With this month's update, Facing North celebrates eighteen years of publishing reviews. The Review Circle has offered our honest opinion of literally thousands of items of interest to the vast Alternative Spirituality community since October 2006.

For free.

Of course, we enjoy the additions to our libraries, puddle of oracle and tarot decks, music . . .  but mostly we do this out of a desire to give back to our community. We highlight the truly good work being done by authors from all walks, paths, and persuasions, and call out the ones that are crap. So you, dear reader, know how to better spend your hard-earned resources.

Things have changed over the years, we no longer do music reviews as we became the outlet for a single publicity service. It felt like we weren't actually serving the community any more. We rarely do reviews of events, interviews with authors, or write articles. We may again, but not for now.

When we started we were far from the only place offering reviews,. That field has grown much smaller. SageWoman Magazine still reviews, as it has done since its inception, The Wild Hunt does them, and there are many individuals who are reviewing items on their blogs and other social media. All of them are doing great work. Unlike them, however, we publish about ten reviews each month, more than a hundred a year, making us the most prolific and reliable opinion.

All of this exists because many have made it so.

We are, more than anything, grateful to the many publishers who support us. We literally could not do this if it weren't for their generosity in sending us items, especially since they know we may not be positive. 

I, personally, am deeply and profoundly grateful to the many people who have been in the Review Circle over the years. In the earliest days the Circle contained Rowan Moonstone, Eileen Troemel, Bailey Roe, Diana Rajchel, Nikki Starcat Shields, John Marani, and Laura Perry. Most of my reviewers have been here for years, like Elizabeth Hazel who joined in 2010 and Patricia Snodgrass in 2009. To all of you in the Review Circle, past and present I say,

Thank You

from the bottom of my heart.

And so, this month we offer:
A Witch's Ally: Building a Magical Relationship with Animal Familiars & Companions
The Easy Way to Learn Astrology: How to Read Your Birth Chart 
Becoming Baba Yaga: Trickster, Feminist, and Witch of the Woods 
Starlore Arcana: Constellations for Tarot, Astrology and Cartomancy 
Energy Magick: A User Guide for Empowerment, Protection, and Healing 
The Herbal Arts: A Handbook of Plant Magic, Folklore, Recipes, Spells, & Charms
Magia: Hungarian Myth, Magic, and Folklore 
The Weiser Tarot Journal: Guidance and Practice 
Upside Down Tarot: How Reversals Add Depth to Your Reading  
In the Shadow of 13 Moons: Magical Empowerment through the Dark Lunar Mysteries 
A Confluence of Witches: Celebrating Our Lunar Roots, Decolonizing the Craft, and Reenchanting Our World 

Last month we offered:

Living Conjure: The Practice of Southern Folk Magic 
Elemental Spirits: Building a Magical Practice in an Animistic World 
Ancestral Slavic Magic: Transcend Family Patterns and Empower Ancestral Connections 
From Elder to Ancestor: Nature Kinship for All Seasons of Life 
Chronically Magickal: Navigating Chronic Illness with Witchcraft 
Icelandic Plant Magic: Witchcraft of the North (a second review!)
The Psychic Art of Tarot: Opening Your Inner Eye for More Insightful Readings 
Stones in the Glade: The Old Craft in a New World 
Spellcraft and Spellwork: A Guide to the Magical Practice of Spells (Pagan Portals) 
Alive with Spirits: The Path and Practice of Animistic Witchcraft 

May the dark of the year enfold you in its rich creativity.
~Lisa
Editor and Founder