Book Review | Enchantments: A Modern Witch's Guide to Self-Possession by Mya Spalter

Enchantments: A Modern Witch's Guide to Self-Possession by Mya Spalter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Netgalley provided me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Enchantments is a really refreshing take on witchcraft. Mya Spalter uses approachable, modern language and symbolism to explain things. It makes it so much easier to absorb the information and relate it to my own life, rather than trying to parse meaning from the many Neopagan/witchy books that rely on old-fashioned language and iconography in an attempt to sound more "spiritual" or "occulty," but just end up coming across as outdated and inaccessible. I also appreciate that she shies away from outdated ways of viewing the world (read: gender binaries, sexist & ableist forms, etc.), while still acknowledging that other books may still rely on those ways of thinking. Overall I found that Spalter's writing style made the book extremely readable and easy to absorb, and it made me much more interested in trying out some of the magickal techniques.

The approach to spellcraft is refreshing. She gives you ideas for how things might be done, how to choose substitute ingredients, etc., all in a very low key manner. She never says "you must do it this way or it won't work." I was also pleasantly surprised that this book taught me about new techniques for spells, like uncrossing work - this is basically one way of removing blockages from your path - as well as new ways of looking at/using techniques I'm already familiar with.

In one chapter, she explores how different items on your altar can have meaning, and how to find that meaning for yourself. I really appreciate that she keeps reminding you "Don't burn the house down!" when talking about burning candles and such.

I really liked her chapter on candle magick, and all the tricks you can use to get your magkical juju flowing when using candles, like using sigils and incense smoke, and different ways you can dress candles to fit your purposes (including with glitter! Be still my witchy heart). I actually ended up using some of these techniques to dress and burn a candle for a spell and it worked really well. Her suggestions for charging the candle by playing music that fits your intention also really jived with me.

I found the chapter on divination very interesting and it renewed my interest in trying out palmistry, and was a good reminder that tarot is a skill that needs practice because there are so many dang cards. But the chapter on astrology reminded me why I just don't believe in astrology and never will.

Overall, this is a must read for modern witches!

View all my reviews

Review: Veil Between Worlds by Sally Dubats

I've read a few witchy books this year, although I haven't written a proper review for most of them. I had lots of thoughts about Sally Dubats' YA novel, "Veil Between Worlds," however, so I decided to write a review as part of the 2015 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge.

Warning: Spoilers ahead, and discussion of potentially triggery material near the end of the review.

Veil Between Worlds by Sally Dubats (Book 1 in The Grimoire Chronicles)
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

“We’ll have to make her death look like an accident.”

Cassie’s neighbors have secrets -- and she is one of them.

17-year-old Cassie is a Witch who caught the eye of her mysterious new neighbors. They’re elegant and deadly, and renovating an abandoned resort to open a school for gifted teens. Cassie is the only one who knows the whereabouts of their missing and gorgeous son, Trenton. The problem is that he's not in this dimension, and the mysterious neighbors have given Cassie an ultimatum: Find Trenton or die.

Witchcraft is second nature to Cassie, but protection charms and Drink and Know spells create a world Cassie never dreamed of, a world where Love and Disaster are intimate partners, and Cassie finds out who - and what - Trenton really is.

First in “The Grimoire Chronicles” series, “Veil Between Worlds” is a paranormal fantasy novel that you’ll never forget! If you love paranormal romance, urban fantasy, Witches and Wicca, ghost stories, paranormal mystery, paranormal horror, and action, “The Grimoire Chronicles” is definitely for you!


Let's start with my favorite part of this book, which is the discussion of the Craft. I thought it was really beautiful and full of lots of good Truth with a capital T. There were also some very interesting insights into how astral travel works and how to protect yourself while doing so, as well what divine possession feels like.

One of my favorite scenes was where Cassie helps Violet cross over, with the help of the God & Goddess. I admit I got quite teary eyed at how beautifully that scene was described. I don't think I'll ever look at a candle lit on Samhain the same way again.

