Musing Mystical

✨ A Gathering Place for Magical Readers and Writers ✨

Psychic Reading Cards, by Debbie Malone

Psychic Reading Cards: Awaken your Psychic Abilities, by Debbie Malone and illustrated by Amalia I. Chitulescu 
Rockpool Publishing, 925924763, 36 cards, 96 pages, February 2021

I’ll admit that the Psychic Reading Cards by Debbie Malone deck piqued my interest immediately because of the vivid imagery of a phoenix on the deck box done by illustrator Amalia I. Chitulescu. You know what they say about judging a book by its cover, but great cover art will get my attention every time.

Malone, is a celebrated psychic medium and clairvoyant from Australia who has assisted police departments across her country in missing-persons and murder investigations for well over a decade. She has written other books that mainly center around this work, including Clues from Beyond: True Crime Stories from Australia’s #1 Psychic Detective and Never Alone: A Medium’s Journey – Real Life Files from a Psychic Detective.  The author has also created two other card decks, Angel Reading Cards and Guardian Angel Reading Cards, also both illustrated by Chitulescu.

The cards in this deck sport vibrant illustrations and mostly single word titles, such as Coins, Nature, Abundance, Celebration, Mirror, and Doorways. I’m always curious what my first draw will be from a new deck. This one was an accurate acknowledgment of my present reality with a card titled Juggler – illustrated with a woman sitting cross legged and juggling several different items including a clock, a house, a book, a dollar bill, and some baby shoes.

I was indeed juggling quite a few different obligations the day I drew the card, and I chuckled at the deck’s sense of humor. Interestingly, the following day I did a group reading for over a dozen people and not a single card repeated itself, until I drew one for myself… yep, still juggling I was.

The single word (or in a few cases, multi-word) titles evoke a strong meaning on their own, which coupled with the illustration for each card seem to speak volumes. In the single card readings I did most of the querents felt like they knew exactly what the card was saying without any explanation from me or from the accompanying book.

The guidebook, though, is a beautiful addition, full of wise uplifting words and gorgeously illustrated on every glossy page with full color renditions of the cards and beautiful graphic design throughout. 

All in all, I did over a dozen single-card readings, as well as half a dozen multiple-card readings using the spreads provided in the accompanying guidebook. There were many things in common among the responses from querents – but the two that were unanimous were an excitement about the images and the sense that the deck spoke very clearly to their current situations.

Several people commented they had unspoken questions answered and had received much clarity, such as this actual comment sent to me by a querent in response to her reading (quoted here with her permission):

“I loved the imagery of the cards. They felt so comforting and it was easy to gather the messages from the images. The words that accompanied the images were spot on. What I love is the realness and earthiness of the card descriptions. Sometimes I feel confused by card descriptions but these were really simple to read through and follow. They were relatable and straight to the point. The questions the creator asked in the cards were perfect as well.

In terms of the reading itself it is most definitely resonating. I started to put into works a trip to visit a friend soon. I’d been thinking about it but this spread helped me take some action on it and confirmed for me that was a good step to take. The doors opening and phoenix were so timely as well. I felt there was such a nice flow with the messages of these cards.”

The above comments are indicative of the responses I received from all the querents I read for using this deck. The card meanings in this deck and guidebook all lean towards the extreme positive, which could be partly the reason that all of the comments I received about readings were very positive and optimistic! And even though the card meanings are positive, the author doesn’t hesitate to ask powerful questions that will possibly evoke strong emotion from honest answers.

Each card description begins with an italicized sentence that gives the overall idea for the card. For example, the card titled Phoenix, which is pictured on the deck/book packaging, encapsulates its message in the sentence “It is your time to rise and begin again.”1

The card descriptions go on to not only give advice, but to also ask very good questions that would make for powerful inquiry and journaling prompts. The Phoenix asks:

“Have you been feeling stuck and blocked with your spiritual journey? Have you found it difficult to let go of issues from the past? Do you feel that everything in your life seems to be going wrong? Do you question when will it be your time to shine? Do you feel that you don’t have the power and ability to achieve your goals?”2

As for specifics, the cards are very large – 4 ½ x 5 inches. They are not so easily shuffled if you have small hands, but the trade-off is having those large, gorgeous images. The cards are made of quality glossy cardstock that is thin enough to shuffle easily and thick enough to feel durable. The book is just shy of 5×7 inches and both items come in a beautiful and sturdy box that closes with a magnetic clasp. The lovely, sturdy case is definitely a plus in my book.

I would recommend Psychic Reading Cards for anyone looking for very positive oracle cards, beautiful surrealist collage art, and great journaling prompts for doing deeper work and encouraging intuitive messages.

Personal Magic, by Marion Weinstein

Personal Magic: A Modern-Day Book of Shadows for Positive Witches, by Marion Weinstein
Weiser Books, 978-1578637195, 240 pages, 2021

Personal Magic: A Modern-Day Book of Shadows for Positive Witches is the personal grimoire, or “Book of Shadows,” of Marion Weinstein (1939-2009). Weinstein was one of the founders of the modern witchcraft movement, an author, teacher, and media personality. She was the first to coin the phrase “positive magic” and has authored a book by the same name, as well as a number of books in the self-help genre, including books about miracles, magic, and divination methods such as tarot, and the I-Ching. This current edition was originally published under the title Earth Magic in 2003, and then updated and published again under that title in 2008. 

Weinstein’s books are considered classics, and several have been republished under different titles, which makes book buying confusing at times if one hasn’t researched whether or not this is previous material being marketed under a new title.

I had a love/hate relationship with this book (well, okay maybe not so extreme, perhaps a like/dislike relationship) at first because so much of it seemed dated to me. In fact, the datedness was why I began looking into whether this was new material, especially once I looked up the author’s bio and saw that she had died in 2009. Witchcraft and magic seem to be having a renaissance in the last few years and perhaps this re-release is an attempt to capitalize on this current trend.

There were several times when the old-fashioned manner of her words carried a loveable quirkiness that I found quite endearing – such as a short section near the very beginning of the book titled “The Inner Bell,” which the author explains is “one’s inner sense of truth and deep knowing which we all possess.’3

Something that also stood out to me immediately is that Weinstein’s “witch” definitely has a narrow, more classic definition that aligns with Goddess worship or paganism (this volume was originally titled Earth Magic), while currently the word “witch” has assumed a very wide meaning that often includes all manner of witches, magicians, and new age practitioners.

