Customer Reviews

The Outer Temple of Witchcraft: Circles, Spells and Rituals (Penczak Temple Series)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In 'The Inner Temple of Witchcraft' author Christopher Penczak helped readers discover their inner divinty. In his follow up, 'The Outer Temple of Witchcraft', Penczak helps readers reconize the outer divinity through rituals and spells. Like the first book in the 'Witchcraft Temple series', 'The Outer Temple of Witchcraft' is composed of 12 chapters that are suggested to be covered one per month, ending with and intitiation ritual into the priesthood of Witchcraft.

Like the first, 'The Outer Temple' begins with four introductory chapters covering the sacred space, Witchcraft ethics, the history and use of magick, and the meaning of the Wiccan priesthood. From there, Penczak dives right into a through discussion of the Gods of Witchcraft, describing the five-fold divinty, archetypal beings, and relationships with the Gods. From there, the author uses three chapters to discuss the elements of Wicca explaining the what, why, and how of each element.

Similar to most Witchcraft 101 books, Penczak discusses divination, ritual, tools, sabbats, and spells. Unlike most Witchcraft 101 books, the author explains the why of the various topics above. Penczak believes that in order to practice truely effective Witchcraft, we must know the why. One of the most enjoyable and interesting topics of 'The Outer Temple of Witchcraft' was the author's explaination of why spells work using astrological timing and correspondence.

Many would say that the information within this text is covered in other books on modern Witchcraft. Much of the information is, but never have I seen a book that has all of this information in one place or explains it so well. Honestly, it has to be one of the best books I've seen on the market. If you're new to the Craft, don't hesitate to pick this one up. While you're at it, check out the first one in the series, 'The Inner Temple of Witchcraft'. I promise you will not regret it.

5 out of 5 magick wands!

*courtesy of Copper-Moon.com*

This is one of the few books on witchcraft that didn't leave me feeling dumbed-down and dizzy. Most Witchcraft 101 books spend a good deal of time going over what have become well-known and relatively obvious facts about pagan deities, nature and its energies, the sabbats, and the very basics of magical tools and techniques. In this book, however, Penczak chooses a few of the more intriguing (and, for beginners, often intimidating) practices and explores them in depth.

Rather than the usual cursory chapter on magic--which is often no more than the repetition of warm-fuzzy affirmations about how "anything goes" and the power is "all within you" anyway--Penczak devotes two chapters to a detailed explanation of the theory of spellwork, discussing first the guiding principles of energy and the "science" behind magic, and then turning to a treatment of spellwork as artistic crafting. This is the only book that didn't take me from "it's easy!" to a "sample spell" of five or more exotic ingredients and astrological correspondences in one giant leap. Step by step, Penczak builds on knowledge in an intelligent and instructive way, without implying either a dumbed-down make-believe approach or an all-or-nothing game of calculations and memorizations.

This is also one of the few books that does not place visualization as the primary tool of magic. I found this immensely comforting, as I have worked intuitive magic for years without hardly any visualization or "mystic experiences" (and always felt I must somehow be "doing it wrong"--even if it worked!). Overall, his approach is a scientific one, primarily, and yet it incorporates the foundations of personal and thoughtful spirituality as a necessary building block for (and ultimately the goal of) witchcraft. A great book, well worth the read.

I have been blessed to live in New England and to study witchcraft with Christopher Penczak. So far, I'm about 2 levels ahead of his publishing schedule. If not, I might be tempted to jump ahead on my own. His writing is that good.

My first Wicca book was fine, written by a highly-respected elder, but it didn't answer my questions, especially about WHY we do things in a particular way.

Mr. Penczak's books read exactly as though you are sitting in his class. This is the real plus for readers: You get all the background information that would normally be discussed in the class setting. Not many authors can anticipate reader's questions, but with his vast teaching experience, Mr. Penczak knows what else you're going to want to know.

When I was first exploring the Path, I believed I only needed the spiritual work that is so carefully laid out in the Inner Temple book. Until I tried spellwork with amazing results. Now this is the one book on my shelf that I find myself returning to time and again.

You will enjoy reading and referring to The Outer Temple for years to come.

The Outer temple of witchcraft is THE best book on Witchcraft you can ever purchase. This book deserves more thant the typical 5 stars. Yes it is that good. THe author Chris goes into detail in various subjects.

Like in his previous book The inner temple of witchcraft. The outer temple of witchcraft is a one year and a day course. Christopher starts things off by telling the reader how he felt about sacred space when he was a beginner. Then he moves on to teaching the reader about the Goddess and God, the elements, the tools of the craft, divination,,the witches circle,the science of spellcraft,and the art of spellcraft.
This book is an absolute must for the novice and the experienced alike.
No mater what your experience you will find something new and useful in the 37 exercises,50 figures,and 423 pages this awesome book contains.

