Episode one Cerridwen's Cauldron by Griffin Ced
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What was written was great. Really what was published here would qualify more as a third of a book . I was expecting more and look forward to more .Definitely plan on buying the next installment.

The two chapters contained there in describe a young boy named Tali who is caught n the midst of a thunderstorm while walking the country road. The stirring in the forest cause him to panic and flee. He encounters Mary McBain, his employers wife. What follows is an intense meeting and revelation. With herbs thrown on the fire Tali learns about destiny and his past. Some which Mary's husband is vehemently against. But the ways of auld horny and the Fame of Fate will not whither so fast.

Book is worth it just for the Insight in CED alone. In these electronic pages you will find an intense spiritual experience much stronger then that which you will find with Wicca.

I have been a fan of Christiana Miller and Griffin's for a bit. I have also read " Please Tell Aunt Tillie She Is Dead" a while ago . I was a bit let down to find the second have if my purchase to be an excerpt from a book I have already read.

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Concise Guide to Egyptian Magick and Spirituality

Heka: The Practices of Ancient Egyptian Ritual and Magic by David Rankine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Heka

Heka by Ceremonial Magician David Rankine is a very special book. Slender yet packed with information that will enlighten you of the Egyptian world view and magick. It is scholarly yet easy to read for the common lay man. In the Babylonian Talmud it is stated that God gave 10 measures of magic to the world 9 of those went to Egypt.

Heka is the magical power that is inherent in every being, human, animal and plant. There are some being that have more Heka then others. It is said the dead have a very powerful Heka even more of it then the living. Gods have the most. In the earthly physical realm it is said that dwarves and people with red hair have very strong heka.

The magical power of Heka is executed through the power of the spoken word. Incantations and spells had as their most powerful component the spoken word. Words that were spoken had the power top shape reality. Heka was also the name of the God of Magic. Magic was Heka’s main thing.

Heka was not the only magical God. Thoth who was also a god of learning and wisdom as well as a lunar god was a god of magic. Isis, who learned Re’s name stole magic from Re and thus had the power of creation. Having someone’s name meant that you had power over them. There were three of four gods that are supposedly creator Gods depending on which part of Egypt you are talking about. Some parts say it was Re, others Amun and yet others say it was Ptah. It was said that Ptah created the world and universe with the utterances of his mouth.

The God Heka is considered to be the soul or Ka or Ra. Heka is sometime said to be the BA or Re as well. Heka thus uis the seeming magical and creative soul aspect of Re. Another possible sould or Re was the Goddess Maat. Pharoahs, priests and common citizens had a vested interest in maitianing the concept of Maat. Maat is then seen as the goddess of truth and the universal order over chaos. In may depictions she is called the Daughter of Re and stands directly behind him. As the religion evolved she too becamke part of his soul.

The book give a thorough over view of the creation story. Nuit was the sky and Geb was the earth. The creator god was jealous and so he command the sky called Shu to separate them. Thoth then a moon god somehjow created a five day gap where in they were able to birth out 5 children. One of them was Horus the Elder, Isis, Osiris and Set. The earth was also a primeval sea called Nun. From it came the Ben Ben or ann island. The five gods including Re was on a Solar Baque and ended up fighting Apohis the serpent .

Kheper is the beetle god who pushes Re across the sky in his sun chariot. He is also a guardian for the dead and is considered a protective god along with Sekhmet, Bes and Bastet. Scarabs were worn by the dead to protect them. In this life people wore then as well. In order to accom[pany Re the worshipper can light Frenakinscence in the morning, Myrrh in the afternoon and Kyphi at night.

The book is loaded. It has incense recipes that are simple and easy to make. There are table for all the god and day that are good for doing magic. The God table inform the reader what the God did and what things are associated with the god. There is a table of hours holy to the deities based on a twelve hour rotation and a chapter on the meaning of the colors. I can and will say that this book has all that and more.

Once you read this you will see how Egyptian Magic gave birth to Ceremonial Magic and Witch craft. Ideas like dietary restraction, cleanliness and circumcision were mentioned first in Egyptian scripture . Religions like Islam, Judaism and Christianity learned a lot from the Egyptians.

My one criticism is that the book could have been bit longer and delved into some of the numerous holidays the Egyptians had for their deities. But then perhaps that is a subject for another book..


