It’s not that I never think of Russia, except that honestly I don’t really think about Russia. Nothing against the country, just for some reason, they never really cross my mind. That’s why I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to review “Russian Magic: Living Folk Traditions of an Enchanted Landscape” by Cherry Gilchrist. I was hoping that I would come away with a refreshing understanding of a country that I had obviously overlooked. I was right.
“Russian Magic” is everything a book of its type should be, potential authors of folkloric books take note. The book is engaging and covers a surprisingly large swath of Russian traditions, religious practices, folklore traditions, and more. It is well researched but also filled with first hand accounts from the author brushing up against these practices.
There were the “standards” such as Baba Yaga and Matrioshka (those adorable nesting dolls). However I was also introduced to a colorful cast of characters like Father Frost, Mokosh (Damp Earth Mother), and Perun (Lord of Thunder). I learned about various divination practices, dates of unique celebrations, the landscapes, and even the significance of the architecture of the traditional village house! Better still, whereas most books of this type would only look at these things from the perspective of their significance in the past, the author takes all of that history and shows you its influence on modern society in Russia.
I also need to tell you that I couldn’t help but be pleased when the domavoi made an appearance. Some readers may remember that WAY back in 2006 I wrote an article about these helpful and potentially harmful house guests. What I didn’t know then, but do now (thanks to “Russian Magic”) is that the domavoi’s birthday is February 10th! If you have one of these guys in your home, that’s the day to really kiss up to him! And now you know.
And if you’re looking to know more, I highly suggest picking up this entertaining and enlightening book.
That snippet from “Wyrd Sisters” is exactly what I thought of when I picked up the copy of “The Way of Beauty: Five Meditations for Spiritual Transformation” by Francois Cheng that Inner Traditions sent me. A book that discusses nothing but beauty? I mean, how long could I discuss beauty? Let’s see, um, flowers are pretty, puppies are cute, and Angelina Jolie is smoking hot. (I just wish she would put a little of her weight back on. Current Skeletor Jolie is considerably less hot than “Gia” Jolie, can I get an amen in here?) Oh, and sunrises, and sunsets, very beautiful. So what am I at, like 20 words if you don’t count my aside about Angelina Jolie’s current weight? Let’s just say I was curious how you manage to fill 116 pages with an examination of beauty and have it not start sounding like “Gold, gold, gold, gold, gold, gold”.
Now this isn’t my first rodeo, I’ve read all kinds of ghosty folklore type books. However, this book discusses revenants and ghosts from a whole new perspective, through the lens of medieval literature. When I first picked up the book I thought, a former professor of medieval literature wrote this book? Not what I’m used to seeing in the bios of what would be lumped into the ever growing “paranormal” book category. Once I started reading it, I was like, hell yeah, bust out those sagas professor!
The “2010 Witches’ Companion” has over 20 essays divided up into the categories of “Community Forum: Provocative Opinions on Contemporary Issues”, “Witchy Living: Day-by-Day Witchcraft”, “Witchcraft Essentials: Practices, Rituals, and Spells”, and “Magical Transformations: Everything Old is New Again”. Nice, right? Let’s delve in a little deeper now. Within those categories are articles from loads of authors who have been featured on this very website: “Giving Back to the Spirit World” by Lupa (who wrote 
Now for the “Sabbats Almanac”. This book is divided up by the eight sabbats, surprising, right? This collection is an amazing look at the history and modern celebration of these holidays. This includes rituals, recipes, craft ideas, planetary influences, and family activities. The list of contributing authors is impressive, and again features some Magical Buffet favorites. The previously mentioned Deborah Blake contributes “Spring Equinox” and “An Ostara Ritual for New Goals”. She is joined by Thuri Calafia (who we 
Leloup weaves a soothing tapestry between Buddhist and Christian thought. The author shows that compassion and spiritual integrity can be found easily in both faiths, and that the Buddhist practice of meditation and the Christian tradition of 
“Standing with Stones” dedicates possibly one full minute to Stonehenge and nothing more. So what the heck does writer/presenter Rupert Soskin talk about for a little over two hours? Everything else, and if there is one thing you take away from this film is that there is a whole lot of everything else. Soskin leads you on a picturesque tour that covers England, Wales, Ireland, Isle of Man, and Scotland, revealing the treasure trove of stone circles, cairns, standing stones, and more that exist relatively unnoticed by modern society.
What follows is a compelling look at everything from what constitutes a genuine possession to cosmologies to safety tips to seriously, anything and everything you could ever want to know about spirit possession. Really, anything.