Spirit of the Drum Oracle by Flavia Kate Peters and Barbara Meiklejohn-Free is an intriguing and spiritually enriching deck designed for those who are interested in exploring the mystical and shamanic world of drumming.
The creators, both well-respected in their fields of spirituality and divination, bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to this oracle set. For decades now, Peters and Meiklejohn-Free have travelled worldwide, sharing the power of the drum in their shamanic workshops and ceremonies. This deck is a compilation of their drum wisdom translated into oracle form, providing readers with the beat of spiritual illumination.
“In the beginning was the sound, and the sound spread through the entire universe, reaching out to everyone. A spark was created, the spark of life, which lives within the spirit of the drum awaiting its brith and connect with each individual soul.”1
The deck itself is beautifully illustrated with each card capturing the essence of drumming as a tool for spiritual awakening and personal transformation. The artwork is vibrant and evocative, featuring a blend of traditional and contemporary elements that appeal to a wide audience. There’s an impressive range of drums featured in the deck: frame drum, battle drum, temple drum, log drum, kettle drum, Siberian drum, whale drum, witch drum, and more. And the imagery of each reflects the culture where or time period when the drum has been most widely used.
Looking at each card is a like a catching a glimpse into the drum’s spirit in motion. The images are snapshot into the drum’s potency; the images come alive through the sense of beat and feeling of movement being portrayed. Meanwhile, the red frame on the border around image feels like a sacred container for the vibration. The gilded red edges also add a dimension of rooted yet active energy. Every card is numbered, and the name of the card along with one or two keywords is at the bottom.
The guidebook features an introduction to the deck, guidance on how to use the cards, and card spreads based on different drum beats. The entry for each card in guidebook showcases the card image, shares a quote, offers meaningful insight about the card’s message, shares a “high beat” and “low beat” idea of how to integrate the energy of the card, an incantation to connect with the drum’s vibration, and a tidbit about how and when the drum is used titled “Drummery”.
After becoming acquainted with the deck by shuffling them and saying aloud the incantation the authors provide to begin one’s journey with this deck, I pulled my first card: Drum Kit. The imagery was a little bit of a shock to my system, as I had been anticipating what I considered a more “spiritual” or “shamanic” drum. But this card’s keywords were “Rock n’ Roll” with an image of an enthusiastic drummer pounding on his drums while his hair flies wildly in the air behind him. And then I realized, the hypnotic rhythm provided by a band’s drummer is quite a potent spiritual force!
The message for this deck was about how I am a grounding force of stability for those around me, along with how my tenacity to see things through will yield successful results. This felt extremely resonant with me, as I have been unusually busy recently with quite a few projects requiring my attention. It often does feel like I’m the control center for the appointments, events, and daily “to-dos” for my family, and the card’s acknowledgement of how I keep the beat for everyone made me feel very seen. I especially liked the authors’ advice that read:
“This card also serves to remind you that it’s important to go wild once in a while and let your hair down. Get that natural rhythm going, feel that beat thumping in your chest and swing your hips.”2
Seems like it’s time for me to have a rock n’ roll dance party!
One thing I especially appreciate too about this deck is the authors’ reverence for the many things a drum can do, whether that is inspire one to dance or calling back one’s power to reclaim their wholeness. The many cards focus on the drum as a sacred instrument, not just for music, but as a conduit for meditation, healing, and connection with the spirit world.
This deck would be especially potent to use in conjunction with a drumming practice. Whether that practice is using your own drum or looking up different drum styles and beats on YouTube, there’s a wide range of potential for discovering a new drum meditation through the cards’ guidance.
Overall, Spirit of the Drum Oracle is a powerful tool for anyone seeking to enhance their spiritual practice with drums, connect with their inner wisdom, and explore the transformative power of rhythm. Its thoughtful design and comprehensive guidance make it a valuable addition to any oracle collection. Peters’ and Meiklejohn-Free’s decades of drumming wisdom shines through, encouraging users to embrace the power of the beat and explore their own spiritual paths.