Weinstein wrote her first book of shadows in 1979 and intended it to be seen by a much smaller audience. It was her own personal grimoire and she only wanted it to be seen by other witches. But she was a media personality hosting a radio show, Marion’s Cauldron, for fourteen years, and as her audience and notoriety grew, she began to publish her works to a wider readership.

As the title states, the author is very pointed and deliberate about her magic being positive. She stresses this again and again. 

Being the author’s personal grimoire, the examples in the book use her own personal deities – Diana, Selene, Hecate, Kernunnos, and Pan, in all the blessings, spells, dedications, consecrations, and alignments. However, she does include a list of dozens of other popular deities should the reader want to explore other options.

The book is divided into three parts (Primary Work, Advanced Work, and Afterward), which makes it practical for any level of practitioner, from the complete novice to the adept. The novice will find a veritable “how-to” guide to a well-structured practice and the adept will find a multitude of basic ideas that serve as powerful reminders along with numerous creative ideas that may serve to invigorate a stagnant or lackluster practice. The author is also careful to remind the reader that one’s practice is personal, and that each person is permitted to choose elements of their practice that are appealing to them. 

Part One of the book, Primary Work, focuses on “the basics” including deities, tools, how to form a coven (as well as how to work without one), holidays, working with the moon phases, and even how to contact the departed. Also included in Part One is a very comprehensive chapter on Protection Magic that I found to be one of my favorite parts of the book. Part One closes with a short chapter titled “Ritual,” that includes a few important rituals such as the blessing of a new baby, handfasting, and calling in the four directions. 

As a precept, all magic concerns both “inner” work and “outer” work (As above, so below, as within, so without.) Part One is mostly focused on the outer work, with reminders and teachings on how this primary work connects to our inner world, beliefs and energy.

Part Two, Advanced Work, focuses more on the inner work such as how to work with different aspects of our selves, and how to use visualization. The last chapter in Part Two, Advanced Manifestation, was another part I found exciting as it was explicit about the idea that our Magic is found within, that we are the magic. “Yes, it’s true that magic can actually transform matter and energy from one state to another, or make things seem to appear and disappear. But far more important is the fact that magic transforms the magician.”4 

Part Three, Afterward, is the part I found most fun to read, as it covers some ideas that are exciting to me personally as a magician, such as morphogenetic fields, our true selves and the roles we play, ethics, and serving the community.

The information in Personal Magic is extremely practical and written in a concerned and caring voice from someone with decades of experience. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in positive magic or witchcraft, with the caveat that it is not new material.   

Interview with Intuitive Author Natalia Clarke

“Natalia Clarke is a transpersonal psychotherapist, writer, poet, nature lover and intuitive practitioner. Her interests lie in human psyche, transformation, nature spirituality, spiritual self-awareness, earth-based spiritual practice, Scotland and UK travel. She is a fiction and non-fiction writer and a poet with a passion for nature, Scotland, emotions and magic. She writes about intuitive living, magical practice, nature spirituality and soul relationship with the land.”5

After reading Natalia’s most recently book, Intuitive Magic Practice, I experienced an huge shift that reconnected me to my intuition. Her gentle guidance and experience-based wisdom brought me right back into center, and since then I’ve been prioritizing maintaining receptivity to my inner voice. As much of the book is written from her perspective as both a psychotherapist and experienced intuitive practitioner, I wanted to find out a bit more of Natalia’s thoughts and insights. I had a few questions on mind about Natalia’s practice and advice, and I was absolutely delighted when she agreed to do an interview for Musing Mystical.

What are some of your earlier memories of feeling connected to your spiritual self?

Ever since I was very young, I felt like I was a part of nature. Whenever I was in the forest, I became a tree; when I was swimming, I was a part of it. When I laid on the ground or walked barefoot, I felt at home. It is that feeling of belonging to the wild and natural that felt like nothing else; expansive and joyous, which we now might call a spiritual experience. 

One of my earliest memories is running through summer rain with my mother, barefoot and soaked through. I still remember the feeling of warm rain on my body and that felt very otherworldly to me and completely natural. Other instances I recollect are fishing on a river in remote places in early hours of the morning with my father. The silence felt incredible with spirit all around. 

How does your intuition speak to you?

Often my experiencing intuition at play would be either auditory, visionary or a feeling/sensation in my energy feel or in the body. Auditory can be a sound, a birdsong, a whoosh of wind. Sounds would be followed by an image or a color, for example. With all of that there will be a feeling that speaks through me and I feel it physically. It is not necessarily an emotion, but a sense, a nudge and then a narrative would unfold through words or a poem would be put together (I write poetry intuitively). It depends what intuition is there to serve. This is how it is with magic or a message coming through that relates either to myself or someone else, or a project of some sort. In life I do check-ins with myself on how things feel whenever I need guidance or help deciding or starting something. 

Do you have a practice for when you start feeling disconnected from your intuition?

Intuition is not something one connects to once you learn to live and function that way naturally through practice. Intuition will always be there whether we are aware of it or not. Sometimes we are aware but ignore it and other times we might not be aware, because we are not used to operating via our emotional/psychic system and use our habitual ‘mind’ modes of living.

What I have learnt is that intuition is always there, it has always been there, and it can be used as a skill, a tool to navigate your world, including practicing magic.  Once allowed it speaks to you rather than you speak to it, if it makes sense, so I cannot say one disconnects from it rather there are periods of silence, rest when you don’t experience a message, a sign, a voice. In those periods I don’t do anything. I wait when it comes. I speak about doing things when I am called in my book. I am what I call a Witch-in-waiting, waiting to serve once I am spoken to, directed, but this is another topic on how traditional witchcraft might work.

What role do you feel creativity has in intuitive magic?

Creativity is a big part of magic generally, but particularly in intuitive form of practice. It is that playful part of you, an artist in you that gets engaged and the whole thing comes alive be it a spell, a ritual, an offering. Creativity can be introduced with incorporating drawings, words (poems, devotionals, incantations, and spells) or making something – an altar set-up or a spell preparation and choosing your objects. Creativity brings intuitive magic to life and makes it colorful and meaningful and individual to you. 

How do you prioritize self-care in your life?

The answer is intuitively. Either my intuition, my body, my emotional or a mental state would always tell me when I need to slow down and by this point in my life it can come with very specific instructions on what I need to do and how to take care of myself in that moment. I never not listen, and I just follow the message.

