inherent power, without placing upon them desires or expectations. Sometimes this connection to one’s surroundings and traditions, which is a vital part of witchcraft, can be hard to translate; it tends to be more of a lived, embodied awareness that comes from walking this path overtime. Yet there’s something in Mann’s descriptions of ancient practices, remedies, and folklore, along with her illustrations that awaken this awareness in the reading, prompting them to reflect on their own connection to the local traditions of their homeland.

The book is divided into two parts. The first focuses on folklore, including stories of the trolls, land spirits, ancestral spirits, and omens of the land and animals. The second part is the folk magic, or the how-to remedies, rituals, and divinations that have evolved from life in this region. Mann helps the reader to familiarize themselves with the properties of different herbs and crystals before delving into spell work. She offers spells to alleviate common troubles, such as releasing worry, banishing nightmares, and romantic resolution, along with ones to gain success, luck, self-love, and protection.

I found this book really interesting from the perspective of place because I rarely hear about the folklore of the midwest region. Even though I can only imagine what the energy of a swamp feels like energetically or how it might inform my practice, reading about Mann’s revelations and observations made me start thinking about the natural landscape of where I am currently living, both physically and psychologically. While someone from Mann’s locality of the midwest might naturally connect more with the grimoire, I still feel there’s so much value in exploring her process and learning about methods she’s come across to thrive as a witch in the woods even having never visited the lands she explores in this book. At its heart, nature is nature, and there’s still plenty of overlap and insight to gain no matter what region you’re from, especially in regard to the use of herbs in spellwork and divination.

Another aspect of this book that makes it a real special gem is that Mann illustrated it herself. The symbolism of the imagery boosts her power, as the images themselves convey messages beyond words alone. Flipping through the pages, noticing what your eyes are drawn to and how the colors impart feelings or sensations, makes for an engaging read. The Witch of the Woods is less of a how-to manual and more of an invitation to step inside the creativity of Mann’s own witchcraft practice while learning ways to enhance your own.

Overall, The Witch of the Woods is an insightful, earthy exploration of witchcraft that will guide others to become the witch of their own woods. Mann has done an impressive job of weaving together the elements of her craft to present readers with a beautiful grimoire of knowledge about remedies, folklore, spiritwork, and divination. From brewing your own magical tea to crafting your own wild medicine, this book reminds readers of the unity between nature and oneself – the center of all witchcraft.

The Holy Wild Grimoire, by Danielle Dulsky

The Holy Wild Grimoire: A Heathen Handbook of Magick, Spells, and Verses, by Danielle Dulsky
New World Library, 1608688003, 208 pages, September 2022

Earthy, primal, rich, and real – this is how I feel sinking into The Holy Wild Grimoire: A Heathen Handbook of Magic, Spells, and Verses by Danielle Dulsky. In this book, Dulsky has uprooted the underpinnings of harmful ideologies, created through our stories and myths we unconsciously live by according to society’s urging, to bring forth prompts and rituals that invite readers to move through a portal of death and rebirth to fully embrace their own sovereign sorcery within through magical word-craft and reconnect with the Holy Wild. For those ready to lurk in the deeper realm of mystery, potency, and power that come through embodying and rewriting the mythic aspect of the world we live within in order to expand their practice of the craft, this is the book for you!

Hopefully that didn’t all sound too intimidating! All of Dulsky’s brilliant methodology for engaging the reader’s psyche through storytelling, journal prompts, and spellwork to create their own personal grimoire are actually very clearly laid out, making this book accessible to everyone. But be forewarned there’s something about Dulsky’s writing that inspires me to play with words and discover new voices within that have yet to be explored.

The book does read at times like a long-lost ancient tale, where the dialect is just a bit different than you’re used to, as words become poetry vivid with imagery and perfectly strung together to invoke meaningful feeling. This definitely isn’t a straight-forward “how-to” manual for those seeking insight on witchcraft; hardwork and dedication is required to truly reap the rewards of the material presented, leaving room for your own creativity to emerge and guide the way.

