These burners were created by stage magician Andrew de Ruiter.  The burners were born out of a combination of a magic trick he performed called the “Close-Up Fire Fly” and an enjoyment of incense.   The magic trick used an LED light for it’s effect.  He held an incense stick in the light and saw the way the smoke was illuminated by the red light of the LED and he soon began working on developing what would later in 2009 become this burner.  After a period of experimentation he came up with a design that would hold the four lights and be just large enough to hold the battery pack inside the base.  If you click here you can see a video from the website of the burners in action.

The burners are all handmade by the creator and consist of squares of wood (red cedar seemingly the preference) that feature four holes for your stick incense and a center plate for cones and blocks.  But the thing that makes these burners especially unique are the fact that they light up!  In the top of the burner are four LED lights that are turned on by a switch on the side of the box.  When you place your incense in either the holder holes or on the plate the lights, when turned on, will illuminate the smoke and turn it various colors as the lights cycle through their colors.  This is something that can be both a fun decorative touch to your altar or other places you burn incense, but it can also be a great aid in libanomancy, aka incense divination.

The burner itself is simple and it’s fun to play with in the dark.  During the day you’ll still notice the light change the color of the smoke, but not as dramatically, of course.  As far as a magickal application for these, if you’re someone that doesn’t just burn incense for the hell of it, I do think that for divination these could be handy.  Sitting in a darkened room with your stick or cone incense of preference burning on the Apparition Incense Burner will illuminate the smoke giving you a better look at it for the purpose of discerning shapes and images. Otherwise it makes a nice burning for general atmosphere if you like to burn incense outside of magickal settings.

I like the burner but I found that a number of the stick incense brands I burn didn’t fit in the holes because the sticks were too big.  The sticks that I do have that fit stood straight up so the ash fell all over.  I would definitely recommend placing the burner on a dish to catch any stray hot ash.  For cones and blocks it works quite well.  I also found that if you’re really looking to get the colored smoke effect, this was the best way to get it.  The cones are centered with the four lights around them whereas the sticks are disbursed in between the lights.  Also, give that the smoke from the stick starts rising at a higher point than if it were coming from a much shorter cone, you get a naturally better effect with the cone.

I also found that placing the burner on a little bit of a raised surface so that it’s eye height or slightly higher works the best for divination work.  The lights, while a little bit recessed into the wood, still stick out a bit from the surface (on mine two of the lights are more out than in) which can make look at changing LED lights while watching the smoke a little difficult.

One thing that I would love to see if the option to either purchase burners with single color lights or the ability to select a color and pause it at that color.  The cycling of the colors is pretty and fine for just general burning, but if you’re trying to use this for magick or meditation the transitions move a bit fast and some of the colors might be a bit harsh or distracting for some people.

Overall these burners are a very cool novelty item that could have a magickal application or two. I really enjoy mine and find that the overall craftsmanship of the burner to be quite good!  I would definitely recommend getting one if you’re into these cool light trick sort of gadgets and they would surly make a cool gift for an incense enthusiast!

The burners are available in the red cedar wood for $30 direct from the creator.  Other woods are also available at different prices.  Check out the Buy Now page on the Apparition Incense Burner website to order one today!

Candy’s Etsy shop, My Sweet November, offers a variety of beautiful handmade items including some really different cameo items; one of my favorite things in the store is her Zombie Elvis cameo necklace.  She has a number of beautiful skeleton themed cameos that when you see them from a distance just look like an odd cameo but up close there’s no mistaking that it’s a skeleton woman who’s wearing that brightly colored rose that draws your eye!  Amazingly uncommon and special items, for sure!

I have a necklace and earring set from My Sweet November that I just adore.  It’s a set of nautical themed items with coordinating navy blue background and creamy white colored anchors.  I love anything with this sort of theme and as I was moving back to the beach on the east coast I felt that this was something that I just had to have.  Here I take a ferry to get to Boston and out to the Cape in the summer so I thought why not have some beautiful boat themed jewelry to wear across the seas! 

The cameos are extremely light weight making the cameo earrings perfect for all day and long wear.  My ears never feel weighed down.  The necklace is much larger than I expected but it’s definitely not too big!  It’s the perfect size for people to be able to see what it is that you’re wearing without them ending up squinting at your neck or chest.  One of the things that I love with these is the little bow that accentuates the piece.  It’s little touches like this that make them special and seem like they were really thought out and created with love!

It’s always great to find out more about the artist and the shop behind these goodies and I had a chance to talk with Candy and get to know her a little more, finding out what’s behind the name and the shop My Sweet November.

When did you start making jewelry?  What has been some of your inspiration for taking this on professionally?

I started making jewelry shortly after I was laid off from my job in the corporate world. I disliked that type of work very much and decided that I needed and wanted to do something that I would really enjoy and could be passionate about. I’ve always had a creative streak but I’ve never really did anything with it and I thought about my love for jewelry and thought about how fabulous it would be to create items that would be fun and affordable for others to buy. So I decided to go into business for myself.  Knowing that people from all over the world are wearing items that I’ve created and that my pieces bring them joy are the coolest part of what I do. It’s very inspiring and is the reason I get up every day and keep doing what I’m doing.
Your Etsy shop has been open since 2009 but had you been selling your items elsewhere before then?  Where did the name for your shop originate?

