I am an avid reader and read something like 200 books a year. On this blog, I will talk about books that relate to spiritual, paranormal, and witchcraft. Since we are already into May, I will to a Wrap-Up of April witchy/spiritual reads.
End of Days by Sylvia Browne read April 1 to April 6. After being messaged multiple times about this book "predicting" Covid-19, I decided to read the book the book for myself, to read the "prophecy" in context to the whole book. To be fair, I am not a fan of Sylvia Browne, because of the false information she has given the families of missing persons. The first part of the book goes into the history of end of the world predictions. Having been raised in a Christian faith that placed a lot of emphasis on the end of the world, this portion of the book was comforting to me - especially in light of the many people posting End of the World posts on Facebook (relating to Covid-19, locust plagues, fires, etc). End of the world predictions date back even before Christ. The second half of the book is Sylvia Browne's predictions. She has crazy predictions that make no sense. This book came out in 2008 and she starts predicting that as soon as 2010 we will start having these futuristic cures and crime fighting techniques that sound like something from a Philip K Dick novel. Things that if she said would have happened in 2110 I might have believed her. At this point many of the years she talks about have already passed and the predictions have not come true. Addressing the Covid-19 prediction - the only part of it that is remotely true is that people will be wearing masks. If you look at the epidemiology of the virus, it doesn't fit the rest of the prediction. I rated the book 2 stars, solely for the first part of the book being informative.
101 Ways to Find a Ghost by Melissa Martin Ellis read January 12 to April 12. I got this book at a sale when our local bookshop was closing. I am interested in paranormal investigation and have had many experiences with ghosts (something for another blog post, another time). I was part of a local team where I live for a brief time before it fizzled out. I may join (or maybe start) another team someday. I think this book is a great resource to have if you are interested in paranormal investigation. The author shares a lot of really good details about starting your own team, and all that this entails. It includes how to find members for your team, forms to create, ways to advertise, ways to find places to investigate, and investigation techniques. It would be an excellent resource for anyone looking to start their own team. I rated it 5 stars.
Welcoming the Unwelcome by Pema Chodron read April 4 to April 8. This is my first book read by Pema Chodron. She is Buddhist, and what she shared in the book was based on Buddhist philosophy. I studied Buddhism in my early twenties and found a lot to it that is beautiful. This book, which came out in 2019, is very relevant to the times we are in now. I think it could be a good read for those that are struggling with these times of political unrest and an international pandemic. Pema talks to us about recognizing the good in others and ourselves, about karma, and about using these difficult times as opportunities for growth. She talks about seeing lots of things as little deaths, as a way to make us more comfortable with actual death. That is a subject I would like to read more about. I rated this book 4 stars.
Journey of Souls by Michael Newton, PhD read April 13 to April 27. This book was the book chosen for the Mystical Book Club I am part of. I don't want to be too critical because spiritual beliefs are subjective. I didn't like the authors tone. And though I believe in reincarnation, a lot of the things he talked about don't resonate with me at all. I thought that he was sometimes too pushy with his subjects, and he didn't really talk a lot about how these sessions could be used to help the person in their current lives....and sometimes he pushed them to find out information that was more for his benefit (his research) than actually helping the person. I thought he contradicted himself a lot as well. There was just a lot that didn't resonate with me and my beliefs and studies. Someone else may get a lot out of it. It's also a rather short book and it was not an easy read. It felt like I was slogging through it. Like I felt I had been reading forever and was only 20% through. I rated it 1.5 stars.
Weave the Liminal by Laura Tempest Zakroff read April 1 to April 13. I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review on Netgalley. I also purchased a hard copy of the book in July 2019 when I previously read it for a witchy book club. The book club didn't survive but the things I learned in this book did. I love that this book exists. For so many people new to witchcraft, they may think Wicca is the only thing out there. I've studies Wicca - but I am not Wiccan. There are things I like about Wicca and other things that don't resonate. Weave the Liminal is about the witchcraft that the author practices - Living Modern Traditional Witchcraft. I dig it - because she tells you there is no one way to practice. You can believe in deities or not. You can be in a coven or not. You can celebrate all the Sabbats or not. She addresses all areas of witchcraft and tells you different ways of being. She talks about being an ethical witch and witch etiquette. She talks about our responsibilities and freedoms, and she does so in a way that you feel like you are talking to a friend. I recommend this book to everyone that is interested in witchcraft - it's easy to read, friendly, and not bogged down with rules. It emphasizes authenticity and responsibility. I gave it 5 stars, and plan to reference it for years to come. 