Douglas E. Helvie, or “Gaelan Firestorm,” is a Third Degree Lord High Priest of Wicca. Founder of the Eternal Harvest Tradition of Wicca, he has studied multiple pagan traditions for 15 years and is also a professional psychic and an initiated Runic Grandmaster.
Anna M. Meadows is a First Degree Priestess of the Eternal Harvest Tradition of Wicca and has studied metaphysics for nine years. A votary of Isis, she holds a B.A. from Duke University and practices astrology and crystal healing.
Douglas Helvie and Anna Meadows are Priest and Priestess of the New Bern-based Eternal Harvest Church of Wicca, an independent church serving the spiritual needs of area Pagans and Wiccans. They can be reached at 252-637-2527 or i_amm@yahoo.com
The
Dark Archetype: Exploring the Shadow Side of the Divine
by Denise Dumars and Lori
Nyx
New Page Books, 2003, 221 pp.
This
interesting book introduces the reader to working with
Divine Archetypes that have traditionally been seen
as uncomfortable or even, to some very orthodox people,
as “evil.” However, many times these Divine
Archetypes help us to come to terms with the “Shadow”
within ourselves (as Jung named it), which is vital
to a balanced, mature spiritual development. Nyx and
Dumars provide a mythological overview of 18 “dark”
Deities such as Set, Loki, Lilith, and Hecate. The nine
rituals are geared toward working with those Deities
to bring about needed transformation. Don’t worry
– there is no so-called “black magic”
here! Most of these rituals are for working on ourselves.
For example, one ritual “sacrifices” a broken
heart to Kali. Another teaches the art of divining the
truth with Tezcatlipoca. A ritual to honor, and then
purge, anger invokes Volos, a Slavic wolf deity. The
authors’ writing style is sophisticated and matter-of-fact,
with some sly humor to keep the reader comfortable.
I recommend this book for all those who are engaging
their Shadow selves instead of denying or suppressing
them.
Before
You Cast A Spell: Understanding the Power of Magic
by Carl McColman
New Page Books, 2003, 190 pp.
Carl McColman seems
to specialize in books that pack lots of good ideas
and information into a small, user-friendly format.
This, in itself, is fairly magical. His latest offer
is one of the few geared to a Wiccan audience to give
a sound overview of the spiritual principles and ethics
surrounding the right use of power and the art of manifesting
what you want and need in life in a positive way. New
Age readers are more familiar with these concepts because
New Age writings focus more on changes in self and attitude
to create prosperous, happy lives, whereas much popular
Wiccan writing focuses on external spellwork to accomplish
the same without delving much into the metaphysics behind
manifestation. Carl’s book supplies that metaphysical
and ethical framework. I recommend this book for everyone
interested in Wicca, especially if they are very interested
in spellwork. If you know of a teenager who is interested
in Wicca, this would make a great graduation gift. It
would also be an interesting read for non-Wiccans who
want to compare New Age techniques of manifestation
with Wiccan techniques.
Why isn’t numerology
as common or popular as astrology or the Tarot? You
don’t need to master the intricate details of
a birth chart or dozens of cards. All you need is a
good book and a little arithmetic. If you are “number-challenged”
but interested in this ancient art, buy yourself a cheap
calculator—and this book. This book does for numerology
what recent popular astrology books have done –
turned the art into a powerful tool of self-analysis
and growth. By working through this book, you will gain
insight into your birth plan—what you came here
to do--, your karmic lessons, your gifts and opportunities,
your challenges, and so much more. It does seem true
that everything in Creation has a relationship that
can be expressed in numbers, and this fascinating book
helps you explore all those relationships. I recommend
this book for everyone engaged in meditation on the
Self and other pursuits of self-knowledge.
The
Pocket Spell Creator: Magickal References at Your Fingertips
by Kerri Connor
New Page Books, 2003, 160 pp.
This small book is exactly
what it says: a little book that you can slip into a
purse, pocket, or book bag. It is the author’s
personal magickal reference book put into this handy
format. It contains lists of the four elements and what
is associated with them; Moon correspondences; days
of the week; colors; stones, herbs, oils; and much more.
Why would this be useful to have at your fingertips?
Because this is something you can actually take into
an herb store, or a crystal shop, with you. No more
making lists ahead of time of all the magickal supplies
you need, only to get home later and realize you forgot
to list something. This is highly recommended for anyone
who does spellwork frequently or who is studying folk
magick and spellwork.
