WICCAN MAGICK: Raven Grimassi

I borrowed this book from a friend and was seeking some light pagan fare akin to that which I used to read as a young teenager when I first got into Witchcraft. The book ended up being more dense and expansive than I expected, though also clear and easy to read. Upon further internet sleuthing I came to know that Grimassi was a prolific Italian American Wiccan practitioner and the author of many books.

In this book he traces the history of Modern Wicca from neolithic times through to Greco-Roman times, the Renaissance and up to the modern day. He also touches upon Folk Magic and it’s influence on Wicca, though highlights that they are two separate lineages. He speaks about the polarity of Ceremonial and Wiccan magic and covers many aspects of Witchcraft including herbology, gemstones, working with the elements, spell casting, interacting with the astral realm and the achievement of spiritual unity through the balancing of opposite forces.

I really appreciated how this book interweaved history and practical magic and although I won’t likely follow his system as he specifically laid it out, I was inspired by a lot of the rituals and methods in here. The author focuses a lot on Italian folk magic and the rituals he detailed for harvesting plants and honouring plant spirits stood out as being particularly awesome.

One thing that I reflected on a lot while reading this, and that I often reflect upon in general, is how a person can practice old European magical systems on colonized and broken lands in a way that honours the First People who were here and the Indigenous ancestral spirits of the land. I also seized up a little bit inside in reading a book that focuses on an Earth based religious system that honours the interconnectedness of everything, yet was printed and bound on paper made from virgin wood sources, which often comes from the clearcutting of entire ecosystems.

Though as I go on and on about throughout this website, I borrowed this book and don’t personally ever buy new books unless they're printed on recycled paper. And nonetheless, this was still and great book and now that I know who Raven Grimassi is, I’ll definitely be looking to read more of his works.