Hey Did You Know....

Magus Books was named Best Metaphysical Supply Store in Minneapolis (Minneapolis CityPages 2008).

Emporiums catering to alternative spirituality stand tall among the few remaining bastions of independent retail. Part of the reason is that few corporations have the chutzpah to launch, say, Tarot R Us or the Pentacle Depot, because they figure they'd get unwelcome attention from the religious right. Plus, succeeding in the industry requires a passion for more than the bottom line. (Have any of Target's corporate buyers ever smelled the yucko incense they sell?) Hence, the biz usually defaults to neighborhood operations, of which the metro has a plethora. Eastern Uptown's Present Moment, western Uptown's Stonehenge, Lyn-Lake's Eye of Horus, St. Paul's Evenstar, and at least half a dozen similar establishments cater to their clientele's needs, offering books, herbs, crystals, candles, and whatnot, along with healing services, readings, and classes in everything from astrology to Zen.  But even in otherworldly affairs, size sometimes matters—which is where Magus comes in.

The Dinkytown institution's vast subterranean chambers harbor the Upper Midwest's biggest, most eclectic occult book inventory, often venturing boldly into realms other local purveyors don't dare enter. Want to learn how to conjure H.P. Lovecraft's horrific critters? You're sure? Store owner Roger Williamson, a respected occultist, author, and artist with eight books and a new Tarot deck to his credit—or one of his comparably educated minions—will gladly guide you to Asnath Mason's Necronomicon Gnosis ($28), distributed in the U.S. exclusively by Magus. But the well-organized bookcases hold tomes galore for vanilla tastes, too. Even Christianity gets ample shelf space! Factor in a schedule packed with readings, classes, and all kinds of healing options, along with an incomparable selection of candles (including the hard-to-find penis-shaped variety, available in red or black for $6.50), incense, jewelry, statuary, crystals, wands, bulk herbs—gear for just about any kind of ritual, really—and you get the closest thing to a supernatural superstore on either side of the Mississippi. Or, for that matter, the Nile.

MINNEAPOLIS CITYPAGES 2008

Learn More About Magus

The mission of Magus Books as a retailer is to help individuals explore themselves and their relationship to the universe around them.

We feel that such an exploration might take place in a number of different but related fields such as Spirituality, Health, Religion, Philosophy and many others. Because of this our product selection is quite wide and diverse.

While most of our products are books, we also try to be a "One Stop Shop" for every path and tradition we serve. To this end, we carry Ritual Tools, Incense, Candles and a wide range of Herbal Products in addition to books.

Magus also works hard to be knowledgeable about all of the paths we serve. We don't just sell product, we help you find the products you are looking for. Never hesitate to ask us for help if you are having problems finding what you are looking for.

Our catalog is expanding all of the time. We expand by responding to our customers' needs. If there is something that you are looking for and not finding on our site, or even if there is a product that you would like to see, please drop us a line and let us know at Support@MagusBooks.com.

Lightworkers, Starseeds, Galactic Beings, Walkins.......Our Purpose?

We all relate to one or all of these words, labels, or titles. Connecting to these titles can create separation but the purpose is for understanding our multi-dimensional selves at a new level. When we are searching for answers, they come to us like pieces of a puzzle. These single pieces never define us. Learning of past lives or who we are on a multi-dimensional level is for bringing pieces of wisdom to our life now. Learning different aspects of our being brings us back to our true essence so we can free ourselves from limiting patterns, beliefs, and polarized energies and or claim our Divine self. We all carry DNA codes from other planets and star systems. We have come at this time to reconnect in this experience of life with these aspects of self, to facilitate our evolutionary process and then to assist others. As our awareness grows, new levels of code activations from our Galactic being become reintegrated and reveal to us our purposeful mission we have come to fulfill.

The process of awakening our soul is truly what is behind what we call our awakening. Our spiritual growth leads us to the realization of our Galactic energies we are bringing here to creatively anchor and express for humanity and Gaia at this time. Our job now is to raise our frequency to be able to anchor these energies here on earth. Energy frequency is a measure of wave oscillations per second (hertz). When the oscillation rate increases, the frequency becomes higher. The higher our energy frequency becomes, the more connected to our higher awareness, intuition, clairvoyance and spiritual gifts (Zen Buddhist monks routinely vibrate at 40+Hz-pure enlightenment). The raising of our vibration is happening with the influences of the energies here now. There are ways to assist in our own process. Working on our ego/shadow is essential for frequency to change. It is not about perfection but there are certain vibration changes that have to happen for us to move into these frequencies.