Alanna Kali is an astrologer, numerologist, and pioneer spirit that loves to explore life through the lens of depth psychology. She has a passion for studying the humanities and social trends. Her academic work is centered upon reuniting body, mind, and spirit through eco-psychology. She loves reading, spending time in nature, and travel.
2024 Witch’s Diary – Northern Hemisphere: Reclaiming the Magick of the Old Ways, Flavia Kate Peters and Barbara Meiklejohn-Free Rockpool Publishing, 1922579289, 160 pages, June 2023
A witchcraft diary is a unique and personal account of an individual’s experiences and practices within the craft. It can serve as a valuable tool for self-reflection, growth, and learning, as well as a historical record for future generations. Yet as many times as I’ve made the resolution to keep better records of my magical workings, inevitably I lose focus or realize I’ve started in one journal only to switch to another, mixing up all my writing. This year, with the intention to track my practice throughout the year, I’ve done myself a favor by getting a copy of 2024 Witch’s Diary – Northern Hemisphere: Reclaiming the Magick of the Old Ways by Flavia Kate Peters and Barbara Meiklejohn-Free.
“The 2024 Witch’s Diary, a magickal tool from which you can draw ancient wisdom, enables you to thrive in balance and harmony with a sprinkle of very real magick. This practical guide will show you how to harness the magick of nature, claim your personal power through the discovery of ancient wisdom and embrace the divine feminine.”3
Peters and Meiklejohn-Free are a formidable duo as prominent leaders in the witchcraft community. They published their first Witch’s Diary in 2022, making this one their third joint creation. Peters, also known as the Faery Seer, is a hereditary witch and high princess of Arnemetia and The Morrighan. She is a medium, clairvoyant, and published author of works such as Your Dark Goddess. Meiklejohn-Free, also known as the Highland Seer, is a hereditary and eclectic witch who is an initiated high priestess of Isis and the Cailleach.
This planner is a great tool for any practicing witch. It offers a comprehensive guide to the phases of the moon and eclipses, seasonal spells, and other important dates to keep in mind when planning rituals and spells, such as the birthday of famous witches. Also included throughout the dairy are witchy tips, innovations, details about the Wheel of the Year, planting and harvesting timing, and recipes! All this information would be especially helpful for beginners on their witchcraft path, as the month to month guidance helps to establish a year-round practice.
One of the standout features of the witchcraft planner is its beautiful design. The pages are adorned with stunning illustrations and wisdom that inspire and motivate. The contrast of black and white work in tandem to aesthetically coax out the magic within. Plus, the diary is sturdy and well-made; it will be able to withstand daily use and travel.
Even though I haven’t started writing in the diary yet, I’ve been making use of the incantation provided for October and November. For instance, there’s a really powerful chant titled “Samhain Incantation” that I recited on Halloween. It begins:
“Cauldrons boiling, lanterns are shing Ghouls and ghosts, groans and whining Parties sweep across the land Children, adult, hand in hand Time of fun but must remember As fires burn bright and glow with embers Our ancestors who walked before We honour thee and ask for more”4
Other interesting things I’ve read about in the pages transition from October to November include kitchen witch information about elderberry and a recipe for making a cordial to fight the flu and sinusitis, a pentagram incantation for protection, weather magic and incantation, and moon magic ritual. The authors also provide an overview of November from a magical perspective, writing “These harsh, biting days are a good time to defend yourself and define your boundaries with others and for darker magick to ward off harm.”5
As someone who often consults various books to find incantations, it’s absolutely lovely having so many to choose from in this planner. Even better, the authors have arranged them in accordance with the seasons, making it so the timing of the incarnation is always good. The #lazywitch in my is thrilled to have this all laid out for me in advance.
Overall, 2024 Witch’s Diary is an essential item for any witch looking to organize and enhance their spiritual journey. Its beautiful design and useful information make it a valuable tool for both individual and group practice (coven organization!). I am confident this diary will be immensely beneficial to my craft, assisting me with gaining new insights into my practice and deepening connection to the natural world through honoring the seasons of the year. I highly recommend this diary for other magical practitioners seeking an all-in-one place for tracking and planning their craft.
