This month we have a great collection of books from a number of genres:
Dion Fortune’s Psychic Self-Defense and The Secrets of Dr. Taverner
The Guru Question: The Perils and Rewards of Choosing a Spiritual Teacher
72 Names Oracle Cards (our 2nd review of this item)
Wheel of Wisdom
Barbarian Rites: The Spiritual World of the Vikings and Germanic Tribes
Phantom Armies of the Night
The Yin Yoga Kit 
The New Orleans Voodoo Handbook 
Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook (our 2nd review of this item)

We have several excerpts. Two from Barbara Ardinger’s new book, Secret Lives (we’ll be reviewing her book next month); we also have an exceprt from the forthcoming Silence of the Mind.

This month we are also offering the first of our semi-annual music reviews! Twice a year, in October and April we’ll publish reviews of all of the music we’ve received to date.

This month we have 12 albums:
Uwe Gronau’s Midsummer
Josh Johnston’s The Shape of Things
Janice Faber’s Carried Away
Eddie Gip Noble’s In the Lite of Things
Mike Longo Trio’s To My Surprise
Bell Book and Canto’s Invocation
Annette Cantor’s Songs to the Earth
Moonstruck’s Witch of the Wildwoods
Legend’s Cardinal Points
Aomusic’s …and Love Rages On!
Luna Blanca’s Provence
Tomas Michaud’s Beauty and Fire

For many of us, this has been the summer of wild and difficult weather. Once things have calmed down and you’re looking for some reading material, have a look at what we are recommending (and not!)

This month we’re offering:

Beyond the Book of Shadows   
Advanced Sex Magic
Precessional Time and the Evolution of Consciousness
Trigger Point Therapy
The Four Powers: Magical Practice for Beginners of All Ages  
Sex Sin and Zen: A Buddhist exploration of sex from celibacy to polyamory and everything in between 
Aphrodite’s Magic: Celebrate and Heal Your Sexuality  
Sexual Outlaw, Erotic Mystic; The Essential Ida Craddock 
Web of Light: Rites for Witches in the New Age

We also have an interview with the author of Walk Like A God, Drew Jacobs and a review of his latest book. Our community partner, The Wild Hunt recently had an interesting post about Drew and his plans. (As a bonus, it has an excellent picture of our very own Diana Rajchel!)

Finally, we have nine new reviews in our Tarot Deck and Book category!

The 72 Names Cards
AboraMana Channeled Goddess Wisdom Cards 
The Heart of Faerie Oracle 
Nature’s Wisdom Oracle 
Tarot in the Land of Mystereum 
The Journey Oracle and The Journey Coloring Book  
The Kingdom Within and the Alchemy of Tarot 
The Wizard’s Tarot 
Nature’s Wisdom Oracle 

Interestingly, this month seems to be great for books about divination and witchcraft, we have several of each topic for your pleasure:

Complete I-Ching 10th Anniversary Edition
The Diloggún: The Orishas, Proverbs, Sacrifices and Prohibitions of Cuban Santería

and

Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook
The Un-Spell Book: Energy Essentials for Mastering Magick
The Witch’s Bag of Tricks

As promised, our (glowing) review of The Way of the Happy Woman: Living the Best Year of Your Life is now available.

As are reviews of:
Shaman in Disguise  and
Bridging the Gap: Working Within the Dynamics of Pagan Groups and Society

Finally, we’ve started a new category for reviews: Buddhism. Our first review in this category is A Cup of Buddda: A Blueprint for Truth.

Opened on October 31, 2006 with just over 200 reviews, Facing North is — first and foremost — a community resource. We closed out 2006 with more than double our opening number of reviews (500+). Although we slowed our growth, 2007 ended with our database at more than 600 records, 2008 saw us at 900 and we edged over 1,000 by the end of 2009. We are committed to creating a practical site with honest opinions that are fair, even when critical.

Looks like I forgot to tell people about the June update . . . so this is for two updates!

Summer is the perfect time to kick back with a cold glass of your favorite drink, and a good book. We have some great ones to recommend this month!

