MASTERING WITCHCRAFT: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks, and Covens

There seems little doubt that Occultism is on my blood having been able to see spirits since I was a small child, because of this since I started work I have built up a considerable collection of books relating to the occult in all its differing forms. Mastering Witchcraft by Paul Huson should be a 'must have' book for anyone considering looking into or becoming embroiled in witchcraft, it has achieved a perfect balance between what is actually known and what isn't, gives one a decent non-complicated rendition of witchcraft as it should be not the wishy washy rubbish churned out these days and called wicca but proper witchcraft, witchcraft handed down to us from our forefathers or foremothers? and shows itself to be the proper formula for our survival. Our elders knew the benefits of using natures products, something scientists have only just started to recognise and in doing so are destroying the rain-forests to obtain the 'elixir of life', fools that they are. Witches, shamen, call them what you will had knowledge of the beneficial use of natures goods were condemned by the church who hated the fact that more people turned to them than to the local priest and therefore called it heresy or witchcraft and made it a sin against god which resulted in over a million people being hung or burnt at the stake, so much for religion being enlightened! Despite these dangers the old ways survived maybe not in the way they originally were but enough to keep the craft going and now of course its back to where it should be, another religion equal to any other. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who wishes to know what witchcraft is all about and how it fits into our modern day world, a book that you will keep for years as a reference to everything else you will undoubtedly come across in your research into the subject matter. Go for it you wont be disappointed.

This book has printing issues. Half the book has words missing. Not a reflection on the author or the subject but if I were looking to buy it again I'd look for the original issue, not this reprint.

This book started off great but then got a bit sinister. Talking about reciting prayers backwards. I have read a lot of books on witchcraft and this is the first that has mentioned this. Bit dark for my taste. Wouldn't recommend. Stay in the light.

Fantastic and very helpful, informative book about old school practical witchcraft. None of your love and light here! Super hands on and well written, with a great tongue in cheek tone.

Still reading this good book.

I think the thing which the reader has to remember about this book is the original publishing date. This text was first made popular back in the 1970s, when for a large number of people Wiccan and Pagan were often interchangeable terms. While this book is obviously not written by a Wiccan (as he does not practise the "harm none" approach and includes cursing, love spells etc) large parts of it are based on Wiccan concepts, which really bothered me. As a Traditional Witch I was expecting something a little more separate, and I would argue with the description of the book which says the author is trying to offer "traditional European Witchcraft as a craft rather than a New Age religion."This is not to say that the book is simply a Wiccan text in disguise; to his credit the author draws on several different sources including the Cabalistic teachings and practices, Freemasonry etc. But these were not properly explained or referenced, so the reader is left pondering what sources he used, or at worst completely bypasses the references altogether without realizing.The writing style struck me as pompous and a little bit patronizing - which surprised me as it takes a lot to get my back up about a person's writing style! The author does take himself extremely seriously, and you have to be prepared for overuse of the phrases "the Black Arts" and "so mote it be".He begins the main text with a way to dedicate yourself to starting your path which personally I think is completely unnecessary, although I appreciate the historical relevance and can see why he included it: his method is to recite the Lord's Prayer backwards for three successive nights. The idea is to free yourself of the "shackles" of organized religion and the idea of blasphemy.I think my real issue is that this book is very much an instruction manual, without the inclusion of the "why". There is frequently no explanation of the reason for doing things - you simply do them. He does, however, go into good detail on theory such as the witches' pyramid (again no sourcing listed in the book, but from a quick google search I believe it is originally Hermetic, probably at least predating 1861, and among other names is also known as the Four Rules of the Magus).He also mentions that you should never bargain for magical objects but just accept the initial price, which if you ask me is a ludicrous rule to include in a book on general magical theory, and certainly not a rule every down to earth, everyday witch needs to follow.All in all if you want a book to show you how to perform what I would agree is largely ceremonial magic then you have come to the right place. If you are someone who prefers a wilder, more primal magic without large numbers of rules and with more of a focus on nature, you're probably better off spending your money elsewhere.

I found this book pretentious with very little room for interpretation. I got the impression that the author believes that in order to become a witch, "warlock" or "wizard" (I don't know anyone who reffers to themselves as a warlock or wizard), you must follow this book to the letter.Not a bad book, just not for me.

Fantastic read, very informative on traditonal withcraft.