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Natural Magic
Did you know that the thickness of the layers in a locally grown onion will indicate the severity of the coming winter? Magic is all around us, in stones, flowers, stars, the dawn wind, and the sunset cloud. All we need is the ability to see it, understand it, and apply it. Magic works because of nature's laws, not in spite of them, and Valiente shows how to practice the age-old white magic which has been familiar to the Wise Ones for centuries.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1975
62 people are currently reading
2760 people want to read
About the author
Doreen Valiente
14 books194 followersDoreen Edith Dominy Valiente was an influential English Wiccan who was involved in a number of different early traditions, including Gardnerian Wicca, Cochrane's Craft and the Coven of Atho. Responsible for writing much of the early Gardnerian religious liturgy, in later years she also helped to play a big part in bringing the Neopagan religion of Wicca to wider public attention through the publication of a string of books on the subject.
Having been born in south London, she first became involved in the Craft after being initiated into the Gardnerian tradition in 1953 in a ceremony performed by Gerald Gardner.
Subsequently becoming the High Priestess of his Bricket Wood coven, she helped him to produce many important scriptural texts for Wicca, such as “The Witches Rune” and the “Charge of the Goddess”, which were incorporated into the early Gardnerian Book of Shadows.
Splitting off to form her own coven in 1957, she went on to work with Robert Cochrane in his coven, the Clan of Tubal Cain, till the mid 1960s when she began working as a solitary practitioner. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s she penned a number of books on the subject of Wicca - which she always called "witchcraft" – including “An ABC of Witchcraft” (1973) and “Witchcraft for Tomorrow” (1978), as well as being an early proponent of self-initiation into the Craft.
Having had a significant influence in the history of Wicca, she has been referred to as "the mother of modern Witchcraft" and is today is widely revered in the Wiccan and wider Neopagan community.
Having been born in south London, she first became involved in the Craft after being initiated into the Gardnerian tradition in 1953 in a ceremony performed by Gerald Gardner.
Subsequently becoming the High Priestess of his Bricket Wood coven, she helped him to produce many important scriptural texts for Wicca, such as “The Witches Rune” and the “Charge of the Goddess”, which were incorporated into the early Gardnerian Book of Shadows.
Splitting off to form her own coven in 1957, she went on to work with Robert Cochrane in his coven, the Clan of Tubal Cain, till the mid 1960s when she began working as a solitary practitioner. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s she penned a number of books on the subject of Wicca - which she always called "witchcraft" – including “An ABC of Witchcraft” (1973) and “Witchcraft for Tomorrow” (1978), as well as being an early proponent of self-initiation into the Craft.
Having had a significant influence in the history of Wicca, she has been referred to as "the mother of modern Witchcraft" and is today is widely revered in the Wiccan and wider Neopagan community.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
July 14, 2025
Doreen Valiente’s “Natural Magic” is a classic book written long before most other Wiccan and Magic books. As I read it, I realized that it likely served as a guide for many would-be authors based on how the book itself is arranged.
Valiente’s book covers a wide variety of subjects. I particularly like her chapter on cartomancy and how she specifically focused on a regular deck of cards rather than on tarot cards (my great-grandmother read fortunes using playing cards back in the day).
This is a great book for people who are especially interested in the history of Wiccan scholarship during the early modern era.
Valiente’s book covers a wide variety of subjects. I particularly like her chapter on cartomancy and how she specifically focused on a regular deck of cards rather than on tarot cards (my great-grandmother read fortunes using playing cards back in the day).
This is a great book for people who are especially interested in the history of Wiccan scholarship during the early modern era.
February 12, 2013
People make magic out to be something that is really is not. Magic is unnatural, magic is bad , magic is and magic is that. All these supposition are wrong. Magic is natural and it occurs on a regular basis. Magic can be used for both good or bad of course with attendant consequences. Magic is something most of us do every day quite unconsciously. It is focusing the mind on a desired out come or goal and directing our mental energy towards that goal. Magic is also non denominational and does not require fancy tools in order to be performed, well with the exception of your mind.
Doreen's book cover almost all areas of magic. Starting with the use of the element, air, fire,water and earth finished off with a topping of the spirit of ether. She next moves into using the power of herbs and flowers. Herbs and flower have intrinsic properties to help reach certain goals. Patchouli is great for aphrodisiac effects while wearing a poultice of cinquefoil gives one Mercurial qualities of being able to charm people and get what you want. Collecting herbs for the most part should be done on or near a fool moon.
Numbers are magical as well. To find your personal number you would need to number value chart contained in her book. Add your letters together and you usually come up with a double digit number. Add the two digit of that number together and you get your personal number. You can do the same with the number of your birthday it may be your lucky number. Odd numbers are best. Colors also have magical power. Blue is for healing, purple is for psychic power, read can be for martial aggression or more assertiveness maybe even passionate love. Pink is for gentle love while silver the color of the moon is for psychic ability and intuitiveness. Colors are used rather effectively in candle magic where in the practitioner lights a colored candle corresponding with their desire. Green might be used for money or fertility. Light it say an invocation and focus on your desire.
Talismans and amulets deal mostly with stones and their properties. Talismans bring something positive to us while amulets keep evil away. Bloodstone protected warriors in battle and it was also used to stop bleeding. Different rocks and stone have different planetary properties. Sexual power is brought in as well. Sexual activity produces a lot of energy and power. It was used by the ancient Greeks and in modern rituals of witches. Alester Crowley used a lot of it as well.
