The Quest for Biddy Early

In Search of Biddy Early by Eddie Lenihan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Biddy Early was a legend back in her town of Ireland. Born to tenant farmer parents ,Biddy was raised poor and lived in poverty. She born in the middle of the 19th century passing away in 1874.
It was rather a challenge as records were not well kept back then. So the author travelled around the Irish villages where she used to live in hoping to find scraps of legend or perhaps someone old enough who remembers.

Biddy Early would be considered a folk healer or a cunning woman. In her small village if people were sick and needed medical attention they would turn to a folk healer like Biddy Early. Medical doctor’s were expensive and often were not present in small villages. Sometimes people would ask the priest for a blessing. Rumor has it that Biddy Early got her healing abilities from the fairies or the good folk. As the legend goes one of her son or one of her four husbands was a gifted fiddle player. In return for playing a tune Biddy was given the bottle.With that bottle she could see the past present and future. This bottle gave her healing abilities. Now a condition for this bottle was that she should never accept pay for her services. She could accept gifts. She had plenty of whiskey and usually people would come over to her house for a drink.

Often times Biddy Early knee somone was coming even before they arrived on her doorstep. She would know the persons name, details of their journey and what was ailing them. Biddy was known to prepare elixirs and bless bottle of water with explicit instructions on how and when it must be taken. The cure was on,h designed for the recipients and the instructions had to be followed to the tee. At times Biddy could tell the seeker that he would befall certain things on the way over. Were they warning or did they decree it.

Rumor has it that the fairies used to berate her for giving too many healing. Some even say she was a dearie herself. The priests and the superstitious would call her a witch. If she could Biddy would heal people for a small gift. She also healed animals. Animals were valuable back then. A horse spelled the difference between living in a warm home or losing your home. Biddy was called in to heal animals and to get them out of ditches.

The priests and the clergy often used speak out against her. Many a priest had to eat their words as they had to seek her help to heal or rescue the animal. Usually the price would be to leave her alone. Priests back then were very authoritarian and could be mean.

While the details surrounding her death are more clear. Word has it that her mystic bottle is at the bottom of a lake in Kilbarron. People have gone down there to find it but there are so many bottles, none have worked so far. Perhaps the bottle was only meant for her.

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A Concise Guide to Santa Muerte

Santa Muerte Devotion 101: Answers and Explanations for Curious Readers and New Devotees by Arnold Bustillo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This a very basic book for someone looking into becoming a follower of the Santa Muerte, the most holy death. She is primarily a Mexican saint born and bred in Mexico. You can see her altars all over the place. More and more peop,e are leaving petitions and offering for the Santa Muerte.

Becoming a follower or devotee to Santa Muerte is one of the easiest things you can do. She will accepts anyone as death comes for us all in the end anyways. The strengths of your magic will depend on the effort you put into developing your relationship with Santa Muerte. That is a strength of this book which other books fail to mention. That your magical power is a direct result of the strengths of your relationship to deity.

While this book is pretty basic you will find some good nuggets of information. Anyone can pray to Santa Muerte there is no formula. Nor will Santa Muerte come after you if you renege on a promise. She is more forgiving than that. Building an altar for the Santa Muerte is not real complicated either. Anything can be an altar as long as the depiction of death is somewhere on it. A couple things that can go on it are a scythe,globe, owl, hourglass and scales. Now remember that altars can be incognito and they can also be portable. If worse comes to worse you can visualize an astral altar.

One things that is useful is the co,or charts. Here it goes. You work with the color based upon your intent. White stands for purity and it is used for purifying and cleansing. Black is used to send and break curses. Red is used for matters of love and lust. Pink is for beauty and self love. Gold is used for financial matters like attracting business or money. Silver/copper is used for gambling luck. Green is for legal matters. Blue is for wisdom and creativity. Purple is for psychic abilities and intuition. Yellow is for health and healing. Brown pertains to Necromany and working with the dead.

