Companion to the Apprentice Wizard by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart
Reviewed by Mike Gleason
Companion to the Apprentice Wizard by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart © 2006
New Page Books ISBN 1-56414-835-1
261 pages plus paper crafts and biographical data
Paperback $18.99 (U.S.) $29.95 (Canada)
This is the second in an ongoing series of books intended to convey the knowledge of true wizarding. It is not inspired by, or affiliated with, the Harry Potter universe. The one point of similarity to the Harry Potter universe is the division of Oberon’s “Gray School of Wizardry” (www.GraySchool.com) into seven “year levels.” Even that, however, hearkens back to the medieval concepts of seven being a sacred number (.e.g., seven planets, seven days of the week, etc.); where do you thin Ms. Rowling got her idea? It is intended to be a modern-day equivalent of the old, handwritten grimoires of the medieval times, brought up to date and rendered more easily accessible. Therefore I was not surprised (although I was a little disappointed) to run into errata even before finishing the Foreword. After all, the old grimoires contained their share of mistakes. Of course, the old writers didn’t have the advantage of modern spell-checker programs.
This book is filled with numerous illustrations, including some at the back of the book which are intended to be photocopied and made into some of the tools every competent wizard needs to own.
Oberon and the faculty of the Gray School have divided wizardry into various specialties and assigned colors to each specialty. Thus each article in this book is identified by author’s name and the color of their specialty.
This book is not about lessons and teachings, but about practical exercises and projects to make. This is a book about doing, not thinking. We are reminded that while magick and wizardry form part of many religions (from Christianity to Wicca) it is, in and of itself, NOT religious in nature. Consequently, anyone can become a wizard, if they are willing to devote the time and energy required to develop the skills needed.
As with its predecessor (Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard) and its upcoming successors (Grimoire for the Journeyman Wizard [and its Companion], Grimoire for the Master Wizard [and its Companion], and Grimoire for the Adept [and its Companion]) there are numerous contributors to this volume, all of whom bring their own unique strengths to the mix. They occasionally present multiple viewpoints on a given topic or exercise.
In the third section of this book (Practice) you will find numerous simple spells and incantations covering a wide range of topics from blocking ill-wishes to consecrating your tools to attracting prosperity. It also includes candle magic (including directions for dressing your candles), hints on performing magick unobtrusively in public and a variety of other topics.
I did notice at least one glaring omission in this book. On page 65 there appears the statement: “Indeed, there’s an entire set of cut-out runes in this very book, as well as a very effective listing of their divinatory meaning!” Oops, no such set or listing appears in this volume.
Perhaps the most disconcerting errors in this book (and there are many physical errors) is the frequency of spacing errors. There are way too many instances of dropped spacing (i.e., “sheis” for “she is,” etc.). Please Note that I am referring to production errors, not errors of fact in the text. While it is not possible to verify every statement by every contributor, the information contained between the covers of this book is invaluable for the purpose of learning wizardry. Also, you need to be aware that there are references to “performance magic” (so-called “stage magic” or “illusionary magic”) in this book. And that is a valid part of wizard training. Belief on the part of non-wizards contributes to the energy available for “real magick.”