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British Anglo-Saxxon Middle Earth

Travels Through Middle Earth: The Path of a Saxon Pagan by Alaric Albertsson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am familiar with Asatru and the Heathen religion taken from the perspective of the Scandinavians and Icelanders. The original follower of the Norse deities were all pretty much Germanic or Anglo-Saxon. This book offers a beginner course from the view point of British Anglo-Saxon practice. For the most part is much the same. Rituals are very similar. The most glaring difference though is how they pronounce their words. For example Odin is not called Odin but he is rather called Woden. Freya is called Freyo, Freyer her brother is called Ing. Asguard is pronounced "Osgeard" (Osyard). Heimdall is called Hama. In Saxon heathenry Freo (the Goddess ) is barely mentioned if at all an has hardly any places named after her in England.

I think it is pertinent to point out that Anglo-Saxon culture has pretty much defined British Religion, Spirituality and ethos. Politics have been the cause of people trying to name everything Celtic. This denial came as a result of German involvement in World War one and two. It was from Anglo-Saxon mythology that Tolkien received much of his inspiration from Anglo-Saxon Lore. For example the ents, those walking tree, were actually giants called Ettins who had a world of their own. They were not interested in the world of humans or Middle Earth at all.

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Victorian's Secret Fae

Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness by Carole G. Silver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Strange and Secret Peoples is a book not only about Faeries but also about the Victorian beliefs and attitudes towards faeries. The Victorian beliefs tell us not only about faerie but also about the people who believed those beliefs. Victorian England could be a very racist, class conscious, sexist and snobbish. It was around the Victorian time that England's Empire was expanding and putting her into contact with new people and cultures. Many of them with far different customs and darker skins. The british did not always hold such a favorable view of these people.

The first subject tackled was who or what faeries were. Many thought them to be spiritual being or demon like creatures. There were some views that held them to be fallen angels or former gods. A common belief was that they were Tuatha D dnan. Indigenous people who fled to underground caves with the onslaught of foreign invader. With Pygmies being discovered in African areas the view became more prevalent. They were then thought to be Turanian stock people who were of short stature and inferior build and who inhabited Europe before the Indo-Europeans came. For while they coexisted but then the Indo_Europeans wiped them out. These Turanians taught the Indo_europeans herb lore and healing techniques. The worst in human behavior was attributed to faeries and dwarves. They were underground people who hated others, ate people and ravaged women. Smetimes they even took slaves.

The next topic is about faerie women entrapping men. There was a fear of feminine power. Faerie women were thought to be closer to nature and had more of an animal instinct. Men felt they could not be trusted. Women back then were also treated like property. In faery tales a fae bride will marry a man with certain preconditions andd then when those conditions are broken she up and up leaves with the man staying behind heart broken. Some times she took the children and sometimes she did not. This issue dealt a lot with female independence. Some felt this attitude of faerie women was a throw back to times when Indo Europeans came there would be intermarriages with the local people. Some say that an Indo woman would marry an indigenous man and set conditions. When the conditions were broken she left. Some times it was an Indo- man who married an Indigenous women and she set the standards. In the times when the Turanians ruled things Goddesses were powerful and sacrifices were made to them, women were in charge and had supremacy.

Changeling were faerie exchanges of human babies. There was a fear that faries would abduct a human child and replace it with one of their own who was sickly or a piece of wood that looked like their child. The child left behind was often prematurely aged and very ill. Often times it never moved, ate a lot and had an over sized head. To get their child back concerned parents would put the fae baby on a burning iron shovel or drown it. It was hoped that the faeries would come back with the human child and do another exchange. but this was not always the case. It now found out that most of these sick babies had legitimate health problems. Some of them untreatable.

Goblins and dwarves and other faery creatures were thought to be members of an indigenous race that was short on stature and intelligence yet had magical ability. With the discovery of pygmies in African and other historical literature making note of their existence in Egypt, parts of the Sahara and mention of them in other parts of Europe and Central Europe plus other places in the world, people began to believe that the faeries were either a missing link or something that developed along separate line. this lead to some of the worst in human behavior. Pygmies were sometimes capture an display as freaks in circus and side shows. Some were even put in a zoo. The Victorian put their worst fears into these pygmies. THey were looked at as subhuman, cannibalistic and barbaric.

The fae are thought to be cruel and merciless. They do not like humans. To trespass on their land, insult them or destroy their favorite tree could invite the worst of calamities up and to including death. To speak to a faerie was to invite a trouble maker intent on wreaking havoc. Faeries loved to haunt houses. Faeries are depicted i stories and art work as being war like and cruel, They hurt animals for the fun of it and often wage war on each other for no reason. Faeries supposedly feed off energy an will drain the nutrition from milk, energy from men and blood. Faeries might be best left a alone.