“The time to radically revision our place in the world is now. This is the moment in the human tale when hope meets sorrow, when innocences meets wisdom, a climactic union of polarities that is birthing – and will continue to birth – a new, more heathen reality.”12

Moving through medicine the elements of earth, water, air, fire, and ether, The Holy Wild Grimoire guides readers in creating their own book of magic. Dulsky writes, “In the context of this handbook, a grimoire reflects the magick locked in our language, the spells that live and breathe in our words and symbols.”14 Moving through each element, the reader begins to craft the most personal journal of their thoughts, feelings, visions, and intuitions, reshaping their reality, reclaiming pieces of their soul that have been lost, and gaining the courage to shed habits, patterns, and modes of being – skins – that no longer fit who the reader is growing into.

These might seem like lofty goals or mere promises, but I can assure you that by moving through The Holy Wild Grimoire with an open-mind and heartfelt intention, you will notice shifts in how you relate to your own narrative and how your narrative merges with the on-going story of the world, inviting synchronicities, realizations, and connections that previously you may have not had the discerning energetic eye to notice and in the process creating new potential realities.

Each element contains an introduction to its energy medicine, a word-spell, an artful invocation, a story lantern, follow-up questions to the story lantern for reflection, an opening spell and element spells, multiple reflection questions about your experience with the element, writing prompts to attune you to the element’s presence in your life, and prompts to assist you with visioning through the energy of the element. All together this creates twelve journal entries. Then at the end of the chapter is a testament to the element, where the reader (or more like writer once you get going with this book!) goes back through their reflections, presences, and visions for the element to create the thirteenth entry, which become the verses for that element. It really is a beautiful, culminating process once you get to the verses, especially because so much has been put into the prompts to lead you to that point.

After reading this book, and making my way through the grimoire creation over the course of two months, I have a bit of advice. First, though anyone can jump right in, for the best results I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with Dulsky’s other publications, most especially The Holy Wild, which lays out more of a foundation for creating one’s Holy Wild grimoire. The Holy Wild has quite a bit of spellwork in it that some readers might find more practical and grounding. The Holy Wild Grimoire is definitely suited for those who enjoy reading and writing, and if you are someone who doesn’t readily embrace the written word or symbolic imagery, you might feel more comfortable exploring The Holy Wild first to ground this book a bit.

Second, prior to reading this book, I’d also suggest brushing up on your knowledge of archetypes, depth psychology, and the power of myths to fully embrace the content of this book. You may want to familiarize yourself with the work of Carl Jung, Marie-Louise von Franz, and Clarissa Pinkola Estés, author of Women Who Run with the Wolves, another great book for exploring oneself through stories and myth.

Finally, my third recommendation is to move slowly! There is so much packed in each element that it can feel overwhelming at times. Remember that there is no rush; you are not being timed. This process of communion with the Holy Wild will happen in natural timing that is aligned and right for you. You can skip around to different sections, work through an element for months, and only need to do the prompts that call to you. As odd as it sounds, sometimes I’d have to remind myself this isn’t a magical homework assignment, I’m not working towards an “A”, and that it’s intended to be fluid and connected rather than prescriptive and forced.

Sometimes, as I worked through a particularly dense emotion, memory, or experience, I’d put the book down for weeks at a time, not ready to move forward to the next exercise and needing room to breathe and reorient first, allowing what was unfolding to happen on its own without further conscious prompting or trying to rush forward without allowing the proper time needed to acknowledge what was going on and creating space for transformation.

This might not make sense prior to reading The Holy Wild Grimoire, but I have no doubts that if you delve into the work, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. There’s enough content in this book to last the reader years in regard to inner exploration, and the stories and prompts are something one can return to time and time again for one’s responses will surely always be changing. The potency of this book comes through what you’re willing to put in to looking within and exploring the uncharted depths of the Holy Wild.

