"Book thieves target the occult' - story at East Oregonian: http://www.eastoregonian.com/eo/local-news/20150129/book-thieves-target-the-occult
"Penn Libraries Acquires Collection of 18th-Century Occult and Alchemical Manuscripts" - story at Fine Books and Collections: http://www.finebooksmagazine.com/press/2015/01/penn-libraries-acquires-collection-of-18th-century-occult-and-alchemical-manuscripts.phtml
"Bard behaviour: Burns transformation into witch hunter" - story at BBC News Scotland: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-30227774
"Manannán Mac Lír: Pagan priest says statue theft a hate crime" - story at the Londonderry Sentinal: http://www.londonderrysentinel.co.uk/news/local-news/manannan-mac-lir-pagan-priest-says-statue-theft-a-hate-crime-1-6543319
"Witchcraft in the US: Imbolc 2015 History, Facts and Celebration Ideas" - story at The Latino Post: http://www.latinopost.com/articles/13406/20150129/witchcraft-in-the-us-imbolc-2015-history-facts-celebration-ideas.htm
"Students inspired to create unusual art" - read to the bottom of this story in the Ilkeston Advertiser to find out about art based on an Wiccan shrine: http://www.ilkestonadvertiser.co.uk/news/local/students-inspired-to-create-unusual-art-1-7080951
Saturday, 31 January 2015
Friday, 30 January 2015
Candle Magic: Recycling Candles for Imbolc
Here is a bit of candle magic you can do that not only recycles bits of wax left over from old candles, but also honours the traditions of the wheel of the year.
The first thing you need to do is gather up all the candle stubs and bits of wax still clinging to candle holders and votive containers.
For this project, I don't think it matters if the candles were originally used for spells or rituals. I know some pagans believe that you should always throw out the stubs of candles used for spells and never reuse them, but I think that is wasteful. Much better to use up the leftover wax in a seasonal thank-you rite.
You can buy pre-stiffened wicks
especially for the purpose, and they are great, but I happened to have a roll of ordinary candle wick
left over from a previous candle-making effort. Do make sure you get a wick that is the right size for your container - a narrow wick in a large container won't burn well and a thick wick in a tiny container will burn too fiercely.If you are using a unstiffened wick, then you will need to weight it down at the bottom and hang it from something at the top. I reused one of those small metal discs with a hole that you get at the bottom of most tea lights - they are often called "sustainers". Poke the wick through the hole. I then tied the top end of the wick to a chop stick and balanced it over the top of the holder.
The old wax will need to be melted. Don't put it into a pan that goes straight onto the cooker. If you are serious candlemaker you can buy a special double-boiler for the purpose, but that really isn't essential unless you want to make lots of candles. You can easily use a general double-boiler saucepan, place a basin inside a pan of boiling water or, as I did, use an old egg-poacher if you only have a small amount of wax.I didn't have a lot of wax to melt and found that two of the little poaching dishes were just the right size for the the wax for one votive candle.
When the wax has melted, first dip the end of your wick with the weight or sustainer into the wax just to coat it, then pop it into the votive holder and let the wax stick stick it to the bottom. You can buy special glue dots to hold the sustainer in place instead of wax, but I've never bothered with these personally.
Then carefully pour the rest of the melted wax in around the wick.
Leave the candle somewhere to cool down and set - the fridge or a cold windowsill are ideal, although you could just put it straight on a seasonal altar if you have one. Trim the wick to a sensible length before lighting the candle.
The colour will obviously be a mixture of whatever odds and ends of wax went into the melting pot.If you mix lots of colours, it will tend to merge into a grey colour, but that doesn't really matter. If ever there was a grey time of year, this is it. We are more than a month past the longest night, but spring isn't quite here yet. The trees still stand bare and the weather can be bleak, but the darkest time is behind us. A little more light and warmth - symbolised by the candle flame - will soon melt away the greyness.
As you light your candle, think back over the winter months that are coming to an end. Give thanks for any gifts and blessings you have received and say goodbye to any hardships you have suffered. Welcome the longer, lighter days that lie ahead.
There are more ideas in my book Pagan Portals - Candle Magic, published by Moon Books.
Note: I earn commission from some of the links on my posts. This helps subsidise my blogging at no extra cost to readers.
Note: I earn commission from some of the links on my posts. This helps subsidise my blogging at no extra cost to readers.
Thursday, 29 January 2015
Pagan Authors’ Plans for Imbolc this Weekend
Where I live, in London, the days are getting longer, snowdrops and a few early primroses are just beginning to peak through the earth in my garden and spring feels as though it is just around the corner. And indeed it is. Imbolc, the festival in the wheel of the year that marks the first stirrings of spring, is celebrated on Sunday, February 1.
