Spirit & Destiny Magazine : Read reviews and compare prices at Ciao.co.uk

Author's product rating:

Advantages:	A long and entertaining read
Disadvantages:	More than a passing esoteric interest needed

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I discovered this magazine quite by accident. Having been bored and looking for something different, it was a case of this one or another on angling. Well I like angling but not the fishy kind (try a different context). So I picked it up, flicked through the pages and with curiosity firmly aroused purchased the mag.

It won’t appeal to everyone but I couldn’t resist taking "Spirit & Destiny" home. It isn’t your usual horoscope magazine but incorporates many sections on everything from aromatherapy oils to celebrity interviews. I found it diverse enough to keep me interested for more than an hour and I am still going back to it for various snippets of information even now.

If you only want to giggle your way through your monthly forecast this would be quite an expensive way to do it. But if your into natural healing and organic living with an open mind on other esoteric subjects then you might want to give this rag a read. Maybe I should coin that phrase...!

I think it would be best if I take each section separately and tell you a little about it, then add on any other bits at the end.

There is a quick guide index right at the front so you can see much of what you’re getting but inside there is so much more.

THE SECTIONS:

****Feel Good****
This is where you get in touch with your inner self, no god forbid, not that blue blob you see on the sofa of a yogurt advert. Nor is it that inner self that insists another slice of cake, or piece of chocolate won’t harm your waistline then heaps guilt on you for giving in. No they instead cover such a subject as "Laughing Matters" or rather April Fool Japes. The doctor here suggests that laughter and laughing keeps you sane...Just a minute there are two men in white coats at my door...
There is also the latest on life, booze, and being the boss.
An Elkie Brooks top five ways to feel good.
Sex and Shopping and this (for the older Ciao) is where they discuss the fact that 1950’s housewives were more highly sexed than their modern day counterparts (they obviously haven’t been living in some of the neighborhoods I’ve been in).
A five minute "Expert" on...Easter!
There was also a Can your sixth sense identify your lover and a few couples taking this test—blindfold!

I think this "Feel Good" bit is to be taken literally. There certainly is a lot of "feeling" going on!

****Mind Body & Spirit****
This is one of the bigger sections with:
Holistic Health—herbal remedies
A Love Clinic.
A Feng Shui expert talking about fashion or rather what a celebrity is wearing, Mariah Carey is featured in April’s issue.
Aztecoracle was something else I’d never come across and was in this month’s.
A section on 6 ways to soothe away stress...Oh yes pleeeease...zzzzzzz.
The Dreamcatcher was analyzing Sophia Loren’s dream.
While the No-diet diet was telling us that we didn't need to slog it out in the gym or starve ourselves on the latest fad diet. It advised taking a natural approach—yeah right she says, reaching for that chocolate bar
There was an article on the "Alexander Technique" which teaches the body how to move, relax and re-position itself correctly. (I thought this was usually called the male syndrome technique!)
Then there are the New Age and Alternative Therapy testers: this month’s was on Gyrotonics; a machine based on movements from kundalini yoga.

****Monthly Horoscope****
With an astrologer called Sarah Bartlett. You get one full page to each sign that has sub-headings of Love, career, friends and cash. You also get:
Shine on Days – 2 dates for that month that are going to be good
Hide-away Days –2 dates again that need a little extra attention or a "pull the covers over your head and stay there" action for those dates.
Red Letter Days – Yes you’ve guessed it 2 dates.
"A Cosmic Key" and a "Sign to Watch" is also included.

****Lifestyle****
This is quite a big section and includes:
Fashion. April showers month so it was Rain Macs.
Fashion Shopping. This looked at Rain Hats (none of your granny’s clear plastic tie thingy’s here), Wellington boots, Umbrellas etc.
Beauty. This tends to be geared towards "natural products" Lush is also mentioned for those particular fans at Ciao.
Beauty Spirit. This is color cosmetics for spring.
Food tells us to Feng Shui it and mentions such recipes as Open Lasagna with roasted vegetables and Chocolate and Mango Kismet (I had to put something with chocolate in the Op).
Make it. For sewing fans.
Interiors. I think this is usually helping people to add a touch of spiritual oasis to your home i.e. make a Zen Garden.
Travel. This month featured three hotels and told you to take a foodie break.
There is also a page titled "Alternative Lives". April was Hong Kong.

****White Magic****
This is a special section that deals with various pagan roots to some of our customs like "Hot Cross Buns".
There is also a "chant for the month".

****Special Report****
The one in this issue was about a real life "Agent Scully" and UFOs

****Others****
Celebrity Interview – Judi Shekoni of Eastenders fame for April.

Problem Solved Page. With the Astro Agony Aunt
"There’s a feed your mind" part about books, TV and movies though most have an esoteric bent.
A Mystic Challenge where a Psychic Consultant and a Clairvoyant go head to head to find out who can "see more" about a reader’s life.
A page dedicated to Star Souls is right at the back.
Don’t forget to look in on the celebrity guru with people from Rabbi Philip Berg to Danny Paradise who help the stars "improve" their lives.
There was also a Part One beginner’s guide to spells with seven pages of information which I have to say was graphically beautiful.

Oh, and for the girls—don’t pass on the yoga Man of the Month.

You might have worked out that this is a magazine that you can subscribe too. Details are of course inside usually with a special offer of twelve issues’ and pay for ten.

My View of the Magazine:

If you are the kind of person who likes reading about matters other than War, Babies, Politics and Religion and prefer, on occasion, to read something with your tongue in your cheek, en dis is zz on or ou—sorry I’ll take my tongue out now—then this is the one for you.

I did enjoy it and will purchase it again it has some bright and really innovative ideas. It is well laid out with plenty to suit most people but those that have an interest in the esoteric will appreciate it more. Graphically I could not fault it. Most of the adverts are at the back though accessible for anyone interested in what they are selling but even the larger page ads don't intrude on your reading. The magazine is in turn amusing and entertaining yet it also has a serious side that you come across. It's informative with new techniques and the horoscope came in useful when avoiding that ladder and bucket...oops sorry just trod on the cat!

"Spirit & Destiny" is quite large at approximately 114 pages for the price of £2.80.

Available from most good newsagents that sells specialist magazines.

Or you could always con your friend into buying it and swiping it from her if you’re a real tight wad...

P.S. Sorry it’s April’s magazine that is featured but it’s taken Ciao about two weeks to sanction this and put the link up.