There is a list of herbs as well.agrimony is used to break lies and slander. Alphalpha brings prosperity. It is good for gamblers. Allspice is used to attract surprise cash and treasure. Anise increases psychic abilities. Basil dispels negativity and curses invites success. Bay life stimulates psychic power and sends back curse. Bergamot attracts money. Black mustard seed causes confusion and discomfort to the target. Bladderwrack protects while traveling over water. Bineset opens for new opportunities. Calamus root gives control or power over another person. Caraway seeds promote fidelity. Catnip triggers attraction. Cayenne pepper adds fire to a petition. Chamomile attracts gamblers luck and brings in money.cinamon brings prosperity and abundance. Clove attracts friends and prevents gossip. Coral is a spiritual protector and purifier. Coriander keeps a lover faithful. Dragons blood wards off evil and brings good luck.

The book tells you how to perform a spell and how to dispose of magical trash. Great beginners book.

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A Grimoire of a Dark Witch

The Black Witch: A Grimoire of the Demonic Tongue by Enoch Petrucelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is one of many that speaks about accessing the energies of our shadow and become a living god. What the author has done is craft a grimoire for those that wish to access those dark energies. The author gives quite a good autobiography about himself at the beginning of the book. Learning spirituality from someone who killed his brother makes me wonder. He quotes Michael Ford and Baal Kadmon quite a bit. Seriously are there any ancient sources for this. I tend to think of this book as a product of OUR or personal gnosis.
The grimoire starts out with the basics casting circle, tools and preliminary rites. The first part of the book deals with accessing the qliphot of the dark tree of life. The imagery is kabbalistic. The demons and deities are goetic. The second sections out you in the Portland of the abyss. Here you will come across imagery and unknown demons. The third section has instructions and rituals on how to get a demon to possess you. The final section deals with traveling the tunnels between the dark sephirot.
The book purports to use a demonic tongue taught to him by demons. I will not say yay or nay to this. Save that anyone can invent a language. Rituals work if you believe in them. This is a book worth believing in.

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Tale of Patroclus and Achilles

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Told from the eyes of Patriclus , Achiiles best friend and lover. This tale is a retelling of the Iliad and the Odyssey. At the outset of the tale Patroclus, is the only son of a king whose wife died In childbirth. He is also not highly loved either because the wife was a ditz. Pateoclus kill another nobles son after that son takes something that belongs to Patroclus. Off to exile In Pithia.

In Pithia buddies up with Achilles, the crown prince of Pithia. Achilles trains for war separate from the others. Only Patroclus is allowed to go with him. Eventually the time comes for Achilles to train with Chiron, the Centaur. Patroclus follows after him. Thetis is Achilles sea nymph mother. His father is a king. Thetis does not approve of Patroclus. She despises mortals.

When they go off to war after Paris steal Helen of Troy. They have mishaps along the way. Delays at Aulis. When they land before Troy's walls. The Greeks make their way by raiding surrounding farmland. Surrounding cities are sacked and destroyed. Fighting does not really happen until the end.

We all know the fate of Patroclus ,Achilles and Hector. The ending is different from other versions . The book is good and entertaining. Her second book is better. Still the book is entertaining.

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History of the Dragon Queens

Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book traces the history of Targaryans rule in Westeros. Using such ancient chroniclers as Mushroom, Maister Eustsce and Monke the author weaves a narrative beginning with when the House Targaryans left Valerian and settled in Westeros with a foothold on Dragonstone, an island off Westeros.

Before Aegon the Conqueror United the Seven Kingdoms, they were a warring mass of fighting petty kingdoms. He untitled them all along with his sister brides. Once they all bent the knee, they were allowed to keep their old ways but they had to pay fealty to House Targaryans.

The Targaryans were much different from the rest of the people of Westeros. For one they had the custom of marrying sister to brother.msome thing the Septons of the seven gods did not believe in and found rather sinful. Coming from Valerian they had purple eyes and platinum white hair. The Targaryans were also dragon riders, something else no one could make claim to.

Power struggle were constant. Challenges from Septons and Meisters over religious grownds was constant. They frowned upon incest. The Warriors sons and the Pour soldiers would mount fierce opposition but in the end dragon fire held sway.