I started making jewelry in June of 2009 and knew it is what I wanted to be doing so I decided to start selling online right away because I knew it would be the quickest way to share my creations with a lot of people. I opened my first shop, SerendipityLicious on Etsy in July of 2009 and did really really well with it. I decided I wanted to change the name of my shop so I opened my new shop, My Sweet November, in January of this year. The name My Sweet November came about because I just love everything that is associated with the month. Cooler temps, Fall, Thanksgiving, it’s also my birthday month. I think the word November is just beautiful.

On your Etsy profile you say the My Sweet November is a “one woman show” and that you handle all design and production by yourself.  What is your process for designing your pieces?  What kinds of materials do you typically work with and are there reasons what you have chosen these specific things?

My mind is constantly racing with ideas for new designs. Sometimes I will seek out certain supplies for those designs that pop into my head and a lot of times I will just come across really fabulous unique supplies and snatch them up and design ideas will come when I’m looking at all my supplies and I’ll just start piecing certain things together and then “voila!” my newest design is born! lol  As you can tell from my shop, my most favorite medium to work with is cameos. Love them!! I just love the classic look of a cameo necklace. So romantic. I came across some super cool skeleton lady cameos in late 2009 and made necklaces with them and they turned out to be my biggest seller in my SerendipityLicious shop in 2010! People absolutely love them! I love all kinds of cameos though. From modern to classic. I will be adding more classic style cameo pieces to my shop soon.
What are some of your favorite pieces that you make and sell?  Are there certain pieces that you feel are that “stars” in your collection?

I love all the pieces I make, but my most favorite pieces are the Madame Mayhem necklaces and the You Anchor My Heart necklace.  I wear mine all the time! The “stars” of my collection are definitely anything from the Madame Mayhem collection. The nautical themed items are pretty popular as well.
You have a lot of really cute gothic themed items like the skeleton cameos and and an adorable zombie version of Elvis.  What inspired you to go with these less traditional items along with the more traditional cameos and the nautical themed items?

I’ve always loved skulls, especially sugar skulls. I love Dia de los Muertos tattoos and art. It’s so beautiful! I also love Halloween and have always been fascinated with the darker side of life. I know that others are equally fascinated with those kinds of things and so I wanted be able offer unique affordable jewelry that would appeal to the “gothic” crowd as well as anyone who just loves skulls and dark beauty. I think having a variety of items in different themes really works best for my shop. I’m able to cater to more people that way. Making people happy is what I enjoy doing so the more the merrier.
If you’re looking for something cute and unique to give to a friend this Yule season, definitely check out My Sweet November!  You’ll find things for just about anyone, especially if you’ve got some younger vampire and zombie fans to buy for. 

As a special gift to One Witch’s Way readers, Candy is offering a 15% discount on your total order from now until November 21st!!

Just visit My Sweet November on Etsy and use the coupon code 15OFF at check out!  

The Plot…in general
The film tells the story of a group of four friends who all went to college together (two of whom have known each other since they were children).  Each year they rent a place somewhere and spent a week together to spend time catching up and basically spending

Yeah, that's right. I watched this movie because Jeremy Piven was in it! *yummm!!!!*

a week not having to deal with the responsibilities of their grown up lives.   They drink, they do drugs, they party…they reminisce and they remind themselves that there are reasons that they are all still friends, even if they aren’t able to be together all the time.   But this year something is different.  There is a foreboding that hangs over them since they all seem to have come this year while in the middle of deal with some serious life issue.  All four men are 44 years old and all four are feeling what seems to be the crush of the real world on their shoulders.  As the week wears on a secret that the four are bound by comes to the surface and things that might have seemed bad before become even worse.

The four friends are played by Thomas Jane (as Richard), Rob Lowe (as Johnathan), Jeremy Piven (as Ron), and Christian Mckay (as Tim).  The movie is an independent, which you’re pretty well aware of throughout the film, and it did a tour of various film festivals this year with it’s premier at Sundance in January.  It’s had a lot of mixed reviews from viewers and critics.  It’s not your average film.  It’s dark, it’s very sad, it’s depressing…but gripping.  It is currently available through OnDemand in their “See It Before It’s In Theaters” series but will be in select theaters in December.

Here’s the trailer.

It really is difficult to say much about this movie without giving away many of its secrets.  So from here on I’ll be talking freely about the movie…you have been warned!

So let’s set the stage with the characters.  Richard is a failed author who has become a high school English teacher (we later found out that he had a novel published but because he wasn’t a “cynical artist” he never caught on).  We never really get the heart of Ron’s situation except that we know he’s an equities trader who is about to be indicted in something involving stealing from his clients.  Johnathan is a doctor who we know in the first few minutes of the film is corrupt but we find out later just how bad it’s gotten as we find out he’s taking cash from people for prescriptions.  And then there’s Tim; he’s a bit of a mystery and we never really learn much about him except that he was apparently responsible for the death of someone through a car accident (honestly I never caught if it was his wife/girlfriend/husband/boyfriend but it was that type of person).  That whole thing, which really is critical to explain him and and he’s state of mind but it was very glossed over.

