A Return and a Prize Winner!

I have returned to the land of The Grid.  Fiance and I were planning a trip to see his family sometime in August.  On Friday night we found out that his father was leaving within the week for a job in Alberta (oh the woes of the East Coast family).  SOOOO, we decided to head out Sunday morning.  Which, was much sooner than I anticipated and left me scrambling to get things shored up here.  As a result, a few things were left unfinished.  One of which, is the blog giveaway.  And so, without further ado, the winner of Out of The Broom Closet is Debbie!  Please email me (zabet17@gmail.com) with your address, so I can send out your prize. 

To all of those who did not win, thanks for playing and rest assured, a new prize draw is coming in a few weeks!

ABC Book of Shadows

On a recent trip to my favorite pagan store Little Mysteries.  I came across the cutest little board book and decided to buy it for my friend's daughter.  It is called ABC Book of Shadows and is by Katie Lydon Olivares.  Here are some pics:

I love the God and Goddess pages and Samhain is one of my favorites.  I think I'm going to have to start buying this book in bulk for all my little witchlets!

P.S Don't forget to enter the giveaway for the book Out of the Broom Closet! 

Book Giveaway: Out of the Broom Closet

Out of the Broom Closet: 50 True Stories of Witches Who Found and Embraced the Craft is a wonderful book that describes, through narratives, the fear, excitement and nervousness that abounds when one steps out of the proverbial Broom Closet.  The stories are funny, inspiring and sometimes a little sad.  They deal with parents, friends, children, co-workers and show how those who stand by you can sometimes be surprising.  This is a great book for anyone who has ever stepped out of the Broom Closet or even for those still buried deep inside.


I will keep the giveaway up for a week or two and then draw a winner.  Remember, the more times you enter, the more chances you get! 

How to Enter


1 entry will be given for each of the following:
-Following my Blog (or already being a follower)
-Adding me on Facebook
-Adding me on Twitter
-Tweeting about the Giveaway
-Blogging about the Giveaway

2 entries will be given for each Friend you refer.  They should comment here or email zabet17@gmail.com and mention your username.

Make sure you comment on this post and tell me which of the above you have done.

Herb of the Week - Recipes

To finish off the first Herb of the Week, I thought I would post a few incense recipes.  These are from Scott Cunningham's The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews

Rosemary Healing Incense:
1 Part Dried Rosemary
1 Part Dried Juniper Berries

Crush herbs and burn on charcoal disc

Study Incense:
2 parts Gum Mastic
1 part Rosemary

Crush herbs and burn on charcoal disc

Crystal Purification Incense
2 Parts Frankincense
2 parts Copal
1 part Sandalwood
1 part Rosemary
1 pinch finely powdered salt
1 small, purified Quartz Crystal Point

Crush herbs and place in a jar.  Add the quartz crystal. Pour herbs onto charcoal disc (be sure to LEAVE the crystal in the jar).  Pass crystals to be purified through the smoke. 

On Listening to Good Advice

I'm stubborn.  A few months ago, I bought Scott Cunningham's The Complete Book if Incense, Oils and Brews.  I have a rather large herb collection and decided to make an incense for Imbolc.  I didn't follow one of his recipes - NOOOOOO that would be too easy.  I made up my own.  I picked some herbs appropriate for Imbolc (gleaned from my notes on the Sabbat) ground them, mixed them together, bottled them and then put them aside for a few weeks.  I didn't even think about the incense until Imbolc when I lit a charcoal disc, opened the bottle and FELL IN LOVE! OMG I didn't remember it smelling that good when I made it!  Slowly, a horrific realization took hold of me - I hadn't written down the recipe.  Cunningham stressed the importance of writing recipes, in fact, I'm pretty sure he mentioned it at least 5 times.  But I knew better! I would never want to re-create this particular recipe, I would simply explore a new avenue and try something else, right? WRONG! My lesson in all of this - when someone who has been working with herbs and writing about herbs for as long as Cunningham has - LISTEN TO HIS ADVICE!

After an hour or so of sniffing what little I had left and experimenting with the herbs I had on hand (luckily I could narrow it down by looking at the original Sabbat notes), I did manage to re-create it.  So here is the recipe:

Ingredients
Purple Basil (I grow and dry my own - I have never seen it available in a store but I am sure regular basil would be fairly close)
Chamomile
Rosemary
Frankincense Resin

I didn't really follow any set measurements but I have added to my notes to go light on the Chamomile and heavier on the Basil.  Also, try not to over-work the Frankincense - it got started to get gummy on me.

*I will probably re-post this recipe next Imbolc.

