This book offers a deeper look at the Celtic animist traditions and their connection to the divine in nature.
Danu Forest, the author, presents a variety of practices and meditations that allow you to connect with the spirits of the earth, the fairies, the ancestors and the elements. It also teaches magic techniques to perform spells, such as calling spirits for protection or to alter natural elements.
In essence, the book seeks to teach you how to connect with the energy of nature and use that connection to transform your life. It is a source of ancestral inspiration and wisdom that helps to better understand ancient Celtic traditions.

The subheadings master was intriguing, something I've wanted to learn more about. I think the author wanted to be very thorough, but it came off as unnecessarily verbose the content was good, and interesting.

Wild Magic by Danu Forest

230 Pages
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications, Llewellyn Worldwide
Release Date: November 8, 2020

Nonfiction (Adult), Religion, Spirituality, Magic, Elements, Faeries, Celtic

The book is divided into the following parts.

One: An Creideamh Si: The Celtic Faery Faith
Two: Earth
Three: Sea
Four: Sky
Five: Fire
Six: Out Green Kin
Seven: Honouring the Sacred Land

The author provides information on Celtic spirituality and the Faery Faith. She provides stories and descriptions for the deities and the faeries. Each part has rituals, several exercises and spells. I appreciate that she provides warnings before certain exercises. She also provides tips and recipes for herbs, oils, and salves. This is a basic primer for beginners and solitary practitioners.

DNF 16%

This book just isn't keeping my attention so I am going to stop. I really wanted to learn more about Celtic traditions but something about the way this was written isn't working for me.

Also it annoys me that there wasn't any pronunciation guides for the faerie names or the Celtic gods. I know I am saying their names wrong.

Danu Forest once again provides a solid book on Celtic witchcraft and mythology. This is a great book for anyone with a basic understanding of Celtic magic and who wants to deepen their practice. I did notice that Danu often uses Welsh names for people and dieties in her stories and one may need to brush up on who they are. However, I appreciate her approach here and it has helped me gain a deeper understanding of how the mythology of the British Isles overlap. I really, really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to adding parts of it into my own practice and grimoire.

Danu Forest’s latest offering is a work of substance to those new on the path but well researched enough to be of interest to the more experienced. A wonderful collection of Celtic spirits, entities and gods from across the British Isles is explored giving the reader plenty of useful ideas to connect. Most of which is through loose guided meditation which some may find helpful. Where this book was most unique was in Forests shared knowledge on sacred fires. From what to use, to how to build and how to light for magickal purposes.

Forest also includes warnings such as “Do not try this exercise until you have fully recovered from any serious mental health issues and illnesses.” And what I would like to see more of in esoteric publishing, “At no point should anything you read in a book take precedence over a clear message of what to do from the spirits.”


*eArc provided by the publisher and NetGalley

This book was perfect for me, someone who is trying to get into their Celtic roots. It has a lot of good information and is interesting to read.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I have always loved a good book on magick and the practices of the ancient ways. It did take me a little bit to get into it and I think that is what slowed me down, but the exercises and practices were nice to have to re-enforce what the books was trying to teacher and get back to the world so it is not forgotten. I will go back and reference it if I need to. I enjoyed the parts about the fairies and the ancestors. It gave me a lot to think about and that is something I want when I read a book like this one.

As someone on the Celtic/Druidic path I was excited to read this. I loved learning about the traditions of Ireland, Wales, & Scotland. Highly recommend this book for anyone exploring the Celtic tradition or anyone interested in folklore. I will be purchasing a copy for my shelves as reference.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Fascinated by the idea of the Celtic Otherworld?  Wild Magic by Danu Forest explores the Celtic faerie faith and how modern pagans can involve it in their personal practice. With a ton of lore and discussions of the green kin, this book also serves as a great look as a form of study for comparative religion. I personally am not a pagan, but found Wild Magic fascinating for its explorations of faerie lore, communications for protection, and the way that modern pagan practices can be woven together with older traditions.  Danu Forest's work discusses ley lines, faery roads, herbal recipes for different ailments and other county traditions from Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Wild Magic is definitely geared more to one with a solitary pagan practice, meaning you are not a member of a coven but rather focused on your relationships with the Otherworld all by yourself. While Forest does include directions for scrying and communicating with the fae, the book also highlights that this is a legitimate belief structure and not a journey to be taken lightly. If you are purchasing this book for a solitary practice, I recommend getting the actual tangible book, versus the digital copy for easier book marking.