As they get together Tim is clearly distraught.  He wants to talk to someone, anyone.  He arrives at the rental house in Big Sur second only to Richard.  When he get’s there Richard already has a tray of cocaine out and he’s drinking and urging Tim, who’s also celebrating a birthday on this vacation, to being numbing his pains, but Tim wants to talk.  Richard quickly brushes that off and it’s clear to Tim pretty quickly that what he’s looking for from his friends isn’t going to happen.

The first 45 minutes or so of the movie is party, party, party.  Lots of things are revealed through the discussions the guys have each night as they drink and get high.  It becomes very clear that the only time any of them are able to really relate to each other is when there are drugs and booze being passed around.  When it’s not party time they seem to spend most of their time in separate rooms in the house either hiding or sleeping it off.  This becomes too much for Tim to handle as the guilt of the anniversary of the death of the person he’s mourning for starts to weigh on him.  One night after Richard invites a bartender and her friends back to the house to party, Tim ends up having a very weird threesome (lots of crying going on there) with a girl and a guy (the girl was played by Sasha Grey who was only in the movie for about 10 minutes but everyone was making such a big deal about her being in this).

This ends up pushing him over the edge when he starts to sober up.  Tim’s been walking about with a piece of paper in his pocket all week.  We never really know what it is…in fact we don’t ever FULLY know what’s on the paper until the VERY END of the movie right before the credits role.  But after going into the bathroom and shower and shaving off his beard, Tim ends up looking at the note some more during this process and, in the end, hangs himself in the shower.  When he’s found by the guys in the morning this is where everything begins to unravel more than it already had been.  As it turns out, while in college, the four agreed to a suicide pact where, if 25 years from that time they have changed and not become who they wanted to be (roughly) then they would all end their lives.

Ron, even though he’s about to deal with some life altering events because of his crooked business deals, is the first to reject this idea while Richard and Johnathan find themselves feeling almost obligated to consider it and follow through.  Ron decides to leave after the other two refuse to call the police about Tim but in a moment of panic about what he’s running back to at home, he returns, and things just become more and more sad, scary, and depressing from there as the three try to decide what to do next.

So, did I like it?  Should you see it?
These are tough questions to answer.  Did I like it?  Yeah…I think I did.  It was really hard to watch for a lot of reasons.  The movie is really a 2 1/2 hour melt down that is just sad and hard to watch.  Everyone has something to lose but greed and selfishness end up being the only driving factors for anyone of these guys.  The film is directed by Mark Pellington who’s background is in music videos, something that is clearly obvious from the way the movie is filmed and presented.  It’s visually interesting and annoying all at the same time.

The acting is pretty good.  I’m a big fan of Rob Lowe and most people that know me know one of my big celebrity crushes is Jeremy Piven (seriously, he can sit and read a soup can and I’ll watch it).  Rob Lowe is absolutely fantastic but I kept thinking I was seeing a slightly more sedate Ari Gold when it came to Jeremy Piven (Piven’s character on “Entourage”).  Christian Mckay is good and I enjoyed Thomas Jane though I’m not much of a fan of his (I’m sorry, but I absolutely hate “Hung”).   The music in the movie is fantastic and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes with the soundtrack which comes out in December.

I would recommend this movie if you like independent film but also if you enjoy psychological thrillers.  It’s not the prefect movie, but it’s not terrible, and it has some moments that really do get you.  It’s an emotionally draining movie with all that’s going on, but it’s an interesting telling of a storyline that’s been done before.

I give it…

In March 2010 I finally got my hands on the full collectors deck which I did a review of back then.  From the moment I opened it I fell in love and it became my regular reading deck.  But, like I said, this was quite a departure for me.  I most typically work with either Rider Waite Smith clones or darker themed Gothic decks.  Despite this I found the earthy, Goddess energy of this deck to be exactly what I needed at the time and many of my clients connected with it as well.  Unfortunately many people that would ask about where they could purchase the deck weren’t able to afford this special collector’s piece so when Joanna announced that the deck would be available as a mass release by Llewellyn Worldwide in September 2011 there was hope for more people to get this amazing deck!

And now it’s here!  Llewellyn did an amazing job with translating Joanna’s gorgeous artwork from her original pieces and the first version of the deck into a deck that anyone can afford to have.  The set comes with the full 78 card deck and a fantastic 269 page guidebook that includes explanations, meanings, and affirmations for all the cards along with a selection of tarot spreads designed just for the theme and energy of this deck.   The deck is the perfect size while not compromising the art itself.  The deck focuses on the natural world and has a definite Goddess feel.  I would highly recommend this deck to anyone who has an affinity for earth-based spirituality who is looking to try out a deck that breaks away from the RWS style.

When I get a new deck I need to connect with two specific cards otherwise the deck just doesn’t work for me; I need to like the High Priestess and the Hermit cards.  And in this deck I love both!  There are a few changes to the traditional cards, beyond just the change in the suits.  In the Gaian Tarot the elements are used for the suits rather than a symbol of them, for example rather than Cups we directly have Water, and so on.   But a few other cards take on a bit of a different incarnation as well such as The Tower is now Lightning and The Devil is Bindweed, one of my personal favorite changes in this deck.

I had a chance to interview Joanna a little about her experience with creating this amazing deck and the wonderful community that she has created out of the deck, the Gaian Tarot Circle.

