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Positive Magic: Occult Self-Help
If you are new to the occult, this book may provide a new vantage point, perhaps a different way, of looking at life than you are used to! Astrology, Tarot Cards, I Ching, Witchcraft, Words of Power are all explored.
283 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
April 21, 2017
TL;DR - I have some disagreements with this book, but you should read it if you want to understand magic.
Positive Magic is an excellent primer for anyone seriously looking into practicing magic. It offers a broad overview of the philosophical, spiritual, psychological and, most importantly, practical implementation of magic in daily life. What I like best about Weinstein's seminal work is how she cuts right through the bullshit from the beginning. This is not a book of fun spells. This is a book of work. She shows you the planning, practice, and patience of accepting magic as a legitimate means of improving your life. She even goes a long way towards showing how magic is really about attitude and perception and in many ways is psychological in nature.
Not only does she realistically break down how magic should be approached, she provides some excellent specifics for incorporating it today without further reading. The Words of Power section alone is all anyone might ever need to find great personal progress. But there are decent starter guides for Astrology, the I Ching, and the Tarot here too. I can't speak to the information in the first two sections, but everything she discusses with the Tarot is of excellent quality.
I particularly liked her repeated emphasis on personal responsibility and working only for oneself and for personal fulfillment, as well as the way she took shots again and again at the scammers and overly-credulous who often give modern Witchcraft a bad name. I will say it again: this is the real stuff. This is work. You don't just light a candle and say some words. Oh wait, you do. But not the way the average goth teenager thinks. I can say that because I was that goth teenager once upon a time, and it's taken me many years of study and spiritual searching to overcome that naive, credulous child who just wanted to be special and powerful.
With all that being said...something about this book rubs me the wrong way. I think it comes down to a spiritual aspect of the topics Weinstein covers. She doesn't miss much -- karma, reincarnation, pantheistic deity concepts and affirmative, holistic communion...etc. But, for me, she takes the credo of personal responsibility/karma too far. It's one thing to believe that we are responsible for our own actions and perceptions, for the end result of our dollop of soul, but totally another to say that we are responsible even for drawing all the negative events that might occur to us into our lives.
An example: Weinstein gives an example of a woman who almost gets hit by a car that swerves near her, and the angry driver of said car yells at her. She then goes on to conclude that this woman drew the anger of the driver and near-accident into her own life because she was angry at her boyfriend. Her own anger created the right environment for another's anger to be directed towards her at random.
My first thought about this is: What? What? I...what? Are you saying that every bad thing that happens is literally due to our own spiritual energies, regardless of how indirect or coincidental? In fact, yes, she is. Early in the book, Weinstein clearly states that even people who are dying of cancer chose that death (maybe in a past life) and drew it to them.
Sorry, I just can't get with that. I'm all about karma and reincarnation and personal responsibility but that is too far for me. Sometimes, bad shit happens to people for no good reason. "Bad shit happens" is not at all contradictory with the Pagan/Witchcraft belief system. The Goddess, Shakti, the Oneness, the central Creative Force, whatever, is EVERYTHING. Everything. Order and chaos. Causation and randomness. Good and bad. Brigit and Morrigan. Whatever perspective floats your boat. I, personally, me, I cannot accept a perspective that does not recognize that the chaotic darkness aspect of the universe is as real as the glowy eternal fulfillment-of-all part, and everything in between, and that it doesn't really matter, since it's all the same thing and all me and all you all together in the end, if there ever is one.
Sometimes, where there were stars, there are now black holes.
Soooo....yeah. There's that. I guess it boils down to a personal disagreement on total causation and spirituality. Which is not to say that this isn't a great book. In fact, Weinstein is so well-informed and informative that I would welcome the chance to discuss my conflict with her ideas sometime. I have lots of thoughts about how an extended conversation on the metaphysics of human experience might lead to a resolution...but ah, I rarely get to have these imaginary conversations for real.
My other minor pet peeve with this (and I have to call this out because it appears so often in new age Witchcraft books) is the inclusion of some revisionist/wishful history at the beginning. While it could be true, and is in fact likely, that many of the practices and traditions of modern Paganism and Witchcraft pre-date monotheistic religions and were deliberately targeted by Christianity over the course of European history, we have no conclusive evidence of such. People are still arguing over whether British Druids conducted blood sacrifices. We only know glimmers, hints, of the religions and magics that were practiced in many parts of the world before an organized Church took hold.
