Making Magic

April 1, 2019
Saussy (The Sacred Book of Hours), founder of Sacred Arts Academy in San Antonio, Tex., shares spiritual concepts and rituals in this clearly organized workbook of magical practices. Instead of presenting traditional or fixed occult systems, Saussy covers “rituals and ceremonies that are both meaningful to us and relevant to our immediate lives.” Each chapter is organized by a “technique” or “material,” such as time, body, gardening, cooking, lighting candles, and sacred bathing. Saussy considers the mundane and magical aspects of each, littering her commentaries with questions intended to spark contemplation. For instance, in the chapter on time, she asks: “Consider your relationship to time and the ways you naturally mark time... What timepieces or chronometers do you have in your life?” Each chapter includes ritual ideas and magic practices, including meditations, sleep schedules, mirror gazing, candle rituals, and instructions for creating an altar. The rituals are simple and all easily created, requiring only household goods. Saussy’s advice is pragmatic, but her writing often strains for import: “Somewhere in the world right now people are building their altars, making offering, praying down hard.” This informal trove of spiritual advice will appeal to any reader interested in working magic into everyday life.