Astrology for the Cosmic Soul

Long time readers know that I don’t discuss astrology books or review them very often. Astrology is hard and feels an awful lot like work to me. However, when the publicist at Rock Point (an imprint of The Quarto Group) emailed me about “Astrology for the Cosmic Soul: A Modern Guide to the Zodiac” by The Pulp Girls, I was sold.

I’m not going to lie; it was the artwork that drew me in. The Pulp Girls wrote and illustrated “Astrology for the Cosmic Soul” and went with an adorable and psychedelic vibe. It turns out that their art is what they’re known for, running a business that sells their creations. (And holy crap do I want EVERYTHING on their website!)

Art aside, it turns out The Pulp Girls are also effective communicators. The book is written in a friendly, sassy voice that makes for an entertaining read. The authors also do a great job breaking down the complexity of astrology into easy to digest parts. Once you catch the basics of sun signs, moon signs, and rising signs, they discuss the practical side of astrology such as compatibilities and the stereotypical sign tropes versus the actual more nuanced way signs define people. After that, things get magical with tarot, lucky amulets, and grounding exercises. The end the book with “Just for Fun”, which is a whole lot of fun! Mixology for the signs (which sadly doesn’t involve actual alcohol), the signs as fairies, the signs as movie genres, and more!

“Astrology for the Cosmic Soul” by The Pulp Girls is a fun introduction to astrology that would also be an excellent gift for an astrology enthusiast. If nothing else, this book has converted me to being a big fan of The Pulp Girls! It turns out they have a tarot deck that just released in October and I may have to check that out too!

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.)

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Happy Witch

More and more often, I’m finding books about witchcraft intersecting with self-help. It is an easy fit, but I always carry a bit of skepticism when approaching a self-help/wellness book and dressing it up in a witch’s hat doesn’t change that. Fortunately, there are authors out there doing it right, and today’s book, “Happy Witch: Activities, Spells, and Rituals to Calm the Chaos and Find Your Joy” by Mandi Em is one of them.

“Happy Witch” comfortably walks the line with being positive without becoming toxic and being realistic without discouraging aspirations. Em divides the book into six chapters, which breaks down as:

Be Free by laying the groundwork for a magically empowered mindset.
Be Wild by connecting with nature and leaning into rewilding as a source of joy.
Be Playful by inviting play and creativity into your life through spells and rituals designed to heal and delight your inner child.
Be Still by unearthing bliss in the quieter work of your witchy practices, exploring your shadows to find the light.
Be Connected by using relational magic to enjoy your connections with yourself and others on a deeper level.
Be Soulful by embodying the magic you want to see in the world.

The subtitle is accurate, Em provides a bevy of spells, activities, and rituals in each chapter. They generally feature readily available items and utilize beginner friendly magical concepts. In “Happy Witch”, witchcraft is a tool, not a religion, that when used effectively can positively affect your life. This book is certainly beginner friendly, being perfect for those looking to dip their toe in witchcraft, or for a witch looking to integrate a little more self-care into their practice.

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.)

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Kitchen Witchcraft for Beginners

I’m not going to be coy, I’m a huge fan of Dawn Aurora Hunt. Not just as an author, or as an olive oil entrepreneur, but as a person. If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to spend any time with her, you get it. Hunt is the embodiment of the kitchen witch: warm, funny, and always wanting to feed you. And so, to make a long book review short, I obviously loved her new book “Kitchen Witchcraft for Beginners: Spells, Recipes, and Rituals to Bring Your Practice into the Kitchen.”

“Kitchen Witchcraft for Beginners” is just that, a perfect book for beginners. What is kitchen witchcraft? How do your practice it? How do you incorporate it into your daily life? Hunt answers all these questions and more in just under 140 pages. Hunt also offers additional resources, which is nice because the only my complaint about this book is that I wanted more. More recipes, more information, just more, and the additional resources can provide you with that.

If you’re looking to explore how to bring witchcraft into your kitchen, “Kitchen Witchcraft for Beginners” by Dawn Aurora Hunt is the perfect book for you.

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.)

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The Dharma Bum’s Guide to Western Literature

Fun fact, at one point in my life I was an English major. I was considering becoming a high school English teacher. I didn’t pursue that path but a big takeaway was, I am not a fan of classic literature. Seriously. Most of the required reading I did in high school showed me that my idea of great literature and a school board’s idea are not the same thing. However, I am a big fan of Buddhism and that’s why when offered the opportunity to read a book intended to show the Dharma hidden in Western literature, I couldn’t say no.

