Sorry if this post is a little early — I’ve been extra forgetful lately and I wanted to make sure I got this posted before I forgot 
Book title and author: Six Ways: Approaches & Entries for Practical Magic by Aidan Wachter
Status: Finished
My overall rating of the book: 8/10
How does this book relate to my magickal practice?: This book was recommended by Chaotic Witch Aunt on YouTube video titled “The 10 Best Books for Beginner Witches!” I decided it sounded like an interesting book to read because I’m still very new to this path, and I’m in the process of reading as many books as possible so I can expose myself to as many different ideas as possible. I’m still working on figuring out what I believe and why, and what I want to get out of my studies in this area.
My personal thoughts/opinions:
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. However, there were a few parts that were a few parts where more abstract concepts were being discussed, and it was a little hard for me to follow. I’m not sure whether it was because of the writing style or if — like I’ve said — I don’t have enough experience and knowledge of magickal concepts/beliefs/etc. to be able to easily understand the specific portions I found hard to read. Time will tell because I plan on using this as a reference book moving forward, and I can see myself coming back to it time and time again as I progress in my studies.
For as thin as this book appears to be, it is PACKED with tons of excellent information — at least in my opinion as someone who still has a lot to learn. There was lots of practical information about things such as meditation, making petitions, raising power, entering a trance state, etc.
Although there is so much great content, some of the sections felt like they weren’t as thorough as they could be. I appreciated that everything was written to be as brief and concise as possible because it didn’t feel too “ramble-y”, but there were a few sections that definitely could have been more detailed or that could have been expanded on, even just a little. For some beginners, this lack of thoroughness could be a bit off-putting.
One of my favorite parts about this book was that the author did a great job of giving examples of how each thing he talked about could be applied in a practical way. For example, Chapter 3 discusses further clarifying your intention (after discussing intention in Chapter 2). The author gives an example of a Road Opener spell using an example intention. He gives an example of a possible invocation and a possible evocation to ask for awareness of different options one has. He goes on to provide more examples, which I appreciated because it allowed me to see connections between different methods of working:
“I could sigilize the intention …, or create a petition for it …, either or both of which could be used in an invocation or evocation. I could use the intention, sigil, or petition for a candle spell …. I could take them into the Dreaming…. I could carry them into trance or meditation…, or bring them to the pendulum … for further inquiry.
All of these methods are viable…. They can be used singly or in combination.” (page 18)
Interesting quotes from the book:
“You are what you do. So choose what you do carefully. Choose who you engage with. Choose what stories you tell yourself about why things are the way they are for you. Choose to believe that you can change what needs to be changed. Act from this position. Make it true.” (page 102)
“Magic is the act of falling in love with the Field and its inhabitants.” (page 120)
Note: “the Field” as Aidan Wachter defines it on page 11 is the “the world itself and its visible and invisible structures and inhabitants” collectively. This quoted definition is my definition I used for the Field throughout my reading of Six Ways . The concept of the Field as the author views and defines it was one of the parts that was a bit hard for me to grasp for my initial reading of this book.]
“Magic is taking responsibility for all aspects fo your life, and the ability to make a decision to change it is the most basic freedom of all.” (page 129)
All-in-all, would I recommend this book?: Yes!
The review thread will appear in the forums on Friday, so I’ll move this excellent review into there when the thread is available 
I’m glad you enjoyed the book and were able to learn some valuable invocations and information, even if some parts of the book were hard to follow! It sounds like a good read- I especially liked reading the quotes you shared 
It had a nice getaway as well… 
Witchy Witches,
teen sexuality and spirit build teen traditional flower charm bell team blessing with a priatic wand, Beltane flower 
traditional flower charm!
So if there’s some thing you don’t understand you can always rely on it as a guide!
I agree- it does sound like a great book for beginners that covers a lot of helpful information. I’m glad you found it to be a good guide with plenty of spells and advice- may it continue to be a great recourse for you!
Thank you < Blessed Be <3
