Shamanic Wisdom Keepers

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Shamanic Wisdom Keepers - Shamanism in the Modern World by Timothy Freke, published by Godsfield Press.

Each chapter features an interview with an authority on on a specific firm of traditional shamanism, such as Jamie Sams (Cherokee and Seneca), Malidoma Patrice Some (West African Dagara), Miguel A Kavlin (Amazonian), Haleakala Hew Len (Hawaiian), Lama Khemsar Rinpoche (Tibetan Yungdrung Bon), Andy Baggot (Celtic), Aiko Aiyana (Santo Daime), Martin Prechtel (Tzutujil Mayan), Ernesto Alvarado (Apache), and Lorraine Mafi-Williams (Australian Aboriginal), with poetry, prayer and colour plates.

A promotional coffee table book! Look at the photos and dip into the text. Many of the stories are similar but have many differences. 

The Lakota Sweat Lodge Cards

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Lakota Sweat Lodge Cards - Spiritual Teachings of the Sioux. A drawer pull presentation box containing 50 cards and information book. Published by Destiny Books. US: $34.95 : Can: $42.95 : UK: £26.77 Card size: 12cm x 8cm. 

‘Walk in balance with Mother Earth and all her inhabitants’.

Created to honour authentic traditions, with Chief Archie Fire Lame Deer as the consultant, this deck offers understanding of indigenous tribal heritage, healing and wisdom. The deck is divided into three sections: Wakan Tanka, the 16 Great Mysteries, the 8 Supernaturals, and 25 Elements of the Sweat Lodge purification ceremony which are designed for personal development. Included in the book is a loving dedication in the introduction, a poem, the Song of the Black Tail Deer, the Lodge Wheel, information about spirits, planets, elements, and knowledge of the Great Spirit that resembles all created life. 

A Lantern in the Dark

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: A Lantern in the Dark - Navigate Life’s Crossroads with Story, Ritual & Sacred Astrology, by Danielle Blackwood, in kindle and paperback 234 pages of text, no images, £14 Published by Llewellyn Books. 

“With unflinching wisdom and compassion, Blackwood guides us towards the holy grail of a meaningful, examined life.” Steven Forrest, author of The Inner Sky

What happens when we find ourselves at a crossroads in life? This crossroads is a threshold, and you can use astrology to assist your understanding and progress. Myths and folklore can also provide guidance. This book helps you and others to make peace with the past, navigate now and move on to your life purpose. This book will also help you to transform your crossroads into something sacred. The author is an astrologer and educator of 30 years duration. She provides meditations, stories, affirmations, and rituals. Every major astrological transit is covered, Saturn returns, Uranus opposition, etc. There are self-care tools, journalling, crystals and herbs, all for beginners. Beware of the self-fulfilling prophecy. 

The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception

Mind Body Soul Magazine Book Review - The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, Now available as a free download.

800 ancient Hebrew and Aramaic scrolls were hidden for 19 centuries and discovered in the 1940s. This led to a complex set of relationships and dynamics in the academic research and translation of the text. Absorbing and finely detailed examination of the uncovering of the information that they contained, the Roman Catholic Church appeared to be trying to stall publication incase they challenged the account of the earliest origins of the Christian message. The Scrolls are thought to reveal who Jesus was and the actions of Paul in the early years after his death to take a story to the Gentiles despite concerns from the early church in Jerusalem, led by James. The book explains about the Acts of the Apostles and the damage Paul - a Roman spy - caused to the message of Jesus. Michael Baigent a photographer with excellent equipment fails to take photos yet again of important documents described within the text. Using Robert Eisenman’s independent authority, the Scrolls are suggested as the work of Jewish Zealots. Defenders of Masada and the Qumran community are also included within the story. Was Jesus an Essenes, a Zealot, a Nazorene, or belong to a movement to overthrow the Roman rulers? Was Jesus the unique individual the Roman Church describes him as, or was he part of an established set of religious beliefs?

Sun Signs, Houses & Healing

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Sun Signs, Houses & Healing - Build Resilience & Transform Your Life through Astrology by Carmen Turner-Schott, Published by Llewellyn Books in paperback US $16.99 : CAN $23.99 : U.K. £13.99 

The author is an astrologer, a practicing clinical social worker and psychotherapist. She works in the speciality of sexual assault prevention and with victims of trauma. 

