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Everyday Magic: Spells & Rituals for Modern Living (Everyday Series
Looking for simple solutions for today's computer viruses, traffic that drives you crazy, and an overextended schedule?
There's an easy way to incorporate magic into your life without adding more stress to it. Everyday Magic updates the ancient arts to fit your busy lifestyle. It promotes the use of modern convenience items as viable magical tools, and it incorporates the use of easy-to-find spell ingredients―most of which are already in your kitchen cabinet. It discusses the items and forces that boost magical work, as well as offering a multitude of time-saving tips and a large assortment of recipes for creating your own incenses, potions, and powders. More than 300 spells and rituals cover the everyday concerns of the modern practitioner.
Set your spell into motion and speed up the results with "magical boosters" Magnify your focused intent and energy flow with herbs, flowers, trees, and stones Learn how to perform ancient arts with modern your coffee maker, blender and crock pot Make your own magical powders, sachets, bath salts, potpourris, incenses and oils Discover the secret to success in magical workings Practical spells for more than 300 purposes 1999 COVR Award Winner
There's an easy way to incorporate magic into your life without adding more stress to it. Everyday Magic updates the ancient arts to fit your busy lifestyle. It promotes the use of modern convenience items as viable magical tools, and it incorporates the use of easy-to-find spell ingredients―most of which are already in your kitchen cabinet. It discusses the items and forces that boost magical work, as well as offering a multitude of time-saving tips and a large assortment of recipes for creating your own incenses, potions, and powders. More than 300 spells and rituals cover the everyday concerns of the modern practitioner.
Set your spell into motion and speed up the results with "magical boosters" Magnify your focused intent and energy flow with herbs, flowers, trees, and stones Learn how to perform ancient arts with modern your coffee maker, blender and crock pot Make your own magical powders, sachets, bath salts, potpourris, incenses and oils Discover the secret to success in magical workings Practical spells for more than 300 purposes 1999 COVR Award Winner
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 1999
About the author
Dorothy Morrison
69 books157 followersWhile some of you may know me as the author of Lucinda's Web, Everyday Magic, The Craft, Utterly Wicked and many other books, you probably don't know much else about me. And a good number of you probably have no earthly idea who I am at all. So, why not read a little further and let me introduce myself!
A native Texan, I now live in Virginia with my husband, Mark. I'm a Third Degree Wiccan High Priestess of the Georgian Tradition, founded the Coven of the Crystal Garden in 1986, and spent many years teaching the Craft to students in eight states and in Australia. Since I'm the eternal student, though - who isn't?! - I'm currently ensconced in studies of the RavenMyst Circle Tradition, and enjoy membership in the Coven of the Raven.
But that's just the stuff pertinent to the Craft. Outside of my religious practices and spiritual beliefs, I'm a pretty well-rounded person as well. I've worked as an accounts payable clerk, a legal secretary, an administrative assistant, an office manager, a commissioned sales person, a personnel consultant, and in the City of Houston's Civil Service and Housing Code & Dangerous Buildings departments. I've also held positions as a hospital ward clerk, an animal shelter administrator and am a licensed nail tech. So, the truth of the matter is that I really am a jack of all trades - although whether I'm a master of any is still up for debate. Chuckle! [Photograph courtesy of K.A. Varner Photography, Norfolk, VA]baby
Of course, all of those experiences - some absolutely delightful and others, just downright awful - helped to shape the person I am today. But they didn't do it alone. They had help. And while I won't bore you with all the details, I thought you might enjoy a brief journey through my life. So...grab a cup of coffee, relax, and let me tell you a story...
It all begin centuries ago with my ancestors. I'm a direct descendant of William the Conqueror (King of England), Robert the Bruce of Scotland, and various doctors, lawyers, ministers, and patriots, as well as the fourth Governor of Kentucky, the first Poet Laureate of Texas, and a charter member of the Texas Rangers - all of whom were spunky, opinionated, and tenacious. So when I'm accused of being sassy - an accusation that seems to be spouted on a regular basis - I can't help but grin. I do, after all, come by it honestly.
I was born on May 6, 1955 in a small Texas town to a deputy sheriff - who later became Chief of Police - and his wife. My mother wanted to name me Penelope, but my father nixed the idea. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the name. Not at all. It was just that his criteria for naming anything - cats, dogs, horses, or children - was that he had to be able to remember it when he was mad. And sadly, Penelope just didn't fit the bill. That being the case, he opted for something he could remember and named me after his little sister.
