Daily Magic by Judika Illes is a great addition to my collection. It provides information on every day to help you connect more to the turning of the wheel of the year. The daily holidays cover a wide range of religions and practices. It's a way to bring more spiritual into the every day.

Daily Magic by Judika Illes is a book that promises to help readers incorporate magic into their daily lives. As someone who is interested in alternative forms of spirituality, I was excited to read this book. However, after diving into it, I found that I wasn't as drawn to it as I had hoped.

The book is not an easy read, through-and-through. It is packed with information about various forms of magic, from astrology to tarot to herbalism. While this information is undoubtedly valuable, it can be overwhelming for someone who is new to the subject.

One of the things I did appreciate about the book is that it provides daily rituals and practices that readers can incorporate into their lives. These rituals are designed to help readers connect with their intuition, set intentions, and cultivate a sense of gratitude. I found these rituals to be helpful, and they provided a useful starting point for incorporating magic into my daily routine.

However, the book's biggest drawback is that it feels disjointed. The chapters are organized by topics, such as magic for the home or magic for love and relationships. While this organization makes sense in theory, in practice, it feels like each chapter is its own separate entity. There is little flow or continuity between chapters, which makes it challenging to read the book as a whole.

Another issue I had with the book is that some of the rituals and practices feel a bit out of reach for the average reader. For example, there are several rituals that call for specific crystals, herbs, or other tools that may not be easy to find. While the author does provide alternatives, it can still be challenging to feel like you're getting the full benefit of the practice without all of the necessary materials.

In conclusion, while Daily Magic by Judika Illes is undoubtedly a valuable resource for those interested in incorporating magic into their daily lives, it may not be for everyone. Its dense information and disjointed organization can make it a challenging read for those who are new to the subject. However, for those willing to put in the effort, the daily rituals and practices provided in the book can be a useful tool for cultivating a sense of magic and intention in their lives.

I enjoyed this book. It was interesting to spend time each day connecting with my inner magic and the magical world.

“Daily Magic: Spells and Rituals for Making the Whole Year Magical” is the quintessential collection of days that pagans of all varieties celebrate around the world. It is a perpetual calendar of dates having spiritual, magical, and esoteric significance, helping readers make the most of the energies and influences that are associated with special power times. Some significant historical events, such as September 11, are also referenced.
April 30, for example, is perfect for spellcasting – especially for love, romance, fertility, and prosperity. If you don’t think days have power, think back to Hurricane Sandy in 2012 that battered the East Coast of the at the end of October. For safety reasons, many communities rescheduled public Halloween events and trick-or-treating for a week or two later. It just didn’t feel the same – because it wasn’t.
The book begins with a history of our calendar and a description of how to use the book. Organized by date – from New Year’s Day to New Year’s Eve – each month begins with introductory pages that list holidays and magical power days, giving a heads up to what the month will bring.
Days mark commemorations, many coming with suggestions, spells, and the occasional recipe to help celebrate it.
Judika Illes, who is also the author of the “Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells,” began making calendars of important days so she would know ahead of time what was coming, and filling notebooks with details “creating what effectively became the love child of a day planner and a witch’s Book of Shadows.”
“Too often we realize too late that we are missing wonderful opportunities for spellcasting and celebrations,” Judika wrote in the introduction. “How many times have we glanced at social media, only to discover that it is a beloved saint’s feast or the festival of a goddess, and we are woefully unprepared? Alternatively, we discover that it is the perfect day for a sorely needed magic spell, but because we didn’t know until the last minute, we lack the supplies, and so an opportunity is lost.”
This perpetual calendar will not only alert you to mystical dates, it also contains spells and rituals for harnessing the day’s magical power.
The appendixes contain information about working with each day of the week, and about the movable feasts with dates that vary from year to year. There is also a glossary of terms.
Readers of this book will surely find more reasons celebrate. For example, January 19 is the birthday of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and to honor her there are instructions for a powder to repel vampires. This is a great reference book.
Be sure to check out our feature interview this month! An interview with Judika Illes!
Judika Illes is an independent scholar, educator, and author of several books of folklore, folkways, and mythology. She is a graduate of Rutgers University and has a certification in therapeutic aromatherapy. Her books include “Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells,” “Encyclopedia of Spirits,” and “The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft.”

