Melanie MarquisRecensioni

This is my favorite tarot deck and the book that comes with it is great. Wonderful pictures, great explanation.

Spring 2018:

I love, love, love discovering this new set of Wheel of the Year books exist. I'm going to be picking these up one at a time, per holiday, as the year goes on and adding them all to my collection.

I was incredibly quite pleased the whole first third of the book is broken up into Old Ways and New. I love that the Old Ways section is, indeed, delved research into the references of spiritual practices for any people or rites related to this holy day through centuries. I love the clarity of some things not having an answer, or us still not being certain.

The invocation page was fun, as well, though I do wish there were some more crafts and recipes than those listed.

‘’Like the promise of a rainbow, our first harvest of the season reassures us that if all continues to go well, we can expect more wholesome treasures own the road that will sustain us throughout the winter.’’

The first time I ever heard the word ‘’Lughnasadh’’ was at uni years ago. We were about to study Brian Friel’s marvelous play Dancing at Lughnasa (which I recently revisited) and I fell in love. From that moment on, I began to devour all I could find on Lughansad, Imbolc, Beltane, Samhain and all the beautiful seasonal rites of the year. I am not a Pagan (obviously) but religion and personal convictions should never stop us from craving more and more knowledge. After all (like it or not…), mythology and legends are the foundations of each people.

Also known as Lammas (England), Lughnasadh is the first of three harvest celebrations, typically held from sundown on July 31 to sundown on August 1, as Nature, our dearest Mother, generously provides her gifts to us. Known also as Lugnasad in Ireland and Lunasda or Lunasdal in Scotland, it was -and still is- a day to celebrate the bond between Nature and her children and a plethora of customs and rituals surround it. In the Outer Hebrides, it used to acquire a different character as the villagers honoured Seonaidh, a water spirit of the sea, with a ritual taking place in the night while in the Lanark area, the custom of the Riding of the Marches is still alive. Harvest festivals are celebrated throughout the world, from the USA to Africa and Russia.

I loved the historical facts commemorating the meaning of August as a very important month for the Roman calendar and the feast of Opiconsivia in honour of Ops, the fertility goddess of Plenty and the intertwining of the Pagan and Christian celebrations and customs, the references to the festival of Tullamore, in County Offaly in Ireland, the Craggaunowen Festival held in County Clare, the St. Andrew’s Lammas Fair. Obviously, the ‘’spells’’ section isn’t something I could take seriously but they were fun to read, nonetheless. The recipes were absolutely brilliant as were the rituals and invocations albeit a tiny bit far-fetched. But to each their own…In other news, corn dolls always seemed creepy to me...

I’ve never cared much for the sea. I prefer spending my dog days of summer in the mountains where the late afternoons acquire a whole new meaning. This book reminded me of the approaching evening when the sky turns a deeper blue and the moon is slowly starting to make its entrance. And I am definitely looking forward to reading the entire series.

‘’The earth is our mother; even if we’re wearing three-piece suits, driving fancy cars, and basking in carpeted, air-conditioned luxury, we’re needy children, totally depended on the earth to provide us with food, water, shelter, and clothing. Where would you be if an asteroid crashed into our planet? What would happen to you if every plant on the earth withered and died?’’

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Llewellyn’s Little Book of Moon Spells by Melanie Marquis

The moon influences the rhythm of the earth and influence the earth’s inhabitants. In this book the author mentions this idea, recommends keeping a journal to track personal mood, significant events, patterns, and the general flow of the day. I can see doing this for a year while also putting on the journal page the moon phase, any magic practiced and over time outcomes of that magic. I believe this would be an interesting diary to keep and may do so in the future.

Another section I enjoyed was the one on Lunar Correspondences – or what animals, trees, earth locations, colors and more are in tune with various times of the year and with the moon’s phases. The main feeling or impression I get from this book is that one’s personal interaction with moon and magic is something that grows and changes becoming personalized over time. What might be important, significant, or meaningful to me regarding a lunar phase or time of year may be completely different for someone else. It is a learning process and something that will grow over time and no doubt change as well.

