{"id":1335,"date":"2024-09-17T19:27:52","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T19:27:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/?p=1335"},"modified":"2025-01-09T19:28:54","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T19:28:54","slug":"what-the-witch-is-reading-september-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/17\/what-the-witch-is-reading-september-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"What The Witch Is Reading: September 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This section of my blog is dedicated to spreading the love of reading and books and the people who make them happen. I would not be the Witch I am today without books. I owe an obscene amount of gratitude to all the makers of books out there. This is my way of giving back. I hope that something I pick up and review will guide you to acquire the next tome on your To Be Read stack.\u00a0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Back from Summer Vacation\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Time is zooming by! Here at Villa Westwyk, September arrived loud and proud, leaning hard into those pumpkin-spice vibes. She\u2019s showing her burnt umber, golds, oranges, and deep soil browns already. Her cat walk here at Villa Westwyk is certainly bringing a twist on a classic autumnal debut. The daylight hours are so short now. Yet, I\u2019m ready for not having to be out at the barn at 0530 hrs. But it does mean that I\u2019m getting less time to get things done on either side of the 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. timeframe. Outdoors is the loser, because this Witch is not giving up her reading time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The books keeping me in the library a bit longer these darker days have some insanely lucious bibliographies (more books, yo!) and if you\u2019re all about going further into the rabbit holes these books open up for you, you\u2019re going to be filled with glee with this round of What the Witch Is Reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently Finished:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Thoughts That Cloud The Mind<\/em> by Kelsi Henn Horner<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least once a season, I pick up a poetry book and dive in. Poetry is an important art form for humanity and I am lacking in reasons why not to support it. How many people have learned about their own feelings through poetry? Poetry teaches us empathy, it comforts, it makes people think about how they understand the world, and whether or not they even understand themselves. Tarot helps with that, too. So give me a book that is 300 Haikus dedicated to a daily Tarot card and I\u2019m holding a tome of import. In Thoughts That Cloud The Mind<\/em>, each entry is suddenly shaking you awake to your own purpose in this rock hurtling through space and time. This book of poems was clearly built on surging emotions \u2013 the best kind of poetry. The fact that I\u2019m also trying to decode which poem is to which Tarot card, well that\u2019s just a bonus.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ancestral Whispers: A Guide to Building Ancestral Veneration Practices<\/em> by Ben Stimpson<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stimpson spoke to the history geek in me as well as the storyteller in this book. He employs both easily to take the reader through the highs and lows of an ancestral veneration practice, as well as the whys and why nots. The author has his own Venn diagram of intersecting influences on such a practice and it provides a very wide view within the text, as well as drilling down into the finer details of creating your own practice. Stimpson\u2019s prose in the book has this feel of the encouraging and knowledgeable, mindful uncle who is just the smartest and you are in awe of how cool his life is. My own practice is still in its first decade so this exploration with Stimpson was encouraging and created a deep need for further reflection on at least two areas of my practice that I may want to level up. Hopefully more folx read this book and become powerful waiting ancestors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heal The Witch Wound: Reclaim Your Magic & Step Into Your Power<\/em> by Celeste Larsen<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re bibliophile last left you we had just finished reading Part I of this book. Part II and III apply the realizations of Part I into your present life and then towards your future. Once again, the author, Celeste Larsen, defines and illuminates symptoms of the witch wound and how it shows up in modern life and then what to do about it. Larsen brings in her own stories which seemingly highlight so many ways in which this wound may have manifested in the readers\u2019 life. The details in the rituals in part III provide a deep well of healing for the reader exploring this Witch wound. This book took longer for me to read, as many in the esoteric genre do, because it\u2019s very thought-provoking. You have to stop and make notes and jot down things you remember and want to \u2018treat.\u2019 This is a book I\u2019ll likely return to at some point dive in even deeper. A future \u2018Relishing Longer\u2019 tome, perhaps? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Relishing Longer:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Inspiring Creativity Through Magick: How to Ritualize Your Art & Attract the Creative Spirit<\/em> by Astrea Taylor<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I first read this book when it came out in the Summer of 2023; but, I was in the throes of editing a freelance job and revising Magic In Your Cup<\/a>, so I finished it with the intention of coming back to it. And I\u2019m so glad I did. I\u2019m especially digging the tips and tactics on handling criticism. Every Witch I know is creative. Unlocking that creativity and nurturing it is the focus of this book and the tips on creating a process that invites in the spiritual aspects of Witchcraft\u2013 the Elements, Spirit, and the power within. I\u2019m re-working through the practical exercises to more deeply feed and consistently recharge my creative pursuits, as well as my Craft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up Next:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sacred Tears: A Witch\u2019s Guide to Grief<\/em> by Courtney Weber<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There have been moments throughout my years as a Witch, where grief has interrupted my magical practice. Our society doesn\u2019t deal with grief very well at all. And everyone has a different expression of that feeling, state, being. Looking forward to reading this one, especially since Christopher Penczak wrote the foreword and praises the book as raw, honest, and deep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breathe. Write. Breathe. 18 Energizing Practices to Spark your Writing and Free Your Voice<\/em> by Lisa Tener<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This book was gifted to me and I love getting books on the writing craft. I have a lot of writing projects coming up, so any energizing spark is greatly appreciated. Tener served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School\u2019s CME publishing course for more than 12 years, among other writing-centered achievements. Let\u2019s see if we can\u2019t do some throat-centered work with this book. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As you can see, I read a little of everything. I\u2019m always curious about what others are reading. What book are you working through right now? Let\u2019s talk books! Comment below. If you have a book you think I should read, let me know that, too!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back from Summer Vacation\u2026 Time is zooming by! Here at Villa Westwyk, September arrived loud and proud, leaning hard into those pumpkin-spice vibes. She\u2019s showing her burnt umber, golds, oranges, and deep soil browns already. Her cat walk here at Villa Westwyk is certainly bringing a twist on a classic autumnal debut. The daylight hours…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,421],"tags":[423,431,499,432,498,494,497,436,282],"class_list":["post-1335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-post","category-what-the-witch-is-reading","tag-am-reading","tag-ancestral-whispers","tag-breathe-write-breathe","tag-heal-the-witch-wound","tag-inspiring-creativity","tag-sacred-tears","tag-thoughts-that-cloud-the-mind","tag-what-the-witch-is-reading","tag-writing-witch"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1335"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1339,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335\/revisions\/1339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}