Customer Reviews

The Book of English Magic

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

See ("Badwitch" blog)

Wednesday, 5 August 2009
Review: The Book of English Magic
I wish all books on occult history were as clearly written, as entertaining and as full of fascinating facts as The Book of English Magic by Philip Carr-Gomm and Richard Heygate.

It is a big door-stop of a book and when I got it, about a week ago, I thought it might take me ages to get through. But it certainly didn't - instead I didn't want to put it down.

The Book of English Magic reminds me of The Dangerous Book for Boys - which teaches grown-up boys (and girls) how to thrash someone at conkers, race a go-cart or swot up on the solar system in a nostalgic style harking back to some golden childhood that probably never existed, while still imparting useful skills for adults, perhaps with their own kids. Although, of course, The Book of English Magic teaches how to dowse for water, cast a spell or swot up on the famous magicians in English history rather than anything as mundane as conker fights.

I'm sure the similarity between the books is deliberate, with this being published at the same time as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince reached English cinemas, boosting interest in anything schoolboy-wizard related.

But I would say the book's style is no bad thing, whatever the reason behind it. It makes it very easy to read while still being extremely informative.

The book begins with the ancient roots of magic - cave paintings and standing stones left by our early ancestors. These hint at prehistoric attempts to tap into the power of the land, honour the dead and ensure good hunting - although no-one today really knows their purpose. Chapters move forwards through the centuries, covering druids; Anglo-Saxon sorcerers; Merlin and the Holy Grail; witches and warlocks; alchemists' attempts to make the philosopher's stone; John Dee in the Elizabethan age; cunning folk; freemasonry; the 18th-century Age of Reason leading into the Victorian era and a renewed fascination with magic; Aleister Crowley and Dion Fortune; and finally the modern era of "The Wizards' Return".

Each section includes potted biographies and personal accounts by experts in the traditions covered. You may not go along with everything these luminaries claim, but it is interesting to read their stories alongside those of others. One of the lovely things about this book is that it seems to encourage the reader to take what interests or inspires them and ignore the rest.

There are also lists for further reading - both fiction and non-fiction, ideas for places to visit to see the sites of occult history for yourself and suggestions for practical magic experiments to try at home (perhaps sometimes using metaphorical round-ended scissors). It even offers warnings called "Traps for the Sorcerer's Apprentice", including not getting too attached to theories that may be proved wrong and not letting fortune telling dominate your decision-making. Very sensible.

My only real criticism of The Book of English Magic it is that it sometimes claims for England important figures and movements that weren't entirely English. This includes author CS Lewis, as was earlier pointed out by a reader of my blog. CS Lewis certainly lived in England, and the book does state that he was born in Ireland, but I could understand the Irish feeling that he shouldn't have been in a book dedicated to English magic at all.

Nevertheless, as an English magician myself, I can't help feeling a little thrill of pride in reading a book that states "of all the countries in the world, England has the richest history of magical lore and practice".

And now I'm going to duck while I wait for the barrage of comments pointing out that other countries have just as rich a magical past...
Endangered Species: The Bart and the Bounder's Countryside YearThe Druid Animal OracleSacred Places: Sites of Spiritual Pilgrimage from Stonehenge to Santiago De CompostelaThe Druid Craft Tarot: Use the Magic of Wicca and Druidry to Guide Your Life

It's an accessible history, guidebook, and how-to compendium. In a friendly, yet cautious, manner, the writers encourage readers to learn more about the traditions of England, as well as forms invented and revamped by hundreds of thousands of pagans, believers, and "Armchair Magicians" today.

(N.B. I am not a magician, but a medievalist, so my interest in this was more scholarly than as a grimoire. I am aware of the infighting that may rage here as among pagans about nomenclature, inclusion, and exclusion. But my review is for a general reader looking inside a realm that most of us on the outside know little about...)

Twelve fast-paced, illustrated and annotated chapters reveal this vast storehouse of lore. Ancient roots, starting with prehistoric cave-dwellers, dig down into pre-Celtic and Celtic foundations. Saxon sorcerers displace and follow Druids. Their descendants become medieval Catholics, grail searchers with their own complicated relationship to their magical peers.

