Protection Spells: Clear Negative Energy, Banish Unhealthy Influences, and Embrace Your Power by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Protection Spells: Clear Negative Energy, Banish Unhealthy Influences, and Embrace Your Power Reviews

• 
  Aurora

  LOTS of issues with cultural appropriation, suggesting things that are closed to specific cultures and NOT open to outsiders. Ex. smudging, white sage, closed symbols, etc.
  
  Cultural appropriation is a huge problem in the spiritual community and we don't need to perpetuate that any further. You also should not be invoking gods that are part of a closed practice - that's really not going to go well for you.
  
  Also tells you to watch which stones you put in salt to purify them, but doesn't mention that some stones cannot go in water, or sit in the sun too long, etc.
  
  There is some good stuff in here but yikes - there are a lot of people who are going to read this and not know how to weed out the stuff that doesn't belong to them.
• 
  Sosanna Olson

  Today I'm reviewing Protection Spells - Clear Negative Energy, Banish Unhealthy Influences and Embrace your Power by Arin Murphy-Hiscock
  
  Release Date - August 7,2018
  Source and Credit - Good Reads
  Currently a resident of Montreal, Canada, Arin works as a freelance writer and editor. She is the author of Power Spellcraft for Life: The Art of Crafting and Casting for Positive Change (2005), Solitary Wicca for Life: A Complete Guide to Mastering the Craft on Your Own(2005), The Way of the Green Witch (2006), The Way of the Hedge Witch (2009), and Pagan Pregnancy: The Journey From Maiden to Mother (TBA). She is also the editor of the anthology Out of the Broom Closet (2009).
  
  Arin is a third-degree Wiccan High Priestess in the Black Forest Clan, a tradition linked both by lineage and practice to several other branches of Wiccan thought and philosophy including the Caledonii Tradition, Druidism, Gardnerian practice, Seax-Wicca, general Celtic Wicca, and German witchcraft. She works as a priestess in her community performing rites of passage and giving occasional workshops, and leads a private coven.
  
  Generally I like to start out with a disclaimer. I am an atheist witch. I look for the connection between magic and science without the need for a deity. I receive no compensation for these reviews and all my links are standard Amazon links and not affiliate links. I am a practicing photo reader and have spent the last 13 years honing my craft. I offer personal readings by request and have a strong online history that boasts nearly 400,000 views.
  Like many spell books, this author starts this book with the the ins and outs of spell work. I really like the section on how spells work. The author tells us, "... if you're looking to use spells to avoid work, you're in for a rude awakening." Ain't it the truth!! Time, patience and more patience are key to working with magic. It is refreshing to see a book confess this at the very beginning. There's no easy way to get what you want in life. In order to succeed, you must work for it.
  The section on ethics is also very good. On page 17 the author tells the reader, "You don't get to do magic on or for people without their permission." So many new witches jump right into binding magic, curses or even healing spells without first consulting with your client or perspective client. Sometimes a client may be working against the very magic you're casting. Sometimes consent to cast isn't enough. An example of this is when I was working a binding spell for an abusive partner and the client was actively calling the target of the spell. They were following them from work, and driving by the abusive partner's house. This is directly counter productive for a binding spell. Once I found out, I quickly cut the cord with this client. So consent is indeed critical in spell work but so is the responsibility of the client to follow the path the adviser has laid out for them.
  Circle basics, casting and altars are at the very beginning of the text. Something I find that many spell books are lacking. The author fails to add "Wards" in the Types of spells section on page 25. I was a bit surprised by this; as wards are the most common type of protection spells out there. We only hear about binding more due to Hollywood, but wards are super simple and work well to return magic back to its origin either in reverse or directly as the sender intended. For me, I see this come to fruition in many of my day to day activities. Wards only work on those sending magic to you. If they're sending good magic, they get good magic back. If they send bad magic - well, you know how that goes.
  
