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Skin Spirits book cover
Skin Spirits
Animal Parts in Spiritual and Magical Practice
Lupa
2010
First Published
4.55
Average Rating
176
Number of Pages
Since the mid-1990s Lupa, artist, author and neoshaman, has worked with animal parts in her artwork and spiritual practice. From leather and fur to skulls and bones, she incorporates them into ritual tools, jewelry, and other sacred items. Not only does her practice involve the physical remains, but she also works with the spirits of the animals themselves. In this book she expands upon the information provided in her earlier book, Fang and Fur, Blood and Bone: A Primal Guide to Animal Magic. You'll find information on how to select animal remains based on not only your needs but those of the spirits themselves; how to work with the animal spirits, including in shapeshifting and other rituals; proper care for the physical remains; and other practices. Plus you'll find detailed, illustrated guides on how to make ritual tools ranging from bone-handled knives to fur pouches, skull rattles to dancing skins; and much more! Based on Lupa's decade-and-change of intensive experience, this is an absolutely indispensable guide to the spiritual and magical use of animal parts in neopagan, occult, and other traditions. Whether you only have a single feather to work with, or an entire ritual room full of spirits embodied in hides and bones, there's plenty of material in this non-dogmatic text for you to integrate into your own practice as you see fit
Avg Rating
4.55
Number of Ratings
31
5 STARS
68%
4 STARS
26%
3 STARS
3%
2 STARS
0%
1 STARS
3%
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Author

Lupa
Lupa
Author · 10 books

"I am an author, artist, and wannabe polymath living in Portland, OR. I've been a pagan of various sorts since the mid-1990s. My primary focus has always been on totemism and animal magics, though in recent years I've been expanding into the general totemic ecosystem, working with plant, fungus, mineral and other totems. I've written several books based on my practices, and you can read my blog at http://www.thegreenwolf.com/blog as well. Also since the mid-1990s, I've created ritual tools, sacred costumery, and other meaningful art out of hides, bones, beads, and other organics. It's been a strong part of my spirituality, and I even wrote a book about it, Skin Spirits: The Spiritual and Magical Use of Animal Parts. You can see what's currently available for purchase on my Etsy shop: http;//thegreenwolf.etsy.com I am very involved in environmental and sustainable efforts. I volunteer with local environmental groups with tree planting and litter cleanup efforts, and I even adopted a small stretch of the Columbia River to clean litter, monitor flora and fauna, and do water testing. At home I do my best to follow Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (in that order), and many of my art supplies are secondhand or otherwise reclaimed, and everything gets used one way or another. When I'm not creatively working or volunteering, I love to hike, go out dancing, read voraciously when I have the time, and hit the gym a few times a week.

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