In a world of sexy book porn, today we’re looking at some of the sexiest of sexy, “The Bavarian Illuminati: The Rise and Fall of the World’s Most Secret Society” by Rene Le Forestier and translated by Jon E. Graham. This is 912 pages of pulse pounding intrigue and yawn inducing bureaucracy that was originally published in 1915 and hasn’t been available in English until now. Until now!
Inner Traditions spared no expense in bringing “The Bavarian Illuminati” to English speaking audiences. The text is presented in hard cover, with a built-in ribbon bookmark. This book is informative, but could also be brandished as a weapon if necessary. But enough foreplay, let’s get into it.
Le Forestier utilized as much primary source material in researching this book as he could find. Bavarian academic Adam Weishaupt founded the short-lived Bavarian Order of the Illuminati in 1776, mainly as a reaction to the Jesuit stranglehold on education in Bavaria at the time and his disappointment in his attempts to join the Freemasons. An intelligent, but vain individual, Weishaupt’s grand design would have floundered and died quickly, but fortunately for him, Adolph, Baron von Knigge came along and helped organize the Illuminati first by applying his Freemason knowledge to the order and then creating the strategy of taking over Freemasonry from the inside out. Even with this, the order didn’t quite last 10 years.
Yet the idea of the Illuminati and their efforts to sabotage the Church and subvert the German Freemasons planted seeds that still bear fruit today of a global organization with its tendrils in everything from the government to the stock market. In reading “The Bavarian Illuminati” Le Forestier clearly presents the flaw in this conspiracy in the fact that the Weishaupt’s Illuminati couldn’t keep itself secret for a decade, let alone imagining this bickering hive of egos could keep a secret for hundreds of years.
“The Bavarian Illuminati” by Rene Le Forestier is not an inexpensive book. However, if you’re looking for a deep dive into the origins of the infamous Bavarian Illuminati and the assorted other secret societies of the era, this would be money well spent.
You can learn more here.
Get your own copy here. (This is an affiliate link to my Bookshop, which supports independent bookstores throughout the United States. If you use this link to purchase the book, I will make a small commission at no additional cost to you.)
Do you enjoy The Magical Buffet? Considering supporting The Magical Buffet on Patreon! For only $5 a month you’ll receive monthly tarot/oracle forecasts, classes, and behind the scenes updates! Https://www.patreon.com/magicalbuffet
It is no secret that I love crystals, so yes, I’ll be reviewing another book about crystals. Now obviously I requested a review copy of “The Crystal Fix: Healing Crystals for the Modern Home” by Juliette Thornbury because, duh, crystals. Honestly, I was not prepared by for how truly wonderful this book turned out to be.
If you love crystals, you really should get a copy of “The Crystal Fix” by Juliette Thornbury. You’ll come away with a better understanding of all the ways crystals can be utilized daily.
As most of you know, I’m a lady that loves to eat, and a lady that loves being given an excuse to eat. So here we are, now discussing “Full Bloom: Vibrant Plant-Based Recipes for Your Summer Table” by Virpi Mikkonen.
And don’t you worry, there are some STUPIDLY easy recipes nestled in “Full Bloom” and I made one! “3-Ingredient Brownies” is truth in advertising. Bananas, almond butter, and cacao powder go into a blender and then into the oven. Mikkonen suggests serving them with vanilla ice cream, and she is right. The brownies have a good taste to them, but are a bit dry and grainy in texture. I ate mine with plain yogurt and it made of world of difference.
Author and High Priestess Awyn Dawn discovered Paganism while incarcerated, and with her book “Paganism for Prisoners: Connecting to the Magic Within” she seeks to help those who are currently incarcerated start their journey. 
The oracle deck we’re looking at today is wonderful, but also prompted some design questions on my part. Let’s look at the “Soul Helper Oracle” by Christine Arana Fader and illustrated by Elena Dudina. If Fader’s name sounds familiar it’s because you’ve seen it before on The Magical Buffet when I held 
The deck itself is 43 cards and the guidebook offers a 21-day cycle of working with the theme of a card to explore yourself. Each card has four companions to support your work with the message of each card: a crystal, a spirit animal, a number, and a plant essence. I love how the deck is geared towards self-discovery and that Fader offers ideas to support your work. The only question I have, is with such clear ideas in mind, and a capable illustrator rendering the cards, couldn’t the crystal, spirit animal, number, and plant be incorporated into the art of each card? (Each card has a number, some have the animal, some have crystal, and some have the plant.) As it is, you need to always refer to the guidebook to see those.
If you’re a more cautious sort and want to know more than that the word “Goddess” is in the title, I can help you out. Now I’m not going to sit here and claim that Kane invented a whole new system of magic, however she does an excellent job explaining the best way to incorporate magical basics into working with goddesses. Where “Goddess Magic” truly excels is in the curated selection of goddesses and Kane’s great ideas to work with them. I can hear you now, “What goddesses are in the book?” I’m glad you asked!
Seriously, if you are into goddesses, like I am, you NEED “Goddess Magic.” If you’re interested in incorporating goddesses into your practice, you NEED “Goddess Magic.” If you think there isn’t a goddess out there for you, you’re wrong, and you NEED “Goddess Magic.” I guess what I’m saying is that you really need “Goddess Magic” by Aurora Kane.
I had to say yes when offered the opportunity to review “Soul Cats Tarot” by Leeza Robertson with art by Adam Oehlers. I’m good friends with Deborah Blake, an author well known for her affection for cats. If she found out I had the opportunity to review a cat-based tarot deck and passed, well, she wouldn’t be angry, just disappointed. And here we are….
Leeza Robertson’s cat inspiration and Adam Oehlers artwork have created an evocative deck that should resonate with many tarot fans.
If you’re followed The Magical Buffet for a while, you know that I don’t really do poetry on here. Everyone has a different idea as to what constitutes “good” poetry and that opinion becomes even more disparate the more modern the poetry is, at least it appears that way to me. So, when I received an email inquiring as to whether I wished to review “The Book of Celtic Verse: A Treasury of Poetry, Dreams & Visions” edited by John Matthews, I nearly automatically hit delete. Fortunately, I took a second look because John Matthews has put together something special, particularly for those who interests lie with Celtic traditions.
Ozaniec’s reading of tarot is that, “The language of the Tarot is that of the symbol in many forms: numerical, mythical, elemental, zodiacal, alchemical and Hermetic,” and that it’s, “a visual representation of the Western Esoteric Tradition.” This certainly isn’t the first book about tarot that I’ve seen make these observations, however “The Watkins Tarot Handbook” exceeds expectations when it comes to proving its point. Sure, like many books about tarot, you’ll find images of classic tarot cards, but in this book, you’ll also see the Wheel of Correspondences (as produced by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki), Strephon Kaplan Williams model of The Seven Archetypes, a table of Hebrew letters, the Tree of Life, the Psychosynthesis Egg, and so much more. Ozaniec’s version of tarot is a full-on initiation in the Western magical traditions.
Today we have a truly special oracle deck to discuss, the “Soulflower Plant Spirit Oracle” by Lisa Estabrook. In the oracle’s accompanying guide book Estabrook says, “The ‘Soulflower Plant Spirit Oracle’ is a very simple daily self-care, self-empowerment tool that will help support your own spiritual journey and reawaken or strengthen your connection to the earth that supports us all.” Pretty big ask from a “very simple” tool.
With its ties to the earth, desire to prompt self-exploration, and of course, lovely art, Lisa Estabrook’s “Soulflower Plant Spirit Oracle” is a must own for those looking pursue those interests.