Originally published in 1994. This is the first widely publicly available book on the subject, it contains a mishmash of Ceremonial Magick and Wicca elements. Secret/ closed groups and individuals practiced and continue to practice their own versions of Dragon Magick. Dragon Magick has always been a very secretive path due to the disbelief from others, including other pagans. Back in the mid 90’s so little was publicly available everyone was winging it and creating through trial and error. At first Dancing with Dragons received high praise, but some were more critical and brought attention to how various elements were either Wiccan with dragons thrown over it or Ceremonial with dragons replacing deities or angels.
Hey friends. Just kinda screaming into the void on this one, but I hope someone hears. Does anyone know what’s going on with Squidgeworld right now? It’s been down for like a week, and I can’t even load the ‘contact us’ page to be like ‘I have a problem’.
If anyone knows anything, I’d appreciate it if you could tell me. I’m nowhere near done any new chapter, but like. The hell?
Ok been trying to get into dragon magic. I was recommended this book as a basis of draconic magic. I finished it today. Do I recommend it? Hnnnmngggghh maaaaybeeeee???? I stuck with it the best I could despite some obvious cultural and lore inaccuracies but I ended skipping a lot of the ritual work, all of it. I recently learned why Conway isn't really respected in the witch community and... I totally get it.
I don't enjoy dunking on things recommended to me especially since there aren't a lot of dragon magic books out there. I kept in mind who the author is and at what time this was written. It was published in 1994 so I tried my best to keep by opinions to the side because of the time and person it was written by. I have my own draconic teacher and the amount of times he corrected something was at least once every chapter but that's my own experience. Of you read the book yourself you can obviously make your own observations.
But generally speaking this book is under HEAVY assumption that you are Wiccan and it comes across as witchcraft = wiccan practice. We all know it's not. Shit, I'm Catholic and sometimes it felt like I wasn't welcome to read this book because of a lot of anti-christian sentiment in here. (Yes I know. Christianity is the reason why the craft is demonized but I don't think it's right to have a personal vendetta against people who are Christian and it comes off as that sometimes. As a Catholic witch I think it's safe for me to say not all of us demonize the craft).
Lore wise there is definitely things taken out of context and misinformation. A ton of it. If you pick it up be very critical of it. Also, do not be afraid to dabble in draconic magic. Conway has this very high and mighty stance of sort of, not so much shaming but putting people down for dabbling in magic and goes so far as to say to put the book down and don't even try draconic if you're gonna dabble. An attitude of "SERIOUS MAGICIANS ONLY" sort of gatekeeping and honestly it bothered me A LOT. From personal experience the dragon I am learning under said dabbling is ok, especially if you are new to witchcraft or want to explore a certain path because you don't know if that path is what you really wanna do and you won't know until you dip your toes into the water.
Conway just has this sort of arrogance in the book as if she's the expert on dragons. Granted! She has worked with dragons for over 20 years so some things she has to say can be helpful like understanding the basic elements of the dragons but there is just a lot of lore misinformation and she tends to act as if the way she does her rituals are the correct ways to practice dragon magic when really every witch has their own way of doing things. It all depends on you and if you made contact with a dragon they'll surely assist you in how you will practice the draconic craft.
Bottom line: do I recommend this book? With a heaping pile of sea salt. Would I say this is a very small foundation to explore draconic craft? Sure but with that heaping pile of sea salt. Personally I recommend trying to make a connection with a dragon first before reading this book. Find other draconic witches like alchemy.of.spirit or that.dragon.witchh on Instagram and check out their content. Dancing with Dragons is the bare bottom of the barrel minimum of you really need a book to start somewhere. Keep the salt around while you read it and thanks for listening to my TED talk!
He knew something was wrong the moment he came to his senses. His entire body trembled with pain as he was forced to awaken from his blissful and painfully unaware sleeping state. The sound of beeping monitors and the soft echo of shoes tapping on hard floors rose once his eyes opened. Moments later, a doctor was there to greet him and inform him they were at the hospital, yet still on base. The battered-up brunet saw a glimpse of himself in a mirror given by a nurse. His hair was matted and dirty, his body stitched and bandaged.