  The books is divided up on spells related to Body and Spirit, House and Home and Rituals and Protective Objects. On page 166, the author gives us a spell for protecting oneself on public transport. This spell pulls in the Raidho and Eihwaz runes and gives the reader direction on how to apply the runes to a transit pass (bus pass/ticket) for a trouble free journey. The spell is extremely easy and could even be preformed at the bus stop while you wait.
  As with many of the books I review, my favorite part is the reference section. The key to any good spell book is to be able to find exactly what I'm looking for quickly. The author makes it easy for me to find purification spells, cord magic and much more with the full index in the back. I believe many authors skip this important step. We're witches on the go, we have shit to do, please let me find the spells a bit more easily.
  Over all I would say this is a great book for those not interested in writing their own spells. They are simply written, easy to use and well thought out. The Purifying Spray on page 88 for example is extremely easy to use and for the most part, made up of ingredients that most witches would have on hand.
  
  I would highly recommend adding this book to your standard witchy library. I believe you won't be disappointed.
• 
  Becca Ferguson

  Such a great, fun read. Very insightful. I’m working on being a more positive person and bringing positivity into my every day life as well as protecting myself more.
• 
  Spiral Breeze

  I read this cause I wanted a refresher as well as new ideas for a class I’m going to teach on beginner protection spellings. Sadly I learned nothing new, but I’ll recommend the book to my students for some simple adaptable spells with the caveat that their behinds shouldn’t be smudging nothing, using white sage or putting Malachite in water.
• 
  circe

  There was a lot of helpful info, but also a lot of cultural appropriation. One example is encouraging the use of white sage and smudging, which is an indigenous practice.
• 
  Elizabeth

  I have a hard time writing book reviews: what am I supposed to talk about first? With this book, I was tempted to start with the cover, which I think is pretty. Of course that has nothing to do with the quality of the writing, so I figured I needed something else. And then I discovered three editorial reviews that mention how nice the cover looks(!). So okay, it's a thing: judge this book by its lovely cover.
  
  Despite the title, Protection Spells isn't a book of super-intense magic. This is a short cookbook of spells for dealing with everyday situations, mainly for guarding against stress and feeling more secure. The first and last chapters cover the basics of spellcasting. Between them, the heart of this book is the protection spells themselves, organized by what's being protected (you, your home, your loved ones, and when you're away from home). The spells themselves are pretty simple and straightforward. They cover a variety of issues, from the usual ("Mirror Spell to Deflect Negativity" and "Talisman for Travel Protection") to the modern ("Defense Against Social Media Overload" and "Navigating Office Politics"). Many of the spells call for components. Most of them didn't seem really expensive, but even little things can add up, I'm not sure the chapters on the basics say enough for someone to feel comfortable customizing a spell. Occasionally, the author refers readers to her earlier book
  Power Spellcraft for Life: The Art of Crafting and Casting for Positive Change for a more detailed explanation of a point. Certainly this makes sense: why write the same book twice? But as of this writing, Power Spellcraft for Life is out of print in paper (still available as an ebook), so finding a copy may be a bit challenging.
  
  This would be a good introductory book, as it isn't overwhelming. But readers wanting more depth and discussion will probably have to find another book.
• 
  Sutton

  Great for beginning to advanced practitioners.
  Gives great information on spell-casting.
  This is one of my go to books when it comes to different types of protection spells.
  Highly recommended.
• 
  Ario

  Ciekawa, inspirująca i pouczającą lektura.
• 
  Nels

  A very useful book.
• 
  ❀•° ᥎꫶ׁׅꪱׁׅꪱׁׅ °•❀

  This is a fantastic resource for protection spells, and a good starter book for witches. My only complaint is a complaint I have about many witchcraft books: Don't encourage total newbies to call upon deities willy nilly.
  
  Also, the usage of the term "smudging" from a non-native practitioner is somewhat dubious. Smoke cleansing would be a preferred term (unless you have learned from and/or are working with a native practitioner okay with you using the term smudging).
  
