True Magick: 2nd Edition

I have been a practicing pagan for 6 years and read for about 3 years before that (I know not long but give me a break I’m only 21 lol). When people are interested in witchcraft and want to know where they can find more information this is ALWAYS the only book I recommend to start people out. I own almost all of the traditional reads; Cunningham, Buckland, Starhawk, etc and most of the more prominent modern authors Ravenwolf, Conway, etc. If had known about this book to start out with to be honest I probably would have skipped most of the others. This book beats out all of them for EVERYTHING. I can’t recommend it enough. It has 19 Chapters and can be used as a workbook or you can read it all the way through. The Chapters are as follows

Ch. 1 About Magick- and You
– a brief introduction of what magick is and isn’t
– notably missing are the council of American Witches Principles of Belief but remember it was never meant to be a guide towards just wicca.
Ch. 2 A Brief History of Magick
– Covers mostly Western and American magick from prehistory through modern times.
Ch. 3 First Steps in Magick
– exactly what it says it is very briefly covers timing, space, book of shadows, purpose, magickal name, ritual clothing, etc.
– has a dedication ritual
Ch. 4 Magick and Science
– perhaps the only confusing chapter in the book but you have to expect that if you try to explain quantum physics in 18 pages
Ch. 5 The Path Lies Within You
– Getting to know yourself; discusses middle, younger, and higher self and how to get in touch with them
Ch. 6 Ethics and Hazards
– Karma, the Law of Return, Wiccan Rede, Permission, Charging money
– Energy imbalance, spending too much time in the astral plane, power crazy, persecution, and spirit interference
Ch. 7 The Pyramid of Magick
– To know, to Will, to dare, to be silent
Ch. 8 The Energies of Magick
– All about energy
– Raising power, charging things, grounding power, the power within you, the power in the earth, balancing
Ch. 9 Magick and Your Health
– More down to earth guideines on eating right, exercise, sleep, etc
Ch. 10 Creating the Magickal You
– taking an honest look at yourself, what to improve and how to improve it, beginning to connect with a god(dess) or pantheon.
Ch. 11 The Varieties of Magick
– styles of magick (nature, ceremonial, intrinisic, hermetic)
– traditions of magick (Wicca, Qabalistic, Shamanism, Voodoo)
– how to connect with a certain tradition and a wonderful quiz to help you determine what style of magick is for you.
Ch. 12 Nature Magick
– Nature Divination, Herb and Garden Magick, Water Magick, Tree Magick, Sun and Moon Magick, Weatherworking and working with animals and stones
Ch. 13 Intrinsic and Inner Magick
– working magick with no tools
– working magick only in the mind
– ways to use your mind in all types of magick
– One goal 5 ways of working towards it
– pros and cons of not using tools
Ch. 14 Getting Ready for Ritual
– more in depth discussion of purpose, tools, altar setup, timing and how to understand correspondences (note not a list of correspondences just what they mean and how to use them)
Ch. 15 Creating and Performing Ritual
– outline of steps of a ritual then a longer explanation of each step
– Sample ritual
– analysis of what happened during the ritual
Ch. 16 Spellcraft: The Techniques of Magick
– Lots of Useful Sample Spells for you to try
– Some examples of techniques to try ie: candle magick, cord magick, herbal magick, totem animals, runecraft, gem and stone magick, dreamwork, dancing, drumming etc
– what to look at before you use somebody else’s spell
Ch. 17 Everyday Magick and Daily Spiritual Practices
– grounding and centering
– meditation
– visiting your astral temple
– raising energy quickly
– protection and travel spells that you need to be quick
– portable ritual tools
– lots more stuff that I didn’t include
Ch. 18 Your Magickal Education Continues
– contact points (how to meet other witches)
– schools that teach witchcraft
– evaluating teachers, fees
– learning from books
– learning from nature
– how to experiment
Ch. 19 Change, Death, and Magick
– what is death
– past lives
– how to confront your fear of death
She also has a brief conclusion, a very good glossary and then some appendixes (elemental and color correspondences, meditation ideas, magicians through the ages) and a recommended reading list divided by topic.
She has exercises at the end of each chapter for you to work through and a recommended list of books on the…

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