The American Witch

American Witches: A Broomstick Tour Through Four Centuries by Susan Fair
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

American witches were both the same and different from their counterparts is Europe. Like in Europe witches were blamed for catastrophes especially after a feud with a neighbor. Usually the witch craze swallowed up old women who where considered cantankerous and had no one to protect them. Witches also rode people and their their neighbors animals to their gatherings. Absent from the American witch is the rides out to the sabbath and the solstice celebration.

Quakers were prone to be accused of witchcraft, after all they were dissident Christians . It was not safe for old women to travel from Europe to the new world. If the sea turned stormy everyone looked for a scapegoat. An old woman with no one to look after her became the perfect target. Often times the woman would be thrown over board or hung.

The Salem Witch trials were the epicenter of witch hunting history. Lead by the famous witch finder General Cotton Mathers. Cotton was the son of Increase Mathers. Both were hot on the tail for witches. The first episode involved a washer woman staring at her mistress daughter and exchanging harsh words. Later the daughter started having fits. The washer woman would be punished. Another incident involved a preacher who was accused. On the flimsiest of testimony he has hung. Then there is Tituba and the girls.

The usual method for punishing witches. Was hanging . History would judge harshly those who put innocent women to death. Many would have heavy guilty trips over the stuff. The last chapter ends with a note about the Blair Witcu trials and how a fictitious witch changed life in the small town.

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Lost Civilization of America’

America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization by Graham Hancock
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

He has said it before, there was an advanced civilization before the official history of man was recorded. Piecing together the evidence Graham Hancock proves to us that human civilization is older than what we have recorded. The first pieces of evidence to be examined are ruin that have been left behind some going back possibly hundreds of thousand of years. Looking at ruins of structures in Ohio, Louisiana, and Missispi Valley it shows they were built with astrological precision. They are times to coincide with the summer and winter equinox. There is a structure resembling a snake in Ohio that stops short of where an ice age glacier this large snake shows advanced engineering technique.
There are also burial mounds and Stonehenge like buildings.

The next pieces of evidence involves genetics. There are different genetic signatures for North America natives have different DNA then the natives of South America. The northern natives had more Denisovan DNA and some what closer to European DNA. In the south there is a mixture of Australia melenese DNA. Like how did Australians end up in South America. There is speculation that part of the population crossed on the Bering straight but also that a group, possibly Denisovan got stuck there and evolved into a more complex society. This society was so advanced Thst they were able to map the stars and the planet. They were also very maritime an they sailed the entire world. It is believed that this society taught or spread its culture all over the world to anyone who would listen.

The next area to be covered is in the journey of the afterlife. Egyptian, Native American and even far Easter. Have the same journey of the soul. Boiled down to basics the soul travel through Orion’s Belt to the Milky Way. How did all,these ideas so similar end up in completely different societies. There is no way that these societies had any contact with each other. Unless the idea was diffused from a single source.

All the signs are there but where did this society go to? Where and when did they disappear ? Every so often the Earth intersect with the Orontid meteors. Around 12,800 years ago they crossed this meteor belt and North America was subject to heavy comet bombardment that tore up the ground, caused the forest to burn and covered the continent with snow. This got rid of Thst society. Any trace would have been washed away by floods or burned a way. Plus when Americans got here they destroyed a lot of indigenous archaeology. Before this catastrophe this society spread their culture and tried to set up colonies world wide. Now all we see are reflection of their knowledge.

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The Witch Hunts of Connecticut

Connecticut Witch Trials: The First Panic in the New World by Cynthia Wolfe Boynton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Little known about and over shadowed by the Salem Witch trials, were the witch trials of Connecticut. In way they were more severe. Of the 34 accused 11 were executed. Cotton Mathers,the witch finder General had a part to play. Like other books that document what is called the burning times the people who were most likely to be accused were old women that no one got along with. Or maybe these old women had property that people coveted. They also had no one to stand up for them. During those times women were not considered equal to me . They were seen as weak, sinful and easily tempted.

During the burning times a simple accusation was enough to get someone arrested, tortured, tried and then sentenced to death for witchcraft. If accused the witch finders would torture the prisoner until they confessed and they usually were coerced into giving names, alas more victims. The prisoners were stripped naked and examined for a witches teat. The witches familiar could be a toad , or a cat or any such animal. It did the witches bidding.

Like the story of Jonah and the whale, if an old lady was traveling on a ship and the seas became rough they could find themselves being accused of witchcraft. Once the accusation was muttered vigilante action took over. The ships captain did nothing to protect the old women. They merely went back to their cabin.

Groups like the Quakers were marginalized. While still being Christian their belief and practice was different from the standard practice and so hence it was easy for a woman of that faith to be accused of witchcraft.

A governor of the state, who was also an alchemist is the person who put a stop to all this. He demanded more proof and scoffed at superstition. Descendants of the witches have sought pardon and the clearing of the name of their relatives.

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Simple and Magical Herbs

Herb Magic: An Introduction to Magical Herbalism and Spells by Patti Wigington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This little. Simple book on herbal magic is perfect in my opinion. The format is definitely aimed at the magical newbie. The working are simple and easy to do. As are the preparation which is how I like my magic short and sweet with nothing to complicated. This is a good place to start before going on to Sean Cunningham or other herbal experts. Another aspect about this book that I loved was that there were no incantations to any god, goddess or deity. This book is non denominational. Pagans and monotheists can access the magic.

