Customer Reviews

Spell Crafts: Creating Magical Objects (Llewellyn's Practical Magic)

5 star:		(10)
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3 star:		(4)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Since early times, crafts have been intimately linked with spirituality. When a woman carefully shaped a water jar from the clay she'd gathered from a river bank, she was performing a spiritual practice. When crafts were used to create objects intended for ritual or that symbolized the Divine, the connection between the craftsperson and divinity grew more intense. Today, handcrafts can still be more than a pastime-they can be rites of power and honor; a religious ritual. After all, hands were our first magical tools.

Experience spell crafting as a spiritually evolving process that creates both physical and non-physical change

Imbue your crafts with specific energies: love, wealth, protection, enhanced spirituality, inner peace, psychic awareness

Learn the 9 steps to empower any type of craft

Use the table of magical correspondences for inventing your own spell crafts

Create and use all of the following: magical simmering potpourris...a beaded psychic mandala for psychic awareness...clay pentacles, plaques and runic dice...a shaman's arrow("pray messenger")...sand paintings...corn mother...tapers of power(candles)...a magical spell broom...protective hex sign...spell banners...Witch Bottles...flower garlands...wood or ceramic prosperity trivet...spell potpourris...magic mirror...spell boxes...wheat weaving

Spell Crafts is a modern guide to creating physical objects for the attainment of specific magical goals.

Whatever your craft, you will experience the natural process of moving energy from within yourself(or within natural objects) to create positive change!

Scott Cunningham is, for the most part, one of the best writers for the beginners of Wicca. In this book, he shows through diagram and text just how to make items that can be of use for spell work. He does say in this book that "all properly designed spells will work if they're properly performed." Those who feel his spell work and crafts are useless may not be properly designing OR performing the spells included! I would recommend this, and all of his other books, by Scott Cunningham.

This is a reprint of the original book published in 1993. As Scott wrote then: "We freely admit that this is an unusual book. It challenges the reader to take part in the entire magical process, from crafting the tools to utilizing them in ritual. It harkens back to the days when everything was handmade, when stores were few and people had to be self-reliant."

The book is broken down into two major sections. The first "beginnings" contains chapters of information about magical tools, laying on of hands, 'the true meaning of craft', `what is magic?', goal of magic, and `empowering your crafts'.

The second major section is "the ways". This is the section on working the spells, and is divided up into chapters by topic, such as `sand painting', `a pentacle, protective plaque, runic dice', `a magic mirror', `spell boxes' and many, many more.

There is a third section `the tables', which gives tables of correspondences for colors, herbs, shells, stones and more.

The book was written with David Harrington, a long time friend and co-author who also put together the biography of Scott Cunningham with deTraci Regula.

The book is reflective of Scott's style of simple and easy to understand step by step instructions, personal insights, and the respect Scott had for working with magical energy. The first chapter "The Magic of Hands" is a wonderful essay on the evolution of hands and mind as magical tools from the first gestures to the final thought. It is worth the book alone for this chapter.

But Scott and David include many other gems that make the whole book a worthwhile addition to your library. They give expert advice on how to make your crafts and how to make them count, how to use them in your spellwork and what to expect when you do work spells with your crafts.

If you are the `do it yourselfer' type of hands-on witch who loves to get their fingers into their work and feels, as most of us do, that if you make it yourself it can only enhance your work, this is a good book for ideas to expand what you already practice.

For the beginner, who Scott always wrote for, this book explains how to get started, what basics you need to know and what to do with it once you get started.

If you are a crafty person there's always some joy to be found in other crafter's ideas. I bought this book because of the great instructions for making corn dollies and found that the brief chapter on wheat is really useful. There are several nice potpourri recipes in here. I enjoyed the short and thoughtful essay on the true meaning of craft. Some of it may seem way too simplistic such as the chapter on making flower garlands...basically you get some thread and a needle and some flowers and you string the flowers...uh...okay. There are directions for sand painting, hex signs, making an ojo or "god's eye" weaving, and some other Campfire Girl-type stuff that would be fun to share with kids.
Like all of Scott Cunningham's books this is very basic and geared toward the beginner. It has good direction that can lead to a better understanding for the beginner of the mindfulness and intent that makes putzing with stuff into a Craft that is magically satisfying, useful and fun.

I've had this for years and still find myself going back and using it frequently. Scott wrote beautifully and clearly. It's a great book for beginners and will get you consistent results. I also recommend:Magickal Needlework by Dorothy Morrison and Witch Crafts by Willow Polson. These are wonderful books as well.
But as for this book, if you are seeking to make magickal objects this is a wonderful way to start.
BB

This book is solid Cunningham. Practical, creative, and clever, it offers wonderful ideas for decorating the home with functioning Magickal items. I have returned again and again to this for craft ideas.

Ignore people who says "don't read this book" about any book in the world. Absolutely every book on the planet has some knowledge to be gained from. Even if the book doesn't have something you will use, it still taught you what you should and shoudlnt' be looking for, and what you personally believe to be true. Also, not all book's meanings are simple and straightforward...sometimes you have to look deeper....

This is a fun little "recipe" book that tells you how to make various crafts. However, after reading it, I decided it really wasn't my kind of book. I wanted to use it more as a brainstorming book, but it didn't inspire me. If you like being creative on your own, look elsewhere. If you feel that you're not creative enough, and would like to follow someone else's ideas, then this book may be right for you! :)

This book is a great catalog of rituals. More than that, it has been a useful basis for rituals of my own creations. I've long used the magic box craft, in fact it's become a favorite ritual of mine. I've created a couple of rituals of my own based upon the information I've taken from the magic box chapter. One thread that permeates Scott Cunningham's books is that everyday magic is a must for your growth. One way you can begin weaving your magic into a daily practice is by working on a spell craft. Pick up a copy and you'll see what I mean.

It's been a long time since I used this book, but I thought I'd say that I made the money and love candles when I was at a low point in college. Very soon a relative I never spoke to showed up with a no-strings-attached check for $3000. The love candle had its effect, to. :)