Making Magic is what I expected and more! Great Book!!

Here expert teacher Briana Saussy the author helps us discover the practice of magic. It includes resources of magic in our everyday lives. Very well written and one I highly recommend.

• Doors and thresholds—ways we "cross between worlds"
• Communication—creating magic with your voice, body, intentions, and relationships
• Holy helpers—ancestors, angels, saints, and spirit beings who guide and support you
• Water and washing—access the revitalizing energy of water when you drink or bathe
• Textiles and threads—how to loosen, mend, or bind up supportive energies
• Candles and fire—elemental power to bring light to darkness and burn away what no longer serves you
• Kitchen magic-using food to nourish your whole self and reconnect you with nature
• Talismans—infuse your beloved objects with sacred purpose and supportive power

This book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a book about everyday magic, about the magic of what you see, do and feel everyday. There are no love potions or spells for riches in this book and I adored it for that. I really appreciated that Saussy didn't try to push any specific kind of belief or tradition in 'Making Magic'. With some of these novels it really feels like they're happy for you to develop a practice, as long as its along their lines. In this book, the exercises really help you develop your own ideas and traditions. The writing style is a bit poetic at times, so its efficacy does depend on the reader. Part of this is due to her reliance on the Goldilocks tale as a guiding thread throughout the book. At times I would have preferred a more direct approach, but it does really add to the overall ambiance and feel of the book.

Briana Suassy in Making Magic will help you reconnect with the wild and creative force of magic that is always around and within you. She offers a general approach to rediscovering or remembering our natural ability to weave magic. The book flows and has such richness and depth.

A great book on everyday magick and how to make your life fit into all of that magic. Definitely something I would suggest to other witches

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. This book took a little for me to get into over the last couple of months. I read a lot of new age books. I am not saying that I did not get anything from this book. I feel this does explain a few things that I have been wondering about for a long time. I like they way the book was divided and that made it easy to find the things that I wanted to read. Maybe I have been reading too many of these books as of late. But I will continue to use this book again.

This book is a guide on finding magic in your own life in simple actives or experiences. The book is well written and researched. It gives you well laid out instructions on each chapter about how to find that magic in the world around you and in you.

Brianna Saussy poetically combines magic and the mundane in this new book from publisher's Sounds True. What sets it apart from other books in the category, is that it's less a grimoire and more a gentle nudge to remember that real magic is within us all. Longer review forthcoming on melissajozefina.com.

A beautiful meditation with lovely exercises on how to get in touch with one's self. While it dips into ancient questions, it gives a refreshing take on how to look into the abyss and find the answers that enrich our lives.

I give this book a solid five out of five stars!

I can’t really say I learned much new from this book, but I still really enjoyed it. I suspect most intermediate to advanced witches won’t find much new here - but that’s okay! Accessible, non-denominational works to help beginners are important! From a pedagogical perspective, this book is a solid recommendation to give any beginner.

I’m glad to have discovered this book and will be including it amongst my usual recommendations for beginners.

I think children and teens would love this book, and learn a ton from it. This would be a good recommendation for younger witches in general. Most introductory books suited to the younger crowd tend to focus exclusively on Wicca.

Making Magic is gloriously non-denominational. While the author makes her own views on magic clear, she doesn’t try to convert us. And much of what she teaches will be applicable to any burgeoning witch or mage, no matter what their worldview.

For older readers just starting out, the sense of childlike wonder conveyed by the book will definitely make learning easier. I’d even recommend it to advanced practitioners looking for new perspectives, but many of the exercises will already be familiar to most.

The author uses metaphors and parables (such as the reimagined story of “Golden Locks”) to convey magical principles in a pleasant, whimsical way. This won’t resonate with everyone, but will be just what many beginners need to contextualize their journey.

In short, this is a book I wholeheartedly recommend as an introductory course in magic for the curious, the complete beginner, the witch taking their first steps on the journey. Appropriate for all ages, in a way that’s both unusual and refreshing for an occult work.

This book was good but it could have been better if it was formatted better. The actual content though was highly useful and something I would use regularly.

This is an interesting and useful primer on magic. It will rekindle memories for some readers and provide plenty of material to work with for those new to the subject. Readers will also find the text useful as a reference guide.

Briana Saussy brings magic back to the reader in its original form; unrestricted, ungoverned, fundamental magic. This book is a means to awaken aspects of ourselves that have been dormant for far too long. This is not a book of flashy spells. It is not a book of rules and order. It is not a book of preachy opinions. What it is a book that connects us with hidden aspects of ourselves through basic rituals. The author uses rituals that are accessible to everyone; no fancy, hard to find, expensive ingredients. Each ritual reinforces ones that come before. She encourages us to look at the most basic daily events and helps us find the magic in them, i.e.: entering through a doorway into our home. The author encourages deep connections with talismans and breathe work but identifies them as optional if they do not resonate with the reader. What this book does is encourage the reader to connect with magic that lives within and gives methods to help uncover it from deep inside. From kitchen magic to alter construction this book is a valuable asset to anyone looking to find their own magic inside!

I received a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Three and a half stars, rounded down to three for Goodreads, despite mathematics telling me that's the wrong thing to do.

My biggest criticism is that it was extremely difficult for me to "get into" the book. I found myself forcing myself to read the book up until the 40 percent mark. That's when it got interesting. Forcing myself to read: rating went to three and a half stars which I would have rounded up to four... if it hadn't been for the Golden Locks story which was used to frame and structure the book. I wasn't a fan of that, the purpose of it still isn't one hundred percent clear to me. So I decided it was time for me to demonstrate my abysmal mathematical skills and round a 3,5 to 3.

