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The Gray Witch's Grimoire
What makes this book unique? The world of the gray witch has been largely avoided, misrepresented, or glossed over with various books geared gingerly towards ‘protection magic’. These books, though informative and well written as they may be, have totally missed the spirit of the gray witch – who she really is, how she relates to the world of shadow and light, and exactly what she’s willing to do to stand her ground. In our society ‘dark’ is automatically viewed as ‘evil’; and ‘light’ is automatically viewed as ‘good’. We’re expected to live completely within one realm and to totally avoid the other. This creates imbalance and is a great injustice to the true spirit of the ancient wise woman. This book puts matters to right and gives the public a view of just what the gray witch is – and what she isn’t. The gray witch does not live in a world of chaos or unbridled black magic. She has a code of honor, a sense of propriety, and a relevance in today’s society.
- GenresWitchcraftWicca
175 pages, Paperback
First published May 25, 2012
51 people are currently reading
263 people want to read
About the author
Amythyst Raine
11 books19 followersAmythyst Raine is a best selling author of meta-physical books about tarot and intuitive reading, witchcraft, Wicca, the Pagan goddess, women's mysteries, spirituality, gray magic, and green witchcraft.
She is also the author of a brand new book in a new genre for her... Chronicles of a Madd Housewife: It's Not You, It's Me. This book is nonfiction and is dedicated to everyone who has ever experienced a toxic relationship and shouted: "I should write a book!"
She's a happy heathen living among the ley lines of Arizona.
Her website:
The Witch's Corner:
http://amythystraine.blogspot.com
Her blog:
Magickal Connections:
http://wytchymystique.com
Her tarot website:
The Tarot Parlour:
http://tarotreadingswithamythystraine...
She is also the author of a brand new book in a new genre for her... Chronicles of a Madd Housewife: It's Not You, It's Me. This book is nonfiction and is dedicated to everyone who has ever experienced a toxic relationship and shouted: "I should write a book!"
She's a happy heathen living among the ley lines of Arizona.
Her website:
The Witch's Corner:
http://amythystraine.blogspot.com
Her blog:
Magickal Connections:
http://wytchymystique.com
Her tarot website:
The Tarot Parlour:
http://tarotreadingswithamythystraine...
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 28, 2012
A very basic, very average witchy book. Nothing new to be learnt here, simple regurgitation of what most people already know instinctively. It was also a bit too small - why pagan writers think they can get away with the bare minimum of word counts is beyond me.
January 12, 2015
I had high hopes for this book. I really did. After reading the pages available as a preview, and going through the reviews available on Amazon, I was excited! Finally, a book that took (what I believe to be) a realistic perspective on Witchcraft – that all parts of it are to be respected, not feared.
I wish I could say I wasn’t disappointed. For one, its short. Less than 200 pages. (If I had the ability to focus I once did, I could read it in one sitting.) For another, it doesn’t really address Gray Witchcraft. It reads like a basic introduction to Witchcraft for the average seeker rather than someone who’s experienced in the Craft and wants to dive a little deeper into areas not typically covered.
I can appreciate her opening with “Magickal Principles” and a “Code of Ethics” for us “gray witches”, but that doesn’t even cover a full dozen pages. After that, it’s discussion on some symbols, and basic Witchcraft beliefs.
I understand this is titled as a Grimoire, so I’m not taking issue with the fact the rest of the book is full of correspondences. However, they are correspondences that can be found with just a few keystrokes on Google, with no real link to the concept of Gray Witchcraft.
That being said, there are a few things in the book that I think are missing from most basic Wicca/Witchcraft books on the market today – but again, nothing really specific to Gray Witchcraft. It was neat seeing how the author viewed Initiation, as that almost always ends up being a contentious subject. I enjoyed her take on how one experiences initiation not being a part of a group. I also enjoyed how she expanded on “The Metaphysical Laws of Witchcraft.” Again, something I think most books on Witchcraft are missing, but nothing special to the Gray Witch.
To wrap this up, I’ll say this: I think Amythyst Raine had a great idea, but the execution could have been done much better. The book itself is a good book – not something I would sit down and read, but definitely something I would still use as a quick reference as it has a lot of good information. If you are looking for a book that might actually be a good reference for the Gray Witch, I’d strongly suggest you search elsewhere.
I wish I could say I wasn’t disappointed. For one, its short. Less than 200 pages. (If I had the ability to focus I once did, I could read it in one sitting.) For another, it doesn’t really address Gray Witchcraft. It reads like a basic introduction to Witchcraft for the average seeker rather than someone who’s experienced in the Craft and wants to dive a little deeper into areas not typically covered.