1. One of the things that you have expressed as a reason for doing the work of the Gaian Tarot was from your connections to the natural world and the people in your community around you.  Why did you decide to express this in the form of a tarot deck rather than some of the other art forms you’ve worked with over the years?

I love the structure of the tarot. It’s almost as if I had a ready-made form that I could pour my content into.  The 78-cards of a classic tarot deck is divided into Majors and Minors, with the Minors divided into four suits. This structure is elegant, and carries a long history as a Wisdom-Keeper. People have been using tarot cards for several centuries, and the structure of the deck itself resonates with wisdom and spiritual growth.

On another level — tarot cards are fun! They are more user-friendly, in some ways, than a painting you hang on the wall or a book that you read.  Every time you use the cards, you have a new experience.

And . . . I’m a Capricorn, and I love a challenge.    Painting 78 in-depth images was a big challenge. It taught me a lot about persistence.

2. How has your personal spirituality and views on sacred earth played into the overall creation of the deck?

My personal spiritual path and my relationship with the sacred earth are the fertile soil from which the deck grew. There is no division between the two.  It’s a very authentic deck that came straight from my heart and from my experience.    <Rowan – not sure if you were getting at something else with this question.  Please ask another for clarification if you need to.>

3. You’ve done such an amazing job of being able to take some of the traditional cards and bring them into a earth spirituality incarnation.  Were there any cards in the deck that you found particularly challenging to do this with?

Not really. There is only one card in the entire deck that is set completely inside, and that is the 3 of Air. (The 3 of Earth is set in a kitchen, but there is an open window to the outdoors.)  There are no obvious references to the natural world in the 3 of Air, except for the feather in the jar and the stylized birds on the man’s shirt.  When I created the minors, I would meditate on the energy of the number and how it might be expressed through the qualities of the suit.  Three means flow, abundance, harmony, manifestation to me; and Air is all about thought, communication, writing, the mind, meditation, clarity, decision-making etc.  I thought about the act of writing, and how thoughts and ideas often rush through us and out onto the keyboard or through the pen when we write. So I decided to show a man writing in his journal, surrounded by shelves full of books.  I didn’t realize until later that I hadn’t put in a window.   I thought about doing the card over and adding a window, but decided to leave it as it is. The shadow side of the card (or the reversal) could emphasize the stuffiness of a room that gets no fresh air. Sometimes we get stuck in our own minds and there can be a lot of pain and frustration when that happens.  So the card carries a continuum of meaning, from positive to negative, as every card does.

4. Did you find that there were any cards in the Gaian Tarot that ended up taking on a different meaning or interpretation from the more traditional tarot meanings just based on the premise of the deck?

Oh my, yes!  This happened quite a bit with the Minors, because of the way I put together the energy of the number with the quality of the suit, as I mentioned above.  I didn’t look at the RWS cards and try to come up with a different take on Pamela Colman Smith’s imagery.  Instead I came up with my own.  Some of the cards do carry a reference to the RWS cards but others don’t.  For example, the Eight of Fire shows meteors streaking across the sky, which is a clear reference to PCS’s eight wands flying through the air.  But the Tens are completely different from the RWS Tens.  I see the Tens as being cards of transition. They are each mini-death cards, because they stand at that place of death and rebirth, before cycling back to the Aces.  So instead of a man lying on the ground with ten swords in his back, we see wild geese flying across the sky, heading south for the winter: bittersweet transition.  Instead of a man burdened down by carrying ten wands, we see a forest fire. Up in smoke! Some folks have seen my Ten of Water, the “dead fish card,” and bemoaned the loss of the happy family looking up at a rainbow.  My Ten of Water shows the salmon cycle, with dead salmon by the side of the stream, but spawning salmon in the river, bringing forth new life.

5. The amount of time that went into creating each individual card, up to 100 hours each, is quite impressive.  With the whole package of the book and deck taking you nine years to complete, did you have moments where you thought you might have taken on too much?  Did you have times where you were ready to throw in the towel and give up?  How did you push through to eventually complete the deck and the book?

Oh, you bet I did.  There were times when I just had to step away, for days or weeks or even months.  The task just seemed overwhelming at times.  But I am a pretty persistent person, and I had a vision and a goal. I knew that the deck was touching a chord in a lot of people, because of the feedback I received as I posted the images on my blog.  Sometimes I despaired of how long it was taking me. I never would have imagined it would take nine years. But life got in the way, as so often happens with creative people.

I did feel that I had a calling and mandate from Spirit to create this deck, so not finishing it was never an option.  It just took sure-footed, plodding persistence.

6. One thing that I love about the Gaian Tarot is how you’ve managed to create a whole community out of the deck; it’s so much more than just a divination tool for those that really want to dive into it.  What made you decide to create the Gaian Tarot Circle?  What are some of your hopes for having a community like this connected to the deck?

I love the Gaian Tarot Circle!  I love the community of people that is growing around this deck.  The seed idea for the GTC was planted when the Limited Edition deck was published, and I started to get feedback from a lot of folks on how they worked with the deck.  I was amazed and delighted to hear that people were discovering things in the cards that I didn’t consciously put into them.  I realized that, while I had a lot to teach and share about the deck, I also had just as much to learn about the deck from others.  So the idea of creating a membership site for people who love this deck was born.

