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alexiasophii's reviews
421 reviews
Downtime by Zack Whedon
4.0
I love slice of life and this comic book is just that! A couple pages of life at Serenity and can I tell you how much I love River? haha :)
It's Never Easy by Zack Whedon, Joss Whedon, Fábio Moon
4.0
Mal oh Mal... He never changes, does he? And he can thank River for being alive also! :) I love these details of life at Serenity, I'm really enjoying these!
Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale by Zack Whedon, Joss Whedon, Chris Samnee
4.0
I was NOT expecting this to be the background story for Shepherd. I'm stunned and all that I knew and thought of the character has changed. This is a must read for Firefly/Serenity fans, no doubt!!
Serenity: Float Out by Patton Oswalt
4.0
I'm not a big comic fan but I actually liked this! I decided to read some Serenity comic because I love Firefly/Serenity and I wanted to give it a try. This one is a bit emotional and interested, we see more about Wash's past and and memories from his past friends. Very interested and small reading.
Doreen Valiente Witch by Philip Heselton
5.0
Doreen Valiente has been a role model for me since I was 11/12 years old and had first learned about Witchcraft. She is, to this day, an inspiration. Reading her biography, learning more about her from personal possessions and correspondences is just... surreal. This book is amazing and it became one my favorites. It has lots of unpublished material and information, letters, reviews, personal notes and opinions and even testimonials from people who were close to her.
I loved this book so much, it's hard to put into words. I recommend it to anyone who loves Wicca, the History of Wicca and, above all, loves Doreen.
I loved this book so much, it's hard to put into words. I recommend it to anyone who loves Wicca, the History of Wicca and, above all, loves Doreen.
Practical Pagan: Commonsense Guidelines for Modern Practitioners by Dana D. Eilers
3.0
Just finished this book. It's not a bad book per se but it's not also part of my favourite or best books I've read on Paganism. The thing that ticked me off the most (and made it lose one star) was the amount of times the author repeated "The practical pagan". If I had 0,5€ for each time I read those words I would be a very happy woman. The book overall seems more focused on teaching the person how to be a decent human being (take showers, be friendly, clean your house, pay your bills, etc) then how to be a good Pagan. It's more of a guide on how to be a good person who just so happens to be a Pagan. Not a bad book but not my recommended list when it comes to Paganism and Wicca.
O Anuário da Grande Mãe : Guia Prático de Rituais Para Celebrar a Deusa by Mirella Faur
4.0
Achei este livro bastante interessante e uma boa fonte de recurso e sem dúvida que irei usar bastante e no futuro. Não gostei muito da presença de Anjos, pois considero os mesmos como sendo parte da tradição judaico-cristã e não acredito na sua existência, mas isto trata-se de uma questão pessoal, porém, fica o aviso da presença dos mesmos no livro. Achei também que poderia ter sido explorado a ideia das Deusas fora do molde Wiccano e que o livro tem uma grande influência Wiccana, o que, não é negativo, apenas acho pessoalmente que existe margem para exploração fora da Wicca.
No geral, o livro é muito bom e recomendo sem duvida para todos interessados no culto a Deusa e em assumir práticas diárias de devoção a divindades femininas.
No geral, o livro é muito bom e recomendo sem duvida para todos interessados no culto a Deusa e em assumir práticas diárias de devoção a divindades femininas.
High Priestess: The Life & Times of Patricia Crowther by Patricia Crowther
4.0
I just finished reading this book and I found it to be fascinating. It was the first auto-biography of a Pagan that I read and I think it was a fantastic choice to begin with. I wasn't familiar with Patricia Crowther's work but I had read her name several times in passing in several books about Paganism and in the biographies of Doreen Valiente. I was curious to learn more, especially from her point of view. I was not disappointed. The book takes us back to a simpler time within the Pagan communities and makes us feel like we where there and lived and learned with them. Lots of events of Patricia's life are told in an very amusing and interesting way, captivating the reader and making us feel present. It made it seemed like back then things were indeed simples, without the "internet drama". It reminds me of a passage I read in one of Doreen's biographies in which she refers that the drama back then was much simpler since it needed to be carried out either in presence or letter which ended up being either a small one-time event or wouldn't be too prolonged since the time taken to write the letter, send it and await a reply would have eventually calmed the nerves of the people involved. This makes me think that back then things WERE simpler and, perhaps, better? Just my personal ramblings here, but I enjoyed diving into this book.
I really enjoyed seeing Gerald Gardner from her POV, since the main POV I have of Gerald was from Doreen. It was interesting seeing him from another perspective. I also loved reading about her adventures with Arnold and, after that, with Ian. It is inspiring to see her development and her life. Also several things of which she talked about were very interesting and, as Pagan, lots of them I would be interested in learning more and exploring.