I asked Moon Books’ community of pagan writers what they will be doing to celebrate Imbolc this year and this is what they said:
‘I celebrate spring when the buds start to appear on the plants and you get that fresh spring feel in the air. I like to make plans and set the seeds of ideas in motion.’Rachel Patterson, author of A Kitchen Witch’s World of Magical Plants and Herbs, Grimoire of a Kitchen Witch and Pagan Portals: Kitchen Witchcraft.
‘I celebrate with my children. We make a brideog and a bed for Her and welcome Her in, and make Brighid’s crosses.’
Morgan Aislíng Daimler, author of Where the Hawthorn Grows,
Pagan Portals: The Morrigan and Pagan Portals - Fairy Witchcraft.
‘I’ll be walking amongst the snowdrops. My personal practice has become very unstructured in the last few years, more about being than any organised doing.’
Nimue Brown, author of Druidry and Meditation,
Druidry and the Ancestors and When a Pagan Prays.‘Imbolc is such special time for me and I like to make sure I spend some time with family and some time with my friends and magical colleagues. We normally have a short informal rite celebrating the coming warmth and Brigid, and then there is the tradition of a chilli cook off that has somehow sprung up over the years! I haven’t won yet...’
Mabh Savage, author of A Modern Celt.
‘I have just been accepted to train at Ovate level with the OBOD so this year Imbolc feels like a real time of preparation, of clearing and tidying and sowing seeds, both on a personal level and in the garden, which is where weather permitting I will be, reflecting and connecting as I work.’
Yvonne Ryves, author of Shaman Pathways: Web of Life.
‘I will be celebrating ritual on 31 January with my spiritual community The Web PATH Center at our storefront pagan church in Lyons NY [USA]. We will bless the seeds and garden plans for the celebrants even though New York is still in deep winter. We will also bless our manuscript of Sacred Sex and Magic, a Pagan Portals book scheduled for release later this year written by our whole group.’
Dorothy L. Abrams, author of Identity and the Quartered Circle.
‘I love Imbolc. The snowdrops are out – so beautiful. And it’s so amazing to think what that delicate green stem with the flower bud at its tip has done. Have you tried pushing your finger down into the cold, hard, frozen earth? It’s difficult and often impossible, and your finger has a good strong bone in it to help it keep its structure – imagine how that is for the flower stem pushing up the other way! We often ignore the everyday magic of the earth in our hurried, busy, self-absorbed modern society and the birthing of the snowdrops is just one of these wonderful magical things. I’ll be with a group of students to celebrate Imbolc this Sunday and we will definitely be sharing a little piece of the everyday magic all around us.’Elen Sentier, author of Shaman Pathways: Elen of the Ways, Shaman Pathways: Following the Deer Trods,
and Shaman Pathways: Trees of the Goddess.
‘My coven celebrates Imbolc as the ‘Feast of Frost and Fire.’ Snow is taken indoors, blessed, then melted ritually with hot water that's been charged with fresh intentions. The resulting water is poured over us as a blessing.’
David Salisbury, author of The Deep Heart of Witchcraft.
‘Imbolc is often a time of shift and new projects for me, and this year is no different. At Imbolc I will be moving house, so aside from the practical aspects of creating a new home, I will also be spending my time spiritually cleansing and protecting, setting up new home altars, creating a sense of sanctuary, and practicing gratitude with offerings and food. I traditionally cook a White Feast for my friends and family in honour of Brigid and the season of snow and thaw. It is usually a busy time of year for me, but a wonderful one too.’
Romany Rivers, author of The Woven Word.
‘I will be reflecting on what I’ve taken on during the wintertime that hasn’t served me well and then letting it go as though I was sweeping my hearth clean of heavy ash that stops the warmth of a new springtime fire from being lit.’
Jessica Rzeszewski, author of Carry the Rock: An Apprentice Journey.
‘I’ll be honouring a Goddess close to my heart.’Fiona Tinker, author of Pagan Portals: Pathworking through Poetry.
‘I will be celebrating with my coven, and also starting a new PHD programme. For me this year it is a time of waiting to see what seeds will turn into spring flowers, as I am publishing one book with Moon Books and starting to write a new novel.’
Rebecca Beattie, author of the forthcoming book Nature Mystics.
