SECTION II - BOOK REVIEWS
How To Be A Wicked Witch by Patricia Telesco - Review by Brenna Fey D’Amaurot
The Real Witches’ Handbook by Kate West - Review by ~G.Rain
Tarot Awareness By Stephen Walter Sterling - Review by Cassaundra RedHawk
Review of Wicca Spellcraft for Men by AJ Drew - Review by ~ G. Rain
Dance Upon The Air by Nora Roberts - Review by Wendy Miller
How To Be A Wicked Witch by Patricia Telesco
Reviewed by: Brenna Fey D’Amaurot
Don’t let the title fool you: prolific author Trish Telesco hasn’t gone over to the left-hand path. In this new release (Fireside Books, 9/01) “wicked” is more akin to “badass”—a witch who’s always prepared for anything. And after writing over forty books, Telesco sure knows how to prepare her reader! How to Be a Wicked Witch is stuffed with fabulous recipes for everything from incense to witches’ brew and dozens of quirky, colorful ideas to help you put some magick into your life. I especially loved the Wicked Witch’s Fifteen Rules, which are as charming as they are practical (Rule #10—Own a decent broom).
HTBAWW is your tried and true grimoire, and like any spellbook there are handy lists for reference: scents, useful herbs, color correspondences, stones (Rule #11—Learn the lingo.) Telesco has a real knack for applying magick to the every day—she takes the maxim “Live the Magick” very seriously, and gives readers numerous ideas for doing so.
For example, color magick is applied to clothing and accessories (Rule #5—Always accessorize!) and she suggests charming jewelry and barrettes, empowering your lipstick, and charging many other daily tools for magickal use. Her ideas are budget-friendly and creative, like using a tarot deck made of coupons, or casting nuts and bolts as you would a set of runes. The recipes are nothing less than what you’d expect from the author of several cookbooks,
spellbooks, and brewbooks—fabulous! Definitely the highlight of the book, you can bypass the rhymes, which are less than exciting, and skip straight to the instructions for “Broken Heart Brew” and “Trouble Tincture.”
There isn’t anything particularly new here for the seasoned witch, but the beginner or dabbler will find a sassy, fun introduction to magick and witchery (Rule #15—Keep everything in balance and have fun) that’s more honest than many of the “fluffy bunny and white light” books out there. A word of caution: this isn’t a handbook on how to practice the religion of Wicca, and if you approach it expecting to learn thealogy you’re going to be disappointed. This promises to teach you How to Be a Wicked Witch, and on that Telesco delivers.
The Real Witches’ Handbook : A Complete Introduction to the Craft.
by Kate West
Review by ~G.Rain
The Real Witches’ Handbook by Kate West is a beginners guide to Witchcraft. Perfect for the wary reader who wants to know what Witchcraft is and if this path is correct. The author uses sensitivity and kindness to explain false stereo-types, personal responsibility, and the moral ethics of Witchcraft. On page 16 Kate says, “We believe that everyone is entitled to their own spiritual beliefs, so long as they harm no one else. This means that people are entitled to practice whatever they believe is right for them as a religion, spirituality, or faith, as long as they do not harm anyone else or use any kind of force or coercion to persuade others to take up those beliefs.”
Fun anecdotes and practical advise result from her thirty years of experience. As illustrated on page 21, when defining correspondences she says; “To understand how correspondences work it can help to think of this in terms of rowing up a river. If the wind, current and tide are all in your favor, you will make fast and easier progress than if one or more is against you.”
This is an articulate book for all ages. I recommend it for teens and college age readers, specifically because it offers suitable substitutions, proper warnings, and indispensable guidance on coming out of the broom closet; a popular quest among teens. She created this book for the type of readers: “Who are setting out on the path of the Witch and who may live with others who are not interested or even of favor of the craft ...” (page 137)
Unique aspects of the book include her definitions of several Witchcraft traditions and info on
pathworking. She describes the difference between meditation and pathworking saying, “In meditation you are required to focus either on a single point or on nothingness: in pathworking you follow a storyline which leads you to a point at which your subconscious mind can take over.”
Ms. West emphasizes finding what is correct for the individual, caring for the environment, as well as taking responsibility for your actions in
spellcrafting, both in the real & mundane world. She provides the reader with practical info on Magic as well as traditional Witchcraft practices. Several pages are dedicated to each Sabbat including lore, ritual, and other suggestions on celebrating each holiday. Her strong belief on Magic can be found in the following quotes, “This is not the ‘magic’ of stage conjuring but a very real force which can be used to make changes in our lives and in the lives of those around us.” (page 24)
“Magic is often defined as ‘the ability to make change by force of will’. It is not about blindly following a series of instructions, reciting the ‘right’ words or having the right ingredients, like baking a cake. It is about harnessing and controlling your own will, or power of mind, to create the change you seek.” (page 117)
A beautiful self-dedication ritual, simple circle castings, and sample spells will start the practitioners on this fabulous spiritual path. The author states, “No one can be a Witch simply by saying so, you have to grow and learn and practice. Whilst you are a Witch, you now have to be one.”
I was impressed by Ms. West’s view on coven verses solitary practice. Many authors stress one practice over the other. This author provided info on each which helps the practitioner keep an open mind.