Reviewed by Lynn Woike (The Witch on Wheels) at PaganPages dot Org

Daily Magic is a unique compilation of various schools of thought and tradition in the witchcraft and metaphysical community. The daily readings were insightful, diverse and unique. I liked how Illes would prep you at times for future entries, like forage this plant today, you'll use it next week. This introduces a very useful and important skill in witchcraft which is intentions and planning. In a society where we focus so much on capitalism and buying what you need, I appreciate that this was incorporated into her book.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperOne for an e-arc of Daily Magic

This book wasn’t quite what I expected, but not in a bad way - just different. I thought it was going to be more of “here’s a spell or something magical that could be done each day” but instead it reads more like a historical text with recipes and spells mixed in with the information.

I feel like this is a book you can keep nearby, but not have to read straight through. It would be a good one to read each day for the day it corresponds to. I didn't feel an urge to read it straight through.

It’s a LONG book - almost 600 pages so be prepared. Some of it felt a bit dry for me, but I could see it being a good addition to someone's shelves.

The advent of social media has introduced us to a plethora of reasons to celebrate every single day of the year. While this may be overwhelming to some, what if each celebration contained a magical thread? Daily Magic by Judika Illes is a compendium of witchy holidays to cover just about any magical practice. Each month is packed with lore, spells, tools, and rituals to mark special dates from birthdates of gods, goddesses, saints and storybook characters to harvest celebrations. Covering a year of celebrations means space is at a premium, so Illes outlines brief descriptions of the lore and significance behind each day. There is still plenty of detail to get an understanding of each holiday and sabbat so the reader feels comfortable participating. This is a great resource to help any magical practitioner feel more connected to the craft or just find a reason to celebrate every day!

I always look forward to books written by Judika. I love how this book details daily practical magic! I enjoyed this book immensely and found it to be very helpful. Without a doubt, this is a great read! I voluntarily read this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is such a great book. Exactly what I needed. Having a daily guide for each day is amazing. I immediately looked up today. It is the feast of the Archangel Michael, known as Michaelmas. I will be using this everyday. Judika Illes is the kind of author that writes easy to read books. This is not written as a text book, thank goodness. I recommend it for everyone with an interest in magic. I received this book from Net Galley and HarperCollins Publishing for a honest review and this is exactly that.

This book is a game changer for me. It makes it easier to keep the magic in my life. There is an intro to each month and each day. Each day you will find either spells/recipes (sometimes both) and recommendations. it is a wonderful reference book and training manual. Just using it every day will provide you with more knowledge. Sometimes we get caught up in the daily chores of life and forget about the magic that is truly all around us. I was blessed to be provided a digitalcopy by HarperOne for my honest review. I ordered a hardcopy and am looking forward to its delivery today. I see myself getting a ton of use out of it.

Thank you to the author Ms. Illes for all of the hard work she put into making a tool that makes our lives easier. Thank you to HarperOne for the opportunity and of course to NetGalley!

"Daily Magic" by Judika Illes is a book I know I will be using daily for years to come. What I love about it is that not only is it just absolutely bursting with useful, helpful information (which it absolutely is!) but the way Illes wrote it helps you reconnect with your craft on a daily basis, just by reading the daily entries and being reminded of the magic that surrounds us. Of course, the book takes us several steps beyond that by providing spells and rituals and (most importantly!) when the best time is to perform those spells.
I highly recommend "Daily Magic" for experienced and novice practitioners alike.

This book surprised me with the variety that is offered. It begins with the basic description of how to use the book, followed by practices and spells for each day of the year (including Feb 29!). Each date can contain commemorations, recommendations/suggestions, spells, and recipes. The many possible activities for each day mean no two-yearly experiences will look the same. This is a great addition to the library of someone that wants to be more active with their practice.