Wild Magic is available now from Llewellyn Press.

This was an interesting read. I've never read anything by this author, but I would again. I liked the way the book was broken up by chapter by element, along with a few other important topics like "green kin" and "Honoring the sacred land." It makes the info easy to digest.

Some introductory information and "practical" things to do (like rituals, spells, and so on). Good for elemental connections. More UK connections (Celtic, duh).

An interesting, informative and well researched book about Celtic Lore. I loved what I read and I will surely use some of the information in my practice.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Absolutely love this book. Gives procedures for a solid foundation in any earth based paganism really but specifically in a Celt one. While i have never been into meditation what the author is showing is what most people need to do to break free of their "colonization" for lack of a better word. I love busting peoples chops for using that word but feel the need to giggle & use it myself here. What was once natural to many peoples is not anymore so you have to work on it. For a rare few is anything instant & even they would need structure. Too many people are getting themselves tied up by trying to instapot metaphysics which doesn't work well or end happily for them. Lots of tips, info & guidance here, highly recommend.

While I found this to be informative, I personally found this to be more suited for practitioners that are very into meditative exercises. Meditation has always been something that I have struggled with, but I think that someone looking for more of these exercises would love this book. Also, collectors of traditional tales and Celtic folk traditions would probably love it and while I consider myself to be among them, I found that the writing style just didn't suit me.

A big thank you to Llewellyn Publications for an eARC of this book, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Are you interested in Celtic Lore? Look no further! This book is filled with so much information that I believe it'll become a frequented reference book for by practice.

This is a very special book. While reading it I felt it was dedicated to more advanced practitioners and people interested in subject, but it can easily be read by those who, like me, are new to this realm.

The value of this book lies in the precious symbols it unravels and the practices it offers, vast and encompassing. This is a manual for working with nature, the elements and their energy. While it is dedicated to Celtic traditions it often emphasizes the importance of being and knowing your local area, your surroundings and working with them.

More than this, what I think is the true beauty of this book is the attention it gives to care, to safety, to the reverence needed when working with this kind of energy. There is a kind of ethic, sensibility and intention that are mandatory in this kind of activity and this book focuses gracefully upon them while offering a rich vault of knowledge.

I also loved how every action and practice is specific geared to one person, one practitioner. While there are traditions described that required many people to perform, all the practices are translated and presented to be held in solitude and as the responsibility of one, sometimes with modern tools while always keeping the traditional allure of the practice. In a world where there is great emphasis on group work, this is refreshing and very valuable.

'Wild Magic' takes readers on a journey through elements of the craft inspired not only by Irish mythology and classical poetry, but of nature itself, thus making this suitable for any practitioner - an enhancement to one's own practise. Chapters are centered around the elements, and a number contain a full ritual, simple to assemble and a great start for beginners. These can be very useful as a template for finding ones'' own path later on, and are based around meditation, introspection and the aid of a poetry, movement or song.

The chapter on Fire was particularly enjoyable, including a detailed description of fire-building and tending, as well as ritual and poetry from the Carmina Gadelica.

It's a deeply environmental work, allowing users to incorporate these earth-based practises into their craft.

While the text strived to be as historically accurate as is possible, admitting where facts are not known or practises can only be guessed at, I do have one complaint.

The text uses Isobel Gowdie's words as 'a witch from the 17th century', but Gowdie was one of many women who likely suffered torture and was murdered during the trials, and should not be considered an active practitioner of acts with the Christian notion of the Devil. Murray used Gowdie's testimony to conjure up ideas of a witch cult but this has long been discredited. Her hare charm is poetic, but we cannot know her intention.

I was excited to read this as my personal practice as of late has taken on a more naturalistic, druidic/celtic bent.

This book was everything I had hoped it would be. It is well written, well informed, and above all easy to understand. I fully intend to procure a copy for myself to add to my collection and would highly recommend this book.

This is such an enchanting book on Celtic magic. I found it both entertaining and educational. It was a great mix of traditional stories and practices that are great for any level of practitioner. It covers everything from working with the Fae, elemental magic, making a divination kit, and working with familiars and other animals. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has an interest in Celtic magic. As someone with Scottish roots that has always felt drawn to Celtic traditions, I found this to be a perfect addition to my collection.