This book is principally for beginners. There are three main lessons that are focused on: Building resilience, finding healing and transforming life and well-being.  How to use your birth chart, the Zodiac signs, the planets, the houses are all explained. 

The Visual I Ching

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Visual I Ching - A New Approach to the Ancient Chinese Oracle, Boxed set of Cards and guidebook by Oliver Perrottet, published by Brockhampton Press

In the distant past, the sages of China designed a system to enable understanding that life, so full of challenges and changes, is an interaction of two opposition forces, described as Yin and Yang. These are shown as a circle , half light and half dark, with a dot of light within the dark and a dot of dark within the light. These are portrayed not only as opposing and interacting energies, but the mutual attraction between them. In writing, these are shown as a broken line for Yang and an unbroken line for Yin. A series of 6 lines is called a ‘hexagram’. 

The Angel Oracle

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Angel Oracle - Working with the Angels for Guidance, Inspiration and Love by Ambika Wauters. Published by Eddison Books £21.99
36 gold leaf edged cards (card size: 5" x 3") plus explanatory booklet in a high quality drawer pull box.

"Praise be to all angels forever" Tobit 11:15

Cards feature attractive mediaeval style angel images with a title and subtitle. The book provides information about angels of all kinds, their powers and duties, from which realm they originate, their function and gifts. There are stories about angels from history and personal experience. In addition, there is advice on how to use the cards, prepare for a reading, how to ask a question and receive an answer for the highest good - all a beginner would need to know. Spreads are suggested with sample readings, including a one card, a 2 card Yin/Yang, a 3 card Past, Present and Future, a 4 card Four Function Psychological, a 5 card Tree of Life, a 6 card Sacred Cross and a 13 card Zodiac spread. Having worked for some time with angels in this way, I can recommend using them, even just choosing a card to meditate on each day. They have a definite magic and the author, Ambika Wauters, is an expert in the field of angelology!

Insight Tarot

Mind Body & Soul Card Deck Review: Insight Tarot by Stanislav Reshetikov, published by Red Feather, Quality boxed set of cards plus guidebook. £33.99 Card size: 5” x 3”. For more information: https://redfeathermbs.com/insight-tarot/

79 cards (including The White Card) in this elegant package with a magnetic flip type lid and instruction book. There are good leafed edges to the cards which are a nice touch. The creator, Stanislav Reshetikov is from Moscow, and is a Jungian psychotherapist whose depth psychology works with the unconscious mind, and explores myths, metaphors, symbols and dreams. We are invited to “Discover yourself, possess yourself! There’s much more to it than pain!”

The Ring Cycle Tarot

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Ring Cycle Tarot - Based on Richard Wagner’s The Ring Nibelung, created by Allegra Printz with illustration adaptions by Arthur Rackham. Set of 78 cards and guidebook in quality presentation box. Published by Schiffer Publishing, U.K. £40.99 : US $45 

Richard Wagner’s musical drama features the old Norse and Germanic pantheon and the story of a deadly and cursed golden ring of unlimited power. Characters and plot are taken from source material, and are adapted for this intriguing deck, which retains much of the drama, excitement and interest of the original storyline and is combined with the extraordinary and magical artwork of Arthur Rackham. 

The cards carry an image,  umber and a title and a subtitle from the story. There is information on each card’s background, and a divinatory meaning with reversed card meanings. The Divinatory meanings in the book are concise! I would say excellent. There is a lot of information to take in about the storyline, and if I had to make a criticism, it would be with the fonts that are difficult to read. 

The deck is dedicated to Ludwig J J of Bavaria…  “The so-called “mad” King, whose patronage financed Wagner‘s completion and initial production of the monumental Ring of the Nibelung.  In supporting art over war, Ludwig II left us a profound and enduring legacy of music and myth.”

Breaking Chains

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Breaking Chains - The Evolution of the Black Madonna by Nic Phillips published by Avalonia Books. Paperback: US $24.99 U.K. £14.99 Kindle: £5.99

More information here on this hyperlink:  https://www.avaloniabooks.com/product-page/breaking-chains and https://fb.watch/9e5gqgtqHx/

 The Black Madonna had a mysterious relevance after appearing some thousand years ago. Many have studied her and written books about her myths and miracles. This is the first I have come across that offers an exclusive explanation of her cultural background and associations. It’s an interesting personal understanding by Nic Phillips, who explains their history and their connection with ancient goddesses including mother, dark and pagan goddesses, such as Kali, Vodou Lwa Ezili Danto, Orishas, and others. He covers specifically Our Lady of the Pillar, Częstochowa, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, and also others that are less well known from across the world. 

