Spells8 Book Club Reviews Masterlist - Sessions XXVI - L

Recommendations
41

Book Title and Author:
The Path of Paganism by John Beckett

Status? :
Finished :white_check_mark:

My overall rating of the book : 9/10 :star2:

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?:
Right on point. As a new practitioner this book helped me explore my magical practices and my place in the pagan and witchcraft worlds.

My personal thoughts/opinions:
I was recommended The Path of Paganism by several people and thought I had to read it. The author, John Beckett, had a lot in common with me. He left a Christian religion as a adult and explored and became pagan later in life. He also is very involved in his Unitarian Universalist church and associated CUUPs group (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans) and writes about this experience in the book.

What I found interesting about the format of the book was that each chapter ended with an experience or ritual for the reader to try out so there was hands on work associated with each chapter.

I was worried about reading The Path of Paganism when I got to his chapter on the Gods as I don’t have a deity practice at this time. And I was worried that his take (as a druid) would be highly druid-like in the chapter. Instead I thought the chapter and the entire book was extremely well written and I got a totally different perspective on working with deities, perhaps closer now than I had from reading any traditional witchcraft book previously. He writes about “A Skeptic’s Guide to Gods and Spirits” and literally I thought “is this guy writing to me?” John writes in a way that is totally accessible to a general audience and I connected with it fully.

There were two chapters I didn’t connect with as much just because of the topics “Initiation” and “Priesthood”. And I think this may be something that may be more common in druid life than perhaps witchcraft. I don’t intend to pursue initiation as a solitary witch within a coven, although I did complete the Spells8 Self-Initiation course. And priesthood/priestesshood is not really a path in witchcraft that I have heard much of, although please correct me if I am wrong. John writes about the process to become a druid priest in the chapter.

My favorite chapters were later in the book “Group Exercises” and “Publicize, Don’t Proselytize”. The group chapter gave great suggestions about how to best hold group rituals, how to form a group and have leadership, and how to be hospitable to visitors during public rituals. This is especially important to me as my local pagan group is in a forming stage and this chapter will be so key for us as almost a playbook, I think. The Publicize chapter for me reminded me so much of the Witches’ Pyramid and the idea “To Dare”. We so often use the Witches’ Pyramid, “To Keep Silent” for safety and protection, but in the case of paganism, the point that Beckett makes in this chapter is that more people should know that there is an alternative out there to “the major religions”. We don’t have to convert people. But even by saying “this works for me”, we dare to publicize paganism as an option for those who are seeking an alternative out there.

All in all, this is a well written book mainly for newer practitioners with a very wide audience (witches, druids, heathens, all pagans). Many topics are covered from nature to gods to ancestor worships to altars and magic. John’s writing style is casual and informal and his hands on “homework” at the end of each chapter make this a great book for a book club or a shared small group read. I highly recommend. :white_check_mark:

An interesting quote from the book:
“And in that moment, I too heard voices. They weren’t audible, but they couldn’t have been louder if Danu herself had screamed at me from across the table: “GET SERIOUS OR MOVE ON!”
I knew the dabbling had to end. And I knew that I had never moved beyond dabbling because I didn’t have a religious foundation. I had rejected the fundamentalism of my childhood, but I had replaced it with a vague deistic universalism that didn’t give me anything to build on . That had to change.
I finally started doing the things I needed to do to move on from fundamentalism. I studied liberal Christianity and Buddhism. I read the Welsh Mabinogi and the Norse Edda. Since dabbling in Wicca hadn’t done anything for me, I explored Druidry and found my spiritual home. And I wasn’t just reading, I was practicing: meditating, praying, performing rituals, spending time outside mindfully experiencing nature.”

All in all, would I recommend this book?:
Yes, definitely
I look forward to reading his next book - Paganism in Depth

7 Likes
42

I keep on finishing my books early and then forgetting to post my reviews. Here ya go!