It took the doctor a moment before telling him that not only was he being sent home on an honorable discharge, he also had a terrible accident. It wasn’t losing his men or killing civilians, as one would assume. The tragic loss was the left stump that was now his leg, bleeding through the bandages. His green eyes widened at the sight. No words left his lips as his entire body shut down. As a result, the doctor pumped his IV with morphine to cause the soldier to rest. However, the shock never truly left him.
In all honesty, he wasn't too proud of going off to the Marines like he had. He thought that if he left his art scholarship and went to the army, his dad might actually be proud of him. And for a moment, the old man was. With his buzz cut and high rankings through bomb tech and military tacticians, he had been put in the hand of his squad. His father was proud of him every day.
Yet, it only took a single bomb to set back everything. He came home taller with lean ropes of muscle, a haircut and a foot gone. The looks of sympathy were worse than the disapproval. He spent months in the hospital and physical therapy, though it did nothing to help his mental state. His hair grew out back to the long length it had once been and he could actually walk in a straight line with his prosthetic, yet he still felt as weak as he was all those years ago. Even as a twenty-seven-year-old man, he still looked to his father for approval and now only saw that same disappointment.
There wasn’t anything he could do to change that’s man mind.
***
Today, Hiccup Haddock the Third found himself outside a small dance studio recommended by his redheaded, Scottish doctor. To say he was nervous would be an understatement.
The brunette sighed, looking down at the floor of the car.
“You ready?” his best friend asked from the driver’s side.
The man grumbled, “No. Take me home.”
Jack scoffed and turned off the car as to not waste the gas. Hiccup knew what that meant; a lecture from good ole’ Jack Frost.
“Doc said it was going to help your coordination and that this girl was a good friend of hers. She’s not even going to charge you! What’s the worse that could happen?” the white hair male asked.
Hiccup gave him a look, “I fox trot myself into falling on my ass?”
Jack narrowed his eyes, “Get out of the car and go get better or so help me I will pull you out myself.”
The brunet rolled his green eyes before opening the door and lifting his legs awkwardly out of the vehicle. He slowly stood up, only to bend down and look back at his buddy.
“Two o’ clock right?”
“I’ll be here. I promise,” Jack said with a smile. The veteran closed the door and with a sigh, wobbled his way toward the dance studio. He was still slow in his walk and looked stiff. He refused to use a cane as it only furthered his disappointment and loss of his normality. Besides, it was mostly the pain that bothered him rather than his appearance.
Everything inside him screamed that this was a bad idea.
His father had ingrained in him that real men don’t need help. Then again, he wanted a lot out of his fishbone of a son that didn't have much to give in the first place.
Hiccup walked up to the door as the colorful fall leaves crunched under his boots. He wore a pair of dark jeans and a button up dark green shirt with a warm leather jacket over it. Now that his hair was long, he used a ponytail to tie it back. It showed off more of his sharp jawline and many, many freckles.
He hesitantly knocked on the door.
Many thoughts swirled in his mind at the moment. Dr. DunBroch could have at least showed him a picture of her friend to ease his nerves. If she was cute, then this would most definitely end badly. If she wasn’t attractive to him, then it still probably end with him falling on his ass.
With an awkward turn on his good foot, he only waited a second before heading back to the sidewalk. Hiccup was at the ready to pull out his phone to call Jack to turn around.
Hiccup dialed Jack's number as the autumn wind tried to penetrate through his thick jacket. He hated the cold. The worst part of being out in the desert was the nights. It was always freezing.
He brought the phone up to his ear, his other hand in his jacket pocket.
As the phone rang, he heard the door behind him open.
“Hi, I’m Rapunzel. Are you Hiccup?”
