“Oh no!” I said when I opened my latest package from Llewellyn, “yet another spell book. Oh joy.” But I was wrong. Spellcaster: Seven Ways to Effective Magic has no spells, no lists or tables of correspondences, and no recipes. And it is a very good book.
Written by seven authors, each well-known within their communities and making no apologies for contradicting one another this is a fun read for those of us who have moved beyond the “Air = East” basics of working magick. Spellcaster describes several different approaches to magical practice and theory with a vaguely instructional approach, but much of the information comes from the authors' own experiences. It is clear that the authors believe the complexities of magic cannot be taught in the same way that we teach math, with clear cut steps to follow and results to be expected.
Instead, we are given to believe that magic frequently involves a sizable amount of creativity, but also involves paradigms, and just because both paradigms can be functional does not mean that all of their elements can be interchangeable. That may be confusing for beginners, but is less so for those who have worked with magick for some time.
Enjoy this book – I know I did.
~review by Lisa Mc Sherry
edited by Elen Hawke and Martin White
Llewellyn Publications, 2005
pp. 276 $14.95
