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Rating: 
Summary: Nice Reference
Review: I really liked this book. Most Wicca 101 books come with a chapter on magick spells and Magickal Correspondences. This book basically takes that chapter and blows it up into something a little more useful.However it doesn't contain any info on raisng and focusing power or using visualizations so if you don't already have a book on that (Laurie Cabot, Scott Cunningham, Silver Ravenwolf etc.) yer gonna have a recipe book. I think it makes a good companion piece to a book that teaches a specific magickal path. Note: Conservative Wiccans aren't gonna like this one, it challenges the Law of 3 and the idea of not using person specific love spells. If you have serious problems with that i'd stay away from this one.
Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Book by One of my Favorite Authors!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has tons of information about the different magical arts and doesn't preach about wiccan ethics the way so many other books seem to do in this day and age. A bit of the information contained in this book is pretty standard stuff (like ritual tools and correspondences) but if the author overlooked all of that the book would probably have little value to those who are just starting out in the craft. Ms. Dunwich offers very good advice on crafting one's own spells from scratch. (She inspired me to write a few of my own) And her chapter devoted to candle magick is very thorough. I found the chapters dealing with black magik, sybil leek, and bast-wicca to be the most interesting and I give the book an overall rating of EXCELLENT.
Rating:
Summary: LOVED IT!
Review: Of the nearly 2 dozen books written by Pagan author Gerina Dunwich, I consider this one (along with Herbal Magick, Wicca Garden, and Your Magickal Cat) to be her finest. I highly recommend it for all beginners and intermediate students of the art of witchcraft. It covers all aspects of spellcasting, including historical perspectives and practical applications. Good for any and all traditions. The book does not focus on any of the religious aspects of Wicca, so if you're looking for a book about theology, you should look elsewhere. But if you're interested in learning about, and practicing, folk-magick, this is definitely the book you should read. It is not fluffy, preachy, or corny (as are so many books of this genre in this day and age.) Dunwich includes many wonderful and easy-to-follow spells to use, as well as sound advice on crafting your own. Explore this one - you won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Book by One of my Favorite Authors!
Review: This turned out to be an odd, but interesting, little book. I have to admit slight disappointment: I'd hoped for a book written on a more advanced, or at least intermediate, level. Instead, this book takes you through the usual basic material. Chapter 1 defines a witch's tools ("an athame is ... "), and introduces you to the elements of earth, fire, water, and air. Chapter 2 is a big correspondences list. Chapter 3 concerns timing: moon phases, astrology, yearly festivals. Chapter 4 introduces us to divination, specifically using the Tarot. Chapter 5 gets into amulets. Chapter 6 concerns candles. Ho, hum, you think. I already know this stuff. I've read the Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft. You turn excitedly to Chapter 7 which is titled "Book of Shadows" and has a lot of subsection titles implying different spells. However, these aren't modern (or timeless) spells that modern witches will find meaningful. Instead, there's much unwieldy historical folklore. (For example, and I'm making this one up: In Scotland in the 18th century, a witch seeking to avert the evil eye would scoop up forest mold on a sixpence and bury it, dancing widdershins, in a churchyard at midnight on the vernal equinox.) I happen to like folklore, though I recognize some of these spells would be impossible to do nowadays. So I'm not too concerned when the folklore continues into Chapter 8 (Fertility Magic) and Chapter 9 (Weatherworking). Chapter 10 returns us to the kitchen and more correspondences, of herbs this time. Chapter 11 covers much the same ground as Chapter 3 with its yearly festivals. Chapter 12 takes an interesting detour into a tribute to English witch Sybil Leek. Chapter 13 startlingly promises to deal with "Black Magic", a topic that most witchcraft books these days seem to avoid. However, it follows true to form: more folklore on how to protect yourself from hexes. This book would be better classified into the "Folklore & Mythology" section of bookstores rather than the Pagan - Wicca - Magick "Active How-to" section. I'm not going to return it for something else because I enjoyed it (and I spilled coffee on it). But, friends, it may not be what you're looking for.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but if you must, save your money and pass on it
Review: This turned out to be an odd, but interesting, little book. I have to admit slight disappointment: I'd hoped for a book written on a more advanced, or at least intermediate, level. Instead, this book takes you through the usual basic material. Chapter 1 defines a witch's tools ("an athame is ... "), and introduces you to the elements of earth, fire, water, and air. Chapter 2 is a big correspondences list. Chapter 3 concerns timing: moon phases, astrology, yearly festivals. Chapter 4 introduces us to divination, specifically using the Tarot. Chapter 5 gets into amulets. Chapter 6 concerns candles. Ho, hum, you think. I already know this stuff. I've read the Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft. You turn excitedly to Chapter 7 which is titled "Book of Shadows" and has a lot of subsection titles implying different spells. However, these aren't modern (or timeless) spells that modern witches will find meaningful. Instead, there's much unwieldy historical folklore. (For example, and I'm making this one up: In Scotland in the 18th century, a witch seeking to avert the evil eye would scoop up forest mold on a sixpence and bury it, dancing widdershins, in a churchyard at midnight on the vernal equinox.) I happen to like folklore, though I recognize some of these spells would be impossible to do nowadays. So I'm not too concerned when the folklore continues into Chapter 8 (Fertility Magic) and Chapter 9 (Weatherworking). Chapter 10 returns us to the kitchen and more correspondences, of herbs this time. Chapter 11 covers much the same ground as Chapter 3 with its yearly festivals. Chapter 12 takes an interesting detour into a tribute to English witch Sybil Leek. Chapter 13 startlingly promises to deal with "Black Magic", a topic that most witchcraft books these days seem to avoid. However, it follows true to form: more folklore on how to protect yourself from hexes. This book would be better classified into the "Folklore & Mythology" section of bookstores rather than the Pagan - Wicca - Magick "Active How-to" section. I'm not going to return it for something else because I enjoyed it (and I spilled coffee on it). But, friends, it may not be what you're looking for.
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