I liked that she used an often-overlooked mythological creature -- the Sirens -- instead of overused creatures like vampires, werewolves, etc. that so many paranormal YA books do.  It gave the story a fresh feeling.  I finished the book wanting to know more about this world she was starting to build with this book, particularly about the Sirens and their place in the world.

I got angry that the Sirens kept erasing people's memories, especially at the end. The Sirens are seriously paranoid to an unhealthy degree, but it almost seemed like Dubats felt they were in the right to erase people's memories. (Obviously, I think it's unethical for them to do so). Holly and Laine had these powerful, transformative experiences on the astral, and it was all erased because Sirens were involved. These characters deserve to remember being spoken to by the Goddess on the astral and finding their own power. For their sakes I am pissed off that they've been robbed of that experience!

My one major problem with this book is the relationship between Cassie & Trenton. It is deeply unhealthy. When they first meet, he energetically assaults her. Then she starts stalking him and his family on the physical and astral plane because she wants to find him and understand what happened when he assaulted her and what he really is. And then suddenly they're a "match" and are completely in love with one another??! No way. Oh, and then at the end he erased all those memories so that she wouldn't even remember the assault, stalking, his crazy ex-girlfriend/not-match, etc., and they could start from scratch - why yes, let's start our relationship based on a big fat lie! That is some really messed up and unhealthy shit right there.

I'm still not sure if I want to keep reading the rest of the series. The lovely stuff about witchcraft and the gods kind of makes me want to, despite the problematic Trenton/Cassie relationship.


This review and others can also be found on my Goodreads profile: View all my reviews

A Cozy Bowl of Daal

Now that winter is starting to set in and it's getting colder out, it seems like the perfect time to share one of my favorite warm-you-up recipes, yellow gram daal.

One of my college roommates introduced me to the deliciousness of Nepalese-style daal, and would often make a big pot of it to share when she found out how much I enjoyed it.  When I moved away I got her recipe for yellow gram daal, which is what she made most often and is adapted from The Joys of Nepalese Cooking by Indra Majupuria.  After making it a few times I bought a used and (strangely bound) copy on Amazon so I could try other Nepalese recipes - but the yellow gram daal is still my favorite.

I should make it clear that my recipe is adapted from what is found in this book and probably shouldn't be viewed as traditional Nepalese food, though I did try to stay true to the overall flavor palette (maybe we can call it Nepalese-inspired?)  Some ingredients are easier for me to get than others, so I've substituted a few items (olive oil for ghiu, for example).  I also made a few additions like carrots, spinach, and cayenne for my own tastes.  

The original recipe calls for mung daal, also called mungiko or moong daal.  (Daal, or dal, can be translated as "lentils" or "split beans.")  Mung daal is a yellowish daal that looks like tiny yellow split peas when removed from the green husks.  You can find it in Indian or Asian markets.  I rarely find myself in one of these stores, so I usually substitute masoor daal, which are shelled red lentils that I can easily get at Whole Foods.

Check out this article on Indiaphile if you want to learn more about the different types of daal and see what they look like.

Yellow Gram Daal

Ingredients:

1 cup mung daal or masoor daal

4-5 cups of water (add more or less depending on desired thickness)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped - or more to taste

2.5 cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped - or more to taste

1/2 tsp cumin seeds or cumin powder

~t tsp coriander powder

Optional: dash or two of cayenne powder for more heat,

Optional: handful of frozen chopped spinach and/or finely chopped carrots

Instructions:

Rinse the daal to get off all the saponins (soap-like compounds) and soak for at least an 1 hour.  Drain.  Hint: Mung and masoor lentils are tiny!  Use a colander with a fine mesh when you're rinsing and draining them.

Then, boil the daal in the water with salt and turmeric until it becomes tender and falls apart, becoming thoroughly mixed with the water.

Meanwhile heat the oil and fry the onions until they turn clear.  Add the garlic and ginger when the onions are about halfway done, and fry until the onions turn clear and the ginger and garlic become golden.  Add the cumin and coriander and fry for a few seconds.

Then add all of this to the pot of daal, stir, cover, and let it simmer for awhile (at least 10-15 minutes).  If you are adding cayenne, carrot, and/or spinach, add this to the pot now and cook for at least 10-15 minutes or until the veggies are tender.

Serve hot.  I usually serve over basmati rice or with toasted pita bread, but you can also eat it plain like a soup.

Makes about 4-5 servings.  Enjoy, and stay warm this winter!

Review: A Dream of Stone & Shadow by Marjorie M. Liu

I've read a bunch of books this year, and I'm finally getting around to writing reviews for the "witchy" ones I've been reading.

Here's my first review for the 2015 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge!  This book involves an evil witch who eats gargoyles.

FYI: Minor spoilers ahead.  Also, this book (and consequently and my review) are NSFW!


A Dream of Stone & Shadow by Marjorie M. Liu
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book started off with a very interesting premise, but it fails spectacularly in execution.

In the story, there are 3 separate lives intertwined:

- Charlie, a gargoyle, who with his 3 brothers is held captive by an evil gargoyle-eating witch.  (Apparently gargoyles in this universe have massively-good regenerative powers.)  Every time he "dies" he can travel about as a ghost until his body regenerates.

- Emma, a young girl held captive by a pair of twisted-as-fuck humans for the purposes of child pornography (thankfully, not described in much detail).  Charlie visits her regularly in ghost form to protect her as best he can.

- Aggie, a psychic woman working for a supernatural-esque detective agency (Dirk & Steel), who can interact with Charlie better than most because of her clairvoyance.

So Charlie and Aggie work together to free the young girl. That part was okay to read. The concepts about what gargoyles are, how Aggie uses her psychic powers to fight crime, etc. were also just creative enough to be interesting.

The witch was also pretty creepy.  I mean, through sheer magick she's holding four powerful gargoyles prisoner just so she can slice and dice them over and over, so she and her witch friends can eat them.  She turned Charlie's 3 brothers to stone because they wouldn't let her carve them up. Ew.

What was awful was the truly juvenile understanding of things like love and sex, and trust. First, these two fall in love at first sight, and it's implied that they're soulmates - even though he's in ghost form and won't show her his true form, they have an instant bond and she TOTALLY trusts and instantly loves him.  Riiight....  And then I nearly died of laughter when Charlie started having ghostly sex with Aggie in public, almost against her will (it didn't seem to be non-consensual, but he sure pressured her into it), first in her seat on a plane and then in the airport, and yet nobody suspecting because she could totally control her reactions. All of that right after they had first met and spent like 15 minutes in each others' presence. Riiiiiiight...

The writing style itself leaves something to be desired. It's also got a very unrefined, almost juvenile tone. Honestly, I'm not sure if the book is considered YA, but it might as well be the way it's written.

Read it for laughs, but certainly don't read it for its literary value!


This review and others can also be found on my Goodreads profile: View all my reviews

2015 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge

Here's a fun blogging idea for neopagans - the 2015 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge!

I think I can read about 4 or 5 witchy books this year, so I'm going to sign up and shoot for for the Initiate level.  This will be great motivation for helping me achieve my goal to read 30 books this year.  I'm hoping I also feel inspired to write reviews on my blog of the books I read!  And of course, any reviews I write will also go up on my Goodreads profile.

Here's the information about the challenge from the challenge host, Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf:

Challenge Levels:

Initiate: Read 1 – 5 Witchy Books
Maiden: Read 6 – 10 Witchy Books
Mother: Read 11 – 15 Witchy Books
Crone: Read 16 – 20 Witchy Books

Challenge Rules:

• This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2015 – Dec 31, 2015. I will be posting a place to link up a sign-up post (below), reviews and a wrap-up post. (Note: You do not have to review the books to participate, but only those who link up reviews will be entered for the prize)
• Grab the reading challenge button (code & button below) and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate- you could track your progress and post reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, etc.
• Any full length book that includes a witch as a main character or includes major witchcraft elements counts. They may be fiction or non-fiction. However, they should not be reference books which are not read cover to cover-I will leave this to your discretion.
• Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
• You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
• When you sign up in the linky put the direct link to your post about joining the 2015 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge, not just a link to your blog.
• You can move up levels, but no moving down.
• Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2015, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
• Have some Witchy Good Fun !!!

