Look what my Mom got me for Yule/Xmas! It arrived today.

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1. Wordless Wednesday
2. What’s Up

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.

Related posts:

1. The Course of My Studies Part Two
2. The Course of My Studies Part One
3. To Answer a Question

Star Trek (duh!) I swear that growing up, Spock, Kirk and Bones were like my uncles. The TNG crew as well, of course.

Star Wars. Damn you, young and sexy Harrison Ford!

The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffery. The first set of books on the list … many, many, many books. This series is massive and long lived. Not only have I lived in the books but also in the online role-playing community and fan fiction. If you ever want to see me in full on nerd form, just start talking Pern. There was a time when I could rattle off the math for how many Queens must lay how many eggs each turn for a Weyr to keep at full fighting strength during a Pass … of course that depends on which Weyr because some have more weyrs than others. Oh yeah.

“Lessa woke, cold.  Cold with more than the chill of the everlasting clammy stone walls.  Cold with the prescience of a danger stronger than the one ten full Turns ago that had then sent her, whimpering with terror, to hide in the watch-wher’s odorous lair.”

Opening Dragonflight and starting the series over again can bring me to tears.

The Clan of the Cave Bear series aka the Earth’s Children series by Jean M. Auel. Stone Age, sex, violence, a totally Mary Sue main character, horses, wolves, the Mother Earth Goddess, detailed descriptions about making herbal tea, shamanism … sooo very awesome. The hardcover versions my Mom had contained maps of Stone Age Eurasia, complete with little drawing of venus (goddess) statues and where they were found. YAY!

The Vorkosigan Saga & the Chalion series by Lois McMaster Bujold. Ivan, you idiot!

The Forgotten Realms. Before 4^th edition and the something, something weird they did to the Realms that I can’t be bothered to learn after devoting too many fucking years to learning the Realms. Proudest moments: I once set fire to Candlekeep … and the Cloak Wood. Also: playing through the Balder’s Gate series more times than I dare to count.

Jurassic Park. Is frightening in the dark, all the dinosaurs are running wild!

Anne Bishop’s Dark Jewels trilogy. More Mary Sue but its worth it … I still can’t choose between Daemon and Lucivar. I’d totally live there, but only if I could be a Green jewelled Black Widow and Priestess!

The Lord of the Rings, of course! I’d visit Rohan and Rivendell but I would live in the Shire. Mind you, Rohan has horses … hmmmm.

The Elder Scrolls series. OMG I cannot wait for Skyrim to come out!

Dragon Age: Origins. For Ferelden!

BSG. As in Battle Star Galactica. The mini series, the series, the TV movies, the spin off(s). What makes Chuck Norris shit his pants? Admiral Adama. Pagans in space fleeing the evil cloned robot monotheists out to destroy them because it’s all part of god’s plan = Awesome. You really should visit sometime. Oh and Caprica totally should have run for another two seasons thank you very much.

Firefly and Serenity. Yup, I’m a browncoat.

There are probably others, but these are the ones that matter.

Cheers!

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2. A Few Good Reads
3. Now You Do It! *poke*

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“Hoofprins in the Wildwood: A devotional for the Horned Lord”

You can buy it from Lulu

Hardcopy ($14.50)

or

PDF Copy ($5.99)

This is put out by an independent Pagan/Heathen publisher, so you’re not going to find it on amazon or at the big chain stores. You might be able to order it through your local Pagan bookstore.

I received a free PDF copy as a contributor and its pretty awesome.

Contents Include:

Cover Artwork Lord of Beasts: by Sarah Lawless

The Charge of the Hunter (Prose) by Daven

Gwynn Ap Nudd (Music) by Patrick Harvey

You Dance on the Cave Wall (Poetry) by Michaela Macha

Lughnassad (Poetry) by Peter J. Watts

Cernunnos (Artwork) by Peter J. Watts

Click on image for info

My God (Essay) by Juniper

Buckator (Poetry) By Alex Langstone

Greenman (Artwork) by Peter J. Watts

Cernunnos et Les Dioscures (Prose) by Rebecca Buchanan

Dancing the Hunt (Poetry) by Hernes Own

Herne Rosary (Artwork and prayer) by Alex Volundsdottir

Hail to the Horned One (Poetry) by Herne’s Own

Hymn to Cernunnos I (Prayer/poetry) by Rebecca Buchanan

Hymn to Cernunnos II (Prayer/poetry) by Rebecca Buchanan

Prayer to the Sacrificed King (Essay) by Eric Jeffords

Herne at Mabon (Essay) by Raven Kaldera and Joshua Tenpenny

Dreaming of the Horned God (Prose) by Shaun William Hayes

In the Forest of the Horned God (Prose) by Richard Derks

Companion (Poetry) by Colin James

Herne (Poetry) by Jennifer Lawrence

Last Weekend in the Forest (Essay) by MacTavish

Call of the Wilds (Poetry) by Nicanthiel Hrafnhild

A Vanic Creation Story (Essay) by Nicanthiel Hrafnhild

A Prayer of Praise (Prayer and artwork) by Hernes Own

The Great God Herne (Prose) by Skadi Meic Beorh

Invocation of the Forest Lord (Poetry) by Rebecca Buchanan

Bucca Duality (Artwork) by Gemma Gary

Bucca: The Horned God of the Cornish Tradition (Gemma Gary)

Working Shrine Dedicated to Bucca (Photo by Jane Cox)

Offering to Bucca (Photo by Jane Cox)

Kinship (Poetry) Lyn C.A. Gardner

A Dream of the Horned God (Prose) by Conrad W. Deitrick

Shout at the Devil (Essay) by Conrad W. Deitrick

The Forge of the Horned and Antlered One (Essay) by Jay O’Skully

The Horned God of the East (Historical Essay) by Elenna Rose

Drinking with the Devil in the Pale Starlight (Poetry) by Eric Jeffords

Untitled (Essay) by Nonoriel Vanahilde

The Stag King Cometh (Poetry/Prayer) by Juniper

The Witch Gods Riddle (Poetry and Artwork) by Sarah Lawless

Of Oaths and Devotion (Essay) by Sarah-Jayne Chapman

Sex and Death: The Lessons of Cernunnos (Essay) by Richard Derks

Hunter/Hunted Vision (short essay) by Hernes Own

He Who Dances Dreaming (essay) by Fabienne S. Morgana

A Meditation on the Horned Spirits of Sorcery and Death (Essay by Eric Jeffords)

Charge of the God (Prose) by Pax

Green Eyed (poetry) by Pax

My Journey to the Horned God (Essay and picture) by Richard Derks

A Devotional Ritual to Cernunnos (Ritual and Picture) by Juniper

In the Copse (Short Essay) by Hernes Own

Strength from Love (Poetry) by Jon Y. Dixon

Cernunnos (Artwork) by Rod Turner

Cernunnos (Artwork) by Barbara C. Kring

Winter God (artwork)  by Paul Atlas-Saunders

Trembling for You (Poetry) by Maris Pái

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2. Horned God Devotional
3. To Fly By Night