Utterly Wicked: Hexes, Curses, and Other Unsavory Notions

This book is an absolute treasure! I was delighted when I saw this book. After reading it, my initial delight was justified. This book has been a long time coming for many of us. I have been a part of The Craft for over 20 years and in that time a lot has changed. Witchcraft books are now available everywhere, not just from specialty shops like they were back in the day. As a backlash to Witchcraft being perceived as "dark" and "evil" by the public at large, an entire movement began which portrayed the strongly ethical, "good" and "benevolent" side of The Craft that exists. The Problem was this caused a great lack of balance for new people coming into The Craft. Witchcraft became(to many), "airy-fairy",whitesy-litesy" and "fluffy-bunny" (among other terms). Many new, modern Witches were scared to act to protect themselves or others as a result of others interpretations of the Wiccan Rede and Three-fold law. Dorothy Morrison has blown all that away with this truly ground-breaking book for our time. She has really put herself on the line with the Wiccan community as a whole and I applaude her for it! This book is not about doing evil to others for selfish, self-serving purposes. This book (to me at least), is about arming yourself with the proper tools to fight when and if you need to. This book is about balance. There are times when it may be called for to defend yourself when attacked or provoked, or to defend others who are innocent and are not strong enough to defend themselves. We are Witches, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard as Priestesses and Priests and part of our responsibility is to help those in need and sometimes that means taking the appropriate action when neccesary. Weighing both sides of a situation and coming to a balanced, correct outcome for us to take. This book gives you the tools to help you when that outcome means for you to defend yourself or others. She fills her book with spells, curses and hexes from a variety of different occult and magickal societies. From good old fashioned Witchcraft to straight-up Voodoo and Hoodoo practices, they are all here. Her writing style is simple and easy to follow. She writes with homour and experience making this book a pleasure to read. Each chapter deals with a different type of circumstance, making it easy to find the right spell needed for the right situation. The back of the book has a list of supply houses where some of the items listed in her book can be obtained for those in need. I cannot stress enough what a valuable book this is. Everyone in my Coven is getting a copy! I encourage you to do the same if this is your path.

This book is well written in a conversational style that appeals to me. She seems to know her stuff. She includes instructions on how to reverse hexes and curses, and her take on energy is more like mine than anyone I've come across so far in the arena of published books. In fact, I got a couple of good ideas from it, not so much to curse or hex, but sensible and positive use of negative energy. Her take on energy and energy use is one of the best. She makes a lot of sense, and brings up things that some people might not clue in to on their own. Much of what is covered isn't actually nasty, though some of it is very, very nasty. one I just got shivers from reading and I wouldn't ever do it. Or let me say, I can't imagine what provocation I would need in order to make me resort to it. She includes some cleansings, which are excellent. She provides alternatives for many things in the book from if you don't have a bathtub to if you can't find a reversing candle to if you don't have access to where you need to place or bury the packet or doll or item. She has a common-sense approach to getting the ingredients to a spell. as an example, when you need sulfur you don't have to buy some from a metaphysical shop or the internet, simply scrape the heads off some matches. A very practical book. Her primary requisite for the reader is focus. Will. Concentration and vividness in imagery. She seems to be spot on magickally, and her ethics and stance on the use of hexes/curses reflect my own in many ways. I like that she points out both sides, including to-be-expected repercussions and possibilities and then leaves it up to the reader without any further soapboxes or preaching. This book uses a purely magickal approach: although she does mention particular gods and goddesses now and then, it has pretty well nothing to do with spirituality; that's out of the book's purview. It is a book I would recommend without hesitation to an experienced, seasoned witch or magick practitioner. She has a nice section on poppets, and from an entirely 21st century pov along with a short reference list of substances and what they will do in the spell you use it in. She brought up things about poppets that I had not thought of. She is a proponent of using dirt in spells and hexes. Graveyard dirt, dirt from other places for other reasons, which rather startled me. I have been in the way of thinking that "dirt from a grave or graveyard" was something out of the middle ages that didn't have any real value to a modern witch or magickal practitioner. After reading this book, I have revisited that issue, and intend to try it out in workings I do, just to see. She mentions additional positive uses for it in other types of spellwork, not exclusively for cursing or hexing. I liked the book, and feel I got good value for the price.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book when I bought it. But I found it very informative, helpful and entertaining as well. I listened to the audiobook but I also own the paperback copy so I can refer to it easily if needed.

I cannot put this book down! I am completely enthralled with this book. It has me in its grasp and I am not complaining. Wonderfully written and the author is so funny and so bold and so honest. This book is detailed and very informative. Definitely a must have for any witch regardless of ur stance on hexing and cursing. The author provides more wisdom than just solely hexing and cursing, but in protection and workings in defense which is wonderful. Like I said, this is a must for every witch. Knowledge is power.

