Book Reviews of Composing Magic
This page features some reprinted reviews of the book Composing Magic by Elizabeth Barrette. There are also links to reviews appearing on other websites.
Review by Xyaida
Book Review: Composing Magic; How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessing, Chants and Prayers; by Elizabeth Barrette
Xyaida
Order of the Dancing Flames
I am very impressed with the depth this book covers. It is very detailed on many levels and anyone who has some basic knowledge of how to write English properly and has a good understanding of pagan terms will find this a ‘must have’ tool! Prof. Barrette has done a magnificent job showing the many levels of writing and of spiritual connections through the written word.
This book is written with teaching in mind. It is broken down to be a very user friendly interactive workbook for one interested in writing everything from poetry to compositions with a ritual tie of how to make it all work. There are many suggestions, explanation of terms, and ways to relate to figuring out your intent.
It starts out with the basics of writing and the processes. From there is goes into detail about the tools of the trade of a writer. Next it continues to cover different forms of writing, forms of poetry, different aspects of writing different powerful works for spiritual work (spells, rituals, blessings, chants, and prayers), and even how to share your final piece.
I believe the Exercises at the end of each Chapter are reasonable enough to help anyone who is using this book as a tool to find out what works for them best to write magickal works. For this review I only read through the book but I know this is a tool I will be walking through myself. I personally can see where this book will be an asset to my abilities of writing my own rituals and forms of poetry for my craft, and can see this being a tool for many others who delve into their own writing passions.
I am very impressed with what this book, Composing Magic; How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessing, Chants and Prayers, really contains and feel this will be a tool for many Wizards who have the creative flare for magickal writing. You do have to have some previous knowledge of the rules of writing and of pagan terms to really appreciate this book to its fullest, yet anyone who wants to learn to write spiritual works would benefit reading and learning what this book has to offer.
Xyaida
Order of the Dancing Flames
I am very impressed with the depth this book covers. It is very detailed on many levels and anyone who has some basic knowledge of how to write English properly and has a good understanding of pagan terms will find this a ‘must have’ tool! Prof. Barrette has done a magnificent job showing the many levels of writing and of spiritual connections through the written word.
This book is written with teaching in mind. It is broken down to be a very user friendly interactive workbook for one interested in writing everything from poetry to compositions with a ritual tie of how to make it all work. There are many suggestions, explanation of terms, and ways to relate to figuring out your intent.
It starts out with the basics of writing and the processes. From there is goes into detail about the tools of the trade of a writer. Next it continues to cover different forms of writing, forms of poetry, different aspects of writing different powerful works for spiritual work (spells, rituals, blessings, chants, and prayers), and even how to share your final piece.
I believe the Exercises at the end of each Chapter are reasonable enough to help anyone who is using this book as a tool to find out what works for them best to write magickal works. For this review I only read through the book but I know this is a tool I will be walking through myself. I personally can see where this book will be an asset to my abilities of writing my own rituals and forms of poetry for my craft, and can see this being a tool for many others who delve into their own writing passions.
I am very impressed with what this book, Composing Magic; How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessing, Chants and Prayers, really contains and feel this will be a tool for many Wizards who have the creative flare for magickal writing. You do have to have some previous knowledge of the rules of writing and of pagan terms to really appreciate this book to its fullest, yet anyone who wants to learn to write spiritual works would benefit reading and learning what this book has to offer.
Review by Suzette Haden Elgin
November 1, 2007
The Religious Language Newsletter
Volume 8, Issue 6 -- November/December 2007
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The Religious Language Newsletter (available by e-mail only) is written
and published every other month by Suzette Haden Elgin, Ph.D.
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#BookNote
Composing Magic: How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessings,
Chants, and Prayers, by Elizabeth Barrette; Franklin Lakes, NJ: New Page
Books; ISBNs 1-56414-935-8 and 978-1-56414-935-0. Paperback; 240 pages;
bibliography and index; $14.99.
Elizabeth Barrette opens this manual for Pagan writers by saying (on page
13) "You hold in your hands a guide to magical and spiritual writing." And
she notes: "If you are not Pagan, but intrigued by magical and spiritual
writing in general, you can still find much useful information here. The
processes of writing and connecting with divinity remain similar, though
the details may vary."
The twelve chapter titles are: One: The Basics; Two: The Writing Process;
Three: Writing Tools and Techniques; Four: Making Magical Poetry -- Basic
Forms; Five: Making Magical Poetry -- Additional Forms; Six: Spinning
Special Spells; Seven: Creating Colorful Chants; Eight: Preparing Powerful
Prayers; Nine: Bestowing Beautiful Blessings; Ten: Writing Wonderful
Rituals -- The Parts; Eleven: Writing Wonderful Rituals -- The Process;
Twelve: Sharing Your Work. The chapters are thorough and detailed, with a
set of useful exercises at the end of each one; and Barrette provides an
abundance of illustrative examples and patterns.
