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August 2022 – New Titles

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July 2022 – New Titles

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June 2022 – New Titles

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May 2022 – New Titles

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April 2022 – New Titles

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March 2022 – New Titles

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Primal Witchcraft: Air – By Guest Blogger Sara L. Mastros

Scent is one of our most primal senses; our deep ancestors learned to smell more than half a billion years ago.  It is our only sense that fully develops in the womb.  By the end of the first trimester, we have the ability to smell, but we do not smell until our first breath.  With that first breath, with our first smell of Mother and Air and Earth, our soul comes to life inside us and we enter into the Great Communion.  

Breathe deep.  Close your eyes. Imagine that you are there, in the Womb of the Earth, surrounded by our deepest ancestors, snug in our cave, basking in the fire’s last glow.  Imagine the warmth of your kin all around you.  Imagine the crackle of the fire.   Smell the fire; cedar and juniper, mugwort and apple.  Feel the sacred meadow mushrooms begin to kick in.  The ritual is about to begin!  The Wise One’s apprentice takes up his tusk; hear him play it like a didgeridoo.  Hear the drums begin to call. 

Listen to the Wise One teach: “Breathe in, and out.  Know that the air you are breathing connects you to every living thing on Earth.  The air you are breathing was breathed out by Forest, and your exhalations give Them life.  This unceasing cycle of respiration connects us to All, the Great Communion of Breath.  Breathe.  Feel the air enter into your nose, tickling your cilia.  Feel it slide, warm and wet, down your trachea.  Feel your chest and belly expand as they fill with life-giving air.  Feel its goodness redden your blood.  Feel its goodness nourish your bones.  Breathe, and feel the air, source of life, awaken every bit of your body.  Breathe and know that We and Forest are one.  Breathe, and know the Great Communion.”

The Wise One is calling us out to the dance!  Come, come, come!  The Apprentice is painting your body with red ochre and bear fat.  Spirals and chevrons that twirl and tickle as the magic sinks in.  The moon is full and bright.  The sky is pregnant with glory.  The Great Bear is dancing in the north.  Her rainbow skirt is swirling.  Dance with her!

“Bear, Bear, you who rule the heavens, the stars, and the entire world; you who make the axis turn, you who control the whole cosmos by only force and will, we appeal to you, call out to you, make love to you.  Bring us into the Circle Deep, the well of our most ancient ancestors.  We call upon you by all your holy names, at which your divinity rejoices, which you cannot ignore.  BRIMO, Earth-Breaker, Queen of the Hunt, BAUBO… AMOR AMOR AMOR, IEA, shooter of deer AMAM AMAR APHROU, All Queen, Wish Queen, AMAMA, well-bedded, Dardanian, all-seeing, night-running, man-attacker, man-subduer, man-summoner, man-conqueror, LICHRISSA PHAESSA, O ethereal one, O strong one, O lover of song and dance, protectress, spy, delight, delicate, protector, adamant, adamantine, O Damnameneia, BREXERIKANDARA, most high Taurian, unutterable, fire-bodied, light-giving, sharply armed.  Admit us into your cult, bring me into the Circle Deep. Bear, Bear, BEAR!  ROAAAAAAR!”

Great Bear Incense Recipe

  • 3 part mugwort: for Artemis, the Great Bear 
  • 3 parts juniper needles: for the magic of the frigid north gate
  • 1 part cedar: the World Tree, the mighty axis which the Great Bear circles
  • 1 part dried apples (or other fruit): for the bounty and beauty of Forest
  1. The name Βριμο (Brimo) means “Roarer” and is often, but not always, associated
    with Hekate.
  2. Βαυβώ (Baubo) is the goddess of delight, who entertains Demeter, in her grief,
    with bawdy humor.
  3. Here in the northern hemisphere, Ursa major is “circumpolar”; it never sets,
    and appears to circle the pole star.

Written by Sara L. Mastros. Guest blogger and author of
The Big Book of Magical Incense.