It was a really easy read for me, very interesting and great spells.

This is a very likable book, written in a style that's unpretentious and easily understood. There are a few places where the editor didn't notice the author had "gotten ahead of the instructions". One example: obtaining dirt from crossroads. This is only explained in little detail further on in the book. I assume the crossroads dirt doesn't have to come specifically from a cemetery and can be taken from crossroads in a location best suited for the solving the problem at hand. The index also could use a bit of work...try to find "Goofer Dust", for example: it isn't in the index. I disagree with the three-star reviewer that this book has anything to do with Wicca: the book isn't religious in tone. Wicca typically requires on to spend a bundle on special supplies and is a bit heavy on the ceremonial aspects of magic -- this book doesn't have that ponderous feel about it. Instead, "Utterly Wicked" seems to be intended for those who often work alone and don't want to invest a lot of time in ritual. The author offers many excellent recipes that can be made from herbs, spices and (if you don't mind digging a bit of dirt up around headstones, police stations and courthouses) you'll find you're already in possession of many ingredients and be able to create your own special blends without extra expense. The author also offers creative work-rounds that will have you buying from thrift shops and making use of magic markers and duct tape. This is all quite encouraging. In magic(k), while the props help focus our thoughts, it really is the thought that counts. Dorothy Morrison also deserves congratulations for having a conscience and knowing the importance of being absolutely correct before putting a Hex on another person or persons. This really is a process requiring a great deal of "soul-searching". When we are in a frenzy or very angered by a person we feel has committed an unspeakably rotten act against us, this may be a good time to channel our energies into getting back at the reprobate. However, I've learned that often it is best to invest the time in thinking the situation through, upsetting though it may be to do so -- often one finds they are not entirely without responsibility for a bad outcome, even though one's intentions may have *felt* entirely noble at the time. Thus, applying a curse or hex to someone would, for me, be the exception rather than the rule. I do appreciate the author including some recipes for healing oneself and others and, should one find things going very much awry, ways of putting a stop to the Curse or Hex. If I would take issue with anything in this book, it would be the suppliers recommended: these people may "have every supply and be willing to create custom blends", but they are among the most expensive of online suppliers and I was less than impressed with their sites. One might want to check into suppliers of medicinal and culinary herbs who sell in bulk or visit somaluna dot com and get an education about herbs, woods, resins, berries and the extraction process while doing a bit of comparison shopping. Overall, a well-written book with an emphasis on good old fashioned "hoodoo fusion". The attitude expressed in this book is: "it is not necessary to wait for a certain phase of the moon or require that preparation be done during certain planetary hours: again, this argues against the label of "Wicca". Just as Chaos Magick often cross-pollinates with quantum physics and Neuro-Linguistic Programming, certain philosophical and metaphysical "systems" readily overlap and blend. "Hoodoo" is based in animism and original (rather than Neo-) paganism. These are not disparate ideologies. I consider "Utterly Wicked" a keeper, filled with useful information. Better to have a copy on your shelf, rather than wait until all hell is breaking loose, the wolves are halfway through the door and you are considering possibly breaking the law in order to cause your obnoxious neighbors to move. One more added benefit: I am not, not have I ever been, a Domestic Goddess. Dorothy Morrison inspired me to do some needed deep cleaning on my abode. I thank her for lighting a fire under me! So, if you are as I am a bit chaotic or less than thorough in your housekeeping, her book will likely inspire you to get things in order -- much as it did me. So? Buy it. So be it. :)

Omg!!! Totally loved this book. It moved very well the information presented was fabulous and even when I was done reading I was googling more books that were written by the author. What a wonderfully reflective and pivotal book empowering you to take ownership of your life’s path

There are times in each of our lives when the need arises for protection, stopping a bad situation, doing what has to be done even if it's not something you'd normally choose to do - however, when pushed, who are any of us to say what the choices of another should be? This book gives a series of brilliant spells - she gives us here a form of self-defense that is palpable and sometimes (though not always) necessary. This is not a difficult book at all, but is by far the best I've read that gives solid information. I loved above all that it did not choose to push us to follow her morals or choices - instead it allows us as readers to be adults in our own right and follow our own Path....to choose for ourselves. I've never been a fan of books that say "Don't do this, it's wrong/bad/etc." as I feel that I can choose for myself what I can/can't do or what I should or shouldn't do - and as it is, not everyone is Wiccan and follows the three-fold rule. If you are adult enough to make choices for yourself, you will be just fine reading this book and even following the spells you're drawn to when you're called to. Wicca is a beautiful path for those who are drawn to it - but it's not for everyone. Respect should absolutely also be given to those who choose to defend themselves and theirs when they feel the time is right.