Llewellyn’s Little Book of Moon Spells by Melanie Marquis

The moon influences the rhythm of the earth and influence the earth’s inhabitants. In this book the author mentions this idea, recommends keeping a journal to track personal mood, significant events, patterns, and the general flow of the day. I can see doing this for a year while also putting on the journal page the moon phase, any magic practiced and over time outcomes of that magic. I believe this would be an interesting diary to keep and may do so in the future.

Another section I enjoyed was the one on Lunar Correspondences – or what animals, trees, earth locations, colors and more are in tune with various times of the year and with the moon’s phases. The main feeling or impression I get from this book is that one’s personal interaction with moon and magic is something that grows and changes becoming personalized over time. What might be important, significant, or meaningful to me regarding a lunar phase or time of year may be completely different for someone else. It is a learning process and something that will grow over time and no doubt change as well.

The book has eight chapters:
1. Moon Magic Basics: including the basics of magic, circles, tools and more
2. Lunar Correspondences: suggests ideas to incorporate or use as symbols for the moon and its phases
3. Timing Magic with the Moon: information about waxing, waning, full and other terminology related to the moon and how to tie this into magic one might wish to perform
4. Potions and Powders: suggestions and some cautions
5. Moon Spells by Lunar Phase: Ties into #3 above
6. Special Moon Magic
7. Moon Spells by Goal
8. A Year of Moon Magic: this is the one I would like to tie to my journal

This is a basic informative lunar magic reference book that would benefit from being used in conjunction with a basic Pagan-Magic book. I have always felt that a book like this picked up and then used without true background knowledge could lead some into trouble but in general so would caution the reader not to jump in without thinking through and perhaps doing further study before attempting any magic.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I buy it for my library? Yes
Would I recommend it? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Llewellyn Publications for the ARC – this is my honest review.

4.5 Stars

An interesting and informative book, well written and full of interesting information. I liked the style of writing and how it's organised.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A really useful guide of moon spells. I'll definitely apply what I have learned with this book to my craft.

This wasn't my first of the Llewellyn's Little Book installments, but it is probably one of my favorites so far. As someone who focuses fairly heavily on lunar magic in my own personal workings, I went into this hoping to learn something new and obtain insightful resources, and this book provided that for the most part. I will offer a caveat that I think a lot of the information given here is pretty surface-level and, if you're already familiar with lunar magic, you may not be able to expect anything mind-blowing. That said, it would function as a good reference book, especially if you're still finding your footing.

The only major complaint I have, besides the lack of depth in many of the sections, is that the author goes into detail in a few places of ways you could use lunar magic to emphasize spirit/death work, but is very overly casual in the instructions. There's one ritual in which the reader is told, if you want a spirit to lend you strength but don't have a specific spirit in mind, that you can just waltz into any cemetery and ask any random spirit to come assist you. As someone who's been working and interacting with spirits for a long time, this can seriously backfire on you! I would just recommend the utmost caution to anyone trying out spirit work for the first time with this book as your guide.

While it may sound like I had a few major complaints, overall, I honestly thought this was an excellent little book that I could easily see adding to my shelves permanently as a quick reference guide. I especially liked that an entire section of rituals were sorted alphabetically, while another section was sorted by month (though it's very Northern Hemisphere-specific, to be fair). Altogether, a solid guide to lunar magic that I'd feel comfortable recommending to most practitioners.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!

Fantastic guide to moon spells throughout the lunar cycle. You absolutely can’t go wrong with this book. Steeped in pagan lore and science, it is an accessible guide to moon based practice, highly recommended.

This book is great for beginners, There are 65 spells in this book, Moon facts throughout, whole section about hands on spells during the cycles of the moon as well as other moon rituals, such as charging crystals in the full moon, potion and powder works.

I rather enjoyed reading through this book and plan to go back to this again.

Thank you Netgalley as well as Llewellyn Publications for the eARC.
All opinions are my own.

I love this book! I've been following the moon cycles for some time now so this is really my kind of book. It is surprisingly comprehensive for a "Little Book" and very inspiring with a lovely easy-to-read design. I highly recommend it!

Book Review
Llewellyn’s Little Book of Moon Spells
by Melanie Marquis
264 Pages


… Have you ever felt inspired or excited by a bright full moon, or found comfort and hope in the silvery glow of a crescent moon shining through a thin veil of clouds? As our closest celestial neighbor and the brightest, biggest object in the night sky, the moon has an undeniable connection to the planet we call home. In fact life, as we know it literally depends on it….1.

