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Bookviews Book Reviews |
06-24-2010 |
Cafe Nation:
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I am a coffee addict. I admit it. But Ms Posey has got me beat hands down. This book covers the history of coffee. From the myths and legends surrounding coffee, to the different types of coffee, this release is similar to many other coffee books. There are even some wonderful recipes for distinctive coffee brews. Yet how many of these other books cover coffee divination? This is quite unique. There are instances in myth where coffee is used as a divination tool, but Ms. Posey introduces us to her version of scrying the beans. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. She presents us with her own original material and gives us a new twist on the magic of coffee. If you are a coffee fanatic, or into different typs of divination, take a look at this book. It will grab you and make you rethink tea leaves. It would make a wonderful gift for that special coffee lover. While you're at it, take a look at the website for Cafe Nation, located at www.cafenation.net. The site offers much more there than just a cup of coffee and a book. And have a cuppa for me! Reviewed by Boudica |
Exploring
Candle Magic
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When one thinks of Candle Magic, most of us defer to Raymond Buckland's classic book on Candle Magic. But very little has been written about candle magic since then. Trish Telesco takes up the challenge, and in this book offers us an updated and modernized version of this multifaceted skill. She covers the art of candle magic from making your own candles and the basics of oiling and scenting them all the way up to the modern correspondences of color, herbs and carving. Trish also takes this one step further and goes over the basics of candle magic, how to prepare the candles, how to work with the candles and what to expect from your workings. Covering the basics of magic she reviews the process and gives us a good overview of what candle magic is and how to get the most out of it. What impressed me was how much in depth information was provided about correspondences. From God/Goddess, color and astrological signs to incorporating Feng Shui with your candle workings. A very nicely researched and easy to use book that belongs next to Raymond Buckland's book on your library shelf. Reviewed by Boudica |
Celestial Wisdom
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Presented in this book is a guide for the total life experience of a woman by her age. Using decades as markers, the book explores the growth of a woman as she encounters the different rites of passage from one phase of her life into the next. Those who are familiar with Ms. Budapest’s spiritual path know that women encounter cycles in their lives and Ms. Budapest has laid out a diagram to help us see where we are going and what to possibly expect. Using the cycles of the planets and basic astrology, you can see what will come of your life based on when you were born and your signs. Using “Fate Dates” or major astrological influences and the ages at which they come into play and then adding personal experiences of women who are the age being discussed, Ms. Budapest gives you an idea of how you might want to handle different situations you will encounter in your life. Ms. Budapest is also quick to note that each person is different,
that each encounter with growth will be a choice and decision
unique to the individual. “As you read through the
stories, you will be tempted to compare your experiences at
different ages with those described. While some comments
will sound like echoes of your own thoughts, others may not
ring a bell at all. The book gives interesting life experiences, and the ‘cycles of the decades’ is a unique look at growth in a woman. She adds a type of ‘ritual’ for each birthday, something unique to do to celebrate the passing of the year and similar to a rite of passage for that year marking a portion of growth in our lives. The addition of the personal experiences of many different women makes this a nice collection of woman’s wisdoms as well. Z. Budapest has spent her life promoting personal awareness in women, giving us books that are insightful explorations of woman’s ways and providing positive affirmations for those who may have lost themselves along the way. This book is yet another woman’s empowering tool that Zee, along with her co-writer Diana L. Paxson, are providing to their community and to all women everywhere. |
Gardening with the Goddess - Creating Gardens of |
This time of year we are all busy with our little or big gardens. Some of us have vegetable gardens, some of us have herb gardens. Some of us have a sacred little patch of grass growing in our backyard in the middle of a large city somewhere, and its our only connection to the earth in a concrete world. In her new book "Gardening with the Goddess" Patricia Telesco offers us a new way to look at our garden, a new focus for how we decorate and plant up our little spaces of serenity. The first part of her book offers the basics in gardening and setting up or cleaning up your garden and offering the correspondences of particular plants and herbs. There are suggestions for small rituals for land blessing, planting (blessing of the seeds) and gardening by moon cycles. She also suggests crystal companion planting. The second part of her book, the Goddess Gardens, is most intriguing. Here she discusses putting together a garden that honors your Goddess by planting those herbs and flowers and trees that are associated with a particular Goddess and by decorating with articles that represent your chosen Goddess. She starts each garden with a "Histo-Cultural Information" section about the Goddess to be honored in each particular garden, and then suggests plants, patterns, stones, colors, decorative touches, direction (north, south, east or west) associated with the Goddess and possible adaptations for indoor gardens, small spaces, allergies etc. She also has suggestions for what to do with the items you have planted, such as drying flower heads or using the fruits or flowers in your kitchen. This is a lovely idea for focusing your garden if you have not yet considered this, and the book itself is a wonderful contemplation of each Goddess she mentions (41 in all) and covers many different paths within the Pagan belief system, so there is bound to be a Goddess for just about any path in this book. Reviewed by Boudica |