Modern Witchcraft and Magic for Beginners: A Guide to Traditional and Contemporary Paths, with Magical Techniques for the Beginner Witch

by Lisa Chamberlain

Everything You Need to Know to Start Practicing Magic and Witchcraft “Witchcraft” is a word that, for some, may inspire fantastical images of women flying through the night sky on broomsticks and shooting sparks out of a glimmering wand. Others mistakenly associate people who practice Witchcraft with the dark arts—believing that Witches go around hexing people, or use other “black magic” to cause trouble for people they dislike. The truth is, Witchcraft is not fantasy, and is not inherently malicious. It’s a vibrant, nature-based spiritual practice that is alive and well in our modern times, just as it has been for longer than we’ve been recording history. Nonetheless, due to the persistence of these misconceptions in mainstream society, some Wiccans do not consider themselves to be practitioners of Witchcraft, and don’t identify as Witches. This is despite the fact that Gerald Gardner, the founder of what became known as Wicca, described the religious activities of his coven in exactly these terms—they were Witches practicing Witchcraft! Whether you choose to call yourself a Witch, a Wiccan, both, or neither, Witchcraft is an enormous topic that can be overwhelming for those who are just starting to explore it. There’s so much to learn, and there are many differing perspectives on what is “correct” or “incorrect” in terms of knowledge and practice. Truly, it may be the one of the most confounding of all possible areas of spirituality! Modern Witchcraft and Magic for Beginners was created to provide a fact-based, neutrally-oriented context for launching you on your exploration. Whether you feel called to study Wicca with a practicing coven, learn as much as you can on your own about a branch of Traditional Witchcraft, or forge an eclectic practice that combines several approaches, this book will help you navigate the various opinions, definitions, and perspectives you’ll find in the wide, wide world of the Craft. Foundations of Western Witchcraft Wicca has become the most well-known form of the Craft, but it emerged in tandem with other forms. Many of these other traditions were influenced by, and had influence on, what we now know as Wicca. A basic understanding of the wider realm of Witchcraft allows you to broaden your knowledge and enhance your practice. In these pages, you’ll An overview of the historical and cultural contexts in which contemporary Witchcraft has evolved A debunking of common misconceptions about Witchcraft as it is practiced today Core beliefs and practices found among a variety of forms of the Craft Clear distinctions between Wiccan, Traditional, and Eclectic paths Core concepts underlying the “why” and “how” of magic A brief look at a few common magical techniques—visualization, invocation, and candle magic Some example workings for you to try, if you feel so inclined Suggested references for further reading for those who want to explore these topics further Whether your curiosity about the Craft is intellectual, spiritual, or both, you’ll find plenty of useful information in Modern Witchcraft and Magic for Beginners.

Genres: Witchcraft, Wicca, Magic, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Paganism

148 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 22, 2015

About the author

Lisa dispels all the common misconceptions about this diverse religion, giving her readers the perfect foundations for taking their first steps on their Wiccan journey.

Unlike other Wicca guides, Lisa's books provide information that's found across many Wiccan traditions, rather than coming from just one person's perspective. In fact, she writes the kinds of books she wishes had been available when she was just starting out in the Craft all those years ago.

When not writing or experimenting with spellwork, Lisa loves to read, play piano, and spend time surrounded by nature.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently started participating in rituals with a well-known witch, and I was a bit surprised at how much comfort and reassurance it gave me. Kind of like scratching an itch you didn't know you had? And I figured that I'd investigate that a bit, and literally googled books for getting started in witchcraft, and this was on it.

It's a good start! Chamberlain sticks to the basics, laying out histories and different lines of thinking for practicing. The trouble comes, not her fault of course, from the history of witchcraft itself, which becomes muddled and layered and complementary and contradictory. It's not easy to say, "These folks do this, these do this, etc." It sounds silly, but I actually wish there was a sort of family tree outlining what went where in history, and, like, diagrams showing what influences what. It became a little hard to keep information straight, and there are a lot of names - which, again, is helpful and great and excellent to be all in one place. But it'd be nice to be able to flip to the start and say, "Oh, right, that's the guy from late 18th century Europe" as opposed to the "person from mid-20th century America."

I love how succinct it is, and also how totally neutral Chamberlain is when describing the different types of practice; you leave the book with literally no clue how she herself practices, which I think is really nice and a credit to her. Again: great starting point, and gets your mind going about a really difficult topic with lots of nuance.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an awesome read as well! Very engaging and comprehensive :) I love this book also as a reference book:) Am so excited that I finished two books. Hopefully my reading will become quicker on my reading journey:) Thank you so much for your wonderful books! Truly amazing :) My reason for not writing a detailed review is because Spirituality is such a personal thing. And I believe that those who love and enjoy reading these types of books, each person will take something different away from it and it will be a very personal journey and experience of a read! A fantastic and amazing journey to knowledge. In my opinion one can never learn enough.... it is so very true that the more one learns the more one wishes to learn as well as realizing how little one actually does know... there is always room for more learning and experiences and so on.... sounds perhaps a little trite, but to me this rings so true :)
Have a Blessed Full Moon :)

[Jason Tank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful guide, surprisingly general for an author with a ton of Wicca-specific books to her name.

