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Spells from Scratch: How to Craft Spells that Work
Cast Effective Spells Without the Hocus Pocus Your days of relying on the sometimes-dubious work of others are over because anyone―especially you―can learn to write and execute unique enchantments. More than just a collection of ready-made spells, this book explores well-established principles of magic that will support your practice and improve castings written by others. Discover what steps are required to create a spell, when to cast spells for the best results, and how to use correspondences to fuel your magic. Harness the power of sigils, brew healing potions, create amulets to protect against evil, give life to Thoughtforms for long-lasting magic, and more. With Phoenix Silverstar's guidance, you can take your magic into your own hands by casting potent bewitchments that are specific to your exact wants and needs.
336 pages, Paperback
Published November 8, 2022
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66 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 19, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley and Llewelyn for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This beginner’s book is definitely from the view point of a Wiccan. I want to note that this isn’t everyone’s path. She goes in-depth about karma and not casting spells without someone’s consent, which isn’t everyone’s practice.
She mentions Hindu gods and goddesses, because she lived in India -but said that because she lived there and had those who were ok with her practice, she was using culture appreciation. I feel like this walked a fine line and I’m not completely sure if it crossed it or not.
She goes into depth about astrology and what days of the week will help you, as well as moon phases and even runes. Again, this can be helpful for beginners.
While I won’t be incorporating most of the suggestions that she put into her book, I do think the first half is helpful for beginner witches, but I would definitely encourage them to read outside this book as well.
This beginner’s book is definitely from the view point of a Wiccan. I want to note that this isn’t everyone’s path. She goes in-depth about karma and not casting spells without someone’s consent, which isn’t everyone’s practice.
She mentions Hindu gods and goddesses, because she lived in India -but said that because she lived there and had those who were ok with her practice, she was using culture appreciation. I feel like this walked a fine line and I’m not completely sure if it crossed it or not.
She goes into depth about astrology and what days of the week will help you, as well as moon phases and even runes. Again, this can be helpful for beginners.
While I won’t be incorporating most of the suggestions that she put into her book, I do think the first half is helpful for beginner witches, but I would definitely encourage them to read outside this book as well.
September 12, 2022
Finally a book I can read an understand well enough to truly get me started ! Thank u thank u thank u!
I can’t wait to purchase this in order to have a physical copy, a “spell bible” as u will 🙃
I can’t wait to purchase this in order to have a physical copy, a “spell bible” as u will 🙃
August 21, 2022
Thank you so much to Llewellyn publications and Netgalley for providing me with an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a great book. I would definitely reccomended this for intermediate level practitioners looking to expand their knowledge of spell crafting.
It's formatted nicely, easy to read while still providing a great ammount of information. Good balance of substance without it feeling drawn out or academic.
I really appreciate the author sharing upfront the life experiences and background that may impact the information in the book. Her background in Wicca, marrying into an Indian Hindu family, being raised in Sweden etc.
Although this book definitely has Wiccan influences it's written in a way that can be used by anyone. Pagans, eclectic witches, and non religious practitioners will all find good information here.
Another thing I really like is that this book encourages you to seek out furher knowledge, rather than claiming to provide all of the information you might possibly need.
I can definitely see myself using this as a reference, I'm looking forward to trying some of the exercises and incorporating this information into my practice.
This is a great book. I would definitely reccomended this for intermediate level practitioners looking to expand their knowledge of spell crafting.
It's formatted nicely, easy to read while still providing a great ammount of information. Good balance of substance without it feeling drawn out or academic.
I really appreciate the author sharing upfront the life experiences and background that may impact the information in the book. Her background in Wicca, marrying into an Indian Hindu family, being raised in Sweden etc.
Although this book definitely has Wiccan influences it's written in a way that can be used by anyone. Pagans, eclectic witches, and non religious practitioners will all find good information here.
Another thing I really like is that this book encourages you to seek out furher knowledge, rather than claiming to provide all of the information you might possibly need.
I can definitely see myself using this as a reference, I'm looking forward to trying some of the exercises and incorporating this information into my practice.
January 4, 2023
The first and last reference you will need for understanding the direction of your craft.
I had no idea this was the book my library was so desperately lacking.
Understandably, there is a surplus of material on Wicca and the occult. Often to the point of overwhelm when I am trying to deep dive into different facets of the craft. Most days it feels easier to find a spell book made by someone else and follow their rituals in an attempt to home my own craft. However, following a rubric is far different from comprehending the material and letting it work for me.