Book Title and Author: Scrying by Mari Silva

Status? : Finished

My overall rating of the book: 7

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: I got interested in Scrying thanks to a Weekly Challenge and wanted to learn more about it.

My personal thoughts/opinions: This is a great book that just touches several different forms of Scrying, from tarot to crystal balls. It’s a beginner’s book that is a good place to figure out what you might like so you can go from there.

An interesting quote from the book: “If you believe there are advantages to be gained beyond our five senses and you seek those revelations, then scrying will enable you to explore and understand the spiritual realms.”

All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes

8 Likes
43

The Middle Pillar by Israel Regardie

Rating: 5/5
How Does This Book Reflect or Apply to Your Magickal Practice?
Magickal practice is ‘sectioned’ into two parts (depending on tradition) of High Magic, which encompasses ceremonial magick and active engagement with one’s High Guardian Angel (Kether, Higher Self, Tao, etc), Talker (Heart Chakra, Conscious self, Ego, Ruach, etc) and Fetch (Animal Soul, Yesod, Primal Being, etc) and Low Magic, witchcraft, sorcery, and all other practices that encompass interaction with material matter.

For me, since intention is such a vital component in properly constructed and effective witchcraft, aligning one’s Three Souls is the foundation to all things spiritual.

Hence, again for me only, performing Low Magic can only be done to its greatest effect in collaboration with High and vice versa.

Notable Quotes:
“
When what formerly was unconscious has been brought within the horizon of consciousness, the entire character of life becomes changed and illuminated.” Pg 62

Adeptship is defined by Regardie as, “
that path by which man is translated into a vibratory co-worker with nature in the task of evolution.” Pg 73-81 (depending on formatting)

“The theory here is that by awakening a power or level of consciousness within man’s own sphere, its possible to contact the corresponding force in the external world or a similar level of perception and experience in the collective unconscious.” (Pg 72-81 depending on formatting)

Regarding the Vibratory Method, Regardie states, “
The test of the vibration
is that it should resonate in the palms of the hands and in the soles of the feet.” pg. 85

Important Points
The book is much more than just a Middle Pillar ‘How-To’. It gives an introductory lesson on Qabbalah, its Tree of Life and Four Worlds, the Qabbalistic Cross, the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP), the Middle Pillar (Of course! :wink:), the Vibratory Formula, visualization techniques, and Four Beat Rhythm breathing among many other less pronounced methodologies.

Would You Recommend This Book to Others?
Without question. Whether you consider yourself a practitioner of High Magic or Low Magic, everyone can benefit from the techniques taught in this book.

Caveat: I happen to LOVE reading Regardie’s work, so I am extremely biased. But in my defense, his writing is authentic, well intentioned and provides results!

11 Likes
44

I read my Imbolc Book.
I have been practicing witchy things since about 2015 but have never celebrated all of the Sabbaths in a year so that is one of my goals for this year. I still feel like a baby witch in the area of understanding the Sabbaths so that is why I chose this book.

Imbolc Llewellyn Sabbath Essentials by Carl F. Neil
This book is great for someone who wants to learn the history of the wheel of the year and specifically how to celebrate Imbolc and pay homage to the Goddess Bridgit and learn how to plants seeds literally and figuratively.
The beginning chapter talks about the wheel of the year and the Sabbaths.
The next section is about the old ways of celebrating. It has interesting history about how other cultures have celebrated at this time of year. It talks about St. Valentine,
Lupercalia, Chinese New Year. It talks about the difference between Saint Brigid and the Goddess Brigid.
I love that the Catholic Church had to make her into a St. because people would not let her go.
The next section is about the new ways and talks about how modern pagans celebrate Imbolc and what other celebrations happen at the same time. It talks about cleansing, planing seeds and doing good deeds for others.
It has a Spells and DIvination section which includes:
Bridgit Candle Divination
Blessing the candles
Milk Moon Spell ( still unclear which moon this is)
Air Divination