It can be via my physical body manifesting some symptoms and slowing me down (this one is often when things get bad, which is not often these days). It can be a dream with a clear message or a voice saying, ‘not today’ (auditory). Restlessness often tells me I need to stop too. Generally having your self-awareness switched on (mindfulness is another way of describing it) at all times, which comes naturally over time with practice, will be helpful. 

How does nature support you in your spiritual practice?

Nature is everything to me. Everything in nature makes sense. I make sense, my life does, my relationships do, and it provides deep meaning for me. I was born to witness nature, that’s my reason for being here, I often think. This might be a cliché, but I can not survive without it and often experience feelings of profound grief when I either have to leave wilderness or when I don’t have any nature around me. I become numb, disconnected, and bereft. I am sensitive to the sounds of trees being cut and would spend days in a state of anxiety. 

What advice do you have for those hoping to reconnect to their intuition?

My advice would be to give it a try. Trust that you know the answers you seek, and you have always known. You cannot fail and can only learn and grow. Treat it with curiosity. It wants you to hear yourself and give yourself a chance. Intuition is of you and about you. It is centered in the heart of things and waiting to help. 

How do you feel psychology and magic can support one another?

The main thing is awareness. As it is with psychology of making unconscious conscious it is with magic when we are aware of intuition and let it speak, it helps us know ourselves better, what we do and why, it helps us see the patterns of our defenses and behavior. It is being present with intention. Why do we do what we do? Both psychology and magic provide deep understanding and acceptance of ourselves (strengths and limitations, all of it) and every witch must know her own depth and weaknesses and, therefore, embracing the whole. Psychological work is about ‘making whole’, coming back home to yourself once you learn things and choose not to judge and instead become curious and accepting of all that you are. 

Has your intuition ever guided you to do something that was totally different than what your mind was saying?

This is very often the case due to our conditioning; I believe. It is also the reason why people dismiss intuition so quickly, as the mind can be a powerful master. Our thought patterns can be so ingrained in our psyche that it feels impossible and even fooling to even consider operating in any other way. The mind will always seek to take over, because that is what we are used to, trained into doing.

However, mind is only as powerful as we give it credit and it is in many ways automatic. It doesn’t have the ability to discern like heart/intuition can. The mind only does what it knows to do repeatedly and that is where training yourself into feeling and sensing comes in rather than continuing to use thinking/mind alone. This is a big topic with a lot of psychology behind it and an interesting area to explore for all of us to understand mind vs heart, thinking vs feeling, logical vs spontaneous and creative.

What I did over time when studying and practicing was pay attention, not automatically dismissing ‘other ways’ and potentially changing the course of acting based on something different. It can be useful to learn to use both, they both have value, but when one is in power and control all the time and the other is silenced, it is difficult. A lot of work needs to be done to understand how the mind works and allow the intuitive side to participate too before they can be brought together to serve the same purpose – helping us live a fulfilling life. 

Why do you think creating a spiritual practice based upon intuition, as opposed to set rules or ritual, is so refreshing to one’s spirit? 

It is honoring what you already know, what your soul always knew, and spirit always supported. It is different and refreshing because it promotes giving yourself a chance to play a part and if rituals and rules can support and include it then it is even better. It is inclusive, as I know sometimes, we might feel we must follow, we should do this and that because it is the rule and someone else said this and that. We might not want to be seen differently or daring or ‘out of the circle’, so to speak, which links in with how we learn to behave psychologically as children, for example. It takes practice and experience and enjoying the journey of exploring both – the traditional and unique and making the whole thing your own. 

What is your favorite thing about writing a book?

I love the intuitive element to writing. Sometimes you think you go one way and then it takes you in another. Ideas flash and exploration begins. Characters or concepts take on a life of their own and, as a writer, you follow. I like how alive and immersive the process is. It is an interesting way of expressing yourself and sharing experiences. When I write I have no concept of time and space, nothing else exists and I love that. When writing this book, I felt joy being able to share my ways of practicing and show the element of exploration, curiosity, and play that can go into it.  

What is the most challenging part of being an author?

Writing is hard work and a balancing act of so many things. The challenge is to convey the message you intended and be sure and satisfied that you expressed and said all that was relevant and important and hope the audience would find it inspiring, helpful, and interesting. Writing is challenging, but also a rewarding creative and often spiritual experience like no other. 

Can you tell us a bit more about your next book, Baba Yaga, coming in December 2021?

This book was written completely intuitively, which makes it one of those glorious projects for me as a writer. I wrote it via listening to the deity. She spoke through me, which was challenging, as she speaks in codes and symbols and a different language all together. I enjoyed the challenge of translating the message and putting it across in a way she would approve of. In many ways I had no choice in this, as I was asked to do it by her and hope it comes across as material that you would not find in fairy tales or traditional sources. This book is about what Baba Yaga wanted to say herself rather than what has been told about her since the beginning of time. It is a devotional and personal understanding of the deity in a book that suggests a way of working with her.

A channeled Baba Yaga book? Wowza! This sounds amazing. I look forward to reading this one as well! If you would like to stay in touch with Natalia, you can follow her blog: https://rawnaturespirit.com/. Intuitive Magic Practice will be released on May 1, 2021; you can purchase a copy here.

Meditations for the Soul, by Neale Lundgren

Meditations for the Soul: Pathways and Practices to Strengthen Your Soul for the Journey Ahead, by Neale Lundgren, PhD
Llewellyn Publications, 90738764306, 236 pages, December 2020

Meditations for the Soul: Pathways and Practices to Strengthen Your Soul for the Journey Ahead by Neale Lundgren, PhD is a beautiful little book that fits comfortably in your hands. The cover artwork is inviting and a soothing image of water colored birds on tree branches. Before you open the book, the heart, mind, and soul are engaged in its simplicity and inviting visual presentation. 

Everyone is a seeker. Everyone longs for a soulful purpose that sets the heart ablaze… We are seeking to make sense of life. But, we will find it difficult to make sense of life until we have made sense of the soul…6

These words are shared on the first page of the introduction and set a very clear path that Meditations for the Soul will offer more than your standard collection of thoughts and affirmations that make the reader “feel good” without addressing the beauty of cultivating a practice of deepening the connection to the gifts of the soul. The reader is guided towards a space of being both a student and a teacher of the soul’s lessons as a (or many) lifetime’s pursuit. The inclusion of a robust Recommended Reading list and a Glossary at the end of the book also support a tone of learning, exploring, and engaging in an active way. 

Meditations for the Soul is separated into thirty chapters that are further organized into three parts. Each chapter provides a bite-sized offering that includes an introduction to the purpose of its work and concludes with a “Soul Journey.” This begins as a brief guided meditation and flows into an “Awakening Exercise.” 