Inside-Out Healing: Transforming Your Life Through the Power of Presence
Practical Protection Magick: Guarding and Reclaiming Your Power
Dancing with Spirits: Festivals & Folklore of Japan
FullTrui : Patrons in Ásatrú
Soulistry: Artistry of the Soul: Creative Ways to Nurture Your Spirituality
Witches, Midwives and Nurses: A History of Women Healers
The Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook: A Grimoire of Philtres, Elixirs, Oils, Incense, and Formulas for Ritual Use
Runecaster’s Handbook: The Well of Wyrd
Fourth Uncle in the Mountain: The Remarkable Legacy of a Buddhist Itinerant Doctor in Vietnam
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life 

We have an interview with the remarkable Sara Avant Stover, as well as another excerpt (The Power of Silence) from her book The Way of the Happy Woman.

We also have two excerpts from Sanaya Roman’s Living with Joy:
Self-Respect, Self-Esteem, and Self-Worth
Opening to Receive

In June, we offered:

Dreamlines: A Guided Journey through the Landscape of Dreams
Skin Spirits: The Spiritual and Magical Uses of Animal Parts
The Faeries Guide to Green Magick from the Garden
Glorious (fiction)
Slow Sex: The Path to Fulfilling & Susatinable Sexuality
Mastering Creative Anxiety: 24 Lessons for Writers, Painters, Musicians & Actors
Mean Streets Witchcraft
The Big Little Book of Magick
The Witch’s Heart: The Magick of Perfect Love and Perfect Trust
Wall Street & Witchcraft
Moonrise: the power of women leading from the heart
Opened on October 31, 2006 with just over 200 reviews, Facing North is — first and foremost — a community resource. We closed out 2006 with more than double our opening number of reviews (500+). Although we slowed our growth, 2007 ended with our database at more than 600 records, 2008 saw us at 900 and we edged over 1,000 by the end of 2009. We are committed to creating a practical site with honest opinions that are fair, even when critical.

I just updated Facing North to include a great mix of offerings, a little of this and that for everyone.

An Ye Harm None: Magical Morality and Modern Ethics
Aradia: Gospel of the Witches
Astrology of the Moon
Bird Cards: The Healing Powers of the Bird Kingdom
Defense Against the Dark
Goddesses for Every Day
Gods of the Runes: Divine Shapers of Fate
King Solomon Oracle Cards
The Tarot Game
Tarot of the Sidhe
Tarot Spreads & Layouts: A Users Manual

We also have an event review of Paganicon — the first annual event!

We are now on Facebook! Just search for Facing North and ‘friend’ us for previews, news about updates, and (eventually) giveaways.

As a new feature, not only do we ‘advertise’ upcoming events (see April’s update for examples) , we welcome event reviews after the fact. Pictures are great to include (make sure people being photographed have given permission, please.) If you’d like to review an event, please just contact me directly and we’ll work out the details.

Opened on October 31, 2006 with just over 200 reviews, Facing North is — first and foremost — a community resource. We closed out 2006 with more than double our opening number of reviews (500+) . Although we slowed our growth, 2007 ended with our database at more than 600 records, 2008 saw us at 900 and we edged over 1, 000 by the end of 2009. We are committed to creating a practical site with honest opinions that are fair, even when critical.

Considering we just had hail the other day, and woke up to frost on the ground, its not feeling much like Spring. But we here at Facing North are happy to huddle up and read the latest, then write about it for you!

This month we have reviews of:
The Judgments of the Nativities
Low Magick: Its all In Your Head . . . You Just Don’t Know How Big Your Head Is
The Lightworkers Circle Guide: A Workbook for Spiritual Groups
The Comfort of Apples: Modern Recipes for an Old-Fashioned Favorite
The Force of Kindness: Change Your Life With Love and Compassion
365 Prescriptions for the Soul: Daily Messages of Inspiration, Hope and Love
For Seven Lifetimes: An East-West Journey to a Spiritually Fulfilling and Sustainable Marriage
Be Blessed: Daily Devotions for Busy Wiccans and Pagans
The Three Rays of Witchcraft: Power, Love, and Wisdom in the Garden of the Gods
Wicca for One

We also have two notices of upcoming events:
Aquarian Organization of Astrologers: Cross-Cultural Studies with Dr. Dennis Harness
10th Annual Pagan Festival in Berkeley, CA

Finally, we have an article and an interview with Eric Maisel, author of the incredibly interesting Mastering Creative Anxiety. (Review coming next month.)

Spring is just around the corner, and we’ve got a new batch of items reviewed for you. (Clicking on a title will take you directly to the review.)

