Customer Reviews

The Goodly Spellbook: Olde Spells for Modern Problems

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off, I've got to say this: this book is beautiful! The outside cover is ugly, in my opinion, but the interior design more than makes up for it.

Besides looking beautiful on the inside, this book is also written beautifully. These authors have a way with words, and they know it! Although the title has "spellbook" in it, only half of the book is devoted solely to spells. The other half has various chapters on spellcraft history, correspondences, divination, numbers, chants, magical alphabets, singing, dancing, knot magic, kitchen witchery, making poppets, making amulets and talismans, and much more! There are illustrations throughout that show the steps for the dances, musical notes, sigils, etc. that are discussed in the book. This book is exploding with spellcraft wisdom and I think that any spellcaster could find something of interest inside.

The spells themselves are quite interesting as well. Some are taken from ancient sources and are made useful for the modern witch. To show you how versatile this spellbook really is, the spells range from "To Reveal the Identity of a Thief" to "To Lure People to Your Website." There are also some personal stories of how some of the spells worked. That was an added plus and I think that every spellbook should include those. If you buy a spellbook, wouldn't you be interested if the author actually tried their own spells? I know I would.

In conclusion, a wonderful addition to any spellcaster's library!

-Ater

Sometimes, rarely, a classic can be recognized from the moment it is published. "The Goodly Spell Book," like "The Art of French Cooking," or "The Elements of Style," is such a work.
As Julia Child did in the former, Deerman and Rasmussen organize, consolidate and instruct without condescension. And like "Elements" author Strunk, they take refinement of written language to a pleasurable max.
The result is a readable compendium of the dustiest, rarest and hardest-to-fathom old books . It's an instruction manual that takes readers from spellcraft 101 to the outline for their graduate course. And it's a cookbook that can be followed by anyone with a few tools and the daring to try.
"Goodly"'s clear tables and copius footnotes make it an excellent reference for fast look-ups, and an index to the old classic works. Its introduction to magickal principles -- the first half of the book -- makes basic principles clear to any novice, yet covers a breadth that will abash most initiates.
Sections like the correspondences of planets to musical modes and specific sound, make accessible layers of power previously unknown to all but a few.
"Goodly"'s second part is stuffed with historic recipes enhanced by long use, and new spells adapted from time-tested charms. Annotated with shopping lists and "why it works" explanations, it's perfect for browsers-of-oddities and the I-know-it-alls who read books from the back page to front.
For most readers interested in magick, this single title will replace an entire shelf of difficult to read, rambling tomes. The rest -- esoteric wizards and fanatic bibliophiles -- will buy it to be sure their collection is complete.

The woman who gave this book 2 stars (below this) can't spell and made up false quotes from it.

I love this book, you've got to buy it! This is the best book I've ever read about magic and I've read hundreds.

Its woodcuts haunt me (like the one of Miles Standish pointing angrily at the pioneer Pagans dancing around a Maypole in early American colonial times).

These people know what they're writing about. Their personal stories of magic experiences, teaching, and helping others are fascinating and inspiring.

They worded the history section (Scope) explaining the class, economic, and political upheavals that caused magic's persecution so well, I can now say I really understand (I never really got it before).

The how-to section (Skills) has stuff I've never seen before. Off the top of my head... I was glad for the Witch dance steps, the secret Witch words. Now I know how to make people mad, sad, or happy using music and how to make my own herbal medicines.

The Spells section has charms that are really useful and make sense because they explain the reasons behind them, instead of just giving the recipes like so many other books. They're real spells from all over the world (some I even recognize from my grandmother).

Though I have never given out a "Best of" award for anything yet, I could be tempted to do so just to give a "Best General Reference Tome" To Coven Oldenwilde for their Goodly Spellbook: Olde Spells For Modern Problems.

