“Small Magics: Practical Secrets from an Appalachian Village Witch” by H. Byron Ballard

🕵️🐷🕵️ zero-day🕵️🐷🕵️ "Your Hands-on, Back-to-Basics Guide to Building a Magical Practice As if you're having face-to-face lessons on her porch, H. Byron Ballard introduces you to the ways of magic, answering vital questions about what it is, why it matters, and how to do it. She teaches the mechanics and foundational skills of practice, offering no-nonsense techniques that practitioners of any skill level or tradition can use. Drawing from her many years as a practicing witch, Ballard demonstrates how to engage daily with the energy around you. She encourages you to experience magic with fresh eyes—whether you're a beginner or need to regain a beginner's mind. This book provides grounding exercises, shielding methods, healing magic, insight on...>>

“Horror Unmasked: A History of Terror from Nosferatu to Nope” by Brad Weismann

"From the silent-film era to the blockbusters of today, Horror Unmasked is a fun-filled, highly illustrated dive into the past influences and present popularity of the horror film genre. The horror film’s pop-culture importance is undeniable, from its early influences to today’s most significant and exciting developments in the genre. Since 1990, the production of horror films has risen exponentially worldwide, and in 2021, horror films earned an estimated $580 million in ticket sales, not to mention how the genre has expanded into books, fashion, music, and other media throughout the world. Horror has long been the most popular film genre, and more horror movies have been made than any other kind. We need them. We...>>

“Damned Women: Sinners and Witches in Puritan New England” by Elizabeth Reis

"In her analysis of the cultural construction of gender in early America, Elizabeth Reis explores the intersection of Puritan theology, Puritan evaluations of womanhood, and the Salem witchcraft episodes. She finds in those intersections the basis for understanding why women were accused of witchcraft more often than men, why they confessed more often, and why they frequently accused other women of being witches. In negotiating their beliefs about the devil's powers, both women and men embedded womanhood in the discourse of depravity. Puritan ministers insisted that women and men were equal in the sight of God, with both sexes equally capable of cleaving to Christ or to the devil. Nevertheless, Reis explains, womanhood and evil...>>

“Casting A Queer Circle: Non-Binary Witchcraft” by Thista Minai

"Many people come to traditional Wicca or Witchcraft seeking the benefits of shared ritual, spiritual community, and formalized training, but the inherent sex and gender binaries that permeate modern Wicca can make anyone who exists outside of that polarity feel unimportant or excluded. Even people who identify within a gender binary but want their spiritual or religious practice to reflect a spectrum of life experiences can feel stifled and smothered in the biases of Wicca-based Paganism. Thista Minai has created an alternative. Casting a Queer Circle describes Spectrum Gate Mysteries, a new ritual system conceived as a direct answer to those of us who appreciate the wisdom and power of traditional Wicca, yet need...>>