Our individual Ascension is a journey back to remembering who we have always been. This journey at times can be quite challenging yet blissful. Returning to the original point of creation within ourselves brings us back to our expression of our Multi-dimensional SELF. This is our ultimate goal of Ascension. Our Ascended self being in unity with our human self.

Now is the time to embrace our uniqueness and bring forward our gifts for our evolution, humanity and Gaia. Our gifts are going to come to us through art, music, words, the list is endless. They are an effortless aspect of ourselves that come through with ease.

LESLEE NELSON

Thor - Putting the Hammer Down

With the recent turn in weather, it seems an appropriate time to talk about my personal favorite Norse deity, Thor, god of thunder and lightning. He's been enjoying an upswing in popularity lately, thanks to Marvel Studios' excellent comic book movies, but there's still a lot more to learn about this surprisingly complex figure.

First, while Thor is the son of Odin, Frigga, Odin's wife, is not his mother (in some myths). Even for the son of Odin, Thor was immensely powerful. His strength grew so rapidly it astounded the other Asgard, but his temper grew equally quickly. Thor was known to fly into terrible rages, and his immense power made an enraged Thor incredibly dangerous. Unable to control his temper, Thor was sent to foster parents, Vingnir and Hlora, who found ways to help him control his anger. Even with his rage in check, however, Thor could still be provoked to terrible wrath, and he was so powerful even just being in his presence could be dangerous. Thor was the only Asgard who was not allowed to cross the Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge that connected Asgard to other places, for fear that the thunder of his footsteps and the heat of his lightning would destroy it.

As powerful as Thor is, his weapon of choice is more frightening still. The mighty hammer Mijolnir was so potent even Thor needed special gauntlets, Iarn-Grieper or Iron-Gripper, to hold it safely. And when Thor and his hammer's powers were further multiplied by a belt that doubled his strength, there wasn't much in the Nine Realms that could stand against him.

Thor's adventures mainly consisted of fighting the Frost Giants, evil beings of cold who represented the cruel, killing forces of winter. Thor would sally forth to do battle with them, hurling his mighty hammer. The thunderstorm is the sign of his battle, the loud crack and bright flash his hammer striking home, the rain the bodies of his shattered foes falling to Earth. Despite the terrible destruction a thunderstorm can unleash, there's no hint that the Norse people regarded them or their presumed cause as a negative. It seems to me that those times a thunderstorm did do harm to those below was regarded as unfortunate collateral damage in a war waged on our behalf, not the sign of an angry god's wrath with people who have displeased him.

Thor was ever seen as a protector and friend of humanity, and in many places his popularity eclipsed Odin's, with some even proclaiming Thor the true king of the gods. Despite his readiness and even eagerness for battle, Thor was no dumb brute. In one story, a dwarf came to Asgard seeking Thor's daughter's hand in marriage. Thor was away, but the other Asgard entertained their guest, fully expecting Thor to flatten the poor fool when he returned. Instead, Thor challenged the dwarf to prove his worthiness as a suitor, and engaged the dwarf in a test of wits and intellect that lasted all night. When the sun rose, the dwarf, as dwarves of Norse myth do, turned to stone, having been too preoccupied with proving his worth to avoid the sun's deadly rays. Now, one might think Thor was tricking the poor dwarf, and in a way, he was. But isn't is also a test of intellectual worthiness to be aware of danger, and safeguard yourself from it?

ERIK BJELKE

Magus Books Three Year Herbalism Program

Our three-year Herbalism Program begins this September. The program can tailored to your needs....casual learning OR earning a Certificate in Art and Practice in Western Herbalism (final test required). No pre-requisites are required for individual classes. Take all of them or simply stop in for the classes that fit your schedule.

Our three year program covers herbalism from A to Z, simple remedies to compounds, healing theory to diagnosis. Classes run September through May, over three years.