I enjoyed the way Saussy wrote about the intersection of magic and mundane, of the ways magic is all around us. I was also a fan of the Stepping Stones. I will most likely be revisiting the book and the exercises and the Stepping Stones eventually!

Definitely recommended to anyone who's new to magic and would like to observe the magical side of themselves – or just anyone who isn't a fan of highly structured and, uh, authoritarian magic.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for Making Magic in exchange for my honest opinions. Saussy has written a step-by-step guide to finding your inner magic. This book mixes the ordinary and the extraordinary to remind us that there is magic all around us. That being said it took me awhile to get into this book because it started with a rendition of Goldilocks and then blocks out the lessons that it goes through in the following chapters. It shows readers how to get back to the basics and the easiest ways to incorporate magic into our daily lives.

This is probably the most accessible book on magic that I've come across...ever. It leads rather than instructs, and reminds the reader that we all can make magic by participating in, and engaging with, our environments. It reminds us that magic is everywhere: on the other side of a doorway; in our lucky charms; in the food we prepare and consume. Magic is in us, and we get to interpret what it means to us. In that way, "Making Magic is for anyone who wants to engage more fully in the world around them.

The one negative about this book is Saussy's use of Golden Locks and the Bear People to illustrate the topics of each chapter. It wasn't a bad thing and, for some, the use of a familiar fairy tale might make the book more comfortable. For me, it was unnecessary and distracted from a book that was otherwise really, really excellent.

As a Pagan, and a dabbler in Wicca I’m always keen to learn other forms of practice and sometimes pick up other things to use in my rituals. So I was keen to read 'Making Magic' as the blurb sets it as “welcoming guide to accessing your magic and creating a spiritual path that is all your own”
It does just that, each chapter talks about an aspect of magic and gives you an idea and an example of ritual.
The concept isn’t anything new, but the rituals are pared down to the very basics. although it does suggest using certain talismans and trinkets they are not necesarry and each ritual can be brought right back down to nature. That was actually what I liked most about this book, the very basic nature of the rituals.
Most other books on practicing Paganism talk about ‘summoning your circle' or 'calling the corners', for someone like me that sometimes struggles with this kind of visualisation I was quite pleased to see that the ritual preperations in this book were just two cleansing breaths; In and Out. This is something which I shall definitly be adding to my own little pot pourri of paganism.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of Making Magic by Briana Saussy from netgalley.com for an honest review. However, the author is a friend of mine.

It all starts with a story. In this case, we’re treated to Golden Locks and the bear people. You may think you know how this story goes, and ends, but you don’t. That’s the beauty of magic. This is the magic Briana Saussy teaches us to remember. Magic is everywhere. It’s in the food we eat, the activities we do during the day, and the sacred times we spend with others. As adults, we forget about the magic surrounding us.

Making Magic teaches us to remember our own magic. The book blends the myth of Golden Locks in with daily activities and actions which help us to bring back our own power, our own magic. Each chapter takes a singular topic, relates it back to the myth, and then explores how the topic relates internally and externally (or through the everyday and the extraordinary). Bri includes two rituals for each chapter, one is a short internal dose of the topic, while the next blends the topic into a more concrete way. You are invited to interpret words and play with the material as you see fit. This is, after all, a book for you to rediscover, remember, your own personal magics.

What I liked: I love how Bri weaves the ordinary and extraordinary together. We are all magic and the path of a “magician” is a personal one. Making Magic doesn’t include lists to memorize, or spells, or hard rituals to follow to the letter. She allows the reader to experience and explore the material she presents— to blend it into their own personality and style. Making Magic doesn’t contain definitions... not even one on what magic is. “Magic is a wild animal” she writes, “it resides in the places we always are.” This book guides you into the a deep connection of what magic can be. How you personally define it, where it appears in your life, and helps bridge tight connections between yourself, story, and Nature.

Caveat: This book teaches you to discover your own personal magic. It requires a lot of imaginative play and experimentation. This is not a book for those who want to know the lineage of magic being taught. Bri does tell you her credentials; however, she knows that the most powerful magic comes from within the individual’s own self, mind, and practices. If you aren’t into “unverified personal gnosis” methods, then you might want to skip this book.

Bottom Line: Are you ready to remember your magic? Want to bring magic into every aspect of your life? Bri’s book will help you develop a personal connection you the magic you forgot as a child.

From the first chapters, I found so many things that I wanted to know about. It's in one book, not the ten you have to get your for your information. Doors and thresholds that we can travel and having helpers in our magic is enthralling. Finding a way to use things in your life to help you grow is something for every practitioner. I was totally enchanted by this book. I will buy several copies, one for me and some for my friends.. It's so good. It has been read on my Kindle and I need a copy for my bookshelf. I received this book from Net Galley and Sounds True for a honest review.

A good pagan/witchcraft book. There is a lot of info that isn't new or unique but there were some points that were unique to this bok.

This is a not-to-be-missed book. Rather than tell you how she does things, Saussy offers a gentle guide into how you can find your own magic. Her theory about magic as a wild thing mirror my own experience. I've been on a magical path for nearly 40 years. I thought I had a pretty good handle on magic et al. Saussy showed me what I was missing. That piece of the puzzle that is like water. If you think to grasp it, it will slip right of your hands. This book shows you how to stalk the magic until you become the elusive thing you are seeking. Within the first twenty percent of this book, I'd bookmarked five different things to come back to.

Saussy is clear in the opening about what this book is and isn't. It isn't a how-to beginners book. Nor is it a
"you need to have a hoary beard or a wizened crone's face" book. Sages to initiates to those just knocking on the door will gain not just knowledge but true gems of wisdom. It will be a book I recommend to my students and anyone who pauses long enough for me to express my heart's pleasure in this book. Also? I will be purchasing a physical copy. It's that good.