1996 Llewellyn Publishers - Softcover - Large Format - $12.00
Glossy Paper - Color Illustrations
Every year, it seems that the most eagerly awaited publications from Llewellyn are their calendars. Each year, Llewellyn does an outstanding job of producing a quality product which is beautifully illustrated and of special interest to the Pagans among us. This year's productions are no exception.
The Myths of the Gods and Goddesses calendar is actually how I became aware that my former boss is "one of us." She had it hanging up at work, and while those of mainstream religion admired her for her intellect - having an interest in Mythology - those of us "in the know" appreciated that fact that we had found yet another one of "us." I feel that this is what makes this calendar so special. As in the preceding years, each month features a different character from several pantheons of our most beloved mythological tales. The accompanying text, which gives a brief synopses of the Myth, was this year penned by Stephen Larsen, PhD , a former student of the late, great Joseph Campbell. The artwork for this edition was beautifully realized by Moon Deer and Kris Waldherr. The texture of each illustration accurately depicts the point which we are at in the Wheel of the Year with each successive flip of your calendar page. So haunting is August's illustration of Ra that Hank, my non-pagan Significant Other, wishes to frame and hang this on our wall for all months to come. Included within the grid for each month (Roman not Celtic year - sorry) are various festivals for various traditions as well as the Moon Phases and Christian and Federal Holidays. This calendar is perfect for anyone who wishes to bring a bit of their Spirituality into the office. Exquisitely illustrated and expertly prosed, Myths of the Gods and Goddesses should enchant those who are of like mind as well as intrigue and perhaps educate those who aren't. As usual, I highly recommend this calendar, a nice change for those who are tired of all of the Baby Animal flavors.
Confession Time: Llewellyn's Astrological Calendar is where I got my very first taste of some of the more complex facets of Astrology. I learned my glyphs for the signs and garnered my rudimentary knowledge of sextile, quincunx, etc and the houses as well. The format is the same as previous years and just as informative. The artwork by Anne Marie Garrison is as powerfully striking as the colors are vivid. Whereas the Sun Sign and Moon Sign books [see below] are useful in looking up bits and pieces of information, the Astrological Calendar puts all of your astrological aspects together in one easily comprehensible place. This calendar is a must for those of us who prefer to plan and execute our Magickal undertakings according to the proper astro correspondences. And, it is great for those who are mathematically inept enough not to be able to do a chart, but who find the principals of Astrology fascinating (OK…so this is why I got the calendar in the first place). A really-should-have in my book, you may want to reserve wall space for this one at home rather than the office unless your coworkers are not sensitive to the "strange and foreboding symbolism" which comes with Astrology.
Llewellyn's 1997 Sun Sign Book
Llewellyn's 1997 Moon Sign Book
1996 Llewellyn Publishers - Softcover - $6.95
The days are getting shorter, there is a distinctive chill in the air and apples are starting to once again bring me visions of pies throughout my kitchen. Must be time for the Annuals to start appearing again as well.
This year, just like every other, a spate of horoscope books has been appearing in book shops since August. My perennial favorites are those from Llewellyn - the Sun and Moon Sign Books. Why are these books so fascinating to us? Because, although they do include the obligatory horoscopes for the coming year, they also try to educate the reader about the topic, albeit somewhat superficially.
If you think about this, it is a brilliant idea on Llewellyn's part. Most people who purchase these volumes do so because they have no knowledge of astrology whatsoever. Llewellyn is feeding them some relatively simple information on several astrological topics to whet their appetites. Pretty slick.
This year's Sun Sign Book is authored by Gloria Star, as it has been since 1990. Gloria does have a way of presenting the material in a format that is easily readable and conveys a reasonable amount of information in a relatively small space. As anyone who has ever picked up one of these books knows, a forecast for each sun sign of the zodiac is included. It's the perfect book to see how your friends and loved ones will fare in the coming year. Since I am a Leo, of course I wanted to flip there, but then I decided it would be a better move to flip to Aquarius. Better to know what Hank will be up to first.
Being a good witch (take that any way you want to), I fully understand that there is no way in Summerland that a general horoscope for the masses could possibly be as dead-on accurate as a chart cast especially for an individual. The one thing I like about this book is that Gloria has broken the sign in question into six or seven different time periods, thereby somewhat improving the accuracy of the forecast. She then proceeds, month by month, through the year for each sign in question, giving the forecast of what life might be like in 1997. Also fun is the action chart (covering which day in the year is best for what, according to your sign) and the ever-useful table of sun sign correspondences.
Yep - unconventional sure does describe Hank. And I'll be sure to be extra sweet on May 5 and 6, when it is good for him to "start a new romance" (giggle). As always, the Sun Sign Book also includes short articles on such topics as solar trends and Saturn, your superego. Light, fluffy and mildly entertaining.
The Moon Sign Book, for one reason or another, is always of more interest to me. Actually, this is the book which should appeal to those who are witch-born, but not yet fully aware of it. Throughout time, there has been more moon-lore than sun-lore. It was never said that the sun has as many mystical properties as the moon, and the sun has never caused lunacy on a monthly basis.
As in the Sun Sign Book, the articles in the Moon Sign Book are somewhat fluffy, but they do serve the purpose to whet the appetite of the barely initiated. Helpful information on moon phases, retrogrades, finding your moon sign, your lunar forecasts and a void of course moon chart are all here. There just seems to be more information presented in the Moon Sign Book.
I was not thoroughly enthralled with the presentation of the moon sign forecast section. Rather than giving the directions for trying to determine your moon sign with the tables provided on page 235, Llewellyn should have put the tables immediately following the forecast. Page 235 turns out to be incorrect anyway.
Secondly, although there is a disclaimer stating that for complete accuracy in determining your moon sign you should have an astrological chart cast, I found the method of obtaining your moon sign confusing, as I always do. However, the forecasts are in much the same format as the Sun Sign Book and just as entertaining.
Taking Llewellyn's Sun Sign and Moon Sign Books for what they are, both turn out to be an interesting bit of reading. Let's face it - aren't we all just a bit curious about what the stars have in store for us?
For those who cannot afford to have a professional astrologer cast our charts, these volumes are an inexpensive and fun way to get a rudimentary glimpse into what the coming year may hold in store for us. The charm of these books is that they are not trying to be something they aren't. And, for that refreshing reason alone, if you have a few spare minutes per week, they're worth a look.
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