It is said that faeries are leaving England. Part of this is due to Victorian literature and children's stories turning them into Gossamer winged cuties. Some say that it is the Gospel and forms of Christianity that are driving them away. Other sayit is science and technology that kills the faerie faith and faeries along with it. Of course with the destruction of nature faeries are leaving. The faith is not so strong yet it is not gone. Some humans are trying to repatch the relationship.

I say this...belief is everything!

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Deconstructing Tolkien

Deconstructing Tolkien: A Fundamental Analysis of the Lord of the Rings by Edward J. McFadden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Deconstructing Tolkien was a good ,entertaining read.Edward J.McFadden is a definite fan of JRR Tolkien as can be evidence by the forwards and the introduction. The first chapter goes into the biographical details of his life as do most book which is all good fine and well. But then the author makes supposition that I have no way of verifying, it is all guess work. The author rotates on two concepts, authors that may have influenced JRR and writer that he has influenced. First a chapter on who influenced Tolkien and then the next chapter on someone influenced by Tolkien. Figuring out Tolkien's influences is sketchy especially in light of the the fact. That he does not reveal his sources that inform the reader about how he came up with this conclusion. Now this does not make the book terrible but it does in fact detract from the book. There is a very interesting discussion where the author debates whether Lord of the Rings is in the genre of fantasy or science fiction. The author debates both sides of the coin but then falls to Science fiction. Most of us would consider Star Wars or Star Trek science fiction. Star Wars does have elements of fantasy but by the notion of space ships, distant galaxies and light sabres we would have to call it science fiction. Tolkien's Middle Earth happened a long time ago and the characters do not use space ships but rather magic, swords and dragon.I am left wondering.

The book does have some very strong points in it's favor. The first point is an analysis of Lord of the Rings. It is very hippyish. Hobbits like to smoke pipe weed and they love festivities. The pipe weed is stronger then your common pipe tobacco yet it does not waste you like Hashish or marijuana. Rather it induces socializing and the need for conversation. It's use is therapeutic. The author also makes note of the fact that Middle Earth tends to stagnate meaning things stay the same. How can life go for millenia, age after age and remain the same? That is the one unrealistic thing in the book. Sexual relations themselves are almost left out of the picture, In fact there are no lovemaking scenes what so ever. There is some level of physical affection between Sam and Frodo when Frodo is injured. Some have read into that homo erotic love. The author makes note of this and then , much to his credit, informs the reader that critics and others have made the mistake of thinking that Tolkien is writing an allegory or getting some hidden message across. Tolkien himself clearly blasted such a notion. The author rightly agrees with him. Tolkien was writing a fantasy story plain and simple. What I liked was his analysis of Gandalf. I will not go into detail but Gandalph has five virtues that make him a great leader, courage, loyalty,patience and honesty. In this analysis Gandalph is portrayed as a wandering wizard who helps heal middle earth. He is also the leader that everyone hearkens to.

It is with Gandalph that I would like to draw in my criticism. According to the back story Gandalph was no mere human but was a Maia, a god like being who used magic. Kind of a step below that of the Varda. The author leaves out the whole surrounding mythology behind the creation of Tolkien's middle earth. He doe rightly mention that Tolkien invented language for the Middle Earth that had various levels of completion. Most were skeleton languages and could not be used to right a major treatise but at most basic communication. Most denizens of the Middle Earth use Westron the common speech.

Perhaps my main contention is that the author asserts that writer such as HG Wells, HP Loveraft, Edgar Allan Poe who are more like Horror writer had an influence on his writing. To my knowledge there is no documentation elsewhere to support this supposition. Tolkien was influenced mostly by Norse Mythology, Faery tales and Old English Lore and Catholicism. There are parallels between him and these writers to be sure. But darn it is a long shot. HG Well chapter on "The Valley of Spiders" may parallel Frodo's capture by Shelob and Edgar Allan Poe's "William Wilson" may have parallels into the nature of multiple personalities in conflict with each other. Then again so do many authors and their pieces of work.

