Customer Reviews

Your Magickal Cat: Feline Magick, Lore, and Worship

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Being Pagan and a cat lover, I thought this would be a great little book when I received it for my birthday. Maybe it's that I'm not a neophyte - I've been studying for nine years - but this reads like someone who just discovered Paganism and thinks everything is shiny flowers and pretty little butterflies. It was "sacred this" and "magickal that", the writing didn't flow and transitions were nonexistent, and the editor should be ashamed at the grammatical errors and typos that abound.

That said, there *are* some interesting tidbits of information. It was researched fairly thoroughly, but not exactly exhaustively. There's a fair amount about Bastet and other cat worship. There's also some pretty disturbing facts about the cruelty and torture cats have suffered throughout history - but even more disturbing is that she does not emphasize enough that the spells and potions that require cat parts amount to nothing more than sadistic animal abuse, and it scares me to think of what some of the less benevolent people in our society might do to a cat if they think it'll get them whatever they want. Not to mention that I wonder at how much of a cat lover the author really is if she doesn't see the potential cruelty - and if she could leave her brood of cats behind when she moved across the country. I could *never* abandon my precious cats like that.

Overall, this book would most likely be fun for a newbie, but anyone who's seriously studied for two years will probably find this an eye-roller.

I question the fact that the author calls herself a lifelong cat lover, since, in the introduction, she readily admits to having given away more than ten felines in her household because she was moving across the country. This made me seriously doubt the integrity of the author, as any true cat lover would NEVER do such a thing. It made me wonder whether she saw them as living beings and members of the family, as my cats are to me, or just ornaments that can be cast aside if they become inconvenient. Perhaps I'm cynical, but the book just smacked of a means to make money for an author whose work is fairly pedestrian. In regards to the content, it covered such mundane matters as history, naming your cat and the like. If you want books written by apparently genuine cat lovers, I would suggest Patricia Telesco's book Cat Magic and Daisy Pepper's Spells For Cats. They cover pretty much the same content and seem to come from a place of genuine care and concern for our feline friends.

I was planning on buying this book, but decided not to after reading a few reviews which revealed that the author had given away at least ten cats of her own, using the old "moving away" excuse. Anyone who can do that is obviously not a person who has a true affinity, care, or respect for cats - or any animal. True witches have a bond with animals - our brethren - and Dunwich obviously fails the test. I won't be reading this or any other of her books.

My coven and I had been anxiously awaiting the publication of this book and were delighted when we discovered that it was finally available! This is one of Gerina's finest books, devoted to the magick, lore and worship of the cat. It is filled with many photographs and quaint old illustrations, and contains a generous helping of feline-oriented spells, folklore, and superstitions. Gerina explains how to interpret cat dreams and cat omens, offers up a cool chapter on cat astrology, and includes a list of interesting names for familiars. Her shamanic chapter on cat totems was excellent, and even though it was not an especially long section of the book, I found that it contained more information about the cat as a totem animal than other books I have read. This is a book that no cat-loving Witch or Pagan should be without! I highly recommend it to all. I also found Gerina's poems (which are scattered throughout the book) to be simply enchanting.

This book is so good I have to go out and buy all of Gerina Dunwich's books now. This is the first time I have read her and I can see that I am going to become a rabid fan. I picked this up, of course, because it is about cats, and I had just read another book about kitties and magic by D.J. Conway. Even if you already have D.J. Conway's book you'll still want to buy this one, because it is quite different. I really like Gerina's style and I love the anecdotes she tells about her own cats. This books talks about cats as totems and familiars, cats in magick workings, the history of cats and cat deities, etc., but my favorite part of the book was the cat astrology section. Yes, Gerina gives a little description of each astrological sun sign for cats, for example Pisces or Taurus, and discusses personality traits. Very cute! My other favorite part of this book was the chapter dedicated to cures for cats. I've never seen this in any other book: she discusses cat chakras and how to do chakra healing for them! Any cat lover will absolutely adore this book. And if you are a magick practioner and have a close bond with cats and like to work with them, this book is going to become your best friend. A million stars for this one!

I found this a most exceptional reading experience because I have five cats and know how magickal and mysterious they can be, and how loving these wonderful felines are. This is a fine, well-written book that captures the essence of what the cat symbolizes and represents in a social and historical context. A highly accurate book, this is a book you will want to come back to for future references. The facts available in this book are fascinating. There is a high degree of scholarship and attention to detail in the book. Gerina Dunwich has written an entertaining nonfiction reference work sure to appeal to many different readers. Enjoyable reading!

Now maybe I am partial, because I do LOVE cats, but I would probably not have purchased this book otherwise. This book covers all the bases...Cat magick, legends, superstitions, cures, omens, deities, and a few spells. I really appreciate the fact she does give an appendix which does list some resources, and a fabulous bibliography that is a must to check out in case some of her sources might intrest you as well. All in all, it is a great book.

If I could give this book less than one star, I would. I don't like to give bad reviews, but honestly, I don't want another cat lover to actually buy this book. As another reviewer posted, the author talks about giving away all of her beloved cats because she moved, in the introduction. Then she goes on throughout the book to tell gruesome ways in which cats have been used during history (dropped from buildings, buried alive, and much worse). She talks about how modern pagans and witches shouldn't use cat parts ("and it harm none...") for magickal purposes but then goes on to describe how other cultures do use them. Why even mention that stuff? It was very disturbing to me. I couldn't finish the book because I was sick of all of the cat torture included, and it's a shame because I did see some spells and interesting folklore with cats that did have some merit. I hate that I actually paid money for this book. I have some of her other books and she does much of the same; don't hex people or do animal sacrifice, but this is how other cultures have done it.

I would recommend Ellen Dugan's "The Enchanted Cat". It's very cat friendly, down to earth and interesting.

This has useful information on humanities superstitious stupidity regarding black cats, throughout history. As well as helping too build a more spiritual bond with any cat, while enhancing ones skill in the craft. The craft of utilizing the/a tool/s that were given to us by our spiritual (true) parents, Mother & father God, in order to enhance our own human lives/experience.

From ancient beginnings to modern day pets, cats are breed all their own. No other animal has such an amazing history as the cat. Gerina Dunwich does a wonderful job telling you all about the history of this magickal creature and how you can share the magick in your life with your cat. Highly recommended for those insterested in familiar magick work, or anyone who just wants to learn more about cats.