The Magic of the Otherworld by Morpheus Ravenna is an interesting look at Celtic practices and traditions as they apply to the modern practitioner. The Most useful aspect of this title is that its organization lends itself to non sequential reading. The downside to this is that several bits can come across as slightly repetitive at the cost of going further in depth. This Book will be an excellent read for Pagans and Celtic curious academics.

I found it easy to follow and a good popularization of the classic occult books. I loved how it explain how to apply century old practice today and it's well researched.
I think it's perfect if you want to start reading about the ancient practice or learn something new
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I was blown away with the depth of this book! If you age looking to dive into Celtic magick... Grab this book for your collection

Man, this has been a year for books. It's not often that I am super excited to share a review with you all, but I am certainly excited this time. The Magic of the Otherworld: Modern Sorcery from the Wellspring of Celtic Traditions by Morpheus Ravenna (sí/hír) is a comprehensive guide to modern Celtic magic based on folklore, historical documents, mythological texts, and hír experiences as a practicing witch. Drawing upon ancient Celtic traditions, Ravenna provides the groundwork for a modern Celtic practice rooted in animism, polytheism, and the Otherworld. As a hedge witch, I found this book to be the next step for those interested in Celtic traditions and spirit work, as much of what is covered in this book is paramount to my current practice, which I am building by combining Celtic and Norse traditions (to honor my ancestors on both sides of my family tree).

The Magic of the Otherworld is broken down into nine chapters and an introduction. While I know some people may wish to skip over an introduction and dive right into the material, I do not suggest that here. Ravenna lays the groundwork in the introduction, introducing the reader to core magical Celtic concepts, such as cóir, the Celtic concept of "rightness, order, or justice," and cultural appropriation versus appreciation, as well as introducing how the content in the book will be approached. Ravenna's approach to magical ethics within the Celtic framework cannot be overlooked or skipped and is honestly a breath of fresh air compared to more modern Wiccan takes and the Three Fold Law. From the introduction, the reader is introduced to a variety of magical topics, including purification, protection magic, spirit work, poetic sorcery, divination, sigils, necromancy, ancestor work, binding, cursing, and conflict magic.

Ravenna takes a very academic approach to Celtic magic throughout the book, which I found refreshing. Each chapter contains a breakdown of the mythological texts, folklore, and archeological evidence to support the different Celtic magical practices outlined in the book. These are supported with ample citations, expert opinions, and thorough analysis, allowing the reader to fully understand the historical context and precedent for the magic. I am so appreciative of this, as I am personally trying to connect more with the magic and practices of my ancestors. This historical context and analysis help put the magic into perspective for me and truly honor the practices of my ancestors in a modern way. Despite this academic approach, the text is inviting and conversational. At no point did I find myself struggling to read a passage or bored. Ravenna also includes "Sorcerer's Tool Kit" and "Story" sections in each chapter which offer the reader modern applications of ancient Celtic magic. In the "Sorcerer's Tool Kit," sí provides practical spells, rituals, and recipes to begin practicing what is discussed in each chapter. These are just frameworks, and Ravenna encourages the reader to build on these outlines and make them their own. These spells, rituals, and recipes are usually followed by a "Story" where sí discusses how sí has used these practices in hír own life. These stories provide an excellent example of what the magic can look like, which I always appreciate. Understanding what a spell can look like helps me visualize its purpose, come up with new ideas, and make the spells and rituals my own.

Ravanna is quick to say in the closing that sí has only scratched the surface of Celtic magic in this book, focusing more on the magic sí practices often and is most familiar with. This means that fertility, family, hearth, and abundance magics are left untouched. Honestly, I was okay with this. There is so much information packed into this book alone that it's impossible to discuss it all here, let alone quickly integrate it into one's practice. This is a book I will keep coming back to and I hope Ravenna expands on it by writing another book addressing the 'missing' topics. I love hír approach to constructing modern practices using historical texts, magical ethics, sigil creation, animism, consent, trance, spirit work, and so much more. Honestly, if you are a hedge witch and you don't pick up this book, you are missing out. The trance and spirit work alone is worth reading.

I have absolutely nothing negative to say other than there were times the book was repetitive, but this is only because Ravenna wrote the book so that it could be read out of sequence. Sí does not suggest this, and neither do I, as the concepts within the book build upon each other. You don't want to try cursing magic without first understanding how to properly protect yourself.

The Magic of the Otherworld: Modern Sorcery from the Wellspring of Celtic Traditions by Morpheus Ravenna is set to release July 8th, and is a must-read, especially for hedge witches and those interested in Celtic magic. I am so thankful I was given the opportunity to read and review this book, and can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy. As I said, this is a book I will keep coming back to. I kept highlighting passage after passage on my Kindle and knew immediately that I needed to have a physical copy to highlight, write notes, and add tabs to. I know this is a book I will forever reference and you likely will too. You can pre-order your copy now wherever books are sold.

