Review of The Modern Witchcraft Book of Crystal Magick: Your Complete Guide to the Power of Crystals by Judy Ann Nock
Ms Judy Ann Nock’s The Modern Witchcraft Book of Crystal Magick is a solid introduction to the use of crystals in order to enhance the practice of contemporary witchcraft.
Ms Nock explains:
“The enchantment of crystals is at your fingertips, and their vibrational energies are yours to explore, whether you wish to create balance or invite healing. Crystals enchant, inspire, and enhance the magickal practice of the modern witch like no other tool of the craft.”
She adds:
“For modern witchcraft, crystals are powerful tools for divination, energy work, and change. Your crystal is your conduit, a channel through which your mind may be opened to its higher power. It can lead you to a place of peace, help you tap into your psychic abilities, and allow for transformation to occur. Crystals allow you to grow in harmonic resonance to your surroundings and reflect your spiritual awakening in something tangible. Unlock the magick of crystals and experience the timeless beauty, power, and wisdom of the earth!”
While the book is aimed at witches, open-minded readers who are not witches but open to finding out about the metaphysical properties of crystals and how they can be tapped into will not be disappointed.
Ms Nock provides an introduction to how crystals form and the seven different crystal systems from which they get their lattice structure, as well as the outlying amorphous ones which do not fit into these systems. She covers the optical properties of crystals, meaning the “many ways crystals can reflect, absorb, refract, and transmit light” and then discusses the inclusions which are sometimes found.
Often overlooked is the need for readers to limit themselves to ethically-sourced crystals from small-scale low impact miners. Violent or destructive mining techniques are not just harmful to the environment but also impact the energy of the crystal itself. Ethically-sourced crystals will surely lead to superior results and are worth paying extra for.
Very little escapes Ms Nock’s attention as she introduces the philosophy of animism, the tenets of contagious magick and sympathetic magick, the law of attraction and some of the popular beliefs associated with crystals. While Ms Nock provides correspondences for colors and also for planets, she points out that these have varied over time:
“The fact that these correspondence charts are different does not mean that one of them is right and that one of them is wrong. It means that astrologers and magick workers determined correlations based on their knowledge, what they were able to access, and the needs of the time. Their understanding of the world and the crystals they were familiar with all factored into how they incorporated crystals and magick. What worked for ancient Egyptians was different from what worked for people in the Middle Ages, which was different from what worked in the Renaissance, and all of those are different from what we know and need today. Modern witches have every right to determine the correspondences that work for them.”
Readers at this point have the benefit of a lot of theory which can be tapped into when acquiring a crystal collection, being mindful of personal needs. Ms Nock covers techniques for cleansing, clearing and charging, Any lingering energy needs to be dissipated so it does not interfere with the purposes that readers have in mind for their crystals.
Ms Nock presents a library of “fifty-five crystals with their magickal properties and associations so you can choose the perfect one for spellcasting. Used properly in divination, meditation, spells, charms, jewelry, and talismans, these gifts from the earth never cease to capture and transform the imagination.” While there are obviously hundreds of crystals, a selection taken from the fifty-five outlined is a wonderful start to a powerful and beautiful collection.
It is at this point that Ms Nock gets to the practical material that her readers have been waiting for – the use of crystals in magick. Crystals can be used to help readers with “everything from amplifying your fortune, to your relationships, and even your appearance. … You will develop and hone your powers of magick by using crystals in many different capacities, all with the intention to improve your success in whatever aspect of life you need to give attention to.”
Ms Nock covers the use of crystals in healing. “In a magickal context, healing is a complex subject in which to engage. Poor health and emotional injuries are but a few of the challenges that can dominate the human condition.” Robust health would have to be the most important gift we could bestow upon ourselves and others. She provides spells to improve the body, mind, spirit and emotions.
What would a witchy book be without love spells? To her credit, Ms Nock stresses the need to use love spells ethically: “If you are looking to use crystals to improve relationships, strengthen bonds, support emotional healing, and promote peace, you will find many suitable applications in this chapter. If you are looking to manipulate someone into reciprocating your affections against their free will, you will find nothing of use here … “ She begins the chapter with a self-love spell and moves onto a “twin flame revealer” and then covers soul mates. After all, why have an ordinary relationship when something powerful can be brought into manifestation? She ends the chapter with a crystal Agape Spell for the Love of All People, which could potentially make the world a better, more loving place.
Ms Nock then moves onto beauty and glamor magick. This includes effective communication skills as physical appearance is not enough on its own, despite being a damn good start!
Ms Nock then moves onto divination and the acquisition of wisdom. She then moves onto birthstones, zodiac stones, stones for each day of the week, and attuning to the Wheel of the Year. She finishes her book with advanced techniques including sacred geometry, invocation, protection, ascension, and cosmic harmony.
All in all, Ms Nock covers a huge amount of ground. Witches working through this text will need several months to try everything out and fine-tune it to their own personal needs. At the end of their journey, they’ll be far more knowledgeable and effective magickally.
Tony Mierzwicki
Author of Hellenismos: Practicing Greek Polytheism Today and Graeco-Egyptian Magick: Everyday Empowerment.
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