Even if this seems a bit intimidating, there’s ways to start slowly, such as reading the hand-crafted stories, called story lanterns, Dulsky has written for each element, which are intended to open a new lens for the reader to access answers within through the imagination. I’ve found that a fun way to connect with the stories is to have someone else read them to you, so you can receptively receive their messages, though active reading too has its own merit. Once again, there’s a multitude of ways to play with this book, just like all mythological stories, and limitless wisdom that can be gained through experimentation.

All in all, The Holy Wild Grimoire is an all-in-one creative writing journey for readers to make their own grimoire, filled with personal revelations, visions, reflections, and mythology that is theirs alone. Doing the journal prompts is a deeply fulfilling and insightful process, akin to magical therapy, as the reader delves into the hidden parts of their psyche to discover a hidden richness: their own wild unknown. By connecting to these parts of oneself through the elemental energy, a whole new realm of possibilities emerges, cracking open from within the reader’s spirit to begin composting what’s no longer needed and feel comfortable sitting in the void before shapeshifting into the next vision.

The Mythic Goddess Tarot, by Hannah Davies

The Mythic Goddess Tarot, by Jayne Wallace and illustrated by Hannah Davies
CICO Books, 1800651554, 78 cards, 64 pages, October 2022

Connecting with various goddesses is a key part of my spiritual practice; I’ve found the goddess in her many forms provides tough love and restorative nourishment to my soul. When I picked up The Mythic Goddess Tarot by Jayne Wallace, I was immediately drawn to its gentle, intuitive energy that radiates the power of the sacred feminine. I thought to myself, “This deck truly conveys the Goddess’s wisdom.” And since then, the advice I’ve received has helped me immensely in navigating life’s ups and downs.

Though the feminine pastel colors of the deck might convey this deck has a gentle tone, there is plenty of strength and power to be found in the messages of the cards. Each one of the 22 major arcana cards portrays a goddess that personifies its energy, all beautifully drawn and brought to life with vivid colors, while the minor arcana cards are differentiated by color and  suit symbol (coin, sword, cup, wand). On every card is the name plus a one word meaning at the bottom. The guidebook provides more in-depth explanations of each card, but I’ve found the word at the bottom helps to quickly ascertain the card’s message.

Speaking of the guidebook, it’s a bright-colored booklet that features information on getting to know the cards, starting and finishing a reading, as well as various spreads one can use with this deck. In addition to the well-known one-card reading, past-present-future reading, and Celtic Cross spread, Wallace  offers The Power Pyramid, The Crossroad, and The Divine Truth spread, which is neat because it covers the whole year.

Then Wallace shares meanings for both the major and minor arcana cards, though the major arcana cards are a bit longer because in addition to the keywords and meaning, which is what is provided for the minor arcana, there is also a section describing the goddess depicted on the card. She describes what the goddess is ruler of or oversees, as well as her mythology and where she originates from. The major arcana cards also feature a sentence-long mantra to say, affirming the message of the card.

What I liked most about this deck was the choice of goddesses for each card. I have a ton of goddess oracle decks, yet it seems like it’s always the same goddesses appearing. While there were some well-known goddesses (Athena and her mighty lion are portrayed on the Strength card, while Aphrodite and her paramore are on the Lovers cards), this deck featured quite a few goddesses I’d never heard of before, making me excited to learn more about their mythology and their unique attributes.

There is Asase Yaa, a West African goddess, representing the Empress, Luthianian goddess Ragana representing death, and Indian goddess Dhumavati representing the Hanged Man. I appreciate that it feels like Wallace put genuine thought and creative consideration into picking each goddess for this deck and went beyond the traditional goddesses, inviting new perspectives into querenets’ reading through these cards. She writes in the introduction:

“One of the things I love about goddesses is that they are everywhere. From every corner of the globe, you will find mythologies, stories, and fables with gods and goddesses at their heart. Whether in ancient Greece, Africa, Asia, or Europe, or with any type of religion, it’s easy to see throughout history the impact these superhuman beings have had on the shaping of the world as we know today.”15

Another reason I’ve been using this deck often is because I love to display on my personal altar the serenely gorgeous artwork of this deck, which was illustrated by Hannah Davies. I’ve started a practice of shuffling just the major arcana and asked which goddess I should work with for the week. After I pick my card, I place the card on my dresser surrounded by crystals, flowers, and other little trinkets related to the goddess I’ve chosen. This helps me to connect with goddesses and feel her presence in my life daily, especially when I see the goddess of the week’s qualities coming through in my interactions with others, guiding me to embrace the energy in play.

