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The Pagan Book of Halloween: A Complete Guide to the Magick, Incantations, Recipes, Spells, and Lore ReviewPublished by Penguin Compass in 2000, this book follows the same kind of format as the Halloween book by Silver Ravenwolf published by Llewellyn in 1999. The research for the history differs a little as is from some different sources, and focuses on the Celts in Briton and Ireland to the present. Ms. Dunwich then examines the symbolism of Halloween, Divination, magic spells, rituals and recipes.
In the history section, the retelling of the myths, legends and actual historical background of the holiday we know as Halloween is much more cut and dry than other volumes previously presented. There is, however, some spin placed on events. I did find some questionable conclusions and some errors in facts. The mention of a pagan deity "Muck-Olla" is not accurate, as this is a bull from Welsh legend, not a pagan god. Just one of many examples.
The bibliography that Ms. Dunwich draws from appears to be quite extensive, and covers much folklore, some pagan sources and some actual historical sources. Again, some questionable conclusions are drawn, in my opinion, as well as confusing or misrelating some facts.
She covers some of the traditions of this Holiday and how they became incorporated in today's modern celebration. She looks at Trick or Treating, Day of the Dead and shows the incorporation into today's customs. She then goes into the modern practices of Wicca and how this holiday has some mistaken associations, none of which are associated with Wicca, and gives her brief accounting of where this misinformation may have originated.
These areas are covered briefly, not delving into much detail and gives an overview of the topic. Ms. Dunwich refrains from spinning too much of this into an issue, which is, in my opinion, good but could have been better.
The Symbols part of the book covers the usual: bats, skeletons, jack-o'-lanterns, cats and cauldrons and more.
Ms. Dunwich includes more in a section entitled Legend and Lore, focusing on the fire, astrological and fairy associations as well as others. Irish and Briton lore is included, making for some interesting stories and reading.
She then takes a brief look at some herbs. She examines some herbal associations to flying ointments, as well as magical properties of some herbs associated with the holiday.
We come to some Superstitions and Omens, which covers such items as weather, candles, blood, cats, venturing off into old wives tales. "If the moon at Halloween is new, this indicates that the coming year will be fertile ground for new beginnings to take place, such as the start of a new project, a new career, or even a new way of thinking." Further examples are given.
She also covers Divinations and Incantations, or magic, such as crystal balls, love spells, apple magic, fire scrying, nut divination (the food) and much, much more.
Ms. Dunwich also includes a ritual which can be adapted by both covens and solitaries and offers a list of Gods and Goddesses connected with Halloween.
She offers some actual spells, for everything from keeping evil spirits at bay with garlic to blessings for the dead. And finally some recipes for food for that day's celebrations including Colcannon, mulled cider and soul cakes, to mention a few.
The book is a small one, pocket size, approximately 5 inches by 7 inches. The paper is typical paperback paper used commonly by Penguin books, and the cover is coated, giving it texture and making the lovely print of John Waterhouses "The Crystal Ball" stand out. The book is peppered with some small woodcut prints in black and white which have associations to the chapter contents. And it has an index for easy referencing.
The book makes a fair presentation of the holiday of Halloween but does not generally offend. Ms. Dunwich tells her stories in an easy to read fashion.
The fact that it mirrors the same kind of content as the Halloween book by Llewellyn from a year earlier makes this book almost redundant, except for the fact that Ms. Dunwich does add some of her own material here and there. But she covers similar ground, and the appeal here would be if you were a Gerina Dunwich fan rather than a Silver Ravenwolf fan you would find this book more appealing.
This book offers a simple overview on the various topics. A good book overall, but nothing to get excited about here unless you are a Gerina Dunwich fan. boudica
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