Phoenix Silverstar has demystified the practice of the craft, breaking down everything from honoring deities to using runes and ultimately, crafting your own spells. By taking the art and breaking it down into comprehensive nuggets, I can now say that I am prepared to honor my solo practice with confidence.
This is definitely a book that I will be adding to my collection and referencing often. A Must for anyone who has ever needed a jumping-off point.
[Thank you to NetGalley and Llewellyn Publications for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]
I had no idea this was the book my library was so desperately lacking.
Understandably, there is a surplus of material on Wicca and the occult. Often to the point of overwhelm when I am trying to deep dive into different facets of the craft. Most days it feels easier to find a spell book made by someone else and follow their rituals in an attempt to home my own craft. However, following a rubric is far different from comprehending the material and letting it work for me.
Phoenix Silverstar has demystified the practice of the craft, breaking down everything from honoring deities to using runes and ultimately, crafting your own spells. By taking the art and breaking it down into comprehensive nuggets, I can now say that I am prepared to honor my solo practice with confidence.
This is definitely a book that I will be adding to my collection and referencing often. A Must for anyone who has ever needed a jumping-off point.
[Thank you to NetGalley and Llewellyn Publications for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]
August 18, 2022
3/5 stars!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a very interesting and comprehensive book teaching the readers how to make spells from scratch. I appreciate the author adding a chapter and passages about ethics and how to do magic ethically which most books about witchcraft and spells I've encountered don't have those and pretend as if there's no reaction for every action put out in the universe. I personally will not incorporate majority of what is included in here just because of the fact that I am lazy and I am not doing any of that hard work just for a spell. But I believe this can help beginners or even those that have already honed their skills since this book offers lots of ways to make spells and basically there's a lot of ideas that readers can get something from it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a very interesting and comprehensive book teaching the readers how to make spells from scratch. I appreciate the author adding a chapter and passages about ethics and how to do magic ethically which most books about witchcraft and spells I've encountered don't have those and pretend as if there's no reaction for every action put out in the universe. I personally will not incorporate majority of what is included in here just because of the fact that I am lazy and I am not doing any of that hard work just for a spell. But I believe this can help beginners or even those that have already honed their skills since this book offers lots of ways to make spells and basically there's a lot of ideas that readers can get something from it.
October 11, 2022
2.5 Stars
I’ve read quite a few introductory books about magic and, in my opinion, there are better ones out there. A lot of the information given wasn’t as well explained as it should be. There were lots of times where I wished some topics got more than just a paragraph. There were also a couple moments, for example in chapter 2, where I felt like the author skewed in the direction of their own opinions, rather than leaving the reader to reach their own conclusions, which I think is very important when exploring magic. It was probably unintentional, yet noticeable. The spells provided seemed good for beginners, so this could be a good book for you, if that’s all you’re looking for and if you already have a good grasp in the basics of Witchcraft and Wicca.
I’ve read quite a few introductory books about magic and, in my opinion, there are better ones out there. A lot of the information given wasn’t as well explained as it should be. There were lots of times where I wished some topics got more than just a paragraph. There were also a couple moments, for example in chapter 2, where I felt like the author skewed in the direction of their own opinions, rather than leaving the reader to reach their own conclusions, which I think is very important when exploring magic. It was probably unintentional, yet noticeable. The spells provided seemed good for beginners, so this could be a good book for you, if that’s all you’re looking for and if you already have a good grasp in the basics of Witchcraft and Wicca.
October 21, 2022
I Just Love This Book
Phoenix Silverstar provides information on what spells are and what a witch is. She provides her definition of a spell stating that it is a mechanism for making the possible probable, that magic is not miracles, and in order to be successful, what you wish to manifest must first be created on the astral plane.
She explains the planes of existence by stating that there are many planes in our existence, however, this book will be concerned with the physical plane, where you experience mundane life, and where a chair is a chair that you can touch and feel, and also with the astral plane, where all consciousness and universal unconsciousness resides, and where a chair is a chair that only the astral body can move. She states that in order for anything to manifest on the physical plane, it must first exist on the astral plane. Some things come into existence on the astral plane all on their own, based on the will of deity or probabilistic rules, just like on the physical plane. Others, you create deliberately so that they can manifest in the physical plane. Creating on the astral plane is somewhat like creating the blueprint for the physical goal.
The author states that when you work alone, you can raise energy in several ways, which she describes in more detail in chaper 7. Then you send that energy to the time and place it needs to be by pushing it to where you visualize the goal as being manifest in the physical. Sometimes you push the energy all at once. Sometimes you put the energy into a spell object and let the magic release over time. To give a spell additional power, you can do something called magic layering. To do this, you need to know and use the laws of magic, but before you go there, you should read the rules that will keep you safe and make your magic more powerful.
