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Magick IRL: Book Review – True Magic by Cyndi Brannen

Magick IRL: Book Review – True Magic by Cyndi Brannen

Last updated on: October 9, 2019 at 2:49 pm by Vincent Higginbotham

Magick IRL: Book Review – True Magic by Cyndi Brannen 2019-10-09T14:49:29+00:00 Vincent Higginbotham

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That Must Make Me Seven

I guess I was like, nineteen when I first realized my affinity for the number seven. I went to Job Corps because I’m a high school dropout. I got my GED there and the first real sense of my inner witch. While I was at Job Corps I also met a horrible boy who eventually took me back to Charleston, South Carolina with him. Our friendship was platonic and I truthfully never expected it to become anything more than that.

I could bore you with details on why this boy was horrible and the impending doom that became my life after I moved to Charleston; but that’s not what this article is about. Sorry, I’m not sorry. Boundaries are important and we are in a need-to-know relationship here; that moment in my life is not your business right now. Anyway.

Like I said, I was at Job Corps in Kentucky. It was a pretty cool place where I started to stand in my power as a witch for the first time. Don’t get me wrong: Job Corps sucked. But the things I started learning about witchcraft there would continue to inform my life even when I wasn’t practicing witchcraft for years to follow.

Looking back, I’m not surprised that the number seven came into my life at this time as well. This was a big moment for me as a young adult. I made a friend named Valarie. She was a witch and she started showing me some stuff. Then the boy came along and took up all my attention. I burnt my bridge with Valarie, but not before she bought me my first real journal.

The number seven came into my life at this time. Photo by Quinn Kampschroer via Pixabay.

Before this moment I had been writing in composition books. That’s cool and all, writers should write in whatever they want. But for me, when Valarie bought me that journal, I suddenly had a reason to really hold on to a book I had written in. This became the first book that I filled up with horrendous, mopey, and angst-filled poems and prose. The thing that makes this book relevant, is that I kept it. I still have it today.

Aside from the journaling, I walked away from the experience with two other trinkets in my metaphoric back pocket. This love for the number seven and an understanding that I was a witch. I didn’t know what being a witch meant at the time and it would literally take me another 20 years before I honestly stepped up and claimed the title. The point is I became a new person at Job Corps. I left Kentucky with the seedling planted that would one day bloom into my true self.

Seven Seven Seven

The number seven is a pretty important number in general. I have always thought that the seventh track on any album is the best one. Oh, you don’t believe me? Seriously go to your apple music, CD collection, or whatever it is you use; go through your artist and look for the seventh song on any album. Nine times out of ten, you will find that the best song is number seven.

Seven shows up in a lot of things. It is considered the number of completion. Maybe that’s why the God of Abraham took seven days to create the world, or why his followers believe there are seven deadly sins. Truth be told, I could probably sit here and write for days about why the number seven is significant. But that would be annoying for me and boring for you.

When I first noticed my love of the number seven, I had my own reasons for loving it. I felt for the first time that I was complete. I had this tumultuous childhood that led to homelessness and when I made it to Job Corps I thought that time was finally behind me. #spoileralert, it wasn’t.

Seven is considered the number of completion. Image by Solarus via Pixabay.

Regardless, I felt the power in the number seven. It seemed as if the number served as a connection between me to the bigger, unknown thing that runs what I think we collectively understand as the universe. I suppose you could call it Yahweh, Hekate, the Universe, or anything you want really. At the end of the day, in my opinion, those are all just names for how you, I, and everyone else understands the source.

So when I came to the number seven, when my witch mind was opening up for the first time, that became the name, the identity, the cord that I connected with. Seven, to me was the symbol of this great big thing I could not begin to explain as a 19-year-old, uneducated young man. If I am telling the truth here, I am not so sure that now, twenty years later, I could do any better job of explaining what the source is exactly.

What I can explain is that I still feel connected to the number seven. It is literally everywhere. Like the Fibonacci sequence can be found all over nature, so can the number seven. I know that the number strikes a chord in my heart, so it deserves respect. Before I knew what a sigil was, before I truly understood anything about magick, I designed a mark which became a tattoo on the back of my neck. It is the number seven in a roman numeral but designed a bit more fancily so as to not be obvious. I have been signing my name with this sigil ever since because it fits in real nicely in the name Vincent.

I designed a Roman numeral seven which became a tattoo–and it’s also a V! Photo by the author.

You may be wondering why I’ve spent nearly a thousand words explaining my feelings on the number seven. It could seem odd to you that this article has taken up so much time not-so-simply stating that I have this strong pull for a single number. I promise I have a point.