People who are drawn to this deck also have a deep love for the natural world, which is not surprising. They come from all sorts of different spiritual paths and traditions, and all are respected.  There is a small fee to join the circle, and I have found that the fee acts as a kind of gatekeeper.  It keeps away the internet “trolls” and people who are just mildly interested.  I have been really amazed at the kind of community that is created on the twice-monthly phone calls and on the forum.  Even though we haven’t met in person for the most part, we are getting to know each other’s voices and personalities.  Sometimes we do meet in person, at events like the Readers Studio and BATS and the upcoming Gaian Tarot Retreat.  That makes our online connection even richer.

My hopes for the community?  To have a safe place where people can share their spiritual growth through the deck and through their relationship with the earth; to support and be supported by others; and where we can co-create a new paradigm for living on the planet, one that is based on respect and love for each other and for the sacred earth.

I want to thank Joanna for taking time to answer these questions and to share some insight into her wonderful tarot offering to the community.  Please be sure to grab a copy of The Gaian Tarot from Amazon or your local metaphysical bookstore!

While I’m still plugging away and trying to get “Within The Cards” complete, I realized that it was getting to the point where I need to start getting together a list of folks to share the book with!  So I’m putting out the call…would you like to receive a preview copy of the book for review on your blog or website?

These will be PDF uncorrected poofs, for the most part, of the book.  It will be missing the graphics and some of the layout specifics and will have rough notes on where some things will go like layout diagrams and such. But the main focus is the content and that’s what I’m really looking to share.

I’m looking for tarot bloggers and other tarot folks with websites and social media outlets who would be willing to review the book and share it with others. Some of these reviews and snippets from them may be used on the back cover of the book (or if you feel so included as to write something that you would like to have as a cover endorsement, you’re welcome to do that too!).

If you’re interested and would like to receive a copy when they are available, please contact me at rowan@rowanpendragon.com with your name and your website. I will be sending out copies (most likely) in August.  I am going to be limiting the number that I send out but I haven’t decided to how many yet.  Those writing specifically within the tarot genre will be at the top of the list, naturally.  So email me today and let me know if you’re interested!

Hoodoo is so often misunderstood by those outside of its practice.  So many people, even well versed and studies Pagans, lump it in with Voodoo as one in the same.  Hoodoo and southern conjure is such a rich and fascinating practice, one that is not exclusively part of the Voodoo religion.  People of all faiths and walks of life who come to study and understand Hoodoo and conjure pick it up as a magickal practice and it’s one that many Pagans would do well to open their minds to.

In this inaugural issue of Hoodoo & Conjure Quarterly this is the very subject of the first article; entitled “What is ‘Real’ Hoodoo”, Rootworker Matthew Venus sets the stage and clears up many of the questions and general confusions that surround Hoodoo.  This article helps to create a level playing field, so to speak, for the reader as they venture into other articles in the magazine.  One thing in this short piece that will grab many Pagan readers is the way Mr. Venus approaches Paganism and Hoodoo. He explains how Hoodoo and Pagan magick really aren’t that different from one another and how one who is Pagan might be able to open their mind to approaching Hoodoo more fully.  But, even more importantly than that, the thing that I found most wonderful is that even with his encouragement toward Pagan readers to consider Hoodoo with an open mind, he reminds us that this doesn’t mean we should basically bastardize Hoodoo, removing the traditions of Hoodoo to make it more comfortable.  In other words, as he explains, casting a circle, calling on Pagan deities, and throwing crystals in a bag isn’t working “mojo” and we shouldn’t call it that.  But there’s no reason a Pagan who’s open to working with the Saints and other traditional aspects of Hoodoo can’t use it.

This article is followed by another wonderful piece, this one by Denise Alvarado, addressing the roots and origins of Hoodoo, especially looking at the traditions and history of her native New Orleans.  While Hoodoo and conjure were born in the southern states of America, the fact is New Orleans has its own flavor with Hoodoo and learning these differences helps a great deal with navigating the world of conjure.

For this first issue there is a lot of fantastic pieces that help to give the inexperienced reader a solid foundational understanding of Hoodoo as it’s practiced today as well as where it is rooted.  I was especially pleased to see the including of an article on foot track magick since this is one of the most popular forms of conjure that is also the most unique.  We see little of this in our modern day Pagan or Wiccan magickal work, even in eclectic traditions.  And for those who are Wiccan or Pagan you might be comforted to see the familiar face of author Dorothy Morrison who contributes a piece on visiting cemeteries, one of several pieces that deal with the often taboo subject of graveyard magick.  This again presents some information that might be new and pleasantly workable for many magickal practitioners outside of Hoodoo.

And just when you thought you’d seen everything you were going to see you also get an article on sex magick from a Hoodoo perspective, some money spells, Hot Foot magick, love spells, a pattern for making a doll baby, and instructions for creating a love domination candle dedicated to St. Martha.  You’ll be taken by the Hoodoo related lore of The Devil Baby of Bourbon St., something that anyone who’s been to New Orleans should be familiar with. And they really did save some of the best for last in the fascinating article “The Return of Psalm Magick and the Mixed Qabalah” by Aaron Leitchi.