If I am having trouble connecting with the goddess’s energy, I’ll spend time gazing at the artwork on the card and meditating on the symbolism. This method is yet another way that I’ve found useful in opening myself up psychically to the wisdom of the goddess, and the beauty of the deck makes it a very aesthetically pleasing experience, even for the goddesses that tend to be more feared, such as Hekate (The Magician) or Ananke (The Devil). Wallace’s description coupled with Davies’ artwork make these goddesses feel more accessible, giving me courage to embrace their sacred teachings.

I will admit, I’m quite a fan of Wallace’s other decks, such as The Angel Tarot, The Magical Nordic Tarot, and The Moon and Stars Tarot, so I’m not surprised that I connect so well with this one too. Wallace has a unique way of translating sacred energies into her decks that resonates with me, and I have noticed the way the various themes of her decks call to me at different times based on the type of reading I need at the moment.

Aptly, in addition to creating decks, Wallace has also used her spiritual gifts to bring together a tribe of wise women by founding Psychic Sisters, a team of clairvoyant women that offer intuitive readings in London and remotely, along with a wellness line that sells reiki-energized crystals, mists, oils, candles, cosmetics, and more. It’s definitely worth checking out their website, as well as Wallace’s other decks, if you’re interested in connecting with psychic readers for more insight.

All in all, Mythic Goddess Tarot has become my favorite divination deck for working with the energy of the goddess. I’m still making my way through getting to know all the goddesses of this deck, but even in the short time I’ve been working with it, I’ve felt the potency of the goddess being woven into my life. Wallace has truly created a holistic deck, magically combining the many faces of goddesses from around the world to assist readers in connecting to the goddess within themselves when making meaningful life choices. I highly recommend this deck to those who enjoy working with goddess energy and are looking to more fully incorporate Her wisdom in their readings.

Secret History of the Wild, Wild West, by Daniel J. Duke

Secret History of the Wild, Wild West: Outlaws, Secret Societies, and the Hidden Agenda of the Elites, by Daniel J. Duke
Destiny Books, 1644112299, 208 pages, July 2022

Ancestral work is very common during the autumn months. Perhaps in your own genealogical explorations you’ve uncovered some colorful characters, maybe even a person of historical significance. Daniel J. Duke claims he is the descendent of Western outlaw Jesse James, and his meticulous study further into his lineage has revealed quite a few fascinating American secrets. Secret History of the Wild, Wild West: Outlaws, Secret Societies, and the Hidden Agenda of the Elites explores how Jesse James and other Western outlaws were part of a secret society that has influenced politics by pulling strings behind the scenes.

It is believed that James, Duke’s great-great grandfather, faked his own death in 1882 and lived out the rest of his life in Texas. His book, The Mysterious Life and Faked Death of Jesse James, details evidence he uncovered from state and federal records, photographs, diaries, newspapers, and even DNA tests to confirm this. And while it might sound a little bit like National Treasure, Duke further discovered that James’ diaries and treasure maps indicate connections between James, Freemasons, the Knights Templar, the Founding Fathers, and Jewish mysticism, which is explored in his book Jesse James and the Lost Templar Treasure.

Secret History of the Wild, Wild West further expands Duke’s research to showcase how Jesse James wasn’t the only Western outlaw to run in these circles and fake his death. Based on James’ diary, Billy the Kid also did the same a little over eight months after James, settling into a new life with an alias “Oliver P. “Ollie” Roberts a.k.a. “Brushy Bill” Roberts of Hico, Texas”16. As if this isn’t intriguing enough, Duke even asserts a family connection between James and Clyde Barrow, of the famous Bonnie and Clyde duo.