The Real Witches’ Handbook provides the reader with well rounded information and offers an enchanting introduction into the Craft. As Ms. West says, “Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, one thing is certain: you will only get one chance at this life and it is up to you to make the best of it.”
Rating 5 out of 5 wicked broomsticks.
Review of Wicca Spellcraft for Men
by AJ Drew
Reviewed by ~ G. Rain
AJ Drew’s Book Wicca Spellcraft for men reaches out to a unique market - the male Pagan. The author expresses his opinions on a variety of topics such as gender roles, his interpretation of the
Rede, and how ethics in magick tend to be taken a bit too far.
Perhaps one of the most unique points of Wicca Spellcraft for men is the authors style of writing, brutally honest, straight forward, and politically incorrect. One example of this can be found on page 57, AJ writes, “Where the Church taught that men did not need women, today’s message seems to be that women do not need men. Contrary to the teachings of feminism, this is not an empowerment. Women do need me, men do need women, and anything that dictates elsewise is disempowerment.”
The author also speaks passionately about magick. In the following quotes, AJ Drew states that moral ethics should already be found within and he stresses the need of doubtless spell casting.
“When it comes to spellcraft, it is not what you have been told that counts. It is what you feel that counts. It is that inner voice that says an action is right or wrong.” (page 60) “Doubt is the antagonist of
spellcraft. Not only does it distract from mental image of success, it enforces an image of failure.” (page 78)
The book started out good but I found myself dwindling with satisfaction. It seems as if Mr.Drew decided to take up space be ranting about one thing or another and for the most part, the complaining wasn’t even about
magick, Wicca or spell casting. If his horrid rambling wasn’t enough, by chapter 3 he started conjuring up conspiracy
theories. For example on page 67 he says, “You will start to realize exactly how sane you actually are and how crazy the rest of the world is. It is at that point that you will have demonstrated one of the first signs of mental illness: You will believe that you are somehow different from the rest of the world because you and you alone question reality. The secret is, of are not really alone. Society has just wanted you to believe you are so you would turn back.”
This negative, paranoid point of view can easily be seen throughout the rest of the book. As demonstrated in the quote above, he is trying to convince the reader what we know to be true isn’t really true, I was under the impression this was a book about
magick.
If you can look past the authors sour attitude, it’s clear that he means well and it is apparent that he has intricate knowledge and magical skill. As an interesting note he says, “When searching for explanations, do not try to separate the magical from the mundane. There is no separation between magick and the real world because magick is a function of the real world.” (page 29)
AJ explains how the sense relate to spellcraft and how utilize them to your advantage. The author covered archetypes in relation to men in general and God, including a write up of a few masculine deities from several pantheons.
The spellcraft in itself was loosely divided into 3 chapters, each focusing on one of the following; Internal change, External change, and Etheric change. I was impressed by his simple directions, and mixtures. His fabulous (and useful) recipes of tinctures, incense, and oil blends tackle every magical intent from luck to love and everything in between.
Chapter nine is an extensive guide featuring associations of God forms, planetary and elemental properties as well as a comprehensive list on specific magical intents and their magical correspondences.
AJ made some very interesting points, it would have been more beneficial to the reader if he expanded these ideas instead of bitching, moaning, and groaning about societies faults. In conclusion, the authors lack of ability to stay focused, one sided point of view, and foul attitude may be detrimental to the beginner. As you can see, I have mixed feelings about this book. However if your looking from something different, this may be of interest to you.
Rating : 3 out of 5 wicked broomsticks
Dance Upon The Air
by Nora Roberts June 2001
Review by Wendy Miller
Its very rare that we come across a fictional book that portrays witches as they are meant to be seen and not as explained in children’s stories. To read a book that explains the circle and reminds us of past tragedies in Salem, MA and touches on “The Wiccan Rede”, visualization, candle
majick, is truly awesome.
Nora Roberts is well known for her romance novels and this is the first that I have read from such a well known author. Lets just say I was drawn to it when I entered the bookstore in search of something to listen to as I drove an hour to work. I didn’t realize when I bought it that it was “bewitching”, I only knew that she was a well known writer and that the cover looked interesting enough.
Its also interesting to mention that I bought this book a day after the terrorist attacks on the USA and “Dance Upon the Air” has its own tragedies and ways to overcome. The story shows how a women gets past a tragic moment in her life and instead of causing harm to what made her feel the hurt she lets it go. In her mind she is aware of the Three Fold Law.
Without giving away more of the book I will include short introduction and I hope that if you read this book that you enjoy it and feel the magic that I did!
<Editorial Review, from Barnes and Noble site>
Synopsis Leaving you spellbound every step of the way, best-selling author Nora Roberts takes you to Three Sisters Island, where a fabled lighthouse beckons three young women to seek their true destinies.
Meet Mia, Nell and Ripley, all witches, and the enchanting descendants of the island's founding trio. Nell has just found a new love with Zack Todd; but she's haunted by her abusive husband, Evan, the man she fled from eight months ago. With the help of her "charmed" confidantes, Mia and Ripley, will Nell be able to stop Evan from destroying the happiness she's finally found?
Enjoy and Blessed Be!