Alchemy intrigued "puffers" close to Elizabethan courtiers. Witches met persecution, if in England far fewer being hanged than some have supposed. Astrologers, cunning-men (akin to fortune-tellers or psychics today), wizards, Rosicrucians, scryers, Freemasons, Theosophists, Spiritualists, and mediums populate the chronicles of the past five hundred years. Even if most who feared or welcomed magic lived in isolation, one city grew in its allure. Enduring in its attraction for England's spiritual and scientific explorers, London, the authors remind us, is better than Cairo or Calcutta, Paris or Prague, for anybody curious about the Craft. They detail its lore and its three occult bookstores lovingly.

Essays by adepts enrich this volume. Brian Bates, a psychologist and shamanistic researcher, laments the superficiality of how magic is treated. "People nowadays will happily read Harry Potter, but are wary of the real stuff." The reclamation of what popular culture distorts, while protecting the secrecy of lore and rituals entrusted to true initiates, characterizes many who guard their mystery traditions.

Some still remain anonymous here. One, a member of the Order of the Golden Dawn that once attracted W.B. Yeats as well as a man whom he detested, Aleister Crowley, explains his search "for the mystery of being." He reasons that magic is both objective and subjective. It is created by the imagination and then takes on its own life; it is real and separate from human beings at the same time.

Few contributors claim, as earlier witches did a few decades ago, to inherit magical skills. Instead, they seek out the few who control them, who create them, and who teach them. Carr-Gomm and Heygate warn of the easy lure of spell-casting; the love charm they include should be used to bring love into one's life, but not a particular lover. For, he or she once enticed may turn out to be the bane of one's existence.

Websites, reading lists of novels and manuals, experts, locations, and schools append each chapter. While some oversight may be inevitable (I missed James Blish's erudite novel on medieval alchemist Roger Bacon, "Doctor Mirabilis" [see my review], and the fiction of J.C. Powys and Iain Sinclair), the authors succeed in navigating between the skeptical and the credulous among those whom they address and whom they include. For those wishing to find out about such lore, such guidance remains necessary. Nigel Pennick, a prolific scholar-practitioner, laments how people "no longer do things because their ancestors did them; it is no longer part of our culture to pass things on to the next generation."

The repeal of the Witchcraft Act in 1951, Swinging Sixties appeal, and the ecological threats that increased awareness of earth-based religious practices in the 1980s contribute to the shift in perception among many English people that welcomed pagan or alternative forms of ritual and belief.

This sense of adventure, for perhaps more wary seekers, accounts for the rise in public perceptions of esoteric, and formerly shunned or banned, practices. Music's touched on within a summation of Chaos Magic, but the impact of film and television portrayals of magic, oddly, is absent from this survey. Compared to Margot Adler's magisterial account of American New Age and neo-pagan movements, "Drawing Down the Moon" (see my review), this counterpart appears more grounded in the living history which connects the English varieties directly to their dolmens and fields, their hideaways and chambers. This, after all, is the strength inherent in their magical legacy.

This book closes movingly, acknowledging the eclectic, syncretic nature of the corpus of a resuscitated English magical tradition. Deep down, the authors advise, one knows if one or more of the paths sketched in this book may direct one to fulfillment. This magical quest draws on a depth of awareness that contemplation and study may reveal.

Author John Michael Greer writes:

