Anything written by ‘Lord’ or ‘Lady’ So-and-So usually ends up in the bottom of my reading pile—punishment for daring to be so pompous in print. Advancing The Witches' Craft is the exception and I am so glad to have discovered such a valuable addition to my library.
For one thing, the emphasis is not on tools or physical surroundings, but on visualization, meditation, and the clarity of focus that defines an experienced practitioner. That’s right, this is not a ‘101’ book, it was deliberately created for practitioners who have been practicing for a while. Specifically, the book concentrates on working with the Shadow Self, bringing the Self into balance by integrating both sides of polarity, not just the positive/light/good/happy side of life. The book comes with a CD of meditations and exercises to assist in this process, and the production value is very high.
Two things lowered my regard for this offering: The tone of Foxglove’s writing is a bit off-putting (condescending and superior) at times, and although he has earned it to some degree, I did not like it. The other is that only three of the six meditations are available on the CD. It is true that the other three are on the author's website, but they are almost completely buried (you can find them here). They are also in excess of 20 MB each, so downloading them without a high-speed connection is a chore.
This is a book about developing your inner strength and I highly recommend it.
~review by Lisa Mc Sherry
Author: Lord Foxglove
New Page Books, 2005
pp. 335, $19.99
