From apples to yams, buckwheat to wolfbane, and dragons to doorknobs,The Encyclopedia of Magickal Ingredients, A Wiccan Guide to Spellcasting, by Lexa Rosean, provides a comprehensive alphabetical listing of herbs, flowers, spices, fruits, metals, grains, words and objects that empower spells -- providing the practitioner knows how to use them.
Lexa Rosean, Wiccan High Priestess and Supermarket Sorceress
Psychic and Wiccan high priestess, Rosean is the author of many Wiccan books on a variety of subjects including tarot, spells, paganism and the Goddess. Her writings also have been included in American and German lesbian fiction anthologies and other German literature.
One of Rosean's most well-known and popular books is The Supermarket Sorceress (NY: St. Martin's Press, 1996), a book of shadows for the suburban kitchen.
The Encyclopedia of Magickal Ingredients, Compendium of Vegetable, Mineral, Metal, Food, Wood, Gem and More
Rosean's Encyclopedia assembles more than 500 ingredients for magickal application. Especially useful are her "Magickal Tables" at the back of the book, which groups the ingredients according to their beneficial category:
- beauty
- blessing
- communications
- creativity
- employment
- fertility
- friendship/social
- happiness
- health
- hexing
- love
- luck
- power
- protection
- psychic
- purification/cleansing
- relationship
- sex
- spiritual
- stress-reduction
- success
- travel
- wealth
- wisdom
For more information and guidance about using an ingredient listed for one of these purposes, the reader turns to the ingredient's detailed entry in the book.
Each item's entry provides its astrological "Ruler," (e.g. moon), its "Type," (e.g., herb, vegetable, metal, wood), and the "Magickal Form" in which it is used (e.g., stalk, root, leaf, oil, polished gem), accompanied by an explanation of how the ingredient is used to work magic.
The Value and Use of Magickal Plants, Minerals and Items in Rosean's Encyclopedia
It is in the explanation that this book is likely to disappoint those who expect detailed spell recipes. Although the book is subtitled A Wiccan Guide to Spellcasting, it is not a how-to for casting fully developed, specifically focused spells.
Instead, as a guide, The Encyclopedia of Magickal Ingredients is a starting point. It explains the magical purpose, type of spells and general application of the listed ingredients. For example, some entries state a simple use, such as the one advising eating hearts of palm on a Friday or Sunday to increase sexual stamina.
Some entries suggest generalized uses without instruction on specific spells, such as the short statement of the use of alfalfa seeds in "prosperity rituals."
It is not always clear how some of the ingredients must be prepared for a spell, such as ground with mortar and pestle, powdered, brewed or used whole. In these instances, the reader must draw on personal knowledge or other sources.
Rosean's approach with this book is simply to provide a reference of ingredients' general use and timing for the practitioner's further development of personal spellcraft. Other related Wiccan vocabulary, such as "altar," are also included.
The value of Rosean's Encyclopedia is its place in the practitioner or researcher's library. It is a handy reference to be consulted in conjunction with a personal book of shadows or other guides, such as Silver Ravenwolf's A Witch's Notebook: Lessons in Witchcraft or Rosean's own spellbook, Easy Enchantments (NY: St. Martin's Press, 1999). It is also a useful aid when developing new spells.
Reviewed: Rosean, Lexa. The Encyclopedia of Magickal Ingredients, A Wiccan Guide to Spellcasting, (NY: Paraview Pocket Books, 2005), ISBN-10: 1416501584.
Linda Ashar - Linda C. Ashar is a lawyer, educator, horse breeder, freelance writer, and artist. Her 25-year law practice in Avon, Ohio, focuses on ...
