Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71162 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Customer Reviews

Cute But Inaccurate
One of the neat things about Magick is that with the power of the imagination and the knowledge of how to direct energy, you can make any system work. It doesn't matter if much of what you're using as a system is the product of an undereducated "expert"--with the will and the way, Magick can happen.
And that is very fortunate for Miss Conway as if the preceding weren't true then this book would be worth not one penny. The two stars are for the fact that the ritual framework is not bad--I can see a beginner who doesn't know any better take control over more things in their life by following some of the spell instructions in this book. Other than that, this is a VERY poorly researched and almost comical look at authentic "Celtic Magic".
Firstly, I really disagree with the whole "including a self-initiation into a different religion without expressly telling the reader what it is" thing. She gives a modern Wiccan self-initiation without informing the reader of what Wicca REALLY is or without mentioning the fact that you don't need to initiate yourself into any particular faith in order to practice Celtic Magick. I find this sneaky and irresponsible.
Secondly, she doesn't give enough kudos to the Golden Dawn and other High Magickal traditions and groups for providing her with much of the material for her ritual framework and Tables of Correspondence. The whole Four Elements ritual "template" of modern Wicca derives directly from High Magickal and Ceremonial traditions and has nothing whatsoever to do with actual Celtic history/practice. Her Table for the God(s)/dess(es) in the back is a (rather poor) ripoff of Kabbalistic/Golden Dawn associations for the Celtic deities on the Tree Of Life and has nothing to do with genuine Celtic belief apart from deity names. If you're going to take from a source, be sure to cite it and admit it.
Overall, this book is not to be taken seriously for it's history, scholarship or descriptions of Celtic Magick. It should have been titled "Wiccan Self-Initiation and Magick With Celtic Deity Names" instead of "Celtic Magic". The only value in this book lies with the instructions on casting for a rank beginner and even for that there are better sources.

REALLY GOOD FOR CELTIC SOLITARIES
I bought this book because it seemed that it would have a lot of useful information on Manannan Mac Lir, a Celtic God who doesn't get much talk in other Wiccan ritual books. What I got was this and so much more. No, I don't agree with everything in it, but I think it's really an excellent book overall.

Celtic Magic is jam-packed for the size that it is and it has a huge table of correspondences; much more than some big Wicca books. I really like the writer's style. The ritual outlines for the seasonal celebrations and the rite of self-dedication are terrific! I can see myself doing all of them. They're simple yet very powerful for a solitary practice.

I'm not new to Wiccan practice, but I've read more books than done actual rituals over the years because I just haven't felt that confident in my ritual practice, but like I said, these rituals are explained in such a simple way that I feel confident to do them and I have truly been enriched by using this book. I've gained a lot of confidence before the Gods and taken the ritual outlines provided here and made them my own by modifying them to suit my needs.

Because I have read a wide variety of Pagan authors, I can say that Ms. Conway truly does know her stuff as far as Wiccan practice. Is all her mythic information accurate? I'm not sure Alexei Kondratiev would think so, but I found his writing to be dry, dull, and difficult to digest. If one cannot stay with a book, how much is one really going to learn anyway? Aren't some perceptions aboout God/desses going to change a bit with the times in which they're being worshiped? I believe they do. My needs aren't the same as someone in 300 BCE. The worship of the Old Ones changes as we change. I still think They're glad when I call on Them and make Them a meaningful part of my life.

Wicca by Scott Cunningham is one of those simple books--simple yet powerful to those who put his rituals into practice, but it doesn't have a strong Celtic slant. It's a mixed bag as far as pantheons. Celtic Magic does have a strong Celtic slant so whether you're a beginner or you're experienced and just looking to go in a more Celtic direction I recommend this book. I found it satisfying and very usable and I will be buying more books by this author.

GOOD BEGINNERS
This books is great for basic knowledge for beginners. However, if you're are like me and like to read about all types of heritages, e.g. celtic, norse, germanic. Don't bother with these books. Conway has a Norse Magic book that is nearly verbatim to the Celtic Magic... Wan't too happy about that...