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This contemporary spell book with an antiquated, Book-of-Days style returns for its third successful year. Witches and Pagans will find spells for all occasions, along with recipes, rituals, and meditations. It also includes crucial information for spellcasters: when the spell is appropriate, necessary implements, and where the spell should be performed. Icons categorize each spell under various headings: health, love, money, and purification, and so on. Users who combine spells with astrology will find daily Moon signs and phases.
Pagan News Review by Mike Gleason
As with all of Llewellyn's almanacs, this book has the moon phases and basic
astrological data for each day of the year. The only "articles" in this
series, however, are the pages identifying some of the background for each
month as an introduction to those months.
It includes an icon guide, so you can translate the symbols which appear at
the start of each day. It also includes, as a part of its standard layout,
a short list of "Daily Magical Influences," "Lunar Phases," and Astrological
Symbols, the Moon's Signs, a two page glossary, and Norse Runes.
Like all the books in this particular series of almanacs the emphasis here
is on entertainment, as well as magical knowledge. The spells are light in
tone as a means of encouraging the reader to make magick a part of daily
life.
Looking for deep, significant spells and magical facts? Sorry, not in this
book. Looking for quick, easy, folk magick remedies, basic recipes, and
general occult facts? This is the book for you. On top of that, it is
easily affordable, and light enough to ride in your shoulder bag, backpack,
or briefcase without inconvenience.
Are there better almanacs out there? Certainly. But this one contains
enough inspirational details, and enough entertainment to make it worth the
purchase price.
On a lighter note, if you leave this book lying on your coffee table, you
can count on raised eyebrows (at the very least) when your non-Craft friends
and family drop by. It is guaranteed to be an ice-breaker and a
conversation starter.
There is room at the end of each day's entry for notes (if you are one of
those barbarians who write in books). I am still not fond, after three
years, of the way the pages are laid out, but obviously, I am in a minority.
I understand why it is the way it is, but I still don't like it personally.
There are minor editing glitches in this volume, and I'm not particularly
happy with Stephanie Rose Bird's references to deities of the Yoruba peoples
as "angelic spirits." That is kind of like referring to Jesus or Allah as
angelic spirits.
Take the time to browse through this book when you get it home. Although
there are certain time-specific spells and rituals there are numerous types
of protective spells and rituals, for example, scattered throughout the
year. You might try combining some of them for your own use, or to spark
your own creativity.
While we're on the subject of browsing through the almanac, don't forget to
flip through last year's edition for ideas you may have passed over at the
time. These books can serve for inspiration long after they are "outdated".
This year's edition has fewer no-spell days than I have seen in the past,
but it still includes some extra tidbits that make for interesting reading.
It is a fun book, with lots of simple, inspirational ideas, and, at $7.95,
inexpensive enough to make an easy addition to your library.