“The Dharma Bum’s Guide to Western Literature: Finding Nirvana in the Classics” by Dean Sluyter is an entertaining and thought provoking read. Sluyter discusses expected classics, such as “The Great Gatsby”, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, and “Moby Dick”, but also adds the unexpected like “The Cat in the Hat”, Frederick Douglass “The Slave Narrative”, and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” “The Dharma Bum’s Guide” isn’t claiming these were written from a Buddhist perspective, but that the Dharma is so universal, it can be found in everything….including Western literature.

Sluyter’s exploration of the authors, as well as their works, can make Buddhist thought more accessible to the Western mind, and can occasionally make a person carrying a disdain for classics (like yours truly) reassess their previous stances. “The Dharma Bum’s Guide to Western Literature” by Dean Sluyter is a fantastic book for anyone interested in Western literature, or Buddhism, or both.

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.)

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Protection Spells

I always make the joke about how I don’t need spells books because the magic is in me, and then gesture to the HUGE stack of spell books I own. So yeah, I don’t NEED spell books, but sometimes I want a spell book. In this case, the spell book is written by Aurora Kane, whose book “Goddess Magic” became an instant favorite. Today we’re discussing “Protection Spells: An Enchanting Spell Book to Clear Negative Energy” by Aurora Kane.

“Protection Spells” is part of a pocket books series from Wellfleet Press/Quarto Books. If you follow The Magical Buffet on social media, you might have seen a short video I made showing off how adorably cute this pocket-sized gem is! It is perfectly pocket-sized, hardcovered, with beautiful illustrations throughout. If “Protection Spells” format is the template the publisher is using for the entire pocket series, I highly recommend pretending they’re Pokemon and catching them all!

Fantastic format aside, Kane does an excellent job providing a great starting point for protection spells. The book is divided into four parts: Spells for the Home, Spells to Prevent Harm, Spells to Heal and Prevent Illness, and Spells for Good Luck. The spells range from simple, using commonly found items around the home, to more complex, requiring specific timing and harder to find components.

And so here we are, do you NEED a book of spells? No. Do you WANT “Protection Spells” by Aurora Kane? Absolutely.

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.)

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Secrets of Santa Muerte

Like many people, I first heard of Santa Muerte in a news story about Mexican drug cartels. In articles like that one, Santa Muerte is a narco-saint, a goddess of bad men. Obviously, my curiosity was piqued. Misunderstood goddesses, goddesses that have been shunned, and just goddesses with bad reputations are my favorite. And I was certain, that like others that had come to my attention before Her, I would learn that there was more to Santa Muerte than meets the eye. Not to brag, but I was right.

To put it simply, and in the most general terms, Santa Muerte is a death goddess. She represents death and everything that can entail: protection, vengeance, justice, innocence, wisdom, and much more. You can revere Her and pray to Her as a distant goddess, or you can have a transactional relationship where you curry favor and make deals. With all of this going on, Santa Muerte can be a confusing deity to work with. In comes “Secrets of Santa Muerte: A Guide to the Prayers, Spells, Rituals, and Hexes” by Cressida Stone.

If you fall into the middle of the Venn diagram of people interested in Santa Muerte and people who are on Twitter, you’re probably familiar with Cressida Stone. She is a longtime devotee and deferred to Twitter Santa Muerte expert looked to only slightly less than internationally recognized Santa Muerte academic Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut, who coincidentally endorsed this book. Stone has worked with Santa Muerte temples and shrines throughout the world to learn the prayers, symbolism, rituals, hexes, and offerings of Santa Muerte.

“Secrets of Santa Muerte” is a wonderful introduction to the goddess. Stone does an excellent job organizing the vast wealth of Santa Muerte information available. Not only did “Secrets of Santa Muerte” introduce me to all the facets of this goddess, but gave me new ideas of how to work with her. Ideas that I hope to incorporate into my wider divine feminine practice.

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

Banned Books Week 2022

It’s that magical time of year again, when all of us book nerds join together to celebrate Banned Books Week, an annual event to draw attention to the constant threat of censorship that schools, libraries, universities, comics publishers, and more face. It’s a large coalition, featuring the efforts of American Booksellers for Free Expression, American Library Association, Amnesty International, Association of University Presses, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, National Book Foundation, National Council of Teachers of English, and more that help put together the event.

The American Library Association works to ensure free access to information. To that end, every year their Office of Intellectual Freedom compiles a list of the top ten most challenged books to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools. The lists are based on information from media stories and voluntary reports sent to the Office from around the United States. In 2021 the Office tracked 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials. Of the 1,597 books that were targeted, here are the most challenged books, along with the reasons cited for censoring the books.