On a technical note, the magazine is of superb quality. It boasts a light cardstock, glossy cover and perfect bound binding.  The pages are full color and there is nearly 100 pages of content within.   The articles that detail spells and magickal processes all have detailed pictures to help instruct you on working the magick held within.  This is not your average magazine and is one that will be library worthy and something you’ll keep on your bookshelf with your other magickal materials for many years to come.

There is really something for everyone here.  Lore, spells, history, and deep explorations of the occult.  It’s a mixed bag and one that really needs to be opened and rummaged through.  Even if you know nothing about Hoodoo but have a love of the occult and magick or Witchcraft you owe it to yourself to pick up the first issue of Hoodoo & Conjure Quarterly to see what new perspectives it may hold for you.

You can pick up the premiere issue on Amazon.com and you can visit HoodooAndConjureQuarterly.com for details on purchasing a four issue subscription.

I am an unabashed fan of Orion Foxwood.  His books on faery are some of my absolute favorites when it comes to real serious faery work; his books are the real deal, not these fluffy glittery new agey things.  If you want to really learn about faery magick and faery work read Orion Foxwood, R.J. Stewart, Victor Anderson, or Robert Kirk.  He presents everything he does with a mix of approachability and scholarship.  He knows how to tell a story to tie things together, that’s for sure!  But, let’s talk about the DVD.

This DVD is produced by Pendraig Publishing which is the publishing outlet of another of my favorite people, Peter Paddon.  The video was filmed while Orion was giving a talk to a group about the subject of conjure magick and the experiences he has had, both as a child and as an adult, with this sort of magick.  It’s important to remember a few things when approaching this video.  First, Orion isn’t strictly a root doctor or conjurer; he is a Witch as well and he makes a point of mentioning this several times.  To many Witches and Pagans this might not seem like a big deal but to some in the Hoodoo and conjure community it’s a huge issue.  In my experience as a Witch studying and practicing Hoodoo and root-work I have met with some resistance from practitioners who believe that you either need to either A) be African American to practice, B) be from the South, or C) be Christian.  I am none of those things but I am a person with a great love of the folk magick of my homeland.  And that’s what this is.  Conjure is American folk magick born out of the southern states as a mix of believes carried from Africa from the slaves which was then mixed with the Native American herbal wisdom and the customs that came here with immigrants from various European countries.  As Orion explains, as the slaves were freed and they moved across the country, especially moving north to look for work, their practices merged even more with other European customs.  Orion calls what he does “conjure” and not “Hoodoo” which, as he explains, is a term that he never heard until recent years and he has found to be much more tied to the traditions that originate from New Orleans.  But even if you’re familiar with these practices you’ll find a lot of common ground with the techniques and information that is presented here.

As is explained in the DVD, conjure isn’t a power that you create, it’s a power you draw on and a power that you awaken in the herbs, stones, skins, claws, feathers, and other items used in the practice.  The inherit believe in conjure, which is the power, not just the name for the practice, is key.  You call on conjure, you awaken conjure, because all things are conjure and all things have conjure.  Orion presents this in a very simple statement that I think all Witches and magickal practitioners need to remember:

I am not the power; I am made of the power.

Orion tells stories about growing up and being able to communicate with the dead, how his gifts were passed on from his mother and all the wonderful old southern wisdom that she passed on to him through these conjure practices.  Orion spends time sharing some very specific and very useful tools and tricks of conjure that can be applied to any magickal practice and tradition.  He spends time specifically going over graveyard magick, honey jars, money jars, and even molasses jars (one of my favorites for getting rid of someone or something that really needs to go away).  He talks about “fixing your stoop” to bring the things you want to your doorstep and he goes through a wonderful house cleansing and blessing process that is a perfect blend of conjure and Witchcraft.  Orion talks really briefly about fixing a hand (i.e. making a mojo bag or mojo hand) but, because of time, he isn’t able to go too in-depth with it and comments off-offhandedly “We might need to make a DVD about fixing hands”.  YES!  Please do!  If it’s as entertaining and engaging as this, I’ll say it’s a must have for sure!

I just can’t say enough about this DVD.  I have been reading, studying, and practicing Hoodoo and conjure for the majority of my time as a Witch but only in the last few years have made it a serious part of my practice.  While I know a good amount of the tradition, and I was familiar with much of what Orion presented, I still walked away with 5 pages of notes filled on both sides!  This is not only an enjoyable and engaging time spent with a wonderful member of the magickal community, but it’s a really educational time as well.  Again, I have to say, if you have even a passing interest and want to learn a little more about the wonderful tradition of magick that is conjure, you must pick up this DVD!

Susan Tooker by Pixie Vision Productions

I have specifically spent a great deal of time looking at one item in particular, the WisdomKeeper Smudge Fan.  Something about it…the colors of black and blue and the silvery shine of the quartz and crystals just kept calling me back to it.  In the last few years I have begun to take up a lot more shamanic work in my practice and I have longed for an items that I could connect specifically to that work and I felt this was what I was looking for.