I have read almost all of Mr. Penczak's books, including this one. I can honestly and gratefully say that he has changed the way I think about life. This teacher changed my worldview from something that was a bit closed, to being open and joyful. He is a kind and gifted teacher, and his books reflect that.

I am a bit confused by the reviewer who stated that there is 'nothing new' in this book. Well, my answer to that is that witchcraft is an ancient spiritual path. I would be highly suspicious if anything 'new' actually surfaced in this day and age. What is different about this book is the way the information is presented, in a clear and concise manner, with humor and intelligence. I highly recommend all of Mr. Penczak's books.

Another excellent book in the Temple Witchcraft series. I am absolutely loving this! The meditations and homeworks Chris gives at the end of each chapter are so useful. He actually TEACHES you how to be an effective Shamanic Witch. This man has studied many magical traditions, and brings things together beautifully! I must say that I enjoy his inclusion of Greek magical elements a lot!

I love Chris's positive attitude and focus on healing. It really resonates with me. His writing style is superb, and you can tell that he puts so much love into his work.

I'm so impressed. Good work, again, Chris!

I'm not a pagan, and I don't aspire to be, but I read all of Christopher Penczak's books. Why? Because he poses the questions for which I turn to the faith of my family and forebearers, which is Christian. Christopher Penczak is that rare religious writer who is firmly grounded in his own practice but who trusts his readers to find their own spiritual paths, equally empowering all his readers who approach his books with open hearts and minds.

If I did aspire to learn witchcraft, I can't imagine a clearer or better organized guide. Penczak avoids "witch wars" over non-essential points but makes clear what is essential to the practice of his craft. And to the extent magick is "caught" rather than "taught," this book conveys attitudes of self-sufficiency, respect for others, and love that are rare in books on faith of any sort.

If you are a witch, I think you will value this book. And if you are not, it's hard to imagine a more reader friendly guide to magickal practice.

As a practicing witch for many years, I have become vastly familiar with the large tendency of Pagan authors, to rehash old material in a hopefully new way. As a teaching community, we are finally beginning to step out of this mold. At the head of this new movement is Christopher Penczak.
Christopher is truly a witch, by nature and by calling. His lessons in the Outer Temple of Witchcraft transform often confusing subjects like spellcraft and ritual into tangible experiences. He explains everything with just enough detail, allowing freedom and tradition to work together. I fully recommend his book to anyone, new students and veteran witches alike. Enjoy!

I've been studying and practicing witchcraft for many years now and I wish I had this book when I started. It's got everything you need to get going with circles and spells all in one place in an easy to read format. Christopher's excellent command of language is surprizing for this genre. His encouraging tone really gets to the heart of the reader and of the Craft. A 'must read' for all Witches.

This is the second book in Penczak's Temple of Witchcraft series. I read the first one, and liked it enough to read the third one... then I got around to this one. The third book references this and #1 a lot, but I would not say they are prerequisites for understanding the material. And, like all the books in this series, this book is laid out in a year-long lesson plan, one lesson per month, full of exercises and tasks, culminating in the initiation into priestess-/priesthood.

I read the book through and have not done the exercises yet, but I am looking forward to them. There are a lot of great meditations to get in touch with deities and the elements. You will complete your altar with the proper tools, learn to cast a circle, write your own spells and rituals, and develop skills in at least one form of divination. Two months are devoted to spells, one on the mechanics and one on the art. A chapter on celebrating the Sabbats, and finally two on group work and getting in touch with other Wiccans.

I liked this book because Penczak does a great job of outlining a lesson plan for a solitary who has no other guidance. He also emphasizes that each person's experience will not be the same as another's. He gives examples, sometimes several, of techniques or experiences from himself and others he knows. "Do what works for you." The exercises in this book are great, especially in the first few chapters on getting to know the deities and elements.

There are a few reasons I took a star off from this book. First, grammatical errors abound, and I found them incredibly distracting (minor point). Second, Penczak apparently loves astrology. I don't care for it, but that's me. There is so much astrology in here my eyes started glazing over. Pages and pages of charts, correspondences, days of the week, hours of the day, how to read an astrological calendar, angles the planets make with each other, I could go on. You could write a whole book and more on astrology, condensing it into parts of a couple chapters just makes it harder to grasp, and I'm more determined to stay away from it. The last reason I took a star off is the final chapter. These books are intended for solitaries, and the last chapter is on coven work? It may be important for people who want to join a coven, but for those who don't (or can't), it's kind of a waste.

Overall, I do highly recommend this series.