The book has eight chapters:
1. Moon Magic Basics: including the basics of magic, circles, tools and more
2. Lunar Correspondences: suggests ideas to incorporate or use as symbols for the moon and its phases
3. Timing Magic with the Moon: information about waxing, waning, full and other terminology related to the moon and how to tie this into magic one might wish to perform
4. Potions and Powders: suggestions and some cautions
5. Moon Spells by Lunar Phase: Ties into #3 above
6. Special Moon Magic
7. Moon Spells by Goal
8. A Year of Moon Magic: this is the one I would like to tie to my journal

This is a basic informative lunar magic reference book that would benefit from being used in conjunction with a basic Pagan-Magic book. I have always felt that a book like this picked up and then used without true background knowledge could lead some into trouble but in general so would caution the reader not to jump in without thinking through and perhaps doing further study before attempting any magic.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I buy it for my library? Yes
Would I recommend it? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Llewellyn Publications for the ARC – this is my honest review.

4.5 Stars½

Midsummer: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Litha and Lughnasadh: Rituals, Recipes & Lore for Lammas are part of Llewellyn Publications new Sabbat Essentials series. They are the Martha Stewart of sabbat books, containing histories, modern celebrations, ritual ideas, divinations and spells, recipes, decorations, and correspondences. Each book is written by a different author, so each brings something a little different to the table, but they conform to Llewellyn's format.

The illustrations in this series are absolutely gorgeous. The ritual ideas are sparse, but good, in that they have ideas for solitaries and groups. The recipes seem pretty tasty and definitely suit the sabbats.

I think these books are good for beginners looking for an overview and for old-timers who are looking for something a bit more to spice up their celebrations. My one caution is that I feel as if the spirituality of the sabbats is missing from these books--and maybe it has to be, as they're targeted toward the entire neo-pagan community and not limited to one path. If you aren't familiar with a spiritual path you shouldn't count on this series to give you that familiarity.

(Provided by publisher)

[b:Ostara Rituals Recipes Lore for the Spring Equinox Paperback] and [b:Beltane Rituals Recipes and Lore for May Day|22351155|Beltane Rituals, Recipes, and Lore for May Day|Llewellyn Publications|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1405868213s/22351155.jpg|41758027] are part of Llewellyn Publications new Sabbat Essentials series. They are the Martha Stewart of sabbat books, containing histories, modern celebrations, ritual ideas, divinations and spells, recipes, decorations, and correspondences. Each book is written by a different author, so each brings something a little different to the table, but they conform to Llewellyn's format.

The illustrations in both books are absolutely gorgeous. The ritual ideas are sparse, but good, in that they have ideas for solitaries and groups. The recipes seem pretty tasty and definitely suit the sabbats.

I think these books are good for beginners looking for an overview and for old-timers who are looking for something a bit more to spice up their celebrations. My one caution is that I feel as if the spirituality of the sabbats is missing from these books--and maybe it has to be, as they're targeted toward the entire neo-pagan community and not limited to one path. If you aren't familiar with a spiritual path you shouldn't count on this series to give you that familiarity.

(Provided by publisher)

Each chapter of this book is about a magical principal. First that principal is explained. Then examples of its usage in a variety of cultures and magical traditions are shown. (Sources of the author's research are cited.) Then the reader is asked how they could apply that principle to their own magical practice.

I think I'll be referring back to this book frequently.

(Provided by publisher)

I think this is my favorite of the books in this series I have read so far.

Due to the nature of the holiday, it focuses on Lughnasadh as well as Lammas, with good ideas for celebrating and honoring either or both. It's an in-between holiday- both a part of summer, yet looking to the autumn- so focusing on games and "first fruits" are both very appropriate.

One quibble: a number of the prayers and invocations invite various gods to actually inhabit one's body. Unless one has a working relationship with that particular deity, this strikes me as potentially risky, and the risks of doing this are not mentioned.