An Introduction to Magic

April 1, 2024
Van De Car (Wellness Witch) teams up with Mikaila Adriance (Candle Magic), Pliny T. Young, and Eugene Fletcher (Fairies Oracle Deck) for a concise and visually appealing beginner’s guide to magic. In sections devoted to crystals, fairies, palmistry, tarot, and the zodiac, the authors provide basic advice for using crystals during meditation and reading tarot with a three-card spread; background on the symbolism of the heart, head, and life lines in palmistry; and an eclectic cultural history that touches, among other topics, on fairies in literature and myth. Newbies might wish for more hands-on guidance than what’s presented in the relatively bare-bones meditation exercise and the chapter on fairies, which notes that whether such spirits “favor you ultimately depends on the kind of energy you exude” but doesn’t explain how readers might model such an energy. Still, the grounding in magical history is solid, and readers will be inspired by the authors’ viewpoint that magic “silently exists in the quiet moments of coincidence that occur in your daily life... you just need to know... how to look for it.” It’s a useful jumping-off point for those curious about developing their own magical practice. Illus.