This is a book I definitely recommend to all of those interested in learning more about the story of Wicca and Patricia's life and work.
I really enjoyed seeing Gerald Gardner from her POV, since the main POV I have of Gerald was from Doreen. It was interesting seeing him from another perspective. I also loved reading about her adventures with Arnold and, after that, with Ian. It is inspiring to see her development and her life. Also several things of which she talked about were very interesting and, as Pagan, lots of them I would be interested in learning more and exploring.
This is a book I definitely recommend to all of those interested in learning more about the story of Wicca and Patricia's life and work.
You Are Magical by Tess Whitehurst
3.0
[I was given a copy from NetGalley for an honest review]
So I finally finished this book and took several notes so I could review it properly. A review in Portuguese will also be available on my Blog Sob o Luar next week.
"What's more, you feel a pulsating power and presence emanating from the natural world. It speaks to you - not necessarily through words, but through the beauty of a butterfly, the fragrance of fresh rain on dry ground, the sound of winds in the trees, the vast expanse of glittering stars or the moment when the sun shines through rain to broadcast a rainbow"
The book is a very light and easy read, the writing is very clear and concise. The author speaks of several topics throughout the book and focus mostly on "Magic". Magic as the Law of Attraction and the power to change things in your life. I love how the author shows her feelings and mentions how it is to feel magic, to recognise magic and also, how she shows, that magic is everywhere not just in "magical acts". Magic is all around us and the author shows that clearly.
She speaks of several cultures which is not bad (much for the contrary!) but I wish she would have made a bigger division. I, for one, I'm not fan of mixing cultures. I don't feel comfortable invoking Greek Gods in the same ritual as Native American, for example. So, in my personal opinion and for my personal path, this was a no-no for me.
The book has several tips for everyday magic, natural magic and how to connect to Nature and to the energies around you, to chakras, astrology, tables of correspondence and the second part is a compilation of several spells for several different purposes. It is also a bit of Wiccan-oriented and the point of view of the Gods and Goddesses is very Wiccan. There is also the presence ot Angels entities which, for me, is not compatible with Paganism. But this is a personal view and it depends on each practitioner.
At a certain point the author mentions Heritage and how to try and contact our Ancestors and she says "What do you know about where you ancestors came from, and what ancient spiritualties they may have practiced? If you're not sure, give it your best guess". For me this is just... unreal. Why would you guess it? Magic is not to be guessed, there needs to be a method and you need to KNOW why you're doing it the way you're doing it. Go with the flow? Yes. Guess stuff? No. I don't agree at all with this method.
I do like, though, how the author explains magic and how magic manifests and what you can do to manifest stuff in your life. She talks about outfits and dresses and how the dress doesn't make you feel good for itself but it does help, just like instruments, incense, location, etc. help at the magical work. This is an important key for those beginning the magical path! She also speaks that "Everything is Magic" and that is so true because magic is the control of energy and everything is energy. So everything is magic. This is a beautiful sentence that I really liked!
Another interesting topic that the author mentioned were "Ego Desires" and "Authenthic Desires". When you want something for egotistical reasons and when you genuinely want something. This is the difference between wanting *this* job and *wanting a good and adequate for myself* job. What flows and what doesn't.
The book overall is good and I enjoyed reading it. There were only two things that really stood out in negative perspective:
First the author talks about self-initiation spell. This is an automatic no-no for me. The book does not provide enough information and resources for someone to be qualified for an initiation (also initiation into what? Magic does not require initiation and only structured and initiatory paths require it and, usually, an initiation is provided in a group or coven, such as Wicca). The term self-initiation is terrible in this situation, it would be much more proper to call it a "dedication spell" or something similar. As in the practitioner dedicates themselves to study magic and so-on.
The second, for me, is the worst part of the entire book. It might seen like a simple thing but I don't consider it to be. The author talks about past life regression and how to do it. THIS IS DANGEROUS! Past life regression should be done with a professional (whether licensed or experienced). When you regress to a past life you have no idea what you're going to find out. Imagine that you were burned at the stake or were a slave or murdered and you end up regressing to that moment. Can you imagine the shock? The horror? The panic? And the probable PSTD and other emotional damage it could cause? It's not a thing to be taken lightly and IT IS dangerous. Please be careful with this, don't rush into things. Everything will come to you when it needs to come, knowledge flows, don't try to force it.
Overall, besides these two aspects, the book is not bad and the writing and way the author speaks to the reader is pretty good. I'm giving it 3 stars since the book is not bad but these two last points, especially the last one, really had an impact on my view of the book.
So I finally finished this book and took several notes so I could review it properly. A review in Portuguese will also be available on my Blog Sob o Luar next week.
