Snows of Kilimanjaro

Snows of Kilimanjaro
by Medwyn Goodall
New World Music

Sit back and relax for a good cause. Except for half a minute on the first and last tracks, “Snows of Kilimanjaro” is about as African as bagels and lox. It may not be African, but it is soothing: Medwyn Goodall, who has been at the forefront of New Age music since the early 1990's, turns in a solid performance on this CD, sales of which benefit the Duchess of York’s charity Children in Crisis (www.childrenincrisis.org.uk) a group that helps children in some of the world’s most dangerous countries.

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Kalevala: Dream of the Salmon Maiden

Kalevala:  
Dream of the Salmon Maiden  
by Ruth MacKenzie
Omnium

“Whatthehellisthat?” is what my neighbors were probably thinking as Ruth MacKenzie let loose with a high-pitched earthy scream on her opening track, accompanied by the heady thump-thump-thump of drumbeats and a wicked set of Great pipes.

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A Universe to Come

A Universe to Come
by Tulku
New Earth Records

 

This is an album of beguiling trance music that draws on a variety of ethnic sources: Middle Eastern, South American Aboriginal, European, and Indian. There’s enough stylistic variation on the CD to keep you interested, while the overall trance quality relaxes your mind. You feel both uplifted and calmed.

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Wandering Witch Crosses the Delaware


Sometimes only a stone’s throw to the other side, the Delaware River,
seen here from Jersey, is a gateway to a world of natural beauty.

Wandering Witch
Crosses the Delaware
Article & Photos by Natalie Zaman

Into the Woods

Water skips over stones. Here, it trickles; there, it gushes. In some places, if I’m careful, I can cross with ease. But turn a bend, and the flow becomes wide and deep, swift and dangerous. This is the Delaware River. I’ve traveled its waters by foot and raft, boat and barge, but I’ve come to know it more as a gateway than a means of transport. Whenever I feel world-weary, when I need to refresh my connection to the divine, or wish to escape, I come to the river and let it be my guide. When I pass through or over its waters, I enter another world, a green and magical place.

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Witchcrafting: A Spiritual Guide to Making Magic

Witchcrafting:  
A Spiritual Guide to Making Magic
by Phyllis Currott
Broadway Books

 

Having recently attended Phyllis Curott’s workshops at the Starwood festival, I looked forward to the release of her second book, Witchcrafting: A Spiritual Guide to Making Magic with anticipation, and I was not disappointed. Written in the same engaging, conversational style as her first work, Book of Shadows, her second effort is a book about “Witchcraft without rules,” an interesting concept that might help Pagans think more and spout dogma less.

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