#riverbooks

[river-witchery]

Tumblr help me choose which witchcraft book to start reading.

I have several witchcraft books that were given to me, and I would like to start fact checking and annotating them. I have no guarantee that they are any good (actually, I know some of them are very bad), but I want to do this with all of them. Help me choose which to start with!

Here is my selection:

Nature's Healing Arts: From Folk Medicine to Modern Drugs - National Geographic (not a witchcraft book, but I'm including it)

Glynis Has Your Number - Glynis McCants (numerology I think)

Wicca: A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner - Scott Cunningham

Nocturnal Witchcraft: Magick After Dark - Konstantinos

rituals of the dark moon: 13 lunar rites for a magical path - gail wood

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs: Expanded and Revised Edition - Scott Cunningham

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic - Scott Cunningham

The Family Wicca Book: The Craft for Parents & Children - Ashleen O'Gaea

Crystal Power, Crystal Healing: The Complete Handbook - Michael Gienger

Solitary Witch - Silver Ravenwolf (yeah, I know)

These next few aren't really witchcraft related exactly, but I'm lumping them together:

Hypnosis for Beginners - William W. Hewitt

Psychic Development for Beginners - William W. Hewitt

Mysteries of the Unknown: Pyschic Powers (Idk the author on this one)

I also have several ? newspapers ? And I want to do the same with them. They are PagaNet News.

Like I said, I don't know the quality of many of these. In fact, I know some of them are bad. But I want to do some legit reviews, fact checking, and annotating on all of them. I want to personally know why some of them are so bad, and which ones might be a little good.

So let me know which one(s) you're interested in seeing me dive into first!

[c2-cinemaconnection]

CREATIVE WORKS▶︎『キツツキと雨』Cinema Navi　FREEPAPER planning and production riverbook これまでに制作した思い出の作品を勝手に発表！ 今回は、2012年2月11日公開の映画『キツツキと雨』の公開を記念して制作した全国版フリーペーパーを紹介。映画『キツツキと雨』は、長野県南木曽や岐阜県中津川周辺の東濃地方と呼ばれるエリアがロケ地となった映画。60歳の無骨な木こりと、気の弱いゾンビ映画の新人監督という、出会うはずのないふたりが巻き起こす、ほんのりとした奇跡が描かれた映画好きにはたまらない作品。『南極料理人』の沖田修一監督がメがホンをとり、役所広司と小栗旬が初共演を果たした映画でもある。この映画のプロモーション・ツールとしてロケ地マップ付きのフリーペーパーの依頼を受け制作し、全国の公開劇場、岐阜の観光ポイントで配布しました。情報収集は岐阜県のフィルムコミッション、岐阜県の観光課、沖田修一監督、助監督から、ロケ地、撮影情報をかき集め、岐阜の特産物も紹介しながら、映画を見る前、見た後に楽しめるフリーペーパーに仕上げました。また、キャンペーンや舞台挨拶も手厚くフォローしました。 https://ameblo.jp/mottomovie/entry-12609077785.html #movieattheater #HelpThe映画配給会社 #WeNeedCulture #名古屋のライブハウス支援 #キツツキと雨 #小栗旬 #役所広司 https://www.instagram.com/p/CCQqDgLjnrs/?igshid=13hooaj23tjt4

[river-witchery]

Choices have been made.

Gonna start tagging these as "riverbooks" if you want to follow along or blacklist.

[river-witchery]

Riverbooks Reviews: “Rituals of the Dark Moon: 13 Lunar Rites for a Magical Path” by Gail Wood

Introduction (page ix-xiii)

Let's start with a positive or two. Gail Wood is a decent writer. She is easy to read and doesn't often meander into complicated lines of thought. I have found myself enjoying the process of reading this book regardless of Wood's sometimes questionable practices and suggestions.

Wood makes it abundantly clear that she is a Wiccan, and one can assume that the book is coming from a Wiccan perspective. She also describes what she believes Wiccans to be and believe ("...the native European earth religion which includes healing, study, magic, craft, and transformation... [pg. ix, paragraph 1]" & "Wiccans believe in the energy of the moon as she courses through the sky on her visible personal journey [pg. ix, paragraph 2]."). While I am not sure that every Wiccan would agree with these assertions, it is helpful in understanding her perspective.

