Excerpts from Three PW Reviews for Monday, February 13

by Staff, Religion BookLine -- Publishers Weekly, 2/8/2006

The Way of Four Spellbook: Working Magic with the Elements
Deborah Lipp. Llewellyn, $17.95 paper (288p) ISBN 0-7387-0858-5

"My apartment is clean. My apartment is clean. My apartment is clean…So mote [make] it be!" Who knew that a traditional elementary school punishment like writing out lines was really an "Air Spell" in disguise? Readers will find such tidbits galore in this hands-on spellbook, a follow-up companion to Lipp's earlier The Way of Four. Both volumes use the four elements—Air, Fire, Water, and Earth—as the primary foundations for beginning spell casters to learn and practice their art. A high priestess in the Gardnerian Wiccan Tradition, Lipp likens this elementary spellbook to a "cookbook," and indeed, readers will find spells structured like recipes, with lists of "needed tools" replacing ingredients sections and clear sets of instructions for whipping up each spell. (Apr.)

50 Ways to Pray: Practices from Many Traditions and Times
Teresa A. Blythe. Abingdon, $13 paper (208p) ISBN 0-687-33104-8

A spiritual director, writer and commentator on popular culture, Blythe can say her prayers in a lot of different ways. This helpful and friendly book is jammed with prayer practices from a variety of Christian traditions. Organized by chapters that group prayers by type (body prayers, prayers of imagination, discernment, etc.), each prayer practice is clearly explained step by step. The result is a textbook not only of techniques, but also a generous understanding of the many modalities of prayer. Blythe finds that prayer can be walked, talked, breathed, drawn, or even inferred from television and movies. The breadth of the book provides an imaginative jump-start for anyone with a narrow conception of how to pray or a limited repertoire of rote prayers. (Apr.)

The Sacred Art of Forgiveness: Forgiving Ourselves and Others through God's Grace
Marcia Ford. SkyLight Paths, $16.99 paper (160p) ISBN 1-59473-175-6

Forgiveness—a simple concept that is complex and difficult to live out—is basic to almost all spiritual paths. Ford helps iron out the complexities by sharing personal and historical stories of real people who forgive, giving scriptural encouragement for forgiveness and providing questions and practice exercises at the end of each chapter. What's more, she does all this with an inviting, witty tone that is reminiscent of a chat with a friend over coffee. Although our call is always to forgive, Ford recognizes the thorniness of forgiving someone who is persistently abusive. This primer belongs in the hands of anyone who needs to give or receive forgiveness. (May)