The content, although brief in words, speaks directly to the soul of the “seeker” as a tome of great wisdom. I appreciate the designation of “seeker” Lundgren uses throughout. It engages the reader in a deeper way and implies that awakening to our purpose at the level of the soul requires a commitment that extends well beyond doing a specific set of exercises or contemplative work. To be a “seeker” is to always be actively inquiring and doing in a way that is infinite in its possibilities.  

It is evident in the offerings throughout Meditations for the Soul that Lundgren brings a perspective of both analytical academia and practical experience. This is supported in his sharing of his personal journey to the soul from successful musician to time spent at a monastery as the result of a back packing trip through Europe and the eventual attainment of a degree as a psychotherapist. Lundgren addresses the needs of the soul for reflective and inward journey as well as the practical outward actions and exercises required to bridge the spiritual and the material expressions of the soul’s work. 

The purpose of this book is threefold; to provide you with ways to connect your body and mind to the senses of your soul; to give you strengthening practices and pathways for your soul’s journey through the material world; and to impart to you teachings based on ancient wisdom that will help you bring more soulfulness to your relationships with others…7

Each of the three parts of the book carefully aligns with one of the principles of Lundgren’s threefold purpose and builds one upon the other. “Part One: Awakening to Soul in the Material World” provides the reader with an introduction to the work of revealing and collaborating in awareness with the soul and its purpose in the realm of material and physical existence.  “Chapter 2: The Seeker Awakens” will definitely appeal to those drawn to the psychoanalytical process. 

The seeker’s journey proceeds in gradual awakenings, along with many stages and trials. These are questions you can ask yourself to help you figure out where you might be… Let these serve as useful indicators of the adventure of soul that lies ahead…8

The questionnaire that followed served both as an eye-opener and a space of claiming the journey as your own unique experience. Anything that allows you to know more about yourself will be an opportunity of growth wherever it is applied. I found this to be an insightful tool of first steps.

“Part Two: Strengthening Soul in the Material World” takes the reader through an exploration of the yogas Lundgren has identified as unifiers of soul and matter within the seeker. This “strengthening” is engaged through the overlay of each of the specific energies of a form of yoga. This approach also allows the reader to open to the awareness that what we as Westerners typically refer to as yoga is much more than the physical expression; but rather, a whole and unified way of being. I was particularly drawn to “Chapter 11: At the Threshold of the Paths,” the first chapter of this section.

Throughout the centuries, masters of the inward journey have provided a rich variety of practices called “yogas” for the purpose of strengthening the soul for its journey through the material world… The word itself comes from the Sanskrit juj meaning to “yoke” or to “unify”…9

This unification is expressed as the energies of the yogas of mind, heart, energy, action, integration, and more. I found this to be a powerful way of reinforcing the concept of all aspects of our being and soul are in alignment with one another, informing each in a connected and unified way.

Having built on the practices of personal revelation of and active participation in the soul’s journey, “Part Three: Bringing Soul to the Material World” engages the reader at a soul level as part of a collective of souls, each finding their own way. The encouragement here is one of continued personal work, now with the understanding that we all become the light for one another, an example and an inspiration of life as a fully integrated corporeal being of soul.

Many of the writings in this concluding section of chapters involve the pitfalls and the joys of realizing your soul’s nature. Chapter topics include stress, relationships, companionship, the language of the soul, and more. This section explores the practical nature of soul work reinforces the knowingness that soul and matter are not separate from one another. They are indeed collaborators and reflections of the other.

Meditations for the Soul is user friendly, but is not an easy read if you take the contemplatives and practices to heart and allow yourself to be open to the journey, from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed the first read through, but I will most definitely be starting at the beginning and allowing myself the space and time to fully digest the material and work with the recommendations and wisdom held between its covers. The statement below eloquently summarizes the intention of this book. They are words that should be accessed and contemplated routinely as each new journey unfolds. 

Wander, seek and find new treasures within your soul and within the souls of others. Aspire to expand your heart until it encompasses the universe. Through the refined soul senses of empathy, compassion and forgiveness, impart this healing balm to others in the world, beginning with yourself…10

The Goddess Book, by Nancy Blair

The Goddess Book: A celebration of witches, queens, healers, and crones, by Nancy Blair and illustrated by Thalia Took
Hampton Roads Publishing, 1642970203, 234 pages, April 2021

It’s not every day that I have the opportunity to invite 52 friends into my home, but that’s what happened when Nancy Blair’s book, The Goddess Book arrived at my doorstep. As I happily opened the door to retrieve the book, so too did I gladly open myself up to welcoming these goddesses into my life to share their wisdom with me. As Nancy writes in the Preface, “our Goddess heritage and her story, the greatest story never told, brought me home.”11 She continues:

“Goddess spirituality brought me home: to my Self, to the innate wisdom of my body, to our living Earth body, and the body of women’s wisdom long repressed. The return of the Goddess is a rising tide that cannot be held back.”12

I was attracted to the book as I wanted to participate in the celebration of witches, queens, healers, and crones — pretty great company if you ask me. I liked that Nancy worked with the Goddesses in a seasonal way, 13 Goddesses for each season. I read the book in its entirety, but then I focused on the Goddesses of Spring as that is the current season where I live.

I’ll keep this book out the entire year, and I plan on working with one Goddess a week based on the season to allow for a deeper relationship with each. I am really enjoying being introduced to Goddesses with whom I wasn’t aware of such as Vila (Spring), Oshun (Summer), Ungnyeo (Fall), and Aida Wedo (Winter). I also welcomed reconnecting with some of my favorites such as Tara (Spring), Selena (Summer), Baba Yago (Fall), and Brigit (Winter). 

The book has a very brief introduction for each season before profiling the 13 Goddesses. There is a short description of the Goddess followed by an exercise to work with the Goddess and a related affirmation.

Thalia Took’s illustrations remind me of beautifully colored woodcuts that greatly enhance the writings. As the author is also an artist, I thought it a great testimony to Took’s talent that Nancy chose her to illustrate the book rather than doing so herself. I absolutely loved the illustrations, some favorites were the multi-breasted Diana of Ephesus, Inanna bejeweled in stars and the moon, and Willendorf, the first time I’ve seen her portrayed in a two-dimensional with a face rather than the tiny sculpture of which I’m most familiar. 