Dreams can give us inventions and solutions to our problem and the most unique of ways. They also warn us sometimes of imminent danger. To better improve your dream recall you should keep a note pad by the side of your bed and write down your dreams. Dreams are interpreted differently for different people based on the dreamers own life experiences. Weather can be controlled by magic or the inherent power in weather can be used to help the practitioner reach their magical goals. Animals like cats are often witches familiars. Their inherent psychic ability helps the witch traverse the spiritual realms and communicate wit spirit. Animals are sometime messenger or portents. Crows and magpies mean different things based on how many are spotted. Owls have a meaning and of course the big black dog or the "Black Shuck" portends death and in some cases saves from death. The book finishes off with a discussion on using playing cards for divination and traditional spells that deal with banishing warts.
This is the magic of the village wise woman brought up to date for the purpose of good. Everything is ethical and safe. Reference is made extensively to Agrippas works. Be good to follow up with that.
Doreen's book cover almost all areas of magic. Starting with the use of the element, air, fire,water and earth finished off with a topping of the spirit of ether. She next moves into using the power of herbs and flowers. Herbs and flower have intrinsic properties to help reach certain goals. Patchouli is great for aphrodisiac effects while wearing a poultice of cinquefoil gives one Mercurial qualities of being able to charm people and get what you want. Collecting herbs for the most part should be done on or near a fool moon.
Numbers are magical as well. To find your personal number you would need to number value chart contained in her book. Add your letters together and you usually come up with a double digit number. Add the two digit of that number together and you get your personal number. You can do the same with the number of your birthday it may be your lucky number. Odd numbers are best. Colors also have magical power. Blue is for healing, purple is for psychic power, read can be for martial aggression or more assertiveness maybe even passionate love. Pink is for gentle love while silver the color of the moon is for psychic ability and intuitiveness. Colors are used rather effectively in candle magic where in the practitioner lights a colored candle corresponding with their desire. Green might be used for money or fertility. Light it say an invocation and focus on your desire.
Talismans and amulets deal mostly with stones and their properties. Talismans bring something positive to us while amulets keep evil away. Bloodstone protected warriors in battle and it was also used to stop bleeding. Different rocks and stone have different planetary properties. Sexual power is brought in as well. Sexual activity produces a lot of energy and power. It was used by the ancient Greeks and in modern rituals of witches. Alester Crowley used a lot of it as well.
Dreams can give us inventions and solutions to our problem and the most unique of ways. They also warn us sometimes of imminent danger. To better improve your dream recall you should keep a note pad by the side of your bed and write down your dreams. Dreams are interpreted differently for different people based on the dreamers own life experiences. Weather can be controlled by magic or the inherent power in weather can be used to help the practitioner reach their magical goals. Animals like cats are often witches familiars. Their inherent psychic ability helps the witch traverse the spiritual realms and communicate wit spirit. Animals are sometime messenger or portents. Crows and magpies mean different things based on how many are spotted. Owls have a meaning and of course the big black dog or the "Black Shuck" portends death and in some cases saves from death. The book finishes off with a discussion on using playing cards for divination and traditional spells that deal with banishing warts.
This is the magic of the village wise woman brought up to date for the purpose of good. Everything is ethical and safe. Reference is made extensively to Agrippas works. Be good to follow up with that.
May 15, 2012
A classic and an essential to any Wiccan Library. I don't want to rub it in but I actually found a first edition hard copy at a used book store in San Francisco a few years ago for FIVE DOLLARS!! Gods did I jump for joy on that one! This book is semi-dated as it was written back in the mid-seventies but it has some great info in it. Valiente (if you don't already know) was the original author of the legendary poem "The Charge of the Goddess" copied and pasted and reprinted in almost all Wiccan resources. Without her books (along with Crowley, Gardner, and to an extent The Farrars) we wouldn't even have the plethora of books on the subject available today that we do. ALL modern Pagan authors have these "originals" to thank. If you find a copy DEFINITELY pick it up if for no other reason than Wiccan historical purposes.
March 11, 2010
Another good book by Doreen Valiente. Lots of lovely little nuggets of folklore, natural magic (hence the title), and poems. I've always liked her writing style, and she explains things in a very simple manner. This book was not heavy into actual spells (thank goodness) like other magic books. Instead, she introduced areas and put them into a different perspective on how to use them in magic. There were no long, silly lists of correspondences, just little bits of lore and "Here's something to think about..."
I liked this quite a lot!
I liked this quite a lot!
December 17, 2016
This book is just fantastic. Not only is she my favourite author but she was also an amazing Witch. This book is essential to all those who wish to practice Natural Magick. Of course it has a bit of Wiccan influence but with a careful reading it can be adapted to several types of practices. Definitely recommend it!
August 20, 2023
It took me more than a year to finish Doreen Valiente's 165 page book. I was really hopeful that Valiente would provide an enjoyable read because Valiente is respected in the community for her role developing the Wicca religion to what it is today. However, Valiente, in this particular piece, is very much just like all the other new age writers (Crowley and Gardner included) – racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and frankly just absolutely incapable of doing proper research – perpetuating falsehoods and lies as fact.
Where was the good that I saw (the quote below) in the rest book? Where was this person who was going to clear the air around bullshit in the community? Where was the content? Certainly not here.
