The Old Girls' Book of Spells
The Real Meaning of Menopause Sex Car Keys and Other Important Stuff
Many books about witchcraft focus on spells for women in the “maiden” and “mother” phases, that is, women in their twenties and thirties. This feisty, in-your-face book celebrates the crones of witchcraft, stating that the awakening of the sixth sense in women, the sense centered in the pineal gland, is greatest in very young girls and after the change of life. It is during these phases that the pineal gland is clear in women. After puberty and during the childbearing years, the gland is obscured by a shield of calcium, allowing women to concentrate their energies on finding a mate and reproducing.
The spells included are eminently practical and do not require elaborate rituals. As Garrison, who has written for Glamour and OnlyReal.com on astrology, and writes a monthly astrology column for Wisdom magazine, says, “the need to cast a spell is based in desires that are plain and simple.” She outlines a simple, standard procedure of purification, timing, and spell-casting paraphernalia. Her spells range from the simple money charm of a chestnut and a dollar bill to the “Antidote for a Roving Eye” which, among other ingredients, requires a map, white glue, red glitter, and nutmeg.
The experience the author brings to spells such as “Hasta la Vista, Green-Eyed Monster,” “Nothing That I Cannot Heal,” and the “B.B. King Born Under a Bad Sign Spell” is grounded in over thirty years of reading, studying, trial and error, and finally extensive work with other witches. Many of her spells are self-affirming and healing, like her “I Am Whole and Complete Within Myself” spell for patients healing from surgery, and the “May the Light Shine Brightly Within You” spell to help someone find what she needs in order to heal herself. However, most of the spells are down-to-earth, practical, real-life creations, like the “Don’t Come Around Here No More” to rid yourself of unwanted house guests or “Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are” to find those pesky car keys.
This is not just a book for menopausal women. Readers who are not interested in witchcraft will find the humor entertaining, and readers who are attracted to witchcraft will find that the spells call for items they can get at the supermarket, the hardware store, or right in their own kitchen—true practical magic.
Reviewed by
Carol Lynn Stewart
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