I can appreciate her opening with “Magickal Principles” and a “Code of Ethics” for us “gray witches”, but that doesn’t even cover a full dozen pages. After that, it’s discussion on some symbols, and basic Witchcraft beliefs.
I understand this is titled as a Grimoire, so I’m not taking issue with the fact the rest of the book is full of correspondences. However, they are correspondences that can be found with just a few keystrokes on Google, with no real link to the concept of Gray Witchcraft.
That being said, there are a few things in the book that I think are missing from most basic Wicca/Witchcraft books on the market today – but again, nothing really specific to Gray Witchcraft. It was neat seeing how the author viewed Initiation, as that almost always ends up being a contentious subject. I enjoyed her take on how one experiences initiation not being a part of a group. I also enjoyed how she expanded on “The Metaphysical Laws of Witchcraft.” Again, something I think most books on Witchcraft are missing, but nothing special to the Gray Witch.
To wrap this up, I’ll say this: I think Amythyst Raine had a great idea, but the execution could have been done much better. The book itself is a good book – not something I would sit down and read, but definitely something I would still use as a quick reference as it has a lot of good information. If you are looking for a book that might actually be a good reference for the Gray Witch, I’d strongly suggest you search elsewhere.
March 9, 2022
This is a very beginner book and a general good place to start for people just getting into the craft. However I was expecting a more advanced explanation into grey witchcraft as it’s literally titled “The Grey Witches Grimoire”. It didn’t go into depth on explaining hexes, curses, or dark magic in general. Everything was also mostly Wiccan based and not all witches are Wiccan and not all wiccans are witches. Plus according to Wiccan practices it’s mostly light magic. So get this book if you’re just starting your research but avoid if actively looking for more advanced information.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2014
Lovely book, great to read and informative. Wish it was a bit longer.
January 5, 2018
A perfect read for a newbie
Absolutely needed this read as I'm a little over a year and a day. Very practical, firm when needed, but passionate and encouraging. Couldn't have hoped for a better read!
Absolutely needed this read as I'm a little over a year and a day. Very practical, firm when needed, but passionate and encouraging. Couldn't have hoped for a better read!
September 16, 2020
Finished the book and enjoyed it!
October 30, 2015
Solid, concise opening includes magical principles and ethics associated with gray witchcraft. The middle section, which comprises about half the book, is your basic "Wicca 101" information without the "harm none" philosophy. As a seasoned, non-Wiccan witch, I lost some interest here.
Then the spell portion turned my opinion back around. The hoodoo influences were apparent in these creatively crafted charms of a mostly darker nature. Some of them are a little basic, but I also learned a lot here, or at least made connections to symbols I might not have otherwise.
This is a nice, gritty, practical book to balance out all of the white magic spell collections that are so widely available at bookstores.
Then the spell portion turned my opinion back around. The hoodoo influences were apparent in these creatively crafted charms of a mostly darker nature. Some of them are a little basic, but I also learned a lot here, or at least made connections to symbols I might not have otherwise.
This is a nice, gritty, practical book to balance out all of the white magic spell collections that are so widely available at bookstores.
July 26, 2016
Another lister and tabler. There's an association for everything but no depth analysis of these associations.
Only gets two stars because it adheres to common grammatical conventions and is well organised. There is a half hearted attempt to contextualise ideas but only to very modern contexts - again a solid foundation in folklore and myth is missing.
However, there are more comprehensive guides and most spells and recipes seemed lifted from Judika Illes' Encyclopaedic works.
Only gets two stars because it adheres to common grammatical conventions and is well organised. There is a half hearted attempt to contextualise ideas but only to very modern contexts - again a solid foundation in folklore and myth is missing.
However, there are more comprehensive guides and most spells and recipes seemed lifted from Judika Illes' Encyclopaedic works.
September 13, 2016
Great
I chose this book mainly due to the title, and my age haha. Learning through reading as much as I can I have come across a few less than helpful or accurate books. This however gives a greater insight and better understanding of why, how and when things are being, or have been, done. Great shelf filler you will pull out time after time
I chose this book mainly due to the title, and my age haha. Learning through reading as much as I can I have come across a few less than helpful or accurate books. This however gives a greater insight and better understanding of why, how and when things are being, or have been, done. Great shelf filler you will pull out time after time
July 22, 2016
The first two parts of this book were very remedial, as in none of the information seemed new. It was the same basic 101 stuff you'd read in any Wicca or Witchcraft book. Part 3, however, had some interesting spells which I will hang onto the book because they could prove a useful resource someday.
July 29, 2015
This book is fairly basic. The ideas are general and able to be altered to meet ones needs. Sometimes we need a gentle reminder that things truly can be simple, yet beautiful and full of meaning.
July 19, 2012
Review soon @ thefaeryromanticlibrarian.blogspot.com
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews