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Love… and Books!
by Elysia Gallo
Acquisitions Editor: Wicca, Paganism, Magick
If February is the month of love, chocolate, and all things "Valentiney," why is it such a dark, depressing month? February seems to last the longest of the winter months, in spite of being our shortest calendar month (extra leap day notwithstanding). Part of the problem is that we are still waiting for the sun to return—for those of us in northerly climates, Imbolc really has no feeling of "the return of light," even though we know in our heads that it's true. It's still dark, cold, and there seems to be no end in sight. In fact, I read that the nation's most statistically depressing day falls in January, as people are saddled with post-holiday bills, short amounts of sunlight, New Year's resolutions already broken, and the specter of Valentine's Day looming ahead.
Maybe that's why we need love so much this time of year… to counterbalance all the cabin fever and general ickiness of a cold and snowy winter, to warm our hearts when the outside air is still so cold. (Hey, I'm in Minnesota! It was one below while I watched the lunar eclipse.)
Though the big "V Day" has passed, I am truly filled with a great love for you, my readers, and for our whole Pagan community in general. I just returned from PantheaCon, one of the largest indoor conventions for those of the magical persuasion. Just listening to people talking about how we're growing up as a community, how the pentacle was approved by the VA this past year for marking veterans' graves, how Patrick McCollum was just weeks ago the first Wiccan chaplain to go before the United States government to fight religious discrimination in our prisons, how we are becoming more mainstream with every legal battle we win and every positive newspaper article that is written about us, how we are looking out for each other with discussions on end-of-life care and fundraising for our organizations. Beyond that, of course, there's the euphoria that comes from being together with 2,500 like-minded souls. And it fills me with love!
So let's take a look at our new January, February, and March releases...as usual, there's something lovely here for everyone. In January we released a new book by Kathleen Charlotte, Wicked Voodoo Sex. Come on, can you resist that title?! There's no black magic or icky chicken sacrifices in this book, just good, clean (well, maybe a little dirty), passionate, exciting sex! You'll find Voodoo nectars, tantric love techniques, herbal aphrodisiacs, erotic dancing, voodoo trances, and more. You'll become more engaged with Goddess energy in your body (or your partner's), learn how to kiss and flirt like a pro, and there's even a Voodoo detox diet that will really ramp up your appetite. Fun, sassy, and irresistible.
On a similar note, we have How to Enchant a Man by our wonderful Garden Witch, Ellen Dugan. Whether you're looking for a new mate or hoping to spice things up in the bedroom with your long-time partner, this book offers a lot of tips, tricks, spells, personal stories, and humor. Learn how to make an Ivy Leaf Charm Bag, call on Aphrodite for confidence, perform a Fresh Start Spell for the Spring Equinox, a Sunflower Spell for Lammas, or even an Uncrossing Spell to (hopefully) reverse a love spell gone wrong. (Yeah… if you had just read this book first, you wouldn't be in that situation in the first place!)
And to round out our list of all things love, check out White Spells for Love by Ileana Abrev. Short, sweet, to-the-point spells incorporate ingredients you already have at home. Most can be done in five minutes or less! This is the perfect gift for the dabbler in your life. As with the other books, it covers everything from finding and attracting a new love, to keeping it hot with your partner, to dealing with problems in your relationship.
In February we released a book that's quite different for Llewellyn, because it's fictional! It does tie in with the love theme of February, though, because it tells the tangled love story of a Druid priestess in third-century Ireland. But does it stop at being a historical romance? No! This book, Priestess of the Forest, is actually a Druidic teaching tale, giving you rituals for all the Druid holy days, rites for all major life passages, examples of magic as it could have been practiced at the time, as well as herbal lore and Druidic aphorisms throughout. It also includes an interview with the author on modern Druidic practice for those who feel a spiritual call while reading the book and want to find out how to get involved with this beautiful, nature-oriented faith. It's also the perfect gift for any Celtophiles in your life… St. Patrick's Day is coming up!
Also a February release, we have a new book by the award-winning author of twelve books on Wicca, Raven Grimassi. Crafting Wiccan Traditions is just that—a guide to working out and putting together your own tradition. You've done your homework, you've practiced, you've read all the books—now you want to create a tradition that is intrinsically you. How do you go about selecting your pantheon, your matron and patron deities? How do you choose which mythic cycle will inform your connection to the Wheel of the Year? How do you feel about teaching and initiating new members; will you have different degrees and offices within your tradition? All this and more is covered in great detail in this helpful new resource. The book also includes ritual templates for groups and solitaries for the entire year, which you can tailor to fit your own tradition.
In March we are releasing Magickal Self Defense by Kerr Cuhulain. Since it came back from the printers early, chances are good that you can already find it at your local bookstore. Kerr Cuhulain is a former police officer with lots of hands-on experience in self-defense, both magickal and physical. In this book, which is a continuation of many of the theories he set forth in Full Contact Magick, he links psychic and magickal self defense to quantum theories, making for a fresh new perspective on what you want to be doing and how. He also dispels old wives' tales about protection that frankly have very little value for the modern practitioner.
That's the round-up for now. We have a lot of exciting new books slated to come out this year, so please stay tuned!
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The Pagan and Wiccan community is really all about dialogue and sharing, not just good old Llewellyn telling you about new books and articles. This is a two-way street. We want to include your voices here in the Witchy Update!
Ask A Witch will be a new feature whereby you can send in your Wicca and magick questions to Witchy Update. We can't promise to answer all of your emails, but we will do our best to select questions that seem to be asked most often by the largest number of our readers.
What's best, if your email is picked, you'll have a whole array of answers to choose from. After we've published a question in Witchy Update, other readers who may be a little farther along their own personal path will have the opportunity to write in and pitch in their two cents. Whenever possible, we will also ask Llewellyn authors for feedback if we judge that it's a question in their field of expertise.
Unlike an Internet forum, this will be moderated by experts in Witchdom (hey, we do it for a living!) so that you won't end up sloughing through smart aleck remarks, flame wars, or responses that simply say, "Yeah, I don't know either!"
Please send your magickal inqueries to askawitch@llewellyn.com—your question might be featured in the next Witchy Update!
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A Time to Recreate Yourself
by Edain McCoy
Ostara, that magical time of renewal and balance, is just around the corner. Use this magical time for personal recreation, and to become the person you truly desire to be.
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Spirituality and Ritual: Tending the Garden of the Soul
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It may be a cliché to compare spirituality to a garden, but there really is no better analogy because our lives come into blossom and grow lush when we cultivate spirit. With springtime unfolding, this is the perfect time to pay attention to our spirituality, and a good way to do this is through ritual. Sandra Kynes, author of Your Altar and A Year of Ritual explains the importance of ritual.
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Myths and legends have always fascinated me, and my favorite legends were always those involving the ancient Gods and Goddesses. As a child, I would rush to the library to get the latest books on the gods. It didn't matter to me if I read about Norse, Roman, Greek, or Chinese myth—all were fascinating. The energy of the divine was always slightly larger than life, and the morals contained in these fabulous stories from every country on earth instinctively felt like truth to me.
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Re-Treat Yourself: Finding Renewal Through Spiritual Retreats
by Flame RavenHawk
The busy pace of the Western world keeps most of us stressed out and off balance—moving us at breakneck speed from one activity to another, and pushing us through an endless schedule of outside obligations. This frantic pace takes a toll on our bodies, minds, and spirits, making us weary and in need of rest. Going on a retreat is a time-honored custom that can bring spiritual renewal to even the busiest person.
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