Much to my father's delight, I was quite the tomboy; in fact, he put me on a horse before I could walk. [This guaranteed my first real photo op with Western Horseman magazine when I was only two years old. It seems that I was the youngest rider in the Texas Trail Ride Association who could truly handle her own horse - even though that horse was sixteen hands high.] But good equestrian skills were just the beginning of his lessons. He instilled in me a love for all animals - both domestic and wild - and in doing so, taught me about the balance of Nature and animal conservation. He taught me to fish - looking back, I'm sure all those "driveway casting lessons" really tested his patience, but he stuck with it anyway - and it's something I still love to do today. He even taught me how to swing a hammer. But, perhaps, the most important thing he ever taught me was how to spin a good tale - a lesson I've been putting into practice for most of my life.
Mama, however, had her own set of lessons to teach. A master gardener, she taught me the joys of digging in the dirt an
A native Texan, I now live in Virginia with my husband, Mark. I'm a Third Degree Wiccan High Priestess of the Georgian Tradition, founded the Coven of the Crystal Garden in 1986, and spent many years teaching the Craft to students in eight states and in Australia. Since I'm the eternal student, though - who isn't?! - I'm currently ensconced in studies of the RavenMyst Circle Tradition, and enjoy membership in the Coven of the Raven.
But that's just the stuff pertinent to the Craft. Outside of my religious practices and spiritual beliefs, I'm a pretty well-rounded person as well. I've worked as an accounts payable clerk, a legal secretary, an administrative assistant, an office manager, a commissioned sales person, a personnel consultant, and in the City of Houston's Civil Service and Housing Code & Dangerous Buildings departments. I've also held positions as a hospital ward clerk, an animal shelter administrator and am a licensed nail tech. So, the truth of the matter is that I really am a jack of all trades - although whether I'm a master of any is still up for debate. Chuckle! [Photograph courtesy of K.A. Varner Photography, Norfolk, VA]baby
Of course, all of those experiences - some absolutely delightful and others, just downright awful - helped to shape the person I am today. But they didn't do it alone. They had help. And while I won't bore you with all the details, I thought you might enjoy a brief journey through my life. So...grab a cup of coffee, relax, and let me tell you a story...
It all begin centuries ago with my ancestors. I'm a direct descendant of William the Conqueror (King of England), Robert the Bruce of Scotland, and various doctors, lawyers, ministers, and patriots, as well as the fourth Governor of Kentucky, the first Poet Laureate of Texas, and a charter member of the Texas Rangers - all of whom were spunky, opinionated, and tenacious. So when I'm accused of being sassy - an accusation that seems to be spouted on a regular basis - I can't help but grin. I do, after all, come by it honestly.
I was born on May 6, 1955 in a small Texas town to a deputy sheriff - who later became Chief of Police - and his wife. My mother wanted to name me Penelope, but my father nixed the idea. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the name. Not at all. It was just that his criteria for naming anything - cats, dogs, horses, or children - was that he had to be able to remember it when he was mad. And sadly, Penelope just didn't fit the bill. That being the case, he opted for something he could remember and named me after his little sister.
Much to my father's delight, I was quite the tomboy; in fact, he put me on a horse before I could walk. [This guaranteed my first real photo op with Western Horseman magazine when I was only two years old. It seems that I was the youngest rider in the Texas Trail Ride Association who could truly handle her own horse - even though that horse was sixteen hands high.] But good equestrian skills were just the beginning of his lessons. He instilled in me a love for all animals - both domestic and wild - and in doing so, taught me about the balance of Nature and animal conservation. He taught me to fish - looking back, I'm sure all those "driveway casting lessons" really tested his patience, but he stuck with it anyway - and it's something I still love to do today. He even taught me how to swing a hammer. But, perhaps, the most important thing he ever taught me was how to spin a good tale - a lesson I've been putting into practice for most of my life.
Mama, however, had her own set of lessons to teach. A master gardener, she taught me the joys of digging in the dirt an
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
October 7, 2007
Even though "spells" aren't everything, this book comes in real handy. To some elders in the craft, it may sound childish, a book of spells, but that's not what it is. It's more than that.
It includes information needed to write your own spells as well as good spells for the modern witch. Topics include: Divorce, Gardening, Habits, Negative Energy, Unwanted Guests, PMS, Wisdom and more. She includes three appendices in the back of the book: Magical Uses of Herbs, Plants and Flowers, the Magical Uses of Stones and Dieties and Their Magical Associations.
