Cover Image: The Witch's Spellbook for Beginners

The Witch's Spellbook for Beginners

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Member Reviews

The colouring is intense, it really is a spellbook for beginners and I'm feeling its more gimmicky. I am however grateful to be given the opportunity to read the arc. Even though this wasn't for me.

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The Witch's Spellbook for Beginners is well laid out, easy to follow and has easy to proquire ingredients.
I didn't find the content intimidating and I liked how the spells were associated with specific days of the year and a variety of deities.
I had some issues with the love spell section as some the spells seemed to remove free will and not every practitioner would be comfortable with that. ie. Make a lover return to you.
This book is mostly spells, so if you're looking for a general beginner witchy book this may not cover all the topics you are looking for.

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Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.
The Witch's Spellbook for Beginners by Sarah Bartlett.
From the publisher's site:
"Manifest your dreams with easy-to-follow spells that align with the cycles of nature and the universe.
Magic can change your life and help you manifest your best self. Anyone with the curiosity and willingness can connect to the power of the natural and supernatural and to blend ancient practices in a modern context. Adapted from Sarah Bartlett’s The Witch’s Spellbook, this guide gives new and aspiring witches a simple path to the art of practical magic and the empowerment of magic spells."

Spell books are a tricky business to write and review as so much of the work is subjective and hard to validate. Do all the spells provided in the text work? Is the novice witch in a place to be able to gage a spell's effectiveness? Are the spells being modelled ethical and accessible for a new witch? Are there enough useful spells and content beyond the spells to ensure that there is enough content in the book to stand the need for the book to live on a reader's bookshelf?

Overall, I believe that Bartlett's book is a decent book of spells focused on self improvement for beginners. Why self improvement specifically? Because the spells are largely focused on areas of self knowledge, for example: making decisions; getting over a break-up; or banishing negativity. None of these spells are groundbreaking in terms of magical content, but they are generally speaking, safe and relevant to the major beginning themes that draw individuals to witchcraft. And the book is for beginners, so this is well suited to the target audience. The question of whether the book is for witches vs new agers is one that I'll leave to readers.

In other considerations: the book is well laid out, easy to read, with clear instructions to help you navigate the workings in question. The bold yellow and black visuals are eye catching and different than the normal witchy aesthetic. I thought the seasonal approach was intriguing and I appreciated the simple, basic knowledge that was provided for beginners. The book does lean a bit more on the eclectic Wiccan side of things but this is common enough for beginner books. It was a decent book, well written and tailored to its targeted audience.

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the Witch's Spellbook for Beginners is a nice read starting with how to use the craft in a good way else what will happen and what are the things needed for casting spell and what are to be done before casting a spelling like drawing pentagram and how to cast magic circle. The spells are divided into eight division such as career, love money, protection... Each chapter has necesary spells for beginners to practice with step by step method and the author has mentioned when to perform.

This is absolutely a beginners guide to witch craft and the way it was written was so simple and you will enjoy reading if you are interested in witch craft.

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this was a nicely done book.
it was easy to read and be intrigued and learn about the topic without being overwhelmed or feeling lost by the amount of info. the way this book was made up was beautiful as well and just a nice one to flip through and read snippets of if only specific topics are of interest.
nicely done book.

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Excellent introductory book on spellwork for new witches! Great for the metaphysical section, will definitely be getting a copy for our growing collection. We have had a lot of demand of late for more books on witchcraft, so this will go over well.

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Il problema non è che sia molto Wiccan, ma che fa cose senza avvertire bene delle possibili conseguenze nonostante ci sia un capitolo intero sulla moralità di unx strega (quindi non mi spiego perchè abbia fatto un legamento a quello che poi diventerà suo marito). Bah, not my cup of tea

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Spellbooks are among the hardest to review because everyone comes to spells and witchcraft (or Wicca) via their own unique path and therefore, each individual has their own experiences that can potentially bias their opinion. Personally, I'm a Wiccan Witch with over thirty years of experience as both a solitary practitioner and in working with groups/covens. I've been trained in different traditions and for the most part, I prefer to work as a solitary. This being said, I understand the desire anyone may have to learn spells and how to use them.