Nancy is an artist and published author (Amulets of the Goddess: Oracle of Ancient Wisdom) who imparts a Mother Earth-based familiarity with these Goddesses in an approachable way. With Demeter, for example, we meet the Goddess whose Roman name, Cere, is where the word cereal is derived. One is encouraged to “invite Demeter to feast with you as Autumn’s light grows thin.”13 The three-line accompanying affirmation focuses on healthy food and nourishment. The illustration of Demeter shows a woman with long blonde hair resembling corn, cloaked in green.

We meet Sophia in the Winter season. As Holy Wisdom, she will “lead you to your true destiny.”14 In the Affirmation we hold “inner wisdom as my road map.”15 She is illustrated as with the almond-shaped eyes reminiscent of a Byzantine image. The yoke of her cloak is covered in similarly almond-shaped stones that mirror her eyes. 

Danu, the Great Goddess, appears in Spring. We see her in profile, rooted leaves forming her hair. All in green, her upper body and face are covered in the spirals that are most identified with Celtic art as she is the “Great Mother Goddess, from whom all Irish gods descend.”16 The affirmation calls us to embrace our power.

Summer introduces us to Yemaya, Goddess of the Sea. A dark-skinned woman, she is cloaked in a patterned batik fabric. Shells adorn her upper arm, neck, and ears. She is a “mother spirit: matron spirit of women, especially pregnant women.”17 Call on Yemaya to “release you from old beliefs, thoughts, or feelings that seem to enslave you and keep you estranged from your sacred Self.”18

As I said, this book will be a reference for all the seasons to connect with the many different Goddesses who support us on our path. The Goddess Book packs a lot of information and offers empowering affirmations. I recommend using this as a guidebook, inviting these Goddesses to become your companions as you move through your life and the wheel of the year. Meditate on them, embrace them, and accept the guidance they are providing. Blair and Took have done a wonderful job of depicting the many facets of the great Goddess and bringing them all to life.

The Lotus and the Bud, by Christopher Kilham

The Lotus and the Bud: Cannabis, Consciousness, and Yoga Practice, by Christopher S. Kilham
Park Street Press, 192 pages, 1620559404, January 2021

The Lotus and the Bud: Cannabis, Consciousness, and Yoga Practice by Christopher S. Kilham is a wonderful guide to deepening one’s explorations into the expanded states of consciousness offered through yoga practice. Unlike most texts on the practice of yoga, however, this one provides knowledge, methods, and advice about how to awaken one’s kundalini energy by combining yogic discipline with the mindful use of cannabis.

Kilham draws upon his decades of yoga practice and the accumulated experiences of his travels around the world to present a comprehensive look at how ganja – his preferred term for this plant medicine – is a perfect companion for fostering growth in the connection between mind, body, and spirit.

I heartily recommend this book for anyone seeking to cultivate an intimate, free-flowing connection with the Universe: to experience the unity of all that is. Yet, while The Lotus and the Bud is incredibly digestible and easy to read, its content is not intended for someone simply looking to spice up their yoga practice. The techniques and wisdom that Kilham offers are geared toward a holistic shift in one’s life.

“In my fifty years of daily practice, I have come to regard yoga as a cosmic current of pure wisdom consciousness that runs through human history. . . Yoga does not choose us because we are special in any manner, but simply suitable for the task of carrying illumination forward.”19

What Kilham presents in The Lotus and the Bud is not merely for the sake of relieving pain, strengthening the body, or calming the mind. Although the practices found in the book can accomplish these ends to a superb degree, the true power of the techniques lies in realizing ultimate oneness with the Universe, and revealing that truth through our daily lives.

He emphatically urges the reader that stepping onto the yoga mat means bringing your whole self to the party: coming to your practice with sincerity, respect, and determination. This naturally entails that you should never infuse with ganja to the extent that you lose the focus and intent of your practice. Being thoroughly baked is good for a cake, not so much for a yogi.

In the first section of the book, and scattered throughout the rest of the text, is an account of Kilham’s own yogic journey, including the insights he learned along the way from teachers, gurus, and his experiences with psychoactive substances and plant medicines. One of the most interesting aspects of this introduction to Kilham’s story is how he navigated the (sometimes treacherous) waters of gurus when he was a young man, learning to discern true teachers from self-serving frauds.

Here, and throughout The Lotus and the Bud, the reader will find many amusing and intriguing quotes about cannabis and its use. These quotes come from people spanning all of history, as well as the present day: from music icons, to U. S. presidents, to Middle Eastern folklore and mythology. My favorite is from Stephen Gray:

“When someone first smokes cannabis, and the conditions are right, something remarkable and concerning happens. . . The user is suddenly thrust upon a world of wonder, relaxation, humor, passion, creativity, and perhaps even gnosis.”20

The book winds its way through the history, cultural milieu, and spiritual significance of yoga and cannabis, each with its own dedicated section. Kilham provides a succinct overview of the chakras and the general essence of yogic practice. His purpose is not to provide a full treatise on yoga and its practice, but he does well in establishing the groundwork so that even a yoga novitiate can understand the guiding principles. In a similar vein, Kilham presents a brief, multicultural account of cannabis, its use throughout history, and defends its validity as a medicinal herb.

What I enjoyed most about these informative sections is the frequent inclusion of mythology. In fact, the reader will learn that, in Hindu culture, yoga and cannabis have one and the same origin – the god Siva. Even in ancient times, these people recognized that yoga and ganja were a match made in heaven, both presented as gifts to humanity so that we might experience “absorption into limitless and unfathomable spirit.”21

As with any mythological viewpoint, one doesn’t need to share a literal belief about the origin of these gifts, but I think it creates a beautiful link between past and present, especially after cannabis was so fiercely attacked and regulated in more recent eras. Our recent (re)discovery of the beneficial nature of ganja, in particular, and its potent combination with yoga is rightly seen as a continuation of physical, mental, and spiritual explorations that have gone on throughout human history.

Kilham also is also very good at weaving in the current scientific investigations and discoveries with the historical narrative of ganja. The recent findings about the body’s endocannabinoid system reveal that it has the ability to affect almost every other system and organ. Kilham observes that infusing ganja into yoga practice allows one to better tune in to the flow of energy within the body. Since the endocannabinoid system assists in holistic regulation of the body, Kilham thinks its functions correspond to the activity of the energetic body: notably, the chakra energy centers.

