| Phyllis's Page | Bio | Links|

Phyllis's Books

Blurbs:

The Love Spell

In the highly anticipated sequel to her acclaimed memoir, Book of Shadows, Phyllis Curott explores the power of magic to manifest love in an enchanting mix of erotic love story and inspiring spiritual guide

This is the story of a love spell that worked. Ivy League lawyer and Wiccan priestess Phyllis Curott has a super-charged career in law and filmmaking, but one thing is missing. Love. She casts a sexy spell, and her dream lover soon arrives. But he's not who he appears to be and there are unforeseen consequences. In this hip, compelling tale of spiritual and sexual awakening, she must seek the aid of an other worldly suitor, a daemon, to discover how modern relationships and their problems are paths to the greatest magic of all—true love. This wise and erotic memoir is also rich with spells and rituals for love. And the author shares accessible techniques of sexual magic for the accomplishment of personal goal.

Witch Crafting

Phyllis Curott's first book, Book of Shadows, was an inspirational, spiritual memoir that chronicled her journey from Ivy League-educated, New York City attorney to Wiccan High Priestess. By inviting readers of all faiths to share in her own personal transformation, Phyllis debunked many of the myths surrounding Wicca and revealed it for what it really is: a spiritual movement whose tenets of Goddess worship and reverence for Nature were a great deal more accessible and familiar than she'd ever expected. In Witch Crafting, Phyllis digs deep into the practices and principles of Witchcraft to provide a comprehensive guidebook that anyone "novices and seasoned practitioners alike" can use to incorporate the beauty and power of Wicca into their own daily lives.

Far from being just another mechanical spell book, Witch Crafting is the first book to offer readers not only the how-to of Witchcraft, but also the why-to, explaining the profound spiritual tenets behind Wiccan techniques. Filled with both traditional and innovative shamanic practices, Phyllis also provides an empowering new definition of magic and reexamines the ethics under which Witchcraft is practiced, offering a groundbreaking alternative to the Threefold Law. With enchanting stories from Curott's own experiences, Witch Crafting will also teach you how to:

• Master the secret arts of effective spellcasting
• Create sacred space and personal rituals
• Perform divinations for spiritual insight and earthly success
• Tap into the power of altered states, such as dreaming, meditation, prayer, and trance
• Keep a magical journal and create your own Book of Shadows

Rich with detailed advice for making magic, working with Nature, and finding the Divine within, as well as thought-provoking evaluations of this remarkable spirituality, Witch Crafting is the special volume that you've been searching for. Whether you are a beginner or have been practicing Witchcraft for years, whether you worship in a coven or on your own, Witch Crafting is the ideal handbook for you, or anyone seeking to unlock the divine power that makes real magic happen and experience the ecstasy, energy, and gifts of the Universe more fully.

Book of Shadows

When high-powered Manhattan lawyer Phyllis Curott began exploring Witchcraft, she discovered a spiritual movement that defied all stereotypes. Encountering neither satanic rites nor eccentric spinsters, she came to know a clandestine religion of the Goddess that had been forced into hiding over the course of history.

Book of Shadows chronicles Curott's remarkable initiation into Wicca (meaning "wise one"), her ascent to the position of Wiccan High Priestess, and her efforts to reconcile her newfound spirituality with her struggles as a woman rising through the ranks of the corporate world. Along the way, she relates the history of Witchcraft and shares many traditional Wiccan practices such as casting a circle, drawing down the Goddess, and casting spells for health, prosperity, and love.

Engagingly written and rich with detailed rituals and techniques, this inspirational book traces a modern woman's spiritual journey into a realm of extraordinary experience and enlightenment.  

Reviews:

The Love Spell

"I'd been raised to believe that the irrational was illusory, even dangerous," Wiccan high priestess Curott explains. As a 20-something Manhattan law student, she didn't know why she felt a curious connection with a statue of the Libyan Sibyl at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After she started studying with a circle of "women who called themselves Witches," it began to make sense. As a sage named Nonna explained, Curott was being called by her "daemon," who soon materialized as Derek, a sexy visitor to the Wiccan/Pagan bookstore where her circle met. Curott cast a love spell, resulting in hot sex with Derek. Convinced he was her true love, she pushed for a marriage ceremony. Alas, even priestesses schooled in the arts of love can't necessarily keep romantic passion from burning out after a few months. When things fell apart with Derek, Curott tried focusing on self-realization, but she still longed for his love. Nonna dispensed great wisdom—how we confuse love and passion, how we must love ourselves before we love others—but Curott's readers must wait until the last pages for her Mr. Right to arrive. Those curious about contemporary Wiccan beliefs and practices will find this an engrossing introduction, provided they're willing to wade through the occasional discourse on the "journey to wholeness... masculine energies... feminine sensuality" and, naturally, some fairly explicit erotic interludes." -- Publisher's Weekly

"Cross Sex and the City and charmed, and you have Curott's latest autobiographical effort, in which the author of the best-selling Book of Shadows (1998), about her initiation into Wicca, describes how magic came to her aid in finding romance. A high-powered real-estate lawyer in New York, she seemed to have no luck with men until she applied the magic she had learned. Very soon, she met the man of her dreams. Or was he? Even magic didn't work to keep the lovers together, not even the magic of a pagan handfasting ceremony that her rather conservative relatives found a bit disconcerting. At book's end, the marriage is over, and Curott is again sending out love spells; but the rituals and wisdom of her chosen religion have helped her see how important self-awareness and self-acceptance are, whether one is alone or in a couple. The book ends with (no surprise) a series of recipes for love spells that, one fervently wishes, readers will attempt only after absorbing all that Curott has to say. " -- Patricia Monaghan, The Booklist

Witchcrafting

"Curott (author of the bestselling Book of Shadows, 1998) presents an expansive, poetic and spiritually replete version of the traditional Wiccan how-to. Those who wish to undertake witchcrafting in a serious way will find Curott a wise and inspiring teacher. Systematically covering familiar elements ("Divination," "Sacred Space," "Witchcraft Without Rules"), Curott captures the spirit of Wicca as a religion or personal voyage, rather than a means to an end. The result is enjoyable reading for the merely curious as well as would-be initiates." -- Publisher's Weekly

Book of Shadows

"Over time, "book of shadows" has come to refer to a witch's journal, a diary of spells, chants, and rituals. Here Curott, a high priestess of the New York City-based Circle of Ara & the Minoan fellowship and a practicing lawyer, uses 13 chapters to tell the story of her personal encounter with the ways of the Goddess, with insight into the contemporary practice of witchcraft, or Wicca. The helpful appendix includes a table outlining the goddesses, gods, animals, and zodiacal signs connected with Wicca; spells, charms, and magical potions; special events of the Wicca year, with a resources section; and a list of books that provide further insight into Goddess and Wiccan practice, witchcraft, and white magic. Libraries seeking current material dealing with modern witchcraft will find this a helpful addition. Though no footnotes support any of the characterizations or opinions offered, the personal story will appeal to some readers." -- Library Journal

"Any woman can easily put herself into Curott's place because her story follows the familiar pattern of conversion stories (lost, now found; once in darkness, now in light). Its characters are good (mainly women) or evil (mainly men). The book can also be used as an introductory witchcraft manual." -- The Los Angeles Sunday Book Review