Litsy

hefau

Secret Teachings of All Ages | Manly P Hall

I‘m slowly coming out of “new parent hibernation”. We took a family trip to the bookstore, and this was my pick.

1 like

MariaW

The Kybalion: A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece | Three Initiates

so-so

I had massive problems following this audiobook because the narration talked about a lot of platitudes and the guiding principles were always ended with the appendix „The Kybalion“, which was quite annoying. But I liked the chapters about correspondance and polarity very much and found them very interesting. So, I‘m torn. ⚡️

43 likes

monalyisha

Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic | Tabitha Stanmore

Stanmore couldn‘t have stood less of chance.

However, much as I loved Idle Grounds, Moominland knocked it out of the running on the left side of the board. AND, much as I loved Moominland, I expect my Wild Card to sideswipe it in the end.

The drama!!!

#2025ReadingBracket
#ReadingBracket2025

CSeydel

monalyisha *Technically,* Anne of Green Gables should‘ve won the spot this month. But it‘s a long-time favorite. If I include it, I know it‘ll cease being a competition. So, let‘s agree to ignore technicalities. I almost always do, anyway! 😜 6mo

peanutnine I don't count rereads for my brackets, it feels like cheating and I want to see what new favorites I acquire! So I totally get you on that 6mo

CSeydel @monalyisha @peanutnine Same!! 6mo

monalyisha @peanutnine @CSeydel Glad we‘re in agreement about how to rebel! 😎 6mo

52 likes4 comments

monalyisha

Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic | Tabitha Stanmore

June ended up being more about quantity than quality. I‘m still surpassing my reading goals but I didn‘t LOVE anything this month (other than Anne, of course, which was a reread). Cunning Folk seemed like it was going to really do it for me, for a while, but it fell short stylistically.

Better luck next month, me!

#AWreads2025

58 likes

monalyisha

Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic | Tabitha Stanmore

pick

When I began reading this history of “practical magic” in 1300s-1600s England, I was nothing short of obsessed. My interest, however, slowly tapered off. There are interesting bits sprinkled throughout…but it started to feel like a lot of the same. I‘m also not a big fan of the stylistic, “as we will see in the next chapter” phraseology.

What initially hooked me was the close overlap of priests & “cunning folk”, religion & “service magic.”👇🏻

monalyisha 1/7: I know my understanding of the history surrounding witch trials is colored by my geography (I actually lived in Salem, MA for a spell, while the author‘s from the UK) but I still found a lot of what Stanmore uncovered shocking! I was under the impression that anything smacking of magic would‘ve been condemned as witchcraft & grounds for getting a person (usually a woman) hanged during this time period. 👇🏻 (edited) 7mo

monalyisha 2/7: Instead, Stanmore‘s research suggests that “cunning folk” (with proven track records of helping their communities) were largely safe & well-regarded (even the women!) for most of this time even amidst “witch fever.” Although she admits that “such a relaxed attitude towards magic becomes much rarer in the 16th & 17th centuries,” she writes that “scholars have noted that up until the 15th century, magic is largely portrayed as morally neutral.” 7mo

monalyisha 3/7: During that time, priests & monks could & did employ “cunning folk”; some even identified as “cunning folk” themselves! A few of the more popular practices included finding lost things, finding lost people, and healing the sick. The exact rituals, which Stanmore describes whenever possible, are hugely fascinating! 7mo

