Customer Reviews

Halloween: Customs, Recipes & Spells

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. For the modern practitioner, its important to have books like this to help remind us that magick isn't all about seriousness! I feel this book is legitimate and embraces innocence in life.

Silver proposes wonderful ways to celebrate Halloween in a fun, simple and magickal manner. I'm tired of huffy puffy books that are uptight and oh-so-serious. It's good to see that Silver hasn't fallen to cynicism in both her writing and her magick.

What I really enjoyed was the history on Halloween. She takes you through each age and explains how Halloween was during that time frame, proving that Halloween (though it was not known as such back in the day) is older than Christmas!

Personally, I'm relieved that this book was upbeat and fun. Some call it childish, but it's probably for the better. I'd have the living beegeezus scared outta me if someone chucked a bunch of serious and solemn rituals at me to do on what's been known as the scariest night of the year! This book has helped me see Halloween in a healthier light.

The halloween book has made it's way respectively into our public library... even a christian librarian reccomended the book. It's a wonderful tool to show people that witches are not evil hags... and it tells perfectly well how the holiday was twisted into haloween. I reccomend this one highly. For those who would call Silver Fluff... yes she writes on a level that is a little fluffy... but it gets people to open their minds about our faith... and it gets people to think about our customs and traditions in a positive light. Silver should be commended for all that she has done and I hope that the Goddess will keep inspiring her. As for the occult bookstore owner. Would you reccomend the farrar's to a christian parent concerned about what their children are getting into? I wouldn't. This is a perfect book to show them... it is written on a level that is comprehendable... and it also gives good recipes and family fun. -- Blessed Be!

This book combines excellent scholarship with creativity and a joyful sense of fun. It explores the popular holiday of Halloween as well as the more serious and spiritual side of the pagan sabbat Samhain. You don't have to be a pagan to enjoy this book because it has many, many lighthearted and clever ideas that will entertain even if Halloween is purely a fun night of make-believe for you. Fortunately it takes Samhain seriously enough to be satisfactory to pagans who require a bit more substance in this holiday's revels. Interspersed with seasonal artwork the book starts out with a thorough look at Samhain and Halloween history. Customs and traditions such as Jack-o-lanterns, trick-or-treating, bonfires, among others are discussed. Superstitions and many Halloween symbols are detailed. The chapter on divination is informative and lots of fun. Colorful kitchen witchery offers up some delicious recipes that are wonderful for parties or just for seasonal family fare. A meaningful and enjoyable section on Halloween Magick shares ideas for spells, blessings, charms, and ritual. An important aspect of Samhain, that of honoring the dead, is discussed with helpful ideas for adding meaning and respectful reflection. Many delightful poems from various sources grace the opening chapter pages and they in turn can be used when crafting one's own sabbat rituals.
This book does not tippy-toe around and pretend to be a book that won't offend anyone. It is a book by a Wiccan for other Wiccans but as always, the door is open, step through and enjoy as you will.

Surprisingly, there aren't a lot of books written on Samhain in comparison to the other sabbats. So, I was pretty excited when I found this book. I am always eager for books with recipes, as well, since I am a failure cook unless I have a recipe to follow.

I hate to leave a bad review for such a well-loved book, but I was honestly infuriated that I had spent money on this shlock of fluff. First of all, the "Mama-Silver-as-a-tour-guide" theme of this book disgusts me -- it is really unnessesary and only takes away from the book. I mean, is she SERIOUS in trying to sell this book to adults? Nowhere on this book does it say "especially for kids". We don't need to be taught in a cheesy tour-guide voice in order to understand the history of halloween. Period.

The history of Halloween described in the beggining is rambly, fluffy, and overall poorly written. I got bored of it quickly, and skipped over some parts of it because I just could not stand it any longer. After that, I was still hopeful that the spells and recipes wouldn't be so bad.

