Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard - Softcover

Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1564147118 ISBN 13: 9781564147110

Publisher: Weiser, 2004

Synopsis

"With contributions and additional material from Raymond Buckland, Raven Grimassi, Patricia Telesco, Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, and other illustrious members of The Grey Council, here is the book Merlin would have given a young Arthur...if only it had existed. This essential handbook contains everything an aspiring Wizard needs to know. It is profusely illustrated with original art by Oberon and friends, as well as many woodcuts from medieval and alchemical manuscripts--plus charts, tables, and diagrams. It also contains: Biographies of famous Wizards in history and legend; Descriptions of magickal tools and regalia (with full instructions for making them); spells and workings for a better life; rites and rituals for special occasions; a bestiary of mythical creatures; systems of divination; the Laws of Magick; myths and stories of gods and heroes; lore and legends of the stars and constellations; instructions for performing amazing illusions, special effects,! and many other wonders of the magickal multiverse.
To those who study the occult, in particular, Witchcraft, the name of Oberon Zell-Ravenheart is internationally-known and respected. He is a genuine Wizard, and he has written this book for any person wishing to become one. Perhaps, as some have written, Oberon Zell-Ravenheart is the real Albus Dumbledore to aspiring Harry Potters!

In addition to his own writings in this collection, he also presents other writers who add some highly thoughtful insights. Such as Raymond Buckland among others.

The illustrations and photographs which accompany the text are among the finest found anywhere, and are a helpful boon to those wanting to see what they are reading about. Biographies of many famous Wizards of history and legend appear in the book. Detailed descriptions of magickal tools with information for making them appears in this book. Additional information includes rites and rituals for special occasions, a bestiary of mythical creatures, a detailed and educational discussion on the laws of magick, myths, and lore of the stars and constellations. This book is full of instructions!

As a handbook and guide for becoming a Wizard, this is as near perfect and honest a book as one will find today. New Page Books has done a great service to the paranormal and occult community readers by publishing this worthwhile reference book.

Oberon Zell-Ravenheart has written a classic on Wizardry. This is his masterpiece. One of the American pioneers of Paganism in the United States, his lifetime of learning and information is shared with readers from all walks of life. He started in 1968 with the publication of his award-winning journal, Green Egg, and is often considered by readers as one of their favorite Pagan writers. The lessons in this fine book are accurate, honest, and entertaining.

If you want to become a Wizard, this is the book to start with, and learn from. This Grimoire is must-have reading for readers interested in true magick. The information given on ghosts will hold the reader spellbound, as will all information in this reference book!

About this title

From the Author

In this age of absent fathers, many boys dream of a mysterious older mentor figure, a special friend who helps one to discover his inner powers and true destiny. This is the role of Merlin, Gandalf, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Albus Dumbledore. Such Wizards inspire boys to find their own power by introducing them to stars and constellations, awesome spells, magickal rituals, mystical lore, astonishing special effects and magic illusions. Most important, Wizards tell inspiring stories that teach profound lessons and bring to life the magic of the natural and supernatural worlds.

Wizard is a term deriving from the Anglo-Saxon wysard: "wise one." A Wizard is a lore-master, especially of arcane knowledge. A Wizard is also a magickal practitioner; however the word is rarely used today to describe a practitioner of Wicca (or Witchcraft)—or a member of any particular faith.

I am a practicing Wizard writing for present and future generations of young men who dream of becoming Wizards. Through entering my daily life, boys will be introduced to a number of people—historical, mythic, and living—who comprise the Grey Council, the secret network of Wizards, Mages and Sages that spans all of history and includes wise and magickal folk of many cultures and traditions.

In this book the young Wizard will enter the story of an apprentice Wizard-in-training just as if they were sitting with me in my cluttered study—replete with arcane artifacts, moldy bones, mysterious volumes of forgotten lore, and mystic occult secrets.

From the Inside Flap

Foreword: The Grimoire and the Grey Council By Raymond Buckland

A great number of us have been wanting—longing—to board the Hogwarts Express and to travel to an academy that teaches the really exciting things in life. Things such as magick, herbal lore, divination, conjuring, and so on. In a word, we have been wanting to learn WIZARDRY. It’s one thing to read about the experiences of someone else—even such a fascinating person as Harry Potter—but it’s quite another thing to be able to go through the whole magickal educational process yourself. To enter such a school and know that your teachers are the very finest Wizards and Witches in the world would be awe-inspiring. So, how to do this? How to find and attend such a Wizard’s academy?

