Attempting two, again. Also sticking with philosophical books over magical books. Iāll try not being so rushed in my reviews this time.
January 25th
ā¦ah Bobby Burnsā¦ My son celebrates Robert Burns Birthday with Haggis and readings from the poems. I didnāt teach him thatā¦ (I couldnāt find Haggis in Arizona) but I am so glad he supports his ancestral rootsā¦
(Halloween)
Upon that night, when fairies light
On Cassilis Downans dance,
Or owre the lays, in splendid blaze,
On sprightly coursers prance;
Or for Colean the rout is taāen,
Beneath the moonās pale beams;
There, up the Cove, to stray anā rove,
Amang the rocks and streams
To sport that night ā¦
Thatās beautiful, Berta!!
This is from āTo a Mouseā. According to legend, Burns was ploughing in the fields and accidentally destroyed a mouseās nest, which it needed to survive the winter.
But Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes of mice and men
Go oft awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!
Wonderful! Thank you for this.
In my personal opinion, Iāve always seen philosophy (and psychology as well!) as ways to deeper understand your mind- and where does magic come from, if not our intent- our mind? Through studying these fields, it is possible to learn ways to gain control over our lives- and the essence of magic itself is manifesting our desires and taking control over both inner and outer circumstances.
So go for those philosophical books, Benjamin! I loved your reviews last session and I canāt wait to hear your thoughts on your current books. Happy reading!
Happy Birthday Robert Burns- and thanks for sharing the poem, @Berta! It makes me miss Halloween season- my favorite time of the year!
And wow- look at that fancy cover! Itās a beautiful book Would you maybe like to be added to the current reading list with this book?
Youāre very welcome, Kasie! I hope so too- looks like a fun book to read
@praecog29 and @BryWisteria I think you both know where my heart lies when it comes to self exploration. I totally agree with you Brianna that it is a way to dig deeper into our true intentions and personal truth. Authenticity powers intention - the universe knows when we are lying to ourselves, and supports us when our hearts are pure. I whole heartedly support the exploration of philosophy - the good to inspire, the bad to avoid and the ugly to know the enemy.
Beautifully and powerfully said, Berta! The realms of thought and philosophy are wonderful and enlightening to explore
Oh well, it is fun for anyone who enjoys poetry. Iāll leave that up to you.
Right now I am doing a side by side comparison of 3 books on Correspondences. It is really fun looking through them - The trouble is that I like them all for different reasons. They are all crammed full of information. Depending on the authorās preference of working.
āThe Complete Magicianās Tablesā by Skinner is focused on Kabbalistic, Angelic, Astrologic, Alchemic, Demonic, Geomantic, Grimoire, Gematria, I Ching, Tarot, Pagan Pantheon, Plant, Perfume and Character with 800 tables
I find myself having to look up a lot of the words he uses in references, but find his angel references particularly intriguing.
āA Witchās Book of Correspondencesā by Briggs is what I would categorize as more in line with Green Witch working. It is a blend of information and tables .for instance; it has Herbal correspondences as well as informational pages on methods of drying herbs.
Tree correspondences, Pharmacopoeia, Oils, Crystals, Colors, Candles, Elemental, Tools, Work Tables (sorted by the focus of the work), Planetary, Lunar, Wheel of the Year, Astrology, Astronomy, Zodiac, Divination, Numerology, Magic Squares, Alphabets, Chakras, Angels, Faeries, Totems, Pagan Traditions, and an extensive Appendix of Witch Wisdom.
This is probably my favorite, but if I canāt find what I am looking for here I turn to
āLlewellynās Complete Book of Correspondencesā by Kynes.
This is probably what I would consider the main stream witchās reference. It starts with a bit of a tutorial on āwhy use correspondencesā and then goes into a chapter on Issues, intentions and powers. It has tables for Plants, Minerals, Animals, Dieties, Astrological, and finishes with Miscellaneous - elements, directions, colors, chakras, numbers, and tarot.
I will say that it is easy to find information since each table is fairly thorough in its content, but the same information is not included in all tables. I feel that is a lack of consistency and a little disappointing.
BUTā¦ as they used to say on āREADING RAINBOWāā¦'but you donāt have to take my word for it" ā¦ I encourage you all to do your own exploration and see what you think. HAPPY READING!
3 Books of Correspondences at once, @Berta- you go, girl! Thatās amazing Do you find the books to agree on some/most correspondences, or do they all have a fairly unique method for matching things?
Happy reading to you too- Enjoy!
@BryWisteria I am trying to find common topics to do side by side information comparisonā¦ Iāll look into it more and get back with you. Perhaps post a second review.
That would be awesome to see, Berta! Iām curious to see how similar/different the various books of correspondences are. I think a comparison would definitely help people find which book relates best to their own style of practice!
Wow! I almost missed this post!! Excellent job, Berta! That was a great comparison and review, and super useful for us! Iāll have to add Viktorija Briggsā book to my library! Thanks!
I picked up my book Witchcraft: A Secret History at the local Coles book store a few days ago. Iām making pretty good progress in it. I definitely want to order my next book online though. Maybe the next will be that Drawing Down the Moon book that @Jeannie1 is reading! Some history and background on the Craft is good for me too though.
Anyway Iām happy to make my second book club entry!
Ohhhh it sounds like a nice find, @colin! I canāt wait to hear what you think about it
And that sounds like a great choice- Drawing Down the Moon is a really hot book right now! I know Francisco recommends it and Marissa enjoyed the audiobook version as well. Jeannie shared a great review of the first part of the book- I hope you are still loving it, @Jeannie1!
A friendly reminder to book lovers near and far-
The current reading period will end in one week
I hope everyone is enjoying their books so far!
Happy reading and blessed be
I have question, can it be any book? Iām going to join the next reading club once this one ends & I am going through my books to try and find one that piques my interest. I was wondering if the book has to relate to magic or our craft to be considered for the club?
I think @BryWisteria has mentioned before that it doesnāt necessarily have to relate to Magic. After all, anything can be related to Magic if youāre creative enough!
@Francisco thank you! Iām going to go through what I have and try to get back into reading. I miss it!
Francisco to the rescue- he is absolutely right! The book you read for Book Club does not have to directly relate to magick.
You are welcome to choose any book that inspires your creativity or helps you to explore new ideas, @Krissie117. Magick is very multi-disciplinary in itās nature- so by pursuing your passions and enriching your life, you are certainly improving your mentality and magickal abilities as well!