Book review
Spellbound: The Secret Grimoire of Lucy Cavendish
by Lucy Cavendish
Pages: 208
“There is an immense natural power in the Universe … You have this natural power within you, and it is your birthright to learn how to work with it,” Lucy Cavendish writes in her book, Spellbound: The Secret Grimoire of Lucy Cavendish.
Working spells connects you to that power that flows through everything, and Cavendish offers enough information to harness that power. She gleaned the contents of this book from her personal journals, offering a grimoire – her collection of rules and laws that apply to magic and the craft, rituals, spells, potions, meditations and magickal notes.
This book provides a solid introduction to understanding nature’s powers and using them wisely. Beginning with laws and a history of spells, Cavendish presents a spell to connect to your magickal bloodline.
Chapter 3 continues with information to time the crafting and casting spells by the moon and the circle of the year. Building altars, magickal tools, casting a circle, calling the quarters and the art of magickal dressing are all covered. Working with deities is Chapter 8 while Chapter 9 covers creating sacred space for spellcasting.
Spells are treated matter-of-factually – without mystery – as an empowering path to greater abundance and joy.
Disagreeing with those who claim intent is everything, Cavendish writes, “Intent is vital. But it is not everything. … Without your commitment to gathering your ingredients, learning and studying, and casting, you only have the strong desire to do something. When your desire teams up with your commitment and your action, then you begin to create magick.”
Seven days worth of daily meditations, magic and spells offers readers the opportunity to create a magickal life in a powerful week that has the potential to be life changing.
Spells for love, protection, success and abundance complete the book. A few I found interesting include a spell for letting go of grief and one for empaths to protect themselves. A glossary and a list of magickal ingredients round out the book.
I think anyone ready to take spell crafting seriously will find this a helpful guide.
About Author Lucy Cavendish
Lucy Cavendish is an eclectic solitary witch – drawing from a variety of belief systems and magickal traditions – who sometimes works with others. She created Witchcraft magazine, has published several books and has been a feature writer for Australian magazines.
“I work with the word ‘witch’ because its root meaning is to ‘change or bend’ and ‘wisdom’. Thus I see witchcraft as being a path of change and manifestation, from natural sources, and in harmony with natural cycles, and with awareness of the Laws of the Universe – which, to me, are wisdom incarnate,” she wrote.
For more information, visit lucycavendish.com.au.
Spellbound: The Secret Grimoire of Lucy Cavendish on Amazon
***
About the Author:
Lynn Woike was 50 – divorced and living on her own for the first time – before she consciously began practicing as a self taught solitary witch. She draws on an eclectic mix of old ways she has studied – from her Sicilian and Germanic heritage to Zen and astrology, the fae, Buddhism, Celtic, the Kabbalah, Norse and Native American – pulling from each as she is guided. She practices yoga, reads Tarot and uses Reiki. From the time she was little, she has loved stories, making her job as the editor of two monthly newspapers seem less than the work it is because of the stories she gets to tell. She lives with her large white cat, Pyewacket, in central Connecticut. You can follow her boards on Pinterest, and write to her at woikelynn at gmail dot com.
