Natural Magic: Spells, Enchantments and Personal Growth

by Pamela Ball

Before formal religion there was magic, and to this day there are people who purport to perform 'miracles' with the aid of magical powers derived from nature or the spirit realm. These powers are still out there to be tapped into by us. All you need is the knowledge and know-how contained in Natural Magic.



The book reveals:
- How to become a natural magician, using knowledge gathered over thousands of years by magicians and mystic alike.
- Techniques employing plants, trees, crystals and incense along with meditation, ritual, chanting and dreams.
- The tools to give expression to your creativity and beliefs.
- A wide range of methods to bring about positive changes in your life.

Natural Magic will set you on the path to self discovery.

Genres: Witchcraft, Spirituality

384 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is quite nice for beginners, but personally I've noticed that some information is biased. There are also quite a few grammatical errors that threw me off. Overall it's a nice book but take the information with a grain of salt. Definitely read other books as well, this shouldn't be your only source of information.

[Ranch H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Refers to Native Americans as Indians several times. biased and incorrect information about witchcraft. Blames Satantists for the persecution of witches throughout history

[Chloe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full of misinformation and information on closed cultures.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I believe this is a fantastic beginner guide for creating a magickal practice. I thoroughly appreciate the author’s attention to various practices from around the world, both in historical context and in practical application. However, I found some small portions (not enough to be wholly problematic) to be inaccurate and heavily based on bias. There were quite a few glaring errors from an editing stand point. That said, I think for a beginner, this book is a perfect jumping off point to begin researching their craft and definitely valuable.

[spoupysoupy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting something a bit more in-depth, but overall the book is okay. I didn't enjoy reading it as much as i wish i would've, but i did get it from the bargain section at books a million so i guess it should have been expected.

[Crista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to review. It slates itself, I believe, as a beginner witchcraft book, but it is not something that I would recommend to beginners. Not because it isn't easy to comprehend, or that there isn't good information to be gained from it, but because it presents witchcraft and how to practice it in a very specific way. While there is a lot to learn here, it's probably best read by someone who has already spent some time reflecting on what witchcraft is and what it means to them.

First, the pros: this book covers a broad range of topics in a straightforward way that is very easy to understand. I didn't quite understand the organization at times, but at the end of the day the information flows in a way that makes it east to read through and also to use as a quick reference. The tone is not unnecessarily fluffy, but reads like a no-nonsense professor who has a lot to get through and would appreciate if you kept up. Not to say that it was in any way difficult to read; I really liked the way the information was presented, with the focus clearly being on practical application.

I was also really impressed by the number of incense recipes that were included! They were all for specific intentions, seasons, and deities, and some where integrated in to the many workable spells that the author included. I have a quite a few of both incense blends and spells flagged to try for myself, and I like the full range of options that were provided. I really think that, no matter your intention, you would be able to find a spell or incense to support it in this book.

However, if you are like me and reading this book as a non-Wiccan, you're going to have to spend some time untangling the Wiccan from the witchcraft in this one. The author's angle is extremely Wiccan-influenced, and the spells are generally designed around the God/Goddess framework. There is very little acknowledgement of witchcraft as interpreted by other religious, or outside of a religious framework. Baneful working is explored but frowned upon, and the Wiccan model is clearly the hard focus on what is correct when doing witchcraft. And yet there is mention of Native American and Jewish traditions, but mention that completely divorces them from their context. The information may be accurate, or it may not be; it's hard to be respectful of a culture you're borrowing from without full understanding of why a certain practice was important in the fist place either way.

There are also many things stated as historical fact that simply are not true in the way that they are presented, or are again stripped of context. It's not uncommon for books of this genre, so if feels a bit unfair to pick on this one for it. Still, it was disappointing to find in a book that was so clearly focused on educating those new to the magical path. A good number of the sources listed in the bibliography for this book were several decades old, so I think this may just be a case of outdated information/bad scholarship rather than any intent to sell a narrative.

Overall, I'm glad I read this one even if I was disappointed with parts. There are individual concepts and workings that I am going to take from it, evaluate, and modify to better suit my individual beliefs and practice. Which, I believe, is absolutely in keeping with the intentions of the author! Take what works, leave the rest; come into this one with a healthy dose of skepticism and a willingness to research, and I'm sure you'll find something to add to your practice!

[Angy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I thought this book was well-written with an excellent concept behind the writing as well as a lot of useful information and rituals for beginners; however, there are some glaring errors that cannot be overlooked.

First of all, I highly appreciated the way this book was written. Divided into three sections, beginning with a lot of background knowledge regarding former magical cultures and how the idea of natural magick used by peoples has shifted over time. Not a ton of the beginner guides I've read have delved this deeply into the past, nor emphasized its importance in studying as a witch. Sadly, the issue with the written history in this book is a lot of evident personal bias, so it's important to jump into this with an open mind and consult other sources. In addition, there was some problematic language, including calling Native Americans "Indians."

I also thought that the writer was biased in what kind of information to include. Incense is not an applicable magickal tool for everyone, but a strangely large section of the book was dedicated to incense. I'm more of an elemental witch myself, but there wasn't nearly as much about the elements (which is fine, since I've read other books about it). I guess my point is that I wish there were more balance here in covering different topics. I did like a lot of the rituals and I though that the instructions were easy to understand and accessible, which is good.

Another thing that annoyed me about the book were the many typos, but that's irrelevant to the quality of the book itself. If there were more editing that happened before publication, I think that this could have easily been a five-star read for me.

[Olivia Schutz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was generally pretty interesting and included a lot of content that I wasn’t familiar with which pleasantly surprised me considering my long-standing interest in witchcraft/occultism. Unfortunately, though, the book had quite a lot of typos and misspellings which made me suspicious of the overarching quality and validity of the book. The book also referred to Native Americans as Indians quite a few times, as another reviewer pointed out, which was painful to read and diminished my positivity towards the book greatly. Overall, it was interesting but lacked in professionalism/validity as well as respect, honestly, at times.

[Stacey Miner · Rating 3 out of 5]

50% useful resource of history and personal study aid, 50% list of rituals and recipes. I could have done without the second half, personally. Not much of a ritual person and don’t need walk-throughs. Your mileage may vary.

[Moonprince · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think it helped me to find a better life