Walking the Hedge » Reviews & Recommendations

To Answer Some Questions

Juniper — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:08:11 +0000

What are you up to?

Getting ready for Yuletide; I found tree ornaments that look like fly amanita mushrooms! Writing, working, unpacking, playing Skyrim.

Is the podcast going to keep going?

Yes. Bren put up an episode recently and we hope to get back into the swing of things with the new year.

I am interested in casting objects and divination as spirit communication. Can you recommend some books?

I recommend that you look for books on the divination and spirit communication systems that appeal to you.

My main sources of inspiration were the FUTHARK and the Ogham. There are people who cast personal sets. I come across them from time to time, usually online. Not always though. I lead a workshop on it for Fest one year and a lady showed up with her casting cloth based on Hoodoo concepts.

I’m really rusty in some areas, tarot seems so long ago. I moved on from tarot (because it just wasn’t a good fit) in my early twenties, so about 7 or 8 years ago? I am amazed at what I have forgotten. It’s weird. Or not, since I never really clicked with it. It’s silly but somehow all the imagery, connections and correspondences didn’t make sense coming from a beautifully painted card.

I look at a sea shell and I see much more *shrug* Maybe it because the sea shell is much more tactile?

Any how, here a couple of books:

Wyrdwalkers: Techniques of Northern-Tradition Shamanism by Raven Kaldera

Taking Up the Runes: A Complete Guide to Using Runes In Spells, Rituals, Divination, And Magic by Diana L. Paxson

The Way of the Oracle: Recovering the Practices of the Past to Find Answers for Today by Diana L Paxson

Nine Worlds of Seid-Magic: Ecstasy and Neo-Shamanism in North European Paganism by Jenny Blain

Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic Edred Thorsson

I would also suggest you get a book or two on the Ogham and possibly other divination methods that interest you. You might want to have a look at some of the books listed in the answer below as well.

What books should I read?

As well as the books listed to answer the previous question? Mostly it would depend on what you have read before. Plus some books on whatever particular subjects are interest to you. And probably a bunch of stuff that I forgot to mention.

In no particular order:

Carmina Gadelica: Hymns and Incantations from the Gaelic by Alexander Carmichael

The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries by W. Y. Evans Wentz

Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy by Mircea Eliade, Willard R. Trask and Wendy Doniger

Galdrabok: An Icelandic Grimoire by Stephen E. Flowers

Understanding the Galdrabok by Greg Crowfoot

The White Goddess by Robert Graves

The Sea Priestess & The Goat Foot God by Dion Fortune

Trance-Portation: Learning to Navigate the Inner World by Diana L Paxson

Shamanism: A Reader by Graham Harvey

The Book of English Magic by Philip Carr-Gomm and Richard Heygate

Plant Spirit Shamanism: Traditional Techniques for Healing the Soul by Ross Heaven, Howard G. Charing and Pablo Amaringo

Cunning-Folk and Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Visionary Traditions in Early Modern British Witchcraft and Magic by Emma Wilby

The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy by Ronald Hutton

Shamans: Siberian Spirituality and the Western Imagination by Ronald Hutton

Herbs of the Northern Shaman: A Guide to Mind-Altering Plants of the Northern Hemisphere by Steve Andrews

Witchcraft Medicine: Healing Arts, Shamanic Practices, and Forbidden Plants by Claudia Müller-Ebeling, Christian Rätsch and Wolf-Dieter Storl Ph.D.

The Way of Wyrd by Brian Bates

To Fly By Night: Craft of the Hedgewitch edited by Veronica Cummer

The Roebuck in the Thicket: An Anthology of the Robert Cochrane Witchcraft Tradition by Evan John Jones, Robert Cochrane and Michael Howard

The Myth of Eternal Return by Mircea Eliade

Hoodoo, Herb and Root Magic by Cat Yronwode

The Well And The Tree World And Time In Early Germanic Culture By Paul C Bauschatz

Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches’ Sabbath by Carlo Ginzburg

Singing With Blackbirds: The Survival of Primal Celtic Shamanism in Later Folk-Traditions by Stuart A. Harris Logan

Do you own a lot of books? I mean a lot? How do you read all of them?

Yes and no. I have a large portion of my books in storage out west still, as books are heavy and hard to move. If everything was together (especially me fiction, which at this point I think Mom has absorbed into her own collection, sigh) my book collection would be large-ish but by no means massive.

No, I have not read every book from cover to cover. Many to most of my books are reference books, like encyclopaedias. You might skim and browse to know where to find what, but you don’t generally read the whole thing in one sitting.

I’m sure there would be some that I read only partway and put down. This is why you own books, so that you can take you time. I own that book; I can take as long to read it as I please.

Having or reading a lot of books doesn’t mean much. Maybe I barely understand what I’m reading. Maybe I’m human and can’t possibly know everything in a book with one reading *grin*

What’s going on with the prayer shawl, we haven’t heard about it in a while?

It keeps growing. I want it to be fairly large and long and deep hooded. So, it’s going to take a while to crochet. I try not to work on it just randomly but primarily during meditation or prayer etc.

A major part of my spirituality is devotional practice and a major part of my craft is spirit work. A big part of both is ecstasy. Therefore, I spend a lot of time holding vigil. Crochet is something I can do with my hand whilst I hold vigil.

Worthy Reads

Juniper — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:14:15 +0000

It seems to me that when Mercury goes retrograde I become the whole world’s punching bag. The joys of being ruled by Mercury.

Also I am dealing with a half empty house and all the joys of a break up. So here’s a lazy post for you: Links to awesome & interesting articles that I have been reading.