I began the task of working to manifest the money to finally buy this magickal piece of art.  I started by just asking for the amount that I would need and then asked my angels and guides for more direct help.  “What should I do to get the money, how can I make this happen?”  I received the guidance to start doing some new reading specials and offer some new type of readings.  I offered a very cool Awen reading and my Ostara reading specials and received a number of reading requests.  When I looked and saw that the money was coming but not quite there I asked again “What can I do?”  I felt that I needed to look at Susan’s shop again and that the answer would be there.  When I did I saw that a few items were listed as “reserved”.  I hadn’t even though before about asking if she would take deposits or reserve items.  I emailed her and explained what I was looking for and asked how she worked with reserves and she told me she only recently started to work with this because she started getting requests from people to pay for items over time.  She was happy to make arrangements with me so I could purchase the smudge fan.  I put down a deposit and within a week I had the money I needed to buy it outright.

And today it arrived.

Here are some photos from the unboxing.  Let me tell you these pictures DO NOT so this piece justice!

I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of UPS and then the box showed up!

And the box was big!   I knew the fan was a good size but I guess I hadn’t been able to really grasp HOW big until I saw the box.  So I dove right in and started to open it up.

One thing I can say for this is that it was packed perfectly. When I did I was attacked by clumps of packing peanuts and I quickly realized I was going to have to go and finish unpacking this on the floor.

And then I got it out of all it’s layers of bubble wrap and tape that it was so carefully packaged in and I was finally able to hold it.

Holding this just is something I can’t even begin to explain. There is an energy and a power to this when you hold it. It’s filled with a feeling of being able to transform. The thing I also felt right away was that this isn’t just something for smudging and cleansing but it wants me to cast circle with it. I feel like this is a wand as well and that it will be great for casting protection circles for shamanic healing and journey work.

I took it outside to take some pictures. They aren’t the best (it was so bright out that it was hard to see what images I was capturing) but this is what I have.

This is truly an amazing piece of art. It’s not just a ritual tool, it is art. I can’t speak highly enough of how amazing this piece is, nor could I ever say enough great things about dealing with Susan. She was helpful, understanding, and truly wants people to receive and enjoy the items that she so painstakingly creates. Her items aren’t cheap but they are worth every penny that you pay. Her items are one of a kind and filled with beautiful pieces of crystal and stone. If you really want to treat yourself to something special and add an heirloom piece to your magickal collection of tools, do yourself a favor and visit Susan Tooker’s Spinning Castle.  Be sure to check out her blog and find her Twitter as well!

Psychic Tarot: Using Your Natural Psychic Abilities to Read the Cards is an interesting read, but not for the reasons I had originally anticipated it would be.  While the book’s title might lead you to believe that this is a book on tarot reading I would definitely say this is secondary to this being a book on psychic development.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing!  In fact I think that putting this emphasis within a tarot book is important because so many tarot readers, especially beginners, shy away from reading the cards in any way other than with the meanings and methods outlined in most of the books on traditional reading.  As someone who personally views tarot as a mirror to the Divine Self I find it key to learn to read the cards with the Sight, as Antenucci and Howard put it.

But, again, tarot is somewhat secondary to the emphasis on learning to develop the skills to read as an intuitive or psychic reader.  The authors use the cards as the tool or focus for the psychic development exercises in the book.  This is one of the things that I particularly love about this book is the number of exercises and practical tools that are presented to the reader.  Rather than just telling what you should do, Antenucci and Howard show you how to them and how to work with them beyond just the tarot reading setting.  So again, this gives the book more of a psychic development tone,but what they give you definitely are tools well suited to a tarot reader that wants to be more than a reader that just memorizes card meanings.

One thing that I really appreciate about this book is that, while images of the Rider-Waite Smith deck are found in a few places, there is no emphasis on the images in the specific cards making it easier for the reader to take the information presented and feel free to use it with any deck without having to make modifications.  In fact, focusing on the specific images found in your own deck you have chosen is stressed during exercises that focus on learning to see and read the cards literally, symbolically, and psychically.

In later chapters of the book there are sample readings that show you how to apply the different skills and the six principles of reading that are presented throughout the book.  These will certainly help to put things in perspective for many new readers, and the chapter demonstrating tarot reading verses psychic reading verses blended reading was a delight to read; it’s nice to see workable examples of how to perform psychic readings without the cards while showing someone who may want to delve into this form that, yes, it is possible with the right tools and the right amount of practice, patience, and time.

Toward the end of the book there is a section featuring reference images of all 78 cards from Lo Scarabeo’s Universal Tarot and a wonderful self study guide that lays out all the key exercises and points from the book in a handful of pages making it the perfect quick reference.

Overall I would say this is a really nice book for readers that are ready to take their skills to another level and get out of the habit of relying on memorization or feeling tied to the Little White Book that came with their deck.  The book is easy to read, laid out in a simple and practical format, and has plenty of anecdotes and examples to keep it from feeling dry or impersonal.

The DVD is produced by a company in the UK called Hagstone Films.  Unfortunately their website is a bit generic and lacking in information, so it’s hard to tell much about them.  This is their only currently available video, but according to the news bar on the page there are several other magickal titles in the works including a Wiccan view on the practice of Reiki and one on poppet magick.

This DVD runs just shy of 2 hours and covers a great number of topics covered.  It’s hosted by a woman that goes by the name Freyja.  I was disappointed that on the Hagstone Films website there is no info about her since she not only hosts this one but she is also hosting the two other films that they are creating that involve the Craft.

Before I get too much deeper into review, let’s stop and look at a trailer for the DVD.

