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Rating: Summary: Not too bad Review: A lot of people don't like Conway and say that her Celtic, Norse and Egyptian Magic books are practically the same. I have never read the other too. In fact, this is the only book I have read from Conway. I found this book helpful. I am however wary of the fact that one person could be knowledgeable enough to write about Celtic, Norse and Egyptian Magic. Nevertheless, I personally do not follow the Celtic path but most of the information in this book pertains to anyone doing magic. A lot of people give negative reviews to this book. However, I liked it and found it useful. This book is good for a beginner. Included information on: Celtic Magic, Preparing for Magic, Magical elements, Casting a Magic circle, Tools of Magic, Sabbats, Celtic History and Deities. It also has a section on Spellwork: Herb Magic, Cauldron Magic, Stone Magic, Candle Magic and a few other things. This books rituals and circles are geared more to a coven than a Solitaire.
Rating: Summary: Enjoyable Review: As an person new to Wicca and Witchcraft this is a really good book but I am lucky enough to know other wiccans to help me out when I have questions. As a read I guess it is for a more experienced Wiccan, not a beginners guide. Besides that it is full of good info and interesting facts on the Celtic way of life.
Rating: Summary: Don't waste your money Review: Hoo boy, another book by DJ. It seems like she has a format that she just dumps cultural (and erroneous) info in. Yes, there's a list of Deities, but terribly simplified and incomplete. And the research is nearly non-existant. Go find the article on the web, "Why Wicca is Not Celtic" by Ian MacAnTsaoire, whic is scholarly, researched AND validated, and you'll see why this book isn't worth the paper it's written on. I gave it to Goodwill as soon as I hit REAL research on the Celtic Cultures.
Rating: Summary: Not Up To Llewellyn's Standards Review: I have ready many good books published by Llewellyn, This is not one of them. This book is not a good reference on Celtic ways. The myths are very touch and go, and written in a way that wold be confusing to someone not familiar with them, and if your familiar you won't learn anything. The table of correspondences is not a druid one, but a modern one having nothing to do with tradition, one fact evident of this is that aluminum which is named in the table was not invented for centuries later. Book is worth reading, but not entirely true, take everything with a grain of salt. I did enjoy the section on the Ogham Alphabet, but it alone is not worth ordering this book considering much more in-depth coverage of it is available. I would say if you are new to Celtic ways, and don't plan to do much other reading on it, get it, otherwise don't waste your time.
Rating: Summary: A great book! Review: Please pick up something different on the celts. This is just a new-age version of Wicca, wrapped in green saranwrap with shamrocks on it. Riverdance will teach you more celtic magic than this book.
Rating: Summary: Unimpressive Review: This book was wholely unimpressive and unoriginal. The one thing that I liked about it was the information on Runes. The Tables of correspondence were ok, but they were written in such a way that they had only limited uses. Better references for deities and incenses can easily be found elsewhere.. The level of detail for Wicca is vague, but I wouldn't call it a beginners book because there wasn't enough detail for a biginner to really be informed. The author comes off a bit preachy and the spiritual side of the book seems written more like a self-help book for people with low self-esteem than something for people who are studying a serious spitual path. Some of the spells were neat, but one of them seemed to be derived from the inscription on the one ring from Lord of the Rings, and another was abviously an adaptation from the Witch's in MacBeth. The Celtic stories are interesting, but limited and have varrying levels of accuracy. Whatever it is that you might find appealing about this book, there are better places to find it. In this case, the low cover price is quite telling of the quality inside.
Rating: Summary: GREAT POCKET REFERENCE Review: THIS MAY NOT BE THE MOST DETAILED BOOK EVER WRITTEN BUT IT IS A PERFECT HANDY POCKET GUIDE TO PRACTICAL MAGIC--I REFER BACK TO THIS BOOK ENDLESSLY WHEN I AM LOOKING FOR SOMETHING QUICK--GREAT INCESENCE REFERENCE--QUICK CONCISE APPROACH TO MAGIC
Rating: Summary: Kind of Confusing Review: This was the first book I ever read about any kind of magic/witchcraft/Wicca. At first (I was 12) I thought it was awesome; I loved learning about the Celts (that info was at least interesting) and loved the idea that magic could be a part of your everyday life. But then after reading it twice all the way through (I was on a bus for 8 hours) I realized that I was confused about what was Celtic and what was Wicca. Because even in sixth grade, I knew they couldn't be the same thing. This book made this very unclear, and failed to mention that, although some Wiccan traditions and practices come from ancient Celtic ways, the religion is relatively new. This book doesn't teach Wicca, and it doesn't really teach Celtic magic; instead, it teaches a confusing mix. I wouldn't buy this book as your first magic book; if you are Wiccan but interested in Celtic stuff, buy it after you understand what the difference is. There were, however, some helpful sections, like the Celtic legends and deities and the tables of correspondence, but if you are looking for a book on how to practice a certain kind of magic, choose a different one. If you want to learn the beginnings of Wicca (whether you want to practice it, or merely find more information on it) I recommend Cunningham's "Wicca: A guide for the solitary practitioner". It is a short book, and pretty basic, but it is clear and accurate; you won't be confused by it like you will be by Celtic Magic if you don't know anything about Wicca.
Rating: Summary: Kind of Confusing Review: While this should never be considered a Witch's or Wiccan's number one book, it is a good addition to the library of those that practice with a Celtic bent or flair. There is no in-depth view of anything, but a light overview of the subject is provided. For a quick look-up or as an addition, I'd recommend it, but if you can only own one book, this isn't it.
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