Cyber Spellbook, The

The Cyber Spellbook claims to show the reader “how to effectively marry all the magickal potential and powers of modern mechanical gadgetry with traditional metaphysical methods.”  Instead, it comes across as hokey and unrealistic and poorly thought out.

We begin with a definition of a cyber witch as no different from any other witch except that they see technology as magical symbols. That is it – the whole premise of the book. A cyber witch can use a cell phone in spells involving communication, or a blender in spell work where disintegration and re-integration is integral. So, for these authors cyber = any use of electrical technology. As a cyber witch myself, I have to ask: Where did the ‘cyber’ go? (Cyber is a prefix taken from the word cybernetics and attached to other words having to do with computers and communication. It is most often used to make whatever word it's attached to seem hip, cool, and connected in some loose way to the world of computers or the Internet.)

The spells are culled from many of Telesco’s other books. Ritual will be totally familiar to any witch, of any tradition as they take place in sacred space and use physical devices, implements, and symbols to direct the will. For example, they recommend calling the east – and turning on an electric fan. Calling the south – and turning on a heater. A faucet for the west and activating a talking toy animal for the north rounds out these cyber witches’ circle.

Don’t bother buying this book. There are much better sources for information about cyber magick out there – online and in print.

~review by Lisa Mc Sherry