Hoodoo Justice Magic – Miss Aida’s Banishing Recipes

For those unfamiliar with hoodoo—also known as Conjure, tricking, or rootwork— it is a form of folk magic practiced in North America by a diverse community of practitioners. It incorporates Central and West African magic along with integrated fragments of Jewish, Christian, Irish, German, Spanish, Asian, and Native American beliefs and practices. Hoodoo is traditionally the magic of the disenfranchised, marginalized and vulnerable because it empowers people to rise above their stations and situations, restore self-esteem and create happier lives for themselves and their families. Over the years, a vast arsenal of justice and pay-back spells has been created to help restore balance.

In Hoodoo Justice Magic, Miss Aida offers the essential handbook for protection, and revenge spells, featuring 129 spells, 32 recipes, and numerous rituals.  Here are three of Miss Aida’s banishing recipes you can use to gently send a person or bad situation away.  The manifestations from using these formulas are effective but subtle. Also included is her guidance on modifying your behavior so you no longer attract predators who take advantage of your openness and kindness.

 

Banishing Powder

  • 4 teaspoons ground asafoetida
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground salt

Mix well. Then recite a blessing prayer over them, such as Psalm 23. Don’t forget to state the intention of the powder.

Banishing Oil

Place one-quarter teaspoon of Banishing Powder into a glass bottle containing two ounces of almond oil. Vitamin E oil acts as a preservative, so also add two drops of this to the almond oil. Then recite a blessing prayer. Add one drop of candle wax dye, if desired, as using colors coordinated to a condition will enhance the power of your mix. Place a cap on the bottle, shake it vigorously, and put in a dark cool area. Shake once a day for two weeks. Your oil is now ready for use.

 

Emergency Banishing Oil

Although not as fervent as the full formula, this recipe can be a substitute for the full formula listed above for anointing petition papers or candles when time and/or supplies are short. Simply mix virgin olive oil with ground asafoetida and stir until there’s a smooth and even consistency.

 

Modifying Your Behaviors

Why do some people fall victim to these types of predators more so than others? It’s a three-word answer: trust and kindness. We want to see the good in others, but the “bad guys” view these behaviors as weaknesses. Thus, anyone with a pure soul can fall prey to their antics.

As stated earlier when we looked at sociopathic behaviors, some scientists believe that one out of every twenty-four people land in that category. Can you imagine being in a room with one hundred people and knowing that four to five of them are predators? Sadly, that’s the ultimate reality of this generation.

Next, break those numbers down. There may be at least two to three predators in a room of fifty and at least one in a room of twenty-five. Therefore, you must always be aware that plenty of people have ulterior motives.

Predators can identify a vulnerable person within a few minutes. They look for body language signaling low self-esteem, such as slouching or hunching that makes the person look smaller and less assuming; fidgeting during conversations; or even nail biting. A predator will befriend these types of people, overly compliment them, and take steps to gain their trust.

They also look for people who smile a lot and display openness and kindness. Predators will present themselves to these types of people as victims in order to gain not only the target’s sympathy but assistance as well. Thereafter, they continue to seek assistance and information for their own purposes. So be careful with your body language, and although it is honorable to be kind to others, trust others with caution.

Ancestor Work and Tarot – An Interview with Nancy Hendrickson and Carrie Paris

  • Why do you feel people are so inextricably drawn to ancestor work?

Nancy:
I think that many people – if not the majority – are unrooted when it comes to their own family history.  Without those roots, there’s almost a restless energy that knows its lacking *something*, but doesn’t know what that is. Ancestral work has the ability to return the gift of deep roots to people. Once rooted, I believe we begin to step into our own power – and in fact, the power of generations standing behind us.
Carrie:
I can best answer this from diviner’s perspective because this is where I’ve been witnessing a growing interest in ancestral work. And while ancestral work has been around for ages, it’s also becoming a big part of the current divining community. What comes to my table more times than not are people drawn to understanding how healing ancestral and cultural wounds equals lifting and evolving their ancestral line.
  • How does Nancy’s book “Ancestral Tarot” compliment Carrie’s deck “The Relative Tarot” and vice versa? How should readers approach the two collectively?  I’d imagine armed with both, a reader could really go far!

