I'm only partway through this book, but I have to say that it's one of the best and most informative on the subject that I've come across. I found it basically by accident while browsing this site, recognized Bonewits' name from another site I'd visited, and decided to try out his book.

He doesn't use a particularly religious context in his approach, and in a way I think this is a good thing. As a solitary Wiccan I'm always looking for good printed source material, and there just isn't much out there that doesn't devolve into happy fuzzies at some point. Bonewits' book is a breath of fresh air that I'm sure I'll be referring to time and time again.

It's a little involved for beginners, but once you've got at least a passing familiarity with some of the topics he discusses (such as sympathetic magic, which I was doing for years before properly understanding what it was or even what it was called), you'll be well on your way.

Not stage magic, but REAL MAGIC. Isaac Bonewitz graduated from Cal Berkeley in 1970 with a BA in magic and thaumaturgy. This book is not a grimoire of arcane spells and occult symbols. No recipes calling for "eye of Newt" will be found within. This is a systematic attempt to study, categorize, and perhaps even explain the phenomena of magic, from ESP to Eastern ritual.

Bonewitz does not write a superstitious text. He claims "I am not anti-scientific... What I have objected to is the modern worship of science as an infallible source of truth, endowed with 'supernatural' powers over mortal men."

Early on, Bonewitz describes laws of magic, gleaned from multiple cultures and magical system. These include relatively obvious ideas, such as the Law of Knowledge (Knowledge is power & Know thyself) and esoteric ones, like the Law of True Falsehoods (If it's a paradox, it's probably true).

He considers parapsychology, doing a useful job of considering some phenomena, and a more dubious job of trying to explain them. Nevertheless, this chapter does a coherent job of postulating why "mainstream" science does not verify parapsychological claims.

One of the most important chapters considers the difference between "Black" and "White" magic. "The whole idea of White as Good and Black as Evil is purely the result of cultural bigotries." (p. 95) While magic, as any other tool, can be ethical or unethical, ethics are not a matter of "light" or "dark."

His most practical chapter is the one entitled Fundamental Patterns of Ritual. "The best spells and rituals are modern ones, written by yourself and designed to affect you personally, with your twentieth-century mind." (p. 162)

The book has a good, but dated bibliography.

What use is it? It's a good introduction to contemporary magical practice, as opposed to the "Do this spell this way because the ancients (or some other authority) did it this way." Bonewitz explains why things might work and what type of an approach might be useful to adopt. It's good reading for the magic practitioner. It complements the various magical system books available (How to be a Witch in 13 Easy Lessons) as well as the more scholarly anthropological texts (such as Eliade's The Sacred and the Profane, which I have also reviewed). It's a laudatory attempt to move beyond the works of Aleister Crowley, Scott Cunningham, and Janet & Stewart Farrar.

(If you've enjoyed this review, consider reading my other reviews here on Amazon. Thanks, Elderbear)

Real Magic is the first book on magick and the occult that I ever read that was the product of careful though and experience, rather than someone's imagination. In a world filled with junk books on witchcraft and magick, Mr. Bomewits has offered up an excellent book for those interested in the subject matter. It's through, yet very easy to read. I'm glad I bought it some years ago, and I highly recommend it.