The Introduction (13 paragraphs) serves to introduce Wood as a position of authority on Wicca and to explain why the reader should be interested in working with the Dark (capitalization hers). She also clarifies that this is a book about ritual. There will be 13 rituals in this book to coincide with the 13 cycles of the moon in a year, each lining up with a Zodiac sign (plus 1).

Wood comes from a Christian background, similar to many people picking up this book. She positions herself as a safe and understanding authority who has known struggle and constrictive beliefs. I can't help but feel like she is trying to attract people who want to dabble in the "darker" parts of magic while still playing it safe. Wood repeatedly mentions that she is revealing secrets and mysteries, hinting towards the idea that she has knowledge that the average Wiccan would not. Even the idea of a "Dark Moon" somehow separate from the "New Moon" is an edgy, mystical sounding idea, that surely lures in many dabbling and beginner witches.

According to Wood, she has always been interested in the Dark, the macabre, horror, and Halloween. One thing she makes clear to the reader however is that the Dark is not a scary thing. It is healing and comforting, and she intends on leading the reader through it and helping them "see." She uses an analogy here, comparing walking her dogs in the dark and letting her senses adjust to the dark night to what she is going to teach in this book. It certainly seems reckless to walk dogs on a dark road without a flashlight at least, yet apparently "In the dark, it seems, it is best to go forward in the dark [pg. xiii, paragraph 12]." I don't think I have to say this, but don't be like Gail Wood folks, please practice basic road safety.

Wood never misses a chance to bring up Shamanism, comparing the exploration of the Dark to shamanic journeying into the underworld. I don't have much to say about that except that Wood's particular background makes me nervous that she is directly appropriating Indigenous Native American practices.

Overall, the Introduction is clearly made to hook readers, but it doesn't have much substance to it. Wood doesn't quite explain what the Dark Moon is, but she tries to make it clear why the reader should be interested and what it can do for them to go forward in the Dark. So far, I think that I can agree with her that there is merit in understanding the unknown and becoming comfortable with it, but that is where our beliefs diverge. Wood hasn't given me any new or interesting ideas to chew on yet, but I certainly hope she does as the book goes on.

Author Study

Introduction (You Are Here)

[river-witchery]

Got my coffee, my book, some fantastic weather. Can't beat this.

[river-witchery]

Riverbooks Reviews: "Rituals of the Dark Moon: 13 Lunar Rites for a Magical Path" by Gail Wood

Author Study

Gail Wood is a Wiccan, author, and librarian in her late 60s. She has written several books, is a High Priestess of the Coven of the Heron, and lives in Maryland. She began practicing Wicca as a solitary practitioner in the 80s after being a part of a Christian Fundamentalist Cult and growing up in the Protestant faith.

Wood claims to be a "Reiki master," a bit of New Age crap that I am accustomed to seeing from authors like this. She and her Coven of the Heron used to reside in New York. While there, she offered Wicca, Tarot, Reiki, and "ritual" classes. She also offered counseling services, despite not being a licensed counselor in any form.

Wood has a B.A. in Library Science Education, a Master's in Library Science, and an M.A. in English from the University of Maryland. One would hope that her area of study would contribute positively to her study in Wicca and witchcraft, but as I dove further into the history of her and her coven, it became clear that this was probably not the case.

In fact, I began feeling like I was looking at someone familiar. Silver RavenWolf. I didn't know at the time how right I was.

It all starts with the Coven of the Heron, of which Wood is the High Priestess. Wood also began this coven, but the Coven of the Heron isn't a lone island all by itself, one coven created by a previously solitary Wiccan and her witchy friends. No. This coven has a family tree, and an interesting one at that.

In 2005, Wood was granted a charter to create the Coven of the Heron. By whom? Maggie Shayne, one of the founders of the RavenMyst Circle. In fact, the Coven of the Heron is a part of the RavenMyst Circle, which has several chartered (or daughter) covens now.

The RavenMyst Circle began in 2001, after its founders⁠—several members of the Black Forest Clan⁠—left. Shayne was one of these previous members, one of the founders of the RavenMyst Circle, and a High Priestess of its daughter coven, the Coven of the Redtail Hawk. Wood joined the Coven of the Redtail Hawk in 2003 before being given a charter to begin her own coven in 2005.

