True Magick: A Beginner's Guide

367 Pages·1990·2.1 MB·English

by  Amber K

Studio 2000—Scottsdale, AZ
About the Author Amber K was born in Bronxville, New York, on July
9, 1947. She was not trained in the Craft at her grandmother’s knee and
does not come from a long line of hereditary Witches.
In 1978, she joined the Temple of the Pagan Way in Chicago. She has
worked with Circle, New Earth Circle, and the Pool of Bast, and she helped
found the Coven of Our Lady of the Woods (OLW) and the Ladywood
Tradition of Wicca. She has served as Publications Officer and National First
Officer of the Covenant of the Goddess, and taught in the Cella (priestess)
training program of RCG, a national Dianic network.
Amber is the author of Coven Craft: Witchcraft for Three or More and Pagan
Kids’ Activity Book. With Azrael Arynn K, she has written RitualCraft: Creating
Rites for Transformation and Celebration; Candlemas: Feast of Flames; and Heart of
Tarot. She is also the Executive Director of Ardantane and serves on its faculty
as the acting Dean of the School of Pagan Leadership.
She is handfasted to Azrael Arynn K and has a son, Starfire. Amber’s interests
include mountains and forests, dolphins, travel, science fiction, collecting large
antique keys, art, reading, and all things magickal. Her role models include
Doreen Valiente, Lao Tse, Xena the Warrior Princess, and Snoopy.
Llewellyn Publications
Woodbury, Minnesota
True Magick: A Beginner’s Guide © 2006 by Amber K.
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E-book ISBN: 9780738717074
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Tarot cards from The Robin Wood Tarot © Robin Wood
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ontents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction to the 15th Anniversary Edition
1: About Magick—and You
2: A Brief History of Magick
3: First Steps in Magick
4: Magick and Science
5: The Path Lies Within You
6: Ethics and Hazards
7: The Pyramid of Magick
8: The Energies of Magick
9: Magick and Your Health
10: Creating the Magickal You
11: The Varieties of Magick
12: Nature Magick
13: Intrinsic and Inner Magick
14: Getting Ready for Ritual
15: Creating and Performing Ritual
16: Spellcraft: The Techniques of Magick
17: Everyday Magick and Daily Spiritual Practices
18: Your Magickal Education Continues
19: Change, Death, and Magick
Conclusion
Appendices
I: Glossary of Terms
II: Elemental Correspondences
III: Colors for Magick
IV: Recommended Reading
V: Seeds for Meditation
VI: Discussion of Ethical Scenarios
VII: Magicians Through the Ages
VIII: Elemental Star Charts
Preface
ave you ever wondered about magick?
Not stage magic; not clever illusions with doves and rabbits and colored
scarves; not lissome blondes in sequins disappearing from locked cabinets, but
magick, the ancient skills and powers of the adepts who sought to transform
themselves and their world. Magick chanted under the full moon by circling
Witches, or performed by solemn robed wizards in candlelit ceremonies, or
conjured by a skinclad shaman deep in a virgin rain forest. . . .
For magick, true magick, can change your life. With magick’s aid, you can
have vibrant health, prosperity, a new career. You can enhance your relationships
and bring new ones into your life. With magick, you can reach deep inside
yourself to find what you despaired of ever having—confidence, courage,
tranquillity, faith, compassion, understanding, humor. It’s not a miracle, and it’s
not easy, but magick works. And it can work for you.
If you’re curious, you will find answers in this book. I am a high priestess of
the Wiccan religion and an experienced practitioner of magick, and in this book
I explain not only the history and lore of magick, but also its major varieties in
the world today—from the Brujos of Mexico and the United States, to the
temples of the Order of the Golden Dawn, to the sacred groves of Wiccan
covens.
And if you want to practice magick to grow, to change, to heal with tools of
the mind and heart and spirit—then this book will start you on the path. I will
explain how to prepare yourself, how to find or create your ritual tools, how to
establish a temple in your home, how to plan a ritual and cast a spell—and how
to do it ethically and safely. No demons, no black masses, no hexes. Simply
divine power flowing through you, intelligently applied for beneficial purposes.
Whether you are just curious, or whether you are already an aspiring magick
worker—read on.