Alanna Kali is an astrologer, numerologist, and pioneer spirit that loves to explore life through the lens of depth psychology. She has a passion for studying the humanities and social trends. Her academic work is centered upon reuniting body, mind, and spirit through eco-psychology. She loves reading, spending time in nature, and travel.
Every person experiences some form of darkness at some point in their life, either from losing something or not being able to get something. But what if that darkness is something that is created by the Self, for the Self? What if the darkness isn’t the end of everything, but rather the beginning of something better, and greater, than what had been there previously? In Reclaim Your Dark Goddess: The Alchemy of Transformation, author Flavia Kate Peters examines the transformation that embracing the darkness within can trigger.
As the UK’s leading elemental and ancient magic expert, Peters teaches her professional certification magickal courses at the College of Psychic Studies, London and is a hereditary witch and high priestess of Arnemetia and of the Morrigan. Perfectly positioned to explore this fascinating journey, Peters has given readers a complete and thorough blueprint for how to access, and how to embrace, the darkness that we all carry.
Separated into two parts, the book also includes an introduction (an absolute must read; do not skip this part!) as well an appendix showcasing the Dark Goddesses and their archetypal shadow traits. Very helpful when starting off on this journey. In Part One, Peters divulges information on how to prepare to meet the Dark Goddess and goes into significant detail as to who this mysterious entity is. Sharing her story along the way, Peters blends her personal experience with solid information and rituals designed to help ease the pain of unburdening the soul. It’s almost as if she was right there beside you, patting your shoulder as you realize your entire world is falling apart.
One of my favorite parts of this book talks about the pain of leaving behind the comfort of the known life in order to become who you are meant to be. Peters describes it perfectly:
“As you go through it life as you once knew will disappear; it will no longer be in view or, in fact, exist. But that is the old life, those old ways of doing things and those relationships that were holding you back even if you didn’t realize it. They were comfortable, known and accepted so it will take a crisis to move them on, but if you wish to overcome your difficulties in order to transform your dreams into reality and live the life you came here for then move on they must.”6
Peters also provides some basic information around the Wheel of the Year, provides guidance on how to assemble a specific altar for the purpose of calling in the Dark Goddess, and breaks down the maiden-mother-crone aspects of both the seasons and the moon phases. It’s interesting to see these concepts linked together in this way and could provide a deeper layer for those who incorporate such things into their personal craft.
The second part of the book deals specifically with the various aspects of the Dark Goddess and more importantly, how to connect with them. Peters provides a myriad of information in each Goddess’ section from an extensive background on each, messages from the Dark Goddess, how to seek Her out, reasons for working with that particular goddess, and preparing for the initiation to name a few. It’s really quite simple to invoke the Dark Goddess, but Peters cautions that awareness is a must-have prior to any sort of invocation or other work with the Goddesses. She explains:
“‘The Dark Goddess expects you to be responsible for yourself and your reactions, but it is not easy when you go through a dark night of the soul for you can be blinded by circumstance and find it hard to believe you will ever see the light again.”7
Personally, I found Reclaiming Your Dark Goddess to be a pleasure to read and the concepts in it were easy to understand and follow. I really liked the thoughtfulness that went into sorting the sections of the book and the guidance this layout provides. I would mention that if you are going to be doing this kind of work, you might want to engage with a therapist to help you unravel some of the trickier bits as they are encountered. There is no shame in asking for help, and asking for help shows the Dark Goddess that you are sincere in your supplication to her.
As someone who has done an incredible amount of shadow work and therapy, I was personally blown away by how accurately Peters described her own personal ‘dark night of the soul’. It’s not easy to discover that all the things once thought to be important mean nothing in the context of knowing who you are. The pain of losing people, habits, and other tangible and intangible things that provide comfort to us while we navigate life is almost unbearable until you catch a glimpse of what’s waiting for you on the other side. Being able to shed all that is no longer needed and emerge from the process scarred but beautiful is a wonderful part of life and this collective journey.
Sarrah October Young is a writer and practising witch who wished she could do stand-up comedy. When she isn’t writing or witching, she can be found posting about her cats on IG @therealoctober.