Everyday Magic: Spells & Rituals for Modern Living

Rating:
Summary: very practical
Review: a very good book for those starting out. most of the spells in this book are very to the point and require very little. It also has a lot of good general pointers on various topics.

Rating:
Summary: A Necessity
Review: Even though "spells" aren't everything, this book comes in real handy. To some elders in the craft, it may sound childish, a book of spells, but that's not what it is. It's more than that.

It includes information needed to write your own spells as well as good spells for the modern witch. Topics include: Divorce, Gardening, Habits, Negative Energy, Unwanted Guests, PMS, Wisdom and more. She includes three appendices in the back of the book: Magical Uses of Herbs, Plants and Flowers, the Magical Uses of Stones and Dieties and Their Magical Associations.

Dorothy Morrison presents the spells and rituals in an easy to understand format. She offers spells and rituals from very easy which are basically light a candle and say a chant to much more involved ones which require stones and herbs. The thing is, she makes it fairly easy to find a substitute if you don't have what the spell calls for.

This is by far the best book of spells and rituals I have seen thus far and I recommend it whole heartedly.

Rating:
Summary: A modern day book for modern day pagans
Review: Everyday Magic is a well written book and it fit into my everyday living just as if it had been written for me personally. The modern day methods of dealing with the "old ways" of the craft amazed me. To go to a thrift store and pick up a cheap blender instead of trying to do so many herbal blends with the mortar. I was so mermerized with so many of Dorothy's modern gimmicks. Being able to improvise has always been big with me, Dorothy seems to do the same in her book.

The spells and rituals in here are all based on today's available materials. Trying to find something called dragon's blood was not easy for me. In this book, Dorothy makes it all so simple and still so effective. Spells of interest to the modern twentieth century housemate and businessperson. Spells and rituals that make so much sense and are so easily adaptable for my and others active lives.

I recommend, as I have many times, reading this book. I have read many and find this one to my liking on a high rating of "Way to go, Dorothy Morrison"

Excellent book and will keep an eye and ear open of reports of others from D. Morrison.

Age, gender, and type of path are not even a stoppage point here. For all and then some.

Oceana Boston, Massachusetts

Rating:
Summary: Informative, Easy to Read, and Never Stuffy
Review: First off, I bought this book since I wanted to find a bit of a primer for someone to avoid something big and schmaltzy that would either A: Be too commercialized or B: Scare them off from learning more by calling for insane ingredients or the like. What I found in the book were simple instructions, an open mind, several tips for people with limited cash (for which to buy fifty different kinds of herbs! :) Goddess Bless the Herb Substitution Guide!) and lots of hints for making your own supplies without tons of work (without a drop in quality and the added bonus of your own craftsmanship!).

Also, there was a great deal of thought and ethics in this book, which I feel many books of the like don't mention. Things like WHY you should do a spell (and WHY NOT!) and the different kinds of paths for different situations, as well as some of the philosophy and religion about doing magick that some books lack (without being PREACHY!).

Add to this lots of information, several easy to use and modify spells, a great deal of heart, more great stuff I can't remember, and you've got this great little book!



And BTW....I never gave the book to the person it was intended...it was just too good! But I'll be ordering another one for them right away! :)
Blessed Be and Good Luck All!

Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: First off, this book is sure to become a classic among magical folk, in my opinion.

I liked the book itself, and the author has a great writing style. Some of her ideas in part one of the book are interesting, and the spells themselves are often easy to do, and you won't have to go to an occult shop to get the ingredients (for most of them, anyway). Some of the spells, to me at least, were kind of too simple to work, but when backed with emotion and energy rising/releasing, they will work.

Overall, this would be a great adition to any witch's/Wiccan's library. Great book!

-Ater

Rating:
Summary: Okay for beginners
Review: Hello! Just wanted to say I tried a simple money spell from this book containing a jar, 1 bay leaf and 7 dimes and it worked! Long story short I got into an argument with a roommate and had to be out of her house in 30 days. I had no money and no car. By the last week of November I had a car and a 2 bedroom apt! I practically had guys just giving me money! I'm not saying your going to get rich but a few thousand does help. I also tried a "communication" spell to get someone to contact you. All you need for that is a yellow candle and a sewing needle. Everytime I tried it the person I wanted to contact me did. I definitely reccommend this book and "The Good Spell Book" by Gillian Kemp. If you have any questions or just want to trade information on different spell books or spells etc please feel free to email me at: [e-mail]

Take Care! :o)

Rating:
Summary: Simple and easy to use
Review: I come from the premise that whatever spell, ritual or ceremony you do, the real magic happens when your intention comes into sharp, clear focus. In other words, although I believe in the magical properties of herbs, flowers, plants, trees, stones and colors, a lay person may not, and that's okay; because when that person performs a spell or ritual, they will come to understand the power of intention, and in the process, learn about the magical gifts that mother nature has to offer. That's why I love this book so much. The spells are simple, easy to perform and accessible to all. It introduces magic in a casual way while educating on some of the most basic principles of spiritual work. It's a great resource, too. I use it all the time.

