The Wicca Spellbook [Paperback]

GERINA DUNWICH (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2000

The secrets of spellcraft revealed through easy-to-follow, yet highly powerful magical formulas. There are also sections on the magical association of herbs, the eight sabbats of the Wiccan tradition and a directory of occult shops, publications and services to the Wiccan community.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: Citadel (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806514760
• ISBN-13: 978-0806514765
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #599,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gerina Dunwich (b. December 27, 1959, Illinois, United States) is a professional astrologer, occult historian, and New Age author, best known for her books on Wicca and various occult subjects. She is also involved in paranormal research and is the founder of the Paranormal Animal Research Group, which investigates cases of alleged hauntings by animal spirits.

Her first newspaper article (co-written with her cousin, Barbara Williams) was published in October 1976. It was an interview with singer/songwriter Jim Peterik from the local Chicago band, the Ides of March (and later, Survivor). By the spring of 1980 Dunwich was publishing a small press literary journal called Golden Isis, a one-woman operation that specialized in Goddess-inspired poetry and off-beat fiction.

In December 1993 she moved to Fort Covington, Franklin County, New York, where she opened a small shop on High Street called "The Country Witch" (later renamed "The Calico Cat Whatnot Shop"), which sold antiques, curios and various occult supplies. She officially established Coven Mandragora on Candlemas 1996 and served as its High Priestess. That same year she established the Wheel of Wisdom School (an educational organization offering correspondence courses on the sabbats) and the Pagan Poets Society (a literary circle for writers and publishers of Pagan poetry), along with a local networking organization known as North Country Wicca. In February of 1998 she received a ministerial license from the Universal Life Church. Dunwich is also the founder of the Bast-Wicca tradition.

A respected spokesperson for the Wiccan/Pagan community, Dunwich has been a guest on numerous radio talk shows throughout the United States and Canada. She has lectured and presented workshops at festivals and gatherings across the country, such as the CraftWise Pagan Gathering (Waterbury, Connecticut), the Real Witches' Ball (Columbus, Ohio), and Panpipes' Pagan Day Festival (West Hollywood, California).

A member of the Fellowship of Isis, Circle, the Pagan Poets Society, the Authors Guild, and the Authors League of America, Dunwich's biography is listed in a number of reference works, such as Who's Who in the East, Personalities of America, The Wicca Source Book, The Modern Witch's Complete Sourcebook, and Crossroads: Who's Who of the Magickal Community (published by The Witching Well Education and Research Center, 1988). She is also mentioned in Anne Carson's Goddesses and Wise Women (The Crossing Press, 1992) and other works. Her articles, poetry, and reviews have appeared in numerous publications, including Playgirl, American Woman, Magical Blend, Sage Woman, Circle Network News, and Pagan Free Press.

Gerina Dunwich lives in Western New York, where she owns and operates an antique shop. She is currently working on a new book.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Hypocritical, May 27, 2003

By 

Desiree "sphinxmuse" (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wicca Spellbook (Paperback)

I bought this book in the early days of my interest in Wicca. At that point in time, I gobbled up anything with the mention of the word in the title, and in a small bookshop to my misfortune, this was it. I had quite a strong reaction to this book - and not a very positive one at that - and now I bet you are wondering what the heck it is about it that caused me to feel this way. I can sum it up in one word: hypocrisy. This is simply the most hypocritical "Wiccan" book I have ever discovered.

The book opens with an incredibly fluffy and feel-good description of Wicca in its introduction: "Wicca is respecting and living in harmony with all living things. Wicca is light. Wicca is love" (ix). Chapter One, entitled "Gerina's Grimoire," begins directly with the Wiccan Rede in italics, and she follows by explaining its implications,"It is imperative to bear in mind the Wiccan Rede before performing any magickal spells or rituals, especially those which may be considered unethical or of a manipulative nature. [. . .] If you deliberately harm or manipulate another person through black magic or any form of evil, you will pay for it by having the evil returned to you threefold" (1-2). Perhaps Ms. Dunwich should take her own advice since she apparently believes it is wrong to violate the free will of another, yet has no problems blatantly supplying spells that do just that.

