This book is an irresistible, definitive guide to the magical practices of contemporary women. Beginning with a brief history of witchcraft, it explores a huge range of beliefs, festivals, skills, and lore, including: Goddesses, priestesses, and witches Reincarnation, karma, magic, and power The aura, the chakras, psychic awareness, astral traveling, pathworking, dreamwork, and healing Covens, initiations, collectives, and lone witches The circle, the altar, wands, robes, chalices, incenses, oils, and candles The moon and the planets Sabbats, esbats, solstices, equinoxes, Samhain, Candlemas, Beltane, and Lammas Tarot, scrying, starcraft, and herbal lore Gathering together all the disciplines of European witchcraft and providing rituals and spells for use in our lives, A Woman's Book of Shadows , first published in 1993, is a remarkable compendium of magical lore, psychic skills, and women's mysteries.