Prize:
Witchy book of choice up to $10 from The Book Depository!

Participants who have officially signed up by linking up a sign-up post declaring their level will be given one entry for every review they link up. The more reviews you write and link up, the more entries in the contest! Link up your reviews on that month’s Review Link Up Post. Winner will be chosen on Jan 11th 2015 to give everyone a chance to link up their end of year reviews. All Review Link Up Posts can be accessed from my menu bar under my header!

Ready to participate with me?  
Sign up on the 2015 Witches & Witchcraft Sign-up Post, and then link up your January 2015 book reviews here.

Goals for 2015

Gosh, I can't believe we're more than 2 weeks into 2015 already!  Each year I usually set myself some goals (okay, they're really resolutions but we all know resolutions get broken!)  I've spent some time mulling over where I want to take myself this year and what goals to set to get there.  So without further ado...

 1. Blog more often                                                                                                                                                  
I undertook a lot of effort to rename, rebrand, and refresh my blog... and then didn't do much with it.  More blogging this year! 

2. Make more food from scratch                                                                                                                          
I've been trying to make more foods from scratch over the last year or so, in part to challenge myself in the kitchen and in part to eat more nutritious, whole foods and fewer additives and preservatives.  I already make soups from scratch, and I recently learned how to make hummus.  (For the hummus I've been working from this recipe - so much deliciousness!)

Now I want to expand my horizons and make more foods from scratch.  Definitely bread, since we go through a couple loaves a month.  I'd also like to try my hand at applesauce and pesto.  Do you guys have any other ideas on foods to make homemade - maybe something you'd like to see me blog about making?


3. Read at least 30 books                                                                                                                                        
Last year I set a goal for myself of reading 30 books.  I didn't meet it, but that's okay.  I really enjoyed setting aside more time on the weekends and evenings to just read.  I want to encourage myself to keep doing that, so I'm setting myself the same goal for this year.  I'm once again participating in the Goodreads Reading Challenge as I have in previous years - which is an easy way for keeping track of what I read and seeing how "on track" I am for meeting my goal as the year progresses.

4. Stretch and do yoga more often                                                                                                                       
I may have mentioned in here in the past that I have fibromyalgia.  For me, stretching and gentle yoga are by far the best types of exercise for managing my symptoms.  But I've been very lax in getting my movement on and I can feel the consequences of worsened pain, stiffness, and weakness the last few years.  So even if it's just 5 minutes a night or 1 good session a week, I need to do more.

5. Work on my Book of Lore & Craft                                                                                                                     
I bought a new Book of Lore & Craft (what most people call their Book of Shadows) early last year, and after it sat unused for many months I finally cleansed, blessed, and dedicated it at Samhain.  Right now it just has the dedication written in it, but I intend to add much more to it this year.

6. Get married!                                                                                                                                                          
Jack and I have been engaged since Yule 2013.  It's going to happen this year!  We're going to have a private courthouse ceremony soon, once we get our plans finalized.  I'll be sure to share photos and such in here once we finally tie the knot :)

Friday Updatey-ness

Wearing...
I worked from home today, so I'm wearing pajamas and my favorite purple and grey crocheted sweater.  And my engagement ring, of course:

I don't think I officially announced our engagement on the blog, because neither of us have been very gushy about it, and due to him being in grad school we've decided a longer engagement is probably necessary.  Still, I'm really excited to be marrying my best friend (so cliche, I know!), and almost just as excited to scandalize my family by bucking all the patriarchal and otherwise creepy traditions usually included in the marriage celebration.

Feel free to follow my Wedding board on Pinterest to see all my wedding-planning pinspiration!

Follow Colleen // Heartache Into Beauty's board It's You and Me Against the World on Pinterest.

