posted August 31, 2012 06:29 AM            

Spiral Dance by Starhawk is also a very good primer in magic from a Wiccan perspective with appendixes that list the many correspondences which can help you design your own spells. (Personally I find intuition and creativity very important and using a spell completely written out with no creative energy put into it doesn't work for me and many others, at least not more than once.)

If you want something more structured and focused then I'd suggest this book (and even better, buy it with the 2 books you can get with it):
http://www.amazon.com/The-Golden-Dawn-Ceremonies- Llewellyns/dp/0875426638/ref=la_B000APBPWM_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346408759&sr=1-1

Note that IR was of a different circle or something from Crowley (though they did interact with each other), so if you get Crowley's books as well there will be differences that could easily confuse you.

And just as a note, I personally had a bad experience with this book and thus stopped using it, but most others report positive (or no) experiences.

It ultimately depends on what you're actually after and what suits you best.

posted August 31, 2012 08:42 PM            

I agree with Pixie's response (though I have never read "The Black Arts"), Especially this - " I don't think there's any one such book as you described". I think a good place to start would be, grab whatever information you can and collect the things which resonate with you. I started with a tiny book on Romani magik/divination and expanded out from there.

The Golden Dawn and Crawley stuff is a bit involved. I could never get into it, because it all seemed a bit contrived and pretentious to me. What worked best for me was just getting involved and experimenting. It seems there is a bit of a fail-safe, which restricts a person's effectiveness the less they understand about magik. Just be wise and observe the golden rule and you should be fine.

You may find very little happens at first, maybe even for years. Divination was the only thing that really clicked automatically with me in the first few years. Just realize that the more you understand (not know, but understand), the more effective you will become. As you become more seasoned, you will understand why your failures and accomplishments happened.

I think "Be Here Now" by Ram Dass is one of my favorites. Here are a few books that introduced me to the basics of my own studies. A few are in Llewellyn's High Magick Series:

Tetragrammaton - Donald Tyson
New Millennium Magic - Donald Tyson
By Oak Ash and Thorn - D.J. Conway
21 Lessons of Merlyn - Douglas Monroe
Drawing Down the Moon - Margot Adler

Just to name a few.

posted August 31, 2012 09:55 PM            

And 777, though useful for anyone who wants to follow the Western Mystical Tradition (Golden Dawn and otherwise), is an incredibly boring read otherwise. When my girl (13 at the time) briefly got interested in Wicca and all that she also got interested in Crowley and I cured her of that interest by giving her 777 and letting it bore her to death.

And I love Drawing Down the Moon, btw, especially the 2nd edition (which I still have), but it's more of a sociological work than a book on magic (though it does describe the pagan and magical worldview). I'd nitpick some of her points but I don't think they'd throw anyone off as long as they don't think themselves an expert after reading just one book (even one as brilliant and detailed as DDtM).

posted September 09, 2012 04:29 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by 11nahyt:
wait, are you asking for the "playful" kind of magic (pulling rabbits out of hats,etc) or are you talking about witchcraft? which is more on the spiritual side,involving energy and nature,divination,spells etc? if you are looking for ways to make spells, or looking for serious spells and whatnot, then i think your best bet is going to a botanic shop. those people that work there deal with THE REAL DEAL like "..

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posted September 09, 2012 07:32 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by C1ND3R:
I'm familiar. The thing is that i'd like to perhaps go a more, uh, what i deem to be appropriate route? Preferably a route that doesn't involve sacrificing poultry and things like that.

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posted September 11, 2012 02:29 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by PixieJane:
And not all witches are Wiccan (or even Pagan).

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Agreed.

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Remember, love can conquer the influences of the planets....It can even eliminate karma.

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posted September 11, 2012 12:39 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by 11nahyt:
i think your best bet is going to a botanic shop.

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Great idea.
Found a few books.

posted September 13, 2012 12:00 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by C1ND3R:
I'm familiar. The thing is that i'd like to perhaps go a more, uh, what i deem to be appropriate route? Preferably a route that doesn't involve sacrificing poultry and things like that.

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i agree about not sacrificing animals. i can't get past that either which sucks. because from what i've seen, the hardcore spells seems to always require an animal sacrifice or something crazy lol. but im glad you found some books. did you get them at a botanica? or a regular bookstore like barnes & noble?

posted September 14, 2012 07:51 AM            

I've only found one book which is like a bible of the occult at a new age store that sells sage and all sorts of things like that. Other than that, i can't say that i've found many others.