The Top Ten Questions about Ancestor Veneration

Treading the Mill

summer solstice omelette

my horoscope advised against exactly this kind of post

I Must

Facing down The Morrigan

Celebrating Lughnasadh with Bread

Mundane vs Physical

I am a Conscientious Objector in the Spiritual War

The Garden Remedy that Survived the Bubonic Plague: Four Thieves Vinegar

Using Seidr for Healing

Wildcrafting

Juniper — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:56:20 +0000

To Answer a Question

Juniper — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:34:02 +0000

Perform bird-y funeral as best as you can. Blessings, smoke, offerings etc.

Receive permission from the animal’s spirit before you cut.

Cut at the joint. I used a combo of quality wire cutters and good scissors.

You will want to purchase mite/flea spray and use it.

Once dry from the mite spray, you will want to cut open the fleshy parts at the joint. Turn it onto it’s back and make a slit from behind. This makes the flesh dry quicker and better. You might have to do a little trimming

Make sure there is no rot or maggots!

Place in a tupperware in the position you want the wing to stay in.

Gently bury in a mixture of one part sea salt, one part baking soda and two parts borax (just straight cornmeal is also traditional but it takes longer). Have a bit of the mixture at the bottom as well. And place in a safe, dry not too bright or warm place.

Make appropriate offerings to the spirit of the bird while you wait. I like to pop open the container now and then so the air in there doesn’t get stagnate but that might just be my neurosis.

Check the flesh after a month, it must be totally dry and leathery. Might take two months!

Shake off powder and preen feathers.

Make more offerings. Meditate and discuss with bird spirit how to decorate or dress the wing fan.

Vola!

Check out Ms. Graveyard Dirt, she’s a motherfucking inspiration to us all! *grin*

Not

Juniper — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 07:25:34 +0000

I do not know what to do with this old fox hide I have in storage. I suppose I will continue to sit on it for now.

I do not know why for sure, but skulls (even “fake” ones) really do make the best spirit houses, though Bren’s miniature suit of armour does pretty damned well.

I am not interested in validating (or invalidating) other people’s Path, practice or experiences. Even when told something far fetched, I usually just smile and nod and move on. This cuts down on rather a lot of drama.

I am not very good at making pottery or working with clay, wood working, knitting (I can’t knit at all), drumming, leather work, scrapbooking, drawing, quilting, or baking. But I do try my hand at some of these things now and then. There are also plenty of other things I am good at.

I am not out to prove how awesome I am or to show off. If I was, then I wouldn’t make so many blog posts detailing my fuck ups. My podcast segments would be better prepared and much slicker produced as well.

I have not told Bren about the dead turtle’s shell in the sunroom.

I am not very consistent … in most things and areas of life. I do try, honest.

I am not the best critic in the world, but I do surround myself with good, strong critical thinkers. Like my Bren.

I am not an antiestablishment, society hating, nonconformist. I am just a free spirit, who does mostly as I please, within reason. I pay my taxes and all that stuff.

Though I do have my bouts of frustration with life, the world and people some times. I am not a misanthrope.

I do not consider myself influential and have a small panic attack whenever someone accuses me of such. Go away!

I am not an anarchist, though I was once… in high school.

I am not crazy. I just have a bad case of loud mouth eccentric, with a touch of socially awkward nerd.

Learning disabilities are not the same as mental illness.

It’s not cool nor especially Witchy to be crazy. It is cool to be eccentric though, let’s be honest here.

I don’t think that you can judge how “hardcore” of a Witch or Pagan a person is by their choice of colour palette or style of dress. I like to confuse people by being a brightly coloured hippy one day, a punk in black the next and jeans and a t-shirt other days.

I think that it is impossible to judge another Witch’s practice of you have never met him or her. Let alone never practiced with them. I don’t care how many blog posts you’ve read by them, until you Circle with them, you don’t know shit.

I am not a very good gardener. I can grow a very limited number of things well, but that’s it. Plants do better in containers or left wild in my care.

My wildcrafting and plant identification skills aren’t being used like they used to. Not That I was ever an expert or anything.

I think that you shouldn’t judge a book until you’ve read it. Or better yet, tried out the things in it for yourself.

I do not make as awesome or pretty altars as other people’s I have seen. I have altar envy.

I have no idea how many people read my blog. I don’t check the numbers. Judging from the number of comments, not very many … I am fine with that.

I do not expect that everyone will have totally different and unique experiences and styles of practice. There are only so many ways to skin a cat. Try things out; put your individual spin on it. But don’t be so shocked and outraged if you come across someone who does things similarly.

I do not need to make up stories. I’ve had a pretty interesting life, but not as interesting as some people!

I do not have the space to practice and craft as I’d like. But we have a pretty nice apartment anyways. One day we will have more room.

I do not share everything about my practice. You guys get about half of it. Some things are left unsaid. Partly for privacy and self protection … and partly because I am too lazy to write so many posts.

I haven’t gotten out into the woods as often as I should recently.

I do not mean to over accessorize or decorate, it’s just my nature. I’m a Gemini … I like shiny things and stuff.

I have ritual clothes. But I think my ritual robes are just not going to be used anymore, it’s been a long time since they have been. The cloak is handy to snuggle in when camping. The medieval dress is handy for Ren Fairs. I am still working on the shawl though!

I do not mean any harm, I’m just odd. lol

Walking the Hedge » Reviews & Recommendations

To Answer Some Questions

Recommended Reading

Juniper from Bewitching Names

Let’s Talk About Necromancy by Sarah Lawless

New World Witchery Podcast 36 – Dealing with Spirits

“Dangerous Knowledge.” by Scylla

How I Accidentally Became A Toadwitch. by Scylla

Deconstructing Seid: A Form of Magic in Norse Paganism By Franco Bejarano

Introducing my collection casting system by Patch