‘As well as the usual turning of the wheel celebrations with my coven and planting magical seeds with the Tarot, I will be mostly going candle mad and feeling snowdrop happy. Writing some spring chants at the mo which will probably turn into songs ~ I can't help it... Apart from that, it’s (domestic) business as usual on the muddy Hearth Fire path... )O(‘
Sheena Cundy, creator of The Magic of Nature Oracle and author of a forthcoming book The Madness and the Magic.
And finally, from Australia where summer is now ending, Jane Meredith, author of Aphrodite’s Magic and Journey to the Dark Goddess, will be celebrating Lammas with an open ritual and picnic. She said: ‘Just for something from the other side of the world, follow this Facebook link for details of a Lammas ritual in Australia: https://www.facebook.com/events/698531133578876/’
For more information about Moon Books and the pagan authors above, visit http://www.moon-books.net/
Wednesday, 28 January 2015
Imbolc Pagan Events In and Near London
Here is a list of events over Imbolc, the festival of the start of spring, that could be of interest to pagans. Most are in London but a few are in other parts of England.
Thursday 29 January; 'The Terror of London': Spring-heeled Jack and the Victorian Metropolitan Press. Talk by Dr Karl Bell, author of The Legend of Spring-Heeled Jack: Victorian Urban Folklore and Popular Cultures.
Venue: the London Fortean Society. Venue: The Vaults Bar, Dirty Dicks, 202 Bishopsgate, City of London EC2M 4NR. Time: 7.30pm - 10.30pm. Entry: £3/£2 concessions. For more details, visit http://forteanlondon.blogspot.co.uk/Thursday 29 January; Messages of the Holy Grail that are Found in Fairy Tales. Talk by George Wood. Venue: 50 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8EA. Starts at 7pm. Tickets: £5, £3 concessions, £2 TS members. For full details: http://www.theosophicalsociety.org.uk
Thursday 29 January; PFL Imbolc Open Ritual facilitated by Goddess Enchantments. Venue: Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, Holborn London. Time: 7.30pm for 8pm start. Ritual ends around 9pm followed by feasting until 10pm. Entrance: £6/£5 PF members. Please bring seasonal food and drinks to share at feast after ritual. For more details, visit http://london.paganfed.org/
Thursday 29 January; Necronomicon and Mesopotamia. Talk by a Sumerologiest at Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Tickets £7. Advance booking required. Call 0207 419 8507. For further details: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/
Friday January 30 - February 1; Into the Wild Winter Warmer festival. Winter festival with music and workshops Venue: Emerson College, Pixton, Hartfield Road, Forest Row RH18 5JX. Weekend tickets are £75, day tickets are £40 and include lunch and dinner. More details and ticket booking: http://www.intothewildgathering.com/#!imbolc/cm6w
Friday 30 January; Lecture: Curses! The British Museum's 'unlucky' mummies. Venue British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 6.30pm–7.30pm. Cost £5/£3. For more details and to book tickets call 020 7323 8181 or visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar.aspx
Friday 30 January; Stone-Age Drugs 'N' Rock and Roll. Talk by Paul Devereux at Rilko (Research Into Lost Knowledge). Venue: 50 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8EA. Doors open 6.45pm, lectures starts 7.15pm. Entrance: £8/£6. http://www.rilko.net/EZ/rilko/rilko/home.php
Friday 30 January; Introduction to Wicca and the initiatory cycle of the Order of Horse and Moon with The London Wicca Meetup Group. Venue: Foyles cafe, 107 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0DT. Meeting to introduce the pathway to those interested. Time 7.30pm Phone: 07581 198380 or 07848 448669. For more information and to sign up for this event, visit: http://www.meetup.com/The-London-Wicca-Meetup-Group
Friday 30 January; Divine I Am Transmission with Crystal Bowl Bath run by Vaz of the London College of Spirituality. Venue: Windsor Suite, Columbia Hotel, 95- 99 Lancaster Gate, London W2 3NS. Time: 7pm. Cost: £20. Details: http://www.meetup.com/londonspirituality/
Saturday 31 January; Mysteries of Imbolc. One-day workshop including a full ritual at the end of the day with Suzanne Corbie at Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Tickets £45 (£25 deposit, balance due on the day). Time: noon to 5.30pm. Booking essential and limited places. Tel: 020 7240 8906 or email: info@treadwells-london.com. http://www.treadwells-london.com/
Saturday 31 January; Spring Youth Workshop organised by the Pagan Federation London. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London WC1A 1LY. Noon to 4pm. PF members: £6, others: £8. https://www.facebook.com/events/767056493332239/
Saturday 31 January; The Art of Avalon - Creating the Rainbow Path of the Goddess. Workshop with Elle Hull at Cobwebs at Cauldrons at Romford Shopping Hall. 1pm-4pm. Cost is £24. http://www.cobwebsandcauldrons.co.uk/
Saturday 31 January; Free and Open Gorsedd of Caer Abiri Imbolc Rite at Avebury Sun Circle, in Avebury, Wiltshire. Open druidic style ceremony to celebrate the first stirrings of spring. Meet at the Red Lion Pub, Avebury, around noon for rite at around 1.30pm, ending around 3pm. Bring bread, cakes and drink to share, bring poetry to read.
