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The only thing ancient in this book is the details on the cultures and civilizations which developed these spells. Otherwise, it is a book about American-style, disposable, video-game magick. The explanations are simplistic; the concept of sacrifice is and effort is downplayed to the point where it is easily forgotten. If something is inconvenient, then change it...WRONG! Sometimes you have to make the extra effort to show your dedication to the deity being asked for aid.
Ms. Perry provides a useful, brief overview of the cultures which were the basis for the spells which appear alter in the work. The map provided could have benefited, in my opinion, by being spread over two pages, and through use of more diverse methods of indicating the extent of the various cultures.
Before I finished the first chapter ("Casting Spells") I knew I was going to have trouble with this book. Not that it is badly written--It Isn’t! But, with the training I have had in magick, a statement such as "...simplified versions of the ancient spells are easy to perform wherever we might be, using supplies that are easy to find in the modern world." is just asking for trouble to happen. While an experienced, ceremonially trained magician might be able to get away with some minor substitutions with no ill effects, it is NOT in the province of the average Kitchen Witch. Taking a totally mundane example, if your home is wired with 20 amp fuses or circuit breakers and you replace them with 30 amp fuses or circuit breakers, you could have a disaster before they would trip. Not a good idea. One of the reasons spells are NOT simple and easy to do, is that we must, in my opinion, be VERY sure of our intent. If it is going to take you a month to prepare to do a spell, you will give it far more consideration than one you can throw together in a day or less. Ms. Perry’s admonition to use the spells only for beneficial magick and adhering to the Wiccan Rede is good. But without a thorough knowledge of the cultural context of the deity involved, again, problems could easily manifest. I respect and admire her repetition of the warning to be very sure what you want and that you must be willing to do what is necessary. That cannot be repeated often enough, to my way of thinking. It was nice to see her deal with the subject of sacrifice honestly. There HAVE been human and animal sacrifices in the past. And, although most Neo-Pagans today abhor to concept, animal sacrifices continue (ritually by Kosher Jews, and materialistically by the local slaughter house for human, not divine consumption). Most Neo-Pagans I know have a knee-jerk reaction to the word sacrifice, and never stop to consider that making the time to do a ritual correctly, and spending the money or effort to obtain the proper ingredients constitutes a sacrifice. Her comment, on page 57, that a human sacrifice in no longer acceptable or necessary needs, in my opinion, to be qualified. It is no longer acceptable to humans. Rhea would gladly receive such a sacrifice. Since blood is such an important component in many ancient sacrifices, would-be magicians might want to consider making an appointment at the appropriate time to donate blood to their local blood bank. As the blood is being drawn, they could silently dedicate it to the appropriate deity, thus benefiting their spell, the deity involved, and their fellow man. Substituting non-alcoholic drink for wine, mead or beer will work in probably 99% of the cases. In some cases, however, it is the fermentation which is important. In these cases you may, as Ms. Perry notes, dilute the beverage. One High priest I know used to make "Pagan Kool Aid" for the youngsters at ritual - four or five parts of water to one part wine - while we adults got "civilized wine" - equal parts water and wine (in his words, "Only barbarians drink wine straight."). The author’s continuing reminders to concentrate on the ultimate goal without attempting to dictate the path there is one that every aspiring magick worker should heed. The adage "Be careful what you wish for - You might get it" should be emblazoned in every temple, and on every page of the student magician’s workbook. On the one hand, her reminders to be serious and respectful in our dealings with deities and with our sacrifices are well placed and meant. And I was taught to dispose of offerings outdoors if at all possible. Still, when one makes an edible offering as a sacrifice one does not expect the deity to actually consume the offering. ("What if they don’t come down and eat it?" was a question I was actually asked by another teacher’s student once, when I explained why I was making an offering). The ESSENCE of the offering is what is given in sacrifice. Then too, if the deity in question has an affinity with dogs or cats, it would be appropriate to give that offering to that particular animal. As far as the topic of libations is concerned, once again my training differs. I was taught to dedicate the libation appropriately, pour out a portion of it, consume some of it, then pour out the remainder, thus connecting the petitioner to the libation and through it to the deity involved. One other minor quibble I have is that no one knows how many of these deity names were pronounced since the languages (as well as the cultures) are extinct. Without knowing how to properly pronounce a name, there is always the possibility of appealing to a deity which could be the antithesis of what you think you are invoking. And, even more basically, some deities may not be understanding of mangled pronunciations of their names ("Let’s see, is it ‘Heh-CA-tay’ or ‘Heck-a-tay’ or ‘Heck-ca-tee’?"). Not all deities are "civilized, by our standards. When speaking about setting up a statue of Hera for home protection, Ms. Perry notes "...It does not have to be specifically of Hera..." I agree with that, as far as it goes. If you are setting up an altar to a specific deity and you can’t get a statuette of that particular deity, you need to, at the VERY least, place other symbols of that deity on or around the altar. In this case a peacock feather or even the image of a peacock feather would help to identify the altar as Hera’s. Sorry to say, this is not a book I would recommend. The sections on the deities are fine, but the spells don’t make it. |
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