Practical Magic for Beginners: Techniques & Rituals to Focus Magical Energy (For Beginners (Llewellyn's)) [Paperback]

Brandy Williams (Author)

Book Description

Series: For Beginners (Llewellyn's) | Publication Date: January 8, 2005

Anyone can practice magic to improve their everyday lives. Practical Magic for Beginners is a straightforward introduction to magical practice for Christians, Pagans, Jews, atheists, and people of all religious traditions.

This comprehensive training course presents the foundations of spellcraft and ritual magic through short, simple exercises. Readers explore their energy and senses, and then move on to developing skills in extrasensory perception, divination, and introspection. Magical timing, magical processes, ritual space and tools, journaling, and dreamwork are explained and discussed in depth. This nondenominational guidebook also includes twenty rituals related to friendship, love, prosperity, health, and other common concerns.  

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Williams accurately assesses a clear strength in this addition to Llewellyn's for Beginners series (Astrology, Chakras, Divination, Healing Alternatives, Magick, etc.) by calling her book "short on theory and long on practice." Her other fortes in this sound primer are clarity, simplicity and open-ended spiritual affiliation. Her emphasis on innate powers and abilities could invite believers of many stripes who want specific exercises to enhance their personal awareness. From the first simple experiment of holding palms close to each other to create perception of the unseen, Williams devotes two-thirds of her useful book to offering such concrete explorations of the invisible through sight, sound, feeling, movement, objects, planets and timing. She also lists the most basic tools for performing magic rituals and prefers dedicated, mundane household objects (clean broom, blue bowl, etc.), underscoring her belief that "everyone can develop enough psychic skill to... do effective ritual magic." The final third lists specific rituals for life events: e.g., finding a home or a job, getting money or taking a trip. Williams's only shortcoming is a lack of emphasis to "harm none," frequently found in other primers. Easy to follow, this useful volume will aid anyone who wants to master the basics of practical magic.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Brandy Williams (Washington) is a Wiccan high priestess and ceremonial magician who has been practicing and teaching magic for over 25 years.

In 1997, Williams founded the Seattle Pagan Scholars, and she has served as director ever since. She also is involved with numerous organizations including Ordo Templi Orientis, and the Temple of Light and Darkness, a Ceremonial group based on the Open Source Order of the Golden Dawn. She served as President of Covenant of the Goddess in 1990 and 1991.

Williams has conducted many lectures and workshops on the subject of practical magic, including the School of Night, an intensive non-denominational course with six other teachers. She also gave a presentation entitled “Wiccan Devotionals” to the Parliament of World Religions in 1993. Williams has made numerous festival appearances and continues to present lectures and workshops about her work.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (January 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738706612
• ISBN-13: 978-0738706610
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #432,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars absolutely THE BEST book for beginner, December 5, 2006

By 

J. Malnar (Zagreb Croatia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Practical Magic for Beginners: Techniques & Rituals to Focus Magical Energy (For Beginners (Llewellyn's)) (Paperback)

It does not go into wide discussions on origins of wicca, it does not go on and on about wicca/witchcraft as religious system and its incorporability into your own religious belief (if different).
It goes on to explain about the way of the witch, giving plenty of exercises and sound advice on posture, meditation, grounding and centering, feeling your centre, energy work, directing energy, seeing the aura, finding your magical voice, magic circle, moon-phases, chakras etc, on to the ritual itself.
No mumbo-jumbo, no religious overtones, no silly songs praising this or that goddess (if i want a book on that, I'm sure there are many available) just sound practical advice for beginners on how to enhance your capabilities and how to use your own skill in making things manifest for you.
The author draws from many sources, from wicca and ceremonial magic, to buddhism and martial arts - actually from most systems which acknowlledge the Energy the witch uses to manifest.
The book is very well organized, goes from basics on to more complicated stuff and does not skip a step.
I wish I had known of this book years ago!
Not a word in this book is wasted.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For your own sake, START HERE!, March 27, 2008

By 

S. Himebaugh - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Practical Magic for Beginners: Techniques & Rituals to Focus Magical Energy (For Beginners (Llewellyn's)) (Paperback)

Since you are already seeking books on magic(k), psychic abilities, and the like, then I don't feel the least bit strange about telling you this.

I was in a relationship not too long ago. The thing we both had deeply in common was a love of the occult and magic(k)al studies. We were at a book store shopping for her first ceremonial/Wicca text, and this one (no joke) fell off the bookshelf at our feet. She ended up buying it that day, and I ended up sneaking off with it when I could to practice some of the exercises to enhance my Ceremonial Magic techniques.

This book bridges the gap between Llwelyn's dime-a-dozen Wicca books and the great work (Magnum Opus) of Franz Bardon. In his "Initiation into Hermetics", he spends the first half of the book getting his readers to undergo (more or less) all of the things that Brandy Williams will have you do in this book. The difference is that in Brandy's work, you don't need to have 5-6 hours a day to devote to magical study and mental mastery.

Introspection, meditation, energy, sense mastery and enhancement (individually and collectively), journal keeping, and forming better habits in general are the order of the day for all True Magi. These are the proper stones upon which you build your own temple. If you want to know more about yourself and your role in this world (and others, potentially), you owe it to yourself to buy this book!
Good Luck, and Blessed Be!
:)

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!, January 27, 2005

By 

Sharvanyai (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Practical Magic for Beginners: Techniques & Rituals to Focus Magical Energy (For Beginners (Llewellyn's)) (Paperback)

Highly Recommended! This is a great book for the beginner and experienced magician, alike. It’s packed full of very useful skills and easy to follow rituals.