Showing posts with label rituals. Show all posts

The Book of Blessings and Rituals - A Review

Today I'm reviewing The Book of Blessings and Rituals - Magical Invocations For Healing, Setting Energy and Creating Sacred Space by Athena Perrakis, Ph.D.


Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
Photo Source - Cover



Author Links - Link
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Release Date: 7/30/19


Generally I like to start out with a disclaimer. I am an contemporary witch.  I look for the connection between magic and science without the need to search for a creator. I receive no compensation for these reviews and all my links are standard Amazon links and not affiliate links. I am a practicing photo reader and have spent the last 16 years honing my craft.  I offer personal readings by request and have a strong online history that boasts nearly 400,000 views.


I'll begin this review with the physical book.  The review copy I received is a hard cover book but did not have a dust jacket.  The image on the front shows assorted religious emblems and is a very vibrant raised image on cover.  The art inside is illustrative art and lends itself nicely to the context of the book.  There is no index in this book but the table of contents is pretty extensive.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
Photo Source - Book


The chapters are broken down by month and include an assortment of rituals and blessings that correspond.  January, for example has new year's blessings and directional invocations while September offers  prayers for Rosh Hashanah, Mabon  and a Honey Blessing Jar project.

As in many of her other books, the author provides a clear and concise delivery of the information within the pages. The chapters begin with a brief overview of each month which includes a brief history or explanation of that rites within.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
Photo Source - Book


The October chapter provides a brief look at Samhain (Summer's End in Gaelic) and how the Celts may have celebrated this new year.  The author gives us several rituals and a project associated with the celebration of the dead. Creating an ancestor altar has been one of my yearly traditional for quite some time.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
Photo Source - Book


I really enjoyed the diversity included in this book.  While reading up on Samhain I was delighted to find a section on Diwali.  Diwali is Sanskrit for light or lamp.  Its an ancient Hindu festival celebrated at the New Moon in October.

The blessing begins:

On this new moon,
we remember light's victory over darkness.
Diyas glow like treasures,
thunderous sounds boom triumphantly
illuminating the night with color and sound
Now is the time to delight in celebration.
Lakshmi, I honor you on this day.
Thank you for blessing us with your abundance.

Over all, this book is well organized, and provides a well rounded bit of information from an assortment of cultures. Including projects with each chapter provides the reader the opportunity to not only read about rituals they may not have heard about, but also the ability to put them into practice as well.   I believe this is a great book to have on your self to compliment an extensive religious text collection or to introduce yourself to new paths you may have otherwise missed.





Witchy Wednesday - To Hex or Not to Hex

There's a link going around social media right now regarding the Trump administration and witchcraft.

Basically this group wants witches to get together and do some hexing and binding on those in this administration to stop them from doing harm to others.



Binding can be serious business.  It takes a lot of personal energy to do a binding.  Personally  I prefer tossing them in a jar and putting in the freezer.  But that's just me.

This particular spell calls for actions on several different nights and with some higher and lower level magical action going on.  The kick off for this was last Friday the 24th. Here's the spell from the site.


(Light white candle)
Hear me, oh spirits
Of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air
Heavenly hosts
Demons of the infernal realms
And spirits of the ancestors
(Light inscribed orange candle stub)
I call upon you
To bind
Donald J. Trump
So that he may fail utterly
That he may do no harm
To any human soul
Nor any tree
Animal
Rock
Stream
or Sea
Bind him so that he shall not break our polity
Usurp our liberty
Or fill our minds with hate, confusion, fear, or despair
And bind, too,
All those who enable his wickedness
And those whose mouths speak his poisonous lies
I beseech thee, spirits, bind all of them
As with chains of iron
Bind their malicious tongues
Strike down their towers of vanity
(Invert Tower tarot card)
I beseech thee in my name
(Say your full name)
In the name of all who walk
Crawl, swim, or fly
Of all the trees, the forests,
Streams, deserts,
Rivers and seas
In the name of Justice
And Liberty
And Love
And Equality
And Peace
Bind them in chains
Bind their tongues
Bind their works
Bind their wickedness
(Light the small photo of Trump from the flame of the orange candle stub and hold carefully above the ashtray)
(Speak the following loudly and with increasing passion as the photo burns to ashes)
So mote it be!
So mote it be!
So mote it be!
(Blow out orange candle, visualizing Trump blowing apart into dust or ash*)
(Pinch or snuff out the white candle, ending the ritual)


I personally believe that a witch who cannot hex cannot heal.  So tell me your thoughts?  Should we bind Trump and Co.  Do you think it will help/hurt?  Talk to me in the comments, let's see what we can get going here.



----  UPDATE ----
So I wrote this prior to the 24th.  I have noticed a great deal of issues within the Pagan community about this event.  Comments of caution and warnings about destroying a USA based on binding the government.  Personally I believe that the energies should be to find a way to open the eyes of our government to the wrong they are doing.  Maybe that might be a better idea.