"[I wrote this book because...] I wanted to show people that magic is for all, as nature is for all. Magic, indeed, is all around us, in stones, flowers, stars, the dawn wind and the sunset cloud; all we need is the ability to see and understand. We do not need to join high sounding 'secret' fraternities, swear frightful oaths and pay fees, in order to become magicians. Very few fraternities are genuinely old and still fewer have any real secrets to impart. Still less do we need to buy a load of expensive paraphernalia, such as ceremonial swords, wands and so on, which can be seen advertises for sale today.
Magic is meant to help people, including yourself. The priggish notion that 'you mustn't use magic for yourself, only to help others' is a piece of sanctimonious waffle that is entirely modern. "
(p. 11, Natural Magic, Doreen Valiente)
Is this book really about natural magic?
No, unfortunately it is not. Valiente did write around natural items – like dreams, herbs, animals, colors, … some planets. She did talk about … certain stone formations which have relevance in the sex section of this review. In addition, she has a very specific notion of what “nature” is and how humans interact with it.
On page 57, she goes into a whole tirade around modern civilization (or as she said “modern so-called civilization”) and about how we just need to get in touch with the green plants of nature. It's really not the only time that she goes in about how humans are “separated” from nature living in “civilization.” This is a clear warning sign that her understanding of nature is very “controlled” and “safe.” But also very particularly – England, farmland and hills. There's a whole conversation that this idealism is driven by colonialism, whiteness, and baked into a cultural attitude of “human have domain over animals and plants” which originates out of Valiente's least favorite religion - Christianity. But definitely, Valiente kept as she interacted with the world around her in the Christian society that she grew up in.
I was surprised to see that Valiente's notions around farming and agriculture. But greatly disliked “animal sacrifices” and dismissed it as evil. But then she referenced hunting rituals and english past times which talks exactly about using animals for food. A lot of the charms and things that came up in these sections, are about ensuring that you can get to the next harvest. All of that? Includes examples of her own cultural animal sacrifices. It's harder to “let these” small things go when she focused so much of the sections on them, and she was squeezes fingers together slightly this close to finding self awareness about her own prejudices.
So let's jump into it - sex.
For me, I was expecting the same bullshit I get from a lot of occultists, especially those writing from a Wiccan perspective that “fertility” is just an ideal around productivity or being able to produce things like art or crafts or the fields will be full of food - and not about sex. What I found in this section, was a very clear message that Valiente is DEFINITELY about sex. But only in a very particular form and a particular manner.
Where that form and manner is about the “IO” shit (penis and vagina). The random English stones that Valiente sometimes mistakes which one is the “penis” and “vagina.” Fundamentally, sex - for Valiente - is penetrative and heterosexual. Valiente definitely has the shadow of her cultural upbringing around sex being a thing that happens just in a “marriage.” A Christian, Church of England marriage. Rest assured - She is bitter that Christianity didn't let her fuck outside of marriage. Bitter.
But she doesn't let up from the idea that sex should only be “one man” and “one woman.” That the two should never separate as a consensual monogamous relationship that is formed in a magical ritual and chosen by astrological decisions. If it sounds a little Christian to you – let me confirm it did to me too. The shadow is hard to escape when you never really wanted to leave it.
Valiente is very detailed when it comes to sex because more than once she describes the sexual fluids of humans mixing together to create the Elixir of Life [aka pregnancy in case y'all are wondering] (p. 85 - p. 88). She explains in great detail about how the rituals of nudity will bring forth this sexual comingling of fluids. Once those fluids are created you can use them by wiping them off into leaves and sticks to use for magic. I'm just saying, Valiente is clear. Sex is about sex. Fertility is about sex. Sex. Fucking. Sex. And I will hear no amount of careful denials from here on out when I have exact page quotes from Valiente about how sex is a prominent part of ritual magic.
And before I get called out about page 86 – yes, she does mention that it's not all “necessarily” about sex. That the nudity can just amount to kissing, fondling, and embracing – the focus however is still about a “comingling” of auras. Which again.. is very sexually based. Penetrative sex is not necessarily the only kind of sex there is.
But don't worry, Valiente is a prude and is most DEFINITELY not sex positive. She especially does not like the idea that you could just have sex with anyone, as she takes issue with how Crowley fucked prostitutes to do his magic (p. 98-99). And she explicitly is against anal sex because Crowley does have anal sex, and she finds anal sex to be gross - because of his “general obsession with nastiness.” She makes sure to assure all of us that we do not have to have sex acts in our magic like Crowley. But make no mistake, she wants you to have a singular, heterosexual, and at least at some point vaginally penetrative sexual partner in your magic rituals.
Indeed - She was a white British lady after all...
The majority of the sites and locations that she talks about within the book are in and around England. In fact, she has things like the cultural practices (Morris Dancing) mentioned peppered throughout the book (though she made sure to tell us how not “air-fairy” [aka homosexual] it is, and how virile it is). As I mentioned before, she talks about those stone configurations. She also talks about the Uffington White Horse. It's clear that she is very familiar with different pockets of the English countryside and unique things that are definitely a part of the English culture.