Another leader that comes to mind is Maygir the cruel. Known for cruelly crushing any opposition and excessive cruelty towards foes. Under him Kings Landing was built into his royal residence. Jaharris the conciliator used peaceful means and diplomacy to rule his kingdom and co opt the opposition.

Of course during his reign, is when the seeds of civil war were sown. Two branches of the Targaryans go at it. Dragon against Dragon. leadership will change hands and justice will be dealt. Most of the dragons die which sets the stage for the Game of Thrones.

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Primer for thr Budding awitchling

The Door to Witchcraft: A New Witch's Guide to History, Traditions, and Modern-Day Spells by Tonya A. Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Definitely one of the best books to get if one is just starting out in witchcraft. In fact I would put it up there with Raymond Buckland and Scott Cunningham. The book was a breath of fresh air for me. It spoke to me. It was simple effective magic without the weight and dogma of religion. The book reminded me of things in my youth that might mark me as a witch.

One of the first things you have to know is that no one can define your witchhood for you. You define it. The book erases many lines and speaks a language of full inclusion. There are many ways to practice your craft...so long as it works for you. Does not matter if you are solitary or a coven member, does not matter you tradition or even if you are eclectic it is all valid.

Most people drawn to witchcraft have a had a different experience growing up. They may have been an outcast and usually are drawn to nature and or the horror gothic stuff. I was drawn to both. Yes I was an outcast well especially in my youth.

The book like any primer will give over view and a brief history and description of the various witchcraft traditions. This book does so along with a description of the 8 sabbath and the lunar festivals. A must have for all witches are the times for different types of magic for example what each day of the week would be good for.

The second part of the book is a formulary of spells and various potions. There are some tea recipes that I am keeping in mind for both dreaming and psychic visions. Another recipe I plan on keeping is one for flying ointment. There are various spells for wealth love and well being.

Own your witchhood . Don’t let anyone load you down with their dogma and hang ups. You are a witch and you write your own bible.

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Growing Up Persian in America

It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Anyone who knows anything about the Middle East knows that falafel is not Persian food but rather Arabic food. Then again what do most Americans know. This story was written by an Iranian or Persian and while it is a work of fiction it is in part autobiographical. The story is set in the Carter era, starting right before the revolution and then going through to Ronald Reagan’s election.

Zomorod is with her family in Southern California, her dad is an engineer making oil wells for a big company. For a while they were living in Compton but then they move to Newport Beach. The move to Newport Beach is not comfortable. Zomorod has no friends there and her parents are different. Zomorod does not know much about American culture. In order to better fit in she changes her name to Cindy. Incidentally the first friend she meets is named Cindy. Zomorod will call herself Cindy and her first friend Original Cindy.

Original Cindy is into herself. She likes horses and Captain and Tenil which she names her pet cats after. Zomorod does not know much about horses and she cannot follow along to the words of a song. They like to go to the pool and get a suntan. Her parents feel swimming and bicycle riding can help to make her grow taller. If she gets scratched by a cat she can lose her eye sight. These attitudes from her parents are a source of embarrassment for Zomorod.

As she starts Lincoln Junior High she goes through A socializing process. Some kids who are ignorant about Iran or Persia make racist jokes, other teacher ask her to give a report on Iran. At school she makes friends with Carolyn, Howie and Rachel. Through her friends she gets introduced to the Girl Scouts different people and different clubs. On a scout outing her dad buys everything that is on sale. The stuff that ain’t on sale and I the list of things needed for the camping trip are simply not needed.

In their condo complex they make friends and enemies with the neighbors, mostly friends though. Whenever someone comes over the mother wants to give them tea and feed them. If the family wants to say thank you they will make food and send it over. Most America’s do not follow this and to them it is different. For Zomorod it is embarrassing.

Things change when the Revolution happens and Americans are taken hostage in Iran. That is when her father looses his job, the family gets worried and stays glued to the television set. Enemies place dead hamsters on their doorstep and over load their trash can with trash thst is not theirs. But things will work out.

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