He turned to see who called his name. The person before him made his eyes widened. Oh this is bad. This is very, very bad.
She was beautiful.
She was a petite woman who wore a strapped rose pink dress that brought out the pink of her cheeks and the spring green of her doe eyes. Her hair was held up in a messy bun of golden strands. There was no makeup on her face to taint the natural beauty she possessed. Her lips were in a natural pout as she waited for him to answer.
He gulped, ignoring the voice that yelled at him on the other end of the phone line.
He decided this was much worse than what his imagination concocted in his head. The last thing he wanted was to be exposing his flaws and handicap by falling all over the place in front of a beautiful woman. Warmth flooded his cheeks to the tips of his ears. He gave her an awkward smile, hanging up the phone and putting it in his pocket. Hiccup took a couple of careful steps towards the door, though he still wobbled a bit.
The brunet stopped to take a deep breath, his smile gone from what he was about to say. His green eyes filled with a bit a self-loathing, but mostly embarrassment.
“Umm, hi. Yeah, I’m Hiccup. Dr. DunBroch referred me here, but I think it would be best to continue going back to physical therapy. This dancing thing isn't for me. I was never coordinated, even before my accident. I'm sorry if I wasted your time.”
He could see her face fall when he told her that he wouldn’t be taking her class. It seemed like she was almost looking forward to it. No, it couldn't be that. Injured veterans are charity cases. She was probably just trying to validate herself through some civic duty to a soldier. Just another person to pity him.
These emotions made Hiccup turn around. He couldn’t take looking at her hurt face any longer. He closed his eyes tightly at how stupid he must have sounded. He took out his phone again while walking stiffly towards the sidewalk once more.
All he heard was a soft “Oh, of course. No worries” from her before the door closed behind him, leaving him out in the autumn wind.
Haddock you asshole, he thought to himself.
He called Jack again.
“What?”
“I’m ready to go home.”
“You didn’t even go to the class, did you?”
“This is stupid. I want to go home.”
“Your doctor said this was the best chance you have to walk normally that’s faster than therapy. You can’t just walk away because you’re uncomfortable!”
“I can figure it out myself. And I’m not walking away. It just isn’t for me.”
“I’m not picking you up.”
“Then I’ll walk.”
“Are you crazy? You can barely walk as it is! No offense.”
“How is that not offensive?”
Hiccup was about to utter something to his supposed best friend when he felt a small tap on his shoulder. It made him turn around, his phone still up to his ear with Jack barraging him.
The petite blonde stood behind him, out in the cold with her dance outfit on.
She smiled at him and handed him her card. “Here. It’s my business card,” she explained.
“I know you may not want to now, or ever. But if you ever do want to have a session in the future, I just wanted you to know you have other options. I may not be a licensed physical therapist, but I do know a few things about dance,” she joked, letting out the most melodious giggle Hiccup’s ever heard.
Her words were almost lost on him because he found himself looking into her green eyes now that they were closer. They were green like summer grass. He felt like he was getting lost in all that was simple about her. That’s what it was. She was simple, uncomplicated and without drama. His whole life had been a series of problems and complications. Hell, his name was Hiccup: he was a mistake and a problem within itself. Even his own occupation was full of bomb techs, guns, drills, training and war mechanics. When he got home it was hospitals and surgeries, family issues and planning. She seemed so simple.
Hiccup reached for the card and, in doing so, gently brushed his fingertips with hers. That short contact caused jolts of electricity to run up his arm, followed by a bright crimson blush flustering his face.
“Oh, th-thank you,” he muttered out. She gave him one more heart-stopping smile before spinning around in a dancer’s fashion and going back into the building.
“Hiccup? Hic who was that?” Jack’s voice finally registering into the memorized brunet.
“Th-that was my instructor. Sorry Jack, I gotta go. See you at 2,” Hiccup rapidly uttered before stuffing his phone once again into his pocket and following the direction of where the blonde beauty went.