But one other “unique” characteristic of English culture, she has a ton of racist shit in here. Whether it's her referencing the “good” white witches multiple times throughout the book (versus the evil “black witches”), or whether it's about her cherry picking from random cultures to pad her book with nonsensical shit to attempt to make a through line of justification for her ideas on magic. It's all in there, very English, very traditional. (p. 15-17, 69) just to pocket a few pages with these examples of her using whatever she could find in different cultures from Egyptian, Greek, Indian, Native Hawaiians, Native Americans, various other Asian sources, etc. She's very sure that you'll just understand if she randomly quotes about “ancient” cultures having you know... kinda sorta the same practices, beliefs, faiths, ideas - maybe?
Finally - just for funsies, we have a whole reference to how the New Forest witchcraft group attempted to reject Hitler from Britain, a whole memory of the bombed out sites in England while she was there, but that didn't stop her from having an entire conversation in the numerology section of this book about how dang Hitler was psychic from p 47 to p. 48. You would think she wouldn't have a fondness for Hitler, and yet, here we are. Fondly thinking about him. I digress, racist shit is natural in these new age occult books and perpetuating it is just easy. So maybe this book is about natural magic after all, naturally... racist... magic.
In sum total, this book was super problematic. I didn't even cover half of the gendered issues, the fact that we have all this random Transcendental magic in this book without a proper discussion, or the fact that I particularly dislike when books quote whole cloth from other material without adding directly to the discussion at hand. I will say I did appreciate the citations which were more than I've seen in other new age books. Indeed, there was that Thistle Jar meme wherein the Thistle will just cure my depression and I will just warm my ass with it. I really wanted this book to be more than it was, and here we are stuck in it with another bad new age book.
Where was the good that I saw (the quote below) in the rest book? Where was this person who was going to clear the air around bullshit in the community? Where was the content? Certainly not here.
"[I wrote this book because...] I wanted to show people that magic is for all, as nature is for all. Magic, indeed, is all around us, in stones, flowers, stars, the dawn wind and the sunset cloud; all we need is the ability to see and understand. We do not need to join high sounding 'secret' fraternities, swear frightful oaths and pay fees, in order to become magicians. Very few fraternities are genuinely old and still fewer have any real secrets to impart. Still less do we need to buy a load of expensive paraphernalia, such as ceremonial swords, wands and so on, which can be seen advertises for sale today.
Magic is meant to help people, including yourself. The priggish notion that 'you mustn't use magic for yourself, only to help others' is a piece of sanctimonious waffle that is entirely modern. "
(p. 11, Natural Magic, Doreen Valiente)
Is this book really about natural magic?
No, unfortunately it is not. Valiente did write around natural items – like dreams, herbs, animals, colors, … some planets. She did talk about … certain stone formations which have relevance in the sex section of this review. In addition, she has a very specific notion of what “nature” is and how humans interact with it.
On page 57, she goes into a whole tirade around modern civilization (or as she said “modern so-called civilization”) and about how we just need to get in touch with the green plants of nature. It's really not the only time that she goes in about how humans are “separated” from nature living in “civilization.” This is a clear warning sign that her understanding of nature is very “controlled” and “safe.” But also very particularly – England, farmland and hills. There's a whole conversation that this idealism is driven by colonialism, whiteness, and baked into a cultural attitude of “human have domain over animals and plants” which originates out of Valiente's least favorite religion - Christianity. But definitely, Valiente kept as she interacted with the world around her in the Christian society that she grew up in.
I was surprised to see that Valiente's notions around farming and agriculture. But greatly disliked “animal sacrifices” and dismissed it as evil. But then she referenced hunting rituals and english past times which talks exactly about using animals for food. A lot of the charms and things that came up in these sections, are about ensuring that you can get to the next harvest. All of that? Includes examples of her own cultural animal sacrifices. It's harder to “let these” small things go when she focused so much of the sections on them, and she was squeezes fingers together slightly this close to finding self awareness about her own prejudices.
So let's jump into it - sex.
For me, I was expecting the same bullshit I get from a lot of occultists, especially those writing from a Wiccan perspective that “fertility” is just an ideal around productivity or being able to produce things like art or crafts or the fields will be full of food - and not about sex. What I found in this section, was a very clear message that Valiente is DEFINITELY about sex. But only in a very particular form and a particular manner.
Where that form and manner is about the “IO” shit (penis and vagina). The random English stones that Valiente sometimes mistakes which one is the “penis” and “vagina.” Fundamentally, sex - for Valiente - is penetrative and heterosexual. Valiente definitely has the shadow of her cultural upbringing around sex being a thing that happens just in a “marriage.” A Christian, Church of England marriage. Rest assured - She is bitter that Christianity didn't let her fuck outside of marriage. Bitter.
But she doesn't let up from the idea that sex should only be “one man” and “one woman.” That the two should never separate as a consensual monogamous relationship that is formed in a magical ritual and chosen by astrological decisions. If it sounds a little Christian to you – let me confirm it did to me too. The shadow is hard to escape when you never really wanted to leave it.
Valiente is very detailed when it comes to sex because more than once she describes the sexual fluids of humans mixing together to create the Elixir of Life [aka pregnancy in case y'all are wondering] (p. 85 - p. 88). She explains in great detail about how the rituals of nudity will bring forth this sexual comingling of fluids. Once those fluids are created you can use them by wiping them off into leaves and sticks to use for magic. I'm just saying, Valiente is clear. Sex is about sex. Fertility is about sex. Sex. Fucking. Sex. And I will hear no amount of careful denials from here on out when I have exact page quotes from Valiente about how sex is a prominent part of ritual magic.