Phoenix states that spells are not guaranteed to work, and that they can fail for a myriad of reasons. The most common cause of failure is that the practitioner lost faith in their ability to manifest that goal, and if we question or are uncertain this will immediately sends out signals to the Universe that the goal is in doubt. She states that we should always watch your thoughts, because if our mind is wandering, the spell gets attenuated, and nothing much is likely to happen as a result. Her final reason for a spell not working is that under “Acting in Accord.”), this means setting the stage so that the spell can work. It means making your goal possible so that the spell can then make it probable, that one should not block one' magic unintentionally - the power of thought making no provisions for it to work, thus, one need to make their goal possible so that magic can make it probable and if you are upset and start to doubt your magical abilities the spell will go wrong.
The author states that whenever you cast a spell, you should write a list of the steps that you need to take to enable the spell.
Below she provides a list of the parts of a spell that you need to think about:
1. A well-formed goal— what is to be manifest
2. The checklist for ensuring that the goal is sound
3. Ethics check
4. The time when the goal is to be reached
5. The list of steps for Acting in Accord
6. A set of correspondences for layering the spell, and where to get them or how to create them
7. The deity or deities that will support the goal being manifest, if you will use religious magic
8. Something from the person for whom you are working the spell
9. The incantation • When and where you will perform the spell
10. A list of all the items that are going to be required to cast the spell (gather the items ahead of time, as having to stop in the middle of casting a spell to run to grab a needed item is very disruptive and interferes with your power).
The author discusses Ethics and the Laws of Magic; magical timing (Lunar Timing), various symbols and sigils, correspondences - which are items or things that add additional layers of power to your spell work; and many types of spells.
This book provides a lot of great information, especially, in the chapters dealing with Ethics and the Laws of Magic, where she discusses Religious Magic identifying various deities and acknowledging how to call upon them. One of her most interesting chapters that stood out for me is the dealing with spell ingredients. In this chapter, the author provides spells requiring No ingredients, one ingredient, two ingredients, all the way to ten ingredients.
This book is full of a lot of helpful information, that can be beneficial to anyone, from the novice to an adept. I feel it would be a great reference book for anyone's library. Highly recommend.
Phoenix Silverstar provides information on what spells are and what a witch is. She provides her definition of a spell stating that it is a mechanism for making the possible probable, that magic is not miracles, and in order to be successful, what you wish to manifest must first be created on the astral plane.
She explains the planes of existence by stating that there are many planes in our existence, however, this book will be concerned with the physical plane, where you experience mundane life, and where a chair is a chair that you can touch and feel, and also with the astral plane, where all consciousness and universal unconsciousness resides, and where a chair is a chair that only the astral body can move. She states that in order for anything to manifest on the physical plane, it must first exist on the astral plane. Some things come into existence on the astral plane all on their own, based on the will of deity or probabilistic rules, just like on the physical plane. Others, you create deliberately so that they can manifest in the physical plane. Creating on the astral plane is somewhat like creating the blueprint for the physical goal.
The author states that when you work alone, you can raise energy in several ways, which she describes in more detail in chaper 7. Then you send that energy to the time and place it needs to be by pushing it to where you visualize the goal as being manifest in the physical. Sometimes you push the energy all at once. Sometimes you put the energy into a spell object and let the magic release over time. To give a spell additional power, you can do something called magic layering. To do this, you need to know and use the laws of magic, but before you go there, you should read the rules that will keep you safe and make your magic more powerful.
Phoenix states that spells are not guaranteed to work, and that they can fail for a myriad of reasons. The most common cause of failure is that the practitioner lost faith in their ability to manifest that goal, and if we question or are uncertain this will immediately sends out signals to the Universe that the goal is in doubt. She states that we should always watch your thoughts, because if our mind is wandering, the spell gets attenuated, and nothing much is likely to happen as a result. Her final reason for a spell not working is that under “Acting in Accord.”), this means setting the stage so that the spell can work. It means making your goal possible so that the spell can then make it probable, that one should not block one' magic unintentionally - the power of thought making no provisions for it to work, thus, one need to make their goal possible so that magic can make it probable and if you are upset and start to doubt your magical abilities the spell will go wrong.
The author states that whenever you cast a spell, you should write a list of the steps that you need to take to enable the spell.