Book Review: The Accidental Santera by Irete Lazo

I spotted this book at a local new age shop but weeded it from my purchases (too many expensive stones to buy!) Low and Behold, a week or two later, my friend bought it for me for my birthday.  It is the story of one woman's journey to become a Santera.  Here is the Amazon blurb

A one-of-a-kind novel that plunges readers into the secrets of Afro-Cuban Santeria—a world of fascinating beauty, pulsating rhythms, and great mystery.
Gabrielle Segovia, Ph.D., is struggling to build a career as a Latina scientist, cope with her third miscarriage, and resuscitate her marriage to fellow biology professor Benito Cruz. Becoming a santera is not in her plans.
But everything changes when her best friend, the feisty Patricia Muñoz, drags her into a French Quarter voodoo shop during a conference in New Orleans. When Gabrielle gets home to the San Francisco Bay Area, the predictions from her on-a-whim reading begin to come true. That’s when she learns she hails from a long line of practitioners of Santeria, the religion created when Yoruba slaves combined their ancient rituals with Catholicism.
Out of desperation to become a mother and save both her job and her marriage, Gabrielle turns to Puerto Rican relatives living in Miami she hasn’t seen since she was a child. She finds herself warmly embraced by three generations of Segovia santeras and drawn into their world of séances, sacred drums, and ritual animal sacrifice.
Unexpectedly marked for initiation by the gods and goddesses of the Yoruba pantheon, Gabrielle must decide whether she can bring herself to answer the call. And, if she chooses, commit to the seemingly contradictory life of a scientist who is also a santera.
In this powerful debut novel, Irete Lazo captures a vibrant world still unknown to many and relates a journey that is at once funny, heart-wrenching, and, ultimately, triumphant.

I found the book very enjoyable.  The character of Gabrielle was likable and believable.  I was very happy to find that she was a grown woman, with a real job, who is called into a religion that doesn't fit with mainstream views.  It is a far cry from the typical "teen explores wicca, parents get mad, teen convinces them it is ok" Pagan fiction that one normally comes across.  While much of the plot was fairly predictable, the book provides a special view into a very mysterious religion that many of us would never get to see.  The only challenge I faced while reading this novel was that many of the characters would comment in Spanish.  Sometimes the translation was provided, but sometimes it wasn't.  I do NOT do well with languages and so I was confused by some of the phrases and it impacted my understanding of some of the rituals.  I was also struck by how involved the entire religion is.  In asking for any favors, Gabrielle would have to perform many tasks, present offerings and sometimes make sacrifices (both of herself - ex: stop drinking - and of animals).  Once on the track toward becoming a Santera, Gabrielle would have to change many aspects of her life.  It got me wondering how much we would be willing to sacrifice or change for our own religious calling.  But, that is a discussion for another post...
All in All, The Accidental Santera was a very good read and I would recommend it for anyone who has even a passing curiosity with Santeria and would like a glimpse inside interesting and intricate religion.  It is a wonderful addition to the world of Pagan Fiction.

P.S I am a huge fan of Pagan Fiction, if there is anything else I MUST read, or any other books you would like to see reviewed, please let me know. 

Pagan Fiction

I am a huge fan of Pagan Fiction and I thought I would share some of my favorites for those who haven't encountered them yet.  So in no particular order here are my top five Pagan Fiction books (or series)

1. Bell, Book & Murder: The Bast Mysteries by Rosemary Edghill

This is actually a composite of 3 books:  Speak Daggers to Her, Book of Moons and The Bowl of Night all of which feature the character of Bast a New Yorker and Gardnerian.  All three books have memorable characters and interesting storylines.  I love that the magick they show is realistic and the description of the inner workings of Bast's coven.  A great light read for all Pagans!

2.  Book of Shadows and The Love Spell by Phyllis Curott.

While perhaps not strictly fiction, I chose to include these books because I enjoyed them so much.  They describe the author's discovery of and journey through the world of witchcraft.  Phyllis Curott presents an enjoyable and interesting view of her own path to the Goddess.  I find it very refreshing to read about real-life magick as well as other people's practices and would love to see more books like these two.

3.  The Circle of Three Series by Isobel Bird.

Circle of Three is a series of 15 books.  The books tell the story of Kate, Cooper and Annie, three young girls who are drawn together by the craft.  They feature real life struggles of parental acceptance, loss of friendships and searching for your own path.  I particularly recommend them for teen witches (scary that that phrase always makes me think of Silver Ravenwolf now - but I digress) but they are also a fun read for adults.

4. Sweep Series by Cate Tiernan.

Sweep is another series of 15 books all aimed at teens.  Of the list so far, this is the most fantastical.  The books begin with Morgan Rowlands discovering that she is a "Blood Witch".  The author takes tidbits of real magick (for example the use of crystals) and then expands them to fantasy proportions.  All in all they are a fun read, but I prefer a little more realism and a little more religion in my Pagan Ficition.

5.  Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan

I am being very loose with the term Pagan Fiction in order to include this series in the list.  There are 6 books in the series and involve characters like Percy Jackson who are half-bloods (half human half god).  The books are delightful and feature many of the Greek myths and monsters.  I chose to include it because I am a huge fan of Greek Mythology and love to see it being used as inspiration for new fiction.  These series is also very popular with my teenage students (even boys!) and is a great pic for those kids who never seem to get into books.

So those are my top 5, what would your top 5 be??