Saturday 31 January - 1 February; Learn How to Lucid Dream – 24hr sleepover workshop with Charlie Morley. Venue tba. Time: 10.45am - February 1 11am. Tickets £150/£120. Details: http://www.alternatives.org.uk/
Saturday 31 January - 1 February; Coming Into Grace: Womens Imbolc Gathering with Eileen Bellot and Marie-Helene Dalila-Boyle. Venue: Jackson’s Lane Theatre in London. Time: 10am-4pm each day, Cost: £55. To make a booking and get joining instructions email questlife@questlife.co.uk. For more details, visit: https://www.evensi.com/coming-into-grace-womens-imbolc-gathering-31st-jan-1st-feb/139306170
Sunday 1 February; Imbolc on Primrose Hill with the Loose Association of Druids. Open ritual hosted by Jeremy Morgan, the Druid of Wormwood Scrubbs. Venue: The Hawthorne Grove, Primrose Hill, Regents Park, London NW1. Gather at 12.45pm for 1pm start, ends at around 2.30pm. Nearest tube: Chalk Farm.
Sunday 1 February; Imbolc rite with The London Wicca Meetup Group. Meet at the Rose and Crown, 55 High Street Wimbledon SW19 5BA from noon to 2pm, after which the group will move to another location for the rite. Phone: 07848 448669 or 07581 198380. For more information and to sign up for this event, visit: http://www.meetup.com/The-London-Wicca-Meetup-Group
Sunday 1 February; Faith and Fear, Myth and Dogma. Talk by Joseph MacDermott. Venue: 50 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8EA. Starts at 6pm. Tickets: £7, £5 concessions, £4 TS members. For full details: http://www.theosophicalsociety.org.uk
Sunday 1 February; Imbolc Celebration in Glastonbury at The Goddess Hall, Benedict Street, Glastonbury, BA6 9NB. Time: 7.30pm – 9.30pm. Details: http://www.goddesstemple.co.uk/
Monday 2 February; Psychic Circle run by Shamanic Spirit at a venue in Croydon, South London. The circle is held on Mondays fortnightly starting at 7.30pm. Cost £5. For more details and to book places call 07952 041477. For more information, visit http://shamanicspirit.co.uk/
Monday 2 February; The Science of Self Love with David Hamilton. Venue: Alternatives. Venue: St James's Church Piccadilly, 197 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LL. Time: 7pm - 8.30pm. Tickets £12/£8 online. For more details and to book tickets: http://www.alternatives.org.uk/
Tuesday 3 February; Sacred Walks and The Kingston Zodiac Adventure - walking the Aquarius Walk in the Kingston Zodiac. Meet at Osterley Park and House, Jersey Road, Hounslow TW7 4RB at noon. Cost £10/£5, advance booking required: http://www.meetup.com/Sacred-Walks-Kingston-Zodiac-Adventure/
Tuesday 3 February; The Curse and the Kiss - Alexander Gifford talking on Rudolf Steiner's ideas on drama. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Road, London NW1 6XT. Time: 7.30pm – 9pm, Cost: £3.50 (£1 concessions, students and under 25s), No bookings required, just turn up.
http://www.rsh.anth.org.uk/
Tuesday 3 February; Cobwebs and Cauldrons Moot. Sarah Arkle will be speaking on Imbolc and Brigid. Venue: White Horse Pub, Chadwell Heath, Essex. Moot takes place on the first Tuesday of every month. 7.30pm start.
