I was lucky enough to find a copy of this book several years ago when I was first getting into Paganism and Wicca. Since I started with the Big Blue Book and I moved on to The Tree, I felt that getting the "collected works" of Buckland would be a good thing.

I didn't know what to expect, but when I read Practical Candleburning Rituals, I was somewhat distressed. I mean, here's a book for pagans and Wiccans with Christian spells and passages from the Bible in it.

Time has passed and I now know more than I did. I understand now why those rituals were included.

With this reissuance of this book, all that I liked about it is re-presented to a new audience. It is redesigned and the simple line diagrams that were part of the original version are redone making it look much more professional.

Where before the rituals were designed so that the Pagan version followed the Christian version, this time they are broken into their own sections. The Pagan versions come in the first section, then, once all the spells are presented, the second section has the Christian versions.

This is a book that I'm glad to see being reissued again since it is a good reference for all those out there who are into simple magicks that are quickly set up and performed.

I have to give this two ratings really. As a book to possess and learn from, I give this book 3 stars out of 5. It's a good primer for those that want to get into ritualistic magick. It explores specific elements of ceremonial magick that I haven't seen explored in any other format. As for a reissuance of this book, I have to give this 5 stars out of 5. If you have wanted to buy Practical Candleburning Rituals, I advise this version since it is the best I have seen yet.

So, there you have it. An average rating of 4 stars out of 5. Happy reading.

This review can be found online at http://davensjournal.com/RPCB.xhtml

Practical Candleburning Rituals
By Raymond Buckland
Llewellyn, 1970 and 2004, $9.95 US
ISBN 0-87542-048-6