Next a recipes and Crafts section:
Teaches you how to make butter, cheese, soda bread, fortune cookies. How to make a Bridgit’s Cross, how to make candles, dress the candles, making Bridgit dollies.
Then a prayer Section:
One to Ganesha
Several to Brigid for healing
Propehecies of Fannus
Rituals Section:
One for an individual
One for a couple
One for a group

I really enjoyed this book and have read their Yule version too. I like that there is history and there is so many ways to celebrate.
I did the invocation for health and made several Bridgit’s crosses. Next year hope to have the 1st and 2nd of Feb off or not as busy as this year so I can do more celebratory things :slight_smile:

13 Likes
45

Spirit Keeping by S Connolly

It’s a short book, but I would definitely recommend if this is an area of the craft you’re thinking about.

Why? First she hilights you can’t spirit keep/bind/control any demon no matter what the shop says, they’re divine, so if the seller tells you that Asmodays spirit is attached to this vessel for £xxxx its fake, don’t buy it.
Second: she tells you how to test the vessel you’ve bought to see if it has some other kind of spirit, and how to find what it is.
Third: She talks about thought forms and how to charge them and keep them charged.

For me though, the best part of this book is it goes into great detail on how to deal with nasty spirits. This is in relation to spirit keeping, but the method can be applied to any environment where you may encounter what she calls others. She also teaches you how to make your own vessel and how to attract a particular spirit to it. She’s very respectful in how these spirits should be treated, and states that once you do it yourself, you are sure to have a good spirit, that wants to work with you, without the risk of being conned.

All in a very interesting read. I don’t think I’ll be doing spirit keeping myself, I got enough beings in my house already without adding more, but I’m taking away her cleansing techniques as they are a definite ritual to keep for when things may go wrong.

10/10

12 Likes
46

BOOK REVIEW

I read A Beginners Guide To Numerology. This was an amazing book! I learned way more about numerology then I thought I would. So much more to it than I originally thought.

The first chapter tells about the history of numerology. Tells about how it was used back in cave days up to now. Explains how numbers have vibrations which I didn’t realize until I started working with the numbers.

The second chapter explains your birthday number, which is the easiest number to figure out. Also begins to explain what the master numbers are and that they don’t get reduced. This chapter also explains karmic debt, which I had no idea existed! It’s amazing to realize we all have a debt we owe to karma and if we don’t correct things in this life we still owe that debt in our next. It then gives the meaning of all birthday numbers.
The next section of this chapter explains your life path number and how to figure it out and the meaning of that number. Then explains how to put together the birthday and life path number.

Chapter 3 tells about the secret in your name and your destiny number. Every letter of the alphabet corresponds to a number 1-9. Those numbers are used to find your destiny number using your name. It then explains the meanings of your destiny number.
This chapter also tells how to choose a babies name using numerology. It’s quite interesting how you can choose your child’s core profile using numerology.

The next section explains how to get your soul and personality numbers and the meaning of them. It then goes on using those numbers to show what karmic lessons you need yo learn to erase your karmic debt.

The next section in this chapter explains the concords, which is a set of 3 of the core numbers which share a common interest and traits. These numbers are determined using your birthday and life path numbers. They tell if you are more of an intellect, business minded or creative, or a combination.

It then tells how to find your maturity number and the meaning of that number.

It then tells how repeat numbers in your core profile affect your life. Repeat numbers will intensify that trait.

Chapter 4 explains how numerology works in a 9 year pattern and how to find what month and year you are in in your life. The nine year pattern is repeated over and over. Explains how if you are in year one that it is a time for new beginnings and year nine is a time for finishing up what you have been working in so you can prepare for your next year one. It makes me think of how we use the moon cycles for new beginnings and cleaning up loose ends.

Chapter 5 tells how to create a birth chart and name chart and how to find what karmic debt you actually owe and what lessons are needed to fulfill that debt so you don’t take it into the next life.

Chapter 6 tells how to bring it all together, decoding your future, compatibility and relationships.