Llewellyn’s Little Book of Moon Spells by Melanie Marquis is 13th in the series of Llewellyn’s “Little Books” covering a variety of topics specific to pagan practice. A standard of the “Little Books” is their small size, which means the ultimate portability while containing everything needed for the beginner through the advanced practitioner. Containing more than sixty (60) spells, this book fills that criteria nicely.

A List of Spells, Other Magic, Potions and Powders is strategically placed right at the beginning of the book. This allows for ease and overview of what can be found between the pages and whets the appetite for diving in, experimenting and learning. And, what follows are eight (8) chapters that cover all of the nuances of moon magic. Little call-outs in each chapter bring another tidbit of information relating to moon lore, magic or astronomical aspecting that provide yet another layer of perspective and detail.

… Magic is simply the act of using your own personal power and the power of the universe to transform and guide the energies that make up all that is…2.

Chapter One: Moon Magic Basics gives the reader all that is needed to forge a connection to the Moon and lunar energies. Ms. Marquis encourages the reader to explore different means of connection and provides a variety of methods and suggestions that can be applied in sorting out your particular type of resonance. Once identified, the next steps offered are those of strengthening what you have revealed about your lunar connections and simply “being” in the presence of the Moon before spell work is begun. The benefits of Moon journals, creating sacred space and basic ritual workings concludes this chapter, giving a lovely foundation to build upon.

Chapter Two: Moon Correspondences is filled with multiple layers of information, both traditional attributions and those that reach more broadly and inclusively to fit the needs of any reader. This chapter is one that can be used at reference time and again as your workings progress and the connections you establish to lunar magic flex and transform.

Chapter Three: Timing Magic with the Moon addresses the time stamp assigned to both the astronomical and magickal moon energy. Phase, Moonrise and Moonset, Moon Day and Hour and the astrological mantles of the Moon are explained in a concise and easy way of application and understanding.

Chapter Four: Lunar Potions and Powders and Chapter Five: Moon Spells by Lunar Phase are a feast of recipes to put action into your magic and begin the process of coalescing the practical information previously provided and the spirit of adventure and trial that is the natural outcome of theory.

Chapter Six: Special Moon Magic is a nice addition with spell working for Supermoons, Blue Moons, Blood Moon magic and Eclipses.

Chapter Seven: Moon Spells by Goal provides yet another way to easily find exactly what you need. Everything is broken down into major categories such as, employment, beauty, healing and more. There is literally a spell and working for anything, anyone would need, and the adaptability to combine and remodel to fit the more specific and synthesized intentions.

Chapter Eight: A Year of Moon Magic awakens the reader to what a sustainable practice of lunar magic looks like. After all, as Witches, Pagans and Magic Workers connection to the natural cycles and the cosmic energies is a staple of the work that we do. The work is broken down by month beginning with January, and taking into consideration the natural tides of being human. A list of correspondences including: Seasonal Lunar Symbols, Colors, Animal and Folk Names is given for each month’s work. Additionally there is a ritual/spell for the Full and New Moon phases of that month.

The Conclusion brings all of what has been learned into a comprehensive whole, and gives the appropriate encouragement of making the work your own, diverging from what was written and building upon what worked and what didn’t.

… Explore try new things practice and follow your intuition and you’ll continuously discover more about your own ways to a tune to the moon you’ll also get increasingly better at working with its energies indeed through regular practice you’ll find that you have your own utterly unique ways of making moon magic being the utterly unique creature that you are the moon is a powerful force of nature and so to are you…3.

Would I Recommend

Llewellyn’s Little Book of Moon Spells by Melanie Marquis is a handy little guide to develop a meaningful and diverse routine of Lunar Magic. I appreciate the repetition of the work in the form of opening the aperture up a little wider and enabling the reader to latch on to a particular working through different lenses of application. Writing in this way means that if you are not yet familiar with the associations of each phase or astrological moon sign, but know that you would like to use lunar magic for healing or beauty, there is a chapter specific to goal-oriented use. There is a lot of really good stuff contained in a small package and as I always note, the best books are those that you know from the start that you will return to again and again for inspiration.

