The Real Witches Book of Spells and Rituals [Paperback]

Kate West (Author)

Book Description

Series: Real Witches | Publication Date: September 25, 2003

This book combines the powerful, seductive allure of casting real spells with pragmatic, down-to-earth, do-it-yourself guidance. A truly charming collection of spells, magic and rituals, this book shows readers how to work real magic in their lives and the lives of those they love.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kate West is the author of The Real Witches' Handbook and The Real Witches' Kitchen. She is Media Officer for The Children of Artemis and High Priestess of the Hearth of Hecate, which runs a popular email support and enquiry service for Witches around the world. A practising Wiccan for over 25 years, she has excellent international contacts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Element Books Ltd. (September 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 000715111X
• ISBN-13: 978-0007151110
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,268,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Informative, August 10, 2004

By 

Katsurina (NB, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Real Witches' Coven: The Definitive Guide to Forming Your Own Wiccan Group (Paperback)

I purchased this book as someone studying the craft as a solitary. The books I've read up until this one have been written for solitaries. I purchased this one because the books I'd read only briefly referenced covens or said that traditionally you had to be in a coven to be a witch. Since Covens were obviously a vital part of beleifs, history, and traditions, I saught out a book that would set the record strait on what covens really do.

This book delivers. It's written primarily as a guide for a High Priestess. It describes in detail the life cycle of a coven, what kind of rules a coven should have, how dicipline works, how advancement in the circle works, and which rituals typically require people to be naked.

She describes and suggests some common sabbat rituals, as well as an initiation ritual and a few other coven rituals. She talks a lot about the level of secrecy that should be kept about you coven. If you want to start a coven this is probably THE BOOK for you to read. It's also very informative if you want to join a coven. As far as information on the craft in general, there's some good stuff on the sabbats, but this isn't really a good book to read if you're "just curious about witchcraft"

As a pleasant surprise, I found that Kate West is quite probably the most practical author on Witchcraft you could find. She deals with the effects of real life on the Craft on how these two parts of your life can effect each other. (While many authors tend to simply mention that the craft will make you more confident in your daily life.)

A really good book, and I plan to read another book by the author.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Serious Coven Handbook, April 19, 2003

By 

Boudica (Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Real Witches' Coven: The Definitive Guide to Forming Your Own Wiccan Group (Paperback)

I love the blurb on the front cover: "Kate West is the real thing. Her Witchcraft is about passion, not fashion."

Reading the book, you do get a good feeling about her passion. The material covered in her book is no nonsense and is rooted in traditional English Witchcraft. No fluff bunny material here, or new fangled junk. Her book is concise, with the details spelled out and she covers the material very well.

Everything is here to begin and maintain a good, solid working coven. The material covers background history, what witchcraft is, how to start a coven and keep it in a good order. She explores personal reasons for starting a coven, basic coven rules and how to develop them. There is discussion about traditional degrees, what they constitute and how they were meant to work. The task of finding membership is covered in a wonderfully put together overview of the different kinds of members you will find and how to deal with them. A Rite of Initiation is provided as an overview of how it is done in traditional covens and it can also be used as a blueprint for adapting it to your own situation. The Wheel of the Year is explored as well as the Full Moons or Esbats. Ritual is discussed in relationship to how a coven is based around these important events. Both indoor and outdoor rituals are covered and again, Ms. West is detailed in her coverage of these.

Ms. West covers the mundane workings of a Coven as well. She includes working together to establish basic rules that apply to your coven, the unavoidable paperwork and establishing training for the membership. She also explores the overall life cycle of a coven, covering such considerations as Daughter Covens, new and lost membership, "Boom and Bust" and how to be a good Covenor.

A lot of information is packed into this book. There is a glossary in the back of the book, and as well as a recommended reading and contacts section. Ms. West is delightful to read, provides a good solid background based on personal experience, and has organized the information well in this book, making it easy to follow.

Anyone who is considering forming a coven would do well to include this book in their list of materials they should cover and consider for their own personal information as well as for the benefit of their coven. And if you already have a coven this is another good reference book for your group. There are too few books that cover coven life as well as this one does and should be considered a must have for your reading list as well as your library shelf.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok, but, January 13, 2010

By 

Paula E. Ferrer "Fierylass" (Manassas, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Real Witches' Book of Spells and Rituals (Paperback)

Boy, this ended up being another Wicca 101 book. I was really hoping for more from Kate, and I ended up being very disappointed. I belong to a Trad that is not caught up in Dogma and nonsense, although we definitely have our rules and (more of an eclectic trad). I'm a very advanced practitioner of the craft, and this book did very little for me, especially in the way of spellcrafting and ritual writing (been there...done that). Spellcrafting and ritual writing is VERY personal and should not be constrained to "rules" ... if you have the need and the intent, you have the basis for a spell or ritual. I would love to see someone publish a book on growth in the craft, more on ethics of the craft and karmic repercussions, and see fewer books on the "nuts and bolts" and rulebooks.