Embracing the Moon: A Witch's Guide to Rituals, Spellcraft and Shadow Work

by Yasmine Galenorn

Learn how you can develop deeper spirituality as you practice rituals and learn the mental, spiritual, and practical powers of the Witch, when you read Embracing the Moon by Yasmine Galenorn.

You know what you want in life. You're searching for a spiritual path that is deeply meaningful. You hunger for a closer connection with the Earth, the seasons, and the shifting energies of the moon. You long to weave beneficial magick into the very fabric of your life. You can do all this and more when you embrace the moon.

Embracing the Moon is a guidebook to following your unique spiritual path as a Witch. Based on a non-traditional, eclectic approach to Witchcraft, this system of natural magick draws on many traditions. You can use this powerful, versatile magickal system exactly as created by the author―or you can customize it as you wish. Embracing the Moon describes a multitude of options so you can choose those most meaningful to

·Faerie magick
·Hex work
·Goddess rituals
·Earth healing rituals
·Elements and deities
·Magickal tools
·Prosperity and abundance spells
·Recipes for oils and powders
·Love and beauty magick
·Household magick
·God rituals
·Shapeshifting and animal magick
·Candle and herb magick
·Magickal life mapping
·Protection and healing spells
·Rune charts and symbols

The author has developed and practiced her eclectic system for over 20 years. Now you can use her insights, exercises, and magickal techniques to create a system that is both within the traditions of Witchcraft and yet uniquely your own. Get Embracing the Moon today.

Genres: Witchcraft, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Paganism, Wicca, Magick, New Age

312 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 1998

About the author

NOTE: I SELDOM visit Goodreads and do very little here. Please see my website for more information on my work: https://galenorn.com

New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and is the author of over 80 books & numerous series, including the Wild Hunt Series, the Moonshadow Bay Series, the Fury Unbound Series, the Otherworld Series, the Bewitching Bedlam Series, and more. She wrote for trad publishers for 20 years until she went indie in 2016.

She’s also written nonfiction metaphysical books. She is the 2011 Career Achievement Award Winner in Urban Fantasy, given by RT Magazine. Yasmine has been in the Craft since 1980, is a shamanic witch and High Priestess. She describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos. She lives in Kirkland, WA, with her husband Samwise and their cats. Yasmine can be reached via her web site at Galenorn.com. Sign up for her newsletter at: http://galenorn.com/newsletter/

NOTE: ALWAYS check the website and blog, and please sign up for her newsletter there to keep current with new and upcoming releases. Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter are NOT viable places to find out all this information.

Reviews

[Cinnimini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just re-read "Embracing the Moon". I've owned it for years and read it before, but I am currently re-reading all my books.

Over all it is an ok starter book. It does deal with Shadow work and so is a bit darker at times then your normal "everything is rainbows" beginner book, but I think that we all need to be aware of deeper mysteries.

Not to mention that while not everyone may be into spell work and banishings etc, its good to have an idea of how they work.

[Hillary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book from a friend back in like third grade. Neither she nor I considered ourselves to be Pagans and we didn't want to be Witches either, whatever that meant to us back then. We just enjoyed fantastical things, but we were kids and what kid doesn't? It was such a strange gift and my mother made it even stranger by taking it away promptly and hiding it. Why? Because the author speaks of "sex magick" and using your own blood in rituals. Yeah, not exactly something you'd want your young kid to read. So, this book has been sitting on my shelf since 2001, untouched and dusty. I saw it earlier this week, grabbed it and decided to read it before I chucked it. Even if I wanted to be a Witch, this guide was boring and was filled with the author's weird little anecdotes. I guess this isn't something that one should read from cover to cover, but that's just what I did and, well, it was boring.

The cover art also makes me want to bang my head against a wall. Just sayin'.

[Maëva Gomez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un livre de magie basique comme on en a déjà lu plein et qui n'apporte pas d'informations supplémentaires. En plus le titre et la converture sont plus que mensongers, je m'attendais à de la magie lunaire pure mais rien de tout ça n'est expliqué dans le livre... Idem pour le "Shadow work" alors que cela n'est pas du tout traité dans le livre. L'auteur parle au début de sa rencontre avec une licorne ? Ce qui est déjà totalement délirant mais elle n'en parle plus du tout dans le reste du livre... Quelques informations intéressantes sur la magie du foyer cela dit.

[Lady W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love! This is pretty much how I’ve been doing my work for years. It’s very easy to follow and it’s breaks it down step by step. Not everyone does it the same and that’s ok. This book just resonated with me. If I had had this book 24 years ago, it would’ve saved me a lot of time. This is the first book that I put tabs.

['Nathan Burgoine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really varied and interesting book on following a more personalized path to being a witch, Galenorn puts the more mundane aspects of life into a spiritual point of focus, and this leads to mostly good results from her point of view - the book is very biographic alongside its attempts to be instructional, and I have to admit a few times, as a gay guy, I dropped out of the "story" given how differently I felt.

From recipes for oils and powders to basic spell ideas, to candle and animal magic, to a nice discourse on "moving in" to a new home / spiritual place, this book is varied enough that I do think most fledgling pagans and wiccans would find a few things of interest. And if someone were to be approaching the topic from the same angle as Galenorn herself, they would find this a trove of new ideas.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Embracing the Moon

The first section of this book contains practical work for those new to witchcraft to do so they understand the basics. The other two sections contain spells and rituals on a number of different subjects.
This is a really good book and a new comer to the craft will learn a lot from the first section. The other sections contain a lot of information which I found interesting.
Recommended.

