Magick Matters

“Creepy Embroidery: 20 Gothic Patterns to Capture the Spirit of the Supernatural” by Carrie Violet

🕵️🐷🕵️ zero-day🕵️🐷🕵️ "Stitch Beyond the Veil with Heart-Stopping Embroidery Channel the ethereal beauty of death and the afterlife in this stunning collection of beginner-friendly patterns. Inspired by Victorian mourning, bloodthirsty vampires, witches of the woods, and dark moments throughout history, each eerie project only uses a few basic stitches, making it the perfect weekend craft. Invite a vampire into your home with the spellbinding Sylvia; summon a mystical gathering of feline familiars with Coven of Cats; or conjure up the fabled, iconic pomegranate with Persephone’s Descent. You’ll also learn how to bring depth and life to every piece with special techniques such as adding shimmering details through beadwork, creating a haunting effect with loose threads, or...>>

“Eerie Whispers: Exploring Canada’s Reluctant Relationship with its Ghostly Lore” by Brian Baker

🕵️🐷🕵️ zero-day🕵️🐷🕵️ "Why are Canadians afraid of ghosts? Canada’s paranormal roots run deep. We tell ghost stories around flickering campfires and share unexplained encounters with family and friends. Yet our polite, risk-averse nation often buries these experiences, rarely encouraging them in the places we live or in our arts and entertainment. Fear of stigma and discomfort with the unknown — especially death — keep the supernatural in the shadows. We allow only flirtations with ghosts, ghouls, and goblins, mostly at Halloween. Eerie Whispers explores Canada’s haunted history, drawing from the diverse folklore of its immigrant communities and the traditional stories of Indigenous Peoples. It asks why Canadians, unlike Americans or the British, are reluctant to celebrate this part...>>

“The Penguin Book of Cults” by Joseph P. Laycock

🕵️🐷🕵️ zero-day🕵️🐷🕵️ "A chilling documentary history of the most notorious cults of the past two thousand years, from the Celtic druids whose ritual sacrifices inspired the folk horror film The Wicker Man all the way up to the Peoples Temple and Heaven’s Gate A Penguin Classic The word "cult" conjures images of people in thrall to a charismatic leader who extracts obedience through lies and threats, and of apocalyptic prophecies, ritual sacrifices, sexual perversion, and mass suicide. The Penguin Book of Cults charts the history of our fear of the religious other: the arrest and public execution of thousands of members of an ancient Roman cult devoted to Bacchus, the god of wine; the burning alive of...>>

“Mind over Magick: The Psychology of Ritual Magick” by Richard Kaczynski

🕵️🐷🕵️ zero-day🕵️🐷🕵️ "A scientific examination of magical practice • Draws on peer-reviewed research in psychology and cognitive neuroscience, such as real-time brain imaging, to examine the effects of mystical states and magical practice • Shows how being "in the zone", as described by athletes and performers, is consistent with the ritualist’s state of mind when working magic • Suggests rituals and routines to strengthen one’s practice of magic, witchcraft, meditation, and yoga with empirically proven tools By looking through the lens of psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and real-time brain imaging, Mind over Magick shows how and why ritual magical practice can produce profound experiences with tangible benefits. Richard Kaczynski draws on a wealth of peer-reviewed...>>

“Ensouling the Effigy: The Witch’s Arte of Enspirited Objects” by Matthew Venus

🕵️🐷🕵️ zero-day🕵️🐷🕵️ "Unlock the mysteries of poppet magic and fetish crafting with Ensouling the Effigy, a compelling guide that offers readers an in-depth exploration into the realm of spirit conjuration, spirit vessels, and otherworldly communication. This book is not just a manual; it's an invitation to journey into the heart of animism, where the witch and spirits are inseparable. Within these pages, you'll discover techniques for creating poppets, effigies, and spirit houses that serve as vessels for spiritual entities and magical power. Learn to craft your own ritual oils, incenses, washes, and smokes with a comprehensive formulary that provides the key ingredients and instructions to infuse your practices with authenticity and botanical magic. Written for...>>