Dorothy Morrison presents the spells and rituals in an easy to understand format. She offers spells and rituals from very easy which are basically light a candle and say a chant to much more involved ones which require stones and herbs. The thing is, she makes it fairly easy to find a substitute if you don't have what the spell calls for.
This is by far the best book of spells and rituals I have seen thus far and I recommend it whole heartedly.
It includes information needed to write your own spells as well as good spells for the modern witch. Topics include: Divorce, Gardening, Habits, Negative Energy, Unwanted Guests, PMS, Wisdom and more. She includes three appendices in the back of the book: Magical Uses of Herbs, Plants and Flowers, the Magical Uses of Stones and Dieties and Their Magical Associations.
Dorothy Morrison presents the spells and rituals in an easy to understand format. She offers spells and rituals from very easy which are basically light a candle and say a chant to much more involved ones which require stones and herbs. The thing is, she makes it fairly easy to find a substitute if you don't have what the spell calls for.
This is by far the best book of spells and rituals I have seen thus far and I recommend it whole heartedly.
July 21, 2014
I think Dorothy Morrison's "Everyday Magic" can be read and viewed in two lights - first as a "Wicca 101" or "Magic 101" book and secondly as a spellbook.
As a 101 book, you could do better than "Everyday Magic". The book is split into two sections - Part 1: Ancient Arts, Modern Solutions and Part 2: Modern Magic for Busy Folks: A Grimoire. The first section which you would expect to be very informative about things like different belief systems, history, methods and ethics and the like is very sparse.
As a spellbook, it's quite nifty actually. The second half, the Grimoire, takes more than half of the book and is accompanied by several correspondence appendices. The spells can easily be adjusted for personal use and at time several spells are given under the one heading.
I gave "Everyday Magic" 3 out of 5 stars as a spellbook and will be keeping it for future perusal. But if considering it as a 101 book, I would give it 2 stars and not recommend it.
As a 101 book, you could do better than "Everyday Magic". The book is split into two sections - Part 1: Ancient Arts, Modern Solutions and Part 2: Modern Magic for Busy Folks: A Grimoire. The first section which you would expect to be very informative about things like different belief systems, history, methods and ethics and the like is very sparse.
As a spellbook, it's quite nifty actually. The second half, the Grimoire, takes more than half of the book and is accompanied by several correspondence appendices. The spells can easily be adjusted for personal use and at time several spells are given under the one heading.
I gave "Everyday Magic" 3 out of 5 stars as a spellbook and will be keeping it for future perusal. But if considering it as a 101 book, I would give it 2 stars and not recommend it.
November 13, 2012
Definitely Wiccan. I could easily personalize these spells so I will keep it. Recommended for beginner Wiccans.
September 7, 2011
I somehow lost my copy of this book, so I've ordered it again and am waiting for it to arrive from Amazon. I freaking LOVE this book. I found the spells to be useful as well as the ideas for putting modern technology to magickal use. I am especially looking forward to trying to make my own oils with my slow-coooker in the way that Dorothy describes.
January 7, 2016
I deeply enjoyed the book. My favorite aspects were that it supplied an explanation as to why different objects (stones, trees, ect) were used for magic and that it encouraged using modern technology. Many books don't encourage using modern tech because they consider it too plastic or too chemical and think that it doesn't conduct magic. This book encouraged it so strongly that there was actually times when I had to think up old fashioned was to do the same spells because I don't own a coffee maker or crock pot. The book also covered many many topics. It provided spells for everything from joy to winning court cases. My only criticism was that some of the spells called for less common ingredients. Because I don't know where to buy mugwort so I'm going to have to improvise.
January 8, 2015
My copy of this is broken in for sure. It is one of the best books on working with spells and ritual and I've referred to it often. I like to write my own spells and rituals, but Dorothy Morrison is a master at spell and ritual creation and I've used the information she's outlined in Everyday Magic as a starting point for many of my magical endeavors. It is a must have to any spell caster's library!
May 18, 2011
I liked Everyday Magic, but not as much as Everyday Moon Magic. I'm more drawn to the moon, I suppose, but I would recommend this book. Dorothy Morrison provides some interesting ideas about how to use your everyday things for magick, and overall it's a really nice book.
April 7, 2007
This book is absolutely AWESOME!!!!!!!! I love it! It has a lot of interesting spells.
