Author: Patricia Telesco
Trade Paperback, 220 pages
Publisher: New Page Books
Publication date: March 2003
ISBN: 1564146545
Price & More Info: Click Here
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Candle magic is one of the most popular forms of magick, probably because it uses simple tools and because almost everyone loves candles. Because of its popularity, there are a number of books on candle magick on the shelves. Patricia Telesco has followed up her own book on this subject (Exploring Candle Magick) with a book aimed at those who are ready for more advanced material, Mastering Candle Magick: Advanced Spells and Charms for Every Rite.
This book is truly an advanced book. It assumes one already knows the basics of candle magic. Telesco doesn't even start this book with a long summary of basic knowledge; she jumps right into designing one's own spells, first with information on adapting and personalizing spells from others, then with a full step-by-step explanation of creating a candle magick spell from scratch. The first thirty or so pages is some of the best material in the book. There's nothing really new here for an accomplished magician, but this material will help beginners move beyond looking up spells in a book or begging for them on the Internet.
The rest of the book, about 150 pages, is a candle magick grimoire. There are spells for many aspects of life, or rather there are spell ideas for many aspects of life. Since this isn't a book for beginners, the author describes the central part of each spell in a few paragraphs and expects the reader to be able to build a full candle magick ritual. There are no fully scripted and diagrammed 5 to 10 page rituals as is the norm in many books on candle magick aimed at the novice. This allows a huge number of spells to be packed into 150 pages. There are two appendixes with helpful hints and correspondences. The book is indexed, which makes finding things in the spell section much easier.
It's nice to see an author and Pagan publisher aiming a book at something other than the complete novice market. People do not stay beginners forever. Eventually they have to move beyond the 101 books. While Mastering Candle Magick: Advanced Spells and Charms for Every Rite will probably only confuse a true novice and will not help those with a lot of magick experience under their belt, it will help those who have picked up a beginner book, studied it, and are looking for a way to expand their knowledge.
Reviewed by Randall
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