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images
Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, violence, and because it was thought to promote an anti-police message and indoctrination of a social agenda
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references and use of a derogatory term
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit
This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
Reasons: Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content.
Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.

What now? Well, for starters, you might want to read one, or all, of this year’s most challenged books. I maintain a list in my Bookshop that contains the most recent top ten most challenged books for your convenience. The American Library Association has a great list of other ideas that I encourage you to check out! There are even more ideas at the Banned Books Week website!

You can find the top ten most challenged books of 2021 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

The Little Book of Satanism

Not to sound too much like Jerry Seinfeld, but what’s the deal with Satanism? Particularly, what’s the deal with our culture’s hang up about it? The answer seems obvious to most. Satan equals evil, so Satanism equals bad. It appears to be basic math, but it’s not that straightforward when you look closer at the history of Satan and those who have chosen to ally themselves with the Devil. Fortunately, alternative culture journalist La Carmina has laid it all out for us in her book, “The Little Book of Satanism: A Guide to Satanic History, Culture, and Wisdom.”

It is no easy task to unweave the tapestry that creates what Satanism is today, but La Carmina does an excellent job untangling the web and laying out a timeline for us to follow. “The Little Book of Satanism” begins in a time when there was no Satan, takes us to Satan’s Judeo-Christian debut, discusses some name branding with Lucifer, explores how “others” were by default tools of Satan in the Middle Ages, more branding courtesy of Dante and Faust, the witch hunts, the Hellfire Club, Satanic Panic, and public practitioners and organizations of today. It is an interesting journey, and once given context from the author’s research, it seems inevitable that there would be Satanists today.

La Carmina’s work explains many of the common symbols and beliefs of the modern Satanist, and highlights individuals and organizations of the past and present. You’ll find LaVey and the Church of Satan, the Process Church of the Final Judgment, Aleister Crowley, and The Satanic Temple. In fact, Temple co-founder Lucien Greaves provides an elegant foreward for “The Little Book of Satanism.”

In “The Little Book of Satanism,” author La Carmina makes a compelling argument for modern Satanism and the role a modern take on Satan could play in your personal spiritual practices. If you’re even slightly curious, I highly recommend getting yourself a copy of this book.

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

911 from your Soul: Are you being called?

By Jeanine Thompson

Life is a spiritual journey. Every breath, every relationship, every joy and sorrow are calling you to remember who you really are, and to be and experience all that you came here for. Our discomforts, challenges, and even crises are invitations to free ourselves, expand our wings and rise into our highest expression—for ourselves, for those we love, and for all of humanity.

For each of us, there will come a time when our Soul longs to birth something for us and through us. Often this is the thing that we most strongly resist, are afraid of, or think we aren’t ready for. When we ignore the call, it doesn’t go away; it gets louder. Eventually, it becomes a 911.

Tune in and see if any of these are resonant for you.

• You feel lost and unsure about the trajectory of your life, and the traditional resources that served you in the past are no longer working.
• Things that used to bring you joy are falling flat.
• You feel a persistent yearning—like something is missing or off.
• You run from opportunity to opportunity, looking for some trace of your old spark.
• You’re being asked to radically change some aspect of your life (or life seems to be forcing such a change on you), and some part of your familiar identity has been shaken or stripped away.
• You are hiding out or playing smaller than you know is possible for you.
• You are grappling with the bigger questions in life, such as, “What is the purpose of life? Who am I, and what am I here to do?

We all undergo challenges in life and not all become a 911. The distinction with a 911 is that there is a magnetic pull deep within ourselves, a luring forward, that accompanies the challenge. There is a bubbling-up of new questions that, try as you might, you can no longer brush over, sweep aside, or avoid. It might speak loudly; it might scream. Or it might whisper subtly, yet with such persistence that you simply cannot ignore it.

Ultimately, it prompts a holy reassembly of who you are, and who you know yourself to be. Life is speaking, and it’s asking you to grow beyond where you’ve been.

During a 911, you may wake up to everything you’ve been keeping yourself too busy to acknowledge, and all the ways you’ve been squeezing yourself into a box you didn’t create or desire. All the parts of you seeking growth and evolution are calling for your attention. You may be directed to take action you don’t understand or have feared. You may be invited to embody greater courage, truth, and alignment—to step into the space of the “and,” where all of you can be present and find room to thrive.