When it comes to the works of writers who were inspired by Tolkien, McFadden brought forth three examples. The first one was an excellent piece by Jane Yolen called "Winters King" an excellent fairy story. The next two are pieces written by him. Ok what gives are you trying to promote yourself or what? He should have had more variety. His works of fantasy are not bad and are rather entertaining but when you do an analysis of another great author you do not quote yourself or rely on your own examples.

The book does finish off with a analysis of the recent movies "Lord of the Rings" and the "Hobbit". He does acccurately note that things have been left out or completely lifted and other stuff has been added in. The author is critical of the lengthy battle scenes but over all he does seem supportive. Tolkien never thought his books should be rendered to film. Then again technology has changed. I know that I myself will have to go back and reread those classics.

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Natural Magic

Natural Magic by Doreen Valiente
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

People make magic out to be something that is really is not. Magic is unnatural, magic is bad , magic is and magic is that. All these supposition are wrong. Magic is natural and it occurs on a regular basis. Magic can be used for both good or bad of course with attendant consequences. Magic is something most of us do every day quite unconsciously. It is focusing the mind on a desired out come or goal and directing our mental energy towards that goal. Magic is also non denominational and does not require fancy tools in order to be performed, well with the exception of your mind.
Doreen's book cover almost all areas of magic. Starting with the use of the element, air, fire,water and earth finished off with a topping of the spirit of ether. She next moves into using the power of herbs and flowers. Herbs and flower have intrinsic properties to help reach certain goals. Patchouli is great for aphrodisiac effects while wearing a poultice of cinquefoil gives one Mercurial qualities of being able to charm people and get what you want. Collecting herbs for the most part should be done on or near a fool moon.
Numbers are magical as well. To find your personal number you would need to number value chart contained in her book. Add your letters together and you usually come up with a double digit number. Add the two digit of that number together and you get your personal number. You can do the same with the number of your birthday it may be your lucky number. Odd numbers are best. Colors also have magical power. Blue is for healing, purple is for psychic power, read can be for martial aggression or more assertiveness maybe even passionate love. Pink is for gentle love while silver the color of the moon is for psychic ability and intuitiveness. Colors are used rather effectively in candle magic where in the practitioner lights a colored candle corresponding with their desire. Green might be used for money or fertility. Light it say an invocation and focus on your desire.
Talismans and amulets deal mostly with stones and their properties. Talismans bring something positive to us while amulets keep evil away. Bloodstone protected warriors in battle and it was also used to stop bleeding. Different rocks and stone have different planetary properties. Sexual power is brought in as well. Sexual activity produces a lot of energy and power. It was used by the ancient Greeks and in modern rituals of witches. Alester Crowley used a lot of it as well.
Dreams can give us inventions and solutions to our problem and the most unique of ways. They also warn us sometimes of imminent danger. To better improve your dream recall you should keep a note pad by the side of your bed and write down your dreams. Dreams are interpreted differently for different people based on the dreamers own life experiences. Weather can be controlled by magic or the inherent power in weather can be used to help the practitioner reach their magical goals. Animals like cats are often witches familiars. Their inherent psychic ability helps the witch traverse the spiritual realms and communicate wit spirit. Animals are sometime messenger or portents. Crows and magpies mean different things based on how many are spotted. Owls have a meaning and of course the big black dog or the "Black Shuck" portends death and in some cases saves from death. The book finishes off with a discussion on using playing cards for divination and traditional spells that deal with banishing warts.
This is the magic of the village wise woman brought up to date for the purpose of good. Everything is ethical and safe. Reference is made extensively to Agrippas works. Be good to follow up with that.


