Composing Magic: How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessings, Chants, and Prayer - Softcover

Barrette, Elizabeth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1564149358 ISBN 13: 9781564149350

Publisher: New Page Books, 2007

Synopsis

You've attended rituals that took your breath away. You've borrowed spells out of books. You've read splendid Pagan poetry in magazines. Now learn to compose all these types of magical writing yourself!

Composing Magic guides you through the exciting realm of magical and spiritual writing. You'll explore the process of writing, its tools and techniques, individual types of composition, and ways of sharing your work with other people.

The book shows you how to write:

• Basic and advanced forms of poetry
• Spells
• Chants and rounds
• Prayers
• Blessings
• Solitary and group rituals

Each type of writing includes its history and uses, which cover diverse traditions. Step-by-step instructions lead you through the creative process, such as how to:

• Brainstorm ideas for a topic
• Choose the right type of composition
• Write a rough draft
• Polish your work to perfection

Examples demonstrate finished compositions of each type, while exercises help you develop your skills by practicing what you've just read. You'll discover that magical writing has more impact when it comes from the heart. Anyone can develop the skills needed to create effective compositions, but the most successful writers reveal their souls.

Composing Magic will also show you ways of deepening your craft through performance and publication. Whether you practice solitary or in a group, this book will help you write with more power, more beauty, and less effort.

About this title

About the Author

Elizabeth Barrette works in the Pagan and speculative fiction fields as a writer, editor, and scholar. She currently serves as the managing editor of PanGaia magazine and the dean of studies at the Grey School of Wizardry. In 2003, Barrette won the Poet Laureate Competition at Sol Magazine. In 2005, her poem "The Poltergeist of Polaris" earned a nomination for the Rhysling Award. She has written for The Beltane Papers, CIRCLE Magazine, Green Egg, SageWoman, and many of the Llewellyn annuals. Barrette lives in Charleston, Illinois, and enjoys giving presentations at events in the Midwest region.

From the Back Cover

"Here's the practicing Pagan poet's perfect primer!"
--Barbara Ardinger, Ph.D., author of Pagan Every Day

"Once upon a time bards healed the sick with song, chanted for rain, and toppled kings with finely-crafted verses. With Composing Magic, Elizabeth Barrette reclaims the power of words for a new generation. This is a smart, well-crafted book that teaches you how to write smart, well-crafted rituals and magical poetry. If you want to slay the dragons of doggerel and the chimeras of cliche, arm thyself with Composing Magic."
--Kenaz Filan, managing editor of newWitch

"The essence of Pagan ritual is creativity. In Composing Magic, Elizabeth Barrette offers tested techniques for nourishing that creativity in the service of magical wordsmithing-in simple spells, ballads and poetry, and in the creation of large-group ritual. Composing Magic blends the craft of poetry and the Craft of magic in one dish."
--Chas S. Clifton, author of Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America

Edition details

• Publisher: New Page Books
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1564149358
• ISBN 13: 9781564149350
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240