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Help The Bees Flourish With Beebombs

By Friends & Family, Nature, PaganismNo Comments
beebombs-May-2019

Beebombs are pellets containing various seeds of wildflowers, clay and compost. The wildflowers are all ones that Bees love and that will help them survive and hopefully flourish.

 My 33rd birthday was a big one on a pagan and magical front. Magically spells are said three times. In Numerology, 33 would equal 3+3 = 6. Six is The Nurturer, which couldn’t be closer to the values associated with paganism.

So for my birthday this year, I decided to buy something small for some family and friends that would help nature. Then I came across an Ad for Beebombs.

Beebombs are pellets containing various seeds of wildflowers, clay and compost. They are handmade in Dorset and all of the packaging is recyclable.

Since World War 2, the Bee population has dropped by 97%. We all remember being at school being taught about the food chain and the web of life. If the Bees die out, those animals that eat the Bees could die out, then the animals that eat them and so on.

The Beebombs don’t need to be planted, they are simply be scattered. Just know that the wildflowers contained require a lot of sunlight, so don’t scatter anywhere where they will have a lot of competition for sunlight.

According to the makers, they are safe for pets. They do contain Poppy seeds, which are toxic to cats, but only in small quantities and not enough to cause harm to cats.

The wildflowers that will grow from the Beebombs are slow growers and it make take up to 2 years to fully grow. They are all wildflowers that that Bees love and that will help them survive and hopefully flourish.

I bought five Beebombs bags. One I scattered close to where I live. One I gave to mum and papa. One I gave to Simon. One I gave to Kay for her mum’s garden and one to Jayne. Everyone has loved them. They make great gifts, providing that the people you give them to aren’t scared of Bees and or butterflies.

I should point out that I haven’t been paid or compensated in anyway by the makers of Beebombs for this post. I just thought they were cool and wanted to share.

Take care,

Antony

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Saturday 18 May 2019

Book Review: Curses, Hexes, & Crossings by S. Connolly

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
curses-hexes-crossings-by-S.Connolly-book-cover The universe likes balance. Creation and destruction. Light and dark. Good and bad. All Witch’s should know about blessings, healing and positive magic; along with curses, hexes and negative magic.

Knowing about and understanding how curses, hexes and the like work, enables a Witch to better protect themselves and others against this sort of magic.

In my personal practice I would be more likely to bind (to stop) or to banish (to get rid of) someone or something that is having a negative impact on me or those around me, rather than Curse or Hex them.

Now with all that written, let’s get to the review:

This superb book has been written for the experienced Witch. It covers what cursing is. The Ethics of Exceration Magick, with the key messages here being: is a curse justified?

It takes a lot of energy to create and maintain a curse. Are you willing to take responsibility for your magick and any consequences (be them intended or unintended)? There’s a fantastic chapter on the history of cursing from ancient history up until recently, covering a wide range of cultures from across the world.

Curses, Hexes, & Crossings covers the psychology of a curse. That the victim being aware that they are cursed can attract negative energies and be self fulfilling – even without the Witch ever actually doing a ritual or casting a spell.

Connolly explains how the Witch can make their own curses and spells; before providing a large number of curses, hexes, & crossings with Connolly sharing her experience with each.

The curses, hexes and crossings are from a wide range of cultures, but many are highly influenced by Daemonolatry and Santansim, which is not surprising given the author’s occult background.

Connolly writes about herbs and stones for cursing, then explains how to break curses. Connolly writes about unintentional or curses cast by your subconscious without your conscious awareness, we’ve all done it. Throughout Connolly writes about how understanding curses and how they work can be used to defend against them and deal with curses aimed at you from others.

Connolly has a fascinating perspective on curses, she explains that a curse can be the start of the emotional healing process. By casting a curse, the Witch can release the intense emotional reactions of rage, anger, frustration and the need for revenge. The Witch having let go of these emotions, can then start the healing process.

The whole of this book from start to finish is brilliant. Connolly’s passion for the topic comes through in her writing. She is not afraid to speak her mind and be honest with the reader, knowing that not everyone will like what she writes. Here are some examples:

Right now I think it’s prudent to point out that some people will object to this book’s mere existence…

The modern Wiccans, for example, have been so busy trying to be accepted by the Christian mainstream that they insist upon distancing themselves from anything that could be misconstrued as “evil”. This includes cursing…

I believe there are instances where curses are appropriate. As I mentioned earlier I also believe curses can go a long way to helping the magician psychologically. For everything negative something good will come of it. Everything is a shade of gray. We could reasonably argue that prosperity magick has a dark side…

“If you discuss ethics and cursing you’re a fluffy bunny.” This is often said by people who want to practice only the blackest magick and arts so arcane that they may dress in black and purport to be the scariest mosty evil magicians to walk the earth. To them I say, eventually you’ll grow up, get off your high horse, and join the rest of us in reality.

(From: Curses, Hexes, & Crossings by S. Connolly, pages: 4-5, 2011.)