  Would be 5 stars if it didn't pluck from so many cultural paths, such as heathenism, middle eastern symbols, indigenous practices, etc. It doesn't come up often, but when it does, I think it hinders the text rather than enhances it.
• 
  Christabel

  I’ve never not loved a book written by Arin and this one is no exception. This book is great for beginners up to even the most experience practitioners, providing a wide range of protections spells and rituals for different needs! Highly recommend!!!!
• 
  vickie

  will be referring to this book on and off again for my daily life or when needed
• 
  Not Sarah Connor Writes

  Someone reviewed this book saying it was like reading a recipe book but for spells, and they were right!!! Some good affirmations though.
• 
  mari_is_sleeping

  Awesome book, deals with pretty much all the basic things you need to know when starting your practice. Most rituals weren't really useful to me, but I definitely appreciated the sections regarding crystal purification, affirmations, the use of herbs, circles and grounding, as those were the things I needed to focus on right away.
  
  Just one thing: it's the third book I read from this author where she mentions using sage. DO! NOT! USE! WHITE! SAGE!
  It pertains to Native American practices and it's being overharvested; please seek alternatives if you're going to use smoke cleansing.
  
  Overall, great book for beginners, would reccommend for sure.
• 
  CzasoStrefa

  Pozbądź się złej energii, złych ludzi i ochroń siebie oraz swoją przestrzeń. Magia ochronna odgrywa szczególną rolę w naszym życiu. Obroni nas, a także naszych bliskich, pomoże nam zbudować pewność siebie, która jest niezbędna w życiu. Przede wszystkim pozwoli znaleźć ukojenie na świecie, w którym jest o to ciężko. Cała moc tkwi w nas, tylko trzeba umieć nad nią zapanować. Myślę, że ta książka przedstawi wam ową drogę i pomoże odnaleźć się w świecie magii. Na ogół zawiera podstawową wiedzę, jednak każdy odnajdzie tam coś, czego w danym momencie potrzebuje. Chciałabym się skupić na wątku afirmacji, ponieważ zasługuje on na ogromny plus. Magia zwana Magią Słowną jest jedną z ważniejszych w naszym życiu. Afirmując, przesyłamy wiadomość swojej podświadomości, że już to osiągnęliśmy. Mówiąc „Będę zdrowa” chronimy siebie, ale nie w odpowiednim momencie, a w nieokreślonej przyszłości. Natomiast jeżeli afirmujecie „Jestem zdrowa” natychmiast macie zapewnioną ochronę. Zapewne zastanawiacie się, dlaczego afirmacje są tak ważne, otóż pozwalają nam zapanować nad każdą sferą naszego życia. Kiedy się boimy, dzięki Magii Słownej pozbywamy się lęku. Cały sekret wszystkich lęków, obaw tkwi w afirmacjach.
  Więcej na: CzasoStrefa
• 
  Nadia | Mon Vàng Vàng

  2,5/5 sao
  Thành thật mà nói thì điều đầu tiên khiến mình chú ý đến cuốn sách này chính là bìa sách đúng chuẩn gout của mình: nhẹ nhàng, màu sắc phối hợp hài hòa mà không bị quá lấn át nhau (vì mình thấy khá ít sách thiết kế bìa kiểu như này). Nhưng có vẻ bìa là điểm cộng lớn nhất rồi, còn những yếu tố còn lại cũng chỉ ở mức trung bình thôi ấy. À ngoài ra thì điểm cộng khác chắc sẽ là cuốn sách khá ngắn nên có thể đọc nhanh, một chút nhấn nhá khi mà phần nào cũng viết.
  Nếu để đọc cuốn sách này như một cuốn nhập môn thì là một lựa chọn không phù hợp cho lắm, chỉ để đọc chơi chơi thôi thì cũng tạm ấy.
  P/s: dường như mình có "dớp" trong việc chọn sách qua bìa vậy. Cứ quyển nào chọn do bị thích bìa sách là y như rằng nội dung sẽ không được như kì vọng. Mình đã rất băn khoăn khi rate cuốn này vì với mình nội dung chỉ 2 sao thôi nhưng một quyển sách đâu chỉ đánh giá về nội dung mà còn cả về hình thức nữa nên 0,5 sao là để tặng cho chiếc bìa sách mà thôi.
• 
  Andrea

  I'll be saying this until the end of time- we as nonindigenous wtiches need to stop reccomending sage to cleanse. Even when this book was published in 2018, the author should know better.
  