Admittedly, this book probably should be prefaced by Duke’s aforementioned books because he does discuss the role James played in securely hiding Templar treasures, as a main thesis in this book is that interconnected, influential families in the West also played a role. He quickly gives a synopsis of the role of the Freemasons in protecting James and James’ role in burying Templar treasure on gridlines in America, but I felt myself longing for more information.

But while this focus on the past is covered for new readers like myself, the thesis of this book highlights the connections between modern influential families, the search for buried treasure, and the impact on American politics. Duke notes connections between both President Harry Truman and President Lyndon Baines Johnson with James L. Courtney: James’ alias after faking his death. Duke brings to light hidden agendas of finding this buried treasure and, further, a secret destiny for America might still be in progress.

“Part of that mission included the formation of the United States of America, modeled after a desire of people around the world to have the freedom and liberties that so many before them had sought, fought for, and died for. In that type of struggle, there are many grey areas, with good men doing bad things for the right reasons or for what at the time seems like their only choice.”17

One thing of note about this book is that it is meticulously researched, sometimes to the point of information overload. While I was happy to take Duke’s research at face-value, for those who are looking to confirm or deny his theory, he is very transparent about his sources and line of thinking. The Appendix, “Connections That Paved the Way,” is filled with detailed information about people and their relationship to James that helped Duke to put all the pieces of this puzzle together. There’s also extensive notes for each section, as well as primary sources such as photographs and newspaper articles. 

All in all, Secret History of the Wild, Wild West was a very fascinating read. I was impressed by Duke’s genealogical research and the way he was able to follow a trail to reveal these interesting insights. The lives of Western outlaws makes one wonder if there was a potential mission beyond just riches and notoriety. Though I know it’s the subject of one of Duke’s books, this book made me want to learn more about the relationship between the Knights Templar and hidden treasure in America. It seems they all fit together to present a well- rounded picture of a secret agenda shared by outlaws of the wild West.

Polytheism: A Platonic Approach, by Steven Dillion

Pagan Portals – Polytheism: A Platonic Approach, by Steven Dillon
Moon Books, 1785359797, 96 pages, August 2022

In Pagan Portals – Polytheism: A Platonic Approach, Steven Dillon presents a deceptively simple argument for the position that the existence of any god, even the God espoused by one of the monotheistic religions, entails the existence of many gods. To put it simply: “theism just is polytheism.”18 What’s more, Dillon intends to do this by drawing upon classical platonist philosophy? I was immediately sold on this book. But, reader be warned: Pagan Portals – Polytheism: A Platonic Approach is not the easiest reading. It is a true work of analytic philosophy: its main argument appears easy to grasp, but the proof of each step is rigorous and highly theoretical. With two master’s degrees in philosophy myself, this book still demanded great focus and concentration. And was worth the effort!

Dillon’s main argument has massive implications – not the least of which is that belief systems based around monotheism are fundamentally self-contradictory. And a similar problem would also arise for any theistic beliefs which include a hierarchy of gods: e.g. Zeus would be no more metaphysically important or fundamental to reality than Hephaestus; or beliefs which consider one group of deities (the Norse pantheon) greater or more real than another (the Egyptian pantheon). To put it lightly: this argument has very wide consequences for religious thinking. 

Dillon attempts to make all these arguments and disagreements over different gods, detities, etc. a thing of the past. Dillon puts this all to rest by – very basically – arguing that any particular god is a revelation of the ineffable subject of divine being (which cannot be a particular thing, cannot have definite properties, cannot be quantified at all). As such, any particular god contains/implies all other gods. When the implications of this position are taken to their conclusion, Dillon finds that “all things are divinely constituted by a plurality of polycentric henads.”19

Naturally, in order to understand the intricacies of what Dillon means, you’ll have to read the book to get all the nitty gritty details yourself. But for our purposes here, I’d like to point out a couple of the major ideas underlying Dillon’s argument. 1) Dillon’s starting premise, “To be divine is to transcend Nature,”20 means that the precise notion of “transcend” is going to be extremely important. 2) One of Dillon’s key strategies in formulating his argument is relying upon the analogy between (Indo-European) grammatical structure and how beings (any entity, object, mind) possess their properties. Beings have properties like subjects have predicates.