Daily Magic by Judika Iles

9780062876829

592 Pages
Publisher: HarperOne
Release Date: August 31, 2021

Nonfiction, Religions, Spirituality, Self-Help, Mind, Body, Spirit, Calendar, Magic

This book is designed to be used by anyone. It is divided into the twelve months of the year. At the end of the book is Appendix 1: Living by the Days and Appendix 2: Moveable Feasts. Each chapter begins with a description of the month before it breaks down into individual dates.

The individual dates are chockful of information. There are stories, spells, incense, Saints, rituals, and festivals listed. I am always happy when I see a new book by this author. I have never been disappointed with her work. The amount of research she performs must be endless.

This is the type of book that can be picked up anytime through the year and used as a reference. Every practitioner should have this book on their bookshelf. There is something of interest for everyone.

Daily Magic: Spells and Rituals for Making the Whole Year Magical by Judika Illes is an intriguing read. Judika Illes goes through every day in the western calendar year and explains in careful detail what magical, folkloric, and spiritual correspondences can be discovered. Daily Magic is a book you are sure to read again and again.

Given that I received an ARC, and haven’t actually purchased the book, I wasn’t able to truly use the book as intended- a book of rituals and spells to incorporate into daily life.

I love Judika Illes and some of her previous books, and she really did a ton of research for this book to be able to give such interesting and detailed information about every day’s history, or about a saint associated with that day.

I also enjoyed the variety of the types of spells, most of which weren’t complex and did not have ridiculously expensive and endless ingredient lists, which I appreciated! There were baths, tarot spells, protection spells, oils, and a variety of other kinds of spells- seriously, a completely different one for each day.

This is a book I’m considering purchasing for the future as I am somewhat obsessed with books meant to be referenced daily. The only complaint I have is that I don’t see myself actually working some of these spells. An example of such is a random day in January, the spell of the day is for employment- but it may not be useful for me on that specific day, however it’s a good reference for a future date where I may need one, or simply could note some of the ingredients to build a future spell off of for another day or purpose.

There were plenty of spells I am interested in doing, so for that reason I am likely to purchase this, if not for the information throughout the year alone.

I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Each and every day, and there is so much in here you WILL learn something new, but also add your own nuggets to this superb book and make it a true keepsake! It also has a great overview of various calendars and a history of them…being a bit of a history nerd, this was super cool for me.

Forget those spell a day calendars, with so much awesomeness packed inside, you’re going to want to keep this book forever! Especially as you add your own notes and comments throughout each and every year from here on out!, making it your own personalized book of daily magic.

This is a wonderful book . Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity to review. My review opinions are my own .

I did not know what to expect with this book and it is such a delightful read. This is a yearly calendar of spells, meditations and mindfulness that every witch can benefit from. I appreciate the authors detail of spells and how so many are easy to assemble and create. The author included here the history of calendars and magical dates throughout the year. She then took each month and date with its own rituals, wonderful detailed witch history, magical spells and meditations. I learned so much reading this that I enjoyed it cover to cover to conclusion. This is a book every witch will want to own and give as gifts. I am pre ordering a copy for myself . I highly recommend this book for all witches and especially new witches to enjoy . Very well done to the author . .

I loved Daily Magic so much that I had to buy a physical copy too! Judika Illes helped me slow down and see how every single day is full of beauty and magic. It’s jam packed with many pages for each day of the year, which was pleasantly surprising! I love that the author includes as many celebrations and beliefs for each day.

I honestly don't know what I expected when I chose this book but it didn't hit the mark and I, unfortunately, got bored with it rather quickly. Based on the author's account they had a fanbase requesting such information but perhaps I am too much of a novice to understand nor see the worth in the information presented. I hope that others will benefit from the information provided in this book but I did not.

I really enjoyed the different magic in this book. It was very easy to follow along and read as well as not feel overwhelming with information, I would highly recommend as a newbie to witchcraft and magic to read this book.