Alas, I was disappointed with those sections as well. The spells I can't say too much about, they are no better than any you can find in other wiccan books. The recipes are extremely disappointing, as Most of them are just different versions of the same thing (i.e. several different kinds of punch, two different kinds of apples...). Quite a few of them hardly even have anything to DO with Samhain traditionally, other than the fact that they contain pumpkin. Popcorn balls? Donuts? Corn on the cob? These are all things that one eats at pretty much any time of the year, and have nothing to do with Samhain. I wanted real recipes that I could serve at a Samhain celebration, not little in-the-kitchen projects that are supposed to be 'fun for the whole family' or whatever.

If you can't find another book about Samhain, try "The Wheel of the Year" by Pauline Campanelli instead of this title. Ravenwolf's "Halloween: Customs, Recipes, and Spells" is NOT for serious witches, and I wouldn't reccomend it to non-Witches either. Don't be decieved by the title like I was -- or you'll regret spending your hard earned cash.

The first page in the book suggests you make a Porch Protection Turnip by hollowing out the turnip. Have you every tried to scoop out a turnip? It's not as easy as it seems. Fresh turnips are very solid and can be hard to scoop out. There is some truth to having a light on your front porch to protect against the lengthening fall nights darkness, but not necessarily in a turnip. It is the same with the rest of the book. There are truths and spins scattered throughout the book, and it is up to the reader to scoop it all out, difficult though it may be.

The introduction to the book tells of the purpose of this book. In 1997 Llewellyn wanted to write a book about the myths and truths of Halloween. They enlisted the aid of their most popular author, Silver Ravenwolf. This book Halloween is the result of this work by both Llewellyn and Silver Ravenwolf and it also births the first book in the very successful series of Sabat books by Llewellyn.

Much of the reference material quoted is of works done by mostly pagan authors. There are a few actual historical references throughout the book. These references are footnoted in each chapter, a very good move on the part of the publisher, which documents the quotes and sources of some of the information. The books and materials referenced are also noted in the Bibliography, which is not skimpy either. And it is all cross referenced in the index.

The first three chapters deal with the History of Halloween, the origins, customs, myths, traditions, symbols and superstitions. While there is a lot of actual history quoted here, there are also some minor errors.

The discussion of "Constantine the Great declaring the Roman Empire a Christian one" is not accurate (page 11). Constantine made Christianity a legal religion in Rome thus allowing his mother, Helena, to practice her new chosen religion in peace. This allowed the foothold for the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire and the mess that followed. Also, further along (page 16) the comment is made that "it was the Roman Empire that produced the popular slave trade - conquering vast communities, killing the men, and taking the women and children" . Umm... no. The slave trade was already in full swing by the time of the Roman Empire. The Egyptians, the Greeks, the Phoenicians (and many more) all practiced slavery, conquered vast communities (see Alexander the Great, a Macedonian) and the practice of killing men and taking the women and children was done way before the Romans (and way after them as well). But, to be honest, yes, the Romans also practiced this, so there is some ring of truth, just not as stated.

But this is exemplary of much of the material presented in the history in this book. The material is either taken from the writings of current pagan sources, or is given a very definite pagan spin when adapted from established historical sources. Yes, the history, for the most part is accurate, but be careful of the spins.

Her recap of the American Halloween is good. She presents a lot of the early roots to our holiday. She covers a lot of the myths and urban legends that have come of late from those trying to demonize the tradition.

Having said my peace on the historical part of the book, I also want to note that there are statistics that either Silver or Llewellyn have added that have no source. It would have been nice, as it would have given some substantiation to the statistics used in the original printing of this book in 1999. But, alas, no reference is given.

She does well with her origins of some of the symbols and superstitions of the holiday. To her credit she takes on the myth of the poison and razor blades in the candy, quoting the myth's origins and pointing out that there have been no random injuries due to food given out to trick-or-treaters, but rather the injuries and deaths were deliberate and "Halloween Candy" was an excuse to blame others and remove suspicion from the perpetrators of the actual crimes themselves, which turned out to be relatives of the victims. Excellent references here and well pointed out. There are more like this, and deserves attention as well.

