Practical Celtic Magic, A Working Guide to the Magical Heritage

by Murry Hope

The roots of Druid Magic and Northeastern Europe, especially Ireland and the United Kingdom as its historical core is emphasized in this book. A fanciful celebration of both folk myth and Celtic cultural history, the appearance of “vulgar” red haired Boudicaa to a Roman writer is compared to impression of overdecorated and vain Celts on their immediate neighbors.The comic-book Druid here is less a caricature than a fleshed out mythic character made real.

But Practical Celtic Magic, A Working Guide to the Magical Heritage does not stoop to any audience. Preteens may be as young as can understand some of literary and historical ideas outlined here. The writings of Plutarch and Polybius blend with folk songs and historical half-legend. There is a depth to this writing that is absorbing and suitable t an imaginative reader able to grasp (or look up) more complicated words and themes.

Although Hope paints her Celts as hedonistic and war-loving, their status as historical contemporaries of the Romans positions them in counterpoint to the polytheism of the day. Druids were powerful and administrators of justice, and their observance of Celtic religious rituals absolute. Irish mythological sources and the Welsh tradition bring many intriguing folk tales to light.

Practical Celtic Magic, A Working Guide to the Magical Heritage makes the runic world of ancient Ireland come alive with Arthurian grails and singing stones. These icons are the fabric behind the figures seen in classic Celtic fairy drawings and illustrations. Eddic Literature and connection to the emerging Christian tradition bridges the historical time of the Druids to the Enlightenment and then the New World. These Celtic traditions are the wellspring from “which” the witchcraft lore begins.

It’s unusual to think of Celtic Christianity and God but the entire Celtic ideal incorporates totemic symbolism of the horse with early Christian influences. The fantasy of bards and druids, trees and fairies is almost the cornerstone of literary works from British authors like C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. Not many people worry about splitting hairs between Celtic witch deities and Aryan ones, but the elements are well investigated and described. The Arthurian legends and Taliesin(Merlin) and Celtic trees are also touched on. This book fairly well describes the birth pangs of modern Wicca.

The Emerald Wand by Sherwood Smith purports to be a sort of follow-up to the Wizard of oz, but updated and with a changed Oz. The royal Ozma is the girl fairy queen, but there is a new Wicked Witch of the West, Bastinda. A tornado sweeps the Kansan relatives of Dorothy to Oz, where they sort things out. The kingdom is under an evil spell, which of course means a journey and a search for the magic wand. A good read for young girls and preteens and excellent for read aloud story hour.