Tuesday 3 February; Ancient Architectural Symbolism within Architecture and Landscape. Talk by John Ward at The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm-9pm. Cost: £14/£16 Advance booking advised. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/
Wednesday, 4 February; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Storytelling with Annette Armstrong at Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Tickets £10. Advance booking required. Call 0207 419 8507. For further details: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/
Wednesday, 4 February; The Witches' Inn. Pagan moot at The Feathers Hotel, 42 High St, Merstham, Redhill, Surrey RH1 3EA. Starts at 8pm. Moots are on the first Wednesday of each month. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Witches-Inn/1568424150049437
Thursday 5 February; Breaking Down is Waking Up. Talk and book signing by Russell Razzaque at Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6.30pm. Free event. For more details Tel 020 7836 2182 or visit the website http://www.watkinsbooks.com/
Friday 6 February; Gerrie March presents her students at The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm-8.30pm. Cost: £10/£12 Advance booking advised. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/
Saturday 7 February; Design Your Life – New Year Kickstarter Masterclass. 'Espresso workshops’ to deliver grounded, realistic, achievable change in all areas of your life. organised by Alternatives at a London venue. Time: 1pm - 5.30pm. Tickets £40/£50. For more details and to book tickets: http://www.alternatives.org.uk/
Saturday 7 February; Hendon Heathens Moot, Venue: Greyhound Pub, Church End, Hendon, London, NW4 4JT. Time: 6pm. Hendon Heathens meets at this pub the first Saturday of every month.
Sunday, 8 February; Druid Ritual on the Elements for Water at Queen Caroline's Temple, Kensington Gardens, London W2 2UH. Meet at Lancaster Gate tube station. Time: 11.30am. http://www.meetup.com/London-Pagan-Circle/events/219373692/
The information above is correct to the best of my knowledge, but I do not organise any of these events and am not responsible for them. If you spot anything that needs changing or know of any other pagan events that you would like to see listed, please email badwitch1234@gmail.com
Tuesday, 27 January 2015
Russell Grant on Astrology and our Shopping Habits
Celebrity astrologer Russell Grant has looked at the shopping habits for each of the 12 sun signs to discover how we undertake our food shopping. Are you focused on brands? Do you only buy products on sale/offer? Or are you a dash and run shopper?
ARIES: Everyone needs to eat but not everyone enjoys food shopping. Aries won’t hang around comparing brands and prices or reading labels. They’ll just want to grab a trolley, get into the store and get out again in less than 30 minutes.
TAURUS: Loving food as much as they do, Taurus will pay extra for brands they trust. They have a shopping list they always use but can be picky shoppers so what begins as a quick trip to the supermarket can turn into a day’s excursion.
GEMINI: Geminis are easily pulled in by seductive advertising and nine times out of ten will end up buying things they don’t need or want. Technology has transformed Gemini’s shopping trips as they happily make use of self-service scanning and checkouts or ordering online to make food shopping easier.
CANCER: Shopping for the family feels good and meets the Cancerian’s emotional needs. There’s nothing they enjoy more than choosing food and household items while arranging their trolley so everything fits in neatly and nothing gets squashed.
LEO: Whether it’s for clothes, food or jewellery, Leo loves to shop and lives for the sales. There’s always the option of shopping on-line but Leo would rather experience the sights, sounds and smells of the supermarket than to have their shopping delivered to their door.
VIRGO: From shopping trolleys with squeaky wheels to crowded aisles and long checkout queues Virgo can find plenty to complain about. They’ll have their own scheme for making shopping more tolerable such as always using the same supermarket and knowing every product in every aisle to make navigating the store quick and simple.
LIBRA: The shopper who stands for hours comparing 50 different types of cereal before deciding to head for the dairy aisle and opt for yoghurt instead will be a Libran. They will also spend hours checking sell-by dates on every item. Even picking the right lane to stand in at the checkout can be a major dilemma.
SCORPIO: There’s no fooling a Scorpio who won’t be tricked into buying something they don’t need just because it’s on sale. Since food shopping can be a time consuming process Scorpio will have worked out the best times to shop so as to cut time wasted finding a parking space and walking around the store.
SAGITTARIUS: Sagittarius finds any excuse to postpone food shopping. Once in the supermarket, they’ll do anything to speed up the process including pinching ideas from another shopper’s trolley rather than searching shelves to find an item they suddenly remember they need.
CAPRICORN: Capricorn will have their grocery shopping perfected into an efficient, streamlined process. Even at the checkout they will load items onto the conveyor belt in baggable order only to then hold up the queue by producing a discount coupon for every item bought.
AQUARIUS: Even the cleverest salesperson would find it hard to intuit an Aquarian’s shopping habits. Little and often will be Aquarian’s likely shopping style or better still they will click and collect or shop online and probably haven’t touched a trolley in years.
PISCES: Pisces can’t resist a bargain and will stock up on anything that’s on sale whether or not they need it. Because they would hate to hurt a salesperson’s feelings they can be easily talked into making purchases. They tend to shop only when they need something but will come away with a trolley load of stuff that wasn’t on their list.
© COPYRIGHT RUSSELL GRANT ASTROLOGY LTD
You can visit Russell Grant's website at http://www.russellgrant.com/
Monday, 26 January 2015
News: Paganism, Viking Job, 'Satanic' Murder.
