Heloise Calico

As a Brazilian, it took me waaaay too long to read this popular classic of our literature. I've always heard people sing praises to this book, and it's a staple in every book store I've ever entered.

And let me tell you, it did not disappoint!

The story is quite short and sweet in my opinion (comparing here to my usual 300-500 pages books), and it held me all the way through!

I wasn't allowed to read this when I was younger because my parents were very conservative and didn't like that the book deals with spirituality and a diversity of beliefs (although they never actually read it themselves, of course). 

I found the story inspiring and beautiful. Paulo Coelho really seemed to lean into what we call animism, the idea that everything has a spirit or soul— and as a pagan, I loved it! 

The nature-worshipper in me was singing with delight whenever our boy discovered he could speak to and understand the language of nature. And despite this being very much a fictional book, I find its core lesson to be very much relevant in the real world, especially if you, like me, believe in what Paulo Coelho calls the “Soul of the World”, the idea that we are all intrinsically connected. That we are in the Soul of the World, and the Soul of the World is in us.

This is a wonderfully-written story about life, change, taking risks and overcoming fear, and, above all else, the interconnectedness of things. It helped deepen the way I see my life and the world around me!

Honestly, I don't know what else to say of this book other than that I loved it and will definitely read it again— in Brazilian Portuguese next time! 

I read this on the Kindle app and I can't wait to snatch myself a copy in both English and Brazilian Portuguese for my bookshelf, and that I can mark and draw in as I please.

My only regrets are not having read it sooner and not having read it in Brazilian Portuguese the first time.

Otherwise, lovely story!

A lovely short comic book, and beautifully illustrated! I love gnomes, so I HAD to pick this up when I saw it at AEX, and it was SO worth it! Loved the story from beginning to end :)

I loved this book so much!

It's a very insightful and helpful resource for anyone wanting to practice magic and/or worship the Theoi from a modern lens.

This book is not geared towards reconstructionism, but it can definitely be a great resource for basic information on the main deities of Ancient Greek religion.

This book thoroughly explores the major deities of Ancient Greece, with helpful personal insights from people who work and/or worship them. 

It also names and explains a little about several other deities you might want to research further if they call to you.

Although both authors come from a Wiccan background (and I'm not Wiccan myself), I find that they're very inclusive of different practices, and the rituals given as examples can be done by non-Wiccan witches easily. 

As a mostly Hellenic witch who's trying a path that is not entirely reconstructionist, I had been mostly worshipping/working with Zeus and Hestia (with a few communications with Eros).

I really wanted to learn more about Aphrodite, Apollo and Ares in particular, and since listening to their portions of the book, I felt confident enough to reach out to each of them.

I learned so much from this book and will definitely be seeking out a physical copy I can annotate and engage with further. It is definitely a resource I'll return to whenever I find myself feeling pulled to a new deity (or want to review the basics of those I already have on my altar)!

I needed an audiobook to listen to and this book caught my eye!

As a (mostly Hellenic) pagan, I wanted to learn more about Pan, who always seemed like a fun god whom I knew little about. 

I also wanted to maybe learn more about Cernunnos amidst the wealth of misinformation online about “Celtic” (usually Irish) mythology and culture.

This book taught me so much! Not only did I learn what I wanted about Pan and Cernunnos, but I learned so so so much more about so many figures of mythology and folklore associated with the Horned God.

The rituals in this book are definitely helpful if that is something you are looking for! Although I cannot say anything about their results as I have not tried them (and currently do not plan to). 

This book is inclusive of different sexualities, gender identities and even takes into consideration that not all witches believe the same things. It's very clearly well researched, with vast information about the history of the Horned God, horned gods and the horned god concept. 

Definitely got a lot more than I thought I would! I recommend it to anyone who is looking to learn more about this topic.

I'm going to buy the physical copy as well so I can annotate and study it further.

My next audiobook is a book by the same author focused on magic and the Greek gods, which is very much up my alley!

This is a solid introduction to Kemetic spirituality!

I was looking for a book to get me started on the basics, and I think this book did that. It discusses the main gods and goddesses, the concept of Ma'at, symbols and hyerogliphs, divination methods, and more.

That said, please keep in mind that this is a SHORT INTRODUCTION. If you're looking for an intermediate book and/or already know the basics of Ancient Egyptian religion, this is not the book for you. It is very basic and meant for total beginners!

In general, I found the book well-written and researched, but there were points where the author kind of stated something as fact despite a lack of evidence, so I will caution fellow readers to take any statement that cannot be proven and think critically about it before deciding whether you believe the same as the author or not.

Otherwise, this is the lovely introduction to Kemeticism that I wanted!