Sign up for the year’s classes (9 months) and receive a 10% discount! $674/year

OR

$607.50 with the 10% discount.

Classes offered evenings as well as daylong Saturday seminars.

For more information, contact Magus at (612) 379-7669.

The Fool: The Heart of the Tarot

When you view the Tarot as a whole you have two distinct parts: the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana.  The Major Arcana is a set of 22 cards numbered from 0 to 21.  The Fool is the 0 card.  It stands alone and apart from the other cards of the Major Arcana.  The Minor Arcana consists of four suits that run from Ace to King and is probably the origin of our regular playing cards with which we play solitaire, bridge and poker. 

One way to look at the Tarot is that the deck represents the Fool’s journey through life.  Each card is an event, person or set of circumstances the Fool encounters.  So who and or what is the Fool and what sets that card apart?

In most decks The Fool is pictured as a jolly young fellow walking along with his staff on his shoulder and his little dog at his feet.  He seems unaware that he is just about to step off the edge of a cliff; a foolish act indeed!  So what does The Fool mean?  The Fool is everyone, anyone, the subject of whatever reading is in progress.   When I look at The Fool I see the exuberance of youth, the beginning of life’s journey when all things are possible. 

Every Tarot reader develops their own way of looking at and interpreting each card so what follows here is how I see The Fool.  When The Fool lands upright in a spread it says to me that the person I’m reading for can move forward with trust that they will be treated fairly even when they act out of innocence and naivety.  When it lands upside down it is a warning to look carefully before you leap.  It means the subject of the reading is vulnerable to being taken advantage of by unscrupulous people they encounter on their personal journey. 

If The Fool lands in the position of the immediate future right side up I would say it’s a sign to move forward with enthusiasm knowing the universe is kind and you will be protected.  If it falls reversed I would warn the client to read all contracts carefully and count their change before walking away from the cash register!

Things to contemplate about The Fool

What life journey does this card represent for you? What are the "road hazards" you need to watch out for? What exciting "sights" do you hope to see along the way? What will you carry in your "bundle" as you hit the road? Are you too trusting or perhaps not trusting enough?

 

CAROL WATSON

Carol Watson has been reading Tarot for over 40 years.  She can be found at the readers table at Magus most Saturdays from 11AM to 6PM.

Healing With the Akashic Records

As we progress through this lifetime, it may become apparent to some of us that we have some personal issues that we would like to work on, or to finally resolve. Many of us who desire to move forward have tried numerous methods to move forward, all of which have had varying degrees of success.

One way to resolve some of these issues, or to begin to resolve them, depending on the magnitude of the problem, is to have an Akashic Records reading. The Akashic Records are the etheric library that contains all information from all of our lives on Earth.  In your Akashic Record resides information that may be pulled forth to understand why you react the way you do to certain situations in this lifetime, which quite possibly stems from experiences you’ve had in previous lifetimes.

Not only does this provide clarity now, but when you are having an Akashic Records reading you are in an energy of love and non-judgment that actually can start to shift the energy and the circumstances around old issues. Energy from the Akashic Records flows to you while you are having a reading, and your perspective and the old energy actually starts to vibrate and break up. This can result in new behavior and a new outlook on an old problem!

I have experienced this in my life multiple times, and continue to go into my own Akashic Records for love and healing. It is really amazing, and I invite you to join me!

LIBBY HAFFERMAN

Super Saturday Seminars

Liz Johnson, Master Herbalist, has been practicing for more than twenty years. Please join her for a monthly Saturday Seminar covering a wide variety of topics and health issues. Each seminar is $125. The day includes discussion, hands-on learning, and lunch. Call 612-379-7669 to register and for more information.

SCHEDULE OF DATES

November 22 - Autoimmune Disorders
Autoimmune diseases are very common, affecting more than 23.5 million Americans. Our bodies have an immune system, which is a complex network of special cells and organs that defends the body from germs and other foreign invaders. At the core of the immune system is the ability to tell the difference between self and nonself: what's you and what's foreign. A flaw can make the body unable to tell the difference between self and nonself. When this happens, the body makes autoantibodies that attack normal cells by mistake. At the same time special cells called regulatory T cells fail to do their job of keeping the immune system in line. The result is a misguided attack on your own body. This causes the damage we know as autoimmune disease. Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and more will be the focus of this seminar.