The sooner everyone in the Pagan movement can accept this and move on to the more amazing, interesting fact that we are in the process of creating a edited, revised, modern, holistic,
syncretic, ever-changing, personal, NEW system of belief, the better off we will all be.
/soapbox
#longreviewislong
Positive Magic is an excellent primer for anyone seriously looking into practicing magic. It offers a broad overview of the philosophical, spiritual, psychological and, most importantly, practical implementation of magic in daily life. What I like best about Weinstein's seminal work is how she cuts right through the bullshit from the beginning. This is not a book of fun spells. This is a book of work. She shows you the planning, practice, and patience of accepting magic as a legitimate means of improving your life. She even goes a long way towards showing how magic is really about attitude and perception and in many ways is psychological in nature.
Not only does she realistically break down how magic should be approached, she provides some excellent specifics for incorporating it today without further reading. The Words of Power section alone is all anyone might ever need to find great personal progress. But there are decent starter guides for Astrology, the I Ching, and the Tarot here too. I can't speak to the information in the first two sections, but everything she discusses with the Tarot is of excellent quality.
I particularly liked her repeated emphasis on personal responsibility and working only for oneself and for personal fulfillment, as well as the way she took shots again and again at the scammers and overly-credulous who often give modern Witchcraft a bad name. I will say it again: this is the real stuff. This is work. You don't just light a candle and say some words. Oh wait, you do. But not the way the average goth teenager thinks. I can say that because I was that goth teenager once upon a time, and it's taken me many years of study and spiritual searching to overcome that naive, credulous child who just wanted to be special and powerful.
With all that being said...something about this book rubs me the wrong way. I think it comes down to a spiritual aspect of the topics Weinstein covers. She doesn't miss much -- karma, reincarnation, pantheistic deity concepts and affirmative, holistic communion...etc. But, for me, she takes the credo of personal responsibility/karma too far. It's one thing to believe that we are responsible for our own actions and perceptions, for the end result of our dollop of soul, but totally another to say that we are responsible even for drawing all the negative events that might occur to us into our lives.
An example: Weinstein gives an example of a woman who almost gets hit by a car that swerves near her, and the angry driver of said car yells at her. She then goes on to conclude that this woman drew the anger of the driver and near-accident into her own life because she was angry at her boyfriend. Her own anger created the right environment for another's anger to be directed towards her at random.
My first thought about this is: What? What? I...what? Are you saying that every bad thing that happens is literally due to our own spiritual energies, regardless of how indirect or coincidental? In fact, yes, she is. Early in the book, Weinstein clearly states that even people who are dying of cancer chose that death (maybe in a past life) and drew it to them.
Sorry, I just can't get with that. I'm all about karma and reincarnation and personal responsibility but that is too far for me. Sometimes, bad shit happens to people for no good reason. "Bad shit happens" is not at all contradictory with the Pagan/Witchcraft belief system. The Goddess, Shakti, the Oneness, the central Creative Force, whatever, is EVERYTHING. Everything. Order and chaos. Causation and randomness. Good and bad. Brigit and Morrigan. Whatever perspective floats your boat. I, personally, me, I cannot accept a perspective that does not recognize that the chaotic darkness aspect of the universe is as real as the glowy eternal fulfillment-of-all part, and everything in between, and that it doesn't really matter, since it's all the same thing and all me and all you all together in the end, if there ever is one.
Sometimes, where there were stars, there are now black holes.
Soooo....yeah. There's that. I guess it boils down to a personal disagreement on total causation and spirituality. Which is not to say that this isn't a great book. In fact, Weinstein is so well-informed and informative that I would welcome the chance to discuss my conflict with her ideas sometime. I have lots of thoughts about how an extended conversation on the metaphysics of human experience might lead to a resolution...but ah, I rarely get to have these imaginary conversations for real.
My other minor pet peeve with this (and I have to call this out because it appears so often in new age Witchcraft books) is the inclusion of some revisionist/wishful history at the beginning. While it could be true, and is in fact likely, that many of the practices and traditions of modern Paganism and Witchcraft pre-date monotheistic religions and were deliberately targeted by Christianity over the course of European history, we have no conclusive evidence of such. People are still arguing over whether British Druids conducted blood sacrifices. We only know glimmers, hints, of the religions and magics that were practiced in many parts of the world before an organized Church took hold.