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Invocation of the Dragon

Internal powers awaken Call forth the powers of the morning and the dawn. Inner powers, sleeping dragon awaken thou self as I command reveal my inner potential and let it take form. I am pure power, I am pure charm I am the magnetic that draws forward all that I desire My spirit drinks with the serpent from the grail....great wisdom is awakened The soul is beckoned from the cauldron of the cthonic earth... the mystery of the soul is revealed. Titanic forces are called welling from with in the primal life force is alive, powerful and breathing Awaken inner dragon if there be order then we shall create chaos and if there be chaos then we shall create order within the madness. birth destruction rebirth all is called forth Chi, prana, fire is belched forth aimed forward at my intent. My dreams shall come true the great primal energy is awaken. Meridian lines of the earth are controlled. Iron from the earth controls and guides the primal energy to where it needs go. The smith is the maker of the iron and the forces of magic bring in the order of things. Let my my dragon breathe forth the air of pneuma comes forwards. Air and spirit are the forces of magic. I call to thee come forward from with in create my dreams and make them come real. airt of air, land, water and fire, oh your spirit I shall summon. Oh spirit of the earth, great hidden dragon, speak thee your words of power. The mouth shall I protect no piercing shall ever enter. Let us fly an work with the wind. And night time fell. Once again the serpent let me drink from it's grail. Wisdom rained down upon my. My spirit evolved Bright gods help me evolve my higher self, Great Titans help the forces of nature evolve and grow. Brights gods you are the fathers and mothers of mankind, great dragon you serve the Cthonic forces. Cauldrons hold elixirs nature, Grails hold the elixir of the wise. From heaven and Olympus the bright ones look down. Nature never dies but is sublimated and controlled for great growth. The gold of dragon is protected. The meme of immortality is circled by flame. the divine life force is encased within the land. Pass the dragon if it is the elixir you desire to taste. Call forth the great alchemist and unit the earthly with the divine. We shall become and evolve into angels In the dragon's blood I breath Impervious to pain I shall never die. Hermaphrodite I call you forward...woman and man, Hermes Aphrodite. Androgynous spirituality carved out from the flesh. Unification of the opposites. Wholeness and completeness. Sun and moon walk the sacred marital isle. From this union the star child is conceived. Great alchemist make me whole conquer and subdue my nature cthonic nature. My divine self must be achieved....bright ones reveal to me my purpose. Make the heavenly skies kiss the grounds of the living earth. My universe revolves around me....not others as so it should be. Truth is not absolute but held within the eyes of the beholder much like the spirit of beauty. I a can see the universe only from my eyes as you see it from yours. My myths are created to conceal the nectar of divine subjective truth. To perform the act of creation fire must be we to water. Life force is manipulated. The divine ones , Annunaki, Nephilim, came to the earth and left their mark. We are all descend from the Gods of old. Divine DNA I command you awaken, I can change the course of fate access the level of divine . great ones awaken the hero within let me do great deeds of valor and be remembered. In the days of old the emerald tablet came down to earth. From it's carving came the holy grail. To taste the wisdom we must obtain the lucifers crown. Morning star evening star, Lucifer and Venus. Inline with sun 8 years, every 5 cycles a perfect sequence. Time is tracked through pentagrams. Oh bringer of light you are the key to wisdom. great serpent your bolts of lightning strike the earth to awaken sentience. give me the serpents kiss. The multicolored peacock brought the serpent unto Eden. Oh Magdalena Star of Venus Descent into water Leviathan great serpent of the sea. Another one eats the roots of Ygdrasil. When it is done the earth shall eat of the death. Great Tiamat sacred Dragon queen great mother of all Commander of sea water. Engage the sacred marriage calling forward with Absu darken fresh water of the deep. His dark water are the nourishment of the souls. Tears come from the well of soul Opening the door to the older dragon. Tears show us empathy they are the words of the older dragon primal emotions from times of old. Fears emanate from my sould, but my spirit will make me brave. It rules over the souls. Still my dragon shall live and express it's very nature but the spirit shall remain in control. To blocksberg Mountain we fly. Come to the sabbat let the dragon loose and experience it's nature. Be one with the spirit of the earth. With great dragon breath I shall change the world. Oh dragon I call you forth. I am the rider in control animal and wisdom united. My thighs are wounded in battle I must now serve the higher good sublimating my desires. Enegy leaves the area of the lower waste and attend to the intellect. blessed shall be I . In service of people and crown. New steps are marched on forward. Great one give me sovereignty unification of earth and heaven. Sacred fish in river, ocean and lake mediate heaven and earth. Cause the impulse of Osiris to rain forth. The drgon are called forward to mediate the divine and earthly. the gods are riding forth on thier dragon day is turning into night and night is turning to day. Let not the great Orebous stop eating it's tail for then all life shall cease. "My hair is Nun My face is Re My eyes are Hathor my ears are Wepwawet my nose is She who prsides over her lotus-leaf My lips are Anubis My molars are Selqet My incisors are Isis the Goddess my arms are the Ram, the Lord of Mendes My breast is Neith, Lady of Sais My back is Seth, My phallus is Osiris My muscles are the Lords of Kheraha My Chest is He who is greatly majestic My belly and my spine are Sekhmet My buttocks are the Eye of Horus My thighs and my calves are Nut My feet are Ptah, My fingers are Orion My toes are living uraei There is no part of me that is not of the Gods"