Barrette warns on page 13 that this "isn't a suitable 'first' book for
novices," and I agree. In particular, Chapters Three, Four, and Five are
information-dense and difficult; I would consider them suitable only for
readers who are already thoroughly versed in the technical terminology and
concepts of writing or who have a competent instructor at hand to guide
them through the material. The rest of the book is far more accessible,
and is an interesting as well as informative read.
Here is a sample from page 119, to give you an idea of the style and
flavor:
"A spell is a magical composition that the caster's Will can use to
reshape reality. Most spells combine words, actions, and objects to create
a kind of 'handle' for the Will to grasp, rather like using a wrench to
tighten or loosen a nut that wouldn't yield to fingers alone. It's
tempting to grap the shiny new tool and start playing with it -- but wait.
First you need to know what you're trying to accomplish. Spellcraft holds
great power, so approach it with respect."
Review by Estara T'shirai
Composing Magic by Elizabeth Barrette.
Good stuff, and I'm not just saying that because she's friended on my livejournal. ;P This book is about writing for ritual and spellwork. As such, it's a dash of the usual beginner-Pagan material (pink for love, blahblahblah) and a lot about the forms of poetry and language, rhyme and meter, and generally the sorts of things mundanes learn in a poetry or creative writing class. I think the community really needs this: I see so many chants and spell-rhymes written in a voice reminiscent of my friend Karen's quintessential wrap-up of the Bad Hallmark Poem:
I always like to see you smile
Because you're really sweet and a great friend and I would walk a mile.
For you.
There are plenty of examples of non-suckful poetry and prose, and plenty of exercises. So I don't want to see any more Bad Hallmark Poems in my Pagan books from now on. Okay?
This originally appeared on Estara T'shirai's LiveJournal in a friends-locked post. Reprinted here with permission.
Good stuff, and I'm not just saying that because she's friended on my livejournal. ;P This book is about writing for ritual and spellwork. As such, it's a dash of the usual beginner-Pagan material (pink for love, blahblahblah) and a lot about the forms of poetry and language, rhyme and meter, and generally the sorts of things mundanes learn in a poetry or creative writing class. I think the community really needs this: I see so many chants and spell-rhymes written in a voice reminiscent of my friend Karen's quintessential wrap-up of the Bad Hallmark Poem:
I always like to see you smile
Because you're really sweet and a great friend and I would walk a mile.
For you.
There are plenty of examples of non-suckful poetry and prose, and plenty of exercises. So I don't want to see any more Bad Hallmark Poems in my Pagan books from now on. Okay?
This originally appeared on Estara T'shirai's LiveJournal in a friends-locked post. Reprinted here with permission.
Review by Ideealisme
Friday I got Ysabetwordsmith's book Composing Magic in the post, which I had ordered from Amazon. I was very impressed -- nicely produced, well written and laid out and didn't skimp on detail. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in magic, rituals, or the creation of anything using directed will. I learned a lot about rituals and how they work as well as the principles of writing metre, a lot of which I was aware of, but needed a refresh.
Oddly enough it also made me think a lot about songs and singing, how they can be used to create ritual and put the mind in the right space for magical concentration. This is because, as I noted on a post in composers_forum a while back, there is something in singing that jumps over the conscious mind -- I mean the mind that infers, ironises, analyses. Simple, metric, repetitive words can have far more power in a sung context than they would just plainly spoken.
This review originally appeared in a friends-locked LiveJournal post, and is reprinted here with permission.
Oddly enough it also made me think a lot about songs and singing, how they can be used to create ritual and put the mind in the right space for magical concentration. This is because, as I noted on a post in composers_forum a while back, there is something in singing that jumps over the conscious mind -- I mean the mind that infers, ironises, analyses. Simple, metric, repetitive words can have far more power in a sung context than they would just plainly spoken.
This review originally appeared in a friends-locked LiveJournal post, and is reprinted here with permission.
Links
Read more reviews of Composing Magic on other websites.
Review by Daven. (5 of 5 stars.)
Amazon customer reviews. (5 of 5 stars.)
Barnes & Noble (No reviews or ratings yet. Be the first!)
View ratings on GoodReads. (4.17 of 5 stars.)
View listing on LibraryThing. (4 of 4 stars. No reviews yet. Be the first!)
Review by Daven. (5 of 5 stars.)
Amazon customer reviews. (5 of 5 stars.)
Barnes & Noble (No reviews or ratings yet. Be the first!)
View ratings on GoodReads. (4.17 of 5 stars.)
View listing on LibraryThing. (4 of 4 stars. No reviews yet. Be the first!)