Offers the reader fresh insight into the realms of witchcraft and presents evidence that lends credence to the 'Craft of the Wise' - and indeed, to the 'supernatural' as a whole.
Paperback
,
208 pages
Published
June 1st 2000
by Robert Hale & Company
(first published September 1995)
I’m tempted to say the pages of this book turned themselves – it is an autobiography of a witch, after all.
I found it paradoxically credible in its matter-of-fact, non-sensationalised approach. It details why the author is a witch (you’re born that way), how she honed her talents (she was spotted and encouraged by other witches), and what kind of things she gets up to (fixing relationships, careers, finances).
Lois Bourne insists she is a white witch and only helps people in need, who seek her ou
I’m tempted to say the pages of this book turned themselves – it is an autobiography of a witch, after all.
I found it paradoxically credible in its matter-of-fact, non-sensationalised approach. It details why the author is a witch (you’re born that way), how she honed her talents (she was spotted and encouraged by other witches), and what kind of things she gets up to (fixing relationships, careers, finances).
Lois Bourne insists she is a white witch and only helps people in need, who seek her out. I was endeared by her unassuming manner, and her reluctance to rule out coincidence or suggestion as explanations for some of her successful spells. (Apparently, as you become more experienced as a witch, you can drop the actual spells and rely on will power alone to influence nature’s forces.)
Amusingly, she explains she can only help people who help themselves. If you want a great new job, it’s no good just enlisting her support – you must also put in some applications!
She says that, unlike many witches, she does not believe in reincarnation – but since witchcraft is a religion without a book of rules, that’s considered okay.
I suppose the scientist in me was left feeling a touch sceptical – you have to take the author at her word, and some corroboration of hard facts would strengthen the argument. However, the artist in me was sufficiently intrigued to be left feeling just a shade north of agnostic.
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I first found this book at the library around '89-early '90's, when I was a newbie, & borrowed it 3-4 times. Back then I would have given it 5 stars. Reading it again now I do rate it lower but ended up @ 4 stars for nostalgia's sake.
This was originally written in 1979 (though apparently revised in '86) so it predates the time when Wicca & the New Age movement were so huge. Reading Lois' experiences as a witch & psychic in 1960's & 1970's England is one of the high points of the
I first found this book at the library around '89-early '90's, when I was a newbie, & borrowed it 3-4 times. Back then I would have given it 5 stars. Reading it again now I do rate it lower but ended up @ 4 stars for nostalgia's sake.
This was originally written in 1979 (though apparently revised in '86) so it predates the time when Wicca & the New Age movement were so huge. Reading Lois' experiences as a witch & psychic in 1960's & 1970's England is one of the high points of the book.
Don't look here for a how-to guide or intricate description of religion or a historical reconstruction or ancient rites. This is one woman's daily experiences with English mid-century witchcraft. Apparently she did work alongside the famous witches of her time, such as Gerald Gardner, but there are no specific references to them (at least by name). She does site Phillip (Isaac) Bonewits more than once. (I looked it up & Phillip was his actual first name) apparently his book Real Magic was influential to her. Reading this, I wish average Americans were as accepting of eccentricity as the English are. Lois seems to be open about her lifestyle with little issue.
The first half of the book deals more with describing her background & then her psychic experiences. Experienced witches do develop specialties & this seems to be hers. This is obviously written by someone who's not a polished storyteller - it tends to read as stream of consciousness recollections of one experience after another, jumping from topic to topic. Here and there are nuggets of common sense & wisdom. Lois is quite down to earth, even at times saying a person she encountered just seems delusional or misguided when it seemed appropriate. I like that she wants her gifts "to be of service" to others - something that isn't emphasized as much by many witches in 2013.
By the second half of the book, she starts to get more into witchcraft. Again, this isn't a how-to guide. When discussing spells it's mostly recollections of "this person needed help for X, I did a spell & this was the result."
When I first read this book decades ago, there was very little available about Wicca/witchcraft so every nugget was precious. Now, there's not much described that is new or different. What makes the book so good is that describes years of real world experiences &, of course, Lois' take on them.
Many memoirs from witches & the like, sometime don't ring true. Either the author adds something here or there to make a better story, or there's the suspicion maybe it's all fake, or imaginary/dreamlike events are written as concrete. Maybe others got a different impression, but I read this as pretty accurate & earnest. I'll take that over more polished writing any day.
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