The Magical Art of Crafting Charm Bags: 100 Mystical Formulas for Success, Love, Wealth, and Wellbeing

Lately it seems like every book on supposedly niche magickal practices are padded with a lot of New Agey nonsense, and this book is no exception. I make charm bags, I've made them for close to thirty years now, and I like to find out what younger people are doing, what people from other countries and spiritual practices are doing, is anyone going to discuss advancements in a particular practice or talk about the ecology of magick, or, I don't know, perhaps question do we need to spend a fortune on exotic oils and herbs and crystals and what not in order to craft a powerful object? Those would be good subjects to explore, and I read some excerpts of this book before purchasing and I took a chance, because I'm not good at getting the message that publishing as currently constituted doesn't want to print anything innovative or thought provoking.The book starts off strong, though not on the subject it is purportedly about. The chapter on casting a circle is to the point and well written-- many newbies don't get a good education on this subject, and not all of us do this in the first place but he makes a compelling and consistent argument for why one should do it, and how. From that chapter, however, the book goes downhill fast.My main beef: There are lots of vague references to "European folklore", "African Diaspora traditions", lower-case "gypsy" traditions, "black magick" vs "white magick", "spiritualism", and no sources whatsoever for these claims. There are references, dramatic and casual, to Marie Laveau, again without source material. I think people need to understand that using the word "folklore" to describe something doesn't let you off the hook for explaining where you got that information. "European" is as meaningless as "Asian"-- where in Europe? Where in Asia? The word "gypsy", again in lower-case, again not saying where the particular group of people are from, are they Roma or Sinti or Manush? Are they Travellers? Are they immigrants or longtime residents of the Americas? What does this word mean?It takes away from credibility, and in this field that should be considered. Magick already has a bad rap, a lot of it deserved, and every book that lends itself to this kind of lazy follow through makes it worse. If you claim something is sourced from something outside of yourself, you need to provide some back-up. And if you made up the particular spell or invocation or whatever, own it, dude. If it comes from your very own personal self, let us know. But "the following is a simple ritual you can perform that comes from an old gypsy tradition" (pg 22) and then the incantation appears to come straight from some standard Wiccan/neoPagan website? I don't think that's acceptable.There are lists upon lists in this book, of herbs, types of minerals, and essential oils. Many of the "traditional" uses claimed in the book are not from traditions I've ever seen before, and the author, who is from Venezuela, didn't explain his sources on this either. I was very interested in what someone from this particular part of South America could have brought to the table, unique perhaps to his background, but there was nothing in that regard, which was disappointing. Also there was no discussion of sourcing on these items. When it comes to minerals and herbs/plants, this is an issue this community should be minding. The book was published in 2017, but the massive catalog of things to be simply acquired without mentioning consequences (or even legality, in some cases) reminds me of books published in the seventies.And the lists lend themselves to a kind of Materialist Magick. Buy the right oil, herbs, and oils, and you'll have a charm. Can't buy them or find them around you? Too bad, I guess? There wasn't a lot of thinking outside the box, to use a cliche.The sections on astrology and timing were fine, not bad at all, but you can find that information in other sources.I was highly underwhelmed by the sections on the bags themselves. Yeah, you know, a gris-gris or medicine bag or whatever you personally call it, they aren't elaborate in construction often, but they can be, and there are variables from all over the world. There were no pictures, which is sad. And again, I don't know what the magickal community is like in Venezuela or other parts of South America outside of Brazil, and it seems like the author could have introduced some of that. I can't emphasize enough how disappointed I was in the missed opportunity for some expanded horizons. If the book had all the flaws previously noted but at least contained that, it would have been worth the read and another star.So what I'm saying is, this book is not exceptional and I don't recommend it. If you don't know anything whatsoever about charm bags, and are scared of simply listening to your gut, I mean, I'm not your mom or anything, but your instincts will probably serve you better than this book will.

I'm a beginner. Many books that I have purchased are pretty worthless. Most are lacking in real content but full of magic WooWoo do's & don'ts. Out of all the books I have purchased, this is my favorite. This book contains lists & definition/usage of colors, plants & herbs, crystals, essential oils & essences and the zodiac. Plus there are instructions for crafting charm bags, amulets, talisman, etc., setting up an alter, creating & closing magic circles, etc. This book is so much more than a book about creating charm bags. The lists with definitions are just what I was looking for. It contains no exact recipes but it gives the lists necessary to understand what everything does. Love this book!

We have all read those books that lightly touch on crafting charm bags with little to no instruction. This book by far surmounts those minor glimpses into this practice. It is a phenomenal resource for the beginner and adept alike. Elohim Leafar has provided a great resource for all of us to enhance our personal practice. This book includes everything from consecration rituals, instructions for circle casting, an herbal reference guide, a crystal and gem reference guide, day correspondences, to a vast selection charm bag recipes which can be used as instructed or even as a foundation to expand upon and SO MUCH MORE! I recommend this book to all who seek a deeper understanding of this practice. I could not be happier with my purchase!

Wonderful book! Filled with wonderful magical tips and secrets for making some of the best charm bags!

This book is well written and packed full of information. Each author has their own unique style in writing and delivering their experiences and knowledge of Magick. Great addition to my Magickal library!

What a great book! Full of information! Love this book!!

The book has a lot of information, the writing is not too small, a good book to have in your library.

very interesting little book!!

Great spell book

A really interesting read!

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