Practical Magic for Beginners: Techniques & Rituals to Focus Magical Energy

Anyone can practice magic to improve their everyday lives. Practical Magic for Beginners is a straightforward introduction to magical practice for Christians, Pagans, Jews, atheists, and people of all religious traditions.

This comprehensive training course presents the foundations of spellcraft and ritual magic through short, simple exercises. Readers explore their energy and senses, and then move on to developing skills in extrasensory perception, divination, and introspection. Magical timing, magical processes, ritual space and tools, journaling, and dreamwork are explained and discussed in depth. This nondenominational guidebook also includes twenty rituals related to friendship, love, prosperity, health, and other common concerns.

Anyone can practice magic to improve their everyday lives. Practical Magic for Beginners is a straightforward introduction to magical practice for Christians, Pagans, Jews, atheists, and people of all religious traditions.

This comprehensive training course presents the foundations of spellcraft and ritual magic through short, simple exercises. Readers explore their energy and senses, and then move on to developing skills in extrasensory perception, divination, and introspection. Magical timing, magical processes, ritual space and tools, journaling, and dreamwork are explained and discussed in depth. This nondenominational guidebook also includes twenty rituals related to friendship, love, prosperity, health, and other common concerns.

Publishers Weekly

Williams accurately assesses a clear strength in this addition to Llewellyn's for Beginners series (Astrology, Chakras, Divination, Healing Alternatives, Magick, etc.) by calling her book "short on theory and long on practice." Her other fortes in this sound primer are clarity, simplicity and open-ended spiritual affiliation. Her emphasis on innate powers and abilities could invite believers of many stripes who want specific exercises to enhance their personal awareness. From the first simple experiment of holding palms close to each other to create perception of the unseen, Williams devotes two-thirds of her useful book to offering such concrete explorations of the invisible through sight, sound, feeling, movement, objects, planets and timing. She also lists the most basic tools for performing magic rituals and prefers dedicated, mundane household objects (clean broom, blue bowl, etc.), underscoring her belief that "everyone can develop enough psychic skill to... do effective ritual magic." The final third lists specific rituals for life events: e.g., finding a home or a job, getting money or taking a trip. Williams's only shortcoming is a lack of emphasis to "harm none," frequently found in other primers. Easy to follow, this useful volume will aid anyone who wants to master the basics of practical magic. (Jan.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Brandy Williams (Washington) is a Wiccan high priestess and ceremonial magician who has been practicing and teaching magic for over 25 years.

In 1997, Williams founded the Seattle Pagan Scholars, and she has served as director ever since. She also is involved with numerous organizations including Ordo Templi Orientis, and the Temple of Light and Darkness, a Ceremonial group based on the Open Source Order of the Golden Dawn. She served as President of Covenant of the Goddess in 1990 and 1991.

Williams has conducted many lectures and workshops on the subject of practical magic, including the School of Night, an intensive non-denominational course with six other teachers. She also gave a presentation entitled “Wiccan Devotionals” to the Parliament of World Religions in 1993. Williams has made numerous festival appearances and continues to present lectures and workshops about her work.