Below she provides a list of the parts of a spell that you need to think about:
1. A well-formed goal— what is to be manifest
2. The checklist for ensuring that the goal is sound
3. Ethics check
4. The time when the goal is to be reached
5. The list of steps for Acting in Accord
6. A set of correspondences for layering the spell, and where to get them or how to create them
7. The deity or deities that will support the goal being manifest, if you will use religious magic
8. Something from the person for whom you are working the spell
9. The incantation • When and where you will perform the spell
10. A list of all the items that are going to be required to cast the spell (gather the items ahead of time, as having to stop in the middle of casting a spell to run to grab a needed item is very disruptive and interferes with your power).
The author discusses Ethics and the Laws of Magic; magical timing (Lunar Timing), various symbols and sigils, correspondences - which are items or things that add additional layers of power to your spell work; and many types of spells.
This book provides a lot of great information, especially, in the chapters dealing with Ethics and the Laws of Magic, where she discusses Religious Magic identifying various deities and acknowledging how to call upon them. One of her most interesting chapters that stood out for me is the dealing with spell ingredients. In this chapter, the author provides spells requiring No ingredients, one ingredient, two ingredients, all the way to ten ingredients.
This book is full of a lot of helpful information, that can be beneficial to anyone, from the novice to an adept. I feel it would be a great reference book for anyone's library. Highly recommend.
June 3, 2025
The author claims to try not to incorporate too much Wiccan practices into the book, buuuut they definitely do.
Of course they preach the rule of 3s and "do no harm" - explaining their own ethics around what that includes. But then there's some odd things like when they introduce jar spells they tell the reader they must bury the bottle - as of that's a hard rule (it absolutely is not).
A good portion of the book goes into all of the different kinds of correspondences. This is good for beginners and I guess others who might be pigeon holed into only doing one kind of spell. Was pretty useless to me, though.
The other half of the book goes into types of spells like cords, candles, cooking in the kitchen, using nature, etc. Some good ideas mixed in here.
Also, people need to learn the definition of "cultural appropriation" - this happens when someone who does not belong to a culture takes part of that culture and SELLS it as if it is their own. If you respect and admire another culture and you want to worship their deities in the privacy of your own home - you do not need anyone's permission to do so and that's not appropriating.
Of course they preach the rule of 3s and "do no harm" - explaining their own ethics around what that includes. But then there's some odd things like when they introduce jar spells they tell the reader they must bury the bottle - as of that's a hard rule (it absolutely is not).
A good portion of the book goes into all of the different kinds of correspondences. This is good for beginners and I guess others who might be pigeon holed into only doing one kind of spell. Was pretty useless to me, though.
The other half of the book goes into types of spells like cords, candles, cooking in the kitchen, using nature, etc. Some good ideas mixed in here.
Also, people need to learn the definition of "cultural appropriation" - this happens when someone who does not belong to a culture takes part of that culture and SELLS it as if it is their own. If you respect and admire another culture and you want to worship their deities in the privacy of your own home - you do not need anyone's permission to do so and that's not appropriating.
August 15, 2022
Very lucid advices how to practice and create spells in magic are selflessly shared in this book. Most of techniques are presented in much more detailed view than what is usually standard with this kind of teachings. And that will greatly help you to better understand these methods and those from other systems of magic and how to use many tools in practical and often very simple way. Just few sentences and terms could be better explained, not just leave them to "hanging in the air". Beautiful, interesting and valuable book!
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November 22, 2022Spells from Scratch is a great addition to any new witchy shelf to help learn the basics of spell work. The first part of the book covers the groundwork such as intention, sigil, colors, and flowers. The next part delves in more deeply of common spells and more.
Silverstar keeps her explanations simple and easy to understand.
I recommend this one for beginners to build their knowledge. Thanks Netgalley and Llewellyn for the read!
Silverstar keeps her explanations simple and easy to understand.
I recommend this one for beginners to build their knowledge. Thanks Netgalley and Llewellyn for the read!
August 17, 2022
I wouldn’t recommend this book for a beginner, but someone who has basic knowledge and wants to deep dive into more knowledge on this topic. The author is knowledgeable and give well rounded information on the topics covered in this book. Great reference book for a witches bookcase,
August 22, 2022
I have always created my own spells from the very beginning, as it’s my practice, not someone else’s. It’s refreshing to have a book written that supports and encourages this. Well done! I hope this will encourage others to follow their hearts and their own practices.
November 5, 2022
This is one of the best book I read about spell craft. It's more than a series of formulas and ingredients, it's a book that made me reflect and take a hard look at me.
Loved it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
Loved it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
April 10, 2023
The book is easy to understand. A good start on learning to create own and given a different types of spells. Get some information along with the spells given.
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