Pros: a great first reference, some color photos, correspondence tables and thorough index
Cons: not a fully comprehensive resource
The Bottom Line: If you're looking for a book which will introduce you to the folkloric associations of crystals and stones; this is an excellent first resource.
jiastar's Full Review: Scott Cunningham - Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Cr...
In under 200 pages Scott Cunningham will introduce you to the use of crystals, stones, and even metals in your acts of magic.
Magic is the attempt to change reality, to bring about change, by focusing emotion will and intent toward a desired goal.
Mr. Cunningham teaches all the basics. He teaches how to go about obtaining the stones you want, how to cleanse them, how to use them in fortune telling and how to use them in magic. Scott even includes a collection of simple spells that will give you ideas on how to incorporate stones into your magical life.
But, the majority of the book is taken up by the listings of the stones themselves. Listed alphabetically, Mr. Cunningham has taken more than 70 stones and tells us everything about them.
We learn:
the stones common name
some other folk names
its appearance
powers or attributes associated with the stone
herbs, elements, and planets associated with the stone
He also shares bit of folklore about the stones as well as examples of how it may be used in a spell.
The book closes with appendices which will help you find just the rock you are looking for.
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Mr. Cunningham writes in a conversational tone. His works are not dry. You get a feel for the person he must have been, the passion he brought to the topics he writes about.
The bits of folklore are facinating. I love hearing about ancient civilizations and this book fed that appetite.
What I truly like about this relatively slim volume is that it gives anyone an opportunity to experiment with the folklore of crystals.
Are there better, more thorough references out there? frankly, yes. I have seen monstrous volumes which cover every stone in creation. But, they can be overwhelming for the novice. Especially if they don't yet know if they will have a lasting love affair with rocks.
All in all this is an excellent first read for someone experimenting with things shiny and sparkly. But, if you develop a true passion for crystals and their bretheren you will eventually need to upgrade to a more hearty reference.
An excellent follow-up to this book is Love Is in the Earth: A Kaleidoscope of Crystals - by A. Melody - a much more thorough work, delaing ith hundreds of stones.
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