The sooner everyone in the Pagan movement can accept this and move on to the more amazing, interesting fact that we are in the process of creating a edited, revised, modern, holistic,
syncretic, ever-changing, personal, NEW system of belief, the better off we will all be.
/soapbox
#longreviewislong
August 2, 2012
One of my favorite books of all time. I need to reread this. Probably the best wicca/alternative religion book I've ever read. One of the best psychology books I've ever read too! Love this. Hard to find a copy because last I checked this lovely book was out of print.
May 14, 2011
I read this a really long time ago, but it made a huge impression on me. There is a section on space aliens that I wasn't too sure about at the time, but since, I found this belief to be rather widespread. The part that REALLY made an impression was the part about the beginning of the Age of Aquarius. Pretty much, what she said about that is turning out to be true. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn about Wicca and/or neo-Paganism.
November 26, 2022
If you look at this book as a piece of witchcraft history, it’s an interesting read. The beliefs from when this was written have changed along with definitions such as what is Witchcraft vs Wicca. That said, it is still problematic. There is a number of examples where the author blames victims. If you were attacked, you wanted it to happen, even if it was “subconsciously”. Which needless to say is problematic. The “history” in this book is a romanticized look into the past. Take it with a grain of salt. The majority of her facts come from someone who’s been debunked countless times. She’s got a number of personal biases such as atheists, satanism (unresearched opinions might I add), and folk magic to name just a few. Her personal beliefs are presented as the only proper way to go about what she terms as witchcraft. For example, you will manifest negative energy if you include counterclockwise within your Craft. Overall, it’s interesting to look at as a book to portray the shift from the more traditional Wicca movement to the vast options within Wicca, Witchcraft, and (neo) Paganism we find today.
October 11, 2012
I don't remember how this book was recommended or how I came across it, but I am so glad I did. I should have read it with a highlighter in hand because I dogeared almost every page in the book. This book is not really about magic spells and whatnot, it is about learning to be positive and create positive energy and karma all around you. From the first day of reading this, I gave it a try and things started changing in my life. It taught me that not just my actions affect my karma, but also my words. Negative words = negative energy and karma.
I highly recommend this book to anyone not matter what is going on in your life. It does have some twists on reality and the other realms and whatnot, but it is SUCH a good, interesting read. If you don't have an open mind, you should and this book will probably open it up for you. It is a VERY good book, I am glad I purchased it instead of just checking it out of the library.
I highly recommend this book to anyone not matter what is going on in your life. It does have some twists on reality and the other realms and whatnot, but it is SUCH a good, interesting read. If you don't have an open mind, you should and this book will probably open it up for you. It is a VERY good book, I am glad I purchased it instead of just checking it out of the library.
March 14, 2014
Wonderful book written by Marion Weinstein It is a positive magic self-help book. Marion teaches "the right mood," and how suddenly everything we do comes out right. She teaches that witches are no different that who were are already, although, she points out that some people are born with a sense of healing, "second sight," abilities to manipulate outcomes of events in their lives, etc. She teaches techniques that others can learn to bring about positive changes in their own lives. I highly recommend this book, if for no other reason, to understand the true meaning of being a witch, while discarding the misconception of the wicked witch who casts evil spells on his fellow man.
October 1, 2009
Hilarious crack if you want to make fun of the most annoying kind of new age hippie freaks. Really annoying if you're trying to sift out historical lore from specious claims, especially since she doesn't say what bits she got out of any of the footnoted sources. It's like the footnotes are decorative. Primarily useful for its bibliography.
September 5, 2008
If you can look beyond the idea that magic may not exist, this book can give a new perspective on current ideas and idealism. I enjoyed the expansion of thought, but I am not going to be taking on Wiccan ways any time soon.
May 17, 2009
This book has a good deal of practical advice. One of the reasons I like this book so much is that I agree with Marion Weinstein's method of reading tarot cards.
July 11, 2020
A extremely detail book on how to create positive magic in your life. A bit too lengthy, dated, and technical for me. But I'm sure based on your personality this may be a good grab.