The remarkable relationship between England's green and pleasant land and some of the most influential magical traditions of the modern world forms the territory that Philip Carr-Gomm and Richard Heygate have set out to explore in detail in The Book of English Magic. The result is well worth reading, and for several reasons.
First, of course, there's the simple pleasure of reading, because The Book of English Magic is a lively and interesting book about a lively and interesting subject. It's also a very good general introduction to magic: not just the history and teachings of magic, though it covers these in quite some detail, but some of the basic practices as well, for Carr-Gomm and Heygate spice their narrative with descriptions of how to perform many of the elementary types of English magic. An abundant selection of resources for further reading and study makes The Book of English Magic among the best sources anywhere for those whose curiosity inspires them to go beyond what any single book can teach them.
Still, to my mind the best thing about this admirable book is that it draws the distinction none of the books I studied in the Seventies managed to make. It is, precisely, a book of English magic; it links the panoply of occult traditions it surveys to that small island off the northwest coast of Europe where so much magic, and for that matter so much of today's global culture, had its origins; in the process, in the friendliest possible way, Carr-Gomm and Heygate throw down a gauntlet that I hope many other authors around the world take up.
For there are many other traditions of magic that didn't originate in England, of course; every land and every people in the world have magical teachings and practices to share. By turning over the most popular occult traditions of the present time to show the "Made In England" label on the bottom, The Book of English Magic challenges today's magical practitioners--and the many other people interested in magic and the occult--to recognize that like every other creation of human culture, magical traditions are rooted in particular places and histories, and to look for the magic that might be hidden in plain sight where they live. Some of the readers who pick up that gauntlet may well write books of their own about the magic of their own homelands, or the lands in which they now live--and they would be well advised to take detailed notes, as they read The Book of English Magic, for they will find no better example of how to take on such a task and accomplish it with aplomb.

The Book of English Magic became available recently on this side of the pond. I picked up my copy on Samhain and while I'm not new to many of the subjects covered in this hefty book I find it is written well for new and old alike.

It is a delightful read unlike many occult books I've read in the past and full of many pearls of wisdom. Underlying message starting with chapter one is the importance of intent and discretion. Building upon this through the books dozen chapters one is also blessed with tools to walk diligently along ones spiritual path.

The Book of English Magic is "The Joy of Cooking" for the magical arts and I highly recommend it.

This book gives a good combination of the history of "magic" in Britain along with a good idea of how well the practice is thriving there today. The subject is divided into familiar categories, with separate chapters for Druids, Witches, King Arthur, Alchemy, etc. and each chapter includes inserts with specific references to current practitioners or experts in these various fields. It's an excellent reference book, but doesn't go into much depth in terms of ideas. I believe it's worth buying for its value as a way of bringing the subject completely into the contemporary world.

As a book of history on English magic, I found this book enjoyable to read. The draw for me was not the how-to's, but the exploration of the history and the anecdotal stories. While others may have found this as a "pre-kindergarten" book, I would say that they were looking at it entirely in the "how-to" perspective rather than as a social history. There are times when an overly scholarly puts off the average reader. If this "pre-kindergarten" book can then encourage others to delve more deeply into the topic and history, then it has done a job well done.

I was fortunate enough to get the hardcover UK edition when it was first published. It is a beautifully bound book - truly one of the more attractive books in my collection!

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the history of English magic, especially history that is written in a less formal, more approachable fashion.

First and foremost I love the look and feel of this book. The weight of it, the texture of the cover, the softness of the pages and the typography and illustrations are top notch. The contents too, are very good.

The book is multi-layered. Each chapter contains an essay on the topic, then short biographies of notable practitioners of said art, and finally there are exercises to try yourself and a useful list of further reading or web sites to try.

The authors took on a mammoth task and the only reason I gave the book four stars rather than five is because some of my favourite magicians were rather sparsely treated. (W.E. Butler and Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki are mentioned, but only in passing.)

I'm sure a volume two is in order.

Highly recommended.