The only way this book could have been any better if Connolly included some more advanced protection magick. Curses, Hexes, & Crossings by S. Connolly has been self-published on Amazon. I’m so glad for self-publishing, as this book probably wouldn’t have seen the light of day without it, given its subject matter.

Curses, Hexes, & Crossings by S. Connolly is available to buy on Amazon.

If you like books about this subject matter, you may also like Utterly Wicked: Curses, Hexes & Other Unsavory Notions by Dorothy Morrison. Utterly Wicked is currently out of print, but Morrison (the author) is in discussions with another publisher to have it re-released. So wait for re-release until you purchase to get it at a reasonable price.

Review soon,

Antony

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Saturday 11 May 2019

Book Review: The Witch’s Bag of Tricks by Melanie Marquis

By Amazon, Books & Authors, Paganism, ReviewsNo Comments
the-witches-bag-of-tricks-melanie-marquis-book-cover
View on Amazon.co.uk
 The Witch’s Bag of Tricks is not a book for the initiate or new Witch.

It’s a book for the knowledgeable and experienced Witch. Witches who’ve reached a learning plateau and were spells have began to lose their effectiveness. (We’ve all been there.)

In The Witch’s Bag of Tricks Marquis covers:

  • Magick’s Seven Functions: Giving Energy Initial Purpose, Transforming Energy, Combining Energy, Separating Energies, Containing Energy, Releasing Energy & Redirecting Energy
  • Increasing your Power Potential
  • Removing Blocks to Great Power
  • Discovering Affinities
  • Spiritual Development
  • Psychic Spell Work & Psychic Development
  • Three Aspects of ESP: Perceiving the Whole, Perceiving the Parts & Perceiving the Connections
  • Magickal Development
  • The Difference between Charms, Spells & Rituals
  • Positive Binding Magic
  • Imitative Magick
  • Prosperity Magick
  • Love Magick
  • Advanced Defense Magick
  • Principles of Defensive Magic – Containing, Binding, Banishing & Shielding
  • Mood-Lifting and Luck Magick.

Marquis’ writing style reminded me of one that you would read in a magazine. This made The Witch’s Bag of Tricks feel superficial.

This wasn’t helped by Marquis trying to cover a large number of topics in the one book. There were parts of the book I would have loved Marquis to explore in more detail.

Reading The Witch’s Bag of Tricks was a pleasure. It reinvigorated my love of learning in the Craft – which is no small achievement. It’s great to see a book on the market and aimed at practiced Witches. I hope to find other books like this.

So far I’ve found the following books useful for an experienced Witch: Advanced Witchcraft by Edain McCoy, Witchcraft: Theory and Practice by Ly De Angeles, Utterly Wicked: Curses, Hexes & Other Unsavory Notions by Dorothy Morrison.

The Witch’s Bag of Tricks is available to buy on Amazon and at all good bookshops.

Review soon,

Antony



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Thursday 18 October 2018

Book Review: The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
the-last-days-of-magic-mark-tompkins-book-cover
View on Amazon.co.uk
 If you like any sort of fantasy fiction then The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins is a must read novel that you’ll love.

The Last Days of Magic is set in the past where Ireland is the last magical stronghold in the world.

But it is under threat. The Vatican is determined to wipe out all creatures and men with magic. All creatures and men with magic came from fallen angels mating with humans. The Vatican believes that this is against God’s will.

In Ireland you have the Morrigna (twins that wield the power of the triple Goddess and are born when Ireland is in a time of great need) Sidhe (faeries), Druids, Witches, Sorcerers and the formations. The formations are hostile creatures that live in the water around Ireland and have kept it protected from invading ships.

But a plot is underway for King Richard in England to conquer Ireland, supported by the Vatican.

The Last Days of Magic mixes mythology, magic and fantasy wonderfully. It’s a gripping story, with a wide range of compelling characters, that is easy to read, captivating and thoroughly enjoyable.

It’s a novel about how Ireland falls to the English and the Vatican and the parts played by the magnificent characters which includes:

  • Aisling & Anya – twins and aspects of the triple Goddess.
  • Liam – Aisling & Anya protector. His mother is Sidhe, his father human.
  • Brigid – High Priestess of the Order of Macha.
  • Conor – Aisling’s love interest.
  • Jordan – Marshal/Vatican Representative.
  • Najia – Jodan’s lover and a Witch.
  • Ty – A fascinating creature and character. Immune to all spells and enchantments.
  • Richard – King of England.
  • Isabeau – Queen of France and Grand High Sorciere of a Coven.

The Last Days of Magic is an average length novel and this meant it had some restrictions.

First character growth felt like sudden jumps. This was due to the time hopping required in the average length novel to cover the scope of what Tompkins wanted to cover.

Second that only snip its from the war between the Irish and English were written about. Again for the same reason: the large scope of the idea being fit into an average length novel.

Tompkins could have turned his idea for The Last Days of Magic into a series of novels. I would have bought, read, enjoyed and recommended them all – due to Tompkins well thought out plots, brilliant description, completely real characters and engaging writers voice.

The Last Days of Magic is available to buy on Amazon and at all good book shops.

Review soon,

Antony

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I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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Sunday 26 August 2018