"What's more, you feel a pulsating power and presence emanating from the natural world. It speaks to you - not necessarily through words, but through the beauty of a butterfly, the fragrance of fresh rain on dry ground, the sound of winds in the trees, the vast expanse of glittering stars or the moment when the sun shines through rain to broadcast a rainbow"
The book is a very light and easy read, the writing is very clear and concise. The author speaks of several topics throughout the book and focus mostly on "Magic". Magic as the Law of Attraction and the power to change things in your life. I love how the author shows her feelings and mentions how it is to feel magic, to recognise magic and also, how she shows, that magic is everywhere not just in "magical acts". Magic is all around us and the author shows that clearly.
She speaks of several cultures which is not bad (much for the contrary!) but I wish she would have made a bigger division. I, for one, I'm not fan of mixing cultures. I don't feel comfortable invoking Greek Gods in the same ritual as Native American, for example. So, in my personal opinion and for my personal path, this was a no-no for me.
The book has several tips for everyday magic, natural magic and how to connect to Nature and to the energies around you, to chakras, astrology, tables of correspondence and the second part is a compilation of several spells for several different purposes. It is also a bit of Wiccan-oriented and the point of view of the Gods and Goddesses is very Wiccan. There is also the presence ot Angels entities which, for me, is not compatible with Paganism. But this is a personal view and it depends on each practitioner.
At a certain point the author mentions Heritage and how to try and contact our Ancestors and she says "What do you know about where you ancestors came from, and what ancient spiritualties they may have practiced? If you're not sure, give it your best guess". For me this is just... unreal. Why would you guess it? Magic is not to be guessed, there needs to be a method and you need to KNOW why you're doing it the way you're doing it. Go with the flow? Yes. Guess stuff? No. I don't agree at all with this method.
I do like, though, how the author explains magic and how magic manifests and what you can do to manifest stuff in your life. She talks about outfits and dresses and how the dress doesn't make you feel good for itself but it does help, just like instruments, incense, location, etc. help at the magical work. This is an important key for those beginning the magical path! She also speaks that "Everything is Magic" and that is so true because magic is the control of energy and everything is energy. So everything is magic. This is a beautiful sentence that I really liked!
Another interesting topic that the author mentioned were "Ego Desires" and "Authenthic Desires". When you want something for egotistical reasons and when you genuinely want something. This is the difference between wanting *this* job and *wanting a good and adequate for myself* job. What flows and what doesn't.
The book overall is good and I enjoyed reading it. There were only two things that really stood out in negative perspective:
First the author talks about self-initiation spell. This is an automatic no-no for me. The book does not provide enough information and resources for someone to be qualified for an initiation (also initiation into what? Magic does not require initiation and only structured and initiatory paths require it and, usually, an initiation is provided in a group or coven, such as Wicca). The term self-initiation is terrible in this situation, it would be much more proper to call it a "dedication spell" or something similar. As in the practitioner dedicates themselves to study magic and so-on.
The second, for me, is the worst part of the entire book. It might seen like a simple thing but I don't consider it to be. The author talks about past life regression and how to do it. THIS IS DANGEROUS! Past life regression should be done with a professional (whether licensed or experienced). When you regress to a past life you have no idea what you're going to find out. Imagine that you were burned at the stake or were a slave or murdered and you end up regressing to that moment. Can you imagine the shock? The horror? The panic? And the probable PSTD and other emotional damage it could cause? It's not a thing to be taken lightly and IT IS dangerous. Please be careful with this, don't rush into things. Everything will come to you when it needs to come, knowledge flows, don't try to force it.
Overall, besides these two aspects, the book is not bad and the writing and way the author speaks to the reader is pretty good. I'm giving it 3 stars since the book is not bad but these two last points, especially the last one, really had an impact on my view of the book.
Make Yourself Cozy: A Guide for Practicing Self-Care by Katie Vaz
4.75
[I was given an ARC for an honest review]
This book is so cute and amazing and cozy! I loved it and I really want to buy the paperback edition as soon as it comes out because it is so cute! It's filled with lovely images and such cute tips. I really enjoy reading (and dedicating my time) to self-care and self-love and this book is the perfect guide! Especially since it focus A LOT on the Autumn season which happens to be my favourite. I loved this book so much and I totally recommend to everyone that enjoys books with cute and happy drawings, good self-love tips and lots of cozy and hygge-inspired tips! :)
This book is so cute and amazing and cozy! I loved it and I really want to buy the paperback edition as soon as it comes out because it is so cute! It's filled with lovely images and such cute tips. I really enjoy reading (and dedicating my time) to self-care and self-love and this book is the perfect guide! Especially since it focus A LOT on the Autumn season which happens to be my favourite. I loved this book so much and I totally recommend to everyone that enjoys books with cute and happy drawings, good self-love tips and lots of cozy and hygge-inspired tips! :)