"Why we should start taking Paganism seriously" - story at the Metro: http://metro.co.uk/2015/01/25/why-we-should-start-taking-paganism-seriously-5008750/
"Unique Opportunity: Summer Job as Viking Ship Høvedsmann/Captain" - story at Thornews: http://thornews.com/2015/01/08/unique-opportunity-summer-job-as-viking-ship-hovedsmann-captain/
"Occult specialist for ‘demon boy’" - story at ioL news: http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/occult-specialist-for-demon-boy-1.1809290#.VMZxyP6sWSo
"Unique Opportunity: Summer Job as Viking Ship Høvedsmann/Captain" - story at Thornews: http://thornews.com/2015/01/08/unique-opportunity-summer-job-as-viking-ship-hovedsmann-captain/
"Occult specialist for ‘demon boy’" - story at ioL news: http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/occult-specialist-for-demon-boy-1.1809290#.VMZxyP6sWSo
Review: Angels Lead a New Series of Basics Guides
I was rather excited to see that this year Hay House has started publishing a new series of books called Hay House Basics, which offers introductory guides by leading authors on Mind, Body, Spirit topics. The first four, which were all launched at the beginning of January, were Angels
by Kyle Gray, Crystals
by Judy Hall, Mindfulness
by Ed Halliwell and Past Lives
by Atasha Fyfe. Interested in what the Basics series was like, I asked Hay House if I could see review copies and the publicity officer very kindly sent me all four titles. What a lovely package to turn up in the post!
Which one to start reading first? Difficult choice.
I decided to plump for Angels, which has the subtitle How to See, Hear and Feel Your Angels and is by a young Scottish author Kyle Gray, mainly because it was actually the subject I was least likely to read simply for my own pleasure. I thought the best test of an introductory level book is if it can engage the interest of someone who probably isn’t its target audience and explain the subject clearly to a person who doesn’t know much about it already.
The truth is, I’m kind of ambivalent towards angels. While I can sense nature spirits – I regularly talk to trees – I’ve never met an angel. I have taken part in a few angelic rituals, including a superb Enochian rite at Imbolc a few years ago, but I don’t normally pray to them or attempt psychic communication with them. I do use the lovely Guardian Angels Tarot, but when I’m using that deck I tend to equate guardian angels with the concept of the higher self (the part of our metaphysical self that guides us and connects us with divine realms).
As I said, when I started reading this book I knew I was going to be a tough sell. That’s probably why I didn’t even start it for a couple of weeks. Then on Friday I had to do a long journey across London so I took Angels with me to make the most of the time. Once I began, I not only found the book easy to continue, I also found it interesting.
Kyle explains the subject in an engaging way, with simple, practical advice interspersed with personal anecdotes. As the series title might suggest, it starts with the absolute basics – the first chapter is called What Are Angels? And to summarise the answer to that question, Kyle describes them as “The thoughts of God”.
OK, yes, that does sound a bit Christian, but Kyle goes on to explain that angels are in fact part of most religions and most belief systems in some way. And, as I said earlier, a pagan witch is not really the target reader. I think most people who buy this book will be either Christian or following a New Age path heavily inspired by a Christian background. I think that for Christians it is much easier to connect with angels than, say, with fairies or nature spirits. There’s nothing wrong with that.
Each chapter is short. It explains a few key things about the subject. At the end of each one there is an exercise or two followed by a bullet point summary. And each chapter builds upon the last. This starts with a simple prayer to welcome the help of the angels, builds up with further prayers and meditations and leads to exercises to see angels and communicate with them psychically. To be honest, a lot of the exercises were things I have done in other contexts – learning to see auras or opening the chakras to be more receptive, for example.
What I have learnt from Angels is more about how they are perceived by those who do work with them, including their hierarchy from guardian angels and archangels up to cherubim and seraphim. I also understand more about what those who do angel readings and channellings are attempting. I even tried out an exercise for a personal message from my guardian angel – and the message I got was to relax. I’m not surprised, that’s what the trees are always telling me too.
I’ll be reviewing the next three Hay House Basics books on my blog when I’ve finished reading them – and I have also seen that a fifth book is coming out in February called Lucid Dreaming: A Beginner's Guide to Becoming Conscious in Your Dreams.