A Writer’s Book of Days
Wheel of Initiation: Practices for Releasing Your Inner Light
The Weiser Field Guide to Witches
Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound
The Tifany Aching Books by Terry Pratchett
Carmen Astrologicum
Glad No Matter What
Happiness from the Inside Out
Almanac of the Infamous, the Incredible, and the Ignored
Finding Eleusis in Chicago — A New Staging of the Myth of Demeter and Persephone

The last item is a review from our newest reviewer, Paul Rucker. Paul has been making art from personal visionary encounters with the Gods and the realm of Spirit from a very early age. His work has been seen all over the USA in galleries, festivals, shops, and private altars and shrines.

Stop by and see what he has to say, and catch up on our latest reviews!

We have a great lineup of reviews this month.

Several fiction items:
How to Knit a Heart Back Home — which will debut in March
Halfway Hexed

A bunch of Megalithica/Immanion Press titles:
Mastering the Art of Ritual Magick, volumes 1, 2 and 3
Women’s Voices In Magic
Space/ Time Magic
Quantum Sorcery

And a variety of tarot-related items by our newest reviewer, Rev. John Marani, Jr.
Hallmark Tarot
Imperial Dragon Oracle Deck
Tarot 101: Mastering the Art of Reading the Cards
Tarot Dynamics

I highly recommend John’s article: “Turning Off the Faucet: Setting Boundaries for Clients, Relatives, and Friends in Tarot Readings.” It is a must-read for anyone who provides occult services (not just tarot!) to others.

Rev. John Marani, Jr., has been studying the tarot since 1989, and began his professional tarot practice in 2005. He is a Certified Tarot Consultant from the Tarot Certification Board of America, a member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) , and a regular article contributor to the ATA Quarterly Journal. John studies Witchcraft with Tradition of the Witches Circle (TWC) in Occoquan, VA, with its Head High Priestess and founder, Rev. Samantha Harvey. He is the Head High Priest in Training and the Priest of Tarot for the TWC, and teaches astrology, Reiki, and tarot classes at 13 Magickal Moons of Occoquan, VA, where he also regularly reads tarot and does astrology consultations. John is an ordained Minister with the Ministry of Light Interfaith Church in Occoquan, VA. In his spare time, John is a Dungeon Master, and die-hard computer and console gamer.

Finally, we are featuring an excellent article from a new author, Lewis Richmond, “We Age From Our First Breath, ” author of the forthcoming Aging as a Spiritual Practice: A Contemplative Guide to Growing Older and Wiser.

Check it out!

Facing North, one of the largest collections of reviews about item of interest to the Pagan/ Alternative Spirituality  community has released its October reviews.

This month we are debuting a brand new review section devoted to tarot books and decks. Spearheaded by Elizabeth Hazel, editor of ATA Quarterly, this collection is starting small but growing quickly.

Added to our older reviews, are
The Deviant Moon Tarot
The Shadowscape Tarot — two reviews and twice the artwork!
Brotherhood of Light Egyptian Tarot
Medievel Traumzit
Roots of Asia Tarot
Paulina Tarot
Legacy of the Divine Tarot
The Fantod Pack (Edward Gorey’s tarot)
The Rumi Tarot
The Pamela Colman Smith Commemerative Set

Along with the new section, we have our usual eclectic offerings:
Dreamgates: Exploring the Worlds of Soul, Imagination, and Life Beyond Death
Smoky & the Feast of Mabon — a children’s book.
Temples of Light: An Initiatory Journey into the Heart of the Egyptian Mysteries
Holy Smoke: Loose Herbs and Hot Embers for INTENSE Group Smudges and smoke Prayers
Runes; Theory & Practice
Arbatel: Concerning the Magic of the Ancients
Lodestone & Lady’s Mantle items — gorgeously magickal items for ritual work

Last month, we reviewed:
Housekeeping for the Soul
Daughters of the Witching Hill
Ariel & Electra: A Wyrding Lunation in 39 Parts
Healing Into Possibility: THe Transformational Lessons of a Stroke
Kick Ass Creativity
What to Do When You Can’t Decide
Hanuman: the Devotion and Power of the Monkey God
The Weiser Field Guide to Cryptozoology
Words of Power: Transform Your Life

As well as a number of music reviews.

All in all, as we finish our fourth year I am very proud of our work. We continue to add at least 10 reviews each month, all of which are honest and opinionated. The items we review vary and all are specific to this diverse community.