The second half of the book contains more direct guidance from Kilham about the proper attitudes and helpful techniques that will make the most of your ganja-yoga experience. One piece of advice that I’d never heard before was to focus on feeling rather than visualizing during yoga. Although visualization can be helpful in expanding your awareness of the body’s energetic flow, Kilham’s experience suggests that feeling into what’s taking place in your corporeal form is a path of direct access to your energetic state. He also covers the gamut of methods for infusing with cannabis, and presents good reasons why some are better for this practice than others.

Finally, Kilham goes through a fair number of yoga asanas, meditation, and relaxation techniques that he recommends specifically for expanding your kundalini energy. For each of these, he provides clear and simple instructions as well as a list of mental and physical benefits.

In all, I found The Lotus and the Bud as a surprisingly comprehensive dive into the beautiful and beneficial relationship between ganja and yoga. Kilham brings a bounty of learning to the table, using both academic research and life experience to convey the wisdom found in the marriage between the lotus and the bud. Although it will take time and dedication to unlock the full splendor of Siva’s gifts, the journey sounds well-worth the effort.

Heal Your Ancestors to Heal Your Life, by Shelly Kaehr

Heal Your Ancestors to Heal Your Life: The Transformative Power of Genealogical Regression, by Shelly A. Kaehr, PhD
Llewellyn Publications, 0738764511, 191 pages, March 2021

How much power or influence do your ancestors have over your current life? Some people say that they got their talent for music from their great-grandfather, or their ability to cook from their maternal family of stellar cooks. We tend to easily attribute talents to our ancestors. But, can ancestors have a connection to a physical ailment that you have? How about a personality trait such as a tendency to worry?

In her book, Heal Your Ancestors to Heal Your Life: The Transformative Power of Genealogical Regression, Dr. Shelly Kaehr explores how working with your ancestors through past-life regression can help you heal your life. The book differs from others I’ve read on past-life regression because the focus of this book is not so much on one’s own past-life regression to one’s previous lives, but rather a past-life regression to experience what one’s ancestors experienced in their lives. “By sending healing light through the family tree, clients positively affected not only their own well-being but the lives and future happiness of everyone in their family.”1

Shelley has decades of experience as a past-life regressionist. A previously published author of Past Lives with Pets and Meet Your Karma: The Healing Power of Past Life Memories, she is well-poised to write on this topic. She developed her own method of past-life regression to connect with ancestors and to experience their “struggles and turmoil, triumphs and tragedies.”2 She writes on how we can take the knowledge gained from working with our ancestors to not only heal our current challenges, physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual but also help our ancestors heal while also helping future generations in our families to feel a light of “loving kindness.”22 Remarkably, she also details how those who were adopted can connect with their blood ancestors. 

The book is divided into three parts: Genealogical Regression Overview, Case Studies, and Guided Journeys, which contains exercises. The book concludes with a bibliography and a list of genealogical and DNA resources.

Genealogical Regression Overview is the shortest section of the book, but it formed the basis of the remainder of the book. Shelley writes about Carl Jung and the collective consciousness as well as “behaviors that seem to be transmitted through the collective consciousness and DNA…”23 For me, this section melded college psychology course work that I had long forgotten about with ancestors and past-life regression — a connection that I hadn’t made until now. As Shelley writes, “We have energetic ties to the past, where we’re consciously aware of them or not. Every single soul who has come before us and all who will continue on when we’ve crossed over are part of our cells.”24

Part 2, Case Studies, provides just that – various case studies on which Shelley has worked over the years. What was unique to these case studies, compared to those I’ve read in other books on past-life regression, is how the outcomes were related to ancestral trauma, events, and even illness. The case studies focus on physical healing, emotional, and spiritual healing, plus curses and vows. While, as Shelley notes, the “past-life regression cannot alleviate illness,” it can become “a tool to help the cognitive aspect of the client to come to terms with what’s happened and gain the strength and acceptance to accept what is and to go forward with healing intentions.”25

Two case studies especially resonated with me. The first was that of Dana who worried constantly. It was a relief to read that “some people are genetically predisposed to worry.”26 I come from a family of worriers on my mother’s maternal side. “The undercurrent of fear is a quite prevalent emotion to pass down through the generations.”27 Dana regressed to visit a great-great-great-grandfather who suffered a violent act. Through the regression she was able to bring a healing light over the man, releasing him from his pain. 

The second case study that touched me was Eugene and the Evil Eye. Shelley writes that she became involved with helping people remove curses accidentally. As a woman whose ancestral family hails from southern Italy, namely Benevento, where the witches were thought to gather, I grew up quite familiar with the curse of the Evil Eye. In my family this was nothing to be scoffed at, especially for the generations to which my grandparents and great-grandparents belonged. Through Shelley’s past-life regression, Eugene was able to help remove a family curse, which whether real or perceived was affecting Eugene. 

The final section, Guided Journeys, allows the reader to participate in exercises for their own healing and that of their family and ancestors. Shelley writes that it’s best to do past-life regressions with a professional if one is able. However, the exercises that she included in the book can be done on one’s own. She recommends recording one’s regression to listen to later. I tried a few and found it helpful to record the words of exercise in my own voice to guide myself in the process. I also recorded what I had to say during the session. While not wanting to reveal details, I found the exercises illuminating and well worth the time to invest in journeying. 

This section has three parts. There is one on working with your mother and your maternal lineage and one on working with your father and your paternal lineage. She provides ways for an adoptee to connect with one’s birth mother and birth father and also ways for one to connect with ancestors of one’s adopted mother and adopted father. The last part deals with cord cutting and soul retrieval, as well as visiting future generations of one’s part.

What I liked most about this section is that one does not enter into a past-life regression alone; one is always accompanied by an angel who provides healing light and guidance. As Shelley reminds the reader, during these exercises one encounters the higher selves of our parents and ancestors – the “most evolved aspects of their souls.”28 It removed the judgement to read:

“The higher self (of one’s parent) is calm and neutral, loves you unconditionally, and has come to your soul journey in your current life for very real and meaningful reasons that always contribute to your highest and best, even if their real-life actions don’t ways seem that way.”29

I found Heal Your Ancestors to Heal Your Life very, very interesting. It introduced me to the concept of connecting with one’s ancestors through past-life regression to assist in present-day healing. The case studies were detailed, and the exercises covered a wide range of topics. There’s something for everyone in this book who wants to dip a toe into ancestral past-life regression. I highly recommend this book to those who are just being introduced to the concept of past-life regression as well as those who are familiar with the concept.