And before I get called out about page 86 – yes, she does mention that it's not all “necessarily” about sex. That the nudity can just amount to kissing, fondling, and embracing – the focus however is still about a “comingling” of auras. Which again.. is very sexually based. Penetrative sex is not necessarily the only kind of sex there is.
But don't worry, Valiente is a prude and is most DEFINITELY not sex positive. She especially does not like the idea that you could just have sex with anyone, as she takes issue with how Crowley fucked prostitutes to do his magic (p. 98-99). And she explicitly is against anal sex because Crowley does have anal sex, and she finds anal sex to be gross - because of his “general obsession with nastiness.” She makes sure to assure all of us that we do not have to have sex acts in our magic like Crowley. But make no mistake, she wants you to have a singular, heterosexual, and at least at some point vaginally penetrative sexual partner in your magic rituals.
Indeed - She was a white British lady after all...
The majority of the sites and locations that she talks about within the book are in and around England. In fact, she has things like the cultural practices (Morris Dancing) mentioned peppered throughout the book (though she made sure to tell us how not “air-fairy” [aka homosexual] it is, and how virile it is). As I mentioned before, she talks about those stone configurations. She also talks about the Uffington White Horse. It's clear that she is very familiar with different pockets of the English countryside and unique things that are definitely a part of the English culture.
But one other “unique” characteristic of English culture, she has a ton of racist shit in here. Whether it's her referencing the “good” white witches multiple times throughout the book (versus the evil “black witches”), or whether it's about her cherry picking from random cultures to pad her book with nonsensical shit to attempt to make a through line of justification for her ideas on magic. It's all in there, very English, very traditional. (p. 15-17, 69) just to pocket a few pages with these examples of her using whatever she could find in different cultures from Egyptian, Greek, Indian, Native Hawaiians, Native Americans, various other Asian sources, etc. She's very sure that you'll just understand if she randomly quotes about “ancient” cultures having you know... kinda sorta the same practices, beliefs, faiths, ideas - maybe?
Finally - just for funsies, we have a whole reference to how the New Forest witchcraft group attempted to reject Hitler from Britain, a whole memory of the bombed out sites in England while she was there, but that didn't stop her from having an entire conversation in the numerology section of this book about how dang Hitler was psychic from p 47 to p. 48. You would think she wouldn't have a fondness for Hitler, and yet, here we are. Fondly thinking about him. I digress, racist shit is natural in these new age occult books and perpetuating it is just easy. So maybe this book is about natural magic after all, naturally... racist... magic.
In sum total, this book was super problematic. I didn't even cover half of the gendered issues, the fact that we have all this random Transcendental magic in this book without a proper discussion, or the fact that I particularly dislike when books quote whole cloth from other material without adding directly to the discussion at hand. I will say I did appreciate the citations which were more than I've seen in other new age books. Indeed, there was that Thistle Jar meme wherein the Thistle will just cure my depression and I will just warm my ass with it. I really wanted this book to be more than it was, and here we are stuck in it with another bad new age book.
March 7, 2011
Doreen wrote of the magic in the world all around us. It's not limited to crystals or in herbs, but in the air, the water, fire, numbers, colors, etc. She was a pioneer in bringing magic to a new generation of witches worldwide.
September 7, 2012
A very special person Doreen. This book explains the magick in everything around us. It is a great read.
January 30, 2014
One of my favorite books ever. I could not believe how muc I learned just from this one book. Would highly recommend to anyone the least bit interested in knowing more about overall well being.
August 1, 2020
First of all, this is very dated. It was, after all, published years before I was even born. So there's that. I simply read it because it's considered a "classic" among New Age Reading. Not unlike Dickens or Tolkien are to those who move in literary fiction circles.
The intro and first chapter are very, very... "Secret-y" (although I know Ms. Valiente did it first...and very likely Freud before her. Probably Socrates or one of his cronies dropped the notion too, although I don't know enough about philosophy to verify such a statement). All about the astonishing power of the human imagination, about mind over matter, about self-fulling prophecies, about manifesting things and situations into being just by thinking them...so DO make sure your thoughts are good (for goodness sake!!) lest you inadvertently conjure catastrophe, whether it be on a personal or global scale. So yeah... Pretty much a very condensed version of the more popular and mainstream The Secret. Ms. Byrne probably read this and saw dollar signs, thinking to form the basic idea into a book that even your deeply devout mother-in-law would deem as acceptable reading, whereas the only contact she'd have with the source material is to organize a rabid band of Church Ladies to stage the burning of a tome whose very existence would most certainly summon the beast and his minions...or at very least get the book banned. Not pointing any fingers, though...
Anyway...
Whether you get the concept from Natural Magic or The Secret, it DOES work on some level. Not that I believe the God/Goddess/Universe/Insert-Name-Of-Higher-Being-HERE (whatever or whoever your pleasure) is going to manifest me a Mercedes Benz just because I ask for it. Maybe I just haven't mastered the technique yet. Maybe if I practice, a shiny new car will suddenly appear in my driveway...although I'd much prefer a classic VW Beetle (or at least a 90s reboot). Robin's egg blue. With purple moons and darker blue stars and swirly silvery lines painted along the sides so it looks like I'm driving through a galaxy. Yeah... that would be sweet!!
