📝 Spells8 Book Club XXXIII - Readers' Reviews!

[BryWisteria]

This Readers’ Review has closed- please go to Activities to find and join the current session and current Readers’ Review post. You can also view all book club reviews in the Book Review Collection

Wishing a very warm welcome to all of the Witchy Readers!

The latest reading period for Book Club [Nov 10 - Dec 8] has now ended - thank you to everyone who joined in!

Members & Their Books This Reading Period:

• Intuitive and Psychic Development by Kim Weaver
  @Amethyst

• Entering Hekate’s Garden: The Magick, Medicine & Mystery of Plant Spirit Witchcraft by Cyndi Brannen
  @Artemisia

• Yoga For Witches by Sarah Robinson
  @nicola6

• The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
  @KhanjanB

• The Middleŕ Pillar by Israel Regardie
  @Wysteria_Norn

• Pagan Portals - Loki: Trickster and Transformer by Dagulf Loptson
  @Winter

• Loki and Sigyn by Lea Svendsen
  @Winter

• Entering Hekate’s Garden By Cyndi Brannen
  @Jeannie1

• Killing the Witches: The Horror of Salem, Massachusetts
  author Bill O’Reilly
  @korvo

Even if you are not listed above but you read a book during this reading period/ you decided to read a different book than listed- you are very welcome to share and discuss here too!

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Time to share your thoughts with your coven!

This discussion post will serve as a place to share your thoughts and opinions on the book you chose.

• If you loved your book and think everyone should read it- awesome! Talk about your favorite points or something you learned.
• If you didn’t connect with the book- consider explaining why it wasn’t for you.
• Absolutely hated your book of choice? Warn others to stay away!

This is a great place to share your love for books and find recommendations for new books to read

Picture from Canva

Your book review can be as simple or elaborate as you’d like

If you’re not sure what to talk about, here is a suggested format you can use. Feel free to write as little or as much as you’d like!

Book Title and Author:

Status? : Finished / Still Reading

My overall rating of the book : ???/10

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?:

My personal thoughts/opinions:

An interesting quote from the book: " "

All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes / No

Remember that your review is uniquely yours- this is a chance to let your opinions and voice be heard

Please keep in mind that others may have opinions that differ from yours- when responding to the thoughts of others please always show respect! Remember that 100 people will read 1 book and have 100 different experiences. That’s what makes sharing interesting

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What if I didn’t finish my book / joined late?

No worries!

You are welcome to share your thoughts about the part you have read so far. If you joined the session late and have just started, feel free to talk about your expectations for your book. You can continue reading it into the next reading period.

And whether you read a book or not - you are very welcome to jump in and discuss what others share about their books!

Picture from Canva

Deadlines and Dates

You have 5 weeks to share your thoughts and discuss (until the next Readers’ Review Post appears in the forum!)

Deadline for Reviews for this Session: Friday, January 12th

While you have plenty of time for reviews, know that the next reading period will begin in one week:

The Next Reading Session will Begin: Friday, December 15th

On this day a post will appear where you can announce your next book (or continue with your current reading!).

Until then, you can find more info about the club in the Book Club FAQ.

Picture from Canva

It can be hard to find the time and motivation to read on your own- hopefully book club helped provide a bit of motivation and that it led to some wonderful new knowledge and discoveries in your Craft

Thanks again for joining in and being a part of Book Club! I am so excited to read your thoughts and learn more about the book you spent time with

Blessed be!

[Wysteria_Norn]

The Middle Pillar by Israel Regardie. It is an awesome book. I will be entering my review of it for the next reading session! Thanks for this

[korvo]

Killing the Witches: The Horror of Salem, Massachusetts, by Bill O’Reilly

Status? : Finished

My overall rating of the book : 3/10

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: This book is more of a historical look into witchcraft prosecution beginning in Europe and moving to the New World, rather than practice.

My personal thoughts/opinions:

This book did not deliver on what it said “on the tin”. I started it with enthusiasm as it recounted the events that took place in Salem. I learned a lot about the politics and religiosity of the time, and the hysteria that led to mass hangings and other acts of violence. But then the book pivoted about half way in into a recount of early colonialism, separation from the crown and other historical events not really related to the topic. THEN, it pivoted once more into the 1949 Exorcism that ultimately led to the book/movie 'The Exorcist". Finally it tried to tie it all together saying we now lived in a current witch hunt called “cancel culture” and tried to use recent politics/events to back those claims. I wish the book had been more true to its title; and left some of the conclusions and deviations from topic behind. It was an easy read, but what I thought started up strongly sort of ended with a fizzle. Other reviews I’ve read since complain of technical accuracy. And it did a fair amount of bashing: tourists in Salem, neo-paganism, etc—much too opinionated.