When We Die, by Kenneth J. Doka, PhD

When We Die: Extraordinary Experiences at Life’s End, by Kenneth J. Doka PhD 
Llewellyn Publications, 0738762937, 216 pages, November 2020

I never really thought of when my father might die (his father had died young in his sixties), but one special night a couple of years ago while I was walking in the snow in the forest, I heard a train and went towards it. A thought crossed my mind: perhaps the number of box cars on the train will be the age of my father when he dies.

I counted – it was 80 – and then I thought, he can live longer if I grant him extra years, so I added 8, to get 88. A couple of weeks later he said to me, out of the blue, I will be happy if I can live to 88. As he is now 80, we will have to wait and see if our shared premonitions of his death at 88 will prove to be true.

Have you had a premonition about someone’s death or communications from the deceased? Have you ever felt an invisible presence, seen a ghost, or received a prophetic dream with a message from a deceased loved one? What do you make of these experiences? What would you make of it if others have had similar experiences?

Kenneth J. Doka, PhD, a professor, minister, and counselor, who has written and edited numerous books on death, dying, and bereavement, offers a rich collection of unusual stories surrounding death, dying, and the dead in his book When We Die: Extraordinary Experiences at Life’s End. He recounts a plethora of paranormal experiences he has gathered during his half a century in the field of thanatology, including several stories of his own life. Doka invites us repeatedly to consider what gifts such experiences could bring to us.

The book is comprised of chapters that group stories into various categories, such as Premonitions of Death, Near-Death Experiences, Messages and Mediums, and Ghosts and Apparitions. The book concludes with an essay “We All Live at the Edge of Forever When We Die,” which explores his worldview about our very deep needs relating to death. “Edge of forever” is an evocative phrase threaded throughout the tapestry of this book, and I’m not quite sure what to make of it yet. For now, it is a koan, inviting active meditation into uncharted territory.

Here are two stories of the book that stand out for me. One is when Doka feels the presence of a dear friend by an experience that he remembers as feeling like “every cell in my body was being individually hugged.”23 Another tells of when all five children felt the kiss of their deceased father on their foreheads after his death, as he used to kiss them when they were children.24 These felt particularly poignant because they are experiences of a palpable experience of love from someone who has died. It matched my personal experience that consciousness, love, and even palpable experience survive physical death. I did not know I was so hungry for this validation until I received it. 

More broadly, what could be the gifts of sharing such stories of unusual experiences surrounding death, the dying, and the dead? One gift, as I mentioned already, might be validation of one’s own experience by learning that they are shared by others; another gift could be to invite one to be more open having such experiences. Yet another gift might be that having personal experiences or even just sharing stories of death somehow fosters us to live more deeply, happily, meaningfully.

 “Encounters with death inevitably affect the way survivor’s experience life.”27

Doka notes as he discusses near-death experiences (NDEs). He continues that such effects are also seen in survivors of disasters, illness, or accidents — even without NDEs. Intimacy with our own mortality or others’ often makes us re-greet our lives with more joy, gratitude, and commitment. Who doesn’t want more of that? 

I was drawn to read this book because I wanted to learn more about the possible range experiences related to death. What I discovered was much more than I expected in one way  (there is such a range of experiences!) and less than what I expected in another way (each story is described briefly, as a vignette, not an extended plot).

Because this book is such a rich repository of so many kinds of anecdotes, it would be a good introduction to those who wanted a survey of the range of paranormal experiences that could lead to more reading and exploration of whatever is of deeper interest. By reading this book, I got to narrow and articulate my deeper interest. That is, when younger, I used to wonder, “Is there life after death?” Now I realize my curiosity is about what kind of life or consciousness is there after physical death.

In contemplating the true gifts of When We Die for me, it is that one’s personal experience is the truest guide to what is real about death and that having an open heart and mind is crucial in navigating the mysterious territory of death and of life.

Gateways to the Soul, by Serge Beddington-Behrens

Gateways to the Soul: Inner Work for the Outer World, by Serge Beddington-Behrens
Findhorn Press, 9781644110454, 302 pages, 2020

In his book Gateways to the Soul: Inner Work for the Outer World, Serge Beddington-Behrens shares ways that we can reconnect with our soul through various “gateways” that he has used in client sessions and workshops over his 40 years as a transpersonal psychotherapist. His goal for this book is an invitation; he asks the reader to bring a “new kind of ‘sacred space’ into the way you live your everyday life.”30 Beddington-Behrens gives us a framework for healing by inviting us to move through the book as a “training manual” and use the exercises and questions he includes to create new “gateways” into change and healing.

“In every chapter, therefore, I discuss how we can concretely bring the qualities of this mysterious ‘thing’ called Soul into all aspects of our daily lives and thus enable ourselves to start making them into a sacred practice.”31

Beddington-Behrens begins by sharing his background as part Russian royalty and part wealthy aristocrat. He was educated in what he calls “posh” schools and was growing up to be in an elite part of society. When he read a book by the Indian spiritual teacher Krishnamurti, he began to see the possibility of a different type of life in a different type of world.  He knew that he had to change his inner world to make the changes he wanted to see in his outer world. 

His first spiritual experience took place when he visited the Scottish spiritual community at Findhorn in his early twenties.  He points out that Findhorn was not the large community that it is today, but rather a bunch of “caravans” and a small group of people.  This took place in 1967 and he immediately felt at home.

He learned that Findhorn became a “kind of training course to help you to be yourself!”32 Here he learned to ask questions, to confront himself, and to challenge his past conditioning.  At the end of the first chapter, he poses questions to help the reader unearth information about inner changes we may want to make. (He also gives us a hint that there will be more questions to come!)

What really interested me about this book was its subtitle about “inner work for the outer world.”  It was Gandhi who said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”  The author really hits home with this idea in every chapter. He asks us to do the inner work in order to see changes in our outer world.

One technique that he taught dealt with regret.  He invited the reader to use the breath to release regret.  By exhaling regret and inhaling good energy, one can release regrets. He then shared another series of techniques:

“You can also use the four elements of fire, water, earth and air to help you release your regret. You can either use one element that you feel more drawn to, or if you wish, all four. With fire, write down your regret on a piece of paper and then throw it on the fire. As you watch it burn, imagine the regret burning up inside. With water, stand under a shower and imagine the water is flowing through you, flushing out your regret; see it going into the drain and being washed away for good. With earth, lie down on the grass and imagine giving your regret to mother earth and it passing out of you into the soil. With air,  stand outside on a windy day and say: ‘Please wind blow my regret out of me.’”33

I used this tool to help myself clear an issue that I had been carrying around with me for several months. Afterwards, I felt lighter and more at peace with myself and the other person involved in the situation.