But all snarking aside, there's truth to it. If I'm thinking something like, " Aw, hell! Today is probably gonna give me a migraine," my head is almost always throbbing by the time I clock out...and I'm cranky to boot and you'd best avoid me like the plague (is it ok to make 'plague' jokes during the year 2020? or is that now considered politically incorrect/unforgivably offensive?). On the flipside, if I'm having more positive thoughts about the day ahead, I have the best day ever. Or if I'm thinking all day that I'd like to get takeout from a certain noodle bowl place (something that hubby and I rarely do) and Hubby calls on the way home from work and says, "It's been a long day for both of us. Let's just get take out so there's no dinner dishes. What can I pick up for you on the way home?" (this is a true story that actually happened last night).
So you see...
The rest of the book covers things like dream analysis, numerology, card reading, astrology, power colors, and so on, devoting a chapter each to such practices. Most of the stuff, I already knew about, having read extensively throughout the years, beginning with the Special Quizzes Edition of YM Magazine I got when I was 13 and saved for YEARS, hauling it to friend's houses, on family vacations, to school. I skimmed mostly. But there were still some good things in there.
Overall, a good intro into the subject and something everyone with an interest should read at one point...if only because it's a classic. I liked the author's viewpoint that one does not need a lot of fancy props or oils or stones (which can get expensive...especially of you're seeking a wand made with unicorn hair or a rare essential oil that goes for $50 a drop). One does not nead fancy costumes or to perform elaborate rituals. The mind is enough, and being the minimalist that I am, I totally dig that. However, there are many books out there that are more up-to-date and I would suggest those for more user-friendly reading.
p.s. On a side note, how does one go about obtaining Unicorn Hair for a wand? Or Dragon Heartstring, for that matter? I'm sure the poor creatures must be trapped, but are they harmed in the process? Seems they would be. Especially the poor dragons, who I thought were put on the endangered species list after being nearly wiped out during the medieval era because of all those damn knights and their damn quests. This is why the core of MY wand is made from cat whiskers, but only after said whiskers have been naturally shed.
The intro and first chapter are very, very... "Secret-y" (although I know Ms. Valiente did it first...and very likely Freud before her. Probably Socrates or one of his cronies dropped the notion too, although I don't know enough about philosophy to verify such a statement). All about the astonishing power of the human imagination, about mind over matter, about self-fulling prophecies, about manifesting things and situations into being just by thinking them...so DO make sure your thoughts are good (for goodness sake!!) lest you inadvertently conjure catastrophe, whether it be on a personal or global scale. So yeah... Pretty much a very condensed version of the more popular and mainstream The Secret. Ms. Byrne probably read this and saw dollar signs, thinking to form the basic idea into a book that even your deeply devout mother-in-law would deem as acceptable reading, whereas the only contact she'd have with the source material is to organize a rabid band of Church Ladies to stage the burning of a tome whose very existence would most certainly summon the beast and his minions...or at very least get the book banned. Not pointing any fingers, though...
Anyway...
Whether you get the concept from Natural Magic or The Secret, it DOES work on some level. Not that I believe the God/Goddess/Universe/Insert-Name-Of-Higher-Being-HERE (whatever or whoever your pleasure) is going to manifest me a Mercedes Benz just because I ask for it. Maybe I just haven't mastered the technique yet. Maybe if I practice, a shiny new car will suddenly appear in my driveway...although I'd much prefer a classic VW Beetle (or at least a 90s reboot). Robin's egg blue. With purple moons and darker blue stars and swirly silvery lines painted along the sides so it looks like I'm driving through a galaxy. Yeah... that would be sweet!!
But all snarking aside, there's truth to it. If I'm thinking something like, " Aw, hell! Today is probably gonna give me a migraine," my head is almost always throbbing by the time I clock out...and I'm cranky to boot and you'd best avoid me like the plague (is it ok to make 'plague' jokes during the year 2020? or is that now considered politically incorrect/unforgivably offensive?). On the flipside, if I'm having more positive thoughts about the day ahead, I have the best day ever. Or if I'm thinking all day that I'd like to get takeout from a certain noodle bowl place (something that hubby and I rarely do) and Hubby calls on the way home from work and says, "It's been a long day for both of us. Let's just get take out so there's no dinner dishes. What can I pick up for you on the way home?" (this is a true story that actually happened last night).
So you see...
The rest of the book covers things like dream analysis, numerology, card reading, astrology, power colors, and so on, devoting a chapter each to such practices. Most of the stuff, I already knew about, having read extensively throughout the years, beginning with the Special Quizzes Edition of YM Magazine I got when I was 13 and saved for YEARS, hauling it to friend's houses, on family vacations, to school. I skimmed mostly. But there were still some good things in there.
Overall, a good intro into the subject and something everyone with an interest should read at one point...if only because it's a classic. I liked the author's viewpoint that one does not need a lot of fancy props or oils or stones (which can get expensive...especially of you're seeking a wand made with unicorn hair or a rare essential oil that goes for $50 a drop). One does not nead fancy costumes or to perform elaborate rituals. The mind is enough, and being the minimalist that I am, I totally dig that. However, there are many books out there that are more up-to-date and I would suggest those for more user-friendly reading.
p.s. On a side note, how does one go about obtaining Unicorn Hair for a wand? Or Dragon Heartstring, for that matter? I'm sure the poor creatures must be trapped, but are they harmed in the process? Seems they would be. Especially the poor dragons, who I thought were put on the endangered species list after being nearly wiped out during the medieval era because of all those damn knights and their damn quests. This is why the core of MY wand is made from cat whiskers, but only after said whiskers have been naturally shed.