You’ll be happy to know that you don’t have to wait for a special invitation to be delivered, be it by owl mail or otherwise. You don’t even have to be the child of a Wizard or Witch. In fact you can even be a regular Muggle child and still get into this school. (It has been rumored that even some grown-up Muggles have been so attracted to it that they, too, have slipped in!) Where is this school? It’s right here in your hands. The Course in Wizardry—at least the Apprentice Level of the course—is contained in this book. That’s like suddenly discovering that there’s a home study branch of Hogwarts Academy! Here may be found seven major courses, plus an appendix and bibliography, put together by the Grey Council of Wizards for you to study and learn.

Members of the Grey Council are living, breathing, famous Wizards and Witches of the present day. They are not "made up," or in any way invented by an author. They are alive and real and have been practicing their various crafts for up to forty or fifty years. When Harry Potter was first taking the Hogwarts Express to Hogwarts Academy, he was shown the trading cards of Witches and Wizards that came in the Chocolate Frogs packs. Ron Weasley introduced him to these, showing such famous personalities as Merlin, Paracelsus, Morgana, Circe, Ptolemy, Dumbledore, and Hengist. These were actually a mixture of real Witches and Wizards and those of fiction and legend. But in this book there are only real ones.

I have known Oberon Ravenheart for over 30 years. He is one of the pioneers of Paganism in the United States. I can’t think of a better, more qualified person to write a handbook for apprentice Wizards. Oberon is a Wizard (he always has been!). With his many decades of experience he, more than anyone, is uniquely qualified to write this book, having been teaching for the majority of his life. His name is greatly respected in all of the varying fields of Paganism and Witchcraft. He is truly an Elder...of Paganism, Witchcraft, and Magic.

This is a grimoire. The word comes from the old French word meaning "grammar." It is, indeed, a grammar of magick. In other words, it explains exactly how magick is performed: how it is planned, prepared for, put together, and very carefully worked. You wouldn’t expect to be able to learn a foreign language without doing some study. You would need to learn new words and how to put them together so that they made sense. You would need to know occasional alternate words that could be used, and the correct way to pronounce them. Well, so it is with magick. By learning the grammar/Grimoire, you will be able to not only make yourself understood (to the elements, the spirits, the animals, trees, plants, and all other aspects of nature—plus, of course, to other Wizards), but you will be able to show that you are fluent in the language—that you are a master of it. This translates into becoming a master Wizard; a magician recognized by his peers (those of equal standing) as competent and knowledgeable.

In so many subjects in everyday school, you sometimes find yourself wondering "Why do I have to learn this?" "What use is this to anyone?" You resist doing the work, the study, the homework. But with the Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard, all that is changed! You will find yourself eagerly looking forward to the next step, and the one after that, and the one after that! Study will become a joy. You won’t want to stop. Imagine learning such things as Foundations of Magick, Magickal Skills, The Soul of Nature, Tools of Magick, Wizardly Regalia, Spellcraft, Conjury, Magickal Bestiary, and so on and so on. What wonderful titles! What wonderful subjects! Wortcunning; Mathemagicks; Skrying. New words and ancient teachings. This is not just a book about Wizardry; it’s a book of Wizardry!

Let this book take you on a journey. It opens on Wizardry, introduces you to ideas and concepts, then leads you along the secret path that wends its way through the sometimes fearsome appearing trees of the forest of ancient knowledge. Along the way you learn that all is not as it seems. What many people take as frightening, or scary, you will learn to be safe, inspiring, and power-enabling. The path through the woods goes on and on, but the deeper it goes, the more interesting you will find it. This is a little like venturing into the Forbidden Forest near Hogwarts. There will be temptations along the way. There will appear to be some short-cuts. But where do they really lead? The safest route is with your guides. Remember, Hagrid was not afraid of the forest, because he knew it and knew of its inhabitants. So with the Grey Council. We know the safest routes and will guide you safely.

Welcome to this unique course of magick, and know that you are setting your foot on the first step along the path that will take you out of the ordinary and into the special world of Wizardry.

About this edition

• Publisher: Weiser
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1564147118
• ISBN 13: 9781564147110
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 372