Another section that really spoke to me was the one entitled “Gateways through Our Dark Side.” As someone who has been doing shadow work for a number of years,  I was particularly interested in any new techniques.  He first explained that “shadow” is “those parts of ourselves that we are ‘in the dark’ about, that we don’t know we possess.”34  He then went on to share how his father projected parts of his own shadow onto his son and then those shadow aspects became a part of Beddington-Behrens’ own self-image.  This summary really touched me:

“What happens when we get negatively projected upon – we can also say ‘regarded in a reductive light’ is that we will often internalize the projections and incorporate them into our own self image. This is often what will have occurred with people who have low self esteem.“35

I see now that my mother projected quite a few traits on me!  He then shared with us a concept of “withdrawing our projections” and focusing on our close relationships as the basis for becoming more aware of shadow aspects. At the end of the chapter are questions for journaling and unearthing these shadow aspects.  Then, he included a healing exercise where one can take back projections and send positive energy transmissions to anyone involved.

I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and all of the stories about his life.  He was very honest about his healing journey and his strengths and weaknesses, and I appreciated his candor.  As an Oxford-educated transpersonal psychotherapist, Beddington-Behrens is also a shaman, an activist, and an educator.  He teaches worldwide and enjoys homes in both London and Mallorca. 

This book is probably best for someone who has been on a spiritual journey for at least a few years.  Some of the concepts might be difficult for someone who is new to awakening or new to healing psychological issues in a transpersonal way. 

In the back of the book, the author includes a recap of all of the exercises in the book, listed in order and by “gateway” complete with page numbers.  This is extremely helpful.  He also includes a separate index.

As he was finishing the book, the COVID-19 pandemic began. He mentions it with this interesting point of view:

“My strong hunch is that underneath this seeming curse, lies- if we evolve a long term perspective- a very profound blessing, and that a story or a ‘world of consciousness’ that I have been arguing needs to die, is actually doing so much more quickly, and is therefore quietly creating a space for something new to be born that very much needs to be born. Basically, this pandemic has actually come to save us from ourselves!”36

Thank you, Beddington-Behrens, for a fascinating chronicle of your life and these healing exercises in Gateway to the Soul.

Mythology for a Magical Life, by Ember Grant

Mythology for a Magical Life: Stories, Rituals & Reflections to Inspire Your Craft, by Ember Grant
Llewellyn Publications, 0738763101, 240 pages, February 2021

If you enjoy magic spells, rituals, poetry, and good storytelling, have I got the book for you! From its gorgeous cover art to its lovely conclusion, Ember Grant’s Mythology for a Magical Life: Stories, Rituals & Reflections to Inspire Your Craft will leave you enchanted, challenged, inspired, soothed, and satisfied.

Grant has written several previous books on magical spells, including Magical Candle Crafting: Create Your Own Candles for Spells & Rituals and The Book of Crystal Spells: Magical Uses for Stones, Crystals, Minerals.. and Even Sand. She has also been a contributor to Llewellyn’s annuals series since 2003.

Perhaps knowing that Grant has been a longtime contributor to books with an annual format, I should not have been surprised by the third sentence of the introduction where Grant invites the reader to a year-long journey, but I did not recall seeing any mention of the book containing a “year-long” program of any sort while reading cover blurbs or promotional material for the book.

This was a bit unsettling at first. As a reviewer I had planned on reading the book in a week’s time and not spreading the material out over a calendar year. Happily, once I began diving in, I realized that the book is structured in a very open and inviting way. Yes, there are twelve chapters, but the author even suggests that they need not follow one right after the other and she encourages the reader that “it’s okay to jump around.”1

Also, as a fan of year-long programs and plans, I agree that this book would make an amazing year-long study, but the material it contains can also be taken in much smaller bites. 

The introduction gives us the author’s clear definitions for certain important terms used in the book, clarifying such things as myth, magic, meditation, visualization, affirmation, ritual, and spells. It concludes with several paragraphs titled “How to Use This Book.” 

Each of the twelve chapters follows a convenient format: first the telling of the specific myth (or occasionally myths) followed by an explanation of the story’s themes and their importance. Next, the chapters are divided into well-defined segments explaining magical skills, rituals, affirmations, actions, visualizations, and reflections in the form of journaling prompts.

The labeling of these sections is useful, especially if some ways of doing magic are not your cup of tea. The segments create an easy way to find the perfect activities for your own personal style and needs.

I found the myths and stories to be a brilliant mix of familiar favorites, such as the Descent of Inanna, the stories of Cupid and Psyche, and Eros and Venus, contrasted with delightful and interesting stories that were new to me, including Inari the Fox God and Sedna the Mistress of the Underworld.

If you are a fan of rhyming incantations like I am, this book overflows with beautiful little poetic spells for a myriad of concerns and magical workings. One of my favorites was called Spell for Magical Ink that includes a chant for charging the ink whether it be in a bottle or an ink cartridge for your computer printer (a wonderful way to make some modern magic!):

“This ink is reserved for magic intent, 
for no other purpose let it be spent. 
With each word I create, each form that I shape, 
let my goal be fulfilled 
as this ink is spilled.”37

Many of the activities in the book require nothing more than energy, intention, and breath (such as affirmations, breathwork, and visualizations), while others ask for a variety of ingredients and supplies such as crystals, candles, herbs, eggs, ink, a journal, and even white wine. There is a section on Storm Magic in which stormy weather is utilized as a vehicle for release. This was inspiring to me as someone who lives in a part of the country well acquainted with hurricanes!

I so appreciated one of the metaphors that Grant used in her Ritual for Rededication, which she begins by explaining:

“When the computer is locked up, you turn it off and back on again – you reboot. When your magical practice is similarly frozen or slow, it’s time to refresh it. One way to do this is by rededicating or reinitiating yourself to your path.”38

I think this simple and powerful analogy could pertain to the book as a whole, as the author mentions that the book came about because of her own personal quest to rekindle her own magic.

Even though my own magical practice is not in a time of waning, this book inspired me and gave me a multitude of ideas for adding beauty and power to my everyday magic, as well as encouraging me that the next time I am feeling a need for inspiration it can easily be found in these pages. 

I recommend Mythology for a Magical Life to anyone who loves stories, poetry, and magic. Whether you are just beginning (or even just considering) a magical practice or are a seasoned magic-maker, there is something beautiful here for every level of practice.