All in all, would I recommend this book?:

A qualified ‘No’. It did whet my appetite about doing a deeper dive into the Salem events if I could find a reliable source, I’d probably dig in there.

[/quote]

[Artemisia]

I won’t fib, I made it through the Prologue and the Intro/first chapter and then got COVID and was sick for the next three weeks and never managed to read any further, Honestly, I read so little I don’t have anything to review so I won’t try. I will instead endeavor to get this done for the next round!!!

[Jeannie1]

[quote=“BryWisteria, post:1, topic:44889”]
I haven’t read all the pages but I have done many different rituals that are easy to follow! One of my favorite is the seven forces
Passion- Hail to Einalia, Queen of emotions. Passion is the wet womb from which we emerge, ready to pursue that truth of ours
Strength to will The witches will the strength that drives us in the pursuit of wholeness. Sacred fire, the heroes pier that burns within. Tenacity resilience encourage are all characters will. It is our fire in the belly, the driving emotions and our intuition.
Sovereignty To dare sovereignty permits to dare to live or truth to severe ties that no longer serve. It is honoring our own torchlight and following the trail of Hecate as our bearing guardian!
Power
Agency fuels true connection to the goddesses in the sacred botanicals. Empowerment gives us the drive to go forward toward our truth
** Discipline**
To be silent earth covers fire and water and stops air. It is the meaning of the land, see in sky. It is our interface with the external world, the protection we need as we pursue wholeness. It is the discipline to keep silent when necessary to protect what is sacred to us. The creed of the Pharmakaia is to keep their secrets, unless Hecate them to be shared.

• ** Awareness**
  The Pharma seeks to know the mysteries of Hecate’s garden through learning, practice and experience. Tempered with discipline, our awareness becomes focus as we enter into the practice.
  Integrity
  **To believe ** As we continue through each crossroads, a new key is offered to unlock The next part of the journey toward wholeness. Integrity is required to keep these keys when the going gets rough. It is believing that we can accomplish the mission that each key moves us toward wholeness
  I can appreciate these forces and principles as the Sacred Seven all come together to form the Goddess Crown
  I connect with this book and have done the Sacred Seven Ritual
  I like this book it gives you step by step rituals and evocations. And there are offerings to Hecate!
  Recently I made Madeas flying ointment
  It turned out really great I never used shea butter and I melted the bees wax and I think Hecate is very pleased with my offering! I am trying to connect to her through mediation so I use this as a tool to help me connect to my wisdom! It makes a really nice gift and goes a long way! I’ve Also done the deathwalking ritual and love using my mortal and pestal! This is a ritual to seek advice to my loved ones and those who have departed!
  
  

I love this book I’ve learned a lot about my correspondences and properties I use Thyme a lot Time has been associated with the bumblebee since Greek Warriors use them both to decorate their battle gear. Place an open dish of time by a threshold to keep away unwanted creatures, materials, and spiritual. Burn time as an incense to cleanse the environment. It is especially useful for rituals, evoking, Hecate, and Enodia and guide. Thyme brings ambition and courage to help the witches journey! Time is gently warming an opener of the way for rituals and most excellent herbs for all sacred rights. It is traditionally use in the kernips ritual.

I hope you all enjoy the medicine and Mystery of the plant spirit!
Jeannie

[Amethyst]

Book Title and Author: Intuitive and Psychic by Kim Weaver

Status: Finished

My overall rating of the book: is 6/10

How does this relate to my magical practice: I wanted to learn how to be more intuitive.

My personal thoughts, and opinions of the book: This book is okay. It has some good exercises but nothing groundbreaking. Nothing that I remember a couple of weeks after finishing it.

An interesting quote in the book: “A spiritual awakening can be triggered and occur at any time in your life. There is no one event that created or results in an awakening. The common event associated with an awakening is illness, tragedy, trauma, divorce, death, etcetera. There are some spiritual mentors who believe there are three times in your life a spiritual awakening occurs. Those three times correlate to the three life cycles in numerology.”

All in all, would I recommend this book: This was an okay book, but I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know, journal and meditate. So yes if you’re just starting out learning but no if you’ve been into magic for a while.