December 6 - Keys to Reducing Anxiety and Stress

Have you ever had a day that just wouldn't end!  Tired of being tired?  This seminar will be an introduction to herbs that can take the edge off a rough day and help you handle tomorrow!  Join us for a cup of tea and the information that makes life seem calmer and easier to handle.

Rosehip Conserve

I have some wonderful remedies on the stove for clients and just a little time to write...and I cannot resist letting you know about the fantastic rosehip conserve I made. This is such an easy recipe to make and it took the place of syrup for my pancakes, jelly for my toast, and it tasted like it would make an amazing topping for ice cream. I started with a recipe from Healing Tonics, put together by Jeanine Pollak, and changed it from there.

ROSEHIP CONSERVE RECIPE

• 8 ounces dried seedless rosehips
• 1⁄4 cup honey
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Put the rosehips in a pot and cover with water by one inch.
   Bring this to a boil, then turn down to simmer for 30 minutes. Make sure there is enough water in the pot to keep the rosehips wet.
2. Take off the heat and let cool.
3. Press the mixture through a strainer (there are usually a few seeds hiding in there and they are very hard). Really smush it through the strainer, the fibers from the rosehips are the thickener for this conserve, so try to get as much through the sieve as possible.
4. Put the rosehips and enough of the water from the pot into a blender or food processor to blend them together.
5. In the food processor or blender mix the water and rosehip mixture with honey and cinnamon to taste (cardamom is good instead of cinnamon, too).

I also felt better when I was eating it and seemed to have more energy, too. Try this recipe when you can, it tastes fantastic and is so easy to make on a free morning.

LIZ JOHNSON

Freya - Not Just Another Pretty Face

Who is Freya? Well, depending on which iteration of Norse mythology you believe, Freya (alternately Freyja, remember that Js sound like Ys in Scandinavian languages) is the Norse goddess of love. In the "mainland" faiths, that is to say, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, et al., Freya's aspects were merged with Frigga, the Norse Mother Goddess and Odin's wife. In Iceland primarily, Freya was her own separate and distinct deity. Freya/Frigga gives her name to Fridays (Freya's Day/Frigga's Day.)

Freya has an interesting background. The Norse gods are primarily, but not exclusively, known as Aesir, hailing from the realm of Asgard. At one point, they were embroiled in a long, fruitless war with another race of gods, the Vanir of Vanaheim. Eventually, the two formed a truce, and part of keeping that truce involved some Aesir going to live in Vanaheim, and some Vanir coming to Asgard. Freya was among them, with her father, Njordd, Norse god of the sea. Now, if I say "Norse Goddess of Love" and you think "Ursula Andress in a toga in Clash of the Titans (1980's version)," well. . . not really.

For me, Aphrodite has always seemed more of a Goddess of Lust than a Goddess of Love, more interested in couples getting together than staying together. And while Freya certainly lays claim to all the romance and sexuality of a proper Goddess of Love, she's much more complex than that. Freya was Queen of the Valkyries, beautiful warrior women who went among the slain after each battle, choosing half of them to go to Valhalla, Odin's personal afterlife. The other half they took to Folkvang, Freya's personal afterlife. Freya also welcomed into Folkvang all good women, so they could be reunited with their loves after death.Another plain difference between Freya and Aphrodite reminds me of a scene from the Iliad, the epic poem about the Battle of Troy. Aphrodite has sided with the Trojans, apparently because Helen and Paris just make such a darned cute couple, and descends upon the Greek forces with all her divine fury. Ares, who of course is partial to the Spartans and their King Agamemnon, drives Aphrodite from the field by stabbing her in the hand. Aphrodite flees back to Olympus and Zeus, and the tenor of her complaint is very much along the lines of "Daddy! Ares is bein' mean to me!"