This type of spellwork that Gerina has previously denounced is especially present in the section devoted to love magic. For example, one spell begins, "to gain the affections of [. . .]" (15). Another spell intended to make a love secure requires a lock of hair or fingernails of one's spouse or lover (10), and one to reunite parted lovers instructs,"write his or her initials next to yours and then draw three circles of blood around both initials" (17). All of these spells aim to coerce another human being, the "object of your affections," into loving or being sexually attracted to you against their will (13). One spell even calls for the blood of a white dove, and Gerina follows this with a caveat suggesting that in order to gain this ingredient one should,"find a dove that is already dead. Never kill a live dove! [. . .] Most Wiccans and modern day Pagans agree that the deliberate taking of life in unnecessary and [. . .] is in violation of the Wiccan Rede" (14). I live in a forested area, and have all my life, and I can say that I've never come across a dead dove. I wonder how some young person interested in completing this spell intends on obtaining dove's blood - I can just imagine some fourteen year old going to their local petshop and asking if any of their white doves have passed to the Summerlands recently and then requesting if they can "borrow" the feathered corpse. But I digress....

The next section that clearly provides spells that do not respect other living things are "spells to deal with an enemy." Yet again, Gerina states that black magic violates the Wiccan Rede and stresses that despite one's anger at another, one should "never resort to the use of black magick or sorcery" (32). Amazingly, the next few pages contain spells that require the use of photographs, names, and birthdates of enemies which are all used to bind them (31-4). Overall, the book presents this statement to the reader: Never, ever resort to black or manipulative magick because it's evil and violates the Rede, but here are all the spells you need to do so anyway!

There are Witches and Wiccans (not necessarily the same thing, mind you) who fall under all shades of the spectrum in regard to hexing, binding, and all other forms of magic that may interfere with another's free will. But even those who have absolutely no qualms about using magic in the defense of themselves and their loved ones, in other words, those who are willing to use magic as an assertive means of protection in extreme and grave situations, would not resort to doing so to curb something as petty as a gossiping neighbor! Admittingly, gossip is an annoyance that can have an effect on one's reputation and can cause much social discomfort, but if one is immature enough to feel that they must resort to magic to bind their gossiping peers, I don't believe he or she is mature enough to perform magic at all. And yet, The Wicca Spellbook provides such a spell, as well as similarly petty and/or impractical ones including how to break a curse placed upon you by a sorcerer (can we say paranoia?), and how to force someone you dislike to move away. It contains nothing to handle a situation that may actually warrant something like a binding or hexing, and nothing to deal with a serious threat to someone's life.

Gerina went through all the trouble to stress the evils of manipulative magic and seemed careful to document the consequences of violating the Rede (all in classic fluffy-bunny, white-light style) and then proceeds to contradict her own warnings with blatantly manipulative magic. To make matters worse, when she did insist upon breaking with her own philosophy of "harm none" as stated earlier in the book, she did so for some really stupid reasons!

I suppose this book got on my nerves because it identified itself specifically as a "Wiccan" spellbook, which implies that it is intended for those who follow Wicca. Obviously, not every person or group that engages in magical practice is Wiccan or follows the Rede so if this spellbook had not indentified itself as such, it probably would not have affected me in such a negative way. As stated earlier, not even all Wiccans/Witches concur on the interpretation of the Rede and how far it should be taken. However, Ms.Dunwich made such a big deal throghout the book about following it and not participating in any form of negative magic - and so there is no excuse for such an arrant discrepancy between what she apparently believes and what she does.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enchanting spellbook!, February 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wicca Spellbook (Paperback)

I am a Witch and I would recommend this fine book to all Witches of the world. It is filled with excellent spells, recipes and information. I've read a number of spellbooks in my time, and this is one of the very best.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It answered many of my questions..., July 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wicca Spellbook (Paperback)

This was the first book I ever bought in my venture into the studying and practicing of the magickal arts. I found it to be very informative and it answered many of my questions, giving a detailed definition of Wicca, factual explanation of karma, many useful spells, rituals and sabbat ceremonies, and a glossary of many of the "tools" needed to practice such an involved religion. She also included a listing of shops and mail-order catalogs for places to find anything and everything the modern Wiccan could ever need! A very informative book for anyone, from the apprentice with a thirst for knowledge, to the seasoned witch simply wanting to add to his/her grimore.