The Goodly Spellbook is one of the best tomes I have seen for intermediate to advanced practitioners that also manage to be easy enough for beginners to work with. Many other books that I have read appear to try to hard to pour the hard study in with the spells in an attempt to force the readers to advance in a certain method. The separation of the skills from the spells in Goodly Spellbook allow beginners to get a little advancement through their practice of the spells while tempting them to examine the skills section more thoroughly without overwhelming them with too much information. I have been using your book as a handy reference tome and teaching aid for some time and absolutely love the thoroughness of your skills section, especially the information on the variety of correspondences to be found in spellcraft. It also makes many needed connections for its readers between the many fields of magic and the many fields of science that were once a part of magic but have since gone their separate ways. I have seen few books that focus on the ever important need to apply a bit of common sense to our spellcrafting, especially in the areas of wortcunning and kitchen witchery.

Not only is Goodly Spellbook a handy Wiccan reference, but for my Romany heart it was almost like finding a kumpa'nia bound as a book. Unlike many other Wiccan reference books I have read, Goodly Spellbook explains a great amount of the precepts of Wicca that are shared by several other Pagan paths. Many of the concepts used in the book I had not seen explained so enjoyably since the days of my own training. It seems too many Pagan authors have lost touch with music other than drumming and its uses in crafting, as well as the variety of somatic (verbal) components and the reasons for rhyming and careful word choice in spells. It is rare to find a tome that provides the variety of uses for correspondences without drowning the reader in a sea of charts that they feel they will never be able to memorize. While providing more that a fair share of traditional correspondences, Goodly Spellbook also shows how many of the older correspondences were attributed and gives readers almost a blueprint for finding personal correspondences as well as the variety of ways in which they can be implemented not only in spellcraft, but in making our lives more magical all around.

Whether you are a new seeker or a long time practitioner of an established path, this book is a must have for your magical library.

The problem with most books on paganism is that authors take "mystery religion" as meaning "I can't be bothered to explain why this works". After reading volume after volume of philosophy, correspondences, and spells, all I accomplished was having the ability to rotely repeat things that I did not understand, therefore, felt nothing for. Then this book came along.
I originally bought it for my friend, but decided to pick up a copy for myself. I am -very- glad I did! The "Scope" and "Skills" sections are jam-packed with real information and history that I could finally understand, because they actually explain the how's and why's of the craft, striking a balance between fact and feeling, knowledge and mystery, smarts and spirit. The "Spells" section continues this with a lengthy explanation of where the spell comes from, how it should be accomplished, and -why- it works. Not only that, but there are variations of each spell listed, making magick even more practical and accessible to the average Joe.
From dance to language, healing fevers to shooing your sister-in-law out of your house (BOY that comes in handy!), this book has it. Five Stars, Instant Favourite, Highly recommended!

As published on The Magical Buffet website on March 10, 2008


"The Goodly Spellbook: Olde Spells for Modern Problems" should be required reading for anyone even considering studying magic. End of review. Seriously, I have read my fair share of books examining magical systems, schools, or spells, and none have impressed and inspired me as much as this book. I haven't been this thankful for a book since "Magick for Beginners" by J.H. Brennan, and since that one is getting hard to come by, I'm extra glad to have a new book to recommend to any interested in magic. Now that you all know I LOVE this book, let me tell you why.

"The Goodly Spellbook" is written by Lady Passion and *Diuvei, who are High Priestess and High Priest of Coven Oldenwilde. Those of you who have been with The Magical Buffet since the beginning are no strangers to these names. Coven Oldenwilde was the first organization we profiled in issue one. In the very next issue Lady Passion wrote an article called, "THE WILD, WITCHY RIDE: How to Create and Conduct Elaborate, Popular, Public Sabbats". I knew that Coven Oldenwilde was a special group and that Lady Passion was a gifted writer, I expected an interesting read, but instead was blown away. I started reading the preface of the newly released paperback, which was fine, but then on page 17 I read this line and knew I was about to read something extraordinary. "Magic is an authentic spiritual practice, best used in tandem with medical, legal, and other reasonable measures." This sentence may seem mundane to some, but any who have read books about magic know that this level of intelligence and rationale are rarely exhibited.

In my opinion the book's title is not adequate. "The Goodly Spellbook" sounds like it's just a bunch of spells. A book of lists. This is not the case. The book is divided into 3 parts, scope, skills, and spells. The scope section is equal parts history, philosophy, and ethics. If everyone knew that all practitioners of magic followed the ethics laid out in this book, no one would fear magicians. Moreover, before all you haters out there get started, the Wiccan Rede is not printed in this text. So no fluffy bunny comments are allowed.

