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villianess's review
3.0
Take all you know about Halloween, costumes, parades, treats and be ready to be taught from those that have practiced All Hallos Eve for centuries.
From the early Celts Sanhian to the modern American Halloween not all is as it seems. Starting from the basic beginnings of honoring the dead, to witch hunts, divinations, and how trick-or-treat came to be. Silver RavenWolf explains it all. There is are traditions that I do because they have always been done, but now I know a little more behind how they were started. The book delve a little heavy on the Seances, how to preform them, what items are needed and what/who should be in attendance.
Over all it was a different way to look at Halloween.
From the early Celts Sanhian to the modern American Halloween not all is as it seems. Starting from the basic beginnings of honoring the dead, to witch hunts, divinations, and how trick-or-treat came to be. Silver RavenWolf explains it all. There is are traditions that I do because they have always been done, but now I know a little more behind how they were started. The book delve a little heavy on the Seances, how to preform them, what items are needed and what/who should be in attendance.
Over all it was a different way to look at Halloween.
toad_maiden's review
3.0
Being in grad school does not afford me a cover-to-cover read, but I very thoroughly browsed this one. More "history" and lore than I generally prefer, but there are still a decent number of recipes, spells, and rituals.
dtaylorbooks's review
5.0
This was such a fun, informative book, right up the alley I needed with research for a witchy book I’m writing. It gave me the background information I was looking for without overloading me with detail, it gave me some spells, some tasty recipes that I look forward to trying, and some ritual work. All of these things are what I was looking for going into this book and that’s what I took out of it.
RavenWolf strips away the pretense of witchcraft, removing the stigma and the lore, and gives you the most basic of information going back to the roots of the practice. Everything she provided had an origination in the pre-Christian era and, of course, she’s plain with telling about the Christians coming in and annihilating the crap out of everyone and everything who didn’t fall in line to their way of thinking, turning these practices back into the shadows or absorbing them into Christian practices as a means of converting more people.
I really liked the history of things, the why things evolved the way they did, what something meant then and what it means now. It was all very enlightening and lucky for me, my kitten shredded a couple pages of this library book so I ended up having to purchase it! The jerk. But I’m happy I have a copy now to reference whenever I need instead of just my notes. Great information about my favorite holiday, HALLOWEEN! is a must read for any knowledge junkie looking for a little more depth in their holiday.
4.5
RavenWolf strips away the pretense of witchcraft, removing the stigma and the lore, and gives you the most basic of information going back to the roots of the practice. Everything she provided had an origination in the pre-Christian era and, of course, she’s plain with telling about the Christians coming in and annihilating the crap out of everyone and everything who didn’t fall in line to their way of thinking, turning these practices back into the shadows or absorbing them into Christian practices as a means of converting more people.
I really liked the history of things, the why things evolved the way they did, what something meant then and what it means now. It was all very enlightening and lucky for me, my kitten shredded a couple pages of this library book so I ended up having to purchase it! The jerk. But I’m happy I have a copy now to reference whenever I need instead of just my notes. Great information about my favorite holiday, HALLOWEEN! is a must read for any knowledge junkie looking for a little more depth in their holiday.
4.5
5hadow_girl's review
5.0
I know that there are a lot of haters when it comes to Silver's books, but I'm never ashamed to admit that I've loved her writing since I picked up my copy of [b:To Ride a Silver Broomstick: New Generation Witchcraft|84212|To Ride a Silver Broomstick New Generation Witchcraft|Silver RavenWolf|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348762738s/84212.jpg|81301] all those years ago.
HALLOWEEN: SPELLS, RECIPES & CUSTOMS is a very fun book, as well as informative. She does most of her own illustrations, and they mesh with her writing beautifully. As much as you think you know about Halloween / Samhain, I'll bet that you'll still learn something new here. A bit of history, a yummy new recipe, or maybe even a new way to to try that spell you just can't get to take!
It's a great book for everybody, Christian or Pagan.
HALLOWEEN: SPELLS, RECIPES & CUSTOMS is a very fun book, as well as informative. She does most of her own illustrations, and they mesh with her writing beautifully. As much as you think you know about Halloween / Samhain, I'll bet that you'll still learn something new here. A bit of history, a yummy new recipe, or maybe even a new way to to try that spell you just can't get to take!
It's a great book for everybody, Christian or Pagan.
lauriereadslohf's review
3.0
I've read through most of the lore about the season, written in Silver's typical chatty style, and found it an easy read. It's a fun book, nothing to take too seriously, there are a lot of games, spells and other assorted crafts that are perfect for little ones. My favorite section is the recipes (specifically the desserts) that come with cute little enchantments.
Although, a slight caveat is coming here. The recipe for Candied Love Apples features a big oopsie & makes me wonder if the author ever tried to make these herself. It says to place the sugars in a pan on medium heat for 8-10 minutes and then dip the apples. Uh, uh. Doesn't work. Trust me on this. Try more like 20-30 minutes of continues boiling (and NO stirring). It also would've helped to have a tip or two about using a candy thermometer to test for doneness or at the very least use the old drop in cold water and it's done when you see threads. Trust me on this: WEAR SOCKS AND SHOES AT ALL COSTS. I make candles and should have known better but I'm also blond and tend to forget these things. No bare feet, no pretty little open toed sandals. They do not mix with this recipe. I discovered the hard way that hot candy dropped on bare toesies hurts like a b*stard. There's nothing like losing a layer of skin to get one hopping! After taking a few deep breaths and ignoring the searing pain I was able to compose myself enough to concentrate & complete the enchantment for love and wisdom (something I'm in obvious need of!). You've been warned.
Although, a slight caveat is coming here. The recipe for Candied Love Apples features a big oopsie & makes me wonder if the author ever tried to make these herself. It says to place the sugars in a pan on medium heat for 8-10 minutes and then dip the apples. Uh, uh. Doesn't work. Trust me on this. Try more like 20-30 minutes of continues boiling (and NO stirring). It also would've helped to have a tip or two about using a candy thermometer to test for doneness or at the very least use the old drop in cold water and it's done when you see threads. Trust me on this: WEAR SOCKS AND SHOES AT ALL COSTS. I make candles and should have known better but I'm also blond and tend to forget these things. No bare feet, no pretty little open toed sandals. They do not mix with this recipe. I discovered the hard way that hot candy dropped on bare toesies hurts like a b*stard. There's nothing like losing a layer of skin to get one hopping! After taking a few deep breaths and ignoring the searing pain I was able to compose myself enough to concentrate & complete the enchantment for love and wisdom (something I'm in obvious need of!). You've been warned.
apostrophen's review
3.0
Okay, I'm not a random Silver Ravenwolf basher, but if Llewellyn was trying to launch a sabbat series, and started (as it should be) with Hallowe'en, I really wish they'd have taken a more serious author. While the book is okay - it's only okay - and doesn't rise to the levels of quality in Lammas, Beltane and Yule. It's too bad, but I didn't want a fun and silly book, I wanted something with a bit more depth to match the rest of the series.
Still, there's a lot of mythology here, and if you can handle Silver Ravenwolf's "voice over" monologues, you can find a few nuggets in this book.
Still, there's a lot of mythology here, and if you can handle Silver Ravenwolf's "voice over" monologues, you can find a few nuggets in this book.
sonatak34's review
4.0
I chose this book to read and discover more about the history of Halloween and how it came to have its usual traditions, symbols, and customs - it did not disappoint!
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