Freya is Queen of the Valkyries, who are powerful warriors in their own right. And when the going gets tough, Freya straps a breastplate and sword over her flowing white dress and sallies forth to defend Asgard with the same power and fervor as Thor, Odin, or Tyr. Would Freya beat Tyr in battle? Well, Tyr is the Norse God of War, so Warfare is pretty much is thing, but, honestly, I think that's a bit like asking if the USS Enterprise could blow up the Battlestar Galactica, of if Han Solo could beat Malcolm Reynolds in a quick-draw duel. Impossible to say and not really relevant. Suffice it to say that Freya had her warrior aspect (like pretty much all the Norse gods did, Loki included), and was not afraid to get tough with the situation called for it.

In short, I feel that not only is Freya a compelling mythological character, but also a fantastic paradigm of femininity, and in my personal opinion the most uplifting and complete one there is. She is sexual without being a sex object, tough without being domineering, cooperative without being subservient, loving without being passive.

ERIK BJELKE

Romantic Love and Your Happiness

Romantic love is not giving someone else the keys to your happiness...Rather it is using the key to your own happiness, cleaning house and making it presentable, so you can share that beauty with another.

Over the past few days I've seen a lot of stories about heartache and loneliness mostly from men so I feel the need to say something about this...Yes others can make you extremely happy, and show you emotions you didn't even realize existed...

However there is a romantic narrative in our culture that tells us we can never be complete, or feel wholeness without an ideal romantic partner. This narrative goes on to say that attaining this goal is the hero's task, usually it falls to the male protagonist to overcome the initial reluctance of the idealized woman. Perhaps because in this culture, the one place its considered ok to be vulnerable for a man is with his lover... not with his friends or at the workplace, or in public. This narrative is a false dream, and if you don't reject it you will find happiness fleeting and difficult to sustain.

The key is self-love, and gaining that is your hero's task... finding ways to love and nurture yourself in an era when everything in society is telling you that you are not enough, is truly a Herculean endeavor. Know that your task is difficult, and that it might  even be easier to fulfill the false promise of the sexual/emotional cop-out of making a lover responsible for your sense of well-being... however not only is this unfair to her and does not respect her journey... but it wont work without self-love. The only one who can fill the void is you, and when you look closely enough at the w(hole) you will see yourself smiling back at you.

I'm not saying you shouldn't find lovers or pursue relationships, by all means you should, but understand that they cannot bear a responsibility which is ultimately your own. If you have trouble imagining this simply imagine the situation is reversed, and someone is depending entirely on you for a sense of well being. Even if you truly love that person it is a huge responsibility, especially when you are trying to take care of your own life!

What if you didn't really know that person well and you felt they were making you responsible for their happiness, hanging on your every word, action, expression? What if you felt nothing for that person, and they clung to you like a lifeboat that would save them from drowning in despair. I know that for many of you who feel this loneliness that this is how you approach relationships, as the one who is drowning. I know because I have been there, and I want to tell you that there is a better way. You feel trapped by your loneliness, looking around up and down and all around for the answers your culture has told you are there, but which slip through your grasp; no matter whom you sleep with, or how good-looking you decide you’ve become. Whether you sit in loneliness at home or go out and have one-night stands, or stay with someone who is “good enough” ... but the answers to your internal state do not lie without.

All that lies without is a reflection of that which lies within. The romantic troubles you keep having, the feelings you have of being trapped by your loneliness are accurate. But you do not see the reason you have been trapped, you are trapped from without, to force you to look within.

It may seem cruel to force you to gain understanding in this way. But this kind of understanding is actually natural for us; it is the culture that pervades our existence which is cruel. It is cruel to say to someone that their right to love and happiness lies with a disinterested party whom they must convince of their worthiness. It’s cruel to preach justice and fail to serve it. It’s cruel to poison in the name of health. It’s cruel to pretend to externalize costs in a closed system. It’s cruel to preach tolerance and embody separation. It’s cruel to hoard abundance that is crying out to be shared. It’s cruel to work you, train you, bend you, break you, to serve ideas that don’t really serve anyone.

Think of this life as a crucible for your spirit. Where the pressures of such cruelties and wrong thinking prevalent in our culture force you to confront and release your impurities, burning or melting them away. For some of you, this impurity is a self-imposed loneliness, which is at a deep level, a separation from self. You don’t need to forget her, or win him back. You need to remember yourself, the deepest parts of you are cheering you on, and they want you to win yourself back!

ANDREW HAKOMAKI GRANGER