The skill section is a collection of everything you could ever need to know. A person could devote their whole life to the study of just what is in this skill section, never opening another book. "The Goodly Spellbook" covers correspondences, scrying, geomancy, chants, charms, magical alphabets, mystical dance, knot magic, and tons more!

Finally, the spell section has roughly 92 different spells for review. Each spell is described in detail, including variations, spell origin, timing, ingredients, recommended ambiance, and a section devoted to the magical theory behind the spell. For once, reading from a published spellbook is engaging.

It's not just flash, there is real substance. Any leaders of a Coven could write a book about their unique practices, but "The Goodly Spellbook" not only discusses Coven Oldenwilde's use of magic but also is thoroughly researched. The book is littered with footnotes that attribute sources, and the bibliography, which is handily divided up by section (scope, skills, spells), is an impressive reading list, filled with respected classics and new interpretations.

Technically, I ended the review in the first paragraph, but for those of you here at the end, take this to heart, if you want to know what all magical practices should aspire to be, read "The Goodly Spellbook". End of review, this time I mean it.

I bought the book cause of the title. The Goodly Spellbook. It is so full of useful information that I find myself going back to it time and time again. It is well written, well laid out, a wonderful book. My favorite boughten spellbook.

This book will give any practitioner a complete and accessible philosophy from which to practise Magick. Not all practioners are Wiccan, but for those that are, this fulfills one of the three cornerstones of Wicca -spellcrafting (the other two are not so easily found in books). Can be a great addition for teachers, beginners, solitaires, and elders. Even for the fluent practioners, this book neatly ties together all the philosophy and logic behind spellcrafting and presents it once by itself in a separate section, then reiterates the correspondances with each spell the book presents. While the authors evidently come from a Wiccan background of tying spellcraft to that of a polythiestic Nature spirituality, this book resounds with the tribal-shamanistic heartbeat of the world at large.

Lady Passion solved a long-term very-serious situation that no one in the New Age community knew what it was, how to solve it, or give advise.

In less than five minutes on the phone, with a number of questions, Lady Passion elicited the Ancient name for the condition, the symptoms, and the antidote that worked...MY GOD! The time and money I spent on the issue was unbelievable, and she only takes donations, which that in, and of itself was a miracle! If the situation went on much longer. I would have been put in a mental hospital and drugged for the rest of my life!

Now, am I going to check into Wicca? Ya betcha! I have studied spirituality for over 25 years, nothing in that community could help me, and quite frankly the craft scared me a bit, but now I have learned from the book of it's Ancient history, that it is of nature, the incredible revelations, wonderful secrets and tons of formulas...it's a piece of art; so well written, understandable with such Wisdom...I am so very grateful to Lady Passion, for "Her Passion" which drips from the book, and for her compassionate assistance after having suffered so long with the situation!

With the ugliness the the world today, this book should become a household word!

Gratefully,

A.M. Ashworth

In the style of the Elemental Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells and other large spell books this compedium of what the authors consider to be important or useful spells is pretty standard. Overall I enjoyed the book, as a collector of this style of book I use them for inspiration and sometimes just for laughs.

There are a few portions of the book that are weird or silly. One of which being the ethics(sick people can't be relied upon to give consent so do a spell for them whether they want it or not and similar such 'ethical' solutions), another of which being a witchier then thou attitude(born witches, natural witches and the like). There are also a few portions that start out admirably enough(a section discussing the fact that many such books and their correspondant tables disagree with one another) but go downhill remarkably fast(this section ends with "they're all wrong and we're right so just use our book".) There is also pleanty of revised history, wishful thinking, facts taken out of context and just the usual inaccuracies found in many popular modern pagan books.

This book does have some interesting information and sections. Magical correspondance to musical notes, dance movements and the like. But that alone doesn't make a good book. This book would probably go over better with non-btw neo-wiccan or wiccan influenced readers. Non wiccan influenced readers(or Wiccan Trad Folk) probably will find this book intersting but with a lot of not-so-good oddness.

Buy this book if it's on sale or you get a great deal. I wouldn't go out of my way or strain my budget for it again.