witches

Part II: Book Review: “A Sure Cure for Witchcraft” by Laura Best

Diane Book Review , , , ,

This is Part II of my postings today. The first was Pagan Traditions, Witches and Beltane. It speaks about Walpurgisnacht, a day marked in A Sure Cure for Witchcraft.

“We become the thoughts we think each day,” said Alisz, one of the main characters in A Sure Cure for Witchcraft. “So think only happy thoughts…”

There is much to love about A Sure Cure for Witchcraft by Laura Best, but this line echoes what I have believed for many years. It walks along side, “Where you place your attention is where you place your energy.”

If one believed in magic, they’d understand how powerful our thoughts are. This is stressed in the novel and can be understood in real time by the power of the placebo. Given my attraction to magic and energy and my use of it in my fantasy novels, I was interested in seeing how these would play out in Best’s story.

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Part I: Pagan Traditions, Witches and Beltane

Diane Book Review , , , , , ,

Today is a two-part day. I’ve never done this before, so let’s have a go at it. Below is the first post of the day. It will be followed three hours later (because three is a significant number) with Book Review: “A Sure Cure for Witchcraft” by Laura Best.

I’m posting the review for A Sure Cure for Witchcraft by Laura Best today because today is Walpurgisnacht, also known a Walpurgis Night and Burning of Witches. You’ll have to read the book to learn the significance.

While many sources claim information about this day, we truly don’t know when it started nor what it was all about. We have the impressions of what writers have provided over the centuries but as we know, everyone forms their own impression on an event depending on what they’ve read, people they’ve spoken to and what they’ve seen. Walpurgisnacht was so long ago, anyone who experienced the first inkling of the day is mere dust in the wind.

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A Perfect Book for the Season

Diane Authors, News Flash , , , ,

The mailman just delivered Laura Best’s newest book: A Sure Cure for Witchcraft. I bought the softcover from Chapters Indigo because I dislike reading eBooks and Amazon only sold the eBook.

Here’s the description.

Witches are hated in Württemberg, in what is now Germany, in the eighteenth century. It’s not so long since they were burned, and any woman who knows too much, who’s too clever or quick or skilled at healing, is suspect.

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Witches are Great People

Diane Lessons in Writing ,

Witches5x5Long before modern science took over medicine there were brave, knowledgeable women who healed with herbs, oils, honey and many other natural substances. In many villages they were honoured for their wisdom and respected for their ability to heal.

Then came the bad guys. Men who felt threaten by these ‘magical’ women. They began to discredit them. They slowly turned the good names of healers and green witches and everything associated with them into a wicked force.

The bad men continued their crusade to flush out the wise women in the villages and hold them up as examples of evil. The witch hunts killed many wise, knowledgeable innocent women.

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From long ago shined a light.

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The day had been pleasant. John and I had celebrated the rising of the sun with dear friends. As we made our way home from the festival, my white ceremonial gown shimmered in the fading sunlight. We walked along the wooded path in silence, occasionally stealing glances and giggling in a giddy-kinda way. The raspberry wine left us both with a care-free spirit.

John reached over and stole a kiss and I snuggled into his side. The dry leaves uncovered from the snow by the heat of the sun rustled beneath my leather shoes. The air was crisp and cooling and by nightfall, the warmth near the hearth would be beckoning.

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