When he did catch up to her, she was beginning to put her speaker away and looked like she was closing up shop. Hiccup cleared his throat before knocking on the open door and entering.
The blonde glanced towards him, tilting her head to the side a bit like an adorable curious puppy.
“Hiccup?”
He chuckled at that, whether it be to hide his incredibly nervous emotions or because the way she said his name was on the rapidly growing list of what he enjoyed hearing from her; her giggle being the first.
“I, I’m sorry about before... This is all so foreign to me,” he started.
She placed the speaker aside and began to walk towards him, Hiccup doing the same until the pair met in the center of the room with only their reflections in from the ballet mirrors to accompany them.
“Well, If you’re up for it, I don’t mind helping you get un-foreign to it,” she grinned, her smile never failing to clench the inside of Hiccup’s chest.
Summary: Lyssa has always dreamed of working with dragons, the chance to do so for a whole year was not one she would ever think about passing up. Romania was a far stretch from home, but it would be worth it.
A/N: Here we go part 2. Also so sorry for late updates on pretty much everything, I have been super scattered. One day I will make a cohesive plot plan, but today, is not that day.
Warnings: None, just my intense love for awkward dragon boys.
Word Count: 1,678
Working in Romania was a dream come true. For years Lyssa had dreamed of getting the chance to work with dragons. She had loved her job in the States with the different creatures, the nifflers, pukwudgies, even the horned serpents. But dragons had always been her end game. It had been simple luck that the Opaleye had decided to take up residence in Mount Rushmore. Well, maybe it wasn’t luck for George Washington’s likeness. Lyssa felt that was one of the moments where she was most grateful for magic, because how would you explain to Americans that their first leader’s likeness had been burst to rubble? No doubt someone would assume it was a conspiracy, or more likely a terrorist attack. The latter seemed more likely with the climate of the country.
After introductions the Romanian team took the lead and directed the American team towards the Reserve. The Opaleye in her cage was levitated on the way several wizards held their wands towards the cage as they made their way deeper into the dense forest. Rushwing remained close to Lyssa, as was usual, although she couldn’t shake a strange feeling in her gut. She had never seen Rushwing bow so quickly to another person. After the instance she could feel the eyes of her teammates on her, a few of them have never received a bow from the hippogriff, what made this man, Charlie Weasley, so special?
Her mind had been so focused on that interaction that she missed the redhead appearing at her left side, the opposite side of the hippogriff.
“So, you’ll be staying with us for a while.” He said awkwardly, Lyssa turned her eyes to meet his, they were a deep chocolate brown, she could feel herself almost get lost in them.
“It seems that way, you will be stuck with me.” She said, a smile on her face.
He chuckled, but didn’t say anything past that, his eyes watching her face. Her eyes grew wide as they came upon the Reserve. It was larger than she had expected, she could see huts surrounding the area, followed by large paddocks. It was beautiful, something she had been dreaming of doing in America, but knew would never be possible.
“Welcome, to Dragon Park.” Owen said, laughing, the rest of the American team let out a few laughs. The Romanian crew looked confused.
“It’s a film reference.” Lyssa said, seeing the confusion cross Charlie’s face.
He shook his head, “Americans.” Lyssa rolled her eyes, she knew that European wizards were removed from muggle culture, but American wizards had become more integrated with it than before, or at least the younger ones were.
Lyssa had wondered what the atmosphere at the Dragon Reserve would be, she glanced around as the group made their way towards a large open paddock. A man stood at the paddock’s gate, something about him seemed familiar.
“About time you showed up. Americans are always tardy.” He grumbled, a sparkle in his eyes as he surveyed the group in front of him.
“And you Brits are always so pompous.” Owen answered, jogging up to the man and greeting him with a hug, which caused the other man to stiffen slightly. “I’ve missed you cousin.” The other man grimaced at Owen’s words.