July 5, 2011
Fantastic Book! Very inspiring and informative. One of my favorite books in my collection!
September 1, 2024
Nice, but seems outdated
February 19, 2012
This book is an excellent source for information and a great way to help craft our own spells. She gives a great alternatives to a lot of things that are in the spells that she writes. The index in the back helps in alternating what herb you can get your hands on or color of candle that you have instead of required candle.
November 25, 2007
This was one of the first books on magic that I read, a friend recommended it to me. It was quite easy to read and understand and I liked the principal that technology and magic can go hand in hand :)
August 24, 2009
Another book I consult almost daily. Tons of easy spells that work fantastically! Also there is a list of herbs and stones in the back so that you can easily find substitutions for those you don't have on hand.
June 9, 2011
An excellent primer on crafting your own spells. The first half of the book explores how magick works and provides information on magickal correspondences. The second half of the book contains a plethora of spells grouped by purpose in a convenient A to Z format.
November 16, 2014
Wow!!! This book is awesome, lots of spells,rituals and incantations and much!!! much!!! more!!! its so fun to read and is one of my favourites of the best Wiccan author, Dorothy Morrison, I recommend it for anyone interested in Wicca and Paganism.
February 12, 2017
This is a great beginner style book for magick, yet has enough useful information that even a long time practitioner can find it a useful book. It's a handy book that I've utilized throughout the years.
May 22, 2008
Kinda "fluffy-bunny" but an interesting read for those who are curious about changing their concept of "alternate faiths"
June 15, 2009
Really good multi-purpose reference. Lots of info, simple to use.
May 16, 2010
It was an interesting and fun read.
Read
October 29, 2012this is my go to book for all spell casting needs. Dorothy Morrison is amazing and all of her spells work for me just like a charm.
February 11, 2013
love this book
May 7, 2013
I returned my borrowed copy, and have ordered my own copy from Amazon.
July 10, 2013
Another awesome book by Dorothy! I love this author. She keeps it real and simple.
June 20, 2014
My favorite wicca book growing up. Has EVERYTHING. It's nice and simple. My copy is worn and torn, obviously very loved :)
September 16, 2014
Great tool to have around as a reference and some great tips on incorporating kitchen appliances for incense, herbal, and oil mixes. This is a book I will refer to often.
October 19, 2016
It is a great book to read
March 10, 2017
Loved this book! Full of great info. A book that you can reference over and over for various things. I recommend this one for sure.
August 28, 2026
I have never understood the idea that magic somehow becomes more authentic when you make it unnecessarily difficult.
If I need to grind something by hand for a particular magical reason, wonderful. If I don't, there's a blender sitting ten feet away.
Dorothy Morrison understands this.
Everyday Magic was delightfully irreverent about bringing Witchcraft into contemporary life when it first appeared. Coffee makers, crock pots, blenders, computers, cars, modern travel, hectic schedules—none of these things exist outside the magical world simply because our ancestors didn't have them. The witch has always worked with the world around them. Our world just happens to contain electrical outlets.
That practicality runs through the entire book.
There are more than 300 spells and rituals here, and one of the things I've always appreciated about Dorothy is that she thinks of things people actually need magic for. Yes, you'll find the familiar concerns, but you'll also find spells involving divorce, unwanted guests, gardening, habits, travel, computers, wisdom, stress, and the hundred other annoyances and crises that make up ordinary human existence.
There's something very traditional about that, ironically.
Historically, practical magic wasn't confined to grand spiritual transformation. People wanted the cow to produce milk. They wanted the thief identified. They wanted someone to fall in love with them. They wanted an illness gone, an enemy stopped, a court case won, a journey completed safely, or money to arrive before the situation became desperate.
The circumstances change. The impulse doesn't.
I also appreciate how adaptable Dorothy makes the work. Ingredients can be substituted. Techniques can be modified. Some workings are incredibly simple while others are more involved. There are recipes for powders, oils, incenses, bath preparations, and other magical formulas, along with correspondences and enough foundational information to start modifying or creating spells yourself.
That's probably why this book has aged better for me than a spellbook tied too rigidly to its recipes. The real lesson underneath all those spells is improvisation.
Use what you have.
Understand what you're trying to accomplish.
Figure out what will carry that intention effectively.
Do the magic.
I think witches sometimes romanticize the aesthetics of the past so much that we forget our magical ancestors were innovators. They weren't deliberately using the least efficient technology available to them because it felt more witchy. They were using their kitchens, gardens, tools, household objects, local plants, available materials, and whatever else could accomplish the job.