Rating:
Summary: help?
Review: i havent read this book and i really dont know anything about spells or anything. me boyfriend broke up with me not too long ago, ad no i dont want revenge. i still love him, but i just want a second chance, because i know i said some not so nice things to him when we were together but he loved me too. things were just getting to hard to work out. its taken a while but ive gotten a different view on loife and i am much more negative then i was before, which was something he always had a problem with. he wanted me to be more confident and have more self worth. is it bad to cast a spell to have him give me another chance. i would never do anything to hurt him, and i want him to know that, but he wont listen to me because of his freinds influence mostly. would it be bad then? i mean the way i see it it would make him happier to know that ive changed and things will be better with us. i think i would make his life better, not worse. can somebody help me with this? if you have any advice you can offer, or any books to reccomend, me e-mail is "[e-mail]" anything would be helpful. thanks

Rating:
Summary: informative magic
Review: I learned alot about writing more lyrical spells that lends the right touch to a spell written. I reference this book alot and I think it is a good starter book for those interested in the craft. The only thing that kept me from giving this a five star review is that Ms. Morrison talkes about how very simple it is to turn dried herbs into essential oils. Carnation petals cooked in a slow cooker will not smell like carnations ....unfortunatly, making oils is a fairly exacting science...please see cunninghams book 'Inscence, Oils and Brews'...

Rating:
Summary: A Handy Reference That No Novice Should Take Lightly
Review: I purchased my copy of Dorothy Morrison's book "Everyday Magic: Spells & Rituals for Modern Living" several years ago not long after I began to study Wicca and Witchcraft. I regard it to be a very handy reference, and have done some of the spells that Ms. Morrison describes within its pages. Divided into two parts, the first part is entitled "Ancient Arts, Modern Solutions" and contains four chapters. The first two chapters provide basic information about various phenomena and things that can affect the outcome of a spell, such as location, timing (moon phase, day of the week, etc.), colors, words, herbs, flowers, trees and stones. The third chapter discusses the use of modern kitchen appliances for preparation work. The fourth chapter is a brief discussion on the karmic implications of magick with an emphasis upon understanding just how powerful magickal energy can be, including situations where someone may not realize that he/she may be unintentionally sending out magickal energy that may have positive or negative results. (Several examples are described.) The second and much longer part of the book is a grimoire containing over 300 spells subdivided into 100 topics. These topics include addiction, anger, business success, communication, computers, creativity, depression, divorce, enemies, friendship, gambling, health, jobs, legal matters, lost items, money, obstacles, parking spaces, protection, stress, success, traffic, wisdom, and many others. It is important to note here that in dealing with any negative matters, Ms. Morrison always provides positive ways to handle them. As she correctly points out in Chapter 4 of Part 1 about karma, whatever energy that you put out will come back to you three times as much. Thus, it is wise to only perform spellwork that has a positive intent.

Though I regard "Everyday Magic: Spells & Rituals for Modern Living" as a valuable reference (especially with its appendixes about herb and deity associations), I do have some concerns when it comes to novices. In Chapter 1 of Part 1, Ms. Morrison's brief description about location, subtitled "Atmosphere and the Working Environment", discusses the fact that performing magickal work is generally regarded as being spiritual and is usually performed in the presence of an altar. However, it does not mention that before any spellwork is done, the working space (usually referred to as "sacred space") should be ritually cleansed, especially if no spellwork has ever been performed there before. This ensures that no lingering, possibly negative, energies are present. Also, it does not mention that spellwork is typically done only within a sacred circle. Casting a sacred circle protects you from any outside influences that may meddle with your spellwork. Performing spellwork in an area that has not been ritually cleansed or outside of a sacred circle can prevent the desired outcome of the spellwork from occurring. If you are a novice, I highly recommend that before attempting any spellwork, that you first familiarize yourself with sacred space and sacred circles. Several good instructional books include Starhawk's "Spiral Dance", Christopher Penczak's "The Inner Temple of Witchcraft" & "The Outer Temple of Witchcraft", Scott Cunningham's "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner", Silver Ravenwolf's "To Ride a Silver Broomstick: New Generation Witchcraft" and "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft" by Denise Zimmermann & Katherine A. Gleason. For more information about the deities mentioned in "Everyday Magic: Spells & Rituals for Modern Living", I highly recommend Janet & Stewart Farrar's books "The Witches' God: Lord of the Dance" and "The Witches' Goddess: The Feminine Principle of Divinity".

Overall, for its compact size and amount of information, I rate "Everyday Magic: Spells & Rituals for Modern Living" with 4 out of 5 stars. One final piece of advice that I give to a novice is as follows: keep your spellwork secret; telling others about any spells that you have cast is the surest way to keep them from happening.