Reading...
I'm about halfway through the Wool Omnibus Edition by Hugh Howey, which was recommended to me by my good friend Annie.  It's a decent enough book, but I find that while some parts are great (especially part 1), it often isn't engaging enough to hold my interest (like pretty much all of part 3).  I definitely find myself opening it up on my Kindle some nights and immediately wanting to switch to another book.

I've also been moseying my way through The Magical Household: Spells and Rituals for the Home by Scott Cunningham & David B. Harrington.  Some of it the information presented has been helpful to my practice, so it's been good to page through it now and again, but it's a bit dry.  Less discussion, and more like: "...and to weave this type of magick in your home, you could do this, or this, or this..."

Crafting...
I started a butterfly cross-stitch ages ago, but truth be told... I haven't done anything with it in months.

Stressing about...
Work.  Once again I have a lot on my plate, and all of those things are priority items that I can't shelve, and all of them are due within the next few weeks.  HALP.  I'm starting to feel a bit like Dean here. 

But really, as long as nobody hands me any more projects for the next month, I should be okay.  Just gotta remember to breathe now and then.

Planning...
Tomorrow I'm going to a shamanic journey class that a friend is holding at his house.  I'm still not sure that shamanic-style journeying is right for me, but I find that the classes help me practice things like my visualization skills on the astral plain, and learning how to distinguish ally from non-ally from product-of-my-imagination.

Laughing at...
This plant my friend and I saw at a local park (it has an indoor conservatory for tropical plants).  It's called elephant ears.  The leaves are bigger than me!

Pumped about...
Posting my first giveaway on the blog!!  Seriously, I am really thrilled to participating in this awesome multi-blog giveaway to celebrate the release of Summoned by Rainy Kaye.  If you haven't entered yet, please hop on over to Monday's post and submit your entries - you have until Jul 31 to enter! :)

Borders raid, the second

Okay, I admit it. I went back to Borders today to see if there was anything left worth buying. With the going-out-of-business sale almost over, I figured there would be scant few books left. There were still a decent number of books, though I only found 2 pagan-y books, both not of interest.

I ended up finding 2 books that interested me, and I figured at 70% off I wasn't risking much by buying them. The first one is a novel called Blind Sight by Meg Howrey. According to the liner notes, it's about a teen learning the difference between truth and belief, using the tropes of an earthy spiritual mother and a glamorous Hollywood father.

The second book is a cookbook called Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet by Raman Prasad. It's all sorts of recipes that are grain-free, lactose-free, and sugar-free. Good stuff for detoxing, which I know is helpful for my mental and physical health. I've also been reading and hearing a lot about how gluten and casein are inflammatory proteins, and they can aggravate - and sometimes be the cause of - all sorts of physical and mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, celiac disease, and fibromyalgia (to name a few). I think it would be of benefit to me to try reducing the amount of gluten and casein I ingest to see if it helps.

 

I probably won't be going back to Borders before it closes for good. There wasn't much else I would want to peruse. Also, all the empty shelves make me a sad panda.

In which I raid Borders

I was at Borders the other day, checking out their going-out-of-business sales (*sigh* Pardon me while I lament the loss of my favorite hangout.) I was looking for T. Thorn Coyle's Evolutionary Witchcraft or Kissing the Limitless, but neither were to be found. It was quite sad, really, how the sections with pagan-y books were so empty, and what little remained was terribly disorganized.

What I did find was a nice fabric-lined basket in which to put my CDs in the car. No more CDs flying every which way when I hit the brakes and getting lost under the seats!

 

I also found a book called Natural Relief for Anxiety: Complementary Strategies for Easing Fear, Panic, & Worry.* At 40% off! I've been looking for a book like this, but had so far come up empty-handed. (Maybe I was looking in the wrong parts of the bookstore?) A quick browse through the book showed some techniques like meditation that I've already explored with varying degrees of success (and varying degrees of commitment), and some I had not tried at all or even considered.

I'm looking forward to reading it! I'll be sure to share my review here, as well as discuss my experiences with any techniques I try.

* Yes, I totally added an Oxford comma into the title. Because nothing drives me crazy like a list of 3 or more things without an Oxford comma. Don't hate on me, Oxford comma haters.