Chapter 7 tells how numerology works in tarot, astrology and crystal connections. Explains how if you pull multiple cards in tarot that have the same number how to read them. How in astrology the numbers work with star signs and the moon. With crystals how certain stones, based on your numbers, can help with certain kinds of emotional healing.

The final chapter gives a brief introduction to angel numbers and explains how to read numbers for others.

Sorry this is so long! This is an amazing book for anyone wanting to learn about numerology. I highly recommend it!

10 Likes
47

Basic principles of practical Magic :pentagram: :pentagram:
t’s finally over!

excellent book marries Buddhism with magic!
gives great importance to visualization and meditation!

8 Likes
48

it’s finally over!
The Kabbalah Alphabet
essential guide for newly enlightened mage
numerology
word geometries
different mantras
and forms of meditation
I would recommend it to be read by someone starting their magical journey :hekate_wheel: :revolving_hearts: :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: :pentagram:

9 Likes
49

Ok I read the wrong book :person_facepalming:, right topic wrong book. So I read: Voodoo Unlocking the hidden power of Haitian Vodou and New Orleans Voodoo by Mari Silva.

So, how was it. Well I chose lots of these books to learn about The Baron as we’re working together. This book was good in getting a few basics about him, Papa Legba and an overview of The Ghede family. It has some nice rituals, and how to draw the Veve correctly, using the right materials. It’s very welcoming and doesn’t beat you over the head with any politics. It’s just a respectful guide to this way of life.

On the downside, it’s brief. There is alot more to learn, so I’ll have to read another book, but if you want a quick read, and a general guide, this won’t disappoint. One of Mari Silva’s better books. :grin:

8 Likes
50

Yay! I finished it! LOL!

Book Title and Author: Card of the Day Tarot by Kerry Ward

Status? : Finished

My overall rating of the book : 9/10

How does this book relate to my magical practice?: I wanted some new ideas one how do read tarot with a one-a-day draw. This was just what I needed!**

My personal thoughts/opinions: With twelve different card of the day tarot rituals, and a look at what each card can mean with them, this is a great book. If you’re wanting to just draw one card at a time and find meaning in it, this is the book for you!**

An interesting quote from the book: This is the advice for the day for the Seven of Cups:

“Have faith in your ideas, fantasies, visions, and ideas today. What resides in your imagination is uniquely your own, and it’s up to you what you do with it. You may think your daydreams are just play of frivolity, but what if they’re actually divine guidance or personalized blueprints showing how your life could (or should) be lived? If you don’t act on what you think or feel, you’ll never know if it could have been amazing. Take your daydreams seriously today.”

All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes

9 Likes
51

I finally got this one read and completed! Woo-hoo!

7 Likes
52

Finally! My 1st review! :hugs:

**Book Title and Author: Llewellyn’s Sabbat Essentials, Ostara, Rituals, Recipes, and Lore for the Spring Equinox

Status? : Finished

My overall rating of the book : 9/10

**How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: As I haven’t made it through the Wheel of the year yet, I wanted to learn about Ostara. Learning the history is important to me to my practice.

**My personal thoughts/opinions: I love the different sections of the book and I think it’s a pretty comprehensive book. There were a few spells and prayers I like. The correspondences helped me decide what to put on my altar!

**An interesting quote from the book: I took a picture bc it’s too much to type. It’s a cute little story.

Resized_20240323_081824
Resized_20240323_0818242020×1020 359 KB

**All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes!

8 Likes
53

Okay, I finished my book a day late but I’m including it here anyway :joy: I did finish Fourth Wing and the sequel, Iron Flame. Those are fiction and I listened to the audiobook. I don’t want to give a full review of them but I can say they were really good and I’m looking forward to the third book whenever it’s available!

Book Title and Author: Witchcraft Unchained: Exploring the History & Traditions of British Craft by Craig Spencer

Status? : Finished

My overall rating of the book: 9/10

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: A lot of Western Witchcraft has its roots in British Craft, whether Trad Craft or folk practices. This book gave good insight into different historical practices and concepts that many people don’t delve deeper into, such as the history of the Triple Goddess and Maiden, Mother, Crone archetype beyond Robert Graves.

