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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magically Delicious, July 9, 2007
This review is from: Composing Magic: How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessings, Chants, and Prayers (Paperback)
For most of us, when we first start getting into our magical or spiritual path, we recite the words of others with more experience. 'The Lord's Prayer' and 'The Charge of the Goddess' are two very good examples. However, as we progress into our traditions, we want to make them more personal to us, we want to start writing our own prayers and our own ceremonies.
_Composing Magic_ by Elizabeth Barrette takes us by the hand, and leads us down that road.
In this book we find delightful examples of how -- and how 'not' -- to compose magical verse and prose to achieve desired results.
It is not a grimoire.
It is not a book of spells.
It is not a 'cookbook' of recipes.
_Composing Magic_ is a guidebook of how we decide where we are on our journey, what we wish to achieve in that journey, and how to put together our own rituals, blessings, chants, prayers, and incantations to achieve desired results.
Well done Ms Barrette for filling this much needed gap!
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sharpen your pencils!, October 31, 2007
This review is from: Composing Magic: How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessings, Chants, and Prayers (Paperback)
This is the first book I have had the pleasure to read which really gets into the nitty-gritty of putting words to paper for ritual and ceremonial uses.
As a children's book writer, I have read my fair share of writing manuals, including books on poetic forms. Many of them left me scratching my head and wondering if I had any grasp on the English language at all or if I should just throw in the towel and let someone with a Masters degree in English Lit have all the fun.
Ms. Barrette's book wasn't one of these. Her descriptions of the differing forms of poetry and prose was accessible to anyone in plain, sraight-forward description. Each form was demonstrated by an example, many of which were the author's own creations, as well as examples from more famous authors' writings. What I especially liked was the inclusion of the historic and cultural explanations of each form of writing. The author also commented on how the form could best be used in a Pagan setting.
Each chapter examines a particular topic or form of writing, followed by a series of exercises meant to encourage the reader to use the knowledge from the chapter in a constructive and practical manner. Each chapter builds on the ones previous, with the suggestion to return to earlier exercises with the newly acquired information.
The final chapters in the book encourage the writer who wishes to become published with practical and down-to-earth advice on this tough but rewarding occupation.
The book contains footnotes, a bibliography and an index. At less than 300 pages, the book is small, but jam packed with tons of useful advice and examples for the person who wants to create truly magical ritual form.
reviewed by W Lyon Martin auhtor/illustrator of Ordinary Girl - A Magical Child, An and Aidan's First Full Moon Circle.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Guide, September 18, 2007
This review is from: Composing Magic: How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessings, Chants, and Prayers (Paperback)
Elizabeth Barrette is one of the greatest authors I know. This book is a wonderful guide for the composition of anything you would want to use in a ritual, and a great guide for writing in general! It is wonderful to read cover to cover, or to simply thumb through to what you need.
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