The rest of the book is typical Silver Ravenwolf material. The chapters cover Divination, recipes for the kitchen and recipes for Halloween Magick, as well as honoring and speaking with the dead. Emphasis is placed on both the Holiday as being our New Year, a time to honor our ancestors and those we know who have passed through the veils. There are some rituals presented and the holiday is summarized.

The divination material is standard. Casting of lots, apple divination, water divination, nut divinations (the food, not the fools), use of Runes for divination, mirror magic; all of it usual material well explained.

The recipes, both for the kitchen and for magic, are standard, nothing exceptional here, and the focus of much of the magic is Silvers usual love spells or spells for prosperity, with a few assorted protection spells or blessings scattered between.

The material is written in a very clear and easy to understand manner. Ms. Ravenwolf includes little poems, quoted from various sources, as well as her own material. They are a pleasant addition to the book. Some of the material is almost cute, but that is typical Silver Ravenwolf, and her style dominates the book.

This is Silver Ravenwolf's Black Forest Clan brand of Wicca and her take on the holiday of Halloween. If you are a big fan of Silver Ravenwolf, this is the Halloween book for you. If you can sort through the spins of the history, there are facts presented that can be worth while. The book does what it set out to do, present The Truth about Halloween in true Llewellyn/Silver Ravenwolf style. Not a bad book, but it could have been much better if presented in a more non-bias format and the historical facts checked just a little better. boudica

I bought this book on a whim (I add to my holiday collections yearly) and was pleasantly surprised not only by the accuracy of the information presented, but also by the practical ideas expressed in the book. My congratulations for dispelling more of the misinformation that surrounds this fun yet touching holiday. If you have children, this book will provide tons of useful information to fire their imaginations. If you have ever lost someone you loved to death (and who hasn't), you will find comforting ideas to help you remember and communicate with them. Blessed be!

This is a very good book for those who need to learn more about the various Sabbats. I hope Silver will write aout some of the others as well. As always Silver does her research well and this book is no different, she offers plenty of information about the history of the Craft and the holiday itself. Is it slanted in "our direction"? Probably a bit, but that's okay, we deserve a small break.

The has seven chapters, is filled with lots of "fun stuff", great recipes, and interesting tidbits of information. she does her best to dispell misconceptions about the Craft, although I doubt that this book will be read by "those folks." It will be read by thousands of young folks and people who have open minds and are seeking information. They won't be disappointed! Silver RavenWolf is one of our strongest writers and a true advocate for women and spiritual activism. I am a friend and a fan of Silver's and I consider her contributions to this world to be of real importance. She gets people to think, to act, and to be the best that they can be!

Silver has not only given some of the history of Halloween, but gave some great ways on how to celebrate it and make it your own. This is a wonderful book for starting your own Halloween traditions. It covers everything from food recipes and divination to rituals and spells. Whether you celebrate Samhain or just want to get a more indepth view of the holiday, this book shares some good basic information. I dig it out before each Samhain and use it throughout the season. It really puts me in the Halloween spirit!

This was the first book on Witchcraft I ever bought,and it was a wonderful suprise! A good mix of history, recipes,zany anecdotes, and also some wonderful and potent spells, all appropriate for the Samwain/Halloween season. I actually tried a few of the spells, and they were successful. But stick with the whole book from cover to cover- it's great!

Silver RavenWolf has done it again with this fun holiday fare! Witches old and new, traditional or solitary, rejoice...this book is a quick, fun read loaded with lots of fun ideas to make Halloween (Samhain) more enjoyable, and stays focused on what Halloween is really all about, honoring the dead. Lots of customs, spells, and I LOVE all the fun recipes, with a great deal of history on where all the customs originally came from. Informative and fun...two things Lady Silver always supplies in her writings.