That does interest me and I hope I’ll get a copy of that to review in due course too.Links and previous related posts:
Angels: How to See, Hear and Feel Your Angels (Hay House Basics)
Mindfulness: How to Live Well by Paying Attention (Hay House Basics)
Crystals: How to Use Crystals and Their Energy to Enhance Your Life (Hay House Basics)
Past Lives: Discover and Connect with Your Past Lives to Create Positive Change (Hay House Basics)
Lucid Dreaming: A Beginner's Guide to Becoming Conscious in Your Dreams (Hay House Basics)
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/09/review-guardian-angel-tarot-cards.html
http://www.hayhouse.co.uk/
Friday, 23 January 2015
This Week's Pagan Events In and Near London
Friday 23 January; Wisdom of Near-Death Experiences.
Talk and book signing by Penny Satori at Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6.30pm. Free event. For more details Tel 020 7836 2182 or visit the website http://www.watkinsbooks.com/Friday 23 January; The Roots and Routes of Wicca: Part 2 The Roots of Modern Traditions of Wicca with The London Wicca Meetup Group. Venue: The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG. Meet at the Lion of Knidos in the Great Court of the British Museum at 7pm. The talk will last an hour, followed by a pub chat. Phone: 07848 448669 and 07581 198380. For more information and to sign up for this event, visit: http://www.meetup.com/The-London-Wicca-Meetup-Group/events/219909878/
Friday 23 January; Crystal Prescriptions: Combating Electromagnetic and Geopathic Stress. Talk by Judy Hall at The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm-8.30pm. Cost: £10/£12 Advance booking advised. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/
Friday 23 January; Crossbones Vigil to honour The Goose and the outcast dead of Cross Bones Graveyard. Gather from 6.45pm for a 7pm start in Redcross Way outside the Memorial Gates, SE1 1TA, opposite the Boot and Flogger pub, just north of the junction with Union Street. Nearest tubes Borough or London Bridge. The event is free, but donations are welcome. For more details, visit http://www.crossbones.org.uk/
Saturday 24 January. Falling in Love with Where You Are. Workshop with Jeff Foster. Venue: Study Society, Colet House, 151 Talgarth Road, London, W14 9DA. Time: 10.30am - 5pm. Tickets: £65/£55. http://www.alternatives.org.uk/
Saturday 24 - Sunday 25 January; Aphrodite's Flame. Join Aphrodite's Flame Keepers to tend a flame from dusk on 24 January until dusk on 25 January. Venue: Worldlwide. Time: 4.30pm-4.30pm. Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/926064864084935/
Sunday 25 January; London Dreamtime storytelling at Dulwich Picture Gallery Family Sunday. Venue: Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Rd, Southwark, London SE21 7AD. Time: 2pm-4pm. Free. For more details visit http://londondreamtime.com/calendar/ or http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/
Monday 26 January; Change Your Mind Heal Your Body. Talk by Anna Parkinson organised by Alternatives. Venue: St James's Church Piccadilly, 197 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LL. Time: 7pm - 8.30pm. Tickets £12/£8. For more details and to book tickets: http://www.alternatives.org.uk/
Monday 26 January; Meditation and Journeying Circle run by Shamanic Spirit at a venue in New Addington, Croydon, South London. Starts 7.30pm. For more details and to book places call 07952 041477. For more information, visit http://shamanicspirit.co.uk/
Tuesday 27 January; Chertsey Moot. A social moot held on the last Tuesday of the month at the Golden Grove pub, Ruxbury Road, St Annes Hill, Chertsey, Surrey, KT16 9EN. All welcome. From 8pm to 11pm. For more details, email: sian_ap_pysgotwr@yahoo.co.uk
Tuesday 27 January; Drumming Circle run by Shamanic Spirit at a venue in New Addington, Croydon, South London. Every second Tuesday starting 7.30pm. Cost £10. For more details and to book places call 07952 041477. For more information, visit http://shamanicspirit.co.uk/
Tuesday 27 January; The Golden Age of Paranormal Television. Talk by Professor Richard Wiseman. Venue: the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Room LG01, New Academic Building, Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London SE14 6NW. Talks start at 6.10pm. Free event. For more details, contact Duncan Colvin on d.colvin@gold.ac.uk or visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/apru/speakers/
Tuesday 27 January; The Power of Sound - A Meditation on the Space In-Between with Olaf Nixon. Venue The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm-8.30pm. Cost: £10/£12 Advance booking advised. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/
