Customer Reviews

Embracing the Moon: A Witch's Guide to Rituals, Spellcraft and Shadow Work

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Finally! Just when you thought you had read it all, Yasmine Galenorn steps forward to dispel the myth, now and forever, that wicca and witchcraft are interchangeable terms!

The content of Embracing the Moon was one that a new seeker or experienced crone could follow to gain new insight into our craft. I appreciated this book because it took a step beyond the standard beginner instruction to explain concepts that most witchcraft books fear to mention. Particularly interesting to note are the descriptions and sample spells for exorcisms, hexing with responsibilty, faerie magick, and protecting our earth and endangered species. The charts and correspondence tables are wonderfully useful and the powder and oil recipes invaluable.

I loved reading about her personal experiences - they made me feel that I had met a kindred spirit. The writing was easy to follow - nothing overly technical or too complex here. I felt that she and I were in my living room, sharing a cup of tea and talking. This is one I will recommend to all my friends! Embracing the Moon is a must-read resource for every seeker of the ancient ways.

I thought I had lost my connection to the Goddess & the lunar cycles but this book happily brought me back right on track! Years ago, I would just skim through various wiccan books & read, get bored & venture off reading something else. Yasmine's books are written so well & are so detailed that you feel as though she is with you all the way. From the intro to the last page of the book, its a non-stop exciting journey into the today's eclectic witchcraft. If you've read all of Ravenwolf's books & are hungry for more; by all means, READ THIS BOOK! Embracing the Moon is devoid of any fluffy, new age psycho-babble that plagues a lot of new crop of "Wiccan" books. Embracing the Moon is the witchcraft of my dreams: Lucidly romantic, intense & moon centered. I was so hooked that I even went to her website & joined her mailing list. LOL! I LOVE this book! This book is for ALL levels, believe it or not. The "one size fits all" philosophy truly fits in this book. Whether you are a novice solitary or a 20 yr. veteran, this book belongs on any SERIOUS witch's library. Especially helpful are her opulent visualisation techniques. I won't even tell you what happened to me because you have to do this on your own. This book vibrates w/ so much Magick that you will explode w/ glee. I LOVE Yasmine & I LOVE this book!

and produced the one book that needed to be written. Embracing the Moon is for everyone who has ever asked, "Where and how do I start?" Well, now we have the answer.

Embracing The Moon: A Witches Guide to Ritual Spellcraft and Shadow Work is one of the most comprehensive books I have read in a quite some time. It contains everything, from rituals and spells to tools and recipes, Herbal, Animal, and Faerie Magick - the list is lengthy. Ms Galenorn has touched bases on just about everything, sharing her personal experiences in her own magickal life to help guide her readers through all the "whys."

Embracing the Moon is the book I wish I'd had when I started; two hundred and ninety one pages of pure knowledge, enlightenment and insight. Along with the easy step by step directions, Ms Galenorn constantly encourages the reader to find what is right for them as an individual. Whatever direction you are following, this is the book for you. It's now in its fifth printing... and I can see why.

I am a very eclectic Wicca, and this book was perfect for me. Although the author is not Wiccan, and there were some things in there that were against the Wiccan "rules", I would still do them is a situation like that arose. This book has no fluff or bluff in it, and it's the best book that Llewellyn has ever published. From reading this book I felt better for working with Goddess Hecate and was glad that Yasmine called the Dark Goddesses to help bring justice when someone has been raped, abused, etc. No, you won't find anything "New Agey" in it, Yasmine is a person who uses her common sense, and that is why I decided that she is my favorite author. Now I'm going to talk about this book.

Part one is called "Ritual Preparation." It has all the basic things for you need to start working magick, I liked that she had a whole cahpter on visualization and how to do it, unlike other books that say "visualize an apple, that is how we do it, visualize it." There is also a cahpter on rising power that I also liked. It has all you need.

Part two is called "Spellcraft." This part was so common sense that I loved it. I liked her personal stories as well. This part has it all and the spells couldn't have been written better. Many of her spells and rituals ask for oils that she has recepies to in the book--I would just use something else or a normal oil (everything can become magickal!)

Part three is called "Shadow Work." In this section I liked the shapeshifting/totem animal cahpter and the chapter on faerie magick, the chapters on the Goddess and the God were very good, too. I liked how she said that faeries weren't all light and fluffy. All in all, this is a must have for all, no matter what magickal path you follow, it will be useful.

If you want to know more about her other and future books, then visit her site. E-mail me if you want the link.