True Magic: Unleashing Your Inner Witch

Recently I have had the honor of reading the next book by Cyndi Brannen before its release date. Many of you likely know Cyndi as the writer of the blog Keeping Her Keys. She also created a wildly popular Facebook group, The Witches Realm. And she runs a mystery school called The Open Circle Institute.

Cyndi is my teacher and in the last year I have grown rather fond of reading her blog. She loves to teach about Hekate, who is the Goddess I do all my work with. So it is safe to say I am a pretty big fan of Cyndi’s work thus far. When I got the chance to read her book before it came out I jumped at the opportunity.

Recently I had the honor of reading the next book by Cyndi Brannen before its release date. Photo by the author.

True Magic: Unleashing Your Inner Witch is, well, True Magic. The thing that this book is definitely not about is Hekate. While Cyndi has been known to dive deep into the goddess, this book is a step away from that. Cyndi doesn’t stray away from her roots as a Hekatean witch in any way though. Instead she explains magick from a fundamental point of view with an openness that works well outside of deity.

The book, “takes you beyond anything you’ve ever tried before. Combining traditional magic and modern strategies, you will transform your life through spells, practices, rituals, and journeys, unlocking the power of your true self”~ Back cover of the book.

Throughout True Magic there is a theme. You guessed it, the number seven. There is no better way to explain what I mean than to use Cyndi’s own words. The excerpts that follow are used with her permission and should not be reproduced in any way without her consent.

Dr. Brannen explains magick from a fundamental point of view. Photo by the author.

Seven is Magic

We have seven ways in which we can relate to ourselves, the world and the mysteries. These categories overlap with each other in many ways. Seven is true Magic.

Seven as a magic number is found across magical traditions and mystical paths. True Magic combines the best of diverse esoteric, mystical, occult and spiritual perspectives to help you unleash your Inner Witch into SEVEN STEPS OF POWER. The seven energetic centers are explored using the chakra framework. The seven Hermetic principles are incorporated as are concepts from Theosophy. From our contemporary time, the concepts of Reiki find their place in our affirmations work. There are elements from ancient mystical traditions, particularly Ancient Greece. All these things combine to make True Magic.

True Magic: Seven Steps for Unleashing Your Inner Witch

One of my favorite books is Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic. I love how she outlines that creativity is magic. Inspiration = creativity = magic= truth. This is what True Magic is all about. Going beyond what Big Magic said by giving you the ability to unleash your Inner Witch through the practice and techniques in the following pages. Creativity is connection to all that’s within you and all that’s without. We unleash our Inner Witch by exploring the Seven Principles of True Magic.

I love a Witch’s Ladder. This is really what this book is, a ladder of seven steps leading to unleashing your truth and creating an amazing life. Here’s a bit about the steps ahead.

What’s in True Magic

True Magic basically has seven key lessons: healing, relationships, sovereignty, growth, connection, abundance, and wholeness. So, you know, all the things a witch wants to know. Even if you think you know everything about all seven topics you are sure to learn new ways to work within the realm of each one.

The whole book is about growing into your true self. Image by the author.

Each chapter gives in-depth information on the correspondences that work best for the subject. This, again, is separated into seven specific things. They are: botanicals, stones, colors, tarot, altar objects, energies, and the moon. Then as the chapters end you are gifted with a ritual to use in your practice in order to integrate each topic into your magickal life.

The End Result

Reading through True Magic: Unleashing Your Inner Witch left me excited to go back and work each step. The whole book is about growing into your true self. It gives you the tools and knowledge to stand up and claim your witchiness. Whether you have been practicing for ages or you are brand new to the path of the wise, all witches should pick up this book and give it a go. It is worth learning how to incorporate traditional witchcraft into this modern world. And really, even if you think you have all the tools in your box to be an amazing witch, you’re bound to learn quite a bit from working through the book.

Listen Witch, True Magic: Unleashing Your Inner Witch comes out on November 1st. You can pre-order it from Amazon here. Or if you would like a real special treat follow this link and get yourself a signed, sigiled, and sanctified copy of the book. In addition to the book you will receive an in-depth meditation audio class with a chart of hand positions, colors, and affirmations plus more.

At the end of the day, if you want to invest in yourself this year, an excellent way to do so would be to pick up True Magic: Unleashing Your Inner Witch. It’s worth it, and so are you witch.

About Vincent Higginbotham

When Vincent was eight he knew he wanted to be a writer when he grew up. After a decade living on the streets he went to college at The Art Institute of Philadelphia where he received a BS in Industrial Design. He isn’t using his degree at all. Instead Vincent works in construction as a logistics manager. He has two sons and a handsome husband he loves dearly. Vincent works with Hekate and Hermes in all things magick. He intends to work his way into a full-time writing career. You can read more about the author here.

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