A Witch's Guide to Ghosts and the Supernatural
Gerina Dunwich
New Page Books
ISBN: 1564146162

In A Witch's Guide to Ghosts and the Supernatural, American Witch Gerina Dunwich leads the reader into the world of shadows, where ghosts haunt and paranormal experiences abound.

This book teams true-life experiences of the supernatural with historical information about vampires and shapeshifters and offers comprehensive advice on dealing with ghosts, spirits and hauntings, amongst other things. Since this book is written from a Witch's perspective, many of these methods are rooted in magick and Witchcraft: spells, sorcery, rituals, oils and herbs. There are charms to protect a person against hauntings, rituals to banish mischievous ghosts and details on how to contact spirits of the dead. Also included are explorations into the world of Spiritualism, from its roots in 19th century America to its social placing today, and there are also chapter on the ancient art of necromancy, possession and superstitions.

A glossary of relevant terms, a detailed resource guide to books and websites of note, and a listing of Gods and Goddesses dealing with death and the underworld completes A Witch's Guide to Ghosts and the Supernatural; however these are by no means comprehensive and several entries are glaringly omitted. For example, the Greek Goddess Hekate (arguably one of the most popular and well-known Underworld deities) is not even mentioned.

I came to this book both intrigued and wary, since I am an experienced and professional Paranormal Investigator of many years. Much of the information in this book provides the reader with a good introduction to the world of ghosts and the supernatural; however I do not agree with certain aspects of A Witch's Guide to Ghosts and the Supernatural and would therefore use caution in recommending this book. For instance, Dunwich advocates the use of a ouija board, which any experienced and self-respecting Paranormal Investigator would not do. Ouija boards are dangerous, end of discussion. I would also be wary about including necromancy and séances in such a basic guide to the supernatural.

On the whole, this is an interesting text but leaves much to be desired. Though Dunwich does warn against using some of the methods she mentions, these warnings seem half-hearted and do not come often enough for my liking. If you do read this book, exercise caution and use your common sense; however it would not be my choice for a book on this subject.

Review written by Heathwitch