First of all, I have to say that I love this book. Laurie Cabot explains things that the rest of these " white lighters " as Ms. Cabot calls them are afraid to go into. There is no fluff, no fruit and flowery sugargy goo here, Laurie Cabot is straightforward and honest...and almost all of her information is accurate. For those of you who give this book a bad review, I can only say one thing, one persons tradition is not going to agree with someone elses. What you read with Cunningham wont match Starhawk, Silver RavenWolf won't match Gerina Dunwich, Ray Buckland will not match Laurie Cabot. Each witch is different, and you can't expect one witch, or one tradition, or one book to have all the answers. Ms. Cabot has had over 40 yrs. of experience and you have to admit, that is a long time. She gives you the basics, history, spells, explanations, personal stories, examples of circle casting and altar set up. And even the Science part which explains how and why magick works. I will admit, my practice is not identical to hers, but after reading this book I found some new and interesting things to add into my practice. For those of you who reccomend going to Anton LaVey for an accurate look at witchcraft, I can only say one thing. GET REAL! Satanism and Witchcraft are not the same, how long have we been trying to get the point across? Sure, Magick can be dangerous if you don't know what youre doing..which is why Ms. Cabot explains laws and the importance of being " correct and for the good of all people". The point is, Ms. Cabot has done an excellent job of not only providing accurate information, but also bringing Witchcraft into mainstream society. A Very, Very, Very, good book. It's not perfect, but no book or person is. Blessed Be!

If you don't read another book on the Craft, read this one! "Power of the Witch" gives an excellent overview of this positive spiritual path, going into plenty of depth on the history, practices, and scientific basis for the Craft and dispelling the disinformation that has been spread about its followers. Laurie Cabot's explanations are clear for those with no background in Witchcraft, but are still fluff-free and chock-full of information for those sincerely seeking the roots behind this belief system. I recommend it highly as a "first read" to anyone interested in the Craft, whether for the spiritual seeker or the merely curious. It will give an excellent foundation for all-around understanding, and open the door for further study to become a serious "Witch."

I can't describe how much it has opened my understanding, and helped me along my spiritual path! This is the best $13.00 I've spent at the bookstore in a long time!

I have read many, many books on Beginner's Wicca and WitchCraft and this is one of the best and is the first beginner's book I give five stars. This is a very spiritual book and includes an abundance of information as well as many of Laurie's own personal experiences which I enjoyed. This book contains in-depth historical information. Some people have questioned its' accuracy. I found most of the history to accurate, but no, like one book reviewer said, she doesn't really give a bibliography. After the history, Laurie gets into the Craft of the Wise. This book contains good information on Covens and Solitaries, and also good information on the Pentacle and the Magic Circle. This book contains a section on the Wheel of the Year. I was a bit disappointed on the area where she describes each sabbat, but she includes enough, she wrote a whole book on the Sabbats, that's why I was suprised she didn't write more. There is also good information about altars, crystals, stone circles/sacred sites, herbs, and Divination. The next chapter is excellent. It speaks about the Science of WitchCraft. She explains how magick and items (such as herbs and stones) work (finally, someone does, she also mentions light, and the seven hermetic laws. Her chapter on Alpha is excellent and very accurate. It is also very fascinating. Very well worth your time to give her practices a try. I'm not sure why other Wiccan authors don't get into this area more deeply. Her chapter on everyday magic is good, but she should have mentioned that not all Witches fix their altar like that. I'm afraid mine looks little like hers. Her information on Protection, Prosperity, and Healing magick is good, but her area on love magick (another area she wrote her own book on) was less than appealing, and she forgot to mention you shouldn't target a specific individual although she does speak about that area. There are some great spells in here, just have good luck finding some of those ingredients like wolf's hair, off a live shedding wolf for protection potion. The next chapter is also excellent, it's entitled "A Witch's Life: Milestones". It speaks about such things as marriage, handfasting, a large section on Witch Children, and an interesting section on Death. The final chapter, Witchcraft Tommorow is good, but in a sense, unrealistic. Laurie speaks about her plan to educate others on WitchCraft. Yeah, I liked this book, Yeah, I was very impressed with this book, and if you are a beginner, this is what WitchCraft is all about. Thank you.

.......I just purchased "Celebrate the Earth" because, as a new Wiccan, I am planning my first holiday, Samhain. Cabot's book is really special because she takes us into the history behind each holiday. This helps to explain why Wiccans celebrate as they do today and also shows us how many non-pagan holidays have their roots in pagan traditions. She shows us how, in elaborate detail, to prepare our home and altar for each celebration. She also takes us through sample rituals which we can, of course, use entirely or just take ideas from. She gives us recipes for traditional meals as well as herbs, oils and incense.

My impression of this book is that Ms. Cabot has tried to stick close to tradition. This is evident based on the history of our faith that she is sure to instruct us on. Note, though, that some of the spells she includes ingredients such as "dragon blood" or "wolf's hair". She will often, but not always, offer a substitute to a difficult to find item or will inform on how to obtain such items.

The book's layout is divided into chapters that are each devoted to one of the eight Wiccan sabbats. I'm truly looking forward to celebrating the sabbats using this book. Other books that I own that introduce readers to Wicca don't do nearly as good of a job at helping newbies prepare for the holidays. I recommend this book to anyone who is new to Wicca or who is looking for new holiday ideas.

This is the best book I've read concerning the Pagan Sabbats. It includes spells, oils, incense, feasts, and of course rituals for each holiday. The rituals are written for coven use but I've found they can be easily modified to fit solitary practice, as well. For anyone interested in Celtic folklore or just the holidays, this is the book to get.

This was the first book I ever read on Witchcraft several years ago. I enjoyed the Celtic stories behind the Sabbats, and I found a lot of information that I still use to this day. For example; the mead recipe, the "how-to" on candle and oil making, and the basic altar set-up. Although some of the spells do have hard-to-find ingredients, I found the book just plain fun. Anyway, it's not the only book I have encountered that has spells with unobtainable ingredients.

Laurie Cabot's books are overrated in my opinion. I was especially not impressed with her LOVE MAGIC, which seemed to be nothing but a cheesy promotional gimmick to sell her overpriced products. For a much better book on the art of love magic I highly recommend Gerina Dunwich's WICCA LOVE SPELLS.

This book was just O.K. and some of it was obviously written for the Wicca teeny-bopper fluffy-bunny mentality. For a better read I would have to recommend Gerina Dunwich's WICCA LOVE SPELLS (a.k.a. THE SECRETS OF LOVE MAGICK) or Marina Medici's LOVE MAGIC.

Love Magic is written by one of the USA's most famous (or infamous) Witches, Laurie Cabot. The first half of this book explains what Love Magic is, how magic works, ritualism, astrological correspondences and such. The second half of the book is basically a grimoire (or collection of practical spells) to attract, enhance or dispel love and relationships. Contains two dated Appendices. Overall, fun for getting in touch with witch inside. Recommended for newbies to the craft and hardcare Cabot fans.