[Rachel “Koala” Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

Absolutely wonderful book. The best part is that there's a lot of original content the author wrote or otherwise created by herself.

[Krisanne Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Although the author didn't really have an overarching theme (I thought it would be more about the moon itself, but it really wasn't), she had a lot of good information in it. It has some good 101 information and exercises for developing basic magical skills. I was worried at first that it would be a lot of exercises, but it wasn't. Exercises in a book like this are all well and good, but if you want to do them before moving through the rest of the book, it slows you down a lot. That wasn't the case here. There were some exercises, but the timelines given in which to do them clearly indicated that you were to put them on your to-do list and keep reading.

Again, there were a lot of good definitions and explanations of basic terms and concepts. I pulled some element invocations out of the book that I may tweak for my own use in the near future. Then, as the book moved on, there were a lot of short spells and recipes for spell powders and oils and such. Although it became much like a recipe book after awhile, it gave a good basis for how to construct spells in her style. I didn't care for most of her incantations, as they had that boppy, rhymey rhythm to them, which isn't my style. Others may like them, though.

Also, the book is now little dated, since it was released in 1998, but I still think there's useful information within. If you can get your hands on a copy, it's a worthy reference book.

[Heather Sabel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good news: If you need money, all you have to do is fill little bags with certain herbs and say some words. If you need some material thing, just imagine it dropping out of a big cornucopia in the sky and say some words. If you want to look more beautiful, gather some barks and herbs and say some words.

Ok, I guess it’s mean to read a book for the sole purpose of laughing at it. But it’s also mean to capitalize off of people’s naivety and desire to feel powerful, so I guess Galenorn and I are even.

[Kristy Marquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great 101!

Galenorn admits that she did not do a lot of updating at the very beginning of this book, but instead chose to keep most of it in its original text. This means that there are a few things that are a little outdated, that being said for a book over 20 years old it holds up very well!

The book is full of wonderful information and is easy to read and understand. It does a great job of giving spells, recipes, and details without overwhelming the reading.

Going on my list of 101s to recommend.

[Whiskey and Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars round up

[Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book if you are into Wicca and Paganism~ the author's very out of the box and not just your typical "by the books" practitioner of Magick. You can also tell she has been practicing for a good long time. Her writing style is super enjoyable,with lots of stories about her experience. She also incorporates lots of stuff for each of the elements which helps you get to know each one better. Also included are spells, charms, and rituals are included as well as recipes for food, powders, and annointing oils.
Very good book for any witch to have handy~ a good reference on certain things. I open if up semi-often still after I read it 4 years ago. I use it when I need ideas for ritual, or just some inspiration. Yasmine Galenorn covers a lot of the scope of what the Craft is about. I do not agree with everything she says however, as you need to read with discernment. For one, She has something against Angels, which is silly because Angels are such pure, spiritual beings who have been here since the beginning of time! She also does some darker work which I don't agree with. Im not saying don't do dark witchcraft, because the dark is just as needed as the light, however there's a difference between dark and evil. She believes as a witch we can facilitate karma and put hexes on people who deserve it, such as rapists, etc. I truly disagree, because any true witch knows that what you put out comes back. No matter What~!
Overall, a good book to add to your collection of Pagan interests. Blessed Be.

[Nic King · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book i have read from Yasmine Galenorn. The first that caught my attention was Totem Magic: Dance of the Shapeshifter. An excellent read if you were intrigued by the section in this book "Shapeshifting and animal magick". Totem Magic was published several years later and goes much more into detail with Animal spirits, guides and energies. Galenorn recommends this book herself in Totem Magic to help clarify and enhance the productivity of the craft by teaching fundamental basic principles. I like to use this book as a good resource guide, to improve my practice and has many useful detailed spells, enchantments, and concepts in natural earth/moon magic. This book also covered a wide range of practice, from spells concentrating on dreams to earth healing rituals. Galenorn even provides a nifty glossary at the back of the book to dilute any confusion and dedicates a good portion of the beginning to drawn runes, chants and symbols. Once again Galenorn ties in personal experiences, practices stories, and practical methods to connect and reassure the reader that any devout worshiper of nature can connect with their inner most selves for true discovery, growth, and enhancement.

[Donellacandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book goes over some of her personal experiences and does have a few good recipes (for oils, spells, etc.) and a few details I had not thought of or heard about. But overall, nothing earth-shattering or mind-blowing.

[Ang · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not quite what I had expected. Reading the title I had expected something focused on esbats or moon worship. She covers many topics never going into too much depth. She seems very practice heavy not explaining theory very well.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm working on a fiction novel about a witch and this book was well written and had a lot of useful information.

[Monica]

Own this book just havent gotten it read yet!

[Alienor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly good book for someone new to paganism! Yasmine really outlines things well and includes some basic spells and rituals (and recipes!) that are really helpful.

[Vicent Howie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find that for me this is the book I use for my SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION :)
I continue to return to it when my foundations need SHORING UP :)

[Nightshade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt this book was an advanced beginner book. It didnt have a whole bunch of correspondences like most beginner books do. I love how she explains how to build energy and focusing it. But I felt the shadow work portion was extremely lacking. This is definitely a book of rituals and spellcraft and TONS of oil recipes. There were a few times she would introduce a section tell a personal story and then move on without giving any actual knowledge on the topic mentioned. I also found in the section of invoking the God's there were only 3. Which was very dissappointing. And the goddesses seemed to be very specific to the writer which is fine but a bit disappointing. Overall it is a good book but I did buy it to expand my shadow work knowledge and I feel I didn't learn much of anything at all in that topic. So I would say advanced beginner who works with a coven would benefit the most from this book.