Ellen Dugan (1) (1963–)

Another beautiful deck from the wife's collection. Again, the art is the main attraction, but the book does tie the tarot to it's theme (Wicca) very well, and the author is clearly a long time user of tarot cards for divination. The only minor flaw is the lack of a history of either the cards or the theme in the book - but if you're looking at decks like this you probably already know a great deal about both. More gorgeous artwork, please!

If you're a teen interested in Wicca or nature, you won't want to skip this book. This book provides an excellent introduction to the Craft, chockfull of information presented in such a way as to avoid being overwhelming. The tone is personal and humorous, with stories and speech directed to the user to lighten the mood or enforce a concept. Worksheets and a practice test help to drive lessons home. Chapters devoted to the elements begin with a brief description of the properties, go into show more detail, and end with a visualization that puts the knowledge into practice. Appendices at the end list important properties and provide a quick and easy referral. Exercises give ideas that excite the reader with possibilities for practical usage, making the learning truly interesting. Never pedantic or dry, this is an excellent, engaging text for all beginners to Wicca. show less

A lot of Ellen Dugan’s magick is done with plant materials, and she tries to grow a lot of it. Most people think of herbs when they think of magickal plants, but in this volume, she writes points out how many plants that frequently aren’t considered magickal can be used; trees, perennials, even groundcovers. She presents many lists of correspondences: flower colors, planetary, days of the week, and gods & goddesses as they related to the plants, allowing you to match the plant to the show more intent of your spell. She tells you how the moon relates to planting, and about the Victorian language of flowers. There is a section on crafting with plants, using them in seasonal celebrations, and, finally, how to set up a sacred space in your garden.

It’s a very useful garden book for the beginning garden/hedge witch. Dugan writes in a style that makes even a list of facts into a fast, easy read. show less

Secret of the Rose is the second book in the Legacy of Magick series by Ellen Dugan. We pick back up with Autumn and the search for the Blood Moon Grimoire. There is (another) ghost haunting the Bishop family manor, someone is after teenage girls in the town and things are heating up with Autumn’s love interest, Duncan. Family secrets emerge which could split the family apart as they try to come together to learn the secrets of the Blood Moon Grimoire.

The Lovely: This book was an show more improvement over the the first book of the series as the romace was more realistic. The sub-plot with the incidents happening to the teenage girls was actually my favorite. The twist at the end was unexpected and gut-wrenching.

The Mundane: Again, even pace, even characters. In some ways, this book just chugged along.

The Dreadful: Again, Autumn just does not come across as a 24 (now 25?) year old. She seems almost as immature as her teenage cousins and does not learn from her own actions.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Recommendation: Again, another quick read (or in my case, an audiobook). Much like the first book, it still reads more like a YA book and I didn’t connect to any of the characters. Even four months later I haven’t gotten past the first chapter of the next book of the series, although I do plan to at some point. show less