Customer Reviews

The Encyclopedia of Magickal Ingredients: A Wiccan Guide to Spellcasting

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

To say that I am impressed is to be utterly understated. Being a Wiccian and student of Witchcraft for going on about 35 years and being fasinated by the lore and magick of brews, potions, oils and powders find her work on Magickal Ingredients a dream come true. Having several other "encyclopedia's" I find her work much more valuable. She makes the information easy to understand and does not include wasted information. A truly needed and useful addition to any Witches, young or experienced, library. Lexa, keep up great work.

I'm thrilled to see that Lexa Rosean has finally put out a book like this. For years her books have been literally invaluable to my magick. She knows just what we need and offers real spells to achieve it. I thoroughly enjoy having all of her ingredients - most, easily obtainable and described- all in one magickal tome. I have referred to lexa's books for many a spell and also to friends - both the practicing witches and the non pagans and both have loved them. Lexa also has listings in here for ingredients that you might not have thought of for magickal use. An Essential for any occult library!

Wow saying this book is a guide of any kind is a stretch. First of all there is no rhyme or reason as to why some items are included and some are not. It feels like the author just threw darts are a board to pick her entries.

Second, her information is outright wrong on several entries. I gave this book a 2 - because its midly entertaining. There are some tables in the back that are fairly accurate and I would say that those are probably the best part of the book. There are no scientific names for herbs so she relies on you just knowing about it, having another book that tells you what is what - or worse - guessing which can lead to some dangerous practices.

I would not take anything you see in this book at face value. Its a great entertainment tool, the tables in the back are helpful - but that's about all it has to offer. If you want a serious Magickal Herbalism reference book, I highly recommend a book by Paul Beyerl, Scott Cunningham, Ellen Dugan or even Gerina Dunwich (although I am not a big fan of her work, but her books are better).

If you are going to be mixing your own stuff - specially for herbal baths and products that will come in direct contact with your skin, I highly recommend you get a good desk herbal reference such as The Herb Book by John Lust or any book by the Tierra's so that you know side effects and possible toxic herbs before you mix and use them. Do not mix anything out of this book alone!

I really enjoyed reading this and do agree with a previously review stating to check some of the facts but I still found out some very interesting facts about the items in the book. I usually don't buy too many books after 15 yrs of being a practioner but this is one I am glad I bought.

Lexa Rosean has done it again! Her books are always the most accessible and enjoyable resource for Magickal endeavors. It is no wonder Lexa was recently voted Best Witch by the Village Voice. This book is a comprehensive guide to all the necessary ingredients for your spells to work for you. Besides all of this, it is a pleasure to read and is very engaging. If you're looking for an all around guide to Magickal ingredients, this is the book for you! It has it all.

I had been introduced to this book prior to buying it. I bought it and knew Id' be satisfied. Lots of information to help you along your way of spell craft.

May you find this book as helpful as I have.

Blessed Be.

In my opinion, this book is a very valued book for any Wiccan/Witch to have. It gives modern, local ingredient substitution's for a world of spells. Ends that "now where am I going to find that!" question. Well written and very informative. A handy guide to have on your shelf!

The Encyclopedia of Magickal Ingredients: A Wiccan Guide to Spellcasting (Purchased on 07/11/2007)

This is a very good book, I have found no errors in its naming or usage to date.

I've read through this book and found it to be complete nonsense. If you're looking for a reputable book on ingredients for spells, do not turn to this one. The majority of the ingredients mentioned are catered towards teenage girls who want to cast stupid love spells. And honestly, once I saw that the woman who wrote this is the astrologer for Cosmogirl and Seventeen, I instantly put it back on the shelf and felt disgusted.

We really like this book. In fact, we lost it and purchased a replacement. It's excellent. We used it to make soup for our friends last Christmas and everyone reported positive results. It's nice because so many things are covered. The charts are helpful. Unlike many other books, it's not just a list of items and their correspondences, it actually gives you detail, so you know if you might be counteracting the spell you're working on with similar but wrongly used items.