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Practical
Magic, by Marion Green.
Review by Morgan Akasha
Rated 5/5 |
Practical
magic is "a book of transformation, spells & mind
magic" it is a book with glossy pages and contains tons
and tons of full colour pictures. It doesn't go into full
detail with everything, but has enough information in simple
language for the reader to get an understanding of each of
the topics.
One of the first topics it
covers is meditation… you see this book has got the right
idea, it isn't going to fool you with fluffy crap on the top…
it gets right to the point. All of the photos and pictures
show it as the real thing, that it is, no glitter, no witch's
hats, or trying to make it look like its something it not.
It has a lovely look at herbs
and using herbs, I think that is another thing that often
gets denied in books, the fact that you really need to have
a large herb garden, or even just a garden, with flowers,
etc. (Sorry the mint, basil and chives alone just ain't gunna
cut it.)
It has a wonderful section
dedicated to the art of ritual. It explains step by step the
process of ritual (with some photo's of course), the importance
and relevance of it all and a dedication to rites of passage.
The thing I love most about
this book is that it doesn't really read like a book… it has
boxes of information around the texts, little dittos about
things of interest. This is why it is good for all people,
especially those who aren't really into reading, because it
isn't all solid… it is broken into parts. This books gives
a great generalisation to magick and witchcraft with the ethics,
practices, beliefs and energies.
It goes on with cycles rituals
and magick, healing energies, signs of the zodiac, Astrology,
Charms and Talismans, Days of the week, Astral travel and
Inner journeys, each with is own instructions. The next chapter
it discusses is the symbolic tools. It talks about Sacred
Spaces and Circles, A Witch's Tools, Shrine and Incense, Robes
and Temple Furniture, Candle Spells and Journeys and Ritual
Bread and wine. That part is one of particular importance
for beginners in realizing how the art is practiced.
We then lead into "Marking
the Cycle of the Year". I love this part, I am constantly
referring to this section of the book, it writes about summer,
autumn, winter and spring customs, rites and connections.
It describes how we need to understand our country, ancestors
and the pattern of growth, decay, rest and rebirth in order
to be able to understand our wheel of the year. Also following
reincarnation, the soul, karma and past lives.
Lastly, we have "developing
the super senses". This is obviously for those who are
past the beginner stage. Learning to understand and practice
psychic powers through tarot, scrying, dowsing and sensing,
learning from within and blessing and protecting. It also
contains a small section on correspondence tables.
So, as I finish, I will once
again recommend this to everyone and anyone. It was a cheap
book (I bought it for $12 from a regular bookshop.) and the
money was well spent! Purely on the fact that it has a lot
of descriptive pictures and information which makes it easy
to comprehend and more interesting than some of those books
out there with long plain sections of text, which will sometimes
let the mind wander. I rate it 5/5.
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