The Magic of the Otherworld holds a wealth of information on Celtic-inspired magic. The format is mix of academic review and personal inspiration and the book is a useful guide for both beginners and reconstructionists interested in the magical practices of Celtic peoples.

The book begins with a brief history of Celtic peoples, major themes in Celtic mythology, and tools for developing your own ethical framework for magic. Chapter 1 is a guide to spiritual hygiene practices and includes ideas for shielding, smoke cleansing, and consecration by water and fire.

Chapter 2 discusses charms and protection magic such as lorica and caim prayers, creating protective charms, spirit traps, and protective spirits. The author also discusses their own experience working with the goddess Tlachtga in protective magic. Next, in Chapter 3, the author explores animism, environmental and animal spirits, stone veneration, and inspirited objects and weapons.

Chapter 4 is about the historical use of poetry in Irish texts for sorcery and charms and is followed by Chapter 5, which discusses divination such as omens, augury, and various language and writing systems. The author also outlines their own method of divination and sigil creating using Iron Age Lepontic script. Then in Chapter 6, ancestor veneration and necromancy are examined.

Chapters 7, 8, and 9 provide an overview of baneful magic: binding, cursing, justice, and war magic. These chapters have the most historical analysis and cite sources such as the Táin Bó Cúalnge, Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, and the Carmina Gadelica.

The Magic of the Otherworld is a dense volume of Celtic-inspired magic based on historical practices and will become a staple for those interested in adding Celtic magic to their own personal practices.

Thank you to Llewelyn & NetGalley for providing an ARC.

Chock full of modern tools and tips for working with magic — inspired by Celtic traditions. Somehow the writing style is equally ethereal and pragmatic, weaving a spell for the readers across land, sea, and sky. Fascinating, well researched and well written — undeniably valuable teachings for anyone interested in learning more about contemporary practices and sorcery with Celtic roots.

Very Informative

Morpheus Ravenna provides some great background information on Celtic traditions by discussing what the term Celtic sorcery mean, and what it doesn’t. She goes on to say that purification and spiritual hygiene are the first thing you will need to do in order to enter magical practices safely. This includes the ability to cleanse yourself, your tools, and your working spaces, because the basis of spiritual hygiene is an understanding that people, places, and things can gather spiritual residue and need cleaning, just as they do physically.

The author states that practices to cleanse spiritual contamination, purify the spiritual body, and rid us of harmful residues and forces can be broken down into three types based on their function: They are:
1. Cleansing, which removes contamination. For personal spiritual hygiene, you may sometimes need to use cleansing practices to wash away the residues of the world from yourself in the ritual equivalent of taking a shower and washing the dirt down the drain.
2. Blessing, which acts to realign or to restore a state of spiritual health. A blessing practice is designed to refresh, restore, or release trapped spiritual energies within your own being, without washing anything away.
3. Banishing, which is used to turn unwanted spirits away. Banishing refers specifically to practices designed to drive out spirit beings that are not wanted, and is keyed toward beings rather than residues.

The author discusses various protection and shielding prayers, and the many various aspects of Celtic traditions and magic. Very informative book, highly recommend.

This is a very innovative and modern look at active magic sone by solitary individuals, but I am sure a group could do it too. Excellent is the word for this course in practical wayß to improve your life with a celtic theme behind it. Many magical needs are covered and so are herbs and best of all, a new divination technique. Morpheus has devised a well thought out practice for looking at the world and beyond with an interesting celtic three world focus. Made up by the author this is worth the price of the book itself IMO as it works nicely!.
This is a great addition to Celtic practicing people or others looking to take up this inclusive manner of life.

I was honored to receive this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author Morpheus Ravenna and Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., Llewellyn Publications. It was an honor to receive this book.

Thank you Net galley for the eARC!

As a newbie, I found this book so easy to consume! I never got bored or felt like what I was reading was like a textbook. Which was super helpful. Would definitely recommend.

This is a very interesting survey of Celtic myths and occult practices. Because of that, reading of this book is very similar to reading Agrippas monumental work. But here, we have actual practical techniques adjusted to modern times. I would call this book kinda "iron strong" book because its main concern are protections, curses, justice and even "war magic". All that is given but also advises how to use some of these "dangerous" methods. And in that way, the state of balance simply is crying why some more beneficial practices (healing, love, wealth, creativity...) are not included in this text, but okay, maybe will be in the second part. A unique book and nice pictures!

So often books about the old world practices can be a bit hard to read or too much like a college professor’s lecture. This book, however is nothing of the sort! This reads so well that you’ll find yourself getting lost in the words and becoming a part of it.

This is not only a fabulous read, it’s a great resource. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the old traditions and using them today.