Llewellyn Publications's Blog, page 2

Congratulations to our 2025 COVR Award-winning titles!

The Circle Is Podcast by Mat Auryn and Rachel True (Silver: Podcasts; People’s Choice Audio/Visual Product) Art & Soul , by Autumn Skye (Gold: Art Books) Glamstrology , by Michael Herkes (Gold: Astrology Books) Llewellyn’s Witch’s Sun Sign Series , by Ivo Dominguez, Jr. and others (Bronze: Book Series) The Path of Light , by Toni Carmine Salerno (Gold: Journals) Activate Your Psychic Abilities , by Paul Fenton-Smith (Gold: Psychic Development Books; Book of the Year) The Psychic Art of Tarot , by Mat Auryn (Gold: Tarot Books) Houseplant HortOCCULTure , by Devin Hunter (Bronze: Witchcraft & Magick Books) Bee Tarot , by Kristoffer Hughes and Nadia Turner (Gold: Tarot Decks; People’s Choice Product; Industry Choice Product) Good Fortune Tarot , by Barbara Moore & Jessica Roux (Silver: Tarot Decks)

 

Founded in 1996, the Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) is an organization formed by a unique group of businesses that deal in “Visionary Resources,” and who work with and support each other as independent retailers, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and publishers of visionary books, music, and merchandise.

Winners were selected by a process of both judging and reader voting and were announced during the COVR Visionary Awards Event on June 6.

 

We are proud to bring our readers our annual tarot catalog! Discover the newest in tarot offerings from Llewellyn, Lo Scarabeo, and Blue Angel, plus get free shipping on US orders over $35 and 20% savings when you order online with the promo code TAROT25! Hurry, savings good through 8/1/25! (Note that you must be logged in to your www.Llewellyn.com account for coupon to apply to cart; not valid on current sale items, with other discounts, or on previously placed orders.)

 

LlewellynCon 2025: June 11 – 20
Join us for our sixth annual LlewellynCon: a free, virtual event with 10 days of presentations and Q&As with some of your favorite authors. Visit our main event page to view the full schedule of author presentations and sign up for giveaways, and then head over to our Crowdcast page to register for the live presentations!

All presentations will be recorded and available on-demand in case you miss one or would like to re-watch.

 

Vote now for your favorite Llewellyn titles for 2025 COVR Awards!

The Circle Is Podcast by Mat Auryn and Rachel True (Podcasts) Art & Soul , by Autumn Skye (Art Books) Glamstrology , by Michael Herkes (Astrology Books) Llewellyn’s Witch’s Sun Sign Series , by Ivo Dominguez, Jr. and others (Book Series) The Path of Light , by Toni Carmine Salerno (Journals) The Seed of Dreams , by Chip Richardson (Personal Growth & Self-Help) Activate Your Psychic Abilities , by Paul Fenton-Smith (Psychic Development Books) The Psychic Art of Tarot , by Mat Auryn (Tarot Books) Houseplant HortOCCULTure , by Devin Hunter (Witchcraft & Magick Books) The Light Code Apothecary , by Izzy Ivy (Oracle Card Decks) The Golden Keys of Gaia , by Vanessa Tait and Hannah Adamaszek (Oracle Card Decks) Nova Witch Tarot , by Ana Novaes (Tarot Decks) Bee Tarot , by Kristoffer Hughes and Nadia Turner (Tarot Decks) Good Fortune Tarot , by Barbara Moore & Jessica Roux (Tarot Decks) Zoologica: The Steampunk Oracle , by Maxine Gadd and Leela Williams (Wisdom Card Decks)

 

Founded in 1996, the Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) is an organization formed by a unique group of businesses that deal in “Visionary Resources,” and who work with and support each other as independent retailers, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and publishers of visionary books, music, and merchandise.

Winners are selected by a process of both judging and reader voting. Sovote away, and select your favorite titles! Winners will be announced during the COVR Visionary Awards Event in June.

Voting is now open for the 2024 World Divination Association Awards!
The World Divination Association teaches and supports diviners internationally with leading experts in their divination field. Voting is now open for their 2024 Awards, which is 100% up to the public to decide! Voting will close on September 30, and winners will be announced during their award ceremony on October 19, 2024.