February 19, 2017
When I read the title I expected a book filled with correspondences, rules and rituals on how to celebrate the sabbaths. I am glad I read it anyway, because I found a collection of folklore, complete with poems. This was a very entertaining read. Valiente's choice of words is short and simple, which I really liked.
March 16, 2018
Natural Magic compiled many pieces of miscellaneous lore, mostly related to Great Britain, and organized it according to categories like "Plants," "Animals" or "Sex." I enjoyed this book, though it felt a bit dated at times. Valiente mentions World War II frequently during the book, and I had to remind myself that when this book was written, World War II had not happened so long ago, and England had been very affected by it. I also appreciated that Valiente did not share any magical practices overtly harmful to animals or the environment, though I did not like the idea of throwing magical items with glass, paper or string in bodies of water or otherwise into the environment. Overall, it's a dense book with an eye to catch the reader up on magical practices from the Elizabethan period and before. This is a valuable book to deepen your understanding of the historical roots of Western magic and pick up on people, books, ideas and practices that numerous other more recently written books on magic don't cover as thoroughly.
September 16, 2020
This is the first of the author's books I've read, and I was really disappointed. It's really a hodge podge of old wives' tails and small snippets of lore, with a very anglocentric focus. I suppose the author's intent was to show that the belief in magic has long been with us, but the book just felt poorly edited, without a good flow between thoughts. It was also really disappointing to me that she tacked on a chapter of spells she'd never tried using herself, and several of these are problematic on the sense of violating others' free will. I'll be very hesitant to read any more of her work.
December 15, 2023
all but useless and wildly uneven; the things included were hilariously random (the magic of playing cards? as read by soldiers' wives stationed overseas or sth?) + could go on for pages upon pages at points. lots of clunky, barely readable lists of stuff and intelligence-insulting conclusions.
if it was supposed to present a view of everything being imbued with magic and magical significance, it failed miserably, as this felt provincial rather than holistic. still does not feel like a one-star, though
if it was supposed to present a view of everything being imbued with magic and magical significance, it failed miserably, as this felt provincial rather than holistic. still does not feel like a one-star, though
July 12, 2014
A well-written and intriguing look at the subject of magic in life.
Upon reading the first chapter of the book I was completely captivated, and really appreciated the authors style. I like the emphasis that magic is a product of the mind and will of man. It is not some occult secret-power, but something that everyone has and make use of. Brilliant!
Upon reading the first chapter of the book I was completely captivated, and really appreciated the authors style. I like the emphasis that magic is a product of the mind and will of man. It is not some occult secret-power, but something that everyone has and make use of. Brilliant!
May 31, 2025
I like the folklore curious facts and other interesting information, such as the magic of flowers, colors, and amulets. I would say that the way Doreen passes on information on this book is very much like a local witch whos telling you secrets and superstitions, which is pleasant for me, but it doesn't always come out as trustworthy.
I didn't give it a higher score because the content is quite incomplete. It's basically a summary of several topics. This book provides an enticing insight to those who have never read about witchcraft and it's not difficult to understand, especially because the author focuses on exploring the wide folk and ancestral magic in a very concise way. This encourages the reader to seek out about topics that caught their attention the most.
I do like how she references the context of the Second World War several times, which she herself witnessed, but I'm a little wary about the way she mentions Hitler a few times. Even though she doesn't express sympathy for him, in my opinion it's unnecessary.
For me, it was an enriching read, both because of the English language and the content.
---
gostei das curiosidades folclóricas e outras informações interessantes como na magia das flores, cores e amuletos. eu diria que a maneira de doreen passar informações neste livro é como de uma bruxa local que te conta segredos e superstições, o que pra mim é até agradável, mas nem sempre passa confiança.
não dei uma nota maior, pois o conteúdo é bem incompleto. é basicamente um resumo de vários tópicos. esse livro dá uma visão aliciante a quem nunca leu sobre bruxaria e não é difícil de entender, até porque a autora foca em explorar a abrangente magia popular e ancestral de forma bem concisa. isso chama o leitor a procurar saber mais sobre os tópicos que mais o chamaram atenção.
eu até gosto como ela referencia diversas vezes o contexto da segunda guerra mundial, a qual ela mesma presenciou, mas fico um pouco com um pé atrás em relação a maneira como ela menciona hitler algumas vezes. mesmo que não expresse simpatia por ele, ao meu ver é desnecessário.
para mim foi uma leitura enriquecedora, tanto por conta da língua inglesa quanto pelo conteúdo.
I didn't give it a higher score because the content is quite incomplete. It's basically a summary of several topics. This book provides an enticing insight to those who have never read about witchcraft and it's not difficult to understand, especially because the author focuses on exploring the wide folk and ancestral magic in a very concise way. This encourages the reader to seek out about topics that caught their attention the most.
I do like how she references the context of the Second World War several times, which she herself witnessed, but I'm a little wary about the way she mentions Hitler a few times. Even though she doesn't express sympathy for him, in my opinion it's unnecessary.
For me, it was an enriching read, both because of the English language and the content.
