Synopses & Reviews
Chapter One
Modern Dream Magic
Dreams are the source of creativity. They are expressions of experiences that are seeking to become real. When you practice dream magic, you do not just focus on what your dreams mean, you use magical techniques, in the context of your dreams, to help them come to fruition. This book challenges you to step into the river of dreams and purposefully and actively use dreaming for making magic.
Basics of Dream Magic
Dreams, for most people, have three basic aspects. The first aspect is the sensory experiences that you undergo each night while you sleep--images, sounds, and feelings appearing to your consciousness. While each person's dream experiences are different, many aspects are also similar, thus giving rise to the field of dream interpretation, the subject of countless books and theories.
Like the Australian aboriginal "dreamtime," this aspect of dreaming has to do with moving into an Otherworld, where time and space seem to drop away. A prime example of this sort of dream--like state is when you become so engrossed in thought that you don't even notice someone walking into the room and saying something to you. It might take a few moments to come back to the present time and place, giving the impression that you traveled somewhere else while it was happening. Often you will receive a vision, message, or other useful information from the dream experience. Within terms of magic, this part of dreaming relates to "merging," a process where you enter a divine state of being and are One with all things. The practice of merging will be discussed further in the section on spellcasting and creating magical dreams.
The third basic aspect of dreamsstems from the old saying "Dreams can come true." It is possible to use dreaming to achieve a particular goal that you strongly desire and expect to come true. Many times this goal is notable for its beauty, excellence, and ability to satisfy a heartfelt wish or ideal. Having an expectation and desire for a specific goal not only is a major aspect of dreams, it is also the cornerstone in magic. Without expectation and desire, there is no magical pattern and, for the most part, no forward movement. Your dreams, in the form of expectations and desires, are often the things that get you through the night and each day! It's the magic that makes your dreams come true.
Each morning when you get up, you have expectations about how the day is going to progress. These expectations are like a basic dream that you have about how things will turn out in the future. In the case of a day, if you drive to work, you expect to arrive safely. If you are working on a contract or project, you expect and intend for this to come to fruition and be successful.
The basic misconception regarding dreams is that somehow they aren't real-that somehow you should disregard your dreams and go on with your life as if they don't exist. This attitude negates your expectations and desires and says the experience you have each night should simply be cast aside. I disagree with this old-school attitude. Your dreams are energetically and experientially very real, and this book shows you how to tap into their power to enrich your life. Dreams are fields of energy in the form of creative sparks that need to be kindled, fine-tuned, nurtured and fed, and brought into full flame. The magical dream spells and ritualspresented here are intended to do just that and to help make your dreams come true!
Common Misconceptions About Magic
People commonly hold three basic misconceptions about magic. These misconceptions often unjustly influence their attitudes toward magic. If you view pentacles as Satanic or think that old ladies dressed in black fly around in the sky on broomsticks--when they aren't turning handsome young men into toads--you're not likely to want to use magic. These images are sensationalized and couldn't be further from the truth.
The first misconception of magic is that it is done by stereotypical witches--ugly, unbathed old women with warts on their noses who wear pointed black hats and ride broomsticks through the sky. I have met thousands of witches in my life, and none of them comes close to fitting this Hollywood stereotype. People who believe in and practice magic are young and they are old, they come in all sizes and from all walks of life. What brings us together are the beliefs both in the power of the mind and in a synchronistic divine power that can make magical things happen.
The second misconception stems from the idea that people practicing magic worship Satan. This idea is at best far-fetched to the point that if people didn't believe this misconception, I wouldn't even address it, but unfortunately it continues to rear its ignorant, ugly little head. The folks that I know who practice magic use a variety of divine energies, from the Celtic Mother Goddess Kerridwen to Mother Mary to the Norse Father God Odin.
Synopsis
Magic Can Make Your Dreams Come True!
What do you want to do tonight as you close your eyes and enter the magical world of dreams? Walk with the Faery Folk? Summon your soul mate? Ask the Goddess to grant you one special wish? Or experience a prophetic dream that will reveal your future? now you can access the magical power of your dreams with Dream Magic, a one-of-a-kind collection of night spells and rituals.
Popular Wiccan author Sirona Knight guides you carefully and clearly through the exciting world of using magic to make your dreams come true. Understanding that the realm of dreams is where the day-to-day and the magical overlap, this book shows you how to tap into the potent power of the dream world. Dream Magic features:
- A detailed list of easy-to-find magical ingredients
- Fun and simple step-by-step instructions
- An index of helpful Goddesses and Gods
With more than a hundred empowering spells, Dream Magic unlocks your dream world's boundless possibilities. With easy-to-reference chapters on magical dreaming for love, money, success, self-empowerment, health, beauty, and more, as well as an introduction to the basics of magic and how to get started, this book can be used by the beginner as well as the seasoned practitioner. Anything you can imagine is possible with Dream Magic.
About the Author
Sirona Knight is the co-author of The Shapeshifter Tarot (with D.J. Conway), one of Llewellyn's all time bestselling decks. She writes regulary for Magical Blend, New Age Retailer, and Aquarius, and has written 11 books on Celtic Shamanism, Magic, Witchcraft and the Goddess.