[caitlyn horne · Rating 4 out of 5]

very enlightening, but shameless audible ad at the very end.

I liked how it gave a look at different things letting people know whats out there, while also not going into to much detail which may be to much to those who are just learning and curious (like me). The only reason I didn't really give this a full five stars is I didn't really care for the shameless ad for audible at the very end. I get it, sells for her audio books but to me it just takes away from the message of the book, which offers usually a discount audio version of the book when you buy it, so you can have both.

[Caroline Armstrong Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best Witchcraft reference

“The aim of this guide has been to provide a fact-based, neutrally-oriented context for launching you on your study of the Craft.”
The author succeeds at writing the best reference book on witchcraft I’ve read to date. This has inspired me to follow the path I’ve been waiting to walk on for my whole life. 💯 recommend this to any one new and current practitioner of witchcraft.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witchcraft for Beginners

If you have ever wondered just what Witchcraft is or if you are interested in practicing Witchcraft but don't know where to begin this is the book for you.
Lisa has written a very easy to read guide that will help you in your journey and she also includes so practical work for you to do if you feel so inclined.
A good read with loads of information.

[Valorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good jumping off point for someone like me who's fallen down the rabbit whole of witchtok (witchy content on Tiktok). It's been about ten years since I've had anything to do with the craft and this was a good refresher of the many different paths.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short read for novice witches

I really enjoyed this book. It explores the history and nature of witchcraft as it’s understood in modern contexts and several influencing traditions or systems. A good jumping off point for beginners.

[Sophie cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great

Great read.let’s you dip your toes in , give you a little bit of understanding about the subject.enjoyed it. Thanks

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Suuuuuuuper basic. It’s like someone created a pamphlet on witchcraft and handed out while you were leaving the grocery store to convert you.

[Brittany Wimsatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book as a historical reference point. It goes a lot more in depth regarding the historical beginnings of witchcraft than most other books for beginners. It did more than just distinguish each sub-group by name and who they were founded by, which for me solidifies each practice through their differences- it added color to the history. It gave a lot of information in a clear format, with chapters that weren't so long as to be daunting. I wish it had delved into more of some of the practices in the back of the book, because by the title I was expecting a little bit more of a hands on approach. I am pleased with the information however, and if anyone I knew were thinking of getting into the craft I would definitely recommend this book first.

[Nightcrawler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witchcraft for Beginners: A Guide to Contemporary Witchcraft, Different Types of Witches, Wicca, and Spells for the Beginner Witch (Kindle Edition)
by Lisa Chamberlain

Author covered a lot of information in such a few pages. While not suggesting any particular style is better than the other allowing the reader to lean towards what interests them.
A great book for someone with limited or no knowledge on wicca. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I would have personally liked to seem a summary or comparison chart where we could see the similarities and differences side by side for each major branch or style

[Regina Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good beginning point.

This book is a fantastic guide to those just starting out on their journey. It gives brief, but thorough, descriptions of the different paths and their history. It touches on how magic works and how science is actually catching up. There is a lot of information that is briefly touched upon, but not in any way lacking. To the contrary, it actually makes one want to look into these subjects more. I cannot recommend this book enough!

[Emma]

This is indeed a fine book for beginners but it didn't necessarily have any information I'd revisit. I'm trying to educate myself more on these spiritual practices, but I wasn't fully engaged with this one throughout reading... it felt slightly bogged down for some reason I can't quite put my finger on. I did appreciate the mostly straightforward information though, and would recommend if you're an absolute beginner to these ideas.

[Cheryl Montgomery-Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book has an introduction, four other sections and a conclusion. It also includes a free download! There are many examples given: visualization, invocation, candle magic and calling a spirit helper. Plus, it also dispels the Devil-worship myth.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for the price! It provides a brief history of western witchcraft, then goes into detail about the different forms today. I learned several new bits of information that I did not know. It continues into a discussion of traditional witchcraft, Wicca, and contemporary witchcraft. Very informative book!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very, VERY broad introduction that doesn't poo-poo on anyone's specific path. 🤔 It's full of good info for initial research without a lot of bias if you want to explore the path or if you are involved in a different religion simply wanting info. If you're a practicing Witch, I'm not sure you'll get anything from this book though.

[Lionessta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It has history, as well as explains a lot of things you would like to know about Witchcraft. I would recommend this to beginners. Listen to your inner self and read this book!!!

[Casey Liberty · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are introduced to several different forms of witchcraft in an easy to follow, historical way. This book is very enlightening. I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in learning about the path. Great beginner read!

[CallMe.Tippy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative, says exactly what it's going to do. It gave great history and explained a lot in a very unbiased way. I learned quite a bit that I had not know before picking this book up. I also enjoyed the easy readability of this book. I would definitely recommend this book!

[Joan Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

This is a fantastic overview & introduction. I recommend it for anyone interested in the craft & a nice tome for practitioners as a gentle review.

[Kimberly Gamez]

Great information.

This is my second time reading this book. Such an informative book. I loved it. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in taking this wonderful journey.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for beginners explaining different kinds of witchcraft and the history behind them. It also made me realize that science and spirituality can go hand in hand.

[Ro · Rating 2 out of 5]

only part 4 is worth revisiting