Practical Solitary Magic [Paperback]

Nancy B. Watson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Red Wheel Weiser (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877288747
• ISBN-13: 978-0877288749
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #235,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for putting magic to work in your life., November 21, 1997

By 

[e-mail], Shareen Monfore (Klamath Falls, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Practical Solitary Magic (Paperback)

I found this book easy to read, understand, and use for practice. It is well written and gives easy guidence especially for those just beginning to explore magic. It is not limiting to one group or practice. This is a good feature for those who define their god or goddess slightly different from any other they have read or heard or seen. The author encourages the user to develop their own skills beyond mimicing those of others. She starts simply and leaves lots of room for expansion into complex spells and rituals. This book will especially touch those who are more logical and practical and doubt the powers of the universe. I have had a whole new world of happiness, power, and possibilities open up to me after completing this text. Harming none do thy will. Good Luck.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Recomended with due caution, November 12, 2000

By 

J. French "93 93/93" (Oakland, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Practical Solitary Magic (Paperback)

Ms. Watson's book is a wonderful step by step guide to creating a ritual. There are plenty of annecdotes-always appreciated in occult books, where the author can come off as damn near godlike if they don't watch themselves. Watson's reasoning is easily understood, and the exercises constructed in a logical manner. Overall, this is an exxelent book. There are however, 3 flaws that stuck out at me when I read the book. One is relativley minor, the other two could cause major problems if the reader is not aware of them before hand. First, the minor one. Watson's footnotes are in chaos. There is no regular pattern to their placement, and in one case they repeat themselves. It really very distracting. One of the major flaws is that Watson references the Chakra system, in one case relying heavily on it, without giving the reader an overview of the subject. She just jumps right into them, with only the barest idea given as to how the system works. I would recomend Anodea Judtih's Wheels of Light as a good introduction to a very complex system. The other problem is the personality test that gets quite a lot of mileage in the book. THe test itself is slightly confusing, and I often ended up picking the respnse that was closest to what I actually thought, rather than the one that resonated with my spirit. Many of the answers seemed to be the same anwser, in my opninion. While I feel that the assesment given by the test is more or less accurate, I don't quite trust it. Certainly not enough to base work with elementals on. And Watson is pretty clear about the dangers of working with elementals that go against your nature. Other than these tow considerations, the book is excellent. Anyone interested in ritual magic should read it at least once.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unlike all the others, May 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Practical Solitary Magic (Paperback)

When I picked up my nephew's vesion of Ms Watson's book (he is a novice and I wanted to check his reading list) I was pleasently suprised. While her instruction is too strongly influenced by a few sources (Golden Dawn, Murry Hope and Dion Fortune to be specific -- don't get me wrong, she could pick worse role models) creating a one-sided presentation of some ideas, her overall explaination of magic and ritual -- why/how it works and how to apply it to your personal life -- is very practical. The title says it all. While I do agree that she tosses chakra practice into her exercizes willy-nilly, she does preface the exercize by recommending further reading. Also, I hated the personality/elemental test. I found myself picking the answer that would lead to the element that I know myself aligned with. Some of the answers are too similer, some too dissimilar. If you don't know where to start, skip the easy to read books that have often been marked "full of fluff" in these reviews; grab a notebook and a pencil and Ms. Watson's book. This is a good study guide. You will have to think for yourself at times, reconsider the biases you grew up with, and face the disturbing images in your subconcious before you put this book aside. But isn't that what you got into witchcraft for? This IS a good book for beginners. It will set your mind to the task properly (an aspect which I have found disturbingly absent in most witchcraft tutorials). But even if you have been studying for a while (especially if your craft is unreliable) read this book. Watson takes a psychological approach that will change how you feel about yourself, your craft and your place in the universe. This book is very "sensible" and will make you say, "a-ha!"