The Book of English Magic by Philip Carr-Gomm & Richard Heygate provides a chronological review of all things mystical cinctured about Her shores. It helps us peer through the clouds of unknowing, illuminating the magical threads which link age to age. From Chapter One's archaeological/anthropological evidence of prehistoric shamanism to "The Renaissance of English Magic in the Twenty-First Century" in the Twelfth and final chapter, this book offers a corresponding Solar Year of academic and practical applications, which will tantalize the seekers and spark conversation among non-believers.
An important graduate school lesson is to read a book's preface, introduction, bibliography, and appendices, where applicable, in order to understand goals of the author(s) and where they hearken from. Certain factions of academia are compelled to mirror mainstream society, therefore maintaining safe, uncontroversial, quantifiable, mundane theories, which have roasted from them the very vibrancy of life. The Book of English Magic is elevated spirit emergent from that burnt out, or calcined, bodily existence, which the static status quo has so generously generated. Consequently, within this inherently magical text, every section which I have thoroughly read or briefly skimmed (not finished yet, by a long shot!) seems just as exciting/enlightening as the next, or previous, so (like me!) delight in, devour and digest every word, legend, map and sigil!
I am personally halfway through this magical textbook, being on "Chapter Six: Transmutation and Transformation - The World of the Alchemists and Puffers", which I'm allowing to assimilate in a gentle manner. For as a student alchemist, I quickly applied the old adage that `haste makes waste'! Thus far, this chapter is most rewarding, and I've enjoyed every aspect of quintessential knowledge that these authors have distilled from the Arcanum of England's Last Great Magical Age.
In summation, acquire this book...for you, for a friend, for family, or for your local library. Let us infuse the New World with this seed of Old World knowledge. These magical precepts were already brought over in the form of folk-lore/practices and are now in dire need of being watered by the whetted appetites of those beholden to the old ways and dedicated to the new. The empowering information bequeathed allows for personal correspondences no matter where you live. Frequently, this means to experience the magic whence it is least expected.
The Book of English Magic by Philip Carr-Gomm and Richard Heygate represents an illuminated treasure far surpassing, and probably permeating, any precious bobble locked within the Tower of London. These authors have been as amiable to me as they are talented in the crafting of this tome. I am honored and personally thankful to Philip for the lovely surprise message in my signed copy and to Richard for his warm, well-wishing e-messages.

Philip Carr-Gomm an expert on Druidry has written a book that is a tour de force. Covering the magical history of Britain all the way from it's prehistoric Shamanistic beginning all the way up to the present. The book is comprehensive, informative and very interesting. if you are new to magic I advise you pick up a copy of this book and read it. The over view will help you get to where you want to go in the realm of magic.

Not only does the book offer a rich textured history of magic but it also comes with exercises the novice can do so they can get their feet wet. If you are a long term practitioner then this is your chance to dabble in something a bit outside of your field. For further exploration the book offers a treasure trove of web links and books for further exploration. Awesome.

Right now there are more magical practitioners in Britain then every before. The early prehistoric people began doing their Shamanistic practices in caves often times using chants, altered states of mind and visualization in order to control the world around them. Such concerns were for hunting, crops and warding off sickness.

The state of magic moved on as the landscape of Britain is filled with landmarks that at first modern Brits took no notice of. This changed with the likes of John Aubrey and William Stukely who recognized them as Pagan holy sites and worthy of attention. later on other people would find our they were connected by Ley lines. Originally they were straight line paths from one place to the next. Trade caravans and pilgrims followed these routes. in around 1925 it was theorized that these land lines were like energy routes and could be harness for magical practice. To tap into these Ley lines one could use a variety of methods but one stood out and that was dowsing.

By use of tools inclusive of pendulums and dowsing rods Ley lines could be discovered. Dowsing is also an effective means for finding water and oil. many dowsers will tell you never to use dowsing for personal gain or unearned wealth. Druids who were the philosophers among the Celts rose to prominence. Their writing was using the Ogham alphabet. Now not much is known about the Druids so we have what is called an imaginative reconstruction. The Romans obliterated any traces of Druidic culture. The reconstructions come from scratch. Druidism or neo-druidism developed in Britain growing through three stages. First group mimicking the Freemason was more like a workers club offering fraternity, friendship and union style benefits. it was a means of support. The second phase was more of a cultural celebration where in the Brits who joined still retained their Christian affiliation while practicing Celtic/druidic rites as a cultural thing. Finally the druids became a spiritual magical movement. They modeled themselves after the Mason with initiations and ceremonies and casting circles. Symbolic use if herbs, animal totems and vision quests are made use of.

No magic book on England would be complete without mentioning Merlin. Some call him Mardyn the wild one. No one knows who he really is. They know he existed; of course King Arthur is something else entirely. Merlin was an adviser to the king. In reality he may have been a chieftain who came from Ireland and Scotland. Geoffrey Monmouth spoke of him in his works. Many feel that Merlin's prophecies came to pass. Others still say they are yet to pass. The chapter continues with further talk on the legends of the Grail and their internal spiritual uses.