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monalyisha 4/7: I was particularly rapt when learning about how amulets were made (harnessing the unique properties of the stars, writing powerful inscriptions (sometimes prayers), and intentionally choosing metals based on which planet they corresponded with; as well as supplicating or trapping angels and/or demons). 7mo

monalyisha 5/7: I loved reading about how ghosts were believed to be attached to treasure as a form of penance for the person who‘d died, and therefore could be helpful to treasure hunters rather than a source of fear. It was believed that *some* ghosts wanted the pure-hearted to find the wealth they‘d selfishly hoarded while alive so they could be forgiven the sin of avarice and move on. So, a haunting wasn‘t always a deterrent; sometimes, it was desirable! 7mo

monalyisha 6/7: Folks also found biblical justification for the practice of palmistry (see: Exodus 13:9), stemming from the conventionally accepted idea that God commonly drew signs in nature — our bodies being part & parcel. These signs could be “read,” therefore, for wisdom or clues about the future. 7mo

monalyisha 7/7: This sort of fantastical & spiritual grey area is totally my jam. If I were a more diligent researcher, I imagine this is exactly the book I‘d write. But I‘m too dreamy & distractible to have written it at all, & certainly to have written it in the style that Stanmore did. She‘s academic & colloquial in equal parts but always, unfailingly direct. I like more pottering lyricism to my prose. Less enthusiastic a pick than I imagined…but a pick! 7mo

AnnCrystal Insightful review 👏🏼☺️👍🏼🧹📚💝. 7mo

Clare-Dragonfly I love a less-than-enthusiastic review that makes me want to read the book. 😄 This sounds right up my alley! 7mo

monalyisha @Clare-Dragonfly It‘s definitely thought-provoking and I‘m not mad I read it! 7mo

63 likes2 stack adds10 comments

monalyisha

Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic | Tabitha Stanmore

Puppy‘s first pool time. Summer is coming. 💦

dabbe 💜🐾🖤 7mo

AnnCrystal 💕🐕🌊🐾💝. 7mo

66 likes2 comments

monalyisha

Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic | Tabitha Stanmore

Fiction: Juno Loves Legs (book club)
Nonfiction: Cunning Folk (just started)
Audio: Of Time and Turtles (nearly done)

I just cracked open the middle book this morning & I‘m already slightly obsessed (despite the fact that it has endnotes, which make me want to rip my hair out; fortunately, it seems like they‘re mostly just crediting source material & I can ignore them without missing anything). Also, how gorgeous is that cover?! 🤩

#weekendreads

rachelsbrittain

rachelsbrittain Oo that one sounds super interesting! I'm going to have to check it out 👀 7mo

monalyisha @rachelsbrittain YES! I think what‘s been most fascinating to me so far is the close overlap of priests and “cunning folk”, religion and “service magic.”

I was under the impression that anything smacking of magic would‘ve been condemned as witchcraft & grounds for getting a person (usually a woman) hanged during the trials. But it seems like “cunning folk” were largely safe and well-regarded (even the women!). 7mo

monalyisha @rachelsbrittain And priests could/did employ and sometimes even WERE “cunning folk.” Practices included finding lost things or people, healing, etc. And the exact rituals are hugely fascinating!

I know my understanding is different because my witch trials history is US-based (I actually lived in Salem, MA for a spell) while the author‘s from the UK & digging into the history there. But still! 7mo

rachelsbrittain That's fascinating! 7mo

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AstroSK51576

Key Words for Astrology | Hajo Banzhaf, Anna Haebler

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Rachel.Rencher

Nordic Runes: Understanding, Casting, and Interpreting the Ancient Viking Oracle | Paul Rhys Mountfort

We saw road signs for a Danish windmill in the middle of Iowa on our way to see John Green. What was supposed to be a quick detour for it turned into about an hour of book shopping, touring the grounds, looking at trinkets, and an impromptu mead tasting with two old ladies who sold me some Viking Blod to sip while I read my new book of Nordic folk tales tonight. 🤍

Ruthiella Sounds like a great detour! 😃 9mo

MaGoose That is some detour!! Sounds great 👍 9mo

kspenmoll Such fun! Especially when u expected! 9mo

68 likes1 stack add3 comments

PirateJenny

Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic | Tabitha Stanmore

pick

An examination of cunning folk in history, from their heyday to when they began to lose their influence. Cunning folk are practitioners of folk magic, which is different from witchcraft, no pact with the devil is assumed. It's a fascinating and well researched book and a must read for anyone interested in this topic.

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