This book is a wonderful and diverse guide to the Wiccan way. The author provides useful chants, spells,and ideas for creating your own personalized rituals and ceremonies. She gives equal attention the both the Goddess and God and gives rituals for both. One of my favorite sections is the one titled "Shadow Work" where she talks about animal magick and faerie magick, which includes oils and ceremonies for contacting animal and faerie guides. This book is just jam-packed with recipes, chants, candle magick, rune symbols,elements and deities, and spells for any occasion. A must read for the curious novice as well as for the experienced practioner, this is not only a book, but a magickal guide to living Wicca!

I'm not sure why, but this is one of my favorite books! It's a book on natural magic and witchcraft (not Wicca, although it does have some Wiccan thing-ies in there). The book starts with a great section called "Ritual Preparation." The one thing I liked most about that part was a whole chapter on visualization, and a chapter that discussed energy rising. I liked the visualization chapter because so many authors mention it, and bearly give it a page of space in their book. This chapter helped me a lot. I also liked the energy rising chapter, because it taught me how to quickly rise energy without any tools. It was something where you rub your hands together, and then you feel the vibration between your hands. I always thought that that can help in magic, and now I know! This section also has other basic stuff, but the one thing I also liked about this section, was when she talked about the Gods, and how we can work with them. Which is worth the price.

The next section is called "Spellcraft." This section has a lot of good things, but the best I could notice was the common sense that the author uses. That was the best part according to me. She does have some recepies for oils, but they are very expensive, so the spells that use them could be changed a bit. The thing I most liked in this section was the importance of self-love that the author talks about, and the chapter on protection. The chapter on protection has some "darker" spells that some Wiccans might not find ethical, but I personally do, because all you're doing is sending the negative energy back to the sender. I also liked how she included the Dark Goddesses, like Hecate, in her ritual to bring justice to the raped and the abused. This made me feel better for choosing Hecate as my "work with" Goddess. I still can't get over the great common sense. It only shows that the author truly knows what she's talking about.

Third, and last section is called "Shadow Work." This section is quite interesting, because it has chapters on Faerie Magic, Shapeshifting, Drawing Down the Moon Rituals, AND Drawing Down the Sun Rituals. The Drawing Down the Sun was the thing that I was most glad about, because other books, that call themselves "Wiccan," forget the God all together, and I'm glad that Yasmine didn't. *Very* glad. The last chapter was "Earth Healing Rituals," which wasn't so bad, but the ritual was written for a coven.

The one more thing I wanted to add was that Yasmine sometimes uses a pinch of her own blood in spells, because this makes her spells more powerful. But, she also says that you don't have to, and that that's just the way she chooses to practice her magic. The use of your blood is bearly mentioned throughout the book, and if it is, there is always a choice of using something else. So, basically, this book is about the author's own eclectic path. To conclude, I would recommend this book to witches, Wiccans, and other folks who might practice natural magic.

-Ater (used to write reviews as DarkRaven)

As someone who has been studying the Craft for over 4 years, I've read countless books on the subject. Yasmine Galenorn has done an outstanding job of providing valuable information to students of any path. I learned a few things that I previously had not been aware of. Unlike some authors, Ms. Galenorn does not attempt to consturct a rigid format full of "rules;" she does, however, make excellent suggetions and gives basic guidelines that inspire the reader to create for themselves. Highly recommended!

In her ritual section, she covers the basics of doing Ritual. Her approach is to gently lead the reader through the whole process, teaching the tools, the steps, all you need to start doing your own ritual. She does the well, teaching in a very clear manner, very inclusive of all the necessary parts to do ritual. I rather like her teaching style, being easy on the reader.

The second part is Spellcraft, and again, she is very clear in how to create your own magic, crafting your own spells, and applying these to your own life.

The third part is Shadow Work, incorporating the various elements and Deities into your Craft. Fairies, Animal Magic, Drawing down the Moon, Drawing down the Sun, Earth Healing, all well covered, well described, and very complete.

I recommend this book for the beginner and as a good reference, because of its completeness and it is well written.

This book is great. I wish I had bought it as my very first book on craft. The author goes into lots of detail and is really helpful in getting you started. The book includes good examples, spells and images to help you get a good grasp of what you are doing. TONS of reference stuff. A little bit of something for everything. Covers all the basics. Very well done and in plain english.

Yasmine's "Embracing the Moon" is not only excellent for reference, but is a pleasure to read as well. Her colorful personal anecdotes are both entertaining and informative. Yasmine's advice and suggestions are wise and practical. Even if you are not a practitioner, this book is a wild read!