Llewellyn’s 2016 Witches’ Companion. An Almanac for Contemporary Living
Editor: Andrea Neff
Llewellyn, 2015. 287 p. ISBN 978-0-7387-3401-9. € 16,50.
www.llewellyn.com
This is a yearly publication, and if you start at the rear of the book, you’ll even find a calendar, with holidays and new and full moons. So probably ‘almanac’ is the correct word for it. A companion for Witches it certainly is. Wiccans and other Pagans can read two articles a month, and that leaves four articles more to read even before 2016 starts. I selected these articles to read now, to be able to review the book:
– James Kambos: To walk a new path
– Autumn Damiana: The magical and spiritual uses of diet
– Blake Octavian Blair: Easy guide to guided meditations
– Diana Rajchel: The divine masculine for women.
And each article was an inspiring introduction into the field it describes. For instance the piece by Diana Rajchel deals with the subject of the male God, but addressed to women – whereas most books on the male divine are meant for men. This article helps women approach the God on new, healthy, non-patriarchal terms. It does so by shedding new light on some Gods, and giving exercises for women willing to get into more direct touch with Them, and building a balanced relationship with the male divine.
I can hardly wait to read ‘The path of a priestess’ by Stephanie Woodfield and ‘Cerridwen: meeting the Witch Goddess’, by Kristoffer Hughes. Other articles deal with Discordianism; journaling; doing magic with kids; smudge plants; healing a painful past; and why it is unfair to call another Witch a ‘fluffy bunny’. A nice mix of provocative opinions and practical articles on contemporary subjects.