Thursday 29 January; 'The Terror of London': Spring-heeled Jack and the Victorian Metropolitan Press. Talk by Dr Karl Bell, author of The Legend of Spring-Heeled Jack: Victorian Urban Folklore and Popular Cultures.Venue: London Fortean Society, The Vaults Bar, Dirty Dicks, 202 Bishopsgate, City of London EC2M 4NR. Time: 7.30pm - 10.30pm. Entry: £3/£2 concessions. For more details, visit http://forteanlondon.blogspot.co.uk/Thursday 29 January; PFL Imbolc Open Ritual facilitated by Goddess Enchantments. Venue: Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, Holborn London. Time: 7.30pm for 8pm start. Ritual ends around 9pm followed by feasting until 10pm. Entrance: £6/£5 PF members. Please bring seasonal food and drinks to share at feast after ritual. For more details, visit http://london.paganfed.org/
Thursday 29 January; Necronomicon and Mesopotamia. Talk by a Sumerologiest at Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.15pm for 7.30pm start. Tickets £7. Advance booking required. Call 0207 419 8507. For further details: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/
Friday January 30 - February 1; Into the Wild Winter Warmer festival. Winter festival with music and workshops Venue: Emerson College, Pixton, Hartfield Road, Forest Row RH18 5JX. Weekend tickets are £75, day tickets are £40 and include lunch and dinner. More details and ticket booking: http://www.intothewildgathering.com/#!imbolc/cm6w
Friday 30 January; The Medicine Way Atlantis and the Native American Path. Talk by Edwin Courtenay. Venue The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 7pm-8.30pm. Cost: £10/£12 Advance booking advised. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/
Friday 30 January; Lecture: Curses! The British Museum's 'unlucky' mummies. Venue British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 6.30pm–7.30pm. Cost £5/£3. For more details and to book tickets call 020 7323 8181 or visit: https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar.aspx
Friday 30 January; Stone-Age Drugs 'N' Rock and Roll. Talk by Paul Devereux at Rilko (Research Into Lost Knowledge). Venue: 50 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8EA. Doors open 6.45pm, lectures starts 7.15pm. Entrance: £8/£6. http://www.rilko.net/EZ/rilko/rilko/home.php
Friday 30 January; Divine I Am Transmission with Crystal Bowl Bath run by Vaz of the London College of Spirituality. Venue: Windsor Suite, Columbia Hotel, 95- 99 Lancaster Gate, London W2 3NS. Time: 7pm. Cost: £20. Details: http://www.meetup.com/londonspirituality/
Saturday 31 January; Spring Youth Workshop organised by the Pagan Federation London. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London WC1A 1LY. Noon to 4pm. PF members: £6, others: £8. https://www.facebook.com/events/767056493332239/
Saturday 31 January; The Art of Avalon - Creating the Rainbow Path of the Goddess. Workshop with Elle Hull at Cobwebs at Cauldrons at Romford Shopping Hall. 1pm-4pm. Cost is £24. http://www.cobwebsandcauldrons.co.uk/
Saturday 31 January; Open Imbolc Ritual at Avebury Stone Circle. A family friendly event run by The Cauldron of Cerridwen to raise energy to herald in the spring and spend time in a wonderful location. Time: noon. FFI: email: sian_ap_pysgotwr@yahoo.co.uk or call Sue on 07746365980
Saturday 31 January; Free and Open Gorsedd of Caer Abiri Imbolc Rite at Avebury Sun Circle, in Avebury, Wiltshire. Open druidic style ceremony to celebrate the first stirrings of spring. Meet at the Red Lion Pub, Avebury, around noon for rite at around 1.30pm, ending around 3pm. Bring bread, cakes and drink to share, bring poetry to read.
Saturday 31 January - 1 February; Learn How to Lucid Dream – 24hr sleepover workshop with Charlie Morley, author of Lucid Dreaming: A Beginner's Guide to Becoming Conscious in Your DreamsVenue tba. Time: 10.45am - February 1 11am. Tickets £150/£120. Details: http://www.alternatives.org.uk/
Sunday 1 February; Wheel of the Year Festival - First Stirrings Meditation at Chalice Well World Peace Garden, in Glastonbury. Gather at the Well Head at noon for celebration and meditation until 12.30pm, followed by a chance to chat around the fire on the lower lawn. Free admission to the gardens from 10am to noon. http://www.chalicewell.org.uk/
Sunday 1 February; Imbolc on Primrose Hill with the Loose Association of Druids. Open ritual hosted by Jeremy Morgan, the Druid of Wormwood Scrubbs. Venue: The Hawthorne Grove, Primrose Hill, Regents Park, London NW1. Gather at 12.45pm for 1pm start, ends at around 2.30pm. Nearest tube: Chalk Farm.
Sunday 1 February; Imbolc Celebration in Glastonbury at The Goddess Hall, Benedict Street, Glastonbury, BA6 9NB. Time: 7.30pm – 9.30pm. Details: http://www.goddesstemple.co.uk/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)