Crone's Book of Magical Words [Paperback]

Valerie Worth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2002

Crone's Book of Magical Words (previously published as The Crone's Book of Words) by Valerie Worth is the book you've been waiting for! In its pages are over 125 spells, incantations and charms. If you can think of a purpose for a spell, it's probably in this book. Need a spell to summon a ghost? Or perhaps you want the opposite: a spell to free a house from being haunted. They're both in this book. Do you need something to help you lose weight or have longevity? You'll find them here. Or perhaps you want to pass through a locked door. It's all in this book.
   Even if you don't know a thing about magic, you can use this book. The spells are easy, poetic, and evocative. For example, to cure a wart the instructions are: "Stamp within a silver cup mullein and houseleek together. Stir them with a sparrow's feather. Let it draw the juices up; Twenty times upon one day, brush them over the excrescence; Under sunlight dry the essence — Soon the wart must shrink away."
The range in this book is phenomenal. You'll find a simple fertility charm and a way to conjure with smoke. You'll read about how to bring rain and how to stop rain from falling. You'll learn how to tell fortunes with sand or with tea leaves. This is more than just a book about magic, it is a folklorist's bonanza.
If you're ready to win another's love or to sweeten someone's disposition, if you want to turn hair long and golden or discover tree spirits, this is the book you must have. Whether you have been doing magic for a long time or are a beginner, this book is a must.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Sometimes I want to study subjects in depth. At other times, especially when it comes to magic, I often just want the basics so I can get things done. That's the concept behind Valerie Worth's Crone's Book of Magical Words (previously published as The Crone's Book of Words).
This book is simply filled with spells and charms, rituals, and techniques that will help bring magic into your life. There are over 125 of them, and you're going to find you will be able to use many of them right away.
There are spells for your home and spells for your attitude, spells for health and spells to call ghosts, spells for divination and spells for invisibility. Do you need to know how to become invisible? You'll find out in this book.
In many traditions of Paganism, spells should be done in rhyme. In this book the spells and instructions are in rhyme. As you read over instructions for such things as how to treat a leaking house, or a spell for riches, you'll see how poetry can be found everywhere. This means you'll be better able to design your own rhyming rituals and poetic empowerment.
Sometimes, simplicity equals elegance and power. That is the case here. The complete yet brief rites and charms will have you spinning a web of magic in no time.
This book is not only a great tool for people starting on a magical path, it is also ideal for people who are on the path and who want to expand their possibilities. If you fit into either of these categories, this book is a must.

About the Author

Valerie Worth was a prolific writer whose work included numerous books of children's poetry and fiction for both young people and adults. In 1991, the National Council of Teachers of English honored her with their Poetry Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her Poems are vivid observations of the quiet rumblings of everyday objects. In all her writing, the careful attention to rhythm and sound and her striking images and metaphors make for engaging reading.

Valerie Worth was born in Philadelphia, and as a child she lived in Pennsylvania, Florida and India. She attended Swarthmore College and graduated in 1955. Afterwards, she settled in Clinton, New York, and continued he Writing. She had many other interests, including astronomy, gardening and meditation. Valerie Worth died in 1994. She is survived by her husband, George Bahlke, and three children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 2 edition (September 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567188257
• ISBN-13: 978-1567188257
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #308,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incantare, December 22, 2006

By 

RootedHand (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crone's Book of Magical Words (Paperback)

"Sweeten the oven, sweeten the pot, sweeten the cold and sweeten the hot. Summon thy virtues into this place, to teach me patience and skill, and grace." This is just one of the many many quaint spells and enchantments found in The Crones Book of Words by Valerie Worth. First published in 1971, this book is one of my all time favorites. I hope you enjoy it's pages as much as I do.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchantment in the woods...., April 21, 2006

By 

Rashchupkina (Off left in center.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Crone's Book of Magical Words (Paperback)

I have all her books and her writing is pure magic. The kind of book that holds mystery and an eerie sense of the past within it's pages.

The little poems are brillant, they transport me to another place and a timelessness. I adore the artwork within as well, it adds to the book immensely. Worth was obviously intune with the ways of nature and the traditional witch...she was born with it in her soul....as some of us are.

Don't miss this absolute sparkling gem of a book...a true treasure.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written spells, November 17, 2002

By 

J.D Meder (CT, SA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crone's Book of Magical Words (Paperback)

If you practise witchcraft and have appreciation for poetic and well written spells which also perhaps contain historical value then you will enjoy this book.

With some creativity, most of the spells can be easily incorporated into rituals for those who enjoy a more dramatic type of ritual. There are also spells which I have never found on websites or other wiccan books or books on witchcraft such as enchanting an apple and something to be said for protection when walking past a graveyard.

The poetic nature really does convey a sense of it being something that was perhaps an old wives tale or something that the strange little old lady (with black cat) living in a cottage in a forest clearing would have used.

This book is really just something to add to your list of spells and some of them you would most probably never use but they are so beautifully written that you will be able to enjoy just reading them. It is not your avaerage Wiccan spell book so if that is what you are looking for then its not for you.