One of my favorite things to do when visiting a new town is lingering in an independent book store.

There is a spectacular one in Tofino, British Columbia. Like many other small book stores, it has a unique selection of offerings—ones that I would never find in a large box store.

Unsurprisingly, my suitcase is always overweight at the airport check-in. Oh well. C’est la vie. I gladly pay extra for the sight of my travel treasures on the book shelf.

This time, I came home with a book called Wisewoman’s Cookery: Food, Sex, Magic & Merriment. It’s a guide to aphrodisiac cooking, sensual simples and folklore erotica.

Now how could an erotica writing, food loving, solitary witch resist that?

There are many wonderful recipes in this book written by two women who have travelled the globe and scoured some of the oldest libraries to bring us these elixirs, lotions and seductive magic.

I couldn’t resist contacting the authors, Shannon Loeber and Mary Elsie Edwards. Their mission began with wanting to bring natural, organic sex play accoutrements to market, and in the end produced this truly sensual book.

You’ll have to read it for yourself if sensual love arts appeal to you—I could hardly do it justice trying to explain it—but I am going to share the recipe for Sacred Body Ink here with their permission.

Painting a lover can be an incredibly erotic pastime. From the gentle strokes of a brush on one’s skin to the intimacy experienced while freely giving one’s body over to be so decorated, body painting is a delicious way to start out on a seduction ritual.

Read more here…http://www.elephantjournal.com/2015/08/sacred-body-painting-for-lovers-nudity/