About Author Melanie Marquis

Melanie Marquis is the founder of the United Witches global coven and the organizer of Denver Pagans. She has written for Circle, Pentacle, and the American Tarot Association. Melanie’s books include The Witch’s Bag of Tricks, A Witch’s World of Magick, Beltane, and Lughnasadh. She is the co-creator of the “Modern Spellcaster’s Tarot” and the coauthor of Witchy Mama. Melanie lives in Denver, Colorado. Visit her online at www.MelanieMarquis.com.

Footnotes:

Introduction, p. 1
Introduction, p. 3
p. 248


Reviewed by Robin Fennelly of PaganPages.org
https://paganpages.org/emagazine/2020/06/01/book-review-llewellyns-little-book-of-moon-spells-by-melanie-marquis/

Loved it! Llewellyn's books are always full of wisdom and so was this book. I connect with the moon a lot and having a book of spells like this on hand is great.

This is a great little book for anyone who is hoping to add a little moon magic into their life. It goes over the basics, the correspondences, and the phases of the moon. It has great little practical rituals, spells, potions, and powders for you too try out, tweak and then add to your own grimoire or BOS. However, if you're a more experienced practitioner, or from the Southern Hemisphere certain bits may not be as useful or interesting to you. However, for anyone just starting out, this is a great little book to get closer to the moon.

I felt that this was an excellent, easy to use reference book for both beginners and long-time practitioners. It is full of terrific ceremonies and spells that I plan on incorporating into my Moon calling. I love the Moon and do a lot og ritual work during moonlight hours.

Thank you Melanie Marquis, Llewellyn Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and exchange for a fair and honest review.

I love learning about new things, this book was very informative and explained everything so that I could understand. I’m not sure how much I believe but i am curious to try it!

Thanks to Llewellyn Worldwide for the ARC!

I took a few months to review this book, because I really wanted to practice a bit what I read on these pages.

I've always been very intrigued by the moon, I've always felt like there was something magical about it, but during the past few weeks I was actually able to feel a better connection between us.

It was a very interesting read. And I must say, I knew almost nothing about the subject, so anyone can try to have this experience too.

The graphic work is absolutely beautiful!

Great read!

Moon Magic and Lore

If you are already a lover of moon magic, this delightful book will absolutely inspire your magical practices. It starts, as you might imagine, going over moon magic basics, lunar correspondences, and how to time magic with the moon's phases and events like eclipses. Then comes the hands-on moon spells and other magic work, including potions, powders, and—of course—spells. The book has 65 spells altogether; the author has an entire section just about spells to do at certain times of the lunar cycle and another on spells by goal. She also gives other moon rituals, like full-moon charging of objects or dedication. In the last chapter, different types of lunar spells and other magic are explored in the context of the turn of a year. Scattered throughout the book are also these fantastic little nuggets of moon lore and little snippets of magic. One that I loved had to do with simply pressing a moonstone to your lips during the full moon, and this will bring a vision of the future. Moon facts are scattered throughout, too. If you revel in the magical promise of the moon, this could only enhance your practice.

Llewellyn books offer great insight and books for many level of readers. This book is a great introduction to rituals and spells tied to the cycle of the moon. While your own intentions are the key to driving magick, these will help you get started and introduce you to making your own magick happen.

Another neat book in this series (that is what I am calling it) - great for those who have an interest in bringing in the moon more into their practice. Mainly spells and things to do than information. But there is information - more introductory - get stuff like the phases, animals, phases in the zodiac, and some other stuff.

This is a sweet, informational book. I found the info to be presented in an understandable way, and the little drawings that went with it were cute too! It got more specific than I had initially expected, but also appreciated!

Aimed at newer witches, this book presents general information about moon-based magic. It's an overview, including things like crystals and ingredients commonly associated with the moon, as well as options for moon deities. It also includes things like drawing down the moon. It was a satisfying collection, and a good introduction for newer witches exploring their preferences.

Llewellyn's Little Book of Moon Spells by Melanie Marquis was a great read. I love books about the occult and witchcraft so I was very interested in this volume. This is a perfect read for novice and advanced practitioners of the craft; I think everyone could learn something from this book! Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a free digital Advanced Reading Copy (ARC e-book) of this title. I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Llewellyn for providing me with a free review copy.

Llewellyn's Little Book of Moon Spells is a great ressource when starting moon magick. The author provides a comprehensive introduction into the properties of the different moon phases and corresponding herbs, crystals etc.

The spells have all necessary information and with the previously stated information, it is easy to adapt them to ones personal practice.

If you are a more experienced practicioner, this might not be the book for you - to me it seems to be targeted mainly at beginners. And it is good at doing so!