Another week, another review. This time it is about a book from a big-name author: Before You Do Magic: Train Your Mind to Awaken Occult Skills, by Donald Tyson. With chapters full of exercises, this book is taking me to a new level as a witch, so I cannot recommend it enough. Thanks to the publisher for the copy to review!
- Print Length: 264 pages.
- Publisher: Llewellyn Publications.
- Publication Date: December 8, 2025.
- Genres: Psychic Development, Non-Fiction, Paganism.
- Rating: 5/5 stars.
Countless Books Teach the Mechanics of MagicThis One Develops Your Occult Mental SkillsBefore you perform spells and rituals, you need to develop your innate abilities. Otherwise, you'll just find yourself going through the motions without achieving any practical results. Regardless of your experience or traditions, this book’s 120 exercises will help you gain the energetic focus needed to make your magic more effective.Donald Tyson provides twelve chapters that each cover a different topic and why it is necessary for better magic.• Occult Sympathies • Controlled Breathing • Meditation • Visualization • Concentration • Dramatization • Incantation • Realization • The Aura • Scrying • Channeling • Astral Projection.Within each chapter are ten exercises to choose from that will help you strengthen the corresponding topic or skill. Find the exercises that most resonate within you and apply them multiple times to build up your esoteric abilities and open yourself to the realm of magic within your heart and mind.
I was excited about this book because I knew Donald Tyson is a big name in the Pagan/Witchcraft/Occultism world, so it was hard not to have high expectations. However, it met them with ease as soon as I started reading. The style, the organization, the ease with which everything can be performed, and more, were all great.
Each chapter comes with a short introduction to the topic at hand, some recommendations, and always clarifies that you must take things easy and slowly. As someone who didn't do this when he was learning about witchcraft, I can attest that this is a much-needed disclaimer. As you read Before You Do Magic, you discover that even though the exercises are fairly easy most of the time, you need to take your time with one before getting to the other.
The best part is that this is not a collection of random exercises. Instead, each chapter builds on what the previous explored. However, you don't need to make all of them: Donald Tyson is very explicit when he says that some people will have better results with this method, and some will have them with the other. There are many options, 10 options, to be precise, so it's easy to find something that works for you.
Of the 12 chapters, the one about scrying was my favorite. Full of insight, of ideas, working with the elements, and fun facts, it made Before You Do Magic shine. As a preamble to magical working, this book has a lot of useful information and practices that can enhance your Craft, along with the fact that it requires very few materials to work with, mostly your senses, some privacy, and time.
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