September 9, 2012
Classic- I need to read the revised edition.
August 13, 2020
This book started off great for this baby witch. But it quickly spiraled downhill. What I thought was going to help me learn to love myself more through magic ended up being a victim-blaming self-help guide to solving your problems.
Weinstein was doing all right until the section on karma. She explains that anything that happens to you is brought upon yourself, even if you weren't consciously wishing for it. Anything. The good, the bad, the ugly. If you were murdered? Something in your subconscious wanted to die. Assaulted? Yup, you were asking for it somehow.
I immediately put the book down. This might have been a really helpful book! But I just can't get past this section. Victim-blaming is never okay, and kind of negates anything else she was going to say.
Weinstein was doing all right until the section on karma. She explains that anything that happens to you is brought upon yourself, even if you weren't consciously wishing for it. Anything. The good, the bad, the ugly. If you were murdered? Something in your subconscious wanted to die. Assaulted? Yup, you were asking for it somehow.
I immediately put the book down. This might have been a really helpful book! But I just can't get past this section. Victim-blaming is never okay, and kind of negates anything else she was going to say.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2024
Positive Magic had me hoping for a fresh take on self-help through the occult, but unfortunately, it felt pretty outdated. Some of the techniques and examples seem stuck in the past, making it hard to relate to today's magical practices. While Marion Weinstein clearly has passion for the subject, I found myself yearning for more modern insights and innovative approaches. It’s not all bad—there are a few gems that could still be useful for beginners. However, if you’re looking for up-to-date methods and a bit more flair, you might want to explore other options. Maybe give it a try if you’re into classic occult styles, but don’t expect anything groundbreaking.
Read
November 22, 2019Life changing; a former girlfriend, who "preferred the company of women" and once ID'd a witch recommended it to me when I realized I was spiritually malnourished at the time. The relationship fell apart, but the book, and its simple delivery of history of, arguments for, and instructions to practice elementary spiritual independence and individuality of witchcraft was totally transformative-- even as a man, I still self-ID as a witch. So grateful for her recommendation and this book.
November 21, 2017
A classic and must read.
July 28, 2018
Very interesting and informative book! Thank you!
February 10, 2019
This was my first Pagan book, purchased in Salem, MA, almost thirty years ago. I don't still have it, but it opened my mind to ideas and practices that have become an important part of my life.
December 1, 2020
Meh. Not a great book. Only read it because it was so bad when I first read it I needed to go back over how it had screwed me up in the first place.
Read
February 12, 2024Great book explains 'Words of Power' in a usable way. Basic, but powerful.
September 20, 2024
witchy woo-hoo
November 2, 2021
I cannot stress how important this book was to my practice in my early twenties.
August 17, 2013
My sister's mother, who is a white witch, recommended this book. I have always been interested in the occult and asked her what books I should read to understand the religion. This is the book she recommended.
This book is an interesting introduction to the occult. It explains the power of words, the history behind the religion and the Tarot. The information is written in a style that is not to difficult to understand and gives enough information to help the reader have a good understanding of the topic, but also there are books to read if you want more information.
I will definitely keep this book on my shelf.
Read if you want a good introduction to the occult and witchcraft.
This book is an interesting introduction to the occult. It explains the power of words, the history behind the religion and the Tarot. The information is written in a style that is not to difficult to understand and gives enough information to help the reader have a good understanding of the topic, but also there are books to read if you want more information.
I will definitely keep this book on my shelf.
Read if you want a good introduction to the occult and witchcraft.
October 4, 2015
Fantastic!!! I am taking a year long class as research for a book I writing. This was one of the resources that we were asked to read. This was a wonderful book. Easy to read and I could get enough of it. My book now looks like it has been through a college war. I have highlighted sections, notes in the margin, and doggy eared pages.
December 26, 2013
Very nice book, with a lot of information. But very descriptive, specially the first part, difficult to read. Second part with more practical information much more interesting. The author seems to have a great knowledge in this matter.
May 18, 2011
This is a mistake. I was trying to put a cover to the one I read already--lol.
November 25, 2016
Love this positive energy and it works
I need pages 233 and 234 for a sales meeting
I need pages 233 and 234 for a sales meeting
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews