The Encyclopedia of Magickal Ingredients: A Wiccan Guide to Spellcasting

by Lexa Rosean

Bringing the art and magick of casting spells to the masses, Lexa Rosean is the new face of Wicca. In The Encyclopedia of Magickal Ingredients she provides beginner and experienced practitioners of spellcasting with a quick, easy, and accurate guide to the magickal powers and properties of herbs, spices, flowers, vegetables, fruits, metals, and colors -- more than 500 ingredients in all.

With this info at your fingertips, you can craft spells for specific desires or needs -- whether it's love, luck, fertility, or even next month's rent! Written with passion for the craft and a deep understanding of the needs of modern-day Wiccans, The Encyclopedia of Magickal Ingredients is an indispensable addition to every occult library and an essential reference for all with the gift of magick.

Genres: Wicca, Witchcraft, Paganism, Nonfiction, Reference, Magick, Magic

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Lexa Roséan was born in May of 1958.

Reviews

[Iulia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was...cute? I suppose. It felt like I was reading the journal of a teenager who discovered lots of things about witchcraft and wanted to share them with her bestfriend. Not in a bad way, really. Just felt very mediocre to me.
There are no scientific names or pictures in this book. Some of them have, but they're just artsy and that's kinda it. I also don't like that it does not mention the feminine/masculine energies, planets or other deities too often. Only sometimes, and many times they seemed pretty random to me. Really the whole book just feels like notes in a diary and I just cannot shake that thought out of my head no matter how much I try to be objective about it. Sometimes the author was aggressively inserting comments about certain things which felt too personal for me. Perhaps this kind of book is just not my cup of tea.
It's not inherently bad or anything of the sort, it is simply too playful for my taste. I liked that she inserted all sorts of things you would not normally expect to see like crystals, household objects, times of the day and so on. I really thought it would be a herbal encyclopedia but this was amusing and somewhat of a pleasant surprise after all.
If you are like me and prefer a more serious approach then this might not be the right book for you either.

[nerds•b4•herds · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well... That was ridiculous. Who knew that zippers where considered as an energy source?

[Scarlett (Carrie) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay so this book has a lot of everyday things that one wouldn't think would be magical... like zippers.... while I think that's a little weird some might find it perfectly helpful. I still am glad I checked it out and did learn a few new things. I mainly got it to see all the produce and ways to use it for spells and such. Sadly, I didn't learn much other then Wiccan's really love their love spells... so . many things for love spells that I started to get a little bored. So if you're looking for ingredients for love spells, this has a lot to offer!

[Angelique Jurd · Rating 4 out of 5]

My copy is pretty dog eared and battered so that probably tells you something :O)

[Onyx · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the idea of having a reference book on magical ingredients.
I would have given it five stars if it wasn't for the mistakes the author makes her list of tables in the back of the book. Like for example, in her power table, she suggests "khus-khus." I hate to assume, but I think she was referring to couscous. However, when I searched for it in the main body of the book, the substance was nowhere to be found, anywhere, under either name. :-( I had a similar problem with heliotrope, under travel. I could totally find heliotrope in the encyclopedia itself, but nowhere could I find how it could be used in travel spells. The opposite I problem for the entry for "zap." You would think that, from its description, the act would be found in any table, let alone the power table, but alas...it wasn't listed at all.
What I'm trying to say is, yes, do get the book, but don't depend on it for your be all - end all source for looking up great ideas for all the magical ingredients. Instead, I would suggest you strengthen your arsenal with at least two other decent books on the same or similar subject. Nevertheless, it's a great venture out in an area that I don't think has been covered in quite the same way up until now. Good work, Ms. Rosean!

[Ângela · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent enough book. The most useful thing about it is definitely the complete table of correspondences at the end.

Most of the entries seem accurate even though there is no explanation on the "why" of these correspondences (you'll have to search that on your own). Other entries are a bit... unexpected and I'm not sure on how useful some may be. Yet there are a couple of really imaginative correspondences for certain items.

All in all, even if you're not Wiccan this is a pretty useful reference book. Just be sure to take everything with a grain of salt, there are definitely some uses mentioned that i wouldn't recommend at all, whether you are experienced with them or not. Do you research before trying anything!

[Madalynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the back where it had tables for intent. There were neat ideas for some ingredients but sometimes there wasn't a clear cut "what is this for" type of answer.

[Michael Montoya Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful, but not ENTIRELY reliable... It's a good book to have on- hand, but sometimes I have to fact- check.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. Lots of ingredients and uses. Still prefer more of a non-theistic type of practice.

[Erth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very helpful

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is good to have around to find items you might be able to use for spells. The author seems a bit scary in how she writes about certain things and her pic is a little off-putting, too. Other than that, she seems to know her stuff, even though I am a novice at this and don't know if she is telling the truth. I believe her.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good little book to have around, especially if you have trouble remembering things (as I do). It's a basic book that isn't just useful for Wiccans, it's suitable to for Pagans and I would have liked to see a passage that points out the difference between Wicca and witchcraft. That said it is a good introduction to the use of magickal ingredients.

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great resource to add to your magickal library! I love Lexa Rosean's work. If you are a modern day spell caster, this is a must have for your collection. It is filled with everything from the random and mundane items to the obscure. She's also included correspondences with each item listed. It's a great reference book.

[Pagan Hare aka Ellie McConnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book and is one I want stop reading, though there are some, so called, magical ingredients that seem odd such as a zip! I use this book in conjunction with my Scott Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs!

[Chante · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good reference :)

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book has come in handy for me so many times. it is a great reference book. I usually like to have a few reference books on hand and this one is always by my side.

[Ha Mốc · Rating 2 out of 5]

hj

[Day Hew]

my dog teared it into pieces, so got this as new one