THe layout of the book is simple as well. The first part of the book covers basic principles in magic. The second part give an inventory of different herbs, up to 40 of them. The survey is rather complete. The entries inform the reader about the magic uses of the herb, some healing info and its planetary ruler and element sign. The third part is spellwork and magic involving the herbs.

The spells and working in the third part cover protection, love,healing , money and divination. There is a chapter devoted to each. Like I said the working and preparation are simple.

Before signing off I would like to share some notes i took from my reading. A simple working for protection would be to plant three protective herbs in pots at your houses front door. On these pots you can draw protective symbols like pentacle, hamsah or runes. Dill and rosemary are good food additive to protect you from magic attack. I love oils and this protection oil is great. Take some catnip, comfrey, hyssop and vetivert and mix it with a carrier oil and stir is clock wise. A nice simple incantation that goes with is included. Herb of protection keep danger away watch over my home night and day.

This is just a small taste as to what this book offers. Enjoyable and informative.

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Turikish Romance In Vichy France

Last Train to Istanbul by Ayşe Kulin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Set in World War War II half of the story taking place in Turkey and the other Half in Southern France. The Nazis have taken over Europe and are about to step down into lower France. The Vichy French are helping the Nazis round up Jews. For Seva and her husband Rafo this is rather problematic. Rafonis a Turkish Jewish man who married a Muslim And Turkish woman. Both left Turkey and their families behind for France as their marriage was taboo. But France is becoming more and more dangerous.

In Turkey both the Allies and the Nazis are pressuring Turkey to enter the war and take action. Sabiha who is Sevanas sister is married to a diplomat. Long hour and pressure have taken. A toll on their marriage. Sabiha has no one to talk to accept Tarik who gets sent to France and a therapist.

In France Tarik meets Muhlis who introduces him to Fateed. Together they formulate a plan to to rescue the Turkish Jews as things get more and more precarious. Finally they get on train to Istanbul but will they make it there.

While not a true story there was considerable research that went into it. Mainly it is culled from the interviews of Turkish diplomats who helped save Jews. More should be written on this subject.

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The Good Folk of the British Aiisles

Magical Folk: British and Irish Fairies - 500 AD to the Present by Simon Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great Britain comprising of England, Ireland and Scotland is a geographical area that is known for it’s faery population. The book covers lots of ground. All the faery denizens of each area on the British isles are covered based on their geographic location.

The first chapter talks about Faery queens those gorgeous dames that can seduce a man based on what they find appealing. Sometimes they give gifts to. Humans that they find worthy. Pucks can be troublesome and helpful depending on their mood. Dobs help people around the house. Does can never be seen by humans lest they stop helping around the house and curse people.

In Ireland they are called the Sidhe. The sidhe were the mystical people a who lived in Ireland until the Milesians came and conquered the land. Now they live in Faery Wrath’s or undergound. It is not good to disturb a Faery rathe or a dwelling where they live. Some believe that they have a vast underground kingdom under the ground .

In Scotland since the land is more harsh the faeries themselves tend to be a bit harsher. There are lots of areas in Scotland that are named after faeries. The faeries are divided into the seelie court and the unseelie court. The seelie court is good to humans while the unseelie court is rather harsh towards humans. Some thought that some of the dead went on to become faeries.

In Cormwalll the faeries can be rather unfriendly and dangerous to humans. The knockers are faeries who inhabit mines and warn miners of danger and sometimes lead them to healthy vein. The faeries have different names not based on species but rather based on where they live and what their function.

All areas of the British aisles are covered. When the inhabitants of the isles came to America they pretty much left their faery folk. Behind as they were attached to the land. In North America there’re were other faery species about. One is the Puckwudgie. A small two foot man with a beard who makes people feel unfcomfortable by staring at them.
Some of the Irish brough faery lore over and they morphed sometimes.

Faeries by and large are not friendly to humans. Often times they are triscksters and sometime they bring punishment and death to those who upset them Treat them with respect

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Norse Mythology with a Twist

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


MAgnus Chase has been living on his own on the street for the last two years. Protected by Blitzen and Haerthstone he manages to get by. Most of the world thinks he is dead. After all his apartment was besieged by feral attackers, his mother killed and his apartment burned down. On the dawn of his 16th birthday he finds that he is marked for death. Someone wants to kill him. His relatives are looking for him but everyone has an angle.

Magnus’s family has an interest in things Viking and Norse. Magnus has a destiny that is tied to the sword of summer. This sword is meant to free Fenris the wolf from his bounds. This will signal Ragnarok the final amalgamation of the world. He has nine days to stop this all from happening.

In the process of his quest he manages to get killed by Surt king of the fire giants and since he dies in combat he goes to Valhalla. Once there he faces opposition and the task of escaping Valhalla so he can prevent Ragnarok. Helped by his two friends and Sam who is a Valkyrie and a daughter to Loki Magnus goes on a quest . Their adventures take them to Freya, Thor, the Midguard serpent and Loki. There are more books to this series so you can well imagine if they completed their quest or not.

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