Nominees include:
BEST LENORMAND READER 2024:

Caitlin MatthewsJenna MatlinRana GeorgeT. Susan Chang

BEST TAROT READER 2024:

Courtney WeberJen SankeyMichelle WelchT. Susan ChangTheresa Reed

BEST KIPPER CARD READER 2024:

T. Susan ChangThomas Witholt

BEST CLASSIC CARTOMANCY READER 2024:

Caitlin MatthewsMary K. Greer

BEST LA VERA SIBILLA READER 2024:

Caitlin Matthews

BEST ALL ROUND DIVINER 2024:

Benebell WenEthony DawnJen SankeyMichelle WelchT. Susan ChangTheresa Reed

BEST MEDIUM 2024:

Danielle DionneJen SankeyMichelle WelchRob & Nonie Dougals

:BEST DIVINATION/SPIRITUAL BOOK RELEASE 2024:

Tarot Grimoire , by Ethony DawnThe Psychic Art of Tarot, by Mat Auryn

BEST DIVINATION PUBLISHER 2024:

Llewellyn

DIVINATION TEACHER OF THE YEAR 2024:

Benebell WenRana GeorgeSasha GrahamT. Susan Chang

BEST WORLD DIVINATION TEACHER OF THE YEAR:

Jen Sankey

Visit their website to cast your vote for this year’s winners!

Congratulations to An Apostate’s Guide to Witchcraft author Moss Matthey, winner of a 2024 Kindred Spirit Award!

Kindred Spirit is the UK’s leading guide to all things mind, body and spirit. Each year, they celebrate the people who make a positive difference in our lives, including your favorite MBS role models, pioneers and luminaries!

Kindred Spirit has come up with the names of deserving individuals and organizations who have had an impact in a meaningful way on our lives and those of others over the past year.

The nominees for the Kindred Spirit Awards 2024 have were announced in their Spring issue, including Llewellyn author Moss Mathey in the Rising Star category! Winners of this year’s awards were announced in the Autumn issue of Kindred Spirit, which went on sale August 23, 2024. You can visit Kindred Spirit’s website to view the complete list of 2024 winners.

Congratulations, Moss!

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Deborah Blake, author of several books, including Llewellyn’s Little Book of Witchcraft and the new Llewellyn’s Little Book of Spellcraft.

If you ask most witches if they use spells, they will probably say, “Of course!” For most of us, it is simply a part of The Craft we learned once we decided to follow that path, whether from books, or other witches, or perhaps a coven leader. But for those people who don’t know much about the practice of Witchcraft, casting spells can seem scary or confusing or even silly.

We know that spells aren’t any of those, but it can be hard to explain to others exactly what they actually are. Most of us may not have given it much thought, other than to accept them as a component of the magic that is so integral to Witchcraft.

When someone asks me what a spell is, my answer might vary a bit, depending on who is asking and why, but in general, I usually say that it is much like a prayer (something more people are familiar and comfortable with). When we cast a spell, we are essentially sending a request out into the universe, to God and Goddess or whatever power it is we call upon.

We start with an intention (our goal, whatever that is), and then focus our energy (sometimes aided by tools such as candles, crystals, herbs and the like, which help to hone that focus), so that we can send the force of our will out using the words of our spell. Most spells are words, whether written or spoken or both, which are specifically aimed at achieving that combination of goal, focus, and will when we use them.

Another thing non-witches, or those new to The Craft, ask me often is, “Do spells really work?” To which I answer, “Absolutely.” But then I often add, “Some of the time, under the right circumstances.” After all, not all prayers are answered, and sometimes when they are, the answer is “no,” but there have been plenty of times when I have used a spell and it clearly did what I wanted it to, even if the end result took longer than I expected, or showed up in a form that was different from what I had in mind.

Spells are a powerful tool, because they really can work. You want to use them cautiously, and only when they are really needed (after all, there are plenty of problems that can be solved by simple mundane approaches). But they are also a wonderful way to tap into the power of magic that almost every Witch I know believes in, and create positive change in our lives. If you have been dealing with something that hasn’t responded to all your best efforts, maybe it is time to cast a spell!

Our thanks to Deborah for her guest post! For more from Deborah Blake, read her article “How and Why to Create Your Own Spellbook.”

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Lilith Dorsey, author of Water Magic and the new Tarot Every Witch Way.

Writing a book about tarot makes you think a lot about the cards. The in and outs and upside downs of each energy, each image, dance through your heart and mind. Part of the process was thinking which cards were my favorite, which ones I always smile when I see. For me this is the High Priestess. I love her so much I decided to write her a poem telling her how I feel.

The High Priestess Just Is
The high priestess is a goddess Isis,
Her sacred reach spans the lofty heavens.

The high priestess is a goddess Astarte,
Her sacred sensuality is the stuff of legend.

The high priestess is a goddess Artemis,
Feral Huntress of the wild.

The high priestess is a goddess Lilith,
Queen of the night who’s love is unleashed in the darkest child.

The high priestess is a goddess Mary Magdalene,
Healing with her unabashed sexuality.

The high priestess is a goddess Pope Joan,
Sacred in her gender-less chastity.

The high priestess is a goddess Santa Muerte,
Death’s dark and bony mistress.

The high priestess is a goddess Sofia,
Who doles out wisdom’s powerful kiss.

