book: Druid Magic

I found a copy of Druid Magic by Maya Magee Sutton in a used bookstore for a couple of dollars.  I leafed through it, it looked like it might be fun to read and there was a section on Druid history.  Since Druid history is a highly debated subject I thought it might be interesting to get this author's take on it so I bought it.  I admit I also felt bad for it all alone on an entire wall of Christian writings and one book by Edgar Cayce.  It obviously needed a home.
I looked it up on Amazon and found reviews all over the place.  By far the majority liked it.  Some liked it with reservations and a few really tore it to bits.  The best I could tell, the main criticism wasn't so much what was written but rather that it wasn't scholarly enough.  At least two critics who really hated it suggested that readers stick to authors like Ellis. 
Hmmmmm.....  I have The Celts: A History and Celtic Myths and Legends by Peter Beresford Ellis.  He is the acknowledged authority in the field and I have manage to plow through these books and probably will read his books on the Druids.  BUT, his writing is academic and can be pedantic.  It is not for light reading with some education thrown in.  Druid Magic, from what I can tell just leafing through it and reading the first few pages, is not intended as a serious scholarly work, but rather as an informative and relatively easy read.
If everything about the Druids is supposed to be written in the most arch and academic style possible in order to be worth reading.......then it isn't going to be very interesting.  Even I know that real information on the Druids is sketchy at best and therefore some writers go to extreme lengths to defend their hypotheses.
I also know that reconstructionists believe that the Druids were the scholars and record holders of their day....but does that mean that everything has to be on the far side of serious?   I learned more history from the history professor who thought that history was a hoot than from the one that droned on and on about it.

I'm just starting to find things to read about the Druids and already questioning the wisdom of the self identified high mucky-mucks of the tradition.   Oh wait, don't tell me.... Wiccans aren't the only ones who go online with preposterous titles and awe inspiring resumes and wait for the masses to swoon at their feet.

Summer Solstice

Hibiscus Moon had these wonderful Summer Solstice Sachets in her Etsy store and featured on Facebook.  I just had to have one.  Citrine, pyrite, lavender, meadowsweet, sage, heather and more.  All some of my favorites.  I could have put it together myself, but as you can see, she puts a lot of energy and care into her work and I am happy to include that energy in ritual.
Now I am starting to plan a ritual for Litha and I am pondering selecting a deity that I don't usually work with to honor.  A Sun Goddess.  The only male god I work with is Hern and he is not a sun god. (a few words about Hern here)
It's early yet.  Any suggestions for a Sun Goddess?

Hare Moon, Planting Moon, May Full Moon

May Full Moon

Known as the hare or planting moon, this moon arrives in a time of romance, passion and wisdom.  Seeds that you have planted are beginning to grow.  You may have to make choices about which path to take, which career track, which romance.  Sit back for a moment and observe the things that are manifesting in your life.  Use your favorite divination to help make choices.

Full Moon is May 27th at 7:07pm EST.

World Tarot Day

May 25 is World Tarot Day.  There are some special activities planned on some very good tarot sites and shows.  Here are the ones I am going to be listening to.

World Tarot Day.org

Tarot Today on Blogtalk Radio

Beyond Worlds - Tarot Tribe

Check out the link for the times in your area and enjoy World Tarot Day.
If you know of any others - if you are doing something special yourself, please post it in the comments.

my newest favorite card

The Hierophant from the Shadowscapes Tarot

I have never had much connection to the Hierophant.  He is supposed to be a voice of wisdom, more earthly wisdom than the High Priestess, but I have always had a hard time relating to him.  He is often depicted with Christian trappings and usually appears to me to be the filter from the divine to me, the usual religious filter.  Since this represents everything I have rejected in my spiritual life, I often do not give him much weight in a reading or I find myself looking for knowledge of negative things because he is there.  My own little quirk, I admit. 

But Stephanie Pui-Mun Law has created a Hierophant that I want to listen to and that I can listen to without being distracted by the organized religion themes found on many cards.  

This Hierophant speaks of the wisdom of the earth because he is of the earth, not a go-between. 

Here is the artist's description: 

"The Hierophant's roots reach deep, entwined around secrets and traditions and the ages.  He believes in ritual and ceremony, in pursuing knowledge and deeper meaning and in the rigidity of a belief system. He elucidates the spiritual and brings it to the earthly plane.  He is calm and in possession of himself and he is the teacher who can help unravel mysteries."

It is amazing what a different image can do for our perceptions.