You’ve always been in search of this, whether you are aware of it or not. At the core of you is a deep, primal longing—a longing to meet yourself and live in union with the sacred, which is within, beyond, and all around you.

And yet, we miss or deny that call for months, even years. Why? Because it works for us not to address the struggle. We often prefer the pain of the familiar to the fear of the unknown. As long as life is still working (sort of), we see no reason to blow it all up. Why rock the boat that’s still afloat?

I think we’ve lost sight. We’ve forgotten we are more than human beings that do and acquire and produce. We deeply crave love, beauty, awe, and wonder. We crave freedom and belonging. We crave to potentiate to our fullest nature. Still, we don’t allow ourselves to actually go there.

When was the last time you let a sunset take your breath away, or really listened to the sound of the ocean waves as the salty air caressed your face? When was the last time you felt totally at peace, or connected to something bigger than yourself? When was the last time you felt true freedom? When was the last time you had a sacred experience, or knew that you mattered?

This is what your Soul is calling you home to. You are longing for a path back to your sacred self.

Will you listen? Will you hear those 3:00 a.m. whispers, that quiet voice? Will you make the choice to go where you’re being called?

Along my wild, not-at-all linear journey from psychotherapist to Fortune 50 Executive to Transformational Coach, I nevertheless accessed seven clear spiritual principles which I collectively call The Soul Solution for a 911 from your Soul. These 7 principles (Soul – Mind – Body – Heart – Gratitude – Service – Love) provide a blueprint for daily living as you invite the truth of who you are to come forward and take the helm in your life. They are statements to live by and also deep wells of wisdom that empower you to live in greater harmony with your truest nature and your human experience.

I’ve been a hospice volunteer since graduate school, both formally and informally. Often, as I sit with people whose physical lives are ending, they speak about the years flying by in the blink of an eye. Nearly all of them thought they had more time. More time to enjoy life and do all of things they had put off until a better time. More time to make a different choice. More time to have that difficult conversation. More time to be the person they knew they could become. And then—bam! Life shifted, and suddenly they were living their last days or months in this round of Earth School. They spoke with such clarity and conviction about what really mattered—connection, relationships, love—and what, in retrospect, did not matter at all.

The lesson from these beautiful souls is clear: if you want a life with no regrets, seize the precious, gifted moments now. Peace and joy are enlivened by the deep knowing that you gave it your all and left nothing on the table.

So, if you are feeling the pull …

If you are hearing the whisper …

If you are at a critical point of choice in your life, and you’re being called forward into the unknown … your Soul is speaking and inviting you to embark on a quest. Not the kind that will take you to a far-away landscape where your current life seems only a dream, but one that will take you deeper into yourself.

You are more than you know yourself to be. You are limitless, infinite, and whole.

Now is your time to answer the call. For you, for others and for all of humanity.

About Jeanine Thompson:
Jeanine Thompson is a Transformational Coach, speaker, and author whose breadth of knowledge and experience spans multiple disciplines and professional expressions from clinical psychotherapy to global business to advancing spiritual growth. She shares her journey and how others can reach their full potential in her first book, “911 From Your Soul” (World Changers Media, Sept. 6, 2022).

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

The Hermetic Physician

It’s time for 100% complete honesty. I had no intention of reading “The Hermetic Physician: The Magical Teachings of Giuliano Kremmerz and the Fraternity of Myriam” by Marco Daffi and translated by David Pantano. If you’re a Patron, you would know what books coming out pique my interest, and this wasn’t on the list. However, David Pantano reached out to me about endorsing his book and I was so flattered I couldn’t refuse.

Thank goodness I said yes, because I would have missed out on a pretty inspiring book. Kremmerz was an Italian occultist that studied everything with an eye towards benefitting humanity’s health. Kremmerz felt he had found a way to use hermetic, magical, and Pythagorean principles to heal others, even from a distance. Daffi and Pantano assembled Kremmerz’s writings to provide an unbiased presentation of his beliefs, practices, and the workings of the Therapeutic and Magical Fraternity of Myriam, which he founded. I’ve recently been reading several books about occult societies and let me tell you, this one didn’t last, but reads on paper way better than many that have.

I’m not going to say that “The Hermetic Physician” sold me on the miracles Kremmerz claimed to be able to perform, but what it did do was introduce me to an occultist worth reading and considering.

“The Hermetic Physician: The Magical Teachings of Giuliano Kremmerz and the Fraternity of Myriam” by Marco Daffi and translated by David Pantano is coming out in September, but you can preorder it now.

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