R – The Kitchen Witch Companion

Title: The Kitchen Witch Companion
Author: Patricia Telesco
Publisher: Citadel Press
Copyright/Release: © Patricia Telesco; 2005
ISBN: 0-8065-2670-X
Pages: 296 pp. including front and back matter

Patricia Telesco has long been a favorite of mine, and I was delighted with the release of The Kitchen Witch Companion. Her style of writing draws the reader into the book, and yes, into the material itself in a way that really no other author can do. Often I feel as though I’m sitting in her kitchen, listening to her talk.

The Kitchen Witch Companion covers everything from kitchen folklore (dealing with fire, water, food and the like) to witchy recipes for everyday cooking – all the way up to cooking for a coven. The recipes looked mouthwatering and after trying a few, I found they ARE mouthwatering. It’s obvious that Ms. Telesco has shared with us her tried and tested secrets. And I for one am ever so grateful.

Being a carnivore at heart and soul, I was delighted that she chose to include dishes with all sorts of meat. There is no meat lacking here…I found a recipe for preparing goose of all things. Golden Goose, none the less. What I found most intriguing and most delectable was the rather all-inclusive section on barbequing. A hot grill is, as far as I’m concerned, a pagans best friend. Whether it’s protein or vegetable, a grill is just a handy thing to have.

Quote: Page 80 – “Bountiful Baby Back Ribs”
“I owe a debt of gratitude to the person who first decided to roast these delectable items over a fresh fire. They’re among our favorites for inspiring both providence and bounty, being that the swine are associated with the fertile nature of the Great Mother, and Earth itself, in Celtic, Oceanic, Tibetan Buddhist, Hinduism, and Sumero-Semetic settings. This this foundation we add a sweet-savory rub so that life itself is sweet and zesty!

‘Meat when rubbed with herbs and zest
Brings to us, providence!
When heated ‘pon my sacred grill
Life becomes bountiful!’”

The recipe goes on to describe preparation of meat and grill. I’m sure everyone has some idea how to proceed from here, but if not, this recipe alone and it’s counterpart for the ribs themselves definitely makes purchasing this book a steal. Your family will thank you!

5 Broomsticks
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Jodi Lee, aka ierne, is a 20+ year veteran of pagan paths. A single work at home mom, she is currently hard at work on her first novel.

http://www.jodilee.ca

R – Egyptian Paganism for Beginners

Title: Egyptian Paganism for Beginners
Author: Jocelyn Almond and Keith Seddon
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
Copyright/Release: © Jocelyn Almond and Keith Seddon; 2004
ISBN: 0-7387-0438-5
Pages: 276 pp. including front and back matter

Touted as the “essential introductory guide to Egyptian Magic, myth and ritual”, the authors have done a splendid job in presenting just that. A very basic, very brief introduction. And while a great deal of it does discuss the Egyptian material, there is a lot of commonly found, basic information on paganism in general.

The meatier part of the book, and therefore the more interesting part, were the inclusions of the widely varying “neteru”, the gods and goddesses of the Egyptian pantheon. Here we find an interesting layout of Invocations, Replies and Closings for each of the neteru listed, along with an outline of who and what they were. I find it interesting that this is the first book through which I’ve grasped the concept of Horus the Elder, and Horus the Younger. I feel it is due to the authors frank and clear descriptions and assignment of various interpretations both classical and modern.

Quote: Page 233 “Harseisis”
“Horus the Younger is the son of Isis, known to Egyptians as Hor-sa-Aset, and known to Greeks as Harsiese or Harseisis. As explained previously, he was conceived by magical means after the death of his father Osiris and brought up in secret by Isis. He is also called Horus the Child (Hor-pa-khred in Egyptian, or Harpocrates in Greek) and Horus-avenger-of-his-father (Hor-nedj-her-itef in Egyptian or Harendotes in Greek). As a child, he is depicted as a young boy wearing his hair in the plaited side-lock of youth and often holding one finger to his lips.”

It was an interesting, encompassing read and not one to be taken lightly. I felt the need to write notes and compare with other texts, listed and not listed in the extensive Acknowledgements and Bibliography sections. For those that are truly interested in following an Egyptian path, I must insist that this book graces your shelves, whether or not you need an introduction to the path.

4 Broomsticks
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Jodi Lee, aka ierne, is a 20+ year veteran of pagan paths. A single work at home mom, she is currently hard at work on her first novel.

http://www.jodilee.ca

R – Monsters

Title: Monsters
Author: John Michael Greer
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
ISBN: 0-7387-0050-9
Copyright: 2001 John Michael Greer
Pages: 320

John Michael Greer needs to go back to his herb garden, mix up some herbal remedy to cure his incessant babbling, and get back to work writing some serious material. His book on Natural Magic was the ultimate in excellent resources. I’m starting to feel like he fell off the turnip truck on the way from the patch.

I was extremely disappointed in this book – no, beyond extremely disappointed. I’d hoped for the crypto-zoological type of monster, not what I and most people consider being mythological or from alternate-realms. I mean come on people – Bela Lugosi vampires do not exist. Face it. Accept it. Mr. Greer – I invite you to talk to a real vampire. Perhaps I’m a bit biased on that score. All right then, let’s view another “monster” according to Greer. Faeries? Since bloody when are faeries monsters? Perhaps in a Christian household where faeries are used to scare the kids into staying in their beds…oooh, here’s another one. Angels. Ok, sure – is anyone else as confused as I am?

Quote pg. 94
“In the old lore, solitary fays are often covered with a thick coat of hair. this and some of their other habits suggest a connection with another of the unexplained presences that haunt the shadowy places of the modern world.

The sasquatch, as mentioned earlier, is probably an undiscovered variety of primate, not a monster in the sense used in this book. The same is likely true of its close cousins across the Bering Straits in eastern Asia: the yeti or “abominable snowman” of the Himalayas, the almas of Mongolia, and similar creatures reported from China and Siberia.”

Sasquatch isn’t a monster (well, no I didn’t think so either, but they’re closer crypto-wise) but faery are?

I’d say the only “monster” in the book was either the publisher or the author. Folks, come on – if you’re going to title a book Monsters, write about monsters. If you’re going to publicize a book as being about Monsters, it should be about monsters.

1 of 5 Broomsticks
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Jodi Lee, aka ierne, is a 20+ year veteran of pagan paths. A single work at home mom, she is currently hard at work on her first novel.

http://www.jodilee.ca