“Yes, yes, that’s fine,” The man said, pushing Owen off his body. “Hello, I am Kingsley Riley, head of the Reserve. Welcome to all of you. We are excited for this partnership, and cannot wait for what will come from it.” His tone did not echo his sentiments, a few of the American crew shuffled their feet. “Now let’s get this Opaleye into her new home.”
The crews began to move levitating the cage into the paddock. Charlie found his way next to Lyssa. “You might want to leave him out here.” He tilted his head toward the hippogriff.
Lyssa nodded and turned to the hippogriff, one hand under the creature’s chin. “Go on,” She murmured, the hippogriff fluffed his feathers and flew into the sky.
Charlie watched her as she turned towards him, curiosity obvious in his eyes, but they had a job to do.
“Alright, Reserve rules, we need to make sure we get this dragon out without hurting her, and without any of you getting eaten.” Boris said, grunting as one of the Romanian crew nudged him with an elbow. “So, if you’re not of our reserve, get your butts out of the paddock.”
The Americans glanced around, looking to Owen for leadership. “You heard the man, let’s get out of their way and let the professionals take it away.”
Charlie chuckled, noticing Lyssa had stopped just inside the gate. “Come on, you’re going to be spending lots of time here, you might as well learn the ropes.”
A small smile came across her lips, she trotted to his side. “What should I do?”
“Have your wand ready, be prepared to run. Opaleyes tend to be relatively docile. They’re one of the calmer breeds, if this was a Horntail we’d be having a very different discussion. How are you at tranquilizing spells?” He asked.
“I’d say decent.” She answered, “Took down a Rougarou last week.”
Charlie had to take her word for it, he was not familiar with the American creatures, he was barely adept at creatures native to Europe outside of dragons. She walked next to him as he walked to the front of the cage. Boris eyed Lyssa, "You sure that’s a good idea, Weasley?” He grunted.
“She’s going to have to learn sooner or later, might as well be sooner.” Charlie answered, nodding his head to the open space beside him. “We’ll have them open the door and let her wander out, Reggie will shrink the cage once she’s out, hopefully she just walks out, no harm no foul. She starts getting agitated, get out.”
“Alohomora.” One of the Romanian crew cast, the door to the cage gliding open. The Opaleye raised her head, green cat-like eyes scanning the world around her. Her neck extended and she shook her head. Slowly she stretched her front legs, iridescent scales glimmering in the sunlight. A rumble shuddered through her chest as she made her way out the cage gate.
Lyssa’s head turned towards Charlie, their eyes met, he expected to see terror in her eyes, but he saw himself mirrored in her expression. Pure joy filled her face, a smile wide on her lips. His heart picked up speed, he blinked and broke their eye contact. The dragon let out a puff of air, head turning to each of the wizards in front of her. Her head stopped when she reached Lyssa. She slightly cocked her head at Lyssa. Charlie grunted, moving steadily to position himself between the dragon and girl.
The dragon snorted at him, then turned her head towards the sky. Her back legs bent and she jumped into the air, wings catching the wind and allowing her to glide into the sky. A breath escaped through Charlie’s lips he turned to Lyssa, smile still on her lips.
“Amazing.” She murmured.
“C’mon, better get out and let her get comfortable.” He said, leading Lyssa out of the Opaleye’s paddock.
Boris came behind him and cracked his hand onto the taller man’s shoulder. “Nice work out there.” A twinkle in his eyes. Charlie nodded to him, biting his tongue, not wanting to goad him. “So, what did you think of the dragon, missy?”
“I think she’s amazing, I can’t wait to learn more.” She answered.
“Luckily for you, you’ll be learning from our best. Charlie here will teach you everything you need.” Boris said, giving Charlie a parting wink before heading down one of the paths leading to the huts.
Kingsley’s voice carried to the pair. “Weasley, why don’t you give her a tour, take her to her hut. We’ll all meet in back in the mess hall once she’s settled.”
“Yes, sir.” Charlie answered, turning to Lyssa. “Let’s get you settled.”