These two points will turn out to be critical in evaluating the soundness of the main argument. While Dillon has much to say on both, it’s the reliance upon these two ideas which leaves an opening for potential problems to creep in. I am not presenting a refutation of Dillon’s argument, but I wish to raise concerns so that readers can conduct their own examination. Uniting the two issues is my overarching concern that Dillon’s interpretations of theistic ideas (e.g. the transcendence of divine being) may be overly simplified, derived from commonly-held beliefs rather than deeper theological understanding. It’s completely reasonable to rely on common notions of course, but when they are so important to the overall argument, it’s worth being extra cautious in how they are borne out.

As for (1), Dillon relies on a notion of transcendence that is fairly common: to be beyond, above, or outside of Nature. Yet, this description does not fully coincide with the notion of transcendence found in many of the mystical traditions within Abrahamic religions (which were heavily influenced by neo-platonism), for instance. The transcendence of the divine may be a transcendence into the ever-rising moreness of Reality (including Nature’s part in it), rather than transcendence above or beyond.

Secondly, Dillon gives very short attention to the consideration of immanence, which is often taken as being just as important as transcendence to the divine mode of being. Dillon requires his notion of transcendence in order to later defend his position from accusations of pantheism – if the divine is completely beyond Nature, then pantheism cannot be true. It’s unclear why he is resistant to the pantheist position, as the whole argument seems to be leading there (apart from the problematic premise I’ve indicated); but if Dillon’s interpretation of “transcendence” is put into question, it would be much more difficult to avoid the pantheist conclusion.

For (2), this grammatical analogy has been a long-standing philosophical position, especially in western analytic traditions, it is not above question. Some Asian philosophical and religious traditions would not necessarily assent to this analogy; nor do all languages function in the way described in the analogy. Process theories of Reality (e.g. those of Whitehead or Buddhist traditions), or those which hold relationships as prior to the relata (particulars, objects, henads), would likely also reject this idea.

But using this analogy will force oneself into a position where “divine being” (which should not be considered some kind of being, among other beings, as Dillon also agrees) must be considered a “thing” of sorts: an entity which plays an analogous role as the subject of a sentence, but conflicts with the ineffability of the divine. Dillon argues for the polycentricity of divine being to avoid this problem (even gesturing toward Process theories, or the divine as a mode of being), but I would suggest that the analogy may ultimately trap the argument into trying to use language to express what language cannot capture.

All that said, Pagan Portals – Polytheism: A Platonic Approach is a courageous and intricate work of philosophy seeking to bridge the differences between theistic systems regarding divine being. The book is extremely well organized, clearly leading the reader through the main argument and its implications to reach the final conclusion. Each of the early chapters is dedicated to explaining and supporting just one of the main premises, so it’s easy to keep track of where we are within the argument, as well as how we got there.

Although I have drawn upon my background as a philosopher to take issue with a few of Dillon’s points, it would require a much more thorough analysis to provide any substantive objection to his position. Despite being a challenging read, I heartily recommend Dillon’s book to anyone with philosophical-theological inclinations, and I eagerly await further developments in this line of inquiry from Dillon and those responding to his great work.

Gemstone and Crystal Magic, by Gerina Dunwich

Gemstone and Crystal Magic: A Modern Witch’s Guide to Using Stones for Spells, Amulets, Rituals, and Divination, by Gerina Dunwich
Weiser Books, 1637480075, 256 pages, August 2022

After reading a book on lithomancy recently, I thought it would do me good to brush up on my knowledge of gemstones and crystals. It seemed opportune that I had Gemstone and Crystal Magic: A Modern Witch’s Guide to Using Stones for Spells, Amulets, Rituals, and Divination by Gerina Dunwich sitting on my shelf just when I needed it! Delving into this book has give me tons of insight into the magical properties of gem and crystals, much more than I initially anticipated, to help me discover all the ways I can use the potency of them in my practice. Combining history with personal experience, Dunwich has brought to light all various forms of magical workings one can use gemstones and crystals for, presenting a full-picture of their potential.

