26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Sabrina Williams for Breeni Books, November 6, 2008
This review is from: Magic When You Need It: 150 Spells You Can't Live Without (Paperback)
Under the guise of a calming garden, a crisis handbook exists. In the introduction to Magic When You Need It: 150 Spells You Can't Live Without, Judith Illes points out that the perfect time for performing spells is when the outcomes have become our most urgent needs. The same desperation that fuels our frustration can be channeled into spell work for intensified results. According to Illes, "No spell is as effective as an emergency spell; no magic is as likely to work." Magic When You Need It is a collection of 150 spells, targeting the key areas we tend to stress over as a society.
Because Illes assumes the reader has picked up the book in a harried rush, Magic When You Need It is short on introduction and philosophy. It dives almost immediately into the collection of spells, beginning with a most common concern: cash. The first money spell is simple, with little more requirements than paper, a candle and a few oils.
Other sections include spells for love, home, and trouble. These spells are very specific, targeting needs like fitting into a wedding dress or avoiding parking tickets. These are not general health and well-being types of energy focus. Pick any distinct need and there is likely to be a corresponding spell within Magic When You Need It. For most scenarios, two spells are provided, allowing the reader to use complementary magick for extra impact.
Each themed segment opens with a page of general principles. Colors, stones, numbers, and spirits that oversee each plane of need are listed as a starting point. The motions for the spells are very simple, most without mantra. The practitioner personalizes each spell with relevant incantations. Illes lets the reader know when a particular spirit or deity would be a helpful entity to call on.
As Magic When You Need It does not focus on any particular religion and draws on many resources, it can be used by anyone open to the gifts of metaphysics. An ample selection of oils and herbs is a necessity, however. Illes provides a Shopper's Guide with a listing of websites where ingredients can be obtained, as well as a Latin Botanical Classification guide for ensuring the correct plants are purchased. She has created a thorough emergency handbook for the dedicated practitioner.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The same book as Emergency Magic, November 28, 2009
This review is from: Magic When You Need It: 150 Spells You Can't Live Without (Paperback)
This is a handy little spellbook, absent the sticky sweetness of other writers of witchcraft. But, as other reviewers have said, this is a repeat of other Illes' work. It is virtually the exact same book as Emergency Magic. If you have that, there is no need to buy Magic When You Need it. I wish I hadn't.
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17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
magic when you need it, October 14, 2008
This review is from: Magic When You Need It: 150 Spells You Can't Live Without (Paperback)
Yes, this is a useful book but if you own some of her previous work you'll find many of the spells are repeated. I always love her work but don't get this is you have any of her other work.
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