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The Little Book of Moon Magic, by Francis Nightingale

The Little Book of Moon Magic: An Introduction to Lunar Lore, Rituals, and Spells, by Francis Nightingale
Red Wheel, 9781590035566, 128 pages, October 2024

In her tiny tome, The Little Book of Moon Magic: An Introduction to Lunar Lore, Rituals, and Spells, author Francis Nightingale presents myths, phases, spells, and meditations on the giant rock in the sky, the moon. 

Francis Nightingale is a freelance writer, who has published one other book, The Mythology Puzzle Book: 200 Brain-Teasing Activities. She loves to study astrology and mysticism. She currently lives and works in London. 

I love the structure of this book, from the orderly Table of Contents to the tips and scripts for Moon meditations.  In her brief introduction, Nightingale shares the more common Roman name of Luna for the Moon. But did you know that the Greeks called the Moon Selene? She also makes this promise to the reader:

“The Little Book of Moon Magic will take you on a journey: you will learn facts about the moon, but also stories about it from all around the world.”1

Next, Nightingale shares a little about how the Moon was formed from volcanic lava and a collision between Earth and another planet. Then, she goes into great detail about the Moon phases, starting with the New Moon phase. This happens when the Sun and Moon are in the same zodiac sign and when “the Earth gets between the Sun and the Moon, so the whole thing is in shadow.”2 In this chapter, I also learned about a superstition:

“Don’t look at a New Moon through a window for the first time. Or you’ll break a dish later!”3

I love the way Nightingale talks about each of the four main Moon phases, weaving myths and technical information into each section. She also shares how to create your intentions and goals through these phases for maximum manifesting. Nightingale shares the different types of Full Moons, including Blue Moon, which happens when there are two Full Moons in one calendar month.

By going through the phases, one by one, the reader will learn how to structure intentions and goals and make the most of Moon magic. Another section, entitled Moon Lore, covers information from the history and mythology of the Moon. Nightingale writes, “The Venus of Laussel is a limestone carving of a woman that also shows thirteen notches on a horn held above her head. It is believed that these notches are symbols of the number of moons in the year or the number of menstrual cycles, or both.“4 

Due to my own studies of the Moon, I knew most of the myths shared by Nightingale. However, the one about Mama Killa’s Tears was new to me. Her story is tied to the lunar eclipses and is an ancient explanation of the disappearance of the Moon during an eclipse.

Moon Spells are next, and Nightingale gives the reader a gentle reminder:

“Be gentle with yourself. Moon spells are never quick fixes, although sometimes miracles do occur.  Accept that letting the moon in is a process, not an event.” 5

My favorite spell is the New Moon Crystal Spell. It consists of placing outside a few of the crystals specified by Nightingale. She recommends doing so during the New Moon.

Another great spell is Full Moon Spell to Reveal What is Hidden and includes a bowl of cherries while you sit by a window. After asking the Moon for help, you eat the cherries, putting the pits back into the bowl and reading the pattern left by the juice for clues or messages.

In the chapter on meditation, Nightingale covers all the bases.  She gives directions, provides easy steps for meditation, presents affirmations to use, and shares how to let go and how to come back into the room. She also gives us information on how to meditate on the different Moon types, from a Harvest Moon to a Waning Moon to a New Moon.

Each section builds on the one prior and at the end of this chapter, the reader has a great understanding of how to meditate with the Moon. The only thing that I missed was a script that I could record and use for my own guided meditation. You can put together the various pieces for your own guided meditation, but it would have been great for Nightingale to have presented this to the reader. 

My favorite meditation section was the one regarding health. I like the idea of sitting outside under a Full Moon and reciting my intentions around good health, healing from something that is troubling me or physical pain.

The Little Book of Moon Magic is a great collection of Moon information. I’m always intrigued by small books that pack a punch, and this one does just that. I love the factual information, as well as the myths, spells, and meditation ideas. Readers who are interested in learning more about the Moon and working with the Moon to improve their lives would enjoy this book.  You don’t need any prior Moon knowledge to benefit from Nightingale’s knowledge and guidance since she shares so much information!

Tarot of the Unexplained, by Davezilla

Tarot of the Unexplained: A Deck of Cryptids, Ghosts, UFOs and Other Urban Oddities, by Davezilla
Red Wheel, 1578638348, 96 pages, 78 cards, August 2024

Tarot of the Unexplained: A Deck of Cryptids, Ghosts, UFOs and Other Urban Oddities by Davezilla is an intriguing blend of the high weird and the mysterious, merging the world of tarot with the enigmatic realm of urban legends and unexplained phenomena. This unique deck not only serves as a tool for divination but also as a fascinating exploration of some of the most captivating and eerie tales from around the world. And, if I’m honest, each time I pick it up cues the Twilight Zone theme song playing in my head.