The Kingdom Within Tarot

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card deck Review: The Kingdom Within Tarot by Juno Lucina and illustrations by Shannon ThornFeather Presentation box set of 78 Cards and Guidebook Published by Schiffer RRP £31.99

‘For behold, the kingdom of heaven is within you.’

The Major Arcana has traditional Tarot titles. King, Queen, Knight and Page of suits, Pentacles, Wands, Cups and Swords. Suggested spreads are: The Triangle and The Cross. Information on questioning the cards, with additional information about apportioning time. Reversed card information is provided, along with archetypes, seasons and celebrations, and Myers-Briggs personality comparisons. 

Each Major card has the usual number and title, with its astrological significance, meaning and keyword, the Element, its Kabbalistic path, and its Hebrew letter and translation. Added to this is an explanation of the artwork, the upright and reversed divinatory meaning, and ten key phrases. 

Kabbalistic Visions

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Kabbalistic Visions - The Marini Scapini Tarot by Marco Martini, illustrated by Luigi Scapini, Presentation box of 78 cards and instruction book Published by Schiffer Publishing. RRP £40.99 

“To the great love of life.”

There are several pages of the origins of the Tarot and today’s use, followed by explanations of Kabbalah, a Tree of Life diagram, Hebrew letter correspondences, connections, codifications and a page of text for each Sephiroth, various ways to codify the Majors, Body, Soul and Spirit. The Way of the Soul (with 7 Palaces), the Way of the Body, the 3 Mother letters, the 7 Double letters, and the 12 Simple letters, all explained. 

Each Major has 350 words of understanding, a short divinatory meaning, Past, Present & Future, the obstacle within the reading and the Final Result of the reading. Each Minor has 350 words of meaning. The Court Cards are King, Queen, Knight and Princess of Wands, Cups, Swords, and Coins, with Pip Cards having 50 words of esoteric plus divinatory meaning. 

Inner Realms Tarot

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Inner Realms Tarot by Saleire, Presentation Box set of 78 Cards and Guidebook Published by Schiffer RRP £40.99

“Let the spirit move you, the cards guide you, and your heart deliver the message.”

Solid flip to box with magnetic closure and quality cards, approx 100 words of meaning provided for each card. On the face of each card is the traditional Tarot title, a modern art image and several keywords to assist with readings. We are invited to trust our interpretations as guidance to help our Querent move forward, with our senses, feelings, thoughts and emotions, but not to use the cards for fortune telling. We are not to pass on negative energies and no reversal meanings are provided as uprights say all there is to say. There is an area in the booklet for first impressions to be written. Meditation is recommended. 

Shamanic Medicine Oracle Cards

Mind Body & Spirit Ezine Card Deck Review: Shamanic Medicine Oracle Cards - Barbara Meiklejohn-Free & Flavia Kate Peters. Artwork by Yuri Leitch. Published by Blue Angel. 

These are two very experienced oracle card deck creators and book authors, and I recommend this deck to beginners and experienced readers. It is a deck that I would suggest is best read for oneself. It is a reasonably priced concept deck. The deck is associated with ancestors, nature and the mystical traditions. With influence from shaman based culture, this deck provides insight into your life and possible current circumstances. The artworks add to the words in the instruction book. I especially like the popular Earth based relevance to today’s ecology. 

Rota Mundi Tarot

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Rota Mundi Tarot  - The Rosicrucian Arcanum by Daniel E Loeb. Published by REDFeather/Schiffer Publishing. Presentation boxed set of 78 Cards and Guidebook. US: $34.99 and U.K.: £31.99 

Are you seeking a very special conceptual Tarot deck in order to deliver in depth, and extraordinary readings? This is it! 

This innovative deck honours the original Fraternity of the Rose Cross, subsequent Rosicrucians and invisible colleges. Alchemy, Gnosticism, hermeticism, Kabbalah, Judeo-Christian mysticism and other antique secret knowledge sources, known only to selected members of society are revealed.