True Magick: A Beginner's Guide (Llewellyn's New Age Series)

Rating:
Summary: Still The Best and Still Under $5
Review: Amber K. covers the basics and clears up misconceptions in short, concise form. A great book for those who are just testing the waters and for those open-minded enough to want to learn more about the craft. The basics given are a good start for the beginner, and I'll continue to recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: This is a fine book on magic(k)!
Review: As a Wiccan Witch with nearly a decade of spiritual and magical practice under my belt, I picked this book up after it was recommended to me by several trusted friends and teachers. This book is pretty basic; it is a beginner's *must*, probably best as second or third book. But it's also a great little book for the "advanced" practitioner to read if only to reinforce one's knowledge of the basics. I say it would be best as a beginner's second or third book because I feel as though there some assumed knowledge involved here. I think that a TOTAL BEGINNER might be lost from time to time when reading this book. If you're completely new to Paganism, Wicca, or magic, you would be best off to read something like Scott Cunningham's "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner," or, for more generalized Pagan (not specifically Wiccan) approach, I strongly recommend "Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions" by Joyce and River Higginbotham. Both can be found here on Amazon.

I completely agree with the reviewer who said that it is unfair to completely write this book off as "fluffy bunny." Let's be mature, folks. Sure, there a good deal of fluffy talk in this book. There's really no denying that. But there's also a lot of good practical advice that I haven't found elsewhere to date (the chapter entitled "Magick and Your Health" comes to mind). If you can be mature enough to look past the occasional "bunnies, white light and buttercups," there are many treasures to be found here. Pick this book up. It's inexpensive, a quick read, and enriching for anyone of any level of experience walking a magical path -- not just Wiccans!

Rating:
Summary: Still The Best
Review: I continue to recommend this book over and over again to those new to the path. Amber K provides a comprehensive guidebook in short, sweet and easy to understand form ~ and the price is right!

Rating:
Summary: Great to get started!
Review: I have to admit, I was skeptical about the whole concept of Magick... that is, until I picked up this book. Right from the start, Amber K. goes into the destinctions that make Wicca so special, and how witchcraft can be a healthy and fulfilling way of life. It kept me up for hours at the fascinating portrayals of the various neo-pagan religeons, legendary figures, and beliefs.

Since I bought it over six months ago, I must've read it half a dozen times. Amber K. is a wonderful writer, though I have to admit she's seems bit eccentric at times (read pages 125 to 127 and you'll know what I mean). Oh well, who wants to be normal? Certainly not myself, as it inspired me to dive head-long into my spirituality. While still a "wizard-in-training," so to speak, I could not have gotten to the frame of mind I currently possess, full of insight and wholeness, without "True Magick: A Beginner's Guide."

To anyone interested, fascinated, or maybe just curious about the Craft, I recommend this book highly as a primer for greater possibilities. Even for those of you who are somewhat closed-minded, this book should clear up much of the garbage you've been told about witchcraft. It really opened my eyes, and I hope it will open yours as well. Blessed be!

Rating:
Summary: Fairly strong foundation for magickal practice
Review: Pros: A delight to read. Covers a lot of ground and different aspects of Magick. Goes over ritual, tools, elements, ethics, some things to consider when looking for a teacher, etc... .

Cons: Slanted toward Wiccan practice. Ritual technique centered on the Lesser Banishing Ritual style of Wiccan practice. Ethics re-enforce the Wiccan rede. Doesn't explain other styles of magick and at times even puts down other practices.

As a book for a beginner, especially a wiccan, this is a pretty good book to get you hands on.

Rating:
Summary: Useless
Review: Sorry, I didn't find anything in this book I could use. Nothing for the serious student.

Rating:
Summary: If someone asked me where to start, True Magick, Amber K.
Review: There is no book that has been written that captures the basic principles of magic and the practice of the Wiccan religions. Amber K's True Magick is the book for anyone who is looking to start down their magickial journey. Her words are insightful and she does not fill the book with jargon which would make it incomprehensible, nor does she dumb it down to a thrid grade reading level. Unlike books by such authors like, Scott Cunningham, Amber K does not insult the reader by making everything seem rosy and simple, she simply tells it like it is, and that makes it a book that is not only for those beggining, but for those how are already well established in their Craft. It is a book that should be used in every coven and even in every religion because it is so universal that it appeals to the human spirit, no matter what any person might believe.

Rating:
Summary: bunnies, light and buttercups...
Review: This book tries, and fails, to fill a hole in the practice of many pagans, but instead ends up a shadow of what good magick books are. I really suggest a beginner in Magick start with the Kybalion (available free online all over the place) and Magick in Theory and Practice.

EVEN Clifford Bias and Manley P. Hall, those (giggle) bastions (giggle) of Ceremonial Magick (giggle) are better for beginners than this.

I felt this book over simplified Magick and talked down to the audience. Magick is not "easy" in many ways, and if you can't work though a Crowley book, should you bother manipulating your will to any effects other than education?

In short: Too Easy, Too simple and not too useful.

Rating:
Summary: The Truth about Magick, finally
Review: This was one of my first books on magick, and I must say it is still one of the best and one I have bought for or suggested to other friends. Amber K's book is a straightforward, no-nonsense book with a great tone and wonderful information.

The book is awesome for everyone interested in magick whether they are beginners or not. I still find myself turning back to it whenever I need clarification or inspiration. She begins with an explanation of what magick is and is not, your magickal education and the different magickal traditions. I particularly enjoy the sections on preparing yourself for magick and magick and your health, as a lot of people tend to not realize that your diet really does have an effect. Ritual, raisingpower, and some sample spells are the meat of the book. The spells are simple and effective, and the section on ethics is important and well-handled. The glossary and correspondence tables round out True Magick.

I cannot recommend this inexpensive book enough, whether you are starting out on your path or seeking some new angles on magick. I especially recommend this book to beginners before they buy any spell "recipe" books so they understand the basis of magick and do not take it to be something it is not.

Rating:
Summary: Still The Best
Review: While some people are so fed up with the "light and buttercups" of the book, the greatest problem lies in the fact that they fail to look beyond such trappings to see the gems that lie underneath.

There's a lot of flower-wooshing and rainbow-poofing and sickening frou-frou. But it's not that difficult to be mature about it and stomach that garbage.

Now, onto the more pressing matter. This book is short, simple, and designed for the average intelligence. No, you will not find any 25 cent words in here. The author is blunt, and gets straight to the point. The magick she presents is simple and easy to understand - and yes, magick IS easy and simple, unless the user decides to complicate it with psychological inhibitions, over-dramatized ritualizations, requirements, and self-righteous know-it-alls.

Magick, stated simply in this book, requires will. Not intelligence. Intelligence is for memorizing history, studying philosophy, etc. All of these things are absolutely useless when it comes to wielding magick, BUT they are essential life guides.

This is a good starter book, and it was MEANT to be a starter. No confusion, no burying people knee-deep in spellwork. Sound and solid principles of self-betterment are presented, which is a great plus for any magick book. The bulk of chapters guide the reader through visualizations, using energy, being healthy, and touching on other magickal paths even though the nature of the book is more Wicca-oriented.

I've owned over 3 different copies of this book, simply due to the fact that they get borrowed and never returned. :)

It's a great book, and even those on the left-hand path reccomend it. But, as I've said before, one should not dwell on this read, as good as it is. After a read or two, I reccomend the reader should move on, live life, move on to other books, grow, learn, and practice.

Remember: no matter how sickening a text may seem, peruse it. There may be a hidden surprise somewhere.