Nancy:
This is just a great question as Carrie and I both talk about the book and cards as cousins. When I do ancestral tarot readings, I always use The Relative Tarot because its energy blends so well with my ancestral spreads. Hand-in-hand, the book and the cards give users a strong foundation from which to begin or continue their ancestral work.
Carrie:
The moment I opened Nancy’s book I knew I found “The Relative Tarot’s” cosmic cousin. Exploring ancestral patterns can be a painful journey, especially when the road is paved with skeletons that haunt us along the way. Thankfully, Nancy has written a valuable book brimming with useful techniques for uncovering where our ancestral inheritances may have originated and why we sometimes feel the impulse to act them out. Each exercise magically transforms the ancestral agenda and becomes a curative lesson in freeing ourselves from repeating outdated stories. In the end, “Ancestral Tarot” becomes a sound ally and advocate for healing the generational wound. I feel “The Relative Tarot” can bring a visual element to Nancy’s techniques because the intention behind the imagery is rooted in pictures from the past.
  • If you don’t really feel a connection to your deceased relatives or weren’t crazy about them while they were alive, how does that square with this sort of work?  Can you still benefit from it?

Nancy:
Absolutely. Ancestral work can be done by anyone, regardless of their connection to family. In fact, I’ve worked with many people who have had negative experiences with their family-of-origin. But working with generations further back in time a powerful and healing connection can be made – and often is.
Carrie:
This is a big question and one that includes establishing boundaries and taking a few steps before even entering dialogue with a challenging ancestor (if at all). I don’t encourage people to immediately connect with an ill-meaning ancestor. It rarely works and creates set-backs. Instead, my priority is to help a sitter solidify boundaries their ancestor may have broken. Once a strong boundary is in place, we look at locating the sitter’s well-meaning ancestors which tend to act as gatekeepers as well as advisors. If the sitter feels fortified by their established boundaries and still wishes to connect with their challenging ancestor, we are then prepared. In addition, I invite sitters to go into the conversation with what I refer to as their outcome goal. This is when a sitter enters a session not only with their boundaries and gatekeepers in place, but also with an outcome goal in mind— “I plan to leave this session with this outcome and this is what I am bringing to the table to achieve my goal.” Facing an adversary requires being tooled up and when we go in prepared, we are already in a position of self-care and healing.
  • Can you give one or two examples of ways you have seen ancestor work help people?

Nancy:
I have seen incredible healing for people who begin ancestral work. This is especially true for those who grew up in an abusive environment. Just knowing that they have ancestors who love and support them can begin the healing process.
Carrie:
So many are being called to this work that I can’t help but wonder what the driving force behind it might be. And each time I think about it, I always circle back to ancestral healing. As I mentioned in your first question, I feel ancestral work ripples out beyond immediate family issues, though this is where it usually starts. And from there it grows in people the capacity to feel connected and united instead of divided from their roots.
  • If you have one piece of advice for someone just starting out to explore this path, what would it be?

Nancy:
Be willing to trust yourself. Ancestral messages can arrive via tarot, feathers, a neighborhood cat, or a cloud formation. If you understand that you have ancestors who are always near, you’ll find it much easier to begin receiving messages as they’re coming in almost constantly.
Carrie:
Give yourself permission to rejoice in and be surprised by all the support you actually have coming from your ancestral line. Once you establish this connection, make a goal to celebrate and communicate with your well-meaning ancestors. And there are many ways you can do this: altars, offerings, prayer, simple conversations and my favorite, divination. Keep it simple and don’t buy into the stereotype of what ancestral communication is, because it usually isn’t what you think. Instead, it is as natural as having tea with your favorite aunt, who just happens to be deceased.
  • Are there any spreads you recommend that are particularly helpful for ancestor work?  

Nancy:
I do a three-card spread each morning that gives me an ancestral message for the day. The message answers my question of: How can I live this day to my highest abilities?
To begin, choose a card that represents the Ancestors to you. For me, it’s the 6 of Cups. After shuffling, I begin to draw down in the deck until I reach the 6 of Cups. The card just before the Ancestor card is advice on how best to live my day. The card immediately following the Ancestor card is a kind warning of what to avoid. This simple three-card spread is amazingly accurate.
Carrie:
I just posted a simple spread (below) that I feel all levels can do. It features the Chariot as an ancestral guide who leads the diviner to receiving a message.