My personal thoughts/opinions: I did write a longer review on my blog so I’m just going to quote myself
 :laughing:

Overall, I am glad I read this book. There are many sections in this book that made me think – even if I disagreed with the author’s framework or theology, the foundational aspects of the subject were enough to give me pause. There are many parts of the book that are great for self-reflection, and this book has helped me cement certain beliefs in my practice, as well.

My Full Review: Book Review: Witchcraft Unchained by Craig Spencer – 'Round the Cauldron

An interesting quote from the book: This quote is in regard to celebrating the sabbats in an eco-friendly way. It was a perspective I hadn’t heard before and it made me reflect on the necessities of my own practice.

As Above, So Below - the two worlds reflect one another. It is only logical to conclude that if we are doing the spiritual work, then the physical work also needs to be taken care of. An easy start can be reducing your carbon footprint. How many candles do you burn at your sabbat rites? How much incense are you using? Do you really need all of this to raise power? If it doesn’t have a practical purpose, then it doesn’t need to be there at all.

A few years ago, I actually stopped lighting or burning anything as part of my Witchcraft. I ultimately didn’t need to, so I saw no reason to carry on. If the only thing that my candles and incense were doing was harming the world, can I truly say that I respect the natural world enough if I treat methods as sacrosanct that do it harm? Though I may have been part of rituals that use some incense or candles sparingly, it has become very rare in my personal practices, as an alternative that produces the same or more power is easily found (dancing, chanting, etc.).

Things to ponder:

  • What elements of your rites cause more chaos than harmony?
  • Do they need to be there at all?
  • What could you use in their place?
6 Likes
54

Book Title and Author: A book of Pagan Prayer by Ceswir Serith

Status? : Still Reading

My overall rating of the book : 7/10

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?:. I was curious as to do we pray and if so how.

My personal thoughts/opinions: I feel this book is more suited for someone following Wicca. It is an interesting read, lots of prayer information, how, where, when, why. Has prayer ideas and proper ways of prayer.

An interesting quote from the book: " "

All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes / No
I would recommend for someone interested in the ways of prayer and especially for someone practicing Wicca

7 Likes
55

Who are the Norse Gods Shane Lint.

I didn’t get on with mine so stopped. It’s not that it’s a bad book, it’s good if you’re a beginner in Norse, but for me it didn’t bring anything new, not authors fault, mine. I should’ve picked a different book. For those starting out on the Norse path, its a good starting point. :grin:

9 Likes
56

Book Title and Author: Of Blood and Bones by Kate Freuler

Status? : Finished

My overall rating of the book : 10/10

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: I’ve been working with shadow magick and this book has lots of insights to that

My personal thoughts/opinions:. This is an amazing book with a lot of good advice and spells. I couldn’t put it down! Great read!!

An interesting quote from the book: " Here’s the blunt truth: we all have a dark side. It’s part of who we are. "

All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes, very much so!

10 Likes
57

:warning: Mod Note: This was originally posted by @AIRAM :heart:

@AIRAM
rating 9 out of 10
refer to the greatest Alchemists and Magicians who lived
excerpt by Israel Regardie
Magic is the accumulated record of mental and spiritual experiences that we have inherited from the past from past generations of the human species.

Israel Regardie

occultist, ceremonial magician
1

9 Likes
58

Book Title and Author:
Baba Yaga’s Book of Witchcraft by Madame Patima

Status? : Finished! It took me two months but so worth it!

My overall rating of the book : 10/10

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?:
I bought this book to learn more about working with Baba Yaga and developing a relationship with her. I recived that ans so much rich knowledge of working with the forest, water, fire and new crafting magical projects i want to try out!!!