---
gostei das curiosidades folclóricas e outras informações interessantes como na magia das flores, cores e amuletos. eu diria que a maneira de doreen passar informações neste livro é como de uma bruxa local que te conta segredos e superstições, o que pra mim é até agradável, mas nem sempre passa confiança.
não dei uma nota maior, pois o conteúdo é bem incompleto. é basicamente um resumo de vários tópicos. esse livro dá uma visão aliciante a quem nunca leu sobre bruxaria e não é difícil de entender, até porque a autora foca em explorar a abrangente magia popular e ancestral de forma bem concisa. isso chama o leitor a procurar saber mais sobre os tópicos que mais o chamaram atenção.
eu até gosto como ela referencia diversas vezes o contexto da segunda guerra mundial, a qual ela mesma presenciou, mas fico um pouco com um pé atrás em relação a maneira como ela menciona hitler algumas vezes. mesmo que não expresse simpatia por ele, ao meu ver é desnecessário.
para mim foi uma leitura enriquecedora, tanto por conta da língua inglesa quanto pelo conteúdo.
March 16, 2022
'Many people will tell you that occultism, witchcraft and magic are dangerous. So they are; so is crossing the road; but we shall not get far if we are afraid ever to attempt it. [...] It is often argued, too, that magic can be used both for good and for evil. Of course it can; so can electricity, atomic power, television, the power of the press, indeed anything that has any power in it at all.' (p. 9)
Love her matter-of-fact writing style - especially when it's about occult matters! Really amused me in the best possible way at times. Plenty of food for thought in this rich little book that points the interested reader in so many other useful directions if they wish to continue to read about magic. A great little starting point, full of riches.
Love her matter-of-fact writing style - especially when it's about occult matters! Really amused me in the best possible way at times. Plenty of food for thought in this rich little book that points the interested reader in so many other useful directions if they wish to continue to read about magic. A great little starting point, full of riches.
June 9, 2018
Un libro delizioso, uscito originalmente nel 1975, ma che non riesco a trovare datato.
Non è il classico manuale di magia moderno, la Valiente ci introduce alla magia raccontandoci quello che ha scoperto con l'esperienza o studiato nei libri di folklore. Ovviamente si concentra per o più sulle credenze e tradizioni inglesi, ma ci sono note e raffronti anche sul resto del mondo.
Alla fine c'è una raccolta di incantesimi tradizionali raccolti qua e là, che per sua stessa ammissione non ha provato, e che ci racconta per farci capire come è stato il pensiero magico delle campagne.
Una lettura piacevolissima, lo consiglio si agli studiosi di stregoneria che agli amanti del folklore.
Non è il classico manuale di magia moderno, la Valiente ci introduce alla magia raccontandoci quello che ha scoperto con l'esperienza o studiato nei libri di folklore. Ovviamente si concentra per o più sulle credenze e tradizioni inglesi, ma ci sono note e raffronti anche sul resto del mondo.
Alla fine c'è una raccolta di incantesimi tradizionali raccolti qua e là, che per sua stessa ammissione non ha provato, e che ci racconta per farci capire come è stato il pensiero magico delle campagne.
Una lettura piacevolissima, lo consiglio si agli studiosi di stregoneria che agli amanti del folklore.
June 1, 2021
Una lectura corta que te presenta a grandes rasgos, de forma introductoria, el mundo de la magia y el ocultismo. Te da algunos consejos prácticos y te da montón de ejemplos e historietas. Como libro introductorio no está mal, es muy básico, pero creo que algo ayuda, para mi gusto demasiado centrado en tópicos históricamente incorrectos y sobre todo centrado en el mundo anglosajón. Otra cosa que no me ha gustado nada es que al menos mi ejemplar no traía ninguna bibliografía ni nada por el estilo, en algunas partes hablaba exactamente de donde sacaba la referencia pero otras veces no y el libro basicamente es una recopilacion de referencias generales.
February 19, 2019
I have always enjoyed reading Valiente and this book is no exception. However, I do feel that, as important a writer as she is, that there are books with more up to date scholarship available on folk magic.
There is still a great deal of interesting content particularly in the chapters on the magic of the mind and of the four elements.
There is still a great deal of interesting content particularly in the chapters on the magic of the mind and of the four elements.
August 19, 2024
I love Doreen! Overall, this was a wonderful book insofar as it gave a brief overview of many areas of interest. However, that's part of the reason I only give it four stars; it didn't really get in depth in any given area. Additionally, as one would expect from books of the era, it contains bad history that must be accounted for when reading. Overall, though, I would definitely recommend it.
February 10, 2025
I'm on a mission to read all the books I've had on my shelves for years and years... I'm sure this has been there since teenage days. My old hardback copy has a dreamy picture of a naked lady next to a stream which appealed to my ethereal nature. An interesting and inspirational read about magic and spells and the power of Nature and related mythology etc.
November 21, 2024
As always, there's a longer review on my WordPress blog. This book tried to be a "magical grimoire," full of pertinent oral lore. It fell short by a wide margin.
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May 10, 2025I have a soft spot for these wiccan books, I love the paper they are printed on, the fond, the smell of the book and everything about it. The information is nothing groundbreaking, but it is genuine and fascinating.
May 12, 2018
Curious book, it's older and has some shoddy historical parts but it touches on a decent variety of topics.
April 25, 2019
I found this book very insightful.
May 31, 2019
Rambling text.
June 11, 2021
This book was ok, obviously an old book from the language I lost interest towards the end
July 26, 2023
An interesting book, not so much for its magic or spells, but for the author's unique (woman's) perspective on early Garderian witchcraft.
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