What stood out to me the most at first was how this book went well beyond the far too common “New Age” descriptions of  crystals and gemstones. Once I started to learn more about Dunwich’s background, the way crystals and gemstones are approached made a lot of sense – she is an astrologer and occult historian! And to me this really makes this book on the topic standout from the rest because there’s so much information woven in from ancient texts and grimoires that situate the discussion in a more historical context, amplifying the timehold traditions and beliefs about different crystals and gemstones.

Dunwich is also a dedicated paranormal researcher, who is clearly very comfortable with the idea of spirits, demons, and curses, which are some topics not shied away from in the book. For instance, she goes into detail about the tragedies surrounding the allegedly cursed Hope Diamond and the paranormal phenomena of lithoboly. This valuable information contained in Gemstone and Crystal Magic that is often overlooked in other books that only superficially cover the topic. For experienced magical practitioners, this book can take your crystal and gemstone to the next level by teaching how to reverse curses, neutralize harmful energy, and use protection magic in combination with healing, spellwork, and manifestation.

Throughout the book many sources are referenced, which gives the reader plenty of avenues to explore if they are inspired. While Dunwich’s personal experience has certainly provided her with knowledge to write this book, the objectiveness in her writing is what really stands out. This isn’t a “how-to” based on Dunwich’s personal practice, but rather a compendium of knowledge she’s collected through research and study. This is a book that is filled with lore, history, anecdotes of magical practitioners, and well-sourced information about the use of crystals and gemstones.

My favorite chapter was “Stones of Zodiac” which had very interesting tables of correspondences that certainly would be useful in magical workings. There was a table of the gemstones associated with the guardian angels associated with each sign, the twelve apostles, animals of the Chinese zodiac, hour of birth, and monthly birthstones according to different traditions (Modern, Traditional, Mystical, Ayurvedic, Hebrew, Arabic, and Roman). Even if you’re not very familiar with astrology, this section could help to connect to your planetary energies through the gemstones.

I was also especially impressed by the six appendices at the end of the book, which includes tables of pagan gods and goddesses and their gemstones, gemstones for the eight sabbats, and gemstones for the parts of the Tree of Life, along with a calendar of daily stones for the entire year and different gemstone correspondences. It is arranged for the reader to easily be able to identify which gemstone they might want to work with depending on the day, time of year, or the deity they are inviting into their practice.

Aside from the resourceful tables of Gemstone and Crystal Magic, Dunwich also features guidance for making one’s own wand or talismans, tons of spells for all sorts of things from dream work to invisibility to love and money, picking a gemstone as an amulet, creating lunar tonic and other elixirs, and cleansing your stones. And this is only a small sampling of everything featured in this book!

One thing I will point out though is this book seems geared towards those with an existing foundation of magical experience. Yet while it’s not “hand-holding”,  I wouldn’t shy away from reading it either if you’re a beginner interested in learning how to deepen your magical working through the use of gemstones. Just keep in mind it focuses on the actual magical aspects of gemstones rather than how they can be used for energy enhancement or visual appeal in one’s craft, which is to say it goes deep into the heart of magic, bypassing the more superficial aspects working with gemstones many books focus on now-a-days.

Overall, Gemstone and Crystal Magic is a wonderful go-to reference book for those who are looking to incorporate gemstones into their magical practice. There are so many reasons to connect with gemstones and a variety of ways to do so, all based on what your magical work is calling for at the moment. This book is brimming with magical potency! You can feel the history and folklore is well-bound within these pages wanting to be passed forward and kept alive, which Dunwich has certainly done through her thorough compilation of gemstone knowledge!