In the guidebook’s introduction, Davezilla explains how he couldn’t find the tarot deck he was seeking–one that essentially combines aliens, ghosts, UFOS, cryptids, unexplained phenomena–so he decided to create his own. Creating an  other-dimensional, parallel system that mirrors the Rider-Waite system, he opens a door for readers into the bizarre world of folklore, legends, and the unknown. In this deck traditional cups, swords, wands, and pentacles respectively become portals, ghosts, knockers, and saucers, whereas the major arcana cards reflect well-known phenomena, folklore, monsters, and more.

The deck includes a comprehensive guidebook that provides detailed explanations of each card’s meaning, along with background information on the depicted legend. Every guidebook entry includes the card’s upright and reversed meaning, phenomena associated with it, an overview of the card’s meaning, and reflection for meditation. Davezilla’s writing is a direct, tell-it-straight style that tells you just what needs to be known at that moment.

So far, I’ve noticed his ascribed card meanings don’t line up exactly with the traditional Rider-Waite ones. So while I can use my own tarot knowledge to do readings, I’ve also been referencing the guidebook to tap into Davezilla’s perspective. I personally enjoy how Davezilla’s descriptions of the cards’ meanings unveil the unknown and ground the esoteric, whether through telling the story of the image featured, teaching the astrological symbolism of the card, or describing a type of person who might be represented in the reading, as with the court cards. 

Plus, the court cards themselves are very cool since Davezilla titles them fan (page), hunter (knight), advocate (queen), and skeptic (king). Yes, he even creates space for the skeptics in the deck too! Take for example the Skeptics of Ghosts, who Davezilla describes as “a grumpy old curmudgeon. He doesn’t believe in the afterlife. No time for such tomfoolery.”7

As for the look of the cards, Davezilla’s creativity shines through in awesome illustrations in this deck. He spent nine months creating the deck himself! Whether the cards feature cryptids, monsters, ghostly apparition, portal, or UFO encounter, the detail really attunes readers to the energy. Visually, this deck is haunting and captivating, drawing the reader into a world where the boundaries between reality and myth blur. And I love how there’s always a constellation depicted in the background, bringing in the celestial symbolism too.

The cards are strangely spooky and really get you thinking about what’s lingering in the hallway, happening in the middle of the night, or even in plain sight that you’re entirely missing out on noticing. How many portals do we overlook? And where exactly did my missing lipstick get to? Is the long-dead previous tenant still roaming around the hallway? Often we remain closed off to these lines of inquiry, but this deck pushes through our psyche’s barriers to open the “what if..” train of thought that gets our inquisitiveness stirring.

And it’s this opening to the peculiarity that makes Tarot of the Unexplained unique as a deck. Its ability to evoke a sense of wonder and curiosity, especially while doing divinations, makes readers even more receptive to the strangeness that wants to come through.

When I first started working with the deck, I got so into learning more about the different stories and happenings that I spent a good deal of time going through the guidebook and following up with Google searches of things that piqued my interest. I’ve also been doing more unusual readings with the deck, such as asking which phenomena I should study for insight. I also truly feel a tingling sensation whenever I work with the deck, as though I’m opening a doorway to the weirdness of the world we’ve yet to explain.

My favorite card in the deck is La Llorona, the Mexican Weeping Woman, who I first learned about when reading The Queen of the Cicadas by V. Castro. Seeing Davezilla pick her as the Empress utterly shocked and delighted me in the best way possible. For one, it showed me this guy really knew his stuff and wasn’t going with the basic, well-known mysterious entities in this deck. Second, relating her energy to the Empress was absolutely novel even though it appears to me as a more of a shadow side of the Empress.

Davezilla even writes this is a tough card, which most wouldn’t associate with the Empress. He writes:

“La Llorona is a “difficult” card. This is a card of chaotic magic, mental instability, infidelity, and deception. In extreme cases, this is a card where mommy can go a little crazy. In such cases, this is the official “Mommie Dearest” card.”8

I thought this was a very interesting take! And it speaks to how I have continually gone back to reference the guidebook to see Davezilla’s intention in creating the deck rather than relying on my own tarot knowledge to better understand the readings.

Overall, in Tarot of the Unexplained, Davezilla successfully captures the essence of these extraordinary oddities, encouraging users to delve deeper into the stories behind them. Whether used for divination, storytelling, research, or simply as a collector’s item, Tarot of the Unexplained is a must-have for anyone fascinated by the unknown and the supernatural. It’s a delightful journey into the obscure and the uncanny, offering the perfect combination of personal insight and out of the ordinary entertainment.