The previously mentioned Black Forest Clan is a circle of Wiccan covens that is currently led by Silver RavenWolf, created by RavenWolf and late Lord Serphant. There are many covens chartered under the Black Forest Clan which share the same rules, structure, and general curriculum. They are all initiation based with 3 Degrees of initiation.

It appears that the RavenMyst Circle isn't a chartered group from the Black Forest Clan, but a splinter from it. It seems to share much of the same structure and⁠—one can presume⁠—curriculum, as the covens in the Black Forest Clan. I can't help but wonder if the founders of the RavenMyst Circle have broken their oath of silence to the Black Forest Clan, but there is no evidence I can find of ill will between the two groups.

All of the founders of the RavenMyst Circle claim at least one of their "degrees of initiation/elevation" directly from RavenWolf while in the Black Forest Clan. At Maggie Shayne's Third Degree Elevation in 2001, Silver RavenWolf was one of the active participants. That was the same year that the RavenMyst Circle began and all of the founders left the Black Forest Clan.

Bringing this back around to Gail Wood, it is clear to see that Wood's practice is heavily influenced by the type of Wicca that Silver RavenWolf and the Black Forest Clan practice. Moving forward in reading her book, I know generally what to expect within the realms of cultural appropriation, misinformation, and overgeneralizing statements about witchcraft. I can hope that there has been some growth since the split from Black Forest Clan, but I reckon many of the issues with Silver RavenWolf's work, will persist within Wood's.

Author Study (You Are Here)

Introduction

[river-witchery]

I have so many tabs about Gail Wood and associated people open right now. This is bonkers.

[river-witchery]

Okay. I think I'm done with researching the author for now. So I'm gonna do a write up on that. Y'all ready?

[river-witchery]

I've been wanting to do more of that book review. But it is so bad. I can't write about it without wanting to chuck the book in a lake.

[river-witchery]

Sheesh. Wood has big "Not Like Other Wiccans" vibes through this whole thing.

[river-witchery]

Could anyone point me to some information about shamanism? Gail Wood brings up shamanism a lot in this book, and it definitely raises red flags for me as far as cultural appropriation towards indigenous american practices. Especially given her background, I'm pretty sure those red flags are warranted, but I don't know enough about the overlap between the concept of shamanism and appropriative practices, whether there's a way to practice shamanism without being appropriative, and what other red flags I should look out for.

[c2-cinemaconnection]

CREATIVE WORKS▶︎月刊スパイマスター1993年12月号　加藤紀子　表紙＋インタビュー 【planning and production riverbook】 これまでに制作した思い出の作品を勝手に発表！ 今回は、月刊スパイマスター1993年12月号の「加藤紀子　表紙＋インタビュー」を紹介。月刊スパイマスターのスーパーバイザー時代は、自分なりのグラビアページを模索しつつ、カメラマンとスタイリスト、ヘアメイクの力を総動員して、コーディネイトという役割を担ってました。個人的にクラシカルな雰囲気で気に入っているのが、三重県出身の加藤紀子さんの回のグラビアページ。この頃、なんでこんなにモノクロにこだわっていたのか定かではないですが、またまた自画自賛になりますがエーガね！ In memory of KUNIHIRO TOGAWA(Photographer) https://ameblo.jp/mottomovie/entry-12608017079.html #movieattheater #HelpThe映画配給会社 #WeNeedCulture #名古屋のライブハウス支援 #加藤紀子 https://www.instagram.com/p/CCHj2Y8DDVX/?igshid=cdnsn364cx8n

[c2-cinemaconnection]

CREATIVE WORKS▶︎『ブレイド2』ダイジェスト　FREEPAPER planning and production riverbook これまでに制作した思い出の作品を勝手に発表！ 今回は、2002年6月15日公開の映画『ブレイド2』の公開を記念して制作した全国版フリーペーパーを紹介。『ブレイド2』は、人間とヴァンパイア、二つの血を受け継いでヴァンパイアと闘うマーヴェル・コミックの人気ヒーローの映画化第2弾。ブレイドのスペックから関連情報、第二弾の見どころを紹介！得意のアメコミ風フリーペーパーに仕上げました。 https://ameblo.jp/mottomovie/entry-12607556757.html #movieattheater #HelpThe映画配給会社 #WeNeedCulture #名古屋のライブハウス支援 #ブレイド2 #ウェズリースナイプス https://www.instagram.com/p/CB_vvxSjA4S/?igshid=p8qcndvrpxhv