Pagan Portals – The Art of Lithomacy, by Jessica Howard

Pagan Portals – The Art of Lithomancy: Divination with Stones, Crystals, and Charms, by Jessica Howard
Moon Books, 9781789049145, 104 pages, May 2022

A few years back, I had my first lithomancy reading without even realizing it. I sat down with a  woman at a psychic fair reading small pebbles and stones, who then accurately shared insights about my past, present, and future. Even since then I’ve wanted to learn more about this art form, but there was scarce information I could find about it. Therefore, I was absolutely thrilled to discover Pagan Portals – The Art of Lithomancy: Divination with Stones, Crystals, and Charms by Jessica Howard, which has completely sparked my interest in developing my own lithomancy practice.

Howard is an eclectic witch, blending Water, Kitchen, Celtic, and Green Witchcraft into her practice, adding to the well-rounded approach to this topic. She explains to readers how lithomancy is the art of divination done by reading stones, crystals, charms, or even seashells. A caster, who is doing the divination, tosses the stones and then interprets the reading based on where everything falls, noticing patterns, geometric designs, and even the texture of the stones.

“So, what exactly can lithomancy tell us? Like many forms of divination, lithomancy can help us understand our past and our present. It can help us divine the future, uncover ancient knowledge and wisdom, connect with our higher selves, and unlock the secrets of our subconscious.”1

Step-by-step Howard lays out all the reader needs to know to begin their practice, prepare for a reading, and then perform the reading. There are so many little details she covers, such as how to choose your stones, followed by how to cleanse them and later ascribe meaning to each stone. I learned all about how the casting can be done with either a personal stone, imbued with your own energy, or simply by observing the stones that fall closest to the querent.

What I like about Howard’s approach is that she provides the foundation to begin a practice but emphasizes how individualized one’s lithomancy practice will be. She leaves a lot of room for the budding lithomancer to develop their own style, interpretations, and intuitive guidance along the way with just the right amount of support to make one feel confident this is a divination style they can learn to use successfully.

For instance, one of the lithomacy sets described is an “Astrological Correspondence Set” based on the planets. Howard goes through all the planets and provides readers with their keywords and meaning to help discern which stone might be best to use to represent them in a set. She also covers the additional stones included in this set, which are stones for place, love, luck, magic, life, and commitment. As an astrologer, I was fascinated by this set and felt it was one that could bridge my knowledge of astrology with lithomancy. Howard even describes how the diviner could divide the casting circle into houses for further insight – pure genius!

Another section that I found very insightful was the chapter about performing a reading. Howard covers how to cast the stones, the use of casting boundaries (or not, depending on the reading style), and reading with segments, where you divide your casting space into defined areas, such as months, seasons, or past-present-future for more insight. I loved being invited to think about all these little nuances and have options to explore as I develop my practice.

Most helpful to me as a beginner was all the information about interpreting one’s reading. Howard shares a bunch of things to take note of when determining the reading’s message, such as the distance between stones, where they fall in relation to the reader/personal stone, the meaning of various patterns and shapes (ie. square vs. circle vs. straight line), and the stone’s physical characteristics (if a jagged or smooth part of the stone is facing upward, if a pointy edge of the stone is facing a certain direction, etc). Her thoughtful details make the reader feel a lithomancy practice is quite accessible, and this section serves as a great reference when casting one’s stones for the first time.

One of the final chapters, which Howard claims she just had to include due to the good results she’s had with this type of reading, is called “The Chakra Stone Set for Healing”. Just how Howard greatly expanded my perception of what was possible with lithomacy in regard to astrology, she did once more in this section where she teaches how lithomacy can be used in combination with energy work as well. This stone set is really unique in that it has one stone for each chakra, plus one for each element, and a personal stone. She teaches how to read the stones to determine where one should direct their energy or where there is an energy blockage. The mixture of the chakras with the elements yields really interesting insights about how to realign or direct one’s energy, making this a reading that can be done daily for energy attunement.

Overall, Pagan Portals – The Art of Lithomancy is the perfect start to developing one’s own practice. Howard provides the foundation needed to get started while also empowering the reader to trust their intuition to discover for themselves the stone’s messages. After reading this book, I am feeling very inspired and eager to begin creating my own stone sets. There are so many neat directions this form of divination can take that regardless of your magical style you’re bound to find a way that lithomancy can be used to enhance your current practice.