The high priestess is a goddess Kali,
Filled with passion and exquisite wrath.

The high priestess is a goddess Persephone,
The underworld was on her per-scripted path.

The high priestess is a goddess Miriam,
In the Bible singing, dancing, and playing the drum.

The high priestess is a goddess Marie Laveau,
New Orleans own Voodoo Queen whose ancestral time has come.

The High Priestess exists behind a veil,
A translucent and silver curtain embroidered with deep burgundy pomegranates.
Where will it take you when you push it to the side,
really feel the weight of it because there’s nothing left to hide.
She gently carries you to a place like nowhere you have been before.
Pack all your hopes and de-stressed dreams, as high magick is in store.

Before you is a study in opposites, in balance, in duality in its greatest form, feel the differences …explore the similarities because the High Priestess just is.

I love the High Priestess in you
I love the High Priestess in me
All the powerful goddesses are here to salute what can and will be.

Our thanks to Lilith for their guest post! For more from Lilith Dorsey, read their article, “How to Create a Full Moon Tarot Altar Every Witch Way.”

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Courtney Weber, author of the new Sacred Tears.

After my first miscarriage, I blogged about the loss as a way of being “real” with people in our community, while also trying to de-stigmatize a sad, but natural process. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. A few days later, I received an email with an unsolicited Tarot reading about my loss from someone I barely knew. First of all, I hadn’t wanted a Tarot reading on it. Second, I’m an avid Tarot reader, I know nasty cards when I see them. Although the sender tried to put a positive spin on the reading, their well-intentioned action added a thick layer of gloom to my already painful situation.

Naturally, we want to help our grieving loved ones. Below are a few ways all people can help those in grief, and things to avoid.

Reach out, but not too much.
Grief can make picking up a phone or opening a messenger window feel hard, if not impossible. The onus is on others to reach out to them. Call your grieving loved one. They may not pick up, but seeing your name on the screen lets them know you are there. Texting is a true gift to the grieving process. It’s less invasive and seeing a message like, “Thinking of you” can be comforting.

Don’t say: “Let me know if you need anything.”
This puts more work on the grieving person. Plus, they may not know what they need, and will be unlikely to take you up on your offer. Instead, make suggestions such as: “I’m going to the grocery store. What do you need that I can pick up?” or even, “Are there any annoying people you need me to help keep at bay?”

Don’t take their grief on as your own.
It is hard to see our loved ones suffer, but attempting to grieve with them at the same level does nothing to take away their own pain and may even put them in the position of feeling the need to comfort you. Listen, but let go.

Be careful with clichéd phrases.
Sentiments such as, “Everything happens for a reason” and, “Time heals all wounds,” etc., are well-meant, but they minimize a grieving person’s suffering and easily makes it worse.

Things Witches should not do:
Do not send a grieving person an unsolicited divinatory reading.
Hence, my story above! Such things require consent. If you really want to do a reading for the grieving person, ask their permission first.

Don’t deliver messages from the departed, unless the grieving person has specifically said they want these messages.
I’ll admit it: I’ve been guilty of this. I didn’t realize how painful it was until I was on the receiving end of it. Plus, the “messages” have never been accurate. Many Witches are natural fixers, but by being mindful about certain things, we can help those we love as they grieve.

Our thanks to Courtney for her guest post! For more from Courtney Weber, read her article, “A Ritual for Closure (When Closure Can’t Be Found).”

Vote now for your favorite Llewellyn books and decks in the 2024 CARTA Awards from the International Tarot Foundation!

Best Tarot Deck

Tarot of the Vampires, by Craig Maher and Charles Harrington
Yuletide Tarot, by Kristoffer Hughes and Erin O’Leary Brown

 

Best Oracle Deck

The River, by Nick Bantock

Aspiring Debut Artist

Yuletide Tarot, with art by Erin O’Leary Brown

 

Aspiring Debut Author

Your Tarot Toolkit, by Ru-Lee Story

 

Outstanding Artistic Achievement

Tarot of the Witch’s Garden, with art by Natasa Ilincic

 

 

 

Best Guidebook Accompanying a Deck

Tarot of the Witch’s Garden, with guidebook written by Sasha Graham
Yuletide Tarot, with guidebook written by Kristoffer Hughes

 

 

Best Tarot Book (Independent of a Tarot Deck)

Tarot in Love, by Elliot Adam
The Living Tarot, by T. Susan Chang

The International Tarot Foundation (ITF) was founded with a clear desire to want to make a positive difference in the Tarot community. The CARTA awards, which is their yearly cartomancy awards, allow the opportunity to show appreciation to the art and the creativity that we as readers enjoy with our decks.

Winners are selected by a process of public voting. So vote away, and select your favorite titles!