My personal thoughts/opinions:
This book is awesome! It is written from the literature perspective of telling you the story of Baba yaga and Vasilisa and her trying to get fire for her stepmother and is sent on a fools errand to the woods. This book is a delight. Madame Patima tells the original Baba yaga tale, then has Baba yaga tell her version and then Madam Patima shares hers.
The book teaches you crafts, rituals and folklore from the Ukraine and eastern Europe. With each part of the forest that Vasaila travels to she meets a different part of Baba yaga’s forest. With each part of the forest, you are taught a new craft, ritual, prayer or amazing knowledge.

An interesting quote from the book: " "

Screenshot_20240428_224930_Chrome
Screenshot_20240428_224930_Chrome1200×1420 318 KB

All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes

8 Likes
59

Book Title and Author: Crystal Ball Reading by Silvia Hill

*Status? : Finished

*My overall rating of the book: 8 out of 10

*How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: I’ve been wanting to add crystal ball scrying to my practice. This book was just one of the ones I’ve picked up.

*My personal thoughts/opinions: This is a great book to learn about scrying and crystal ball basics. It even deals with psychic protections. A good book to read!

*An interesting quote from the book: “Choosing a crystal ball is more of a personal experience. You should choose one you are drawn to and one that has the same vibrational frequency as you. You can by your crystal online or from a store. Either way, you’ll find yourself pulled toward the one that is calling to you. When you find it, tap into that intuition and tune into that crystal.”

*All in all, would I recommend this book?: Yes!

8 Likes
60

Book Title and Author:
Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers and Other Pagans in America by Margot Adler

Status? : [Still Reading]

My overall rating of the book : 9/10

How does this book relate to my magickal practice?:
I wanted to read this book as it is one that is cited often as a “core” book for history and understanding of witchcraft in the U.S. I also was motivated by the semi-recent death of the author (2014) and the author’s connection to Unitarian Universalism (which I also am a part of), her founding of CUUPs, as well as witchcraft as a practicing wiccan herself.

This is a 646 page book - so be forewarned!
For this review, I read Chapters 1-5 (about 140 pages), including

  • Paganism and Prejudice

  • A Religion Without Converts

  • The Pagan World View

  • The Wiccan Revival

  • The Craft Today

My personal thoughts/opinions:
I did not think I would have such a strong connection to the first several chapters of this book. There were several times where I was reading and I had to stop and talk to myself out loud, “Wow!” “Is she talking about me?” “That’s interesting!”. It’s also a dense read and not a fast read at all, at least for me which is why I only got to chapter 5, about a third of the way through the book. The first three chapters focus on the overall world view and beliefs of pagans and then the next two chapters get into the history of wicca and “current” practices of wicca in the U.S (this updated edition came out in 2006 - but the original was written in 1979). I was surprised by how much nudity was talked about in Wicca ritual, as if it was a very typical thing - and perhaps it was in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Or hey, maybe I don’t travel in those circles?! :smile:

I am totally hooked on Adler’s writing style. It draws me in and it is clear that she has done her research here as there are almost 200 pages of appendices. The references alone are fascinating. Some of course are now defunct, but as a newer witch I’ve been going through some of the resources and bookmarking some websites that she refers to in the book.

I’m hoping to read this over the period of three Book clubs: Part 1: Chapters 1-5, Part 2: Chapters 6-9, and Part 3: Chapters 10-13 + Epilogue. It’s a dense and long read but well-worth it so far. I know there is content on Spells 8 about the book - but I don’t want to dive into it until I complete the book, in case it gives too much away.

An interesting quote from the book: " "
“Most Neo-Pagans sense an aliveness and “presence” in nature. They are usually polytheists or animists or pantheists, or two or three of these things at once. They share the goal of living in harmony with nature and they tend to view humanity’s “advancement” and separation from nature as the prime source of alienation. They see ritual as a tool to end that alienation.” p. 3-4

Some interesting background on Margot Adler:
Margot Adler

All in all, would I recommend this book?: [Yes, definitely]

6 Likes