As the Romans were forced to flee the Anglo Saxons and the Jutes entered the scene. A system of magic and sorcery was built upon the foundation of what was left behind of the Romans and celts added to the Germanic tribes brought with them. The Anglo Saxon brought with them beliefs in elves, dwarves, gnomes and faeries. They also brought the Runic alphabet with them. The Runes branched off and took different courses in Britain then they did in Germany. The Anglo Saxon had a belief that sickness was caused by mischievous elves. The Anglo Saxon sorcerer has verbal charms and herbs that were meant to counteract such things. The Herbs were often imbued with powers bestowed up them by certain astral bodies. The Runes were used for fortune telling and Binding runes could be used for magical spells. Binding is when runes were worn as a talisman or amulet. Two runes would be combined for certain desired result.

High magic came to play with the importation of Alchemy. Alchemists in the west have always sought two things: how to turn metals into gold and how to perfect the soul. Alchemists in the East also wanted to perfect the soul but they were also searching for immortality. Eventually Alchemy would lead to chemistry but the idea of certain herbs being associated with planetary influence and perfecting the soul would find their way into High Magic. High Magic is all about Theurgist magic which is geared for perfecting the soul. The book has a few real interesting activities associated with alchemy that can be performed at home.

John Dee was very interested in both Astrology and alchemy. A gifted magician he plunged into magic whole heartedly. His interest in magic would lead to an interest in angels. He was a favorite of the Elizabethan court. He would get together with a cohort who is clairvoyant who was able to decipher the Enochian language. They would later go off treasure hunting with his cohort Edward Kelley. Their treasure hunting exploits were not as successful as hoped. Edward Kelley ended up getting arrested. John Dee retired.

Low magic is using magic to procure things like love, money and even fighting of sickness. It had much in common with Anglo Saxon sorcery. The people that come to mind are Witches, Wiccans and Cunning folk. Wicca was introduced in 1954 by Gerald Gardner. Without going into his life details Wicca has been controversial. It made the term witch a positive connotation. Their focus was on positive magic. The controversy is the actual age of whatr is called Wicca. Witch craft is not the same as Wicca in al cases.

The original witches were actually cunning folk who lived in the countryside villages. They would perform magick to protect people from the evil work of witches. They would also say their incantation invoking Jesus. The second group of witches were those accused of witch craft and burned at the stake. Many were innocent. Finally there is Wicca.

Wicca took many things of ceremonial magic including invocations from the Key of Solomon. They also took the initiation from the Masons. Combining theories from India and the far east, Gerald Gardner formulated his own brand of magic.
The history of magic continues with descriptions of Alesister Crowley, Freemason The Golden Dawn all the way through Chaos Magick. The book is too exhaustive to give a thorough summarization unless you are writing a term paper. It has interviews, places to visit, activities, book you name it. This book gets five stars out of five stars if you are any way into magic then buy the book ASAP.

Hello! This is not a lengthy review, however I feel compelled to comment on this book. If you are drawn to this book I am guessing you have a pretty strong grasp on the "occult" in general. I have read hundreds of occult books ranging in almost every topic, I am however always drawn to old traditional witchcraft. There is a mystique and wonderment that the English bring to the table in this regard. This book is great! In the first few pages the author states the importance of books, occult books in general, and how they have the ability to transport you to another time and place, how true!

This is in no way an "advanced" book on magic, nor does it claim to be. It is however a brilliant volume of all things English magic, hence the title. If you are looking for a medieval grimoire, look somewhere else. If you are looking for a book to fuel your imagination, not at the cost of the readers intelligence, don't even hesitate. This is the type of book that makes me love books!!!!!

Explaining the contents would be futile, as this is such a unique, fun, page turner. There are magical practices, great for getting started, but more for putting you in the element of what your reading to complement the experience.It is beautifully bound, and you will love it the second you pull it out of the box, I PROMISE!!!!

If you have an avid love for the occult, especially English like me, you will be very glad you found this treasure!!!!

Bravo Chaps!!!!!