Copper Moon E-zine

Review: Shamanism for Beginners

by by James Endredy
Reviewed by SteelWitch

Shamanism for Beginners is a new book by well-traveled shaman James Endredy which starts with a misleading title and never really gets off the ground. I picked this book up out of a desire to learn more about the practical aspects of shamanism—there is a huge amount of overlap between shamanic practices and witchcraft, after all. While it is full of interesting shamanic anecdotes from the author's own life as well as the lives of other shamans across the globe, it doesn't ever get around to the practical business of teaching. It's a hard book to review because of this. How do you score a book which, while interesting, isn't what it says it is on the cover?

Jack-o-lantern Protection Spell

by Steel Witch

"Look on my Angry Face, ye Mighty, and despair!" 

Samhain is right around the corner and pumpkins are starting to show up in supermarkets.  It is a Halloween tradition in the US to hollow out pumpkins and make them into angry-faced lanterns by carving faces in them and placing candles in their innards.

With Samhain approaching it is a good idea to add a little more protection to the household as the veil starts to thin and spirits come out to play.  I've created a spell  using this popular craft as a base—a simple ward to keep away what spirits might wander by during the Samhain season.  

The Spell: Dead Gourd Ward; or, Mr. Angry Face

This spell creates a frightening ward to scare off meandering harmful spirits during the Samhain season.

A Good Teacher, From a Student’s Perspective

by Ryan Smith

A major concern among young Pagans I’ve seen, and experienced myself, is of finding a good teacher to help guide them on their path. As I have found the fun part is finding a teacher who both knows what they are doing 
and are genuinely in it for the sake of passing on knowledge to the next generation. There can be a lot of trial and error in finding someone who is right for you. Without a clear idea of what to look for this process can lead the intent seeker into a lot of blind alleys or to people who are a bit unscrupulous. For those who have the good fortune to be learning at the feet of someone who only needs to introduce themselves by name and everyone knows who they are get everything you possibly can out of it! For those who do not have that good fortune I’d just like to share some of my opinions based on my experience on what I think makes for a good teacher and what doesn’t so that hopefully you can avoid some serious pitfalls that can emerge on the path.

First we’ll start with something that may surprise a lot of people and sound superficial. How does the prospective teacher present themselves? This probably sounds very superficial to even consider this but there is a degree of truth that first impressions do matter, both how you appear on other people and how other people come across to you. How someone behaves can tell you a lot about the person.