The Witch's Spellbook for Beginners is certainly a good resource for anyone who is just starting. However, I would caution such a person to not jump blindly into spell work. Bartlett does take time in the introductory pages of the book to very briefly cover the history of spells and magic use, magical tools and tips, and to be sure the chosen spells or rituals are being performed for the correct reasons. While I appreciate that Bartlett covers the Threefold Law (again, very briefly) and the fact that spells are not a hundred precent effective nor are they a one-size-fits-all cure, I do believe the author could have spent more time discussing the issue of "karmic backdraft" if a spell is done either for the incorrect reason (such as wanting to cause harm to another) or with the incorrect intent (such as a desire to have a specific person fall in love with the caster). Let me be clear: Spells are not harmless fun. Spells are part of a larger magical system that incorporates many different factors and must be respected. I'm not saying that Bartlett is disrespectful, far from it, but again, I believe more could be said in the introductory pages of the book to caution readers to be certain their motives are correct before attempting any of the spells listed here.

As for the actual spells and rituals contained in the book, they're all fairly simple and include helpful information such as the best time and/or day(s) to perform them to achieve maximum benefit. The writing is clear and easily understood, and the graphics are crisp. Each spell has a handy materials list so items can be gathered ahead of time. The format is simple and easily followed, even if the ritual or spell requires multiple days to complete.

Overall, The Witch's Spellbook for Beginners is a good introductory book, but for those looking for more in-depth knowledge or a better understanding of Witchcraft (or Wicca) as a spiritual path, this may not be the best starting point.

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A really good book for beginners, it’s clear, plain and well described. Broken down into sections, clearly explaining the importance of lunar cycles, seasonal cycles etc
Great book to start with

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

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Spells for Beginners

Sarah Bartlett provides some history on magic and states that magic was developed from simply a means to get “help” from the powers that be, to an ability to manipulate the energy of the cosmos so that you, the individual, could control your own destiny. She states that by working with talismans, symbols, and correspondences you could also invoke the power of the divine to see into the future, or to make changes in the world, and by drawing on the sun’s power and magnifying it in your life by using talismans of the
solar gods and their associated correspondences—by wearing gold jewelry, lighting candles, and so on—you could keep the power of the sun on your side, ready to help you in your quest .

She discusses the solar cycle, lunar cycle, and other seasonal cycles and festivities. She basically discusses the basics workings to becoming a witch, and she provides several rituals covering several categories. This is a nice book for beginners.

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This book leans more wicca than just witchcraft, just so everyone is in the know. The spells are easy to follow, the rituals have clear directions, this book is truly for beginners with a wicca flair.

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Seemed to be a vary helpful book. Found it at random on netgalley and happy I was able to read this book. Couldn't put it down and it helped me understand things better to where I could possibly use this book for my writing. I know writing about witches depends on the story but this book seemed to have alot of good information inside of it. 5 star book.

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This is a really accessible guide for beginners, but also has enough remarkable rituals to intrigue even an experienced practitioner.

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This is a fun book on practical spells for everyday wants, needs and comforts. Would interest those new to this genre as it takes a lihjt-hearted approach to an esoteric subject. The book is written well and is a high quality publication. Great halloween gift.

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I'm unsure about this book. The introduction feels a little like it's giving any new to the craft or "beginner" witches and skewed idea on spellcraft, the author did a spell to get back a lover (which personally I wouldn't do as it skirts a little too close to trying to change someone's free will) and it worked and they are married and life is all happy. But spells don't always work out in the way you intend, even if they are done exactly as written, because the universe often has other plans and they may be different from what you would like but they generally work out for the better.
I tried to read further but the chapter title of how to be a good witch irritated me and I gave up. Not for me, I'm afraid.

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Just as the title suggests, this book is a helpful introduction to Witchcraft for beginners. It is well-organized so that it's easy to find a specific spell, but also still browse-able. Each entry is succinct, giving a list of required items and explaining the spell. For spells that require a specific date or other influence (a full moon), it states that under the name of the spell. My only critique is that, for some of the spells, I wished for more context, history, or background for each spell in its description. A lot of them had good context included, but some only had a brief introductory sentence, and I felt the difference.
I don’t know why some have more information than others, but it would benefit the book to have a more equal amount of information for each spell.

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This is a fun book for people who enjoy books on witchcraft. The author splits the spells up into different sections and there are a ton of spells to try out. The spells are easy to follow and look like they will be fun to do. Great book.

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This book is brilliant!
It is jam packed full of info. It is super useful and the range of different topics covered is immense.
Really great reference book.

I was lucky enough to be sent an electronic copy for review, but can honestly say that I have now ordered a physical copy as I loved it so much!

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Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. The book was informative, interesting, and well written.

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Easy to understand and simple items needed. Illustrated well and explained for the new and the old. My favorite work was for St Brigid, A very understandable and doable spell that helped, Thank you Ms Bartlett for this powerful book.

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