If they'd had a blender, I suspect plenty of them would have used the damn blender.
Everyday Magic gives us permission to stop pretending modern life and magical life are opposites.
The world changes.
The witch adapts.
If I need to grind something by hand for a particular magical reason, wonderful. If I don't, there's a blender sitting ten feet away.
Dorothy Morrison understands this.
Everyday Magic was delightfully irreverent about bringing Witchcraft into contemporary life when it first appeared. Coffee makers, crock pots, blenders, computers, cars, modern travel, hectic schedules—none of these things exist outside the magical world simply because our ancestors didn't have them. The witch has always worked with the world around them. Our world just happens to contain electrical outlets.
That practicality runs through the entire book.
There are more than 300 spells and rituals here, and one of the things I've always appreciated about Dorothy is that she thinks of things people actually need magic for. Yes, you'll find the familiar concerns, but you'll also find spells involving divorce, unwanted guests, gardening, habits, travel, computers, wisdom, stress, and the hundred other annoyances and crises that make up ordinary human existence.
There's something very traditional about that, ironically.
Historically, practical magic wasn't confined to grand spiritual transformation. People wanted the cow to produce milk. They wanted the thief identified. They wanted someone to fall in love with them. They wanted an illness gone, an enemy stopped, a court case won, a journey completed safely, or money to arrive before the situation became desperate.
The circumstances change. The impulse doesn't.
I also appreciate how adaptable Dorothy makes the work. Ingredients can be substituted. Techniques can be modified. Some workings are incredibly simple while others are more involved. There are recipes for powders, oils, incenses, bath preparations, and other magical formulas, along with correspondences and enough foundational information to start modifying or creating spells yourself.
That's probably why this book has aged better for me than a spellbook tied too rigidly to its recipes. The real lesson underneath all those spells is improvisation.
Use what you have.
Understand what you're trying to accomplish.
Figure out what will carry that intention effectively.
Do the magic.
I think witches sometimes romanticize the aesthetics of the past so much that we forget our magical ancestors were innovators. They weren't deliberately using the least efficient technology available to them because it felt more witchy. They were using their kitchens, gardens, tools, household objects, local plants, available materials, and whatever else could accomplish the job.
If they'd had a blender, I suspect plenty of them would have used the damn blender.
Everyday Magic gives us permission to stop pretending modern life and magical life are opposites.
The world changes.
The witch adapts.
July 5, 2023
Pretty good text for those practicing witchcraft. I would say that Everyday Magic can be a good starting point for those interested in the craft, but seems more targeted for those who are already practicing.
The rituals in this book are very straightforward and simple, most of them focusing on the actual words of power used and many only require words - no ingredients. Anyone could do most of these regardless of access to ingredients.
I also appreciate that Morrison includes so many different kinds of intent in this book rather than just doing love, protection, and money rituals. I can find rituals for those things in this text, and also find some for divorce, eloquence, legal matters, even computers. I'm definitely doing the modem ritual, my upload and download speeds are way too slow some days and ya girl wants to play Apex lol. This is definitely a good reference for modern witches.
The rituals in this book are very straightforward and simple, most of them focusing on the actual words of power used and many only require words - no ingredients. Anyone could do most of these regardless of access to ingredients.
I also appreciate that Morrison includes so many different kinds of intent in this book rather than just doing love, protection, and money rituals. I can find rituals for those things in this text, and also find some for divorce, eloquence, legal matters, even computers. I'm definitely doing the modem ritual, my upload and download speeds are way too slow some days and ya girl wants to play Apex lol. This is definitely a good reference for modern witches.
August 12, 2026
I enjoyed this book as a beginner. It talks about some basic magical correspondences which I found useful. I also liked that it included the use of modern technology to help with the spells, which is not something I have found often. It really encourages creativity and even includes a list of substitutions if they are necessary for the spells. I really like the way this author writes, it feels very approachable, expecially with some of her own stories she shares in it.
Many of the spells are written from a pagan and Wiccan lens so if that is something you don't like, you have been warned. I'm neither Wiccan or pagan, but I found the spells and information to be useful to help me craft my own spells in the future.
Many of the spells are written from a pagan and Wiccan lens so if that is something you don't like, you have been warned. I'm neither Wiccan or pagan, but I found the spells and information to be useful to help me craft my own spells in the future.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews