Pagan Boooks

Experience the Mystery and Magic of Contemporary DruidryThe Book of Hedge Druidry is for those who feel called to explore a powerful earth-based spirituality rooted in Celtic lore. With hands-on practices as well as fascinating perspectives on what it means to be a Druid, this book walks you through the magic of the liminal realm and helps you fill your own cauldron of inspiration.Longtime Druid Joanna van der Hoeven guides you in creating an altar and crafting rituals based on the Wheel of the Year and important life passages. You will discover enchanting moon rites and ideas for daily practice as well as insights for working with herbs, spells, and the ogham alphabet. When you step onto the Hedge Druid's path, you learn to work with the in-betweeen places, straddling the boundary between this world and the next and developing profound relationships with ancestors, goddesses, gods, spirits of place, and the Fair Folk.Druidry is a powerful tradition that evokes the mystical spirit of times past. This comprehensive guide to solitary Druidry will connect you to a higher wisdom for the benefit of all.

In the pre-Christian societies of Northern Europe, magic was embedded in the practical skills of everyday life. Everything in Nature was ensouled with an inner spirit, as was anything made by hand. People believed in magic because it worked and because it was part of the functionality of their day-to-day lives. Many of these practical observances and customs continue to the present day as rural traditions, folk customs, household magic, and celebrations of the high and holy days of the calendar. Exploring the magical pagan traditions of the people now called Celtic, Germanic, Scandinavian, Slavonic, and Baltic, Nigel Pennick examines the underlying principle of the Northern Tradition--the concept of Wyrd--and how it empowers the arts of operative magic, such as direct natural magic and talismanic or sigil magic. Through direct natural magic, individuals can shape shift, journey out of the body, or send one of their three souls (fylgia or “fetch”) ahead of them. Sigil magic involves the powers contained in objects, which can be channeled after the appropriate ritual. Runes are the most powerful sigils in the Northern Tradition and were used to ward off illness, danger, hostile magic, and malevolent spirits. Emphasizing the importance of the cycles of Nature to the tradition, Pennick explores the eightfold sun dials and the four ways the solar year is defined. He looks at the days of the week and their symbolic association with different deities as well as why particular acts are performed on certain days and what the customary lucky and unlucky days are. He also examines sacred spaces, household magic, protection spells, and the role of music in the Northern Tradition. Explaining all the traditional holidays and activities necessary to honor them, Pennick show