Lyssa nodded and followed him down a path away from the group. They remained in silence for a few moments, before Charlie began to speak again.
“You’ll be in the hut next to mine. My last neighbor got moved to the family huts, got married. So there was an opening. That way if you need anything you can find me.” He started babbling. Lyssa let a small smile grace her lips, she glanced down at the ground. “So, you seem to pack light….”
Lyssa chuckled, “It would seem that way, but looks can be deceiving.” She put her hand to her mouth and let out a whistle, Charlie looked up at the sound of wings. The hippogriff landed in front of them. Charlie noticed a few packs on the creature’s sides, that looked like they had been shrunken down to make it easier for the creature. Charlie couldn’t hide his face, he was impressed. Hippogriffs barely let anyone ride them, but to carry packs as well? That was unheard of. “He’s special.” Lyssa said, not offering more information.
Charlie stopped outside of a hut. “Here it is, your home while you’re here with us. Mine is right across the path. Let’s get you unpacked and then we’ll head to dinner.” He started lifting packs off the hippogriff and into the hut. Lyssa followed him into the hut, taking the final packs off Rushwing and letting him fly off into the forest, it had been a long flight, he needed to hunt.
Lyssa stepped over the threshold, it was a small hut, a bed in the corner across from a basic kitchenette. A closet was carved into the wall by the bed, a dresser was against the wall next to the bathroom.
Charlie stepped in front of her. “Anything else?”
“That’s everything.” She answered, glancing around the hut.
“It’s not much, but it’s a roof over your head.” He said.
Even though it was across an ocean and a new place, she couldn’t help but feel that this was home. “It’s perfect.” She murmured.
Blake and Ilia for whatever reason sitting near each other.
“So, how’d you know that you were into other females?” - Blake a bit nervous as she stares towards Yang across from her causing Ilia to smile.
“I think staring at them like you are is a pretty good clue.” -Ilia causing Blake to glance to her surprised, then trying to keep her eyes away only for them to gradually make their way back to Yang and this time lock eyes with her as she smiles. Ilia calling out the blatant pining looks that Blake gives Yang at various points in the show.
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Bonus “Dancing with Dragons” version
Blake and Ilia for whatever reason sitting near each other.
“So, how’d you know that you were into other females?” - Blake a bit nervous as she stares towards Yang across from her causing Ilia to smile.
“I think staring at them like you are is a pretty good clue.” -Ilia teasingly. “Though I I can’t blame you, I’d be interested too.” causing Blake to glance to her surprised as Ilia stares as well.
Monsters: An Investigators Guide to Magical Beings by John Michael Greer -
Pretty good so far, though the introduction’s reasoning to the “proof” of magickal creatures existing has some holes in it. I also dislike that he says scientists attempt to fit all phenomena into a “Procrustean bed of theory” while, in actuality, I find that we simply pose scientific theories instead of relying upon folklore to provide us with answers.
(Many scientists probably believe that ghosts and whatnot can potentially exist, but as soon as we bring unstudiable phenomena into the mix, science can no longer be done, meaning that such investigations will naturally not appear under the guise of “science.” Our job is, essentially, to pretend that there are no supernatural phenomena [or free will, in the field of psychology] while doing our work, and thinking whatever we’d like in our free time.)
Dancing with Dragons by D.J. Conway -
Legitimately bad. I occasionally find direct contradictions only a page or so apart from each other. Wording is unclear and there’s no real organization apart from the chapter structure. Paragraphs are not correctly separated.
I’m particularly disappointed because, as a dragon myself, I think it would be cool to get into contact with these “astral dragons,” if there are any, and chat them up, but I can’t tell if I trust this author enough to believe any info he gives me, despite supposedly being a member of the Golden Dawn. I hope the actual organization is more professional than this; I can’t believe they let this guy publish this book while having their name in it.
I’m going to keep reading to see if there are any actually useful tips for getting into contact with other dragons, though.
