Virginia Chandler - Year of the Magickal Dragon: A Seasonal Journey of Magick & Ritual

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

Year of the Magickal Dragon: A Seasonal Journey of Magick & Ritual 2020 by Virginia Chandler.

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First e-book edition 2020

E-book ISBN: 9780738764542

Book design by Samantha Penn

Cover design by Shannon McKuhen

Cover illustration by Anne Stokes

Illustration on by Llewellyn Art Department

Interior illustrations on pages and chapter illustrations by Anne Stokes

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These words are dedicated to

Jormungandr

From chaos, comes creation

V. C. 2019

Acknowledgments

Quite simply, without the assurances and unwavering support of John Matthews, this book would never have been written. It is a Great Blessing to have such a wise, caring friend and mentor! Our Galactic Conquest continues

To my wife, Melody, your patience, support, and love is infinite; I am so blessed.

To my spiritual brother, Kevin Sharpton, your love, enthusiasm, and energy is such a gift! You have been thusly dubbed my Dragon Muse!

To Caitlin Matthews, thank you for your patience and kindness with my frequent Celtic myth and Gaelic language queries! Your friendship is a treasure!

To Heather, thank you for believing in my writing and encouraging my (often) crazy ideas!

Disclaimer

This book includes the use of and recipes for oil and incenses. A skin test is recommended prior to use of any oil. Place a small amount of the blended oil on the inside of your elbow, cover with a bandage, and check in twenty-four hours. If you experience any soreness, redness, or irritation, do not use the blend.

None of the animals is so wise as the dragon. His blessing power is not a false one. He can be smaller than small, bigger than big, higher than high, and lower than low.

Chinese scholar Lu Dian (AD 10421102)

In this year terrible portents appeared in Northumbria, and miserably afflicted the inhabitants: these were exceptional flashes of lightning, and fiery dragons were seen flying in the air.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (Year 793)

Contents

by John Matthews

: Year of the Magickal Dragon

: Working with Dragon Energy

: Samhain and the Ancestor Dragons

: Winter Solstice and the Ice Dragons

: Imbolc and the Hearth Dragons

: Vernal Equinox and the Waking Dragons

: Beltane and the Dragons of Making

: Litha and the Golden Dragons of Summer

: Lughnasadh and the Dragons of Victory

: Autumnal Equinox and the Harvest Dragons

: The Journey Begins Anew

: Magickal Dragons

Dragon Oil and
Incense Recipes

Disclaimer

This book includes the use of and recipes for oil and incenses. A skin test is recommended prior to use of any oil. Place a small amount of the blended oil on the inside of your elbow, cover with a bandage, and check in twenty-four hours. If you experience any soreness, redness, or irritation, do not use the blend.

Foreword

F or the millions who watched the TV series Game of Thrones, one of the high spotsperhaps the high spotmust have been the dragons. So lifelike were these that it was hard to believe that such creatures may never have existed. This is, of course, one of the most asked questions amongst those who love myth and legend. Did dragons ever exist, or were they, as some have suggested, a distant memory of prehistoric beasts, whose bones must have been utterly mysterious to our ancestors?

Ultimately, perhaps, it does not matter. The image of the dragonfiery breath and allis so deeply ingrained in our subconscious that it has appeared in just about every culture around the world. From the mighty dragon in the epic poem Beowulf , to the three-headed Zmey Gorynych of Russian folklore, to the battling dragons of Merlins vision on Dinas Emrys in Wales, to the countless dragons of Chinese myth (and those who tamed and rode them just as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones ), the dragon is ubiquitous. It is as much a part of our inner lives as it could ever have been if it had existed in the outer world.

For this reason alone, it is surprising that no one has recently focused on the magickal properties of the dragon in esoteric practice. Virginia Chandlers book fills this gapand does it admirably. She gives us a whole year of working with dragons. Filled with lore, drawing upon her wide-ranging experience as a teacher and practitioner of ritual magic, we are guided though a seasonal progression in which we not only get an opportunity to encounter some of these fascinating creatures up close and personal, but to share their deep wisdom, and to learn how they can impact our own inner livesoffering us strength, energy, and power to help us grow. The emphasis is, throughout, on practical experience, and includes everything the individual or group will need to set up a ritual space and to follow the ancient dragon paths around the year. There is much to ponder on along the way, some fine meditations, and a great deal of helpful advice.

In short, this is a book that could become part of a regular cycle of magickal work, and I have no hesitation in recommending it to everyone interested in myth, folklore, and esoteric wisdom. It may or may not change your life (either is possible), but at the end of a year of meetings with dragons, you will have learned much and experienced the virtually limitless energy embodied by these extraordinary creatures.

John Matthews

Oxford, 2019