  Anyways, this book felt really repetative at some point and it was hard to get through (which is why it took me so long). The very last chapter is really good and it was the most helpful for me at least. Overall, this is a good book for reference and to get ideas on how to broden your horizon with spellls, just please don't use the sage lol
  
• 
  Genoveva Uzunova

  Wonderful book. I am intrigued by "good magic" because in essence it is directing of positive energy to achieve a desired outcome. The book is well written. I wouldn't do all spells because as the author indicates herself, spells work only if they are true for you and you believe in them. I found interesting the use amulets, writing, affirmations, cleansing baths and other methods to banish negative energy. I am very sensitive and therefore think the advice here will be useful to remain centered and banish unhealthy influences. I would recommend this book highly.
• 
  Fi

  This book wasn’t anything especially groundbreaking, but it was nice to have a collection of protection spells and techniques. If you’re new to witchcraft, this is probably a good place to start. She does use the term “smudging” to refer to smoke cleansing and recommends white sage, which is unfortunate but was really common place until a couple of years ago. If you weed through that stuff, there’s a lot of good ideas in here!
• 
  Estefania Pereira

  I am truly a beginner witch and have always been told that you need to start with protection magic. So I have. It is a good beginners book with a lot of basic spells. Here's the thing though, I also started with cultural appropiation of practices and know some shit here ain't good. So, 3 stars, good basics, take into account the appropiation of smudging and white sage, and do more reasearch about crystals and which are dilutable in water or sun and stuff. Yup, that it.
• 
  Zia

  Yeah, this one was a disappointing one for me. I really liked The Green Witch and have been liking The House Witch so far but this....eh.
  
  Absolutely wrought with cultural appropriation as well as the vaguest explanations of crystal cleansing. Not everything can go in salt or water. Certainly not malachite.
  
  I did like a few spells enough as a baseline to bookmark them for later, probably the only reason I'm giving this 2 stars.
• 
  Amanda

  This is a great beginners book. I really don’t have anything negative to say about it except for I wish it would have gone more in depth with some protection spells it seemed these were very, very basic. The majority of them I have already known or heard of before I even read the book. But it’s a good book for beginners.
• 
  Sincerely Samar

  Skimming through this book it made me feel like a lost 12 year old who didn't know how to protect herself or her loved ones and was desperate to do so.
  I picked a few that were easy to do and saved them for when I needed them the most.
  This book is lovely, creative. And I think it's going to be fun to try.
• 
  Mary

  Beginner level book without the detailed magical theory. I appreciated some of the insight, however, I could not finish. Like mentioned in other reviews, cultural appropriation is apparent and there aren’t many sources. Huge focus on just being “positive” and how that will be more beneficial? Not sure. I couldn’t bring myself to finish the book
• 
  Hannah

  Really enjoyed the book and spells/rituals. I think it'll really come in handy so I'm saving it for future reference. Took off a star for the author using smudging. It's fricken 2020 it's smoke cleansing unless you're from any of the NA tribes that do the actual ritual.
• 
  Alyssa Gudenburr

  A great collection of magical spells to protect yourself, others, and your environment. The beginning chapters break down a spell and what protection magic is. However, one of the spells was smudging your space which is a Native American practice only. Otherwise a great book.
• 
  Annie

  I like the large scope of spells in the book.
  Lots of room for creativity here and Arin has a nice writing style.
  This book is a great jumping off point for people who want extra spiritual protection.
  We can always expand upon these ideas by pulling from our own cultures.
  Thanks, Arin!
• 
  Aaron Kharbanda

  Even though I did like the book, and it is very good for a witch that’s just starting out, I don’t love the way it’s written.
  Sometimes I feel like the author goes out of their way to write “him or her” instead of them. Not very inclusive.
• 
  Thersea

  protection for everything
  
  It seems like there is a protection spells for everything. Gives a life to help protect against negative forces and influence. Very helpful to hinder it.