The DVD has the following chapters and topics covered:
Chapter 1 – Introduction
Chapter 2 – History
Chapter 3 – Origins of Wicca
Chapter 4 – Wiccan Beliefs
Chapter 5 – Coven Structure
Chapter 6 – Wheel of the Year
Chapter 7 – Tools
Chapter 8 – Ritual Prep & Dress
Chapter 9 – Ritual & Self Initiation
Chapter 10 – Magick & Spells
Chapter 11 – Divination & Scrying
Chapter 12 – Where Next

Overall the video isn’t bad.  For trying to cover so much in such a short period of time you have to understand that nothing here is in-depth and that it’s very much a drive-by look at the Craft.  Everything is presented in small soundbite style with just the base essentials of every topic covered.  This is OK if you’re either already experienced in the Craft, but since this video is really aimed to present information to the beginner or the curious it will only serve you well if you take this as just the first step of discovery.  There is certainly no lack of information here to intrigue the curious, so in that it certainly does its job.

Let me get some of the less than stellar comments out of the way.  The presenter, Freyja, quickly becomes a little annoying by the end of the first chapter.  She doesn’t look into the camera when she talks and is clearly reading off cue cards or a teleprompter.  It isn’t until Chapter 9 of the DVD, during the elemental calls during her ritual, that she finally looks at the camera to speak and seems to do it without reading something.  There is a stiffness to her throughout that is a little uncomfortable and makes you wonder if she actually does know the material that she’s presenting.  She also says the word “however” easily 100 times and in a mechanical way that, like everything else, just has a little bit of a disconcerting feeling to it.  When she isn’t standing behind an altar she’s positioned in front of somewhat tacky backdrops that are reminiscent of those horrible settings used for yearbook photos.  It also doesn’t help that she’s sitting in a way that has her somewhat looking over her shoulder; I kept waiting to see the camera flash go off.

Now, as for the content on the DVD, it’s certainly not bad.  In fact, for such a short overview of such a large number of topics it’s pretty good!  But there are a few things that had me wondering.  First, she begins right off with talking about hiding her books and her interests from her parents out of fear of getting into trouble.  While I know this is the thing that many young practitioners have to do, it’s something that has always bothered me and it’s something that I always dislike seeing advocated or suggested to others (not that she says to do this, but if it’s good enough for her it must be good enough for the viewers).  She also talks in chapter three about not liking the word “crone”, and apparently not using it herself, because she doesn’t like the image of the old lady or hag that the word implies.  I have to admit this put me off a little.

Another thing that was interesting and that sort of had me stop and shake my head was her explanation of the Watchtowers; she says that they are human spirits now in the Summerland who are connected to those specific elements and who now watch over that element and assist in ritual.  I just found that view interesting and it was something I’d never heard before.

The history overview was quite good and touched on a number of key points that aren’t always presented in beginners material.  The chapter on the origins of Wicca really doesn’t focus on the origins but glances briefly at Gerald Gardner and then goes on to talk about current practice.  In chapter four she talks about some nice ways to work toward getting in touch with the God and Goddess but she also talks about spells a little while discussing the Rede and Three-Fold Law.  She specifically talks about love spells, giving and example of one and talking about how it goes against the Rede.  But a little later on in the chapter she talks about love spells being OK as long as you know what you’re doing and take responsibility for your actions and what happens as a result of your spell.

The chapter on tools was one I really liked because she does make a point of letting you know that you don’t have to run out and buy all your tools at once and that you can let them come to you as you find things that are meaningful for you.  She also talks a great deal about purchasing items from charity shops (i.e. thrift stores like Good Will or Salvation Army).  By doing this you’re not only getting a deal on items but also helping the community.  Since all your tools, whether new or used, need to be consecrated and charged it doesn’t really matter where it comes from.  She also talks about making your own tools when possible and not being pressured to purchase fancy tools from Witch shops just because they’re pretty.

The ritual chapter was nice and she walks you through her self initiation ritual.  Now, I have a problem with self initiation, but that’s neither here nor there.  The problem I ultimately had here was her interchanging of the terms self initiation and self dedication.  They are so often seen as being the same thing but, in reality, they are somewhat different.  Her circle casting method is, for lack of a better word, unique; but as a method I’ve never seen before it was really interesting to see.  Either way, the ritual she presents is nice, simple, and one that anyone could easily work with to effectively dedicate themselves to the Craft.

The chapters on magick, spells, and divination are all the usual brief gloss overs but she takes time to emphasis the important parts such as ethics in spellwork and she talks about needing to take time to practice divination over time and learn to trust your own intuition and not become dependent on guides and books.  One thing that did bother me in the chapter on divination is that after all her talk about practicing, learning, and trying different methods she says that all predictions are only about 50% accurate but that in time you might be able to increase that.  It just seemed to almost make the whole chapter a little pointless, in my view, because anyone can make a 50/50 guess at something without using divination.

All in all, Witchcraft & Wicca is a nice introduction to many of the core aspects of the Craft but it will definitely need to be just that, an introduction.  There is nothing earth shattering here and certainly this isn’t going to teach you anything in depth.  But if you’re looking for something other than a book or a website to give you the basics and to actually show you thing and walk you through a simple ritual, this is a nice DVD to do that with. The US version of the DVD, which is available to purchase through their website, will cost you $30.50 with shipping.

I give this 4 our of 5 stars